A Great Weekend!

Another bright, sunny, weekend in the "great white north"! R & I went to a "work" BBQ at one of his friend's homes - it was a beautiful spread and there were a lot of laughs! I always learn a few new interesting tidbits of info about my husband and his trips on the road through his friends - especially as the night wears on! I actually went to high school with one of his work friends - and a few of them I'd met before. Anyway, I eventually had to drag R home (knowing that just 'one more brewski' for him, would mean one more day in the trailer for me....)

J and I ran some errands on Saturday while R, Cousin B, and Doc continued to work on the siding. J was eventually dropped off at at a friend's birthday party at a local children's video game arcade. And, while he was "birthday partying", one of my work friends/golfing buddy (DL pictured in previous blog-post) stopped by to see our house construction as he was in the neighborhood - so we had a nice visit with him! R and my parents finally got to meet DL - they've heard me talk about him as I've become good friends with him since I began working in my current position (beginning in 2000).

After church today, J's friend T came for a playdate - we went exploring on the dikes with the dogs - and the boys had a great time together. Then, my good friend SM and her husband (SM too) came out to see our house and have dinner at my parents' home. My sister K and her boyfriend A were also there - and my mom made her famous mouth-watering cheese enchiladas for us! K's boyfriend A also made some homemade guacamole and salsa (which were also out of this world) - and I am now serously going to have to start a jogging regime before my high school reunion next month! Anyway, we had a great time and S and S gave us a very unique housewarming gift - a "mobile home" birdhouse!!! Too funny!!!! It's going to look great on our new porch! Anyway, I just love it - S always finds the most interesting things for people!!! I guess she doesn't want us ever to forget our trailer trash livin' when we get into our new house! Anyway, we had a great time visiting together tonight - we don't get to see them enough with our busy lives - and she just lost her dear dad this April.

Grade 2 Camping Trip!

Today my son's 2nd grade class left for an overnight camping field trip! When I dropped J and A off at school this morning, I had never seen them this excited! All the kids had packed their sleeping bags, pillows, backpacks, sunscreen, bug spray, p.j.'s etc. and were ready for the big adventure! They will be camping at a classmate's place - the family lives out on acreage several miles east of the school (we've been invited to their lovely place before as each fall they've had a big bonfire - and chile! - party which is a lot of fun).

On the way to the school however, J informs me that everyone was to bring some food for the overnighter - and I was mad at myself for not offering sooner. Anyway, I picked up several bags of freshly picked cherries (in season) and some large bags of potato chips and dropped them off at the hosts' home - along with our slip-slider (it's going to be over 30 degrees C this afternoon). The kids are going to have so much fun - and J's teacher and her son will be spending the night in tents as well! Tomorrow, they are having breakfast at the campsite and will be returning to the school around noon.

As for me, I had a free night - and went golfing (in the sweltering heat) with some of my friends from work!!! We had originally planned to play at Burnaby Mountain, but with the heat we decided on Central Park (lots of tall trees and shade). I definitely need to get out on the golf course more often though!!!

The HEAT is on!

It's a scorcher out there!!!!! Too hot to cook! Too hot to clean!

J was picked up from school by my sister (and her daughter) and they headed straight for the swimming pool at my parents' home. The kids played in the pool for several hours until I came and picked up J. We went home and had dinner - which was a nice cold chef's salad. J had plans to see a movie with my dear friend Joanne and her husband Gord - they were taking him to see Ratatouille! Anyway, he really enjoyed himself at the movie - and I was able to run some errands while he was out (should I mention that a young clerk gave me the "Senior's Discount"?). It's nice to save 30%, but gee, I hoped I didn't really look 65! Anyway, after the movie, Joanne and Gord had a quick tour of the new house - as I had to go to bed early in the over-heated trailer. I'm obviously in dire need of some beauty rest - especially if this heat has succeeding in cooking me into a wrinkled old lady!

Separation Anxiety

Today I suffered from a mild case of separation anxiety. Okay, maybe it was more than a just little mild. My son, still 7 years old, attended a birthday party with one of his friends at Playland in Vancouver. JM, the birthday boy, was turning 9! He is a sweet boy from another school whom J has known for 6 years. So, while J was very excited about the party, he also expressed some concern himself about going when he learned that I wasn't going with them. Although J knows JM pretty well, he was worried about the fact that he didn't know the other kids - and that they would all be older than him. Because I know the parents well, I assured J that he would be just fine, and if he wanted, he could always hang out with J's sister, who is 6.

Having said that, I was still a little anxious about him while he was gone. Paranoid mother, I guess. I kept thinking about the old, decrepid wooden roller coaster which was built in 1958. That thing always seemed like it was ready to fall apart when I was out seeking thrills on it myself as a teen! Today, it's almost 50 years old and I know it still reaches speeds of over 45 MPH! No, I could not stop thinking about all the train derailments I've heard about on the news over the years - most recently the one near Lytton. And these were trains chugging along on level terrain! With real engineers! Who maintains these rides? City staff? I know all about government cut-backs! I was also afraid that J would be pressured (or feel pressure) to go on rides he wasn't really comfortable with - because he would want to be a big kid too. Or, what if he got separated from the group???? Every possible scenario was entering my paranoid mind. Finally I broke down and called JM's mother on her cell phone. Once she assured me that my son was having a great time and was getting along fine with the other boys, I relaxed. He came back in one piece! He'd had a fantastic time! He was well-mannered and well-behaved! He didn't go on any rides (ie: the Zipper) that he didn't want to go on! But, he did choose to ride the famous rickety old wooden roller coaster after all - in the very back car!!!!!!!!!!!

A "New" Old Car

J and I spent the day running errands, paying bills. We had really intended on looking for a new car for me - and going to test drive a few, but my good buddy RM (who is an expert on cars) kind of talked some sense into me. He suggested that since I've just sunk thousands of dollars into the vehicle, why wouldn't I consider keeping it? Naturally, I have been worried that more big things were going to keep going - but he felt that most of the major work was done now. Yes a new car would be nice, but did I want to go even further into debt with another $22,000 expense??? It would take a lot of things to go wrong to justify that - especially since I do like driving my car. He also pointed out that I probably wouldn't get much on a trade-in, and that it would be better to sell it privately for more. Anyway, I have spent a lot of money on it this year - clutch, water-pump, timing belt, block heater, new tires, electrical system, steering column signals, etc. etc. So, today I've possibly saved close to $30,000 (factoring in the loss I'd have on all the money I've just sunk into it -- which would never be recovered in a trade)! So in fact, I have practically a "new" car - all I need now is that new hubcap.....

When we returned, J had a call from T who wanted him to come over for a playdate. They have been in the same class for 2 years but, after being on the same soccer team and in the same daycare together (just one day a week), they've actually started playing more together this school year. So they spent a few hours together - which was a fun thing after a day of errands with mom!

Let's FACE it.....

I have been an unfaithful blogger. And I have a confession to make. The truth of the matter is that my lack of blogging is most likely due to my latest compulsion - and, for those of you who know me, you know what that is! Let's "FACE" it, it's been rather exciting finding old friends and connections with this other "hip and cool" application....

It started off innocently enough. I was invited by several friends (which I ignored, thinking "it's not my thing", and "who has the time to bother with that?"). Then, about 3 weeks ago, curiousity finally got the best of me - I wanted to see the profile and pictures of my friend "Campellicious" and her daughter so I created my own account (you have to have an account to view somebody). Several of my friends who were already "hooked" soon appeared as my "Friends". They began writing on my wall. I have now been found by (or found) my primary school neighbors, my high school buddies, a bridesmaid, and on it goes. Now, less than a month later, I have over 130 friends! Yippee! I feel loved! By friendly FACES who will "poke" me, write on my wall, send me gifts or cute messages to my in-box. Very interactive (translated into time-consuming) - so much more than my blog has ever been (does anyone even read it, I often ask). But, I need to FACE the fact that I do need to curb this new addiction, so I will be back to blog more regularly again soon. I promise! Gotta run (can you guess where?)

Fun in the Sun!

J and his dad camped out last night in the tree fort! This seemed to help with our "over-crowded" sleeping arrangement in the trailer with houseguests; in fact, I had the bed almost all to myself (me, + 2 dogs & 1 cat). Anyway, the guys slept well & didn't get bitten by any mosquitos (me neither)!

J and I ran a few errands this morning and then went to see Mr. M in the hospital - unfortunately he wasn't feeling too well so we had to keep the visit fairly short. He sure looks great but he has a nasty cough and a sore throat.

This afternoon we had several friends pop by for a swim next door at Nona and Doc's. A and his sister M (with their dad S who is plumbing our new house) arrived first -- then T and his baby sister arrived with their mom K. The boys (J, A, and T) are all in the same class at school - they attend school through the month of July so they're still all together. Anyway, the kids just had a fantastic time in the pool, up in the tree fort, eating juice bars, fruit, chips and salsa, exploring in the fields, and picking rasperries! At last we've had a real summer weekend!

Happy Canada Day

Happy 140th Birthday Canada!

J (who was fully decked in his Canada Day attire) had a playdate with his buddy JE at the barn today. The kids later came back for a swim in Nona and Doc's pool. I've actually known JE's mom C for over 30 years - so we had a nice visit while the kids swam. They are getting very excited about moving to acreage out in Whonnock this summer! We will miss having them so close to us at the barn on our street (where C boards her horses) though!