The end of a journey

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." - Jack Layton, July 18th, 1950 - August 22nd, 2011

While my journey continues on, Jack Layton's has ended, he may have gone on to another adventure, I guess it depends on what you believe.  If you don't live in Canada you might not know who Jack Layton was.  He was the leader of our Parliamentary Opposition party, the NDP.  While I did  not necessarily agree with his views, I did admire him for his passion.  He had deep beliefs and fought for them and what he felt was right for Canadians.  The above quote came from  his goodbye letter to all Canadians that he wrote 2 days before his death.  Of course his story is all over the news and to discover that when he knew his time was coming soon he took the time to make sure that the NDP would know where to go from here and on top of it all take a few minutes to write to all Canadians a 'fond farewell' of sorts......

I love his quote.  It truly is thoughtful and true.  If we could all remember to be 'loving, hopeful and optimistic' even during our darkest hour it would brighten the world even if only a little.   

Goodbye Jack and Thank you for all you have done for this country.  We need a great and strong opposition to keep us on the right path and you are the one who gave it to us.  I hope that your legacy will carry on in your predecessor.  Our thoughts and prayers are with your family as they grieve the loss of someone so loved.  

My journey has been interesting of late to say the least.  July was an extremely hectic time at work, full of overtime and stress.  The line I work on is not running as well as it should and so of course makes our jobs so much more difficult, not only to keep the line running and put cases out the door, but also to complete our other tasks AND to make improvements that will help the line run better.  Right now our time is spent 'firefighting' and trying to get through the day.  The last week leading up to my vacation, I was feeling very burned out and had a very very difficult time trying to keep from crashing.

Thankfully I made it to my vacation and had a fantastic time!  While plans changed, changed and changed again at seemingly the last minute, everything worked out alright.  We spent the first week at home 'chillaxin' as I like to call it.  I got some much needed sleep, some housework caught up and started packing for our trip.  We spent 2 days and a night in Quebec at a Zoo/Waterpark.  It was fantastic.  The first day was crazy busy and hot but we still managed to have some fun.  The second day was amazing.  The park was much quieter, it was slightly overcast at times, and we were able to go through the whole park and see all the animals much better than the day before.  We also spent a few hours at the water park just enjoying the sun and the water.  I'm not much of a water person, but I did truly enjoy it  :)  I drove the kids crazy wanting to take their picture on every animal statue their was.  We had a lot of laughs and it was nice being just us.  We came home for a day and then it was off to my In Laws for a couple of days.  We had a wedding to go to (the one I posted about earlier) Then it was time for me to leave my hubby and kids with my in-laws and come back home to an empty house to work 4 LONG night shifts.  I honestly didn't think I would make it through, but I did.  The 3rd night was really tough, but the 4th was alright.  I think a lot of that had to do with it being the last and once it was over I was going back to the in-laws to be with my family again.  I got there Friday morning, had a nap and then went over to the park where the kids were attending daycamp and were having their closing Talent Show celebration.   We were a bit late and had missed my nephew singing, but thankfully they had him sing again at the end (He sang O Canada, so they opened with him and decided to close with him too!)  My daughter sang a song with a new friend and my son did 'Kinetic Art' with another boy.  They setup a circle of blocks standing on their end and then knocked them over.  I was so happy to see them and know they had a good time that week.  The Saturday was a birthday party for my Dad and Brother (Dad turns 60 Sept 6th and my brother 31 on Sept 5)  Their neighbour had us over for a nice little lunch and visit to celebrate early.  It was a nice day.  Yesterday and today were relaxing and getting the yard work done as I go back to work tomorrow for a couple of days.  2 weeks from today is back to school already!  Back to school shopping next week.

I have no idea where my weight/measurements are at.  I am almost positive that I have gained some but I don't think it is too horrible.  I will have to check in on that soon I guess. Right now I am content with still fitting into my jeans lol!

Well that is it for today, I have dinner to get ready and some relaxing to do before bed.  Summer is too short, but on the plus side we have a beautiful Fall season coming and even after that the winter is beautiful too.  I love the Christmas season, but have a hard time getting through Jan and February.  Oh well 2 months out of 12 isn't bad ;)

Till next time...

Love

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;

love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;

it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails...But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

Saturday I witnessed a wedding that truly touched my heart and made it full. 
I am so happy for both of them and wish them a lifetime of love, laughs and happiness.

Not according to plan

You are never a loser until you quit trying. ~ Mike Ditka

I am almost finished my first week of vacation.  I must say that nothing has gone according to plan so far, but in the same breath it has been nice to not have to go to work :)

We were supposed to go camping this weekend with good friends of ours, but they baled on us a few days before.  Then we were going to go to my in-laws for the weekend and take a day to go to my family reunion for the day.  That fell through yesterday.  My in-laws have some guests for the weekend so there is no room for us to stay.  We could still go to my family reunion but it is an awful lot of driving to go for a day.  The other thing is that we have to go to my inlaws on Monday to drop off our dog.  We are planning a trip to a Zoo/Waterpark in Quebec for a few days and my brother-in law agreed to watch our dear Daisy while we are gone.  So to make a trip today and then again in a couple days is too much.  With Gas prices as high as they are and our budget as tight as it is.....it just doesn't make sense to make 2 trips.

I am hoping that our Quebec trip goes well  :)

Yesterday we went downtown to check out a annual festival.  It was so hot, but the music was good, food great, but not a whole lot for the kids.  Sadly at the end of the time my son took a HUGE temper tantrum!  Which is so very much unlike him.  He continued on so much that he ended up getting himself grounded for 2 days.  He hasn't done that since he was little, he was screaming and stomping his feet and crying.  It all started because he played a game and lost, so he started to cry.  We told him that if he was going to cry over losing a game that we would be going home, no smoothie.  Well that is when he lost it.  We did go straight home and he spent the rest of the day with no XBox and will spend today without one too.  If he behaves today then he just might get it back tomorrow.

Next weekend we have a wedding to go to.  It should be a great time.  Then it will be back to work for 4 night shifts for me.  I am not looking forward to going back at all, not just because of the 4 night shifts, but because work has been so stressful.  Our line is not running well and everyone is worn out from the added stress, the extra now mandatory overtime and just pure frustration. 

Oh well I will take it as it comes and do the best I can.

For now I will enjoy today and the rest of my vacation regardless whether it goes according to plan or not. 

I hope you are enjoying your summer as well!

Busy Weekend

Do not pity the dead, Harry, pity the living. Above all pity those who live without love. By returning you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed and fewer families are torn apart. If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say goodbye for the present. ~ Albus Dumbledore

Busy week, busy weekend.  This weekend flew by, it was a much needed time to get away from work.  Not a lot of relaxing done, but still an enjoyable time.  Friday we went over to a friend's place for a BBQ and bonfire.  We stayed out much later than we had planned.  Home around midnite and then had to get up for my son's soccer game early saturday morning.   Saturday my husband treated me to a matinee of the last installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  The movie was fantastic.  A lot had to be left out of the movie, but most things were touched on at least.  We then went to a stag and doe for his cousin.  It was a nice visit with some family.  We aren't much for drinking or partying but it was still nice.  Sunday we enjoyed a visit with my in-laws for a few hours then made our way over to see my parents.  Then we made our way home.

Today I will be sleeping away most of the day to prepare for work tonight.  I only have 2 more weeks of work then I will be off for 2 weeks, work a week then off another weekend and 3 days, work the Thursday and off another weekend.   I love vacation time :)

Well this is going to be a short post, I have to go to bed soon so i can stay awake tonight.

Here is hoping the week goes by quickly!!  :)

Almost there

'Today I will be driven by my goals, not my ego' Dr Lew Losoncy

End of school is near.  I can't get over how quickly the year has flown by.  It won't be long until the insanely hot days of summer are here and gone.

The kids are both playing baseball and soccer this year.  Tonight is my daughter's first soccer game.  She had a rough go at her first baseball game, she was pretty nervous.  Last night she played again (I missed it because of work) but from the report I got from her and her Dad she did fantastic!  She hit the ball every time at bat, and even once over everyone's head into the outfield!! Woo Hoo!  She also pitched and did a great job with that too.  I expect her teammates and coach were pleasantly surprised.  My son is enjoying baseball and soccer too.  He stands heads taller than all his teammates.  His league is called mosquito and each kid gets a chance to bat every inning and to run the bases.  It is more about learning than competition.

Tonight I will be meeting my niece and nephew for the first time.  My brother-law and his wife arrived earlier this week and are staying until Tuesday.  We will be visiting for the weekend.

(I forgot to finish this post....oops)

So we had a wonderful visit with my brother in law and family.  My niece and nephew are absolutely adorable and I love them to bits.  Ya no surprise there.  I also had a great time visiting with their parents  :D  The last night that I was there we girls (the sisters in law) and one of the cousin in law went on a haunted walk in the nearby city.  It was a lot of fun, just us girls.  I wish we didn't live so far away.....well that they live so far away.  BC is so far from Ontario.   It was great to finally meet my niece and nephew.

There was some sad new brought also.  My husband's grandmother has severe osteoporosis she is in a lot of pain and if she coughs too hard could break something.  I wish we could afford for my hubby and the kids to fly out to see her.  She is 89 years old and my hubby and his 1 brother are her only relatives left.  SShe hasn't met our kids and it would be so wonderful for her to meet them.

Who knows what the future will hold.


Cheers

Life is Good

In our life we can stare at the past, but only the future is ours to change!

It has been a couple months since my Dad's surgery.  I must say that things have gone quite well.  He is healing very nicely and is getting around with only a cane now.  The best thing of the entire situation is that my Mom has stepped up and is gaining self confidence and independence!!  I am so very proud of her.  She is not only driving in town now she has driven to the city, around the city and elsewhere!  She is handling things much better than she thought.  Way to go Mom!!  I truly hope that once Dad is able to drive again that she maintains her independence and continues on.

Work has been busy.  I am working a lot of overtime, but the money is much needed.  We have had to replace our toilet, the van needs to be repaired after an accident and of course it is summer now so between my dear hubby driving summer school and soon to be unemployed for a month with only unemployment it makes it much harder to do something special with the kids for summer vacation.  This year though with all the overtime I have worked it sure has helped.  We are in much better shape this summer vs last.  We are planning to take a trip to the Granby Zoo in Quebec.  None of us have been there before so it should be a nice treat for all of us.  Maybe next year we can go to yet another province  :)

I am very proud of both of my kids.   They both finished the year with amazing report cards.  My daughter has straight As and was disappointed that one was an A-!!!  She has worked so hard this year and brought the few Bs she had to As.  Who could ask for more??

My son.....has come so far!!  Last report his reading was a C- and he brought that up to a B!!!  He worked extremely hard and did it.  All of his grades were Bs!  He has done a lot of growing and thankfully the school was very supportive and worked hard with us to help get him there.

Me.....well I am now at the 200lb mark and holding.  I put my gym membership on hold for the summer and I expect I will cancel it in September.  We are looking at getting a family membership at the Y.  I love Curves but it costs 55 just for me and the family membership at the Y is around 100 for the family....can't really see the point in paying for both places.  Plus I need some time to get my body used to the new shifts I am working.  It will be interesting to see how it goes.

Life has been good.  My family is healthy and happy.  Money is decent, not wonderful but when is it ever???  LOL  I am very excited for my summer vacation, and a nice trip with just us and the kids.  Life is good.

Well it is time for me to get ready for work.  Yippie.   3 night shifts this week.

Till next time.........

Mom and Dad

Pain is temporary, Quitting lasts forever - Lance Armstrong

I've had a glimpse of my possible future.  I can't say I love it, I can't say I hate it either.  It is more of a sense of loss and frustration.

Ok let me back up a bit and explain.  Tuesday my Dad had hip replacement surgery.  That in itself is not a huge deal.  My parents asked me if I could come and stay with them for the week to help out.  My Mom had a severe nervous breakdown years ago and has never truly been treated and refuses to get treated now.  She was given some meds which she takes, but no therapy etc.  So anyhow she can drive but chooses not too and so is now so nervous about driving anywhere but close to home (I'm talking blocks here) she can't.  Dad's surgery was in the next city a half hour away.  So here I come 2hrs away to bring Dad in for his surgery.  Then over the next few days drive Mom back and forth to visit until he was released a day early on Thursday.  Ok so my mom is falling apart with worry.  Dad is fine, more than fine, healing better than expected and is having a lot less pain than expected.  I have made sure all the bills are paid, that she has cash from the bank (doesn't like to use her debit card) dealt with the insurance company since they don't cover 2 of his life saving medications, scheduled his follow-up appointment and arranged for my husband to come to take Dad with our van not only for comfort but also because Mom won't drive.  I have picked up meds, odds and ends groceries.  Helped Dad with his exercises, made sure he has everything he needs and coached mom on what she needs to do once I go home.  Thankfully my dad's brain wasn't affected by the surgery so he can help her with what he needs as far as help in and out of bed etc.  But she is worried about the silliest (silly to me anyhow) things like not being able to get the vacuuming done, not doing something the way Dad would do it etc.  She is worried she will 'mess things up' and feels like she has no choice but to fail, she has quit before even starting.

She is such a strong woman.  If she would only try.  She refuses to let me get her into therapy to help her cope with her OCD and be able to relax.  She doesn't want to learn how to use her interac card, she doesn't want to be better at driving, she doesn't want to know how to do anything other than what she does now.  She is afraid to fail so she won't try.  She is completely dependent on others except for her own personal grooming.  Sadly I had to tell her that she can't depend on Dad always.  Someday he may not be there.  I also told her that if that happened, and I didn't feel she could live on her own or take care of herself enough to live with me then I would have to put her in a home.  I work full time and so does my hubby so we can't baby-sit her.  I think the thought scared her, and as much as I hate to do that to her, it is often the only way to get her motivated. 

She has taken the car out twice since I had that talk with her.  Once to go to Bible study by herself (and my Mom NEVER goes anywhere by herself, Dad is always with her)  she also went to pick up milk, she paid cash but she drove to the store and bought the milk by herself!  I was so proud of her!  It seems strange that I am mothering my own Mom.....but I guess that is how life works.  For now I have tried to reassure her that the world won't end if the dishes don't get done or the vacuuming or anything for that matter.  I told her to focus on Dad and herself.  My brother lives/owns the house where they are living so he can help make sure the house doesn't fall around their ankles.  One thing at a time and one day at a time.  Food & Water, pain management and breathing for both her and Dad, the rest can wait.


My glimpse into the future was of caring for my parents.  My Dad won't be so bad, he is used to being independent.  It is my Mom that saddens me.  I know she has so much more potential and she is wasting the gift of life she has.  I also don't know if I could handle seeing everyday where I would be if I hadn't worked so hard and long to recover and be the person I am. 

So tomorrow I go home.  I'm nervous about leaving, but I am sure they will be fine....but I can't help but worry, I guess that is what children and mother's do.....