The Last Hurrah

Well, it's been quite a week - After much consideration, Amy has decided to move away, and she's leaving tomorrow morning. It's been a hard week - I don't think I'll ever stop crying. We fight like cats & dogs, but in a nutshell, we're basically the same person. I can't imagine not seeing her, not laughing with her, not fighting with her every day.

I decided that I would have a 'bon voyage' party for her last night, but because she's not going to be here for my 40th birthday next week, she & her friends actually gave me a surprise party. Such a great night.

This is a present Amy & her best friend, Jesse made me - it was a canvas with different memories written on it. As well, a quote from "for one more day" by Mitch Albom written on it:

"She wasn't easy on me, don't get me wrong. She smacked me. She scolded me. She punished me. But she loved me. She really did. She loved me falling off a swing set. She loved me stepping on her floors with muddy shoes. She loved me through vomit and snot, and bloody knees. She loved me coming and going - at my worst and at my best. She had a bottomless well. She had a bottomless well of love for me. Of love for me."

Once again Amy proved to give me a memorable present. I didn't think the tears would stop.

My girlfriend Jayne & her husband gave me a remarkable table with a lighthouse on it. It's absolutely beautiful. Her presents are always amazing. If you're noticing two girls dressed very '80s in the background, that's two friends I work with - Amanda & Laura. I always wanted an '80s themed party, so when they were invited to this, they decided to run with it. Needless to say, as soon as the gift opening was over, I ran upstairs & changed into some old clothes. I'm all about teasing the hair, wearing tacky jewellery and those shoulder pads! To top it all off - Vaughn got me another pair of uggs! Yay me!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, some pictures from last night's excitement. Amanda made me a cake with a penis on it - In my defense, I was drunk as a sailor, so, out of consideration, I won't post the pics of what I did with the cake later. BWAAHAHAH (Netter, you can see them all on facebook) ;o)

Happy trails, little miss. I love you everyday - and now I'll miss you every day.

Have a great evening, everyone. Peace.

I was a pawn in a vicious scheme

So, kare phones me yesterday & asks me if I want to 'pay it forward' with the lawn demons that were left on her lawn a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm all about a good time. I'm all about wearing a hoodie in the dead of night, crawling over people's driveways and planting little evil goblins on lawns. But, hey - it was Schell. I knew she'd get a kick out if it. I didn't, however, think she'd figure out it was us so quickly. Here's how it went down.

I arrived at kare's to pick her & 'Satan's toys' up and pack them into my vehicle. Let me say that I'm not a big fan of these. The whole 'ornaments left on the lawn' thing did not amuse me one bit. It actually freaks me out to think they they mysteriously just showed up there. ANYWAY....here they are, being loaded up by a co-conspirator, kare's daughter, Tres:

So, away kare & I go....Like two hoodlums in the dark. We arrive and park a few houses down from Schell's and decide that this is a picture moment:

By this time, I'm thinking that because it's completely dark outside, people tucked away in their homes for the evening are going to see flashes going off and wonder what the heck is going on. This apparently doesn't enter kare's mind even once. So here is a pic of my bad influence:

Picture this, if you will....two hooded strangers crawling over people's driveways with garden ornaments in their arms. Cars are driving by and all I can think is "Holy shit, someone's gonna call the cops". I don't think I laughed so hard in my life. We finally make it to Schell's front lawn and we start to arrange them. They're falling all over the place and we can't stop laughing. We finally get them all standing up and kare poses for a pic:We then proceed to fly back to my car, and kare realizes that we didn't get a pic of me with them.

Me: It's too late! We can't run back now!

kare: We have to! We've come this far! That's part of the dare! Let's go!

So, there we are - crouched down, crawling over the driveways & lawns again - to get this:

I thought for sure we'd get caught! I can't remember running that fast in my life - or laughing that much!

Schell, when you're ready to 'pay it forward', let kare & I know. I'll drive the getaway vehicle.

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

Strange Happenings at the house of Schell!

Wow - you HAVE to read this post! There are weird things and even weirder people among us. ;o) Schell, there's never a dull moment in your yard!

The latest book.

I'm a fan of Mitch Albom - my daughter got me turned on to him years ago with the books "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". They were definitely 'tug at your heartstrings' books and, like my daughter, I passed them on to many people.

I was at the bookstore a few weeks ago, and one of the workers mentioned that he had a newer book - "for one more day". I had it finished before I could even go to bed. If you haven't read it already, I'm urging you to. It was simply amazing. However, I actually didn't think I'd ever stop crying. Let me know what you think.

Don't you just love it when you wake up for work and your day is going great? Your hair went perfect, you're not running behind, you don't get stuck in a traffic jam, there's no lineup at Starbucks....Everything is going absolutely swell.....And then there's that one person....every day, that just fucks it all up.

I have one of those people. Every morning, I stop at my work to pick up cash, paperwork, etc; and I make the lovely trip to head office to meet with the lady in Accounts Payable. Her job is to balance our previous day. That's it. If we've screwed up, or the cash doesn't jive, it's her job to get it back in the groove.

I'm a morning person. So, when I arrive at her office, my makeup is freshly done, my hair is great, and my clothes are wrinkle free (this doesn't last all day, but seeing it's the 1st thing in the morning, all is well.)

When I walk into her office, I'm chipper. When I greet someone in the morning saying, "Good morning - how are you today?", the correct response is, "Fine, thanks. How are you?" I don't care if your allergies are acting up. I don't care if your loser boyfriend won't pay his bills. I don't care if the company is trying to kill you by cutting off the heat in your office. And I certainly don't care if your six month flu is bringing you just that much closer to death. But I listen (as I'm checking messages on my cell phone) and I normally just let her have her rant. She then will proceed to complain about how whoever closed the store the night before should be tested for mental capability. How one of these days she's just going to stop doing our day end until someone actually gets it right. This burns my ass every day. This morning I had enough. I'll re-enact this morning's events....For privacy reasons, we'll call her "Swamp Thing".

Me: Good Morning all! How is everyone this fine morning? Why's your office door closed?

Swamp Thing: Don't be talking! The mold in this building is killing me. My allergies are worse today than they've ever been. It's obvious that 'the powers that be' (she actually did the finger quotes) have no interest in the little people!

Me: Well....that sucks...Hey, can we hurry this up? I've still gotta do a coffee run.

Swamp Thing: You can hang on. God knows it takes me twice as long to do your store. When are they going to start training people right anyway? I've just about had it with your store!

Me: Whatever. *rolls eyes*

Swamp Thing: Do you have any idea what I have to do every day? Do you know how much extra work it is?

~~~Let me just say, in my defense, she was cutting into my coffee time~~~

Me: Extra work?? Extra work?? It's your goddamn job! Do you know how much work it is for me to drag my ass in here every morning to listen to this? Get the goddamn stick out of your ass and do your job! I'm not packing my fucking bags to go on your pity trip this morning! Now hurry up, you're clearly not worth missing coffee for.

Not another word....The cash was done. I got my coffee. Life was good.


Have a great evening, everyone. Peace.

I Need Another Few Days - This Weekend was too Busy!

Wow - It's Sunday evening, and I'm exhausted! Friday evening, Vaughn, Amy & her friend & I went to the annual 'Kids Forever' fundraiser - a benefit for children with special needs. Amazingly, they raised $305 000.00 this year!!! It was a great night, as always:

Sorry - I can't be serious all the time....Who am I kidding - I can't even be serious half the time.

Saturday was my baby girl's 21st birthday! However, because she wasn't awake yet, my girlfriend, Jayne & I went and got our tattoos. Because we were so in love with Amy's, we actually both chose getting our husband's initials on our wrists. As panicky as I was, it was surprisingly not that bad.

Saturday evening Amy had a bunch of friends over for birthday cake and fancy slushie drinks. Her requested cake this year was fruit pizza, so, what my girl wants - my girl gets.

Adam's school's Drama Club is performing 'Cats' this winter and he auditioned this week and will be playing the role of Skimbleshanks, so, rehearsals started this afternoon. I dropped him off, and then proceeded to meet Kare at the dog park - lots of fun! Then the usual Sunday activity....grocery shopping. After getting home and finally getting everything put away, I slumped on the couch & went into a coma for about a half hour, until it was time to pick Adam up. I think it'll be an early night tonight. I'm only staying up long enough to see if Britney Spears makes a fool of herself on the VMAs tonight.

Have a good evening, everyone. Peace.

My Week.

Holy shit - how busy was this week? I guess it's all the craziness with getting back into the swing of things with Adam back in school. Here's a pic on his 1st day:

It's Amy's 21st birthday on Saturday, but her friend Benjamin (remember him from last year?) had to leave last Sunday, so we had a 'Bon Voyage Ben/Amy's Faux Birthday' celebration last weekend so he wouldn't miss it. I wasn't crazy about the boy last year, but I'll bite the bullet and actually admit that I love that kid. He's a sweet guy who absolutely adores Amy. Isn't that all that matters? Here are some pics:

As well, Amy got a portion of her present today - She & my father (she calls him 'Poppy') have a bond like no other - In his eyes, she can do no wrong (rolling eyes), and in her eyes, he walks on water. So....in honor of him, this is what she got this afternoon:

My Father cried. The guy did an amazing job - so well, in fact, I've decided to get another tattoo by him on Saturday, even though I swore that my last one was definitely my last one.

Netter & DH, it took a while, but your presents were mailed today - Nett, they told me that the dog sled should be mushing it's way out of the Post Office Igloo soon and you should receive it in about 10 days. ;o) DH, even though they stuck a ton of 'Fragile' stickers on yours, I'm crossing my fingers that it gets to you in one piece. Let me know when you both get them, k?

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

Drum Roll Please....

Okay everyone - here's the situation. Last night I drew a name out of the 'name bucket', and, I couldn't get the thought out of my mind on how there are certain people that read my blog that have impacted me in some way or another....

So, when Amy came home this morning & jumped in bed with me, we started talking, and we were laughing about what kind of presents I would give certain people that reminded me of them... So here it goes...

In addition to the person whose name I picked, Amy had a favorite and an idea of what to get this person. As well, I had someone in mind. So - here are the 3 that I need addresses from:

Dan
Desperate Housewife
Netter

Nothing creepy, I promise. hahahahah

darlene_z@hotmail.com

Hey all - sorry about not blogging since last week, but the plague has overcome me. By Saturday I was feeling not too bad, but woke up with the most terrible migraine on Sunday that kept me bedridden until Monday night. Since then, I've been chauffeured around by Vaughn because I feel like I'm just not up to tackling anything yet.

On the downside, our holidays started Friday & we were supposed to leave town Saturday. The weather has been pretty shitty so me being sick was kind of a bonus. We really couldn't go boating in the rain anyway. On the upside, much to everyone's disbelief, I'm glad I got sick while I have time booked off of work - I absolutely HATE calling in sick, and take extreme offence to anyone that does. Is that wrong? Probably, but whatever.

It was Porkchop's 3rd birthday on Saturday, and I've got some great pics to add, but Vaughn bought me a new camera, so I've got to get him to load the software onto the computer.

ANYWAY.........Tomorrow's the end of the month, therefore I'll be drawing for the prize probably tonight. I'm thinking that we'll leave to go out of town tomorrow for a day or two before Adam starts back at school. I'll post the winner!!!!

Have a great day everyone! Peace.

Grad 2009

Today was school registration - once a year it's the most chaotic, unorganized event. Why is it that we cannot confirm registration online? Why is it that we have to wait in line for almost two hours to get the school schedule, then another line for payment, then another line for lockers, another line for bus passes and, last but not least, the photo lineup. This prehistoric way of registration is only in high school, and I've been standing in these lines once a year since 1999. I swear I wanted to be shot - until it hit me...Next year will be the last time I ever have to wait in these lines again. My baby will be graduating next year. My eyes instantly welled up with tears. All Adam could do was roll his eyes, chuckle, and say, "God, Mom! I can't take you anywhere!" Where in the heck did the time go?

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

Things I Learn as I Get Older

I've been told that you should learn a new thing every day - that with every experience, whether good or bad, you should take something away from it and categorize it as a learning experience. Well, today, this is what I've learned:
Never - and I repeat never put a handful (approximately a dozen) Milk Duds in your mouth all at the one time while you're driving. Not only does the sugar rush bring on a coughing fit, but the caramel doesn't dissolve and you end up with a chewy wad about the size of a golf ball in your mouth. You then finally realize that you have one of two options:

1) Spit the gob onto your lap.
2) Swallow

I attempted #2.

Today I learned that it is impossible to give yourself the Heimlich maneuver while driving.


Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

As usual, the weekend just wasn't long enough - however, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. Today was back to work, and crazy busy.

I'm proud of one accomplishment, though. I've been talking that I need to do something. Something other than my job & housey/wifey things. So, I went to the college after work today and registered for creative writing classes. It's probably fluff, but I'm pretty pumped. This should be a hoot.

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

p.s. I can't get on sue, dan, or librarian's blogs.... What's up with that?

What I'm Reading

I noticed Amy reading this last week, and she was unable to put it down. So, as I'm in the process of reading a book that I'm having a hard time getting into, she suggested I take a break from it and give this one a shot. I've only just started it, but I'm enjoying it already. However, I have a feeling that I may shed a tear or two...

Madness??? This...Is...Sparta!!!

I'm a 'chick-flick' type of girl. Sure, when I was younger, I spent many an evening at the movie theatre watching horror - the scarier the better. I think I've outgrown that somewhat, but a little creepy is always good. I also love kid's movies - I even spent time wondering what I was going to do when my children finally grew up and I had no one to take to these movies - I often joked that I would have to rent a child just so I would have someone to go with. As well, I'm a lover of 'fluff' - you know, "Van Wilder", "Napoleon Dynamite", and stupid comedies like that. My kids and I will blurt out quotes from these movies at any given time and laugh our asses off - even if it's been months or years since we've seen the actual movie.

There are certain types of movies, however, that I don't like - anything that has to do with gladiators, any extreme ridiculous violence (vampire movies excluded). There's tasteful violence and then it borders on the line of absurd. I mean, "The Blair Witch Project" was insane good, and there wasn't one ounce of bloodshed in the entire movie. My son? Well, he's not like that. He's a huge "Star Wars" fan. Even at 3 years old, he would sit watching the old movies, with his light saber in one hand and his Darth Vader helmet on his head. I didn't get it at all - So when George Lucas decided to make 3 prequels to the trilogy, I shuddered to think that I would have to spend time at the theatre watching these, all the while, trying to stay awake. Let me just say, that after "Episode 1", I was hooked. I'm a huge sucker for a love story, and I'll pick it out & embrace it. I was enchanted by Anikin's love for Padme, and that got me to the movies - waiting in line for hours, and I was a "Star Wars" fan after all.

When the previews came out for "300", Adam was stoked. I adamantly refused to go see it, even to the point when I dropped him & his friend at the theatre to see it, and I was informed that because it was rated 18A, I had to actually go in with them, I told them to pick another movie or we were leaving. Despite all the great reviews it received, there was no way I was even going to consider it. The trailers made it look extremely violent, and plotless. So, Adam waited for it to come on DVD, and, as promised, I bought it for him on the 1st day it was released.

Just this past weekend, he was talking about it to me, so, out of curiosity, I asked him to give me a brief synopsis of the film. Much to my surprise, it had a very interesting story - as well, King Leonidas (the main character) had a wife that he adored. Wow! There's a bit of a love story! So, I figured, 'what the heck', and I sat down and watched it with him. All I can say is, holy shit - the movie was amazing. It completely captured my attention - I will be the 1st to say that I was totally wrong. I don't think it's changed my taste in movies at all, but this went above and beyond the realm of anything I was ever interested in before. I think I'll be quoting this movie for a long time. "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in Hell!" Soooo good!

Have a great day, everyone. Peace

I want a Do-Over

Vaughn & I were invited to a wedding Saturday night. After the ceremony, we were sitting with a couple and his wife started to reminisce about her wedding. That got me thinking about mine. You see, I hated my wedding, but before I get into the reasons why, let me explain my courtship with Vaughn.

Vaughn and I dated for almost 3 years before we got married. I don't know what it was about him, but, from the first date, we just knew. We loved each other right from day one, and we knew that eventually we'd get married. However, there were obstacles that prevented us from rushing into the wedding. From the very beginning, my Father hated Vaughn. I know you may think that I'm over-reacting. I mean, how could a parent despise a man that was obviously making his daughter so happy? Well, I'm sure he had his reasons - one of them being that he wasn't rich. He was a student at the time without a steady income. At one point, early into our relationship, my dad actually met him at the door and started screaming that if Vaughn was ever to show up at our house again, people would find pieces of him all across our city. I'm serious.

Despite this, Vaughn stood his ground and we eventually got engaged. The planning of the wedding was a nightmare. Every girl dreams of their wedding day, and I was not the exception. I brought my mother to see the dress that I had fallen in love with, and when I tried it on, she started to cry - you see, I'm the only girl & my mom assumed that she would make my wedding dress. She swore that it would look just like my dream dress (big mistake), because when the material finally showed up (3 weeks before the wedding), it was the wrong color and the wrong fabric. I've always had this idea of having this amazing wedding cake, and when I sent my mom to order it (mistake #2) with specific instructions on what I wanted, she assured me that it was exactly what she ordered. When I picked it up the night before the wedding, it was the wrong shape, the wrong color and the wrong size. When I brought it up with mom, she simply said that she thought the one she ordered was nicer.

I wanted a small wedding, so we decided on a few witnesses and our immediate family. What it ended up being was 110 people & the only ones that were our friends were in our wedding party. Another obstacle was the fact that my parents are Catholic and Vaughn's are Baptist. This was the biggest nightmare. My parents wouldn't go if it was in the Baptist church and Vaughn's parents didn't want it in the Catholic church - we resolved this by not taking anyone's side and getting married in the atrium at a hotel by a Justice of the Peace. Being Baptists, Vaughn's parents also refused to attend if there was dancing and alcohol. Excuse me??? My family is Catholic. We drink. A lot. So, I had to give up the dream of our 'first dance', but had to draw the line on the alcohol.

I have this picture in our wedding album where my dad is walking me down the aisle - I have this 'deer-in-the-headlights' look on my face, and you can tell that dad is talking to me. What everyone didn't know was that, at that very second, dad was trying to talk me out of marrying Vaughn. Seriously.

Needless to say, the reception was insane - I was drunk in the matter of a few hours, and we left at 8:15pm, without saying goodbye to anyone. I realized, on my way out that I hadn't even thrown the bouquet or Vaughn hadn't removed my garter, so, I hiked up my dress, gave the garter to a guy sitting at his table and handed the bouquet to my cousin.

Almost 18 years have passed. It took a very very long time, but my father finally accepted Vaughn. There are far too many stories that I wouldn't bother boring you with, but, I like to think that he finally realized that I married a man that loves me more than anything. He treats me with more respect that I probably even deserve.

Wow - I think I needed this venting session about my wedding - Thank God that it wasn't a prelude to my marriage, because, as unhappy as I was on my wedding day, every day since has been the exact opposite. The wedding day wasn't much of a celebration, but every year, we celebrate the day we started our life together. And we are happy.

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

I'm thinking I'm letting my stress consume me. I assumed that my 'sanity day' yesterday would calm me down enough to get back to work with my mind working more clearly, and maybe my bitchiness having passed.

I did accomplish a few things off my list yesterday...The bananas are now loaves & muffins:

And even though I waited until the very last minute possible, I even managed to make spaghetti for dinner:

The suitcase is still on my floor, but I've decided that since we're going on holidays again in a few weeks, it's only logical to leave it there now - why go through the trouble of putting it all the way under the stairs when it'll only have to be dragged out again? I just love the way I rationalize things sometimes.

Back to my mood - I think today must have been the absolute worst day at work. I could actually visualize myself flailing my arms wildly and screaming to the top of my lungs. Luckily for everyone, I kept these thoughts to myself, and left as soon as I could. I picked up my daughter at work and we went to visit her girlfriend who just had twin boys yesterday. It changed me completely. I held one of the babies & all of my anger diminished. It's amazing how the innocence of a little child can bring us back to our senses and make us realize that shit happens, and we really need to reevaluate our priorities every once in awhile. Did it make me want another baby? Did my maternal instinct kick in? Not even one bit. However, if it had been a litter of puppies, I would have definitely brought every single one of them home.

Vaughn has been great, and I guess a little worried about how stressed I've been, because when I walked in the door this evening, this is what was on the table:

I'm very blessed - however, a gallon of Almond M&M's would have done the trick too. ;o)

Here's hoping that tomorrow is better...*crossing fingers*

Have a great evening, everyone. Peace.

Do you ever find that your life is so busy, that at the end of the day, you don't look at what you've accomplished - instead you beat yourself up at the things that you forgot to do? When I took this job a few years ago, I couldn't believe the luck I had, working Monday to Thursday til 2:30pm and Fridays til noon, and no holidays. I could finally be somewhat domestic! Things would get done around the house, and I wouldn't feel like my days off consisted of nothing more than cleaning & laundry. This lasted for about a month. Even though my day begins at 5:20am, there still never seems to be enough hours in the day to get to everything.

I was looking forward to this past weekend. It was a long weekend, and I figured I could devote one whole day to housecleaning/laundry & then I'd have two days of just enjoyment. I don't know what it's like in your house, but when the entire family is home (especially the husband), it seems as if all plans are thrown out the window. Monday night came, the house was still a mess, and I had to be back to work the next day.

Because I'm doing a favor for my manager in the next few days, she suggested that I take today as a "Personal Day" (which I like to refer to as a 'sanity day') Wow! A day in the middle of the week! My husband would be at work, the kids would be doing their thing, and I would be alone! My mind started racing at all the opportunities that this day had in store for me. The possibilities were endless! So, being given this unexpected gift, I started making mental notes as to how I would spend this glorious time. This what I came up with:

1) Make muffins out of the bananas that are about to start a mutiny on the counter
2) Change bedding & finally unpack the suitcase that's been in the bedroom for 2 weeks
3) Attack the 4 foot mountain of laundry
4) Dust furniture, because it looks like potatoes could grow in places
5) Clean floors & bathrooms
6) Cook a nice dinner

So, that's the plan....In reality, here's how I'm assuming my day will unfold:

1) Make muffins (yes, I really think I'll do this)
2) Decide that the bedding can wait until the weekend and walk out of the bedroom, tripping over the suitcase on the way out
3) Play a few games on pogo.com
4) Start to fold one load of laundry while watching the cooking channel & decide that it's a 'me' day, so have a much deserved nap
5) Realize at 4:30 that nothing was taken out for dinner, and order pizza

Hey, at least I'm being realistic.

Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

I'm Back..........

Okay, so it's been a million years since I posted last.... I promised Netter that I'd start blogging again, but as I look back at the past 3-4 months, I've realized that nothing has been going on in my life that would be considered 'blog worthy'.

I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, drinking way too much coffee & reading a lot. By the way - I loved the last Harry Potter book. I have taken a small oath this past weekend that no matter how boring I think my life is, I will blog nomatter what.

I've decided, in following Netter's lead, I will put on a contest. For every comment I receive, your name will be put into a jar & I will draw at the end of this month. For those of you who have been patient, I promise I'll make it worth your while. ;o)

Thanks again for your patience with me. Have a great day, everyone. Peace.

p.s. If anyone gets the chance, read the book "Lovely Bones". Kare bought it for me. It was amazing.

Vaughn left for Edmonton this morning to pick up his boat - However, I didn't go with him because I've been sitting in front of the computer with a cup of coffee since 8:45am, waiting until 10:00am to buy the Bon Jovi tickets....

Starting at 9:45, my hands started to shake....(too much coffee, perhaps?) I was in a panic, so I sat here for 15 minutes and started pressing the 'refresh' button until 10. It worked - I'VE GOT THE TICKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is going to be a good day!

Do I Qualify for a Car Sticker?

I was okay when I had my uterus removed at 30 - I mean, not exactly okay, but I figured it was useless after I stopped having kids anyway. Who actually misses the monthly 'gift that keeps on giving'? I was even okay when I had my fallopian tubes removed 6 months ago. I even found it humorous - wondering what my ovaries were up to now that they were no longer attached to anything.

The doctors told me 9 years ago, that I would still experience hormonal changes every month, however, that would be it. I still have PMS in a bad way, but it leads up to nothing. For approximately one week a month, I become bipolar. The first few days (stage 1), I experience euphoric bliss. I'm like a dog in heat (this is the few days that are Vaughn's favorite) - everything is right in the world, as I have no worries at all. I am a happy camper.... Then something triggers the sadness (stage 2) - I don't know what it is, but I cry at everything - it can be a commercial, 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', or even a call from a telemarketer. At this stage, I am inconsolable. All of a sudden, the anger will creep up (stage 3). When this happens, it's every man for himself. I will threaten to quit my job, I will throw random objects across the room, and I have even been known to wake Vaughn up in the middle of a deep sleep just to pick a fight.

Just a few weeks ago, I hit 'stage 1' when my washing machine died - To me, at that time, I thought this was the funniest thing in the world. It was okay because I still had clean clothes, and that I was waiting until the weekend to get a new one. However, when the weekend rolled around, 'stage 2' reared it's ugly head. When Vaughn called Sears to order the washing machine that I wanted, we were told that it would take 5 days to arrive. This was all it took - I curled up in bed, threw the covers over my head and sobbed like a child. He tried to console me, and when he asked why I was crying, I whimpered, "The washer is broken, I have dirty clothes everywhere, I'm fat and I'm getting old!" My poor husband. He took me down and got me the washing machine that day.

We've learned to live with this - it's not a fun way to live, but what can you do, right? I have not, however, learned how to deal with early menopause. It's started - I wake up at least twice a night with hot flashes, I'm slowly acquiring more junk in my trunk, and I'm craving mid-morning naps - and the busy signal at my doctor's office all day yesterday made me want to purchase a gun.

I hate getting old. This sucks. Big time.

Have a great day everyone. Peace.

Vaughn picked me up from work today for lunch. As I was sitting at my table, I was looking out the window, marveling at how quickly the snow is melting. Right in front of my eyes, a homeless man bent down and picked up a cigarette butt off the ground. He brushed the dirt off of it, lit it and looked at me. I almost threw up.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter! I, myself, being born into the Catholic religion, am beyond excited. You see, much to my mother's disapproval, I'm not a believer of organized religion, however there are a few things I've carried with me. One of them is Lent. So, for 39 days, I have given up chocolate covered almonds, macadamia nuts & caramels. God bless my husband - he bought an entire case from a girl that was fundraising just so I'd have them on Easter morning. So, lets talk about how much weight I'm going to gain tomorrow, shall we??

Hope the easter bunny leaves chocolate for everyone! Have a great weekend! Peace.

Jumping on the M&M Bandwagon

Well, I noticed that cris and brandy tried this, so I figured it was worth a shot. Funny, I actually look NOTHING like this (aside from the coffee cup always in my hand!) ahaha Lots of fun!

So, my husband and I are off on another road trip tomorrow - this is just a day one, so it should be okay. He's in the process of looking at a boat to purchase, and the one he's interested in is 3 hours away. Don't even bother to ask what kind of boat or anything specific, as I'm not 'down with the boat lingo' & I'm not the boat type - heck, I'm especially not the outdoorsy type when it comes to the summertime. I'm deathly afraid of insects, but this is something he's wanted for so long, so I'm happy he's able to do it. I will, however, jump on board if there's a possibility that I can wear a captain's hat...

So, I go into the bank this afternoon to get a certified cheque for this ocean liner that Vaughn is thinking about getting. I walk up to the teller, swipe my bank card and tell her that I'd like to get a cheque for an insane amount of money. So, she just looks at the computer screen, says, "No problem", prints out the cheque & hands it to me. When she asks if there was anything else I needed, I told her that my bank card has been giving me a problem, as the swipey bar on the back is wearing out - could I get a new one? Do you know what she said???? "Sure, but I'll have to see 2 pieces of ID". Excuse me???? She just handed me a cheque for thousands of dollars without even verifying that it was my account. Anyone could have walked in off the street with my card & cleaned me out... Friggin' idiot. I started yelling at her, and all she could say was "It's procedure"...At least that's what I think she said - she could hardly speak English, and when I yelled for an interpreter, there were none available. ;o)

Have a great evening, everyone! Peace.

Have a Nice Day

It's amazing how many good things can happen on a day off. It started out yesterday when the manager at Starbucks told me that this morning they would be introducing a new beverage - she's aware of my love affair with caramel, so she told me that this morning, my new experience would be on the house. It's called Dulce de Leche Latte which has something to do with 'caramel milk', and, with the toffee bits sprinkled over the top, I can honestly say it was absolutely divine.

I had a relaxing day at home - got laundry done, and proceeded to go to my bi-weekly nail appointment, when I heard my daughter scream from upstairs. Bon Jovi will be playing in Calgary in July and tickets will be going on sale next week!!! I had to call my husband right away:

Me: Honey!!! Tickets go on sale next week for Bon Jovi!!! Oh My God! Oh My God!!!

Vaughn: Okay.... So, I take it you want to go?

Me: It's Bon Jovi!!! I'd mush Porkchop to see them!!!!

Vaughn: You've said this about other concerts.

Me: Oh My God!!! I've be waiting for this concert!!!

Vaughn: You've been waiting for other concerts too...Want me to name some?

Me: I'm hanging up now.

Clearly the man has no excitement in his veins....This is probably why I'd go with Amy. So, next week, I'll have me, Vaughn & Adam trying for tickets online while Amy tackles the phone lines.

This will be fun - way fun.

Have a great evening, everyone! Peace.

Ice Ice Baby

I had extra time before work this morning, so I thought it would be a good time to drop into Kare's place to bring her some of the dessert I had made yesterday for Vaughn's birthday. It's always nice to spend time with her - even if it's only a minute or two.

Everything was going fine until I parked on the street in front of her house and walked behind her car. You know how it is when you're slipping and everything proceeds in what feels like slow motion? You can feel yourself slip, so you begin to fight the fall - your arms start to flail, and your legs start to do the splits.... Well, there was none of that. It was like I was walking normally, and all of a sudden 'whoosh'! - I was flat on my back on the side of the road. The next thing I saw was Kare running down her snow-covered driveway with only socks on her feet, yelling, "Oh my God!"...As I got up to walk towards her, she was convinced that I was hurt. When I told her I was fine, she then told me that I was in shock.

So, I've had the day to think about this, and every time it crosses my mind, I burst into a fit of laughter. Kare figures I've hit my head too hard, but I seriously think that this would have been something so hilarious if it had been videotaped - even though, this evening I kind of feel like I'd been hit by a small vehicle. If you had only seen the look on Kare's face...That was funnier than the fact that I spent 1/2 the day at work with the entire ass of my pants soaking wet.

Kare, if I'm gonna kill myself in front of anyone's house, I'd pick yours. I just love you that much. ;o)

On a lighter note, she gave me the cutest chicken!

What an interesting, entertaining way to start the week...Even better, I managed to finagle tomorrow off work! Yay me!

Have a wonderful evening, everyone! Peace.

Another Happy Birthday!

Well, it's always a busy few weeks around Easter in the House of Madame Z - Adam's birthday was 4 days ago & it's Vaughn's birthday today. It's not only busy, but expensive. Vaughn treated himself to a new truck a few weeks ago, and just 2 days ago, my washing machine decided to die........all over the laundry room....... But, on a lighter note, I bought him a new front-load washing machine for his birthday!

We had a great evening last night, went out with friends of ours to a fundraiser dinner & listened to some great big-band music. Vaughn even agreed (finally) to take ballroom dancing lessons! This morning we went out for a great Sunday brunch, & I made Vaughn his favorite dessert - Sex in a Pan.

All in all it was a very lovely weekend, aside from giving my 10yr old washer a proper burial.

Have a great evening, everyone. Peace.