This is a picture of the snowman I made. LOL. It's too cold to play out in the snow for too long.

Some of my clients are so negative about Christmas. No decorations, no prezzies, no excitement about spending a great day laughing and eating with family. I know Christmas means different things to different people. In my family, some are strong Christians, who recognise the religious aspect of Christmas, while others see it as a day of family and giving in a non religious capacity. either way, it's a positive experience. That being said, I can't help but feel a little sorry for those who can only whinge about the crowded malls and the relentless carols, and the "commercialization" of the Holiday. Like, yawn, change the record already! You don't have to put yourself in debt to embrace the joy of the season. I'm a single mom, raising a teenager. It's not like I'm lighting a toasty fire in the fireplace with hundred dollar bills. Some years, when I have more, I splurge, while others that are a little tight, I'm more conservative. But do people have to poo-poo everything that's fun? To me, life would be such a bore, if we never had any Holidays to shake things up a bit. Anyway, I have the next 5 days off of work, so I'm going to shop, decorate, bake, address my envelopes, and chose to embrace the warmth of the season. Happy Ho ho, everybody!

This is the view from my bedroom window, people! Does this look like BC to you? Me neither. Can anybody tell me what all that white stuff is?!?

Very few people in our area of the world know how to drive in the snow. And out of these few people, only a small fraction have a vehicle capable of somewhat sticking to the road. No one prepares for such weather because we only get one snowfall a year, and sometimes it doesn't even stick to the ground.

Though I can certainly appreciate the delicate beauty of a snowfall, I am one of the many people who don't have access to a snow-worthy vehicle. So I'm pretty much trapped at home for as long as Mother Nature decides to blanket our land with snow and ice. Even trips down the street can prove to be a dangerous task. People drive like it's the middle of Summer. Not to mention, you get these geniuses, whose cars handle well in these conditions, who just assume everyone has control of their cars. So they don't mind cutting you off or stopping unexpectedly in front of you, because they don't have the foresight to predict the consequences. Like, say, the front of my car plunging into the back seat of theirs.

Anyway, It's a beautiful thing, as long as you don't have to go anywhere. Many schools are closed (not Alicia's, much to her disappointment.) Lots of people are home from work and in some areas there are no buses running. I really need to go grocery shopping. I guess it's Kraft dinner tonight...

So, as predicted, my mom wasn't pleased with the pics of her that I displayed in my last post, so I'm going to have to find a really nice one of her and post it. LOL.

Speaking of my mom, when I was younger, in my early teens, we went to the mall to do some shopping. We shopped often together, always stopping for a leisurely lunch full of chit chat and belly laughs. This particular day, we were crossing the busiest street in Richmond, at a crosswalk right in front of the mall. The light had turned from red to green and the little white man was displayed, so we, along with several strangers, began to cross. About halfway across, my mom's denim wrap-around skirt, unraveled, and fell loosely around her ankles exposing her silky white slip and a very red face. In the middle of the crosswalk, my mom quickly grabbed and tugged at her skirt, which had become tangled around her ankles.
Meanwhile, I being a young teen, was completely mortified! So I abandoned my own mother in the middle of the road, walking on as though I'd never seen her in my life! Bad...bad daughter!
Thank God, mom was wearing her slip! And that she happened to bring her trench coat that day. The light had changed as she was struggling, and a big semi was waiting to get moving. So to make matters worse, the semi began to make the loud bellowing hooooooonnnnnnk hooooooooonnnnnk that we are all so familiar with. Poor mom finally got the stupid skirt untangled, and off with no help from me. I was still pretending I didn't know her! Finally she had tucked the skirt under her trench coat, closed her coat, and escaped the dreaded crosswalk.
We laughed and laughed once she put her skirt back on and we went for lunch. I can't believe that, I hung her out to dry by leaving her on her own, half naked in the middle of the road, but I'm not here to sugar coat the truth. At that age, EVERYTHING your parents do is embarassing, so when your mom drops her laundry in front of everyone and a honking semi, you can't be held responsible for your (non)actions;)

I think I'm the worlds luckiest person when it comes to family. We always lived in a peaceful home growing up. My parents were more inclined to be silent than to fight in front of the kids, so we were usually blissfully unaware when they had their squabbles. My parents balanced each other out very well. I think, without my mom, Dad would have been extremely strict, where without my dad, Mom would have been extremely lax. Together, we had the soft touch as well as a healthy fear of getting into trouble.

Growing up, my brother Mike was my playmate. We would play for hours with stuffed animals, each one having a name, a voice, and specific connections and relationships with the others. Mike was both the smartest person on the planet, and the most infuriating. Sometimes I adored him, and other times I felt like I hated him, though we were never allowed to say 'I hate you' to our family members. My dad felt very strongly about that, and I'm glad he did. Some of the things I remember about Mike's personality growing up are the way he could tell you every detail of the movie he just saw, so that seeing it yourself would be a total waste of time and money. Or that, if he really wanted to get me screaming, all he had to say was, "Fat cheeks you stink" to me and I would fly into a rage! Look at how cute he was.
Gee, do you think I looked up to him at all? Mike has grown up to be a world traveler, a strong Christian, a musician, and a husband to my sister in law, Glenda. He is very passionate in his opinions, and is still just as cute now as he was with a puppet on his hand. Here he is with Alicia when she was small.

Dennis is my other brother. Ever since I can remember he has been an amazing artist. In face, I'm pretty sure my Aunt Ellen included in one of her posts, how he once used the contents of his diaper to create a 'masterpiece' on the wall when nobody was looking. He could be very hyper growing up, sometimes injuring someone with an arm that happened to be flailing around. Once, he was windmilling his arms and accidentally punched my sis, Sheryl right in the nose. I used to torment him by waiting until he was in the bathroom, picking the lock to the door with the inside of a pen, and sitting on the bathroom counter. He would sit there with a towel covering him begging me to leave so he could get up off the toilet, and I would giggle and refuse, loving the position of power I was in. Ha ha. weird, eh? Dennis was always good natured, and has turned his artistic talent into a career in animation. Here he is with my sis before I was a twinkle in my father's eye.

Now he's a hunky guy who takes an interest in healthy eating, working out, his job, and his friends. He's still good natured, funny, and like all of my family members, is genuinely a good person.


My sister Sheryl is my best friend. Though I made a pain of myself when I was small, she often entertained me with games and rides. She's seven years older than I am, so she used to do my hair, and bath me and stuff. I remember being buck naked while she was running a bath for me, running away, and delighting in the fact that she would always pretend that I cunningly escaped her. She'd chase me down the hall, grab me and carry me back to the bathroom where she would put me down and I would run away again. She would let me hang out in her room and listen to music and give me super-girl rides by laying on her back and holding my atop her hands and knees. The flight was always exciting with turbulence and the occasional crash landing that always ended in fits of giggles. We don't do that anymore. Now we have a friendship that we both cherish. It's funny how the age gap closes.

This was taken a few years ago. That's my beautiful mother between my sis and I. Sheryl has grown up to, not only be my best bud, but a strong, independent woman who I admire for her assertiveness and presence of mind. She is also hilarious and gorgeous.




My mom's gonna kill me for posting this picture because her hair is blowing in the wind and she doesn't like her forehead. I had to post it, though, because one of my favorite things in the world are my parents' smiles. It makes me want to cry to see them so happy. My mom is so sweet and gentle and has a great sense of humor. She is also one of the greatest friends anyone could ask for. My dad is strong and capable and totally lovable. If ever there was a crisis, he was who I reached for. He is super funny, too. My friends always wanted to come over when I was a teenager. They loved the atmosphere around our house.

Anyway, that's my family. They are everything to me and I love them with my whole heart.

Man it's rainy here. Grey, wet, cold in the way that you feel chilled to the bone. See, people think that living in BC is all pretty forestry and Ocean views, but lemme tell ya, it rains alot. That's why it's so darn green and pretty. Now I'm not dissin' BC. It is a beautiful place to live. But it seems like we get two seasons. three months of summer, and nine of fall.

Maybe sitting at Alicia's soccer game in the pouring rain today for two hours is still a little too fresh.
The game was at a community center with a band new beauty of a soccer pitch. The problem for me was the two grande starbucks coffees I had managed to scarf down this morning. I had to leave the comfort of my fold out chair, umbrella, hot water bottle, and blanket, to walk over to the community center to pee. Upon my arrival, I noticed that the place was closed. Duuhh, rememberance day weekend. So, Off I go in the other direction, pass my comfy chair, through the parking lot, to the gas station across the street, rain pouring, wind blowing, cars splashing through giant puddles. The little chinese dude who works there tells me someone has locked the bathroom key...you guessed it...in the bathroom. So I thanked the guy kindly, and made my way across the other street to the subway where I found what I, by this time, so desperately needed.

The journey was so stinkin' long, by the time I got back to my relatively warm, hot water bottle, I kinda had to pee again. By the time the game was over, I more than kind of had to pee. So we hopped into the car, clicked on the bum warmer seats, and went to Mcdonalds for some junky food and a bathroom break. Not in that order.



















Anyway...Long story short...Alicia's team won 3-1, and I'm asking Santa for a catheter for Christmas this year.

Went to Walmart yesterday and picked up some stocking-stuffers for the girl. She doesn't read my blog, but on the off chance she checks in, I won't divulge any privileged info.

I did treat myself to a nice, fuzzy, warm, cozy set of flannel sheets for my bed. OH! I love them. I've always wanted flannel sheets, and they are just as heavenly as I always imagined. Why can't all my clothes be made of flannel? Why can't wearing flannel come into style? I could start the trend, and when people point and stare, I'll just say, "You can laugh now, but next year EVERYONE will be wearing it!"
Kinda makes ya think...