It is difficult to accept that summer is drawing to an end. I think time flies regardless of whether one is having fun or not! Of course, I don't want to imply that I am not having fun, although work hasn't always been enjoyable this summer and life has been rather uninteresting. Here we are with scarcely two weeks left in August, followed by a few days of bonus time before the kids return to school...feels like just last week that they were set free for summer break!


I've been enjoying the change in weather of the past week. We had the rainiest day ever, which was lovely, even if I was stuck inside at work most of the day. The rainy days didn't disrupt life for us, and we enjoyed the cooler temps and fresh air. I was able to bake muffins one day, and I even baked bread this morning, although the temps are starting to climb again. I think the extreme highs are gone for good until next summer; I don't mind. I like warm weather, but I really enjoy crisp, fall weather, when a cup of tea hits the spot, a sweater or throw blanket makes you comfy, and the smell of fireplaces tickles the nose while you're walking outside. Oh yeah! I'm ready for that kind of weather!


Looking ahead to the fall, I have begun gathering school supplies and sorting through the kids' clothes and shoes. I cannot help but feel the urge to purge once again. There is always more junk to toss or give away to someone who sees it as treasure. Someday my house will be clutter-free, I hope. The biggest obstacle in my way is time. With my busier work schedule, I don't have very many consecutive free days. Most of my free days are crunch days. This is what this week looks like for me: work day, free day, work day, free day, and on it goes. My rhythm and momentum comes to a crashing halt when there is a day-long gap, not to mention the fact that I still have a dozen other things to take care of on my days off! Aargh. Sigh.

I am woefully behind but such is life!

The blog theme for August is 'tomorrow', and tomorrow is a day that I am looking forward to...and the next one, and the one after that! The next three days are days off work for me, and so I am excited to be able to:

-sleep in, although it is unlikely that I will sleep too late
-go to the library
-catch up on laundry and housework (I know that isn't terribly exciting, but I hate it when everything falls too far behind)
-stay up late if I want to, because I really don't like going to bed at 9:00pm
-do some cooking and maybe even some baking, especially if the weather remains on the cooler side


Last week was a crazy, busy week of work. I had nearly 40 hours which is not a typical week for me, and my back was feeling the effects by day 4. Last week was also not a very good week in terms of work environment. Saturday was a good day though. This week is closer to what I am used to, and I am glad.

August Rush

It's been too hot, and I've been too busy to do much more than work and exist. Today is somewhat cooler, only 27 degrees Celsius, but I would really appreciate a couple days of rain. We have also been experiencing a lot of smoke and ash in the air from the Terrace Mountain fire across the lake. My throat has been somewhat sore for the past couple of weeks, and I'm sure the smoke is the cause.

The police caught the kid who stole Sam's friend's shoes. They caught him the next morning. T has had to do the police line up and go to court, and there is still the possibility that Sam may be required in court as well, but we haven't heard anything further at this point. I still find that whole situation rather mind-boggling! It is one of those things that you hear about in the big cities, not where you live.

Sam has been doing well in his summer tennis league. Last week, he pulled off a major upset by defeating the best player in the league. Sam started off strong winning the first four games, struggled a bit and lost the next four, but wound up winning in a tie-breaker! It was an exciting game to watch.

I am working a lot this week, because several key staff are away this week. I still have three more full days left in my week, but the following week looks a little more relaxed.

Sam looks to be travelling to Vancouver this weekend to watch some of the Vancouver Open (tennis). He will be going with his tennis coach and a couple of other boys from the league. It should be a fun time for him.

Mugged

Sam phoned me last night shortly before 11:00 pm. I was expecting this call, assuming that it was now time to pick him up from his friend's house, but what I heard was something quite unexpected. Sam's friend T had been robbed while they were walking to meet another friend. The full scope of what could have been wasn't revealed until I had picked Sam up.

Sam and T were walking to meet a friend. They entered a playground/park area nestled within a subdivision and were surrounded by a group of 6 or 7 young people. This group told the boys that this was their park and made other comments before letting Sam and T walk on. They didn't get too far though before two of the young people got back into Sam and T's faces. Sam started to back up, while one guy, holding a knife, told T to give him his shoes or get stabbed. T took off his shoes, and everyone left. T called the police on his cell phone. The police came. Sam and T were driven back to T's house in the police car and questioned. T did recognize one of the group (not one of the two though) and provided that name to the police.

Both Sam and T were scared and shaken up when this happened and for a little bit after, but they both appeared steady and okay by the time I picked Sam up. I handled it well, although I am still somewhat shocked that this even happened in the first place...and over a pair of shoes! T had on a pair of new and expensive shoes. Sam also had on a new pair of shoes, but I don't spend a hundred dollars on a pair of shoes! I guess the thieves weren't interested in a $30 pair of shoes from Wal-Mart, and I'm okay with that. What does bother me is the fact that a group of teenage boys acted in such a hostile and threatening way towards two teenage boys just minding their own business, and then threatening them with a knife! Even if a knife had never come into play, a gang of 6 or 7 teenage boys could still inflict a lot of damage if they wanted to. I am thankful that all that was taken was a pair of shoes and a bit of innocence!

T phoned Sam this morning to say that the police had caught the guy with the shoes. T will have to pick him out of a line up.

Start Your Engines

Sam passed his knowledge test yesterday and officially has his "learner's license"! Now the real fun begins...

TGIF

Tomorrow is Friday! It is not just another day on the calender. It is also the 'Friday' of my work week, and it has been a very long week, indeed. Tomorrow will be my fourth shift this week, and each day has felt impossibly long and heavy and not just because of the forest fires and hazy skies.

It began nearly two weeks ago, when I went to work on a Monday morning and wound up somehow in the middle of one of the worst work days ever. I've not yet recovered.

I've been told by my boss that the matter has been talked about and dealt with, that there was miscommunication and hurt feelings, but my problem is that her definition of the matter being 'dealt with' is vastly different than mine. The co-worker that made that shift miserable for myself and others has not apologized for her behaviour or her words, and she never will. She never apologizes! And therein lies part of my lingering problem...I know that she won't apologize, and so I feel perpetually slighted and trod on. There is no genuine joy in the act of going to work each morning. Instead I feel empty and leaden. A fake smile gets pasted on for customers as I go through the motions of doing my job with heavy heart and hands. Sadly, I don't think I am the only one feeling such tension and weariness at work.

Most days I truly do enjoy doing what I do. It isn't glamorous, and it won't make me rich, but it is usually fun and busy work, with just enough routine to balance out the constant changes. I am good at what I do and, while I have become pretty good at rolling with the punches, I still get caught by a sucker-punch every once in a while. I recover well, most of the time. As much as I like my job I know that it is just a job. But it is never enjoyable working with tension as thick as pea soup or egos that have been allowed to grow to gargantuan proportions. This co-worker can be a good person to work with. Unfortunately, she is also often the source of toxicity in the workplace environment.

The heaviness I feel comes from the knowledge that nothing will change. This co-worker is a good friend of the boss and has far too much "power" to ever give it up. She won't change. The situation won't change. She and the boss talked, so everything is supposed to be fixed, except that their little chat doesn't repair the damage inflicted on others. This incident has basically been swept away, and we're all supposed to return to being a big happy family.

Someday I'll look forward to going to work again but not just yet.

Ring of Fire

We've been down this road once before, nearly six years ago, but familiarity does not necessarily bring comfort. Fires are raging in our area, although this time across the lake and directly affecting a neighbouring community. We once lived within that community, worked and played and attended church there. Friends live there and acquaintances, co-workers. Thousands have been evacuated, while many more are filled with the uncertainty of being on evacuation alert. My family is safe from evacuation and flame, but we breathe, smell and taste smoke even within our home. Rain would be most lovely right about now. Instead we have more wind and sun.

I had a killer headache yesterday. It started while I was at work, slowly until my shift was over and I was home, then it exploded! I hate that type of headache. It builds at the base of the skull and pulses with every laugh, cough, or rapid movement of the head. At times I felt almost nauseous, though not from my stomach but my head. The strongest pain reliever I had was an extra-strength muscle relaxant, which still took at least a couple of hours to dull the pain to manageable levels.

This morning I awoke with the remnants of that headache echoing in my skull. By 10:00 in the morning, the headache was once again a raging monster hell-bent on my destruction. By the time I was finished running errands it was about noon, and the headache had settled into a simmer. It is now nearly 11:00 pm, and the headache is still simmering away at the base of my skull.

The weekend begins tomorrow, but it will be a long, hot and busy three days of baseball and trying to survive the heat. Casey will be umpiring six games over the weekend, and Sam has been roped into umpiring two games. Somewhere in there I need to do some laundry and housework and such. I still haven't managed to write a card of sympathy for a friend who just lost her mother, and another friend's husband has a birthday this weekend and I've been meaning to send a letter, or at least an email, for a couple of weeks now.

And while I only had two work shifts this week, those eleven hours of work were the longest hours I've worked for a very long time! Yesterday was four hours of pain (head and back) mixed in with apathy and heaviness, which I know is fall-out from the drama of Monday's shift.

My job isn't glamorous or significant, but I enjoy it. What I do not enjoy about my job is the drama that seems to swirl around certain employees. A little drama I can handle, but too much attitude and drama leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm a hard worker, a good employee, and I'm adept and competent, even a quick learner, so I really do not appreciate another employee basically insulting myself and our co-workers just because a manager hurt her feelings. I am certainly not keen on working with this diva anytime soon. There has been no apology offered. Management has heard complaints about this behaviour and has "talked it through" with this person, but it is all double-speak for soothing diva's ruffled feathers, while down-playing the damage she left in her wake. I guess that's what happens when the owner and the diva are friends.

I am not looking forward to work on Monday...

Dream a Little Dream

I don't often dream about people that I actually know. Most of the people in my dreams are nameless and faceless with the odd celebrity thrown in for good measure. So, when a familiar person does make a dream appearance, I find myself kind of thrown for a loop. Sometimes the dream is nothing special, and I think nothing of it at all. But, sometimes the dream feels incredibly real and relevant to real-life situations, and I woke up questioning whether I had a dream or whether I actually had that experience!

Last night's dream revolved around my former friend, the one who pushed me out of her life. She hasn't been in one of my dreams for a very long time, maybe even a couple of years! To be honest, up until about a month ago, I hadn't even seen even a glimpse of her for at least a year! I did unexpectedly "see" her at the ballpark in June and then again while driving last week. It had been so long since I last saw her, that both of these glimpses took me by surprise. I think I actually reacted physically as if an invisible rope around my neck had been yanked. It has been significantly more than a year since I last spoke with my former friend, but I think about her frequently.

In my dream last night, I was sitting somewhere, doing something. The 'what' is hazy, but watching baseball is a probable scenario and more likely to result in the two of us bumping into each other. C. saw me and walked over to where I was sitting and stood right beside me, expectantly. I believe she even said hello. I wasn't sure how to respond or even if I wanted to respond, but I said hello in return, though warily and less than warmly. The rest of that dream escapes my memory.

And so the dream resembles real life. Although I haven't physically bumped into C. for more than a year, I do believe that I am just a little scared of what would happen if it did happen! How would I feel? How should I feel? What would I say? What would she say? Do I even want such a meeting to take place? I do not know what I would say. I'm sure I could manage a hello and maybe even some additional generic 'how are you' queries, but I don't know that I want that. So much effort in the past has been thrown in my face or left hung out to dry...do I really want to exchange pleasantries with someone who ripped out my heart and walked all over it? Part of me would wonder what she was up to in talking to me. After all, she's been so efficient at shutting me out and ignoring me in the past! What would be her motivation for talking to me now?

It's all moot for now, of course, because this was only a dream and she has not even stepped within 50 feet of me anyway. Still, for a dream, it was interesting and thought-provoking, if nothing else.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This

Some days it just doesn't pay to go to work! Seriously.

Monday is the start of the work week, even for someone like me who doesn't work a standard work week. I'm not a big fan of Mondays and the start of a new week of work isn't always very exciting, but I usually head off to work looking forward to the day. Today was no different. My alarm went off at 6:15 am, and I was out the door by 6:35. At 7:00 I was ready to start my work day, went out to take my place, and was immediately stomped on. Not literally, of course, but I would not have been surprised if a co-worker's shoes had actually mashed me into the tiled floor.

This co-worker made life miserable for most everyone today, but especially for myself and another co-worker who were working in the drive-thru with Ms. Temper Tantrum. More than once K. and I exchanged eye rolls, grimaces, and glares as we listened to Ms. Tantrum rant and rave for most of the morning. We listened as Ms. Tantrum loudly complained and ranted to customers about how she was 'being put out to pasture', 'being phased out', and how she obviously wasn't good enough or fast enough! We listened as she slapped our faces by saying that she is the only one who has won a customer service award, as if the rest of us are incompetent or incapable of giving equally good, or even better, service! We listened as she loudly asked customers if they were hiring or knew of job openings, because she was being pushed out of her job and wanted a new one. When Ms. Tantrum had had enough of ranting, she decided that she had nothing else to do, so she proceeded to do everyone else's chores. Instead of doing her job in the drive-thru, she shouldered all the responsibilities that are supposed to be divided up between all the employees working during that shift. She did so at the expense of getting every one's breaks done in a timely fashion, but she had no qualms about making sure that she took her break when she wanted it, irregardless of where she fell in the pecking order.

This co-worker has always been a source of consternation and intimidation, but I've worked with her long enough to understand her nature and roll with it. But I have my limitations. She may claim to be the only one who does the job "right". She may claim to be the only one who gives great service. Heck, she can claim whatever she wants, but truth is a lot more discerning. She is not perfect, and she is often wrong, even if she doesn't think so! She has far too much power and is not held accountable for all her actions and bad attitude. Of course, she is good friends with the bosses.

I can get along with her most of the time, because:
a) I don't work with her all the time,
b) I'm a good and competent worker, thus I'm not typically one of her targets, and
c) I try not to let my job take over my life

But, sometimes it gets to be a little too much! Ms. Tantrum had a tantrum last Friday. She had another today. I can put up with a lot of her crap, but today went too far. Quite honestly, she was acting like a two year old, and I would not have been surprised had she thrown herself on the floor. This is a mature woman who should know that part of being a good employee is to NOT bad mouth the boss and co-workers for everyone to hear. It doesn't look good to the customer. It doesn't look good to the boss. And it doesn't look exactly build teamwork and a positive environment amongst co-workers.

I am so glad that I do not work tomorrow!

16 Candles

This isn't the order that I uploaded the photos in, but I guess it doesn't matter!

Sixteen years ago today, Samuel was born. He's a lot bigger now and in many ways.

Happy birthday!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.

Game, Set, Match

A couple of months ago, we put Sam into a session of tennis lessons through the city's Recreation Centre. He thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and wowed the instructor enough to be moved up to the adult class after a few weeks. The lessons are now over, but the instructor invited him to try out for a Summer League that the instructor runs over the summer. Sam earned one of the six spots in the league, which will run Tuesdays and Thursdays all summer. Last Saturday, we had a potluck and informational meeting time for the league participants and parents. The league games will be held at a private tennis court belonging to a retired couple living on lakefront property next to one of the city's beaches. We were at the house on Saturday for the potluck, and Kane and I fell in love with the property. We were welcomed into the house to watch a promotional video for a tennis fundraiser put on by the couple in support of the hospital. Stepping into their home was like taking a step back in time. I have no words to describe their house and property, but it was simply gorgeous, and I coveted the entire time we were there! ;o)


Sam plays his first league game tomorrow night, if the weather holds. His first opponent is one of the top two players, so it will be a challenging game for Sam; however, he played this same player last night for fun and lost 6-7! Maybe he will beat Jayden by the end of the summer...


Since Sam's 16th birthday is on Saturday, we bought Sam a new tennis racket today for his gift. It's a good racket and popular racket, according to two separate sports stores and Sam's tennis instructor, and it was nearly half the regular price. Sam loves it already. Photos to come...

I survived the work week, and the Beauti-Control party turned out alright, I think. After working 34.5 long and crazy hours this week, I was ready for some pampering and spa treatment. Normally, I strongly dislike hosting these types of things, because it is always a chore to get people to come, especially at this time of year, but I was content with the turn out. By the end of the night I was relaxed and refreshed!

I slept in this morning until 9am, but I didn't get to bed until around midnight. I think I slept fairly well last night. My work schedule next week is a far cry from what it was this week...only 11 hours between two days, Monday and Friday! Routine is calling my name, and I'm glad that I will have the time, and thus the energy, to get into it.

In about an hour, we have a potluck for Sam's summer tennis league. This is all new to us, the summer tennis league, that is. The purpose of the potluck today is to explain how things work. Sam is looking forward to it.

Routine

The NaBloPoMo theme for July is ROUTINE, which is a theme that I can dig my teeth into! The only problem is that my normal routine has been thrown for a loop with a suddenly crazy work week. Next week looks to be a little less hectic though, so routine will once again take over.

In the meantime, there is a lot that needs to be done today and tomorrow, before the Beauti-Control party that I am hosting Friday night. Since I am working until 2pm tomorrow, I have a ton of stuff to do today. The problem is that I am so tired, wiped out and drained, that I really don't feel like doing anything, but I have no choice but to carry on.

Last Night I Dreamed It Was Friday, But It Is Only Monday!

It's gonna be a loooong week! My shift today was extended by half an hour, and I was asked to come in on Thursday, my day off, for four hours. I will appreciate the pay cheque, but I am cringing to think about all that I need to get done at home this week and how little time I have to accomplish everything. It definitely won't help that I'll be going to bed early every night and will be exhausted by mid-afternoon. I have a list of things for the kids to do while I am at work but, without supervision, their efforts are lax at best.

My head is starting to hurt. Actually, it started a couple of hours ago, while I was still at work. I am also a little annoyed with a couple of managers. Last Friday, manager G. asked if I would like to switch next Friday's shift with her shift. My shift was 6:30am to 2pm. She told me her shift was 7am to 2pm and explained that she liked to get an earlier start on Fridays. I agreed to the switch, because I wouldn't mind a few minutes more sleep and wouldn't miss that half hour. Looking at the schedule today, I noticed that her shift for Friday is a 7am to 2 or 3pm! It's not a huge deal, but it annoys me a fair bit. I am hosting a party Friday night and wouldn't have agreed to stay until 3pm had she told me the whole truth. Now I am stuck and feeling extra pressure to get everything done in my *spare* time.

Today was my day to count the tills, both in the morning and at lunch time. I started work at 6:30, saw that all positions were well staffed, and went to the office to start the morning tills. Manager B. worked the graveyard shift last night and was to be off at 7am, so I wanted to get the morning tills done before she left, and I am fully capable of doing the morning tills in half an hour! Barely 10 minutes later, B. comes to the office to tell me that we no longer do the morning tills first thing in the morning. Instead, we wait until 9:30, so we basically do tills for the rest of the shift, because we finish the morning tills just in time to start the afternoon tills and finish those just in time to go home! This is what she said to me, along with a comment about doing tills this way so we have 3 people in drive-thru.

So, I stopped counting the tills, even though I was almost finished the 2 out of 4 tills already, and I came out to drive-thru, where there had been three people when I started at 6:30! B. was one of those three people. She gave me her headset and basically stopped working right then and there! I was royally ticked off. Maybe it takes B. and G. 1.5 hours to count the morning tills and 3 hours to count the afternoon tills, but it certainly doesn't take me that long for either set! The morning tills are super simple and a half-hour is plenty of time. The afternoon tills do take a bit longer, because there is a deposit to put together and financial, waste and payroll data to be entered into the computer. However, I can still do the afternoon tills between 1 and 1.5 hours!

Sometimes I can only shake my head at the laziness and incompetence of our management people. I am not officially a manager, but I am trusted and competent enough to be responsible for managerial duties, and I do a better job.

#1

It has been a long, hot weekend of baseball, and I am too tired to 'catch up' on everything that has been happening over the past week or two. Another season of baseball has come to an end, and Casey's team finished well, winning the year end tournament with a 10-3 victory over Westside.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 Canada License.

A Little Bit of Catch-Up

It is the final day of school before summer holidays, which means that my work schedule is about to become busier in a hurry. I have been working on average 2 shifts a week for the past two months. Next week I am scheduled for 4 shifts totalling just over 30 hours! That's a huge jump from the 8-10 hours I've been getting. Thankfully, both my ankles are no longer bothering me, so I'll just have to see how the back holds up to that much work.

I have a long list of chores that need to be done this summer and another list of chores that need to be done before July 2nd when I am hosting a Beauti-Control home party. The kids will be responsible for many of the chores, but I will still need to find the energy, after long days of work, to finish everything off. It would help out a lot if everyone could get into the habit of putting things away properly and picking up after themselves, but this is one life lesson that seems impossible to drill into them.

Today I baked a couple of loaves of bread and did some deep cleaning in the bathroom. The boys did help somewhat with some minor tidying, although Casey is always more willing and productive than Sam. Sam will be helping me make supper tonight though: Swedish meatballs!

Casey's baseball team played their first game of the year-end tournament last night against our "bitter" rivals. The rival team used to be Casey's team, our baseball association, and we had failed to beat them this entire season. Last night was a great game of baseball; at least for our team! We finally bested our rivals with a 9-3 victory. We have three more round-robin games to play over the weekend. Statistically, we are the better team of the three remaining opponents, but we cannot take these teams for granted. So, one more busy weekend of baseball, and then our baseball year is over, except for Casey umpiring a tournament and maybe a few games. It has been a good year, a positive year, and I have enjoyed every minute of it, even though we still ran into bumps along the way.

Yesterday morning I attended the awards assembly for grade 5/6 students at Abby's school. Abby received certificates of recognition for: Environmental Award, Social Responsibility for the term and for being a lunch monitor, Safety Patrol, Work Ethic, and Academic Excellence for an average of 4.6 and above in core academic subjects. I'm looking forward to seeing her report card when she gets home from school! Casey and Sam both have respectable report cards. Casey received Academic Recognition and Work Ethic Recognition and had all As and Bs. Sam also received a Work Ethic recognition (surprised me!). Most of his grades stayed the same as last term, but he did improve in two subjects. We won't know how he did on his final exams until the end of July.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We finally received our new garbage, recycling, and yard waste bins late last week with out first pick-up tomorrow! I am both excited and annoyed with these new bins. It will be nice to have yard waste pick-up from spring to late fall, but I question the efficiency of the system in the fall when the maples drop their leaves. In years past, we could set out our 20+ bags of leaves for pick-up. Now we are restricted to what will fit into the yard waste bin with pick-up every other week. Knowing that our trees tend to drop their leaves later in the season, I cannot see how we will ever get all the leaves into the bin before the end of November and yard waste pick-up!

The recycling bin presents another case of uncertainty. We have had unlimited number of bags of recycling pick-up every two weeks, but we're now restricted to what fits into the bin. For the most part, I think this will be manageable, but I am a little nervous, knowing how much we usually put out. It's the end of the school year, which means a lot of paper will be heading into that bin, on top of the normal recycling! But, I think we'll be okay.

The garbage bin is what concerns me the most, because it is easily half the size of the recycling and yard waste bins! With a large household producing garbage on a daily basis, I just don't know that this garbage bin will hold it all.

This is a change, just another shift in the way we think about garbage. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as recycling programs. Several years ago, we paid someone to pick up our small bin of recycling every week, and then the city instituted a recycling pick-up program. A few years ago, we purchased a composter, and while we haven't made great use of it, this is something that we will now need to take better advantage of. We have been talking with the kids about the need to think about the garbage we create and how to reduce it.

It kind of goes hand-in-hand with other changes in life: the desire to simplify, baking homemade bread, using natural cleaners, conserving energy and water, being mindful of unnecessary trips in the car, and so on. As always, these changes tend to come through little steps, one foot in front of the other, until suddenly you find yourself running.

The Ankle Bone's Connected to the...

Despite my reluctance to visit a doctor, I forced myself to drive to the clinic, walk in the door and wait for my turn to be quickly shuffled back out the door. I don't even feel guilty for being glad that my doctor wasn't in this morning! In fact, I was rather relieved to see this other doctor instead. I've seen Dr. S. a few times and been content that he takes me seriously and considers all angles.

Dr. S. felt my ankle, moved and manipulated virtually every joint from my hip to my toes, tested my reflexes in both legs, checked out my back, and asked me more questions than I think I have ever been asked before! Some of the questions seemed to be a little beyond the scope of an ankle problem, but I got the impression that Dr. S. had a mental checklist of probable causes and was ticking things off one by one. It may seem bizarre to me that a recent cold might affect an ankle, but there must be a potential connection somewhere! Actually, it was rather nice to be asked so many questions instead of having my problem brushed off without a second thought.

I left the clinic without a satisfactory explanation, although Dr. S. said that there were two potential though unlikely probabilities: gout or a bulging disc. I'm a little young (thank you!) for gout, plus I don't really have the degree of swelling typical of gout, nor any of the other symptoms. The bulging disc, at times, sounds plausible, but again not really. The doctor is just as baffled as I am. He instructed me to take one ibuprofen 3x a day and to make note of what aggravates my ankle or makes it feel better, etc. I was also told to try not to do a lot of sitting. Increased ankle pain while sitting would point towards the bulging disc, and conversely laying down would alleviate the ankle pain, if the source is a disc.

I honestly don't think I have a bulging disc. Wouldn't there be other symptoms going on? I would think so, but I don't know! I do know that as I lay in bed last night, my ankle was in a whole heap of pain along with "heavy" and tingling toes. However, I have noticed today that the pain does tend to intensify if I am sitting for a bit, but two separate periods of laying down today produced different results. The first time made my ankle feel "lighter" and less painful, while the second time seemed to increase the pain somewhat.

I am really no closer to knowing what is going on than I was before, but at least I left the doctor's office feeling like I had been taken seriously.

A Fresh Start

I am not so growly today as I was yesterday. My ankle still throbs though, and it is slightly swollen and even a little red. I still don't know why, and that annoys me almost as much as the physical discomfort.

Sam talked to his math teacher yesterday. It seems the teacher simply forgot that Sam was in class and would fix the attendance record. Good grief!

While I am still not pleased with the baseball communication problems, I am somewhat mollified when I realized last night that I am not the only one sitting in the dark! At least I did find out what was happening and where, unlike most of one team that showed up at our diamond when they were to play somewhere else. There were some less than happy people driving away last night!

And it is raining! All the windows are open wide to receive the cool, fresh breeze, and I am enjoying the smell and sound of the rain. I'm a little cold though between the breeze and the ice pack on my ankle.

Snarky Face

I am just a little snarky right this moment. Actually, I have been rather snarky since I first stepped out of bed at 5:30 this morning. Somehow you just know that your day isn't going to go well when you wake up with pain in a body part where there hadn't been pain when you went to bed!

I've had some pain in my LEFT ankle for the past few weeks, but I knew what the likely reason was as this pain has been recurrent over the past couple of years. Without any medical diagnosis (because my doctor is a tool), I discovered that this pain in the left ankle means I need new shoes for work. I realized this after six months of ankle pain, a trip to the walk-in clinic, x-rays, and a waste of time trip to my own doctor. So, I bought new work shoes last week and the left ankle pain has greatly subsided!

This new ankle pain is in my RIGHT ankle, and I cannot recall the last time I ever had pain or problem in this ankle. I'm sure I probably sprained it once or twice as a child or teenager. This pain is not the same as the left ankle pain, and it is actually in a slightly different location, more on the top of the foot/ankle rather than below the ankle. I am at a loss! Perhaps in my sleep and crazy dreams my foot twisted into an awkward position...as unlikely as that may be.

As if that wasn't enough, this morning I discovered a voice mail left last night by the high school while we were at baseball. The automated message stated that Sam had been absent for a class, and I needed to call the school to confirm if this had been an excusable absence. Sam was still at home, so I asked him and he was as equally surprised as I was. He says that he was at school and present for each of his two classes yesterday. I have no qualms about believing my son, because a) skipping school just isn't like Sam at all, and b) Sam had talked with me about his school day yesterday afternoon. I called the school and was told that he had been marked absent for his math class, first block of the day. Sam says that he was there and told me what they had done in class. So, it is now up to Sam to go talk to his math teacher and get this sorted out. I am sure that it is something as simple as the teacher marking the wrong student absent, but it is a frustration and hassle that is unnecessary.

But the biggest source of my frustration has to do with baseball and communication issues. Abby's team played their final regularly scheduled game last Thursday. Play-offs or year-end, whatever you want to call it, is supposed to be this week, but as of our game last week we were still sitting in the dark as to what the play-off schedule would look like. All that we knew was that there was a scheduled practice for Tuesday night. I frequently, like every day, check the team website to see if there are any updates or changes to any game or practice, because we have been encouraged to use the website for up to date information. Also, for some unknown reason, I seem to be missing out on numerous emails sent by coaches or the team administrator. The missing emails have been going on since the beginning of the season. I've been aware of it and have mentioned it on several occasions, but I still am not getting most of them, even though they have my email address and I check my spam filters regularly.

Yesterday morning, I checked the website again, because I like to know what is planned for my week and was hoping play-off games would be posted. They weren't posted, but I did note that the practice for Tuesday was still on. Late last night I checked the website again and discovered that the practice was now cancelled. No play-off games posted yet though. Okay. I was actually kind of glad that the practice was cancelled, because it then freed me my day a bit and would allow me to go to the gym during Casey's practice (same time as Abby's practices). This morning, I checked my email and found one from the mom of one of Abby's teammates. She had forwarded me an email from the coach which was sent out late Monday night. She forwarded it to me, because my name was not on the list of recipients. This email stated that practice was cancelled, and instead we had a play-off game tonight and another on Thursday night!

My annoyance meter went off the charts! If this mom hadn't thought to forward this email, then we would not have been at the game tonight. I paused to quickly check the website, but it still hasn't been updated to include these games. Once Abby was awake, I told her that she now had a game tonight and Thursday to which she replied that she knew about Thursday's game but didn't know about tonight's. What?! Apparently her coach had told the team about Thursday's play-off game after our last game. Abby didn't tell me, because she thought I already knew. No! And I am a little irked. I did not hear either of the two coaches say anything to the parents anywhere in my hearing. I am not the kind of parent who doesn't get involved. I have been behind the scenes with this girls' team program, maybe not as much this season, but the coaches know me and often talk to me, listen to me, and ask me questions.

Ironically, I was talking with Kane last night about how frustrating I have found the communication this season. I like to know what is going on, especially when it applies to me, my kids and our schedules. It isn't easy organizing a family of five with a couple of jobs, school, and various sports and activities to fit into a calendar. We are frequently pulled in two, sometimes three, locations at once, so I like a little advance notice of additions or changes to schedules. I understand that sometimes things have to come last minute, but those are the types of situations when communication is of the utmost importance! If you tell parents to rely on the website for information, then that website needs to be accurate and updated as often as necessary. If you're going to email information to parents, then you need to ensure that every email is included. If you're going to verbally tell kids important information, then it might be a wise idea to include the parents in that little pow-wow after the game or talk to the parents as a group before the game begins, because sometimes kids forget what you tell them! If you do all those things and people still don't get the information, then you've done all that you can do and the blame or responsibility falls on the shoulders of the parent.

If it wasn't for one thoughtful and alert parent, Abby would have missed tonight's game and quite likely Thursday's as well. She may not be the best player on the team, but she is still a valuable part of the team and would be missed. And if we had missed a game because of a failure to communicate...I would have been really angry, and you might not like me when I'm angry.

Grrrr!

Shopping Saga

I went to Wal-Mart today, because I needed to get new shoes for work so that my ankle can stop hurting. I dislike shopping at the best of times. Today was an exercise in frustration! The store is undergoing renovations, which means departments are down-sizing and being moved around the store. There are aisles blocked by boxes, and rows of shelving that no longer exist. I don't go to Wal-Mart every week, but I am there at least once or twice a month. Still, I barely recognized the store I entered this morning.

My shopping list was rather short: shoes, AA batteries, milk, magnetic tape, and maybe a pair of shorts. I knew that finding the right pair of shoes would take some time; however, I honestly expected to just find the same style as I have bought the last two times I've needed new work shoes. Why change when one style meets my needs? Of course, the shoe department has been mixed up. The women's shoes are now where the men's shoes used to be, and the "work" shoes are now in an obscure corner of the men's section. And wouldn't you know it, but they no longer have the same style of shoe! The same brand, yes, but not in styles that were what I was looking for. After trying on countless pairs of shoes, I finally opted for a cheaper pair of ordinary shoes. They probably don't have the same non-slip factor as the "work" shoes, but I was not happy with how the "work" shoes fit or the support (or lack thereof) they offered. Really, I just want my ankle to stop hurting, and a new pair of work shoes has done the trick in the past.

The milk was in the same place, so that was easy. The batteries, and the rest of the electronic department, had moved to where the linens used to be at the very back of the store. I had to make a second trip to the back just to find those batteries! I knew I was likely to find the magnetic tape either in the stationary department or the craft department. Since the stationary department used to be close to the store entrance, I started there. I soon discovered that half of the department had disappeared! I found much later near the back of the store. Eventually I found the craft department where the electronics used to be, and so I found my magnetic tape. Finding a pair of shorts didn't require a map-thankfully!

The next time I venture into Wal-Mart I should be better able to navigate...unless more changes take place before I get there!

We have a baseball-free night tonight. It's hard to believe that the season is rapidly drawing to an end. I cannot say exactly how many days we have left, but we're looking at possibly a little more than 2 weeks and definitely less than 3 weeks. Either way, all good things (or bad) must come to an end, and this season has been quite good!





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It is another crunch day today, but I don't feel quite so crunched knowing that, after working tomorrow, I have at least 4 days off in a row! Still, today is going to be spend catching up on laundry, some housework, some baking/cooking, and back to the ball park tonight.

Headache. Sore feet. Back pain. Tired. That's me in a nutshell this afternoon!

I wasn't even sure what day it was by the time I finished work today. It felt like Wednesday, and I was sorely disappointed to realize it was only Monday.

Losing My Connection

We lost internet and TV yesterday, when Kane inadvertently nicked or tugged on the buried cable in the front yard. What should be buried a minimum of 12" is only 2-3" below the surface! After a call to the cable company, we were put on the emergency service call list for today. They came, they saw, they set up a temporary fix! Another service visit is needed to fully repair the cable and bury it at the proper depth.

If I had more time I could ponder all the ways that the computer and the internet have been melded into our lives. We didn't notice the loss of TV too much. We had a DVD to watch and things to do. However, we all felt the loss of internet connection.

But, I don't have time to ponder it all in written form...

Abby's team won their baseball game tonight, even though they were missing quite a few players and had only 7 in attendance. The opposing team was also missing some players, but it was a good game overall.

I am glad for the weekend. It was a long and less than enjoyable day at work. Too much drama. Too much attitude. Any joy and enthusiasm I had when I arrived at work was sucked out of my within the first 30 minutes! Next week will be better, I hope.

It is another crunch day, but I am taking this afternoon to relax and spoil myself. After a morning of watching Abby's track & field, going to the library, and doing some calisthenics, I have had a shower, put fresh paint on my toenails, and will get cozy with a book in about three minutes!

A little 'me' time works wonders...and it, the 'me' time, doesn't last nearly long enough! The kids will be home in a couple of hours, and the busyness will begin anew.

76 Trombones...

Tonight was the year end band concert for Sam's band class. I only bothered to take one still photo and one video. Since he plays the trombone, he is always seated towards the back, so visibility is always an issue. I took this photo before the concert began, when "seeing" Sam was just a little bit easier. He is the dark-haired boy sitting in the middle.

Kane and I only stayed for the Sam's group performances, opting to skip out of the other groups. Kane wasn't feeling too great, and my back was already beginning to hurt by that time. However, we did enjoy the music we heard. In particular, I really enjoyed Schindler's List. World War II history is my favourite time period, and the movie is one of my favourites. I also love the song as performed by Itzak Perlman, but the band did a fantastic job (even without a violin!)

To-Do/Ta-Da!

This is a 'crunch' week for me. I am working Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which means that most of my domestic duties will be crunched into Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes a crunch week can be crazy yet productive, other times crunch week is simply exhausting. Thursday might be a completely different day than today, but I'm feeling pretty good right now!

It is currently 11:20 in the morning, and I have already done a lot. I have baked bread and made home-made double almond chocolate ice cream! (It tastes divine!) The laundry mountain has almost been conquered. My kitchen has been cleaned, all dishes washed. And I even made it to the gym for 30 minutes (10 km) of cycling!

All that is left to do is a bit of general tidying and figuring out the supper problem. What to make and when to eat it?

Super Kane

The NaBloPoMo theme for June is 'Heroes', with the challenge to find 30 to blog about. That is quite the challenge! I don't know that I would even want to blog solely on the topic of heroes; however, I know I can think of a few.

My husband is my hero. It might be sappy and may not always accurately reflect my feelings, but he is most definitely a person that I respect and admire.

Kane is my bestest friend. He is a great dad, who loves his kids and enjoys spending time with them, even at their level. He's a good husband, even though I might find occasion to grumble. He loves me! He cares about me and tries, in his way, to be romantic. He works hard to provide for our family and has worked hard to get the training to be a journeyman plumber. He makes people feel comfortable and welcomed. He isn't afraid to step in and help wherever hands are needed. Basically, he completes me!

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With Casey's team out of the finals, I was able to go watch Abby's team play their final tournament game this morning. It was a good game, and the icing on the cake was a victory! I had contemplated staying home, because I don't feel so great, but I'm glad that I went.

Abby really struggled with her batting all of last season, only getting a hit in the last game of the season, and she started this season with the same struggle. The last few games though have seen a bit of a turn around for her. She has finally managed to get a few hits under her belt, including two in today's game. In fact, she got on base for each of her three turns at bat!

Apparently she played well in yesterday's games, but hearing about it just isn't the same as seeing it. I'm glad I saw her play today, and I know that she's glad I was there to watch her, too!

Tomorrow is almost an off day for us. The only action going on is Casey umpiring a game.

Mighty Casey

Casey's baseball team is hosting a tournament this weekend, and we've dug ourselves into a deep hole. After 3 of 4 round robin games, we are sitting at 0 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. It looks unlikely that we will make it into tomorrow's final.

The first game was a blow out. The second game started out poorly for us, but we managed to rally and hold on for the tie. This morning's game was very close and likely our best game of the three. We even managed to take a 3 run lead, but we couldn't hold on and lost by one run. Our bats failed us in the last few innings.

Casey wasn't very successful at the plate today in terms of getting on base, but he made contact and had a great sacrifice bunt to score our first run of the game. I don't think Casey has ever really been much of a bunter, but he's laid down 3 really good bunts over the last two games! He might not be getting the big hits, but he's doing his job at the plate!

He's also been pitching rather well. He came in as relief in the 6th inning today with bases loaded and our team down by one run. Not only did he get us out of that inning without any further damage, but he also shut down the opposition in the 7th and final inning. He kept us in the game and gave us the chance to come back and take the win. Obviously we didn't, but Casey has repeatedly shown us that he is a valuable member of the team. He even won the MVP award for his outstanding pitching in our first game loss.

There might not be any joy down in Mudville today, but mighty Casey is doing his thing!

Crazy Days Ahead

The weather widget on my desktop tells me that it is 28 C outside right now, and I've heard rumours that the weekend temps could reach as high as 32 C. My back is kind of sore and achy from work today. I've been home for little more than an hour, and a headache has begun to blossom. (See! There's that achy back=headache thing I mentioned a while back.) In an hour, I will need to trudge myself to Casey's baseball game...on foot!

Life during baseball season is rarely simple and straight-forward. If one child is in a weekend tournament, we are virtually guaranteed to be simultaneously pulled in another direction. This weekend is no exception. Casey's team is hosting a tournament. Abby's team is playing in a tournament in a neighbouring association. Since we only have one reliable vehicle, I've graciously given that up for Kane and Abby, which leaves Casey and I to walk the 15-20 minutes to the ball park (and then back home again after). As much as this might sound like whining on my part, it isn't! I would much rather walk than drive the unreliable van!

My body may not feel like walking tonight, but I think tomorrow will be even worse. We won't have to walk home after tonight's game, because Abby's game will end by the time Casey's game starts. We won't be so fortunate tomorrow though, and I fear that the heat will make the journey that much more uncomfortable. Casey has two games tomorrow: one at 10:30am and the other at 6:00pm. That is far too much time in between games to simply hang out at the ball park! The glimmer of good news is that we won't have to walk home after the 6pm game.

Sunday's game schedules have yet to be determined, but I wouldn't be surprised if we're walking yet again. If I keep telling myself that this is good exercise, will I forget how uncomfortable I'm going to be all weekend?

New York, New York!

Last night was a band trip meeting for parents and students. The school band is looking to take a big trip in May 2010, so this meeting was to disperse information and vote on a destination. The choices were Cuba and New York City. Sam was hoping for Cuba, but NYC was the ultimate winner.

It is exciting, regardless of destination, to think of Sam having the opportunity to make such a trip; however, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the costs. I walked into the meeting with realistic expectations of what the costs would look like, and my expectations were quite in line with what was projected. Still, $2100-$2300 is a lot of money to raise between now and next spring. Even more stressful is the $350 deposit which will be due by June 12, just a few weeks away! We certainly cannot afford to pay for Sam's trip, and even coming up with the deposit so quickly will likely be doable but tough. Then there are the extra expenses that will pop up along the way: passport, spending money, and any other non-included costs. Sam needs to find a job and soon! Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but I can't help but think that Sam could have earned close to half of his trip if he had decided to umpire this year!

Parenting 101

Sometimes parenting sucks.


Kane and I discovered something recently, and Casey is the culprit. Of course, Casey denies everything. I am really not surprised. This is Casey's modus operandi for every 'caught in the headlights' moment in his life. And that is, perhaps, the biggest issue of all.


I think that Kane and I handled the discovery well. We didn't over-react with fire and brimstone. We didn't dissolve into puddles of emotional goop. In fact, I'd say that we were quite calm and rational for our first parental foray into these particular dark waters. We sat Casey down and talked. He listened, played with the tassels on a throw blanket, denied everything, and then turned his face and body away from us.

It was a reaction I expected but not what I hoped for. Denial is always Casey's first response, followed quickly by casting blame elsewhere. We received both responses last night. I think we said all that needed to be said last night, but I cannot be content with Casey's denials. The original issue is fairly serious, and our conversation last night just might work to nip this problem in the bud; however, I believe that his proclivity for denial is just as serious an issue. If Casey cannot see the need to admit his wrong-doings, regardless of how big or small, then he is building tremendous stumbling blocks in his life, and he has no idea how crippled he will be for years to come.

We sent Casey to bed last night with assurances of our unconditional love, but he continued to "hide" himself from us. I think he was embarrassed and ashamed, or so I hope. Kane and I discussed things further and decided that there needs to be repercussions with an emphasis on Casey's unwillingness to be honest and forthcoming with us. He will experience serious restrictions to his X-box playing, TV viewing, and computer usage for a minimum of one week. However, such restrictions will extend beyond one week if he refuses to tell us the truth.

We mentioned this all to Casey today. He didn't start whining or pouting and was quick to recognize why these restrictions were put into place. Only time will tell if he is willing to come to one of us with the truth.

In Need of a Little Relief

Nearly every window in the house is open wide to welcome the cool, fresh, rain-kissed breeze. After several days of sun and heat, this is a welcome relief. I'm not complaining really. Winter was so long and so cold, that hot days are a very good thing. It is just nice to have a little bit of rain to cut down the dust and cool the house. Besides, I've got banana bread baking in the oven, and a hot day is not a good day to do baking!

Today is our 10th straight "day" of baseball with baseball also consuming the next 5 days, too! Last weekend was crazy. The coming weekend looks to be even more insane. Casey is looking at 4, maybe 5 games for his tournament, while Abby is looking at 3, maybe 4 games, plus a skills competition for her tournament.

Did we sign up for this? I guess we did!

A Weekend of Baseball

Okay then, last photo uploaded is first to be displayed! The Halos lined up for MVP awards following the final game of the tournament.

Abby all smiles after stealing home.

While Abby played 4 games this weekend, Casey umpired 4 games. He did 2 Pee Wee games and 2 Mosquito games. It made for a lot of driving around and makes us miss the facilities we had in our old association. We may be physically closer now, but I think we will end up doing much more driving than we did before!

It was a long, hot weekend. My eyelids were heavy by 8:00 last night. We get to do it all over again this coming weekend, but I think it will be just a bit crazier. Abby is in a tournament on the Westside, while Casey's team is hosting a tournament.

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She Bangs?

My hair is in need of some TLC and soon! Split ends are threatening to take over the world, and I have reached the stage of resorting to a pony tail to keep my hair out of my face. In an ideal fantasy world, I would have my own personal hair stylist at my beck and call, because I know the limits of my ability to do anything with my hair.

I always delay a trip to a hair-dresser for as long as I can. Partly because of the expense but mostly because it just isn't my thing! I have never been the kind of girl who spends hours primping and preening before going anywhere. My hands consist of ten thumbs, and I cannot seem to navigate blow dryers or curling irons through a reflected image. Quite honestly, I can't even be bothered to blow dry my hair 99.9% of the time!

I am not without some vanity though, a microscopic as it may be. I don't want to look like a slob, but I am sure to come across just that way too many times. And so my hair-cutting dilemma!

I need a haircut, if for no other reason than to get rid of split ends, but I am also incredibly uncertain about what I want the end result to look like. My bangs have grown out, which is an indication of how long it has been since my last haircut! I am not convinced that the bang-less look suits my face; however, I am equally unsure that bangs would suit my face. What I want is simply a haircut/style that is perfect for my face and my inability to re-create what was done in the salon. Is that too much to ask for? Just sit me down in the chair and let someone else make the call...so long as it is the best one!

I won't even talk about the grey starting to show at the roots, because that brings up the 'which colour' dilemma.

Baseball again tonight, which means that the weather is rather iffy. It is the middle of May, and we're still huddled beneath blankets during our evening ball games! Enough already!! I want summer temperatures and sunshine from now until the end of October.

Aftermath

My plant a couple days after being "replanted". Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture, but imagine all that is wilted standing upright. Will it survive? I just don't know.

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Walking the Greenway

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I need to catch up on the weekend, but it isn't quite over yet and I already feel baked. The ultra-condensed version is as follows:

-Casey hurt his finger in PE class at school on Friday. Walk-in clinic Saturday morning and ER for x-rays in the afternoon. Nothing broken. Finger still sore, sometimes wrapped in a splint.
-Baseball.
-I woke this morning, looked at my clock and panicked when I saw that it was 7:34! Why didn't I set my alarm? I nudged Kane awake to let him know what time it was, only to have him say that we didn't need to get up. Silly me! For some unknown reason, I thought it was a regular Monday morning, Kane was late for work, and the kids were behind on getting ready for school.
-I came home from baseball this afternoon to see my one real good plant sitting in a different location than it was planted years ago. I flipped out-seriously! This is the second time that Kane has dug it out and "replanted" it, and I am still not amused. It's not replanted, but it looks terrible. I'll be surprised if it survives this time.
-It is early to bed for me tonight, as I am working at the unholy hour of 6am. It's a holiday, so we'll likely be short-staffed and crazy busy. I won't care too much, so long as I can work in the drive-thru. A little crazy busy is a good thing, especially for such a shift as I have.

Fainting

Sam fainted at school yesterday near the end of his final class. One moment he was sitting watching the video, the next thing he remembers is lying on the floor with everyone standing around asking if he is okay. I picked him up and took him to the doctor. We were in and out relatively quickly and with no more knowledge than when we had arrived. His blood pressure was a bit low but okay, and there doesn't appear to be any obvious cause or damage. Well, Sam might be feeling a bit embarrassed at school today, or he might be getting more attention which could be a good or bad thing.

Headache Again

I am finished work for the day, the work that I get paid for and not the work that earns no praise or pay! I only had a little 4 hour shift today, but it felt like 8. I hate days like that! Give me craziness and chaos over minutes that feel like hours. To top it off, my back started killing me about half-way through my shift which started a headache. Once the head and back start hurting like that, time isn't the only thing dragging!

I've been noticing a little trend with the headaches. I think I can safely say that I no longer have a headache all the time; however, I do get headaches rather frequently now. When my back starts screaming at me, a headache forms. When my neck feels tight, a headache forms. Of course, there are times when a headache starts without any noticeable cause, but I think it is helpful to recognize some of these new triggers. I wish I could go back to life before the accident when I'd only get a headache maybe once a month or even less often!

Today is 'Cram It All In' Day or 'Cram As Much As I Can' Day, depending on how much actually gets accomplished! The second load of laundry is in the wash with another 2 or 3 loads yet to go. I've picked up some groceries and voted in our provincial election. Bread dough is rising on the counter with shaping in another 40 minutes, followed by another 40 minute rise and 30 minute bake. The dishwasher is running.

Still to do...finish putting away groceries, wash the few remaining dishes by hand, think about supper, take out the recycling (or leave it for Sam when he gets home), shower, and try to get some housework finished. I would also like to get to the library, but I'm not sure if that will happen today. I could potentially squeeze in a book drop-off on the way to baseball later, but I don't think I'll have time for getting any books. What are the chances that the book waiting on hold for me will still be there on Thursday? I'd say slim. :o/

Well, I'm a little disappointed with my Canucks being out of the play-offs, but I am happy that the Washington Capitals managed to pull out a win to force game seven at home! I'm a Canuck fan first and foremost, followed by rooting for any Canadian team, but I am also a fan of Alexander Ovechkin and would love to see his team go all the way.

Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday

Thursday: Abby's baseball game

Friday: BC Environmental Mind Grind Play-Offs

Abby's school finished 3rd in the province

Saturday: Casey's double header in Kamloops

Sunday: Mother's Day and the only baseball is the Toronto Jays game on TV!

Kane made breakfast: bacon, hash browns, omelets and orange juice.

The kids gave me hugs, cards and gifts. Chocolates, a microwave magic bag, and flowers!

I made it to the gym today!

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Today was the BC Environmental Mind Grind Play-offs. Abby's team lost their first game but managed to get themselves into the semi-finals. They lost that game, finishing third. It was fun and exciting.

Now my head is pounding, and my neck feels tight. Sam has tennis tonight. Casey is umping. I may or may not go to the gym before watching Casey ump. It all depends on how the head feels.

Tomorrow we are gone for virtually the entire day as Casey has a double-header in Kamloops. We need to hit the road by 7:30 in the morning. Oh joy! Hopefully the weather is nice. It is bad enough sitting for one game in miserable weather. A couple of hours of travel one way followed by 4-5 hours of sitting for two games in bad weather would be most terrible.

Off to baseball again...looks like another cool night. Joy! The internet connection was down when I got home from work and just came back on, so no time to put together a proper post.

Road Trips

We have our first baseball "road trip" of the season tonight. It isn't terribly far but still far enough that a 6pm start time is stressful. On Saturday, we have a double-header in Kamloops which is a little bit bigger road trip. I don't yet know how I feel about spending an entire day travelling, watching baseball and travelling. I must be getting older...

Girls Just Wanna...

I wish that there was something like this when I was a girl! Of course, we had softball. I did play a couple of years of organized softball, but we couldn't afford much more than that. I grew up playing under the bleachers while my dad played fastball. As a teenager I played softball and slo-pitch alongside adults in church and rec leagues. I might not have been able to take advantage of any opportunity to play baseball as a girl, but it would have been so cool to do it.

Now I have the pleasure of watching my daughter play baseball, not softball, and she gets to do it on an all-girls team! I watched her game last night and mentally groaned at all the "errors". It would have been more exciting to stay home and watch Ovechkin get a hat trick in the hockey game on TV; however, I got to watch my little girl play ball and have strike out with a smile on her face. There is just something special about watching the girls play in this male-dominated sport. How many boys praise a teammate's cheering?





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I can feel a nasty headache forming at the base of my skull, inching up and over my head. Only time will tell just how bad it will get. Will I sound like a broken record if I say that I am tired of headaches? I've already had 3 or 4 bad ones in less than a week.

Casey's team played their second game of the year yesterday afternoon. After an humiliating 12-0 loss in the first game earlier in the week, we picked up our game and earned a 9-6 victory.

I forgot to blog yesterday, caught up with baseball and play-off hockey, but such is life for the next two months.






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May

Sweet. That's the NaNoBloPoMo theme for May. Can I successfully blog every day in May? I'd like to say that I can, but my track record isn't so good; however, I have been blogging more often since I've started "using" NaNoBloPoMo. I guess that is a good thing.

I don't particularly feel sweet today. I had to drag myself out of bed and then struggled to keep myself awake until the kids had left for school. Once the house was empty I curled up on the sofa and slept for nearly two hours, disjointed though it may have been. Even then it was a struggle to get myself up off the sofa and into the shower. I left the house long enough to pick up some more Advil and will be returning to the sofa shortly, though I don't think I'll fall back asleep now.

I've been struck with a cold this week. It isn't anything too serious, just a stuffy/runny nose, occasional cough, and a sometimes froggy throat. I didn't sleep well last night though, and my low back is killing me.