Monday, September 29, 2014
It's a Refreshed New look !
Yes, the blog is still here. It hasn't been updated for a loooong time.
Until today. :-)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
New look
I was looking at Carrie's blog and thought it was time for an update, so I looked at the background she has, found where to get them - and gave myself an update.
The shamrocks are for Ethel.
The shamrocks are for Ethel.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Goodbye 2010 ... Hello 2011 !
I was looking at my New Year's post from last year before I started this one, and it kind of sums up 2010 too. 2010 really knocked me for a loop though, personally and professionally. I'm not sorry to see it go.
January brought Lisa's 17th birthday and Mom's 80th. I sent away to Ottawa for a birthday greeting from the Prime Minister since she was turning 80. It was a certificate that he signed and it came framed and everything. She had it up at the home before we left. Very cool.
February was Andy's birthday month. He turned 47 this year but said he didn't feel it. He did say it went pretty quick though. (I thought the whole year did ..!). March and April were pretty normal .. At work we were setting up the Garden Centre, and I had massive hiring to do - which, surprisingly, I got done. Until the May long weekend broke and it was sooooooo warm - I was told I hadn't hired enough people and sales were going to suffer. I hired based on the information I was given - so not my fault. Ha!
June saw Lisa graduating from High School. Her Grad ceremony was at the Jubilee Auditorium, and we got some decent pics of the 4 of us together. Anthony finished grade 6, and was looking forward to goofing off all summer before starting grade 7 at Westmount. We were trying to get away for holidays in July, but because of August inventory at work - I couldn't get time off with Andy because I had to go at the beginning of the month. No mountains for us this summer.
August was tough. It started out ok; Lisa had a job with Dad for the summer helping out at the shop, before her knee surgery at the end of the month. Mom took a turn for the worse, and while we tried to stay positive, I just knew she wouldn't make it to Christmas. And I was right. She was in the hospital for pneumonia, then back at the home. Then back to the hospital a week later, where she passed away August 24. Talk about your world turning upside down. I discovered that reality is nothing like perception, and that I was a lot stronger than I thought. My sister and I had a small memorial for Mom, and we had a wonderful turn out of friends and co-workers who came and helped us say goodbye. Lisa's knee surgery was the day after Mom passed, and went fantastic. A little physical therapy and some exercise and its better now than it was before the accident.
September saw Anthony start grade 7, and turn 12. He's grown up so much this summer, it's nice to see. We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on the 9th, and had a nice dinner out - just the 2 of us. Things started to go downhill at work, and were pretty much intolerable by the end of the month. October was my birthday, and I finally said goodbye to the Despot again. I quit on the Wednesday and had another job by the time Saturday rolled around. I now work in the bakery at Save On Foods - BIG difference. No Stress. I can handle it. The only thing that sucks is the pay. I make less than half of what I made at the despot, but at least its money coming in for now.
Which brings us to the holidays and the end of my post. Christmas was tough without Mom, but I know she's still with me. I look at my hands every so often and they remind me of hers. I'm starting to see her face more in the mirror. I hear myself saying things she would say. And I find comfort in these things .. but its still tough.
I really hope 2011 is a little bit gentler than 2010 was. Keep your fingers crossed !
January brought Lisa's 17th birthday and Mom's 80th. I sent away to Ottawa for a birthday greeting from the Prime Minister since she was turning 80. It was a certificate that he signed and it came framed and everything. She had it up at the home before we left. Very cool.
February was Andy's birthday month. He turned 47 this year but said he didn't feel it. He did say it went pretty quick though. (I thought the whole year did ..!). March and April were pretty normal .. At work we were setting up the Garden Centre, and I had massive hiring to do - which, surprisingly, I got done. Until the May long weekend broke and it was sooooooo warm - I was told I hadn't hired enough people and sales were going to suffer. I hired based on the information I was given - so not my fault. Ha!
June saw Lisa graduating from High School. Her Grad ceremony was at the Jubilee Auditorium, and we got some decent pics of the 4 of us together. Anthony finished grade 6, and was looking forward to goofing off all summer before starting grade 7 at Westmount. We were trying to get away for holidays in July, but because of August inventory at work - I couldn't get time off with Andy because I had to go at the beginning of the month. No mountains for us this summer.
August was tough. It started out ok; Lisa had a job with Dad for the summer helping out at the shop, before her knee surgery at the end of the month. Mom took a turn for the worse, and while we tried to stay positive, I just knew she wouldn't make it to Christmas. And I was right. She was in the hospital for pneumonia, then back at the home. Then back to the hospital a week later, where she passed away August 24. Talk about your world turning upside down. I discovered that reality is nothing like perception, and that I was a lot stronger than I thought. My sister and I had a small memorial for Mom, and we had a wonderful turn out of friends and co-workers who came and helped us say goodbye. Lisa's knee surgery was the day after Mom passed, and went fantastic. A little physical therapy and some exercise and its better now than it was before the accident.
September saw Anthony start grade 7, and turn 12. He's grown up so much this summer, it's nice to see. We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on the 9th, and had a nice dinner out - just the 2 of us. Things started to go downhill at work, and were pretty much intolerable by the end of the month. October was my birthday, and I finally said goodbye to the Despot again. I quit on the Wednesday and had another job by the time Saturday rolled around. I now work in the bakery at Save On Foods - BIG difference. No Stress. I can handle it. The only thing that sucks is the pay. I make less than half of what I made at the despot, but at least its money coming in for now.
Which brings us to the holidays and the end of my post. Christmas was tough without Mom, but I know she's still with me. I look at my hands every so often and they remind me of hers. I'm starting to see her face more in the mirror. I hear myself saying things she would say. And I find comfort in these things .. but its still tough.
I really hope 2011 is a little bit gentler than 2010 was. Keep your fingers crossed !
Friday, August 27, 2010
My Mom
When I said time was short in my last post, I was more accurate than I thought. My Mom is gone. She passed away at 1:45 am on Tuesday August 24. My sister and I were there when she went.
My sister got a call from the nurse at the home on Monday afternoon to say that Mom was unresponsive and lethargic, and they were taking her to the hospital. She called me at work and said to meet her there. We were at the Alex just after 4pm, and they had taken her right into a trauma room. Her breathing was labored, and she had a fever. They were worried about an infection, but didn't elaborate at that time.
Turns out the pneumonia she had the week before hadn't cleared up entirely, and had turned into Sepsis, which is an infection that affects your whole system. Her organs shut down, and it was a matter of keeping her comfortable until the end. They kept her on fluids, and made sure they honored her wishes regarding her care; she didn't want to live on a machine, full of tubes. We made her comfortable and stayed with her until she was gone. The staff in the emergency department was so good to us. They found us a private room that we could stay in with Mom and they checked on us every so often, but didn't really intrude. The Doctor that was on call said she was impressed that we had discussed this, since she sees a lot of families that don't, and when she came to make the pronouncement said that she felt we had all carried out Mom's directive just as she would have wanted.
This isn't the goodbye part, her celebration on Tuesday will take care of that. And it's not really goodbye, it's Until we meet again. So i'm going to listen to my Christmas cd's today (because my Mom always listened to Christmas music in the summer to feel cooler), and remember her turning them up so everyone could hear them. And I do mean EVERYONE. ("is that christmas music playing?" "Where's it coming from?" "Oh Doreen is playing her records again ..!" "Doesn't she know it's July ??")
I love you Mom. xoxo
My sister got a call from the nurse at the home on Monday afternoon to say that Mom was unresponsive and lethargic, and they were taking her to the hospital. She called me at work and said to meet her there. We were at the Alex just after 4pm, and they had taken her right into a trauma room. Her breathing was labored, and she had a fever. They were worried about an infection, but didn't elaborate at that time.
Turns out the pneumonia she had the week before hadn't cleared up entirely, and had turned into Sepsis, which is an infection that affects your whole system. Her organs shut down, and it was a matter of keeping her comfortable until the end. They kept her on fluids, and made sure they honored her wishes regarding her care; she didn't want to live on a machine, full of tubes. We made her comfortable and stayed with her until she was gone. The staff in the emergency department was so good to us. They found us a private room that we could stay in with Mom and they checked on us every so often, but didn't really intrude. The Doctor that was on call said she was impressed that we had discussed this, since she sees a lot of families that don't, and when she came to make the pronouncement said that she felt we had all carried out Mom's directive just as she would have wanted.
This isn't the goodbye part, her celebration on Tuesday will take care of that. And it's not really goodbye, it's Until we meet again. So i'm going to listen to my Christmas cd's today (because my Mom always listened to Christmas music in the summer to feel cooler), and remember her turning them up so everyone could hear them. And I do mean EVERYONE. ("is that christmas music playing?" "Where's it coming from?" "Oh Doreen is playing her records again ..!" "Doesn't she know it's July ??")
I love you Mom. xoxo
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Blog-block !
I know there's an update in my brain somewhere .. but there's so much to say and not enough words. Don't you hate that ?
Well let's start at work. (Ugh.) The Despot is the same as ever. Good people getting passed over for promotion, other people 'applying' for jobs at other stores (and getting them no less!), and not enough cashiers to go around. Plenty of finger pointing and blame, and the people that are taking responsibility are being shafted. In other words; same day, every day.
On the lighter side, things at home are pretty good. I had a week off in July that I did nothing with, because Andy and Lisa were working. Lisa is helping out at the shop; picking orders, cleaning up, and generally being the 'gofer'. It's good experience for her, and will help her save up some cash before her surgery in August. (She's going in for a knee repair after tearing her ACL last summer.) She graduated from high school this past spring, and while she doesn't have any firm plans yet as to when, she will definitely be going to Grant MacEwen within the next year or so.
Anthony is pretty self reliant, and basically gets to spend the summer home by himself. While i'm not really crazy about this idea, he's been pretty responsible and has taken on some chores around the house. He's starting grade 7 in September and is really looking forward to it. At least he doesn't have as far to walk now, and he can still ride his bike if he wants to.
My Mom is not doing so great. She has to be on oxygen around the clock now, and can't really get around by herself anymore. She's a "2 person lift" which means they lift her into a wheelchair for meals and such, and lift her back into bed. She's been in the home since June of 2009, so just a little over a year, and in that time has lost over a hundred pounds. She's so thin and frail, I worry about her everyday. I get up to see her more now because time is so short. I took the kids up to see her last night and they had her laughing so hard .. it was good to see.
Ok, ok .. not a blog-blocked as I thought. Once you sit down to write the words just kind of fall out by themselves. And in a coherent kind of order too. Amazing.
More to come shortly !
Well let's start at work. (Ugh.) The Despot is the same as ever. Good people getting passed over for promotion, other people 'applying' for jobs at other stores (and getting them no less!), and not enough cashiers to go around. Plenty of finger pointing and blame, and the people that are taking responsibility are being shafted. In other words; same day, every day.
On the lighter side, things at home are pretty good. I had a week off in July that I did nothing with, because Andy and Lisa were working. Lisa is helping out at the shop; picking orders, cleaning up, and generally being the 'gofer'. It's good experience for her, and will help her save up some cash before her surgery in August. (She's going in for a knee repair after tearing her ACL last summer.) She graduated from high school this past spring, and while she doesn't have any firm plans yet as to when, she will definitely be going to Grant MacEwen within the next year or so.
Anthony is pretty self reliant, and basically gets to spend the summer home by himself. While i'm not really crazy about this idea, he's been pretty responsible and has taken on some chores around the house. He's starting grade 7 in September and is really looking forward to it. At least he doesn't have as far to walk now, and he can still ride his bike if he wants to.
My Mom is not doing so great. She has to be on oxygen around the clock now, and can't really get around by herself anymore. She's a "2 person lift" which means they lift her into a wheelchair for meals and such, and lift her back into bed. She's been in the home since June of 2009, so just a little over a year, and in that time has lost over a hundred pounds. She's so thin and frail, I worry about her everyday. I get up to see her more now because time is so short. I took the kids up to see her last night and they had her laughing so hard .. it was good to see.
Ok, ok .. not a blog-blocked as I thought. Once you sit down to write the words just kind of fall out by themselves. And in a coherent kind of order too. Amazing.
More to come shortly !
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Spring has sprung ! Or has it ... ?
Well the first day of spring has come and gone. We've had more snow in the last few days than in the last 6 weeks or so. Something is wrong in the universe I think.
On the work front, i'm right in the middle of spring hire. I have 4 depts to hire for this year, something I'm not used to. Cash, Lot, Services and phone sales. Total people needed to hire - 25. Plus I'm replacing a cashier that's on maternity leave, and a person that's going back to seasonal for the summer. Oh and 1 that's retiring and needs some time off.
The good news? I've managed to hire most of these .. I think I only need 2 lot guys, 1 phone sales and maybe 2 more cashiers. Woooooooot! The people I have hired I forsee being very strong cashiers - which means they will transition into departments and I'll get to start all over again. LOL.
On the home front, we're getting ready for Graduation. Lisa will be finished grade 12 this year. It's gone too quickly ! She is getting ready for her first trip anywhere without family. Her band class has organized a trip to Cuba for Spring Break. I wish I was going .. ! I know she will have the time of her life, and it will be a good experience for her, but man it's going to be quiet around here without her! Dad is taking a week off to stay home with Anthony, and maybe I can come up with some stuff to keep them busy and off the computers. They took the iniative the other day and cleaned out the flower bed out front, and even raked the yard ! Now I just have to figure out what I want to plant out there. I'd like some bulbs that will come up every year, but can't figure out what I want. Typical.
Ah well .. all in a days work. I have to admit, it hasn't been a bad year. So far. :-)
On the work front, i'm right in the middle of spring hire. I have 4 depts to hire for this year, something I'm not used to. Cash, Lot, Services and phone sales. Total people needed to hire - 25. Plus I'm replacing a cashier that's on maternity leave, and a person that's going back to seasonal for the summer. Oh and 1 that's retiring and needs some time off.
The good news? I've managed to hire most of these .. I think I only need 2 lot guys, 1 phone sales and maybe 2 more cashiers. Woooooooot! The people I have hired I forsee being very strong cashiers - which means they will transition into departments and I'll get to start all over again. LOL.
On the home front, we're getting ready for Graduation. Lisa will be finished grade 12 this year. It's gone too quickly ! She is getting ready for her first trip anywhere without family. Her band class has organized a trip to Cuba for Spring Break. I wish I was going .. ! I know she will have the time of her life, and it will be a good experience for her, but man it's going to be quiet around here without her! Dad is taking a week off to stay home with Anthony, and maybe I can come up with some stuff to keep them busy and off the computers. They took the iniative the other day and cleaned out the flower bed out front, and even raked the yard ! Now I just have to figure out what I want to plant out there. I'd like some bulbs that will come up every year, but can't figure out what I want. Typical.
Ah well .. all in a days work. I have to admit, it hasn't been a bad year. So far. :-)
Friday, January 01, 2010
Goodbye 2009 .. Hello 2010 !
Wow. It went so quick .. and so many things happened !
2009 saw Lisa's 16th birthday, and Anthony's 11th. It also saw our 20th wedding anniversary. I remember my Mom at my age. I never thought I would be this old !
Mom started having problems with her liver, and had to go into a home. Betty and Mark put their condo up for sale - hoping to get into a house.
I went back to my home away from home (aka The Despot). Friends had new babies (Congrats Christina, Colleen, Jamie and Sherrise!) Other friends started new jobs, and took on new challenges. Some friends even got married to other friends. I wish you all the best !
I said goodbye to some people very dear to me, and witnessed friends saying goodbyes to people very dear to them. It will be a lifetime until we all meet again. I welcomed old friends back into my life, and watched as friends faced their own challenges. I lent them my strength and my optimism, to use until they get their own back.
I rediscovered how truly fortunate I am in my family and my friends. I am rediscovering my passion and zest for who I am and what I do.
So 2009, I say goodbye to you. Thank you for everything you gave me this year, both good and bad. Hello 2010. I am looking forward to discovering all you have in store for me and mine. It will definitely be an interesting year !!
2009 saw Lisa's 16th birthday, and Anthony's 11th. It also saw our 20th wedding anniversary. I remember my Mom at my age. I never thought I would be this old !
Mom started having problems with her liver, and had to go into a home. Betty and Mark put their condo up for sale - hoping to get into a house.
I went back to my home away from home (aka The Despot). Friends had new babies (Congrats Christina, Colleen, Jamie and Sherrise!) Other friends started new jobs, and took on new challenges. Some friends even got married to other friends. I wish you all the best !
I said goodbye to some people very dear to me, and witnessed friends saying goodbyes to people very dear to them. It will be a lifetime until we all meet again. I welcomed old friends back into my life, and watched as friends faced their own challenges. I lent them my strength and my optimism, to use until they get their own back.
I rediscovered how truly fortunate I am in my family and my friends. I am rediscovering my passion and zest for who I am and what I do.
So 2009, I say goodbye to you. Thank you for everything you gave me this year, both good and bad. Hello 2010. I am looking forward to discovering all you have in store for me and mine. It will definitely be an interesting year !!
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