Day 434 - New Year's Eve

Wow! It's the last day of the year! Already! Where did it go? I can't say I'm sad to see it end! It's been a trying year! I'm anxious to get 2011 underway & have an amazing year filled with love, laughter & a few stamps in the passport!

This morning Mom2 & I had a cup of broth. The other day when I was going through my boxes, I found 2 little stuffies. I have decided they will be my mascots for 2011. Kingston the lion & Easton the panda bear. They had their first shot with Mom2's turkey broth. Keep your eyes open for future appearances!

I left Mom2's this afternoon. She followed me in her car to meet my Mom on the 22x/37th St intersection. I was going to follow Mom home in her truck, as I wasn't feeling too comfy on the roads. Thankfully they were good!

My Uncle Brad & cousin Kyler stopped in for a quick visit. Mom left for Ken's house shortly after they arrived, so I had some time to visit with them. It was great to see them both. Uncle Brad had a bunch of old photos of the family. He had made copies just before he stopped in & left a few for me. It is really neat to see what your Mom & family looked like LONG before you were an idea!

I can't believe how quickly my little cousins are growing up! Kyler is nearly a teenager already! I'm feeling old! They were driving back to Saskatchewan tonight, so they didn't stay long.

I decided to watch the Twilight movies tonight. I'm not sure why, but I did. I watched the first two before I fell asleep. Late. I may as well have went out partying. I would have gone to bed about the same time in any case! Oh well!

One week until Cuba, what could be better? Okay, one week until Jaco! I do miss that man something fierce!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your year is filled with health, wealth & happiness... Make it happen! Say I Love You & take the opportunities that cross your path! You are worth it!

xxxxMVO&A

 Kingston & Easton make their debut

 Uncle Brad & Kyler

 The girls after I said the word, 'Treat'

Party like it's the last day of 2010...

Day 433 - Headaches & Boxes

Today Mom2 & I ventured out to Chinook. We both woke up with headaches - gee, maybe from the gorging we had last night? Hers was a bit more severe than mine - it took 6x the pills & an aborted shopping day out. We returned to the house & she had a nap in the dark while I went through boxes in the basement.

I moved a few boxes here years back - before ships - & I haven't been through them in a long time. I found my Lara Croft:Tomb Raider braid from Halloween 2001. My flight school texts & cross country plans. I went through a bunch of clothes & picked out some clothes for goodwill. Funnily enough, as Mom2 was going through the clothes, one by one, these were my words:
'Oh, that's the shirt from Darren, the Firefighter I met in the Dominican.'
'And that shirt was Ryan's.'
'And that one was from Nashville. No, wait. That was from Kelly, the jerk.'
'And that was from Tyler, the Ranch guy.'
It was like a parade of the exes from an old closet! Hilarious!

I got rid of old College texts from 1998, my toy helicopter collection & beanie babies! Oh my, do I ever have a collection of beanie babies! I found 2 rustic looking stuffies that are going to be my new mascots for 2011... My personal version of the squirrel that pops up in random photos. Here's hoping for a good year. We'll start off with a bang in -20 weather, head to Cuba & onwards & upwards from there! Stay tuned, as it was too cold to get a photo today! Ha ha!

Mom2, Dad2 & I played crib. I don't think I've ever played it. Maybe once with Kristina at the Park when I was 12 or something. I don't think my math has improved since that age. In fact, it's probably worse now. In any case, I think I got the hang of it - right before they skunked me! Oh well! My Granny was a card shark - my brother took on the role & I'm afraid I'm a poor card player. In any case, we had a lot of laughs!

After supper, we watched Going the Distance with Drew Barrymore & Justin Long. It was bust a gut funny in the first 20 minutes, but turned into a chick flick after that. The screenplay writer must've been very inspired & then it all fell apart. Although I enjoyed the music by Boxer Rebellion. A little too much profanity for my liking. There are many more eloquent words & ways to express one's emotions besides THAT word.

I'm struggling with Oceana on the treadmill. I took her outside to pee before her afternoon workout & she managed to pee TWICE on the treadmill. Yuck. Give me one big puddle any day. I was quite frustrated with her. She knows better! As I type this late night post, she sits on the edge of the bed & whines every now & then. She wants to go to Mom2's room. She runs to her every time I call her name. She wants nothing to do with me. She loves Jaco to bits & Mom & Mom2. Not I. Win some, lose some.

Tomorrow I'll venture home. I haven't spoken to my husband all week. He's going to think I left my igloo for another dog sledder. He never reads the blog, just looks at the photos... Maybe he'll catch this last line - I love you Honey & I'll see you in 52 days! xxxxMaria & the girls

 I tried tonight for a better shot, but Dad2's eyes are still sleepy!

Oceana threatening to jump overboard.

Day 432 - Merry Christmas! Finally!

Today was the big turkey day at Mom2's. Oceana woke me up. She heard Nonna's voice & started to whimper & whine & dance around. There was no turning back. I took the girls downstairs to go outside & then greet Mom2 & Ricky.

As we were cooking a turkey today, Mom2 had taken it out to thaw yesterday. When we unwrapped the bird, there was a tumour down the back of the turkey. Gross. The skin was missing, as was a wing & the giblets. Not cool. Thankfully the shop she bought it at, Co-op, swiftly solved the problem & replaced the sick bird with a healthy one that was already thawed. It came from Lilydale, an investigation is being launched, and if you haven't watched FOOD, INC. --> DO IT NOW! (With emphasis on NOW!)

Mom2's first trip out was for bread & an onion for stuffing. She had just returned when we discovered the sick bird. The next trip out was for the turkey. After that we left for Chinook, via CNF for more groceries & to meet up with Ricky's Aunty. I managed to open my business account at the TD bank. If you don't bank there, you should! They are always so pleasant & helpful & down-to-earth every time I go there. I love my bank!

The mall was crazy busy, we didn't want to wait in line, so I skipped Lulu & the Mac Store. Another day. Maybe next year! (I love being able to say that around this time of year!) We went home, only to realize that we were still missing some groceries. Mom2 headed back out for a few more things. She just walked in the door when Greg got home & realized we were still missing a few things (egg nog & Turtles are important!), so the last & final trip out was made!

We used the convection oven to roast the turkey & it worked perfect! It saved us the time we'd lost in the morning & the bird was cooked to perfection! The mashed potatoes & gravy were so good, I think I'll have some for breakfast! We had a nice greens salad with candied pecans & feta cheese, roasted root vegetables & of course, stuffing! I wanted homemade cranberry sauce, so I bought some agave nectar & frozen organic cranberries. I googled for a recipe & this is what I got. There wasn't a lot left in the bowl, so I guess everyone liked it! I sure did!

We had organic pumpkin pie for dessert topped with organic whipped cream - oh so healthy, but funnily enough, I still feel like a gorged piglet.

We opened presents after dinner & was I ever spoiled! I wasn't expecting so many gifts! A Lulu jacket, a stuffie kitty cat (that Valentina wants to desperately eat!), sweets, a necklace, a ring, crystal bracelets, a snow brush (I was really excited about this one! Mom2 has the same one & it works really good! Mine sucks - 'til now!), Kinder Surprise - I felt like a kid again! I gave Mom2 her gifts yesterday, but for one she opened tonight. Dad2 got a beautiful framed photo from his son & daughter for his 'Sports Den' - a traditional gift for the past 7 years! I gave Mom2 & Dad2 a Christmas card expressing my gratitude for all they have done & continue to do for me. I didn't expect their reactions, I just wrote from the heart, but they couldn't even read it through! Mom2 started, teared up, passed it to Dad2. Dad2 picked up where she left off, teared up & passed it to Jordan. Jordan got through it. I told them I'll just put $5 in the card next year & spare us the tears!

It was a very Merry Christmas & I feel so blessed to be able to spend it with such a wonderful family that I feel part of. We shared a lot of laughter & smiles & that alone is a beautiful gift. Thank you & I love you all!

xxxxMaria, Valentina & Oceana

 Ricky & Mom2

 Shanel & Jordan

Justine & Tyler 

Dad2 & Mom2 - Sorry Dad2 - my bad - I thought the eyes were good! 

 The gang & the spread!

Who's that digging in the turkey? 

Present time! 

 Whadja get? Whadja get?

 Oooh the suspense!

 Whoo hoo! Let's hang it up!

 Tears of joy!

 Trying to get through the card!

Jordan does it! 

Tweet Pea wants the stuffie! 

Tyler's pretty excited about his History of Soccer collection! 

I'm just excited about it all!!! 

 Jordan's Lindt collection!

 Who doesn't love Christmas!?

 Dad2 hams it up for the camera!

 It runs in the family!

 It's new home on the wall!

 The Sports Den!

Kitty gets her wings!

Day 431 - Hitmen Game!

Today I packed up some stuff & headed into the city. I am spending the next few days at Mom2's - we're having a late Christmas, as her stepson's girlfriend was in Mexico & they wanted to wait until the family was here to have Christmas. Lucky for me, I'll finally feel like eating some mashed potatoes & gravy! Even luckier to be getting some!

I felt pretty rough this morning & not much of an appetite. In fact, I thought I was going to spill over several times through out the day! Thankfully I didn't!

Mom2's neighbours gave them some Hitmen tickets, so Mom2, Dad2, Justine, Tyler, Ricky & myself all went to the game. It was a lot of fun! After the game, the kids were able to skate with the Hitmen & get autographs. It was a pretty memorable experience for a lot of kids. I was amazed at how young some of the kids were! Could they even walk without skates? Crazy!

I think the healthiest thing I ate was the bottle of water. Otherwise, there were pocket dawgs, pretzels, twizzlers, burgers, fries, onion rings, ice cream, cotton candy & sno-cones floating about... Yeesh. I tried some cotton candy. It's really quite amazing they can sell sugary fuzz. I pick the fuzzies out of my food, people eat fuzzies like they are going out of style! The aftertaste was atrocious! Yuck! I guess that's why the target market is under 12!

When we left the Saddledome, it had started snowing. Big, fluffy flakes! Tomorrow will look like Christmas - Yay! Oh & speaking of that, I gave Mom2 one of her gifts. I made her a necklace last night. It's pretty crude, but I'm still happy with it! I think she is too!

Okay, the little dogs are softly snoring by my side... I best join them! Lekker slaap & Merry Christmas! Again!
xxxx Maria, Valentina, & Oceana

Ricky & Valentina 

Just hangin' out! 

A little dart fun! 

 Go Zamboni Man!

 Game on!

 The Ra-Ra Crowd!

Mom2 & Curly Sue 

 Cotton Candy anyone?

Pink Tongue 

Purple Tongue 

Pink Tongue 

Green Ton, er, wait, that's my eyes... 

Blue Tongue 

Blue Kissy lips 

Face Off! 

Farley the Fox 

 Okay, good effort guys!

Little critters skating young! 

 Justine, Dad2 & Ricky

I love the last names - Roach & Cheek! 

Kissy kissy through plexi-glass! 

Ricky & the players - how cute is lil' Ricky!