What's In A Name?

I stole this from Kris. She didn't tag me but I'll pretend she did.

1. REAL NAME: Kelly

2. GANGSTA NAME (First 4 letters of real name, plus izzle) Kellizzle

3. DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color & animal): Green Cheetah (Could also be my ninja name?)

4. SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and childhood street): Ann Palmdale

5. STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name.) Smiketar

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color & favorite soda) Red Rootbeer

7. IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, ) Einal

8. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (grandmother/grandfathers first names) Virginia John or Marie Ralph

9. GOTH NAME (Black & the name of one your pets): Black Dante

10. NATIVE NAME (Fun activity, element in nature, name of wild animal) Dancing Rain Cat

I will tag Carly and Courtney...this one is too funny.

Happy Mother's Day

Over the past few years, I've received some interesting home-made gifts from my children. A few have made it to the mantel, some on the coffee table or the fridge and some...well...they've gotten "lost" over the years.

Tonight, I opened a wonderful gift that Olivia made at pre-school. This one will definitely make it to the mantel and be held onto for years and years.

First, there was a card she made with a poem on the front:

My little handprints on the walls

On the mirrors and in the halls

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away

So here's a special gift

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my hands looked

When I was very small

Beware the New Neighbour

As you may or may not know, I've recently moved. I am slowly getting settled into the new crib. So far I'm loving it. And the downstairs tenant? Single mom of a 6-year-old girl. All she said the day she was moving in (when we were talking about bedtimes and the "mommy quiet time" that takes place afterward) was something along the lines of enjoying a glass of wine and my ears perked up. She looked at me and said "Yeah, I love wine". Can you say instant connection?

It also just so happens that I've moved directly across the street from an old friend of Dum-Dum's and his wife. Nice family. We haven't really been in touch much in the last 3 years since "the breakup" but it was more because I had in my head that he was Dum-Dum's friend, I'm not going to make other people feel uncomfortable, stuff like that. Apparently I had no reason to worry because they hardly talk to him anymore - they've grown apart since P is now a family man and actually grew up and matured a wee bit (while that's a big fat NO for Dum-Dum).

So, I saw my new neighbour a week ago doing some work in his front yard. Apparently he's not aware of the fact that I take photos of my neighbours when they're dressed funny or inappropriately (or are just wardrobe-aly-challenged?) and then post the photos on the internet. Should someone warn him? Or shall we wait until I am ready with my camera? I gave him a freebie that day. I even kind of warned him. But next time...I won't be so nice.

A Moment of Munson

Munson: I want sparkles on my cheeks

kelly: (exhausted sigh) Maybe for your birthday?

Munson: Um, no. I want a purple watch.

kelly: A purple watch? (Did I hear this right? Like she can tell time)

Munson: Oh, and make-up

WTF? She's turning 4. Lord help me.

Needless to say, I'm having a drink right now.

Suite Relief

Remember me?

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking. Barely...

I'm just here to debrief you on what's going on:

1. I wrote two final exams this week. One word: BRUTAL. I get massive anxiety when I have to write an exam and it honestly puts my entire body and mind through hell. Yes, I know, I seem to do it enough that I should just get over it but...I can't help it.
2. I move this weekend - which has just added to the anxiety. Yes, I am relieved to have found a place that I L-O-V-E and I am excited about it but at the same time it's very bittersweet. I won't be coming home to Adam every night and it's tough. We'll still see each other a lot I'm sure but...it's still tough.
3. We sold my truck. I am so sad to be saying good bye to my truck - I love this thing! It's the first brand new vehicle that I bought for myself and it's never given me trouble and I just love it. So this is hard...although saying goodbye to $500/month car payments is not hard. And never having to pay for gas is pretty sweet too. If you don't know, I've had a company car since January and it has been INCREDIBLE. Especially since the price of gas has gone up to $armandleg/litre.

So, in a nutshell, my nerves are shot, I've barely slept in two weeks and I'm planning on having a textbook burning at my new place next weekend. Anyone want to join me?

FIRED!

Have you ever been fired?

I'm on an email list for Comedy Central and they sent me a link to the trailer for this movie, FIRED!

The title alone piqued my interest, so I watched.

I'm DYING to see this one.

Check it out

Unfortunately, there are no theatres showing this in Canada. Or Washington State - thought I'd give that one a try too.

I just love the whole concept - if you have any good stories about being fired, send them my way - I'd love to hear them.

Baby Steps

They say that the most common New Year's resolution made is: put an end to procrastinating. They also say that procrastination is the toughest habit (if it even is a habit) to break.
I personally don't make resolutions - I don't particularily enjoy saying I'm going to do something (or stop doing something) and not following through.
That said, I do admit I have a horrible habit of procrastinating. Everything. From paying bills to returning phone calls to studying for exams - I leave it ALL to the last minute (or even worse - past due). I would love to change that about myself. But how? I don't know if its a habit or just my nature.
I was thinking about it today while I was sitting at the car dealership after dropping my vehicle off for some service that it was due for. I was actually somewhat proud of myself for getting it done when it was due, rather than waiting another month, which would be my usual. So I thought to myself, since I'm feeling so on-the-ball today, I am going to start taking the steps to improve on that horrible fault of mine.
My next step? To get the ball rolling on selling my old car. So I'm going to wrap this post up and get my butt oustide and start cleaning it out and getting it looking (and smelling) all pretty to sell.
Step #3? Start studying for my final exam which is in less than a month. Tomorrow. (Baby steps, remember?).

The Countdown Is On

That's right, folks. Only 55 days of "training" left. Er, shall I say healing?

Because, Mr. Mark-My-Words said: If Rocky can box at 60, then I can thread the needle at 35. And I wasn't the only one to hear this. I have witnesses.

April 25, 2007 - he turns 35. And I will film it.

Adam's threading the needle.

Oh, he says no now...but we'll make sure he has plenty of liquid courage to get him going. He keeps telling me that his toe hasn't healed from the last attempt. Check these out:

24 Hours Post-Incident - look at that swelling on his right foot!

48 Hours Later...look at that swelling and the beautiful bruising beginning!

So don't forget - April 25. Can't wait!

Up Close & Personal

This blog is pure fluff tonight. I don't know why - I didn't sit down at the computer with any intentions to post at all today. I'm just in that sort of mood, I guess. Maybe it's the muscle relaxant I took a couple hours ago because I did something awful to my back today.

Maybe I just felt like posting some random photos....

Random shots, of animals, people, things in my life that sometimes have me wondering "How would I feel if I drank a glass of wine with that muscle relaxant?".

It's not really a question, by the way....

Or maybe, with this sudden cold weather (again) and snow on the ground (yet again), I was feeling a bit nostalgic for some warm, Summer weather...

Er...maybe not.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

The little man went through his first test at Tae Kwon Do last Friday. Needless to say, he passed and now has upgraded to the yellow stripe belt. How proud am I? Extremely. (I aplogize for the poor quality photos - next time I'll make sure I'm actually in the room instead of outside and having to zoom in).

It was quite a process - he actually had to learn a little routine (they call it a pattern) over the last couple of months. When it was his turn, after a half hour warm up, he was called out to the floor with two other little white-belt boys and they had to go through the pattern in front of the Grand Master, about 5 or 6 black-belts that are also instructors, everyone else that was being tested and of course, parents and siblings that are watching. It's gotta be nerve-wracking for these kids, especially for the first time.

But he did it almost perfectly (he just wasn't punching properly) - and then he had to sit around the edge of the mat and wait. And wait. And wait....while everyone else did their testing in groups of 3's & 4's.

Then, once all the patterns were complete, they lined up about 6 at a time and had their turns at kicking the wooden board to try to break it. Each person had 3 try's, then they had to sit down and wait for the others to go through. Evan had his 3 try's, but didn't manage to break his. Then, they all got to try again - and lo and behold on Evan's first try he broke it! The look on his face was priceless. It's like he almost didn't believe that he had just broken a board with his foot. I couldn't get a good picture of him breaking it, but next time I swear I'm going to video it. Give me a break - it was our first experience in this and I wasn't really aware of what we were in for.

Good Times

I've been overhearing some snide remarks made about not having posted about this yet and I can just hear QC sighing "It's about eff'n time" right now.

Just over a week ago, my beautiful BFF put together an (exactly one month overdue) amazing little Girls Night Out 30'th Birthday Bash for your's truly. Unfortunately, I'm not the best with the camera-duty so you can view most of the pictures here.

We started out with Piera picking me up (though I was chauffer for the drive down because apparently I'm a faster driver? Whatever, I'm not legally blind in one eye). The first stop: Bloom Essentials for some pampering. Though I have to say, I almost forgot about receiving a luxurious massage when I heard a voice that I hadn't heard in almost 3 years. I think I just about screamed when I saw that beautiful smile of Siobhan's - what a wonderful surprise! I managed to get in a quick embrace before I was whisked off for my sooooo relaxing and much required 45-minute-long massage. Aaaahhh...it was wonderful. Courtney had her massage once mine was complete and she had that exact same look on her face when she walked out as I did. Meanwhile, Siobhan, Julie and Bex had pedicures and some gorgeous-looking toes after and our girl Carly had her very first manicure. I was going to post a photo of her Vixen-like nails on here but I think I'm going to save it for some future usage.

After the pampering and some wine and goodies we moved on to dinner and martini's at Delilah's. The food was fabulous and the drinks definitely lived up to our expectations. It was there that my wonderfully patient friends got me to open my gifts - hand lotions from Courtney and Bex (is that an age thing? I need to moisturize more now?), an intriguing-looking book from Bex (I can't wait for my mid-term to be done so I can sneak some time in to read it), a Starbucks gift card from Shivvy (that girl knows my weakness for vanilla lattes), an adorable little pink dish and some cool trinkets from Carly (who had also previously given me an uber-cool "Class of '77" t-shirt) and the kicker from Julie:

First, I opened the card that read: Now that you are youth-impaired, I got you a few essentials. I hope Adam is ready for you transformation now that you'll be sitting on the couch in your granny panties with rollers in your hair, mask on your face & eyes, drinking your precious Tassimo coffee.

In the bag was one of those gel eye masks that you keep in the fridge (great for hangovers!), a clay mask for the face, a package of hair-rollers, a pack of capuccino for the Tassimo and my very first pair of granny panties.

How awesome is she?

Now, I know I'm supposed to have Adam take a picture of me all decked out like she said on her card and, believe me, it will happen. But for now, since she seems to be so enthralled with all the goodies that I brought home after that night, you'll have to settle for mini-me:

We actually had a fun time putting them all in her hair. Then afterward she wanted me to try to paint ladybugs on her toes but we had to settle for polka dots since I'm not the most artistic (especially with a nail polish brush on the teeniest of toenails).

All in all, I had a fabulous birthday and will definitely remember this one forever. Thanks to everyone that made it as wonderful as it was (even the out-of-towner that couldn't attend in person but she was definitely there in spirit!)

The Launch of Flat Evan

Last year, when Evan was in grade 2, his class read the story Flat Stanley. It's a neat little story about a kid who was flattened when a bulletin board fell on him. He had wanted to visit with friends in California but it was too expensive to go by plane or train. Since Stanley was so flat, his parents mailed him to see his friends.

After Evan's class read the story, they all drew their own Flat Stanley's. Of course, most of the kids drew themselves instead of Stanley. The teacher then left it up to them if they wanted to mail their Flat Stanley's to people they knew in other cities and have those people send back photos of Stanley visiting all the different places. Unfortunately, Evan didn't have his ready in time to be taken to Paris last February with his future bride, Carly (snicker). However, his travels did eventually take off in September when he was taken to New Zealand and Australia courtesy of Nan & Papa Smith. (See photo of Flat Evan hanging with his Nan at the Opera House in Sidney Harbour).

I think this is the cutest thing ever and have been contemplating a blog just for Flat Evan. What I have finally decided to do is let the little guy take off and see where he ends up. Evan and I will make up a little note with Flat Evan's story, put him in an envelope with some instructions and send him off. His first destination, of course, is San Diego, California. You know who you are.

The going-away party will have to coincide with a certain someone's birthday dinner this Saturday...which just happens to also be KRISTIN'S 30th BIRTHDAY.

It's So Barren In Here There's An Echo

I've actually been a wee bit social lately and between that, a demanding job, demanding kids and American Idol auditions there has been no time to blog. Or check blogs. Or read my 126 new emails, for that matter. PLEASE - I can hardly keep up with text messages these days.

And for those of you that I don't actually talk to on a regular basis, I'll have to update you on my life changes.

Adam and I have been having a difficult time lately juggling our commutes to work and dropping off/picking up children from various schools and caregivers. We both have joint custody situations and it's difficult that we live in one suburb, my kids go to daycare and school in another (close by) and Claudia goes to school close to where her mother lives, about a half hour drive in the opposite direction. So you can understand our frustration. Adding drop-offs and pick-ups to our already long (an hour +) commutes to work makes for an extra half hour or forty-five minutes. Then by the time we get home, we're so exhausted we can barely carry on conversations with each other.

So our solution? We are going to move. He's going to move closer to his work and Claudia's school, and I will move closer to my kids' daycare and schools. It's the only way to do it and save our sanity. We are very much still together and we will still spend as much time together as we do now (we always have those days where we have no children and will happily spend the entire time together, just the two of us). There is absolutely nothing wrong in our relationship - which is what makes this so weird. A lot of people are having a hard time accepting our decision. I mean really - had we never moved in together, would that have been weird? I don't think so.

Whether or not other people can accept our decision doesn't matter to us at all. What matters is that we're happy, we both think that we are making the right decision and we both feel that our children will be better off being closer to their friends and their schools and spending less time being driven back and forth all over the place. And you never know what the future may bring us - I'm sure we'll be living together again at some point in the future.

Besides, doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?

My Honey Away From Home

I've discussed this topic once or twice with QC and even as I type I'm still not sure how to approach the subject.
I have worked in numerous offices for the past 11 years now and I'm noticing this funny little trend. For the most part of those past 11 years I've been in a steady relationship. And, again for most of that time, I've lived with my man. Total monogamy.
Yet, at most of the offices I have worked at, I've befriended someone of the opposite sex, that eventually becomes my Office Spouse.
It's nothing bad. Completely innocent. It usually involves a lot of advice-giving (work-related and personal), lunches, joking around, sometimes insults and the odd "eff you". But it usually makes being on the job a little more fun, especially in a static office environment.
Ah, I remember my first one....Ray. He worked in the mail room. I was only 19, it was my first office job and about 10 months after I started there was when I first moved out of my parent's to live with Dum-Dum. About 4 months after that I found out I was pregnant with Evan. We had a big laugh (later on, of course) about the morning after I found out. I walked in the mailroom, asked for some supplies and then just looked at Ray and said "Oh yeah, and I'm pregnant" and walked out. He didn't know if it was a joke or serious and he didn't want to talk about it in the office so when we went for lunch that day and I started to cry, he figured it out.
Then there was Martin. Martin was younger than me by a couple years (Ray was about 7 or 8 years older than me). Martin was such a typical young guy - loved his fancy cars and name-brand clothing. Thought that driving an expensive car meant everything. But he was fun to hang out with. I still talk to him once in a while and hate to say that even now, 7 years after I first met him, he hasn't changed a bit.
After Martin I had a bit of a dry spell. I had Olivia, went on maternity leave and then didn't go back to work until Dum-Dum and I split up. Then I worked a year in a hell-hole where there were maybe 6 male employees out of 100 people. And socializing was a no-no. There was only one single male that worked there that talked to me but he kind of creeped me out. (Julie, you know who I'm talking about).
Then Tony came along. He had the horrible task of training me. Hands-on. Which meant hours together in the car and months of him introducing me to all the right people. And with tons of marketing comes tons of lunches, dinners, golf tournaments, hockey games...you name it. He has made the biggest impact on my career than anyone - and done me a lot of good. He's also given me so much great advice - on work, my kids, my relationship, everything. I owe a lot to him and he will remain a great friend to me for a very long time.
And now...at this job that I've had for just barely 3 months? I've started making friends. There's the young crowd - a group of 4, 3 girls and a guy, that are in their early 20's, just starting out. They're pretty cool, and it feels strange to be the "old girl" because in the past I had always been part of that young crowd. Two of the girls in that group have actually invited me out this weekend to a club and I am considering going. And my desk is next to the one guy who is the Office Spouse to all the younger girls.
The interesting thing is, this Office Spouse or Work Spouse is way more common than I thought. I've heard of a lot of people that have a Work Spouse. Even older people that have been married for years! So how common is this? How many of you have a Work Spouse?
Not just me? Check out some articles I found about this subject: Wedded Work Bliss, Platonic Office Romance, Married On the Job

Anyone Seen This?

Following up after this post:

I wasn't interested in it when it first came out - I've seen him on Da Ali G Show and really didn't think I could stand a full film about this guy, but the more I hear about it and see photos like this, the more I want to see it.

Any thoughts from people that have actually seen it?

The Biggest Loser - Corporate Style

I've recently joined in with a group of 21 others in my office in a weight-loss challenge. We throw in $2 every Friday (started last week, on the 12th) and for 10 weeks we weigh in. The person to lose the most weight in the end wins the pot. I thought to myself: What a great idea! All I need is a little motivation.

I know I won't win, but it's helping me to have this 21-member support network to shed a few extra pounds. Everyone shares their healthy eating and exercise tips and its a great way to bond with some of the people around the office that I don't normally get to chat with.

So last Friday I weighed-in, 2 pounds more than my scale at home has been telling me. And I've had a bit of a rough start. I've been craving potato chips like crazy! In hopes that its just my body wanting cruncy and vinegar-y stuff, I opted for a crisp salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Which I just splashed all over myself. Does red vinegar stain?

I'll try to keep posted on my (hopeful) weight loss - although I won't disclose my actual weight on here, I'll note how much I've lost (or gained....a good possibility).

29 And Hanging On For Dear Life

This is yesterday's post...unfortunately, BLOGGER sucks and I couldn't post it.

Oh God, just one more day and I'll be {gulp} 30. Ick. Why does this hurt me so much? Are the good times over? Is this the beginning of "Cougar-dom"?
It all started in November, when I got this wonderful new job. For the first time EVER I wasn't the youngest, or part of the "younger group" in the office. What happened? There's a whole slew of 20-somethings in this place and I've just be bumped up into the "older" crowd. I don't get invited to go for beers on casual Friday's. I get invited to the retirement lunches, though. WTF?
Yeah, there's the upside. When you call in sick, no one accuses you of being hungover. No one clock-watches because I don't take extended lunches or drag my sorry ass in late every day (due to being hungover). I'm just another hard-working, frumpy old mom with pictures of her kids on her desk and Advil in her drawer. That takes advantage of being reliable and responsible by emailing her friends and blogging during office hours.
So is it all uphill from here? More birthdays, higher numbers, no more big milestones to look forward to until perhaps retirement, at which point I just have to hope I have enough RRSP's to manage to get me through.
Wish me luck...

A Love Like No Other

I've fallen and I've fallen hard.

Now that we're together, I am so blissfully happy. I now feel....complete; my senses...awakened.

I love you TASSIMO!

SEASONS GREETINGS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My Life Thus Far

This was passed on by Kris...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
0 6. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children (well, currently working on that)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (not full time, though)
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (unfortunately)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read "The Iliad"
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone whodidn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

63 out of 150...not bad.

(Ok, the cow thing was at Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver and it was after a demo, they let you come up and try it a couple times so I didn't exactly fill up a whole bucket.)