Worth getting IN bed for...

I took Alex to see The Guardian this afternoon. Even if it had been a complete and utter waste of time, I would have been happy to have drooled my way through it just to feast my eyes on this:



Never have I seen this guy look so good. Old Kevin didn't look so bad himself. To top it all off they were wearing uniforms. Sometimes it doesn't get much better. I'm actually looking forward to bed tonight in the hopes that I have something nice to dream about.

Oh, and to those of you who are partaking in the events. So far we've had no trick-or-treaters but I saw lots on the main road driving home, so maybe - the night is still young. Just crossing my fingers that my windows don't get egged, I still have enough egg to clean off from last night. It was 'Mischievous Night' here, and as there is a kid in the neighbourhood who has a 'problem' with Alex and now, Andy, I've little doubt as to who the culprit is.

Yay!!! As I was pressing publish I had my first ever (English) trick-or-treaters come to the door - five young ghouls!

Worth getting out of bed for

After spending all day in bed yesterday, (not to mention most of the week) I decided that I probably felt well enough to attend a dinner party at my friend Carol-Anne's. I knew that her house would be comfortably cozy, the meal would be a scrummy buffet and even if we stayed only an hour, it was better to go than not. Besides, my coughing had finally moved from its constant barking hack down to intermittent 15 minute segments.

The food did turn out to be fantastic as usual and I had a hearty helping of CA's homemade baked beans, using the excuse that I haven't felt much like eating during the past week as well as the fact that they are loaded with fibre. The food and company alone made going over there worth it, especially when CA and I got to reminiscing about things Canadian as she pulled out her Blue Rodeo and Gordon Lightfoot CD's. But what really made putting some clothes on and bothering to brush my hair worth it, was hearing CA's seven year old daughter Madeline, aka Madge, say to me in a quiet moment together 'You are my most favourite grown-up ever.'

More Canadian than she knows

CA has mentioned to me recently that although she has tried to instil strong, Canadian roots in Madge, she feared that Madeline considers herself more British than Canadian, and that she doesn't look at Canada as home, like CA still does. We talked about how this would only be natural. Madge was born here, all her friends are here and she has lot of her daddy's family around her on a regular basis, especially her beloved Granny. Canada is somewhere she goes to visit and she won't look at it as her home until they move there in a few years time. I can understand though how important it is to CA that her daughter have a special place in her heart for her 2nd country.

Still, it is very obvious that Madeline is the daughter of a Canadian, and has strong ties to it. Andy clarified this last night, during playful banter with her. He was asking Madeline to ring the police if she looked out the window and noticed our truck wasn't there. She piped up with 'Shall I ring 911?' In this country the emergency code is 999. Although she had to be corrected, it was still very cute to hear.

Thank God for the internet, and good friends

I'm sitting here in my sweats, awaiting the heat to finally kick in (something I have put off doing as its still only the end of October). I can only stand so much TV in one go, especially re-runs I've seen a million times, and I as I just can't get into the only book I have to read, I've decided to park myself in front of the PC, even though sitting for long periods of times makes me a bit woozy. Luckily Valentina has happened to save me from complete madness via Solitaire, by having a very lively and enlightening conversation with me on MSN.

How people who are off on long term leave i.e. my sister Tawny, and sister-in-law Ali, manage to stand all the monotony, I don't know. Maybe its even worse for them as they work full time, and have twice as much vacant hours to fill. I think initially they are happy for a break, but knowing them, I'd say at this point in time they are about ready to get back to work. At least at this point in their convalescence they are able to get out and do a little shopping or visit friends. But taking a day or two sick leave hardly warrants running around in public, even if you do feel up to it, which I don't. Poor Molly has been waiting for a walk, but must wait a few more hours until Alex comes home as I just can't face the rain feeling the way I do. Going to get him and Connor by car is going to be effort enough. I think a detour to Blockbuster for a PS2 game is in order for this evening's activities.

For lack of anything else to do:

You Have Low Self Esteem 8% of the Time

Which can be translated to mean, you have high self-esteem and a healthy sense of self worth. You believe in yourself, and you know how to be the real you. You love yourself, imperfections and all.

How is Your Self Esteem?

What IS it with this guy?



The Hoff. A slight craze (or joke) that has currently taken off in the UK since he apparently released some song that went bust in America but topped the charts (or something along those lines) in Germany. Since then he has popped up on radio and TV doing commercials on a regular basis, and a lot of jokes are being made about him, but I'm not sure if they are meant to be light hearted or not because sometimes, still, the English humour can stump me. I do believe that its all in the name of fun, because The Hoff himself is now doing a television commercial where he is basically taking the micky out of himself. All for the name of fame. I noticed he did have a supporting roll in Adam Sandler's 'Click' so maybe all this desperate self-humiliation in the UK is actually serving to have him resurface in America. Or am I totally missing something and has he never really gone away since his Baywatch days, hence there is no need for a 'comeback', however sad and pathetic?

The call I dreaded making

Today, I finally got around to calling the car dealership in regard to the end of the four lease on my Sunfire. I can't believe that its been nearly three years since I moved here to the UK, or that the car will no longer be there for my use when we travel back home. (We won't however, be sorry to be done with the payments!) I knew the lease was due to run out but wasn't sure exactly when it had to be brought back, as I normally used to just go trade it in for a brand new one. However it needed to be done, not only for official reasons, but because I needed to give my sister time to adjust to the fact that she was losing the car, sooner rather than later. So today I had to make the call to tell her she has just under two weeks to drive it - the choice is hers when she takes it over to Dartmouth, so long as its on or before the 6th November.

I know she understands all this and has been very grateful just to be allowed to drive the nicest car in the yard yet not have to make the payments on it. However, it still didn't make telling her very easy, especially when she seems to be at a major cross-roads in her life at the moment. Andy and I have been relieved (and grateful) though, that she is at least driving it sometimes as cars that are left to just sit stationary cease up.

Someone else is also owed a very, very big thank you. For a long time now, a kind friend, who happened to work for the lease company, has been a great help to us in terms of holding our cheques for us prior to their deposit date, saving me the hassle of mailing one cheque every month. Due to the fact that we are overseas, I didn't want to do direct debit, as international banking isn't always dependable, and he offered to help us out. He has been so accommodating to us and always stayed on top of things for me. For that I can't thank him enough. I hope you know how much we appreciate you and value your lifelong friendship.

The thought is practically inconceivable!

I stayed home from work today as I have developed my bronchial cough and was aching all over. I suppose I can admit to myself that I'm really not feeling top notch, especially when I don't feel like eating. That is really the defining factor for me, cause it is a very rare day when this girl loses her appetite. I'm gonna go have a long soak in the bath, then settle in for some Six Feet Under on DVD.

Can you see it?

A long time ago I remember telling Tawny that I often thought of her while watching Friends, in particular Monica. Now Tawny isn't exactly the same as Monica in behaviour, but she does have a lot of similarities i.e. her obsessivness (note Tawny would tell you herself that she can be obsessive at times). I would probably take a guess and say that part of the reason Monica reminds me of Tawny stems not from her 'personality' alone, but when teamed up with the dark hair and strong cheekbones, it just makes the similarity seem that much stronger. Connor had pointed out to me once recently while passing the TV during an episode that 'she looks like Tawny' whilst pointing at Monica. Just the other night while watching a another rerun during supper, Monica was telling someone to shut up and Alex said 'Boy does she sound like Tawny when she says that! She kind of looks like her too.'

Seems I'm not the only one that thinks it.




What made me really laugh just a few minutes ago was when Alex looked at this fellow on the TV and said 'He looks like your dad.' I don't see the resemblance as clearly as with the women above, but maybe this is why mom enjoys his show so much!

A little hoarse, but who's complaining?

Andy and I just got back from one of the best weekend trips to date. Surprisingly, I can still look back through the fog of a beer-ridden haze and recall every last minute of one of the most fantastic cities I have ever visited.

Within the first few hours of arriving in Dublin I realized that one of the reasons I was probably going to love it so much was due to the fact that it reminded me of Halifax. It wasn't the scenery, with the river LIffey cutting a path between the north and south, it wasn't the old-world type pubs, or the teaming crowds of people -it was the feel - that friendly, laid back, we're not in a hurry, and boy are you welcome here feel. Anyone who hails from Halifax and appreciates its constant, almost horizontal state of laid-backness will understand what I am talking about.

However for all the ways that it felt the same, it obviously looked different as it is a European city after all. But it was gorgeous and I couldn't wait to embrace it like an old friend. (I will however say at this point that it did remind of me of Halifax in one physical aspect: some of the locals were wearing Crocks - one even had them on with socks. Crocks with Socks! They are in the stores here, but I've not actually seen anyone wearing them.)

We couldn't wait to visit the pubs of Temple Bar and try out Irish Beer, so that was naturally where we headed first. My first drink was Kilkenny - a dark reddish beer on tap that I thought was absolutely delicious and certainly drank my fill of in two days. We moved on from Temple Bar up to Grafton Street for a look around and to get our bearings. We wandered down Stephen Street where Andy pointed out a pub called 'The Hairy Lemon'. I loved its name immediately and hoped it would be as cool as it sounded. It was, with all its little nooks and balconies. We spent a fair amount of time in this pub.

Later that night we made our way back to the North side of the Liffey and headed up O'Connell street to the area of town where we were staying. We wandered into a little hotel and bar that I insisted we must go in when I saw it was entitled 'O'Shea's', a name that didn't mean much to Andy, or would to anyone else, aside from Stacy and Dawn, aka and Fern and Sage, as my alias during their trip here was Poppy Rose O'Shea. How I ended up with the Irish surame can be accredited to Dawn. Of course by the time Andy and I were situated at an old booth, drinking and chuckling at a few of the locals, I was already in full Irish mode. Andy kept laughing at my 'accent'. There was an old local in the bar singing and playing Irish tunes and it was while I was trying to drink the Guinness Andy had sneakily put under my nose, that I heard the entertainer strum out the first few chords of Sunny's Dream. This song always makes me nostalgic, for it not only reminds me of home, but of being at my Nanny's house in Newfoundland - it was the first place I can ever remember hearing it.

The next day found us up early and out on the tour bus with our three day pass. It was an informative mode of transport where we could hop on and off at anytime. We mapped out the places we wanted to see: St. Stephen's Green, The Guinness Factory and St. Michan's Church. We managed St. Stephen's, a few cathedrals (viewed from the exterior) and the Guinness Factory that afternoon, before heading into 'The Brazen Head', Ireland's oldest pub, for yet another brew. We decided after that to walk alongside the Liffey back to O'Connell Street and up to our hotel for a shower and change before heading back out. The night before Andy and I had tried some Dublin grub and we were looking forward to some more. I highly recommend Irish Coddle and Irish Stew (chased down with Kilkenny naturally).

The Guinness Factory was an interesting experience and I was more than happy to drink my complimentary pint of Guinness after the tour. Its not every day that you get something thrown in for free and hey, I was in Ireland and thought it befitting I should drink at least one full pint of Guinness, especially after I failed to the previous evening. I was amazed and slightly disgusted at the amount of people who left full pints sitting on the tables. Some of them hadn't even been touched, proving that those who had received them knew beforehand that they didn't like it. Andy was one of these folk. I thought I might be able to manage his as well as mine, but its a strong tasting brew and I could only manage my own. It is definitely a beer to be slowly savoured. I'm told many pregnant women over here have the occasional half-pint as its very high in iron and supposedly very good for you when drunk in moderation.

Friday night we headed back out to Temple Bar, where we happily drank and danced the night away with another couple we met from Bristol, Anna and Steve. I ended up drinking yet another pint of Guinness (on top of all the Kilkenny) as Steve graciously bought me one during the evening. After the live Irish Music ended for the night, we decided to head over to the North side again, to The Arlington Hotel. The cool night air came as a blessed relief to my throat; although I had drank copious amounts of alcoholic beverage, I had sang myself raw to the Irish songs I so adore.

Saturday morning we woke up feeling tired and a little rough around the edges. We showered, checked out, and headed out for some breakfast to a lovely little Espresso Bar that we had visited and enjoyed the day before.

We had some time to kill before catching the bus and I was happy Andy suggested touring St. Michan's Crypts, something I wanted to do, but we didn't get to the day before.

At St. Michan's we were able to get face to face with four very impressive mummies. In a very real crypt. The walls in the church's vaults contain limestone, which has kept the air dry, creating ideal conditions for preservation. Among the mummies on display are a 400-year-old nun, an 8-foot-tall crusader and one very mysterious body with its hands and feet severed. Visitors to St. Michan's are invited to touch the leathery hand of the giant crusader, as it is said to bring good luck, which I was happy to partake in. One family made me laugh as they were so creeped out by the dark, dank-smelling crypt that they had to leave. I must say, after visiting the second crypt, full of a family whose coffins have all collapsed in on each other, and the other belonging to the Shears - two brothers, who had a very horrid death warrant on display (the original.) I too was a bit relieved to get back out into the fresh October air. There was definitely a smell of decay down there, and one I had a hard time dispelling from my clothes. Or at least that's how it felt. We weren't allowed to take photographs in the crypt, and I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable doing so. I had a feeling of unease over me as I took this photo of the entrance, which doesn't even begin to portray the real thing.

I have posted photos of our Dublin trip here

His back hasn't been the same since...

Two Years Ago Today

We aren't doing much today as we leave for Dublin on Thursday morning where we will definitely be celebrating so hard we hopefully won't be able to remember things clearly.

'Pegging'

Until I came to live here, I'd never heard the expression 'Pegging'. This weekend I experienced it firsthand. Andy and I took the three kids and Molly for a long walk on Saturday through the farm fields to Wheelsby woods. Tasha and the boys decided to take their bikes while Andy and I were happy to walk along in the crisp, autumn air. The walk there took us just over an hour and after happily munching on ice-cream cones the kids were ready for the journey back. As we passed back out of the woods onto the track that leads through the farm fields we got the crazy notion to 'double up'. Connor jumped on Alex's bike with him and I jumped on the handlebars of a bike with Andy and off we went. I don't think I've 'pegged' since I was a kid and let me tell you, it was fun and sweet to be leaning back into my husband as we cycled along laughing. I'm sure it looked at least halfway as romantic as it does in the movies, however it isn't as easy as it looks, its very hard on the backside!

following in my Drunken Footsteps

On the weekend Stacy and I were on the phone chatting about Tawny's jaw surgery, which brought us around to text messages, and how convenient it can be to send a quick hello. We sent each other a practice text during our conversation to see how long it would take, and turns out it takes less than a minute. We were well pleased with ourselves because it is a cheaper and instant way of communicating with each other. I was pleasantly surprised at work this morning, when at 9:45 I received a text from her stating that she was 'very drunk' and on her way home. It was 5:45 a.m. Nova Scotia time. I have to chuckle at the thought of her keeping the hours I used to, especially when in a further text she mentioned she probably had to work at 9:00 a.m. Talk about time repeating itself.

Getting over the hump

I've been pretty slack in relation to posting because I just haven't had a whole lot to write about. I've been covering shifts at work solo over the past three weeks which hasn't been bad, and has in fact opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not as lazy as I had feared I was becoming. My job is not the most exciting position and often I find myself with a lot of time to spare, ultimately ending up surfing the net just to make the hours go by. I tend to let my work build up and put it off because I know that when I'm finished, I will have another lull. As a result I've been feeling very uninspired and have often wondered if I could still manage to cope in a more demanding work environment. Due to a few unforeseen circumstances, I have had a fair bit of work coming my way that I have been turning over quite quickly, not only impressing myself, but those that are requiring my assistance. Its certainly given me my confidence back and proved to me that I don't want to stay at a job where I feel my brain is turning to mush - that I indeed would thrive in a challenging and thought-provoking occupation. (Which ultimately I happen to be doing something about.)

My recent idleness has affected my personal life as well as I haven't been very inclined to attend to certain tasks that need my attention. My sister's birthday present if finally getting posted (sorry Tawny, but as you said, a late gift can give you something to look forward to!), getting pictures developed to send home to various people, etc.

Being locked down to a very tight budget due to a huge tax bill has certainly put a halt to our socializing, but Andy and I are trying to be inventive when it comes to activities that don't cost a lot, especially with our impending two night trip to Dublin fast approaching. We've taken the kids swimming last weekend to the local pool, which is inexpensive, or for long walks. This weekend Andy and I enjoyed some quiet time to ourselves (the kids were at their mother's) and took advantage of it to drive out to the North Sea for a brisk long walk along the coast with Molly.

A Little Retail Therapy

Considering we have not been spending much money since our summer holiday, other than the school necessities for Alex, or the occasional swim with the kids, I decided to treat myself to a few luxuries from my own paycheck (after paying for our hotel in Dublin - my gift to Andy for his 40th). And I didn't forget my husband, I picked him up a trendy shirt for our short break.

Although it was a little expensive, I loved this at first sight and in all honestly, I was in need of a new fall jacket:



but the shoes...

well I just couldn't resist. I've never owned anything like these before. Andy commented on this fact too, and didn't know what to think, until I tried them on with my new jacket (and nothing else) and strutted around the house.
Now I don't know who likes them more!



I'm looking forward to a night in Dublin City wearing these babies. I just hope I don't break my ankles whilst staggering around the pubs!

A Lesson in Sex Education

Tonight, after taking Molly for a walk, Alex and I got in the car to do a small shop at Tesco's. On the way there he was chatting about various things, namely how well he has been doing so far this term. Last year his behaviour was questionable at best, but in some ways understandable when compared with all the duress he was under,for reasons I won't go into. Anyway, this year he is back living with us and so far seems to be doing exceedingly well.

So anyway, I'm deviating from my point: in the car he was chatting about his various teachers and classes and I was doing the obligatory ahha's, and nodding, when he comes out with 'Next week we have to spend a day doing Sex Education'. I responded with a lighthearted 'oh yeah?'. What he said next almost sent me into convulsions: 'Yeah, we are gonna have to put condoms on plastic dicks'. Call me irresponsible, or un-motherlike, but I laughed so hard I thought I would choke. I was totally blindsided - its not a word he's ever used before. He kept saying 'what?' while I was laughing. When I gained my composure I probably should have told him not to use language like that but I remember what its like to be 13 . So I went with something more along these lines: I remember being taught Sex Ed too, but never like that, our lessons were much more boring.

Holiday Pics

John, Alex & Connor at Lawrencetown Beach

I've managed to upload three photo albums to my yahoo site. The first can be found here, and are of Mercy River. The other two albums are titled Summer 2006, Family and Friends and Summer 2006 Downtown & Around.

I still have a few more to upload, but will hopefully complete this task by the first of next week.

I can't believe its already been nearly a month since we've returned.

Birthday Girl



She's thoughtful and serenely beautiful; she's a woman who is strong and doesn't give up on the challenges and goals she strives to meet on a daily basis; when it comes to being the best sister a girl could hope for she gives it her all, and succeeds; She also happens to be a truly loving and generous Aunt to our children, who now love her as much as she loves them.

We miss you Tawn and wish we could have been there to help you celebrate!

Do the TESCO Dance!

The video you are about to view is one of very disciplined dancing, acquired only after years of study in the studio. The featured dancer couldn't help but show off her ability whilst shopping at the local supermarket. Bless her.



(This was at the request of fellow blogger The Ramblings of Globose Thought)

Satisfaction

This evening as I called Alex into the kitchen to get his supper, he made a quirky comment to me. As I was streching up to get his TV tray down from on top of the cupboard, he made yet another quirky comment that started us both laughing. As he was carrying his tray into the living room (a task I often do for him) he smiled and said 'Your the best Stepmom I've ever had'. I laughed and responded with 'I'm the only stepmom you've ever had'. He looked up at me all serious and said 'Well, you know what I mean, but there are some things I can't say'. I don't suppose I could ever ask for anymore than that. As far as sons go, I couldn't get any better than what I've been blessed with, not even if they were my own :).

Drifting

I haven't had much to blog about lately, not much is happening and my thoughts haven't strayed anywhere that readers would be interested in going. I have however been having some pretty strange and vivid dreams lately that I naturally contemplate upon waking, but don't give much thought to throughout the day. However I did relay the strangest ones to my friend/colleague as she is interested in dream interpretation and can sometimes put an interesting spin on things.

Over the last week I have dreamt:

that I have been tied down in a boat by a fine looking, native policeman during a civilian boat ride down a strange canal, while my friend Cat remained free (the phone ringing woke me just as I had gotten one hand free);

that while visiting a mountain resort with Andy was attacked by a cougar only to be rescued by a girl (and her husband) who I was friends with whilst growing up but haven't seen in years (Andy was down at the resort);

that a life long friend left his wife suddenly to be with me, taking me completely by surprise when confronted by his wife during a strange weekend getaway with said friends;

that (and I hate this one) Andy has died suddenly while we were visiting a foreign city with the kids.

The Andy dream was the first in these odd nocturnal films, and the most awful by far. Last night was the cougar dream and after some discussion with Desley, her thought was that I might be feeling a little 'boxed in, or out of control' by the occurrences of daily life. Hmmmm. Food for thought I guess. If you ask me, I just have an over-active imagination which results in some very bizarre dreams.

Body Talk

I have posted a picture of one of my favourite Lost characters on the side bar as I just think it belongs there. I hate when I sit down to watch an episode of the show and Sawyer doesn't make an appearance, luckily, a rare event. I think he is male perfection and I don't really care what comes out of his mouth as looking at him is reward enough. Its just an added bonus that his character is a smart-mouthed bad ass, who just happens to be slightly 'soft' underneath.

My point though is to have a little poll of sorts. When looking at a man as fit as Josh Holloway, I'm naturally drawn to my most favourite part the male species (but only if he is fit)the area of hip that is exposed at the top of jeans - beside the groin area. I absolutely love this area of skin on a man, but usually he has to be in great shape for it to really take my fancy. Next to this, my most favourite parts of the male body are his a) hands and b) butt.

What I'd like to know though is this: What are your favourite physical attributes on the body of the opposite sex?

Bad Girls

Today, amid intermittent rain showers, Alex and I took Molly for a much needed walk. We stopped along the way to pick up her best friend Abby. The dogs were running around chasing each other and being well behaved when I made the mistake of lingering too long down at the back of the field. The urge to run and throw herself in the 'Beck', became too strong to resist. Without a backward glance, Mol was up over the hill and down into the smelly stream, most likely thinking 'I know this field and I know where the water is - and you trying to stop me going in is like you resisting a swim in your beloved lake back home! Can't stop me now!' and naturally Abby, being the devoted best friend that she is figured 'What's good for her is good for me!' and promptly ran in after her. Nice. Molly wasn't loving it so much when we arrived home and Alex hosed her down to get the manky water out of her fur. She's just recovered from an ear infection that was the likely result of another dip in the Beck a few days before we came back from Canada. Time to get out the ear drops and hope her ears stay clean.

Molly and Abby  




Finding Time...

During our visit home to Nova Scotia we saw and did so much. I'm working on getting pictures posted to my Yahoo site but as I'm not one to have a fire under my ass for such things, it could take a few more days. Or so. Photos are however not the point I'm trying to make with this post.

We saw so many friends and family while we were home and we so appreciate the efforts of every single person. What saddens me though is that I didn't manage to find the time to see a few friends that actually called (for a number of varying reasons) and also that I only managed to see some of you for a very short time - not nearly enough. A family holiday is so different to just coming home and hanging out on my own. This trip was fantastic for us as a family and I don't regret it for one moment, the boys were feeling the abundance of love from those of you back home. I only have a small regret that I didn't get to see everyone, but these things do happen. I have to accept that we couldn't be everywhere at once and the boys seeing the best that NS has to offer was our main priority. I know this happens during holidays like these and I'm sure most of you understand. I did send out an email informing people of where we were staying and supplied the number. Most took advantage of this and got in touch and we managed to sort something out, even if it was just a visit to my mother's to say hi. To those of you who I didn't manage to connect with, I will be in touch personally, if I haven't already.

Disoriented



The latter hours of Wednesday night found us all down by the Halifax waterfront getting Henna tattoos and watching the Buskers. Being down in the city on such a warm night, with so much going on in such a relaxed atmosphere was a great way to end the trip. We had a lot of laughs but as the night progressed and the nostalgia began hitting me, I found myself sometimes holding back tears. I managed to hold up until they boys were hugging Dawn goodbye outside her apartment building. I listened as Andy thanked her for everything and then managed to get out 'what Andy just said' as I knew I would be overcome with tears if I said more. I think she understood. Alex asked me why I sounded like I was going to cry as we were driving away and Andy replied 'Too late mate, she already is', where upon I felt a soft touch on my elbow.

Thursday came and although I was glad to have the majority of the day to spend with my family, it was an emotional one to get through. My mother and I both had moments where we both tried hard not to cry (to no avail) and as I sat at the dining room table watching members of our family laugh and smile, I couldn't help but tear up once again. Watching our boys play with Wayne's twins, (especially how Alex loved taking care of them), and seeing my smiling Aunts and cousins as we all ate cake and laughed at the antics of the boys, made me smile. However at the same time it made me wish that things could be different, that my two families didn't have to be so far apart. By the time we said goodbye, I wasn't the only one teared up - both Aunt Marg and Aunt Shirley were shedding a few as we said goodbye and loaded into the van for the ride to the airport.

I suppose there are some who would find me silly and over-emotional, say it's not like I'm not going back to see them all again, which is true, but at the same time I am very close to my family and although I have found a new life here, I miss them all every day. I'll miss the constant care my mother took of our boys, the way she loves to 'mother' us all, the long talks we had, the joy my father found in taking the boys out in his truck, or showing them new things. I'll miss seeing the boys tease Stacy and wind her up to no end, I'll miss the smell of Nova Scotia. But I won't forget it, never had. And there is always the phone and email/msn.

Our time in Nova Scotia was the best holiday we could have wished for as a family. There were some of you we did not get to see, or didn't see enough and I am sorry for that. There are those of you who made an extra special effort to get to us and for that we are eternally grateful. I will blog more about what we did and saw when I get a moment.

Although I am back, I still feel as if my heart is back in Nova Scotia. I will feel this for another day or two, but I know from experience that in a week or so I will be back into the full swing of life in England.

I do, however know that this ss all worth it, especially when on the plane ride home Alex looked up at me and said 'I want to go back to Canada' and Connor later looked up at me during a cuddle and said 'I love you Jojo'. Being here with them is the right thing. I am blessed to have two such loving families in both countries and I loved taking the boys home. I can't wait for next time.

Home


The boys are in bed early tonight as the past several nights have been a whirlwind of excitement for them and today it has finally caught up with them. Being home with the boys has been everything I would have ever imagined it to be, the only difficulty being in the fact that I still haven't seen a few people I was hoping to see and I'm not all that sure I'm going to get a chance to at this point.

We've been practically going non-stop since our arrival. We've been swimming up at the lake on numerous occasions;

Spent two nights down at Mercy River camping and kayaking;




Spent the day at Crystal Crescent and Lawrencetown Beach (tried to drop in on a friend near there but she wasn't home! S where are you?);



Have had lunch with friends and family, have had a bang up night out at Pogue Fado's, been on the Harbour Hopper. I could go on forever listing all that we have been up to and have yet to do. Today we went to The Oven's in Lunenburg and enjoyed exploring the caves by foot and zodiac.

I've tried to download a few more shots but for some reason blogger is refusing and as I'm a bit tired myself, I will try again at a later point - these are only a few!

I did this for Tuna since she tagged me -
Will take a moment later hopefully and post a few pictures from our trip so far.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:10 am.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
3. What was the last film you saw at the movies? Monster House
4. What is your favorite TV show? Lost, Prison Break, BB7
5. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing Yet
6. What is your middle name(s)? Margaret.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Greek.
8. What foods do you dislike? Liver
9. What is your favorite crisp flavour? Dill Pickle/Prawn Cocktail
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't have one
11. What type of car do you drive? KIA Sportage
12. What type of car do you WANT to drive? A Hummer or a MR8
13. What characteristics do you despise in people? Two-Facedness, Bitterness.
14. Favorite item of clothing? Just about all my shoes.
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Australia.
16. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't have one.
17. Where would you like to retire? Kefalonia or the South Shore.
18. Favorite time of the day? Lunch Time.
19. What was your most memorable birthday? 29th (When I met Andy).
20. Where were you born? St. John's.
21. Favorite sport to watch? Olympics.
22. What's your favorite restaurant? Canada - East Side's, England - Beluga
23. How often do you wash your sheets? Not often enough.
24. What fabric detergent do you use? Tesco Colours
25. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke - England/Diet Pepsi Canada
26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Neither.
27. What is your shoe size? 5 1/2 (UK).
28. Do you have any pets? Molly my naughty, lovable golden lab
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family and friends? I ache like fuck after mud sliding yesterday!
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Major League Baseballer or a vet

************FAVORITES*************
Shampoo? Redkin All Soft.
Perfume? CK - Euphoric
Soap? Dove Macadamia Nut Oil
Day/Night? Either
Summer/Winter? Summer
Favorite commercial? Guiness Advert

*************RIGHT NOW************
Wearing? Stacy's pajama's.
Eating? Nothing
Drinking? Nothing.
Thinking about? Plans for today
Listening to: Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

*********THE LAST 24 HOURS*********
Cried? No.
Made a new friend? Only the little girl that was mud sliding along side us who I helped up the hill, lol
Cleaned your room? Nope.
Drove a car? Nope.
How many hours slept? 8 hours.

********DO YOU BELIEVE IN***********
God? Yes.
Yourself? Sometimes.
Your friends? Absolutely.
Santa Claus? Certainly the Idea.
Destiny/Fate? I'm not sure, but I think so
Ghosts? Spirits? Yes.

One More Sleep...

Our bags are packed and in the car ready for our journey to Gatwick tomorrow. We leave at 6:30 a.m. to ensure we make it to London in plenty of time. Connor is sound asleep but Alex, who is letting the excitement get the best of him, is listlessly waiting for sleep to overcome him. I suppose its a bit like Christmas for them really. I think it's hard for all of us to really believe that our much anticipated trip home is finally here. Finally our boys will get to meet my parents and all others who I hold so near and dear, as well as reunite with those they have already come to love. Finally they get to experience the fantastic place that was home to me for so long, and will always be home to me - Nova Scotia.

I have a feeling we aren't the only ones who are this excited.

One~more~sleep.

Party Party

To say last night was fantastic fun is an understatement. The restaurant was perfect - the ambiance, food, drink and company were all top notch. Andy received a multitude of cards and gifts but I think his favourite was from his family: two tickets to Dublin in October. I'm glad my name was on one of them!