My weekend.

This past weekend was one of those times that I wished I could bottle up the memories and feelings and  save them for later.  It was a crazy busy weekend.  Here are some of the highlights:

V/A CD Release Party

Not only was the performance stellar, but I absolutely LOVED the cover songs that were played: The Killers, My Body (Young the Giant), and Kings of Leon (my favorite band).

I also like how Aaron looks holographic in this picture:

Victoria Awake CD Release Party

Birthday Breakfast

Having a birthday breakfast with my friend and her children.  I've known my friend for the past ten years and I have to many memories of her and the kids.  It makes it a little hard to see them growing up.  sniff. . . 

Happy Sweet 16 Teagie

Going to a Masquerade Tea Party

This was a last minute invite and I'm glad I went.  It was fun to dress up, meet new people, and hang out with people I don't get to see that often.

Dressing up and wearing masks.  

Candy Cane Nails

My friend has been getting her nails lately, and the art is always amazing, this time she got candy cane nails:

Ang . . . will you marry me?

Yippee for Brothers!!


Especially, the super strong handsome, owns a truck kind of brother.

On Saturday my brother drove out to Tisdale and picked up a brand new mattress set and frame that my Grandparents were giving to Davin.  He stopped by in the afternoon, took out the old set, brought the new set up to Davins room and even stayed to set it up.  He made everything look so easy.  It would have taken me all afternoon the get this done, and I'd be exhausted at the end.  I'm sure I'm boring you, but  I am so thankful that he did this for me and Davin.  

Having a brother who is 6'3" and works on the rigs is handy.

Mumford Sunday

On Sunday morning the worship team at my church put on a special Mumford and Sons sunday worship.  It. was. awesome.

I'm really glad I decided to drive home at the last minute and grab my camera.

I had such a great weekend this past weekend.  It was filled with great music, hanging out with friends, and lots of laughs.  I think I might be a bit crazy to consider finding a job in another city.  To be honest, it's made me consider what I make important in my life.  

~b~

RANDOM!! A pictorial account of my recent wanderings and whereabouts as documented by my iPhone.

I'm pretty sure I promised a blog post days ago.  Here it is.

I had a last minute invite to see Keith and Renee, an opening act to bluessmyths at Lydias.  The music was so good that I ended up staying a lot later than I planned on.

bluessmyth at Lydia's

Sometimes when I'm at the bar at the end of the night, I wonder if the guys see me like this:

I suspect the the occurrence of good conversations will be inversely proportional to smartphone use.  

I planned a nice meal to eat with my son and then he stood me up!  I couldn't find anyone to come over at the last minute, but I made it anyway.  Eating alone sucks.

Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers, Chicken with Butter and Chives and Garlic Bread.

I took this picture over a month ago.  I had a last minute supper invite and I'm glad I went.  I felt like it was the holidays with everyone crowded at the table.  We ate delicious food and even had dessert.  Good food is even better when it is shared.  

A variety of Ice Cream Toppings.  

~b~

On waiting

A friend of mine spoke on Sunday about waiting and I could really relate when she said that we all experience waiting.  I feel like I'm in perpetual waiting, in all areas of my life - my career, my health, for love.  It seems that every time I set goals, make a plan, and set out to achieve that goal, something happens.  I feel like I'm Jack Sparrow stuck in Davey Jones locker.

And yet, I truly believe that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.  

I read a blog post by Paul Tripp yesterday and can really identify when he says "waiting is not only about what you will receive at the end of the wait.  Waiting is about what you will become as you wait" and that "personal heart and life change is seldom a sudden event.  Usually it is a process".  

I'm not really sure how I have changed since my illness and surgery last year, but I have.   I think after weeks of being sick I can get rather dramatic and at some point I decided to "arise from sleep" and live life.  

Here are some of the things that resulted from my last waiting:

• I decided to stop living a life based on fear.  Before my illness and surgery, I would have never went tubing, tried to waterski, ziplined, and especially ask to speak in front of a group.

• I began the pursuit of wisdom.  This has meant that I have stopped trying to get people to tell me what to do and have started making my own choices.  It has meant I have been trying to make the best decisions I can and it has resulted in a confidence of the decisions I make. 

• I have been more obedient to the prompting of my heart.  I would have never written this post, or ask to share in front of Journeys before the beginning of this year.  

• I have decided to quit living someone else's vision of life and try to figure out who I really am.

I was thinking this weekend how my life is kinda like the treasure hunts my mother would make for me at my birthday parties.  We started with one little clue that told us where to look for the next clue.  As soon as we would find the that clue and read it, off we would race to get the next clue.  How boring would the game have been if she would have just handed us a piece of paper that showed us where the treasure was.  

I think my clue simply says:  WAIT.  But this time, instead of getting angry and trying to move forward anyway (which I usually do), or get mopey and depressed (which I also do as well), I am simply going to try my best to wait and to pay attention, because I don't want miss getting handed the next clue. 

~b~

Randoms: From Turban Squashes to Robot Coffee Makers

This is Mr. Turban Squash.  We picked him up in Keremeos, BC at a roadside market.  He made his debut on Facebook when our van broke down in Golden.  When we finally arrived in Canmore, I took him for a walk and on a whim, decided to take his portrait:

Mr. Turban Squash is watching the Canmore traffic drive by on an overcast fall day.

Opportunities

I decided to start saying yes to more opportunities outside of work that come my way and stop worrying about my career for a while.  Then my co-worker showed me a job posting which would basically be a lateral move into a position in Ottawa, but at a higher pay level.  I just found out I've been accepted in the selection process, so I guess I have some studying to do.

My friend Aaron and his band Victoria Awake are releasing an album called If You'll Have Me at the end of November.  I saw them play at Lydia's and am definitely looking forward to their CD release party.




Last week I was feeling a bit better so I worked on eating 5 small meals a day since I often can't eat a regular meal, or not at all in the evenings.  This week I'm going to figure out just how much I can reasonably do in a day.  I still want to enjoy life, despite my pain, but I can't push myself so hard that I make things worse.  I hope I am pleasantly surprised at just how much I can do.

My son told me that some guy predicted that it would be common for humans to marry robots in 2050.  I told him that if I'm still single by then, I'd like to marry a coffee maker.

If anyone knows of a nice single coffee maker that is available, send him my way.  

~b~

I hesitate

I hesitate to write this post, but my blog posts pile up in my head like a queue and if I want to blog about my awesome trip to Rockridge Canyon and my hilariously terrifying adventure down a zip line I'd better get this one posted.

On Sickness

For the past month and a half I have been sick with the worst sinus infection ever (it must be true, just look at the italics).  This means constant headaches, constant fevers and no energy.  After multiple trips to the doctor's offices and three different antibiotics, my head felt like it was going to explode at work, and my ear infection was so bad I couldn't fall asleep because my ears were ringing so loudly.  I am so thankful that my headache finally stopped before my trip to B.C. last week.  Since I got home from B.C I've been experiencing some pain that seems to get worse every day (to the point where I need to take T3's to get through the day).  It sucks to realize that I will probably be sick for a while, and to not know why I am in so much pain, or why my immune system is so crappy.

I've never been direct about my faith on my blog before, but I can't imaging going through this past year without it and I can't seem to get this post out of my head.  So if God or faith makes you squeemy, you might want to skip the next paragraph or two.

Last year about this time I shared with my community at Journeys things I was learning.  One of the verses I shared was Habukuk 3:17-19, which I admitted I really didn't understand.  But I can say now I get it.  Here is the lowdown on the passage:  Everything sucks.  There is nothing and no hope for a future and yet Habbi (as I like to call him) looks outside his circumstances and rejoices and is joyful in God.  Habbi says that God gives him strength, he's like a deer, he's able to go up high mountains.  (This whole rejoices and joyful in God seemed so ridiculous to me).

After a year full of panic attacks, surgery, depression, and lots of sickness, I can definitely say that the only thing that can get me through the darkest nights of my soul is God.  Looking at the wrong things, like my immediate circumstances only brought fear and despair.  I thought I was just being melodramatic, but fear and despair is simply the product of looking to myself for control over my immediate circumstances.  But when I look outside my circumstances to God I see he is in absolute control and I believe he has a plan for me.  Seeing my situation in this way brings me such peace and comfort and all I want to do is praise and glorify God.  And I don't think that I could write that last sentence truthfully, until I had experienced all the muck and yuck in this past year.

I wish I could wrap this post up nicely by saying how peppy and energetic I felt, but that'd be a lie.  So for Round 2, I am simply going to Be Still, which is probably the hardest thing to do as I am such a doer and achiever.  To me, this means living in the moment in each day.  It means trusting that I will have the strength to get through each day and not worry about getting through tomorrow, or the next day, or next week.  It means instead of feeling stuck, I just need to see what I can do with the energy and opportunities I have on a daily basis.

And so this is how I choose to respond while I wait to get my health back:

• Adjust my plan.  I still have things I want to achieve, and there's no reason why I should give up and do nothing, I just need to adjust my approach into teeny weeny little steps, until I am strong enough to run in leaps and bounds.  

• Steward wisely.  I think it is easier sometimes to live with "less" (money/time/energy), because you are forced to be responsible and being wasteful could be disastrous.  There is little room for error.  I don't have the luxury of wasting my time or energy, I need to be spending my energy on the most important things.  I'm just happy if I can work a full day and come home and be a good mom.

It is inevitable that sometime in our life we will go through some really hard struggles, but if there is anything I learnt from my dad it is that I can have ongoing health problems in my life and still laugh, love, and enjoy life

~b~

Dreams. I am Mother. Groceries. And Other Random Thoughts

Lately my dreams have featured background music.  Last night it was Martin Sexton.  It was definitely a great way to wake up.  I won't bore you or confuse you with the details of my dream, but it included some biblical imagery.  Sorta.  Instead of the lion and the lamb, it was the wolf and the gopher.

Here is what's been going on the last few days in my world:

This is my son and I.  He calls me Mother.  As in: Mother drives me to school in the morning.  Or, Mother is sitting on the couch with me watching TV.  (He was talking with my mom).  I feel so regal when he calls me Mother.

I'm pretty sure I promised him I wouldn't share this photo, but I love how happy he looks.

Yesterday we ate lunch together and he told me that one of the EA's was going to start a club.

"Oh really?"  I said,  "is it going to be a Manchester club?"

"Kinda" my son replied.  "It's going to be a hairy chest club".

"How is that anything to do with Manchester?"  I asked him.

"You know"  he said: "Man-Chest-Hair".

Ha!


Yesterday I went to Costco and they made a big deal of running over and getting some boxes to pack my items.  This is how they pack my stuff:

Box 1: Lotion, Cheese, Spinach.  Box 2: Meat, Creamer, Butter.

Then this morning I stopped at Sobeys and when I got home I unpacked a bag.  It contained one litre of milk and one can of tomato soup.

Must be the new trend in groceries.

I'd better stop this post, or I'll have nothing to write about tomorrow.

~b~

On Fear and Avoidance

Last night I started reading Woman Food and God (Geneen Roth).  She brings up the point that eating can be a way of bolting from ourselves, how we distance ourselves when reality isn't matching up to our expectations.

Bolting.  Avoidance.

This is something that I have just realized is my main coping mechanism.  It is one of those unhealthy coping mechanisms that worked for me when I was a child, but when I use it in adulthood it probably does more damage to myself than prevents hurt or pain.

There are so many ways that I try to avoid pain, or even the possibility of pain that it seems ingrained in my daily actions.  I use my phone to surf the web or text with a friend when I'm out in public, so that I can avoid feeling socially awkward, or even have to talk to the people around me.  I have no problem changing my route if I don't feel like talking to someone I see up ahead.  I develop my relationships only to a depth where I still feel safe and in control.  I spend more time daydreaming or reading than actually doing.

Geneen Roth explains how if we as adults believe the pain will kill us we are seeing through the eyes of our fragile self.  I believe that my actions ultimately stem out of my beliefs, but I also think that my actions affirm the beliefs I have about myself.  Running away gives strength to fear.  It affirms the belief that I can't handle things.  It gives power to the idea that I am too fragile or weak to handle the pain, hurt, or embarrassments of life.  It is affirming to myself an identity of weakness, fragility, and insecurity.

In Donald Millar's blog post today, he talks about experiencing pain because it allows for growth.  For what seems like too long, I have felt stuck and unable to move forward.  But I wonder now, if I need to leave behind the me that operates out of fear and avoidance.  Before I can begin the next chapter in life, I need to leave in this chapter the part of me that continually tells my self I am too weak to handle the hard stuff of life.


~b~

Friday Randoms

Three good shows that only lasted 2 seasons:

• Dead Like Me

• Pushing Daisy's

• Flight of the Conchords

Forever Ago I Got My Haircut:

As I bonus I got my hair curled (my stylist felt sorry for me because I wasn't feeling to great). I loved my curly hair!

Twitter

I've been trying to cut back on the amount of online reading I do because I'm convinced its promoting my short attention span and hindering a lack of deep thought. And then Steve Jobs resigned. I'm sick of being the last to hear breaking news. So I finally joined twitter. You can follow me @BeckySchurman, or even better, tell me your username so I can follow you.


My Son

One benefit of having a teenager that is taller than me is that he can now reach up high to places I can't reach. Sweet. He can also carry in more groceries into the apartment than me. The years of cooking him meals is finally paying off.

One drawback to having a teenage son is that he'll say things to me like: "I'll bring my fan in and waft it all over the place" (He is talking about wafting the smell of his stinky socks all over the apartment). Eww.


Binary Solo

I bought leisure passes this weekend for my son and I. It ended up costing $101.10. I'm pretty sure I remarked: Ooooh, binary numbers, to the cashier. I blame the end of this song for my dorky remark:

Have a great weekend!

~b~

Thoughts on Life - On being irreplaceable.

During Joel's funeral service at the beginning of June, I remember sitting there surrounded by sadness and realizing the unavoidable finality of death.  I sat there questioning the point of life and why we are given this time, this life.

And so this summer I have been thinking a lot.  Thoughts about living my life, knowing that someday I too will end my time on this side of eternity.

Here is one thought that have been thinking.

Where are you irreplaceable?

In certain relationships you are completely irreplaceable.  To your friends, your family and especially your children you are completely irreplaceable.  Invest in these relationships because it is where you will make the greatest impact.  Be intentional in what type of impact you will make.  Give them your time, your attention, and your best energy.  It is in these relationships that you will leave the biggest void when you are gone.

Prioritize these relationships above your career.  You are completely replaceable in your job.  There will always be somebody else to fill your position.  Even if you should accomplish something great in your career, it will eventually be forgotten, become obsolete, or overshadowed by the next best thing.  Besides, your coworkers will remember you for how you treated them and the memories you've shared, rather than the job that you did.  And your friends and family don't care about your job title or the salary you make.

For me, prioritizing my closest relationships over my career has meant saying no to potential job opportunities that don't fit well with raising my son.  It means setting limits on the amount of time and effort I spent in developing my own skills and knowledge.  It means that I make sure I am well rested,
and that I don't fill my days with so many tasks that I become stressed out.  I want to give to others all my good energy and patience, not my crabby, stressed out self.  It means me remembering that my actions influence those closest to me more than what I say or strive to be and that these actions are a result of where my focus is.  

I want the people closest to me to know that they are more important that the accomplishments I achieve.  I want to strive to become a person who lives out my values and beliefs, so that perhaps, these values will be imparted to those around me.  I want to be be remembered for my love of life, not the love of my work.



~b~

Friday Night Randoms

Lately I've been so busy hanging out with friends and enjoying the wonderful summer evenings that I haven't been been spending time thinking or writing.  So my brain is demanding some form of creative output and yet my mind is busy planning out next week camping trip.

My thinking is getting all jumbled up and I'm easily distracted.  I get songs getting stuck in my head.  I start making grocery lists and packing lists.  I imagine dragonfly farms in greenhouses manned by little children in safari hats.  And I try to create any type of order by categorizing things into lists.

I sound crazy.  I'm definitely ready for some time at the lake.

I hope to write some posts that have a bit of substance to them, but until then, in order to satiate my brain for the next few days, here is another list of randoms:


This would have been my favorite RUN (ONE)43 picture, had I not been focusing on the landscape in the background:

Semi racing, a new Saskatchewan sport.  

This one looks like an imminent disaster is about to happen.  And I just realized the horizon is all crooked.  

Look out for the van!!!!

My co-worker made a comment about my sexy butt this week.  I'm definitely going to be biking again in next year's RUN (ONE)43 ultra-marathon if I keep getting comments like that one!!


This morning my friend sent me a text before I was too coherent to read.  I thought it was about hot dogs and a policeman.  But it was actually about a hot policeman and a canine dog.  As she was looking out her window this morning she saw some punk kid running out of her garage.

When she told me that she opened the window and yelled:  Hey, you little fucker.  All I could imagine was her standing in her kitchen in an old house coat, with curlers in her hair, and a cigarette dangling from her mouth.  (Just to let you know, she doesn't look like that, my imagination just gets a little carried away sometimes all the time).


Ever since I heard Massey and the Fergusons played at Taste of Saskatchewan this weekend.  I can't get a certain song out of my head.  It's pretty much the same line.  Over.  And over.  And over again.  Please help.  Even so, I definitely enjoyed listening to a great show and might even "like" on Facebook.


For those of you who don't know me well, I am a huge introvert.  A friend posted this link on facebook a while ago on myths about introverts.  I couldn't agree more.


I'm heading up to see grandmere and grandpere this weekend.  I haven't seen them in a while, so I'm looking forward to the visit.  They've been married for over 70 years and I used to hope to have a marriage like theirs.  She's the excitable, energetic one, he's the solid quiet one.  They also aren't french.


My attention span seems to be getting shorter and shorter.  Perhaps I should be on twitter.


~b~

RUN (ONE)43

 
This past week I was apart of RUN(ONE)43 .  It's an ultra-marathon that started Thursday to raise awareness of the more than 143 million orphans in this world.  One kilometer for every million orphans, starting in North Battleford and ending in Saskatoon.

On Thursday I took the day off work and headed to North Battleford to take some pictures and cheer on the participants. 

North Battleford.  Day 1.  Hi Shae!!

I had the opportunity to meet an awesome couple who is also in the process of adopting.  They were part of the support crew the first two days are were incredibly encouraging as they cheered on the runners.  

  

On Saturday I was part of a cycling team.  My friends husband and brother in-law biked from North Battleford to Saskatoon, while the rest of us started in Langham.  

Saturday.  Day 3.

It was great to have the opportunity to participate and we loved stopping at the runners pit stops to hang out with the support crew during the morning.

I think we spend a little too much hanging out because going down Horsefly Alley in the heat of the day was tough.  However,  finishing the day was very rewarding and I'm looking forward to participating again next year.

Heidi and Ian running to the finish line.

 

The money raised will go  to support a couple who is currently in the adoption process as well as a baby home in South Africa and the Saskatoon Adoption Support Centre.  Check out the RUN143 website to find out more about this crazy ultra marathon, or to make a donation using the link at the top.

~b~

Eleven Randoms for Seven/Eleven

One

Lately when I've been coming home to a hot house, I remark to my son:  Boy, I'm hot . . . visually speaking . . .  

He has yet to respond.  hee hee hee

Two

I had big plans this summer to visit my brother in Mexico City, but a few unexpected expenses put a kibosh in those plans.  You really didn't need to know that I am now not going to Mexico City, I just wanted to write a sentence with the word kibosh in it.

Three

The back of my car has golf clubs, a life jacket, tennis rackets, and a bicycle pump.  We are definitely enjoying this warm season.  Also, I am too lazy to bring it all into the apartment.

Four

Over the July long weekend I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Emmanuels Veins by Ted Dekker.  I forgot how nice it is to spend a hot summer day getting lost inside a good story.  I also kept sneaking into the trailer to read more chapters of the book I was reading and would keep reading until I would hear people wonder where I had gone too.

Five

This is Gracie.  She lives on a farm near Cut Knife.  She is a cow who thinks she is a dog.  I guess that makes her a Dog-Cow.

Gracie the Dog-Cow from Cut Knife

Six

I love reading.  I just bought:  Room (Emma Donoghue), The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet (Reif Larson), Imperfect Birds (Anne Lamott) and the latest Inked Magazine, just because Ami James is in it.  I can't wait to get reading!


Seven

I'm a sucker for guys with tattoos.

Eight

I don't know if I blogged about it last year, but RUN 143 is happening this week.  It's an ultra-marathon that is raising money and awareness for adoption and the 143 million orphans in this world.  This year it is from North Battleford to Saskatoon   I'll try and blog about this more this week.

Nine

My son told me that he has a rhyming phrase that describes me:  Your loud and your proud. . .  at least I think your proud.

I'm not too sure how to take this.

Ten

Every time we drive over the Broadway Bridge towards home, we wave to my friends who happen to live in an apartment overlooking the Victoria Bridge.  I don't even think they could see us if they looked out their window, but we always send happy thoughts their way.  We once had a bicyclist turn to look over his shoulder to see what we were waving at.  Ha!

Eleven

This is my 250th blog post.  Pretty profound and insightful, hey?


~b~

I've constructed and reconstructed sentences in my head, trying to write this post.  But I just don't know how to begin.  

At the beginning of this month, as I was packing up to leave Edmonton, I received a call from my friend telling me her fiance had passed away from a heart attack.  In an instant my friend lost her best friend and the love of her life.  His family lost a brother and a son, and his children and her children lost a father.    

I hate that I cannot take away the pain and sorrow that comes from this kind of loss.  I hate that I can't tell her when she will stop waiting for him to walk through the front door, because I still show up expecting the big red truck to be parked outside.  I can only be there to help out where I can, to listen, and to share in good memories and it all just seems so inadequate.  

It hurts to see the void that is left in the life of my friend, the children, and his family.  It grieves me so very deeply when I think back to when they both met.  The excitement after that first date, watching how happy he made her, and to capture on camera those shared  looks that showed how much they loved each other.  I grieve for the loss of dreams and of planned futures. 

I will remember a man who wore cowboy boots, Wranglers and a cowboy hat.  A man who made me snort pop out my nose the very first time I met him and has kept me laughing ever since.  And I'm glad I take my camera to document the random moments of life.  Because now I have pictures that remind me of all the good times.  Pictures of fishing for perch with the setting sun and the tipis lining the riverbank, a weary look after demolishing the bathroom, and all the laughing that occured around the kitchen table.  And especially of a face etched deep with smile lines from a life of jokes and laughter.  

~b~

Junio Uno

Today is my birthday.  Feel free to text or Facebook me well wishes.  Here are some random thoughts from this morning:

• I never thought I'd shop for groceries and consider a "treat" to be a $2 avocado and $4 raspberries.

• I now have more than two white hairs, I have been upgraded to "a few".  I still pull them out though.

• I also have one white eyebrow hair.  What's up with that??!!  I've been refraining from pulling it so I can show my co-worker.  I'm weird.  I know.  But so is a white eyebrow hair.

• I'm gonna try and get Bono to wish me a happy birthday to me tonight - wish me luck!!

The sun is shining, the birds are probably singing somewhere, I just got back from a massage and I'm headed out of the city.  Life couldn't get any better.


Happy Birthday to Me!


~b~

Thankful

This past year I have gained a deep appreciation and gratitude for life, health and freedom.


About a year ago I started getting sick on a regular basis.  I started to become sick so frequently that I was convinced I had some horrible condition: Lyme disease, West Nile, a brain tumor, cancer, Menairs disease.  (I definitely recommend that if you are going to self diagnos your self using the internet to remember Occam's razor: the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one).  I don't even know what Menairs disease is. 


Some times I would be so sick that the hours would feel like days and the days would feel like weeks as I lay in bed fighting a fever, nausea or vertigo.  Some days I would be well enough to to sit up and watch tv or read a book.  I'm glad that I had accumulated so many days of sick leave at work, because in the past year I have taken seven weeks of sick leave. 


During the times when I was sick I felt so isolated.  I was confined to my house, and often to my bed in my room and sometimes to my mind.  It was frustrating to think and plan, but not be able to carry out my thoughts, ideas or plans.  I felt horrible for not even having the energy to make my son supper or do the laundry.  


Thankfully, I have a doctor who is quick to sent me for tests and to specialists and I soon found out I had an ovarian cyst.  By December I was in so much pain I couldn't sit or stand comfortably.  With every step I took I was well aware of the mass growing inside me that could have been malignant or benign.  I couldn't sleep properly and I started have trouble eating.  At the beginning of January I had surgery to removed the cyst and spent a few weeks at home recovering.  This past year I have been working on getting my health and strength back.


Had my health and connection to others not been taken away for a bit, I would have never appreciated or been thankful for a day like yesterday.

• Yesterday I had the energy to do a bunch of boring chores: laundry, dishes, errands.

• Yesterday I let my son sleep in and then woke him up to eat the breakfast I had made for him.

• Yesterday I went on an epic bike ride that involved a stop at Homesteads (try the British '99).  We biked for 18 kilometers.

• Yesterday the wind pushed me to pedal harder, it left a layer of dirt on my hot sticky skin, it gently blew the smell of the water to me, and brought with it that beautiful sound of rushing water to my ears.

• Yesterday I had the best shower ever.

• Yesterday I had the energy to work on the "its not a bulletin" information handout for my church, Journeys .

• Yesterday I got to "encourage" my son into coming for a bike ride and managed to stay positive, despite his grumbly, mumbly, rude teenage self.  

• Yesterday I got to hang out with friends who love me enough to speak truth into my life and not let me keep pushing things below the surface.  

• Yesterday I let my son stay out way late, before picking him up.

• Yesterday I fell asleep exhausted, happy and thankful to have the health to live life.

~b~

ps.  "encouraging" is just a nice way of saying I bribed my son to come hang out with us by telling him to meet us at Homesteads and then telling him he couldn't hang out with his friend unless he biked back with us.  

Mothers Day

One year I took my son on a trip to Edmonton for his 7th or 8th birthday.  After checking into the hotel, the first stop on our itinerary was a trip to the Science Centre.  We had only been there for an hour or so when he ended up breaking his arm.  Ironically, he broke his arm while running at the human body exhibit.  

The rest of the day was spent at the first aid station, then a mediclinic, and finally to the ER at the childrens hospital. He ended up have surgery to get a pin in his arm so our entire trip was spent at the Stollery Children's Hospital.  

All I can remember is the 6+ hour wait in the emergency room where I had to rig up a "bed" for him using two chairs which faced each other.  Apparently, all he remembers is a comment I must have made to one of the doctors.  

Roses are red.  Violets are blue.  You are my mother and I love you.  Happy Mothers day.
Your going to buy me a game cause you almost risked my life at edmonton cause you thought I was a whimp when I broke my arm.

Being a single mother, I never get a gift for mothers day, so this year I decided to change that.  I sent my son along with his mentor to the mall with some money and a few specific suggestions.  When I picked him up I could see that he had a Body Shop bag and I told him that if he would like a nice gift bag to please let me know, as I had a few saved.

While its nice getting a gift on Mothers Day, it is more important for me to teach my son how to be thoughtful and give a gift.  My favorite part of the day was the huge smile on his face when he brought out my gift.  My second favorite part of the day was his garbage bag gift bag that he had made.

In case your wondering, he bought me Almond and Shea Body Butters, a Starbucks gift card, and Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More.


~b~

The Best Part of My Day(s)

I've been having a rough few weeks, so I decided this week to name one thing that was the best part of my day.  This is what it was this week:


Sunday
Taking my bike out for the first time this year.  Loved it.  


Monday
My shower.  I had a really emotionally draining day, but my shower at the end of the day seemed to wash everything away.  Plus, I was shiny and clean.  Actually just clean, not really shiny.  


Tuesday
Getting tickets to see the musical Wicked, with really great seats: 1st row, second balcony.  I'm definitely looking forward to a night out with a group of fun ladies.


Wednesday
Green Grass.  The first thing I noticed when I left the house in the morning was how green the grass looked after the storm.  It turned out to be a rough day for me, so I'm glad I picked this days "best part" so early in the day.


Thursday
Getting Kings of Leon tickets.  I'm so so excited to go to this concert.  I could go on.  But I won't.  Except maybe to say that I love Kings of Leon.  So so excited.  


Friday
It's Friday, what could be better than that?  Also, that my friend phoned me just before work to have a quick chat and wish me a Happy Friday.  We have been phoning each other to wish each other a happy friday for over 3 years now, I love it.


What was the best part of your day?


~b~

Incredulous . . .

Is how I felt when I took this picture:

False Alarm


Almost every evening around suppertime I hear the faint urgent beeping of a fire alarm going off in small staccato bursts.  It gives me a small smile, for some reason, to know that someone on our floor has burnt their supper - again.


Last weekend I came home after spending a nice evening out enjoying a good conversation and eating steak paired with a nice Melbec.  I was looking forward to enjoying the apartment to myself when I heard the fire alarm going off.  With no smell of smoke and no activity in the hallway I ignored the endless droning sound that conveyed no sense of urgency.  That is, until I heard the building manager running down the hallway banging on apartment doors and yelling: EVERYBODY OUT!!  


So I did what any sensible adult would do: I grabbed a backpack and filled it with my prized possessions.  Which happened to be my Nikon d90 with lenses, and my MacBook Pro.  I glanced at the Xbox 360 and hoped it would perish in the fire.  I pictured it melted into a puddle on the floor.  I also decided to wear my black spring jacket - it looked better with my outfit.  A vain mistake I would soon regret.  


I headed outside and milled around the doors of the building trying to find out what had happened.  A small baby was crying.  He was only wrapped in a small blanket, so I suggested he and his mother join me in my car to keep warm.  The nights events were pretty anti-climatic after that.  I watched steam billowing out of the vents of the laundry room and people in apartment units who peered curiously out at us.  The fire department never showed up and we were eventually allowed back into the building.  I went to sleep in my clothes, just in case.  Color coordinated, of course.


Crazy Lady Steals Fire Extinguisher? or The Story Behind My Wall Post


This week I went to see a specialist at RUH with my son.  We ended up having to park in the exorbitantly priced parkade.  We took our time leaving, looking at photos of Saskatoon on the walls of the walkway and getting out of the way of the train when it honked its tiny horn at us.  We soon desended down the stairs and made our way to the pay station with our parking ticket.  A lady was in front of us.  As we reached the bottom and took our place in the queue, I watched as the lady in front of us noticed the fire extinguisher located in a box on the wall across from us.  Walking over to the fire extinguisher, she first tested the handle to see if the door would open.  It did.  So she proceeded to slowly open the door and tentively touch the extinguisher.  She then took if out from its case, eyed the extinguisher up and down, even testing out its weight.  It must have been to her satisfaction because she proceeded to rejoin the queue, right in front of me.  


I couldn't believe my eyes, so I decided to take a picture.  She noticed that I had my phone out and decided to put the fire extinguisher back.  My son was so embarrassed that I would take a picture and I could hear him muttering in protest behind me.  Later, when I asked him why he would care what a stranger (and a would be thief) would think I me taking a picture, he angrily retorted:  She's obviously ill, Mom.  I definitely can't disagree with his statement.  I decided to phone RUH, so they could check that they still have a fire extinguisher, but I can't help but wonder what else she has in that big black backpack of hers.


~b~