The New Den - We're Heeeeeere!

The move to the New Den is now complete. We have internet and phone lines and as of yesterday, we have a step that lets us walk in the door without falling over.

I figured this would be a good time to take inventory of our new digs! There are a few things we miss from our Hinchey location. We miss our corner store, the closeness of the mailbox and of course Janesh's little face in the window every morning.

Things we don't miss; the mangy squirrel that always came by, the crooked staircase, Govindh hearing us pee (he was polite and never mentioned it, but we know he heard), the cat that looks just like Catherine's but with a few extra parts (if you know what I mean....) and the 53 point turn to get out of the driveway.

There are lots of things we love about the New Den. We love all of the natural light that streams in from the windows. We love how bright everything is and our new workspace. We love Garlic King and Chahaya Malaysia - Yummo!!

There is just one little problem with the New Den....the steep 22 stair climb up to the office. We're trying to look at this in a positive way - it's good for us and we'll get in better shape right? Not sure if anyone is buying it but we're trying.

We have set a few small goals for ourselves - remember Cougars are not meant to climb stairs. First goal - to climb the stairs and not be out of breath. The first one to reach this goal will be awarded the title of "First One to Climb the Stairs and not be out of Breath". My money is on Catherine! Second goal - OK we only have one goal! For the record my money is on Catherine for that one too!

Batman Returns

Two nights ago at around 12:30 am, my 12-year-old daughter Julia came into our room. She woke us up and announced that there was a bird in her room. After a brief discussion I told her to go close her bedroom door and grab her pillow. We were in for some company. She came back a few minutes later and informed us that it wasn't a bird. It was a bat and it was hanging upside down on her blind. My first thought was "yeah right, a bat in your room..." I was too tired to argue, so after much giggling about "the bat in her room" she crawled in and we went to sleep.

The next morning, my husband went in and searched her room. No bat. When the girls got home from school, they tidied up their rooms. I was waiting for the "AAHHHHHH, we found the bat!!!" call, but it didn't happen. So where was it? Did she actually see a bat or was she half asleep and dreamt it? Goodness knows I have dreamt entire conversations that never actually happened. Off to bed we went comfortable in the fact the the "bat" was gone.

That brings us to 2:00 am this morning. This time it was my 15-year-old daughter Samantha. She is a very matter-of-fact kid, so when she came into our room she said "Yeah, Hi. There's a bat in my room. Can someone please come and get it out?"

So up the stairs we went to meet the bat. Sure enough there he was flying around Samantha's room. Julia had wrapped herself in a king sized duvet (so the bat wouldn't get her) and was jumping around shouting "I'm not crazy! There was a bat!" over and over again.

Brian opened the window and took off the screen hoping the bat would find his way out. He started to close the bedroom door, when suddenly I felt a "swish" over my head. Apparently it hadn't found the window. Brian grabbed an empty laundry basket (??) and tried to catch it. That didn't work so he traded it in for an empty shoe box and lid and proceeded to play "pong" with the bat. After several "pongs" the bat hit the floor. Brian picked it up with the box and brought it to the window. It flew away.

This morning Samantha reported that the bat kept flying into her window all night, trying to get back in (yeah right...he wants back in). Of course the girls think he left some friends behind..... I'll let you know if they're right!

Baseball Tournament - What was I Thinking!?!

Somehow I let Brian talk me into taking part in a Baseball Tournament. One of Brian's co-workers has a team that enters a charity tournament every year and one couple wasn't able to make it. That's where we came in. Sounds harmless enough until you add up all of the factors.

I've never been much of a ball player. Once, nineteen years ago I reluctantly entered a baseball tournament with Brian who was my boyfriend at the time. That pretty much sums up my baseball experience. I don't even like watching baseball unless there's popcorn involved.

Fast forward to last weekend. We were picked up by "Bus" at 10:30 am. When I say "Bus", I actually mean a fully equipped motor home. I contemplated hiding in the bedroom for the day but couldn't figure out how to get there without anyone noticing. After the introductions and some minor small talk, someone took my coffee and replaced with a beer. It was 10:45 am. This was vacation drinking without the vacation. It was going to be a long day.

We played three games, won one and lost 2. I got two base hits and 1 big bruise - not necessarily in that order. The rest of our team ranged in age from their late 20's to their early 30's. Considering Brian and I are in our 40's and hadn't played in almost 20 years, we held our own. Couldn't walk so well the next morning but what the heck - we had lots of fun! Sometimes listenting to Brian is a good thing. Don't panic - I said sometimes....;)

We're Going Camping!

Okay - the truth is Brian and I don't like camping - really we hate camping and we like cottaging only slightly more than we like camping. That brings us to the May Long Weekend - the unofficial start of summer. The unofficial start of "Cottage Season".

I have lots of friends who braved the freezing cold and rain to head to their cottages for the first long weekend of the summer,including my best friend (how we are best friends and so opposite is a completely different story). Our best friends love their cottage and spend every weekend they can there. If we want to see them over the summer, we have to go the cottage. We go once a year for one night. Last year Samantha brought her pink hard-top suitcase and her make-up bag - she has not had good camping role models.

This weekend we decided to go camping "Brian Style". We turned the heat off in the house, slept with the window open and froze. When I complained, Brian said "put on a sweatshirt -we're camping!". We grilled things on the BBQ, sat on the deck, gazed over a body of kinda green water, drank beer and didn't shower. Now this is my kind of camping! I liked it so much, I might go camping this weekend too!

Oh no, I Think I'm getting Old!

I know, I know "age is a state of mind". And I believe that to be true, which is why I am shocked when my 23 year-old brain looks at my 42 year-old face in the mirror. Even writing that number is a little unnerving.

I've discovered a few things recently and I attribute them to getting older. I need to wear more make-up to get the same result, my skin is doing weird things and I am starting to get wrinkles. I can handle all of that (I also need glasses now, so when I'm not wearing them I look great!!). It's my brain - my 23 year-old brain keeps forgetting stuff that my 42 year-old body wants to do. Easy stuff, like when I open a program on my computer,I forget what I was going to do or I walk into a room and forget why I'm there.

I started to panic a little bit until I started hearing the same complaints from friends, family and co-workers. Thank God we're all in the same boat, I would hate to spend "my best years" alone - but then again, I probably wouldn't remember anyway. Happy May 2-4!

First Solo Ride - Yeah Me!

I did my first bike ride alone last night. Apparently there's some big hockey thing going on that Brian was interested in watching (??), so I went on my own.

I did almost 8 kms and while I did not enjoy the bike riding part of it I did enjoy the peacefulness of it. Don't get me wrong, those hills are still killing me, but a little bit less each time and there were thousands of bugs to deal with too. Happy to report that I didn't eat any - although one flew into my eyeball.

All of that being said, there was something calming about biking through the streets of my neighbourhood. It's like I could see things I couldn't see before. I caught a glimpse of the person I used to be - the person before thyroid disease and cancer. I've only seen her twice in the past year and then only fleetingly. It was reassuring to know that she's still in there.

I'm beginning to think there might be something to this whole biking thing. I'm different now and I've struggled with finding the balance between old and new, but last night I saw the two merging. Could Brian be right - will I come to love biking? Who am I trying to kid? I hate biking, but maybe I'll hate it the way I hated running? Hmmmmm......I'll let you know when I figure it out!

Happy Mother's Day

I spent Mother's Day inside the Hershey Centre in Toronto watching the Cheer Alliance National Championships. When I say I spent the day there, I mean the entire day - 12 hours worth of day. Yet somehow it was very rewarding.

I watched Julia compete. I watched her pull strength from somewhere, conquer her fears and rise (literally!) above it all. The fact that they won Nationals is just icing on a very yummy cake and the best part is that she knows that. After the team was awarded their huge trophy (only a little shorter than Julia is) I told her how proud I was of her. And she knew it wasn't because they had won. She knew it was because she had worked all year long to get there and in the end she didn't let anything stop her from "leaving it all on the floor". That being said, winning a huge trophy really makes the ride home a lot easier.



While I watching thousands of cheerleaders do what they do best, I was in constant contact with my 15-year-old daughter Samantha. Thanks to my blackberry I can text like a teenager! She was at home sick and I felt horrible that I wasn't there. Alas the unanswered question of all mothers "How can I be in two places at the same time?" It's right up there with "How can I grow third arm?"

None of texts or phone calls included any complaining or whining. She asked how her sister did, wished me a Happy Mother's Day and told me about her weekend (in between bout of stomach upset). It dawned on me that she was fine without me there. The selfish side of me reacted first, feeling a little bit sad that I wasn't needed. Then the rest of me reacted and there was nothing but pride. She is confident and strong. She can handle herself and whatever situation comes her way - even when it's a weekend of her dad's cooking (I'm sure that's not why she was sick!).

My girls gave me the best gift I could have asked for (although I would never turn down a day-at-the-spa, just sayin'). They showed me their strength and their power. Thanks for a great Mother's Day.

Cheering on the Cheerleaders

My 12-year-old daughter Julia is a competitive cheerleader. People frequently ask me what team she cheers for and when I say "she doesn't cheer for any team", I get a weird look.

Julia cheers for Black Widow Cheer Gym and their goal is to win - and most of the time they do! They don't cheer for a team - they are the team. They're tough and strong and amazing all at the same time and cheering for the boys is just not gonna happen.

So what is it then? It's a really neat sport in that it combines gymnastics, dance and brute strength. If you're a base (the girls who catch the girl who gets thrown into the air like a rag doll)and your teammates call you a "tank" apparently that's a good thing. Another good thing is "leaving it all on the floor". Personally I'm not sure how that's supposed to be a good thing but it might explain why Julia's clothes are always left all over the floor?

Anyhow, we're off to Nationals this weekend in Toronto. There will be thousands of screaming cheerleaders - and let me tell you - if anyone knows how to cheer it's cheerleaders. It promises to be a weekend of fun, not enough sleep and coffee - lots and lots of coffee and hopefully a trophy or two! Fingers crossed.

Training Update #3

I know I promised pictures, but I forgot the camera. I will remember next time, I promise!

As for the ride itself, I have to say that things are getting easier. I took 5 minutes off my time, didn't feel like barfing - not even once - and had brief glimpses of enjoyment. Definitely steps in the right direction.

Tonight I'm going for a nice long walk (I might try to slip in a little running) and back on the bike Wednesday.

I have to say a huge thank you to Brian. Admittedly I'm not the easiest person to "help". I am fiercely independent and not very patient.

He is a fantastic cyclist and I suck, so in general the whole cycling thing just pisses me off. I usually start out each ride a tad cranky and complaining and things go downhill (pun totally intended) from there. God help us all if I have ride in bad weather. By the time we have finished our ride I'm downright miserable. And the only words that come out of my husband's mouth are words of encouragement. Stuff like "awesome job on that hill" and "you know, you're really doing great." He is still promising that it will get easier and that I'm going to love it. I don't love it - not even close, but I'll keep at it as long as Brian will put up with me. Frankly I don't know how he manages it, but I'm really grateful that he does.

Training - Still at it

Yesterday was my day off. Not from work or anything but from training. My DH graciously gave me the evening off. It makes me a little afraid for tonight but there is the promise of wine after, so that will keep me going.

During the week we keep the rides short - 6 kms or so. I have small goals. I just want to be able to bike without feeling like my chest is going to explode. What I like best is gasping for breath and glancing at Brian who might as well be standing still for the effort he is exerting. If I had any energy left I would punch him - but I don't and it's likely I would fall over anyway...... so I just keep breathing. No talking, no drinking, just breathing.

Long (for me) ride tomorrow - I'll take some pictures if I'm not barfing. I told you - small goals.