2 actual posts in one month - wow!

I'm quite impressed with myself - 2 posts in one month (quite a feat, eh?).

So, our family got together for Thanksgiving on Monday. I helped mom in the kitchen throughout the day and was so happy to be done and off my feet, it didn't even dawn on me that my sister-in-law wasn't taking pictures and I wasn't taking pictures. So, now what am I going to use to scrapbook with? I'll probably cheat and use other photos of family and some fall pics, but I'm kicking myself that I didn't take any at the meal. What kind of scrapbooker forgets to take pictures?

Anyhow, our family has also started a new tradition (which my nieces won't let us forget) - we sing "Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow" instead of saying grace at mealtimes when we are all together. Both my nieces (ages 5 3/4 and 4) sing along too. It sounds pretty good as we can get 4 part harmony when we are all there. However on Tuesday that was not the case - there was my dad (who sings bass), my nieces, my nephew and me - that's it. I'm not a soprano, but had to sing the melody - quite a foreign concept for me these days. Anyhow, we managed, but it felt weird.

Some one told me to make a list of what I am thankful for so here is a good start:
Mom, Dad, Wes & Briar, Kaityn, Berlin, Rowan, Sabrina, Gary, Oma W, Jim & Tina, Dan, Lee & Marion, Dennis & Mardi, Karen, Nancy, Lisa, Frank & Vittoria, Harry & Jolene, Lory McMullen, Dave & Mikol, Renee... the list can go on for quite a while so I'll stop here before it becomes so extensive that someone will feel insulted if I leave them out. But, well, I hope the point is made, the things I am thankful for are the people that God has put in my life and the relationships I have with them.

Until next time...

a bit of local flavour

James Street Night of Art

Oct 17th @ 7:00 PM

Come out and enjoy the 3rd annual event from 7-10pm. Held on James Street between King Street and St. Paul Street. The street and sidewalks will fill with visual art, media art, dance, music and theatre in participating stores.

national do not call list

Hey there,

If you hate telemarketers interrupting your dinner as much as I do, take literally less than 180 seconds and register your phone number on Canada's National Do Not Call List. Apparently, it went active on September 30, and the sooner you register the sooner you can eliminate those annoying phone calls...

www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca

time flying by... again

So, I love to read other people's posts, but consistently don't take the time to update my own blog. Shame on me! So, here goes (sorta)...
I can't believe Thanksgiving weekend is already here! It's absolutely crazy how the time goes by so quickly. I have no classes on Thursdays, so I am volunteering on Thursday mornings at a local school in a Grade 1 & 2 class. I have volunteered with this teacher for 2 years already and I think we get along really well and she has been an amazing resource. I also LOVE working with the kids in her class - they keep me sane and give me hope. I often get discouraged in my classes because they are very much theory based. We learn all about how the brain works, how children develop, and what makes them tick, but we never actually see or do anything in real life with real kids. That is one of the most discouraging and disheartening things about university classes. But being able to spend time in a classroom totally re-energizes me.
Anyhow, there is so much more to say, but it's already past midnight and I need to get up early (I'm about as much of a morning person as a bear is during winter-hibernation). So I'll go for now, and hopefully you'll get another update (or at least another post) soon.

feeling left behind

So, today I had to say goodbye to a good friend of mine. He is headed to school in Toronto for the next few years. Now, some of you may be thinking "Toronto isn't so far away from St. Catharines" - and you're right, it isn't. However, circumstances being what they are, travelling to or from Toronto is not going to happen as often as I would like. So we spent the evening talking and watching an old movie (Charade with Grant Carey and Audrey Hepburn). It was a nice evening, but now he's gone and I am sad. I guess that's my biggest objection to summer being over - there are so many changes to my life that I have no control over. Friends I have made over the past few years have graduated and are moving on. This is a good thing and I am very happy for them, but it means a change in the way we interact with each other (or at least how often we can get together). Like always, it seems just when I get used to being around certain people and develop friendships and trust people, something happens to change the dynamic of our relationship. For me, that is a really hard thing to deal with. I have some fairly major trust issues to begin with,and then to have to feel like I have to start fresh again just throws me for a loop. I HATE that!!! So right now I'm typing, rambling and crying because it feels like I'm being left behind as my friends are moving on to other stages in life. Yeah, if you asked me "How are you?" right now, I'd say "not good". Thanks for reading and putting up with my rant.

where did the summer go?

Where did the summer go? I can't believe that school starts again next week! I thought I would have more time for things (like writing on my blog), but it turns out that life has been extremely busy and I haven't written nearly as much as I wanted to. That being said, life has been busy but fairly good. I've been tutoring several children this summer and that has been encouraging. It has renewed my desire to finish my program at Brock and to continue my dream of becoming a teacher. I have also been a bit of a homebody - gardening, laundry, bookkeeping - but that's ok. I was in desperate need of some "down time" and I think this did the trick. I have still been dealing with many headaches and migraines, but I'm not sure that there is anything that can be done that hasn't been tried (medications, massages, acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, new lenses). So that is gonna be tough this year at school and I hope I can handle it. Na ja, this is all I have time for right now. I would say I'll be on again soon, but at this point I can't guarantee that. So I'll be back - sometime.

summer is here!

According to the calendar, summer is officially here. The weather seems to have trouble making up it's mind - we've had quite a few freak storms (thunder & lightning, tornado warnings, hail). However, the weather doesn't dicate the schedule - the spring semester is done, my niece graduated from preschool, my other niece is graduating from SK, the soccer season has started and a good friend of mine has graduated from university. It is amazing to think that this year is half over! The time really seems to fly. Let's see, what else has happened...
*a good friend recently celebrated her Ist wedding anniversary
*my brother & sister-in-law celebrated their 9th anniversary
*a good friend turned 25 and travelled in Europe
*my sister purchased and moved into her very own house
*my parents celebrated their 35th anniversary
*I had another birthday
*the Strawberry festival is happening today in Niagara-on-the-Lake
*my nephew will be turning 2 next weekend
Yup, lots of stuff happening here and it doesn't look like it will slow down any time soon.