This past weekend was the Thanksgiving holiday. Before I give anybody heart failure because they think that they somehow lost over a month of their lives, I should clarify that it was Canadian Thanksgiving. It’s more than a month earlier that American Thanksgiving because us Canadians are over-achievers. Or something.

Back in the summer we decided that we would head down to the big city of Vancouver to share turkey with my husband’s side of the family. My side of the family is also in the Big City (a bunch of them, at least) but for some reason the major holidays are not ones that we necessarily celebrate together. The “some reason” may have something to do with multiple marriages and divorces and whatnot, but it’s all good. We still went to visit with my family and my kids basked in Grandpa/Auntie/Uncle love.

While the turkey dinner we had with his side of the family was good and great and the time spent with people was truly wonderful, there were a lot of little factors that made it not as easy as if we had hosted it ourselves (obviously). My husband is a fan of routine, even more than I am, and he likes the same side dishes (a new one or two is fine; but let’s not throw away everything) and his standard desserts and turkey done the way we (I) do it.

We’ll be making Christmas dinner at our house, whether or not the family joins us, is what I’m saying.

How about you? Where do you celebrate the holidays? Do you slit the time, alternate, or just do your own thing?

My husband and I are firmly entrenched in our family vacation. We survived cramming the Vancouver Zoo, The Vancouver Aquarium, Science World and three dinners with extended family in the span of three days…and are now in a lovely cottage at Cannon Beach. We haven’t been on any hot dates (obviously) but have, uh, tried new things. He’d die of embarrassment if I said any more so I’ll just leave it at: we’re having a lot of fun. I don’t have much else to talk about in the marriage department and the ocean’s calling my name, so I’ll just wish you all a great weekend. See you on the other side!

This past weekend my husband and I got to discussing how happy we are at this stage in our lives. We’re leading hectic lives, yes, but we managed to make it through the baby years (mostly) unscathed. We have three neat little kids whom we actually like to spend copious amounts of time with. Don’t get me wrong - bedtime is still a magical time of day, but we don’t start looking forward to it at noon like we used to.

We started talking about the fun stuff that we have coming down the pipe as a family, and individually. Vacations, projects, new hobbies explored. We’re learning to make more time for things we enjoy, as opposed to working all the live long day, and we’re pretty content because of it.

The conversation turned to where we thought we’d be ten years from now. Our kids will be thirteen, fifteen and seventeen (YIKES). We don’t see ourselves living anywhere else but where we are right now - we’ve been here for nine years already and love it all - our home, our friends, our community. My husband’s in a bit of a flux with his career and isn’t sure where he’ll be. I’d like to be doing less (or no) accounting work and more writing/photography work. I think we’ll just be fuller versions of who we are now, but with an impending empty nest (GULP).

How about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Unless you grew up in the wilderness or possibly just arrived here from outer space, you may have heard of a certain holiday that happens next week called, “Valentine’s Day”. I know that I, personally, have heard about it everywhere. T.V. commercials, fliers, blog posts, my kids’ school.

As a single girl in my twenties I shunned Valentine’s Day. It was a “Hallmark holiday” created for companies to have something to capitalize on in order to up their sales between Christmas and Easter. I was having no part of it.

When I met my husband, I soon found out that he felt the same way. Who needs a day to celebrate love when we were immersed in romance all day long. Ha. Ha! HAAAAAAA.

Read the rest of this entry

I come from a family background that (could probably get me a guest spot on Oprah, and) is a little bit complicated. My Dad has been married four (!) times and had children with the first three of his wives. I have eight (!) siblings, only one of whom shares the same mother with me. That sister is two years younger than I am.

The first (older) set of my Dad’s kids grew up across the country but we’ve had our chances to connect over the years. The youngest set of siblings I am especially close to as I moved in with my Dad when the first of their babies was but a toddler and my Step Mom was pregnant with the second one.

Read the rest of this entry

If you follow my personal site, you know that my kids have gone to Grandma’s house this week. My Step mom called a few weeks ago and said that she wanted the kids to come and visit. I told her that we had planned to come to see her as a family, but she quickly clarified her request. She wanted the kids to come to her house for a visit. Without my husband and I.

We have never had this happen before. We went to Mexico a year ago February and left the kids with family, but apart from that our kid-free time consists of Date Nights out on the town.

Read the rest of this entry

I have two different blog friends (Whom I Have also met in real life)(Which does not negate the blog friends whom I have not met in real life)(Why do I feel the need to clarify this in 2009?)

ANYWAY.

I have two different friends, who based on their life circumstances have sold their houses and are moving to new locations. Both are also building new houses, which means that they do not have a house which they can call their very own (Yet). As such, they are moving in with their parents (along with spouses, kids and pets) until their new houses are ready.

Read the rest of this entry

I am sure that you have heard about the untimely death of Natasha Richardson while she was skiing at a resort in Quebec.  Due to an unforeseen accident her life is no more. This young, vivacious woman left behind a husband and children.

Nothing can get the tears rolling faster that the thought of something happening to my husband. While I encouraged him to go away with his friends on a snowmobiling trip, the fact that nineteen (NINETEEN) people have died this winter in the area that I live in (due to avalanches) made me a little fearful.

Read the rest of this entry

When I returned from my trip to California I was refreshed, renewed, rejuvenated. Between work-related trips and fun-filled get-aways (such as the California one) I get the heck out of dodge a whole lot more than many Moms seem to do. And also, a whole lot more than my husband ever does.

My hubby, in all of his wonderfulness, takes care of our three kids on the many weekends that I go away with nary a complaint. OK, fine. He teases me a bit. My response upon returning from California was that he needed to book a trip. Correction. He was ORDERED to take a trip.

Read the rest of this entry

As I mentioned in my post last Friday, these tough economic times have made my husband’s industry come to a nearly complete standstill. He has a part-time job at our church and has done some home renovations on the side, but his main career in the lumber industry is JUST NOT HAPPENING.

Thankfully for us, I tortured myself for seven years and came out the other side with some initials that deemed me qualified in the field of Accounting. I have spent the last four years on the Education side of my field but the span of time that we so lovingly call “Tax Season” is a little lacking in the courses available for me to teach.

Read the rest of this entry