Hey There...

Remember me?

I used to write this blog.
Like actually, sit down and type words , sentences and paragraphs that I thought were somewhat interesting or important into the field and the publish these thoughts with photos.
Innovation has its limits I suppose!

I recently read  someone's comment that Facebook killed the blog, and I'd have to agree that it may also have influenced my blogging. That, and life, of course!

I'd like to recall why I started this thing, where it took me, and perhaps why it petered out.

The blog was started when we moved to Mexico. I used it as a seriously effective way of showing my community of friends, family and acquaintances what we were up to. It generated a lot of comment and more importantly a real connection to people. It was my life line to my world at home in Vancouver. As it progressed, I realized that it had become a beautiful memoir of our days. Its charm, I feel, lay mostly in the regulatory of postings that allowed me to elaborate of smaller, more elaborate details rather than a general catch-up.

Unfortunately, a summary of the sweet chocolate- chunks of life is what it became over time. I began to see a more restrained practice of relegating the trials and successes of life; marking the milestones of the lives of the kids in particular. To my senses, it began to lose the essence of life that it had once held. I couldn't keep up with all the events. I didn't want to record many of them, and I lost the self-regulated "permission" to post about trivial aspects of life that often absorb my psyche. Bummer. And thus the random Facebook post about kids' quirks or broken dishwashers. Boring.

And now where do I go? Do I archive my words. Store them in a virtual retainer to be recalled with memory?Is this book done? Do I open it again? Re-create it? I really have no idea. Heehee...no truly, I do have ideas, but haven't decided where to go with them.

Ideas:

- take up where I left off
- begin a different blog
- post only photos
- walk away
- start a novel :)
- ???

I know the words won't go away - they never do. I recite them in my head if paper, screen or person won't hear me.

Any suggestions?

Photos

Lunch with my man.
Man we're happy school is back in. :)


Bandidas, Commercial drive.


A muddy play at QE.


A fulfilling day so far.
And fun photos to prove it!


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Instagram

This is how the new year has started; sleepy!

Such is this time if year for me. Wet, cold and blah.

But this new app makes me happy.

Photos to follow.



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Happy Birthday Lucas!

The little guy turned 7 last weekend, so we celebrated this weekend with a wild and crazy birthday party of glow bowling, cake and pinata. Amazingly, we survived. Last year I swore I would never do another large boys' birthday, but I found myself in the same predicament all of a sudden with 15 kids RSVPing yes for the party. Yikes.

Unfortunately the morning had gone poorly at Lucas' soccer game. Lucas received a hard ball to the face in goal and he couldn't turn himself around to get past it - which ended in frustration for all. We consequently started our birthday proceedings grumpy The result of which was my telling him that his Spongebob pinata would get no arms as a result. Lol. Regardless, I thought the results of the previous evenings late-night crafting was fairly decent.

The saving grace for the party and my sanity (besides the weather) was Rob. He deftly undertook the job of entertaining the kids with a game of "Robert Says" to whittle away the time until the glorious moment up pick-up. He was my hero!

All in all, the party was a success with very few injuries, entertained kids, and a happy birthday boy.

But... could someone please remind me to make it smaller next year!!!

A lot to be thankful for

What a cliche!

However it has been a hell of a year and yet there still resonates in me a deeply grounded understanding that life is giving and good and that all that is, simply is. Sigh....

I feel that it was about this time last year that life went to pot for me. But now that I look back on the fall of 2010, I realize that I had heaped way too much onto my plate. I was working full time at school plus had taken on a part-time contract facilitating workshops in high schools for a research project. I had organized and hosted a huge 70th birthday for my beloved mom. We had committed to a confused rescued three-month old puppy. Mia's part time participation preschool hours were sucking up my free time with duty days and evening meetings. Lucas had just been diagnosed and we were only starting our journey to understanding how we could help him be more successful. I was playing hockey, Mia dancing, Lucas swimming and playing soccer and Rob busily working away at a pretty new job.

It was a lot.

Period.

And so, I put my head under the sand, dug deep and began to breathe.

Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe...

That's all I've done all year since, really.

I've hardly seen friends. We've not had a lot of adventures. We quit a lot of activities and we busied ourselves instead with fortifying foundations of health and well being.

And that's ok. :)

So here we are a year later on Thanksgiving weekend. Lucas has just turned 7 and is finding himself more every day. The puppy is one. Mia is successfully settled in kindergarten. Rob is well-established in his job. I'm working a little less and learning to balance a little better.

My head, dare I say, is coming out from under the sand and we are getting there..

And as I emerge and see things that make me smile again.

Like a weekend that went well.

All of it.

Very few disasters, tears or upsets.

Goals of laundry, marking and exercise were met.

Cookies were made. Dogs were walked. Friends were played with. Phone calls made.

We slept in.

Breathing feels nice now. Not hard.

A journey never ends of course. And I write this with the knowledge that things get better after they get worse. And that's ok.

People surprise me.

Like my students. One class of young 'uns liked a new novel so much that they decided to buy it with their own money and study it together.

Ummm... really?

And the other class.

The ones who frustrate me daily because I just can't get into the swing of the split level I'm teaching.

They all want to take my class again. They like me. Really? I thought I was doing a crappy job.

And the grade ten class in the summer that raised $300 bucks for Red Cross African famine relief when I suggested quietly that a donation would mean more than us eating cookies on our last day.

Sigh.

There is always sadness and disappointment.

October has seen a death in the family. And breast cancer.

But.

My world is good.

People envelope me in their warmth.

And with that I can emerge a little less scarred.

And for that...

I am thankful.

Savary Island year four

We are deep into week two at our favorite piece of paradise. So far we have had great weather and lots of beach time with very few glitches. As usual an abundance of wildlife has thrilled us; seals, sea lions, snakes, starfish, crabs, eagles, herons, woodpeckers, Sand dollars, and lots of deer.

Sadly, Hunter had a run in with a mama deer who did not like his naughty aggression. She clobbered him in his rear and took out a grand portion of butt. Rob and Mia spent a large part of their day driving him to the vet in Powell River where he will stay overnight and have the tissue connected tomorrow. Pour little guy... But it kind of serves him right for being such a pest.

Well, we're off to get the kids to bed - Mia with a fresh bee sting and us with bellies full of Rangoli and Reisling, yum!!




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Finally Summer

Sickness

Daddy has hockey fever. We are all worried about him, but are assured it will pass soon.

Lucas' class has caught it as well, as you can see.



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