Satchel turns 12 today!

And people should be arriving...just about now. And I'm NOT ready.

I'm also about to leave on one of my favourite weekends of the year - to NY state with Jenifer for many hours of outlet shopping.

Will update later.

So much has been going on, distracting me from writing.

My surgery has been confirmed for next Wednesday. I'm to arrive at 8:30, hang out for an hour before having the wire shoved into my breast while having a mammogram. And then I continue to hang out in the hospital with a wire in my breast until mid-afternoon when I will finally have my lumpectomy.

All I can think is JESUS this is going to hurt. And also calculating how long I will have to go between meals pre and post surgery and that I am not a happy camper on an extended empty stomach - and don't even mention the lack of coffee in my system.

Thankfully this weekend is one of my favourite weekends of the summer - when Jenifer and I hightail it out of Toronto to Wilson NY for a long weekend where we will shop at outlet malls and Target, drink lots of wine, play endless games of UNO, read magazines and watch chick flicks. A terrific way to distract me even though it does mean abandoning Satchel part way through his (12th!!!!) birthday.

This also marks the 2nd anniversary of the start of my life falling apart with breast cancer. It was at Jen's in-law's cottage playing UNO and drinking wine that I started experiencing burning pain in my right breast which led to the check-up with my GP, to the many, many tests with my oncologist/surgeon to the mastectomy and reconstruction. Last year at the cottage I felt like I had come full circle as we drank more wine and played more UNO, I thought I was finished with breast cancer. And now, one year later, it's messing with me again.

I meant to spend my time writing about the fabulousness of the Serengeti Bush Camp experience at the Toronto Zoo but instead am reeling from the news that my cousin Patti has breast cancer and is scheduled for a mastectomy this Friday.

Jesus.

Crazy that this afternoon I was biking home from work, and it was an absolutely beautiful afternoon by the way, and I was thinking to myself it's hard to believe that nearly 2 years ago I was diagnosed only to have my brother call me with the news this evening.

But I'll leave you with one picture while I get my head together of our last morning at the zoo and will update you tomorrow including many stories of Jakob's absolute miserableness, I mean uniqueness.

We are heading off to the Toronto Zoo to sleep with the lions.

http://www.torontozoo.com/CampsPrograms/BushCamp.asp

Very cool, very exciting!

Today my Mom turns 79.

And what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't post a few photos of her.

What can I say about my Mom?

She loves anything with sugar and acts with great deception when around desserts as if she fears that her habit will be discovered and she will be judged. A little like a crack addict.

1954 (with Bob and Susan)

2008

I woke up in such an irritated mood - one that was partly created by my frustration with the guitar last night. I feel like my brain just shuts down when it decides that it's had quite enough thank you very much and completely rejects what I'm trying to force upon it. In this case strumming Needle and the Damage Done rather than plucking the song (which sounds far better plucked ANYWAY and really does feel like an exercise in futility).

I was so irritated trying to figure it out, all while designing a logo for a new client, that I wanted to slam my Simon & Patrick guitar against the wall or my head, whichever was harder.

But I felt like I was given a little present by the gods today - I was going through old photo albums at work and look what I found:


I have NEVER seen this picture before! Taken in 2002, Satchel is 6 and Jakob is 8 months...and look at the size of his head!

I was also amazed that there is not ONE SINGLE line in that forehead of mine and wow, is that really my natural hair colour? I look like a teenage mother.

And you know at that comment Paul is rolling his eyes while thinking "boy I love my family."

I've done it!

Finally I have packaged up all of my cute underwire bras and bundled them off to Goodwill to be enjoyed by some other 34B with fabulous taste and a budget in mind when it concerns her undies.

This was quite a milestone for me, I've been holding onto them for nearly 2 years.

I couldn't bring myself to give all of them away of course, the 2 cute bras purchased in Paris for example just had to stay in my collection.

Jakob and I flew back from Edmonton on Monday and I returned with mixed emotions.

I had a wonderful time seeing Thomas, getting to know Susan and Noah, meeting Maya who was absolutely adorable and inspired feelings of kleptomania...but my mother! God, she was miserable and nasty to Jakob.

But, the trip can't be about my mother. Or at least the blog. My mother will come up over many glasses of wine with friends.

Jakob and I really did have a wonderful time and Edmonton was so much more lovely than I would have expected. Instead of industrial, it was very green with much culture. The differences in the landscapes from Edmonton to Calgary were extraordinary - the saturated yellow of the canola fields reminded me of the fields of sunflowers in the south of France. The layers discerning the ages in Drumheller were fantastic.


As you can see, I did not exaggerate the cuteness.






And the West Edmonton Mall! How do you top that? Especially when you're 6! Jesus, that place is crazy: water parks, pirate ships, fire breathing dragons...



Definitely a trip to make again.

Mom, or Betty as Thomas calls her, feels that I have led Susan down the dark path of alcoholism as we indulge in a glass (bottle) of wine.

My mother at the restaurant I took her (and Maya) to lunch at:

"Ohh, I'm going to get a nanaimo bar." said with her face pressed against the glass, eyeing the tower of desserts.

"Excuse me," said to the server behind the counter "could you tell me which ones are the...is it NANAIMO BAR?"

"That would be these ones ma'am."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll try one of those then thank you."

Jakob and I are in Edmonton - visiting Thomas, Susan, Noah and the latest addition to the family: Maya.

The plane ride was uneventful - for the first bit, until Jakob became bored with the novelty of his very first plane ride ever and decided he was going to throw up which had the flight attendants in a tizzy. He didn't throw up...but did score more 7-Up than anyone else on the flight. Smart little cookie that one.

My Mother is here too - which made me question whether this was an ideal time to visit knowing her love of children, especially MY children.

Mom is currently obsessing about the Medicentre. When can she go? Will they give her a requisition? A requisition for what? I ask. My bloodwork! she yells at me. She's been absolutely miserable since I arrived. Cheering up only when dangling chocolate desserts in front of her.

Despite that, I am having a fabulous time. Thomas and I saw the BodyWorld exhibit yesterday and it was fantastic. I can't upload pictures right now but check out the link: http://www.bodyworldsedmonton.com/

We're off to Fort Edmonton and I hear the sounds of Mom on the stairs coming for the computer!

I'm standing in my pajamas, munching on strawberries and drinking coffee. Thinking that in one hour I need to be packed, showered and ready to head out to the airport for the flight to Edmonton.

But man...I HATE packing. I really HATE packing.

The following are a few pictures from when we were climbing the rocks in Grand Falls - another of my favourite things to do and see while there.

Now...off to refill my coffee cup and start PACKING. Jesus.

Returned from Grand Falls NB today and I have to post pictures of my most favourite place in the entire town before heading off to/collapsing into bed...now that I have found my toothbrush.




Yep...that's a potato.

We had a fabulous visit and I will write a more fulfilling update tomorrow.

Monday, Jakob and I fly off to Edmonton (I'm a little nervous - Noah will NEVER be the same after complete corruption by Jakob - sorry Thomas, you've been warned) where we will meet the newest addition to our family - Maya, one of my favourite names, one of my favourite poets.

Aging like a fine wine or in Dave's case a good bottle of rum.

40 years old today.

A bit disconcerting considering they're the youngest in the family and have now entered into a new decade. Makes rounding down my age a bit difficult...looks like my only recourse is total avoidance of the number now. You'd think they would be a little more respectful of their slightly older sister!

To Thomas and Dave - wishing you both a fantastic 40th birthday, year and decade. The world became a better place the day you were born.

Arthur has kidney disease, Jakob now is the proud owner of his first pair of glasses (a parent's nightmare when the owner is all of 6!), Eve just fell down William's stairs and I have drank more rose than a responsible adult should on a work night. So let's just sit back and enjoy the view from Kim's cottage and me kissing a lobster.

I'm back from my near week-long trip to Nova Scotia with Satchel...and we had a fabulous time!

Though Satchel was a victim of my nostalgia with me dragging him through the streets of Halifax saying "Look Satchel, there's my old school, there's my apartment, there's where Daddy and I had our first date...and oh look, where we used to suck back milkshakes that were so loaded with blueberries that they would plug our straws! Isn't this fabulous!"

You can imagine the eye rolling but he was so incredibly patient as he searched out stores that just might carry Yugioh cards and transformers in the hope of saving his sanity while I nattered on. His peace of mind was finally found for $30 at Mic Mac mall in Dartmouth.

I forgot how much I loved downtown Halifax.

We took a tour of the Corvette Sackville from WWII (the last remaining in North America but I noticed I was hearing that a lot while there, this is the LAST _____ in North America!) and while on the ship met a man named Peter who had fought with the US Navy during WWII and on a Corvette so very patiently told us everything there was to know about it and also what it was like to see action during the war.

Satchel and I took a whale watching tour but as is my luck saw no whales, only a lobster and crab plus a lot of seagulls trying for scraps.

After 4 days we left Halifax and moved on to Kim & Scott's cottage which will be my next posting.

Flying Porter - absolutely fantastic, I only want to fly with them from now own. If only they would expand their destinations! Satchel was very excited.


Pictures taken on the harbourfront.




Entrance to NSCAD.

The entrance to Point Pleasant Park.

The entrance to Paul's and my apartment on Victoria.

Having dinner at Pedlars Pub - where Paul and I had our first date. Before catching the classic film that carried the catching line: Don't Bury Me - I'm Not Dead Yet!

Satchel and I are heading off to Halifax tomorrow morning.

I'm in the middle of packing and I really hate packing. And to make matters worse, I'm PMSing. I can barely get dressed for work during this time of the month so trying to figure out 6 days worth of clothes is INSANE! I'm almost in tears!

Plus I didn't get much sleep again last night. True Paul WAS snoring again with that cute little catch he does at the end of each snort, but I can't even blame my night of insomnia on that - annoying as it is.

Perhaps the excitement of the trip kept me awake or the desperate need for a vacation now that cult day has passed is taking its toll. I don't know. But I certainly hope to catch up while in Halifax, sharing a room with Satchel who sleeps very quietly and breathing in the salty fresh Atlantic air.

I look forward to sharing stories and pictures upon my return!

Today was the last day of school. A moment of triumph for the children and panic for the parents as we try to figure out what to do with kids when we have to face work in the morning and camps don't start until Monday.

I walked into the schoolyard to find Jakob gleefully jumping into the biggest puddle in the schoolyard, courtesy of a blocked drain. It was only after he drenched himself that he realized he really HATES being wet.

I tried to be sympathetic but after his screeching and crying and pulling on my arm because LOOK AT HIS SHOES, LOOK AT HIS SOCKS, LOOK AT HIS SHORTS, LOOK AT HIS T-SHIRT and finally EVEN THE BASEBALL HAT HAS WATER ON IT, could only muster minimal sympathy and say "But it's so much fun to be wet! And what did you expect, you were jumping in a small pond! Of course you're going to get wet."

This got me absolutely nowhere.

Then I left him in the schoolyard barefoot and wet (but in the care of a friend) to go home and get his dry clothes and crocs. He was grateful for the crocs, but even happier because he had been given Starburst which made even walking home in damp clothing completely bearable.

Satchel had a fabulous day - spent entirely in the park with his class, armed with a watergun. Doesn't get any better than that.

Presenting the graduate:






I am so proud of Satchel.