Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ...

Well, we've had quite a bit of snow fall around here the last few days. No snow today, but is bitterly cold. We're supposed to be getting more snow tomorrow. You have to keep in mind that while snow is common around here on the mountains and more into the Interior, it's not something we usually get a lot of in the Lower Mainland. Naturally, I couldn't help myself, so I've taken some pictures of our winter wonderland.

This is a picture of the younger boys playing in the snow in the front yard the night it started falling.

Here younger boys and dad have just come home from school on Monday. I didn't quite get the van completely cleared of snow.

This is a photo taken from the front of our house looking down the street. I just happened to catch a truck sliding sideways on the icy road.

This picture was taken from the little bridge we have to walk over to get to the kids' school. The slough looked so pretty.

And this picture is taken from our livingroom window looking out across the street.

Ho Ho Holiday Parade

So the boys and I went downtown today to march in the 3rd Annual Santa Claus Parade in Vancouver. We were invited to march with the Children's Wish Foundation. The weather was supposed to be terrible [a storm warning with strong winds and rain], but we decided that we'd dress for bad weather and go anyway. Well, a couple of minutes before the parade started, the clouds parted and the sun began shining. It actually turned out to be a gorgeous day. My favorite part of the day was being able to get a couple of pictures of the boys with some Jaffa from Stargate [filmed here in BC; they had a float in the parade].

This pic has all the boys in it.

This pic has more Jaffa in it.

Crusts and Spam

My youngest son has an aversion to crusts. He won't eat the crust on bread or toast. Lots of kids don't; they'll ask a parent to trim off the crusts. My youngest son, however, has taken this dislike of crusts to a bizzare extreme. The other day I made some pizza bagels. Cut a bagel in half, spread pizza sauce on it, smother in cheese and then bake. Below is a picture of my son's plate after he had finished eating.

So just how does one determine what the "crust" is on a bagel half? Isn't it all crust?



On a different topic, have you ever received that nonsense spam? When you open it up there is some weird and strange message/story in there? Incomplete sentences and general linguistic oddities? Normally, folks would just trash that kind of stuff. Well, someone has decided to take those spam messages and turn them into works of art. Check out "Spamland#1" on YouTube. This is the best use of spam that I have ever seen.

It's Not Fair

Today's been a hard day for me. I learned that Jon David [5-year-old] passed away this morning. He had been diagnosed and was battling the same type of cancer that my Luke had fought. Jon's mom had sent me an old laptop of hers a couple of months back. She'd read my post about how difficult it is for Luke to write and how it was thought that a laptop would really help him in his school work. Without hesitation, she sent me hers. I carry it to and from school every day. I set it up in the classroom. Today, I was thankful that there weren't too many people around because I couldn't stop the tears from flowing as I packed it up to take it home. It's not fair. No child, no family, should ever have to go through this. I try and find comfort in picturing Jon in his Superman pajamas and Diego in his Spiderman pajamas playing together with laughter in the eternal light. But then my heart aches for the families left behind. It's not fair.

SC in September

Fun night on the 9th. Went to SC with DH.
Had a friend, Sue, come over to do my makeup for the evening. She works in the film industry, so I let her do whatever she wanted. I think she did a smashing job. There was lots of glitter that made everything sparkle. I felt like a Fairy Queen.



We had a great time at SC. We always do. Love meeting new people. It's also great running into folks that we already know (kiss kiss to you if you're reading this).
Below is a pic of DH and I at SC. This is after a couple of hours and you'll notice that my makeup is still holding up. You rock, Sue! Now, if I could only get my regular makeup to last as well ...

What Happens in Vegas…

Supposedly stays in Vegas. However, that would be a shame. I don’t mind letting everyone I know about how much fun I had. There’s something to be said about the destination, but I have no doubt that my traveling companion had a lot to do with it. I don’t think there was a day that went by in Vegas that didn’t come with me laughing so hard that I was crying. I also can’t say enough good things about all the people we met. Such a welcoming and friendly bunch of folks. While the rooms at Treasure Island were really nice [I swear the bathtubs are small pools], it’s actually the staff [housecleaning in particular] that will have me coming back. Them and those perfect drinks. *laughs*

August 24th, 2006 - Last Day in Vegas

We get up around 8:30 a.m. After we showered and dressed, made sure that our bags were properly packed. Headed down to the front desk and checked out. We had the hotel hold our bags because we still had a few hours to kill before our shuttle bus was coming to pick us up. So we went for breakfast in some restaurant off of the Kahuna Lounge. After that, we went back to the Venetian where I bought a couple of tank tops that I had taken a liking to. Then we went back to TI and Dawna and I played some slots. Not sure if it was because it was Dawna’s birthday that day or if it was just a chemistry thing, but Dawna found a nice slot machine that just wanted to keep paying her money.
She gets enough points on her player’s card [never mind how much money she won] to get a free t-shirt.
Finally, it’s time to go and catch the shuttle bus. Off to the airport.
When we get to the airport we have to wait in a long line to get our tickets. We talked with the other folks waiting in line. After that, it’s off to go through airport security. Not sure if it was because it was Dawna’s birthday that day or if it was just a chemistry thing, but Dawna was the lucky recipient of a random search. Which was probably a good thing, because it distracted her from getting too worked up when her carry-on luggage was also being flagged at that moment for a more thorough search too.
The airport security person went through everything until we finally came down to a small plastic bag in which Dawna had accidentally left a very small lip gloss. She was heart broken. A brand new lip gloss [MAC make-up]. The thought of it going in the garbage made her feel sick so she was asking the security person if she wanted it. She politely explained that she couldn’t [against regulations]. Then the security person went above and beyond the scope of her duties and gave us an option of Dawna being able to mail the lip gloss back to herself. She pointed us to a machine where we could buy stamps and address an envelope and then drop it in the mail box right there. She helped us get that all together and mailed off. She made an embarrassing and frustrating situation so much more bearable [dare I even say “almost pleasant”?]. I have to remember to write to her employers and tell them to give her a pat on the back.
We found the smoking room and sat down. We encountered a gentleman who had come in to Vegas at the same time as us. He told us that he had come to Vegas with $5,000 and that he had gambled all but $25 away. That morning, he figures he might as well finish it all off so he plays his last $25 on the slots and ends up winning over $4,000. While he was still down, at least it wasn’t as bad of a loss as it was shaping up to be.
On the way to our boarding gate we pass a police officer stationed in the hall. I ask him if he’d mind if we took pictures of ourselves with him. You know, a tourist thing. So I take a picture of Dawna with him. Then Dawna takes a picture of me with him. Next thing I know, an airport security guard is marching over to us quickly. I’m thinking “Oh, crap. We’re doing something wrong; we’re going to get in trouble.”
Security guard stops in front of us. Stands there for a minute, then says “Don’t you want a picture with both of you in it? I’ll take it for you.”
So we were able to get a photo of us both with the officer.



We board our plane. It takes off and we head home. I don’t actually get to my front door until around 1:00 a.m., where two oldest boys and my husband are there to greet me with great big hugs.