A new first

We experienced a new first, yesterday. When your kids get older, the first become few and far between. So when you get to have one, it is exciting! 

We took Zack and Jesse to a movie! We've never done it before, as they never seemed really interested. But, Madagascar 2 came out over the weekend, and they loved the first one, so it seemed like a good one to try. I was worried that our attempt at getting into the movie was going to be an indication of how the movie itself was going to go.... 

We planned on attending the 1:00 show, so we went an hour early, as to assure we would get good seats, etc. I forgot my cell phone at home, which turned out to be a pain in the butt... I went into the theater to grab tickets, and found that there was a 12:30 show, so I figured why not! I ran outside and grabbed Tom and the boys. We went in and stood in line for 10 minutes, only to see a sign that said that the 12:30, 1:00, 1:30 shows were all sold out! Tom took the boys back to the truck and I stayed in line to buy tickets for the 3:30 show. I was next in line, and the cashier asked "everyone who is only buying tickets to please go to the kiosk in the back, so I can serve the people who are going to the movie right now." So I trudged back to the kiosk and waited another 10 minutes, while this clueless woman tried to navigate the easy to follow instructions.... she ended up storming out and swearing that the machine was broken. The man in front of me was able to get his tickets, so I stayed and waited my turn. I got my tickets picked and chose 2 concessions for us, and was about to hit CONFIRM when the lady who had been in the big line ahead of me ran over and grabbed my arm "There are still tickets for the 12:30 show, that sign was from yesterday." HA! So I hit cancel, apologized to the people waiting behind me, and got my tickets for the 12:30 show. (it was 12:15 at this time) And once again ran outside to get the boys (see how a cell would have been helpful!) The boys said "Mommy, what is going on? I am confused!" I said I am too... but just go with it. Tom took their tickets and took them to sit down, and I got back into the big line (which had grown exponentially since I had removed myself from it) I finally got to the counter and had to make 2 trips to the theather to drop off our snacks (I only have 2 hands!) 

I got in just as the movie was starting, gave the boys their little snack boxes (popcorn, a drink and a kinder egg) and they happily sat there the WHOLE time without moving, freaking out or asking to leave. Zack ate all of his popcorn, drank all of his iced tea, and finished his kinder egg chocolate. Jesse didn't eat all of his popcorn, as he was too engrossed with the movie to do much of anything. He unwrapped his kinder egg, and was eating the chocolate... and he grabbed a piece of the tinfoil and stuck it in his mouth (like I said, he was engrossed!) Tom was like NO! And grabbed it before he could finish eating it. 

They laughed, they clapped, they cheered, and had a great time. I'm glad we waited this long to go, as I think they may have been fussy if we had gone when they were younger. So now we have a great memory of their First Movie. 

Life is full of 'firsts'. And I am so lucky to have such a great family to experience them all with.

no pain, no gain

I am in such horrendous pain right now... MAN! I love volleyball :) 

We won our games, tonight... so next week, we move up one more tier. If we win next week, we move up again, thus moving our game the following week to my son's school! He would be so happy to see Mommy playing in his schools gym. 

So cross your fingers that we win - I'd love it for my boys to come and watch me slam-bang my body around, all in the spirit of the game :)

Halloween

I don't see the necessity in halloween... dress up and gather candy? Why? Who figured it would be a good idea to dress small children up in overly expensive ensembles and parade them around in the cold, at night, to strangers front doors? Any other day of the year we yell at our kids to 'not take candy from strangers... don't wear that mask, you won't be able to see where you are walking!... don't walk around in the dark... don't go to the neighbors unless you are invited... etc' So I can understand why it would be confusing to the kids to do this... but just this one night! It makes no sense to me... 

 Not to mention all of the morons that take it upon themselves to destroy things for no apparent reason. I mean yes, there are morons everywhere, and they will forever do what they can to ruin other peoples days... but why is it so important to make a big splash on this particular day? Is there some rule that states that on October 31st, you MUST be as stupid, irresponsible and thoughtless as is humanly possible? Stuff gets destroyed, kids get injured, things are stolen, lives are taken, and it makes no freaking sense to me. It is just another day, stuck in the midst of 364 others just like it. (but then I have some serious feelings about Valentines Day also... but that is another rant) 

People also decorate for Halloween, which I don't get. Why doesn't anyone go all ape-sh*t and decorate for Canada Day, or Labor Day (OMG, imagine the decorations that would be put up for that! yikes...) People's lawns are strewn with fake tomb stones and fake mummies. Their railings are strung with lights, spiders and cob webs (things we try to avoid every other day of the year... guess it gives unclean people the upper hand this time of the year! lol) There are hacked up pumpkins layed around with lit candles in them which is clearly a fire hazard any other day of the year, but is completely expected and condoned on this day.  

And the horror movies? WHY!?!!? Who could ever enjoy sitting there watching people get slashed to bits? Laughing burns calories and creates an overall good feeling? Why would anyone watch anything that doesn't make them giggle? SEE! I am clearly perplexed!!

People wear "masks" everyday. They pretend to be someone they aren't just to get through their days. So for them, maybe this time of the year is a nice break. I, personally, am the very same person 365 days a year. I am not a big candy eater, I don't see the point in dressing up, nor do I like the idea of my kids roaming the streets dressed like turtles, fetching candy from people I don't know, with all of those crazy morons running amok. But I guess right now, to my boys, this is just a chance to get a bunch of candy and dress like turtles. To them it is fun. But me in my cynical opinion, this is all unnecessary and superfluous. 

whoah

Sometimes you have good days... sometimes you have bad. Today would most certainly have fallen under the latter, and yet at the same time it wasn't all that horrible. 

First of all, I've had a bit of a tummy ache in the mornings, which makes things a bit slow going. *cranky bit #1* This morning was no exception. I got the boys ready and walked Zack to school. It was actually a really nice morning. By the time Jesse and I got home, my tummy was in need of nap. So I layed down while Jesse played his DS and watched cartoons in bed beside me. 

My Grandma arrived soon after, and we got busy with the task of preparing my potpourri for our Christmas show (which is at the end of November). Well, I ran out of my crystals and needed to run out. 

On the way to Canadian Tire, my windshield cracked! *cranky bit #2* I screamed at the top of my lungs and probably looked like a total lunatic to the people in the car beside me.  I called Tom to freak out (as he was supposed to be taking the truck in to have the chips repaired this summer), but he didn't answer. So I called his best friend (I really needed someone to yell at). So I hollered at him for a bit (and the poor sap listened like a champ) and ran into the store. I ran all over the store to find what I was looking for. I finally found it and grabbed a cart. As I threw 2 bags into the cart, the front wheel buckled in underneath, and shot the front end of the cart into a shelf... thus knocking a bunch of stuff onto the floor. *cranky bit #3* 

As the crap tumbled to the floor, I made a loud noise that could be construed as cursing and headed to the till. There was a woman ahead of me with $73 worth of stuff, and she payed for it all with CT money! *cranky bit #4* I stood there and watched the cashier count out $73 worth of 25 cent money.. I left the store and decided to run across the street and have an egg nog latte (the starbucks in my Safeway is illegaly making them already!!!!) and as I was trying to put the lid on, the cup folded in half and dumped scalding hot latte all over my hand. *cranky bit #5* 

I am sure I could carry on with my cranky bits, but I digress.... 

Even with all that ick, I still managed to make it through the day with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. Because even though that all happened, I still survived. And what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. And now I know that it is going to take a hell of a lot to knock me down :)

Flashback

Have you ever noticed how one memory can start a domino effect? I have been living such an effect for the last few weeks. 

It was Thanksgiving, and we decided that it might be fun to do an 80's movie marathon while we ate our dinner. So I went into my basement, and dug out all of my 80's movies. I brought them all upstairs and lined them up by my tv in a very nice display. I am rather proud of my collection - there are a lot of good movies there! 

My family came over for dinner, and started looking at them. And then it happened. My brothers and I started talking about the movies. They were amazed at some of the ones I had. Some of them, they had forgotten about. We started reminiscing about the times we remembered watching them. We laughed at how lame they all seemed now, but how much we loved them back then. 

We didn't have a lot of money when we were growing up, so we relied heavily on movies (and music) for our entertainment. We watched movies as a family on a regular basis. So when we started talking about the old ones I had, memories started drudging up. My youngest brother got so excited to see one of them, he actually brought his dinner downstairs and watched it all by himself. 

We grew attachments to these characters, movies and actors. We have very specific sentimental value to Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Kurt Russell, Martin Short, Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, John Candy, Steve Martin, etc. We don't just see them as old movies; we see them as part of our history.

So I've spent 2 weeks watching old movies, thinking about growing  up, and all of the stuff that has happened to shape my life.  I sat and watched the movies I know are dorky, but still hold close to my heart.  My family may be growing up, and getting farther apart each year, but no matter what happens I know that when I put in one of these movies, I will sit in my living room and laugh. And although I may be the only one actually there, my sister, brothers and my Mom will be right there beside me, laughing along in spirit. And that will keep a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart that only those people, and these flashbacks, can bring. 

volleyball, again

I had volleyball again last night. I really didn't feel like going - yesterday kind of sucked! I felt all sad and blue, and so very lonely. The last thing I wanted was to go hang out with strangers and make myself even more vulnerable. 

But I did, and I'm glad! I had a great time. I didn't play as much as last time (we only subbed the setters this time for some reason...) but I still had fun. 

I remembered to wear a tank top under my shirt, so there was no flashing. And I wore a sports bra, so there was more coverage :) Oh yes, and I also had my new Nike knee pads on, which helped a lot with the diving and digging. Although I noticed something; I seemed to be more aggressive last time, when I was without knee padding. Odd, I think! 

Nothing too exciting happened. I did manage to spike a ball (and get the point) with my left hand, which I was super happy about. We won both of our games last night! (which worked out to be 4 matches against 2 teams) So next week we move up one tier. Hopefully we can step up our game, and continue to advance. But I guess we'll see what the future holds for GNO!!! 

At the very least, we are all having a really good time :)

dreams

Everyone has dreams. When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a lawyer or a plastic surgeon. I loved the idea of arguing for a living (guess I would have been a litigator) or sucking fat out of people. (I know, strange, right!) Other than the crazy, uber expensive and hideously lengthly educations that would be required for those to be a part of my life, there have been 2 constants. 1. I dreamt of running in the Olympics. And you know what? I actually had the chance at one point in my life. Unfortunately, laziness got the better of me, and I let that part of my life pass me by. 2. I wanted to be a writer! I always dreamt of seeing my name in print on the front of a novel. I dreamt of holding a manuscript in my hands, and typing out the perfect dedication. That is something I still would like to accomplish, but I don't know if I have it in me. 

Writing is very personal. It is like exposing part of your soul onto paper. It opens up your mind and lets other people into your world. 

Running in the Olympics is also very personal. It is also exposing your soul, but it is in front of millions of people. It may only be a few seconds, but it will last forever. Only lasting 11 seconds per heat, plus also the finals (granted I even made it), but played forever in your mind, and the minds of craploads of friends, family and strangers. 

Both of those things are incredibly personal, and scary. Accomplishing them would make me feel on top of the world. But for now, they are safely tucked away in the corners of my mind... cuz after all, that is where dreams live, right?