Saturday, June 30, 2007

Not again...

I was there nine months ago (see September and October archives for details), and I can tell you how lacklustre the security at that airport is. Unlike Pearson International Airport, Glasgow International Airport is tiny and you can drive right up to the door. Granted, you can do the same with Pearson, but the ticket counters are farther away from the door...at Glasgow International, you walk through the door and the counters are *right there*. Had the car bomb been bigger, there would have been mass casualties. Thankfully, this was not the case.

Josh's uncle and a married aunt still live in Glasgow, and as a matter of fact, his uncle is coming to visit next week. Now with this terrorist attack (though it hasn't been proven to be one as yet), we don't know if this will change his plans. I guess time will tell...

Friday, June 29, 2007

It couldn't hurt...

For those of you that remember this post, I decided to send in the following complaint to Canada Post...

To Whom It May Concern:

On May 25 I mailed a registered letter to New Zealand. The only reason that I sent the item registered was so I could track it online. The item number is RW 148 926 082 CA and it has been saying that it was en route for several weeks.

I got an email a couple of weeks ago from the person I mailed it to, saying that she was in receipt of the item, yet your site still says it's on its way.

I find it completely unacceptable that you allow packages to be tracked on your site, but when customers use the service, it does not update online. What is the purpose of sending items registered then? Had I known that the site would not be updated, I would not have sent it registered and I would have saved my money. I would appreciate a response to this.

Thank you.


I don't really anticipate a response to this, but I felt I should do *something* about it. Granted, sending items registered isn't a King's ransom, but it's the principle of the matter...

How to frustrate a cat...

















I don't know how many of you know about I can has cheezburger...but I just found it today (and added it to my Bloglines). Enjoy!

I'm losing my mind... ***UPDATE***

I started being a bitch (about getting my results from the MRI) last Friday and left a few messages and I also got my family doctor involved. I called up my family doctor's nurse/secretary on Wednesday, asking if they got a copy of the MRI results, and she said 'no', but said that the rheumatologist could fax it to her. I called the rhuematologist's office, left a message with my family doctor's fax number and phone number...to no avail. Over the past few days I probably left anywhere between 6-9 messages. I even had my FIL call the office (since he was the one who referred me) and ask the doctor to give him a call, and that too, went unanswered.

I got a hold of her on Wednesday (after doing call blocking) and she said that the MRI was ok and there was nothing to worry about, but the doctor wanted to see me on Friday. Umm, if nothing is wrong, why would he want to see me?

I went to the rheumatologist's office today to get results of my MRI. Since I had to wait for the appointment, as he was running behind, I decided to call the office with call blocking on. Guess what? The phone didn't ring. The bitch has the ringer turned off so it doesn't bother her...umm, what exactly does she DO there?

First thing's first...everything is fine.

Now for the bizarre thing...

He said the only thing that showed up on the MRI was an "old knee injury from 2001". There are a few things wrong with that statement:

1) I don't remember injuring my knee
2) I don't remember seeing him in 2001

I told him this and he showed me the referral note from that time. He also told me that I went for physiotherapy at the time too...I'm truly stumped. I know, this probably makes me sound really crazy, but I don't recall ANY of this.

The only time that I EVER remember going for physio was for my TMJ.

He told me that I need orthotics for my high arch, but this pain may still pop up every so often. Apparently it's referred pain from the knee injury. *shrug*

As I was leaving, I asked if he had sent a copy of the MRI results to my family doctor, and he told me "your doctor should call up the X-ray department and get a copy from them." I asked "can't your secretary simply fax them a copy?" He said "that's not her job". I'll ask again...what does she DO for him, then? ;)

***Doris, no, she doesn't snap her gum and file her nails...she probably can't multi-task.

Heather, the file WAS mine...he even had the original handwritten note from my FIL who referred me last time. Problem is, every family member I've talked to (including my FIL) has no recollection of any of this. *insert Twilight Zone music here*

Amy, Janet and Jill...yes, yes I am and the situation is.***

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Know of any 12-step programs?!

69%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle2 - Online Dating

Three strikes and we're out...

Last night our real estate agent took us out to see three more hovels lovely abodes.

HOUSE #1

The first one had REAL promise, the kitchen was magnificent. That has been one of the problems we've been finding in the houses that we're looking at...everything is perfect and then the kitchen is too small. I know, I know, we're picky, but when you have a kosher kitchen (ie., two sets of dishes, pots, pans - one for milk, one for meat...and never the twain shall meet), the space in the kitchen becomes REALLY important. Anyways, we were starting to get really excited about the house...until we went into the depths of the basement. UGH!

There was a second kitchen in the basement and the entire floor was carpeted which just kind of grossed me out. Who carpets a kitchen? Seriously. The basement was really tiny and the rooms were separated in an odd way...probably because they had two tenants living there. I'm not a fan of houses that already have tenants living there, I don't want to have to evict someone. I know, it would be our house and our decision, but what if they don't take the news well?

We then went up to the second floor, even though we both said 'no' at that point...just to see what we were 'giving up'. The master bedroom was probably ok, but it might be a bit tricky getting all our stuff in there. We always bring a tape measurer to any showing, but we didn't bother to measure this room because it wasn't going to go anywhere.

Oh, and by the way, when you're showing a house...shouldn't the people living in the house be either a) absent or b) there, but not tracing our steps or c)wearing shirts? *twitch*

HOUSE #2

Our agent walked through the front door, or at least attempted to. When he went to open the door, we were greeted with several large drop cloths covering the entryway. Apparently the house wasn't ready for showing as there were workmen finishing the stucco ceiling in the front hall. The workman that approached the door told him 'don't push the door or the ceiling will come down'. He told us to come back in 15 minutes and they would be done. Nope, not gonna happen. As we drove up to the house I noticed that several shingles were coming away from the roof that was "newly done in 2005". That did NOT look like a 2005 roof...and I know nothing about roofs. Whatever.

Umm, if the house isn't ready for a showing, don't make the appointment. This wasn't the fault of our agent, obviously, but sheesh.

HOUSE #3

We walked in and immediately walked out. The house itself may have been very nice, but I think my desk at work was larger than the kitchen counter...and that's saying something.

So our search continues for another week. We have another appointment with him on Tuesday...

Oh, by the way, why do people not turn on their air conditioning during a showing? Especially on days when it's 40 celsius (over 100 fahrenheit)? Don't you want the house to be nice and comfortable and prove that your air conditioning works?!

By the way, the g-d awful house I mentioned in a previous post has sold.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Stupidity... ***UPDATE***

Last night when I was over at my brother and sister-in-law's, my brother told me how Z's day was (since it was the first time back with his fracture). When my brother took him to his class, he wanted to make sure that Z was settled and that everything was ok. The first thing out of his teacher's mouth was 'Is that cast real?'

Umm...

Yeah...

The teacher knew that they were taking him for X-rays on Friday. The teacher knew that it was fairly serious. Why, oh why, would she ask that? She wasn't asking in a shocked kind of way...more of an accusatory tone. Did she really think that my brother and sister-in-law would put a cast on him for shits and giggles? Did she think they had it put on for sympathy so she would pass him, since report cards are around the corner? Did she think he had answers to the next math test written on it (like he's going to write on it...2+2=4)?

Stoooooopid.

***Kathy, granted there are some 'interesting' people out there who would take advantage (and yes, I knew about sites that used to post notes from parents...I used to bring excerpts in when I was going through for my teaching degree...always a fun read on a Friday afternoon) ;)

Though as a teacher, if a child who you knew hurt themselves (like the child you mentioned on your blog a few weeks ago), would you really question the parents and think they were 'faking' it ?***

Now be honest...who can relate?

I *love* Canada Post...

Excuse me while I go and giggle...

Ok, I'm back. At the end of May I ordered something off of someone's blog which is SO unlike me for a few reasons:

1) I *never* buy things online (I can almost hear C.J. gasp from here)
2) I bought something for "Little Maple" (yeah, yeah, I know I said I wouldn't be doing that, but I weakened...so shoot me).
3) I bought something online from a complete stranger in New Zealand

Anyone that knows me or has followed the blog for any amount of time knows how much I treasure my 'anonymity', so for me to do something like that is a bit shocking.

Long story short, I had to send a money order to NZ and I called up a untrained chimp clerk at the bank to find out if they did the money order and how much it would cost. The person who I called ended up putting me on hold for a good 10 minutes and I decided it would probably be faster to go into the bank than continue waiting on the phone. I went in, got up to the teller and he said it was 'no problem' and within five minutes I was out of the bank.

Anyways, getting back to why I love Canada Post...

I sent the money order (registered) to her on May 25th, just so I had the opportunity to track it, and the knowledge that it would get there...eventually. I wanted that bit of comfort so I could email her and say 'the package is on it's way', or 'it's now in New Zealand, and you should get it any day now...' That's good in theory, isn't it?

Well, every couple of days I went to the Canada Post site and typed in the tracking code (RW 148 926 082 CA) and waited for it to say 'arrived in New Zealand' or 'arrived at destination'. About two weeks ago I got an email from the woman, thanking me for the note and money order and she was working on the item in question. Buh!?

I went to the Canada Post site and it still said "International item has left Canada and is en route to destination." It's now been two weeks since she's had the envelope in her hands...and it STILL says that.

Remind me not to use registered mail again. :P

Once I get the item in the mail, I'll post a picture of it, then it's going into the depths of Narnia...err, I mean, the cedar closet, until referral. ;)

Monday, June 25, 2007

What time is it, Mr. Wolf?!

Last night I got a call from my mom, and the first words out of her mouth were 'Well, I now know why you went to go visit with Z on Saturday!' Apparently my brother (AKA Ugly) decided to tell her about Z's buckle fracture. She was upset, of course, but she was a lot more calm than I thought she would be.

Tonight, Josh and I went over to my brother and sister-in-law's for a BBQ to celebrate my mom's birthday...a day late. Z was cute...when my mom walked through the door he hid his arm behind his back and told my mom "I don't want you to cry if you see it." Smart kid!

While we were eating dinner, my mom asked Z if he took gym at school today or if he sat out. He told her 'I participated', and she got a worried look on her face. I guess she thought that he was playing a rough and tumble sport of some kind. She asked him what he did in gym class and he told her that they played 'What time is it, Mr. Wolf?' Apparently she had never heard of the game or was playing dumb, so she asked him how he plays it.

He told her that one person is 'Mr. Wolf' and stands over at the far end of the gym, and he turns his back to everyone. Then, all the kids shout out 'What time is it, Mr. Wolf?' and he/she will say it's X o'clock and they have to take as many steps as X is. My mom then asked him 'how long do you play until?' (fully expecting him to say something like 'we play until the first kid reaches 'Mr. Wolf'). He looked at her and said 'we play until the lunch bell rings'. We all had the biggest laugh...ever.

Birthday alert...WHOOP WHOOP...

















Is it just me, or is someone ELSE supposed to jump out of a cake on your birthday? Nope, not for Sen's birthday, she likes to take charge and jump out of her own...

Go to her blog and wish her a happy birthday! Go! GO NOW! Even if you already have, do it again! (When you get to her age, you get a little 'forgetful'). ;)

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Poor Z! ***UPDATE***

As some of you know, I've gotten onto Facebook recently. Anyways, I checked out my SIL's profile on Thursday and she mentioned on there about how excited she was about going to the Stevie Nicks concert that night. Later that evening, she had another blurb that she was NOT going. I had a feeling that something was wrong...ever get those feelings...almost like a premonition?

I called her up after 10:00pm and asked her what was wrong and she told me "Z's fine, but he has a buckle fracture on his left forearm". ACK! They're not exactly sure what happened, but he says that he fell in the library on Wednesday (I think), and then he fell again on Thursday off the monkey bars. He claims that he tripped over his feet in the library and just jumped the wrong way off the monkey bars. The teacher, however, claims that he was trying to jump down the stairs on the way to/from the library...somewhere in the middle is where the truth lies.

They took him to get it X-rayed on Thursday after school because he was complaining a little bit about it. They wanted to get it done 'just in case'. The X-ray confirmed the fracture and he went to the hospital to have it put in a cast. They went to one hospital, but were told they would have to wait a minimum of three to four hours before Z was seen. My SIL thought that was lunacy (it was), and decided instead to take him to another hospital nearby and he was seen and had the cast on in about an hour.

He's a brave little boy and he doesn't appear to be in too much pain. My SIL told me that every doctor he saw, and when he had his X-ray done, he had one VITAL question to ask. "Can I still play my video games?!" He's such a little bum. :P

Anyways, all weekend I've been having horrible migraines, but I really wanted to see Z yesterday, so I took my strong meds (so far I've taken three of them since Friday afternoon...ugh) and moved my ass. Of course, before I went to see him, I had to go to Toys R Us and pick him up some jigsaw puzzles to do. He LOVES jigsaw puzzles and since he's right handed, I figured he wouldn't have any trouble doing them. I picked up four puzzles...and there was a bit of a bonus because one of the puzzle boxes had three puzzles in them. Woo. He can do puzzles with 100+ pieces in them now, though sometimes he needs a little help.

I spent the afternoon with Z, and Josh came over later in the afternoon. We had dinner over there and I helped him put his puzzles together. The only problem though...

...my mom knows NOTHING about this and she's going to FREAK when she finds out that Z has a fractured arm. I SO don't envy Ugly and my SIL. To add to their joy of telling my mom...it's her birthday today. ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

If you hear yelling and screaming in Thornhill, be afraid...be very afraid...

We're all getting together tomorrow for her birthday, and their original plan was to not say anything and just have Z show her his arm when she walks in. (I talked them out of that idea). Now they're thinking of just waiting until sometime tomorrow to tell her since they don't want to 'ruin' her birthday since she went away for the weekend. I have a feeling though, when they call her up to wish her a happy birthday, that Z's going to say "guess what?" and tell her. No matter when or where they tell her, it's not going to end well. I know, boys will be boys, and all that...but she's going to go ape regardless.

***Connie, granted it's a good thing that the 'worst' part is going to be my mom's reaction...but once you experience Jewish guilt, trust me (and it doesn't matter whether it was an accident or not)...it's not going to end well for anyone. ;)

It has to suck that it happened right before summer break. That means until the cast comes off, no sports, no swimming, etc. Poor Z. Of course, with his fracture, that means the end of his soccer season, and it only started a few weeks ago...and he was enjoying it. He was really going after the ball, unlike last year, when he was more interested in picking flowers, waving at everyone on the sidelines (I mean his fanclub) and talking to his friends.

Hopefully he'll have an appointment with the specialist sometime this week...I'll keep you all posted.***

Friday, June 22, 2007

One of these things is not like the other...***UPDATE***

Ok, boys and girls, before I continue with this post, can I please get a collective EWWW?

I'll wait...I can't be the only one utterly repulsed by what I found out this evening.

Now back to the story...

Every week or so, I do a Technorati search on my own blog, just to see who is linking to it. I know, it probably seems a bit odd, but sometimes it's interesting...sometimes I really regret doing it. Well, this is one of those times.

I won't publicly say where it's linked (I don't want anymore unwanted attention), however, if you follow this link and scroll down to where it says "blog reactions", you'll notice that one of the sites isn't an adoption site. Go on, I dare you to hover your mouse over the link...

I don't know whether to go throw up or cry.

***When you go to the Technorati site, DO NOT click on the actual link when you find what I'm talking about...it is NOT work-safe. The link I left on this post, however, is fine.***

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Check this out!

Some of you may already know that my brother-in-law works as a journalist in New York (and for those of you that don't know that...well, he does). He used to be the bureau chief for Star Magazine, and now works for VH1.

Long story short, he's started his own website (in the same spirit as Perez Hilton). My BIL's site is Page Sizzler, please take a moment and check it out! If you like the site, feel free to mention it on your blog and get more people to visit. :)

WOO!

April is out of the review room! It's about bloody time...now we're just a few months away from being in there ourselves. :)

I also noticed that today I passed 16,000 hits on the blog. Thanks for taking the time to follow my blatherings over the past 11 months. Yup, the blog is 11 months 'old' today...and this is my 388th post. Sheesh.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy...

As many of you know, Josh and I have been looking for a house for a LONG while. Every few days or so, we get a call from our agent who takes us out to look at various properties. Yesterday he sent us a listing for a house that looked really promising, so we made arrangements to go out today and look at it. Though, when we really looked at the listing, we noticed that the price seemed too good to be true, but ventured out anyways.

When he handed us the listing off the MLS website, I noticed that where it usually says the owners name, it had the name of a trust company. I asked him about it and he said that wasn't really that odd. Umm, ok.

Over the past couple of years, we've seen everything...and I do mean EVERYTHING. Well, today took the cake. Hell, it took the whole damn bakery.

We had seen houses on the street before, but with a previous agent. When we drove towards the house, not only did we see a big garbage bin (you know, one of those industrial sized ones you'd see at a construction site), but a letter on the front door from the sheriff. Apparently they hadn't paid their taxes or mortgage payments and the house was repossessed (or whatever you call it when you default on a payment).

Josh and I just sort of looked at each other, mouths agape. Ok, people have their problems, life kicks you in the teeth from time to time, I get it...but it was a bit of a shock to see that on the door.

We walked through the front door and it looked like the house from the Amityville Horror movie. Seriously.

A child had drawn on the walls, not just a little scribble here or there, but EVERYWHERE...in the den, in the kitchen, in the living room and in the dining room. I had my doubts that it was actually a child that did it, as it seemed to be 'adult height'. When we walked through the kitchen, we noticed that there was a piece missing from the counter top. Well, not so much a 'piece' but it looked like what can only be described as a 'bite'. I looked around a bit more and I said 'Josh, we've been here before' (before the aforementioned 'decor changes'), but Josh just said 'oh all the houses on this street look alike'. I let him believe that and we continued our tour of the demonic palace...

We wanted to check out the downstairs, but none of the light switches would turn on at the top of the stairs. We sent our agent down the stairs, since he still believed he had a shot at selling it...even though I said loudly to Josh 'we can look, but we're not interested.'

The agent went downstairs, found a light switch and turned it on. I again told Josh that we had been in the house before, and he shushed me and looked around the basement. I don't know if they had been raising monkeys in the basement or not, but there was a certain piquant aroma emanating from there. We again looked around and saw that there was a part of the baseboard missing from the wall and what can only be described as creeping black mold oozing. Tasty.

Josh then looked around and said 'Hey, Rhonda, we've been here before!' I felt like muttering 'no shit Sherlock', but I held back...

Since we were already in the hellhole lovely abode, we decided to go upstairs and look around. I swear, every room was more hideous than the last...not to mention that all the bedroom doors had been decorated in the latest Dora the Explorer sticker arrangements. There were so many of them, I swear one of them winked at me...

The agent, as we were leaving, said 'well, it's a umm, fixer-upper' and laughed...really that's all any of us could do at that point.

The surprising thing is, the house already has two offers on it...OY!

Why didn't I say something?

Last month I posted this about Facebook. Well, the other day I was contacted by someone I went to high school with. I had originally registered on Facebook under my married name and I naively believed that nobody would figure out who I was because of that. Well, the other day, I was contacted by an old friend from high school who I lost contact with. Since then, I've changed my account to include my maiden name and married name.

She sent me some messages, and I responded in kind. The inevitable question of do you have kids? came up and I answered no. Which, yes, is true at the present moment in time, but I didn't bring up the topic that we're adopting. I feel kind of weird that I didn't say something. If I were pregnant I most certainly would have said something, but for some reason, I just stayed silent on the topic. In a way, I kind of feel that I 'betrayed' our (future) child by not excitingly saying "YES! We're adopting from China!"

*sigh*

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

You make me sick!

I took Josh out for dinner last night at the ever-so-descriptive "Place for Steak and Seafood". Yup, that's what the restaurant is actually called. Despite it's lacklustre name, the food is AMAZING.

We both had steak (sorry Kathy) and it was really good. We ended up sitting in the restaurant for a couple of hours and enjoyed each other's company, and then we went for a long hobble walk afterwards.








On the way home we had to go to the convenience store and pick up some milk and a few odds and ends. As we were getting back into the car, a woman, walking with a rollator, stopped and mumbled something to Josh. I thought that she was asking for directions, so I walked closer to her and she yelled 'YOU MAKE ME SICK!'

Umm, happy birthday?

Monday, June 18, 2007

Happy birthday, Josh!

Ever have days like this?

Before you ask, no, I didn't bake the cake, I found the image online. I didn't get him a birthday cake, nor did I get him something as thoughful as what Heather's husband, John, wanted for his birthday. Oh no. For Josh's birthday I'm taking him to a concert.

Not just any concert, but the Weird Al Yankovic concert in July. My Josh has simple needs...make him laugh and he's a happy boy. :)

Happy Birthday to my best friend and father to our 'future' daughter...

New ticker...

Look at the top and you'll see my new 'ticker'. I figured that with the wait time we have left, it's more than 'appropriate'. ;)

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day, Ugly!

Today, Josh and I went over to my brother (AKA Ugly) and sister-in-law's house to celebrate Father's Day. We had a BBQ over at their place. We all had a great time, sitting around and talking. Of course the topic of the adoption came up, and the time line.

I tried not to focus on it too much, but that never works out, so instead I spent some good quality time with my nephew Z, building puzzles. He's now up to doing 100+ piece puzzles pretty much on his own. He just needs a little bit of encouragement and a reminder to find all the 'edge' pieces first, but once he gets going, he's unstoppable. :P

While we were eating, my brother reminded me of something. He recounted the story of how I got the scar on my pinky. I wasn't playing with the hacksaw...he wanted to cut a piece of paper so he had me hold the paper and he used the garden shears. (Somehow, I don't think that makes things 'better') :P

Fun in Fort Erie (part three)

As we were leaving the restaurant, we noticed a cabinet that had several different Chinese items. There were slippers, tea sets, etc., but what really caught my eye was a set of keychains that were on display.

We talked to the manager and she mentioned that her father had just returned from Beijing and brought back the keychains and she was selling them for $10.00 each. They were in their original packaging and had a price of 48 Yuan (which is approximately C$7.00). I jumped at the chance to have something authentic from the Beijing Olympics and I ended up buying one and Josh bought another.


After our walk along the Niagara River, I went back in and bought another two keychains. I'm not sure if it was Dolores or Nic that bought the other one, but I'm going to try to find the last one so I can have a complete set. I'm sure I can find it around town. :)


Fun in Fort Erie (part two)

Soon after we were seated, Kim and Don showed up. Nic had told me a little about them, and how they're adopting their son, D, from the Ukraine. In fact, they leave in a little under a month to go and get him!

Prior to meeting Kim and Don, Nic had mentioned that Don was a sailor. Well, Josh and I were both thinking she meant that he was in the Navy, so Josh (who is into naval pursuits because of his job) started asking him all sorts of questions about what ship he serves on, where he's stationed, etc...only to be told that he has a 30 foot boat. He sails...he's not a sailor. Oops.

We finally got around to looking at the menu and we each ordered a dish (or two) and oh...my...g-d was it GOOD. I'm not one to throw around compliments, but WOW. We're definitely going to have to go back there!

Nic got us a little pressie for "Little Maple", it's the cutest little bib that says "Kosher for Passover". After oohing and aahing over it, I gave it back to her to hold on to it for us. (She knows that we're not getting anything for our daughter prior to referral, so she has a box at home that she's labelled her "Rhonda box" and puts things in it for us). She's too sweet. :)

After dinner, we walked by the Niagara River, talked some more and made plans (and look forward to) seeing each other again in a few weeks. We're such social butterflies. ;)

Fun in Fort Erie (part one)

Nic emailed me last week or so and told me about a Chinese restaurant that she had heard about and invited Dolores and Shawn, her friends Kim (who she works with) and Don, and Josh and I to get together for dinner last night. We had planned to meet for dinner at 6:00, so Josh and I got in the car at around 1:00, with the full intention of going to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake since we were going to be there early. Well, plans don't always work out the way you want them to...

Since I hadn't had lunch and we were stuck in some nasty traffic around Oakville (it's always bad at that point), we ended up stopping along the way to get something to eat. After that, it was closing in on 3:30 so we decided since we had about an hour more to drive, we ended up just heading into Fort Erie and explore the bustling metropolis. *snort*

I swear it looked like a bomb hit the 'downtown core' (if you can call it that). It looked like every business that existed there had been shut down and/or boarded up. I gather that the area had become depressed as most businesses would have moved to Niagara Falls or Niagara-on-the-Lake...but this was *sad*. The only place that was open was the convenience store.

I do wish I had brought my camera, we passed a few store-front businesses whose names made Josh and I giggle. I'm not sure if they were legitimately funny or we were just giggling because we were hot. There was the lawyer named Paul H. Ennis (and I just HAVE to know what his email address is), give yourself a minute and think about that one. After that we passed Crawford, Smith and Swallow - Chartered Accountants, and then Rasch and Chambers - Land Surveyors.

We then decided to walk along the waterfront and enjoy the spectacular view. We did some people watching and sat while this gentleman attempted to fish. I say, attempt, because the only thing he was catching was seaweed...and I'm sorry, but roly-poly men with more back fat than belly fat, should NOT go topless. I repeat, they SHOULD NOT GO TOPLESS!

We tried to put that image out of our minds while we watched the water and the boats go by and we waited for the others to show up. Dolores and Shawn got there first, soon followed by Nic and Tim. We went into the restaurant and waited for Kim and Don...

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Now hiring...

Wouldn't that be a better ad for a proctologist? At least they got the 'apply within' part down...pat.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Did anyone else feel like this?

So, tonight is our 9 month LIDiversary. On the one hand, I'm happy...after all, we're nine months closer to "Little Maple".

On the other hand, it's bringing up a bit of the feelings I had around my infertility. Yes, we're nine months in...but something should 'happen' at nine months. I know, I need to get out of that mindset, but tonight is the first time during the entire process that I'm feeling it.

I guess I just need to vent a little tonight and get this out, perhaps after I hit 'publish post' I'll feel a little better...perhaps not.

More answers

Hi all,

Donna here. OK, let me clarify that the other night at the meeting when I introduced you guys as the "troublemakers", I meant that in the nicest way! *grin* I think you guys are alot of fun - not that I know you all that well, but I can just tell. Your group reminds me of MY "group", some of whom we ended up travelling to China with, and became known as the "riff-raff at the back of the bus" (which is where we always sat because of course everyone knows that the most fun to be had is at the back of the bus)!!

Anyways........

"Secret Agent" - let me also clarify that I did NOT say, "it's 3 yrs or go elsewhere". I would never say that. We were having a conversation about the wait time for China, and the possibility of other options. Some families just can't take the wait anymore, and are considering other countries. It's always a very personal choice. We would never say to someone (essentially), "take it or leave it". There are quite a few of us on staff who are adoptive parents - we know all too well the emotions and stresses that are involved in building your family through adoption.

Someone else asked what we do about rumours. Well, we typically don't really pay attention to rumours to be honest. Mostly because we usually have the information direct from the horse's mouth to begin with anyways (horse's mouth being the CCAA in this case). We're in constant communication with the CCAA. Our staff person has a very good relationship with the Director, and they communicate by phone pretty much every week. If something is brought to our attention from a waiting family that we hadn't heard of, we ask the CCAA to confirm. Again, speaking just for our agency (but I hope this would go for ALL agencies), we would NEVER give any information "officially", if we hadn't confirmed it with the CCAA first. We also never "sit" on anything! It doesn't serve us any purpose whatsoever to keep information from families. Again, since alot of us on staff are adoptive parents, and our Director is an adoptee herself, we know first-hand the need to have information. Whenever we know something, we communicate it.....good or bad.

For those who were at our chat night the other night.....a question came up wondering why you can't foster a child while being in process to adopt. The answer I rec'd actually makes perfect sense. Again, it's all in the best interests of the child. Children in foster care already have too many placements. If you have a foster child in your home, and then change your mind about fostering once you receive your own child, what happens to that foster child?? Or what if you receive a foster child just weeks before receiving your own child?? That wouldn't be in the best interest of anyone involved.

Re: Taiwan. Ende looked into this a few years ago. China will not work with us if we have a licence for Taiwan.

I didn't forget about the SA question or the question about why you can't be in process for 2 int'l adoptions at the same time. I'm waiting for a response.

Hope everyone is staying cool - it's HOT out there!

Donna

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

CB Parents-in-waiting

Last night Josh and I went to an agency meeting specifically geared towards waiting parents and how to deal with this ever-increasing wait.

The room was set up with a circle of chairs, we all sat down, went around and introduced ourselves one by one. We each stated our names, the country we were adopting from and the group number (if applicable). When Donna got to Michelle and Mark, myself and Josh, Dolores and Shawn, and Paula, she made special notice of us and introduced us as the 'bad crowd/troublemakers'. ;)

The topics covered included:

1. If we're allowed to do a dual adoption. Yes, we are allowed to, but it has to be a domestic adoption.

2. How long will the wait be? It *should* be about three years from LID, but of course, nothing is set in stone.

3. Do our documents expire? No.

4. Since our passports are going to expire in May 2010 (and for the adoption they have to be valid for six months beyond that), I asked what happens if we have to renew them. Apparently it's ok to renew them and that doesn't affect anything with the CCAA.

There were other topics, but those were the main ones that I recall...


Some of the suggestions were:

1. Get connected with the 'bad crowd' (aka fellow bloggers).

2. Investigate other countries (if the wait is too long for you) or domestic adoption if you can.

3. Go to seminars/meetings (not necessarily put on by the agency) and get out there, mingle, and soak up as much information as possible prior to referral.

After the meeting, Senja joined Michelle and Mark, Dolores and Shawn, Josh and I for coffee and dessert at the Sierra Grill. We went in, pissed off the greeter by walking in as a group of seven - half an hour before closing time. Oops. It's not like they were going to turn our business away, nor were they going to kick us out. :P

We sat around and talked for a good hour about adoption, allergies, shopping and Macy's and just enjoyed each other's company. A good time was had by all!

I've fallen behind on my tags... ***UPDATE***

I got tagged again! Ack!

Little Miss Ladybird and Nic tagged me and I have to list 8 facts/habits, then four things I learned in the past four years, and finally I have to list four new things I want to try in the next four years. Whew.

8 facts/habits:

1. I don't drive, though I should rectify that before we bring "Little Maple" home.

2. I don't cook, though I can boil a MEAN pot of water. Well, that's not exactly true, I do a few dishes, but for the majority Josh spoils me with his cooking expertise. :)

3. I spend WAY too much time on the computer per day...

4. I'm addicted to Tim Horton's iced cappucino but I think I have some company in that department. While not particularly good for the diet, I...just...can't...stop...drinking...them.

5. I've got a scar on my pinky from when my brother (HI UGLY!) babysat me. He decided that it was a good idea to let me play in the tool room with a hacksaw. Double points on that one. ;)

6. I was terrible at science when I was in high school and got 70% in it in grade 10 (well, 70% if you added up both terms), though that might have something to do with the fact that the teacher was an alcoholic. He used to walk into class, reeking of alcohol at 9:00am. I remember during exam week he showed up, handed out the test papers and said he had to run down the hall to do some "photocopying" and then he came back over an hour later...smelling of alcohol and no photocopies in his hands.

7. To go with Ladybird's theme, I also went to the same high school as someone 'famous'. Two of the members of Rush went to my high school, though obviously not at the same time as me...

8. I drive Josh absolutely crazy with my karaoke singing in the car when we take any kind of road trip.

Four things I learned:

1. Over the past year Josh and I have learned that we have found the best friends in the 'blogosphere'. While I've been communicating with lots of people over the years online, Nic and Tim were actually the first I had ever met in person...not to mention all the others we have met since then. It's amazing how our ring of great friends has grown since then...

2. I've learned to give up a good chunk of control as far as the adoption goes (not that we have all that much control over the situation anyways). It's going to happen when it happens and I've learned to accept that.

3. I've learned to let things go, especially toxic situations and powertripping people. I won't go into details, but adoption is tough enough without getting into situations like that. :)

4. I've rediscovered my love of latch hooking...and I'll eventually have to make something for "Little Maple's" room.

Four things I want to try:

1. Be a mom.

2. Be a mom.

3. Be a mom.

4. Last, but not least, be a mom. :)

Oh, and if you're reading this, you're tagged too...

***Fine, be that way, Heather, I tag you! :P***

Monday, June 11, 2007

One more thing.....

Sorry, I forgot to comment on the "Pay to View" section of the CCAA's website.

CB DOES have access to this, as do many other agencies. It's apparently still in the trial phase though, and there's more functions involved that they still have to develop. It's basically a way to send new files to the CCAA to save some time (it's NOT applicable to files that are already registered with the CCAA). Right now, there really isn't a whole lot of information to be gained faster by using this; mostly just LID's.

Donna

Happy Monday....

Hi all (Donna here),

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend! If you'd like to see pic's from my weekend, I just noticed that my blog can be accessed by going to Rhonda's profile, and then clicking on my name under "team member". I'm still learning all about this blogging stuff!! *grin*

To clarify my post about switching to the Waiting Children's Program. You CAN "switch" to the program, in a manner of speaking. I'm sorry I wasn't clear - I was rushing through my post and didn't word it well.

You would have to actually pull your file from the CCAA and basically start over. This is the CCAA's rule because they were finding that too many families were looking at it as a way to "fast track" their file, without thinking down the road of having to actually parent a child with special needs. While alot of the "needs" are minor and correctible, there are still surgeries and therapies to deal with too.

This has obviously solved the issue of families looking for a "fast track". As it should be, this is all in the best interests of the CHILD.

We have had some families decide to go this route. While it hasn't really made the process that much shorter for them, it has taken a few mths maybe, off of their wait. Again, just speaking for CB, families would have to go through a screening process first, to ensure that they have the appropriate resources/medical facilities available nearby, and are ready and able to parent a SN child. Then you would have a new retainer agreement, new fees, new medicals, etc.

I hope that helps to clarify! Sorry for the confusion guys.

Why can't you do 2 international adoptions at the same time? Well, I'm not positive on this, but my best guess is that there is just too much instability with the wait times for international adoption. What if you rec'd 2 referrals at the same time, or too close to each other? Yikes!! (read previous post). I will find out a definite answer for you though.

Someone asked..... "Why can't we just "give each child the opportunity to be in a loving, nurturing home? Why can't we fight for the kids to grow up strong instead of spending time fighting red tape? " If I understand correctly, this was in response to wondering why families can't "switch to SN"?? Please correct me if I misunderstood. If this IS what you were referring to, please see above.

Why are the children so young at referral right now? To be honest, I haven't really been paying attention to that. **sheepish grin** I honestly don't think there's any rhyme or reason to it (we haven't rec'd any communication about it anyways). The children who are available for adoption, are the children who are referred. This is just the way it goes....sometimes the children referred from China are really young, sometimes they're older....no reason, just is.

As for the South Africa program opening in other provinces.....no idea. I'll have to get back to you on that one. I DO know that the reason some other programs are not available in other provinces is because the specific country will not allow referrals to be sent there (mostly because of the lack of cultural resources available for the children). I'm not sure if this is the case with SA though - I'll check into it.

Enjoy your day....I'll see some of you tonight!!

Donna

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Suck it up, buttercup...

I simply had to steal borrow Kathy's phrase from this past week to describe my 'fun' little jaunt today to have an MRI. For those of you that follow this blog, you know that I've been having some ankle pain for the past four or five months.

Last month I had a bone scan on my ankle to see why I'm having this continuous pain. Long story short, I hounded called the rheumatologist's office about two weeks ago and finally got results that everything was 'ok'. Suuuure it is, that's why I'm still feeling pain. In his infinite wisdom, he decided to send me for an MRI which I went for today, and I *should* get the results in about a week or so.

Josh and my mom took me to the hospital for my appointment and I was taken right away. Woo! I got to answer the same questions all over again (I know, the tech is just doing her job, but I just filled out the same questionnaire earlier in the week)...and I just wanted to have the test over and done with. Basically she asked me if I was ever a welder, umm no...or if I have a pacemaker, again no...among other questions. I know the reasons for it and why they have to be extra careful.

Anyways, the tech then left me so I could get changed (insert stripper music here). I put on the two gowns and was taken into the MRI room where I had to lie on the table. They then had me put my foot in a little mechanism and then padded it with little foam 'pillows' to restrict movement. I was then covered up with light blankets (it was cold in there), she gave me ear plugs and then left the room. I never knew that MRIs were loud. I knew there was some sound involved, obviously, but never to the point of needing ear plugs. Thankfully I didn't have to go all the way into the machine, my head was out of the machine, it was basically my lower half that went in.

She started the machines and I was really taken aback at the sounds it was making. It sounded akin to construction on the DVP. The sounds came in waves...there was a constant THUNK THUNK THUNK all through the test and then there would be sounds like a jackhammer that would last a few minutes and then silence...and then a different loud sound would occur.

I can't even imagine what shape I'd be in if I had a migraine during the test...EEP. Thank goodness for small miracles.

When the test was over, she unpacked my foot and I was struck by how much pain I was in and how stiff my foot was. Anyways, enough whining for now, hopefully this doesn't show anything either or if it does, it's something easily correctable...I'm almost afraid to find out what it is.

HELP! ***UPDATE***

Now that I've got your attention...

I've been getting emails and comments on the blog that my blog doesn't always load properly for everyone...or there are pop-ups. Every time *I* come to my blog I get the following error:

Warning: Unresponsive script:

A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, or you can continue to see if the script will complete.


Personally, I have no idea how to fix this, I've looked at the code and can't see anything wrong with it. Now I know I have a few computer savvy people who read this blog, does anyone have any idea how I can fix it? Also, if this isn't the error that you're seeing, could you please leave a comment with the error/pop-up that you see? Also, whether or not you see an error, can you leave a comment with what OS (operating system) you're using and what browser? I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not...

Conversely, if you don't see an error, could you do the same? I'd like to get to the bottom of this. :)

***Ok boys and girls, Kathy is my hero...seriously. She figured out one of the errors that people have been getting. If you follow the following steps, you can get rid of the aforementioned error:

1. Type about:config in Firefox's address bar.
2. Filter down to the value for dom.max_script_run_time.
3. Change the value to something higher than the default (which is 5.) I set mine to 20.
4. Bask in interruptionless browsing!


Enjoy! If any of you are getting any other errors/popups, please let Kathy me know.***

Friday, June 08, 2007

Get thee to a penitentiary !

Well, well, well...it looks like everyone's not so favourite heiress, Paris Hilton, is on her way back to jail.

I know some of you aren't going to like that picture, but damn it, she did something VERY serious. Not only did she drink and drive, she then drove with a suspended license. For those of you who haven't been following the story, I'll give a bit of the background drama-rama...

Apparently a few months ago, Paris got a DUI, was told not to drive and then drove anyways. Her 'excuse' was that her publicist told her it was 'ok' to drive with a suspended license. Personally, I don't buy that. She then went on to say that she 'gets lots of mail and doesn't necessarily read it all'. Umm, riiiiight. She also said that she 'signs lots of things, but doesn't read it'. Umm, ok? If you're charged with something serious, and I don't care who you are...you bloody well read AND understand it before you sign it.

Fast forward to this week when she started her prison sentence. First of all, her sentence was supposed to be 45 days, then it was commuted to 23 days for good behaviour. How do you get 'good behaviour' BEFORE you get into the cell? I'll let you all ponder that for a moment...

So she went in on Sunday (past midnight, so really it was Monday), then was released early Thursday (around 2:00am). At most she should get three days knocked off her sentence, but whatever...different strokes for different folks.

Her lawyer argued that she needed to be released because of 'health reasons', which of course they can't tell the media because of doctor-patient confidentiality. Niiiiice. It was since reported that her 'health reason' was that she was 'close' to having a 'nervous breakdown'. If she was ANYONE else, she would be sent to the prison hospital and be seen there.

Anyways, the judge got wind of it that the sheriff released her to serve the remainder of her sentence under 'house arrest' and ordered her back to court this afternoon. There was a bit of a kerfuffle as Paris wanted to 'phone in' her appearance instead of actually going to court. The judge demanded that she appear and sent the police to her house to haul her ass into court...handcuffed.

VERY long story short, she's now been sent back to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence...the entire 40 days remaining.

Me again...

Hi all,

Donna again. Just a quick post.....I'm heading up to the cottage for the weekend, but please continue to post your questions and I will respond on Monday. Sorry I didn't get around to answering any today - it's been a busy day.

Kathy, not sure why you think CB won't let you switch to the waiting children's program?? That's not true at all, but there definitely is more to it than just "switching". I'll explain on Monday - I have to pick my daughter up from school - sorry!!!

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Donna

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Answers

Hi all,

Donna here. OK, firstly, for those of you who don't know me, please know that I completely understand how you're feeling right now which is why I agreed to do this. I've been through the process twice myself (you can see pic's of my two beauties on my blog - maybe Rhonda can do that link thing - I don't know how to do it!!), so I'm coming to you both as an adoptive mom, as well as a staff person.

Let me try to answer some of your questions.......

1. I have NO idea what a "pay to view section on the CCAA website" is. Never heard of it!!! You guys certainly have access to more info than we ever did (which isn't always a good thing...sometimes ignorance is bliss **grin**). I will try to find out for you though.

2. Yes, you CAN pursue a domestic adoption at the same time as being in process to adopt internationally (in Ontario anyways, I can't speak for any other province in Canada, nor for the States) - as long as there is enough time in between (the rule (in Ontario), is that there has to be 18 mths between the ages of your children). The reasoning for some strict rules with pursuing more than one adoption at a time is both for a child's sake (first and foremost), but also for a parent's sake. Becoming a parent to more than one child at a time is stressful enough (ie multiples, right Crazy Lady??? *grin*), but to have to deal with two very separate adoption experiences is not fair to anyone. Children who are adopted have ALOT of "stuff" to deal with as you will all find out soon enough (believe me, I've had my share and still continue to have my share!!!) - they need 100% of your attention and time to help them to attach and become comfortable in their new home. YOU need time to become attached and become comfortable with parenting.

3. The wait has increased mostly because China is trying to promote domestic adoption. While that kinda sucks for us here wanting to adopt these children, it's a GOOD thing for these children to stay in their birth country. China's attempts have been successful, and while it's still a work in progress, it IS happening (we have friends who are Chinese and go home for visits quite often, and they are amazed at how many people they now know who have adopted a child). Add to this the fact that the CCAA gets THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS of dossiers from all over the world every year. China quickly became a very popular country to adopt from because it's such a smooth, honest process. There just aren't enough healthy infants available, and so we've got a major slow-down now. While there are many many orphanages in China, and likely many more children who could be adopted, the CCAA only deals with so many (I'm sorry, I can't remember the number). The Directors of the orphanages are also being very careful now (with forwarding children's files on to the CCAA), due to the situation last year of babies being bought and sold (YUCK YUCK YUCK). Better they be sure that these children are legimately available for adoption.

4. Will the times speed up? Now there's a million dollar question. Who knows? Right now there is no indication of that happening any time soon, BUT, one thing we know for sure is that there is NO certainty in the world of adoption. Things can change on a dime. It's a huge leap of faith. Their country, their rules.

5. Is it 2 yrs - 3 yrs......honestly, the way it's looking now, probably up to 3 yrs if you're just starting out. I won't even tell you how many files are backlogged at the CCAA right now. There just aren't enough healthy babies available. There sure are SN children though - some very mild correctible health issues, so I'm not sure why more families aren't open to pursuing this option??

6. While I can't speak for other agencies, I can tell you that CB DOES question the CCAA if we're not comfortable with something. We have a gentleman on staff who communicates with the CCAA weekly and he also visits with them in person 2-3 times per year (along with our Executive Director). This gentleman always asks for clarification on things if we need it. That said, we are also respectful of the fact that these are CHINA'S kids - not our's. You have to understand that a communist society works much differently than a democratic one. These are THEIR rules, not our's, THEIR kids, not our's. Who are we to tell them how to run things?? It's not respectful. If we were to try to tell them how to run things, they'd probably tell us to bugger off and close the program.

7. Again, while I can't speak for other agencies, I can say with full confidence that CB is upfront and honest with families as to what is going on in countries. One of you said, "why do agencies continue to take clients....". Actually, for the Vietnam program, we are NOT taking clients any more because we're not seeing any referrals, so we're not comfortable taking any more dossiers. Yes, we continue to take clients for China because it's still a viable program, BUT, we're also really trying to encourage families (at the early stages) to think about other programs that have a faster process, recognizing that it's a heck of a long time to wait 3 yrs for a child - lots can happen in 3 yrs!! We're also always upfront that we have no control over any of the programs - it's always a leap of faith we take in adoption; even in domestic adoption. Heck, there are no guarantees that come with parenthood period, no matter which way you decide to become a parent.

I think that was it?? I'll check back in again later or tomorrow to see if there are any more Q's. I hope that helps a bit. I know this is a very difficult time for all of you. While I myself didn't face a wait of up to 3 yrs, I had to deal with Ministry strikes, Air Canada strikes and SARS. There always seems to be something. While it's such an exciting process to go through, it's not always easy!! I actually had a couple of people say to me that by adopting I was doing it the "easy way". PFFFFF!!!!!! Hardly. They got an earful (adoption made me that way - I'm very good at being vocal now **grin**).

Hang in there guys.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Questions and answers...

Last month I went to a Parent Chat that my agency put together. There is going to be another event next Monday June 11 which is going to focus purely on the wait (and the frustrations that many of us are feeling), but it's already sold out.

Long story short, I spoke to someone at my agency about doing something on the blog as far as having her answer your questions. So please feel free to leave your questions in the comment section and she will *try* to answer them as best she can. Please be respectful as she is doing this as a favour to me in her spare time. I have already made her a 'team member' so she can write her responses as her own post, if she so wishes...otherwise, she might just answer your questions in the comments section. I'll leave that up to her. :)

15,000!

I checked my statcounter last night and saw that I passed 15,000 hits last night! Woo.

Actually I don't have anything interesting to post about, but I figured I'd at least commemorate this little 'milestone'. I will have a better post for you all to read later...check back.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Our weekend adventures (part three)

We then headed into Rochester to do more shoppy goodness. Mark, Michelle and Josh went into Target, while Nic and I headed into the big mall in Rochester (whose name I've since forgotten). I ran into Macy's and I swear I bought a pair of shoes in record time. We then basically ran to Bath and Body Works so I could stock up on even more soap. After that we went to a couple more stores and then went to meet up with Michelle, Mark and Josh and hightailed it out of there so we could go and meet Tim in time for our evening cruise! We had a bit of excitement on the way as the map that Nic had was wrong and we were worried that Tim wouldn't get to the boat in time, but everything worked out just fine. Whew!

We got on a boat and went through some locks on the Erie Canal. It was a dinner cruise and it was quite lovely. There were 14 people on the cruise and our little group composed of 6 of them. We said our goodbyes and I got into Michelle's car and she drove the four of us back to the hotel.

We had a truly great time with Nic and Tim and I can't wait to see them again!

To sum up our weekend...we 'watched it wiggle' while Josh and Mark had sticky hands in the back seat of Michelle's car. Get your mind out of the gutter people...they were eating the Pop Rocks on the way back to the hotel.

Our weekend adventures (part two)

We got up early and were ready to face the day by 8:30. We met in the hotel lobby, I got in Nic's car and Josh got into Michelle and Mark's car and Tim went in his car, and we were off! (Tim had some work to do during the day, so he had to go home after breakfast).

We started the day off by going to The Original Pancake House and had a great meal. That's one of three reasons I even go to Buffalo (Nic, pancakes and shopping). I lead a simple life. After breakfast, I wanted to do some shopping...see how those three things get intermingled?

After breakfast we went to Chico's, where I LOVE to shop. Hey, who wouldn't love a store where their largest size is a 3? Their 3 is basically the same as a 14...but I like to say that I'm a 3, it sounds so much better. I picked up some t-shirts and we were off to hit the next store.

We then went to Stein Mart where the boys did more shopping than us. Josh got himself a pair of slacks and a golf shirt and he was a happy boy. Mark, however, did better than Josh and got some nice things for himself as well.

We also hit TJ Maxx, but I was kind of disappointed with what was on display, so we didn't end up spending much time there, though there was a 'lovely' little men's jacket. When I say lovely, I mean it was something that was bright plaid...to the point that if you put a chameleon on it, it would have exploded. NAST-AY!

As it was closing in on 2:00pm, we headed to Mighty Taco for lunch. I'm not big on Mexican food, but I tried it...whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger...right?

Nic had mentioned the previous night at dinner that there was a JELL-O museum, which Josh and I, and Mark knew about and we wanted to go see it...for shits and giggles. That place was a HOOT.

Our "guide" through the museum was a lovely lady named Ruth. Ruth started working at the museum on the day it opened. She had some wonderful stories to tell about the JELL-O. One interesting tidbit we learned was that if you take a bowl of lime JELL-O and attach it to an EKG machine - the JELL-O will show similar 'brain waves' to that of an adult! We all went into the 'gift shop' and Michelle, Nic and I picked up Pop Rocks, but more on that later...

Our weekend adventures (part one)

Josh and I were really excited about this past weekend, Nic and Tim invited us to spend the weekend with them. An added bonus was that Michelle and Mark were there as well!

We left Toronto on Friday at 1:30pm and were surprised that we got to the border by 3:00 or so. I thought for sure we were going to get stuck at the border for a while since the weather was so nice and I know that a lot of people go over for the weekend. It wasn't too bad, we were only sitting there for about 20-25 minutes or so.

After we passed the border we made a bee-line for the Galleria Mall and I did some shoppy goodness. We ran around like crazy because we had to haul ass to Batavia to check into our hotel, get changed, and meet Nic and Tim for 6:00. I think I did a lightning round of shopping and picked up a pair of shoes and three shirts in record time. Whew!

We got to Nic's place a little late...oops, and hung out at their place for a little while. Nic gave everyone the tour of their house while I played with her sweet little kitten Trixie. Oh...my...G-d, I'm in LOVE with that kitten (even though she entertained us all by drinking out of the fish tank). TOO cute.

We got into Mark and Michelle's car and Nic and Tim drove to the restaurant alone. We went to Braun's for dinner and it was great! The service was a little slow, but it was GOOD food and GREAT company. We talked about everything under the sun: adoptions (Nic showed us more pictures of their son Z), vacations, etc. We ended up staying at the restaurant until 10:00, said our goodbyes and called it a night.

We had to get a good night's sleep as we had a VERY busy day the next day...

Monday, June 04, 2007

Holy crap...

As long-time readers of my blog know, every month, for the past seven months, we've been collecting loonies and toonies and putting them in a jar and then deposit it in our "Little Maple" account. Well this month was astronomical.

My mom and I went halvsies on three tickets for the Heart and Stroke lottery so her half ($125) went into the jar...for no other reason than I felt like adding it. :P

Ack! Tagged again!

I've been tagged by Secret Agent to list my three favourite comfort foods. Hmmm...

In no particular order, they are...

1. I love going over to my in-laws (yes, you read that right) on Friday nights and having dinner with them. There's nothing like a really good BBQ chicken and kugel with people you love...or for that matter anytime I get to hang out with any of my family. :)

2. Spaghetti with a heap of margarine, spaghetti sauce and a ton of parmasean cheese. It's nothing exotic, but I love to put on so much topping that you can't see the pasta. Yes, I know, it's gross and fattening, but hey comfort foods aren't supposed to be 'a leaf of lettuce and a glass of water'. So whatever!

3. Josh and I like to go to this Ethiopian restaurant called Queen of Sheba that has AMAZING food. We took Nic and Tim there a few months ago. I don't know how many of you have had Ethiopian food, but basically a platter is brought to the table that everyone shares from. Then you take a small piece of your injera and sort of scoop up whatever you want on it. We generally get the "Queen of Sheba platter" which consists of lamb, chicken, beef, cabbage and potato (which is droolworthy), and different veggies (which is in a paste-like consistency) with a large salad in the middle of the platter to 'cleanse your palate'.

3.5 ANYTHING CHOCOLATE.

Now...who to tag next...

1. Michelle, but your favourite food can't consist of Pop Rocks. ;)

2. Fun Dip, I mean, Kathy.

3. Dolores.