Sifting Through A Foggy Weekend...

I was gone from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon.

It was supposed to be fantastic and wonderful and refreshing and entertaining ladies weekend away...

Well it was all of the above only I saw it through a haze of discomfort and searing head pain. Thank you neck and pulled muscle in my shoulder. You suck.

But more of the weekend of female humour and ridiculous laughter to come. For now I am too tired of fighting with the photo uploader to share that joy with you.

Tomorrow.

That will come tomorrow.

Have I ever mentioned how proud I am to be a Canadian?

Every bridge we passed from Toronto to my street was filled with people honouring another fallen soldier coming home.

I don't know anyone serving. But I can feel for the families who have lost a loved one. And I can let them know that I care too.

Most times I do not wait and stand with the crowds. I have a little boy and girl who are enamoured with heights and it would not be a good thing to sit on a bridge.....

Seriously though... this was amazing to be a part of.

The Hubby and I also went downtown to the re-opening of Kensington Sound and on any other night I would've been stoked to go. But again that nagging ache came in the way of me and my fun.

Yet every time I am in Toronto I am more in love than the time before.

This city owns a little piece of my heart... How could it not?...

And these were make-up roses love The Hubby. Sometimes a tiff is worth make-up roses. Thanks Baby...

Five Mother's Days, Trumped By 91 Years Young.

I woke up in a royally rotten mood on Mother's Day.

I went to the gym to get a workout and shower in before church.

I came home to a disaster zone, including spilled yogurt, children in their slept in outfits from the day before and pencil designs all over the wall in the front hall.

The Hubby was still slightly jet-lagged, adjusting to being at home instead of on the road and had at least got them fed and up.

But I didn't care. I was grumpy.

After church we came home and I took a nap on the couch. I woke up to the wall scrubbed clean, and the smell of fresh french toast burning. There are two things The Hubby makes well: BBQ (anything) and breakfast.

My mood slowly improved. Besides The Hubby looked so cute doing dishes and The Prince was so cute giving me kisses.

We then went to begin the celebrations of Gran Gran's 91st birthday.

Gran was sick two weeks ago and Mom and I brought her to the hospital just to make sure everything was all right. (Which it was. Healthiest 91 year old they'd ever seen!) While we were there the nurses would yell into her ear as if she was deaf and senile. When they would leave the room Gran would chuckle at how ridiculous they looked. At 91 she ROCKS. I think she got stuck at 70. She hasn't aged mentally since. Though she does a little more of a shuffle than a jig, she still puts us to shame.

My family is wonderful. My kids are beautiful and funny. I prayed that they would be funny. Docile kids would be a reprieve from the chaos that my Monkeys create but I would get bored. Seriously bored.

The Hubby is my best friend and absence DOES make the heart grow fonder. Though I reamed him out for epically failing on the coffee making and card giving Sunday morning, he really does let me know daily how very much I mean to him.

My Mom and Dad and Sis and Bro-In-Law and Brother are nuts. I couldn't live without them.

And my In-Laws, the whole bunch, are the most generous family you could know.

More than anything it was a day to feel HONOURED (even if I didn't feel like being honoured) and a day to HONOUR the women around me.

The Prince and Princess watching Daddy in Manafest's new video from the shoot! (For the 100th time.)

Four generations of Cherry's... Cherry(Gran), Noelle Cherry(Mom), Rebecca Cherry(Me)... and Cherry Amy(Princess).

Best Friends.

60 years difference between these hands.

I will have my grouchy days. The ones where Mr. Grumpy sits on my shoulder until I decide to kick him off but I know that my family loves me for all I am. Which is a good thing because I am all I am because of THEM!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to ALL! (the women)

Reflecting...

The Hubby is home. We missed him. Really, really missed him.
As of today he is going to be leaving his retail job of 4.5 years and following his passion of full-time music!
WOW.
It feels good to write that. Like actually see it in black courier font on a white page!
I am thrilled for us. I mean for him. No... US.

I have been pushed beyond capacity with him gone. I've also felt completely in control of things too. I am an emotional creature. Those that love me in spite of this can attest to the highs and lows I hit.

While I may have hit some rock bottoms, I never for a second doubt that this is it. That The Hubby is doing the right thing. I am proud of him. I am proud of his perseverance and I am proud of the job he'll be doing.



Five years ago this September my mom took me for a long drive.
Hours and hours of passing farms and cars and cows, no plan in mind.
Well, besides the plan to distract me from the fact that I was just sent home from the hospital for the 5th time following a LONG and painful false labour alarm.
Miserable isn't a dreadful enough word for the mood I was in. It was bleak and frustrated and irritable.
I wanted to see The Prince. I wanted the swollen belly to deflate and I wanted the next part of the rest of my life. This part, this moment I was in, wasn't cool. It was trying every ounce of my patience. I thought it would never, ever pass.

Today I drove The Hubby to work. We drove on some of those same roads that I was resenting so many years ago.
It was strange. I was caught in a time warp.
Every November past, I would drive him to work and we would say, "only one more Christmas here". Then it would be summer holidays and we would say, "something will change by next year".
This past Christmas we didn't say that. We hardly hoped that because you can't simply make things happen. Especially not with a family to provide for.

But things WERE happening. We were just impatient. We wanted the next part of the rest of our lives. This part, this moment we were in, wasn't cool. It was trying every ounce of our patience. We thought it would never, ever pass.


Now I know that these phases will continue for the rest of our lives. The waves of up and downs and the desire for change and growth are inevitable.

Only now I like this wave we're riding. It's pretty awesome.
Okay, it's INCREDIBLE.

I am happy. WE are happy.

Madness I tell you! Only now in pictures!

Madness I tell you!

Some of these days have been down right wretched.
Three sleeps until Daddy comes home and I would like to blink them away.

There are some perks to life with him away... The things I need to keep me sane! (New camera, laptop, earrings....)

But I miss his company. I miss his hand-holding and the giggles that only he evokes from The Kiddos.
The Prince and Princess have adjusted very well. The weekend was hard but we were all in a bad mood and behaved in un-adult and petty ways. (Especially Mommy!) Church on Sunday was wonderful and refreshing until The Princess BARFED in Sunday school causing me to have a complete crying breakdown thinking that this is an impossible feat, raising two children without Daddy home. But then I breathed... And ate Thai food with Emma and Monday came with sunshine while fevers faded and Mani-Pedi's were had at The Sis's new place and I realized I can do this.

Most of the time.
Which is why when life gets to be too much and orders are piling in and sleep is in short supply and patience has gone out the window, I will have a Nanny help.
Okay, okay, she's a new friend who rocks with kids, especially mine and who will be my sanity when grandparents need to live there own lives and I need a break from human beings under four feet tall!
I think I am just in love with the word "Nanny". It makes me feel like I should live on the French Riviera with maids and a hot pool boy. Sadly life ain't so glamorous!

Sorry........ dreaming.............. hold on, Anna Wintor is telling me I'm the next hot designer.......... Alright, back now.....

Madness tonight, consisting of bracelet designing for a Ladies Getaway weekend and wedding piece finishing and laundry battling and hopefully sleep repairing. Considering I tried a Power Yoga class for the first time today and after 25 minutes was bathing in sweat and wondering if my legs would ever bend out of the position I wiggled and jammed them into!

Pictures as soon as I figure out this laptop and that camera!!