wrapping up 2006

I find on the last day of the year there's lots of retrospection and forward thinkingness. I think it's always significant to dedicate the next year to God and to listen to Him. Thought I said something like that today and the person I said it to looked at me like I was crazy. Well, maybe I am, but anyway.

There were 60 people at Rustle today, thanks to the posse there for Gabriel's dedication. It was FULL, leading to Al's need to put a balcony in.

Then I came home and wrote some blog new years greetings, and then I took a NAP. Yes, maybe my first nap of 2006. Nice to be able to do so, and necessary because I'll be up late tonight. Kim's picking me up about 9:30 to head to her church. Should be very interesting. Maybe when I get back I'll blog about the new years service I went to on Dec 31, 1990.

Isaac. This last week Gen. 22 keeps coming up. Kim was talking about it, Rick was blogging about it and this morning Al was reading about it. Isaac is about giving up your all to God, giving Him your plans and your visions and waiting for Him to provide.
As Rick says in his post:
Perhaps it wasn't a test at all. Perhaps it was more about faith, trust, obedience and hope in God regardless of the circumstances.

Apetite

An interesting phenomenon since James is away is that I am really not hungry at all. I must expend incredible mental energy on him because normally I do have a regular apetite. So I have spent the week on a few meals of lentils and rice.

I have not found the papers I was looking for, but my house is looking quite clean. I'll probably have to go down and photocopy them again:( There really aren't any more places for them to hide.

Oh, Rachel, I didn't even bother to shovel as it is going to rain tomorrow night. No need to apologize for the snow. I didn't mind it, it just had me change my plans.

Lost

My plan for today was to walk and get groceries and then bike to the library to return DVDs. But. Snow. Before I got in the shower, my plan was still intact, but I after I got out I realized the biking was not going to happen, so I decided to bring the DVDs to the grocery store with me and go to a different branch of the library.
The roads were really quite bad when I set out but everyone seemed to be driving carefully. When I got out of the grocery store, the plows were out. It was really a nice walk though. I hadn't been to the Calvin Park branch before, but it was cute.

Before Christmas I made a special trip down to Queen's to photocopy something for my coworker at RMC. I brought them home, but now have no idea where they are. And I've spent a lot of time cleaning this week! I will now spend the rest of the day cleaning with a focus- to find these papers!

This one's for you Bob:

Face your fear

Video: Nightmare on Brokeback mountain the 13th K, I haven't seen Friday the 13th OR Brokeback mountain, but it seemed to be a pretty funny merge of the 2.

NIMBY: Star article about a Church wanting to put up a homeless shelter one day a week and the neighbours not being happy:
To those opposed to the temporary shelter, Bruce (Out of the Cold group) said: "I would say go and volunteer. It is the best way to lose your fear because you will discover these are people just like you and that it could happen to any one of us."
Let's face our fears head on in the new year.

Myron will have a few extra fears in the new year with all those people willing to break his jaw! I told him he had such good friends that lots of people want to break his jaw. He said thanks to Al and Rab.

The wee 'un called me today to say he had found Edward. They are going to Crystal Palace today to ride fun rides they say. They have not been eating well. They had a turkey dinner on the 25th when they landed but have only eaten junk since. Ah, well, it appears to be boys week off. I just thought Myron's mom would be more involved. But apparently she's working and stuff too. Does she not realize they came to see her? And we spent a lot of $$$ to make this happen? I think I might have changed my shifts, but whatever, I'm not her.

Budget

Amount of money spent on meals while boys are gone = $0 (I'm eating leftovers! Yay! Cheap!)
Amount of money spent on Christmas chocolate today = $20 (It was on sale! Lindt! For more than half price. It's mainly for James)

I think I've used up my quota of exclaimation points for this post.

Good news from Kim- they have been able to recover some of the security deposit that they had put down on the store Zully had in Gananoque over a year ago. They put down $10,000 in January and the company turfed him out in February. They got a $7000 cheque yesterday. When they get the whole thing back, I will happily publish the company name. They treated Zully very badly.

I was at RMC today and the place was very dead. So quiet, my boss told me to go home. Because really, we only keep the office open for show and if there's noone there to show it to, why bother to stay open? I did not go though, as I had actual work to do. I am so behind, I really am considering cloning myself.

James called today to see if Edward (the engine) was at home. No, he wasn't as he had packed him. He said he had played with him in the bedroom in Moncton. I suggested he go back and check there! Not here. He is having a good time. When he heard my voice on the phone he was all "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" but that lasted for about 2 seconds until he was asking about Edward. He's not real great on the phone yet.

Myron's doctor who wants to break his jaw called. For some reason he is in Scarborough. I asked Myron if there wasn't one who could do it in Kingston? He said yes, but this guy is better. And I'm like - did you tell them we don't have a car? Do you realize the hassle? Apparently he doesn't care about the hassle. Nothing hassles Myron, other than getting out of bed in the morning.

...hello lavender lullaby

After 5 hours of painting, I am now hoping that my lavender room is complete as the second coat is on. I am hoping I don't have to do a third! (though I do have enough paint left if that is the case)
Once it has dried, I can try to get the rest of the house back together.
If I'm really ambitious, I may try to paint the kitchen as well, but we'll have to see, my back and arms are pretty sore! I have to work at RMC tomorrow, so that will give me time to recover and assess my ability to continue renovating.
I will have an exciting announcement about our house in the coming weeks (Mom and Nat, you already know, so don't think it's something new)
Oh, and for Al, I did sleep really well last night. Love that being able to sleep in in the mornings. Am enjoying the rest!

Goodbye peachy...

After spending yesterday cleaning, today the house looks trashed. Though it IS cleaner. I took everything out of the middle room a.k.a. James' playroom, vacuumed and washed everything and have painted it 'lavender lullaby' instead of the odd peach colour that has been there since we bought the house. I still have at least one coat to go. "lavender lullaby" is a colour very close to what one might call "white" as the door jams are white and kindof look the same as lavender lullaby. Maybe after 2 coats it will look a bit different. I'll post pics when I get the camera back.

Generosity

Did not sleep through the night due to an interesting dream and the rain.

After writing down the dream I read an article by Craig Kielburger in the Star. The link is here.
He says "True generosity transcends cultures and geography. It means giving even when you have very little, breaking through barriers and acting in kindness, even when the outcome is uncertain.

The decision to reach out to others isn't related to our personal circumstances or status so much as to our choices and priorities.

It's about liberating one's self from material desires and forming meaningful relationships founded on respect. It's about extending yourself to touch another life in order to improve the world.

In this busy holiday season, when most of us are madly scrambling to finish our shopping lists, it's easy to overlook the genuine joy of giving. It's not about how much money you spend on someone, but rather about showing that person you care."

Which related to the dream and is certainly good to think about!
Now I'm going back to bed :)

Free bird

Al says al my future posts for this week must be about how much sleep I got!
I have not yet had that sleep. The last 2 nights James was up coughing.
He was sooo excited about getting on the plane, I was lucky to get a hug goodbye. I would have posted a pic of their plane, but they had the camera and were through security by the time the plane landed.(the plane had to get in from TO before they could get on)
I am indeed a free bird now. James and Myron's plane left early and landed about 10 minutes early. Their second plane (Toronto-Moncton) will leave in a few minutes.

The other free bird was at Rustle last night

Free bird was happily given out to all who came through the doors. And there was a lot. Some were so overwhelmed they had to put food down their pants. If they had asked I'm sure we'd gladly have given them a bag!

James was so excited about his trip the following day, that I could barely get him to stay at Rustle. But I did get him to stand still in the sweater Aunt Sue knitted for him:


Kim is having her third Chirstmas turkey (at work) today. She makes her Christmas turkey Dec 29 with her family. That's a lot of bird in Kim. No way she's going to be a free bird anytime soon!

Return of the cough

This afternoon James was coughing again. He seemed tired, hopefully because of the busy morning and he was up early 6am. Hoping the cough is not having a comeback :( Poor wee guy.

Inspiration

So far, no baking/cooking has been accomplished today. The morning was so nice, we biked to the library, then began our "roaming" of the neighbourhood.
James rode his bike.


James stopped for cats.



Then we went out on the trike.



James tried to take a picture of something, but had the camera the wrong way round and ended up with a self portrait. I like it.



Then arrived home to find a package with this inspirational book in it



So now we have had lots of exercise and outdoor air (3 hours worth) and have finished lunch, the baking can now happily begin.

Another dark day

It was dark about 4:30 today with the rain and I thought, no , today must be the darkest day. It all gets lighter after this.

Inspector Rebus managed to take down Mr. Scotland even though the tape that was the evidence didn't show him in the best light. Truth at all costs.

I went shopping first thing in the morning and have all I need until the 25th. The Food Basics was still pretty quiet when I got there. I left James and Myron to have quality time, but when I got back James was watching a video and Myron was asleep. But apparently they had quality time before that. Then James and I helped Myron pack. Then lunch (chickendogs for the boys, crackers and cheese for me)and James and I walked Myron to the busstop (for him to go to the train station to visit his friend in Hamilton) and then went and got our hair cut. When we got back I did heaps of dishes so I would be ready for the giant cook off that will occur tomorrow. As Kim and I made a lot of plans the other day, tomorrow I must execute these plans.
Sooo, I have to make a lentil casserole (for lunch on Monday with Kim and Zully- she's bringing all the accessories that go with that), a cheesecake and clean the cauliflower (for Sunday's meal- I'm also cooking the turkey, but will start that early Sunday morning), bake bread (for the Rustle turkey dinner), bake muffins (for the boys to take on their trip to Moncton)
Tomorrow, we also have to go to the Library and return the DVD's we borrowed. I have to go and watch "Runaway Jury" now so that I can return it!

The darkest day of the year

I'm thinking of a quote from "Cold comfort farm" but I can't find my copy of the book.
The gist of the quote is the farmhand is telling Miss Poste about the curse on Cold Comfort farm and he says that the sows are barren and the cows are farren and that nothing will grow on the land and Miss Poste says sprightly "Surely it can't be as bad as all that?"

And poor inspector Rebus in the novel I'm reading, searching for the truth, but up against a lot of people who don't want the truth to come out. And there was Bob thinking I'm not an Ian Rankin type girl. Except for the blood/gore and excessive drinking, what's not to like?

Anyway, Kim and I have made lots of plans and I've managed to plan myself 2 turkey dinners on Sunday. Kim/Zully/James and I will have a turkey lunch after church and bring a plate for Myron when he gets off the train. Then we'll head to Rustle for turkey dinner #2. Good thing you can't get tired of turkey dinners.

The Santa discussion down a few posts seems to be something that people have lots of opinions on. I got an email from my brother. Hope he doesn't mind if I post a bit as I though it was quite interesting.
" I was also reading Goethe's novel _The Apprenticeship of Wilhelm Meister_, which doesn't mention Santa, but the main character describes the sense of wonder he felt at first viewing a puppet theatre, and then how let down he felt after the curtain was taken down and everything went back to normal. He gradually comes to realize that the puppets were not living creatures, but were moved around by the adults- at this point he describes wanting to be both "one of the enchanters and the enchanted"- in other words, he wants to still believe in the fantasy, but it becomes more satisfying for him once he is on the inside and learns to work the puppets himself. So, I guess I'm agreeing with you- just because you know that the man dressed up as Santa isn't Santa, doesn't mean you can't still enjoy the experience"

My marks server is being moved to another server tomorrow so I won't be able to access it for a while, so I was very busy today making sure everything was in order for the move. It's mostly ready now. Just have thought of a couple of things I need to tie up.

Luggage

I think the comments on the last post far outweighed the post itself. Thanks Rab1 and Rab135! (though the remaining 133 Rabs are missing)

Today I stopped by SR and got James some luggage. It is small enough to fit the guidelines of carry on luggage for Tango, and it has wheels and the handle that goes in and out so James can pull it through the airport. It also has straps so it can convert to a backpack in case James tires of dragging it around and Myron wants to put it on his back. Neat eh? James thought so. He told me repeatedly "Thank you for buying this for me!" and he has packed it. I meant for it to be used for things to entertain him on the plane, but he packed a pillow and a blanket. And what are the chances he's going to sleep on the plane? Ha Ha Ha.

The daycare visit with Santa went o.k. He didn't get too near the guy but he accepted his gift and smiled at Santa. He really wanted the candy cane. (he also got a little sticker case) But when I let him eat it after dinner he made a face and said it was too spicy for him. I don't like candy canes either. Whenever I see my coworker Melissa, though, she's always eating a candy cane (she eats one before each meeting). Guess it's like a mint for her.

After James and I got home from the daycare, I called Myron and found out he wasn't coming home for dinner. So I had to switch up the dinner plans. He's having another grill session tomorrow and has to study. For once we didn't play outside. James really likes to ride his bike, so we normally bike for about an hour before dinner. After dinner I made bread, gave James a bath and read him some stories. Oh and we put the laundry away. James matches the socks for me.

I am still reading the Ian Rankin book and will be back at it once I have washed those dishes.

Santa is going to be in town tomorrow

Specifically, he will be visiting James' daycare. Most children. Impressed. James? No. Because unlike Jennifer I apparently don't put the magic of Christmas in my child. I told him the story of Saint Nicholas and how Santa is a man dressing up, like he pretends to be a kitten. And that's not quite so magical. But it's a wee bit more truthful. Even though the fact that it's really a man THAT HE DOESN"T KNOW makes it impossible for him to sit on his lap and makes him worry that strange men will be running around the house in the dark. You know?

No tears

Finished my last meeting of the year. Meeting with students for them to plead their case and us to be unrelenting about the punishment. Brian did most of the talking which suited me just fine. Everything sounds harsher coming from him.

Myron was home late yesterday, so James couldn't get to sleep because he was waiting up. Kept him up an extra hour, but he did sleep in a bit in the morning, which was good. Myron will be late again tonight as he is going to the 'God will make a way' group at Rustle tonight.
Tomorrow, I'm working at RMC on site, then Thurs. for RMC at home.
Friday, Myron is leaving for a visit with some friends in Hamilton (they do this every Christmas, though normally we are closer (St. C)) The train ticket would have been $200 but I got it on my points so it was free!
Saturday, James and I will try to get a haircut, it it's not too busy. (It's not in a mall, Kathy!)
Sunday morning, I'm going to Kim's church with James. It'll be his first time there. Then I think we'll have lunch with Kim (need to confirm with her) and pcik up Myron at 2:10. Then we go to Rustle for 3pm to do Christmas dinner. I think we're going to invite the apartment beside us. It'll be nice if some of them come. We're planning for lots of food! I'll get James home early so he can be well rested for his plane ride the next day and Myron will still need to pack!
I need to get James more slippers as the ones he has are developing holes and his cousins' house has slippery stairs. He's not good with slippery or stairs so he needs slippers!
He also needs a bigger carry-on to pack for the trip. His backpacks are too small. I'll check s&r on my way home tomorrow, if they aren't too busy!

Dentist appt.

James had his first dentist appt. today. After Brandon's party yesterday James was so worn out the he slept from 7pm to 7:30am. And the appt. was at 8! And I slept in too. So I threw clothes on both of us and he ate his breakfast in the stroller. No time to brush! So we got there on relative time. Got in the big chair (luckily they had us in the isolated room instead of the open area where they normally work on me). And it was going well. He let her count his teeth. But allow her in with any instruments? No. He did show her how he brushed his teeth. But he would not listen to her suggestions on how to improve. Then the dentist came and counted his teeth. Said they looked good. Good spacing. What I was worried about with his front teeth, the dentist said was just him grinding his teeth. Nothing to worry about he said. He's 4 and he's grinding his teeth. What does that say?

After that we went shopping and he behaved very well. We got home and I had to do some work to prepare for my cases tomorrow, so he watched some Blues Clues, then we had lunch, then I ironed while James built train tracks around me. Then we played at AJ's and James managed to run into a (toy) bus and got a big red welt on his face. Ah, boy-dom.

Zipper

James has learned how to do up the zipper on his coat. He's quite pleased with this.

He has been dancing around this morning singing about how he has a day off. And he was dressed at 6:30am Saturday morning. That doesn't happen often!

Myron has to work today and I need to grocery shop, so I need to make a list now! We go early before the stores get busy. We'll probably head up to the library later today.

I have been reading Ian Rankin's "Let it Bleed" (thanks Dad!) and found this quote "you can fall from any height you want; it's that last half-inch that's fatal"

Sandy and I were at the Goat last night and just as we were about to leave some carolers came in and sang Last Christmas (or here for a hokey 80's Wham version)It was fun.

Better morning

We did better this morning. James got up at 3am but then slept in until 6:30am. Much better than 5:30!
And he knew very well that he couldn't have breakfast or his video before he was dressed. He played for about an hour before he got dressed, but that was o.k., then got dressed without a fuss and it was a pretty positive experience.

It's funny how the students see me as the 'bad guy' for busting them on choices they made. Sometimes it's easier not to take responsibility. Now that my work isn't so crazy, I'm impressed that I have been posting every day. I thought I wouldn't have much to do today, as most of the nasty work has been done, but when I made a list of what I needed to do, it turned out to be quite long!

Stubborn

We had a stubborn morning this morning. James refused to get dressed, refused to put his coat on. He had a number of trains put up for 2 days. And he was really cold on the way in to the daycare (I did put his coat on after we went about a block and he was cold)
So, our morning schedule is going to be rearranged until less stubborness over the clothing takes place. He will have to get dressed before breakfast now. Which he is stubbornly against. Except that he can't get his own breakfast yet, so it doesn't matter if he is against it or not!
A frustrating way to begin the day anyway.

My cough is looser, which is good I guess.

We had our copying meeting and it went pretty well as most of the cases were clear cut. We were pretty much in agreement about everything. There was only one that Brian had to make a ruling on because I didn't feel we had enough evidence. He ruled that he did want to go ahead with the proceedings. So basically, this week was the guilt phase. Next week is the penalty phase. I think we pretty much agreed on the penalties this week, except the students can attend next week to plead their case and see if they change our minds.

Witches

When I arrived at the daycare to pick up James today he was bawling. And I can't say I've ever seen him cry so much and not be hurt! Turns out they were watching 'Rudolph the Red nose reindeer' at the daycare. And what, you may ask is so scary about that? Apparently, the witch. Yes, there's a witch in the RNR story that they put on video. I missed that. I'll be asking them not to show him videos with witches in the future! (edited to add (after a question from my mother) that the daycare did not leave him watching the movie. by the time i got there he was upstairs trying to be calmed down by one of the teachers)

I have my massive copying meeting tomorrow morning and have to prepare tonight. It's massive and nasty, but I'll be glad to have it over with and then I get to send heaps of nasty emails, in preparation for our next copying meeting next week. This week we are deciding if we will proceed with charges. Next week we decide what those charges are. Then they have a week or so to appeal. Fun. Fun.

The weather is still so wonderful. I am so amazed that I can still ride my bike. I'm loving it!

Obit. from Kingston Whig

Carolyn showed me that the obituary was in the Kingston Paper today:

Obituary for Savannah Rose Emberley-Bezanson

EMBERLEY-BEZANSON, Savannah Rose - Passed away peacefully at home on Thursday December 7, 2006, at the age of eleven months. Cherished daughter of Erin Emberley and Matthew Bezanson. Beloved granddaughter of Susan Emberley (nee Cousins), Christopher Emberley and Valerie Esford (nee Bezanson); and beloved step- grandaughter of Bill Esford, Real Despres and Erin Emberley (nee Jensen). Precious great-granddaughter of Gisela and Garry Cousins, Angus, ON, Gwendolyn Emberley and the late Bruce Emberley, Kingston, ON, and Stanley Bezanson and the late Margaret Rose Bezanson of Nova Scotia. Sorely missed by Aunties Crystal, Robin, Meigan, Elizabeth and Lily and Uncles Corey, Trevor, and Paul. Also sadly missed by special Auntie Donna McTaggart, Great Uncles and Great Aunts Barbara and Alan, Cindy and Scott, Garry and Tracey and many, many relatives and friends in Kingston, Toronto, Nova Scotia, USA, and Europe. The family will receive freinds at the CENTRAL CHAPEL OF THE GORDON F. TOMPKINS FUNERAL HOMES, 49 Colborne Street, (at Clergy) on Tuesday from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 pm. Mass of the Angels will be held on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at Holy Family Church, 200 Weller Ave. at 11:00am. Father Charles Gazeley celebrant. Reception to follow at Tompkins Funeral Home, 49 Colborne Street. Cremation and interment to follow at a later date. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations to the Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (CFSID) would be greatly appreciated by the family. www.sidscanada.org

Christmas gift

I woke up yesterday morning at 4am, so you would think I would go to bed early, no?
I got James to bed at 7pm and was ready to go to bed myself. But Myron wasn't home and the bed was taken apart because of the furnace man (funace is under the bed) and I'm not strong enough to put it together again, so I pick up a book thinking that will put me to sleep. Ha.
Shieleen gave me "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella for Christams. I found it a bit like Bridgit Jones Diary and definately could not put it down. So I finally went to bed at midnight after Myron came home and put the bed together. Midnight. Yes.
Then I woke at 4am this morning coughing. I had not taken the cough medecine because I wasn't coughing as much! Ha.
Then at 4:40, just after I had got myself back to sleep, James got up. Then after getting him and myself back to sleep Myron woke us up at 6:40am (Well, Myron had to get up, but we're light sleepers so when he gets up so do the rest of us.)
And now I am bleary eyed and ready for the day. Ha.
I have a day off to take James to Tara's playgroup. Trying to stretch him by going into new situations anyway.

I didn't post a picture of myself in the indoor scarf, but the sweater I wear it with is the same identical material. Very nice really. I won't stop wearing it just because people think it's an outdoor scarf!

More on the indoor scarf

This should be a picture of James in my indoor scarf.
My regular picture posting service "Hello" doesn't work since I switched to beta so I am posting from the template. We'll see how it goes. I might even like it better.

The furnace man was here for 2 hours as our furnace wasn't lighting properly. He reduced our gas pressure as well, which he seemed to think was a good thing.

My chest is still full of phlegm. Not a happy situation in there.

Body

I woke up at 4am today. I have a cold in my chest. Shouldn't my body need to sleep more?
I took 12 hour cold medicine that for me apparently works 6 hours and upsets my stomach.
Today, the furnace man is coming to clean the furnace, so I have a work at home day. Hopefully, this will help my body heal too.

Indoor scarf

I wore an indoor scarf today that went with my sweater. James objected to it, though I tried to explain that it was an indoor scarf. He stole it and wore it himself. I retrieved it and got to wear it outdoors. It is nice and warm.
Then we were over at Gerald and Annettes and at some point Gerald said goodbye to me. And I'm like- we can go if you want but I wasn't planning on it yet. He's like Oh, I saw the scarf!
The world is apparently not ready for me in an indoor scarf.

I was also at Gerald's when Erin(from the old youth group he led) called him to tell him her baby died of SIDS. She has been on my mind ever since. She could use lots of prayer.

Last night before bed I took some cough medecine, not so much for the coughing but hopefully to help me sleep at night! I woke up at 3am as Myron was coughing (HE didn't take the medicine- he also didn't wake up when he coughed. I did get back to sleep until 6am when James got me up.

underestimated

James is generally quite good when I take him shopping. But when I take him shopping after a 3 hour party. Not so good. We ended up not getting the stuff for dinner for tomorrow, so that means dinner will be a little sparse for the next few days. Until I manage to go shopping by myself!

The party was good, but James was pretty clingy. There were a lot of people and that kind of freaked him out. When Jared spoke he sat quietly and played so I actually did get to hear what he said. He really liked Soren, even though he said before the party that he didn't remember who he was. His remembery picked up pretty quick.

Sleep

I did go to sleep early, but then I woke up at 3am! Sigh.
I couldn't get back to sleep, so I caught up on my writing and my work, so that feels good, but it will be interesting to see how the day goes!

Er

The meeting about my job was ok but we didn't really reslove anything. We have to meet again in January with higher-ups.

Today was very tiring. I was at RMC in the morning and Queen's in the aft. This involved lots of biking and after having had a week rest from biking, I sure am sore!

I'm ready for bed now and it's only 7pm. I have to do some writing and organize some marks before bed.

Tomorrow we have a party in the aft. and Myron has a birthday party in the ev. If he's well enough, I suppose!

Let the crying begin

It took 1/2 hour to send my copying letters and now the whirlwind week will commence. Lots of crying, I'm sure.

Our trip back went really well. All the trains and buses were on time. James behaved perfectly. Noone talked to him about Santa and gave him heebeegeebies. There were only 2 parents travelling with children on the Kingston train. One was a dad with 3 children (gasp). One of his children was in a snugli, though the dad claimed it wasn't too snugli for him! He was going to Ottawa. Said it was his Christmas present to his wife! He was in a different train car than us, so James couldn't play with his boy about the same age. So James was the only child on our train car. The conductor really liked him and came by to talk to him a few times. When he was taking tickets, the lady behind us said something to the conductor about hating noise. Hmm. Why sit behind the 4 year old? He actually wasn't the noisiest person on the train car though. There was a group at the front that were having an amusing time. Apparently it was someone's birthday. When the conductor showed them the emergency window, they asked if they had to help other passengers out or if they would just smash the window out and get going? It was pretty amusing. I hope they weren't being serious.

We got home and unpacked everything. I don't think I forgot anything of significance! Last time I forgot quite a lot.

Then we had art time, thanks to Oma's gift of the finger paints.

Myron is still sick. He's got to get an immune system boost. He's going for a physical today. Told him I hope he passes. So I had to sleep on the couch!
James was pleased to see Myron last night but the funny thing this morning was he was soooo happy to see ME when he woke up. It was like I was his long lost friend. What a funny lad.

My mind has been so wrapped up with this copying that now I've sent the letters, I'm at a loss as to what I need to do with the rest of my day. I need to prepare for my meeting about my job today. It's started snowing, making the whole biking thing more complicated.

Nose turned toward home

It's our last day in St. C. There is a light blanket of snow from which we plan on making snowmen. I just checked my email to see if there were any emergencies at work. Nothing big. Once Thurs. arrives there will be. I have finalized all my copying cases and will send the emails Thurs am., then will have a meeting about my job Thurs aft.. I hope I can still bike. How do the roads look Bob? Can I bike? In St. C I could still bike, but that doesn't say anything about Kingston!

James is playing behind me crashing toy cars. Happy times!

I have no plan for dinner tomorrow. I am hoping inspiration will stike me on the train tomorrow, though I will likely be too tired to be inspired. This morning at around 5am the snowplow arrived at the Church next door. But I had a good sleep the night before that. Last night I was also up at 3am as James was coughing. it doesn't wake him up, but it does wake me!

James has been really good about eating here and has eaten some things I've never seen him eat before. Always good to expand your borders.

Off to play in the snow now. Or, for me, to stand outside in woefully inadequate shoes getting cold while someone forces me to make a snowman. Kidding, but winter is not my thing, by any stretch of the imagination.

Tripping

The trip down to St. Catharines went well. James enjoyed his time an the train and even napped. The train was pretty full from Kingston to Toronto, probably partly due to students leaving around the end of term. The conductor gave James and I has seats so we could sit together. They were tiny seats as the people in front of us were leaning all the way back to sleep. James was very impressed that we had a green engine (it was advertizing for Telus)

James is currently watching soccer with his Grandad.
We opened our Christmas gifts this morning. James got a really cool Thomas Aquadoodle that is lots of fun for adults too. He also got finger paints which he enjoyed immensely and they were very messy which is fun too! (well, for him anyway, not so much for the adults)
Tomorrow, we are seeing Shieleen in the morning and then I have a dentist app't in the aft.
Tuesday we will organize to come home and will be travelling early Wed. morning.
Thursday morning, I have to send my copying letters so I have to get all my cases ready while I am here. Thursday aft. I have a major meeting about my job for next year.
Friday, I'm at RMC and my students' projects are due.

James is having lots of fun with his grandparents. I am going back down to finish preparing my cases!