Monday, August 26, 2013

I Will Never Cheat on Fashion With Furniture!

Well we had more success today then yesterday and I feel a lot better at the end of today then I did yesterday!! We got up this morning, got ready and headed to Target for well Starbucks off course and towels and a sheet set!! We figured being there to get coffee we might as well get the things we were set on! Well Starbucks espresso machine was down (as if that isn't the biggest bunch of bullshit EVER!! Who goes to Starbucks for hot chocolate!!!) so I now have a headache and want to spit at the barista who thought my utter shock was comical- moron!

Anyways we got towels!! Master bathroom white with a dark grey and spare bathroom turquoise! I didn't take pictures of the shower curtain to match in the spare bath, I had no coffee- enough said! I also didn't take pictures if the silverware set we bought, but I will I promise! I did however take pictures if the towels! It wasn't an epic fail, have a peek!


We visited a ton of stores today and truthfully it was getting a little frustrating! We decided to take a break this afternoon and get another Starbucks (each day is requiring multiple trips and if you haven't had their new peach green tea lemonade your missing out on life!) then we toured around Dick's sporting goods before heading to meet our home inspector!

I have to say the inspection wasn't as I had hoped. The house was full of cleaners which was fine because it was much needed but we found so many things cosmetic and other that will need to be rectified! So much so that we decided to make a trip to Walmart tonight and got some green painters tape to mark all the things we expect to be fixed before we sign papers! I'm sure our inspection with the builder tomorrow (today was with a private outside inspector we hired) will be grand! We were at the house over 4 hours and then we headed back out on the furniture hunt again!

We got a couch!! It's from Ashley Furniture and were happy with it! I'm going to share a crappy picture but it will be delivered on Saturday so I'll post better ones!!



The color is called "stone" and we live it! We think it will really balance out our super dark floors! I'll dress it up with some colorful accent pillows! Keep in mind this is also a floor model so it looks more warn then a new one will!!

Believe it or not we bought a bedroom set too! I'm on my phone again or I would post a link, but we bought it at Haverty's and it's called the Ashebrook bedroom set I believe, again I have ok pictures and unfortunately this won't be delivered until we get back in October but I will post an actual link as soon as I get a chance! In the meantime here is the  set in the showroom! We bought the bed, dresser and two nightstands!




This we are VERY HAPPY with! Everyone needs a good bedroom set and its birch wood, so beautiful!! 

So feeling accomplished we headed to dinner! The last time we were down here for a couple if days we tried the Macaroni Grill and LOVED it!! We knew while down here it would be on our dinner list! So we got there and Jason decided to get Mama's Trio - I almost freakin' died when I saw his plate...


It was more food then any one person she ever eat in one sitting! Chicken parmigiana, lasagna and mushroom cannelloni! The lasagna alone was ridiculous!!


I created my own pasta bowl and after 15 minutes of eating I still had two full meals left!!


So good!! 

After dinner we went to Walmart and then drove around our soon to be neighborhood just to check things out.. It was so nice to see the house in a different light, more and more done!


There has been a ton of hiccups along the way and I'm not going to lie I have some concerns about how tomorrow is going to go, but getting closer and closer to having our first custom home and buying furniture and planning what it's going to look like it a pretty amazing feeling!!

Tomorrow were up early and checking out if the hotel! We're meeting Tony at 10:00am for the inspection and although there is a lot to go over I'm sure he won't have a ton if time. After we are done there we are heading to Hope Mills to spend a much needed few restful days with the Seavey's! We are ready for beers, barbecues and some corn hole! 

I hope you all had a great Monday, if those even exist! Scratch that I hope ya'll had a tolerable Monday!! We made progress today and feel good! Off to bed now and anxious for tomorrow!










Sunday, August 25, 2013

Hotel Internet Makes Nicole Cranky!


Greetings from the south!!

I know what you're all thinking, I didn't blog yesterday and I'm not even going to make excuses I was absolutely exhausted from zero sleep the night before and travel that I couldn't even eat my dinner! All day I walked around looking like I was high my eyes were so blood shot and by the time dinner rolled around Jason was lucky I didn't crawl under the table and sleep!! We didn't check into the hotel until almost 9:00pm and I just went straight to bed! I'm not sure it would have mattered anyways as the Internet here is apparently shit and therefore I am blogging from my phone!!

So I left off in North Dakota! My insomnia is officially out of hand and I didn't sleep one freaking minute that night, I got out of bed at 5:00am frustrated and figured I might as well take my time and get ready! We headed downstairs for breakfast and they didn't have a lot if options as real breakfast doesn't start until 6:30am! There was basic stuff and more importantly coffee because like Saskatchewan there is oil there and therefore oil workers living in hotels! So I had fruit loops and watched the front desk girl make it clear that she was looking to get laid by any one of the oil workers she encountered! Breakfast and a show!!


After that we headed to the airport right beside the hotel! The airport is seriously the smallest airport ever so we breezed through security and then sat watching the sunrise waiting!


Our flight was fine, short really and we landed in Minneapolis with enough time to grab a much needed Caribou Coffee and get to our gate! As we were perusing airport info packs they called our name to the boarding podium.... I was nervous, I figured we were being bumped or something!! Turns out we were being moved in the plane to different seats... Way better seats!! 


Hello leg room!! We were the first row behind first class and we had nothing but room! Truth be told I froze this entire flight but it was roomy!! Plus I suppose I forgot to mention! While waiting for our flight I noticed this guy wandering around while eating, I assumed he was on our flight and was impressed with his attire of quite nice NFL apparel! As he was getting on the plane I then noticed his TITANS SUPERBOWL RING!! I don't know who he was but I was tempted to make a scene! I probably would have also stalked him after the flight insisting he sign something so I would know who he was without asking and potentially looking like an idiot but I had to pee! Oh well! 

So we landed in Raleigh, we've never been to this airport because we always drive and it is super nice!! We grabbed the shuttle to the car rental place, waited in line for 13 hours and then hit the road! I must note it was a GORGEOUS day in Raleigh! Perfect temperature, just amazing! We headed to get something for lunch before checking out the house! 

Jason was absolutely dead set on getting Quiznos which kills me because we have on in Estevan and never go, so we drive around FOREVER as the two he was sure he knew where they were have been "moved" ... Ok? So we got a sub at subway and headed to the house! 

There's A LOT of work still to be done at the house, more than I expected to be honest, but when Sarah gave us the keys to check it out I was so excited! 




I really didn't want to give it back to Sarah, but I suppose Friday will be here before you know it!

So we left the house and headed to look for a fridge! We started at Home Depot and then off to Lowe's we ended up with a fabulous fridge for $1,000.00 off which is awesome!! We are loving end of summer sales!! Check out this bad boy to be delivered Saturday! 


It's got a ton of cool options inside and it was exactly what we were looking for! One thing down, a million and a half to go!!

At this point it was about 7:45pm so we decided to head to dinner. We went to Chili's because it was close and convenient but truthfully I could have just went to bed!! All day I felt crappy having not slept but at this point I was exhausted! I honestly barely touched my dinner and came back to the hotel and went to bed! I slept like the dead until 10:00am this morning... Much needed!

So we headed out this morning! Jason dropped of me off at Target and went and got his hair cut while I got a much needed Starbucks and dose if reality with kids. Note to self Sunday morning in Target with no coffee and screaming kids cures baby fever! I managed to find towels for our master bath and pick colors for the upstairs spare bath and pick towels and a shower curtain for there, were going back to buy them tomorrow so I will share pictures then!! I'm very happy with our selection!!

After Target we needed to go to the mall, Jason had two watches to be fixed and my rings and earrings needed to be inspected for warranty purposes! We grabbed lunch and started our mattress shopping!! Long story short we bought a BEAUTIFUL Sealy Beauty Rest pillow top king size mattress with cooling technology for a fabulous deal!!! The bed is AMAZINGLY comfortable and we are so excited! Unfortunately that was the extent of our furniture buying today! I can't believe it but were just not finding anything we love! We have a couch possibility which we'll decide on tomorrow as we have a few more places to look, but we have important things so that's all that matters! Our last stop tonight before dinner we got our duvet set which I'm super excited about! I forgot it in the trunk of the car though and being on my phone I'll have to take pictures tomorrow!

My favorite part of another beautiful summer day, dinner! We went to my happy place, my Disney Land, the best restaurant ever!!! Cracker Barrel!!!! No kidding Jason had country ham, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, corn and Mac and cheese! I had chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cucumber, tomato and onion salad. We had biscuits, corn bread, lemonade and root beer... The most incredible home cooked meal EVER.... $24.00!!!!! Unreal!!! I mean seriously the amount of food was ridiculous and everything was amazing.... $24.00!! I LOVE THE SOUTH!! Plus our waiter was stellar! I wanted to be friends!

So we came back to the hotel for 9:00pm, Jason is snoring beside me and I'm hoping not to be far behind! We are planning to shop more tomorrow and meet with our home inspector at 1:00pm! Hopefully I'll have more news and pictures then!

Again I'm sorry I missed you all yesterday and more sorry I don't have more pictures but we haven't bought anything really! For the pictures I have posted I'm sorry if they're small but I don't know how to edit them in the blogger app, if you do please share!!

Thank you all for stopping in as always, I'm off to fall asleep watching the 49ers whoop Minnesota! So excited for football season!! 




Saturday, August 24, 2013

North Dakota Sunset

Two blogs in one day and were traveling, I'm awesome and totally living up to my word of really blogging while we are away this time! At this rate I might just become a travel blogger! Anyways I thought I would stop in and post some pictures of tonight's sunset!

Jason got home from work later then we had hoped, or I had hoped I suppose! He finished and then said goodbye to most of his co-workers as the job is ending and most of them will demobilize before we get back. We had a really quick dinner and then got on the road, the border is only about 20 minutes or so from the apartment and as I suspected there was no one there. The guy seemed a little perplexed by my immigration information so we were there for a few minutes but then happily on our way! The drive was good, lots and LOTS of bugs, by the time we got into Minot you could barely see out the windshield! We stopped and put gas in the truck for when we got back and got a car wash.. who knew North Dakota had a ghetto?

Anyways here are some pictures from tonight, I will be back around tomorrow after a day of travel and furniture shopping!













Good Night!!


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Friday, August 23, 2013

IT'S LEAVING DAY!!!!

I bet you didn't think I was going to make it here today... did ya? Well it took me awhile as I was a little busy but I had to stop by before we got on the road tonight! I am officially finished packing, besides the laptop which will go in as soon as I'm done here!

This round packing has been pretty uneventful, well for me.. Jason had a little bit of a drama fest last night over "missing" sunglasses! 2 years ago for Christmas I got Jason some really expensive custom Oakley sunglasses and truthfully he never wears them because he is such a tight wad and is scared something will happen to them because of how expensive they were. But generally when we travel or something he will bring them and wear them... unless he cant find them. Last night around 9:30pm he comes and stands in the bedroom doorway looking like a child who lost their favorite stuffed animal before bed.... what do you need? Jason - "Ummm where are my sunglasses?" with a very accusatory tone. Me - "I don't know, I don't wear them" (this is where my Dad comes in as this is exactly what he would say to me when I was living at home and looking for something that clearly I should know where it was). He huffs and puffs and tells me they are always on MY dresser... no they aren't. First of all why would they ever be on MY dresser and not his own? Second of all just because you say it, doesn't make it true! What proceeded this was ridiculous.. he literally tore the apartment apart and I totally sat here letting him act ridiculous as he went through the kitchen cupboards (because obviously that's where they are hiding) making a huge mess of everything! As he is making a mess and freaking out hes telling me what a catastrophe it is that they are gone forever. I mean really, a bitch fit of massive proportions! Yes they got up and walked away Jason!!! They didn't care of your out and out neglect so they went to find someone who would really appreciate them, FOREVER! Funny story... they were sitting on his suitcase the whole time. They must have gotten up and walked over from the top of my dresser.

So everything is taken care of minus giving notice and paying rent.. I should have known I would be denied this pleasure before leaving! For some reason the property manager (Trunchbull) has been MIA all week. We pay our rent in cash and I don't really feel comfortable leaving $1,450.00 in cash under her office door and hoping she gets it and is honest about it. I called the office a bunch of times, I even called the after hours emergency number and left messages with no response! So today I just stuck a note under her door with our 30 day notice letting her know that we would be moving and that we were on vacation and tried to get ahold of her many times and I would pay rent the morning of the 4th. I'm sure we'll have to pay the $5.00 a day late fee, which I plan to argue but whatever. I did however reread out lease this morning and we have to be out of the apartment by 12:00pm on the 30th, they will charge us $120.00 to clean the carpets and $70.00 an hour for the cleaning they think needed.. her and I will discuss this as this place was a complete pig sty when we moved in and if she thinks shes charging us for cleaning my foot is going to meet her ass up close and personal!

I did plan to get up this morning and make my way here to blog about my day yesterday and all my running around and road rage... did I mention I hate small town drivers and the fact that EVERY street has a speed limit of 35mph... Really? In case you didn't realize that's practically coasting, and I don't do anything at a snails pace without losing patience and cussing! I did pretty well, I usually avoid downtown... and by downtown let me clarify and explain its the one real "town like" street where the banks are! I don't parallel park, especially in the truck because it looks like this...


I had no choice but to go to the bank so I just figured at the right time of the day I could probably find somewhere I could park even if I had to walk a little, which I did and it was fine. On my way back I managed to only yell once at the person in front of me who was so wonderfully obeying the speed limit and turning every left turn into FLIPPING LIFE CHOICE!!!!! Why in the F&*^ does it take you a whole 5 minutes to turn, seriously.. left turn.. life choice? What are we doing here?

All in all I managed to do everything I needed to do and get back here with no tickets, all of my hair in tact and no war wounds from a beating brought on by one of my road rage targets! I thought it was pretty successful! 

We are headed to Minot, North Dakota tonight and then we will fly to Raleigh in the morning.. to say that I am excited is the understatement of the century! Not only are we going to get our brand new amazing house but we are going to shop for all that will go in it!! Jason seriously asked me yesterday if I was ready to do a lot of shopping.. HAHA does he know me at all?? I CANNOT WAIT!

As I mentioned before we are taking the laptop so check in for pictures of the house and all the goods we are buying! I plan to really be better this time about blogging while we are away as I will have lots to tell and we are taking the laptop so I will have no excuse! We are super excited about this time in our lives and are so very appreciative off all your kind and thoughtful words!

I will leave you with this amazing letter I saw today.. remember my blog this week about the horrific letter sent to the mother of the young boy with Autism? If you missed it you can read it here. Anyways I saw the response from this young boys mother, and it was so eloquently written. This mother is so brave, she is taking this horrible experience and finding the positive, she didn't return this woman's hate with her own hate she opened up the door for good things to come of this horrible experience and for that I admire her. Here is her response...

  1. Dear Pissed Off Mother,

    Allow me to introduce myself. I am Matthew's Mom, Tracey. I am Dianne's daughter, who is Matthew's grandmother. How blessed I am to have a Mom who is willing to lend a hand and spend time with Ma...tthew every so often when the need arises.

    Matthew is an incredible young man who is 16 years old. He loves spending time outdoors ~ gardening, mowing the lawn, watching the birds, building bird houses, spending time with his dog, floating around on the river. He is outside more than he is in. How fortunate are we that he enjoys an active lifestyle. We don't have to constantly encourage him to get away from the video games, computer or tv screen. Oh, don't get me wrong, he will spend time in front of the computer, normally on YouTube trying to learn all he can about the interests I have listed above.

    Briefly I have given you a little synopsis of Matthew's life. Sounds pretty carefree and typical, doesn't it? Sounds like he would blend in to an average neighbourhood pretty much unnoticed? Perhaps.

    What I haven't told you is that my son lives with Asperger's Syndrome. Oh? You don't know what that is? Really? Your recent correspondence led me to believe that you had all the answers and it was me that was missing the boat. Someday when you're finished solving all the world's problems, I'll let you search out the term on your own as I wouldn't want to waste your precious time right now.

    What I would like to do, if you would humour me for a moment, is thank you. I want to thank you for allowing so many discussions to take place because of the views you shared with a grandmother who was spending time with her grandson. You have been the reason that a neighbourhood and a community have rallied around a family with love, respect and support. You are the reason that families all over this country and beyond in neighbourhoods of their own now have people stopping to pay a little bit more attention to the person living next door to them. I want to thank you for publicly sharing your wisdom and describing so eloquently the roads 1 in 88 families walk on a daily basis. Thank you for confirming that it isn't always easy and for seeing, first hand, those days that require us to be a little bit stronger, those days when we have to dig down really deep to find the courage and patience to just put one foot in front of the other. Thanks for getting that there are times when a simple few minutes out in the backyard can be pretty frustrating. I'm sure you can only imagine what's it's like 24/7/365.

    You know, it's a shame that I can't address you properly. I have no idea who you are. I would welcome nothing more than being able to sit down with you over a cup of coffee while our children played outside. I'm sure I'd be able to get through at least 30 seconds without being interrupted so we could discuss all these issues you have such amazing grasp of. Eventually, I suspect your identity will be revealed. Once your phone and doorbell stop ringing maybe we'll have the opportunity to have that chat. In the meantime I'll have to settle for the menial task of communicating with people who aren't quite as up to speed as you claim to be. The people I'll be having coffee with will only offer empathy, support, love and unconditional acceptance to me, Matthew and my family.

    There are others I can talk with as well, you know, some of those 1 in 88 families I spoke of earlier. Yes, we talk, too. And we talk about people like you. We wonder how you became such an expert when even though we have lived this way for as long as we can remember, we still don't know from one day to the next what all the best approaches are for our families. I can't begin to imagine how you came to your conclusions and have it all figured out.

    Alas, I have taken enough of your valuable time. You must be proud of yourself. And you should be. Because, you see, this all backfired on you. You wanted to ostracize. You wanted to bully. You wanted to belittle. But you didn't. You brought people together. You strengthened a bond. You educated. You opened the doors to discussions. I really hope you're not pissed off anymore.

    Remember me when you have time for coffee.

    Sincerely,

    Matthew's Mom
    Tracey

    Pretty amazing right? 
    Anyways I really have to run now as I have spent a little more time here then I planned and I still have things to do before Jason gets home! Happy Friday everyone and I will be around these parts tomorrow with travel details I promise!!! 




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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Good Morning!

I'm sorry I didn't visit these parts yesterday, truthfully the day just got away from me. I spent a good portion of yesterday trying to track down our damn property manager to give our 30 day notice as we leave tomorrow and wont be back until September third. Go figure I was denied this absolute PLEASURE as she was no where to be found all day! I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to blow this pop stand! We have good job and bad jobs and this has by far been the absolute WORST! As previously mentioned our apartment is an absolutely HOLE but to say there was no options here would be the biggest understatement of the century! Regardless we have survived and once I give our notice we leave for 10 days and come back and have less then a month to survive before we head home... for who knows that's questionable but I sure as hell don't plan on coming back here!

Jason worked quite late last night which has happened less on this job then usual, he is trying to get as far ahead in what needs to be done so he doesn't come back to a cluster screw like he usually does. This job has been probably the first project I've ever seen Jason actually hate. Generally he absolutely loves going to work, never complains about the long hours and always finds the good in the adversities. However on this job he is been unusually negative and just outright miserable having to go there which is so out of character. Last night he came home and reminded me that the new Duck Dynasty was on, its set to record.. good thing. Anyways he went into a RANT about how he cant talk to anyone at work about it because NOBODY watches it and NO ONE watches NFL... he was pissed! Being in Canada, especially Saskatchewan they aren't huge NFL fans if at all they are very much into the Canadian Football League. Sad but true (sorry Tanya!).

We watched Duck Dynasty and then Jason decided to pack while I got in bed early to pin and listen to my new play list Jason added to my iPod! I felt tired and thought some quiet time before Jason got in bed and took over my side like he usually does would ensure a good nights rest. Well you want to know something.. I OFFICIALLY HATE NIGHT TIME!!!!! I don't know what the hell has happened but sleep and I are apparently on bad terms and I am officially at a loss on how to fix it! The last time I looked at the clock was 3:59am and that doesn't mean I went to sleep I was just so pissed off I stopped looking. I was still laying awake when Jason's alarm went off and knowing I had to get up and take him to work SUCKED! I have a ton of running around to do today and because tomorrow we will be in a rush when Jason gets off work I had to get my shit done today.. ugh!

I got up, put on some yoga pants, a sweater and my sunglasses and unwillingly headed out the door. It was FREEZING OUT! Tuesday it was 100 degrees and this morning it was 37!!!! People we warming their cars up.. ITS AUGUST!!!!!!!! I got in the truck and cranked the heat and thanked the lord for my seat warmer! Jason refused to stop at Tim Hortons as though his life didn't depend on it and after dropping him off at work it was impossible to speed back into town because the sun was absolutely blinding.. in combination with my exhaustion its a wonder I made it back at all. But I did, EXTRA LARGE coffee in hand!

I've been laying around ever since, drinking coffee and reading blogs.. a great way to spend the morning as far as I'm concerned! I need to get up now and get my ass in gear as I have quite a long list of things to accomplish today! Who knows what time Jason will be off tonight but I'm hoping this afternoon I will get some time to work on some posts for while we're away because I'm pretty sure you will be fine with one blog about furniture shopping and we will most likely spend our first 3 days in Raleigh doing just that!

I absolutely CANNOT wait to leave tomorrow, which is my motivation to get moving! I hope ya'll have a fabulous day! I am going to leave you with this little bit of daily inspiration because I am actually posting in the morning!!


This might just be a contender for my outfit today... I think its warmed up outside...


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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

No News = Good News

That's right folks as far as I'm concerned not watching the news these days is the way to go! After last nights episode I didn't think it was worth watching what was going on in the world today. Have you ever noticed that they really only report bad things? Bad weather gets more attention then beautiful sunny days to come, stories of the terrible things we do to each other, its really sad.

This morning I was up with the birds, I guess the cold medicine isn't going to work for me anymore either because at 5:30am I woke up to use the washroom and that was that.. I was up for the day! I laid in bed reading the lovely blogs I follow, catching up on Instagram for all that had happened since I last perused, responded to an few emails and then decided to get up and make a coffee.

I just want to let you all know that I have come to the conclusion this week that 1% milk in coffee is disgusting. I generally only use almond milk but this week with it being a short week and knowing we are leaving I knew we wouldn't use 2 jugs of milk so I decided to sacrifice the almond milk as Jason definitely wont use that for cereal. Well as I have mentioned a time or two I am a creature of habit and therefore I drink my coffee the same way every single day, 1 tsp raw sugar and almond milk.. not one percent.. and apparently for good reason, its flipping disgusting! I've never been much of a milk drinker period but once you get use to something its really hard to change. I use to use Splenda and when that wasn't available its substitute never felt adequate and now that I only use almond milk regular milk tastes like shit. I feel a Tim Hortons becoming more and more necessary until a Starbucks is within my grasp.

Anyways I just rambled a lot to get to my point, there was nothing on TV so early in the morning but I wasn't awake enough to think about actually reading a book, so I flipped through the mindless crap at my fingertips and settled on some good ol' fashion celebrity buzz with TMZ! Generally you can count on celebrity news to be mostly upbeat and mostly lies.. its fabulous! Not this morning!! Should we be concerned about this suicide epidemic among young celebrities? I'm not going to lie I don't watch the Bachelor or anything and am not familiar with the young girl from the show who took her own life earlier this week.. but reading her story made me sad. Followed by another young actor who was found this morning with a self inflicted gun shot wound? Regardless of the fact that they are celebrities they are young adults who obviously suffered from depression or some sort of mental illness and decided there was nothing left for them in this world and they ended their lives at their own hands.. horrendously sad.

I'm a big advocate for the importance of discussing mental health and making people feel like it is an acceptable topic of discussion, you shouldn't be ashamed of your emotions, thoughts and feelings. There is help, nothing is hopeless.. you are not alone.

My last two posts seem to focus on such sad topics... that is not at all intentional, I really am not in a bad place or anything but I tell you by watching the news you could absolutely get to that bad place quite easily. Jason came home from work tonight and naturally turned the news on, go figure.. he likes to know whats going on in the world, check the weather.. I think its a guy thing. Anyways the first thing that comes on is the police officer in Toronto being charged with murder of the 19 year old boy on the street car whom he shot numerous times and killed... TURN IT OFF!!! Turn of the TV, turn off the news, just turn it all off! This is why I have a DVR.. this is why I skip commercials and don't watch the news! This is what comes closest to putting the kibosh on my baby fever! Who wants to bring kids into a world like this?!?! Geesh!

Anyways! I'm feeling quite a bit better today then I have! I have spent the last few nights like this... and its helped!



Today I made a roasted chicken for dinner, we wanted something light so I thought it would be great for sandwiches as chicken is extremely expensive here and these whole chickens have been on sale! I'm not kidding you when I say expensive.. I'm not overly cheap and we lived in Alaska where everything was crazy expensive because it was brought in on a barge (no kidding a bag of chips was $6) but here, chicken is outrageous, you would think they were protected or something! For 6 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast it ranges from $24.00 to $42.00 depending where you go... I kid you not! So this was dinner... 


While waiting for Jason to get home I was face timing with the fam while making dinner, I can't help but miss the usual shenanigans that go on there! It's always bittersweet to see everyone's faces and feel like we are apart of things with face time but not really be there! I am holding out hope for a visitor before the end of the year... having said that Jen might be off that list as my hair was a topic of conversation when we were chatting and I so interestingly received this lovely pin from her tonight.... 


Coincidence? I think not!! Haha don't worry Jen I don't take it personally, today was a homeless day! If you can believe it I didn't put on makeup all day and even went to the gym like that.. silly I know but this is not the norm for me! 

So that's my scoop for the day, I promise to be back tomorrow with something more fun and lively! I'm jut getting antsy for this week to end and us to get on a plane!! It feels like the week before Christmas or something I tell ya!! 

Before I head out for the night I do want to thank everyone for their wonderful messages after yesterdays post and for sharing your personal stories with me, I absolutely love to read your messages! I have also noticed that there are a bunch of new followers around here and for that I am very grateful, I hope you stick around and enjoy! 

Have a great night everyone! 





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Monday, August 19, 2013

Is This the World we Live in?

Good Evening,

I didn't think I would make it around these parts today but tonight I was sitting here watching the news waiting for Jason to get home and something caught my eye on the news and I just couldn't let it go. In a way it ties into my thoughts on slavery and racism, the idea of treating someone as though they are beneath you over something they have no control over. We have indeed made strides in regards to racism, but as a society have we changed our view on things that are "different"? Someone once told me the things we have the hardest time with are the things we don't understand, how true.

Not understanding something, not being aware or educated about something or someone can be an amazing gift, this opens up doors to allow you to educate yourself from different sources, form well rounded educated opinions, to better yourself, get to know someone. I have a hard time thinking that when people don't understand something they choose hate, they choose ignorance, they choose to make hurtful comments and hateful remarks... when you do this it says more about you then your target.

Tonight watching the news I was horrified to see the story of an Ontario mother who received an anonymous letter from a neighbor about her 13 year old son who is autistic. Watching this mother suffer with these hateful words was heartbreaking, these hateful words directed at her child. Truthfully I don't want to post that garbage here but I feel like you really won't understand until you read it for yourself.

Take a look at the letter...


Speechless? Shocked? Disgusted? If you feel something other than those things I would absolutely love to know what. I'm not going to lie the fact that an adult, a human being feels these thoughts is appalling, the fact they she feels these thoughts towards a child when she is a MOTHER is horrific to me. 

If you are not educated on Autism, do some research... do a little reading because I promise what you think is probably isn't, what you think you might know is a small portion of what encompasses autism and those who have it. There are so many misconceptions that come along with Autism and to make ignorant statements about something you don't understand is not acceptable. 

Autism - READ ABOUT IT                                    


I feel for this mother, I can't imagine what it would feel like to receive a letter like this saying this despicable things about her child. As a mother your love for your child is beyond words, not from personal experience but I would assume that any woman who finds out she is pregnant plans this child's life, wonders who he or she will be, learning to ride a bike, their first day of school, their first date, learning to drive, getting married... etc. If were being honest does any parent to be wonder what is something is wrong with my child? What if they never learn to ride a bike, never goes on a date, cannot get a license, won't get married? No. But when something like that becomes a reality do you love your child any less? No. You have new hopes and dreams for your child, you learn from that child and become a better parent and person because of them. How many times do you think this mother has asked herself what she did wrong? How she could have prevented this? There is one answer to that, she did nothing wrong, she couldn't have prevented it.  Does it make you a bad person to ask those questions? Absolutely not. Do you love your child any less because you have those questions? Of course not. 

Maybe this hurts my heart so much because it hits so close to home for me. I have a cousin who is Autistic, which seems funny to say that because I suppose I never really relate the two. I don't introduce him to people and say "This is J... He is autistic" why would I? Trust me when you meet him you'll remember him no matter how I introduced him. 

From the time he was a baby he was special, his smile lit up a room, his belly laugh made your heart smile! He was a big baby, chubby cheeks and beautiful blue eyes, an appetite that could put me to shame! He was always a sweetheart, from the time he was a baby people were drawn to him. When he started to talk you didn't stand a chance, his words always kind  and heartfelt... there was no doubt he was born to be a ladies man. He is an old soul, genuine from the start, his happiness comes from the happiness of those around him and there is no doubt in my mind if you met him today he would be the best part of your day. 

J is by far the most generous person I have ever been blessed to have in my life, he always puts others before himself and when you do for him he will be more grateful then you can imagine, almost as though you have given him the world. I often find myself wishing I could see the world through his eyes, so innocent, carefree, taking it all in, big, small, good and bad it counts. He's a saver, penny pincher if you will... if his older brother who is the spender needs a loan J and his piggy bank are never far! He is helpful beyond words and if something is needed he is always there to lend a helping hand. His heart is golden, his words are thoughtful, his mind inspiring, his life a gift. 

J's mother is wonderful, mostly likely his greatest gift. She loves him unconditionally, his confidant, his best friend. When he was itty bitty he use to tell people he was going to marry her one day, and when he decided to take this information to his I believe first grade teacher and she informed him it wasn't possible, if nothing more because she was already married to his dad, he was horrified. He waits in the drive way for her to get home from work, anxious to see her face, hear her voice, feel the love she radiates for him. He makes her tea after dinner, discusses his feelings on his impending high school years, takes walks through the neighborhood and discusses the ever changing architecture of the houses that surround. He is not particularly keen on the modern spin being put on many of the older homes in the area. He knows what he likes and doesn't like and so does she. 

Her job is no different from that of any other mother, she has taught him manners (which if were being honest he takes extremely serious and should probably be a guest blogger around these parts because he could fill you all in on a few things we're lacking), she taught him his letters and numbers, she has sat for hours a night at the kitchen table teaching him patience for his homework, she has taught him acceptance in that everyone is different and sometimes we just cant control others actions. She is his advocate when it comes to the things he needs when he cant advocate for himself, you see her duties as a mother are that the only another mother can possibly understand. She worries more about his new experiences and adventures than he does, like any mother would and prepares for the adversities one would hope he will never face. 

As he prepares for high school life is about to change considerably and his anxiety is reaching its peak as the school year approaches. Are his worries different of that of any child who is about to embark on their most independent journey thus far? No. He worries about finding his locker, finding his classroom, being late, making friends... all the same worries I had. Her worries, that he wont find his locker, that he will be late for class, that he will have a hard time making friends, that he will hate it. Will they deal with it? Yes, together like everything else, because shes his mother and autism or not problems arise and she is the fixer. 

J's mom is blessed, she has two BEAUTIFUL boys (one going into high school, one going to finish high school - makes me feel old!) they are both gifted in different ways, they have similar interest but fight like brothers... they are her world and she is theirs. I know without question she has never questioned J's existent, she has embraced his presence, loved him for who he is and learned from all that he has brought to her life, its made her a better person and because of that she is blessed. You see life is what you make it, and you can embrace new experiences, take away every positive thing it brings to your life or you can be negative. 

What scares me most about this letter is that not only did this woman have those thoughts she felt them so strongly she took it as far to send this letter to this boys parents, put her words out there. She is a mother, what kind of hate are her children growing up with? What lessons is she teaching them? Beyond knowing any better will they be the bullies on the play ground? The next generation of adults to spread this kind of message? I hope not. 

Life is so short, don't pass up the opportunity to get to know someone who is "different" because you will be missing out. Life is too short to hold on to such negative thoughts and even worse spread them. Growing up my mom always said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" simple and true. 

To the person that wrote that unspeakable letter, you disgust me. Your words are hurtful and unnecessary! As a parent how would you feel if someone targeted your innocent, unsuspecting child with this hate? This child didn't deserve your negative words, and I hope he never knows of them. You make me angry but most of all you make me sad. 

Is this the world we live in? 





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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sunday Words of Wisdom!

I'm still not feeling well today, I got a much needed great night sleep last night (got to love night time cold medicine) but I'm not up for writing much today. I thought I would stop in with some Sunday words of wisdom! I hope you all had a great weekend and I will be back around tomorrow! 








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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Summer Sickness in it's Prime!

Good Saturday Morning Lovelies!

I don't actually know what it good about it at this moment truth be told.. I woke up this morning with a full blown cold!! WHO GETS A COLD IN THE SUMMER??!?! Obviously Jason gave it to me, this whole marriage, sharing stuff is so over rated! He could have kept this all to himself and I wouldn't have been the least bit upset! I pretty much knew yesterday it was coming as my nose was running like a faucet! I don't know about you but I would rather have the stomach flu than a runny nose, I hate trying to sleep and not being able to breathe... at least with a stomach bug you generally lose a few pounds right? WIN!

Anyways there is also another tell tale sign that I'm sick.. I cry when someone even looks at me. I don't know why but I've always been that way... I just don't deal well with being sick and this time my constant lack of sleep isn't helping. Yesterday I was feeling terrible, I cried watching the Young and the Restless - go ahead judge me, I judge me for that one - we went to the gym and I tried to sweat my cold out, also thinking I would come home and definitely go right to sleep.. NOPE! I don't know what is going on, I on occasion suffer from bouts of insomnia but this time is one of the worst, it feels like its been going on forever and it only gets worse. I was EXHAUSTED last night, my eyes were running like crazy but I just couldn't sleep... at 2:00am I was still laying here looking at the clock.. misery!

This morning I got up to take Jason to work, funny story though. So Jason is wicked cheap and he has had his same alarm clock since high school and although it doesn't work most of the time he REFUSES to buy another one. Sometimes when it goes off it is so quiet he doesn't even here it, sometimes its just static, sometimes it just randomly goes off and this morning it didn't go off at all! I'm not going to lie I was thankful, that extra hour was MUCH needed. I woke up feeling worse, dropped Jason off at work and as I was driving back Randy Houser - Running Out of Moonlight came on the radio and I LOVE that song, so I turned it up and started to sing and then I cried because it reminds me of my brother and I really miss him. Then I got home and made a coffee and got back in bed to watch TV for awhile and noticed I had a few emails from Sarah with house pictures, and I looked at them and cried.. haha.. bawl ass! I can't help it I'm tellin' ya!

Anyways I thought I would stop in and share the house pictures with you, I honestly can't believe we will be there in a week and the house is going to be done and ours. The more I see pictures of it coming together and the more I think about it, it just seems surreal. Jason and I have been talking a lot about all the things that we have to do while we are there and the things we will have to consider when leaving for the month until we are done here and drive back, I keep thinking about how hard it is going to be to leave our brand new home with brand new stuff to come back here for a month, well lets be honest here I'll probably cry!

Here are some of the updated pictures!


The front of the house is almost done, they have finished the natural stone accents but they still need to finish the railing and pillars. We are so happy with the colors we chose and the look. 


This is right inside the front door. The hardwood flooring has been laid so they have covered the floors to prevent damage. 


This is looking from the far side of the dining room through to the living area. 


Downstairs powder room. 


Look from the corner of the dining room beside the sliding glass doors in towards the kitchen and dining area. 


Look from the far side of the living area beside the fire place into the kitchen/ dining area. 




The master bathroom. 



This is the fan in the master bedroom. 

So things are really coming together, I'm super happy with how everything looks and just cant wait to get there and see the final product! 

We don't have anything exciting planned for the weekend, I think I'm going to go out and get all my running around done and then come back and make a tea and read for awhile, maybe nap although I think that is wishful thinking. 

6 days until we leave, YAY! 

Hope you're all having a great weekend!




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