Correction....

Friday night Emmilia sent me a text that said "I hate to break it to you, but you're 32 years old.  If I am turning 33, you're not 31."  That made me laugh.  When I wrote that on here I really did think I was 31.  I didn't even hesitate writing it.  The following day I was sitting in church watching friends of mine get married.  Out of nowhere a thought popped in my head.  I wondered - Am I 31? Could I be 32?  I whispered to my friend Shawn beside me and asked him if he knew.  He gave me a look that said "How the F am I supposed to know" and turned his attention back to the front.  I spent most of the ceremony thinking about it (sorry Mike and Eden).  Eventually, my stellar math skills told me that yes indeed, I am 32.

I spent so much time freaking out about turning 30 only to find that shortly after I can't even remember my age.  I wonder if, from this point forward, all the years blend together and age really is just a number? That works for me. Hope it will work for Neil too. 


Favourite of The Day:  Today is the official day Emmilia turns 33!! (Sorry to publicly announce your age, but I assume you're okay with it.).  Enjoy spending your 33rd year at home with your sweet Adellina.  I can't wait to see you both.  Her little cheeks are calling out my name. Happy Birthday my friend.  xoxo

TGIAND

"TGIF" isn't a new term.  But as of late I've become a lot more conscious of it and its popularity.  People are frequently on this countdown waiting for the glorious weekend.  This leads me to ponder a few things.

Are people flying to Hollywood on private jets to attend red carpet events with Brad and Angelina?   Am I missing out on something?  My weekends aren't that exciting these days.  I am fine with that, to be honest.   Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy my days off and I enjoy my downtime. But not to the point where my week days are dreadful.  I hope if I get to the point where I do feel that way I will recognize that I may need to change something in my life.

I may only feel this way now considering I've only recently begun the standard work week of Monday - Friday.  Years of shift work never gave me the standard 'weekends'.  Maybe a few more years of '9-5 ing' will leave me jaded. Regardless, I still want to make the best of every day. 

To be fair, sometimes I think people use the whole TGIF countdown as conversation fillers.  In the spirit of optimism, maybe just announce the weather instead. Some of us may live in cellars and need to know it's raining anyway.   

There are 365 days in a year.  Saturdays and Sundays only make up for 28% of the year.  To quote my Oprah, we need to live our best life.  Which to me means making the most of the remaining 72%. Today is a Monday.  And I say TGIAND.

Thank Goodness it's a new Day.

Follow Up: 3 things you Need

Following up from yesterdays post, I wanted to share these 3 things that make my life more awesome. I bet they'd make yours more awesome too. Take my word for it.

(1) Kleenex with Vicks.

Regular Kleenex? Sure, it does its job. Kleenex with Vicks?? Amazing.

(2) Gravity Chairs

Plain old lawn chair? Don't be fooled. These ARE all they're cracked up to be.

(3) Rice Krispies on Ice Cream.

Just try it.

We'll go Dutch.

Yesterday Neil Pasricha entered the final post on  1000 Awesome Things.  Way back in June of 2009 I alerted everyone to this amazing website, so I hope this isn't news to anyone.   You've all been reading his daily posts right? 


I love Neil. He helped us be conscious of noticing and appreciating the small things that happen day to day.  Of remembering the happy things from the past and reflecting on the good.  You simply can't have enough of that in your life.   It took him over 4 years.  Waking up every single day and making sure you find the good is a challenge not all of us could tackle.  


There was some anticipation leading up the final awesome thing.   The final words he left us all with is this: "Anything You Want It To Be".  Genius move, Neil.  Genius.  An open invite for us all to find it ourselves.  


I am going to challenge myself to find it as often as I can.  Here is one I will start with today:

Beating the car in the lane beside you in the bridge line-up.  Awesome!!

Also - just going to throw this out there.  Neil - If you happen to google your name (who doesn't do that) and you find this page - -  I read you're a 32 year old in Toronto.  Interesting.  I happen to be 31.  While I certainly don't believe chivalry is dead, I am also a modern day girl.  If you would like to go out on a date with me, I will gladly meet you half way.  ;) 




Favourite of the Day:  Mike and Eden are getting married tomorrow!!  My awesome long time friend marrying my awesome new friend.   Perfect.  

The Kittens

As I sit on my couch right now kittens dash across my feet stopping only to bite my toes and chase each others tails. Though I had very little to do with it, I feel like a proud mama watching them run and climb. Just six weeks ago I picked them up from the shelter at only 3 days old. They had fit in the palm of my hand with their eyes and ears closed. They didn't walk for the first two weeks. As time moved on, they slowly opened their eyes, their ears popped up and they took their first wobbly steps. There are four of these sweet babies whom I love.

I have their mama too, who has fascinated me with her nurturing nature. A mother's instinct is an incredible thing. In the first few weeks she often 'hid' all her babies and I quickly learned she wanted to keep them in a small confined place. They lived in the corner of my bedroom closet for the first while. If I had company over and we wanted to cuddle her babies, she was fine with it if we stayed near home base. As soon as we took them out of the room, she promptly followed, picked up her baby by the scruff of the neck and whisked them away. She cleaned and fed them constantly and though she loved to cuddle with me in bed, she always kept her visits short and returned to her babies.

Now the kittens are eating solid food and using the litter box on their own. I love it that they are now able to run around my house and play, their little personalities coming through loud and clear. They are very independent and the mama spends much more time with me, which has been helpful in getting them weaned. I have them for about 10 more days and they will be ready for adoption. I will be very sad to see them go but I feel confident other people will fall in love and welcome them into their families.

Here are some pictures and a video. When I named them, I had a 50% chance of guessing their sex correctly. Good thing I'm not a gambler. No one needs to know which one of my sweet princesses grew a set of balls.

Daphne - 3 days old

Delilah - 3 days old

Delilah - She is an observer. She likes to sit quietly and watch the others play. She is gentle and curious.

Digits - He has 7 toes on each front paw. He's the alpha male. The first to do everything and he's a rascal. Also the first to hit the big 1 lb!

Digits and Mama, having a nap.

Dixon - Terrible to say, but he's my least favourite. He's a whiny suck. He doesn't like being held and the scratches all over my hands prove this. He started out all black, but is evolving into something new. He has a white tip on his tail and one white foot. I think his fur may continue to change.

Daphne - She is my favourite by a landslide. She loves to cuddle and she has a gentle nature. Every morning I walk in their room to say good morning and she's the first to run to me.

This is when they were taking their first steps. It's so funny to see this now, as I watch them zoom past me and climb stairs. I tried to get a video of that for comparison but the little buggers are just too fast!

Favourite of the Day: Feeling like I'm getting caught up. On sleep, on laundry, on life in general. It feels good.

Randomness

(1) Did you guys know how amazing beets are? Not sure why it took me 32 years to discover that. They are not only delicious but they are beautiful too. Such a bright vibrant colour.

(2) I wonder if there is one person out there who's job it is to design the "Google" logo every day. I love how they are always thought-provoking, artistic or just plain clever. I appreciate imagination and creativity.

(3) On Sunday night I drove away from the gas pump with the nozzle still in my car. I was embarrassed when it happened but afterward I thought it was hilarious. I told my friend this yesterday and he said "Oh, Sara - you should keep that one to yourself." HA HA HA. He doesn't know me very well.

Not My Proudest of Moments

You know how when you go to wedding/baby showers you sometimes fill out an envelope with your mailing address on it and then they use it to mail you a Thank You card?

When I pull that envelope out of my mail box there is a SPLIT second where my brain thinks "Wow - whoever wrote that has the exact same handwriting as me."

Then I feel incredibly thankful no one was witness to such stupidity. Kind of like when you dream you are falling and you jerk yourself awake and then hope no one saw it happen? That.

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Confession

I love my Kindle. I admit it. I love it.

When they first came out I scoffed at the thought. An electronic book? Ya right. I love books. I like how they feel. I like how they smell. I like the history and story that comes with an old novel. Used books or library books - who read them before me? Who loved this book before I did? I like passing by the books on my shelf and seeing the ones I love and remembering them with a smile.

The thought of laying outside in the sun reading something that requires batteries seemed ridiculous. Yet, even though I have one, the truth is I still think this. It IS ridiculous. Imagine not being able to finish reading something because you forgot to charge it the night before? I shake my head at the thought.

But when it came down to it - I chose convenience. It is small and slim and I can take it every where I go. The line-up at the grocery store is long? I whip out the kindle. It is just too easy. (Yes, you could do with this with real books, but I hate having tons of crap and weight in my purse, so I never would.) E-books are also much cheaper. And I've discovered "Kindle Shorts". Short stories that are usually $0.99. And the ultimate convenience? I never lose my page. Remember, I lose everything right?

I felt like a traitor wanting one but I came to the realization that choosing an electronic book didn't mean I had to give up real books. I could have both. I don't have to choose one over the other. I just have to choose the one that works best at the time.

Okay. Confession over. I feel better. Let's move on.

Favorite of the Day: Tonight I was witness to a kitten experience sight for the first time. I was there when he opened his eyes for the first time. Amazing. (More on the kittens coming soon).

Reading Rainbow

I haven't done one of these in awhile now. But I finally finished this book last night and I just loved it. I loved the character development, the story and the emotions it evoked.

The book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. This was recently made into a movie, which I have not seen. I probably won't as I'm almost always disappointed in those damn things. (Side note: My Sisters Keeper is the absolute most horrific example of a movie ruining a great book)

The main character is Oskar Schell - a young boy who lost his father in 9/11 and is on a quest to find the meaning behind a hidden key found in his father's closet after his death. The book is based on this quest - but through it, reveals the history of his family and the tragedies they endured. Oskar is a quirky boy and one of my favourite characters from a book in a long, long time. I wish he was real. I wish I could view the world through his eyes.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

What is it about a talking shell with a baby voice? I can't figure it out, but it's cute. If you're not one of the 16 million people to have already viewed this - It is a sweet little way to start a chilly Saturday morning like today.

It was created by actress/comedian Jenny Slate and filmmaker/director Dean Fleischer-Camp.

Fun fact: Jenny Slate was the first actress to use the f-word on Saturday Night Live. I'm sure she doesn't want that to be her known legacy. Well, Marcel's video has had more views than that clip. That should make her feel pretty effin good.



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