Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Happy Howloween!



So, tonight is the night for ghosts and goblins . . . and we've had our share of them tonight. I guess we've had about 35 kids come through, in all sorts of costumes. It's so much fun seeing the little kids come through, asking for candy and saying their thank you's. My two nieces came - what cuties! It was nice to see their costumes. And our family friends brought their kids too, and they had awesome costumes. I love seeing all the kids!

Farley's been barking and barking, so he's hanging out in my bedroom. He's still barking from there, but at least the kids aren't as afraid of him. Grace has been pretty brave - every time the doorbell rings she races to the door, and as soon as she sees the kids in costumes, she runs away. But at least she's running to the door - that's a big sign of bravery and attitude.

I hope everybody else has had an enjoyable All Hallow's Eve!

Friday, October 27, 2006

It's a zoo!

Yes, my life is a zoo lately . . . but I knew it was going to be like this this week. Thank goodness it's finally over and I can sit down and enjoy my new puppy (and of course, snuggle with Farley as much as possible).

Wednesday and Thursday were taken up by the PMAC (Purchasing Management Association of Canada) BAD Days (Business Associate Days). I helped organize the Casino night on Wednesday night, and it went really well. Thursday were the Open Houses and speakers, and they were enjoyable too. It was fun to be involved with, but it has taken up lots of time over the past couple of weeks.

Today was class again - once a month just isn't often enough. It took me at least an hour to "remember" everything again this morning, and that's not an effective use of my time or the professor's time. But it can't be helped. We're halfway through the course now - this fall semester is just flying by!

Tonight the girls arrived for the weekend (my nieces). They are having quite a bit of fun with Gracie, and she has warmed up to them really quickly. They're both active girls, so they can be overwhelming, but she has been very brave. She will be a well socialized puppy, that's for sure!

Tomorrow I get to sleep in, and then my weekend "duties" start, including grooming two dogs and working on my term paper. If I leave it until last minute, I'll be very sorry. That being said, as a chronic procrastinator, I doubt I'll get much done this weekend ;)

Hope everyone out there is having fun!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Home Sweet Home


After a whole heck of a lot of driving, I'm finally home again! And VERY glad to be here too. I drove down to Lethbridge this weekend, to have a visit with Farley's breeder. Lethbridge is a solid 10 hour drive from here, so it was looooong. Luckily I had a good friend along for company, and I was able to make some pit stops along the way. I will write more when I get some time, but I just want to say, it was GREAT! Every person we stayed with (my friend and I) was wonderful about providing a place to sleep and wonderful company. We had a wonderful time, and I would do it again in a heartbeat (although I won't enjoy the driving).


I came home with an additional passenger :) Her name is Grace, and she is the future of KLAD Cockers. She is a very beautiful and sweet Cocker baby that has the world before her. She has been just wonderful since I left Lethbridge with her . . . great in the car, and no crying last night even though she had to sleep by herself. I am SO proud of her! She adores her big brother Farley, although the adoration does not go both ways. I think he'll adjust, especially since she has such a lovely temperament that is compatible with his.


I want to thank my good friends Vicky and Valerie for sharing this wonderful girl with me. I hope we do you VERY proud!

Welcome home Gracie-Lou-Who!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

TV Show Lineup?

Okay, now I know some people consider the baseball play-offs important, but come on! Where are my beloved TV shows? Every Thursday my heart beats a bit faster at the thought of The Office coming on. But I have scanned the entire satellite TV line up for tonight, and can't find my show! Where is it???? How I am gonna get my fix? Thank goodness Grey's Anatomy was on, or I'd really be cranky.

I hope the play-offs end soon, so I can start watching my shows on schedule again. For now I guess I will have to satisfy my cravings with Season Two of the Office.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Blinders

Why is it that some people have blinders on? Which means that no matter what you try to tell them, they won't listen? I find that so frustrating that I almost over-compensate, and try too hard to see the other side of a situation. I'm in the middle of a situation that seems very divided - one side against the other, for lack of better descriptive words. But in all honesty, if everybody took a really hard look, I think the "answer" is somewhere in the middle. I really don't think any one person is more right or wrong than the other, it's the perceptions that are skewed. It's very irritating to be in a situation like this, because the people on the "other" side don't seem at all interested in trying to meet halfway.

There isn't any real answer in this situation, other than people agreeing to disagree. The situation itself can't be changed, only the way people handle it. And I have no influence on anybody else, so all I can do is try to be moderate in my assumptions and statements, and go from there.

Thanks for reading my friendly neighborhood rant for the week :)

Monday, October 16, 2006

Back On Track

Since taking a 2 week off from posting in my blog, I feel like I should be updating everybody more regularly. Unfortunately, there's nothing really exciting enough to write about! Other than my irritation with the baseball playoffs, which are pre-empting all of my favourite TV shows. I have been reduced to watching House re-runs, and I HATE knowing how they end! Ugh! I guess I could do my homework, but it's not due for two whole weeks . . . what will I do the night before if I don't have homework to stress about?

So I'm hitting the road again this weekend. This time I'm taking a trip down to Lethbridge, to visit with Farley's breeder Valerie and my friend Vicky (Valerie's niece). And yeah, I *might* be looking at a puppy girl while I'm down there. And yeah, she *might* be coming home with me. And no, I'm not excited at all. HUGE understatement!

My friend is coming with me for the road trip (my friend that is moving to Calgary). On our way to Lethbridge we're stopping in Calgary, to visit a good friend of ours that has been traveling in Europe for the past few months. I can't wait to see her, and I can't wait for the road trip with my friend. What a weekend it's going to be!

Stay tuned for updates.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Home Again

Well, I've actually been home for almost a week now, but several things have kept me from posting. Worst of all, I got food poisoning on the way home from Toronto, and was sicker than a dog on Tuesday. I pretty much thought I was going to die. It was gross! And then we had dinner with my cousin on Wednesday night, and I had a meeting on Thursday night and a play to go see on Friday night. Yesterday I worked at a friend's art gallery and groomed a dog last night. Phew! It's been crazy here!

Toronto was awesome . . . spending time with Ange is always amazing, and this was no exception. When she picked me up at the airport, it was cool. I was walking towards the baggage carrells, and Ange was walking towards me . . . it was almost like one of those romantic movies where two people are walking towards each other in slow motion. Minus the romance, of course. Thursday we spent the day with her class at the Toronto Zoo. Let me tell you, if you want to sleep well, spend the day with 20 young kids (7-8 years old) at a fun place. I was so exhausted I could hardly think afterwards, but it was a really fun day. The kids were well-behaved, for the most part, and I always enjoy trips to the zoo.

Friday we took Billy to the airport. This was the one negative of my trip. I don't think I've ever posted it here, but I don't like Air Canada at all. I had to book Billy's flight through them, though, to get a direct flight from Toronto to Philadelphia. So in early September I phoned to book the flight, got the confirmation number, and assumed everything was fine. Silly me! When we got to the cargo office (and getting there was an adventure in itself), the guy at the counter told me that Billy wasn't booked on a flight at all. ARGH! I was ticked off, but I decided to just suck it up, since the guy was being so helpful. So we got Billy booked on to the next flight, and after a nice long walk, I left him in good hands. The fellows in cargo were very kind and friendly, so I felt okay with things. I called Billy's mom to let her know of the changes, and left it at that. Later in the afternoon I was a bit curious as to why I hadn't gotten a call from Billy's mom about his arrival, but I figured that she was spending time with him.

We get back to Ange's place, where the reception on my cell isn't that great. By now it's after 5pm, and Billy should have been with his new mom for a couple of hours. I was a bit peeved that I hadn't heard anything, and was about to call her. That's when I got a voice mail from another friend, telling me that Billy was still in Toronto!!!!!!!! I saw red, my blood pressure went off the scale, and I was so angry! Apparently the earlier flights to Philly had been cancelled, and NOBODY had called either myself or Billy's mom. He ended up not getting to Philly until 7pm, and he was stuck in his crate even longer, because his mom had to go to the main terminal at the airport to do the customs clearances. I will NEVER fly Air Canada again as long as I have an option. This was a disgusting experience for me!

Friday night Ange and I played Euchre with her parents. We played well, but still ended up losing. I was a bit distracted, but still . , , we just weren't getting the cards ;) On Saturday we went to Ange's brother's place for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was amazing, we all ate like pigs. I'm not usually a huge fan of turkey, but theirs was to die for. It was a really nice visit, I enjoyed spending time with Ange's brother and sister-in-law. I got to meet their daughter who just turned 1, and goodness, is she ever sweet!

Sunday was the big day . . . in the morning we went to Ange's church, which was nice. But Sunday night was . . . Wicked!!!!!!!! It was everything that I've ever imagined it could be. The vocals were incredible, the band was awesome, and I loved every single second of it. It was worth the wait, and I can't imagine ever having seen it with anybody but Ange. It was a wonderful experience.

Monday we spent some time with Ange's friends, and it was nice to see them again. We had fun, which we always do when we get together. And I spent the rest of the day getting my stuff together and trying to fit it all in. We looked at Ange's parents' pictures from their trip to Scandinavia, and we played some cards. And we ate a wonderful meal. Tuesday I made the long journey home.

So that's the trip to Toronto in a nutshell. A big, wordy nutshell. But I wanted to share the whole nine yards.