It's really hard to believe that I started this blog over five years ago (and let's just forget that I haven't updated in two and a half years). It really doesn't seem like it has been five years since we left California, but it has.

I thought I would try to start blogging again, but no promises. I don't know, is personal blogging even necessary anymore, with Facebook and Twitter? Do we need blog posts updating people on our lives when we can just write a quick Facebook update?

Anyway.

You may or may not know that we have moved to a new apartment in our neighbourhood. It's a three bedroom in a small building of six apartments, and we're very happy here. It's on a quiet street, but only a few minutes walk to Yonge & Eglinton, Yonge & Davisville, or Mount Pleasant. The kids are still at the same school, though Hayley will be changing schools in September to begin the Junior Extended French Program. Half her day will be in French instruction, and half in English. She's sad to be leaving her friends and teachers behind, but she's also very excited, and we think it's a great opportunity for her. I'm not sure at this point how I'm going to manage getting them both to and from school every day (the current school is southwest of here, the new school is northeast, and we are about equal distance from each).

I am the co-chair of the school council this year, and that's keeping me busy. I'm also co-ordinating our annual fun fair in June, and preparations are under way for that. It's a lot of work, but I'm excited about it.

Carl is enjoying his job. He's been there since July, and it's a great fit for him. Life is better for the whole family when he comes home happy at the end of the day!

So that's the update. Let's see if I can post more often.

Happy Halloween...

... from this funny looking family:

April!

Ah, spring is in the air. Okay, we've still got some snow on the ground, and the bitter cold is fresh in my memory, but the last few days have been beautiful, and I'm thinking positively! A little more rain should wash away the rest of the snow, and we'll be singin'.

Life is good here. I'm still working for Quartet with Carl in the mornings, home with the kids in the afternoons.

Carson has become quite the morbid little storyteller, with all his stories involving some kind of unhealthy end for some character or another. Is this supposed to happen at 4? Poor, poor George Shrinks. I won't go into details, because not only is it morbid, but it's also gross.

He just got his very first report card, and it basically said that our son is a genius. Which we knew. :D He's doing very well, and apparently his math skills are quite developed for his age. His teacher is also impressed with his vocabulary. He still gets upset easily, but he's on the young end of the class, so it's normal.

Hayley is doing well. She didn't get a report card this time (they stagger the report cards for the Junior and Senior Kindergarteners), but I spoke with her teacher, and she's doing very well too. Her reading is fantastic, I'm so proud of her.

I am very excited to be going away next weekend to ScrapFest in Kitchener. I am meeting up with a bunch of women from an online forum whom I chat with every day, but have never met in real life (except for my sister-in-law Christine of course, we've met ;)). They're coming from Nova Scotia, Washington State, and all over Ontario. I can't wait to meet them. I'm also taking two classes with Jen Starr while I'm there, and planning to do some shopping. Yay!

Speaking of scrapbooking, here are some layouts I've done lately.

Some Scrapbook Layouts

I've been focusing on digital scrapbooking a lot, but last weekend we had an online crop at Scrap Central, and I decided I was going to do all paper layouts. It was great to play with the papers, inks, and tools again. These are the layouts I did.

2008

Hard to believe we're into 2008. The older I get, the quicker the years fly by.

Things are going well here. I think that anyone who reads this blog (if there's anyone left) got our Christmas newsletter, so you know what's new with us. Not much has changed since January.

I've decided I'm going to start to post some pictures here and some of my scrapbook layouts as well. I haven't been doing the flickr thing lately, so I figured I'd try this instead. I get overwhelmed trying to get everything up and end up doing nothing, so I figure I'll casually post pictures and layouts here and there, and try not to worry about it.

Is it Really October??

Wow, from May to October, that's... horrible!

We're settling nicely into fall. Carson began JK in September, and Hayley is in SK. They are in different classes, but both in the morning, which I am really enjoying! Carson is still unsure how well he likes school. He was eager to go, but once he realized that it's more than just playing and doing what you want, he wasn't so enthusiastic. He's adjusting. Hayley still loves school.

I'm still working at Shopper's, but only on weekends now. It was getting kind of crazy, I was working most nights during the week, and it was just too much. Working weekends is much better.

Still scrapbooking, too. I've gotten into digital scrapbooking lately, which I really enjoy. I still like the tactile nature of scrapping with paper, though.

I've decided that I'm not going to follow the editing track. The revelation that it wasn't for me came in the form of an opening for an editor at Torontoist, a local blog. I was considering it, and then I thought, "that would be so boring." Well. Besides, the nature of editing seems to be a lot of freelance work, and don't think living job-to-job is for me. Next week I begin one of two computer courses that are pre-requisites for a medical office assistant program at the same college (George Brown). I think it's the better option for me, and I think it's something I would enjoy. I'm looking forward to it.

Carl is still plugging away at his job at Quartet. Not much to say about it.

I'm a bad blogger

I update so infrequently that I don't think anyone remembers that I even have a blog! Anyway, even if this is only going out into the blogosphere, this is what I've been up to lately.

I've been working two or three times a week at Shopper's. It's going fine, except that I hurt myself on Saturday. Stupid really, I just tripped over a shopping basket and pulled some muscles in my neck, shoulder, and back. I work tomorrow and I think I'll be ok for that. The doctor gave me the go-ahead.

My favourite thing to do these days is to scrapbook, and to chat about scrapbooking at ScrapCentral. It's a great community where there's always lots to do, like challenges and contests. If you're a scrapbooker, I highly recommend you come and join us! It's Canadian, but we have American scrapbookers on there too. This weekend we're having a National Scrapbooking Day (Saturday) online crop. There will be lots of challenges and prizes. I can't wait! I have to work for 5 hours on Saturday, but I'll still be able to fit some scrapping in. :D

I'm also really addicted to facebook now. I've gotten back in touch with so many people I went to school with (grade school through university), people I worked with, people I played ringette with, and so forth. It's really great!

Carl and I are doing our best to go green. We still have our SUV ::cringes::, but are buying credits to offset our carbon footprint. We also don't drive very much. Carl's work & Hayley's school are within walking distance, and I take the subway to work. That's all we can do until it's time to buy another car, and then we hope to go hybrid. I can't wait until all the farmers' markets open for the summer, because it makes it much easier to eat locally, which we're also trying to do as much as possible.

Paige

Oh my God, I can't believe I haven't blogged about Paige yet! Paige Madison Lees was born on February 17th. She was 7 lbs, 1 oz, and 19 inches long. She has a head of thick black hair, just like her daddy did, and I'm told that her mommy did too. She's beautiful.

We were supposed to go up north this week, but Hayley has a cold that is really holding on. We've postponed our trip until next week. It's killing me to wait! I want to see my niece now! At least I've got pictures. Greg opened a flickr account, which you can find here.

In other news, I started work on Saturday. It went well. The people I will be working with seem like a good group. The day was a little dull, but I think the time will go more quickly once the store opens. I was very sore on Saturday night and Sunday. We weren't doing anything too taxing, but I was standing, squatting, or knealing all day; I'm not used to that.

I have a test tonight in my editing class. It's just a little test, so I'm not very concerned. The class is really interesting. The copy editing marks can make your head spin, but I will be taking a whole course in copy editing, so I'm not really worried about having them all memorized by the end of this short introductory course.

Love, Love, Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

As a Valentine's Day treat, Torontonians received a heap of snow. Yay! /sarcasm. It's actually still snowing, but the kids and I are snuggled up and cozy in our apartment. We're waiting for friends to come over for a play date, and I don't envy them the walk.

Hayley was so excited about going to school today for Valentine's Day. She came home with a paper bag full of valentines, and it really took me back. I remember taping paper bags to the sides of our desks, like little mailboxes. It was so exciting! My mom always made Valentine's Day special too, giving us chocolates or stuffed animals and cards. We gave the kids little boxes of chocolates and hand-made cards today. I made cards for the kids and had intended for them to be from both of us, but Hayley made it clear to Carl that she wanted him to make her a card himself. So there he was last night, drawing pictures for their cards. It was cute.

Valentine's Day can be a little sad for me too. In 1989, my poppa died right before Valentine's Day. I remember my mom giving us our little teddy bears early to help us feel better. Not that anything could have, but it was nice. We all knew we wouldn't really be celebrating it anyway. So I always think about that when Valentine's Day rolls around. It's been almost twenty years (how is that possible?!), but it still makes me a little sad.

This and That

I've been working on a scrapbook layout of the NDP convention I went to, but it's not going very well. It's just not speaking to me, so I put it away and I'll look at it again later. So, time to move on to a new page. I really need to get some new photos developed, though.

I found out that my first day of work is the 24th, as I suspected. We'll be doing store set-up and training. I think I'll only be working weekends until the store opens, and then hopefully I can pick up an evening shift or two during the week. I'm going to really enjoy this coming weekend, since it will probably be my last free one for a while.

I'm excited about this weekend for another reason too. My niece is going to be born on Saturday (or Sunday if it's a long labour)! Pam is being taken off the blood thinner and induced on Saturday. I'm so excited! I'm still not sure when we'll be able to get up north to see the baby, but it won't be too long. I want to wait until they're out of the hospital because the kids can't visit them there. Hayley and Carson are both excited about the baby.

Another NDP MPP at Queen's Park!

Paul Ferreira (NDP) is the new MPP of York South - Weston! I'm very excited because I went out and canvassed for him. This is not my riding, but it is in Toronto. It's actually the riding in which Carl grew up. The other two ridings in the byelection were held by their parties (one Liberal, one Conservative), but one more NDP MPP at Queen's Park is great news. Congratulations, Paul!

I'm Still Alive

I can't believe I haven't posted in over four months. I'll be surprised if anyone will read this.

So, it's been a year since we left California now, and I think I'm finally adjusted. I'm not loving the snow, but we haven't actually had it for that long. It wasn't until after Christmas that it actually turned cold. Global warming scares me. The kids love the snow. Carl and the kids went sliding with Carl's brothers Mark and Ryan, and our niece Gemma on Saturday. They had a great time. The faster they could get down the hill, the better. I hear that Uncle Ryan was pretty tired of trudging back up the hill because the kids always wanted to go with him. Hey, he's the one who wanted to be the favourite uncle!

I wasn't with them because I spent the weekend at the Ontario NDP (New Democratic Party) convention. I was a delegate for my riding, St. Paul's. It was really great to be there. I really felt like I was part of something. Howard Hampton, the leader of the provincial party, gave a really great speech on Saturday, revving everyone up. Jack Layton, leader of the federal party, wrapped the weekend up with his rousing speech. I'm glad I got to see them.

The most exciting thing right now is that I'll have a new niece in about a month! Poor Pam (my brother Greg's fiancee), she hasn't had an easy time of it. She's hospitalized right now with a blood clot in her leg, and though they're (finally) treating it, she's still in a lot of pain. Prayer and positive thoughts would be appreciated.

I've been really enjoying scrapbooking and card making. I made all my Christmas cards this year, which ended up being a bigger job than I planned. I was happy with the result, though. I've got two layouts posted here at Scraptivity, and I'll be uploading a couple more tomorrow. I find it really relaxing to just sit down and lose myself in creating a layout. It's not a cheap hobby, but it's worth it.

I don't know how much time I'll really have for scrapbooking once I start my new job, though. I will be working part time as a cashier at Shoppers Drug Mart. I'm not sure yet how many hours I'll have a week. Most likely both days on the weekend and an evening shift or two during the week. It's a new store and doesn't open until March 15, but I'll have a couple of training shifts before then.

Hopefully it won't take me another four months to update this. :)

Busy, busy, busy and getting busier

My baby girl is no longer a baby. She started junior kindergarten yesterday. She goes every morning. She had a great time yesterday and was excited to go back. Carl dropped her off this morning because it's raining and I didn't want to bring Carson out in it if I didn't have to. Carl called me right after he dropped her off and said it didn't go very well. She started crying as they walked up to the door. Up until then she was excited. I don't know. I hope she's calmed down now. Carson's not particularly happy either. He wants to go with her. Believe it or not, he goes next year.

I started school recently myself. I'm taking Grammar for Editors, the first course required to obtain an editing certificate from George Brown College. It's every Tuesday evening, and I'm enjoying it. Actually, the first week I was really perturbed. This course is going to be hard. But last night was good and it was just clicking. If I take one course at a time and take summers off, it should work out perfectly. I'll be doing my work placement in the fall of 2009, when Carson enters grade one and is in school all day.

Yesterday I signed Hayley up for swimming and Carson for a movement class we do together. Tomorrow I can sign Carson up for his swimming, and Hayley for ballet and martial arts. We are going to be busy. The price is right, though. They're all through the city, and the total for those five classes is $169! I'm also going to be taking a class at the church on Thursday nights called "Blockbuster Jesus", which sounds really interesting. Here's the summary:

The past decade has seen a number of bestsellers about Jesus, whose marketing has depended on their "controversial" quality - on the ways in which their authors are supposed to have challenged the Church's teaching about Jesus of Nazareth.

As part of the Theology Today series, Stephen Reynolds takes a look at John Dominic Crossan's Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, and Tom Harpur's The Pagan Christ - and asks, "How credible are these challenges?"

So far Carl has nothing extracurricular, so we have to find something for him to do.

Warning: maudlin post ahead

Carson and I didn't make it to Church of the Redeemer last weekend because some idiot in the apartment building across the street was playing the drums on his balcony until all hours of the morning and I barely slept. So we all went as a family this weekend. It was great. There weren't very many kids there, but this is a long weekend in Canada (just because, sort of like a bank holiday in the U.K.) but there were a lot of young people (by this I mean our age) there. There was a woman with green hair, another with a tattoo on the back of her neck, a woman in the choir (vocal group?) was drinking a coffee, and we were appropriately dressed in our jeans. I thought "this is the place for me." ;) More importantly, they seem to have a healthy community and I really, really liked the sermon. The rector (they call him the incumbent - anyone care to explain the difference?) gave the sermon sans pulpit and sans notes. He made us laugh with a story about his daughter, and then related it to scripture. And yes, of course I was making comparisons, but he stood up pretty well, and that's saying something.

The music was good. They use a more modern hymn book, Gather, and we were lead by organ (not overbearing like the one at the other church that gave us headaches) and a guitar. The final hymn was African and everyone was really getting into it.

It's too early to know for sure, but I think this is it. Carl said I had that look in my eye, and he liked it too. So I was on a high when we left, but I haven't been able to sleep tonight (it's 5 a.m. now and I decided to do some laundry instead of tossing and turning) because I've been thinking about my old life. I just don't know how to get past this. It still hurts so badly. I mean, most of the time I am so glad to be here. I love Toronto, I really do. And our families and friends here too, of course. But sometimes I feel like I'm just having a really long dream and I'm going to wake up and be back in California. I know I haven't been great at communicating with my friends there, and I'm sorry. Getting behind on email is not intentional, but I think maybe it's a subconscious form of self-preservation. I miss you and think about you all the time. Too much. I have to move past this period of mourning. I'm still satisfied with my decision to not go to California in July, but now I'm wondering when, if ever, I'll get to go back. And that hurts.

Anyway. Sorry for being so... well, maudlin. Things always seem worse when you've had no sleep.

...and my heart broke

My baby girl had stitches put in her head last night. She fell headfirst into a metal bar in the hallway of our apartment building, and opened up a pretty nice gash on her forehead. She didn't even cry - she was more concerned about the fact that she couldn't go swimming (they were on their way to the pool). She did cry when her forehead was getting frozen, but who can blame her? I had my forehead frozen when I was 20 and I think I cried! Carl said she was very brave through the whole thing. What a little toughie.

We went to church on Sunday for the first time since we moved to our new place. It was first on our list to check out, and while we thought the sermon was pretty good, we were underwhelmed by the community. There was a lot of mumbling prayers and hymns, though the hymns were understandable as the pipe organ was so loud it was overpowering. Carl and I both had headaches by the time we left. Hayley enjoyed church school and Carson was fine in the nursery (though he was the only child in there). I did think their alert system for the nursery was good - it's a small screen in the church that flashes a number assigned to your child if you need to come pick him/her up. Anyway, this Sunday Carson and I will be checking out another church (Carl and Hayley are going camping with her uncles and her cousin). I hadn't looked at the website for this one before because it's not in our neighbourhood. Not that it's far at all - only five kilometres (three miles) - it's just that there are so many churches between here and there that I didn't think to look at it. And maybe that's part of the problem. There are too many parishes and not enough parishioners. Anyway, I have high hopes for this one. It's got me excited the same way I was when I found St. Tim's website. Check out their website and let me know what you think: Church of the Redeemer

Today is mine and Carl's 9th wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe it's been that long. We're not doing anything special to celebrate today because we considered our kidless vacation a week-long celebration and anniversary present to each other (and from my parents!)

Have to dash to Hayley's swimming lesson. Love and blessings,
Sherry

The Long Weekend

I'm supposed to be in California right now. I'm happy with my decision to donate the money to the walk instead of spending it on air fare, but I still wish I were there now, visiting the St. Tim's family. That being said, we've had a good weekend.

On Friday night, I went to see The Devil Wears Prada with my sister-in-law Christine. We both really liked it. My enjoyment was enhanced by the group of gay guys sitting next to us who let everyone in the theatre know how much they loved the movie. The guy sitting right next to me put it in the same class as Pretty Woman. Then we went to Cafe Crepe. Mmmmmm.

Saturday was a bit of a bust as I was feeling a bit under the weather. We had plans to go to a Canada Day celebration in Etobicoke (western part of Toronto) with the other half of our Godfamily (Brett, Lara & Anita,) but instead Carl took the kids to the local park where they played at the playground and in the splashpad. They had a good time.

Yesterday we went to Carl's parents' where the whole gang (minus our sister-in-law Natalie) was congregated. We hadn't seen Carl's brother Denis (the only one who doesn't live nearby) in a few months, so it was good to visit with him. Hopefully Natalie can come next time too.

Today was a holiday in lieu of Saturday, so we took a long walk up Mount Pleasant, across Eglinton and down Yonge (with a stop at Dairy Queen!) which was nice. The kids only got cranky at the end. Then we went down to Mark, Christine and Gemma's. Carl, Mark and the kids went to the park while Christine and I went to Scrapbooks by Design. Christine is initiating me into the world of scrapbooking. Carl (jokingly?) says she's a bad influence on me, but I think it's all good.

We've got a new camera on the way (our old one went kaput) and as soon as we have it I'll post some pictures on flickr for you to see. In the meantime, check out this picture that Christine posted in her flickr account: Three Princesses. Cinderella on the right is our neice Gemma.

Happy to be here

I'm not sure if anyone is actually still reading this, but I'll just keep blogging.

Things are going well here in Toronto, though we're still not entirely unpacked. I always forget how much work unpacking is. It's especially strange this time since most of the boxes were packed five months ago. Hard to believe it's been five months since we left California. When we were staying in Brampton, it was kind of like being on hold, so that period of time is kind of sketchy to me. Being in California feels like yesterday and eons ago, at the same time.

I do love living in Toronto. I forgot how much I love living in a big city (you may be thinking "Toronto, a big city?" But yes, it is. It's the fifth largest city in North America, after Mexico City, New York, L.A. and Chicago.) Last weekend, for example, we went to Pride. We were hoping to stay for the parade, but Carson got a little too moody. We had fun at Family Pride, though.

World cup fever has taken over this city, and there have been a few cultural clashes. Nothing horrible, though. So far. I hope it doesn't get to that. Carl and I are cheering for England.

We haven't been to church since we moved (for various reasons) but we hope to go on Sunday. We are going to check out Christ Church Deer Park first. It is not necessarily the closest, but it may be the easiest to get to as it is one subway stop away, and it looks like it has a good children's ministry.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend (Canada Day is on Saturday so Monday is a holiday). Then four days of work and Carl will be off for a week of vacation. That's when we'll be bringing Hayley and Carson to my mom and dad's and I couldn't be more excited. We are going to see Lord of the Rings (the play) on the Wednesday, and on Thursday we're having dinner at North 44)º (as part of Summerlicious, an annual event in which a number of Toronto restaurants offer a prix fixe option on their menu at a great price. North 44)º is generally pretty expensive, but their Summerlicious menu is $35 for three courses.) Other than that we're playing it by ear. We don't want to have too many things scheduled.

I still miss everyone in California so much that it hurts to think about, but I can honestly say that I am happy here now.

Home Sweet Home

I am typing this from my very own apartment. Well, okay, I have to share it with Carl and Hayley and Carson, but you know what I mean. I am out of the in-laws' house and once again have my own space. Or will once we get all the boxes sorted and unpacked. That's nothing, though, we've moved a million times and I'm used to it.

The kids are settling in well. Hayley has been excited to move for quite a while now, and was positively giddy today. They delved into all the toys that they haven't seen in four months. Now they are sleeping in their new bunk beds. Hayley has also been excited about sleeping on the top bunk, but we were a little concerned that she would be afraid to when the time actually came. She's been fine, though, climbing up and down the ladder with ease. Carson actually asked to go to bed tonight, and looks very comfortable in his bottom bunk.

And now I think I'll crawl into my bunk. It's been a long day and Carl and I are due for some z's.

Good Stuff

Happy Birthday to me! I am 31 today, and feeling good. I asked for stamping stuff (from Stampin' Up) and that's what I got! My friend Lara and her baby Anita are coming over for lunch, and Carl is taking me out for dinner tonight.

Speaking of Lara and Anita, I celebrated Mother's Day by becoming a Godmother! I feel so blessed and honoured. Anita did so well, she was her usual smiley self as the minister doused her with Holy water and carried her down the aisle to introduce our new sister. Her parents were very proud, and so were her Godparents. Since Anita's parents (Brett & Lara) are Hayley and Carson's Godparents and Carl and I are Anita's Godparents, we're all just one big Godfamily now. :)

Carl and I are looking forward to a week in July. When I told my mom that I wasn't doing the walk, she told me that she and my dad would still take the kids for a week (though it's now the next week so that my dad will be home the whole time). So Carl booked the week off and we're actually going to have some time to ourselves! How great is that?! It's going to be amazing to have the apartment to ourselves. I don't think we're going to go away, except maybe for a couple of day trips outside the city. Otherwise there's lots to do in Toronto. Why spend money on a hotel when we've got the apartment to ourselves?

We got our car back on the weekend, so yay! Of course we can't drive it yet. We have to register it with the Registrar of Imported Vehicles, then we have to have changes made to the car (like the odometer switched from miles to kilometers), and then we can register it with MTO (think DMV) and insure it. But at least it's here.

Meanwhile, June 3rd can't come quickly enough - moving day!

Hi from Northern Ontario

The kids and I are up at my mom and dad's house now. They live about six hours north of Toronto. We're going back down south on the weekend. It's really nice to be here, visiting my mom and my brother (my dad is at work, he'll be home on Thursday), and getting to know my brother's girlfriend Pam. She's really nice and the kids adore her. Especially Hayley. Carl is working, as is usually the case when I'm visiting here. Once we get our car (no, we still don't have it - I hate red tape) and are settled in to our apartment, we can make weekend trips so that Carl can spend some time up here too.

I've decided that I'm not doing the Avon Walk. I really started thinking about the cost of travelling to California, and decided that I would rather donate that money to the walk. I'd rather give my money to the Avon Foundation and have it be used to beat breast cancer than give it to Air Canada. I'm sad that I won't get to go to California, but this just makes more sense to me. I e-mailed my donors for feedback before I made the decision, and everyone was very supportive.

Not much else new. Just waiting, waiting, waiting for June to roll around.