what would you do?

about a month ago my husband woke me up at midnight and said i better get outside to see if i can help.
i had no idea what was going on. then he told me he smelt smoke and the neighbours were outside with flaslights paniking.
we thought it was about the neighbours on the right side of us. the parents had gone in to town for the allouette's football game and their son decided to have a pool party that could have easily led to a mishap.
it wasn't them.
it was our neighbours to the front - across the street. the gorgeous house that i gaze at everyday through my living room windows. the one that the husband works on tirelessly everyday.

i can't even remember if i had shoes on when i ran outside. {the reason tony sent me is that they are a 100% french family and tony doesn't speak the language so he felt he wouldn't be able to help.}

i ran across the street in what i thought was fog at first - i was still half asleep. it wasn't until my eyes adjusted did i noticed everyone in their light summer pajamas, bare feet, clutching their babies and hearing the panic did i realize it was this house. then the bottom corner of the roof started to spark and flames licked out, taunting us, for all eyes to see. almost like it was laughing at us.

this house had no chance. this house is gone.

we stayed up most the night in watching in awe. i have never been so close to something like this ever. {well once but i had a newborn and tony thought it best i stayed inside so i missed it.} we were also up all night because the command post for the emergency was on our front lawn, in front of our bedroom.

there were two accidents during the ordeal - one fireman fell through the roof, the lower half of his body in active fire, another fireman ran over and tried to pull him out and finally giving him one last push out and they BOTH the fell off the roof together in an embrace. in total three volunteer firemen were sent to the hospital and all came out fine.

as we watched the fire it started to make me think. now i know i am not supposed to make this about me but it does ignite some questions within oneself. what would you do in that situation? i have countless scenarios running through my head but at the end of the day WOULD i be that crazy lady i envision running through the house gathering photo albums and computers as i always thought? would i just panic and chuck my kids out the windows and run out as well?
in the split second you have to decide - what would you do?

they lost everything. i can't even begin to comprehend that. thankfully they are all safe.
that's the most important. i think i just found my answer.

it made me realize one thing though - life IS short. you have to live at all to the fullest and experience the wonderful it all has to bring and hopefully enjoy yourself immensely along the way. enjoy your family {however that looks} and, if you have to work, enjoy what you do to the fullest.

on that note.....



i quit my job.



and i think we just decided to sell our house.....

some days.

so yesterday i had a whole plan to write a post and ask a question of you.
if it would be okay for me to whine....just a little.

i was at the end of it all. i had had it. half my christmas decorations were still in the boxes. i was burning both ends of the candle. there was no reprieve in sight. even though i am SO BEHIND in many areas of "things", i think it was the christmas decorations not being up that was bugging me the most and the fact that i haven't started to put my 2012 december daily together. i wait all year for the christmas season - I LOVE THE CHRISTMAS SEASON - so much in fact that we listen to christmas carols all year round. but this year it was getting away from me and i was starting to freak out. there are only so many hours in the day and i was using most of them up and no getting any farther -mainly because i was spending most of my time cleaning and picking up the house {how does it all get so messy in the blink of an eye? i can't keep up!}, doing dishes, disciplining and baking cupcakes. it didn't help that for the past 5 days i've felt like i was on the brink of falling down sick. i was going to call out a hail mary and beg for help. i need to be able to start from square one - if only i could find it under all the laundry, toy clutter, dishes and dinners.

the something amazing happened.....the sun came out and i had an easy day. i was able to sort of catch up. all the decorations got put up. some rooms go cleaned. laundry was put away. we got outside and enjoyed the beautiful crisp winter day. i felt like i was walking through whistler, strolling is more the word, and enjoyed every moment of it - i sure do miss that place. gone was the constant chaos of usual days and i spent the day finishing up some holiday shopping with a little person who was better than gold and it fueled my fires of calm and serenity. i got to pick up my kids from school and thoroughly enjoy their company. i got one of my projects for the season done. check.

and now i feel refreshed and energized for today and the rest of the holiday season. i am ready to enjoy it.

and enjoy it i will.

:)

 

good bye 2011...hello 2012!

on the last day of the year this year we had a blast.

we had some friends over.
we skated and skated and skated.

we had a fire rinkside with hot chocolate with marshmallows and roasted hot dogs.

we savoured the time outside till our toes told us it was time to trek in.

inside we ate scallops.

and had champagne.

and played rabbids on the kinect till the clock struck 10pm. that's when we told the kids it was new years - we all yelled happy new years at the top of our lungs - them we tucked them in to bed and wish them safe travels as they coasted the sea shores in their dreams, fought pirates and swam with mermaids.

we cozied up and watched dick clark and bruce springsteen ring in the new year. it was wonderful. small. simple.

the first day of the year had a slightly different tone. it was pajama day. when i asked aydan at 12:30 if we should change or just stay in our pajamas, she thought for a minute then decided for us that today should be a pajama day. i didn't challenge her. i embraced it. i loved it.

we stayed home in our pajama's and did pajama type things. we ate eggs benedict. with the roasted ham from friday night. with poached eggs done in the water...you heard me. first time doing it. the best.

mario cart wars were going all morning {thank you auntie kim}.

the husband built the rod hockey table the kids got for christmas {thank you auntie tracy and uncle richard}. after hearing a few grumbles and grunts travel down the stairs we were off and playing. a round robin started up and coop wiped the floor with them all.

the usual rhythm of this day includes tearing down all signs of christmas, no matter what. but this year seems to have a different vibe to it and i have decided that christmas can hang around a few more days. i am totally okay with that. maybe because i felt christmas came and left so fast this year. i am not ready to see it go but will say goodbye little by little throughout the week. but for today it's staying put.

i made this soup because i had a ham bone and have never done it and it was awesome! complete with a make your own sandwich bar - just that kind of day.

it was also a cinnamon bun kind of day. and of course there had to be a kitchen fort.

 

wrapped it up with a screening of home alone 2 which had the kids in hysterics and me saying "you know you really can't do that in real life" more than once. then off to bed where they each got a story. this is my favorite time and each time we do it i dread the day they are too cool for me - for us. but for tonight i will take it, soak it up and hope that the rest of 2012 is as delicious as the first day has been.

today we remember.

taken by me at their 50th wedding anniversary dinner.

Today is a day I like to sit and reflect about my grandparents. They were honestly the best people in the world and I am so sad that they never knew my children or husband. I know that my Grandma really wanted to be a great-grandma and I am a little disappointed that that never happened happened for her. We were very close (us girls being the only grand-kids) and I am saddened that she and my grandpa are not still here to enjoy all of this with us.

The reason I am talking about them is that they were both in the Royal Canadian Air Force and were very proud of the fact. My grandmother worked at a headquarters in Toronto (or York) and my grandfather was a radar technician stationed in India. Till the end of their lives they were involved in organizations that had ties to the Air Force in one way or another.

My grandfather passed away 8 years ago and was battling Alzheimer's at the end of his life. With this disease you regress to times in your life and I remember one day he looked at me and asked me "So what do they give you to drink during this war?" He of course was talking about WW2 and we describing to me the conditions that he lived under while in India. It was very interesting story/facts and he told it with such conviction that I believed I was talking to a 20 something young man who had just come back from war. That is a conversation and memory that I will keep with me forever.

Also something my mother always tells me is a story about how my grandpa was going on a mission in an aircraft and the plane was over the weight limit. He was pulled off at the last moment and as the aircraft soared into the air it was shot down and destroyed and everyone on board was killed. My grandfather stood there on the tarmac and watched it all. It was that day he realized his family line was supposed to continue and it wasn't his time yet.

We all feel blessed to be part of their family tree. Lest we forget. xoxo.

taking time.

we have been having a bit of an indian summer around these parts and we have been enjoying it. it's been cold in the morning and chilly at night but the days have been incredible. this is why we have been conscious of taking some time. the husband has had a recent promotion that has required more hours and days at the office as well he has taken on some contract work that has filled our weekends {when he doesn't have to be in the office}. but with the weather so nice and the eventual snow and cold looming we are trying to enjoy what we can. we took the dog to a field we have discovered in our area for a big adventure walk two weekends ago and this past weekend we took in some apple picking fun. we have a few more adventures schedules for october and i hope the good weather sticks around. i'm going to cross my fingers and my toes for this wish.
please oh please oh please.