A Turn of the Page, Some Shoes and a Little Open Window

A turn of the page, some shoes and a little open window, stories from week 4 and the Carr Family

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Open
It has been a couple of weeks (ok 4) since my last post, and I guess the start of 2011 has kind of gotten away from me a little bit. Last I remember, we had a nice New Years Eve, the kids’ went back to school, we started to work out, and BAM here we are on the 29th day of January already. So here it is, some stories and thoughts from the first 4 weeks of 2011 from the Carr family.

Calendar
So what is it that allows a simple flip of the calendar page to affect so much change in ones life? We always hear about new-years resolutions and of course I have had my share of them in the past. Most don’t work because, you for sure need to be committed but also mentally ready for the idea of a change, and quite often you are not ready as of January 1st. Over the last little bit of 2010, both Nathalie and I talked about the idea of adjusting our lifestyle a little and to start making a more concerted effort to eat better, work out and just try harder at achieving a healthier life, and so that is just what we did. We committed!

Four weeks in, and we are still going strong; in fact, we have even increased our jaunts to the gym and have been so very good with our eating, that we have both lost weight and inches. Now, this is not a reality TV show, so there will be no public weigh-ins’ or any kind of elimination, only the pride that comes from being healthier for our future. I am so proud of both Nathalie and myself for coming up with the plan and sticking to it and with our two biggest supporters living under our roof, there will be no failing with this one.

Lily
In the last 5 months, we sure have had some ups and down, but if for one moment we only talk about the ups, right near the top of that list is the birth of a little flower named Lily. They say that when one door closes, a window opens and I have always been a big fan of the saying, but it is only after her birth that I can truly say that it cares major weight. Being able to share the announcement of her birth with my Mom, just before she passed, will always be a memory, and a thought that will forever link Lily with my Mom.

Last weekend, we took part in the most precious ceremony, with Lily being welcomed into God’s house at her baptism. She smiled and flirted with the priest, and did not cry once and was just the cutest little girl in her pretty little dress. She watching with her bright eyes and soaked up the surroundings and focused on the candles, and listened to the words echoing around her was a great thing to be part of. Thanks to her great parents, Jeff and Coco for not only the gift that is Lily, but also for allowing us to share in this special day.

Shoes
Do you have any old wives’ tales that play a role in your daily life? My mother-in-law has a whole bunch and as such, Nathalie has them too. Things like “Don’t leave your purse on the floor, because all your money falls out” and “Don’t ever give someone a sharp object, because it could sever your relationship, instead, you “sell” it to them for a penny. I do remember some, and try to keep them part of my routine, for the sake of piece around the house, but to be honest, I do forget. The other week, Nathalie and I were doing some mad cleaning and I got a little reminder of one of her “things” and a bit of a laugh too.

During the cleaning, I moved a shopping bag with a new pair of shoes in it, from the floor to the dinning room table. “How long have you lived with me? You DON”T put new shoes on the table Jim”, she yelled at me. I looked up, and thought, yes I remember now, “Sorry, I forgot about that”, then I moved them to the stairs, with full intention of later moving them upstairs. The first laugh came from moving to the other side of the table, only to discover the box of my new shoes on the table, all be it, on top of another box, but never the less ON the table, left by none other than Nathalie herself. Apparently, the wives tale is only for female shoes?

The second laugh came later, when Nathalie almost fell down the stairs. Now, before you say I am some kind of heartless jerk for laughing and my wife almost falling down the stairs; that was not the funny part. It was because of WHAT she tripped on in the first place, the box of shoes. So the quick thinker I am, to add insult to actual injury, I asked her, “Do you now think they are safer on the table or the stairs? I am just asking?”

In closing
I have a small handful of cute stories, from over the last 3 or 4 weeks to select from to close out the blog for today, but I think I will choose the one that is a slightly self-deprecating. For Christmas, the girls each got an iPod touch, and besides being a great thing to be able to take away from them if they are not listening, it is a fun pastime. They both have already got the hang of crawling the app store, and asking me to punch in my code so they can download games, and aside from one $2.99 app, that they “thought” was free, they have both filled of their devices with stuff.

Now, I am NOT a talented video game player. I know this. My wife knows it, and I think my kids now have an idea but, Nathalie on the other hand is very good at most games she plays, and has totally mastered the very popular Angry Birds. The girls each have it on their respective ipods, and it would seem are constantly asking her to complete this level or that. While making dinner one night, Nathalie was working on a particularly tricky level for Julia, and being the smart ass I am, I say to her, “If Mommy keeps having an issue, you better give it to a true expert, and let Daddy try”, NEVER expecting she would call me on it. While after a couple more Mommy attempts and fails, Julia pipes up, “OK Daddy, your turn”. I had to the break it to her that I was only joking and that I have no chance of passing it for her. Then Julia utters the words that will echo in my head for a long time, “Come on Dad, you can do it, BE A MAN!” in this voice right out of the movies. There you have it, a drill sergeant in the making!

I will try harder to be at least a man, who writes a re-cap of the happenings of my family every week, and I may even give the game a shot.

Thanks for reading and have a great and safe week.
Jim

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