Confessions of a...

Splish splash, Mick MAC and a little bundle of buglia, stories from the Carr family for week 2

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Geek
Greetings from a new computer… Well, OK the computer can’t talk but because I am hitting the nifty little illuminated black keys on my new silver Mac Book Pro in the way I am, in some way it is the computer doing the communicating. I have been waiting for a replacement laptop since my first ever MAC bit the bullet 7 months ago. It was nice that the school was able to loan me a temporary replacement laptop, but the problem is that it was missing software, was very lacking in hard drive space and the battery lasted about 2 and half minutes, if I was lucky. Now I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I am sure happy that I got the call this week to come and pick up my new laptop, so I could write a blog.

Buglia
It was a busy 4 months, and a somewhat hot summer in our new house in Mississauga, so the trip all the way to North York General Hospital WAS going to end with a baby. Being our second time around, we had somewhat of an idea of what to expect and the understanding that with the second child, the tempo ramps up a little. After arriving at the hospital for a second time in a week, and a quick check we find out that things were not quiet ready. In fact the message from the nurse was “I think you can go home and come back later”. Living 30 minutes away, that was not an option and Nathalie made that point very clear to the nurse and it would seem that she relented a little. She suggested, we leave the hospital for some labour inducing mall walking up the street, so we headed off to a closed Fairview mall for some “old people” laps.

It worked, but only a little and when we arrived back at the hospital, we laid it out on the line. “Look, if we leave this hospital, we are NOT coming back” Nathalie confided to the nurse. She decided to admit us, show us to the birthing suite, hop Nathalie up on some drugs and start the ball rolling. The whole process seemed so different from the last time for us. Although we were only a couple of doors down from the room Jordyn was born in, the staff was different and the total number of bodies, in and out of the room was a lot lower, it seemed that we were at a different hospital. Dr. Brown was the same, so that was one thing I guess. Like we were told, the second time around went much faster.

The night progressed well and at one point, the Dr. came in and said something like, “ok, I will be back at around 8 to deliver” and then he left. But that was not meant to be. Around 7:30, hard labour started, and with no sign of the Dr. because he had gone home to freshen up for the start of his day, the two nurses started to freak out a little. “Someone call Dr. Brown, she is NOT waiting!” A short time later, with only seconds to spare, the Dr. came running in and said, “looks like we are going to have a baby!” It seemed like only a few minutes later, after a few hard pushes, the joyful cry of a newborn filled the room. A newborn in age but a baby the size of a three month old! “10.2” said one of the nurses, and in our arms was our BGB.

Someone once told Nathalie having children is like watching your own heart beat outside of your body. This little mind, body and soul, that worries you, watches you, and makes you laugh everyday, but is in control of their own actions, and no longer needs the safety of the mother’s womb. For 8 years now, we have watched this amazing little girl grow into a caring, sharing “old soul” person and we are so happy she is in our lives. Happy birthday Julia Boolia!

Pool
So we have a pool. It is not a huge pool, but big enough to get in a splash around and cool off in the hot summer sun. It is about 11 feet wide, and 25 feet long but that includes an attached hot tub/spa. You can’t swim laps, but it is a perfect lounging pool. It was something that we had talked about for next year, but by doing it this year, we saved the HST and we don’t have to pay for a year anyway, so it is like we are getting it next year! With only one more part to hook up now, we are 95% there, and loving it. If you are in the area, and want to swim, bring food and drinks and call first.

In Closing
I do some DJ’ing on the side and this summer has been very busy with weddings. Because of the heat, I have been wearing my shorts for the setup and at the last possible minute changing into my suit and the dreaded socks. So far, I have only forgotten my tie one time, but I think I still looked OK in my jacket. Jump to Saturday, and the bad traffic on the 401, I was already running about 15 minutes later then I wanted to be. That meant running a little extra fast with the gear to get setup in time. The wedding was on the 33 floor of the Sutton Place, so with only one service elevator, the two trips up and down, pushed me just a little further behind schedule.

With about 5 minutes to spare, I drop a CD of light dinner music in the player, and grab my suit for the quick run to the bathroom to change. Socks first (always my rule), then shirt and now the pants… Where are my pants? Jacket is there on the hanger, with NO pants underneath. Take the socks off, put the summer shoes back on and re-trace my steps, because I KNOW I had them when I left the house. Nothing around the equipment, in the kitchen, or the hallway leading to the room, so maybe the car? Down 33 floors in the world’s slowest elevator, run to my car and still nothing. The Bell Hop sees my concern, and says, “Did you loose your pants? I tried catching you when I found them on the sidewalk, but I missed you!” Thank GOD!

Wearing my pants I say, thanks for reading and have a great and safe week.

Jim

Expressions, the house, a driveway and the long lost blog post, I do confess it is time, and the count starts at week 1

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Blog
My first blog post in a couple of months comes thanks to Julia. You see while taking a break from all the mad work that has been going on here at home, I was checking email on my computer. Julia, the ever-concerned “old soul” leans over my shoulder and says “I know you have been busy Daddy, but I really think you should write your blog today.” After a hiccup pause I ask: “What is it that you think I should write about Julia?” “Well you can tell people, we are going on a cruise, and that my birthday is in a couple of weeks and don’t forget we now have a pool”. OK, Julia here it goes…

Expressions
I laughed the other week, when I read a couple of students’ Facebook exchanges regarding their summer vacations, and talking about the impending return to school. They used the expression “I miss your face.” and it made me think about things that people say these days. I had never heard of this one before and it made me wonder, can you miss someone’s face? I mean you can miss a smile, or someone’s eyes, but the whole face? Well, to each there own I guess, be it a feature on the body, part or the face or the whole head area, miss away.

Driveway
(Note: I wrote this in July)
On a summer day, two kids play alone outside, while a third watches from a distance. The boy and girl, visiting family for the weekend have seen the other little girl before, but never talked to her. She lives in the house beside the one occupied by their grandmother. The two houses connected by a long driveway, and on this summer day, the little girl dares her older brother to go ask the other little girl if she would like to play. This simple gesture would be the beginning of a friendship that would last a lifetime. Jump forward 5 years, to the same driveway, connecting the same two houses, one with a new owner, while two kids play in the driveway, another little girl approaches, and asks if they want to play with her. These kids are older then the first set, but another lifelong relationship again begins on the narrow driveway on Yardley Avenue.

I forgot all about this, until the surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary party for my sister Debbie and her husband Guy. I was talking with my sister’s best friend Robyn, who was the one, some 35 years ago, who convinced her brother to go ask the little girl (Debbie) if she wanted to play. It was after that story, that I realized the driveway connection. You see, after Robyn’s grandmother had passed, Bob bought the house and one summer day, a couple of years after the purchase, my twin sister and I met his daughter Pat, who was visiting one afternoon. Pat is to this day, still a cherished friend. One driveway on a street in East York, and two lifelong friends created out of a simple “do you want to play” gesture.

House
I mentioned earlier that we have been a little busy around here over the last couple of months and that was the main reason I have not posted a blog. We decided to start now on the backyard work that we HAD planed to do sometime next year. Top that off with the addition of a pool that we had also planned to add to our backyard in the next couple of years and it has been a bit of a whirlwind. The joy will be in sitting by the pool with a cold drink in my hand over the next few weeks, and watching the kids splash around and listening to their wet, water giggles.

In closing
When I had to do some running around to do today, I offered to take anyone with me that wanted to go. Surprisingly, the one we call number one said, “Let me get my purse,” and I smiled a happy smile. Aside from the normal punch buggy spotting game we play in the car, we sang to the radio loud, and played air instruments (safely never to the detriment of driving) and we had a nice conversation about life. I was on the edge of my seat, when after a long pause; Jordyn said “I have a good question for you”. I turned the radio down, in an attempt to give my full attention to my oldest daughter and she said, “OK, if the whole world was broken up into two parts, and one was the good side, and one was the bad side, what side would you want to be on?” Not knowing if it was a trick question, I waited to answer and then she jumped in with her answer “I know I would want to be on the good side for sure, Daddy!” Well you are Jordyn, for sure you are!

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

Mom, dark dressing and a simple smile, the light and fluffy, get caught up Carr blog for week 52

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Education week
Each year the girl’s school celebrates Education Week with a series of special events. This week, along with a special church service, a movie day and the French Café, we had a family activity night to take part in. This was a new event this year, and although some of the faculty had seen it be successfully at other schools, they had no idea of how much of a success it would be here. With only 20 family’s signing up before hand, we were not that optimistic, but in the end, it was a great success and lots of fun seeing and talking with so many families in our community.

In the dark
This week I had a laugh on the phone with a colleague from Vancouver. We were talking about getting dressed in the dark and I told her that I often make the mistake of picking my clothes in little or no light, and laugh when I see myself later in the day in a mirror and ask, “What was I thinking?” Connie had done the same thing before and told me of when she was a reporter for CBC, and left the house in two different shoes, and how she scrambled around work, looking for someone to loan her two new shoes so she would match for an interview. I guess the better thing would be to either turn on a light, or pick your clothes the night before, but what then would you have to laugh at yourself.

Smile
I used to quite often smile at the people I would see in cars, while stopped at stoplights. I said I used to because I can’t remember the last time I did this, that is until one trip this week. I am not sure why I stopped doing it other then the fear of someone thinking I was trying to pick them up and them reacting by pulling a gun or something. I guess a sign of the times, or something to be blamed on the media, but this week I through caution to the wind and made an effort a smiling at someone in the next car. I have been a little out of my normal Zen mode the last little bit, and if I understood chakra or the need to be in balance in ones life, I might easily identify that something has been a little off kilter. Perhaps the need to make someone laugh or smile at random is what I needed, because I feel good and now I feel closer to my normal self.

Nathalie
This being Mothers day week, I feel the need to acknowledge how thankful I am to have such a great wife, that is such a fantastic mother to our girls. Not only a great Mother to our girls, but when needed, a mother to me. I hope she had a great day, and always remembers that she is a great Mother!

In Closing
There is someone in everyone’s life that provides unconditional, unwavering love. For most, that person waited to hear your voice, and wished to touch your hand and loved you LONG before you even breathed you first breath. Those who have known true love in their life will certainly understand the feeling this kind of love brings, and even long for it’s emotional energy if it is missing, but the love of a Mother is something that will always be the strongest, deepest and most special love of your life.

When we are young, we take this love for granted, and some times even take advantage of it. When we are teens, we devalue the love by not appreciating it and by sometimes saying hurtful things, but when we are older and perhaps have children of our own, we understand what this love is. It is only then that we can truly learn to love in this way ourselves. Mothers teach us by showing and doing, and some of what they teach us, they don’t even know.

Thank you to my Mom for teaching me strength, commitment, and for giving me my get back up when you fall down ability and doing it all without even knowing you did it. I love you Mom!

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