This week in point form

A few good things to write about but must get to bed...pro-d day tomorrow morning:

The dinner party was awesome--16 people in our apartment! Plus, the girls kicked butt at Cranium.

Went to the Christmas tree light up the other night with Starbucks hot chocolate and 3 lovely ladies. Not super impressed by the lights but it was still fun and festive...K's comment was "I think we should decorate the tree ourselves next year". Let's just say it could have used a little tinsel. Mike was busy doing traffic control and will now spend the rest of the holiday season prying drunk people down when they try to climb it. (They replace the mile O post below in the center of the intersection with a big christmas tree)



The best part was when Santa rode in sitting in the bucket/crane thingy of a big truck. Wish I'd had a camera. I live in such a redneck town but I love it.

Just saw Enchanted at the theatre with Mike and another couple--we dragged our husbands along but I think they secretly liked it.

It's very cold out right now. Plugged the car in for the first time and I think I could feel the snot freezing in my nose. I'm a true Northerner now.

101 posts

Hey, I just realized that I finally got 100 posts on my blog!

Even better than that, though, is the fact that today I had my first good friday with my grade ones. I was so happy by the end of the day that we'd made it through and that I was able to drive home without wanting to cry or drive my car into the ditch...just kidding. But it was a really great day. The library was the best part. Usually, they are sooo bad in the library that some of them have been threatened with being banned from coming back. But, today, I read them a story and they all say quietly on the carpet and listened! It was amazing, especially considering that it was a Friday afternoon.

So, now I get to be stressed out and busy this evening, preparing for my first dinner party tomorrow, with the gang from our bible study. I'm making a pretty elaborate menu of different appetizers I've been wanting to try. I tried to make them all semi-Italian so that they go well together. Let's just say I bought a lot of cheese.

First, there is cranberry and raspberry punch. Then, there is dill and three onion dip with veggies, bread and a brie/havarti tray, cambozola and grape canapes, spinach and artichoke dip with pita chips, sicilian meatballs, mandarin apricot chicken wings, mushroom caps, mushroom and cheese pastry bundles, spicy yam fries, italian chick pea salad, and apple, celery, grape salad. Hopefully it will be good. For dessert I made cherry mini-cakes, truffle brownies with ganache icing, and lemon squares.

Okay, really, it's not all made yet. Which is why I should stop typing and start cooking!

Un jour de souvenir

Today, as I sat in Church during the Remembrance day ceremony, with Mike up front in full Red Serge, carrying the Canadian flag, I thought about my Nonno, and what he must remember and think about on Remembrance day. As an Italian ex-soldier, who was living in Ethiopia at the time WWII began, he is not celebrated as a war veteran in Canada, although I am sure he is glad for those in Canada who fought for this country, as it is their sacrifices that allowed him to be able to move and live freely in Canada. But, at the same time, he must remember his friends and comrades who died for Italy, and who are not remembered in the same way for having been on the "wrong side" of the war. Yet, they were young and far removed from Hitler, and did not have a choice of whether they were in the war. Luckily, my nonno was taken prisoner by the British early on, and spent the duration working on a farm until the war's end. The real difficulties came for my nonna, who was raising the daughter my nonno didn't know existed (she was born right after he left) and the only communication they had was through letters that were blacked-out and censored.

I can imagine her fleeing Ethiopia, trying to make her way back to Italy to be safe with my Auntie Connie. Living, as she claims, for five years, on nothing but oranges, which I imagine grew abundantly in Sicily. And that was the last time she saw Africa. It must be so strange to grow up in a country, spend a quarter of your life their, and then never go back. What would it be like if I left Canada today and never returned. I have no idea what it is like to live in Tunisia, or Ethiopia, or to have no one to speak your first language to most of your life.

And yet, if they had not perservered through this time, and come to Vancouver island, my mother would not have been born in Port Alberni, where she met my Dad, where I was born, and eventually met Mike.

So today I am grateful that they made it through a separation much longer than the one I endured while Mike was training. And grateful for Mike, who and all the RCMP officers who are willing to serve and commit to the cause.

I guess I spoke too soon

About the snow, I mean. On Monday I had a very entertaining day at work, which involved about 5 puddles of vomit on the kindergarten room floor. I love the little kids, and they're usually very cute, but when they all get sick at the same time and everyone is crying that they want to go home, it's not so much fun.

Then, as I was just getting to the end of the day, it started to snow quite heavily. Then, I remembered the after school meeting I had, and by the time I got to drive the 3 blocks home, the roads were snowy and slippery. I nearly crashed right into a detour sign as I attempted to turn the corner on my way home. Why do I always choose to live on a hill?

Thankfully the snow melted yesterday, then resnowed this morning, then remelted. So, we're back to no snow. I can't help but give the huge trucks dirty looks as I pass them in the snow. The way they take up two parking spaces, and splash muck all over poor little Tercel. I defy you trucks and your snow tires! Ha ha!

Seriously, though, Tercel does just fine in the snow. But, I don't think I'm going to take any jobs that require me to drive out to Chetwynd every day. Not that Mike would let me. He nearly got into an accident driving out there himself, and he's much better in the snow than I am.

So, I'm thinking of starting a book club, because I've been reading a lot lately and it would be fun to discuss books with like-minded individuals. Must find enough people though. I also don't really know how to organize one. How often do you meet?

I'm hoping the weather is okay for tomorrow, as I am subbing at a new school across town that I've never been to before. Hopefully the kids are good. I sure wish I would get some calls to the high school though, I miss the teenagers.

Here's a quote I enjoyed from the book I started reading last night.

"...storytelling--from wherever it comes--forms a layer in the foundation of the world; and glinting in it we see the trace elements of every tribe on earth." (Frank Delaney--IRELAND)

This is a book all about storytelling, and it is really good so far. The perfect book for sitting on the couch with a cup of my favourite tea. (Candy cane lane--It smells like Christmas, and I just found it again the other day, after having used all of mine up.)

The one nice thing about early snow is that I can start listening to Christmas music earlier.

Sense of Purpose

Well, we made it to November without snow--yeah! Apparently this is looking good, according to what happened last winter. I plan on purchasing my winter coat tomorrow, although I still can't decide which of two I like better. But, it's finally starting to feel really cold, and it's supposed to get to -9 on the weekend, so I better get ready for November.

Just got home from Mr. Mike's and drinks with my volleyball team. We're on a winning streak at the moment, so we went out afterwards. I ordered Spinach and Artichoke dip--an old Victoria favourite, but it was more like hot spinach dip with melted cheese and tomatoes(?) on top. Nachos? Not too sure, but it was still good. I had a yummy drink as well, which was as close to a Bellini as I think I'm going to find.

Lately I have been having recurring dreams about having a baby, and I wonder if it's me worrying about having kids, or thinking that I want to. Truthfully, I really don't want to have a baby right now, and there are so many other things I am looking forward to doing, but up here EVERYONE has kids, so it's hard to fit in and also hard to watch all the pregnant ladies and new cute babies without wanting one yourself. At the same time though, having come from Victoria where hardly anyone has kids, I still feel that pull to work on my career and TRAVEL and do so many other things I've been waiting to do. I guess I just feel so isolated up here, like there aren't that many options. Sigh. Who knows where we'll end up next, or what that place will be like.

I am already planting roots here though, and at the same time hesitating, when I think that in a few years I'll just have to say goodbye to a whole new group of friends and start over again. It's hard to be committed to a place, knowing that you won't be around to see the fruit of the seeds you planted.

I'm trying to remind myself that there is a purpose and a reason that we were sent here, I just don't know what it is yet. Patience...sigh.