Tuesday June 27th

I guess it's time for an update on whats been going on since the Relay for Life.

First and foremost - I've applied for three jobs in the Pembroke/Petawawa area. One is a Nursery School Teacher in Deep River and a Nursery School Supervisor at the same Nursery School. The other position is on CFB Petawawa at the Military Family Resource Center as a Before and After School Coordinator. All of these jobs would be completely perfect for me. They are part time and pay pretty good. Im actually routing for the Nursery School Teacher position - the job that pays the least. I absolutely LOVE the idea of having my own classroom of little bodies and teaching them the basics of life.

So this is challenging my very early thoughts of becoming a teacher. You'd think that with all of this excitment I would want to be a teacher, but I dont think I do. I want to work in education and I want to work with children, again you'd THINK that teaching would be my primary focus. Nursery schools seem to be popping out all over the place, that could be an option for me. So, my plan now as far as education goes is to get this degree finished and then move onto a masters in education. Early Childhood Education or Cirriculum are of my choice.

Anyways, I told my boss about this and of course she isnt happy. My initial reaction to Rodney being posted, or us for that matter was that I would stay in Kingston until she went on Maternity Leave, which is in October or November. With these two jobs, I just feel that I couldnt not apply. Who knows, maybe everyone up there IS full of crack and I wont get an offer for any of them and I will end up staying until then. Part of me wants to because I just love the girls SO much. But then there is the other part of me that cannot wait to move in (officially) with Rodney and start that part of my life. Basically when I move is job dependent. If I get one of those three positions, I will be moving the weekend of August 25th. I am going to continue applying to jobs (which are scarce) and see what happens.

I REALLY dont want to wait until October/November! But I really dont think its fair to ask Rodney to cover my expenses until I get a job. I guess if I dont get a job by the time that Mary goes on Maternity Leave - Ill apply for Unemployment.

Now that it's official that Rodney and Amanda will be living together (ah we basically are right now), we have taken the intiative to start buying some things. We have pretty much redone the entire kitchen. We bought some square red and black plates - very funky. And everything is based around them. We are planning on getting another set that is in a light orange to contrast the red. I think the entire kitchen will be great! We are also planning on slip covering R's couch and love seat. We bought an area rug last night and will be getting new drapes. So within the next few years we should be completely ready for a house! :) we also have money set aside for a completely new bedroom set from IKEA! AHHH I cannot wait! This makes me wonder what we are going to put on our registry when we get married.

Yes that is right, I said the M word. No engagement yet but the M word has been thrown out into the air! (see the House Hunting post)

On Saturday June 24, I was off from work and we decided to have a productive day. We did at least 4 loads of laundry and hung them all on the clothes line. We went through R's closet and got rid of SO many shirts! What is it with men and their shirts! My goodness! Some were obvious toss but others we bagged up and will be taken to GoodWill. R BBQed steaks and quartered potatoes and we had veggies with it. Damn it was good. (Excellent cook he is!) Then we snuggled up on the couch and watched Mr and Mrs Smith with some crackers and a cheese ball. Our day wasn't eventful and we didn't do anything to write home abouth but it felt like a weekend day that most couples have and it felt great. To know that I can enjoy that side of being a coule with this man is a wonderful feeling.

The next month includes continuing to help R go through stuff, go through my own crap, bring stuff to R's that I dont need right now so that the moviers can bring it to Pet for me (hey its free!), working on my current four courses and working out to the Tae Bo video that I have. (my first attempt is tommorrow)

-I'll also do my best to continue to post more regularly-

Relay For Life – June 2006

June 2, 2006 – The Canadian Cancer Society held their annual Relay for Life in Kingston at RMC. Stace and I wanted to do the Relay last year but we didn’t hear about it in time. So this year, we got everything started early – although it didn’t seem early enough.

I was volun-told by Stace to be the Team Captain and I’m really glad I did and hope to be next year! Our team consisted of
Myself
My mom
Stace
Rodney
Lori (cousin)
Erin (cousin)
Ashleigh (friend of Stace)
Morgan (friend of Stace)
Val (friend of Stace)
Our team was excellent with raising money! Unfortunately, Lori and Erin couldn’t make it but raised money none the less!

We decided that our team name would be Yellow Angels and attempted to get everything YELLOW! There were some really good other names and themes. Other themes that I am considering for next year:
• Hawaiian
• Family Ties
• Fighting Cancer

Even though we got there (and were set up) before the start time of 7pm, I feel that we could have easily gotten there a few hours before. We had our screen tent, Morgan brought her sleeping tent but I think for next year we should have 2 screen tents. We brought a table and some chairs. Stace dealt some BlackJack throughout the night, which was cool. There was an MC and everything started with the Cancer Survivor’s Lap. We weren’t involved with that which is really too bad…I got pretty sad when they were announcing it, I would have loved to have watched Nanny walk that lap.
For the first little bit, lots of people were lapping. I had to go wait in line to hand in money. ESH! There was a silent auction, a little store and even reps from Avon giving out free mini shoulder rubs and hand massages. I don’t think anyone from our team took advantage of that. I mainly walked with Rodney or my mom. I think I might have walked one lap with Stace. Hopefully next year Stace and I will get more time.
There was some pretty good live entertainment, but we were at the back of the track so we couldn’t see or hear much.
At dusk, everyone there was instructed to start lighting the luminaries. The luminaries were white paper bags with sand covering the bottom. Set inside the sand was a large votive candle in a glass tube. There were thousands of these! After they were all lit, there was a moment of silence and AMAZING GRACE was played. And the water works started! Stace found one of Nanny’s and Rodney and I found the others. We were able to light the luminaries that were bought for Nanny, Uncle Vince and Uncle Gerry. My mom bought one for her great aunt Alice but we couldn’t find it. ☹ I am so glad that Rodney was there to share that moment with me. I do wish (very much) that he could have met Nanny and Papa, but that was very special to me.

Over the course of the night, we all took turns walking around the track, listening to the awesome entertainment and chatted. We brought loads of food. My mom always makes sure that everyone is well fed. Veggie trays, fruit trays, cookies, pop, a whole case of water. The girls (Stace, Morgan, Ash and Val) made a few Tim Horton’s runs. Good girls. At one point, Morgan and Ash went into the sleeping tent for some shut eye. But that didn’t last too long.

Around 3ish Stace, Ash, Val and Morgan left. Partly because it started to sprinkle. I will admit that I was disappointed, not so much at Stace, she had to be at work in a matter of hours after leaving – and man was she exhausted after work that next day. So this left Rodney, my mom and myself. A few more laps and then the Relay Idol started. Most of the singers were TERRIBLE! One dude even wrote and sang his own rap about brushing your teeth. My mom found this quite humorous. Around 430ish, the rain really started coming down, so we pulled everything under the shelter. My mom curled up on the air mattress and snoozed. I curled up on one of the chairs and rested my eyes ;) At 5ish, Rodney and I decided that the rain was getting too heavy and we were burning out. So we started packing everything up and let my mom snooze a little more. We were out of RMC by 6 or 630. It’s a good thing because the track was SO muddy and I was freezing. My mom went back to my place and I headed to Rodney’s with him.

Although I had such a wonderful time and feel really felt like I was a part of a great cause…I do regret not being able to be more organized, and especially not staying until the closing ceremonies.

Next year, we will be in Petawawa and will be much more prepared.

Thank you to all of you who supported and pledged me (and my team)!

HOUSE HUNTING TRIP – PETAWAWA

If you asked me a year ago if I’d ever move back to the Pembroke area I would have told you that you were crazy. And yet…just over a year later I found myself looking at houses in PEMBROKE and the surrounding area. Fate and God are determined to keep me in the area for some reason.

Day 1
Rodney and I left Saturday afternoon, with a loaded car and Shayde. Although we both appeared relatively calm, I was loosing my mind inside and my stomach was flip -flopping. The drive up was nice, we took Hwy 15 to the 7 to the 417. Shayde, although usually a great traveler, started whining as we approached Pakenham (a small village with a great ski hill). We stopped at the picnic area so he could “use the grass” and get a little stretch. Rodney immediately pulled out his camera and start snapping photos. The more we are together the more I know he is a little “snap happy.” But it’s so cute! And with a digital camera we aren’t wasting any film. All I was thinking was lovely he is going to document every minute of this trip with photos. ?
We buckled Shayde back up – yes he sits in the backseat, behind me and now has a seatbelt.
We made it to Pembroke and to the hotel, checked in and Rodney lugged almost everything in while I walked around with Shayde. Holy crap it was hot there!! Poor Shaydey needs a haircut, or a shave! I called my mom and we got BACK in the car and drove to Lapasse. 25 mins later, Rodney got to see my home, Lapasse and meet the psycho dog Mandy. Mandy was glad to see me but not so much with Shayde. Shayde is a huge threat to Mandy for attention from my mom. So they had a little fight and then Shayde wanted to get frisky with her. We went to dinner with my mom at the local restaurant and then got BACK in the car and drive back to Pembroke. I was soooooo tired by the time I got to bed. We ended up with a one-bedroom suite and a fireplace… too bad it was killer hot and we didn’t want it on. ?

Day 2
We all slept in and had a lazy morning. Finally a true Sunday! Hunger hit both of us like a ton of bricks so we ventured to the Irving Truck stop for a very healthy lunch! YAY us! Poor Shayde had to stay in the car ? We took today as a “drive around the base day” to find where Rodney will be working. The base isn’t really that big but we managed to get a little lost. Hehe Turns out his new work home is way back in the boondocks of the base. I guess they hide the Linemen away from civilization. I wanted to take a photo but a van pulled up and one of R’s future coworkers got out and went in. and he was already looking at us like morons for being back there. Taking a photo might have labeled us as Afghani spies or something.
Off we went to the PMQ (Private Married Quarters). There are two sections – the north side and the south side. We looked at the North side first. Pretty nice, some vacant super nice places that both of us want and are hoping to look at. Found the South Side – definitely not as impressive. That side needs more work. We both agreed that we want to live on the north side – IF we move on base. Because I know the area a little, I was able to show him around. We went to a really nice walking trail that isn’t too fair from base. It’s totally in the woods and from what I can remember, hardly used. We stopped there for a bit, and let Shayde off the leash so he could burn off some energy. He thought it was great! ? I couldn’t easily see that place as a routine for us. Back in the car we got (I’m already sick of seeing the interior of my car) and went to the hotel. Mom was off work now, so we met her at the wonderful Pembroke Mall – haha it’s small and has virtually nothing in it. We did a little bit of Relay for Life shopping and then R and I went to Wal-Mart, while my mom went home to take her poochie out and pick up my dad. At Wal-Mart, we found a cute gift for Damian (friend of R’s son – we are going to his birthday party on Saturday), a bubble blowing lawn mower. We also picked up some snacks and drinks for the hotel. I must say, I didn’t know R liked gross things. I was leery about the wieners in a can that he bought, my stomach turned when I caught whiff of them and I almost threw up when I tasted one. I couldn’t even chew or swallow it. ECK
Since the plan was to meet my parents at the movie theatre and we didn’t have a lot of time, we grabbed DQ and went to the Marina. Then we had a Beaver Tail. R’s first time – I still cannot believe he hadn’t had one!!! MMM they are SO yummy, but the ones at WinterLude are greasier. ? My parents arrived together and ON TIME for the FIRST TIME IN GERVAIS history! Simply amazing! We saw The Divinci Code. Loved it! Definitely a buyer!!!
After the movie, we went back to the hotel and crashed!

Day 3
Oh yet another lazy morning – I’m starting to really like house hunting! Too bad it’s so damn hot! We have A/C but it sounds like a tank and really annoys R. (Starting to see things that annoy him – excellent) So R dragged me out of bed, Shayde wasn’t too thrilled either. That dog will stay in bed as long as I do – I tested him one night – we went to bed around midnight and I stayed in bed reading until 11 and he was content snoozing beside me. Anyways…we had breakfast and then headed up to base again. This time R went into headquarters and then we went to housing – both places I got to sit in the car – as I’m not “on the books” as a dependent. Interesting term that they use! Found out that we wont actually SEE a place until they pick one out for us. So what was the point of doing this when we have to turn around and go back there within 72 hours of them telling R what they have chosen. So…back to the hotel…Shayde and I had a nice little nap. ? R tidied up the clothes (mostly of mine) that were scattered everywhere (he is so domesticated – its great!) I woke up starving to death so we headed to Kelsey’s – where they have THE BESTEST bruschetta! YUMMY! We wanted to play mini putt but the good place in Pet wasn’t open yet – bummer ? So we drove around Petawawa some more and found a cute little fixer-upper, which sparked lots of conversation.
Had a nice quiet evening at the hotel with my 2 favorite boys. I took on some of the knitting that I’ve started. We still aren’t happy with the heat and the A/C still annoys R! hehehe

Day 4
And she sleeps in again! YAH! Definitely enjoying this! I wasn’t up long before being told that Shayde has made a liar out of me about holding his need to peepee. Apparently last night around 3ish, Shayde woke R up and needed to go outside. Hehehe That is right – he woke up Daddy! HAHAHAHA GOOD SHAYDE! Today we headed to Lapasse for the day. Spent some time with Mom, chatting about some things, we put up the new screen tent that I bought. Super easy and looks great! So great that my mom made me leave it there and she bought me another one! She is turning into her parents – I recall Nanny and Papa doing that on occasion ? While we were looking more at the house, I noticed a lot of exterior work that needs to be done. Most of what I saw is cosmetic and I know of things that need to be done that are necessary. The pool fence needs another coat of paint, the entire pool area needs a good cleaning, the pool deck needs to be fixed and painted, the front porch needs to be stripped and painted and the driveway needs to be lifted – releveled and the interlocking stones need to be put down again.
In the midst of all this mom went to get Terry for his regular Tuesday visit. Today R met a lot of new people – Terry, Linda, MaryLou, Mona, Erin and Jen. Both R and Terry were quiet around each other, which I expected and Terry was in a huge bad mood because of the heat.
Before dinner, R went out to uncover the central air conditioning thing and hose it down so we could turn it on. Good Rodney! ? My mom was happy that he offered and completed what he said he would do. (A lot of that doesn’t happen in our family) So we had dinner (mom, dad, Terry, R and myself) and was pretty good! Linda and Erin graced us with their presence during dinner (I really hate when they do that – especially when they KNOW we are sitting down for dinner – and I really hate that Linda expects people to offer her booze wherever she goes) So after dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen for my mom (she went to beddie because she was working nights) and then we headed back to Pembroke. R made some phone calls – called mommy and Justin. It’s just too cute listening to him talk to Justin on the phone. Pretty good day - I was tired. ?

Day 5

Up at a decent time – certainly NOT 7am or anything ? Went to the bank to inquire about a mortgage – was in there for a while. Walked back to the car, my purse AND keys are on the passenger side seat and the car is locked. ARGH! R found this VERY funny. I did have my cell, so I called Hyundai and they gave me the number for my road side assistance that came free with the lease – good thing! My spare key is in KINGSTON with Stace. So I called, said within the hour. Lovely! R still finds this sooo funny and cannot wait to tell people. I sent him to Pizza Pizza for lunch and we dined with style on the side of the road. ? Finally got the car unlocked and had to head BACK to the base to housing for R to sign something. I’m still not impressed with not being able to choose a place. We did drive around more of the PMQ area and saw some really nice vacant ones. (crossing my fingers) I want a three bedroom.
We spent another relaxing evening in, chatting and I actually did some course work! YAY! Abnormal Psychology was the winner tonight! Ding ding ding!

Day 6

Ick –it’s hot out! I think we made it out of the room around 1130. We were sooooo slow moving this morning. R did something to his neck while sleeping – YES WHILE SLEEPING! So he was stiff and sore ? Ate drive-thru on the way BACK to Lapasse – my poor car did NOT miss this area! Dropped Shayde off at mom’s and we headed to Ottawa. First stop in Ottawa was Staples – nothing special – I needed some inserts for my day planner. Second stop was Canadian Tire, where we spent far too much time there. We were buying a new screen tent! Couldn’t find one at first, then we tried getting it on sale and that turned into a mini nightmare! We ended up with a super newbie, most likely his first day or his comprehension or listening skills were not functioning because he rang the price in wrong and then wouldn’t fix it. He sent us to Customer Service. So we had to walk out the store and right back in. The woman at CS was great – but she couldn’t give me my money back, so we had to go to a cashier and get it. Esh! The cashier had NO idea what we were talking about, frankly I think that she just didn’t listen to me. Between her, another weirdo cashier and the shift manager – NOONE listened to the situation but I ended up with my money. Next stop was RBC – woooooweeee aren’t we exciting! ?
We finally made it to IKEA! YIPPEE! There was a tent sale – but nothing caught my eye. So many nice rooms. I’m really thinking that they should have room sales – everything in the room for a great discounted price. ? Mostly, we were there looking at beds and bedroom stuff. I picked up 6 white and 6 red wine glasses – I’m thinking that I should have bought 2 more of each. (next time ?) Found a set that we both really like. The MALM set, if anyone wants to check it out. It would (obviously) be the dark brown finish. At this trip, neither of us spent a wack of money. We know that we will be soon. But I bought some funky ice cube trays and R bought some glass rocks for the newly acquired fish tank. (I have a feeling that we are going to house a lot of animals before children – I’m pushing for another puppy when I move up)
When walking out, R spotted a little fair at the other end of the parking lot – esh – and he wants to go. Good thing we have plans to meet Michelle and Brent! We did get out of IKEA earlier than expected (even though we were in there for a good couple hours) so we just hung out in the car yapping. We were joined by the Gould’s and headed into the restaurant – Milestones – and boy was it good! ? I had a great time! Hopefully we’ll get to see more of them after we get settled in the new place. Speaking of new place, they are moving into their new house! Congrads again! Please let us know when the house warming is!
Made it back to Lapasse not too too late, picked up Shaydey and headed back to the hotel. (Alright Rodney – any time now we can add you to the insurance – I’m tired of driving all over again from just talking about it)

Day 7

YAWN! Early morning! But I’m not going to tell you that R let me sleep a little and he packed almost everything up! I hope this man never changes! ? We left a little later than we wanted to but made it back to Kingston in lots of time to prep for the Relay for Life.

So, we survived an entire week together, morning, noon and night. All is good! And this woman is damn happy!

Hopefully we find out soon about the PMQ!