at the cabin

Having had to leave the cabin early over Christmas, we couldn't wait to get back out there this past weekend.  Fantasies of sitting by the fire...ok we don't have a fireplace, we have a wood stove-without a window-but hey it was free!!  Now back to the fantasy-sitting in a warm cabin while the wind is howling, all curled up with a good book, just all out relaxing.

You can imagine our surprise to pull in to knee deep snow! Thankfully Chris decided to bring the quad "just in case" we needed to plow.  So after arriving early Friday afternoon we spent the rest of the day shovelling.

We shovelled the deck, a path through the load which had slid off the roof to get to the deck, a path to the outhouse and unfortunately the roof of our shed which looked like this:

which had snow this deep:

with chunks this size:

with the inside that looked like this:

How's that for a snow load?! 

We got all the snow off the roof on Friday; I think we know what our spring break project will be.  (Somehow I don't think it will involve the wood stove and a book!)

Saturday we made time for our own "sugar shack" during a break from shovelling even more snow off the camper, boat etc... The hardest part is trying to maneuver around in 3 feet of snow with a ladder.  Then, once you've shovelled all you can reach, you realize that you've buried the ladder in all the snow chunks that you've just removed from the roof(s)! Thankfully both kids helped a lot--any chance to climb up or on something and they were in!

Sunday arrived with all the wind that Whitehorse was experiencing. Ahhh finally we had all the elements for the curling-up-with-a-good-book day. Oh wait, Sunday means its pack-up-and-go-home day! 

Well so much for my plan.    Even though I was too tired to even look at book let alone read it, 2 days of snow shovelling at the cabin is better than any 2 days at work!



TRADITIONS

Really??  I saw these at superstore today...is nothing sacred?!  What's next-carving a pumpkin for Christmas?

I don't know about you, but I kinda like leaving somethings "as once a year".  Take for instance Mandarin oranges (or Christmas Oranges or Chinese Oranges depending on what you know them by.)

Growing up we had 4 kids in the family and 1 box to last us through Christmas--it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that we didn't get very many each .  Particularly by the time you picked out the bad ones!  We got one in our stocking-always at the very bottom.  Perhaps my mom put it in first in hopes of making the stocking appear more "full", right to the tip.  We would savour each and every piece.

Today I can afford more than one box, in fact they are typically one of the more inexpensive fruits to buy over the Christmas season, so we pig out! I buy them for the entire month of December with no limits per person!  BUT once the last box is done, that's it, no more until next year.  Even though you can buy them year round now, I think it makes them one of those "special treats" at Christmas.  

Does "restricting" them make me a bad parent?  I typically don't get requests for them unless they happen to be with me while I'm grocery shopping which isn't often now that they can stay home alone.  I guess if you look at it by saying that I'm not "allowing" them to eat them, it would appear restrictive. But it's not that, I just don't buy them for 11 months out of the year, and by doing so, I'm just trying to give them a special memory or tradition that they can carry on with their kids should they chose to do so. 

And when they do, who knows, maybe they'll start buying them in November....just as long as they're not buying "Easter Crackers".

Valentine

This year was a first for me...no one requested buying valentine cards.   Typically we head to Walmart and wade through Hannah Montana, Disney, Bob the Builder etc...to find something age appropriate, that they each like.  Last year I found really cute (and unique) ones online at various craft blogs which they both liked because they we're the typical store bought ones.  Last week Kalli came out with pink paper folded in half; she had made some for her friends.  Perfect I thought!  Taylor made no mention of Valentines in general..not the cards, not the holiday, not even the chocolate!! 
The night before Kalli must have decided that one must be inclusive of others and not have anyone feel left out--she came out of her room just before bed and showed me that she had (frantically) made enough for everyone in the class!  The best part: she wrote on the inside what she liked about each one:

"you are pretty"

"you are a good drawer"

"you are funny"

"you can draw cars really good"

This was done without any input from me; I did not suggest it, I did not imply it, quite frankly, I did nothing! 

I love it when you see great things coming from young people!

Hockey Day in Canada: Update

We had a few more brushes with the hockey gods these past couple of days.  Friday night was the coat check and the kids were under strict orders to not ask for autographs, not to "fight" over a chance to hang the coat of Don Cherry, don't speak until spoken to and you might as well throw in there "don't look them directly in the eye"!!  It wasn't quite that bad, but it was close!

All those who came were very gracious and most made the first move to talk to the kids  When Ron MacLean arrived he was in a deep conversation with someone when he came through the door. He happily agreed to sign a few autographs and Taylor hopped into line...the last spot.  Just as he turned to her, someone whisked him off claiming they were late!  Dang--so close!!

Next to arrive was Lanny MacDonald who was so engaging-he came in wearing a jersey, but still stopped, talked to every kid, signed autographs and posed for pictures:

(I was using my ipod to take the picture, so not the best quality!) 

 We had about 15minutes left before we were done when some man came up to me and asked me if i was "in charge?"  I didn't really know how to answer when I'm overseeing a pile of over excited 12 & 13 yr olds! Depends? Maybe? Why what happened?  So I went with the safest answer i could come up with while under pressure, "i'm ONE of the people in charge".  He goes on to show me this big box they had put behind our curtains and informed me, very quietly, "the Stanley Cup is in there and NOBODY is allowed to touch it, open it , look inside or even know it's there".  Oh great, now i have 12 & 13 yr olds AND the Stanley Cup? 

So off he went, of course within about 15 seconds one boy was trying to open it and see what was inside!  I shooed him away and then whispered my secret to Taylor! 

Knowing this is the closest we would probably ever be to the Cup, we had to take advantage of the opportunity! 

Everyone was awaiting Don Cherry's arrival but when our shift ended at 7:30 pm, he still hadn't arrived and i have yet to hear if he ever did! 

Chris was in charge of security at yesterdays game where they were broadcasting Coaches Corner--Don Cherry had to be THERE!!  So was does he do? Gives his buddy the closest spot - about 4 feet away - and he gets his jersey signed by the Don!  What a guy!  (He told me because he was in charge, he needed to remain professional.) 

Last night was a friends' birthday and we went to Giorgios for supper.  Shortly after we arrived, in walks Trevor Linden.  We had our backs to the bar where he was waiting to be seated, but here is my great shot:  

See the guy standing farthest to the left--that's him!

There you have it, our Hockey Day in Canada experiences.  Taylor and I getting the most contact and we're not the fans, Chris, the biggest fan, got the least! However, he did help Wendel Clark look for his keys which were lost.  Turns out there were in one of the many pockets of the giant, downfilled, puffy, good for -60 coats they were given to survive their time here in the Yukon!

rubbing elbows with the rich and famous

Hockey Day in Canada.  Chris is the big hockey fan....but somehow the 3 of us ended up involved.  Chris volunteered so that he could watch the games and not have to try to score tickets; Taylor and I are working a coat check for their gala on Friday night. (Her class is raising money for a trip to Quebec in May).  
I noticed yesterday that it was the opening night for  Yukon’s Hockey History at MacBride Museum.  The best part about it was that is was FREE!  So we thought why not go, and Chris offer to buy us dinner after, so now how can i refuse!! ( I will do anything to not have to cook!)  So off we went at 5pm to beat the rush.
There were't a lot of people there when we arrived which gave us easy access to the Chocolate Claim appies as well as close ups of the exhibits.  There was a lot of reading involved as there were many pictures on the walls along with accompanying "write ups"; it takes a bit of time to work your way around the room.  (Kalli informed me later that there was a yellow bra on display?  I somehow missed that but would have like to read about its hockey relevance!)
After making our way around the entire exhibit-reading about the history of hockey in the Yukon,the attendance had definitely picked up and it was crowded.  The kind of crowded where you can't help but dirty dance with just about everyone as you make your way through the crowd.  We began our "slow dance" towards the door.  I hadn't gone more than about 5  feet when i positioned my my arm lightly on someones back to just let them know i was behind them, and there in front of me was Ron MacLean!  He was talking about his wife.  And then it happened-I took my next step forward and he shifted his stance and we "rubbed elbows"!  Yep, me and my homeboy Ron!
Chris told me later he thought he looked older in person (sorry Ron, i thought you looked just fine!)  Actually I thought he looked...well exactly the same as he does onTV-only he didn't have Don Cherry yelling at his side!
So that's it folks, that was my brush with "fame"!  I wonder what will happen at the coat check on Friday-whose coat will i get to hang on a hanger.....

The dating whisperer

We are trying some Cesar Millan techniques on Rex such as saying "TSSHHT" in a "calm assertive" way!  Generally he's a pretty good dog overall....cute, cuddly, small "packages" for us to clean up off the lawn, he doesn't shed, he doesn't bark a whole lot, he's enthusiastic, portable and he loves the cabin, just like us! Every time he sees you he's beside himself with happiness!  BUT, take him for a walk and (god forbid) meet another dog.....he becomes a massive spasm on the end of the leash!  Consequently I'm always scanning for other dogs, so that I may TSSHHT him as soon as he spots the other dog.  If I am successful at spotting the other dog first, he reacts very well.

As we all know, dogs who are trying to be dominant, put their head over the other dogs' neck.  What do you do, when you're only about 12 inches at the shoulder?  EVERY dog is then being dominant simply by trying to bend down to sniff!!  I wanted to have a little dog without the little-dog-syndrome.  When we were kids, friends of ours had a poodle who was convinced he was a big dog; the difference was that he actually ACTED like a big dog!  Ho hum, friendly, hardly a peep out of him, kept up with all the big dogs-I think he truly was a big dog in a small dogs' body.  Do you think that being named "Napoleon Bonaparte" (Boney for short) had anything to do with it?

As Taylor approaches her 'teens', I began to wonder if this would work with my girls when they begin dating? (Way off in future of course!)  Firstly I must establish myself as the pack leader-DONE (daily)!! If I spot the offending "dog" before they do, I can TSSHHT him in a "calm assertive" way.  When "sniffing around" he begins to act assertive, I can give him the quick Cesar Millan "jab" to the side of the body to re-direct the brain!  And most importantly, before we being "training", I will suggest a long bike ride to get acquainted (he will ride the front of a tandem bike of which I will only pretend to pedal) and thus he will be "dog-tired".  But I have to say, I think my personal favourite will be "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" - I think that's fairly self explanatory!

This may just work.

Pushing the button and deja vu...

For those of you who read my post from the other day, i ended it by saying "....as soon as i have the guts to press the "publish" button! ".  It took me 45 min to decide whether to push the button or not (crazy hey?!) But i did, then i quickly "logged out" and did not come back until almost 24+ hours later!

I have most of my ideas for my new work/job laid out on paper and now i must begin to take them from there to reality...much like an Event Planner would do--taking an idea, planning it then watching it happen!  (I love this part!)  But having the guts to put it out there..for REAL, is when all the "useless-self -doubt-what-if's"come creeping back into my head. BUT i've put my idea 'out there' which means i now need to take the next step(s)... making a marketing plan!  This is not my area of expertise, so i've been reading up and signing up for any and all the free help i can get!
On another note,  Grade 5 dance-take 2!  (aka: Polar Games)  Kalli came home with the bus schedule on Wednesday and was stressed, She couldn't figure out how to get from the CGC to the bowling alley or vice versa.  (Having been through this with Taylor-who is not organized in any way, shape or form-i don't remember this being an issue; I was pretty sure that the bus ran continuously throughout the day).  She was in tears.  We tried to assure her (to no avail) that they wouldn't expect her to WALK from the CGC to the bowling alley!  Thankfully she came home the next day with a detailed schedule and she consequently began to geve herself (the first of many) random pop quizzes:
"ok, so i need to get to the bowling alley at 2pm on Saturday - which bus should i take?" (now try to find it on the schedule as quickly as possible...)  She was so relieved that she had this new schedule and infomed us that she was now "much more positive about the Polar Games". 
She also asked (on Wednesday evening) if i had time SEW her a dress like i did for Taylor .  Well the short answer was "I'm sorry but i don't really have enough time; i am however, willing to spend about $25 @ Walmart on a new one if  we can find one, that you like for that price (or less!)".  She informed me just before heading out to shop that "most of my friends aren't wearing dresses".  I encouraged her to "wear a dress if you want too" and "don't make your decison based on what you'r friends are doing".
To make a long story short, she found a new sweaterdress at Superstore, on the clearance rack for $11.94 (YAY!) and she had a great (stress-free) Polar Games. 
So this time next year it will be an end of an era; having expericenced Polar Games four years in a row, through the eyes of my two girls (who have two polar opposite personalities), i think it will may be bittersweet; i still have one left to go!

My how time flies....

It does. I haven't written a post in a year--well a little over a year but whose counting!  I have to admit that even though i haven't written, i've watched:

i've "watched" Janet walk...and walk....and walk some more;
i've "watched" Fawn's girls work on their potty training;
i've "watched" Celia find inspiration every single day for a YEAR;
i've "watched" Kara's boys be....models (!!) for her new (and always improving)  "passion turned business";
i've "watched" new people come on board Urban Yukon, live their life, grow, change, put themselves out there. So what does this all mean??
I guess that means i'm a voyeur?! 

Seriously I think what happened to me involved a couple things:
1) when i'm starting something new i have a little bit of a "perfectionist" problem, in other words, i want to be GREAT right off the bat!
2) the kids were in afternoon/evening sports (which sucks the life out of you)
3) we had 2 crappy laptops which were always crapping out, (but now we have a spiffy new desktop--thanks overtime pay!)
4) i felt what i said wasn't as funny/interesting/important as what everyone else was saying (see bullet #1!!)
5) i'm sure i could go on, but who needs wants to read a "self-help" post!!

I have also thought about what i want to do with my "worklife"....do i want to work where i work...forever? It's a great job but does nothing for my "creativity".  It's easy to just chug along in "safe" mode.  And if i don't make a change now, when will i? I need to start putting into action, all the ideas and thoughts that have been drifting around in my head, into action. When i was 10 i tried to start my own store by asking kids to donate their halloween candy and we would split the profits! For some reason there weren't any takers.  (Come on people--not inventory costs--and who says a reconditioned chicken coop doesn't make a good store?!?!)

Reading Fawn's post about the "monkey" birthday party was the clincher for me.  I like planning..i like organizing...i like parties!!  I've planned a couple weddings, i've planned (and hosted) Amazing Race birthday parties and other theme parties, baby showers, surprise parties and i also plan AGMs and events at work, so why can't i do this for a living?  There has to be people out there who have events which they want/need to plan but would rather pay someone to do the planning and they can just show up and enjoy!

So that's what i've been thinking--and now i'm putting it out there for all the Urban Yukon world to see--as soon as i have the guts to press the "publish" button!