Sleep Over

Just so you know, adults still do kid's stuff, like have pajama parties! Yes, maybe it's sad, but a group of 40 year old women can still stay up until the wee hours of the morning! We do still have some youth left in us!!

Last Saturday, I met Lorie and Deidre at Lorie's place in Little Fort. We spent the evening drinking, eating and chatting. The next thing we knew, it was 4:30 am - time to finally go to bed. We had a blast reliving old times and catching up on anything new. I really missed Jocelyn and Tracey, though - two other friends from highschool. Joc had to visit her sister and Trace lives in Australia now.

It's interesting to see no matter how many years pass by, some things never change. Good friends is one of those things.

Deidre's comin!

First of all, I must admit, I am a terrible role model. I expect my students to blog twice a week, yet I haven't written since September. BOOOOOO! Bad, bad teacher :( I must apologize, and I will try to do better the second half of the term.

So, I am inspired to write about a high school friend of mine who is coming to visit this weekend. Actually, Deidre arrives today, but I can't see her until Saturday (I have this job that I kind of have to do!) Anyway, Deidre lives in Ontario now and although we keep in touch via email and occasional phone calls, we haven't seen each other for 2 or 3 years.

I remember the first time I met Deidre - we were in Grade 8. I think that she had pink streaks in her hair - well, it was the 80's you know! Deidre moved to Clearwater from the big city of Toronto and seemed a bit shell shocked to be in such a small, country town. She became friends with my good friend Tracey and then we all started hanging out - ahh, good times.

Remember toilet papering Jerry the Moose? And eating chips and dip on the way to see a movie in Kamloops? How about hanging out around Tracey's pool? I'm sure that we will be discussing all this and much more.

Keep posted!

The Bard

So, we are off to see Romeo and Juliet this weekend. I am very excited to see this production at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver - saw Taming of the Shrew in August and it was fantastic. I hear that we will even get to see Romeo's butt!! I'm not so sure that is entirely appropriate for teenagers - but we are trying to expose you to new art forms!!!

I'm also looking forward to the aquarium - gotta love those dolphins - do they still have them there? And of course the laser show will be great - those of you who didn't sign up for the fieldtrip are definitely missing out!

Weekend of Paint!

So, guess how I spend my ENTIRE weekend? Ya, that's right - painting! It started last weekend, taking down the kitchen cabinet doors, sanding and washing them to get ready to paint. Then we spent the next 5 days painting the doors - 2 coats each side. Finally on Friday we were ready to start on the cabinets themselves - I must say I was quite ready to do something different. Saturday was reassembly day - yahoo!! We put on new hinges and knobs - and now it looks like I have a new kitchen - all white and clean and it only took 10 days!!!

Mmm, what should I tackle next?

Oh Happy September!

So, here we are once again, back at school, a little more rested, a little more tanned and hopefully a bit smarter than last September!

I don't know about you, but I had a hard time getting myself excited about the upcoming year - yes, sometimes teachers drag their heels when it comes to school, too! In fact, I was a bit depressed and maybe even angry a couple of weeks ago, when the realization that my summer was over, hit me. :( Thankfully those terrible feelings passed and now I am looking forward to a new year, full of enthusiastic students, new subjects and new assignments.

I had a very busy summer, as I'm sure most of you did. I visited some friends and family in Vancouver and Victoria, marked English 10 Provincial Exams, went to a couple of weddings, hung around Clinton for a couple of weeks, crashed on a mountain bike (still have the scars to prove it), hiked for 7 days in Wells Gray Park, painted my doors, attended AVID training in Chilliwack, saw Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach and got a new niece - that's Cleo in the picture. She is the one with the yellow blanket - not the one with the grey fur!!

Whew - I did all that? Guess that it's time to go back to school and rest up!!

Flying with My Bro

Last weekend my brother Sep picked me up in his plane and flew me home to Clearwater. It was a fabulous weekend for so many reasons, but I just want to talk about flying right now.

So Sep bought a plane last year, but he just put his floats on recently. Sandra and Sami Jo drove me up to Green Lake and Sep flew in to pick me up. It was a fabulous day - sunny, hot and still. Well, I thought that it was fabulous, until we tried to take off - apparently float planes need waves or wind to get up in the air - who knew! Anyway, after shifting all the baggage to the front of the plane (that means onto my lap!) we took off.

We had a fantastic 40 minute flight - over lakes and trees and rivers - doesn't it look magical? I think that the best part was landing on the river - it was a bit scary, but in a good way, you know?!! We circled close to the mountain, turned around and headed straight for the North Thompson River - it was so exciting.

After we landed, we turned off the main river, into a little natural harbour where Sep moors his plane - it's as if the spot was made especially for the plane - the perfect start to a very fun weekend.

On Top of the World

Well, I'm not exactly on top of the world, but it looks like I'm close, doesn't it?! Went for a nice little 5 hour hike last weekend - up to a ridge on Wild Horse Mountain. Mr. Agar, Hudson and I were trying to find some caves, but unfortunately all we found was this view. Sad, isn't it!

Road Trips

Don't you just love road trips? I love to hop in my car, put in a favorite CD and hit the road - especially in the summer time.

I have favorite roads, too. My criteria for good driving roads include winding roads, beautiful scenery and few cars. Know any drives like that? My favorites include: the Highland Valley road from Ashcroft to Logan Lake and then to Merritt, Highway #1 from Spencers Bridge to Hope, Duffy Lake Road from Lillooet to Whistler and the road from Osooyos to Grand Forks.

How about you, do you have a favorite drive?

Lorie's 40!

So it's that time of life - all my friends are turning 40. The good thing is that they are older than me - the bad news is that soon I will be as old as them!

Lorie and I have known each other since we were five - can you believe that? My family built a house next to Lorie and her family - the rest is history. We went to kindergarten together - me with my purple mat and her with her blanket - even then she was popular with the boys!

On May 5th, Lorie's husband Pat and her friends threw a big party, complete with 40 purple balloons, snacks, drinks, flowers, chatting, dancing and bags of money! What more could a gal ask for? I must say that Lorie has great friends - everyone seemed to have a great time as people danced until 3 am.

See, old people can still party!

One of Those Days

Ever have one of those days when you feel an overwhelming urge to vent, but can't ? I just want to call someone up and spew all that I'm thinking and feeling- don't need any help, advice or comments, just someone to quietly listen and empathize. AHHHHHHH!

This is one of those rare times when I wished that I lived in the city where I could distract myself by getting a coffee and people watching the day away. Or browsing the bookstore for an interesting new author or finding a new CD at a listening station. Guess that I could get in my car and drive to Kamloops, but accompanying this restless mood is the desire to stay close to home. AHHH - what to do!

So, What's the Deal with Facebook?

Received an invite to join facebook a couple of weeks ago. Anyone heard of it? Was curious, so clicked on the link and joined, not exactly sure of what I was signing up for. I know, stupid, stupid! For those of you who aren't familar with it, it's a site where friends can link up, post pics and communicate with each other. This is one of the pics that I posted on my page. Anyway, turns out that quite a few friends are already part of this site - and I was able to catch up on a few long lost people. That was the good part.

The bad part is that now I feel obligated to add info and pics to the website. When people "poke" me or write on my whiteboard, I feel like a bad person (and worse, a bad friend) if I don't rush to respond to their comments. As if I can't keep up with other things that I have long past committed to, such as this blog! I know what you are thinking - it's my own fault for signing up, idiot! Ya, ya, I know, but what do I do now?

What bugs me the most about the whole thing is that anyone can view all actions and comments that you and everyone else write. What's the deal with that? If you change your profile, the time is recorded and posted. If you add pictures, a message goes out to all your contacts to alert them of your "change in status". Does anyone else think this is weird? I think that it is downright creepy.

I haven't decided what I'm going to do about this facebook dilemma. Stay tuned!

Spring Break!

Yahoo!! An entire week to do whatever I want! Well, not entirely what I want. There is always the reality of marking and planning to remember - but at least I can delay that until the 25th!

So, I'm, heading to Victoria to visit Michele, Augie and Slendid. Looking forward to the green grass, spring flowers and ocean smells - and of course, shopping, coffees and eating out!

Hope that you all have a fabulous break - we deserve it (well, most of us do!) Get outside and enjoy the unpredictable weather that Spring brings - go for a walk, dust off your bike and go for a ride, rake up those ugly leaves, sweep off the driveway - whatever it takes to start moving again! I love Spring!

See you in a week.

Sandra Dee!

So, Sandra says that I should write about her. Is she sure that she wants me to do that? She is nodding her head, so, ok, here goes!

Thought that I should begin with a visual of Sandra - for all those thousands of blog readers who do not know her personally. Lovely picture, isn't it? Usually she has such a great smile - not too sure what she was trying to achieve with this facial expression, but it does give an insight into her often goofy personality.

Sandra aka Gus ,(I don't know why this is her nickname) likes to act silly from time to time. Is it an act, or is she really as naive as she pretends? Sandra has been known to ask an obvious questions or two - but that's a good thing. Better you ask a question, Sandra than sit there in confusion!

Anyway, I know that she is very involved with 4h and has been very successful over the years. She is trying snowboarding for the first time this Friday - very proud of you for taking a risk! And she already has her grad dress all pickout out (it looks fantastic on you!) Last spring I watched Sandra hurt innocent baby calves as she learned to brand on her parents farm - can't say that I could do that. Sandra is slowly gaining more confidence in herself and her abilities. She is a strong, cabable and talented young woman - even if she doesn't know it yet.

See, she's not as bad as she looks!!

This is STUPID!

So, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I changed my sign in to a Google account. THIS WAS NOT MY CHOICE! For the past 2 weeks I have been trying to log onto my account using my new password, etc, but I have not had any luck. I don't know what is wrong - I changed all my settings, read the help section 3 or 4 times, asked students (Thanks Zanna, for trying to help me figure this out), but I simply could not log on using my personal laptop. This is such a major pain.

I am now in the computer lab at school, on a Sunday, so that I can access my blog. Now that is dedication, I tell you!

I think I'll go take Bunny's advice.

PS. Tune in soon - I promise to be in a better mood and write about something important next time!

Oh My God - That Took Forever

Just spent over a half hour trying to log onto my dashboard - what the hell is going on? I didn't really want to change my account, but ended up doing it anyhow. Talk about frustration - just about ready to throw my computer out the window. Now I know what you have all been talking about. Technology, isn't it grand?

So,

Day of Skiing

So, had a glorious day of skiing at Sun Peaks yesterday. This was the view that we had - amazing, isn't it? I had a lot of fun skiing in the trees - not something that I'm used to doing at all. Been skiing since I was 3, but rarely off the groomed runs. I must say that skiing off the beaten path is a bit addictive - scooting in and out of bunches of snow laden trees, not knowing what is under that jump that you are about to take - kind of scary, but also exhilarating. I definitely don't look pretty trying to carve turns in the powder, but I am starting to get the hang of it, taking more risks and going faster. If I go skiing more than twice a year, I might even begin to look decent!

I'm looking forward to our school trip on March 16 th. I'll be the one in the red jacket looking like a fool among the trees!

Holidays in Paradise

I know, I know - not doing a very good job of modeling this blog thing - I ask my writing class to blog twice a week and then I slack off for more than a month! What kind of teacher am I?!! Well - a busy one!!

So, let's back up a bit. Had a fabulous Christmas holiday. Went home to Clearwater to hang out with my family for 3 days. Ate a ton of food, played some games, went skiing a couple of times and had the best day sledding - ever!! Skidoos rock!! Then I drove fantically to Vancouver with my fingers crossed - hoping that customs would let me on the plane without my passport - don't ask!!! (Well, if you want to know - come ask me!) Anyway, made it onto the plane - must have been the smile that I flashed at the check point - and was met at the airport in Mexico, by my tall, charming friend Leah (she's the one in the middle).

Leah found us an awesome apartment for the week - living the high life, I tell you. It was right in the main square of Ixtapa - huge veranda, giant king sized bed and designer granite bathroom with a fabulous soaker tub that had a window overlooking the square. Of course there was a small catch - we were right across from a club that had live music playing from 11:30pm - til 3am each night!! Seriously!! Let me tell you, if you are tired enough, you CAN fall asleep to salsa music!

Eileen (friend on the right) and her family arrived 2 days after me and we all had a great 10 days hanging out on the beach, playing cricket on the sand, frolicking in the waves, eating shrimp tacos and drinking margaritas - all except the kids -no margaritas for them!

Ok, this is getting long and out of hand. To make a long story short, got a great tan, had a wonderful time catching up with old and dear friends and have already started planning our next rendevous - hello NY!