House plans

We have decided to take the safe route. We have a line of credit to buy the land we choose. We haven't completely decided where to buy yet. Gary has been talking to some people he knows in Quispamsis about land near his parents, so we are keeping our options open.

We have also decided to stay in our house as long as we can. The longer we stay here, the more equity we build into the house, the bigger down payment we have for the next house and the smaller our mortgage payment on the next house. Not to mention that we want our land completely paid for before we build.

This will also give us time to fix up our house for selling. Cara has agreed to be my "house doctor" and help me get it ready :)

Monday, May 15th

My mother's day was the best one I've ever had. In the morning, Darrelyn brought me breakfast in bed and she completely made it herself. It was a cereal bar on a plate with a half-full glass of water. Gary said it was completely her idea and she told him a few days ago to make sure we had cereal bars. She said she put it on a plate 'cause she knows I don't like crumbs and she apologized that the glass was only half-full because she didn't want to spill it. Then she brought me the present that she made about a month ago and has been hiding in her bedroom. It was a piece of cardboard with foam hearts stuck to it. She also made me a heart shaped card. Breanna's contribution was a small box of smarties and a candy bracelet, from her own stash.

The day was nice and Gary did all the cleaning. I even had a nap in the afternoon.

Another thing that happened over the weekend, Gary and I started looking at land to build a house. We looked at one lot, but it was $35,000 and apparently not worth that much. Gary's friend also told us about some land across the street from him. It is approximately 2 acres and she is looking for $24,000. This morning, Gary and I went to Maple Leaf homes to talk about styles and costs. We originally wanted a cape cod style, but he recommended against that style due to how its transported and such. There is a nice style with a garage in the basement. We went to look at one tonight with a similar floor plan and I really liked it, so he is going to put together some numbers for us tomorrow.

The girls fell in love with the house too and when we showed them where we want to move (across the street from Breanna's Godfather) they were really excited. Darrelyn said she will help me get the house ready to sell. She'll even keep her bedroom clean

Here's a little tidbit, when we were talking with the builder, Gary mentioned we needed at least 4 bedrooms because we are planning on growing our family to 3 or 4 children.

Thursday, May 4th

There was no school today so I got to sleep in until around 8. Gary woke me up before he left and let me know that Darrelyn wet the bed again last night. So, the first thing I did when I woke up was put her bedding in the wash. Then I got her breakfast and made myself coffee.

In the morning: I cleaned Darrelyn's room, cleaned the kitchen and the living room, and put away laundry. Then I made lunch and sat outside with the girls. It was while sitting outside that I made notes of why I should/should not have a third child.

After lunch, I had some computer time and then an old friend dropped by. She teaches kindergarten and had hatched chickens in their class. She stopped by to see if I wanted to bring the girls to see the chickens. So we'll be going there tomorrow.

After she left, I got the girls a snack and went through the flyers. Not much on this week. I did get a Michael's coupon though.

Then I made supper, baked chicken cut into a tossed salad with sweet potatoes on the side. Mmmmm. The girls wanted to eat their supper on the deck and we let them. It worked out great to talk to Gary about the baby thing. He was really hesitant and said he would like to buy a bigger house and he was worried that we wouldn't have a healthy baby. No reason, just worried.

After supper, I cleaned up and went to Curves. While at the gym, I chatted with some of the other ladies. It really made the workout go quicker. It was nice.

When I came home, the house was empty. Gary took the girls and Buddy for a walk. While they were gone I made Darrelyn's bed and put on water for some Green Tea. When they got home, Gary got their snacks ready and I tucked in Darrelyn while he took care of Breanna. That's about it. Time to watch Survivor.

The Evolution of Dance

A friend of mine showed this to me. It is awesome! Make sure your speakers are turned on.

The Evolution of Dance

My Vegas Trip--Warning long post!

Thursday, April 20th

Sorry it took so long, but here it is!

Thursday, April 20th

We woke up at 3:45 am and got ready to head to the airport. We arrived there at 5:00am. Our flight didn't leave until 6:30 but we wanted to get seats together. We had some toast and coffee while we waited. The flight to Montreal was uneventful.

In Montreal, Gary and I had to go through customs. I was the lucky recipient of a "Random Check". I had to take off my sandals and the lady even did the pat-down. She went through my carry-on and my purse. At this point I was happy I remembered to take out my army knife before leaving. I was calm cool and collected, while Gary was a nervous wreck. He just doesn't like crossing the border.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we decided to go to a restaurant in the airport for breakfast. I think it was the worst service I ever had. We waited a long time before even placing our order. A different waiter brought our food out and we didn't even see our waitress until Gary flagged her down to get the cheque. Oh and it wasn't even that busy.

While we were waiting at our gate, we were sitting across from the most annoying people in the world. You know the ones who have been everywhere and the guy was accosted by a gang of beautiful females.

The flight to Vegas was 4h45m long. The other guy sitting in our row was really friendly and liked gadgets so him and Gary had a great conversion. The in-flight movie was fun with Dick and Jane and I had a subway sandwich to eat. I really don't mind paying for airplane food when you consider the remarkable increase in quality and selection. After the movie, I listened to my iPod.

From the Airport, we took a shuttle bus to the hotel. The hotel was absolutely beautiful and our room was ready, even though it was only 2pm. Bonus! We unpacked and were getting ready to have lunch (local time it was lunch but our tummies said it was supper) when Linda called. She was wondering where we get our prescriptions and what Breanna's Blue Cross info was. My first thought.... OH SHIT!!! She had an ear infection and had thrown up in Linda's van. Great... That put a huge damper on Gary and I. I was feeling guilty for coming and we were both feeling bad for Linda. Then I remembered the "circle of influence". Since I couldn't influence it I wouldn't worry about it. The next obstacle was to convince Gary the same. I got him to go have lunch with me and by the time lunch was over, and Gary had a pina colada, he was feeling better.

For lunch we ate at the Paradise Cafe by the pool. We had wings, nachos and, as stated, Pina coladas. I forgot my camera for this lunch though

Then we walked around the pool, saw some shops and headed back to our room for a nap.

We called Linda to see how she made out at the doctor. It was an infection in one ear, she said not to worry.

I fell asleep just after 4pm and woke up around 6. Gary was still sleeping so I decided to up and go walk around. I looked at souvenir shops and discovered where everything was in our hotel. Then I came back to the room and read the hotel info. I was hungry around 8 and Gary was starting to wake up so I got us a BLT and cheesecake to share. I got them from a deli that advertised New York style sandwiches. The BLT was huge!!!!! I think there was about a pound of bacon on it. Gary and I had to take most of it out. After eating, I went to bed.
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Friday, April 21st

I woke up around 4am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I wrote some notes on the day before and at 4:45 my tummy told me to get out of bed. Stupid Internal Clock.

I got up and went downstairs to get Gary and I some muffins, fruit and coffee. Gary was not feeling well.

Kevin (Gary's coworker) called to invite us to breakfast buffet. I happily joined them as I was hungry again by this time. Gary joined too, but didn't eat.

After breakfast, Gary and Kevin had to go on a conference call and Cindy (Kevin's wife) and I went shopping. They have a mall fairly close to our hotel (the Fashion Show Mall) that has everything from Macy's to an Apple store to the Gap. Oh and a lot of designer stores we didn't even enter. Outside, on the way to the mall, there were all kinds of neat vendors. I scored a great pair of pants at the Gap and found a reasonably priced souvenir store where I got all our souvenirs and they had a good price on bottled water. While we were at the mall, the guys called to say they were heading over to register for the conference. We finished at the mall just a few minutes before they returned.

Gary still wasn't feeling well so I went downstairs and picked him up another muffin and some fruit. He deciced to stay at the hotel and have a nap. The cleaning lady (Susan) was really nice. I said hi to her in the hall and she said she would be doing our room next. I mentioned that would be great since my husband wasn't feeling well and she went right over to clean our room so Gary could take his nap. Gary said she was really friendly, chatting away while cleaning. Oh and she happened to mention how nice his wife was. Okay, so I know they are real people doing one of the hardest jobs out there. I try to be as nice as I can. Not the fake nice, but the friendly nice.

Kevin, Cindy and I headed out. The cab dropped Cindy and I off at the outlet mall and Kevin went to Fry's electronics. We got some great deals and had a great time shopping together. Cindy and I have very similar tastes in clothing, so much so that we almost bought the same skirt.

We got back to the hotel around 6:00. Gary was just waking up as I came into the room. We got ready for dinner and met Kevin and Cindy downstairs. We all walked to the Paris hotel and ate at a wonderful Cafe there. After dinner we watched the fountain show in front of the Bellagio. It was absolutely amazing to see.

I crawled into bed around 11:30pm. You would think I would sleep through the night right?
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Saturday, April 22nd

Yup so sleeping in didn't happen I woke up around 5 and laid in bed until 6. Gary and I met Kevin for Breakfast, Cindy was actually able to sleep in. After breakfast, Gary and I walked to the mall, but everything was closed. What happened to the city that never sleeps?

After taking a walk, we came back to the hotel and I got ready for the pool. This was when I realized I forgot my sunglasses and would probably need a beach bag. I remembered a store in the hotel adjacent to ours that had everything for $10. So I headed over there. The store didn't open until 10am so I sat on a bench and waited. During my wait I met a couple of other ladies who were also waiting. It was fun to chat. Once I bought my sunglasses and beach bag, I headed back to the hotel and went to the pool.

I laid around the pool and read until around 12 when Gary text messaged me on the cell phone and came and found me. We had lunch at the Paradise Cafe again. The food was good the last time and, well, we were already there.

After lunch we both had a nap. I woke up, showered the sun screen off me and got ready for dinner. Some really nice suppliers took us out to dinner at the American Bar & Grill. David and Paul (the suppliers) were really nice and it made me miss the days of networking. Not enough to go back to work, but I forgot how good I am at keeping everyone in the conversation and learning about them. I tend to get lazy when I'm with friends and haven't been practising my skills.

After dinner, we shared a cab with David and Paul and I gave them a tour of our hotel. Then I headed back to the room and read until around 10. Yup I was definitely going to sleep through the night... right?
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Sunday, April 23rd

Getting tired of reading yet?

On Sunday I woke up around 5, laid in bed until 6 and read until 7. This time I was smart and bought a granola bar the night before to keep my stomach quiet when I woke up.

Gary and I went to breakfast with Kevin and then we walked around the Venetian Hotel. It had to have been the most beautiful hotel there. Oh and the President of the United States, George W. himself, came to the Venetian the next day for a conference. I may not agree with his politics, but it was still cool to be so close to him (across the street).

Gary and I got back to the hotel around 10am. He had to stay in the room and work so I went to Ceasar's Palace with Cindy. We looked in lots of shops and only dreamed of going in others. You know like Gucci, Versace, etc. You would not believe the designers in this mall. Who has the money to walk into Armani and buy a dress? Oh and how can I get some of that money????

For lunch, Cindy and I ate at Planet Hollywood. It was my first time eating there and the food was really good. After lunch we went back to the hotel and laid by the pool. Cindy and I got huge drinks that were Blue Raspberry something or other. They were really yummy!!! When I noticed my skin turning a little pink, I went back to the room and read until it was time to get for dinner.

Dinner was at 8 at the buffet in our restaurant. I met one of Gary's coworkers from another city and chatted with his wife. I put my skills to work again and they were chatting up a storm.

Gary and I went and watched the "Sirens of Treasure Island" after dinner. It was a free show and not that great. We were in bed by 11pm.
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Monday, April 24th

My last day in Vegas.

I woke up at around 6:30. Hey that was like sleeping in I joined Kevin and Gary for breakfast, said my goodbyes to Gary, in case I didn't see him before my flight, and went back to my room. I watched Opera and packed up my stuff. Then Cindy called, and we headed out for more shopping. We walked to a store at the older end of the strip. It's really different at that end.

We went to a store that is similar to Winner's. It has brand names at great prices. The prices were even better than Winner's though. I got a lot of great clothes for myself and the girls there.

Then we had lunch at McDonald's and headed over to Circus Circus. The inside is literally like a circus. Games to play and rides. They even had a live performance of a contortionist and trapeze artists. It was really cool.

When we got back to the hotel, Cindy headed to the pool and I figured I should try to take a nap. I laid down, tossed and turned, no luck sleeping. I read for awhile, didn't help. So I got up and headed out in search of a place to eat supper. I walked over to Ceasar's Palace and then decided to look around some of the shops I didn't see with Cindy. You know like the Playboy Bunny store and the Victoria Secret store. I was chatting with the manager at the Victoria Secret store and mentioned that this was the biggest one I had ever seen. She said it was the second largest one in the world. She then offered to take my picture with the manequins. I said yes of course. Here I am in my debut as a Victoria Secret model.



Hmm probably my finale too....

I didn't see anyplace I wanted to eat, so I decided to just get the buffet at the hotel. They all seemed quite surprised I was by myself. Ummmm don't other people eat on their own?

After supper, I walked around the casino for a while and then went up to our room to get ready for my flight. Gary had been back to the room and left me a really sweet note. While I was getting my reciepts and stuff together, Gary came back to the room. It was nice to see him before leaving. I walked down with him to the casino and he went to dinner with more suppliers while I grabbed a shuttle to the airport. The airport was pretty dead. I got a coffee and read my book until it was time to board at 11:30pm.
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Tuesday, April 25th

I wasn't able to sleep much on the flight and kept waking up. I half watched the movie, but couldn't even tell you the name of it. By the time we arrived in Toronto, I was exhausted.

In Toronto I had about an hour to clear customs, security and get to my gate. I made it with about 10 minutes to spare until they were scheduled to start boarding. After about 40 minutes they made an announcement that the plane we were supposed to use was "inserviceable" and we had to wait until they could get another plane. I called Sarah to give her a heads up that I would be late. Then I grabbed a bagel and a bottle of water and waited.

I was so tired that I fell asleep before the flight attendant even finished the safety spiel. I slept for about an hour and woke up to see.... nothing... just fog. Oh great! I said quite a few prayers during that landing. Its wonderful when you hear the landing gear come out and all you see is fog, no land. I saw the runway about 3 seconds before we hit it.

The girls were at the airport to meet me. Breanna was so excited to see me and I almost had tears in my eyes at the sight of them. Sarah drove us home and after she left, it really hit me how tired I was. When I was standing, I felt like I was on a moving boat. I had a small nap (about an hour) and then got up and ordered pizza for supper. There was no way I was operating a stove.

Darrelyn was sick so she slept in my bed. Actually, she didn't sleep much at all. Her ears hurt and she was awake all night with me.

You can just imagine the shape I was in on Wednesday.....

Lets just say I didn't get a good night's sleep until Friday night.