Sunday Song #12

20 more sleeps!!!

Back and With Pictures!

So, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Have been out of it for about a month. First with everything happening and just not feeling like writing, Lynn being here and then due to a few craft fairs that I had to get ready for.

Meanwhile, Geordie had his Thanksgiving recital;

Matthew Geordie & Carson

Look at the posture, the attention to the director...I'm so proud!

Matthew, Carson & Geordie
Team Awesome
as Callum calls them, others might say Team Trouble!

Geordie has also started to read and can add and subtract... although he has no idea that he is doing it!

Recently Geordie had not really been himself. He was over tired, whiny, and seemed to not want to do anything. We put it up to not getting enough sleep AS WELL as not getting enough positive attention!

We had been so busy with ourselves and our problems that Geordie just kind of got pushed aside. So, quickly we changed things. Within 2 days he was totally back to himself...and he's been fantastic ever since!

One thing we decided on was taking him out of the lunch program two days a week. Normally Geordie goes to 'school' from 8:30 - 3:00. By the time we get home he does not want to do anything. So, on Tuesday and Thursday I pick him up at noon and we spend the afternoon together. Some days it just might be coming home and working together other days we go to the coffee shop and play games. He loves Domino's and Snakes and Ladders.

Of course a visit to the skate park is always an option!
He can now on his skateboard skate the length of the park. He is also practicing the halfpipe with the board.

Meanwhile we are all doing our countdowns... one more sleep until we go to Grannie and Grandpa's and twenty-five till we are home for Christmas!

Are you counting down to anything?

Sunday Song #11

I'll Be Loving You...Forever!!

So, a couple weeks back my BFF from back home came down for a visit.

This wasn't just any visit...

We were going to THE concert!

The one that we had waited 20 years to see.

You see, it all started back in 1988 when 'Sam's Pick of the Week' on Video Hits was this;



Lynn and I didn't even know each other. She had yet to be cool and come to my school!

But, we both saw this and it was love at first sight! A year later, we met!

Back at that time, nobody ever came to Halifax so there was no way we were ever going to see them in concert.

We enjoyed the albums, Hangin' Tough; Merry, Merry Christmas (holy Aria's basement); and Step By Step. After playing Step By Step in the school band our love fizzled a little for them.

Then came the day 5 years a go when I was watching MuchMusic and Joe McIntyre was to be on... I went and met him!

Move forward to Spring 2008.

The Reunion Tour! AND they're coming to Atlanta! The end result;

We had a blast!!!

Best concert I've ever been too!!

...and I've seen Paul McCartney!

Really, we were both expecting to be entertained but we weren't really expecting them to be, well, good.

They were!

Seriously!

Okay, there were a few not so good sounding moments. But look at them!!!

As for the audience... average age had to have been 32! Lynn counted 17 guys between our time in the arena and walking to the car and the place was sold out!! Many of the ladies sitting around us had to have been into their forties!

How did we react?

Well, for the first hour we both stood there with huge smiles on our faces! When they were just about to come out and old pictures of them were being shown on the screen Lynn placed her hand on my shoulder. Now, for those of you who know Lynnie you know that #1 the girl does not do any kind of touching and #2 it takes a hell of a lot to get a reaction from her.

As for me! I'll admit it!! I did a little screaming. But just a little!

We both did a lot of singing... if you listen closely you can hear;

I guess you can say we came full circle... please keep in mind that Joe is singing to me here!

Seriously!
He remembered me from when we met at MuchMusic five years a go and he hugged me!

32 Candles - complete with underpants fiasco!

Today I am living Sixteen Candles + sixteen

Like Sam I have yet to receive a birthday wish!

Unlike Sam;

-who slept on the sofa so that her grandparents could have her bed.
I moved to the sofa in the middle of the night because a 4 year old was in ours!

- who gave her underpants to a 15 year old (who then made people pay a dollar to see them in the boys washroom).
I was rudely awaken by someone going on about not having any clean ones (my fault; but still...) and believe me...it went on, and on, and on! It's possibly still going on in his head!

The extra sixteen years made a little bit of a difference.

I thought I was about to get a 'Happy Birthday' when Callum came back upstairs. I was smile ready and this is what I got, "where's my lunch?!" (please use gruff, annoyed voice).

So! Seriously! Who wants to pay a dollar to see Callum's underpants?

November 11th

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

Sunday Song #11

Please don't hate me because of my socialist ways...

Been here for 5 years!

All under the Bush administration.

The first year, I'll forgive you for!

The last four...not so much.

As most of you know, this place is not exactly the best fit for us. Before moving here, we realized it was 'the belt' and that culturally we are very different but we didn't think that it would matter that much!

It does.

People thought I would move to the right in my beliefs living here.

I didn't, I moved more to the left!

Politically and religiously we are worlds apart from most of the people who surround us.
The democrats are too right for us!

Luckily we have made some great friends.

Not all Americans are loud and obnoxious... nor are all closed minded and ignorant.

We have tried to surround ourselves with these people. Kept the others out!

We have had people on many occasions say in our presence, "they're not Christian so they don't have good morals" -that's word for word

Callum met someone once and the first thing they said to him was, "if it wasn't for us you would be speaking German!".

I have had an educated woman ask me, "well, if you have gun laws in Canada how do you protect yourself if your government turns against you?"

Then there are the people who have argued with me about universal healthcare and what it's "really" like and how bad taxes are. Even though they have never lived outside their county or visited outside their country!

My son is American. He is also Canadian and Scottish!
I think of him as Canadian first. It wasn't his fault he was born here. ;)

Last night was great and I'm glad that we are here to be a part of it.

Last night I was proud of you, my son's country.

You're taking the steps to becoming more like Canada!! ;)


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Nothing exciting, just trying to get back on track!

Well, it's been a very eventful couple of weeks.

Kind of...

On the 24th we 'celebrated' our five year anniversary of arriving here.

The weekend of the 25/26 I had a craft fair in Atlanta. It went well. Especially considering that people are watching their pennies...big time!

My friend Lynn also arrived on the 25th, she just left on the 1st. It was her second time here. It was great to have her here. I was in need of something comfortable.

While she was here, we went to the New Kids concert. That is all I'm saying about it for now. It, in itself needs it's own post and I have to get the pictures/videos downloaded!

Then of course there was Halloween! Geordie had been set on being a cowboy for the last month. As he talked about it little by little we realized that really he wanted to be Woody.


So, costume consisted of...jeans (his), boots (one of Callum's co-workers son's), plaid shirt (his), vest (I quickly made on Thursday morning), sheriff badge and belt buckle (both found at hobby lobby and then badge glued to a pin and 'belt buckle' glued to ribbon), toy gun (yes, I folded and got him a toy gun...it is now gone!), and then the hat and bandanna.

He loved it!

So, on Thursday evening we went to the Halloween party in the square with some friends;
please note that Geordie is posing for this picture...

...and they tricked and treated around the different businesses.

Friday morning was trick or treating with his school and then the regular one on Friday night. By that time we had way too much candy and since I'm on a whole reduce, reuse, recycle;

I reduced the amount of candy by reusing it to give out, therefore recycling it!

I'm not sure how Halloween is back home any more but here we find some of the 'customs' quite, well, weird!

For example, a lot of people drive. They either sit in their car and watch their children go door to door or drive their children from door to door. I'll remind you all here that we are in a sub-division. It's crazy...it's not like it's cold!!!

Then there is the house that had huge treat bags for the children, coffee for the adults and pamphlets on their church!

Geordie did figure out how to get more candy out of people. When treating he would get the candy, say thank you and then stand there. People would laugh and put more candy in. He had it down to a science.

As for everything else. Thanks for all the great comments! We're doing fine!

Meanwhile...anyone want to buy a house?!?