december storms

First off, I can't believe it is December already. Did I blink? I didn't think I did, but I must have because we are 3 weeks away from Christmas.


We are close to being ready though, for all the time I didn't spend blogging we actually have accomplished a few things. Christmas gifts are mostly bought, some even wrapped and under the tree that we have already put up and decorated. Still, there are a few things left to be done, like figuring out what exactly we are going to do for Christmas eve, Christmas day, dinners and all that. Maybe that is why I suddenly woke up and realized it was 3 days in to December already, since we are still plan-less for the big day. This week will prove to be one of the busier of the year for us, with the Dessert Theatre, freedom session, a shopping trip to the U.S., Saturday night fun at the Ridleys. Maybe we will find time to plan for Christmas dinner.

Second, A crazy snow storm blew through Saturday night/Sunday, dumping a great bunch of snow. The really sad part is though, the rain storm that came through today dropped so much rain, that most of the foot of snow is gone. Just like that. I suppose that it is good for some, that the snow is gone, since nobody seems to understand how to drive in it. For me though, it is a bit disappointing. Of course the power had to go out at work last night, just in time to shut down for dinner service. This does nothing good for us making money, not being able to open. So often...such a pain. Next time, I hope that the snow sticks around for a couple days, just to make it worthwhile.

remember what?

two minutes until leaving to drop the kids at school, then off to work. I thought I would leave a quick note to let everyone know the newest mathematics equation that the kids from the TV show "numbers" would be proud of:

9 hours no power + (BC Hydro frantically fixing power lines/windstorm knocking out more lines) X power finally being restored for a 6pm open = 150 people flooding into the restaurant in 15 minutes.

The most intense two hours of my restaurant career.

ankles away

There is nothing quite like playing basketball, running for the ball, landing on someone else's foot and hearing your ankle cry out the "Snap Crackle Pop" slogan of Rice Krispies. It doesn't really sound quite as exciting as the commercials make it out to be, there are no little elves there to cheer you on and play games. Just the cold, hard floor of the gym catching you as you fall to a heap of jello.

Not broken, but very tender and sore. Hobble here, hobble there, and now I am so looking forward to work this weekend. The same way I look forward to a flu shot.

Randy Pausch on Oprah

people or things

So many people in this day and age get blinded by the importance of "things". I remember when we first got this computer, and we were so excited by the flatscreen monitor. It was big, it was widescreen, I was stoked about using it. Three days later, there was a scratch on the left side of the monitor. One of the kids had picked up a screwdriver that I had left on the computer table and somehow left a lasting impression. It was difficult at the time not to get mad, but thankfully Vanessa was there to remind me that part of the responsibility fell on me, that I should not have left the screwdriver on the computer desk. I never did yell about it. This doesn't mean that I have never got mad, even when I shouldn't have, but it's important to remember that people are more important than things.

I just watched the video of Randy Pausch on Oprah. He had some very compelling things to say, more than just a story about people versus things. It is definitely worth the 10 minutes of your time. Oh, and you might want to have a tissue handy.

sadness

After just over a week of cleaning up many misplaced bathroom breaks by Ethel, and several very early mornings, Ethel has had to return home. That is, the home from which she came, not our home here in the basement. Our landlords have decided that they will not allow a dog here. I am not sure if this is a decision they made before or after we got the dog, since we did not do a lot of research in to the subject before brining her home.

I am still debating how I should feel about that. On one hand there is nothing stating that we cannot have a dog here, and I wonder if Ethel were a different breed, maybe a smaller one, if they wouldn't have minded. On the other hand, we should have taken the time to check in with the owners to see how they felt about it.

Either way, we are sad that she was not able to stay. I think the most heartbroken about it is Eleanor, who was overjoyed daily that we had a puppy to care for. I think this is the worst part of the whole situation, that due to our negligence and our landlords unwavering stance, that we have brought her so much joy only to have to take it away so soon after.

I do hope that she will be able to recover from this without any lasting baggage that she will one day have to deal with, because the last thing we want as parents is to damage our children. We are truly sorry baby, I can only hope that one day you will forgive us.

armpit

So here I am this morning, reading blogs and hanging out with the dog. Vanessa looks over at me from the couch, stretches her arm in the sky, and says:

"Come smell my armpit".


Now she is standing over me, waiting to see if I am really going to post this. If you don't hear from me by tomorrow, send the search party.

here she is!

Here is the darling Ethel. Many people frown and ask why "Ethel"? Well, in case you didn't know, we have a cat named Lucy. We want the two to be best friends, so what better to name her. I don't really know if they will ever be friends, let alone B.F.F. but whatever.

Tell me those aren't just the cutest little puppy eyes ever...

the new addition

Well, Sunday is finally here. Vanessa is home from her weekend with the ladies, and Ethel has come to join our family.

Ethel is an American/English Bulldog, with a teeny bit of Pug mixed in. She is quite adorable, and I will be sure to post some pictures soon. Right now I am trying to use all of my energy trying to stay awake and keep her from chewin' and poopin' on everything.

I should be in bed...

bye bye baby

This weekend Vanessa is going out of town for a ladies retreat. I am excited for her, because besides being "off" for the weekend, she will be leading the women in making some jewelery. I know how relaxing it can be to not have to worry about little people for a couple days. Not that it isn't really great having kids, sometimes you just want to get through the day being able to eat your food while it is still hot, go to the bathroom without interruption, or have a conversation without having to pause and explain for the umpteenth time that talking while mommy is in the middle of speaking to someone is rude, PLEASE STOP!

When Vanessa comes home on Sunday, we're off to pick up Ethel. Let the good times roll. And chew. And chew. Just nooooo barking.

interesting reading

Up on "The Blogfathers" website is this very interesting post from Baby Daddy about daddy sexism. It speaks of how people expect dad's to be incompetent at raising babies. As a dad, I have experienced this to, where people cannot believe that I change diapers-nay, changed diapers, my kids are done with them-cleaned up volumes of vomit, mostly from Eleanor.

I will discontinue my rant before it starts since Baby Daddy says it all.

important matters

Last Monday, a friend from our church was involved in a very serious car accident on her way to work. I have just spent a few minutes updating myself on her status here. I don't know her very well, Vanessa knows her a bit better than me. I do know that Esther has touched a countless number of lives in our community, and is very much loved by many.

Then I came over here to give the internet a quick update on our life, or some random story, whichever came to mind. I noticed the last post of mine, the one that rambles on about a computer crash and the headache it caused.

I have to say that I am a bit embarrassed that I spent 20 minutes writing a post instead of praying for our friend that is lying in a hospital bed heavily medicated so she can heal.

Please take a moment to thank God for all of the blessings that you have. So many things we take for granted, like getting to work and back safely. How many of us complain about the jobs we have to wait in traffic to get to, only to complain about the rush hour getting home?

I want to tell everyone to go out and do something good with your lives. Do something that makes a difference. Help people, heal people, lend a hand.

But until I can get out of my own complacency; until I stop being afraid to make a change; I can't really tell anyone else to now, can I?

crash

Computers make our lives so much easier. Usually. Until the entire system that your restaurant runs on melts down. Actually, it wasn't the system so much as the hard drive that stores the information for said system. When it melts down on a Thursday, at the end of the night, it causes a headache or two. When it is still down for all of Friday, and you lose out on the entire day's worth of sales, it creates a few more.

After staying until 1:30am while the IT guy comes and replaces the hard drive, I'm left with an entire days worth of cash, debits and credit card payments (all 100 of them laid out nicely on a spread sheet from my friends at merchantlink) to try and guess what people ate two days ago. I can deal with this, as these things happen, and we have the money so it's not such a big deal. And nothing to worry about from Friday, since we were closed all day. A couple hours, and it should be all good.

That is until the computer crashes again. At 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily, this time, our system was able to run on the backup, so it only caused a few minor hiccups, and a bit of extra work from the servers.

The frustrating part is the IT guy, the one who probably gets paid an obscene amount of money to come on a Friday night at 11pm and install a hard drive, shows up again at 4pm on Saturday, making what is sure to be another huge investment on his obscene paycheque. And then proceed to ignore the fact that the computer tells him the CPU fan is not working. He can see the fan, I can see the fan, and it's not working. The computer does him the courtesy of telling him that it isn't working. Yet for the next 5 hours, tries 42 different ways to fix the problem without making the fan work.

This has now held me up 5 hours from getting Thursday cleaned up, which should have been done and cleared now for some time. Maybe I could have even came home an hour early. Nope, the fan isn't there according to the IT guy. Finally, thank goodness, he stops to look at the nonexistent fan. And, after moving the cord and jiggling it, it worked! Imagine that.

So, reboot the computer, and it doesn't tell us that the fan is broken anymore. And it stops shutting itself down. And all is good in the land of Micros. Amazing. The crappy part, I won't get paid any extra for spending extra time at work. And IT guy, he will probably get double OT for his adventures in White Rock.

30 today

Lots of people get very emotional over turning 30. I remember a time ago, when I was but a young lad, that I was at my aunt's birthday party. She was turning 30. There was a good part of the evening that she spent sobbing, sad that she had just turned old. Being younger, I am sure that at the time I agreed with her.

Now though, as with all youth who eventually grow up, I must admit that 30 doesn't really seem that old. At least not to me. I still feel like I am young, if not at 7am at least at certain points in the day. And my brain does not feel old like I would expect it to. Sometimes I still wonder how it is that I am a dad, cause dad's are supposed to be dad-like, and I don't always feel like a dad.

Now that I have had a months experience being 30, I get to rub it in to Vanessa that as of today, she is OFFICIALLY 30. It's only playful though, because neither of us really feel old. I wonder if kids now look at us and think "I can't believe he is doing that, he's so old" or "can you believe what that old man is wearing?".

Vanessa, Happy Birthday to you. I love you, and I pray this year sees you well and joyful.

moment of silence

I am sure that nobody needs a reminder of what happened 6 years ago in New York. We do all need to take a moment to stop, and honor those who died in this senseless attack on freedom. Say a prayer for their families and friends.




I remember exactly where we were that morning. Eleanor had been in the hospital for almost 3 weeks and Vanessa and I were living out of a one room space in the Easter Seal house in Vancouver. We were spending our days in the hospital, long long days, and coming back to sleep. For some reason on this morning, I turned the TV on while Vanessa was in the shower. I don't even know how it ended up on CNN, we didn't regularly watch it at all. It was right when the first images of the first plane hitting the tower were hitting the airwaves, and I remember thinking to myself 'which movie is this'? I soon realized that it was CNN that I was watching, and it was no movie. I called Vanessa out of the bathroom, and we stood stunned for about 30 minutes or so, watching the scenes play over and over, and feeling ill deep inside. The rest of the day the hospital was abuzz with the news, every TV set tuned to CNN.


Where were you this day 6 years ago, when the world stood still?

southpointe

So has ended the first week of school, and the first week of me working in White Rock. The school week was a short one, with Eleanor excited for the first day, and grouchy for the next 3. I am not sure how she is going to handle this year in school, with 5 full days ahead of her every week. Today started well, but it's only Monday, and after a weekend in Birch Bay with Grandma & Grandpa and my brothers family...

I worry about what Thursday and Friday morning will look like. Here the four of them look a little bit like young hobbits trouncing through the forest.



I started working in the White Rock chapter of the Restaurant last Monday. I haven't talked too much about what this change in locations means for me, mostly because I am still trying to figure it out for myself.

Upon announcing my leaving to The People in Langley, The People began asking why, why must you leave? And they want to know if I am excited about it? Was it your choice? Do you want to go? To this I prepared a statement, an official press release if you will. And then I threw it out, and just laid it out for most of them.

I must leave. I cannot continue to work in a restaurant where the GM doesn't care about the people coming through the doors providing him with a paycheque. He just cares about the paycheque. I could not continue to go to work every day excited when everything that I had spent building up in the last 4 years was coming apart. Was it my choice? Not really, my choice was to take over the Langley store. This is a distant second. As far as the future of the Langley store? I am sure that it is going to suffer some hard times very soon. And then the bosses who made the decision to bring in an outsider instead...maybe they will see the mistake they made, maybe not. Either way, it's their loss now.

My welcome in White Rock has been mostly warm. I seem to be getting along pretty well with most of them. Some, not so much. In the first week I have had 2 hosts quit, and one kitchen dude. The hosts were not so much of a loss, as they were lazy, and I have 2 new ones starting tomorrow anyway. Oh, the apathy on the host team right now...it will change.

If I am around long enough to make the change.

let the school year begin

For anyone out there who has school aged children, here are some great tips for how to make things a little bit better this year.

I especially like number 9, "Concentrate on their hearts more than their behavior" and I think it is so important to remember that. Sometimes as parents we shake our heads, and ask "what were you thinking?" or "why did you do that?" or my favorite "seriously?". The circumstances often make us want to scream and shout, often with much banging of our own heads on the wall in frustration.

Take a moment to dig deeper and find out where their heart was in whatever the particular situation is. I know that when we do that, we find that they didn't really mean to color on the carpet, paint the walls or cut a hole in the couch. Kids are kids, and they don't always know the consequences of their actions, it's a trial and error thing. Don't be too harsh on the errors, as they will have more opportunity to learn from these if we react in an appropriate way.

Except she did mean to cut a hole in the couch. She said so. And now, Eleanor is banned from scissors. And our couch? Suffered yet another war wound of living with a 6 year old.

Saturday shows

So there is no sound involved in this brief clip, but I really only had about 11 seconds to blow the dust off the camera and capture it.
A quick impromptu show from Eleanor and Thomas, as Jess and Leslie from the Bridge to Teribithia movie, singing "why can't we be friends".


Notice at the end, how Thomas comes over to check out the camera as I don't think he realized it was on until after he was halfway through the show.

Since we got this movie a month ago, the kids must have watched it about 50 times. It is the current favorite, and the current favorite would be played all day long if we let them. We got Eleanor a copy of Charlottes Web (real people) for the drive to Calgary, and I was sure that this would quickly obtain status as the current favorite. It didn't.

This is also the first time that I have tried to post a video, something that wasn't from youtube, so I am hoping that all will work out.

Enjoy.

I know it has been a while since I have posted, and I would be inclined to apologize to my reading audience if I thought I had one. But, since I don't really think there are many out there who partake in my ramblings, I will carry on as if everything is amicable.

We went to Calgary and back, and I will post more on that in the days to come. For today, I want to share something here before I move on to spending some quality time with Thomas.


If you have 20 minutes, and are interested in music, or the politics surrounding copyright law, check this out. It is quite interesting.

in between days

I finally have a few minutes to myself on the computer, and even though much time has gone by since my last post, I am having a hard time coming up with a witty or clever story to share with everyone. Instead, I will post a few pictures here so you can see the fun that we have been having.

This is just outside the Children's museum, in Seattle WA. taken right when we got there.


If you look real close, you can see the fake smile Thomas is putting on for the camera. I don't know that either one was really stoked about sitting on the rail for this shot.



There is a fake sound booth in the museum, for the kids to learn how a radio station puts out music. My dad took full opportunity to relive his glory days as one of the premier DJ's* in the 80's, back when Run DMC was rockin it out and the Beastie Boys were getting their big break.

*(this may not be entirely true)

A whirlwind of activity down in Seattle, so much so that we didn't even get to take any pictures at the Pike Place Market because of all the activity. What we didn't know before we got down there, is that this August marks the 100th anniversary of the market, so it is an even larger tourist draw than usual. Parking was scarce, the people were everywhere and the sun gave us much love.

Back from the weekend in Seattle, and on to a string of many many shifts in a row, we are anxiously awaiting this weekends beginning to a weeks worth of holidays. Last Monday we decided to take a time out at Williams Park in Langley, BC. It just so happened to be BC day, a lovely statutory holiday that people in the normal working world get to enjoy. Me, I had to work that night, but before I went, we spent some time with friends just enjoying life.



The bbq warrior and the hot dog warrior, both having a break from a wild game of soccer, frisbee pig in the middle, and cold cold water rushing in the creek. This is definitely what summer is all about.

random updates

It's real busy around here right now, so here's a quick update of what's going on:

1) Thomas' birthday on Wednesday. Turning 5, which he has literally been waiting a year for.

2) New G.M. started at work last week. Looks much like "Wolverine" from the X-Men. He seems ok, but the dude did get the job I was shooting for.

3) Coffee with previous G.M. turned area associate reveals plans to change locations of employment for me. Same chain, same job, different store.

4) Phone call with G.M. turned area associate explaining the plans sound great as long as they involve a new contract with the star of the show. (me)

5) Getting very excited for our trip to Seattle this weekend. We are heading down with my parents, spending Friday & Saturday night checking out things like the Children's Museum and the Pike Place Market.

6) Am currently awaiting confirmation of offer to transfer. I feel a bit like I am selling my house, with me as the house, offered lower than my asking price. So I countered their offer, and now I am waiting to see if I shall sell, or be left on the market.

That's all for now, it's bedtime.

pah-nopoly

This afternoon the kids and I were just hanging out at home. Vanessa went out for coffee with a friend, which left me to entertain. I am not a huge fan of using the TV for children's entertainment, at least not unless it means I get to sleep in, or leave the kids alone while I galavant to all the bars in town. Ok, so I don't actually do that. Much.

Back to today. Mom left, and we hunkered down on the living room floor to play a game of pah-nopoly. Wednesday night we had a game, and Thomas won. I didn't let him win, he won fair and square. Which meant that today, it was all about revenge. I could not let him win 2 times in a row. What kind of example would that set? If he went on a winning streak, it would just destroy him when that streak finally ended. So I didn't let it begin.

I was playing to win today, as much as you can in this game of chance. But I tell you, I didn't let up on the boy for one minute. And I came out victorious. I know, he is only 4 (5 next week) but now he doesn't have to face the inevitable fall from the mountain of victory that a winning streak would have let him climb. Because of this, he took the loss very well. And I am sure that next time we play, he will be ready to deal with the outcome, whatever it will be.

spectacular spectacles

We drove in to Vancouver today to pick up Eleanor's very first pair of glasses. We drove in last week, and after walking in to the store, it took about 42 seconds for her to find the ones she wanted. She was a trooper, and did humour us and try a few other pairs on, but the look on her face the whole time screamed "pointless". She had her heart set on the first pair, and that was it.

Which is ok, because they are cute. I have tried to upload a picture from my phone to the email, but alas, it is not cooperating. I spent all night at work too, so I don't even have a picture on the computer to share.

I finally learned that the little "link" button in the toolbar just above me here actually will link exactly the way I want, so you can all just surf away. Alas, Mexx (the brand of glasses) nor the opticians actually exist on the web. Well, Mexx does, but they don't have an inventory to scroll through, or I would link you to the picture.

I shall overcome these challenges for the blog reading world (all 4 of you) that visit here, so you may check out this pair of amazing spectacles.


*edit* I found a picture here

summer has arrived

Summer has officially arrived, and I love it. I know some people have a hard time with the heat, like anything over 20 and it's too hot for them. By them, I mean the 3 other people that I live with. They don't do well. Me, I'm happy all the way up to 40. Then it's a bit too hot. Almost.

Watching the kids outside playing in the water reminds me of when my brother and I were growing up. Water guns, water balloons, sprinklers, family barbeque's. There were no real worries, just how much time do we have left to play before we have to come in for dinner. And will we be allowed outside after dinner?

Oh summer, I have missed you. All too fast you will slip away, but I will hold on to as much of you as I can. Welcome home.

license revoked

It's official. There is a new GM coming to Langley, and it isn't going to be me. I haven't really decided what this means for me yet, but I'm not impressed. I don't know what the plan is for me, I am still working on that.

Any suggestions?

on asking for help

On Wednesday, I woke with the crazy notion of sanding the kitchen table, with the intent of restaining or painting it. I mentioned this idea to Vanessa, to which she enthusiastically agreed since the decade old table was showing it's age.

I took it outside, since it was going to be an extremely dusty job. The weather was definitely cooperating, 30 degrees in the bright sunshine. This is my kind of day. Knowing that I would be in the sun for a few hours, I hit up the sunblock before beginning outdoors.

I will take a moment to mention that Vanessa went out, and it was just the kids, me, and my good friend Mike here to hang out.

Now, after applying the sunblock to my arms & face, I thought that with my extraordinarily long arms, I would be able to take care of my back all by myself, saving Mike from the awkward task of rubbing me with sunblock.

After a few hours sanding the table, I came to discover that I was just slightly misguided. I have a rather strong sunburn, about the size of a melon on my back.

Next time Mike, you will be subjected to the awkwardness of sunblocking my back. Whether you like it or not.

thanks for nothing

I work in an industry where there is always a lot of turnover. We have been fortunate enough that most of our turnover is good turnover. This means that the people that are leaving do so because of a positive reason, like 4 years of school being finished and now I'm off to be a nurse/teacher/astronaut etc.

Occasionally there is a blip in the system, and we get a reject on board with us. That is the case with a manager that just recently was hired, and did his training in Langley with us. He spent 8 weeks training, learning how to be great in his new restaurant. He then spent the next 5 weeks not being great, but doing ok. I don't think anyone was unkind to him, and we made his life pretty comfortable here. So comfortable in fact, that even after blowing off 3 shifts on Fathers day weekend, he didn't lose his job.

On Friday, he walked in to the office in the morning, and handed in his keys. Blowing off 3 more shifts for the weekend. The long weekend. Without ordering a large number of items that are critical to our business. So now, it is forbidden to say his name. If you do, you owe a dollar to the fishbowl. Which we will use to relieve our stress of having to pick up the slack, yet again, for a man with questionable values.

canada day tribute

Here is a list of 5 things that make me thankful that to live in Canada.

1) God. We are all free to choose a religion (or not to choose) without fear of being persecuted. There are many countries out there that will incarcerate or even execute you if they find out you believe in Jesus. That blows my mind, as I grew up here in Canada and have grown up with people who have had all different beliefs. I cannot imagine beating another person because they have a different view of who God is. It doesn't matter if they are wrong in their view or not, they are entitled to hold it.

2) Public health care. I know that our health care system isn't perfect, and definitely needs some help in getting it straightened out. But I know that I don't have to spend the next 60 years of my life paying off Eleanor's first 3 months of life in the hospital. $3000/day? Oh, and the fact that we had the privilege of a hospital for her to have her life saved in. It hurts my heart to think of what would have happened if we lived in another country that didn't have the Best Children's Hospital Ever right next door.

3) Drinking water. I know it simple, and many people take it for granted, but what if you had to carry two big buckets 5km each way just for your daily water? Which would then have to be boiled? And people complain if the restaurant is busy and the server takes 5 minutes to deliver the tasty glass of water with lemon. Good Grief.

4) Tim Horton's. Yes, I know Starbucks is awesome and all that, and I do enjoy a good number of different latte's and blended goodness drinks from there, but there is a hands down effeciency and value factor that Timmy's just blows the competition away. I can line up behind 12 cars in the drive through, and get my coffee for less than a toonie, and be on my way to work in less than 5 minutes. I'm sure they put liquid crack in the cup, because it is soooo tasty.

5) Peace making. Not war making. Knowing if I travel the world, I can put a little Canadian flag on my jacket and people will be welcoming instead of resentful. Not that I can afford to travel the world. But if I did...oh the places I would go.


Honourary mention: Goes to British Columbia, for being the absolutely most beautiful and brilliant place in the entire world to live. There is ocean, rain forest, and desert all within a day's drive. Parks to enjoy. Space to be alone. And the weather...sunshine, rain, snow. Never too hot, never too cold. Visiting other places is great, and I know there are other places with amazing things to offer. There is none better than B.C. to come home to though.

Happy Canada Day.

things I never though I would say

Last fall, there was one night where the family was sitting down to have dinner. Now I understand that nachos may not be the most nutritious dinner ever, but it can't possibly be the worst either. Anyway, it's not like we eat them every week or anything, but they are tasty and easy to make. It was one time. Stop yelling at me.

So, as we are getting ready to eat, dishing up the kids food, Vanessa asked Eleanor how many chips she wanted. She said 5.

This began the list of Things I Never Thought I Would Say when I signed up for the parenting gig I now am a part of. Since that moment, I have been tracking all of the phrases that were unexpectedly crossing my mouth since then. The first was

"you need to eat more than 5 chips for dinner"

After saying this, it made me stop and think. Did I ever think that I would one day actually have to be talking my 5 year old in to eating MORE chips for dinner? The things you learn as a parent are amazing.

fathers day

I know that all dads out there in the blogosphere (and probably some moms too) are commenting on fathers day. So why would I leave myself out?

After a long day at work today (yup, I don't get fathers day off either) I got to meet my wife & the kids at my parents house for dinner. My brother was there, and there was some discussion about fathers day and the difference between moms & dads. He noted that for mothers day, moms want to be pampered and want to have every care handled for them. Maybe some quiet time at home without the kids, or dinner cooked and cleaned by dad.

On fathers day, dads seem to be expected to spend the day with the kids. This, in my opinion, is the best part about the day. I don't think that many fathers get to spend anywhere near as much time just hanging out with the kids as they should, resulting in the complete opposite goal of the day versus moms day.

Dads: Go enjoy the kids, revel in their ability to play. Learn from them what it means to play and have fun, even in the simplest activity. Know that whatever you do, you are one of the most important figures in the lives of your kids, and take every opportunity you can to love your kids.

Happy Fathers Day Dads!

hold fast

This weekend has been quite the challenging one at work. We had a man down due to slicing his thumb on the meat slicer, of all things, who happens to be a kitchen manager. To top it off, one dishwasher is sick, one quit, and one got fired. All this weekend. Oh, and our fry guy* is in the hospital, from an injury suffered playing baseball.
Needless to say, I suffered some stress. But it is over now. Time to mellow out and take a moment to come up and breathe. Relaxing time now, listening to MercyMe tell me all about how no matter how much our life on Earth may tax us, God is always there to hold on to us, if only we reach to him. Reach folks, and hold fast, help is on the way.


*fry guy refers to the dude who works the deep fryer/flat top, and on Sunday brunch is the crucial link to everyone in Langley receiving their eggs benedict with the proper toppings on them. Oh, and the potatoes. mmm...

driving to the party

I was going to post, something clever about Thomas and the multitude of comedic phrases that comes out of his mouth. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally.

Alas, I have been coerced into driving Miss. Eleanor to a "party", and it starts in 3 minutes. Oh...one of her friends is getting married. I can't miss this.

it's the principle

A couple weeks ago, the new owners of the house we live in moved in upstairs. We had been in a state of trepidation over this, since we weren't sure what to expect with a new family upstairs. It went from a lovely older couple with a grown son, to a young couple with a 6 month old baby.

Since we have had our own share of 6 month old babies, we knew what kind of risk we would be taking by staying here. The baby actually isn't really that loud, we don't often hear her down here, and if we do, it's never really bothersome. Of course, we still are concerned about the people upstairs hearing our own 6 month old baby screaming at night. Ok, so she is almost 6 years old now, but has a tendency to throw uncontrollable fits, right when everyone else in the entire neighborhood is sleeping.

Alas, I digress, as the point of my post has little to do with Eleanor and her neverending effort to rid our household of complete nights of sleep. The people upstairs maintain that they do not hear her, which is hard to believe with the amount of noise Eleanor puts into her effort to end sleep.

It has to do with the dilemma we are having right now with the removal of cablevision. The lovely folks at Shaw cable have decided that for us to have cable in the basement suite, they would charge us for it. Fine, whatever, if that is what they need to do to make money I will continue to charge $3.99 for ramped up Iced Tea with a fancy name at my work. The issue isn't so much that we are cheap and want free cable, but we are cheap and want free cable. When we moved in, cable was included as part of the rent. Now, since we have new owners, they too are cheap and don't want to pay for our cable. Standoff commences.

Option A: order cable for ourselves and pay for it
Option B: demand that the cost of cable be taken off our rent, since it was originally included and now that it isn't give me a discount
Option C: continue to pay the same amount, and get rid of the TV cause there are better things to do anyway.
Option D: move again

Let me know what you think is the best answer. And please don't say move again (unless you are going to help pack and transport).

my tired feet

After a long day at work, it is so nice to come home and be able to put my feet up. We had dinner tonight, a bit later than usual which is probably going to become the usual with the summertime fast approaching. After dinner, me & the kids set down on the couch to enjoy a book or three.

Eleanor picked a couple books, and then Thomas picked a book. As we cuddled on the couch, I had my feet up on the table, relaxing them. Reading the bedtime stories to the kids always seems to have the opposite effect on our family than it's intention. By the end of the stories, I am usually falling asleep, and the kids think it's hilarious and are no closer to sleeping than before the stories. I'm not really sure what the reason is for my heavy eyed fairy tales, but it never fails that I am on the edge of sleep by the end of the stories.

After three books tonight, once again I was close to napping, but was pulled from my gentle drift to dreamland by Eleanor asking if she could rub cream on my feet. OF COURSE! I don't even know how I could say no to that, even if I had some notion that it wouldn't be a good idea. So, Eleanor rubbed some cream on my feet, and although she hasn't really had any practice my feet enjoyed it immensely. It was especially cool that she wanted to do something kind for her dad without being asked.

I know that someday, sooner than I would like, I could beg, bribe and request all I want for her to rub my feet- and the only answer I will get is a benevolent shrug and eyeroll combination that says "dad, seriously?" before walking off to her room to listen to an ipod and talk on her cell phone to her friends about how lame her dad is.

Tuesday

Ok. Is it seriously Tuesday already? Wasn't it just Saturday?

rock paper scissors

This morning, after the kids came in to our room to wake us up, the four of us were once again just hanging out in bed. After a few minutes of just being together, Vanessa started asking which one of us was going to drive Thomas to school. Eleanor has a pro-d day, so it was a big deal on who gets to stay home and relax and who has to get ready for their day nice and early.

Thus began yet another Rock Paper Scissors war. Blindly I began, which may or may not have annoyed She Who Must Lose, because apparently you need to have your eyes open to play the game. After a quick lead by She Who Must Lose, I abruptly turned up the intensity (only a little, cause really, I'm still half asleep and would like to keep it that way) and pulled out a win in the best of 3 series.

In all fairness, while Vanessa was taking Thomas to school, I did get a few things done around the house. Laundry that had been backing up for far too long was put away, and some ironing which seems a never ending task when you manage a restaurant and have to constantly take care of dress shirts. Even Eleanor got in on the action and did some dusting (which is her favorite).

The best part: Having freshly brewed coffee, from Tim Horton's, delivered by She Who Must Lose, while still just lazing around the house in my Pajama's.

$14,952

I need to make a t-shirt that reads: I survived the Single Greatest Restaurant Event of the Year. I am alive. Barely awake, but alive. We did have the best day ever, even without the boss man around. I do think that this will bode well for both my chef and I, as we did rock the show today. I know that our supporting cast helped us knock the ball out of the park, in fact shattering the sales record from last year by over $2500. $14,952 is the amount of sales we had up until 5pm. That total doesn't even include the dinner shift.

That being said, I have very little energy, and nowhere near enough to go into why I have been blessed with the best wife ever. I know, and I hope that the kids know, that they have the best mom ever.

(And the best grandma's ever too :)

flip flops

Every year Old Navy has a major flip flop sale. For the second year running, the kids have each got a pair of flip flops for the summer season, which will be very well used, according the last years pair.

Today we went on an adventure to the BC Children's hospital, partly for a shot at getting in to see Eleanor's E.N.T. doctor, and partly to see the snuggly & wiggly Ryder.

After the hour long drive to make it to Vancouver, we went in to the clinic to get an appointment with Dr. Kozak, who by the way is the best Otolaryngologist anyone has ever seen. It is not for a couple hours, so we make our way to see Ryder, and give him some love and cuddles.

Down to have lunch at the very busy cafeteria (dubbed the crapateria a long time ago by Vanessa and I after eating there for 3 months straight). After all of this walking, the new flip flops have decided that they do not enjoy the rough and tumble massaging that is the children's feet walking inside of them. The shoes have made the decision to rebel, and are starting to slowly eat the feet of the kids wearing them. Blisters are starting to form, their little bodies trying to use the only defense they know how to keep the evil shoes from devouring the only set of feet that the kids will ever have.

By the end of the day, the kids find it a challenge to walk anywhere, the very idea of having to walk is making them cranky and annoyed. Until we stop at the gas station to get a snack for the ride home. Then it goes from sore feet, to running into the store to pick out some chips. The brief stop to get a snack revitalizes the weary feet somehow, and all goes well. On the way home, Thomas starts to take an inventory of the damage to his feet.

"I have 3 blis-terds on my feet". Yup, he had blis-terds. Somehow, he has more than one blis, 3 in fact. And they had terds.

There are 4 little feet right now that are very happy to be away from the constant gnawing of the evil flip flops, and relishing in the glory of being naked and healing. Soon, they will be blis-terd free.

shoe tying buffers

The start of this morning was about getting Eleanor and Vanessa out of the house, reasonably on time, for her "transportation" field trip. The kindergarten class is taking the Skytrain & Seabus to the Lonsdale Quay today, and Vanessa gets to help chaperone. I helped Eleanor pick out some clothes, which involved the vetoing of first shorts, then a skirt. We decided to settle on capri's, and while she was brushing her teeth I was off to make her lunch. Halfway through, I realized that Vanessa would need lunch too, since the teachers would probably frown on her taking off for some McDonald's halfway through the field trip. The girls are finally ready to go, and Eleanor calls me over to watch see something.

She puts her shoes on, and proceeds to tie them up, in a double knot. This in itself isn't such a miracle, that a child can tie her own shoes. The surprising part is, it wasn't Vanessa or I that showed her how. It was another child her in class that taught her.
THANK YOU BROOKLYN!
Teaching shoe tying is not a task I was looking forward too, and she has it nailed down now.

After they leave, it gets quiet in the house. Thomas and I sit down to have some cereal, and it is here that I come to the conclusion that now would be a good time to break the disheartening news about the Canucks to Thomas.

Me: Hey Thomas, the Canucks lost their hockey game last night
T: Oh no. It's hard to win the game when you can't get any points.
(he's almost 5, and he has that concept down pat. Maybe he should talk to the Canucks powerplay team?)
Me: You got that right. This means that they are out of the playoffs now, no more hockey until September, when you start kindergarten.
T: BUST...MY...BUFFERS

If you have never watched any Thomas the Tank Engine, then you probably wouldn't know that this is where the saying comes from. The show is full of little sayings, my other favorite is "bossy boiler" referring to an engine that is being bossy. Rest assured, that this was quite comical in his delivery, emphatically saying every word. I don't know that he will actually mind hockey being over though, as now I won't have to rush home from work and stare at the t.v., I will be able to play with them before they go to bed.

Enjoy your summer Vancouver Canucks, I look forward to next year.

ipod

Last night our sweet little darling Eleanor was having a hard time going to sleep. She was having fears about having a nightmare. One of her friends told her a story about someone being stabbed in the heart a few months ago, and at the time, she was afraid of having a dream about it. Last night, it popped up again. Because of this, she didn't get to sleep until after 10pm.

That brings us to this morning, where we were all just laying in bed, ignoring the fact that it was after 8am and Eleanor was late for school. The princess was having a small fit, mostly because she wanted to be sleeping still I think.

The best part, as we were laying there trying not to react to the frequent grumblings from the other side of the bed, Thomas tells us he wants and ipod. Not sure that she heard him correctly, Vanessa asks him what he just said.

T: I want an ipod.
V: Do you even know what an ipod is?
T: yeah, it has like a thousand songs on it, and games.
V: How do you know that?
T: Daddy has one.

I think that he has listened to a song on my ipod a total of one time, and I think that I have used it a total of one time in front of them in the 6 months that I have had it.

I should probably get used to this, the boy asking for all the cool new gadgets that are out there as I'm sure the requests will get more emphatic as he gets older.
And more expensive.

are you hiring?

Setting: Friday night, 8:30pm, at the restaurant. The dining room is almost full, the lounge if full of people watching game 2 of Vancouver/Anaheim, there are people waiting to get in to eat.
A hostess walks up, and tells me there is a phone call for the manager. She has no name, as the caller didn't want to give it, he "just wants to speak with the manager".

This usually means that I have a bit of smooth talking to do, to try and fix a situation that has gone wrong.

me: Thanks for holding, Russell speaking.
phone: Hi, I was wondering if you are hiring servers or bartenders right now?
me: ...(stunned silence)...

me: so we are always looking for good people. But I don't really have time to talk about that right now, because IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AND WE ARE BUSY. You need to come in some time LIKE MONDAY AFTERNOON when it isn't busy.
phone: oh.
me: ok, bye now.

Seriously? Even if this guy shows up Monday afternoon, he will have some rather large mountains to climb for me to even talk about an interview.

A tip for anyone wanting to apply to a restaurant: Learn a bit about the place you want to work (like if they are busy Friday nights) before you call the manager off the floor.

snack time?

I was in the bedroom putting away yet another load of laundry, and this was overheard coming from the other room with Eleanor & Thomas.

E: Do you like slugs?
T: Oh yes, I love slugs. I love their blood, it tastes so good.
E: Really?
T: Yes, my mom and dad cook them for me
E: Ahh, you like them deep fried then, nice and crispy?
T: Yes, I LOVE the crispy parts.


That's my kids. You know, the crispy parts really are the best. Oh, and the blood.
Up next - worms.

save the copper

I have the song "3:42am" by MercyMe stuck in my head right now. Maybe it is because it's 2:45am and I am sitting at my computer instead of tucked into my warm and cozy bed, snugly sleeping beside Vanessa who is definitely not having any trouble visiting dreamland.
I have recently come to the conclusion (around 2:30 or so) that laying down in bed, at 8:30pm after the kids go to bed, and falling asleep is not the best course of action for a good nights sleep. I'm thinking I should have waited an hour or two, to prevent the awkwardness of being ready for my day by 3 in the morning. I can't blame Vanessa, because even if she had tried to stop it, it would have failed. I was sleepy, and lets just say that I can be persistent about sleeping when I am tired.

Being awake in a silent house in the middle of the night gives one a chance to think though, and I have had an idea which may, in fact, help save the world.
It has to do with pennies, and the uselessness of them. Why are they still in circulation? Why do we bother counting them out? Can you buy anything with a penny anymore?
I know that pennies once were useful, I will not contest that fact. It has been a long time however since they have really been important in our monetary system.
Good point, I know, but how is that going to save the world? Well, besides saving the materials, time and energy that go into producing these now obsolete and uncared for coins, here is the plan.
When you buy something, I propose that the price just gets bumped up to the nearest nickel. For example, if the total after tax is $11.18, round up to $11.20. It is only two of the unwanted pennies that you are paying extra, and I am sure that there are very few people out there that would complain about losing the extra two pennies.
"Oh, but Russell" you say, "those pennies add up". Yes, they do, and that is how someone with far greater computer literacy than me would have to step in, and develop the software for business that would track all of the sales that have been rounded up. At the end of the month, businesses would have a total amount overpaid by rounding up, and would then be responsible for giving that sum to an organization like the food bank, habitat for humanity, etc.
Imagine how much money would be available to help people in need. You or I would not notice any change in our quality of life as a result of paying an extra penny or two for what we buy. Those pennies usually end up floating around, often getting lost or being given to the kids to play with. This is such a greater way to use that money, and think of the impact it would have on the people in our society that really need the help.

Let me know what you think, if there is enough interest in this then maybe I will just quit my day job and go full force lobbying for change. Pun intended.

moving on up

I have decided to add an element on the right side of the page to attach any links to, under the title "surfing" instead of the copy and paste thing. I will add any interesting things I find while cruising the web, so be sure to check them out.

And if you haven't watched the Muppet Movie for a while, have a look. It's chalk full of good times and good laughs.

eww

Ok. One word.

EWWW.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/
hotdoll-the-sex-doll-for-dogs-253334.php

(copy and paste cause I'm daft)

series tied 3-3?

Seriously? I'm not really sure how it happened, but the Canucks/Stars series is now tied 3-3 (like you didn't know that).
What I don't really get, it how you expect to win hockey games without scoring any goals. I am positive that no team has one an NHL game without scoring a goal.
Ever.
That leaves a game 7 tomorrow night for all to look forward to. That is, if they can score. I will be cheering them on either way, and I will admit that it will be extremely more exciting and rewarding if we can score some goals.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I am also looking forward to "The Real Wedding Crashers", a new series starting tomorrow night. It really does look like it is going to be funny, but a lot will have to do with the format and delivery of the show.
Of course, if the hockey game goes into overtime again, I may miss the whole opening episode.

being in charge

Yesterday was the start of my temporary reign as acting GM of the restaurant. This is very cool for me, as I expect to do well, and am hopeful that will translate into me running said restaurant as the official GM.
I think there was about 13 minutes out of 10 hours yesterday that weren't filled with the Neverending List of Stuff to do. Being off for a week, naturally there were a few things waiting for me to do. Add to that certain members of the team that decided it would be easier to wait for me to do things for them when I returned from holidays instead of taking care of them right away and I didn't have more than one moments time to breathe. I did manage to catch up on the things waiting for me, with the help of "Scary Chris" and a plea for help.
Then, after coming home for dinner, and tucking the kids into bed, it was time for basketball. Every Wednesday night a bunch of guys get together at our church gym and run the court for a few hours. I haven't made it out for a couple weeks, and today I am feeling it. It started with a sore ankle, and has slowly progressed throughout the day to a sore back too.
Oh, the joys of getting old.

the end of a vacation

Tonight marks the end of my week off of work. I guess it really can't be called a vacation, because we didn't go anywhere, but my time off was enjoyed none the less.
My week was filled with shopping, eating, playing soccer at the park, and hockey. Lots of hockey, all 3 Canucks games so far in fact. What a great week for the playoffs to start.
So, after a week of just hanging out, tomorrow marks the start of a very busy time at work for me. Besides teaching a class tomorrow, the next couple weeks will be filled with planning for the Single Greatest Restaurant Event of the Year.
Mothers Day...(Q foreboding music).
I have recently found out that my boss will in fact be traveling to Disney World in Florida, leaving the morning of the Single Greatest Restaurant Event of the Year.
Which means that I am in charge.
I have a strong feeling that how the planning and execution of the Single Greatest Restaurant Event of the Year works out will have a large amount to do with what happens with my career. There really is no pressure though, and I'm sure that the next 3 weeks are not going to fly by at all.
Especially while the Canucks are in the playoffs. Go Canucks Go!

candy land

I have been thinking lately about how well Eleanor and Thomas play together (even though they do fight sometimes), and realized that they don't often have play dates, or many chances to play with friends their own age without each other there. They tend to play with each other, or on their own unless they are at school.
We recently got Eleanor's report card, and it points out the fact that some play dates with some kids from her class would help her deal with the inevitable meltdown that occurs almost daily when we drop her off for school.
Thomas has a friend from preschool that he likes to play with, and to help make sure that he isn't going to have the same issues, today we brought Marcus home with us for Thomas to have some time with someone other than Eleanor, somewhere other than school. I was a bit worried that the boys were going to start doing a bunch of destructive boy things, but earlier as I made lunch everything was under control. Then came time to clean up after lunch, and do the dishes. Dishes happens to be one of my least favorite chores, and this was the time that I was most concerned about the house being destroyed so I did them very quickly.
All was pretty quiet while I washed, and as quick as I was, when I was done, I went down the hall to see what all the quiet was about. If you have kids, you understand that very quiet quite often leads to big trouble.
I peeked around the corner, and there were the two boys, playing a game of Candyland. Without any prompting from me, without any fighting, or complaining. I have to say I was impressed.
I don't know that the game actually got finished, or if they lost interest before the end, but there never was a fight over it, and there was no issue with the boys cleaning up all the toys before I put a movie on for them.
Now I am scared, because the movie of choice- Star Wars Return of the Jedi. Now I know that there is going to be destruction, from the moment they were deciding who was going to be Skywalker. I think it is time for me to go and monitor the situation before someone loses an eye, I don't want to spend the evening in the hospital.
Mostly because the Canucks are playing game 2 at 6p.m., and there is no way we would be home by then.

8 years old

After a gestation period of 14 months, on this day 8 years ago we gave birth to the beautiful and loving union of marriage that we now share. At the time, I don't know that either of us really had any idea what the next 8 years would bring, we just knew that we wanted to spend it together. Sure we fought, and I guess we still do, but the good outweighs the bad by so much it breaks the scale.

And so, a list of the 5 things I most love about my wife:

5) If I am feeling down, she doesn't stop trying to pick me up.
4) She lets me bitch and moan when I am sick.
3) Her eyes. They are captivating.
2) She doesn't ever throw it in my face that she is much smarter than me.
1) She loves me, even when I screw up. Which is a lot.

Thank you Vanessa, for being all I have ever wanted.

scary

I just read this article about Global warming. Is it true, or is it something made up by scientists?
How can you ignore the facts? Changing the temperature of the planet cannot be a good thing. Of course, it's hard to change your ways when it will cost you millions of dollars.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2007/04/06/climate-un.html
(copy and paste)

Good Friday

It's Good Friday today, also known as the start to Easter weekend. For lots of people, this just means that they have a few extra days off of school, or maybe an extra day off of work. And of course chocolate.
Lets all just take a moment to remember why we celebrate Easter. It has nothing to do with any bunny, and I'm pretty sure that chocolate didn't have anything to do with it either.
Easter is the celebration of our Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificing for our sins, and being resurrected by Our Father.
I know it's a pretty simple explanation, but we had Mackenzie and Hunter sleepover last night, and after playing outside for hours this morning, I am saving up my energy for a Friday night closing shift while Vanessa and the kids are at Easter service.

Take a moment now, and thank Jesus for his ultimate sacrifice. Without it, none of us would qualify for the bliss of Heaven.

link to Hunter

You have to see this picture. I can't even tell you how awesome it is.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21752695@N00/444240642/in/photostream/

Copy and paste, cause I haven't figured out how to put a link here yet. One day...

definately decaf

There I was, in the car, my GM driving us to a class that we were teaching today. My phone rings, and it's Vanessa on the other end.

V: what has more caffeine in it, hot chocolate or decaf coffee?
me: hmm. I'm not sure...probably the hot chocolate.
V: so you won't have an issue if I get Thomas a coffee then?
me: I guess not

Previously to the phone call, Vanessa and Thomas on the way into Vancouver to visit Ryder:

V: Thomas, do you want something to drink before we get on the highway?
T: Yes, I would like a coffee with two sugars please.
V: ...
{Vanessa makes the phone call to me, drives through Tim Horton's. Thomas gets his decaf}
T: mmm...2 sugars really IS delicious.

Not that I ever get coffee when he is around. That must be someone else that is mildly addicted to the large "double double" setting the example. For $1.49. Please.

trials

It has been a very busy week for us here. I mentioned before about my brother Gary and his wife Angela going in to labour. It was a long day of waiting for things to get started, but when they did Ryder came out much like a cannon ball shot out of a cannon. 30 minutes of contractions and there he was. I have been debating a lot about whether to post about it or not, because little Ryder is having some troubles right now.
He was born last Saturday, and looks very much like his mom. Beyond that, I don't want to get into too many details, but they are getting know some of the same doctors that Eleanor had. Also know that he needs us to pray for him.
We have been busy helping with Mackenzie and Hunter, who by the way, both slept over last week. There weren't as many giggles at bedtime as last time, but the two and a half days they spent here were mostly fun. Except when Hunter woke up yelling at 1am. That part was a bit short of fun.
I am glad that we are able to help though, because as someone who has been through a similar experience, I know that you can never have enough help, love or prayers. And that eating out every meal of every day quickly loses its appeal.

toes

Here I am, on the computer and writing a couple emails, IM chatting with a friend. Thomas is watching a kids show on TV, enjoying his day with no school.
I look over to the couch, and Thomas has his big toe in his mouth. Eww.

me: Thomas, that's gross.
T: hahahahaha!
me: no, really, that's gross.
T: HAHAHAHA!!! {inserts the rest of his toes}

mental note-make Thomas have a bath tonight.

of course it's cold!

I don't know if I will ever understand people ordering food, and then returning it - not because there is anything wrong with it, I can understand that - but returning it solely because either
a: they didn't know what it was before they ordered it and now can't handle what it is
or
b: they are foolish.
I had a table in today, who ordered a chowder to share, a salad to share and another appetizer. This is a usual happening, people want the best of both worlds without being to gluttonous. In and of itself not a problem.
My issue today resulted from said guests frowning at the chowder, split into two bowls 'cause we are nice like that, when it was dropped at the table. "We only ordered one" was the comment they had to make, and our server kindly responded that "this is one, we just put it into two smaller bowls for you to share".
At this point, you would think things are all peachy. In the land of normal people, things are great.
The server continues on about her business for the remainder of the experience, never really unavailable to them because it never really got busy at all today. At the end, the two bowls of chowder are sitting, untouched, on the table.
The people that I will never really understand, the breed that don't really understand how restaurants work or just don't care, call the server over to the table.
"our soup is cold".
REALLY? You mean after you let it sit on the table for 15 minutes, it didn't hold it's heat? I can't imagine what possible reason could cause such a catastrophe as that.
"Oh, I'm really sorry, can I get you a new bowl?"
"No, we are done."
Hmmm. I understand that cold soup is not tasty. That, my friends, is normal. I can't really wrap my head around how you can let your bowl of soup sit on a regular table, not a hot plate or anything as fancy as that, for the entire duration of your meal and chit chat, and then complain that it is cold, please take it off my bill I don't really want it.

If you didn't really want it, DON'T ORDER IT!

wake up call

I was laying in bed this morning, very much enjoying the act of sleeping that was taking place after a long night at work last evening. Right around 8:30, I answered the phone. My mom was on the phone, cancelling our dinner plans, because my sister in law Angela's water had broken this morning.
It's spring break right now, and Eleanor hasn't had to go to school for the last 2 weeks, which means we have been enjoying some very lazy mornings. Much like this one was shaping up to be, before the phone call.
I hang up the phone, and mumble to Vanessa that dinner is off, because Angela's water has broken. Instantly awake, her mind is racing.

V: Are you going to come out to Maple Ridge with us, or stay here and sleep?
Me: mmm...sleep
V: Really? It's not every day that a baby is born!
Me: Actually, there are thousands born everyday.
V: Obviously...I meant in our family
Me: mmm...sleep

I don't know that I have seen Vanessa and the kids get ready that quickly, even when Eleanor is going to be late for school. Off they went, in record time.
I should tell you that I do work again tonight, tomorrow I will head out there to visit & help with the kids. Until then, I went back to sleep.

Sweet Sweet Sleep.

welcome Audrey

I had to put up this picture that Vanessa took of Eleanor holding Audrey, her new cousin. Audrey is around 20 hours old, give or take. Eleanor could not get enough of this brand new living person, she was in her glory for almost 45 minutes holding Audrey while she slept.



I love this picture. Great job Vanessa.

where's the spinach?

We had our Regional Executive Chef come in for dinner tonight, to check up on the new menu that began yesterday. This is a typical occurrence when we start a new menu, as it is part of his job to make sure that we are doing things correctly. He is the Regional Executive Chef.
It always causes a small ripple when he comes in - no major fanfare or sirens to go off, but we give the heads up to the kitchen manager none the less to be sure that things go well.
This evening we had our sous chef working, and when our R.E.C. came in, I mentioned to our guy that he was here.
Normally, this is enough for me to carry on with bigger and better things, and let the kitchen do what they do, knowing that we are in capable hands. Normally. I am not really sure how it happened, but in retrospect I have come to the conclusion that I, in fact, should not have carried on with the never ending list of things to do that finds itself on my daily docket. I should have waited for the food to come up, and checked it out before it went to the table.
One of the very tastiest and key points of our new feature pasta happens to be a bed of fresh spinach in the bowl under the pasta. I think you can all see where this is going now. Down a path of embarrassment and shame, and very probable and deserved lighthearted ridicule for our young friend who happened to be so caught up in the moment, so intent on impressing his boss, so focused on being perfect that he missed the bed of spinach under the pasta.
You know that we can't let him live this one down, for at least one week.

spring break with a bang

Last night was one of the steadiest Sundays that I have worked in a long while. It wasn't really any special day, other than the fact that today is the first day of spring break in Langley.
I should probably mention that I am a manager of a local restaurant, one of many in a chain of restaurants, focused on good food, friendly and efficient service. This particular restaurant happens to be owned by a company that owns many restaurants, a various smörgåsbord (phew-spell check) of restaurants. This being said, I feel it is prudent to keep specific names out of the blog for the distinct fear of losing said position of managing one of the best stores in a group of many.
The night started off with us short 2 servers, due to some unlikely and unfortunate circumstances which left some blank holes in the schedule all weekend. We knew it may be a bit busier than usual, but last night takes the cake on busier than expected.
Normally, a busy night wouldn't be such a burden, even short a couple people, you just suck it up and bear it. By the end, everyone will have survived and has earned one more notch in their war belt.
The rough part of last night came at the end of the rush, which lasted almost 4 hours instead of 2, when it was time for the rollout of the new menu. For a rollout, we get the front end staff to come in (it turned out to be 22 of them) and taste the new items, which is a pretty good deal if you are a server - free dinner.
It's not such a great deal if you are the kitchen staff that just pushed out twice as much food as they were expecting too, without more than a 10 minute break in between to breathe and restock, let alone clean up.
In the end, it's 11pm, the rollout is over, and the kitchen finally gets to start their close. The front end staff has eaten, cleaned up, and for the most part finished what they need to do.
The Store Partner and I retreat to the office with a pair of Latte's - in a pint glass cause it's way more masculine than the girlie latte bowl.
After 2 hours of nightly and week-end paperwork, it's up to table 25 to enjoy a well earned glass of cabernet sauvignon. Time to reminisce about the day, the week, the future and the careers of two very tired and victorious men of war.

Then, it's back at it 9am Monday morning, because the battle is never over.

fuzzy morning

Let me start by saying that the morning was not fuzzy due to any sort of imbibed substance.
I had the pleasure of having my 3 and a half year old niece sleep over last night. Now her and I haven't seen alot of each other, given that she has spent most of her life on the East coast of Canada, and I haven't left the West for many a year. Alas, she has returned, and when she asked if she could sleep over with Eleanor and Thomas of course I said yes.
I knew what I was getting in to, a 5, 4 & 3 year old all going to bed in the same room. A few giggles, a few burps, a few more giggles. Nothing too serious, all in good fun.
Until 4am.
That is when someone decided she wanted her daddy. The small issue that I had with this is the fact that daddy did not sleep over, he was at home. The small issue that she had with this is that I am her uncle that looks like a much slimmer version of her daddy, but isn't her dad. I'm just the uncle that she kind of knows.
So, with instructions to her that it was still time for sleeping, and she would see daddy in the morning, I tried to set the example and go back to sleep. But I had to get some milk first.
So, back to bed I go, sleepily checking out the alarm clock and doing the math to see how much sleep I could get before the 6:50 wake up call. Just before sleep took over, I heard a voice.
A cute, tiny, little voice.
Off to investigate I go.
What's the trouble? I didn't heat up the milk. Why wouldn't I heat up the milk? Don't all kids have warm milk, shouldn't I have known this? At 4:30, I wasn't thinking very clearly at all.
And then my two kids decide to explain to me how they feel about the situation of being woken up by their cousin. I listened for about 10 seconds, kissed them goodnight, and went to the washroom.
Naturally, more than ready to go back to bed, I am about to crawl in when I see a Thomas. Not the tank engine kind, but the 4 year old blond haired been woken up by his cousin in his room and now wants to sleep in my bed kind, because it isn't fair that his cousin is keeping him up. To which I may or may not have explained with a small amount of frustration the fact that it really isn't fair that I can't be sleeping, I don't need to hear about how you can't. A little over dramatic on my part, I am sure, but to reiterate - it was 4:45 at this point, and my mind had little capability to think of a possible alternative argument.
Back to sleep, and up at 6:50. Normally, this is not a time of morning that causes me much grief, but with a disrupted sleep pattern I was left in a fog until about 9:30. There's nothing like walking into work, making a pot of coffee full of the cleaner from the night before and settling down for a nice round of fuzzy cash counting.

Would I ever have her over for a sleepover again? Anytime.

glimpse of the future

We all went for a walk at Tynehead park yesterday, given the fact that many forces of nature came together in one day:
The kids had no school
Vanessa had nothing planned in the afternoon
The sunshine payed us a visit after the multitude of rain
I had the day off of work.

As is their custom, Eleanor and Thomas were "married" and the "husband" had to push the stroller along when Eleanor didn't want to.



Thomas is going to make a good dad one day.

making faces

So it's time for bed, and first Thomas peeks his head around the corner. Tells momma he loves her, and gets tucked back into bed. Next, Eleanor doesn't peek, she just walks right out.

Eleanor: Mom, it's too bright, I can't sleep.
Dad: So turn the light off
Mom: switch the lights, put the one on the stairs on
Eleanor: Then it will be too dark, I won't be able to see
Mom: So leave the light on then
Eleanor: but then it will be too bright...
Dad: make a decision, you either have the light on, or off, there is no in between.
Eleanor: {throws a dirty look}
Mom: don't look at him that way...
Eleanor: Hmmmphh

She's 51/2. Why do I get the feeling that I will be spending the next 10 years getting that look?