Choices

Amber on April 30, 2004

I’ve made a lot of choices in my life, and I’ve agonized over most of them. For example, my grade 12 class selection. It was my last year of high school after all, and I was preparing for university. So, of course, it really mattered. In retrospect, I simply lacked perspective. In many ways I still do, but that’s just part of my whole package, and I can work with it.

What is funny, though, is an offhand choice that I made nearly 13 years ago. I was not-quite-15, and it was springtime. My head was filled with fluffy notions of roses left in lockers, and high school dances. My friends and I ate, drank, and slept fantasies of teenage romance. So, when Jon asked me to be his girlfriend, I agreed. I thought nothing of it. He seemed like my best prospect, and I wanted a boyfriend, what’s to think about?

Today I know that this was the best choice I have ever made. It’s so ironic, and so fateful, and so 15-years-old. That this boy, who passed me notes, and gave me my first kiss, should be my husband. That he would hold my hand through friendships, and major life changes. That he would tease me mercilessly, and make me cry, and teach me that life isn’t so serious as all that. At least, not often.

Of course, nothing in this life is perfect, but that’s sort of the point. Appreciating all that you have, all of the gifts you’ve been given, when the other person makes a mess and leaves it for you to clean up. Together, Jon and I can appreciate life, and its choices, and the consequences. Good, bad, and mostly wonderful.

Tagged With: Memories

Harrison

Amber on April 26, 2004

Jon and I escaped town this past weekend, and visited Harrison Hot Springs. We got a great deal on a weekend package, which included 4 meals and a room in the old part of the hotel. The weather was great, the hot tubs were warm, and it was a much-needed break.

The old part of the hotel is perfectly charming. It dates from 1926, although there was an earlier hotel building that burned down. The rooms were all re-done in 2001, so it does have all the requisite modern touches. But the old bits are still evident, like the slide-up windows, and the old keyhole on the bathroom door.

We’ll post pictures soon. In the meantime, it’s back to the grind for me!

Tagged With: Travel

Spring Fever

Amber on April 21, 2004

Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the sky is blue, the grass is green. Spring is in the air, and I don’t want to be at work! I don’t know if not having a window makes this better, because I can’t see what I’m missing. Or, maybe, it makes this worse because I can’t enjoy the beautiful day at all from my office. All I know, is that you should all feel sorry for me, because my life is just so hard.

Now that the Canucks are done, I suddenly have my husband back. It’s just so great! We get to eat dinner together every night pretty much, and do fun things like go on walks in the evening or hang out together on the weekend. Of course, I could be doing more of these things if this J-O-B weren’t holding me back. But, it is, so I soldier on.

Tagged With: Seasons

Done for the Year

Jon on April 20, 2004

While it’s disappointing that the Canucks season has come to a crashing halt, both Games 6 & 7 were a lot of fun to watch. Just being there when the place erupted last night when Cooke tied the game with 5 seconds left was well worth the price of admission. At least with the lockout looming we’ll have a couple of years to talk about this one.

Tagged With: Sports

Those Crazy Canucks

Amber on April 18, 2004

Last night we had our friends Aaron and Lauren over to watch the hockey game. And what a game! Once the Canucks were up 4-0, we were all feeling pretty good. Of course, Jon and Aaron, who’ve been burned by the Canucks a few too many times, urged caution.

They were right. By the time that the game headed into its third OT period, we were all exhausted. It had been a long evening, and we had been on tenterhooks for pretty much all of it. Of course, this is the stuff that legends are made of, but we really weren’t looking for a legend.

So, thanks to Brendan Morrison Jon is off to Orca Bay tomorrow night. Hopefully, that game will be a little less stressful, and will turn out the right way.

Tagged With: Sports

Home Improvements

Amber on April 15, 2004

So, it’s been nearly 7 months since we undertook any major work on our house. We took Fall and Winter off, to catch our breath and get our bearings. However, Spring is here, and we got the good news from our accountant yesterday.

So, now the debate begins. What to do with our rebate cheques? Buy a new furnace? Get the railings done? Improve the venting in the attic, and replace the flashing on the chimneys?

Our current plan, I think, is to do the attic venting, chimney flashing, and railings. At this point, the furnace can probably wait until September. We also plan to finish the baseboards, and do lower-wall panelling in the spare room, because I keep skinning my knuckles on the ‘textured finish’. So, as soon as Revenue Canada antes up, it’s back on the renovation bandwagon for us. We’ll be sure to keep the photos coming.

Tagged With: Home Improvement

Happy Easter!

Amber on April 10, 2004

Today, we celebrated Easter and my mom’s birthday with my family. We had a lovely picnic lunch in Rocky Point Park.

The weather was great. Sunny and warm, but not too hot. We got there early, so the park was relatively quiet. By the time we left at 2:20 or so, though, we could have sold our parking spots for big money. At least, that’s what Wayne thought. Of course, he’s more enterprising than the rest of us, so we expect that sort of brilliant idea from him.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Easter dinner at Margaret’s / Laurie’s birthday party. So, Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Amber on April 9, 2004

Today is my mom’s birthday. So, Happy Birthday Mom!

Tagged With: Memories

Go Canucks!

Amber on April 7, 2004

The Canucks play their first playoff game tonight, against the Calgary flames. I think that the excitement in the air is palpable. I certainly saw a lot of those car flags, driving in to work this morning.

It’s 10 years since the Canucks big Cup run in ’94. I’ll never forget game 6 of the final series with the Rangers. The game happened during our high school graduation ceremony, and half of the attendees had walkmans glued to their heads. When the Canucks scored, the whole auditorium cheered, often inappropriately. Driving home took forever, since South Fraser Way in Abbotsford was turned into an impromptu parade route when the Canucks won.

This playoff series will start in the same way as the ’94 series did, against the Calgary Flames. Hopefully, the Canucks won’t leave it until overtime in game 7 to win this time around, though. Too much stress at my house if that happens. Jon likes to pretend that covering the team has made him more objective, but I don’t believe it for a second.

Tagged With: Sports

Art Appreciation

Amber on April 6, 2004

Last night at Brownies we earned our ‘Art Appreciation’ badge. One part involved looking through some art books I got from the library, and picking favourites to share. I found three books in the children’s section of the library, which had mostly paintings. They were good, but I wanted something that had a broader spectrum of art forms, including sculpture and architecture.

Recalling my Western Civilization class from high school, I thought that Michelangelo would be a good choice. His body of work is incredible. However, there are also rather a lot of naked body parts, which somehow slipped my mind.

Poor Michelangelo was met with many cries of, “EW! That’s so gross!” One little girl informed me gravely that, “I had to see that stuff when I was a baby because I took baths with my dad.” I said, “You probably didn’t care, you were just happy to be in the water.” She said, “Yes, but it’s so gross!”

One of our Brownie moms is a doctor, and her daughter was the lone voice of reason. She told us, “That’s just how bodies are made. I wouldn’t care if someone said my privates were gross, that’s just the way they are.” Then, all the girls got upset when I couldn’t stop laughing. But really, it was hilarious.

Note to self–stick with Emily Carr. Local artist, mostly landscapes, no nudity.