Canada Day, Goodbyes and Mac & Cheese

Guess who's hand is feeling better? It's not 100% but I can type, write and use a can opener again without it resulting in searing pain. So that's a very good thing.

Happy Canada Day! Being that I live in Ottawa and that we host the world's largest Canada Day party, today means that the downtown core is packed. I went downtown last year but opted to skip the festivities this year. I wasn't really in a "get up close and personal with 200,000 + strangers" kind of mood. I did watch the noon show on tv though. I think last year's was better. I heard the fighter jets fly by and I can currently hear some fireworks in the distance. I'm not sure if they're the ones form downtown or the ones from the park down Carling but I can hear a low, rumble and boom.

Today I spent my day being very domestic. I did up the dishes and made a half-assed attempt to get my kitchen in order. That kind of stopped after I found the item that I'd misplaced in the kitchen. I then spent time on my balcony, planting the last of the plants that I picked up in the market yesterday. I added lavender, garlic chives, chocolate mint and a yellow gerber daisy to the mix. My balcony looks quite nice now. Very green and cheerful. For dinner I made macaroni and cheese from scratch and I have to admit, it blew my mind. It was so friggin' good!! I had some fresh green beans with it. I picked those up in the market yesterday. I love being able to go out and get fresh, local produce. It makes everything taste better.

I felt a little home sick today too. My home town has quite the parade every Canada Day and I can't actually recall the last time I was there to see it. It must have been a good 15 years ago. I remember that we used to take my grandmother and her friend and then we'd go back to my parent's house or over to gram's house for pizza afterwards. Later in the day, my brother and I would go to the park as they always had a carnival with rides that weekend. In the evening, there would be fireworks at the park. My parents live a block and a half from the parade route and only 5 blocks from the park so it made getting around quite easy. Definitely less than 200,000 + people to deal with.

Wow, 4 paragraphs and only a tiny bit of numbness. This is great progress.

Work is going to be brutal this week. We have several new people starting tomorrow and we have a farewell party for my boss later this week. Where I work, people come and go frequently, so I'm kind of used to seeing people leave. But my boss had been there since I started working there. She helped to build the unit I work in. She gave me my job. I really don't know how to say goodbye to her. I'm an emotional person to begin with and this week is a PMS week so I'm going to be extra emotional. Not sure how I'm going to get through it in one piece. Perhaps I should just skip wearing mascara this week and put up a sign, letting my co-workers know that if they find me crying in the bathroom, I'm perfectly fine. LOL.

Speaking of work, I should sign off and get to bed so that I can at least pretend to be alert at work to welcome the new people tomorrow. On the upside, I have leftover mac and cheese for lunch :)

Good Night!

Sarah

Time To Go Back To Reality

Sadly, today was my last full day at home. Tomorrow is my last day of holidays and I'm spending pretty much all of it on a train. My train leaves here at 9:15am and I get into Ottawa somewhere around 4:30pm. This is always the worst part of visiting. Knowing that I once again have to say goodbye to those I love, not entirely sure when I'm going to be home again. Before my dad headed to bed tonight, I gave him an extra long hug since he'll be up and off to work before I get up tomorrow. Mom's driving me to the train station so I get to say my good bye to her there. I guess they aren't really good byes as much as they're "See you later".

Despite the fact that both Mom and I sounded like we were trying to cough up lungs today, we got up and headed out for a bit. The cute little gift shop she wanted me to see was closed, so that was a bit of a bummer but we managed to keep occupied none the less and picked up some things for our colds and to make for dinner.

This afternoon we made banana bread. Last week my dad came home with a large bunch of ripe bananas from Giant Tiger. He was all excited because he only paid 97 cents or something crazy like that for them. Not per pound, just in total. I asked him if he planned on making banana bread and he said no. Then the stomach virus hit. The bananas did not get eaten. So last evening he looked at me and said "Are you going to make banana bread tomorrow?". LOL. I laughed and said sure. Mom and I pulled out some cook books and I hopped on Pinterest and we came up with 2 recipes to try. A Banana Cinnamon Swirl and a Banana Sour Cream one that we added raisins too and topped with chopped walnuts. Both turned out really well and the house smelt amazing all day. Dad gave them both his seal of approval. Which is awesome, considering I forgot the eggs in the 2nd one. Oops. Meh. It all worked out. The last time I was home I made a cobbler and my dad called me up and asked me to come back home so that I could make him some more cobbler. I'm leaving him some banana bread so that should hold him for a bit.

I got all packed this afternoon so I don't have to run around like a crazy woman tomorrow morning. Getting to the train station is an ordeal on its own. My mom doesn't like taking highways or major roads, so we go the back way to the train station. It takes longer but it works. The new problem is that they installed a round-a-bout earlier this year, which my mom now has to navigate. She hates them. She really, really hates them. I just close my eyes and pray when we go through them and once I'm on the train, I keep checking my email on my phone until Mom emails me and I know that she's made it back through and is home safe and sound. Then I relax.

This visit home has been a pretty subdued and quiet one, mostly due to the damn stomach flu knocking us all out for a week. But it's also been very stress free and relaxing, which is what I need. I know I'm going back to a crazy place, but I refuse to get stressed out about it. I may just switch my phone off tomorrow and forget all about work for the day. I should have done that today.

As much as I'm looking forward to getting back to Ottawa and my own bed, I'm going to miss home and my parents very much. I really miss just being around them. Both my mom and dad have said that they feel bad that we didn't get to go and do things but that doesn't matter to me. I don't really mind. I love just being in their company. Just being around them. Talking to them. Laughing with them (or at them as the situation may be). Just knowing that someone else is there, even if we're not in the same room or on the same floor. I enjoy  helping my mom out with the dishes and hiding utensils on her (my Gram used to do that to her too!) or making lunch/cooking dinner for my parents. It seems like mundane, silly things but I don't get to do those things very often, so I appreciate it and enjoy it when I get to do it. Even if they laugh at fart jokes and even though I'm somewhat convinced they're both going senile or they're insane, they're my family and I love them.   My parents are two of the best people you'll ever meet, and they're mine. I'm so lucky and so blessed to have them in my life and I will treasure every second I get to spend with them.

It's time to log off and get to bed. It's going to be an early start to the day tomorrow. We like to give ourselves lots of time to get to the train station, especially if it's snowing in the morning.

Good Night!

Sarah

Mom and Dad back in August

Pay It Forward

It was a good day at work and a sad one at the same time. It was good because things went well and I got a lot done and it's the Friday before a long weekend, so that made it awesome to start with. I was sad because it was also the last day of work for several of our staff. Some are returning to school, one is going on mat leave and one is moving onto a better job.

Having the students leave means that summer is almost over. The long hours of sunlight are slowly dwindling. The last of the summer flowers are blooming. It's times like this when it seems like time is just moving by far too quickly. And I have to admit it: I miss school. I loved going to University and getting to open my mind to new ways of looking at the world, new ways to interpret things and for the first time, really thinking for myself. I don't miss the mid-terms and final exams, but I miss school.

It was also kind of a sad day because the co-worker who's moving on to bigger and better things is gone. She was a blast to have in the office. I'd known her a little before getting the chance to work with her and over the last 5 weeks or so, I've really gotten to know her better and have learnt that she's a wonderful person and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. And I'm somewhat amazed by her killer Crossword skills too. I know it's not "goodbye" as I'll see her again, it's just not going to be the same on Tuesday morning without having her there. Next Thursday will be worse for the 'farewell' category, but more on that later next week.

Before leaving work this evening, I was chatting with some of our evening staff and there was a mini game of "six degrees" happened as a lot of people working here know other people in the department and so on. How people found out about the jobs came up and someone's comment about it being great to be able to help out others reminded me of something from long ago.

I had a teacher in high school who gave everyone in the class a special paper in our last class before graduation. Mine was a long quote about life and happiness and the end part stuck with me and I still remember it. It said "And above all remember this: Do what you can, for whom you can, with what you have and with what you will obtain". Not quite the same quote as Roosevelt but close.  That line really has stuck with me all my life and I've very much tried to do that. I guess it's the same concept as "Pay it Forward". It's a simple idea really. If someone does something nice for you, go out and do something nice for someone else.

I think the world would be a much better place if more people subscribed to that idea. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture either. Even the smallest things can really make someone's day. Something as simple as paying for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive through. Or holding the door open for a someone who's pushing a stroller. Or sending a post card to a friend.

I do that last one a lot. I have a couple of friends who are near and dear to my heart who lives several thousand kilometres away. One of my favourite things to do is to pick up a cute card or random post card and send it to them, just so that they know I'm thinking of them. It's truly amazing how much getting something simple like that in the mail can totally brighten your day. I know, because said friends do the same for me.

A simple, selfless, heartfelt random act of kindness can completely turn someone's day around.

If you're reading this, and I've ever done something nice for you, please go out there and do something nice for someone else. Share a smile. Buy a child a balloon, compliment someone on the colour of their dress, send an old friend a postcard just to say hi....just spread some happiness in the world. Not only will the other person feel amazing, but you will too.

Thank you for being so nice as to take the time to read this blog. I'll be sure to pay that forward.

Good Night!

Sarah

Allergies :(

My ears are itchy. Which really sucks because it's not like you can scratch them like you do your arm. All I can do, is sit here and wait for the allergy medication to start working. Grrrr. Usually my allergies are insane when I'm at my parent's house but they haven't been too bad this time around. Today was the worst day for my allergies. Not sure why. Maybe it was due to my dad cleaning out the garage as he stirred up all kinds of dust and crap.

I had a very lovely dinner with my parents tonight. Dad BBQ'd a roast, mom took care of the veggies and I made a killer Peach-Blueberry Cobbler for dessert (mom peeled and sliced the peaches for me). It was nice to bake again but it made me miss my own kitchen. My parent's kitchen is much bigger than mine, but I know where everything in my kitchen is. I had to keep asking my mom where things were.

Can't say that I really have much to talk about tonight. I'm almost all packed as I head back to Ottawa tomorrow. I'll be passing my friend Kristina along the way has she's Toronto bound. We'll wave at each other near Oshawa. Instead of two ships passing in the night, we'll be two trains passing in the day. Leaving is always bitter sweet. It's been nice getting to relax and see family and visit cool places but I also miss some of the routine of Ottawa. And I miss my bed. I have slept very well being at home though, which I think is largely due to the lack of stress. But damn that mattress is hard! My dad heads back to work tomorrow so we're kind of in the same boat.

I think I'm going to log off now and go up to my room and read for awhile before going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day of travel for me. My mom and I will leave the house around 8:15am and my train is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa at 4:27pm. So tomorrow night's blog might be a short and sweet one too.

Good Night!

Sarah

A butterfly landed on my shoulder yesterday.