No More Mrs. Nice Gal

Most of the time, I am Mrs. Nice Gal. I treat everyone with respect, I hide when I feel that I've been slighted and I don't try to rock the boat.

Not today.

My negative, swearing, take no shit from anyone attitude has come out just in time for the holidays.

All started when my tire blew on the way home from work yesterday. Shitty enough, but was able to call CAA and get them to come. Sadly, due to the freezing temperatures and the sheer number of car accidents, it was going to be up to a two hour wait. They came, they tried to take the tire off. Oh wait, what's that? They can't because the dealership stripped the locking mechanism LAST FUCKING WEEK when we had the tires rotated? How can they do that and not say anything?

it was bad enough that as we drive off the lot my husband noticed my headlight was out, but for them to have stripped the lock too - I was not impressed. I had to wait for a tow truck. I at least could turn the heat on every once in awhile. I tried to do it discreetly since they have instituted the no idling law. I figured the cop would understand if he came by. It was winter and I truly was a damsel in distress.

The whole time sitting there waiting for nearly the full 2 hours to get on the road, I was able to stew in my anger and disbelieve. The colder I got, the more angry I got. And the angrier I got, the more it spilled over into other areas of my life.

I've sat and watched people walk all over me and say snarky comments and let them slide. Maybe I was reading into it, I kept telling myself.

Well last night and today - I decided I wasn't going to let that happen anymore. I'm not going to be walked on.

If I don't like what you are doing, I'm going to tell you. I might swear at you and I may call you names, but I need to tell you. Would you rather I bottle it up and blow, which I am gearing for as soon as I walk into the dealership to get my car. The time for calm rationalization is over. You are not going to walk all over me.

Basically, I'm writing this post to give you fair warning. I'm through with being nice. I want justice and I want whats right.

Year of the baby has turned into The Year of Divorce?

What started out as a huge year for babies being born has turned into a year for a lot of people breaking up in my life.

I've been on this world for almost 32 years and I've never had so many people I know breaking up and getting divorces. People that I really care about are suddenly finding themselves single after years of being in a relationship.

Some might say that I've had my share of relationships before I met my husband, my longest being just over 3 years. Because of this experience, I know how hard it can be to suddenly find yourself out in the world. It's a scary place to be and experiences can be really strange.

Lucky for me, I was never married and never lived with anyone that I ended up splitting from. I can't even imagine having to figure out how to manage a household and children after so many years of having everything shared. It just seems like a huge change and I really feel for everyone I know that is/has split from their spouse.

Added to the stress of having their relationship end, they are now faced with having to answer the questions. How do you respond when someone asks where your spouse is? I really commend them for getting up and out and taking on the world. I know it's hard, but every day will get easier. Every day they will get up and experience new things.

I think this is a rough time of year, no matter what. But I also think it's a great time of year to have family and friends around that support and love you. You can reach out and ask for help if needed. I'm so glad that those I know who are finding themselve suddenly single are able to reach out. And I'm very glad, that they chose to reach out to me.

I have some wonderful friends and family around me that are fantastic and are completely able to offer love and support. I can honestly say that they have guided me when I needed it, and I'm glad that I've pulled from their strength to help others.

With that said and done, I can't tell you how much this has made me love my husband more and made me so happy that I have him in my life. He came to me years after I had been broken down by an ending. I knew what I wanted, and he checked all of those things off my list and then some. I can honestly say we keep growing together. We have had endings by moving, and beginnings with new locations. There has been so much to build on and it's been a really great experience that I wouldn't trade for the world.

As they say - everything has a beginning and an ending. Every ending, means a new beginning. I really look forward to seeing how they move on from here. They can do anything they want with their lives. I am so happy to be able to be part of their next phase.

Adventures in Shopping

I went into a store today. It was a Saturday.

*Gasp!*

I know I can hear you from where I am sitting. I made a pledge to myself that I was done shopping and any gifts I forgot will just need to be purchased by my loving hubby. No need to give myself a panic attack right?

Well this week my husband and I took a little jaunt over to a local chain store in downtown Preston. It was a weeknight, nothing really was going on and we had eaten early so it was still supper time. This store isn't normally that busy on a given day, although we have been there when there are lines but that's more due to lack of cashiers than actually being really busy. The store itself is considered kind of a knock off type establishment. They like to copy looks for less and rarely has anything that is brand name. Or rather - they have brand names, but they aren't really names you've ever heard of.

I realized when looking through all our presents that we needed two more gifts. Nothing really exciting, but they would knock off our list. I already told my hubby he needed to do the purchases as I can't handle shopping at this time of year. He was cool with that, but in a rare move I decided that we should go check out this store.

I'm a big girl. Okay, I'm a plus sized girl. Not really model material unless it's for one of those Big, Bold and Beautiful type clothing lines. Not too many stores carry things in my size and this is one of the few stores in town that does. Sure it's knock offs, but for a girl like me who is used to spending $30-$50 for a t-shirt that her girlfriends pay $5-10 for it's a good investment. Also, styles change and really - who looks at the tags.

I wasn't going in looking for me, and in fact, didn't find any clothes that were just right but I did find something amazing. New curtains. And not just any new curtains. Coloured new curtains made out of one of the worlds best fabrics - corduroy. Yes folks, I found ORANGE corduroy curtains for my living room that look and feel amazing. And that isn't even the best part. The curtains were $10 a panel. Did I mention that this store was made of awesome and has everything?

We hmmmed and hawed over it, and of course my stomach decides it's had enough so we had to leave. All week since we left I've been kicking myself for not picking up the curtains. For $40 we'd have a brand new living room! Both my husband and I have hated having the beige walls, beige curtains and beige sofa in that room. Punches of colour in the pillows just doesn't add enough oomph. I'm a colourful person. Bring on the colour!

So today after kicking myself for not going, I decided I needed to get there. Even just to see that the sale was still going. I brought my game face, knew that the curtains were at the very front of the store and I could leave anytime that I wanted. I was by myself, I didn't have any outside pressure pushing me in any direction and no one was with me that HAD to go and get the latest Justin Beiber bedspread. (Yes, this store even had those!) I was a woman of my own destiny and I was going into war.

Yes war.

Quit looking at me like that. You aren't the one who starts to get tunnel vision, start hyperventilating and feel like everyone is staring at you and going to hit you and knock you over. Shopping for you isn't a scary experience so please excuse me feeling like it is.

Anyhow, I was ready for war. Found a great parking space as the parking lot wasn't that busy. It was busier than when we were there earlier in the week, but it was manageable. I go inside the doors and it was like angels started singing. The curtains were still on sale and all the gorgeous orange ones were right up front. I could hear Hallelujah being sung as I sauntered over to the rack. Shoppers were going past me in all directions and I couldn't believe no one else was snatching these up.

I've looked into curtains for the living room for a long time. And by long, I mean since we actually put an offer on the house nearly 2 years ago. I wanted colour, we wanted something a little heavier in fabric and my husband was insistent on the big huge grommets that you see on all the decorating shows. The fact that I found some for $10 a panel when every other store we've seen them has them listed as $40 a panel - it was a miracle. I began the painful process of hunting through the rack of about 50 or so orange panels (there were black, grey and blue there too) to find matching sets. We have two windows that currently have 3 panels each. Finding four or 6 curtains that were an exact match was my mission.

Soon I hear the pumping tunes of my youth in my head as a woman comes up to start looking too. I see her eyeing the price and she starts going through the rack with me. I wasn't letting my curtains get away. I started grouping the panels by colour, and then I start grouping them by material. I kept finding 3 of a like type and colour, but couldnt' find four. I was getting irritated as this woman is starting to look at the colours I haven't sorted yet. And then it happens.

The woman leaves the side of the rack I'm working on, grabs a random blue panel and walks away.

The angels start singing again and I can carry on with my task.

Remembering that there were a handful of the panels in the store in the regular window covering section, I take my favoured colour/material inside and make my way to the section. My brain starts playing Danger Zone as more and more shoppers are heading around me. The closer I get the song gets quieter as I have my eyes on the prize. I am looking at the aisle with the curtains and I am going to get the ones I want.

Ugh! Another woman looking at the same exact section I want. Why??? Why can't she go to the toys or the candy like everyone else in the store. Why curtains? I make my way around with a cart so that I can lean if I need to. My cart being a saving grace so no one gets to close. I think if someone touched me I'd run for the hills. I end up seeing cute purses, with no one around.

Of course I had to stop. Who wouldn't? As I'm standing there looking at the purses I notice a sign. "No Tax Weekend" it reads. My heart leaps with joy and I hear a single "Hallelujah" as I realize my $10 curtains will really be $10! I grab a great purse and wander back over.

Woman is gone. Yes, I say to myself. Eyes focused I start seeing patterns inside that I didn't see outside. The colours were all so similar but I just couldn't match them all up. I start sorting as I did outside and soon found two sets, similar colours but with different patterns and they all had 4 of the same panels. I put them in my cart and decide to keep wandering around before deciding. I kept touching them to see which fabric was the best as both of them had different types of corduroy. Soon I see those slippers needed for my father in law, and then a wonderful bathrobe for my incredibly shy perpetually single Uncle-in-Law who is considered part of the immediate family. Really feeling triumphant I realize that it's time to make a decision. I've got a great purse. I've got the last two Christmas gifts needed and now I just need to narrow down which set of curtains I will chose.

A beautiful angel appears wearing a black sweater with long blonde hair and a nametag. "Oh I see you are looking at curtains," she says to me with a smiling face. I know this is my chance - finally someone to make the decision for me.

I show her both, ask her opinion woman to woman and she selects the type with the best texture. As my heart was kind of leaning in this direction, I thank her for her help, put the other curtains back and make for the checkout.

There isn't any music in my head as I pull my full cart to the register and find there is barely any line and I'm only standing behind a single man with a movie in his hand. The check out girl smiles warmly to me and talks about one of the things she admires in my cart and it takes my mind off the line of 10 people that lined up behind me.

Soon she's bagging everything I've bought, I'm paying my bill and making my way to the car.

I did it. I triumphed and yes, the curtains look amazing.

Tractor Breakfast

Below is a story that I wrote that was recently published here.

The air was brisk on Saturday October 23 when tractors of all shapes and sizes started gearing up for the Tractor Breakfast and Bake Sale at Kirkwall Presbyterian Church. With the leaves in shades of red and gold, people from neighboring farms and villages took a break from their activities to ride on into Kirkwall, Ontario to share some stories, have a hearty breakfast and show their support for the church.

From John Deere to Massey Ferguson, over 13 different types of motorized tractors from farm machinery to your small lawn tractor made the ride. Several participants also brought pedal tractors, die-cast tractors, homemade wooden and tin tractors. Breakfast-goers came from all around including the communities of Aberfoyle, Cambridge, Crieff, Clyde, Morriston and Sheffield.

The Tractor Breakfast was the brain child of congregation member, and tractor enthusiast Howard Hill after hearing of similar events happening in other areas.

"The church is in a rural area and has lots of farming background," said Mr. Hill who was happy to see Reverend Tom Billard on a tractor for the first time. "Us guys like driving our tractors and need an excuse to drive them."

The event brought in over 130 people, young and old into the church located in the heart of Southwestern Ontario in hopes of raising funds and awareness for the church. Mr. Hill talked to local businesses and farms with regards to coming to the breakfast and donating goods for door prizes. He was seen donning a bright yellow jacket calling numbers throughout the breakfast with many happy cheers from the winners.

Members of the Tractor Breakfast Team, including the entire Women’s Auxillary, worked hard on the event, preparing a hearty meal as well as baked goods. The meal included locally produced eggs and maple syrup which were provided by members of the church congregation.

“The ladies worked so hard to bring the food,” said Rev. Billard with pride. “We have a lot of talented people here.”

The Tractor Breakfast is one of many events for the Kirkwall Presbyterian Church which has set a very high goal of an expansion on the back of the church which was originally built in 1887. The expansion is the largest of it's kind in over 100 years, says Rev. Billard. “It means we’ll be able to be more accessible to our entire congregation.”

As the Sheffield Presbyterian church was amalgamated with Kirkwall, some of the churches weaknesses started to become apparent. Accessibility was an issue and there became a strong need for an elevator. The children’s playroom and Sunday School area was also too small to accommodate the growing number of youth coming to the church each week and there has become a need for a dedicated meeting area.

“The nursery and the multipurpose room will allow for a better children’s program,” said Rev. Billard. “It will help us reach out to families.”

Nine-year-old Zakary Schmitz agrees. When asked about how he felt about the addition, the blonde-haired boy smiled and said “It’s going to be much bigger.”

The plans include: building an elevator that will lead up to the sanctuary, accessible washrooms, a meeting room and storage space. After talking to contractors in January, Scheidel Construction broke ground at the start of October and is being watched over by the Board of Managers, the Session and the entire congregation.

The church has been working hard for the past year to raise the funds for the addition but this hasn’t been their sole focus. They congregation banded together for Haiti after the devastating earthquake rocked that country by raising funds, knitting and donating blankets and washcloths. After the recent tsunami in Pakistan they raised over $1500. In the summer, the church hosted a Corn Roast and a Chili Luncheon to raise fund for the Canadian Food Grains Project.

“Our congregation is very hard working and action-oriented,” said Rev. Billard. “They put their faith into action.”

The next big event for Kirkwall Presbyterian Church will be an annual Robbie Burns Dinner. A local favourite that takes place at the end of January with proceeds going to the Presbyterian World Service and Development. Last years dinner raised enough money to put in a well in Malawi, a landlocked country in the heart of Africa.

With all their hard-working determination and community spirit, the congregation is still short on the amount of money needed for the construction and many future events are in the works. If you would like to help Kirkwall reach their goal, donations would be greatly appreciated. Any donation over $10 will be issued a tax receipt.

Please send donations to:
Kirkwall Presbyterian Church
c/o Jeanette Jamieson
2055 8th Conc. W
Cambridge, ON, N1R 5SZ

Flash Mob!

I was going to write about the Cambridge Santa Claus parade that happened last night but something more interesting has piqued my interest. Flash Mobs!

I don't know if I mentioned it, but this summer when my hubby and I were talking about going to the Taste of the Danforth, I found out that there was going to be a flash mob. If I learned the steps, i too could've participated. Sadly, I didn't find out until about a half hour before we were slated to leave. (We also didn't end up there but that's another story.) I was interested as I had heard of these things but hadn't really paid much attention. I never thought I'd ever see one, let alone be in one.

This morning someone who I follow in twitter posted a link to a flash mob. This mob broke out into song in the middle of a mall food court. It was gorgeous. The acoustics in the food court and the wonderful voices were amazing. I had never heard of a singing flash mob.

So of course being in the holiday spirit from the parade, I decided to see if there were more Christmas flash mobs. I found loads of them on Youtube. Most of which involved dancing. They were in Times Square, in train stations, shopping malls. They danced to so many different themes. The dancers ran from the very young, to fairly old. All ages took part as long as they could learn the steps.

My favourite one that I found was from Central Station in Antwerp, Belguim. They preformed to The Sound of Music. Perhaps it is because this is one of my absolute favourite movies of all time, but the song and the dancing is amazing. I also loved the reactions of the people who were just walking through the train station and had no idea what they were walking into. Click on the video below and bask in the glory.