Sunday, October 09, 2011

the McGrath-Cunningham residence

  • Jessie is hormonal or has had a few drinks
  • a mini discussion/argument ensures at bed time
  • Jessie sleeps on the couch
  • Jessie wakes up in the middle of the night
  • Jessie goes back to bed
  • Mark snuggles a little, remaining back to back
  • Mark lets a HUGE, smelly fart rip
  • the fan pushes the fart smell directly in to Jessie's face
  • Jessie squeals and frantically waves the sheets around to dispel the smell
  • Jessie tries to fall asleep
  • Mark snuggles, and cutely touches Jessie's toes with his
  • Jessie giggles and toe touches back
  • Mark snores, indicating that he has been asleep the whole time
  • Jessie sighs loudly, rolls her eyes, and can't fall back asleep until she blogs about it


      Friday, October 07, 2011

      Thanks-giving!

      • my relationship with God
      • Mark
      • Dad
      • Cindy
      • my mom
      • Nadia
      • Josh
      • Brittany
      • Matt
      • my extended family
      • Mark's family
      • Megha
      • my friends
      • Ruby
      • my appartment
      • Thomas
      • Vanita and Rakesh (and Classic)
      • my coworkers
      • my health
      • my curly hair
      • my clothes
      • my food
      • my heat, hotwater, elecricity
      • my cell phone
      • my safe country
      • my trip to Mexico ;)
      • sunshine
      • fresh air
      • the Metro Transit system
      • educational opportunities

      The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.  ~Eric Hoffer, Reflections On The Human Condition

      He who thanks but with the lips
      Thanks but in part;
      The full, the true Thanksgiving
      Comes from the heart.
      ~J.A. Shedd


      Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.  ~William Arthur Ward

      Thursday, October 06, 2011

      Innovation

      The solution to your purse sliding off your shoulder while you are walking:

      Attach a little square of velcro to the shoulder of your coat and another to your purse strap.

      The idea just came to me.

      Wednesday, October 05, 2011

      Rain

      Rain
      Peaceful, calm, happy

      Rain
      Sorrow, pain, violence

      Rain
      Love, kindness, kisses

      Rain
      Cry, hurt, hate

      Rain
      Stay

      Rain
      Go

      RAIN, Rain, rain...

      - Rebecca Leonard



      How heavy fell the rain that day
      From burdened clouds of mournful grey.
      The torrent forced them stay their height -
      Composure swayed by onerous might.

      My skin wrung wet with icy chill
      As mud embraced that sodden hill.
      But mind of mine had elsewhere gone -
      'Twas clouds abandoned I was on.

      The driving drops advanced their gears
      To camouflage my sneaking tears -
      Whence now did swell such floods of pain
      To see me melt into this rain…

      On equal bearing now were we:
      This rain; myself, in harmony.

      - Mark Slaughter




      Rain, rain, rain
      As kids, by then
      We played in pools
      And chased butterflies
      Beautiful were flowers
      Rain, rain, rain
      Splish, splash, splosh
      Warming is my heart, rain
      This night, all come, sleepiness
      Your song. My lullaby, rain
      Rain, rain, rain
      Happy kids and butterflies
      Rain
      Warm hearts and lullabies
      Rain, rain, rain.

      - Charles Ogola




      Rain, rain, fall today,
      Wash away my debts to pay,
      Cleanse me of my sins I pray,
      Rain, rain, fall away.

      Rain, rain, fall away,
      Wash away the blood today,
      Wake us from this dream I say,
      Rain, rain, here to stay.

      Rain, rain, here to stay,
      Keep the sin of hate at bay,
      Love is coming here to stay,
      Rain, rain, fall today.

      - Shiloh Thompson




      Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

      - Joel 2:23





      You can stand under my umbrella. Oh baby, it's raining.

      Tuesday, October 04, 2011

      the loves of my life...

      1. God
      2. Mark
      3. family
      4. friends
      5. Ruby
      6. my fish, Marinara
      7. Tim Horton's pumpkin spice muffins

      I would like to comment on Tim Horton's marketing and new promotions these last few months: I am impressed.

      Monday, October 03, 2011

      Confessions of an Office Manager

      • I curse. A lot. Mostly when I am driving. I really try not to when I am driving Thomas places.
      • I am extremely curious to see which couples will divorce...statistics are statistics for a reason.
      • It is giving me a tiny bit of pleasure to see Mark take the bus this week.
      • I tend to assume that everyone thinks the same way I do.
      • I baby-talk my dragon.
      • I have already put up some Christmas decorations...Halloween is so September. 
      • If I take you to your treatment room right away, it means:
        •  your appointment is about to begin the moment you arrive
        • you are late
        • you are early and I really don't want to have to look at you until your appointment begins

      New Body Art?

      Tattoo # 1:


      Tattoo # 2:



       or "hope" written in a kid's handwriting...

      Saturday, October 01, 2011

      My Wig

      My wig makes me feel happy. I think I know what Mark's tilley hat means to him now.

      Thursday, September 29, 2011

      My New Home

      aka. RIU Jalisco, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

      Important Dates

      March 21, 2012 Nick and Heather's wedding a la Mexico!

      March 31, 2102 - Chris and Sam's wedding

      April 21, 2012 - Sarah and Matthew's wedding

      June 23, 2012 - Kim and Dan's wedding

      July 21, 2012 - OUR WEDDING!

      Wednesday, September 28, 2011

      How to?





      I never thought I'd say this...but I am beginning to reasearch how to breed crickets.

      I don't want to pay for Ruby's anymore.







      http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/

      Tuesday, September 27, 2011

      Is...

      ...officially getting married on July 21, 2012!!

      My priest says so.

      Monday, September 26, 2011

      Possible Careers

      • high school teacher
      • physiotherapist/occupational therapist
      • counsellor
      • whale/dolphin trainer at Sea World
      • scuba diving guide somewhere tropical

      Sunday, September 25, 2011

      slow me down...

      Secrets of the Tilley Hat


      As most people in my life know, my darling fiance Mark has a tilley hat.

      It is a fabulous hat. Really. It floats and has a lifetime warranty. Apparently one tilley hat has passed through the digestive system of an elephant 3 times and still survived.

      Mark wears his EVERYWHERE.

      He experiences a little anxiety when it comes time to clean the hat because it means that he will have to let it air dry...and not be able to wear it that day.

      Here's what Mark does to prolong the time between washes.

      Step 1: sniff test
      Step 2: sniff test while on his head
      Step 3: air it out
      Step 4: Febreeze it
      Step 5: smoke it out (see below)

      How to Smoke Out a Tilley Hat
      One smokes out a tilley hat by following these simple steps. First light some incense. Put your hat over the nice smelling smoke until the hat smells like smoke. Then put the hat on your head. This should extend the time between washings by at least a week.


      http://www.tilley.com

      Saturday, September 24, 2011

      email from Thomas' mom...

      "WOW did you impress the Acadia Divinity Collage faculty and staff when you took Thomas up on 'sunday'. The staff couldn't believe the ease, confidence, the natural flow between you and Thomas, the graciousness, comfort and on she went so much so that they would like you to very much to consider entering their Masters program where you can become a counselor for addictions, poverty, disabilities, grief and much more. They felt that counseling and empathy/compassion without pity was natural for you. Tracy said there are students of all ages and faiths in the program including a Buddhist and others who have been completely unchurched. I said nothing of your faith as I felt it unnecessary with all your glowing attributes. I knew I was blessed when I saw your name on my e-mail on that desperate day. I see that you are all those things that the staff instantly noticed and I would suggest seriously thinking about b/coming a counselor or some thing along those lines. (Leave the high school kids to another teacher.) I think you have gifts that few have that will help you help others. Just a few things to think about."

      Thoughts?

      Weekend to-do

      Saturday
      • wake up
      • do dishes
      • feed and bath Ruby, feed Marinara (my fish)
      • catch up on this week's taped TV shows
      • deposit my pay cheque
      • take a nap
      • think about what colour I'd like to paint Anna Howitt's toes...
      • attend Sarah's 2nd birthday party :)
      • volunteer at Oktoberfest with Feed NS, Pavilion 20!
      • snuggle with Mark
      Sunday
      • wake up
      • do dishes
      • feed the kids
      • decide if I am going to attend church - Real Life Church...for the second time, but alone this time
      • do homework with Thomas
      • put on my new blond wig 
      • plan Megha's birthday present
      • go to my Dad's for supper with my step-grammie
      • do 2 weeks of laundry (at my Dad's)
      • steal some baking ingredients (from my Dad)
      • make some cookies
      • decide to eat healthy beginning on Monday
      • snuggle with Mark

      Friday, September 23, 2011

      Happy 2nd Birthday...

      ...to the cutest and sweetest neice ever!

      Miss Sarah Anne Martin






      She's a little bit of sunshine,
      She's a smile to light your days,
      She will steal your heart and
      keep it with her warm endearing ways,
      She's your precious little Sarah,
      With a sweetness from above
      Who will fill your years with laughter
      and your lives with lots of love
      -Unknown

      Thursday, September 22, 2011

      Ode to Josh

      Josh is my little brother.

      He and I are 5 years apart.

      I really like him.

      We think very similarly on a lot of things. Sometimes his music yells a little too much for my liking, but overall...he has good taste in most things. He is always around to listen to me and chat when I need him. Some of the biggest decisions I've ever made in my life, he's helped me with. He supported me through my first real break up, moving outta my mom's house, and he always gives me pretty solid relationship advice about all things Mark ;). He's also a really good dad.

      I love my brother.



      Here are some blog memories of Josh:

      Jessie bangs on Joshes door.
      Jessie: "Josh!! Wake up! You should be up by now!
      Jessie opens Joshes door.
      Josh: "I'm up."
      Jessie stops. Joshes music is playing.
      Taylor Swift: "I was ridin' shot gun with my hair undone..."
      Jessie bursts out laughing.
      Josh: "IT'S ON SHUFFLE!!"
      Jessie closes the door.

      Josh was in charge of the nativity scene this year. Each wiseman thinks that a different farm animal is the baby Jesus and Joseph stands in the corner with his back to everyone because he has just realized that he isn't the father. I should probably fix this soon. There's a fuzzy line between funny and disrespectful and Josh flirts with it every year when he sets up the nativity scene.

      Josh: "Jessie, you having money is the best thing that has ever happened to me!"

      Josh, on So You Think You Can Dance:
      Josh: I want the football player to win! He moves like a swan!!

      Josh- "Oh, it's not a good song. There are swear words in it, like hell and shit."
      Jessie (jokingly)- "Aw, they aren't thaaat bad..."
      Josh- "Jessie!! Don't lower your standards! Don't let your London bridge DOWN!!"

      After supper, Josh and I played outside. The best game we made up was rock baseball. One person stands on the dock holding a stick, and the other person throws rock lightly to them, and then the stick holder tries to hit the rock in the water. I won cause I hit a rock the farthest-into our neighbours lawn where it bounced off their swinging chair. We stopped the game shortly after that ;). Josh put his bare feet in the lake today, I wasn't as adventurous. One of my favourite things to do outside in the summer is play cards on the deck while the sun is setting. It was still too cold to break out the cards. We finished off our brother/sister bonding evening with watching Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. I thought it was ok, but he really liked it. I think it made him feel smart when he finally understood the plot. However, I was proud of myself when I started to understand it too :).

      Wednesday, September 21, 2011

      Fav Sayings

      "There are long courtships which are performed in absence. The panorama revolves with him and he hangs in this long silent courtship, her absence making him look everywhere." - Michael Ondaatje (In the Skin of a Lion)

      "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss


      "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." - the Bible

      "Neeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh!" - Jordan Barnhill

      "Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are' is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread."- Francois Mauriac

      "There is ALWAYS time for gas." - Chris Fraser

      "Bbbbtttttttt" - Sarah Martin

      "Not a single salty tear,
      Not a feeling in my chest,
      Baby, I'm feeling no stress,
      I'm too fly to be depressed." -Neyo

      "Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it." - unknown

      "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" - Anais Nin

      "You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it" - unknown

      "Judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are." - unknown

      "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." - The Help

      "Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two..." - Winne the Pooh