Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's a pic from last year but things look pretty much the same. Although I'm a wee bit bigger. Next year will DEFINITELY be a new pic.

We both wish you all the best for the holidays.

I Passed the GD Test! No Diabetes for me!!!!

Yesterday, I went to my OB and Sonia, his receptionist, couldn't wait to tell me. "If it's good news, I get to say it" she said. I passed the GD test. No high sugar for me. I was just expecting to have Gestational Diabetes as a atter of course given my family history. Miracle of miracles, I don't.

In anticipation that I was going to get the bad news, I had what I thought to be my last hot-chocolate (After Eight - yum) and a cinnamon bun on Thursday as my "last meal". HA! Now I can enjoy Christmas a little more.

I have still been losing weight but I'm guessing Christmas will correct that problem. Even though I'm 28 weeks, I still don't look it to many people. Especially in the winter when you tend to wear baggier clothes. But, my jeans are snug. :)

Well, if I don't get a chance to blog again for another week, I wish you all a safe and wonderful Christmas. We're off to see Jodi, Mark and the kids and the rest of the Kimberley crew in Calgary on Boxing Day (3 day trip).

Love and Joy to you and yours!

On Medical Leave and Taking it Easy

Today is the first day of medical leave for me. The doctors have requested that I go on leave for 3 months to get my things in order in time for the baby's arrival.

I know some people have been worried about me lately but know that I'm fine. Work has been a very big stresser in my life and the doctors wanted me to get out of that situation sooner than we had thought.

Hormones have been playing a big part in my mood levels of late. Not able to concentrate or remember a whole lot. I didn't really believe in that phenomenon before. Now I'm a believer. The doctors have been watching me very closely and I've got appointments every week (if not 2 per week).

Diabetes test is up next. Took the initial test and the sugar level in my blood was high. Tomorrow I go in for the 3 hour test which is called a confirmation test for gestational diabetes. I have to sit in the waiting room for 3 hours after drinking the orange drink. Good thing I have our Nintendo DS Lite to play one while I wait. Then another blood test.

Hopefully this week will allow me some time to get prepared for the holidays. It's been incredibly rushed up until now. Just being able to check work at the door has taken a whole load off my shoulders. What a relief.

Thanks for all your concern and good thoughts. They mean so much to us.

Feeling in a Very Dark Haze

I have no concentration, no motivation, and no energy. I feel like I have a very thick fog around me.

This is not good for the work situation. I'm of no help to anyone. My body just wants to sleep. I'm scared I'm going to fall asleep right at my desk. This terrifies me. We have a very open office structure here.

Heartburn won't let up either. I've never had it before rascal. This is really affecting my appetite.

Looking forward to the doctor's appointment tomorrow to get the next steps begun.

Hopefully some sleep will come soon. (At home I mean).

Will This Week Ever End???

Things have been a roller-coaster ride since our return from our cruise. I've been sick with the flu or cold and the nagging cough is still with me. Seems worse when Rich is around - poor guy.

Also, my medical situation is taking a turn. I'm back on medication (that I was off for the first 5 months) but it seems "the cure is worse than the disease" these days. 3 specialists and 1 GP. All are concerned for my health so that when the baby is born, the situation doesn't affect the baby. (Healthy Mom = Healthy Baby).

I'm pretty shaken up by all the doctors appointments these past 14 days but I'm in very capable hands. Blood tests, diabetes test (no news yet) and just about everything else it seems like. PHEW!

The specialists are all in agreement that they want me to be in "remission" from symptoms not reduced symptoms before the baby comes. That means they are willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to get me there. We are in the midst of the first big step right now. Can't really go into it just yet but know that my family and doctors are behind me 100%. Thank you all!

As I've said since Rich and I started out, he's been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I mean it even more today and more and more every day. His strength is the one thing that is keeping me from losing my cool altogether. And Packers keeps me company no matter how I'm feeling. She's magnetically connected to my tummy these days.

For the next week or so, I'm going to be laying really low. I need to get my stress level down a LOT. Keep us in your thoughts. We'll chat when I'm back on higher ground.

At the 6 Month Mark and Still Sick (Coughing Hurts)

Yes, the baby is moving.  I can feel the little "rascal".  Presence was first felt when we were landing in San Juan PR on our way to our cruise.  "Rascal" appears to move more and more often when I cough.   My diaphragm is getting quite a work-out for the past 10 days.  I've never been sick like this before.  It's a chest cold I think but doc just said, it's expected.  UGH!  Got my flu shot and everything.  Oh well.

 

I was at home, sick, for 3 days last week.  I just worked from here.  The beauty of a laptop and a wireless network.

 

Doc has requested that I go in for the Gestational Diabetes test.  UGH!  Drink orange sweet syrupy carbonated drink and then sit for an hour.  Take blood.  Not looking forward to it.  Got to get it done this week or next.

 

I wanted to say thanks to everyone that reads my little blog.  I've heard from quite a few people (from ALL OVER) that have been reading up on our adventures of late.  It motivates me to write more.  Promise.  Well, back to work.

Ah! The Irony!

The trip was great. The trip home was SO NOT! I'm not going into details but it was the biggest comedy of errors I've ever experienced with a cruise line in my life. 4.5 hours standing in line at the airport waiting for Ticketing is unacceptable at the best of time but being pregnant made it even worse. Only 16 seats for over 300 people. UGH!

Anyway, the irony is that I thought I'd beaten the cold that was threatening before I left. Well, it hit me with a vengeance by the time I hit LAX on Saturday and now it's in full swing. I've got a terrible chesty cough. Luckily it's not in my lungs as yet. Fluids constantly.

I just hope I have my voice back in time for the Christmas concerts coming up soon.

Last Full Day Aboard Ship - Back Sunday

We're docked here in Huatulco MX and Rich is onshore doing Walk-about. I'm not feeling the greatest so I chose to stay aboard. Seen a lot of MX already myself. Huatulco is being groomed as the next Cancun.

Since I last blogged we've been through the canal which was amazing, been to a mangrove forest and macaw sanctuary in Costa Rica (highky recommend it to anyone), two relatively so-so tours (bus) in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

We got our second thanksgiving dinner last night. Couldn't avoid pumpkin if you tried. It was in every course. I mean absolutely every dish.

Tomorrow we disembark in Acapulco and do a tour around the city and to see the cliff divers then it's time to fly to LAX. Spend the night there and fly home Sunday afternoon. Just in time to get laundry done, play with the cat, sleep and the go to work the following day.

What a trip! Not soon forgotten. :)

Ola Panama!

We've just cleared the Pedro Miguel lock on the Pacific side of the canal. It is a 1 lock, 31 foot drop. In conjunction with the Miraflores locks (2 of them) we're dropping 26 metres back to sea level. We started the journey at about 6.30 this morning. It's now 3pm. It takes between 8-10 hours to traverse.

The humidity here is amazing. We have had condensation issues on camera lenses. Luckily though, it's been partially overcast most of the day. It's kept the temperature down.

Lots of pictures today. Rich actually said "I think this is more interesting and fun than tunnels!" And trust me, for Rich, that's saying something.

2nd stop was boring - Aruba

We were only in port for like 3hrs. All it was that we could tell was shopping. Found Del Sol of course. Otherwise, not impressed.

We'red berthed in Columbia today but we're staying onboard. Next destination - Panama Canal.

1st Stop - Curacao, Dutch Antilles

It's 3pm here but that's 4hrs ahead of pacific time.

We've been on a tour of Willemstad and them off to feed nurse sharks at the sea aquarium. Rich then went ti thew town on foot to search oit the local brew - Amstal Bright. Quite enjoyed it but apprently they don't export that one. Poor Rich.

Off to Aruba tonight. We're planning on just toiring on foot tomorrow as it's only a half a day. Maybe get a little shopping in.

Central America - Here We Come!!!

Today is the day we take flight for more Southern climes. We fly to LA, then Miami (red-eye_, and then on to San Juan, Puerto Rico where we catch our floating hotel. We set sail at 11pm that night (Tuesday) for Curacao, Aruba, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico (west coast for a change).

We're pretty excited. It's 8am right now and Rich is catching a bit more sleep. I retired WAY early last night while Rich played on the 'puter.

Packers knows something's up. My mom came over briefly yesterday (grandma) and the cat gave us "the look". Mom fed her some treats and then she wouldn't leave Mom's side. ;) Good thing they get along so well. Lately, we've been calling Packers the princess of the house and a bit of an old maid.

Now she gets a vacation from us (mainly me) and can just sit around and sleep. She does that best. We're gonna miss her so much. She's sitting right here beside me on the chair and looks so cute on her pillow. Yes. She likes her pillows. Yesterday she sat atop a body pillow folded in half AND a throw pillow. She just has to be "on top" of things. :)

Well, I gotta go and get the last minute packing finished. We did 90% last night. Now it's the "what did we forget" stuff and the stuff we needed for our last night at home.

This will be different for us leaving late in the day. Sure hope the wind-storm won't affect our flights. So far everything is on schedule. Will continue to check.

Perhaps will try to blog from the cruise. Have laptop/blackberry, will travel. At least while I still can. Keep in touch. Email me as well. I'll try to keep up.

In the immortal words of Tigger... TTFN

Counting Down the Days to our Last Big Trip for a While

In 10 days, Rich and I leave for the port of San Juan, PR USA.  It's the start of our last cruise for a bit since we're having a new bundle of joy joining us in March.

We're flying LA->Miami->San Juan and then off through the Southern Caribbean all the way down to Columbia and then through the Canal.  Up the Central American coast (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala) to Mexico.

We had booked this prior to our wonderful surprise made itself known.  After that, I'm playing the home-body for a while.  I'm feeling as big as a house these days as well.  It will only become more in the coming weeks of course.

Everything since the "issue" has been ok thankfully.  Thanks to everyone for your kind words and thoughts.  We both really appreciate all the love.  So does the "rascal".  

Packers is keeping our rascal nice and comfy these days.  She's magnetized to my tummy.  She keeps trying to knead at my tummy to make it softer.  A futile effort these days.  Then she sleeps right on my tummy and lap.  (Less lap and more tummy of late).  Rich calls her "Nurse Kitty".  She's been quite busy of late.

Well, this weekend is full of choir stuff.  Singing in the Reformation concert on sunday (www.roca.ca).

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Pregnancy is sometimes scary but the Baby is fine

17 weeks and 6 days into the pregnancy and at 7.20am in the morning, I squatted to the floor to put my laptop bag on a scale at Harbour Air's Richmond location. I was getting it weighted prior to getting on a flight to Victoria for work. While I was low the ground, I felt a strange liquid rush.

I wasn't sure what was going on. I walked outside to put a sign in my car with my c0-worker when I realized something was wrong. Noticed that my black pants were wet. My hand was covered with blood. Well, that was the strangest way to tell my co-worker that I was pregnant. :)

We went back inside and told the staff. They immediately sprang into action. They were amazing!!! I was not in any pain. It was surreal. I wanted to drive my car to the hospital because it was less than 5 minutes away. Instead, one of the employees drove my car while another followed. They took such great care of me. Got me to the hospital before an ambulance could get to the terminal probably. (PS: Their VP called me that night to make sure I was ok - What a great service oriented company - If you ever get the chance, please frequent their company. They are one of the great ones. Will explain the longer story if you ask but otherwise, trust me, fly with Harbour Air. Can't say I actually got to fly this time, but I plan on rectifying that at some point after the pregnancy).

Back to the story.... The Harbour Air employees insisted I call Rich back from his commute. He turned around immediately.

I ended up in Emergency at Richmond Hospital. To keep the story short, I will say that I spent 8 hours in hospital, 1.5 litres of saline, and 2 ultrasounds and 4 vials of blood. I lost about 2-3 cups of blood during the incident. But after that, they said that sometimes, there is no explanation but the placenta and the uterus just bleed between them.

There was no ill-effects to the baby thankfully. I now have to go to my OB next week for a follow-up.

Righ and I are happy to say that the baby is ok. We both thank you all for your good thoughts and your patience. Keep us in your thoughts too. We appreciate it. :)

Many of You Know BUT Some Others Will Be SHOCKED!!!

I won't keep anyone in suspense any longer. I apologize for not updating my blog more often but I've been spending more time with work and Facebook these days.

OK. Enough with the suspense right? Richard and I have exciting news. We're expecting a little bundle of joy in Mid-March. I'm through the first trimester. Still dealing with massive "all day sickness".

We're going on a cruise through the Panama Canal in November as a bit of a vacation. Not like we're going to get a chance in the next decade or two. :)

Anyhow. Hope all is well.

Cheers for now. March 14 is coming quick.

I've Accepted a new Full-Time Job

Yup. I finally did it. I'm back in the grind for the full-time long haul now. I really did miss being around colleagues and people in general.



The first 5 months of this year were famine months (very very little work). I felt like I had cabin fever. Rich noticed a very significant change in my mood as well.



Most recently (and right now until the end of the month actually), I've been working at my old "Alma Mater" of Business Objects (Crystal as some of you remember it). Well, at the halfway point in my contract (end of June) they were starting to court me for a full-time position.



And today, I finally signed on. I start officially as an employee at the beginning of August.



Now before you go all "but you hated what they did to you", I agree with you. Yes, I did. But that was a completely different team and a whole different organization. Quite literally, I'm as far from that team as possible. I now get to work doing what I wanted to do all along. Report Design. I am what is called a Content Developer and I will be in charge of all reports designed for an online product.



I'm very excited. There is a good possibility for management as well. I miss that also.



Oh yeah. And also, just cuz I'm back working there doesn't mean I took what happened to me laying down. My contract negotiations were entertaining and I'm very happy with the result. I wouldn't take what I left with - let's just leave it at that.



I am now working for the old company but doing what I want and enjoying my new life as a wife. : )

Vegas was Awesome. Camping was Great.

Congratulations to my cousin Leiana who married the love of her life Kevin on 7-7-7 .

I couldn't help but putting up this pic of Leiana all a-glow at the reception along with my two lovelies. My niece MaKayla and my nephew Sébastien.

Rich and I then headed out to Lake Koocanusa to visit with the Hunt family for a few days of good old fashioned camping.

My cousin Carla's youngest Connor decided it was "KOOL" to do the mimic thing. We howled with laughter.

Well back to the grind. Have a great weekend everyone. And remember. If you're a facebook user, I'm getting started up there. Not much yet but it'll come.

Yup. I'm on Facebook now...

Thanks to many of you, the latest craze/addiction has begun on my behalf. www.facebook.com. If you're already a member, just look up my name. I've already got 20 "friends". within 2 days. Oh my!

If you're not, you'll have to register yourselves. Don't feel you have to. It's a nice way to share pics though. (Admittedly I only have the one up so far - It's been a roller coaster week)

Have a great weekend everyone.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Well, It's been just over two weeks since returning to my old stomping ground here in the work world. Some things never change. Like projects leaving the crucial pieces (like the stuff I work on) until the project is practically due. We have to make something up for release in next to no time. Talk about using your creative juices.

This project is a little more difficult for me as I'm not doing report design. I'm actually critiquing another team's report design progress. I'll be reviewing their material, training them in new techniques and providing them with the estimates to which they will adhere for payment. (They've been significantly over-estimating their hours up to now).

I feel like a lot of responsibility has been placed upon my shoulders. It feels nice to be needed like this but it's also a little unnerving.

First thing I'm doing is making them learn Crystal Reports by reading my book. HAHAHAHA. It's now a requirement before they begin.

So Much for a Slow Summer

Well, the solos are over and I think I did well at them. I'm a little horse today but it's all good.

Yes, I am now back at the old company working on a 2 month (or so) contract. I've been back for a week. What a strange feeling. Getting lots of people doing double takes when they see me. Very funny expressions for sure.

The work if very daunting considering the time frame. I'm very worried about the project(s). They are extremely aggressive. Of course, I'm taking a week off in the middle of it too. Off to Leiana's wedding in Las Vegas and then camping with family in the eastern Rockies. And then back for Rich's co-worker's wedding the following week. Insane. 10 days and we have to cram all that in. PHEW.

Well, I'm off to drinks with "the guys". I'm joining Rich and his co-workers for dinner and drinks tonight.

1 Guess as to where I'm Working on a Project Now - ONLY 1 Guess!

Yup. I'm back at my "corporate alma mater" (not school) yet again. This is actually the first time that I'm working in the big snazzy headquarters.

No. I'm not sitting next to Richard although I could have done so as long as Raymond wouldn't mind on the three weeks out of the month he's not in Vancouver. Instead, I chose to sit with the team I am now working with. Marketing believe it or not.

This is a very aggressive project. In fact, it's two and both were supposed to be done in the same amount of time. I'm looking forward to the challenge but I'm also nervous. I'm out of my comfort zone. I'm not designing all the reports. On one of the projects, I'm spec'ing and sending the requirements out to be done by a team in India. On the other, I am doing the report design.

So from now until the end of July (we think) I'm working back at the office. No contract or anything has been signed yet but they know a good thing when they see it. (Just like they did when I was walking away).

One Weekend of Solos

Geez, Hope I Don't Lose My Voice!!!!

When it rains it pours. It's not only that way with my work (after 4 months of dry now everyone is asking me at once) but also with singing. I've just been asked to sing a really quick 7-10 word solo that becomes another 7-10 word trio for ROCA's Broadway concert and then for the next morning I've been asked to sing another one (with more words of course) at the Cathedral.

I hope my voice doesn't give out.

There are still tickets available for ROCA does Broadway. http://www.roca.ca/documents/ROCAonBroadway.pdf

We're doing music from Babes In Arms, The Music Man, A Chorus Line, Carousel, and Cinderella and so many more I've forgotten them all.

Hope to see you there.

Aloha & Mahalo - Thanks for Having Us!

Mom and I are back from our 15 day Hawaiian cruise. We travelled with my family from Kimberley and Calgary. Mother/Daughter thing (including two honorary members - friends of the family). There were 7 of us. We were known through the ship as the 7 Wonders. It was a blast.

I took massive amounts of pics (of water, flowers, people, everything). Just have to get them all organized now. Hoping to make an album.

As soon as I returned home, I checked my messages and found that there were 5-10 works possibilities. Working on one right now that is keeping me from pumping up photos.

CONGRATULATIONS to Marni and Diego on the birth of their 2nd son yesterday (May 1st). For more information on Rich's cousin and the birth of her second child, please see their blog at http://stickylittlefingers.blogspot.com/

A Little More Travel Info

Hey there everyone. A couple of peeps out there have been asking me about my brief comment on the upcoming cruise I mentioned. Didn't realize I was being so uninformative. Usually I think I'm being too "talkative". :)

Anyway, Mom and I are going on a 15-Day Hawaiian cruise (round-trip from LA). We're joining some other Mothers & Daughters from my family. Nan (my grand-mother), my Auntie Sheila, my cousin Carla. We're extending our family to include Cory and Jean as well. Between the 7 of us, we have 3 rooms, 2 balconies and 1 table for dinner. 27 days until embarkation. Email me if you want us to send you a post-card. Tick-tock-tick-tock

About Las Vegas. My cousin Leiana is getting married. Both her and her fiance live in LV. It's not what you think of as a typical Vegas wedding. Going totally traditional. They're getting married on July 7th. Break that down. 7/7/07. Good slot machine numbers eh? I'm looking forward to singing at the wedding ceremony. Leiana and Kevin are going to have a great time I think. We're all very excited for them both!

Back from Kimberley Extend-O-Trip

I made a big oops when I booked my flights to and from Kimberley a few weeks back.

My plan was to go for the weekend and come back on Tuesday. A nice little trip to catch up with my family.

Got to the airport on Tuesday morning, fighting our way out of a big snow-"storm" (at least in my eyes), only to find out from the man at the check-in counter that there was no Webster (or Hunt for that matter - just in case you know) on flights at all that day. He took a look at my print out and sure enough, I was exactly 1 week too early.


Well, the big decision. Stay another week or pay for an earlier flight. Due to the limitations on my ticket, I would have had to buy a whole new ticket to get home any earlier.

My Auntie Sheila and my Nan said "We'd love the company". Great thing about working for myself. I can take off. Richard seemed fine with it. He and Packers would keep each other company.

I couldn't believe how much snow can accumulate in such a short period of time. I was constantly looking out the window and taking pictures with our new Digital camera. Richard surprised me with it for my b'day.

Above, you'll see Nan leaving her house that is surrounded by 3-4 foot snowbanks. We were headed for Cranbrook. Only 40 mins away but no snow at all. Goes to show the altitude of Kimberley.

You know how the day after it rains, the air seems clearer. No smog and colour is just brighter? Well, this is what I saw just everywhere with the snow up there. Just gorgeous.

Sweet Home Kimberley BC

I was planning on coming up here for the Alberta long-weekend this past week. Well, I goofed up on my return flight with Air Canada's website and my flight back home is not until next week.

I'm very fortunate that I'm working for myself and there is a bit of a lull.

The snow here is back like what it was when I was a kid. The locals are sick of it but I can't stop taking pictures. Will post them another time cuz I gotta run to get my Nan to a doc's appt in Cranbrook. (It's snowing right now so we're going to have to take extra time). Then we're meeting the Thursday Lunching Ladies at the St. Eugene Casino for lunch. This will be my first time taking in a casino in BC. I'm getting prepared for the cruise and going to Las Vegas. :)

OK true, I haven't explained those two last events yet but I will create a post for that too - soon.

Apologies for Not Posting Recently

I apologize to you all for my non-frequent posts these days. I've been a little stressed with getting ready for these three concerts coming up this weekend as well as just dealing with life as a single girl for a week while Richard was in India.

The extra time I've been putting in to rehearsing sounds like it will pay off. The concerts should be great. If you're interested, tickets are still available by emailing roca@roca.ca or go to our website at www.roca.ca.

Packers the sleepy kitty says "YAWN".

Valentine's Concerts are 2.5 weeks away!!!

Things are running quite quickly these days. Rich is heading to India for a week this Friday.

I've got 3 concerts called "With a Song in My Heart". 3 locations, 3 different times (including one Sunday afternoon).

We're calling it a "Singing Valentine's Card". There will be fun songs, comedies, madrigals and beautiful love songs.

It will be HIGHLY entertaining. Check out the poster for the Vancouver and Richmond concerts.

• Feb 10 - 8pm Gilmore Park United in Richmond
• Feb 11 - 3pm St. Mary's Anglican in Vancouver
• Feb 13 - 7.30pm All Saints in Ladner

If you are interested in coming to one of the concerts, you must know that the tickets are selling out QUICKLY. Please contact ROCA directly at roca@roca.ca or look for more information on http://www.roca.ca.

In fact, the Richmond concert is almost filled up already. For Vancouver, it's a small church but has wonderful character and I think there might be more tickets still available. St. Mary's Anglican (Kerrisdale) is the location (37th and Vine or vacinity).

Seriously though, to make sure you get to see and hear our concert, please contact ROCA right away.

Oh, BTW, I apologize for being so slow to update this site. Like I said, life has been a bit of rush as well as cold season. Getting over it. Think things will calm down after the concerts.

And another thing, Princess Packers the Wonder Cat purrs to say "Hello".

Chest Cough and Sniffles Finally Fading

I basically spent the entire week between Christmas and New Year's in bed with a nasty could. It was one of the colds singers abhor. The CHEST COLD. Without good breath support, a singer is nothing.

Everytime I took a breath a little too deep I'd cough for a few volleys

Things are looking better today. Still stuffed up and sniffly but much more alert than the rest of the week. Sitting and waiting for a phone call from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops on that project I've been working on. Still no phone ring. Hm....

Well, I wish you all the best in the new year. And thanks for all your concern about my health. I am very blessed to have such caring people in my life.

I promise, I'm on the mend! :)