Agedashi Tofu or Dirty Sponge? And the End of the Love Affair

Today I am thankful that the package of deep fried tofu that I purchased at the store today was only $2 because it tasted terrible. Absolutely terrible. I love agedashi tofu from the Japanese restaurant and this was nowhere close. I think my dirty sponge has the same texture and probably would have more flavour. And I am thankful that the kidlet and the paramedic were not home because I am pretty sure that I would never have heard the end of it... and that they would have opted for moldy buns.

I am also going to backtrack a week or so to give thanks... by some miracle of miracles my conservative little town ousted the provincial Liberal party in my riding and voted in NDP in our by-election. This leads me to believe that anything is possible... and makes me worry significantly less about the "new" BC Education Act and how my professional organization went from being the BC College of Teachers to being the Teacher Regulation Branch... I believe Dolores Umbridge is in charge... at least until the next election.

I am also grateful today that the paramedic yelled at the dog as he bolted out the door... makes me feel better to know that even he - the most patient person I have ever met - has a limit to how much "specialness" he can take. Their love affair might be ending...

Just Dance!

Today I am grateful for the person who created the Just Dance game for Kinect... and an empty house so that there were no witnesses. I am also thankful that I did not trip over the dog who insisted on lying right at my feet the entire time... and her eternal optimism that perhaps the dancing fool just might rub her belly.

I am also thankful that I stumbled across a great site http://jennifersway.org/ by Jennifer Esposito and her tales about her struggles with her 80 year old man stomach & a shoulder shrugging medical community... and I am only mildly creeped out by the fact that Blue Bloods was on the television when I found it. While I read and cried over her tales of one of "her troops" and the lessons she learned from her faithful companion, I was glad to be able to reach out and rub that belly of my companion... canine not paramedic.

Around the House...

The good thing about my resolution to find something new to give thanks for everyday is that it keeps me mentally occupied when stuck in the house. Today was day two of a sick kid on the couch and a dog who refused to get off the bed...

I am thankful that even doing only one or two loads of laundry makes me feel productive. Laundry is really such a lightweight chore but it somehow always make me feel like I have accomplished something. So, yes, I am thankful for laundry! And that the chocolate did finally come out of my new white skirt.

Watching her spring to life from a dead sleep at the sound of the sugar snap pea bag being opened, I am so grateful for my wonderfully unique old soul dog who has been a part of our family for nearly seven years. At nine, she makes me smile everyday. I am also thankful that she gets up early in the morning to see the paramedic off to work... and let's me sleep right through it.

I give thanks for Arrowroot cookies; so delicious and kind to my 80 year old man stomach.

I am thankful that the lazy dog only cried periodically after I locked him out of our room in an effort to keep him off the freshly laundered sheets. I guess I should also be thankful that he hasn't discovered the freshly painted guest room in the basement complete with queen size bed and down comforter.

Finally, I say a big thank you to my own will power and my refusal to continue watching the Real Housewives of Vancouver. They make me so ashamed to be from Vancouver and I only pray that none of those women are actually from Vancouver. Jodi might honestly be the root of all evil; and her husband is definitely a saint.

Wedding Plans!

It is just over two months until our family gets married!!!

I am thankful that we can plan a great vacation and a family wedding with my family and the new additions to my family. I am thankful that we will be able to share this time with some of the people who care about us.

As we tweak our plans to ensure that everyone has a good time, all three of us are excited as the details come together. We have changed beach locations and dates. It all seems like just the right fit for the three of us. The irony that our Slurpee loving family is getting married on 7/11 has not been lost on us. We are considering wedding photos at a 7-11, slurpees in hand. Wedding planning sites say to make the day as personal as possible so I guess we need to acknowledge what makes our family a family and just go with it... no matter how cheesy it is.

I am also thankful that the paramedic is okay with not having a fancy dinner on our wedding day and is willing to consider the idea of just diving into a big bucket of freshly steamed seafood. :) I think it would be cute to wear a plastic lobster bib over a white wedding gown. Slurpees and fresh crab... what a glorious way to end a day.

Today, as well, I am grateful that we found the paramedic shoes and a shirt.. but the hunt continues for pants that are more than "just pants."

I also give thanks that my surrogate brother is no longer experiencing "technical" difficulties and that he and his lovely wife are coming to our family wedding. Super duper yay!

Now, if I could only talk my hair stylist into coming...

Acceptance and "Just Pants"

As my friend was taking my measurements for my wedding dress a few weeks ago, I had to accept that those numbers no longer read "36-24-38" and that there is a pretty real chance that they never will again. Although, I am still convinced that the number for the boob area was definitely inflated and inaccurate.

Today, I am grateful for recognizing that the world will not come to an end if I don't stoically accept everything.

I have chosen a dress that is suitable for the body I currently occupy and, although it was not my first choice in terms of style, I know that I will feel pretty and special. It is not the perfect measurements that make us feel pretty and special but a combination of things.

Yesterday, having gotten some sun on my face, a fresh haircut and a new outfit, I felt pretty and special. I would have been perfectly content to get married in that casual outfit not because of how it looked but because of how it made me feel... well, until I sat on a chocolate Easter egg and then I didn't feel pretty... just relief that it wasn't my 80 year old man stomach playing some sick joke on me. ;)

I have spent the last couple of days teasing the paramedic because of a comment he made about the pants he bought for the wedding. I thought it was so silly that he said that he didn't really want to wear them because they were "just pants." As I sit here and think about the combination of things that come together to make me feel pretty and special, I realize that for all of us there are things that we need in order to feel pretty and special and for some of us that means pants that are more than "just pants." If he needs a bedazzled pair of pants and a pirate shirt to make him feel special and pretty on our wedding day, then that is something that I will accept... but I will have to work on the stoic part.

Moldy Buns, Crotchety Old Men & A Sparring Paramedic

Tonight, at dinner, as the kidlet asked "why is this part of my bun green?" and I watched him and the paramedic spit out the moldy buns I had inadvertently served, I was truly thankful that I live with two guys. Had I lived with females, I do not think that they would have found my lack of observational skills amusing in any way whatsoever. Oops.

I am also thankful to find that the paramedic does indeed have a righteous indignation side as the kidlet recounted the tale of the argument over road hockey with our crotchety old neighbour. Yay! For guys who fight back... with anyone else but me. And double yay! for the for sale sign in front of Grumpy Pants' place.

I should also say that I am grateful for the delightful surprise today meeting another neighbour who started off the introduction with calling out "Are you the people who just moved in with the two dogs who bark?" Crossing the street and pretty confident that you could actually see my back going up, I was ready for that fight... how nice and refreshing that the woman who sweeps the street and looks really crabby is a dog lover! Her praise over the paramedic and how busy he is cleaning and working in the yard - and how much handier he seems that her husband - leads me to believe that I should also keep my eye on her!

And my favourite part of the day... when she asked where I found him and her not noticing our giggling avoidance of answering. ;-)

Paramedics and Dog Barf

Today, I am most certainly grateful for the apparent immunity the paramedic has to dog barf... and the joy he receives from watching me gag, whine and generally freak out.

Watching your dog barf all over the dinig room carpet (WHO puts carpet in a dining room?!?!) in a house we have lived in just over a week is not the best way for a non-morning person to start off their day. It is doubly worse if you are a reactionary barfer. I mean, seriously, that stuff is so disgusting.

So, today, it seems that the paramedic should thank me for the comedy routine that is me dealing with dog barf because it seems to leave him giggling all day long.

I am just thankful that he cleaned it all up... but I could do without the analysis of the contents.