Lucky Me

I like to enter contests.  I don't know why exactly, I just do.  Recently I entered a contest to win cereal for a year.  Why?  Well, why not?  Of course I also enter Steve and my mom in these contests...won't they be shocked (and pleased, I'm sure) if they win a years supply of Cheerio's?!?

I've won various prizes a few times, such as movie passes, CD's, gift baskets, concert tickets, etc.  Silly little things that I don't really need or necessarily want, but when I hear 'call now' it's like an order that I just can't ignore, and I find myself picking up the phone and automatically dialing the contest line.  It hasn't always worked out though.  A few times I have turned on the radio, heard the words 'be the (whatever caller #) now' and away I go...grab the phone and dial, dial, dial...When this happens, I always get a little panicky as I don't really know what I'm calling for.  Are they going to ask me a question?  What am I even calling for?  I once listened to the phone ring a few times and then when I won I got nervous and hung up.  I was sorry about a minute later when I found out I had just hung up on a trip to Belize!  When I really don't know what I'm going to win and it starts to ring on the other end, I'll often give the phone to Steve...'here honey, find out what I've won...'

My most recent win was last Friday when I won a $100 gift card to a local clothing shop.  Steve wants to know why I can't win anything 'good', but I don't mind winning these little prizes.  I mean, what's the fun in winning the lottery when you can win a Christina Aguilera Christmas CD?? 

Well, time to go.  Have to enter Steve, Mom and Me in the cereal contest...

The Giggle

There are many wonderful sounds that I love. 

The sound of the ocean, so peaceful in its rhythm.
Hearing people cheer when their team wins an important game.
The sound of my husbands voice, always so sweet and loving.
Hearing the garage door open when I know my husband is finally arriving home from working a 12 hr shift.
The sound of children playing.
Hearing the wind as it rustles through the trees.

But the sound I love the most is the one my daughter made when she giggled for the first time. 

The Last Wish

When I awoke this morning, the skies were grey and the rain had begun to fall.  Steve and I got ready to go, got Elysia up and bathed, and we hurried out the door.  Today is the day that Steve's family chose to place his father's ashes in the river. 

I didn't know Steve's dad very well, but what I do know is that he was loved.  To be dearly loved by family and friends, isn't that a life that we all want?  I heard once that we can't measure our life by how much we love others, but by how much we are loved.  If that's the case, then Ken was a very blessed man.

Steve's father passed away last September.  He wanted his ashes spread under the bridge where he once saved a woman's life many years ago, and the family came together to make sure that his wishes were honoured.  Not long after arriving at the pier where the boat waited to take the family under the bridge, the sky cleared and the sun greeted us with its warmth. 

It was a difficult day for my husband.  He wrote something earlier, and he said he didn't mind if I placed it in my blog.  Here it is...

I sent my dad to sea today and I am not sure how I feel about it. It has been one year since I lost him although it still feels like yesterday to me.


I know that loss of a loved one is a natural course of life but I have to ask the question why. It was not like he was an old man he was only 57 years old. So now our little girl will never know her grandpa Shaw. And out of this loss I have to say that that is the hardest thing to deal with. He will never get to look into her eyes and see them smile. He will never hear her laugh. He will never see me as a father and the man that I have become. I believe that he can see me but it is not the same. I wish that he could enjoy life with a granddaughter.

Dad you were my best friend, my mentor and my hero. I LOVE YOU DAD.

Naptime

How my life has changed!  Between midnight feedings, bottles, diapers, and playtime, my days are no longer my own.  Who was I before this now 10 pound baby entered my world?  Did I always have to pack a spare shirt with me for those frequent spit-ups that always manage to miss the bib and hit me?  Was laundry ever not a part of my daily routine?  And when did I start carrying a backpack with me instead of a purse?  I wonder now how I was ever able to get up in the morning and be out the door and on the road within half an hour.  Did that really happen, or was it all a dream...

And yet, I wouldn't change a thing. 

Elysia gives me a smile that just melts my heart.  When I play with her, she gets this mischievous twinkle in her eyes and I just know that she is going to have a wonderful sense of humour.  She truly does amaze me more and more every day.  How could I ever want to go back to life before her?  Every day I look forward to seeing what incredible thing she is going to do or what new thing she is going to learn. Can you tell that I am really enjoying raising this child?  My child.  So much of me is in her, yet she is completely her own person.  The one who looks at me with eyes so much like her fathers.  Who is she going to become?  What is she going to choose for her life?  Is she going to want to see the world and live a life of adventure?  Or is she going to love being home, and always remain close to those that love her.  Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself...

Naptime.

Right now my baby sleeps.  She is swaddled in blankets with soother in mouth and looks like a little angel.  This is my time to do a few things around the house, but if I am lucky I have a few moments to myself.   She is sleeping longer than the 30 minute naps that she has given me in the past, and now seems to sleep for around 2 hours.  She is growing so fast that she needs this time to energize.  How my life has changed!

And yet, I wouldn't change a thing.

Welcome to the World of Blogging

Well, this is my first entry into the blogging world.  I've had this blog for a few weeks now, and have looked at it's blank pages with more than a little trepidation.  However, after reading a few blogs from friends and my mom, I have decided to finally 'get my feet wet,' and write something!  So here's a little bit about me...

I have been married to my husband for a little over a year now.  We are still in our 'honeymoon' period, and I love him dearly.  Steve is such a strong and stable man.  If I had to describe his personality in a word picture, I'd say he is like a tree.  He is well rooted and strong, and provides for me comfort, love and peace.  This isn't to say that he is boring.  Quite the contrary!  I find him funny, sweet and interesting as well.  As for me, I am more like a bird in that tree, always wanting to try new things and explore the world around me.  While I am definitely more flighty than my husband, I need that tree.  In that way, I believe we are perfectly suited to each other.  He keeps me grounded, and I help him become more adventurous.

We also have a three month old daughter named Elysia.  She is truly my pride and my joy, and I adore her.  When she wakes up in the morning she greets me with a smile, and I love spending my days with her.  The surprise and delight visible in her eyes when she learns something new is the most awesome thing I have ever seen.  A few weeks ago she rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time.  She looked so shocked and pleased with herself!  Elysia has these great big blue eyes, a perfect litte rose-bud mouth, and an adorable dimpled chin just like her daddy.  The only thing we have yet to determine is the colour of her hair!  Blonde, red, brown...her colour really depends on who she is sitting with or the lighting in the room.  One of my girlfriends said she is like a chamelion, changing colours to suit her environment.  I have to admit, my baby is clever!

This is me....