Day 1

We walk into the main entrance of the Moncton hospital. Right now it looks strange but we know that it will soon become very familiar to us. We ask for directions to the pediatric ward. Jason is carrying Jules piggy back, trying hard to be fun and light about it. It works. Jules is smiling. A nurse named "Misty" greets us. She asks why we are there. I just stare blankly. I can't remember saying anything, only passing her my envelope for the doctor. She now knows who we are. They have been expecting us. First we must go and register. Another room. Another lady. Many questions. I have to think to remember her birthdate. Then back to Misty. The doctor is on her way. Here is your room. This will be our home for the next few days. Just how many days, we don't know. Doctor arrives. Her name is Dr. Hurst. She seems nice. Instantly familiar, reminds me of someone....an actress maybe? The chronological is fuzzy. I just know they tested her sugar and it was high. 28. You're supposed to be between 4 and 8. Not good. She has it. Diabetes. For sure. They put some "magic cream" on the inside of her elbows. They need to take blood and it's supposed to freeze the skin so it doesn't hurt so much. Jules doesn't like the idea. She hates needles. They take us to their treatment room. The walls are in the process of being painted like a mural. There is the outline of the little mermaid, she's just not colored in yet. Jules tells them what colors she is supposed to be. They lay her down. She cries, and they take their blood. Then it's back to her room. So many questions. Can she have children? Yes. Will she pass it on the them? Maybe, but not necessarily. Good chance she won't. What can she eat? Anything she wants. Damage to eyes, kidneys, etc..? No, and won't for her whole life as long as she keeps it under control. The doctor explains that we caught it early. Very early, which is good. If I hadn't taken her to the ER that day, she would have been back in 48 hours...... very sick. She tells me how the doctor in Miramichi was wrong - excessive thirst is a sign of diabetes in children. They are shocked that he wouldn't know this info. and that he was actually going to send us home with the diagnosis of a bladder infection. They give Jules her first shot of insulin. Unbelievable. I call home and tell Mom that yes...there is no mistake. They tell us we will be here for 4-5 days, they're not quite sure yet how long. They give us a tour of the ward - fridge to keep food in, family room with washer/dryer, a playroom filled with toys, showers, etc... Everyone seems really nice. Jules loves the attention. I don't think she gets it yet, or she's taking it extremely well. They give me a book to read to her. It's written by a nine year old who also has diabetes. Her story sounds a lot like ours. Jason tries to read it to her, but only gets to the second page before breaking down. Can't do it. They tell us that we will know everything before we leave here. Seems impossible. We will be taught everything there is to know about type 1 diabetes. They say we will soon be experts. I don't believe them. Dr. Hurst rubs my back, just like Dr. Cole did. Half of me is appreciative for their compassion and the other half wants everyone to stop touching me. Apparently, the treatment of diabetes has come along way. No more old needles, now they have "pens". No more not eating sugar, now it's carb counting. You count how many carbs you ate at a meal and give the appropiate level of insulin to cover it. I think I will never know how to do this. Jules cries everytime they check her sugar, because they prick her finger every time. The doctor leaves and says she will see us tomorrow. Tomorrow we will begin to learn or "go to school". It is freezing here in the hospital. I say I should have brought Grammy's cardigan. Jason runs out to get us something to eat at Wendys. He runs into Zellers to buy himself some underwear. He didn't pack near enough. He buys me a button-up sweater. He had two ladies at Zellers helping him to pick it out. He buys Jules a toy. She loves it. She says, "Today was the best day of my life, except for the bad parts". I cry. She is doing so well. Jason and I seem to take turns crying. Odd. We hardly ever cry at the same time. Either I am consoling him or he is consoling me. I take a picture of Jules with my digital camera. How I thought to pack it and not clothes, I don't know. They come in at midnight and at 3am to check her sugar. There is two huge lazyboys in the room for us to sleep in. We don't sleep at all.

Leaving Home

(continued...)

"So they're expecting us?", I ask. Yes. Where is your husband? At work, I say. How soon do you think you can get there? But then the doctor answers for me. He goes to call back Moncton and say that we will indeed be coming but not to expect us until later in the evening. I think to myself that we will be there quicker than he thinks. Jules is crying. She asks me what is going to happen to her. Everything is fine, I tell her. Abby starts to cry too. She just wants to go home and eat. I tell them I will be right back. I call Jason. He is stunned. He curses. He will get away from work as soon as he can. I call Mom. She still thinks it's a mistake. No, I tell her. You weren't here. You didn't see their faces. It's true. Can you drive home? Have to. No choice. No choice in any of this. Doctor comes back one last time. He gives me a sealed envelope. On the front is the Moncton doctor's name, the words "Pediatric Ward" and "recently diagnosed DM". Tells me how sorry he is. Rubs my shoulder. As he does, I try not to cry. Can't let Jules see me cry. We leave. Jules knows she has to go the big city, to another hospital. Knows we're going to be there for days. Must focus on road. Stop for gas? No, I must have enough. Just drive..... Don't think..... Too late. I look back and see that they're both asleep. I let myself cry. I get too loud and make myself stop. This can't be happening.... not to us.... not to her. Jason calls me on cell. He asks how I am. I don't answer. He's leaving work. Will be right there. I drive into Mom's driveway. They wake up. Mom is outside. Jules hops out of the van and tells Grammy. I know, she says, but that's ok. You'll be fine. Samuel is inside. He doesn't know yet. He's playing video games on the television. Barely pays attention. Jules and Abby are hungry. What can we feed her? We don't know. She has some yogurt. She wants a piece of peanut butter cake. Mom looks at me. Give it to her, I say. It'll be her last piece. I leave alone to go pack. I barely get into driveway before it comes. The loud heaving sobs of sorrow. I walk into the house. It looks just the same as it did when we left. But everything has changed. In a way it feels like she died. You look around at everything the way it used to be. Her toys laying around. But you wonder if she'll ever be back to play with them. Must pack. Must stop crying. Have to be strong. For some reason, I can't find anything. Can't decide what to take. Jason comes home. He sped the whole way. I'm in on her floor when he walks by. I can't find her backpack. He finds it for me. It's just a bump in the road, he says. We can do this. She's going to be ok. He quickly showers. I could use one but don't. We hurry and pack and then go back over to Mom's. Mom has already told Samuel, but he continues to play videos. He doesn't get it. Jules is actually ok. I smile and tell her we're going on a special adventure. I brought her Harmony Bear to sleep with. Mom gives us her car because it has air conditioning and the radiator on our van is still bad. I hug Abby and Samuel. I tell them I love you and that I will call them. They ask us to bring them back a toy. And that's it...we're off. As we drive by our house, I cry silent tears. When will we be back? And how will things be then? I vision balloons and a welcome home Jules sign. And then I'm numb. Jason is speeding the whole way. I keep telling him to slow down. She's ok. She asks us if it will be fun there. I don't know. We stop at a store in Rogersville to get gas. I'm hungry. Haven't even had a glass of water yet. It's after 4pm. I buy Jules a bottle of water. Am reminded of all the times she asked for a drink and I refused her. Thought it was just a game for attention. It wasn't. The aisles are all filled with candy. Sugar everywhere. We keep driving. Jules looks out the window hoping to see the train. I tell her it doesn't run on Saturdays. Finally we're in Moncton. We drive to the Moncton Hospital and park. We're here. This can't be real.

(to be continued...)

The Day That Changed Our Lives For Ever

Saturday, July 22, 2006.

The day started like any other day. I was focused on the move, making a mental list in my head of what I was going to pack that day. Samuel came and told me that Jules was crying in the bathroom. She told me that she felt like she was going to pee herself, but yet couldn't pee. Apparently she had been in the bathroom for quite a while. She was scared to leave because she thought she would pee herself as soon as she left, so she just continued to stay on the flush. I knew then that we would be making a trip to the ER. She obviously had a bladder infection. She had been urinating much more frequently, a few times she even peed the bed. Abby had been coughing a lot, so I thought I might as well bring her too. I called Mom and she agreed to babysit Samuel. I explained to Jules what a bladder infection was, how I thought she had one, and was going to take her to see a doctor. Moments later, she was in the bathroom again. This time she started to scream. It really hurt she said. I told her how sometimes when you have a bladder infection, it can burn or hurt when you pee. To hurry up and get ready to go. I sighed when I looked at all the boxes left to pack, but thought maybe we'd be lucky and the ER wouldn't be too busy. I drop Samuel off at Mom's and off we went. The ER was extremely busy. RCMP officers everywhere. Must have been an accident or something. We had to wait for 20 minutes or more just to see the triage nurse. Finally it is our turn. I tell the nurse my unprofessional diagnosis of a bladder infection. Sounds like she says. I then ask if a bladder infection could also make you drink more often. She shoots me a look and says no, that can be a sign of diabetes. I've heard that, I say. And I had.... from at least two relatives. Jules gives a urine sample. This time it doesn't hurt so much. They call our name and we get to see the doctor. Dr. Cole is on duty today. He is the one with a bit of an Irish accent. Always like him. He tells me that Jules does indeed have a bladder infection and writes out a prescription for Amoxi-cillin. He ends up writing out one for Abby too. She's a little filled up. I ask him the same question about the excessive thirst. He says that it is not a sign of diabetes in children, only in adults. Kids with diabetes come in really sick, lethargic and vomiting. Just look at her she is fine. Tells me he will prick her finger and check her sugar if I want him to. I say please do so I can go home and tell said relatives to shut up about diabetes. That she is fine. Nurse comes and pricks her finger. Jules cries a lot. But oddly no one tells me the results. They leave. I hear whispering. I look at the large digital clock and watch the dots flash in and out. Minutes ticking by. Nothing. The kids are hungry and want to go home. Nurse comes back and asks me if Jules had anything to eat while we were in the waiting room. Maybe she got juice on her hands? No I said. She barely ate her toast this morning. Another look and she leaves. More whispering. Oh no I think. God no...please.....no. They come back and say that they might have to do another prick. This upsets Jules and she starts to cry again. She hates needles of any kind. Always has...like a phobia. We start and sing "My Favorite Things" song from the Sound of Music. "Raindrops on roses....." They think we are singing for them, but I'm singing for me too. It actually works. I laugh to myself. How paranoid am I. I'll go home and tell everyone how I was so scared for a few minutes and then of course everything turned out fine. How crazy am I? Dr. Cole comes back. He looks puzzled. Says he never seen anything like this before. Her sugar is high. They dipped her urine too and it's high there as well. He sits on the bed. Says he's sorry but if he was to fathom a guess, he would say it looks like Jules has "a touch" of diabetes and it won't go away. "What then?", I ask. You shoots me an upward glance and says the words, "You don't want to know". Our pediatrician is on vacation for a couple of weeks. Replacement will be here on Tuesday. Usually we admit kids like this he said, but she doesn't look sick at all. Maybe I'll let you go home and you can just wait and see her on Tuesday. Oh I said. I was thinking how hard that wait would be. Just to be safe, he calls Moncton to talk to the pediatrician on duty there. I tell Abby and Jules to stay there, I will be right back. I phone Jason and tell him that they think Jules has diabetes. No, she doesn't he says. You know she's doesn't have it. I call Mom and tell her to start praying because they think Jules has diabetes. You're lying she says. They're crazy. I see the doctor is ready to talk to me again. He says "I have no good news for you". I hear the words "good news" and smile. I think it's all over....all been a big mistake. He looks at me and says she has to be admitted. pause. then says "in Moncton". Oh I say.

(to be continued..)

Coming Home

Just discovered the free internet access in the hospital library. Could have been blogging all along. May take some time, but plan to write all about this journey later.

Today, we're coming home. Very different. But so much the same.

Not To Blog

We have had quite the busy week. Kinda put a wrench in the whole "blog more often" plan. So much to tell and talk about. The easiest way seems to be chronologically. So here we go....

*Monday*

Today was Jason's first day off from work. After sleeping in a little together, we managed to get out of bed. The night before, he had to stop mowing the lawn half way through, because of a thunder storm. So I mowed the other half, while Jason got ready to go to town with his father. Our van needs a new radiator, so he was going on the hunt for a used one. There was supposed to be an old van in douglastown that had one that would fit. After finishing up the lawn, I tidied up the house and packed another couple of boxes. I packed all the kids breakable ornaments that were on the shelf in Abby's room and pretty much all of my books. I think I made a packing boo-boo, because I put all my books into one large box. Yeah. Didn't really think that one through. I'm running out of boxes now. I'm going to have to go and hit up some stores for some more. Hey Stacy! Whenever you unpack a box, throw it my way and I'll take it off your hands. LOL. Jason returned empty handed. It seems that rad didn't match after all.

Later on, the kids went up to Jason's parent's house, while he and I went on a date to the movies. I wore my new skirt. I really like it. It took some getting used to. I'm so used to wearing scooters, that I was constantly worried that it was going to fly up with the wind and show everyone my underwear. It didn't. Jason said it looked really nice. Gerdie had taken the kids up to their house with our van, so we could take their air conditioned car. Man! Was it hot! I had turned the AC down because I had actually started to get cold, but as soon as we opened the door at the theater, the humid heat hit you right in the face.

We saw Pirates of the Caribbean II. It was really good. Much darker then the last one, although it has been such a long time since I saw the first one, that I might be wrong. I just know that it will be a long time before I can let my kids watch this one. They actually watched the first one. We would just fast forward through a couple of scenes or the kids would just hide their eyes. They were quite disappointed that they didn't get to come too. Johnny Depp is just....... what words can accurately describe him or do him justice? "Yummy" comes to mind. LOL. Orlando Bloom wasn't bad either.

Jason's brother Chris and his family were supposed to be at his parents house by the time we got there to pick up the kids. But as it turned out, they had decided to stop and sleep in a motel along the way. They'll get here sometime on Tuesday.

*Tuesday*

Another hot one! They were calling for a humidex of 43 degrees! So Jason did our annual hanging up of the blankets and towels to separate the kitchen and dining area. It looks crappy but it helps our air conditioner to work better. It's too small for such an open space to make any difference when it gets extremely hot out....Like say 43 degrees. I had bought a large bleeding heart plant when Jason and I had gone to Fredericton. I had hoped it could live long enough in the pot until I could transplant it close to our new house, but it didn't look so good. Lots of yellow leaves. So I decided to plant it close to the kids playhouse. I was outside digging a hole when a strange car drove in the driveway. Jason was vacuuming out our old cars to get them ready for sale, so I ran over there to get his attention. It was someone coming to look at the trailer. Ugh! I cannot say how much I hate these drop-ins. I mean, here it is the hottest day of the year. It's in the early morning. I'm in the process of packing plus I have 3 kids. I ran in the house first to quickly pick up anything that was on the floor. But there were dishes in the sink, boxes in the dining area, and did I mention we hung up blankets and towels? Needless to say, they won't be coming back with money in hand, anytime soon. Good news though....Talon called and our house plans are in, ready to be approved. We made an appointment for tomorrow at 1pm.

Chris and his family landed at dinner time. So the whole family took a shower(not at the same time) and headed up to visit. His kids have grown up so much! Justin is now 17 years old. He doesn't believe in drinking alcohol at all and plays guitar in a heavy metal band. They play gigs around their community and play all of their own songs. He just got back from Europe. He and his girlfriend were there for 15 days. Jessica is now 13 and a half years old. She is deep into the martial arts. She has a green belt which I think means she is half way to a black belt. She's been doing it for 2 or 3 years now. You should see her work a broomstick! I guess her specialty is the double knumb-chucks. The kids went crazy for her. Naomi showed us pictures of their new house. It's really nice. One of those multi-level ones like Randy's. Nice neighborhood. A cul-de-sac like Knots Landing.

Margaret and Gerdie barbecued a ton of stuff. Steak, pork chops, bacon wrapped chicken, a ton of potatoes, hamburgers and hotdogs with strawberry shortcake for dessert. We introduced the city folk to the game of washers. Chris is now addicted. Later Chris, Jessica, Jason, me and the kids all went for a walk. Jason slipped and fell into the brook, soaking his shorts. Chris was impressed that Jason managed not to spill his beer. Priorities. :) We got home at around 9:30pm.

*Wednesday*

We slept in again. The kids were played out from running around yesterday. Kinda lazed around a little bit too long. Then had to do the mad rush to get ready to go to town to sign off on our houseplans. Brought them some Tim Hortons to make up for being five minutes late. Our plans look beautiful! So surreal. They did make a few minor mistakes which have to be corrected plus I added a couple more plug-ins, but other than that, everything looked great. He told us our house is expected to be delivered on September 8th! Awesome news considering when we ordered it, he estimated very late September. It could even come earlier than that, depending on how things go in the plant. They dig the basement 2-3 weeks before the house comes, which means we gotta get busy packing and moving the trailer! Sends me into a panic when I think about it.

We went to Tyra's for dinner. It is really nice in there. If you haven't been in, you should, even just to get an ice-cream. It's painted really cool. I got a chicken burger with onion rings. It tasted good but my burger was made up of three small pieces of grilled chicken instead of just one large piece, so it kept falling apart on me. :( Mom and Sherry and her kids met up with us to have an ice-cream and to look at our plans. They think the house is going to look beautiful too.

After that, we were off to the Ritchie Wharf to meet up with the Keenan's again. They had gone on a boat tour of the river. They were just getting back when we got there. They were leaving to go to the Ex in Chatham and asked us to go with. We had been planning on going on Thursday but said why not? As it turned out Wednesday was kids day, which means one coupon a ride for children. I really wish they would advertise that stuff. I called Sherry, who was severely pissed because she had just been in town. We all got on the scrambler together. Jules was paired up with Jason, Samuel with Jessica and Abby with me. It was her first time. She was just barely tall enough to get on. I was worried that she might get scared, but when I got off my face hurt from laughing because Abby giggled and laughed the whole time.

It was another blistering hot day, especially standing back in that field with no shade. They must have made a fortune selling bottled big 8 water for $2 each. In one of the flea market exhibits, they were selling washer games for only $20. Jason and Chris each bought one. Now we can take our own set camping instead of borrowing Dad's. We parted ways with them, as they were headed to Wal-Mart and we just wanted to go home. We did stop at Parks though, where Jason enjoyed a banana split and I a strawberry shortcake. It was delicious! They use real homemade tea biscuits, not just those spongecake cups. Yummy!

Earlier in the day, Mom and Sherry, had stored some things they bought in the back of the van. So we ran over to drop it off. We just missed Valerie and Leslie. They were delivering the criteria for the family weekend at Preston and Karen's. It's happening in only two weeks! Man, is time flying! Mom washed up the kids for me in her tub. Thanks Mom! We were all so exhausted. Ended up not coming home until after 10pm.

*Thursday*

Abby was up all night coughing. Got no sleep. Jason and I ran around trying to get the house all clean because Chris and them were supposed to be coming down here. Just as we finished, they phoned and said they're going to Boisetown to the museum. Oh well, at least the house was clean now. The phone rang again and it was that lady wanting to come and look at the trailer tonight. Did I write about her yet? She called a few days back and said that her trailer burnt down. Everything gone. Needs a new home. But she lives all the way in Norton, so I didn't think I would hear from her again. Apparently, she has since searched her area for a trailer in her price range and found nothing. She has received help from her church and her family and now has enough cash to buy our trailer(we're giving her a deal). She wants to come and see it. She has no idea what it looks like or anything, so I described it as best I could. I find it hard to believe that she would ever buy it because she lives so far away and it would cost a fortune to move it. But she seems desperate to have her own home again. She said if they do end up buying it they would want it ASAP, like this week! Wild. Her father is supposed to come with her and look at it tonight.

We decided to go travel again with the Keenans. We met up with them at the Tim Hortons in Doaktown. From there we went looking for the Priceville footbridge. We ended up driving all over this long country road which just suddenly ended in a man's yard. Seriously. Took a wrong turn somewhere. Finally found footbridge but was on the wrong side. The touristy, easier to get to side, was across the river. Too funny. I got the kids to sign the bridge and I wrote "The Keenan Family was here on July 20, 2006" and a little "Jason + Jennifer", like when we were kids. Then we got back in the van and managed to find the other side. Much nicer. Jules and Samuel were not scared at all of crossing the bridge, of course. I, on the other hand, was petrified. I don't do heights well. I stepped out just a little bit, and that was good enough for me. We all tried our hand at skipping rocks in the river and then we were off again.

The Boisetown Woodsmen museum hasn't changed at all. I remember the Whooper train being larger, but I could be wrong. Not much new to see at all. The kids had fun though, which is all that really matters. While we were there, Naomi said, "Jennifer, Justin wants your autograph. He thinks you look and sound just like Reese Witherspoon". I wish I looked like Reese. Sound like her? I guess I must have been saying "y'all" a lot or something. LOL.

We stopped for an ice-cream and then went back to their house for another BBQ. This time just hamburgers and hotdogs. Samuel cried when we went to leave.(imagine!) Chris and family are leaving for Moncton tonight but will return on Saturday night. Then they are off to PEI on Monday for a few days, and then back to Ontario.

When we got home the trailer lady called and said she couldn't make it tonight because her father had to work late. But she is still planning on coming some time over the weekend. Jason and I lined up the two cars we now have for sale, on the front lawn. It looks like we are moving out west or something. The big for sale sign on the house and two vehicles with for sale on them, next to the road. Kinda sad really. Hit me. Like you could actually hear the door closing on one part of our lives. Dad came over and tried out our new washer game, while Mom had the kids over at her house shooting off caps in the back yard. Gotta love a summer evening.

* * * * * * *

And there you have it! Now you're all caught up. Samuel asked me this morning if we were going to go somewhere today, and I was glad to say No! I was going to try to get Abby into the doctor but his machine says he is on vacation until Aug 14th. Hopefully she's not too sick and it's just been this muggy weather. Today I am just relaxing and enjoying the rain. I will miss hearing it's sound on my roof. So far, all I've really done today is write this. I will flickr pics later.

To Blog, Or Not To Blog

I'm trying to get into the habit of blogging every other day or so. #4 on my list is to blog every day for a month. It goes without saying just how hard that is going to be for me. I go through phases where I blog quite often and then others where I don't blog for a month at a time. So I am trying to blog more often now, so it won't seem as big a leap later on.

Mom and I and my kids went up to Stacy's yard sale this morning. The kids were really excited. They love shopping. Samuel said that now he was finally going to meet Stacy. I guess they don't remember seeing her before. LOL. We weren't there two seconds and Samuel said he had to use the bathroom. I joked to Stacy that he took after me and just wanted to see the inside of her house. LOL. Then he hit her up for some cookies and pieces of her swedish tea roll. It seems I can't visit Stacy without leaving with food.

Mom bought some things for outside on her deck and I bought some black saucers(plates), a keychain and a Cheryl Richardson DVD. Abby got a stuffed kitty backpack and a pen and Jules got a tiny kitty and a necklace. Samuel got a Homer Simpson toy and get this...... a Michael Jackson dress-up set! No....it's not clothes that he wears himself (which is what I thought at first). How scary would that be? It's like a cardboard figure of Michael that comes with sticky decal clothing. You can dress him up in the ever popular "Beat it" outfit or the "Billie Jean" outfit, etc... It's too funny. Mom said that Michael would love to have a little boy play with him.

Jason's brother Chris is coming home this week on vacation with his whole family. They are leaving Orangeville tomorrow and should arrive here sometime on Tuesday. Chris has managed to visit for a day or two for the last few summers, but this is the first time in many years that his whole family is coming. We'll probably be doing something with them this week.

The Ex is also this week. We usually take the kids on Children's Day. But I haven't seen anything that suggests they are having one this year. It was always the best day to take them because it was only one coupon a ride. Maybe I should email someone and ask them if they're having a kiddie day this year. It seems like they didn't really advertise one last year either. Something to check into, I guess.

Have to

I've gotten into this terrible habit of staying up late at night and sleeping in late in the morning. The first few times I was like yippee!, but now it's starting to get old. I miss my early mornings. I could have so much stuff done around the house by dinnertime. Now it's like I don't even start until after dinner. I've been so sick lately and sad(haunted even)..... but it's time that I just plain smarten the hell up! So today I plan to take back my house. To actually clean (not just tidy) up my house. And I'm just going to have to make myself go to bed early so I can get up early. Or get up early so I can go to bed early. Whatever works.

Last night I was in town to get groceries, and discovered that there is a lot of things on clearance in Wal-Mart. If money was no object, I could have stocked up on some really nice clothes. I did pick up a chip/dip party tray that is almost the same color blue as my kitchen/living room is going to be. It's very cute. I don't own party type dishes and always end up borrowing from Sherry. I'm planning on hosting a Christmas party this year, and might even break down and have a house-warming party. Plus, I always have my Oscar party, so the tray will definitely be put to use.

But what I was really excited about was that some kids bedding was also on clearance. Seizing the opportunity, I bought Jules and Abby each this comforter for their new bedroom. It was regular $60 on for $37. I don't know if you can tell by this picture, but each stripe is made of different materials - some satin, some velvet, etc.. The girls went wild for them when I brought them home. No shams or pillows came with it, just the comforter. But I'm thinking that I'll just make their bed with the comforter covering their pillow, and save the money. They had the shams there on clearance for $13 each. I just couldn't afford to buy them too. I told the girls that maybe we could buy them some little accent pillows in time. They also want mesh canopies to hang over their beds and those beady things to hang from the ceiling. There was no boys bedding on clearance that I could see. Samuel wants our old bed, so his will cost a bit more, because he will need size double, not just twin. He really wants a "Cars" comforter, but we had to explain to him that it just costs too much money.

Last Sunday, July 9th, we went for our first camping trip of the season. We thought it would be nice to try somewhere new, so we went to Oak Point. It was.....well......different. For starters, he has 26 seasonals (people who park their trailer there for the whole summer) and it seemed like almost all of them were from up home. Most of them used to camp at Bartibog, but since it's closed, they moved the few miles down river to Oak Point. You really have to feel a little sorry for the owner, because I don't know if he was prepared to be this busy. Jason and I are the type where we don't like knowing everyone at the campground - if ANYone! LOL. It's more of a get-away then for us. But down there, it felt like we might as well have been camping in the Blackville Park, there were so many familiar faces. The kids knew almost all of the kids there, which proved to be a bit annoying, by times. They were constantly asking to do things and go places because the other kids were doing it. The trees were mostly tiny, freshly planted trees, which gave no shade. And the bathrooms? Or should I say the bathroom? There was one little building which housed the bathrooms, male on one side, female on the other. And each one only had one toilet and one shower! The shower didn't even have a lockable door, just a shower curtain that you pulled across. I think it's not really an issue for him yet, because everyone else was in a larger travel trailer and had their own bathroom/shower. The whole time I was there, I never met up with anyone else in the washroom. Their pool is nice and heated, and you have a wonderful view of the bay. But other than that, I don't think we will be going back any time soon. The place has great potential. I'm sure that it will be very nice in a few years, after he renovates the washrooms, maybe opens a store and the trees grow larger.

We ended up leaving early and not staying the second night because a huge thunderstorm rolled in. We just managed to get the trailer all down right before it started to pour. Down there you are right close to the open bay. It can get quite windy on a clear day, let alone during a storm. The lightning was kinda scary. I'm glad we opted to come home.

Even through all of this - not liking the campground, kids acting up, thunderstorm, etc.. it still was nice to get away. It felt like that was the first day of Summer. That Summer had finally arrived. We want to go camping again soon, but this time to Daigle. However, Jason works all weekend, the Ex is next week, plus Jason's brother Chris and his family is coming home for a visit. So we're not sure when that will be.

And now I have procrastinated too long. I must go and tackle the house.

Summertime....and the living is easy

I have some pictures on my camera that I want to flickr, but my batteries are dead...again! I guess that's what you get for buying the cheap ones.

Today, I'm taking Jules and Samuel to a birthday party over in the rapids. It's a little boy who was in their kindergarten class. They are going to have a waterslide, so the kids have to wear their bathing suit and take a towel. Samuel is anxious to see what kind of cake he has.....
You know Samuel and cake. Jason just finished fixing the van last night, so here's hoping I make it there and back. LOL.

Jason starts his days off tomorrow. I wish we could go camping. It seems like we are never going to go. The weather is always bad, or we have no money, or the van is broke, etc... This summer is like the exact opposite of last summer. Last year, we never stopped. We went to the island again, and camped in Moncton twice and then so many other times in Daigle and Bartibog. But this year, the kids were in school until the end of June, and we are all tangled up in getting a house and moving the trailer. Not that I'm complaining. It just would be nice to do something summery, you know? Even just a day trip somewhere.

I find myself looking so forward to the Coughlan Family Weekend over at Preston and Karen's. And that's not until August! I don't see how this year could ever be as good as last year......because last year was really THAT good! I know, it surprised me too. A whole weekend with family? Even all those members that you don't really like? How could that be so fun? But it was. It was really was. There were no scenes or fights, that I know of. Everyone seemed to get along or tolerate each other for the sake of the group. Not to mention the perfect weather and all that food! It's definitely the year to beat. Sylvia & family and Corrie & family sadly will not be there this year. But Freda & Vance and Kellie will be. And Hollie & family will be spending the night this year too. Who knows? Maybe this year will be even better or at the very least, just as good.

Rockstar!!

"Can you say Rockstar?"

That's what Tommy Lee said last night to the future winner of the contest. At least I predict he will be the future winner. How cool would it be if another Canadian won? Another homeless one, at that? LOL. He seems perfect for their band, "SuperNova". He's been on the street since he was 15, so you know that he's seen and done it all. Nothing Tommy Lee, or any of the others, could do on tour would phase him. He knows who he is and has his own style. He totally rocked!

Others I liked were that African girl who sung Nirvana(those eyes!), the girl who sung Evanesence, and the Black Crowes dude(although I don't think he fits in their band). How funny was it when the guy sang Coldplay? I mean, I love Coldplay, but you could tell they were like "What the f*&k?". And Roxanne was just plain sad. Almost felt sorry for him. He's totally gone tonight.

In other news, Jason and I took a little trip to Fredericton on Tuesday, to get a part for the van. A new fuel pump costs $285+tx, while a used one in Fredericton costs $75. The choice was pretty simple. Even factoring in gas costs, it was still worth our while to make the trip. Because we got coffee in Doaktown, we had to make a pit stop to pee at the gas station on the corner of Kilarney road. Their washroom was....well....not the greatest. It had just the one unisex room which had both the flush and a urinal. The urinal was disgusting! Pubic hair! Need I say more? Their ceramic tile floor was all cracked, so it had a sign saying "Please watch your step". Jason and I both had to go, but I opted to go first. Just as I sat down to do my business, the power went off. There was no window in the bathroom, so the room went completely dark. Pitch black. I was like "Nice!". I think all the customers could hear me. Jason was laughing outside the door. I could hardly find the toilet paper roll. Jason reminded me that I had a cell-phone in my purse that could work as a flashlight. But first I had to find my purse. I had set in on the floor....somewhere. I was so scared I was going to touch that freaky urinal. Plus I could just see me tripping over the broken ceramic tile and my mouth hitting the frigging thing or licking the floor or some other gross scene from a Ben Stiller movie. LOL. Ugh! I couldn't help but think how Christina calls me "Susan".

On the way home, we put up some for sale posters, of the trailer, in Doaktown. And stopped at Greene's garden center. We bought a huge bleeding heart for me and one for Mom. I'm going to try and keep mine in the pot as long as I can, and see if I can plant it in the fall, next to the house. They said it stood a better chance that way, than transplanting it twice. I think Mom is going to plant hers on the lower corner of her house, under her bedroom window. This kind of bleeding heart spreads like crazy and gets really big.

I know it's pretty sad, but I can't wait until next year, when I can start planting things in a rock garden, next to the porch. Exciting! Darren should be calling soon, asking us to come and sign off on the final plans. Very exciting!! I've slowly started the packing process. Last week I packed away all of my wine glasses. It was kind of surreal. Like my green goblets that Mom bought me for my hope chest when I was still living at home. Or my crystal decanter set that Christina bought for us as an engagement present. It was kind of like "Jennifer, this is your life", as I looked back at the different stages of my life that each glass represented. It was cool to know that the next time they saw daylight, it would be to move into our new( and final) home.

Sherry reminded me this morning of all the 'drop-in' visits we will probably be getting, once we move in. Like all of Jason's relatives(or mine) that don't normally drop by. I guess that would be a pro of having a formal house warming, which Jason and I do not want to have. We were thinking more of a party where we send the kids away for the night, invite only our friends and have a little drink. More of a "We finally got our house!" celebration. I don't know what one should do, in this situation. Sherry said it would only be 3 hours of our lives, that we should grin and bear it to prevent the numerous drop-ins. But then I think, how many relatives will be dropping in? Really? Oh well, it's not like we don't have a few months to think about it. LOL. No need to worry about that now.

Our Canada Day To Remember

Happy Belated Canada Day to everyone! Hope you all had a great holiday. Ours was fun, but it had it's moments.

Friday, June 30
Friday night we took the kids to see the fireworks. After driving up and down the street a bazillion times, we finally found a place to park. We thought it should have been the best seats in the house, right down close to the lagoon, and wondered why there weren't more people here. We didn't realize that this year they decided to try something new and set them off over the park. We still had a pretty amazing view, with just one tree blocking a little bit of the low ones. I must say, this year had to be Blackville's best yet. I kept preparing the kids for the end, saying "Okay guys, here is the grand finale!", but it wasn't. It went on and on and on. Very nice!

Every year we go up to my Aunt Donna's house to watch the parade and have a big family BBQ. This year I thought I would be a keener and instead of just taking my usual salad, I thought I would make ice-cream pies. One chocolate-strawberry and one peanut-butter. So after we came home from the fireworks, and the kids were in bed, I stayed up extra late making them. They looked pretty good if I do say so myself. So....the pies had been made, the kids had already been bathed, .... I thought that the next day I would be well ahead of the game.

Saturday, July 1
I awoke to a beautiful sunny day. I made myself an ice-cappacino, sat down in front of the computer and sent everyone I know a humorous Canada Day e-card. I felt so energized that I mowed the lawn. Our big-ass lawn in the hot sun! I drank two bottles of water, had to reapply sunblock, but I got it done and felt good about it. The lawn always looks so much better when it is freshly mowed. After recovering from my mild sunstroke, I painted my finger and toe nails - half red, half white. Very patriotic! :) I showered, did my hair, got dressed and donned my usual Canada Day necklace (red & white beads w/ little flags). Jason helped the kids put on tatoos and then we put a few on ourselves. And before we knew it, it was time to go! So I grabbed my two ice-cream pies from the freezer, set them on the dash of the van, and away we went.

As we were pulling out of the driveway, it started to pour. And I mean pour! It was like a river coming down the Barnettville road. We wondered if they would cancel the parade, it was so bad. The parade was not scheduled til 3pm, and anyone who lives here knows that they rarely start on time. We had left the house at 2:47pm, normally plenty of time to get there...... But not this year!

I don't know if it was because of the rain storm or what, but this year they actually started early! We almost made it, but not quite. We could see up ahead, that they were lining the floats up. A few cars ahead of us managed to pass through, so Jason tried to do the same. But just then this big fire engine decided to say "Not so fast!" and blocks us! The kids started crying "We're going to miss the parade! We're not going to get any candy! I want to see the parade!". I turned around and promised them that I would not let them miss it. Jason had thought about turning around and speeding down through the rapids, but I knew we probably wouldn't make it. We managed to get our van to the parking lot where the Metro used to be. It looked like the parade hadn't really started yet, like it was stalled. So we decided that we would walk to the bridge, watch the parade go by from there, and then drive to Donna's.

It had just stopped raining, so the ground was completely soaked. We started walking as fast as could for the bridge. But, just as reached the end of the parade, the thing started moving! Jason put Abby on his back but we still couldn't seem to walk any faster than the parade was moving. Maybe it was because the kids kept picking up soggy candy off the street. The kids saw a lot of classmates from school. Every few feet, we would see someone we knew and wave. So there we were, my whole tattooed family wearing red and white, marching in the parade along side the last fire engine. Video cameras were everywhere. We got a few looks of "What are they doing?" or "Who do they think they are?". If they only knew.

We cut through the road where you can go over to the rapids and then onto digby lane. Jules had been asking for us to go for a walk as a family... well, she got her wish. We were almost to Donna's house and now the parade was coming to meet us. We slowed our pace a bit and watched it go by. The kids were thrilled that candy was finally getting thrown at them. And it wasn't soggy! We reached our destination in time to watch the last half of the parade with the group, who were surprised to see us. "Where did you's come from?" they all asked. Everyone laughed as we told our tale.

Meanwhile...... my ice-cream pies were still sitting in the parking lot and now the sun was out again and shining. We were a bit sticky and thirsty from our trek, so we went into the house to have a drink and wait for the traffic to clear up, before we would go and get the van. After a little while, Tanya, a friend of Corrie's, volunteered to give Jason a drive. However, the traffic was still jammed up and they weren't getting very far. Tanya points out the window at a man standing in front of his house, and tells Jason that he should ask to borrow his bicycle. So out Jason goes, and explains to this man, who doesn't really know, how we had to leave the van, we're at a family BBQ and that his wife has two ice-cream pies melting. He gives Jason a look, but says OK. Tanya comes back to Donna's house and I wait for Jason to return.

Time passes and no Jason. Corrie tells me I'm wanted on the phone. It's Jason saying that the van won't start. He needs some one to come and bring him some WD-40. So away Tanya goes again. After so long, Tanya returns alone, carrying my two melting pies which are now dripping all over her sandals. Apparently, Jason was supposed to keep trying to get the van going, and then return the bicycle. A lot of time passes and still no Jason. Finally I decide that I must borrow a car and go look for him. As I reach the top of driveway, I can see Jason walking toward me with a big smile on his face, carrying a six pack of beer. He could not get the van to start. So he got on the bike to return it to it's owner who was convinced that Jason had stolen it and was never bringing it back. But on the way...... the bike broke! That's right. The wheel nuts fell off and Jason had to walk the bike across the bridge, up the road and return it to the man - broken. I mean come on! Who else does this happen to?

The rest of the day was pretty tame. Jason's Dad came and took him and the kids home, while I hitched a ride with Mom. The van started long enough to get it home but wouldn't start again. Gerdie took the kids up to his house for their scheduled sleep-over and later we went down to Liane's for her birthday party. I tried a new drink (#82 on my list) and didn't come home until 2am.

All in all, it was quite the unforgettable Canada Day for the Keenan's.