Penguin faces

J's best bud I, moved far away from Vancouver to Edmonton just before Christmas. J misses her tremendously and doesn't quite understand how far away I lives now, except that it's further away than Kelowna and that's five hours and that's a long time!

J (and her mommy) was super excited to find out that I and her family were here visiting friends the Canada Day long weekend. It was gross and rainy, so we decided to take advantage of their still-valid Aquarium passes and head inside to visit some fish and large mammals. Oh, and penguins. And a snake. The girls touched a snake. That was the most exciting thing ever for both of them!

I's favourite fish by far was the clownfish. I think she's seen Finding Nemo, or at least she knows the story.

J hasn't seen the movie ever, but she does have the Disney book. We've only read it a few times, but now she talks about how much she loves Nemo and orange is her favourite colour so all the little Nemos at the aquarium are her favourites!

There were lots of kids activities set up, which was great. J and I decided they wanted to get their faces painted.

J has her eyeshadow painted on and now it's time for a mustache...

J and I, happy little penguin girls! And happy little friends. There were lots of hugs and J was quite sad to say goodbye to I and her family. She keeps asking if we have to move to Edmonton someday too...I told her no, we probably wouldn't, but maybe one day we'll visit!

Make new friends, but keep the old

9. Make a new friend

One is silver and the other gold.

You know, looking back this was a strange challenge to set for myself. When I decided to do the 101 challenge, I wasn't sure how I thought I'd do this or what kind of measurement I'd be using. I kind of thought I'd just know when this one was done. And that's pretty much how it was. I'm not sure how you can tell when a relationship turns from an acquaintance-ship to a friendship or when you go from being just people who belong to the same group to friends or when you go from people who work together to friends. I don't know where the line is. Is it when you decide to go for coffee for the sixth or twelfth or twenty-second time? Is it when you decide to see each other in a context that is not your "normal" context? Is it when you willing listen to each other's dating debacles, relationship woes, and parenting anecdotes? Is it when you decide you've had enough and go for lunch and complain about work together? Is it when you share your stresses and celebrate your successes together? Is it when most of your conversations tend to be about things other than the group you're in together?

I don't know. And I don't think I really care. All I know is that somewhere in the last 16 months those lines shifted and in a city where it's hard to make friends I feel like I definitely have at least two new ones. One is a colleague and one is another blogger, who happens to live somewhere other than Vancouver, but that doesn't matter either. I think I'm pretty lucky to have these lovely new friends...good choice of a challenge Shannon!

Welcoming the new

There seems to be a sentiment around the internet and among some of my friends that 2011 wasn't all it was cracked up to be 365 days ago.

And I'm going to have to (at least partially) agree.

This was a trying year for many, many reasons. I wrote about some (but not all)...some of them were scary, some of them disappointing, some of them frustrating, some of them heartbreaking, but through all of it I think we were lucky. We have a great family and group of friends who were supportive when we needed it, who offered an ear, a shoulder, a meal, babysitting, or a hug. And we have a little girl who offered the best hugs and back rubs and cuddles and stories and anecdotes every single day and gives us the best reason ever to get up in the morning. And considering everything, we came through it all relatively unscathed.

And now 2011 is a few minutes from being over. And I'm excited for 2012. We have plans for some of the things we'd like to do in 2012. We've spent the last few days celebrating Christmas with family and Alex and I have been discussing where we think 2012 will take us. We figure there might be some travel, some renovations, and possibly a move in the year ahead. We might not travel very far and we'll likely not cross any borders, but we think we'll head somewhere we haven't been recently (and probably somewhere J hasn't been before...)

So at midnight we'll raise our glasses to 2011 and bid it farewell (or maybe just show it the door) and welcome 2012 and hope that the surprises it brings for us will be good ones.

Happy new year friends...may 2012 be happy, healthy and safe for you and yours.

Santa Claus Parade

Last year we went to the Santa Claus Parade for the first time. We had a great time, so we decided to make it part of our annual traditions. We invited some friends and walked across the bridge into downtown. We aimed for the last block as we did last year, but the parade had a new route this year and the last block was further north and still very much in downtown than it was last year. We ended up finding a good spot at the end of the route and much to the girls' delight, right by "Santa Claus."

J and I actually ended up on Global News (on Mike McCardell's segment) because of Santa. This gentleman was super good natured and well aware that his appearance caused a bit of a stir this time of year. He told me left his chair at home because he didn't dare sit down at the parade with all those kids around. J was thrilled to be sitting close to him and she and her little buddy fought over who got to sit closest to Santa!

Miss I and Miss J look pretty innocent, right? HA! It's all an act...

J got a hug from this tree. She was so excited! I thought I got a picture of it, but apparently, all I took a picture of was the ground and some feet.

J loved this airplane...it reminded her of the airplane at the Giants games. The handlers could make the balloon do some amazing things!

Once this "special bus" came along, J probably would have been content to go home. She got to sit next to Santa and the "special bus came back!" She loved it last year too....she really wants to go for a ride on this bus, but told me it's just for grown ups....

J checking out the gingermanbread. Yes, you read that right. At our house we make gingermanbreads, not gingerbread men.

The parade guest of honour.

After the parade we went for an early dinner with Miss I and her family. The girls were happy to sit for this picture together. Miss I and her family are moving to Alberta in a few weeks and the girls are going to miss each other. There were tears last night at bedtime because J was sad her friend is leaving.

Goodbye Miss I. We'll miss you.

And with the parade over and done with, our house is officially in full Christmas mode...

In an instant, it all changed

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was a beautiful day in London, much like the beautiful day we're having today in Vancouver. When I got up that morning, I never, ever would have thought the day would end with such sadness.

I was off work that day and had gone into London with a friend who was getting ready to leave London, go on a trip through Europe and then head home to Mexico. I don't remember much of the morning, but sometime after lunch, around 1:30 or 2:00, we were in a tacky gift shop on the Strand. And over the chatter of the tourists in the shop, I heard something about a plane hitting the Empire State building.

And that was it. I didn't think much of it, in my mind it was a small, personal aircraft that must have made some kind of navigational error. The person reading the news was pretty calm and matter of fact and moved on to the next news story. Sad, but what do you do, right?

Not long after that we decided it was time to move on to our next destination - I'm not sure what it was, we never made it there. When we stepped out onto the street, something was wrong. It was quiet. Very quiet. It's never quiet like that on the Strand. And there was a lady on her cell phone in the middle of the street, sobbing. And a man next to her, who obviously knew her, but not well, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder.

As we walked through the streets, we could feel the mood thickening and the city getting quieter, but we didn't know why. I had forgotten the news report and didn't make that connection until later.

We decided that we were just going to go home. We didn't like the way London felt and we had tickets to the theatre that night, so we thought we'd go home, drop our purchases off, get changed, have dinner and come back.

The underground was eerily quiet. Everyone was very subdued. Every once in a while we'd see someone who had obviously been crying.

When we got back to Pax Lodge, it was a little crazy. We were hosting a seminar and there were American participants who were trying to connect with their relatives. We still weren't sure what was going on. Everyone crowded around the tv, but the news hadn't become huge yet...most stations were showing regular programming. The internet was nothing like it is today and in the entire building there were two computers (maybe four?) that were connected to the internet...nothing would load because the demand around the world was exceeding most sites' bandwidth allowance.

Eventually the UK caught on and all five stations that we got switched to newscasts. And it was devastating. There was huge concern about where terrorists might strike next. There was talk of shutting down the underground. The City was evacuated. All of our international guests and staff just wanted to go home. Of course, we knew that wasn't going to be possible.

Edna and I weren't sure if we should go to the show that night. We were scared that we'd get there and then the underground would shut down and we would have to walk all the way home. We waffled for hours about going and finally our boss told us just to go. That's what we needed to do, keep living and not let the terrorists scare us into staying home, even if we were terrified. She even offered to drive into London to get us if the underground did get shut down.

We went to the theatre and Oxford Street was almost empty. There was two minutes of silence at the beginning of the show and the theatre pretty much stayed quiet throughout the show. The show was great, but the collective sadness of the audience was so heavy. I have no idea how the actors managed to put on such a great performance.

My tv, which pretty much lived in a cabinet, came out of storage and for the next few days there was almost always someone in my room, even when I wasn't there, watching the coverage. I don't think I've ever cried so many tears. I don't think I've ever been so homesick either. Not that being home would have made the reality of it any less, but being home would at least give me the comfort of knowing my family was okay. I figured the world was ending.

The world didn't end.

My parents flew, very safely, to London a few weeks later to visit me and do some travelling. I flew to Finland and flew back to London with two pairs of scissors in my carry-on luggage and no one stopped me. I figured an armed guard would be waiting to arrest me when the plane touched down at Heathrow. Edna didn't get to go on her trip through Europe. Her mom was so concerned she asked her to come home right away.

Things changed. People seem to be more cautious. I need a passport to cross the 49th parallel. I can't carry a water bottle with me on the plane anymore. Thousands of people lost loved ones on September 11. Thousands more have lost loved ones in the years since in London, Iraq and Afghanistan and in other terrorist attacks. But the world has carried on.

This morning when I got up, my thoughts immediately went back to that day ten years ago. I hugged J a little tighter than usual. Then I turned the tv on and saw that the three year old from Sparwood had been returned to his family. And I hugged her again. She looked at me like I was crazy. Then she saw the tears glistening in my eyes and she gently patted my shoulder and told me "It will be okay, Mommy. I love you."

And I think she's right.

It will be okay. The world didn't end. It changed.

The end

Today we got rid of a piece of furniture that has been with us for the last five years. It was a key table in the Blue House and held our keys plus other random stuff that came into the house (cell phones, mail, apparently if you take a peak at the picture, miniature Christmas trees). It was a bedside table in the ghetto Pink Palace. And here it was also an entryway table/recycling station until it got repurposed into a side table in the living room.

But then we got new tables. And the sewing table had to go. There was no room for it. I liked the little table. I had great plans to refinish it and fill the sewing machine hole and then take out the sewing machine holder stuff and put a shelf behind the door. But that wasn’t really ever going to happen.

So we put it on craigslist and made a few dollars and put them towards the new storage for the living room (I hope by the end of the summer we’ll have it!)

But that’s not all we got rid of today. Alex helped me carry the table out to the waiting car and send it off to someone else’s home and continue its life. I wasn’t sad to see it go, but when I walked in the house, I felt a lot lighter. It took me a minute to know why I felt lighter and then I realized: I hadn’t just said goodbye to a table, I had released an old relationship. That table was the last remnant of that relationship.

Five and a half years ago a friend of mine came to Canada from far away and lived with me. For many reasons it didn’t work and she left early. There were unhappy words said and not said. There were hurt feelings. There was resentment. There were unmet expectations (often because they were also silent expectations) and there were unmet responsibilities. I ended up inheriting some furniture and other bits and pieces as part of my “compensation” for a few things…

Over the last five years we’ve had two moves and three or four big clear outs of our stuff. This is the last piece of that relationship – the rest of the things were either donated or thrown out or accidentally left behind.
When I came back in the house I realized that the lightness I was feeling came from getting rid of that last piece of furniture. Sending it off to a new home allowed me to stop mourning a long dead friendship. I realized that even though the hurt, sadness and anger are long gone, and even though I know things are best the way they are now, and even though our friendship breathed its last breaths back in 2006, and even though I knew it could never be, some piece of me longed for the friendship we had before she came to Vancouver. And that piece of me left with the sewing table.

One of the questions that you can ask yourself when you’re decluttering is “Does this item make me feel guilty?” Maybe instead I need to ask myself “Is this item giving me a [negative] reason to live in the past?” I never would have thought a simple table could hold so much power over me!

So tonight I said goodbye. And I think that’s it.

Happy Birthday Pax Lodge

I have a lot to say about Pax Lodge and what better day to say it than on the 20th birthday of that white building in Hampstead.

Well, there is going to be a better day because I need to go to bed instead of blogging.

So instead, a few thoughts and a few pictures. With promises of a few more stories and a few more pictures later. I have lots of pictures...just saying...

Thoughts:

• Pax Lodge was my home during a few of the best years of my life (so far)
• Pax Lodge introduced me to many of the people I consider my closest friends
• Pax Lodge made me happy. Or maybe more, I was happy when I lived at Pax Lodge (that sounds like I'm not happy now...but that's not true either...it's just different)
• Pax Lodge taught me more than I learned during my four year degree
• I miss Pax Lodge. I miss my Pax Lodge ladies
• Look at the happy faces in these pictures...Pax Lodge is a happy place!

Photos: (please excuse the quality or lack of quality of the pictures...our computer is still out of commission and I ended up taking pictures of pictures, not scanning them like I should have...)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAX LODGE!

Five YEARS

Hey! Guys? Anyone out there?

Five years ago today, right now, for the first time, I hit publish post and scribbles, scratches and scrawls was born.

FIVE YEARS with a blog? ME? I wasn't going to have a blog. Umm, yeah, I have three and contribute to a fourth. Right. Not going to have a blog.

So not possible. But it is. And it's real.

Lots has changed since then.

• In 2006 I lived in the Blue House. Now I live in the Lyons' Den. And in between we lived in the ghetto Pink Palace.
• In 2006 I rented. Now I have a mortgage.
• In 2006 I had a boyfriend. Now that boyfriend is my husband.
• In 2006 I lived with a roommate. Now I live a husband and a kid.
• In 2006 I took the bus to work every morning. Now I drive.
• In 2006 I had worked for my "new" boss for just over a year. In 2011 I have worked for my "new" boss for just under a year.
• In 2006 I had insomnia a lot. Now I don't have insomnia at all but I wish I had more hours to sleep.
• In 2006 I think I had about four readers. Now I have more than that. And I think that three of the four original readers are still reading. The fourth one I'm not so sure about, but my bloggy-sense tells me she's gone (and I'm okay with that).
• In 2006 I regularly lamented that Punk lived in another city. Now she lives eight blocks from me.
• In 2006 my blog had polka dots on it. Now it has birds.
• In 2006 Heddy left me my very first comment. She started a new blog last month and I got to leave her very first comment.
• In 2006 my book club was still running strong. Now my book club is virtual.
• In 2006 my now mother-in-law was in a tooth and nail fight with Cancer. Now she's been cancer free for four years.
• In 2006 I complained a lot about a Blackberry a certain person I worked with possessed. Now I have my own Blackberry.

Lots has changed, but some things haven't changed a bit.

• Alex is still here.
• I still love to read.
• My paper obsession hasn't stopped. In fact, it has probably grown a bit.
  
• The most important things in my life are people: my family and friends.
• I missed Pax Lodge. I still miss Pax Lodge.
  
• I still blather on and on and on about all kinds of things.

So, thanks for reading and thanks Heddy for pushing me to start...I thought it would fizzle, but there seems to be no end in sight!

My three lives of Guiding: Now That I'm Really An Adult

When I got back from my jaunt through the Pacific, I was ready to face life. I still didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I was ready. Looking back, I think I left Pax Lodge at the right time. I was still thrilled to be there, I wasn't homesick, and I hadn't reached the end of my Pax Lodge rope, so I left with positive memories.

I found a job fairly quickly and moved to Vancouver. I actually got the job because of my Guiding involvement. There was a choice between two candidates and they chose me because one of the women doing the hiring had previously been involved in Guiding.

I settled into my job and my new and stumbled back into Guiding. Before I knew what had happened, I was a District International Adviser. I loved it! A few years passed and the current Area Adviser was done her term...and I stepped in. I loved it even more. It was a big job, but it was so worth it! I did it for just over three years before a tumble down the stairs forced me to pull back from a lot of the things I did.

But not before I realized what a strong and wonderful community I had surrounding me. When I was sick with some unknown ailment for a long period of time, my Guiding friends checked in with me on a regular basis. There were offers of food, and company...both most appreciated. Guiding women were at my house with more food and offers of company when I took my tumble down the stairs. They were there to support me in anyway they could and I was so grateful for them. They babysat me when I still needed someone at the house with me and Alex had to work and my mom had to go home to her real life. They brought food so we wouldn't have to cook. They brought books for me to read. They had hugs for Alex. They were wonderful.

The same ladies were at my wedding shower. They gave us beautiful and generous gifts to celebrate our special day. One of them was even at the wedding as our coordinator and she helped make our day lovely! At my wedding, my Guiding friends from age seven and up got to meet each other - there were Guiding ladies from Kelowna, from Vancouver and from far away England at the wedding....

They showed up with food, gifts, and offered to hold my kid so I could nap or shower or go for a walk. They were wonderful to me when I needed it and I hope (well, I hope only good things happen to them) that I can return the favour!

Less than a year after my tumble, I married Alex. Alex who I never would have met if it wasn't for Guiding.


Sometime after I came back to Vancouver I met Stacey. I met Stacey because she was in Guides with Sunita and I met Sunita because we went to Guide camp together. Stacey knew Alex's friend and the two of them engineered a meeting for us.


And look where we are today!

[we so need to take a family picture in the worst way...I think it's been almost a year...there's lots of J with one parent and none with both]

And that's why, if you ask me what I'm doing this weekend, I might just answer, going to a Guide meeting even though I'm not ten anymore...And if I'm not going to a Guiding event or meeting, maybe I'll be hanging out with some of my Guiding friends (although they're people I really just refer to as friends these days)

Thank you Guiding for enriching my life, giving me all kinds of wonderful opportunities and life experiences, for introducing me to so many of the people I consider good friends, for introducing me to my husband, and for letting me be me through it all!

Do you have a hobby or an organization or a person who has affected your life?

My three lives of Guiding: The Nomadic Era [European Edition]

I hardly slept on the flight over to London. I was so excited. My plane was mostly empty and I had an entire row to myself. As in, the left, centre, and middle sections...three possible places to stretch out and sleep. Which I didn't.

When the place began its descent, I scrambled to the window on the left side and watched as the patchwork quilt country side slowly turned into a Metropolis. At the airport, a frazzled volunteer from South Korea, Ah Sook, was waiting for me. She was terrified she'd miss me even though she had a picture of me. She got to my gate over an hour before my place touched down, just so I couldn't squeeze past her.

She guided me down to the underground and we were off. I remember being in awe of my surroundings before the train dropped below ground. We stepped into the bright sunshine at Belsize Park and the first thing I noticed were the red brick buildings.

I don't remember the walk up the hill to Pax Lodge, but I do remember being greeted by all kinds of people. Just minutes after I made it to my room and closed my door to wash my face and unpack a few things, two girls knocked to see if I wanted to go RIGHT AWAY to Camden Town. I said no, but after that, I rarely said no to anything.

I made myself a promise that while I was having my once-in-a-lifetime experience I wouldn't say no to anything unless it was going to hurt me or someone else or was illegal or unethical.

It's a good promise to make. I went out when I probably should have been in bed. I spent a few dollars more than I probably should have to see some wonderful theatre and art. And it was worth it.


I had no idea when I walked into Pax Lodge that July that it would be just shy of three years before I settled down at home again. I was only supposed to be gone for a year.

I liked being a House Assistant (HA). It was hard work, no doubt about it, but it was fun too. I met all kinds of wonderful people. Guests, other HAs, volunteers on the World Board. It was amazing.

HAs worked hard, but they also played hard too. Many nights after a long day in the kitchen or doing housekeeping duties we would head out to the local pub or the Hampstead Heath and have some fun. Or we'd have a party on the balcony (weather permitting) or in the corridor once winter came. Or we'd squish into the Deputy's lounge or sprawl around the conference room and watch movies. Working and living in such close proximity we became quick and fast friends.

Every month we had a change over of staff - anywhere from one to four people. While we always heartily welcomed new staff, we mourned the loss of our friends...a real emotional roller coaster.

I spent a wonderful, exciting, marvellous six months at Pax Lodge. I loved it. I was happy there. Sure, I missed my friends and family, but I was having a blast. When my six months were up, I packed myself off to Denmark to visit TeamHardCore, who was there on Rotary Exchange and then hopped on a train down to Switzerland to hang out with my aunt, uncle, and now two cousins in Switzerland for five weeks.

Because, just before Christmas, I found out I was going to Our Chalet. My dream was coming true!


I was there for three glorious months and met some of the most wonderful people ever. I kept my promise to myself and by the end of my time there, I skied a black run. I was never, ever, ever again going to downhill ski after a disastrous day on the mountain when I was 16, but my promise made me do it. And I loved it.


My plane ticket was waiting for me in the Pax Lodge safe and in order to get it back, I had to go back to work there for four weeks. Okay, so not had, but I did go back for four weeks. They were short someone for one of the busiest months of the year, so I was happy to help out.

I boarded a plane on July 4th, returning home to Canada a different person. A person who had been bitten by the World Centre bug.

I went to Guide camp. I became a Guider leader. I got a real job. That paid well. That had benefits. That would become a career. And just before Christmas, I quit. So that at the beginning of January I could jump on a plane back to Pax Lodge for another year. This time in a paid position.

I had another wonderful year. I made so many friends. I did so many things. I travelled to so many places in Europe. I wanted to stay, but visa issues meant I had to go home. But I wasn't ready.

So I packed my stuff. Sadly waved goodbye to Pax Lodge. Got on a plane. Cried all the way home. And three weeks later I got on another plane and zoomed off to Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii for 13 weeks.

On my first day there, I met up with another Canadian who I met at Pax Lodge and two Australian who had been there at different times...they ended up working together on the same Guides Australia Committee!


I had a great time roaming across the bottom of Australia, visiting all my marvellous friends from my time away.


My wonderful and amazing friend, Virginia, and I travelled up the east coast together and spent three days travelling through the outback to Uluru (Ayres Rock).


I was the maid of honour at a New Zealand wedding. My Pax Lodge friend from New Zealand married a boy scout from London who she met at Our Chalet. There's some Guiding connections for you!


By the time I got home, I was ready to be home. I missed my London life and home. I missed my wonderful friends. But I was ready for what ever was waiting for me next.

My three lives of Guiding: The Nomadic Era [Canadian Edition]

Off I went to university...Guiding came with me.

I became a Sparks Leader. I might have been an adult, but I was still a girl...I was in a part of town where the leaders were a pretty even mix of 18-22 year old students and moms in their late 30s-50s. With the exception of a small few of the "older" leaders, most of them figured us young uns had no idea how to run a group, had no good ideas, were irresponsible, and couldn't be relied on. It went so far that the treasurer wouldn't let me keep the books for my unit, but oddly enough she let me and the other guiders in our group (who were the same age as me) buy things and write cheques to reimburse ourselves...

Anyway...frustrations aside, Guiding was important to me as a student. It was something I did for myself. Something I did that had no relation to my studies. Something I looked forward to every week, because no matter how tired I was or how busy I was or how many assignments I had, I got to leave it all behind for a couple of hours every week and have a blast with five year olds. And they know how to have fun!

I loved my Sparks...but they were only around until April when school ended and I went back to Kelowna. For two summers I helped in a Pathfinder group when I was home - the opposite end of the spectrum - 12-15 year olds. Who were a challenge and lots of fun, just different fun than Sparks.

As graduation approached and I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, I started thinking about what to do next. And I didn't know. I knew I was done with school for the time being. I knew I didn't really want to jump feet first into the work force and have a retail or office job that I didn't particularly enjoy. I figured there must be something out there that would give a challenge, that had purpose, that might even be fun.

That's when I remembered a promise I made to myself when I was 14.

When I was 14, my wonderful Mama decided I should accompany her to Switzerland when she went for her annual visit to see my aunt, uncle, and cousin who lived over there eight months (or so) of the year. I was thrilled. I had a blast. I decided I loved Europe and travelling. And I visited my first World Centre.

My aunt and uncle weren't far from Our Chalet, so we went. The only day we could go was a day that was actually a cleaning day - the staff spent the day scrubbing the building from top to bottom - and they were technically closed but they agreed that we could come up and go for a tour.

I had a great time. The snow was taller than me. We had a tour, given by a volunteer, Helen, from the UK. The people were all so nice and friendly. And I vowed I'd be back. I wanted to volunteer just like Helen did.

So, when I got stuck on what to do with my life after I finished university, I turned back to Guiding and did some research on World Centres. Based on the availability of volunteer jobs, the times of year and duration of those positions, and my vow to return to Our Chalet, I decide to apply there and also to Pax Lodge. I wanted to go back to Europe.

I applied at the end of my third year of university. I spent hours on my applications. Eight-seven people looked over my applications and made suggestions. I rewrote my cover letter so many times. And then I sent them off. And crossed my fingers.

And, on September 25, 1998, I got the letter I was waiting for from Pax Lodge. They had accepted my application to be a House Assistant. I was excited for days. I spent my last two semesters as a student dreaming about my six month stint in London.

Just before I left Vancouver in April of 1999, ready to have a great adventure, I received a surprising (and welcome) phone call from my District Commissioner (DC). My District had been very supportive of my adventure, even chipping in to buy me a new uniform and some gifts to take with me, but there was still an undercurrent of grouchiness towards younger guiders. My DC called to tell me that while she was still working to convince all of the "older" Guiders in our District, she knew the value of young Guiders and knew that her District wouldn't be able to have half the number of units it had without young Guiders. Her acknowledgment meant the world to me!

And so, I found myself on a plane in July, ready for the experience of a lifetime!

My three lives of Guiding: The Girl Years

I began my lifelong association with Guiding when I was seven years old. I was a Brownie. I had no idea what Guiding was. I was a Brownie. And there were these mythical older beings called Guides and I could be one when I stopped being a Brownie. But that's where my knowledge of the organization stopped.

I went to weekly meetings. I (for a while) proudly wore my brown uniform to school on Brownie day (I think it was Monday). I played with my new Brownie friends who weren't necessarily in my class, but went to my school. I became a sixer. I went to camp.

But I didn't particularly like Brownies.

I was kind of bored. I stuck around because my mom was one of the Brownie leaders.

I'm glad I stuck around. Because it meant that eventually I flew up to Guides.

And I loved Guides.

We were a small group - two patrols, so probably fewer than 12 kids. Two Guiders. Camping. Fn stuff. I loved it. My best friend Fiona was in my Guide Company - we had been in different Brownie Packs - it was great. I loved it.

From Guides I moved up to Pathfinders and from Pathfinders to Rangers. By the end of it there was a core group of girls who had been in pretty much every level together and we loved it. We also had some really awesome adults providing first supervision and instruction, then guidance and support.

I loved what Guiding gave me. I had the opportunity to do things I enjoyed like hiking and camping; I got to learn new skills like cooking at camp and tying a tarp down so that it gave ample shade and protection from rain and wouldn't blow down in a storm; I had a safe place to go every week where I could just be me.

Being me was important to me. I wasn't the coolest of kids, but I had a good group of friends, some were in Guides, Pathfinders, and Rangers with me, some weren't. There was no pressure to be anything other than me at Guides. There were no boys or teachers to impress. I could be silly or serious. I could try to be intelligent or I could play dumb. I could be noisy or quiet. I could be shy or outgoing. And I was accepted. Huge when you're a teenager! HUGE!

When I went away to boarding school I joined the Lones program because I couldn't imagine life without Guiding.

Many of those girls are still my friends. Some I keep in touch with through Facebook. Some are still people I see regularly. My matron of honour (Fiona) and one of my bridesmaids were both in Guides with me (my other two bridesmaids are my sisters). Fiona was the first person to meet J when she was born.

And those women who were our leaders? They were our other moms...they put up with things our moms wouldn't. They taught us all kinds of lessons about life and camping and hiking and flora and fauna and the environment and friendship and trust and loyalty.

Where are they now? Well, one, Gwen, happens to be Fiona's mom and she was at my wedding too and she was one of the very first people to come to the hospital when J was born. I'm friends with two of the others on Facebook and my mom runs in to the fourth a couple of times a year, so we keep up with each other that way...But these four women were certainly an important, and constant, part of my life!

And then I graduated from high school...where would Guiding take me next?

My three lives of Guiding

Guiding has been a part of my life since I was seven years old. [That's a long time. We'll just leave it at that.] My Guiding involvement has had three distinct lives: The Girl Years, The Nomadic Era, and Now That I'm Really An Adult.

All three of those lives have smushed themselves together and made me who I am today. There were other things that definitely influenced me, like say, my parents and family and teachers. But Guiding has been a huge and positive influence on my life always.

So as promised I will be writing a bit about Guiding - look for posts titled (what else?!) The Girl Years, The Nomadic Era, and Now That I'm Really An Adult over the next few days.

I've also gone and created a quick little glossary of terms and/or links...because, well, I have heard from more than one reader who doesn't know what Guiding is.

Girl Guides of Canada
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
House Assistant (HA) - House Assistant was the title given to volunteers at Pax Lodge when I was there. I believe they're called Resident Volunteers now. When I was there we worked in the kitchen, made beds and cleaned, worked in the office and the shop, and worked with the Programme Manager to deliver programs - games nights, house tours, evening programs for guests, tours etc
World Thinking Day (also known as Thinking Day and WTD)
Sparks
Brownies
Guides
Pathfinders
Rangers
Guider - Adult who leads of the above branches of Guiding
Commissioner - Woman (or women) in charge of a District, Division, Area, Province or in Canada's case, country

New blogs on the block

Almost five years ago, my friend Heddy encouraged me to start a blog. She had one. It's gone. But she has a new blog now - East is the new North. Check her out.

And my best friend since we were seven, Fiona, has been teasing me for months. She keeps telling me that she has a 101 in 1001 list. And that one of the 101 was starting a blog.

Guess what? She did: Fiona's Farm. Check her out too (her blog is literally a newborn, so check back...)

Mommy, I am disappointed

I know I've mentioned it before, and I'm sure I'll mention it again, but I LOVE J's daycare. One of the things they've worked hard on with the kids is teaching them to express their emotions. So J will tell us she's cranky or disappointed or frustrated. And she'll ask if we're happy, unhappy, disappointed, or frustrated. She won't ask if we're cranky or grouchy though; she just points that out.

As all two year olds do, she still has melt downs and tantrums, but now that she knows the words to use to tell us WHY, it's much easier to deal with.

Last night we left the house right after dinner intending to go to the pool with Fifers. We picked her up and drove to the pool and parked the car. And J was so excited she could barely contain herself.

Except then we left.

Because some kid had a little accident in the pool and it had to be disinfected. So it was closed. For at least an hour.

So we went to Fifers house where J was alternately scared and fascinated by the cats. And she got to draw with the most awesome crayons ever (that F has had forever. I remember them from when we were kids). And she got to eat two whole yummy muffins. And she had a great time. And she chattered away all the way home.

And then she remembered why we were at the black puppy the black kitty Stella's house in the first place. Because the pool was closed.

So she asked a few times why the (alternating) little boy/little girl didn't use the potty or their diaper to go poo. And why their mommy and daddy didn't tell them it wasn't nice to go poo in the pool. And when could we go back soon because she wants to go swimming. And why didn't that kid use the potty because she was a little bit sad and disappointed.

Thank goodness for daycare!

We sure seem to have bad luck with the pool and accidents! That particular pool is new and we've been trying to go for a while, so we'll try to go again in a couple of weeks (it's closed for maintenance next week and the week after) and hopefully then J won't be disappointed!

Pick up where you left off friendships

I've mentioned before that I lived in London for a long while and in Switzerland for a short while and that I worked at Pax Lodge and Our Chalet during that time.

Working at World Centre means that on a fairly regularly basis I said goodbye to some of the women I lived and worked with and hello to some new ones. And by fairly regularly, I mean at least once a month there was a staff changeover of between one and four people.

Now, these women were usually in three to six month volunteer positions, but long(er) term staff changed as well. We all lived, worked, slept, and ate in the same building. Because most of us weren't from London, we became travelling and site seeing companions and by default we often ended up as friends.

There are many women who were part of my experiences at Pax Lodge and Our Chalet that I still consider very good friends. And some of them are so very different from me and have such different lives than me that I can't imagine we would have necessarily met, let alone become friends, if it weren't for our common World Centre experience.

ANYWAY...all that rambling is because yesterday we hopped in the car after J had gymnastics to have lunch at the airport.

Yes. At the airport.

Actually at the Fairmont. Which is a lovely place to have lunch if you have a few dollars burning a whole in your pocket and you have three hours. We had a great time. For the second time in two weeks.

We met my friend Heather and her friend Maia at the arrivals area and trekked across the airport. Heather and I worked together at Pax Lodge and Maia currently works at Pax Lodge. And Heather worked there until last year.

And even though it's been about 15 months since I saw Heather, and even though we've been bad about keeping in touch because some of us had crazy things happen with our jobs and some of us got new jobs and some of us went travelling in Africa and some of us have two year olds and a husband, well we just picked up where we left off 15 months ago. The only differences were the addition of Maia, who fit right in, and J is now a walking, talking small person, not a baby. And when we saw Heather 15 months ago, well, we picked up where we had left off 20 months before that.

And I love friendship like that.

I need friendships like that. Because if you check out Heddy's blog, you'll see that I'm a bit of a hermit these days and being able to dive right it like no time has passed is important.

Yeah.

Sorry, no pictures. We were enjoying the company too much!

PS Hi to all my pick-up-where-we-left off friends...I know there are a few of you read my ramblings! Hope we can pick up where left off sometime soon!

Hits the nail on the head

Oh my, this girl, Lynnea Malley, sums up Facebook quite well...

And because of Facebook's awesome ability to time suck, three nights a week I'm aiming for no Facebook at my house. Without even trying, I'm doing really well on the weekends...I think the computer slept from Friday afternoon until about 6:00 yesterday when I decided it was time to make my grocery list.

We'll see how this exercise goes. I feel old. I remember a time when my evenings were spent reading or knitting or hanging out with friends. Friends who were in the same room as me. Friends who I wasn't communicating with via computer or smart phone or some other new-fangled technological device.

PS there are still some spots in the homemade giveaway game!...you don't *have* to do your own giveaway to participate...leave a comment and you're in!

Ringing in the new

Soon I will be tucked away snug in my bed...but before I do that, I thought I'd try to recap 2010...

And I have lots stored up in my brain, so there might be regular posting in January...

Once again I tried to do this without looking at my previous answers (from 2007, 2008, and 2009)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
started tweeting

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make New Year's resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I know a few people who had babies, some I know better than others!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness

5. What countries did you visit?
We stayed home

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Maybe a little more time to read, more organization at home so there's more time to play and knit and write...but we're pretty fortunate and we don't really lack much. Maybe time with Alex because of his silly hours.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 14 - 28 (28th in particular) - Olympics
March 23 - the day it went nuts (officially) at work

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not going crazy during the last ten days or so of March

9. What was your biggest failure?
good question...no answer

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
no

11. What was the best thing you bought?
a tie between a new bed and ten visits to the acupuncturist

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Vancouverites and Canadians from coast to coast to coast during the Olympics.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
no one close to me

14. Where did most of your money go?
mortgage and daycare

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
winning the lottery...oh wait, no, that was just a dream

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
BINGO

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
happier, thinner, richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
sleep, spent time with Alex and J

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
feeling stressed about work/situations out of my control

20. How did you spend Christmas?
In Kelowna for ten days, celebrating with family and friends

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
nope...I was already in love!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I would like it if the TV went away - that said, I try not to miss Criminal Minds...it's my new obsession

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
no

24. What was the best book you read?
The Book of Negroes

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Yeah, I didn't make any...there just wasn't time

26. What did you want and get?
a new bed

27. What did you want and not get?
the whole apartment painted...but we got it started, so we're on our way!

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think I might have only gone to one movie this year and it was Thomas the Tank Engine...And I don't think we rented anything...Maybe the original Death at a Funeral that I finally saw when I was home this summer?

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went to a wine tasting with friends and out for dinner with Alex. 33

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
nothing

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
ugh...I'm working on it

32. What kept you sane?
J and Alex and daycare

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
none

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
can't think of one

35. Who did you miss?
a bunch of people who don't live in Vancouver

36. Who was the best new person you met?
I didn't meet a lot of new people this year - the daycare ladies, my new boss (who I knew but didn't know...does that make sense?), Lisa, AndreaClaire

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010
If you can't do anything about it, it's not worth the worry. It will work out somehow in the end

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I don't know any songs...see #25 above

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my year. I feel very blessed and very lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

Wishing you a safe and memorable New Year's Even 2010 all the very best in 2011! I hope it's a year of love, laughter, adventure, great friends, super memories, delicious, good health, and many other great things for all of you (and us too!)

For Sarah - London in Vancouver

Look what's sitting beside my desk... (yes, I know it might not be entirely geographically correct)

Thanks Sarah! I still love it and now I have a toddler-safe place to keep it.

Whene'er you make a promise...

Whene'er you make a promise
Consider well its importance
And, when made, engrave it upon your heart

Yesterday was a huge day for Girlguiding UK - it was 201020102010...

At 20:10 on October 20, 2010, something like 500,000 members of Girlguiding UK renewed their promises, together. At 20:10 here in Vancouver I renewed my promise in my head. Because my kid wouldn't go to sleep...anyway...and I used the old promise because I'm a bad Girl Guide and I haven't learned the new one.

And all this happened not because of the cool date, but because Girlguiding UK and Girl Guides of Canada (and some other countries that I don't know off the top of my head) are all celebrating 100 years of Girl Guides this year. There will be more celebrations in 2011 and 2012 too...it took more than a year for Guiding to establish itself around the world! Heck, it's still establishing itself some places.

But it got me thinking (and it's not even World Thinking Day)...Alex always marvels at the friends I have in other countries. Real friends, not just people I've met at some point and now because of Facebook they're my "friends". He doesn't have that - mostly because I became friends with most of those people while living in another country and he's never had that opportunity.

But I think about how easily I became friends with some of these people (mostly women due to the nature of the organization) and it amazes me.

Because normally I'm slow to make friends. I make sure I really know and trust you before I decide that we can be friends. Because, especially before I went to Pax Lodge the first time, I am the person who sits at the edge of the group and observes and is anxious and nervous and not really at ease. FOR WEEKS. (I've become more extroverted and less wall flowery as I've gotten older!)

I swear that when I went to boarding school, the first year I had a few friends in the first few months and I didn't really have lots of friends until the last month or so of school. The second year was so much better...now, that's in hindsight and my 16 year old self might not have agreed. And I love how many of those friends I'm still in touch with and would still consider friends not "friends from high school" which is really just another way to say acquaintance...

But back to these very quick (and now lasting) friendships I made in Guiding...

I think it was easier for me to make friends quickly with these women because the thing that brought us together, the thing that we shared, gave us (gives us) a set of values that we try to live our lives by. That even though we came from different backgrounds, spoke different languages, ate different things for breakfast, we already had established that common ground to build our friendships on. Now, I didn't become really good friends with every one of the 80+ women I worked with over 2 1/2 years, because really, even with that same common foundation, there are bound to be people who just don't mesh. But...Alex and I sent over 60 Christmas cards last year. Some to family, some to friends, and many more to my (now our) Guiding family.

These women are an amazing bunch of ladies! I've laughed until I cried with them, I've cried openly with them - not just sympathy crying, and I've eaten (and maybe drank) too much with them...we shared all kinds of new experiences, travel, songs, and stories...we lived and worked together and really got to know each other. There were three or four of them at our wedding. I've been to at least two (maybe three) of their weddings and had to decline a number of other invitations. I've held their babies and played with their kids. They've held our baby. One of them even made me her daughter's godmother. Gifts and cards have been sent over oceans and across continents to celebrate marriage, birth, birthdays, Christmas, and each other. Sympathy and assistance has been extended in times of need, loss, sickness, and injury. I wouldn't hesitate to turn to my Guiding friends for anything - advice (I've done that), a laugh (done that too), or someone who will just listen (ditto!).

When I first made my promise when I was nine years old, there was no way I knew what a huge impact it was going to have on my life. So, as much as a nine year old could, I considered my promise and I made it for the first time. I've renewed my promise countless times since then and every single time I make, I hear that song in my head. I know it's important. Being part of this organization has made me who I am today. And much of what is going on in my life right now is because of Guiding - I started working where I work now because a Guiding friend recommended me to her boss as her maternity leave replacement (that was 5 1/2 years ago!). I met Alex because I became good friends with a woman I met through Guiding who worked with a good friend of Alex's from high school. And if I hadn't met Alex, well, I wouldn't have J, would I?!

I guess my promise (outdated words and all) *IS* engraved on my heart...