Just more pictures of Caleb in the garden.
He always cries when we have to bring him inside and he's just Mr. Busy Busy out there.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Caleb in the Garden part two
This is the first year where I've been able to start a small vegetable / herb garden. Here are the cherry tomatoes and jalepeno peppers which were my 'mystery plants' which I had started from seed and then promptly forget which on was which. They have turned out amazingly fruitful and I can't wait to be able to harvest!
I also have an abundance in herb. Oregano, Basil, Chocolate Mint, Pineapple Sage and Thyme with which I can dry and use year round. A co-worker has also given me three zuchinni plants and though it's late in the season to start something new, it will be interesting to see what happens with those since my cucumber plant has dozens of flowers and a promise of fruit in the upcoming days.
Caleb in the Garden
Here's some pictures of Caleb in the garden. He loves to spend time out there and he turning into quite a remarkable toddler, but of course, I am biased. He's very studious in a way and loves to study things. So far things don't frustrate him when they don't work they way that he wants them to, he just goes with the flow and finds something else to amuse him.He also loves to help me water my garden. He scoops water out of his little wading pool and dumps walks the container over to my garden and dumps the water on to the plants. Perhaps we have a future horticulturalist on our hands?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Feeling Nostalgic
Nothing like looking at old pictures to make you feel nostalgic. There are my parents (yes, that looks like a PLAID suit) and that's me, my mom and Michelle. I have to say that my sister was a FUNNY looking little baby when she was first born. Look at that hair!!
Looking back at my mom when she was my age makes the similarities between myself and her even more apparent. In that picture, it seems like you can see the youth in her eyes.
Oh and look! I think my mom's wearing peeptoe wedge sling back shoes!!! That's AWESOME!!!!
These pictures (and in the post below) are thanks to my sister who scanned in some old pictures for my Dad's 60th birthday celebration next Sunday. Caleb and I are flying home (only for a few days) to attend and we're SOOOO excited!!!
Old Pictures of Grandpa & Grandma & Me!!
That is great grandpa and great grandma back in the day...
This is me, my dad and Uncle Johnny
Me!
That's me, my mom and my dad at Niagra Falls...
That's me and my mom (before Michelle was born) in front of our HUGE blue car...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
On the Other Hand...You Know You're From Vancity when...
You know you're in Vancouver when...
Your co-worker has 8 body piercings and none of them are visible.
You make over $400,000 a year and still can't afford a decent house.
You take a bus and are shocked at 2 people carrying on a conversation in English.
Your child's 3rd grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, & is named Breeze.
You can't remember... is pot illegal?
You've been to more than one baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatra and Ethiopian.
You also know which Yaletown restaurant serves the freshest arugula.
A really great parking space can move you to tears.
A man gets on the bus in full leather regalia and crotchless chaps; You don't even notice.
A woman gets on the bus with live poultry; You don't even notice.
The guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney.
Your car insurance costs more than your house payment.
The gym is packed at 3:00pm ... on a work day.
Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is into BDSM, and your Mary Kay rep is a guy in drag.
You watch the weather from a Seattle TV station because it's more accurate.
You pass an elementary school and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers while waiting for their personal rides home.
You're sure you're the only one on the road with a REAL driver's license.
The weather forecast calls for possible sunny periods, some cloudy periods, and a probability of rain showers... AND EVERY DAY IT'S THE SAME!
The more expensive the car, the worse the driver
You think anyone who drives a car to work is decadent.
You keep a list of companies to boycott.
You would never dream of crossing a picket line.
You realize that there are far more rainbow flags in the city than Canadian flags.
Old friends you haven't talked to in years suddenly call. "Do you have a spare bedroom for a weekend?"
You think anyone wearing a Preston Manning haircut is Preston Manning.
You go to your office manager's baby shower. The parents are named Judy & Becky.
You give a "thumbs up" gesture to a car with a FREE TIBET bumper sticker and you mean it.
You know that anyone wearing shorts in June is just visiting from Winnipeg.
You curse those damn tourists - but always stop to help anyone who is looking puzzled at a city map.
You haven't been to a BC Lions game since the first month you moved to Vancouver.
You are thinking about taking an adult education course, but you can't decide between a Yoga, Channeling or Building your Web Site class.
Your new neighbours go to temple, but you are still not sure if they're Jewish or Buddist.
Your co-worker has 8 body piercings and none of them are visible.
You make over $400,000 a year and still can't afford a decent house.
You take a bus and are shocked at 2 people carrying on a conversation in English.
Your child's 3rd grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, & is named Breeze.
You can't remember... is pot illegal?
You've been to more than one baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatra and Ethiopian.
You also know which Yaletown restaurant serves the freshest arugula.
A really great parking space can move you to tears.
A man gets on the bus in full leather regalia and crotchless chaps; You don't even notice.
A woman gets on the bus with live poultry; You don't even notice.
The guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney.
Your car insurance costs more than your house payment.
The gym is packed at 3:00pm ... on a work day.
Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is into BDSM, and your Mary Kay rep is a guy in drag.
You watch the weather from a Seattle TV station because it's more accurate.
You pass an elementary school and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers while waiting for their personal rides home.
You're sure you're the only one on the road with a REAL driver's license.
The weather forecast calls for possible sunny periods, some cloudy periods, and a probability of rain showers... AND EVERY DAY IT'S THE SAME!
The more expensive the car, the worse the driver
You think anyone who drives a car to work is decadent.
You keep a list of companies to boycott.
You would never dream of crossing a picket line.
You realize that there are far more rainbow flags in the city than Canadian flags.
Old friends you haven't talked to in years suddenly call. "Do you have a spare bedroom for a weekend?"
You think anyone wearing a Preston Manning haircut is Preston Manning.
You go to your office manager's baby shower. The parents are named Judy & Becky.
You give a "thumbs up" gesture to a car with a FREE TIBET bumper sticker and you mean it.
You know that anyone wearing shorts in June is just visiting from Winnipeg.
You curse those damn tourists - but always stop to help anyone who is looking puzzled at a city map.
You haven't been to a BC Lions game since the first month you moved to Vancouver.
You are thinking about taking an adult education course, but you can't decide between a Yoga, Channeling or Building your Web Site class.
Your new neighbours go to temple, but you are still not sure if they're Jewish or Buddist.
Apparently, You Know if You're From NC If...
So I came across a blog that listed the top 16 signs that "you know you're from NC if..." and I thought that I would share it on my blog since it highlights some main things which I find interesting down here (versus BC) and have added my comments beside them below.
You know you’re from NC if:
1. You give directions using KFC and Waffle House as landmarks. (This happens a LOT actually. Before I came down here, I thought that the Waffle House was something that only existed in rap songs ;))
2. You can't imagine life without sweet tea. (They sure do love their sweet tea. I myself, still prefer the Nestle powdered version)
3. Your 'heavy winter clothing' consists of a sweater and a London Fog with lining. (Heavy winter clothing in NC??)
4. You get your carbs from biscuits, rolls, pancakes, and grits. (Have still resisted grits but biscuits are starting to grow on me.)
5. You own at least one t-shirt from Burt’s Surf Shop and The Sanitary Fishmarket. (No idea what those things are.)
6. In summer you have home-grown tomatoes with every meal. (Even if you don't grow them yourself, your co-workers will give you home grown produce in the summer)
7. You can recognize a copperhead and your heart drops when you see one. (Not yet, but I have heard lots of talk recently on snakes)
8. You have an opinion about UNC. You either went there and loved it or you hate everyone who did. And when you think of Duke, it’s mayonnaise. (School rivalry is huge here)
9. You sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a school or church fundraiser before those glazed doughnuts went global. (I actually found in a Paula Deen cookbook a recipe for Krispy Kreme cake which consisted of a dozen torn up Krispy Kreme donuts in a sort of bread pudding type thing, as if the donuts themselves weren't heavy enough in calories. I do have to admit that a Krispy Kreme donut fresh from the oven IS AMAZING)
10. You remember watching the ACC Tournament on television at school. (ACC?)
11. You know it's pronounced APPALACHIAN and not "App-a-lay-shun.” (App-a-lay-who?)
12. You can spell words such as Ocracoke, Fuquay-Varina and Chocowinity. I can spell the second one, the others, I'm not even sure how to pronounce.)
13. You know that barbecue is a food and not an occasion and it applies to pork, not hotdogs or hamburgers. (this was a shocker to me when I went to my first bbq. What? No hotdogs??)
14. You carry jumper cables in your car.
15. You have been skinny dipping. (yeah. Not a big skinny dipping kind of gal.)
16. One inch of snow closes school and shuts down the city. (This makes most imported folk laugh but I do have to say that it's because they're not equipped with handling even the smallest of snowfalls since it only happens once a year, maybe. It's not their fault)
You know you’re from NC if:
1. You give directions using KFC and Waffle House as landmarks. (This happens a LOT actually. Before I came down here, I thought that the Waffle House was something that only existed in rap songs ;))
2. You can't imagine life without sweet tea. (They sure do love their sweet tea. I myself, still prefer the Nestle powdered version)
3. Your 'heavy winter clothing' consists of a sweater and a London Fog with lining. (Heavy winter clothing in NC??)
4. You get your carbs from biscuits, rolls, pancakes, and grits. (Have still resisted grits but biscuits are starting to grow on me.)
5. You own at least one t-shirt from Burt’s Surf Shop and The Sanitary Fishmarket. (No idea what those things are.)
6. In summer you have home-grown tomatoes with every meal. (Even if you don't grow them yourself, your co-workers will give you home grown produce in the summer)
7. You can recognize a copperhead and your heart drops when you see one. (Not yet, but I have heard lots of talk recently on snakes)
8. You have an opinion about UNC. You either went there and loved it or you hate everyone who did. And when you think of Duke, it’s mayonnaise. (School rivalry is huge here)
9. You sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a school or church fundraiser before those glazed doughnuts went global. (I actually found in a Paula Deen cookbook a recipe for Krispy Kreme cake which consisted of a dozen torn up Krispy Kreme donuts in a sort of bread pudding type thing, as if the donuts themselves weren't heavy enough in calories. I do have to admit that a Krispy Kreme donut fresh from the oven IS AMAZING)
10. You remember watching the ACC Tournament on television at school. (ACC?)
11. You know it's pronounced APPALACHIAN and not "App-a-lay-shun.” (App-a-lay-who?)
12. You can spell words such as Ocracoke, Fuquay-Varina and Chocowinity. I can spell the second one, the others, I'm not even sure how to pronounce.)
13. You know that barbecue is a food and not an occasion and it applies to pork, not hotdogs or hamburgers. (this was a shocker to me when I went to my first bbq. What? No hotdogs??)
14. You carry jumper cables in your car.
15. You have been skinny dipping. (yeah. Not a big skinny dipping kind of gal.)
16. One inch of snow closes school and shuts down the city. (This makes most imported folk laugh but I do have to say that it's because they're not equipped with handling even the smallest of snowfalls since it only happens once a year, maybe. It's not their fault)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Venting
I have a totally non-Caleb related story. Two days ago, I got a letter from the NC DMV saying that I needed to confirm my auto insurance carrier. Well, so that same day, I called my the insurance company to ask them to fax over the necessary form to the DMV and to also fax me a copy for my records. Yesterday, I noticed that the date they put on the form was wrong so I (nicely) called them back to correct their mistake. After being put on hold AND had their supervisor be totally rude to me, I was reduced to womanly emotional tears and hung up. The stated that I HAD a lapse in motor vehicle insurance which in the state of NC requires that you turn in your tags for 30 days. I was freaking out becuase then Jay and I would have to carpool, or rent a car,...I had no idea what to do.
I was so mad at this supervisor that the only recourse I figured I had was to ask her for the address of their customer care center and her full name. I had intended to write a 'strongly worded letter' and then realized that this would not help my predicament, just make me feel like I could do nothing effective in the face of poor customer service.
Well, after a few minutes of stewing at my desk (before the rest of my co-workers got into work), I decided that the insurance people must have made a mistake and I was right dammit!! So I called them back and this time got a different person. They were 'working' with the supervisor that I had spoken to before and since I was being so adamant about being right and they were wrong, they agreed to listen to the phone call that I made to them months ago which for some reason made them pause my insurance for a week. After 50 minutes of being on hold (by this time, my boss and the rest of my co-workers had arrived), the person came back on the line and said "I have good news".
They wanted to formally apologize at their mistake and that they were going to fix their error with the DMV and that I indeed DID NOT have a lapse in auto insurance (ergo I would not have the surrender my tags for 30 days) and that they would not ask me to pay the difference for the week that they forgot to charge me for.
What has happened to customer care? Shouldn't she have believed me when I told her what the rep had said months ago? And if it was THEIR fault, why be so rude? She didn't even come on the line to apologize herself. She had the other person apologize on behalf of the company.
So anyways, neither car nor house has been fixed yet. Things (paperwork I suppose) seem to take forever to get rolling. I've done all I can, so I'm just waiting patiently.
And we're living like nothing has happened. Caleb has been playing in this fancy blow up pool that we got him and he loves to pretend like he's 
mowing the grass. He also loves to help me water my little vegetable/herb garden since I always end up soaking him with the hose. (It's HOT here right now....triple digits is forcasted tomorrow)
mowing the grass. He also loves to help me water my little vegetable/herb garden since I always end up soaking him with the hose. (It's HOT here right now....triple digits is forcasted tomorrow)
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