Lots has happened over the past month....

So once again I've been MIA for a bit - this time a little longer than I have to date. I've been gone for about a month now because I've been doing a lot and super busy. Shortly after my birthday, Emilie came from Toronto to stay with me. We left the last weekend in August to go to my cousin Valerie's wedding in Elliot Lake. Since Emilie doesn't have a driver's license, I had to do the entire drive myself. We left at 6:20am on friday morning in the rental car Toyota Caroloa that we named Lola, and got to the Lodge where the wedding was happening at 4:30pm. We stopped for 2 hours to visit Emilie's grandparents in Sudbury, where they fed us and we hung out for awhile. After getting lost only once as predicted, we ended up finding our way on the VERY sketchy narrow highway with no lines, through the forrest in the middle of nowhere to find Laurentian Lodge. We got the suite cabin that my family was to stay in for the weekend. My mom, Jean-Guy, Baba, Aunt Vicky and the newest addition to the family Joey had just arrives minutes before us. We unpacked while Dave, Jess, Steph and her date Kevin showed up. Then the craziness of the weekend began.....

The booze definitely flowed throughout the weekend, with drinks and a bbq with campfire the Friday night, the wedding night Saturday (with open bar) and then Sunday night with the familiy before leaving Monday. Our family definitely were the crazies at the wedding, but I think we were the fun ones :P Emilie, Baba and I were the last three on the dancefloor at the end of the night before heading back to the cabin where I would "walk the dog", which really entailed me walking from the back deck to the front door and passing out on the bench holding Joey's lease while he chased rocks. Then when Emilie woke me, I went into the house when a bat flew in! In my drunken state I figured I could catch it so there I was walking around the house with a giant fishing net, now shirt on but my dress pants still on, trying to find the bat - which apparently ended up in my mom's room lol. Steph slept on the floor of the bathroom so we didn't have to worry about a bucket for her lol. Great times! The drive back, we stopped again in Sudbury at Emilie's grandparents' and had lunch there. Then I left on my own to finish the rest of the trip while emilie stayed to visit with her family.

Shortly after getting back to Ottawa, Emilie returned and Ottawa u's frosh week started and Emilie, me and Laurice were Safety Ambassadors for the week - basically we took care of drunk first years and made sure nobody died and that everything was safe. I think the fewest ambulances were called ever. The week was exhausting and I got a cold half way through (and am still getting over it now). Now, frosh week is over, I'm back working as usual and Emilie is leaving tomorrow to head back to Toronto after living with me for the past month. It's going to be really weird for her to leave again. It's like she's leaving Ottawa all over again. :(

I am super excited to be able to see and hang out with Cassie again since I've been INSANELY busy and not been able to see her!! And I'm looking forward to some calm relaxing time now that everything is dying down. I'm also pumped for this cold to go away!

This has been my past month, and tonight is the end of the Emilie in Ottawa month and we're going out with a bang - Laurice, Emilie and I are going drinking!!

My day....

I went with Cassie to Bluesfest last night to see Keith Urban. We brought a blanket and just chilled on the ground with our drinks, sitting in-front of the giant screen while waiting for her friends Tia and Tara (and their respective parties lol). The concert was great....the drunken-high dancing guy beside us, not so much. At one point Keith came through the crowd to play at the center which was about 10 feet from where we were sitting. After the concert and after much deliberating about what Cassie and I should do, we ended up going to her home and walking around her neighbourhood and went through the water park. We finished off with some OC and ice cream cake :) Since I was passing out from only having 4 hours sleep after my night shift the previous night, Cass drove me home where I came into my apartment and in the black place (didn't turn the lights on cause my mom and Jean-Guy were sleeping), after walking into numerous things, I crashed on the couch. At 6am when my mom and JG were leaving I woke up and went to my bed to continue my sleep. I was woken by a call to cover part of a shift tonight (which is awesome) but I knew that something was wrong with my right eye. And yup, I was right....pink eye! Of course I'd get pink eye when my stomach issues have been going CRAZZZZY! lol. After meeting Carli and Amanda to catch up at Bridgehead, I went to the clinic (that was closed of course lol). So I decided to use the computers in the library since I was already on campus, but the library was close of course. lol. So I bussed home, finished my book and ate, then talked on the phone for awhile with Lacey about our Europe Trip 2011. And now....I sit and wait for the time to come to head to work. Clinic tomorrow perhaps? haha.

Honey I'm Home and I've Had a Hard Day

Last Thursday was the last time Emilie was in Ottawa; she left her hometown for the past 5 years to drive away with her dad and all her belongings in a white rapist van headed for her real hometown of Scarborough to live with her parents till she gets a job and moves out on her own. But I'll update you on the night before she left....we had a party at her empty apartment since Emilie, Laurice, Jess and Emilie's dad and I loaded all Emilie's stuff into the rapist van while Emilie put clothes in two suitcases. Lol, yes she was SOOO helpful! hahahaha. So as we partied the night away with drinking games, pseudo sangria and using all the booze left in the apartment, Spice Girls music, dancing while the kitchen light strobed and Laurice putting Waka Waka by Shakira on about 18 times in the night, interrupted only by the occasional cry fest as a friend had to leave. At the end of the drunken night, we walked Laurice's drunk ass home and then cabbed to my apartment for Emilie and my final sleepover. After about 4 hours sleep we woke up to cab back to Emilie's to throw out everything left from the party and head for breakfast (for the last time) at Moondog - due to everyone's over intoxication from the previous night, only Emilie and I made it to breakfast lol. After breakfast we chilled on the floor of Emilie's while Laurice finally woke up and met us to chill till Emilie's dad came to get her at 10. While chilling, Laurice told us that after we brought her home, she ended up going for a HUGE run all night long while WASTED! hahaha. Then the time came for her dad to get her and the tears happened (although I held them in good till I left her apartment and headed to the bus stop). She left. The final Emilie in Ottawa moment for me was me crossing the street infront of where we got drunk many times (La Maison), heading to campus bus stop with tears in my eyes and hearing her yell "Bye Lover!" as I turn to see her drive away with her dad....in the rapist van. I decided to bump my flight home up to be immediately after Emilie leaves so that I could get away to see friends and family back home and be distracted if even just for the weekend. It worked....I landed in Timmins. I had a great weekend - jam packed busy as always when I'm home for too short a period. Hung out with my mom and Jean-Guy a lot. Saw my Baba a number of times (even surprised her and went to CHURCH after drinking all the previous day!!). Friday I drank with Jo and did our regular dose of stupid shit and practical jokes in various locations. Saturday was golf tournament with Me, Kaitlyne, Lacey and Jo....so basically a drinking tournament with some golf. We had brought 2 40s of rum and a 26er of Malibu with us and then bought beer while playing too. So much fun! After the tournament and supper, we went to Kate's house for a pool party but the pool was WAY too cold so we settled for drinking games at the kitchen table. Then we headed out to the new strip club to watch the wrinkliest 40 year old stripper use a pole and then headed to other bars before heading our own ways home. Then in the morning i went to church and then had lunch with fam, headed to visit with Brianne for a bit before heading to the airport to fly back to Lonelyville. I arrived in Ottawa and it was instantly weird to not have emilie. We ususally talk on the phone from the time I get on the bus at the airport till I get home planning when we're hanging out that night and this time we couldn't. I hated it and was mega bummed. Thankfully Cassie came to pick me up and bring me to her place to hangout with her and her hubby Brent to cheer me up (and it did). And today?......back to being shitty without Emilie. I want her to come back! But, I'll survive - with the help of all the people I know in Ottawa! So that's been my hiatus in Shania Twain Land!

Family Gone

My family picked Lacey up this morning at 6:30am and made their 8 hour trek homeward. Yesterday morning Lacey and I went for breakfast with my mom, her boyfriend, my grandma and my sister. After breakfast, Lace and I walked home and stopped in a few sex stores along the way trying to find good, cheap porn. We made it home, then took a nap and when we woke up we went into cleaning overdrive and cleaned my entire apartment, laundry and all. We cleaned the apartment because I had my family over for a dinner party. The party was awesome! Lacey helped me out sooo much with cleaning and prepping for supper. The fam loved dinner and everything and then lacey and I kept drinking till Ricky was ready to come over. Then we went to Ricky's friend's bday party for a bit. When we left my apartment, Ricky was backing out of my parking lot (he was sober) and we heard his car crunch and my response was "don't worry it's just a tree. Keep going". To which Lacey replied "Uh, no, it's a metal fence!". My bad. After the bday party, we picked Emilie up and went to Mercury to go dancing. Fun night, not so fun waking up at 6 so Lacey could leave. I'm happy I got to see them all since it's been 6 months! Can't wait to see them again at the end of the month. And hopefully Ricky's luck gets a little better! haha.

24 Hour Recap

This is my 24 hour recap of what I've done...woke up still drunk from the awesome dinner party at Derek's and then going dancing at Patty Boland's. So I took the morning slow, including lazing on the couch watching Will and Grace and trying to rehydrate the screaming cells in my brain. I tidied the apt a bit before Emilie came over (we hadn't seen each other in like a week and a half, but felt like a month) and we drank a bottle of chardonnay while watching Sicko and talking. A bottle and slight retoxication later, Emilie had to leave to catch her bus to have supper with her family. Pretty much as soon as she walked out my apartment, my mom called to say that my family was downstairs (thanks for the warning! lol). I went downstairs to greet my mom and my baba and mom's bf and my sister. My mom brought a bunch of stuff from back home for me, so we brought the stuff upstairs and did a quick tour of my apartment for them. As they walked out of my apartment to head back down the elevator my mom says "you know we're going for supper, is that what you're wearing?" I was told that dinner reservations were for 7:30, not 6 (the time it was) to which she replied "ops, I thought I told you the change of plans. We'll grab stuff or get ready really quick, we'll be in the car". So a change of shirt and pants, a little hair paste and I'm heading down the car with a spare toothbrush in hand. We went to The Westin, and mom and baba changed to be ready for dinner at Milestones with my brother and his girlfriend (Jess) and her family; Dave and Jess got back from Australia the night before and that day was Jess' grad. After dinner, we went to Dave and Jess' place where they gave each of us something they picked up from Australia - they got me a really nice Quicksilver shirt. After that I spur-the-moment went and grabbed Blizzards with Ricky from Dairy Queen! Haven't been there in forever - it was delish, but medium was way too big after dinner and without the gym for two days (don't worry I made up for it today in the dungeon cause I know you're all worried lol). Chilled at home after the DQ and Westboro car-cruise; again watching W&G. Today I pretty much lazed around, planned the dinner party I'm having with my fam at my place tomorrow and set up LACEY COMING TO VISIT ME!!!! My friend Mike is in Ottawa and his truck is back home in Timmins and he needs it so he's been desperately looking for someone to drive his truck down for him. So since Lacey just got home from St. Catherine's and I haven't seen her in forever she's going to do it and it works perfect cause she'll get in tomorrow in time for my dinner party, then wednesday we'll hangout all day and go dancing at HUMP night, then Thursday she's gunna get a ride home with my mom. I CAN'T WAIT! I'm currently sitting on the patio at Bridgehead (to use their internet and get my caffeine fix) while I wait for when my mom is ready and then I'll head over to The Westin to take my baba out for dinner; it's going to be a INTERESTING time with her that's for sure, but I'll update you on that tomorrow when we see how it goes. Emilie and Laurice are having their convocation today (SUPER happy for them, not so impressed that I'm not with them) and I'm expecting and planning to go out after their done. The day's beautiful out and so many of the people I love are here or coming and I'm in a great mood! Loving Life, hope you are too!

Skydiving with Baba

Two summers ago, I went skydiving with my Baba! About a year before this, my grandma and I were talking and she just mentioned how she always wanted to go parachuting. I told my mom, and we talked about how we think we should plan this out. We figure, you only have one life to live so she mind as well get to do things she's always wanted to do. We talked about if something was to go wrong, at least she'd have been able to do something she's dreamed of. So my mom and I secretly planned that when my mom would come to get me from university to bring me home for the summer, she'd bring my Baba and then me, my Baba and my brother would go skydiving. So when they finally came down to Ottawa, we went out for supper and I sprung the surprise on my grandma and she couldn't and didn't believe us. We convinced my mom to go as well since the rest of us were all going to be doing it. That night, my grandma got no sleep, but she said she was excited to go. The plane was tiny so it had to be two at a time, so my grandma and I went first. We both LOVED it! Then we were on the ground and saw my mom and my brother go. Dave liked it, but my mom puked the entire way down! hahaha. We were video-taping their jump from the ground and when my mom lands all you hear on the tape is her tandem jumper say "you're my first puker!!" hahaha. Loved it! Now on to bungee jumping!

Mom happily in love with her significant other, Jean-Guy

My mom and her best friend Eddy

My Mother Teresa

My mom is the most amazing person you could ever meet! Years ago, friends of hers gave her the nickname "Mother Teresa"; not just for the similarity in name, but because the amazing person they both are. My mom raised me, my brother and sister on her own and she still managed to not screw us up (if I can say that myself lol). And not only did she raise us, but she always wanted (and still wants) us to have the best opportunities possible. She would sacrifice things for herself so that we could be enrolled in different recreational activities or do different things at school or go on trips around the world, because that was more important to her than her getting new clothes, or pampering herself or really doing anything for herself. She always said that her kids are her top priorities and that she'll start focusing on herself when my sister had finally left for university and my mom would have no kids at home to focus on.

My mom taught me so many things over the years, and I am who I am because of her. I know I'm in school to be a nurse because of how she raised me to care for others. Despite the insanely challenging, hard times we have gone through as a family, my mom has always remained a rock and even at her weakest, she was wonder woman; I can only dream of having a quarter her strength. I'm sooo proud of her and I love that our relationship is closer than it ever has (some may say a little weirdly close lol).

My mom has some quotes or sayings that she says often (which often drive me crazy) and I thought I'd share a couple:

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" - This one is definitely my LEAST favourite one, even though it's kinda true but I wouldn't admit that to her ever.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away".

Love you Mom! :)

My beautiful mother and I

More Than Just a Mother

You are my mother,
and I your son.
No matter what,
I'll love you a ton.

You're more than a mother to me:
you're a friend, a mentor, and protector of three.

I know it must be hard to be mom and dad,
but I'm so glad, because there's no one else I'd want it to be!

You always know just how I feel,
and how you treat me is so surreal.
I can't believe how perfect you are!

You're the angel watching over me;
whom I love more than sky or sea.
You're my guardian angel that protects me from harm.
You're the wind beneath my wings.
You hold me up tall,
and catch me when I fall.
I don't fear the world, cause I know that you'll always be right beside me.

You showed me this land while guiding me by the hand, and now I understand why you did it.
You want us to excel at everything, and have the best possible life.
You don't need to worry though. We'll be fine.
After all, we've had you to show us the way.

2003

Mom's Cookie Packages

They always say the first step is admitting you have a problem. Well I have a problem. I am addicted to cookies! Cookies are my favourite food group and there is nothing in the world that tastes better than cookies! I can eat them all the time, any time (except when I'm sick. That's how you can tell something's wrong with me lol). And I have the best mother to enable my addiction. It started when I was leaving to university in 2006 and my mom and just gotten me a cook book called "The Cookie Bible". She knew that living in rez that I wouldn't be baking cookies so she foolishly, but to my SUPREME HAPPINESS, promised me that she would bake and send me a batch of cookies every two weeks. And she did! Every two weeks I would be excited to see that paper slip in my residence mailbox saying I had a package. I'd take the box upstairs and quickly open it to reveal what marvels laid inside this package. This Marc's Mom's Package ritual because a pretty well known hoopla on my floor and it was common to have 3 or 4 people in my room to see what she had sent "this time" (they also knew they'd be offered cookies if they were around lol). And every parcel had a new type of cookie from The Bible. Then after moving out of rez into my first place with roommates, I though the cookies would stop; they didn't! Mom's cookie packages still come (and still come!) very frequently; sure they don't come on a regular 2 week schedule anymore, but they still come! I think mom knows that cookies have a hold over me that I can't get out of (not that I'd try to escape the delicious babies). When I'm depressed or stressed, I get cookies. When I'm happy and loving life, I get cookies. When I've not been home in awhile, I get cookies. Hell I got cookies last week and then today I got a package in the mail and the only thing in the box?......cookies! My mom and her boyfriend made cookies for me and my siblings (I think every once and awhile she feels guilty for not sending them as many lol) and she sent a batch to my friend Lacey in St. Catherine's. This isn't the first time she's sent cookies to friends of mine, and I doubt it's the last. I love having such an enabling mother and that her partner believes in enabling my habit too! I started this batch of cookies and I imagine they will all be gone by the end of tomorrow (if they make it till then), and I'm already looking forward to the next batch! I become animal like when the cookie boxes arrive and pretty much tear everything apart just to get to them (as you can tell from the photo). So if anyone needs anything from me....just give me cookies and I'll do it!