Where has the time gone?

Hello,
It's been quite awhile since I last posted, where did the time go? Things are going okay here, just been really busy with work. Some months its really quiet to the point it is boring. Other times I wish the phone would stop ringing because everyone seems to be going into crisis at the same time.

Hope you all had a Good Thanksgiving (I know those of you in Canada Celebrate Thanksgiving before we do). Since I worked at Hope Lodge during the day; it was just Mike, Pretzel, our friend JP and I. (There are some photos to the right and above) It was almost better that way this year. With it being so soon after my Grandmother passed, I am more floating through the holiday season more than anything. I am very glad due to budget issues, we are having a Potluck instead of a restaurant Christmas party. Most of the Christmas events I am participating in this year will be pretty low key.

On Friday I left for a scrapbooking retreat. I wish I could say it went well but besides getting pages done in my Memory album for my Grandma and being about to be out in the woods for awhile, it was awful! I ended up having to leave early because of the lack of sleep I got and because I kept trying to fight off a migraine. The people who were there were either related or already knew each other so I tried my best to get to know others. When I got home the male half of the team hosting this had unfriended me from Facebook. Facebook has it's Glitches so I thought it was a mistake and sent him a friends request as well as some others there. They all were ignored. Then this morning I get a nasty Facebook message from the Female half of the CM team stating that she is unfriending me because she did not appreciate my attitude, I should not have left early and I accused her of rigging the drawing. Whatever. She kept drawing her relatives names and I made a joke (that others had done before this) asking "are you sure my name is in there." But either way, I am glad I went to get work done on the album though I want no more contact with these people. I believe in being direct with others when there is an issue going on and if I need supplies I can always buy/order elsewhere. I would rather have people ask me what I meant than make assumptions.

Onto a MUCH MORE positive note...

A couple of weeks ago I went up to see my Mom on the way to visit some clients. I was able to pick up some dolls and things my Grandmother had made me. I was also about to pick up the Afghan my Grandmother was working on for my husband at the time of her passing. It's nice to have these items in my home as they a nice reminder of my Grandmother and things that warm my heart.

















Have a good week!
-Jackie

Something Different

I love to read. It's one of my Favorite hobbies. Last year alone I read 58 books. I used to love it when we lived close to the library....I would hop on my bike with my backpack, get a ton of paperbacks (16-20) and then whip through them all within a week or two. This year has been no exception. On Facebook I keep a list of books I have read along and a small blurb on my thoughts about each one. I decided it would be fun to highlight one-two books every week or two. Since I didn't partake in any Halloween activities this year and instead whipped through books when I was not volunteering at the Hope Lodge, Here are the two books I would like to talk about.

I'll start with the one I loved first. Ever since I heard that Patrick Swayze had written an autobiography during his battle with Cancer I knew I wanted to get it. Well, the library had it for me on Friday and I started to read. I have to say that this book is a must read. If you think the whole book is about his fight with cancer, you would be mistaken. I loved reading about his Childhood, how he met his wife Lisa, their struggles with having enough money for food and rent as they went through dance schools and companies, the ongoing knee injury he faced, family tragedies and what he learned from them and so much more. I found myself not being able to put this book down. I like the fact that he did not come off as someone who was too big for their britches nor as someone who made excuses for every single mistake they ever made (e.g. Valerie Bertenelli and her autobiography). I found myself relating to struggles he faced with things such as identity, the loss of a family member and most of all the heartbreak he and his wife faced as they battled infertility. I highly recommend this book!




As for the second book I read (Smart Women by Judy Blume) I cannot say the same thing. What I can say about this book is that it reminded me a lot of an episode of Desperate Housewives (from what I have heard). The story revolves around three 40 something divorced women and their families. It was more a story of bed hopping and these women worrying so much about their own "happiness and satisfaction" that they seem to forget about their children. When I was growing up I enjoyed Judy Blume's books. In 1999 I read her book Summer Sisters (which overall I liked but hated the ending). I was hoping for a lot more form this author and I was sorely dissapointed. I stopped reading the book with 2 chapters left (it was 352 pages of bed hopping and selfishness). I will not be pursuing any more books from this author, that's for sure!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my post. Have a good week!

-Jackie