I'm feeling better about Christmas this year... so far, anyway! lol

I went Christmas shopping on Monday, and got almost everything. I finished up today, buying the last few things online. I'm never done this early... this is definitely an accomplishment! I made a few goodies last week, and will make a bit more but not much. I don't go all out like I used to, we never eat it all and we won't be home for Christmas anyway.

I went to an Advent study/worship/fellowship at our church last night. It was quite nice, especially the worship. The library staff and board were invited to the Town (town council, employees, etc.) Christmas party, which was tonight. It was good. My friend Lana and I left a little while after dinner, while most everyone else stayed to socialize/drink/play games -- that's not so much my thing. We (library folks) appreciated the invitation, this is the first time we've been invited.

A friend of mine also struggles with the Christmas season. She wrote to me last night to tell me that she had had a wonderful conversation with a friend of hers, in which they were able to be open with one another and share in many ways -- hopes, unfulfilled dreams, struggles, memories, joy and pain. It was healing for both of them, and my friend is feeling very blessed, and has a new, positive outlook -- she is approaching Advent and Christmas with a different perspective. I could feel the joy and the wonder in her words. God is good.

I'm going to try to get the tree up this weekend. Last year, I never even bothered. How sad is that? :-P I don't particularly like doing it, especially since I do it alone, but I'm making the effort. ;-) I think it will help me feel more "Christmas-y".

I got a birthday present in the mail today, from Josh. It made me very happy. :-)

Brrrr.....

"Environment Canada's temperature forecast shows the majority of the country will experience a "temperature anomaly" of below-normal temperatures through the months of December, January and February.

Much of Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and parts of British Columbia and southern Ontario will also see above-normal precipitation." CTV.ca

Oh yay..... I'm frozen already. :-P

AZ is looking awfully good....

I have a few (3) Christmas presents bought. With any luck I can do much of it online. I might head to Saskatoon on Monday to do some shopping, though. I was hoping for a nicer day, but the forecast isn't looking so great.

I don't usually like this time of year much. I used to, but for quite a few years now I find myself rather down and at times depressed. I struggle through the season. I'm going to try not to get into that funk this year. Sometimes it just depends on the day.

I should maybe do some baking this weekend. As long as I hide it so it doesn't get eaten before Christmas!

Robbie's girlfriend Vanessa will be spending Christmas with us this year. She's going home to Nova Scotia to visit her family for a couple of weeks the first part of December, and will be back here before Christmas. Should be nice. :-) The kids will do Christmas Eve with their dad, and we're going to my aunt and uncle's again for Christmas Day. I've been missing Chantelle -- this will be her second Christmas away -- but I talked to her a couple of nights ago, so that helped. I haven't seen Sheldon for over 2 months, either, so it will be great to have him home for Christmas. :-)

I know I need to update...

... feeling kind of lazy, though. :-P

In brief...

• the library got moved. Long, long week. Put in many hours, some of it frustrating. We are in, though, and we opened again on Tuesday and are getting settled. Everyone that has come in absolutely loves it, so that is great. :-)
• class is going well, I'm enjoying it. I got 97% on my midterm, and 100% on an assignment I had to do after touring various kinds of libraries. So yeah... I'm pleased. ;-)
• the church's 95th Anniversary celebration last weekend was really good. Looking at old pictures of Christmas programs and Sunday school and such really brought back a lot of memories. I'm not always too sure just where I am with regard to church, but I do appreciate all that I've had...
  
• kids are all doing well. I never hear from my youngest :-P, but I did learn via Facebook that he has a girlfriend. Last time I talked to him, he was doing well, enjoying his job and city life. Chantelle & Terry finished their job at the ski resort, and have since bought a camper van and are touring around New Zealand. Looking forward to a call from her soon.
• Have bought one Christmas present... lol. Yay!
• It's almost the middle of November, and we don't have snow! Double-yay!
• Rob went to the Roughriders football playoff game today, and I haven't seen him yet because he was going back to Saskatoon, but I'm sure he is absolutely thrilled that they won. He was sooo excited for this game. ;-)
• Now that the library move is done, I can maybe start looking at some vacation time. Arizona is looking awfully good. :-)
  

I guess that's about it. Nothing too exciting, life just keeps plugging along, the days go by, and I cannot believe that is nearing the end of another year. Where does the time go?!

It's finally going to happen...

Yes, after 10 long, frustrating months, we are finally going to be moving the library! We've been preparing some stuff this week, and will close on Friday -- scheduled to re-open on Tuesday, November 6. I'm tired already... we've had lots to do this week. It's going to be a long, exhausting next while. It will be so nice once we're there -- I keep telling myself that! LOL

I did finally get a hold of Chantelle, but not until a couple of days later. It was so weird, and I thought it was a problem with her cell phone, because I knew she'd been having a bit of trouble with it. I tried many, many times over the weekend. When I tried on Sunday night, I got connected with whoever I connected with the very first time I called on her birthday -- but it wasn't her! Some strange guy, noisy TV in the background, dog barking... it was very strange. He yelled at someone to come to the phone, but no one ever did and I eventually hung up. I was puzzled, and after not being able to reach her for a couple of days, I was also getting very worried. (It's a scary feeling when your child -- no matter the age -- is across the world and you can't get in touch at all.)

Long story, but eventually I was able to get her. I had been calling her with a phone card (for cheaper rates), and although it was the same kind I've always used, for some reason it wasn't working properly and it was either connecting me to someone else or not connecting me at all. (I later tried the same card, calling a different number, and it worked perfectly fine. Crazy.)

I had been rather stressed all weekend when I couldn't reach her, so it was a tremendous relief when I finally did get her. I still felt bad that I hadn't talked to her on her birthday -- mom-guilt, but I didn't want her to think that I had forgotten to call!

Missing my girl

It's Chantelle's birthday (Oct. 20th). I've been trying to call her tonight, since she's 19 hours ahead of us and it's well into her birthday already. I waited until the time she gets off work, but I'm not having any luck getting a hold of her. I have to call her cell, and I thought I connected once but then I got a huge amount of background noise and got cut off. Every time I've tried since then, I can't get through. *sigh* :-(

It's her second birthday overseas.

Just missing her tonight... and feeling bad that I can't wish her a Happy Birthday.

• I wrote my midterm last Tuesday. I'm very happy with how I did. :-)
• I went to a staff workshop in Moose Jaw last Wednesday. It was pretty good. We had a baby shower afterward for a fellow employee (who some of you may remember I posted about elsewhere). Sweet little baby boy. :-) I stayed overnight with my aunt & uncle and had a good visit with them.
• The next day I traveled to Regina with our assistant supervisor to meet a couple of other women who are taking the library course, and we toured various libraries. It was a fun and interesting day. I just completed my written assignment for that.
• The new library.... Oh, I'd better not even go there. Suffice it to say that the frustrations continue..... We have scheduled a library closure/move date, however, so things had better be ready!
• Thanksgiving was the previous weekend, and I ate too much... lol.
• I really, really need to start walking again. I've put on a few pounds, and I am not liking it at all. Must. get. motivated.
• Playing Scrabble on Facebook is addicting. Getting your butt kicked BIG time by John... humbling... lol.
  

Aimless wanderings...

• Library move -- maybe end of October. Looking good at this point, if nothing else goes wrong! :-P
  
• Class -- going well, I'm enjoying it. Mind you, it's a pretty easy one so far... lol.
  
• Chantelle -- still in NZ, her job at the ski resort is done at the end of October. Her and Terry are working out what to do/where to go next. I would love it if she came back here for a bit (a slight option), but I know it may not happen. It's almost hard to believe she's been gone for a year already. Some days I miss her so much.
• Boys are good, aside from each being sick recently. Sheldon hasn't been home for a couple of weekends, he's busier with his friends in the city now. I'm glad he's doing well there. The kids (Rob & Vanessa, Sheldon) are off to a CFL football game today with friends. At least it's a somewhat warmer day for sitting outside! I'm sure they'll have a great time. It's cool that my kids all get along so well and enjoy spending time together. :-)
  
• I've started sorting/cleaning out a bunch of junk in my house. The downfall of being a packrat. *sigh* I have lots more to do, so have to keep at it. As per the agreement with my ex, the house will be going up for sale in the next while. (Kinda scary for me...)
• I was kind of missing my grandma this morning. It was weird, I don't remember that I was thinking about her specifically, in fact I don't know what I was even thinking about at all, but I suddenly heard her say my name. It was odd -- comforting and sad at the same time.
  
• Wishing I could go on vacation...
• Realizing that Christmas is only 3 months away!!!!! :-S

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Currently playing: Remedy ~ David Crowder*Band

Yeah, so I deleted my post from Saturday. It was a bad night, I was in a lousy mood. Some people can always manage to push my buttons, time doesn't change things.

Today is a much better day. :-)

I was optimistic. In fact, for about an hour today, I was feeling quite good about the library move. I'm going to quit being optimistic. I'm going to hope we're there by Christmas, and heck... if we get in there sooner, I'll be overjoyed! Really!

The flooring was supposed to go in this week. The guy that was out a couple of weeks ago said things were good, so we finished up our painting and cleaned up. The actual installers (as opposed to the sales guy!) were out today. Not ready. There is still prep work they want done before they'll install. *sigh* Gotta get the guy out to do that, hopefully this week and not next. It will be a week or maybe two before the flooring guys will back.

So it looks like we won't be in until October, and -- due to a couple of factors -- we can't move in early October, so I guess it will be mid-month. Maybe... I won't get my hopes up. I'll just keep shooting for Christmas. ;-)

PMS sucks.

That's all I have to say.

Saturday night randomness...

I should have my new computer next week! My old computer died -- although it was doing this weird-possessed-thing where it would turn on by itself at odd times. Very strange... I finally unplugged the darn thing! Anyway, Josh has been building me a computer for awhile, he even custom painted the chassis. Very cool. :-) He shipped it earlier this week, it's scheduled for delivery on the 28th. Yay!

I ordered a new widescreen flat monitor and a new keyboard. Many of the letters were worn off my old keyboard... haha. It was time for a new one. I'm excited for it all to arrive. :-D

I had the orientation session for my class on Tuesday, it went well. I think that this course should be relatively easy. I'm looking forward to it.

Looks like we might be moving the library in the next month or so. We haven't set a definite date yet, but things are coming along.

Robbie's girlfriend Vanessa loaned me the first two seasons of Grey's Anatomy on DVD.... sweet! Now I just have to find the time to watch them. :-P

July was so hot, and August has been so cold and rainy and lousy -- there was even a frost warning the other night! It should has made summer alot shorter. I can't believe that school starts next week already. It's a bit odd not have anyone going anymore. Weather-wise, I sure hope we get an Indian-summer. It's far too early for this cool weather.

That's all the randomness I have for tonight. Boring, I know.... lol. Back to my book, now. ;-)

*~*~*~*~*~*
Currently reading: One Grave Too Many ~ Beverly Connor
Currenty playing: Leave Out All the Rest ~ Linkin Park (I love this song)

Library course

So, I've been back and forth for months on whether to continue with the distance-ed. library course. I did the challenge in May for the prerequisite, and the next class doesn't start till August 21st. I had something happen a few months back that was unexpected and difficult, I was struggling for awhile, and it made me question whether I should go ahead with this or not. I had almost talked myself out of it, but then thought that I should do it anyway.

The other stuff worked itself out for the positive ( :-) ), and I was still thinking I'd continue. The full course will take at least a couple of years (probably more like 3) to complete. I'm looking at possibly being out of here before then. So should I do some of it, even if I can't get it all done? Would I continue it at a later time? Will it be worth the time and money spent?

Then the big issue -- the cost. I don't earn alot. My expenses are relatively few, so I do okay. But there isn't much extra. I have some things coming up that are going to require some expense, so once again I was questioning whether to spend the money on this course. I've been back and forth over this so many times, and was at the point where I was fairly sure that I wasn't going to do it. I need that money for other things.

Well... I got an email regarding the course when I was at work on Friday. The northern library region that is offering this course to their staff had offered for any of the staff from our region to take it with them, but initially it was at our own expense. They got a huge grant to cover their expenses, and have now offered to cover the tuition cost for us -- for this next class and possibly the one following. It's a substantial amount.

My tuition would be covered, probably for two classes from now until June. I actually emailed my supervisor back to get clarification, because I thought that surely I must be reading the email wrong! She assured me that it was correct, and that I would also be reimbursed for the fee I paid to write the challenge exam. Sweet.

Am I being told something here? "Hello, September... you haven't been listening to me! Can I make it any clearer?!"

I guess I'm supposed to keep going. :-P

Finished book 7

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night. It's almost a let down, in a way.

Overall, the book was great. There is one part I didn't like and I think could have been left out, but aside from that... great. :-)

I'm considering re-reading Half-Blood Prince because there's things that I don't remember that well.

Our town is having the annual "Old Fashioned Saturday Night" -- art displays, live music, pie and ice cream, cotton candy, a dunk tank, old buggy rides, etc. The library is hosting the beef-on-a-bun supper as a fundraiser. We made up tons of coleslaw and baked beans last night, and I have to go help out at the supper as soon as I'm off work in a few minutes. It's really, really hot out today, so hopefully that won't keep people from coming out. We're hoping it will be a good fundraiser for us.

Speaking of it being hot... I was checking online, and it's hotter here today than it is where Josh lives in AZ... lol.

SK: 97 °F / 36 °C
AZ: 91 °F / 33 °C

Anyway, I'm off.... I hope you're all having a great weekend!

So good....

... Deathly Hallows is so good. I'm trying not to read it too quickly, but once I get into it... well, last night I read till 2:15 if that tells you anything... lol.

The next couple of days are busy, but I might be done it by then anyway. ;-)

Ahhh.... Harry Potter :-)

I'm impressed... I pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Amazon.ca. Being in a rural area, I didn't get guaranteed Saturday delivery, but it did arrive on Monday. Very cool. I wasn't expecting it so soon, so that was a very nice surprise. :-)

Now I'm wishing I could be at home reading... lol. I'm going to be sad when I reach the end -- I've been reading these books for years now, and to reach the final one is sad. I want to know what happens, but I don't want them to end... *sigh*

It's been so stinkin' hot here for the last few weeks. It's clouding over and we've had a bit of thunder this afternoon, but only a sprinkle of rain. We could really use some rain -- everything is parched, and it might cool things off a little. In addition to the heat, it's been very humid, which we aren't really used to. I'm trying not to complain about it -- just a wee bit here and there. ;-)

Didn't sleep very well last night, so I'm sitting at my desk at work yawning and wanting to go home. :-P

Big Brother tonight, and more Harry Potter. Maybe a real good thunderstorm... that would be cool. :-D

This and that...

I went to Saskatoon on Monday. I did a bit of shopping, but the real reason I went was to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". I went without any expectations this time. I saw "Goblet of Fire" with Josh last year, and while I enjoyed it, I was also disappointed. They left out so much, and because of that it didn't seem to "flow". It was my least favorite to date.

I must say, I loved "Order of the Phoenix". It was also one of my favorite books. Yes, they left out a lot, but with a book that is like 700 pages, there isn't much choice. Instead of dwelling on what was left out or changed, I just enjoyed the movie. I really did love it. I'd go again... lol. The DVD will be on my Christmas list. ;-)

On Sunday, Sheldon and I went to Moose Jaw to the family barbecue. I had a nice visit with my brother and sister-in-law and my aunt. We left shortly after supper because Sheldon needed to drive back to Saskatoon yet (hour home, an hour to S'toon). I know he was rather bored, not even knowing some of the relatives there, but he hung in there and I appreciated that he went. It was a good day.

I heard from a friend today, one who I thought was gone. I'd met her on a message board about 3 years ago, at a time when my life was a mess. We had many things in common -- it was almost scary... lol. She had a very positive impact on me at that time, but she was very ill and didn't want to talk about it. Suddenly, she disappeared. PM's and emails were never answered, and I would periodically check with some others to see if they'd heard from her, but no one had. She just vanished. Knowing that she was very ill, we all hoped for the best... but feared the worst. I came to accept that she may have passed away.

I rarely log into those message boards anymore, but I had a notification this morning for a PM. It wasn't from her, but when I went to my inbox, lo and behold I had a PM from her as well!!! She'd sent it last week, but for some reason I never received a notification. I was totally stunned! I was also so happy to know that she was indeed alive, and well. :-) Her message was brief, so I'm awaiting her reply to my message to her -- which of course was not brief. Can't imagine that, can ya? :-P

I was going to post about something else that was bugging me, but I changed my mind. At least for today. I'll stick with the positive, and leave aside the negative. ;-)

Oh, one more thing... I'm excited for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". I have my copy pre-ordered on Amazon. Unfortunately since I live in a small town I won't get it delivered on Saturday, but it should arrive within a few days after. YES! :-D

Friday update

Ahhh, nice weather. It's supposed to be quite hot for the next week, but I'm not going to complain. ;-)

Work at the library is bang-your-head-against-the-wall slow. We have GOT to get this moving. I'm beyond frustrated with it.

My brother and sister-in-law are coming out from Vancouver this weekend. They'll be at my aunt & uncle's in Moose Jaw, and there's a family barbecue on Sunday. Rob & Vanessa went to Calgary this weekend, so they won't be there, but Sheldon and I will be going down. Should be good. It's supposed to be 35°C that day... toasty for us. I have to remember to take pictures. I'm so bad at that -- if I remember to take my camera, I get busy and forget about taking pictures... lol.

Sheldon was home last weekend. He seems to be enjoying his job, and is adjusting to that and living with a roommate and all that stuff.

I can't think of anything else... life is generally pretty quiet around here. Have a great weekend, everyone!

*~*~*~*~*
Currently playing: Hey There Delilah ~ Plain White T's

I went for lunch today...

... with Robbie and his girlfriend, Vanessa. They've been together for awhile, but I hadn't met her until now (she's from Nova Scotia, going to university in Saskatoon). He was in S'toon over the weekend, and they came down today and took me out for lunch, then they were heading to the lake for the day. She's very nice, easy to chat with, they seem to be very good together. :-)

On an unrelated note... I really want to go see Transformers, and then Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I need to get to Saskatoon one of these days soon!

So...

... my baby is on his own. He left for Saskatoon last night, to start his new job today. He's living with a friend for now, so he just took his clothes, etc. I was doing fine, until he drove away... *sigh* Still a little sad today. It doesn't matter that I've had 18 years to prepare for this, or that I'm very proud of him for the young man he's become and for being independent and responsible and for getting this job so quickly, or that he's not far away and will be home often, at least for awhile.... it's still hard to let go.

June update...

Has it been that long?! Wow....

Well, my computer died yesterday. I might be able to revive it... Josh thinks it might not be the hard drive (although that has been failing), but the operating system. We'll see if I can get it going again. In the meantime, I'm thankful that Robbie recently bought a computer, because at least I can use his some. Not the same, but better than nothing! Josh has been building me a new computer, but it'll be a little while before it gets here. I was hoping my old one would hold out until then, but she didn't make it.... lol.

Sheldon got a job at Sharp Auto Trim in Saskatoon and will be starting there on July 3rd. He's excited about moving and the job -- just getting out on his own. I'm not quite as ready, but it will be okay. At least he won't be too far away -- for now anyway. :-P

Speaking of far away, I last talked to Chantelle a couple of weeks ago, she was just about to start her new job working at a ski resort in New Zealand. I hope all is going well, she'll likely call again soon.

Hmmm... not much else happening around here. The "new" library building still isn't ready to move into -- it's taking forever. I'm not optimistic that we'll get in before fall. I took my last vacation around when we thought we'd be getting ready to move, and that never happened. Hopefully I won't be trying to work my next vacation around the move!

The next class in my library course starts in August. That should keep me busy for awhile. ;-)

We've had lousy June weather-wise, with it being cold and rainy much of the time. I am really ready for summer!!! My brother and sister-in-law are coming out in mid-July, and my aunt is having a family barbecue that weekend so we can all hang out together (in Moose Jaw). Should be good... my bro and sil don't get home very often, usually only every couple of years or so. I saw him twice last year, but that was because of my grandma's illness and then her funeral. Otherwise we don't see them often. So I'm looking forward to that weekend. *Pray for nice weather!*

That's about it for now...

*~*~*~*~*~*
Currently reading: Velvet Elvis ~ Rob Bell

Well, that was short-lived. It's the end of May, and it's 5°C, windy and rainy. It's getting just a tad bit depressing. :rolleyes:

You in the south with warm weather, send some our way, okay? :-P

Yay, the sun is shining! :-D

(Sometimes it's the little things in life, you know?)

So, I got my transcript today. The grade is just "Pass", nothing more. I wish I'd gotten an actual grade/mark, so that I'd know how well I did rather than just that I passed. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for that. :-P

It's cold, cloudy and kind of drizzly today (is that a word?). Not nice, especially since the RCMP Musical Ride is performing in town tonight. Hopefully the rain holds off, at least, or it could be quite miserable. I have a couple of tickets to the performance that someone was kind enough to give me. I need to find someone to go with me. Sheldon would have gone, but he's working. I'm going to call a friend and see if she'd like to come. :-)

*~*~*~*~*
Currently reading: The Pact ~ Jodi Picoult
Currently playing: Always ~ Newsboys (on Launchcast)

Since Susanna asked...

... Grad was good. ;-)

The weather that day was terrible -- very cold, very windy, some rain. Those poor girls in their gowns were freezing.

It was a time of mixed feelings for me, a weekend of reflection and varied emotions.

I didn't see Sheldon alot over the weekend, he spent much of it with his dad. We had pictures on Saturday afternoon, and later in the day the grad banquet and the ceremony. It all went very well, we had a good time at the banquet. My dad came down later in the afternoon and attended the banquet with us. He came back to the house to visit with me after the grad ceremony, while Sheldon and his girlfriend and invited guests went to the grad party (which is parent-supervised -- his dad took on that duty this time). He wasn't home again until Sunday afternoon.

It was kind of an odd time for me, and I missed not having Chantelle home, as well. But overall, Grad itself was good. :-)

I passed...

Yup, passed the exam. Which I honestly never questioned... lol. I want to know what my grade is though! As of 11:00 this morning, there was still nothing listed on my student account, so I sent an email to inquire about it, since it's been over a week since I wrote the exam. I got an email a little while later saying that the instructor had submitted a pass for me on May 11th, and it should be on my student account. So I checked. And *now* it's there, but it wasn't when I emailed her, because I checked beforehand! Oh well.... Apparently my transcript was supposed to have been mailed last week, too, but I haven't received it yet. All I know is that I passed, no grade. I wanna know how I did! LOL.

EDITED at 1:30 p.m.: Oh... and Maggie went into surgery about an hour and a half ago -- noon SK time -- for her shoulder (finally!).

No grade for my exam yet... hopefully soon.

My (ex)mother-in-law fell today -- simply tripped on the curb and went down -- and she broke her shoulder very badly. Sounds like possibly shoulder replacement surgery. She will not likely make it to Sheldon's graduation this weekend. I know she'll be disappointed. She just celebrated her 75th birthday, and has otherwise been in reasonable health. She spends a lot of time crocheting, so this will probably frustrate her that she can't do it. I hope she recovers quickly, and fully.

I've been busy housecleaning yesterday and today, in preparation for Sheldon's grad. Not that I'm expecting much company (most of our relatives are close by), but it needs to be done just in case. ;-) (If I wasn't so housework-challenged, it wouldn't be such a big job... lol.)

Exam today

I'm a little nervous, but I think it should be okay.

I'll let ya know how it goes. ;-)

EDIT: It went okay... aside from technical issues (it was done online, supervised at our community college) -- the browser froze completely and wouldn't let me submit!!! With only 10 minutes left before the cutoff, after which time it wouldn't be accepted, we had to call the tech. to find out if I was allowed to re-login to my account that I was working from. Fortunately I could, and I got it all submitted with mere minutes to spare.... lol. That was more stressful than the actual exam! :-P

Now I have to wait to find out how I did.

Arrggghhh.... computers!

I would be completely lost without a computer, I really would. (Sad, isn't it?) But some days computers drive me nuts.

I'm having issues with my network at the library. First one public computer not connecting to the Internet, then today a second one, and none of them connecting to the printers. Ack! Did a diagnostic test and found a problem, but I'm not sure if it's a software or hardware issue (I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to networking). Trying to get some help with it. Wouldn't you know it, our computer tech. person at HQ is away at back-to-back conferences until May 5th. She was already scheduled to come out here on May 7th, but I am seriously hoping that I can get something figured out before then!

If you've been reading my blog, you may remember that I decided to challenge the prerequisite course for the Library Training Certificate course. Well, it took forever to receive the textbook, which finally arrived a few days before I left for vacation. So once I got back, I called and registered, and have to write the exam within 30 days. I have that scheduled for May 8th. There is WAY more to learn than I expected, but I am plugging away at it. I found out yesterday that the group that is actually taking the course online -- they started at the end of February I think (at a cost of $500 vs. the $50 that I'm paying to challenge) is STILL taking the course -- it has been extended because there is so much material to cover -- and they have until May 14th to write their exam. Man! And I'm trying to learn it all on my own in a month! Oh well, that was my choice. Hopefully I'll do okay.

In other news....

Sheldon's graduation is May 19th. I was supposed to go to a library workshop for 2 days right before grad, but I decided not to go... I have too many things to get done at home.

Chantelle's in New Zealand, she's been there for about a month now. Her and a friend were in Perth, and debated about going back to Surfer's Paradise because it's easy to get work there, but they decided instead to go to New Zealand. They plan to be there for a few months. She's changed the date for her return flight to Canada, to mid-September. That'll be a year from when she left.

I don't have anything positive to report on the library move. We still can't find trades people to do the renovations that we need done. There are people around that can do the job, but they are all too busy. It's so frustrating. Until we get the renovations completed, we can't get the painting done or flooring installed. I guess we'll get there eventually!

It was raining (and cold!) earlier, but the sun is shining now. Much better. :-)

Doing okay

Thanks to those of you who have or are praying. Much appreciated.

I'm doing okay, better than I was. That first few days after I got home from Arizona were awful. I'm feeling stronger, though, and things are going alright. :-)

I Will Lift My Eyes

I love this song by Bebo Norman. I first heard it on Sylvia's myspace a few months ago. It was also posted on the SCCFANS board recently. It's one of those songs that really touches me, and I can listen to it over and over again. (I've always loved Jason Ingram's songs, so the combination of the two artists is wonderful.) If you haven't heard it yet, you can listen at Bebo's MySpace page: http://myspace.com/bebonorman

I Will Lift My Eyes
Written by Bebo Norman and Jason Ingram

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me

‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
So hold me now

© 2006 Appstreet Music (ASCAP) / New Spring (ASCAP). All rights for the world on behalf of Appstreet Music (ASCAP) administered by New Spring (ASCAP). / Peertunes, Ltd./GrangeHill Music/J Ingram (SESAC)

I'm home

My vacation was wonderful. Sad to leave... on many levels. :-( Due to airline issues, I ended up missing my flight on Wednesday, so I stayed an extra day. That was nice. :-)

Got home about midnight last night. This morning, I discovered that the sewer had backed up. Great, just great.... It hasn't been a good day. *sigh*

Two more days!

I'm off to Arizona on Wednesday morning. :-D

Disappointment...

It's a sad day for the boys, especially the grade 12 players because this was their last high school basketball game... They played a really good game, but weren't able to win the final today. They tried their best, and have reason to be proud. Right now, though, they're sad and disappointed... :-(

Basketball playoffs

The boys won conferences last weekend, and they are hosting regional playoffs in town this weekend. They are so excited! If they win this weekend -- which there is a very good chance of -- they would go to Hoopla, which is the provincial playoffs, next weekend. The only bad thing about that is that I'm not going to be here... *very sad*. When I booked my vacation, I didn't realize that Hoopla was going to be that weekend, or that they might have a great chance of getting there. I feel really, really bad... It's Sheldon's last year of basketball, and his only chance at Hoopla. And I'll miss it if they make it.... *mom-guilt* :-( Unfortunately Robbie won't be here either, as he has tickets for a Flames game in Calgary (he's a huge fan), with hotel room booked and all. Bummer... Hopefully his dad will be able to go watch.

For now though, we're excited about this weekend's playoffs. Opening ceremonies are at 5:15 today, so I gotta zip over there quick after work, and their first game is at 6:00 p.m. I'll let ya know how they do. ;-)

EDIT: They won their first game, they play in the final at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. :-)

Not much new....

We've gotten started on some stuff at the new library building -- spent a morning stripping old wallpaper on Monday. Oh, fun.... Hopefully the painting can get started soon. We're having some disagreements with regard to the paint colors in one room. I knew we'd run into this problem... a group of women trying to agree on paint colors... oy... An even bigger problem is finding someone to build the ramp and renovate the bathroom for wheelchair accessibility. All the local contractors are very busy and don't have time until at least summer, and we need it done within the next month or so.

The move is going to be a huge job, but the payoff will be great!

Two weeks until I leave for Arizona. :-D I finally finished scrapbooking my pictures from my summer trip... lol.

Chantelle's gone to Perth for a few weeks with a friend from England. I haven't heard from her since she got there, it'll probably be a little while before she calls again.

That's about it for now...

Hmmm... do I have anything to update?

Let's see... Valentine's Day was low-key. Josh and I have postponed it for a month... lol. I go to AZ on March 14. ;-)

I was thankful that the pseudo-stalker I had talked about elsewhere didn't do anything for V-Day this year. I was worried, cuz he was here when I came into work that day, but other than wishing both the other librarian and myself a Happy V-Day on his way out, nothing. *Whew* There hasn't been an opportunity to talk to him, anytime he's here, there's lots of other people around.

I had a few moments this afternoon of really missing my grandma. Not sure where it came from, totally unexpected. Oh, maybe it was because I was wondering how my uncle was doing. He's in the hospital, again. He's had heart trouble for many years, several surgeries, etc. He hasn't been well for some time, especially this past year. Apparently he has a "spot" on his lung that they are checking out. *sigh* Waiting to hear more.

Sheldon got back from his school skiing/snowboarding trip late last night/early morning. I'm not sure what time he got in, but I know it was after 2:00 a.m. He was still asleep when I left for work, so I haven't talked to him yet. Hopefully they had a good time. :-)

I talked to Chantelle about a week ago. She's still doing great, still at Surfer's and working in a seafood restaurant for now.

We had our church's annual meeting a couple of weeks ago. I gave up the one position that I had. It doesn't make much difference as far as the various "jobs" that I actually have, it was more of a responsibility thing. I knew that I wasn't doing a good job, I didn't want to be in that position and felt like a hypocrite for being there. I feel better about that now, but feel some slight guilt because no one has been willing to take it on. But I knew that would happen. I feel like I've pulled some support out from under my friend -- she has way to much to handle already. It was something I felt I needed to do, though.

Our diocese elected a new bishop last May. He's been going around to visit all of the parishes to get to know people, and he visited us two weeks ago. It was great. Bishop Gregory is such a down-to-earth and engaging person, and so easy to talk to. (He's the same age as me.) I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day -- and that hasn't happened with church stuff for a long time. It was nice to feel uplifted, even if it was only temporary.

We are starting to get some things done with the new library building... it's exciting. Sooooo much work for the next few months, but exciting nonetheless! We are planning to move at the end of April, if all goes according to plan.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Currently reading: Blue Like Jazz ~ Donald Miller
Currently playing: Launchcast at work

Winning basketball

The boys won all their games, and won the tournament. I'm proud of them. They not only played well, but they demonstrated great sportsmanship, as did their coach.

One of the other teams had a terrible coach. All he did was yell at his boys constantly, he never seemed to have a word of encouragment, and he harrassed the refs to the point where he got called with two technical fouls. Two technicals, and a coach is removed from the game. Because they didn't have an assistant coach with them, the game had to be called. The game itself had been a good game -- good competition, lots of excitement. But one stupid coach ruined it. His players were embarrassed. When the teams shook hands afterward, the coach did the whole patting-on-the-back, "good game!" phoniness... but his players apologized. Thankfully they had alot more class than their coach. Then he went up to the ref that he had been harrassing, and started into something again, and the principal had to step in and tell him to stop.

I don't think the school will be inviting them back again next year if he's still coaching. It's too bad.

Aside from that, though, it was a great tournament.

The coach did a display of all the players with their pictures, their #, nickname, their favorite sports person, favorite sports moment, etc. On each was a comment from the coach. For Sheldon's, he wrote: "Sheldon is the absolute heart and soul of the team. He makes us believe in each other." I liked that. :-)

Basketball

Sheldon's last home basketball tournament is this weekend. They've been having a good year, and really enjoying themselves. The past couple of years weren't so great (issues with the coach), but they're having a blast this year. The home tournament is the highlight of the year. Should be fun. :-)

There is a school break next week, and the grade 11's and 12's are going skiing in Fernie, B.C. again. Hopefully they'll have good weather. It's been soooo cold here in SK.

Okay, gotta run. Have a great weekend!!!

Yay!

I booked my flights to Arizona today... I'm going the last two weeks in March. :-) After that, it's going to be incredibly busy at work for quite awhile with moving the library, so this is my chance to get away before then.

I'm excited! :-D

Challenging

I talked to HQ this morning. I can challenge this prerequisite course at a cost of $50 -- much better than $500.00! I get the textbook, and can write an online exam within one month. If I was to fail, I would have to wait and take it at another time, but I know this stuff, so with the textbook and some brushing up on a few things, I'm not worried. Once I have that, then I can look at the next step. :-)

Friday update

I found out today that, with my experience and computer/Internet knowledge/skills, I might be able to challenge the prerequisite class. I'm waiting to find out more about it, the process and the cost. Unfortunately the person I need to talk to isn't in the office until Monday. And I have to make a decision Monday morning. Nothing like last minute... ::rolleyes::

This is such a busy time of year as it is, and I find myself getting stressed (as I always do at this time). Board meetings, annual meetings, numerous reports (oh how I hate the financial ones), planning for moving the library and the huge amount of work involved in that, church stuff, etc... As far as the church stuff, I think I am finally going to step down from my one position there. I feel it's time. I don't think it's where I'm supposed to be. There is still lots there that I will be involved in, but not that particular role. I'm not sure what will happen with that. We are such a tiny church, with a mostly older congregation, and in the past no one else was willing to take over that position -- one reason why I stayed. But I have to trust that things will work out.

I need to go shopping in Saskatoon tomorrow. I was going to go Monday, but I can't now. I have to get Sheldon a birthday present... not that I have any idea what that will be yet! LOL. He turns 18 on January 28. My baby...

*~*~*~*~*~*

Education Opportunity

(Some of you will have seen this already...)

Blah.... I hate making decisions!

I got an email from HQ yesterday afternoon with an offer to take an online Certificate in Library Training course. Now, as most of you know, I work in a very small public library (town pop. 1,100). I don't have any "formal" training, it was all done on the job. I have a lot of experience, after 8.5 years, but no formal training. Now, it isn't required for my current job (although it would be helpful), however if I was to someday move and and wanted to find employment within the same field, then it would definitely be an asset (and most likely a requirement).

There is a prerequisite class that will run from the end of January to mid-April, at a cost of $500.00. The deadline for registration is MONDAY, January 22. It's short notice, but HQ was only informed about it yesterday. The other courses will be offered over a period of time, and vary in price.

It is both a financial and a time commitment, and I'm not certain if I'm prepared for either at the moment! But I don't have a lot of time to make that decision. Blah.... Do I sound panicky? Cuz that's how I feel.... lol. *deep breath*

Some prayer would be lovely. :-)

*~*~*~*~*

Brrrrrrr.....

I talked to my girl last night. She was basking in +34°C temps, while we're freezing in -28 to -30°C temps, with a windchill of -40 to -45°C. So not fair.... lol.

There are 5 Filipino men who come into the library frequently. They have been living in town for about 8 months (one has been here longer), and they got their first experience of a blizzard the other day.... and now this bitter cold. I feel for them... even I hate it, and I'm used to it! Poor fellows... lol.

I got Christmas presents in the mail today -- lots of great stuff. I got spoiled again. :-) This was one of the gifts:

iHome

(I already have a Nano, it's the iHome that I got.) ;-)

Sheldon's off to a basketball tournament today -- about 3.5 - 4 hours from here. I'm not thrilled that they are traveling in this cold weather, but there are several carloads, parents driving, and probably every person going has a cell phone... lol. So they should be okay.

I wish I was at home curling up on the couch, under my fuzzy Eeyore blanket, sipping hot chocolate and reading my book. Only 2 1/2 hours of work left.... :-P

*~*~*~*~*~*
Currently listening to: Launchcast
Currently reading: Hannibal Rising ~ Thomas Harris

January Blizzard

We've had a nice, relatively mild winter. Until now....

Most of central SK got hit with a major blizzard today. We had high winds when I went to work at noon, by 2:00 it was snowing, and by 3:00 it was really bad. I tried to call my co-worker to tell her not to come in (she lives on the farm), and that I would work straight through till 8:00, but I couldn't reach her. She came in at 4:00, and shortly after that you could barely see across the street. It's now after 7:00, and you still can't see across the street!

Her husband came about 5:00 and told her she needed to go home with him -- because if they waited until 8:00 she probably wasn't going to get home! So I'm working later tonight.

In Saskatoon, the university was closed, they closed the bridges (there are several) this afternoon, buses stopped running at 6:00 p.m., several highways are closed, businesses closed and sent employees home... my friend's daughter was one who was sent home. When Robbie talked to her at 4:30, she'd been stuck in traffic for 2 hours. And she doesn't live very far from work!

Oh well.... at least we don't get avalanches here. ;-)

Josh asked for a picture, so I tried to take one tonight from the open doorway. It was dark outside, and all I got was snow all over the lens of the camera. :-P


Fortunately, I only live 2 blocks from home. I think that Sheldon has his dad's truck tonight, so I'll see if he can give me a ride home. Otherwise, I'll be bundling up and walking. ;-)

Goo Goo Dolls & Elmo

Okay, I know I posted this elsewhere, but I had to put it here, too... It is so adorable. Josh sent it to me earlier tonight, and I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXT1x6eJt-g