Some grilled cheese and Baloney . . . . .

Well to those in the know, the title of this blog says it all . . . . dont know if i will ever eat grilled cheese again without thinking about Dave and Kyle! It's a long, secret story - but omg, my child will be scarred for life - lets just say it have something to do with extreme cougars and young men with libidos!

Great night last night with some good friends bowling to raise money for the hockey - was so nice to see them all after not seeing them for months in some cases. Even on a bad day, a hug from a good friend is the best feeling in the world.

Kyle had the pleasure of spending the night with 'those of legal age' last night - and boy did he pay for it . . . . i think every time he turned around there was another beer waiting for him. At one point he says to me 'mummy, i cant feel my toes" followed by a case of the giggles. He was a good sport, but was snoring in the car 5 mins after leaving, and slept a good 12 hours.

Dean and I went to sis his mum and sis today, and Keeley and Teegan - Keeley still runs a mile away screaming when i walk in the house - strange, i have that effect on Danny and Dave too :) But Teegan is a personable, smiley little one that seems to love the camera. She is in the middle of teething and a cold, but she still smiled all the time. Gotta love when nanna comes to visit cos with her usually come lemon squares, home made jams and lots of hugs and loves.

Driving home we see this haze in the distance - freaking SNOW, the sun was shining, and the snow was falling just north of 10th Sideroad - it is too damn early for snow! I hibernate in the winter, time to get my remote car starter installed!

We are now in for the night with the lights off, we dont get any kids come knock on our door for halloween cos there are none in our area, but we shut the house down just in case. Yep, i am a grinch, but i am not sitting downstairs freezing my ass off for kids to get free candy!

Have a great week everyone - remember make one other person smile every day - your heart will be better for it . . . . .

My day . . . . .

So today i woke up to grey skies, and cold winds - but no rain!!! and that is a good thing as i am heading out with Brent to learn more about shooting. Brent is a friend i made through bmx racing who also happens to be an awesome photographer. I have no idea where we are going, or what we are shooting . . . but i know that i will learn something.

I have already made a curry chicken stew for B and B for supper tonight, there is enough there for 5 people but i doubt that thee will be much left when we get home, both of them love their food. But i love the fact that they would rather hang out here than on the streets of GTown.

After shooting with Brent, i have to rush home and get my 'pretty on' as we are heading out for the night with my eldest and a bunch of friends to bowl and get busy. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life - i wake up every day knowing that i will chat with one of them, laugh with them and share some fun times.

I am looking forward to spending time with Kyle, since he started his job, i only get to see him for 10 minutes at a time every other day - and we used to spend so much time together through cycling, it seems weird now. And now he is 'legal' I am sure he will get his mummy to buy him a beer or two!!!!

Have a great day everyone, remember, make a difference in someone elses life today - make them smile; hold open a door; pay for their coffee - the smallest things make the biggest difference!

Another freaking monstrous church . . . . . ugh

You know what, i am not a religious person, but I also do not judge those that are. But what gets my goat is when i see a new, multi million dollar church being built in my town, when there is already one of the same denomination 2km down the road!

Churches are places for people to go and pray, and believe and share. But why the heck do they have to be fancy, heated, air conditioned, carpeted, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on statues and specialty items for an alter. Why do we need another Catholic one in Georgetown.

When i grew up, our church was freezing cold, concrete floor, leaky roof, priest wore a plain white cassock, we all ran garage sales to keep the doors open.

There are people in this town that are on a wait list for assitance; use the food bank; have no roof over their heads; struggle to make ends meet - and i bet some of them are Catholics too! Why the hell is that money that they just spent on a freaking monstrosity of a building that will only help a lower percentage of the community.

I am sorry - i do not mean to offend anyone out there, but this pisses me off. Charity begins at home, not in a multimillion dollar building - you can get the same faith, prayer and belief in a high school gym, you dont need a palace to do it!

The day with my baby boy pt 2

So, we talked about work, school, life, girls, growing up . . . yes with the damn rap music in the background - but i drove, cos we had to be there in a hurry - cos of course he had to fix his hair, and his face, and his clothes! worse than a woman!

So into the drs. we go. Lack of energy, facial rash, sleeps 12 hours and still wakes up tired - is this just a teenage thing, or a Brady thing . . . we will soon find out.

Our Dr. has to be the best Dr. i have ever had, he laughs, he asks, he doesnt just stop and item A, he looks to Item B to make sure he is not missing anything. His name is Dr. Watada in Milton, and even if i moved hours away, i would stay with him.

Firstly, i had been getting all these letters from the school that Brady was behind on his tetanus shot, then Brady tells me "oh, is that all the green slips I get at school, reminding me, I just throw them out" Too much like his mother this one! So tetanus shot done!

So his facial rash is Exzema - poor kid, just like his mother again, and his Uncle Peter. So cos he is now modelling we have to research good healthy moisturizers, and he got some cortizone cream for the bad days! That plus his olive oil treatment should keep him shiney!

So the doc orders about 12 blood tests, pee test and if they all come back clear, a sleep clinic as he wakes up 12 times a night. So blood test, CHECK, urine test . . . . . urine test . . . . . yeah, he cant pee on demand! So a bottle of water, bowl of soup and 1.5 hours later, he finally pees! MEN! Since when can they not do things with 'that thing' on demand LOL

So we had some good chats and then met up with my baby sis at Walmart. And boy oh boy do they tease each other. So an argument started about stealing each others cereal - and in the middle of Walmart there were debating, and betting money, on whether Oatmeal was cereal - Linzi swore it says Cereal on the box, Brady swore it didnt . . . so instead of leaving it at that Brady had to go search out the Oatmeal, and prove his point. And yes he won! Stubborn, not like his mother at all.

So Deano and I are off to get some photos printed for his mummy, then a nice quiet night home. This weekend looks like it will be a great one - photo lesson tomorrow, then out for a fundraising night with the peeps! Have i told you lately I LOVE MY LIFE

The day with my baby boy

I have been blessed to have 2 wonderful children, yes they are lazy, but they are loving, caring, funny, sensitive and are a joy to be around.

I always feared the day that they would grow up and leave the nest . . . . i would have them live with me forever if i could. Well the oldest (in the ball cap) is a full time worker now, trying to decide what he should go to college for, and the youngest is in Grade 12 with aims to be a cop.

So today the baby and I (yes, my 6'3" baby) are off to the drs. to find out why he is tired all the time, and has a rash on his face - the rash is important as he is just embarking on a modelling career. so i will probably have to turn the keys to my car over so he can drive, listen to all his thoughts on women and life, get nagged about things i do, listen to his dumb rap music and have my fingernails embedded in my dash (I am not a good passenger!!) - but i will enjoy every minute of it, as i dont know how many of these mummy/baby moments are left. You always want them to grow up, but then you never want them to leave.

So he will probably scam a lunch out of me, take me to EB games to pre-order his game, and then convince me that we should pick up the GF. And the GF is a great kid, so natural and not pretentious at all. The kind of girl you want your boy to bring home . . . . she is artsy, beautiful and has a wonderful personality, and Dean scares her every time she is here - wicked Dean.

I am sure I will have stories to share at the end of the day - but right now i am just happy to spend some time one-on-one with him, I love my sons.

My funny friends . . . . Dave and Neil

I consider myself to be extremely lucky to have some friends that are special (some so special they need those white jackets that allow you to hug yourself!). But 2 of them sweet, special friends were really nasty to me yesterday - not going to mention names - Dave and Neil!!!! :)

so here i am patiently (cough, cough) awaiting the arrival of the new baby. The one that is black, hard, round, and oh so pretty - yes i am talking about my new lens! USPS has it in their hot little hands and it is someone in snail mail land on its way to me. So being the very patient person that i am, i have worn a whole in the carpet pacing and waiting, and i am so excited and just cant wait.

So what do these two lovely guys do, without conferring with each other at all? They send me facebook messages with a photo of the NY Times front page with the headline "US Postal Services on Strike". Now, i totally considered the source when Neil sent it, and first thing i did was check the date on the paper - 1978! Not nice Neil!

Well, wouldnt you know it, 20 mins later Dave sends me a similar post, but this time the date says Oct 28, 2010 - but if you look closely you can see the font is wrong - almost like it was photoshopped in . . . . .

Now isnt that nasty! These two boys were winding me up - and teasing me - and you know what, I love it! I laughed, I smiled, I cussed - but I also realized how lucky i am to have these two fools in my life - fools that feel comfortable teasing the crap out of me! But beware boys - REVENGE IS SWEET!

Watch your back boys, I'm just saying . . . . .

what a long day . . . .

Imagine being a woman around a table with 6 men - 2 German, 1 Scottish, 1 Portuguese and 2 Brits - sounds like a start of a joke doesnt it? But when you add up all the years of knowledge around that table, not including me, it can be a bit overwhelming. From 12pm to 9pm today we sat and discussed, argued, debated and talked about hundreds and hundreds of referees that we had to either upgrade or downgrade. This wouldn't have been a bad thing if they had followed the rules! and filled out the forms ahead of time! UGH what is it with men and procrastination!

I found myself getting really frustrated today - not with they system, but with the fact that I still don't know the whole job - almost 3 months in and I am still a pure rookie! And those that know me, know i like to be on top of things - and in the know! I got to the point where i felt my voice raising when i was asked what i considered to be a dumb question, but then realized it was only dumb because i didn't know the answer - and it was annoying me.

I was told there would be a one year learning curve at minimum - and boy they weren't kidding. The different rules, opinions, policies - makes me realize what position i may have left my replacement in at the OCA in. Just because I knew it all, doesn't mean he will. And we will all have to be patient with him as he learns the job - he also has a one year learning curve. And as i had been doing the job for over a decade, i could do it with my eyes closed - he can't.

It takes self analysis to put yourself in someone else's shoes. I wish Greg the best of luck at the OCA, and hope we all appreciate the reading, learning and listening he has to do to make us all happy.

I came away from tonight frustrated, annoyed and perplexed - but also realizing that i have a long way to go before i can 'get it'. I only hope that my superiors will also be patient with me. Instead of being frustrated on Monday, i am going to read more, learn more and ask more questions -


Have a great night everyone,

My thought for the day . . . . .

I recently made a huge purchase, probably not huge by everyday terms, but for Nicky terms it is. I have a hobby, a hobby that i share with friends, that i am starting to make a few dollars at. I love photography. so i just spent $900 on a lens! Never in my life would i have imagined that. but i worked hard, saved harder and now am patiently sitting waiting for it to arrive.

so how does this relate to my thought of the day - how about that life is too short and that you sometimes deserve a little treat. I never buy anything for myself (other than Tim Hortons), and this was the first thing i had spent over $500 on in 20 years (not counting cars). I deserve it, i will protect it, i will enjoy it, i will appreciate it. I will appreciate it cos i worked over 70 solid overtime hours to earn it . . . .

I LOVE MY LIFE!

an even weirder part . . . .

So the guy that left the job that i got had left a message with the interview panel "if a lady called Nicky Pearson applies, you have to interview her, she is the one that can run this department". Well, i was totally chuffed when i heard that. I guess i did leave an impression.

so to cut a really long story into just a sorta long story, i am happy, i am challenged every day, my brain is fried and i am in bed by 11pm. i am sleeping solid for the first time in years, i have no stress pains anymore, i wake up smiling, i laugh all the time, i am relaxed - and yes I am ME again.

I have had more people tell me "i am different now", I am not different now, I am who i am, who i was until about 3 years ago, i am renewed!

There are people out there that have been my rocks and my supporters, and told me i could do it - Linzi, Dean, Sue, Mark, Danny and Monique, Neil and Julie, Dave and Lee, Cathy and Gary, Ginny and so many more - god i am so lucky - when i can laugh with all of these people; call them just to chat; chat on facebook; have a coffee; wear my pjs around them; all of this adds to my totally wonderful life!

Now i will start blogging about my thoughts for the day - be it with my Clicky Chickies, the spiritual ladies, the bmx crew, the new soccer crew, the boys, the hubby, the nephews, the nieces - i will try to keep you occupied!

Thanks

Telling the boss . . . . .

all the way to work, i feel sick to my stomach, it is the middle of the busy season - and i am leaving in 3 weeks (2 if he wants me to use my vacation time up). I almost puked, i swear. Getting to work was a 2 hour blur.

I told one of my co-workers first - the one that means so much to me, and the one i really miss, not that i dont miss them all, but he is my special friend.

Then I asked the boss for 2 mins of his time. I sat in the chair opposite his desk, sweating, shaking, nauseous, and couldnt look him in the eyes. "i am leaving" i told him. He just looked at me and asked when. "end of July" i said, "but i am willing to finish out the season for you, i will finish what i started" Then a long pause - oh crap, he is mad i thought. but no, he was pleased for me, he said he was 50% mad and 50% happy, but there was nowhere else for me to go in the company and this was a good move. PHEW - that was easier than i had imagined.

The third sign

So I show up for the interview, my gosh this place is exactly 42 minutes from my house, 50km on the nose. Wow, there are over 50 employees and they have an $8M budget! now i am scared, i came from a $1M budget with 5 staff - how the hell can i do this? Then the voices of my sister and my husband, my strongest supporters came into my head "Nic, be yourself, stand tall, they will love you" so i did.

I was myself, i laughed i spoke i listened, and 45 mins later i felt that i could have done no better. I was the first interview of the day "now the rest of you have to beat me" i thought - yep i thought i nailed it!

2 weeks later - no call, 3 weeks later an email arrives - 'still making our decision', then i get told they are calling my references. And man, i am lucky to have the greatest people as my references.

2 weeks later, another email . . . . sorry for the delay. UGH. Then one day, I am driving with Deano to pick up my car and the phone rings - it is them - this is it! Hyperventilating, i pick up the phone. "We would like to offer you the job, your references were outstanding" WOW HOLY woot woot - could it really be. Then i got scared - AGAIN. but it only took me 2 seconds to say, YES, i will take it! Then they offered me more money that i would ever get where i was - we would be able to pay our bills! i would be closer to home, i would save on gas, i would have my life back - yes that it what it felt like - a new lease on life.

Now i have to tell the boss . . . . . . . .

The weird part

to get the whole story, you have to read from the bottom of the page up!

So, i didnt get the job. I felt myself getting more and more depressed, more angry all the time, harder to smile and laugh, willing to sit home on my own . . . . so i shook myself really hard . . . 'stop being a dumbass, live life every day' When the right job comes along, you will know. so i put all my energy back into my job, i took on extra tasks, tried to be positive every day, surrounded myself with such positive people outside of work - but still every day i would be awake until 2am cos i was bored . . . . my mind was not being challenged, and i need to be challenged.

Then in April 2010 there was a job posting, the man who had interviewed me had left his job - and it was up for grabs. But holy crap, it was management, 2 full time staff, million dollar budget for the department, 10 committees, lots of travel and weekend work, university education! shit, that did it - not gonna bother applying - i dont even have college.

Again, i shook myself - how will i know if i dont try. So i sent off the resume with a cover letter saying that i had previously been interviewed for an entry level position in the company, but was over qualified. didnt know if that was a mistake or not . . . . . . after not hearing from the company for 6 weeks, i figured it was a mistake. Oh well, maybe i was right - not qualified enough.

Then on June 20, on my way to work a weekend in Chatham, i get a call - can you come in for an interview . . . well, i was gobsmacked! if i am getting an interview, i must be qualified enough. Could i be there next Friday at 10am - well again, the starts were all lining up as i had booked the Friday off as a lieu day. Two good signs already.

would there be a third . . . . . .

August 2010 bought to me freedom . . . . freedom from the mundane, the gridlock, the struggle every month to stay with my head above the budget waters . . . . . it bought me inner strength i didnt know i had, it bought me a few more dollars a month, it bought me 2 extra hours a day due to the shorter drive, it bought me more time with my family and friends . . . . it bought me back to ME!

I sent in a resume for a management position that i felt in no way qualified for . . .but i had to try, my gut was telling me to. It is quite a unique story really.

In October 2009 I interviewed for an entry level position with a sporting organization - a BIG sporting organization. Due to the economy there were over 150 applicants for the position . . . . wow, 150! i made the short list for interviews - so i was down to 10 - the job was below my skills, but there is room for advancement, and being so much closer to home, i could work for the same money and still be ahead. Well, phone interview and panel interview later, i was down to the final 2. Phone call to come on a Friday at 9am, i sat by the phone with my stomach lurching. Was i doing the right thing? Was this a good move? Did i like the man i would be working for? At 905 the phone rings - 'toughest call he has ever made, sorry you are over qualified, you would be bored'. (later to find out he said to someone that he was concerned i would want his job!!) I was gutted, i guess i didnt realize how much i really wanted out of where i was!

but then comes the weird part . . . . . . .

So 2 years ago i was in a place i wasn't enjoying . . . hated the drive to 404 and Wynford from Georgetown, had no real hobbies to occupy my time, really started to dislike my job (felt like i could do it with my eyes closed and still get nowhere) and just was in a funk.

So, time to get off of my butt and make a change i thought - i can find a new job easy with my experience, yeah right! Man, the job market was horrible, the market was in a downturn, everything was less than i was making and didnt 'get my goat'. But i was so desperate to get out that i would send out 10 resumes a week, to jobs i really didnt even want. I turned down interviews, i went to interviews i knew i wouldnt get. Thank god that i have great family and friends that kept telling me that 'something would come up when it is the right time'.

and the right time was August 2010