Happy Poo Year Peeps!

Awwww (Miss A's Xmas with the family)

Madelyn & Miss A

Aunty Pam the Candle Sniffer

Sidney the Serious Warrior

Sid, Maddie & Miss A

Sid & his cousin Miss A

Madelyn

Oh gawd....someone got a Furby

Sid hahahaa

Pretty girl

SnapChat

Riley high 5ing Uncle Regan

Riley

Xmas Eve, etc.

The Parkside Hotel...scene of Xmas Eve

Xmas morning breakfast...rootbeer float goodness

Hotel lobby that our suite looked down on

Hotel lobby that our suite looked down on

Hotel lobby that our suite looked down on

Pie, chips, spring rolls, brownies, chocolates, shortbread, cookies, fudge, cheese, crackers, meat, rice krispie squares, pop, chicken balls...this all equals amazing epic heartburn!

hahaha they were damn hot

my gift from Kate....awesome old mason jar made into a dish soap dispenser...awesome!

Kim & Shawn...we played Settlers of Catan and Sequence most of the night after swimming

And a jig of happiness I did when it was all over!
Funny that when you have a child to focus on for 20 years you forget how weird xmas is and how much you don't really like it that much. This being the 1st year without Miss A in 20 years was kinda blah...and I was well aware this was just the 1st of it's kind....b/c she won't be home next year either :(
Not to say it was not a nice time in the hotel with Shawn and Kim, it was....it was just weird anyhow. Plus I ate too much (imagine that) and felt ill b/c I was also on the verge of menstruation and that is never a pleasant experience. It also explained my 3 hour crying jag on the 23rd where I just stood in the kitchen bawling while making 4 batches of rice krispie squares...bawled and bawled with full logical awareness that I was completely crying over nothing...my kid is fine, my moved ones are fine...nothing to cry over...yes...wah.wah.wah. 

On boxing day I promptly took everything down...lights, tree, cards...not a trace left of xmas in this house...back to normal...that is typically how I roll though...I put everything up early b/c I know that once xmas is done I feel ZERO christmas-ness...the season is dead to me.

Sounds like Miss A had a fun time with the family...especially the kids...she helped get Sidney all riled up and into the xmas groove. Riley looked like he was his usual handful self but stupidly cute...he really is a character. Madelyn looked to be her usual lovely self, loved having Miss A around.

Sidney & Riley....look at Riley's face hahahahahahaha He slays me with cuteness lol

Miss A at home having out mini xmas...loving having her photo taken...ugh

Miss A & Madelyn Xmas 2013 in Powell River BC

Miss A has been letting the bird fly since she was a kid...love this collage HAHAHA

Miss A in Powell River over Xmas....my pretty girl.

Kim's phoenix tattoo...turned out really nice I think!

Kim xmas morning at the hotel....camo onesie jammies and troll hair hahaha

Happy Fartmas & the gift of all gifts...

CEDAR aka SANTA

Christmas is a weird time of year. I always have this odd level of anticipation leftover from childhood. This year is my 1^st Xmas without Miss A. She is up with the family in Powell River…I am staying in Victoria with my sister. Kim (sister) and I are renting a fancy hotel suite Xmas eve, should be fun…food, swimming pool and hot tub. Last night Miss A told me that she was going to The Zoo (PR's scumbag watering hole) with her friend Tayla who is also home for xmas...they were little bastards together as children...looking forward to the stories about the shenanigans though I had a missed call on my cell from Miss A at about 1230 am...not sure what that is about...

This year I got a package in the mail that kind of messed with my head a little…mostly in a nice way. My good friend Deanna passed away earlier this year and she was always quite thoughtful and lovely around the holidays or birthdays. I could always count on a little parcel of goodies from her, personalized and clearly of things she had been collecting with me in mind. This year I received a package from Mike and Jordyn, her husband and daughter…inside was a note from Jordyn saying Deanna’s gift cupboard had a bunch of things that were clearly for me so they wrapped them up and mailed them down. As you can imagine, this gift from the grave was beyond emotional…gnome soap, bottles of Amber Glow incense, a sock monkey in PJs, a book about neurosis’ (haha), etc…you get the picture. It was a lovely scene, Miss A and I blubbering like big dumb babies at the kitchen table. Even the Xmas card was a handpicked gem. Such a wonderful thing for Mike and Jordyn to do…I know the whole family is still drowning in grief, she was the pillar of that family, keeping everything together and her being gone is devastating to every one of them. For them to be able to do this for ME while they still struggle with the loss of her was incredible. It really blew my mind. Feeling extra bad for them all over the holidays. Deanna was the driving force behind xmas in their family, this 1st xmas without her is sure to be extremely difficult.

CEDAR the FART KILLER

It has been a tough year on old Powell River friends…Deanna passed…then Mark Hamilton. He had been battling an evil bastard of a brain tumor for many, many years so his death was almost a bit of a relief in ways…it could not have been pleasant to see him in the condition he was in and I would imagine he was a little battle weary. They made this [CLICK HERE] amazing video tribute to him that sucked me right in, felt like I was watching a movie about his life, did not want it to end. I was a beautiful tribute.

Last week Paul Fairclough died. Like I said, I think my Powell River friends should be a bit worried because it seems a bit epidemic. 43 is not old enough for all this death and carnage.

Things at home are settling in. Mary is still staying here, Cedar arrived yesterday and I can see him being here with her just improved her mood and decreased her stress level immensely. Someone will be bringing her son Austin down xmas eve so they will be having xmas eve and xmas morning here...

Shawn should be here at some point over the next few days...

Xmas will be a pile o' weirdness this year...with Miss A being away and the nasty atom bomb farts that we all have nightmares about that Cedar drops on the regular. ha.

Friday Night Dance Party...and beyond...

Have I mentioned I love Macklemore? I do.

MOI!

What a week...Kori is sill hanging in there...face and head swelling down a bit but still quite bad...which is normal they say. I saw him the other night and regardless of my preparation in my head I was not ready for it...it was very upsetting. Thankfully the blood thinners did not cause any more clots or brain bleeding so at least now there is a bit of relief knowing the blood thinners should ward off any new clots...

Kori has realized the gravity of his situation I think...he told Mary this was a complete nightmare so he clearly gets it. His physio has started...he is able to push back with this left leg, no idea if that means anything long term good or not but it is better than a kick in the arse. As it stands they say he will be in this hospital for 4 mths...then possibly move back hm up to Nanaimo for further treatment and rehab for many more months after...no idea when he can be at home, they mentioned at one point that could be a year away. Hard to say when his brain is still so swollen they can't really know exactly what the damage is and how it will affect him long term. It is clear they are not familiar with strokes in such a young person...lots of 2nd opinions are being gotten b/c I just do not think Dr's see stroke patients this young very often.

Cedar

Mary is hanging in there ok...getting stuff done and extremely busy with Kori every day and getting him to eat...and generally looking after him b/c without someone there all the time he doesn't really get optimal care, that goes for any hospital and most situations. Hospital staff do not have an hour to feed 1 patient...they just don't.

Cedar was here this weekend for a sleep over with Mary...he is quite a sweet boy...and was really needing some mommy time. He is liking his time at his aunt and uncles with his 2 cousins but made it very clear he wanted xmas with his mom...so Mary, Cedar and her 19 yr old son Austin can stay at my place and do xmas since Kim & I will be at the hotel swimming and hot tubing, acting like rich assholes. Then we can come back here xmas day and hang out and make homemade xmas pizzas lol