I don't know where to start, but I do know that I want the roller coaster to stop now!

This past week has been so up and down, I think I'm ready to barf!

example:

bought a TV - up
TV won't be in for a while - down

payday - up
not much of a pay - down

birthday - up
birthday - down

having family around - up
having family around - down

having some days off - up
reason for having days off - down

sitting and knitting for a wedding shower - up
missing the wedding shower and still knitting furiously - down

So you can see, it's been quite a ride since Tom passed away last week. Through it all, I feel like I want to go out and do stuff, but when the time comes to go, I just want to stay home, and go to bed if I can. Sleep is great, wait a minute, that's up and down too, because I usually drop right off to sleep but the freaky dreams are getting to be too much. I don't remember much of the dreams, just enough that I know they are weird and don't make a lot of sense.

Tomorrow is the annual "manbash". A bunch of my friends started this annual event, way back when our kids were under a year old. We would travel en masse to a friend's hunting camp way up a mountain in the middle of nowhere, and drink and eat til the wee hours of the night, falling asleep when we wanted to and could make as much noise as we wanted to. In the early years, we did a LOT of manbashing. As the years went on and the men were "trained", the manbash turned into more of a "let's get together and talk about old times". This will be our first year not at the camp, one of the girls has offered her cottage in Shediac. Hmmm, what a change this will be...I'm assuming there will be running water? electricity? and a flush? OMG how will we survive. At the camp we had propane lighting, a wood stove and an adorable pink outhouse, with a white picket fence and flowers. LOL (I'll have to dig that pic out)we painted it one year) It will be nice to see everyone again, I think I missed the last 2 due to work.

Then on Sunday the "Floss Fairies" are getting together for a BBQ. Hmmm, wonder what happens to fairies when they're caught in a HURRICANE?? Good Lord, a hurricane? Sure, just what we need. LOL

Well, I'd better run, only have 1 more hour to myself before the kids are home from school, I sooo enjoy the quiet.

Tom's Obituary

SIMPSON, Walter Thomas (Tom), C.D.
Walter Thomas (Tom) Simpson, C.D. In Toronto, on August 26, 2008, surrounded by his family, Tom Simpson, a devoted husband, father and grandfather who served his country, died after a courageous fight with cancer, in his 69th year. Beloved husband of Rosemary; loving father to Diane (Anthony), Alan (Lisa) and Susan (Maurice); stepfather to Kim and Chris; cherished grandfather to Ava, Zara, Kyle, Brandon and Neil; predeceased by his wife of 26 years, Joan (nee Randles); survived by his sister Edna MacLennan (Ted) and many other members of his extended family and friends in Canada and the United Kingdom. Born on November 4, 1939 in Toronto to Alan and Althea (nee Thomas), Tom grew up in McKellar, Ontario. He joined the army in 1958 and served Canada for 12 years as a non-commissioned officer in The Canadian Guards. He was an accomplished marksman and served overseas, including a lengthy rotation in West Germany with the First Canadian Infantry Brigade Group. In recognition of his exemplary military service, Tom was awarded The Canadian Decoration (C.D.). After leaving the Canadian Army, he and his wife Joan moved to her birthplace of Liverpool where Tom served in the British Army with The King's Regiment. Tom, Joan and their children returned to Canada in 1978. He then enjoyed a very satisfying career at Upper Canada College in operations, where he instructed, coached and made many contributions to student life. He retired from UCC in 2004 as a member of the Quarter Century Club. The family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation to the nursing staff and social workers of 1st Floor, K Wing, Veterans/Palliative Care Unit, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. A Funeral Service will be held at the MORLEY BEDFORD FUNERAL HOME, 159 Eglinton Avenue West (2 stop lights west of Yonge St.), Toronto at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 29, 2008. Friends are invited to call one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army, Cancer Research or the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.  Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Walter Thomas Simpson 1940-2007

That was the man my mom married when she was just 18.

That was the man my mom divorced when I was 2.

That was the man I met for the first time that I remember when I was 19.

That is the man I say good-bye to today.

Tom (my father) passed away this afternoon.

Life is full of "what-ifs":

Like what if I had visited/written/called more?

What if he had visited/written/called more?

In the days since I found out in July that he had inoperable cancer, I have looked back on our relation-ship hundreds of times. It all boils down to the fact that we both missed out on great moments in each others' lives and had to treasure all that we did have.

I will miss having him there, I will miss never being his little girl, and I will miss seeing him at all the milestones' in my childrens' lives.

The great part of all this, is that he didn't suffer for a long time, he was totally surrounded by love right up until the very end, and he is probably sitting with Joan right now watching a sunset.

'til I see you again dad, love you.

Isabella!

Here she is:

boo hoo!

We got up this am, all set to start switching the living room around to accommodate our new TV, but alas a phone call to Leon's told us that it would be the second week of September before Samsung could ship another bunch out. WAHHHHHHHH!

Ah well, we went out anyway, and got the things we will need to hook it up. Cables, a new power bar, that kind of stuff. We also bought some paint to paint the old wall unit. Should look quite nice when done... I'll take some pics.

Only 10 more days til my son's BFF's birthday month. During that month, because she works for Empire theatres, she can bring 3 people to the movies with her for free. Mamma Mia here we come! LOL

On a happy note, I finished Isabella last night, and now I can't find the camera, my 16 year old probably took it to take pics of his BFF's new bunny. Now on to my fairy ornament for retreat and my Trick or Treat Fairy. She is gorgeous!

Off to work in the am, in emergency, then 4 glorious days off. weeeeee

toodles!

uh oh! what did we do! LOL

I called in sick to work today because my eye was almost swollen shut, plus it was running and driving me nuts. It was a bit throbby too.

So anyway, after DH and I got up and around, we started wondering and speculating about a new tv. So then we decided just to go to Leon's and have a look around. Lo and behold, we left with a pending delivery of a new tv, and brought home a new surround sound dvd. Hopefully the new tv will be in on Thursday, then we can bring it home and hook it all up. The kids don't know yet about the tv, so note to my oldest...if you read this blog, don't tell your brother.

So now we are left with rearranging the living room all around to accommodate the new set-up, and wondering what to do with the old tv with the bleeding colors. Plus we had to go get a new digital box from Rogers for the HD part. So right now we have our old tv, and all the new stuff, but nothing is connected together, it kinda works separately.

Well, I'd better go get my uniforms into the dryer and head for bed.

nite

Wow! Can you tell it's Monday

What an awful evening last night and today.

A conversation happened with a family member that had me so upset that I cried for about 2 hours. Sobbing actually. So, therefore, when I went to work today, my face was super puffy...then around noon I realized that the extreme puffy on the left side of my face was due to an infection in my tooth.

Well, luckily, I was working in Emergency so I booked in and got my antibiotics. Then true to form, around 7pm, it got really really busy in Emerg. Allergic reactions, chest pain, and more. I would have liked to stay because I love it when it's busy like that, but I was pooped! I had to stop at the grocery store to get supplies for a dip for my niece's baby shower tomorrow night, and pick up my anti-biotics.

So now, I sit here blogging and still feeling the stress of last night, I think I need an emergency vacation day tomorrow, tears still come to my eyes just thinking about it. I won't go into it any more than that. And no, the parents weren't involved, they're all doing okay right now.

So, nuff said. I think I need some rest.

Thanks for the laughs today for the comments I received on yesterday's blog. Cute, just what I needed.

G'nite.