Sad

Today I left work early to attend a funeral.
A good friend of ours, who happened to be our real estate agent, passed away late last week.
I wrote a long post about what he meant to me, about why it makes me so sad to say goodbye. He was a good man, a man who cared about a great many people.
I introduced Phat Daddy to him last year when we were purchasing our first real home. And, he instantly understood what made this man so special.
Instead of forcing us to make a decision on our home, he told us he would pray for us.
As we jumped many many hurdles to get into the place we now call home (including the sale of our condo falling through the day we were supposed to close), while everyone around us, lawyers included, freaked out and I was just generally hysterical, I called him to ask for advice, and he told me calmly "this is the time you have to learn to trust God. This will work out."
The thing is, of all the many pieces of advice I got, his was really the only one we could take.
He checked in a few times over the past year. The thing is, he never asked for a referral. He just wanted to see how we were fitting into the community. He'd ask about our family (he's known me since I was 4).
A few weeks before Christmas he stopped by to wish us a merry Christmas. He was thrilled to find me home on a weekday, and delighted when I told him I was pregnant.
As he left he gave me a big hug, and said he was so happy to see our family happy and thriving. That was our last conversation. I found out this morning that he'd passed away at the end of last week.
The funeral I attended today was a testament to a man who cared about people more than he cared about business. And, as sad as I was to attend, it was such a wonderful tribute to someone who made a huge difference in so many lives.
I left realizing that at the end of the day what matters more than anything is loving and caring for the people around you. I hope that someday I can make as much of a difference in the lives of people around me as he did.

Soooo Excited!

I'm not sure if anyone has been watching the Steven and Chris show on CBC. I LOVE it. I have set my dvr to record it every day, and the show is great.
I loved Steven when he was on Cityline, I loved Designer Guys. I loved the Steven and Chris makeover show. But, I'm loving their talk show even more.
Whenever I watch it I think of a friend of mine, who happens to have a big crush on Steven. We used to work together and one day we were walking in the underground path and saw Steven taping a segment. My put-together, mature friend went into full teenage idol mode when she saw him standing there. And though she refused to get an autograph, she convinced me to take a picture of him with her camera phone.
And, on the occasional bad day I could cheer her up with just a little e-mail of Steven's picture!
So, though we no longer work together, she got a squealing phone call from me announcing that we HAVE to get tickets to a live taping.
And we did! We're going in a couple of weeks.
I'm so excited.
Who doesn't love a show on fashion and decorating hosted by 2 gay men? Really. What's not to love?
And, because the CBC building is so close to one of my favourite restaurants (Lonestar ... yum) we may just have to go there for a very early dinner. Maybe they will even make me a virgin margarita.
My mouth is watering.
First the boys. Then the fajitas.
Yummy!

I Think We Need a Vacation

I would love to book a proper vacation right now.
I think it would be a blast to go somewhere warm and sunny and relax on the beach for a few days and do very little.
That's not in the cards. But it sounds lovely.
Instead, though, I'm thinking we need a weekend break. A chance to recharge our batteries, to get out of our house (that needs painting and cleaning) and go away. I'm thinking it would be great to go somewhere with a pool that Doodle can swim in and maybe some other sort of entertainment.
I love Buffalo, but I don't feel like shopping.
(I know ... shocking!)
I looked into Great Wolf Lodge and the other waterpark resorts, but when I mentioned it to Phat Daddy he said NO WAY. He kind of has a point.
As much as I love small hotel pools where Doodle can swim and we can watch him (he's hit the point where with his special flotation swim suit on and after swimming lessons he's quite capable of swimming around the pool without me holding him - which is quite nice - though of course I'm always with him), the idea of chasing him on water slides, and convincing him that he can only go on the age appropriate slides does not sound like fun.
My child is a daredevil, and with my ever-growing belly I don't feel like chasing him around a waterpark.
Phat Daddy would get huffy. Then we'd bicker. And it wouldn't be a vacation.
Nice idea though.
So now we're investigating something new. By we I mean me. But I'm sure that once I present the idea (ha, in my blog) he'll agree.
I want to go somewhere warm (at least inside). With a pool. And good food (mmm... pizza) and comfy beds that is a short drive from home.
I'll wait till after I have this baby before I go on an all-inclusive trip somewhere. Afterall, what fun is an all-inclusive vacation when you're sipping virgin cocktails on the beach?