Gratitude

"It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful".

That saying is in my great room, above my fire place. I love it. I have adopted it as my personal mantra. And here are five things I am grateful for today:

1. My mind. That I can think for myself and have opinions and express them freely. No one speaks for me.

2. My home. I have worked hard at making it what I want and need it to be and I love the potential that it still has.

3. My small feet. I can buy shoes anywhere and everywhere. I don't ever have to worry about custom sizes or orders or prices that come with that.

4. Gymnastics. My daughter loves it. That makes me happy.

5. Technology. I can keep up with my family all the way around the world.

Ciao all.

Hold on to your hats girls...

This is NOT pretty. I had to do something tonight that made me cry. Literally. I had to pack away many many pairs of my shoes. Yup. You read right. My feet have shrunk so much that two pairs of boots and 7 pairs of shoes no longer fit. At all. Not even with using that lift thing that you can shove in your shoes to take up the slack... I am traumatized. So if you live near me and wear size 8-8 1/2, I have a gigantic bag of shoes for you... Just love them as much as I did, that is all I ask...

Ciao all.

Slow Down!

Me - I have to slow down! I am working my life away, and not enjoying the moments I have. My mind is constantly racing - what to do next; what is up next; what is my next step; what is my next goal... Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow... What about today? SLOW DOWN! Now having voiced that, it is easier said than done, especially for a perfectionist/control freak like me. ;)

Ciao all.

Been there, done that...

 

And happy to be home!!

Oh, and Lisa - I am so disappointed that you don't know me at all. Did you for ONE SECOND even think that I would EVER use a public toilet??!! For shame. They don't call me Carmen the Camel for nothing! 8 hours downtown is nothing! Don't ever doubt the power of my OCD!

And, btw, Vancouver smells of urine and cigarettes and B.O. Ya. It does. It may be a pretty city, but it is a stinky one. Boy I sure don't miss working downtown. Looking back, I can't believe that I worked down there for so long. And the Skytrain ride has not improved at all in these past years...

Hmmm. I am slowly but surely turning into my grandmother. What else can I complain about?? Give me a minute, I will think of something.

Ciao all.

I'm not sure about this...

My family has convinced me to head downtown for the day tomorrow and take in the Olympic sights and sounds. I am not sure about this... Okay, before y'all get judgy on me let me explain. I hate crowds. I am claustrophobic. People packed into tight spaces just set off the anxiety in me. So am I really excited about heading downtown to be with 100,000s of other people?? NO. Oh, and if you did not know this about me - I have NO patience. Line ups - not for me. People taking their time - not for me. I think I need to medicate myself before we head out tomorrow. Could make for a much more enjoyable time, all around.

Ciao all.

Armchair athlete...

Seems I have turned into one. I am amazed at the discipline and determination of these athletes so far. I cannot even comprehend the level of focus and training this takes... Clearly I am NOT cut out for Olympic competition. But I sure can critique it! hee hee OH, and Italy BY FAR has the most chic uniforms!! Wow. Check out their footwear if you are local and headed downtown in these next weeks. To die for!

Ciao all.

Made for ME

Come on!! My family's motto!! I need one of these signs in my kitchen...

Ciao all.

OH I forgot to mention...

That my husband is a ROCK STAR and nailed a permanent contract with the Surrey School District!! Y'all can call him Mr. O - Math 8 and Socials 10 teacher - thank you very much. And he is stationed in South Surrey. Oh ya. Oh, and he beat the odds like 1000 to 1 of getting this contract basically right out of the gate. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Marc was BORN to teach. It is his passion. And he is amazing at it! I am sooo very proud of him!

My day at home...

Isabella mia bella is sick = I stayed home today. She has been sick for the past five days actually. She has a virus. I have been told twice this weekend by two different doctors that it will pass. So our day was boring actually. Daytime TV is horrible! Yikes! And I can only do so much laundry before that makes me want to run screaming... So what did I do you ask?? Well, I re-organized my craft area in the basement. MUCH better. I threw out two trash bags of "stuff". Don't even know really what it all was. That is bad. And it angers me that this "stuff" has been sitting down here for months and months. Gone now. Done. I also started doing research for our trip to Italy. That was exciting! I have never done a proper tour of Rome. My family lives in Campobasso which is a few hours southeast of Rome. That is home base when we go. But with this being Marc's first trip to Italy, we have decided to spend 3 days in Rome by ourselves FIRST and then head to Campobasso and be with my family. There is a cool B&B I have found in Central Rome that I think I will contact and ask a few questions. Their hotels are set up differently than ours. And for a family to stay in a hotel, you have to make sure it is a "Quadruple Room". Weird. I am going to have to get this settled soon - in six months we leave! Time marches on - quickly. I am sooo excited. Now, if Izzy B can sleep all night without vomiting (please!!!), I will be over the moon.

Ciao all.

5 Random Things...

Okay, after my rant about identity, and then blog surfing and reading Julie's sweet comments about me (thanks again!!), I feel bad... SO I am going to post 5 random things about me that are funny - you can be the judge as to whether they are funny ha ha OR funny strange:

1. I hate soup. All soup. It is because my grandmother used to make home made chicken soup/broth when I was a child, and she made it all the time, and as she got older and her mind was starting to go, her cooking got to be bad, and the broth got oilier and outright gross. Now the thought of soup makes me gag. It is a shame. I see so many wonderful recipes that I would love to try, but push comes to shove - I won't eat it. It would be a waste. I hate soup.

2. I won't use any one's washroom except my own. If I go shopping I won't eat or drink because there is NO way I am using a public washroom. I hold it when I go to my mom's house or my MIL's house or my sister's house. I have a bathroom phobia. And the thought of actually having to go poop in someone else's house just mortifies me!! I can't explain this. I need professional psychiatric help for this one...

3. I whacked my grade 10 PE teacher with a golf club in the private parts which caused him to pass out. Okay, in my defence - I had never played golf before; I was just learning how to swing that stupid club; AND he was standing right behind me! Dude - get out of the way!! Sorry Mr. M. hee hee

4. I broke my middle finger on my right hand in grade 10 playing dodge ball. I had to have it splinted and wrapped. For the next month I walked around giving everyone the finger, and there was nothing they could do about it. Oh, and it NEVER set properly. To this day, I can feel the weather change... Rain's a comin...

5. I can't bend my toes. None of them. They don't move independently. I have no idea why. My mom says it is because I jam them into my super pointy, super high shoes and I have broken all of them. May be so. I don't care. They are toes! What are they supposed to do? Paint? Write? Play music? NO. They are toes.

There. Feel better about yourself now?!! ha haa

Ciao all.

Am I Canadian...

So the Olympics arrive in a few short days and I have to say - I could not care less. There. It is out. I am not a loyalist. I am not a royalist. I am not a patriot. Most of the time I don't give one thought to the fact that I am Canadian. Actually, if you ask me what I am, I will say 99/100 times "Italian". I was born in Canada. Revelstoke, BC to be exact. I am first generation Canadian. I should feel pride for and a great sense of belonging to this nation. But I don't. Now, don't get me wrong - my disinterest for identity does not extend to my extreme gratefulness for living in Canada and being a citizen of Canada. For that I am truly thankful to Heavenly Father for bringing my parents here and for allowing me to be born here. I have had all the best opportunities given to me. I have freedom of thought and speech and religion. I am safe to walk the streets, day or night. I have food and shelter. I am very well educated and can earn a living anywhere I choose. These are blessings I am indebted to God for. But they don't make me "Canadian". I really don't know what does...

Oh, and FYI - spending $100 on t-shirts and hoodies for Marc and the kids (for school Olympic events), and a scarf for me (because that was all I could stomach wearing), does NOT make me feel Canadian. I just feel $100 poorer... But here is something very "Canadian" - I am going to put a positive spin on this (ha haaa). Supposedly I have done a service for kingdom and country as the money I spent today helps support the Olympians competing. So win some medals! Go Canada. (I can't even type that with a straight face...)

Ciao all.

I am not a hypocrite...

I hate Facebook. I really do. But I opened an account tonight because it seems that my family in Italy all think it is da bomb, and now at least I can keep up with them on a more regular basis. Especially since we will be in Italy this summer. I have 5 sets of aunts and uncles and a dozen cousins and a grandfather I never see! Some of my cousins I don't know at all - the younger ones (I am the oldest of the clan - my youngest cousin is only one year older than my own son!!). And I MISS THEM terribly. I can't begin to explain how much. I ache without these people in my life. And now I can have them in my life - in a strange cyberspace way... So I have a Facebook account. But don't go looking for me to be posting stuff and chatter. I don't have time for that. And really, no one needs to hear stupid/egotistical comments from me... Hey - that is why I have a blog! ha ha

I am not a hypocrite. Just keeping the record straight.

Ciao all.

I am on a quest...

To find these. I want them for my kitchen. Not to put cupcakes in, although they do look good. But to keep empty and use as theme decoration as the holidays come and go. Example: fill them with cinnamon hearts for Valentine's Day. Colourful eggs for Easter. Mini pumpkins for Thanksgiving. Candy corn for Halloween. Various balls for Christmas. See where I am going?? Good. Now where do I find them?? These came from Pottery Barn. In the States. Our Pottery Barn downtown Vancouver does NOT carry these... I am not one to back down from a challenge. But sometimes I really wish things would just fall into my lap...

Ciao all.