Gratitudes

*For a wonderful wedding reception for my dear Sku 🙂 It wasn’t Hawaii, but it was just as special
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*That my bugz were SO well-behaved at the reception! I am so proud of them. They were absolute angels!

*A playdate in Beaumont with the bugz’ boyfriend Jaxen (and his mom, of course!)

*A sweet, much-needed massage, courtesy of my Sherrie. Thank you so much!!! And a little plug to the spa that I went to: Stone Temple Spa in Spruce Grove

*Our acreage, that I have already decorated/landscaped in my mind 🙂 🙂 🙂

*Finding a suh-weet barn on the outskirts of Spruce Grove for a wicked-cool gothic/fairy/glam photo shoot with my sister and her boy … stay tuned! We’ll be shooting on the 12th, I think!

*My very last dance recital as a teacher. It was so bittersweet. I will miss my girls so much, and my studio was amazing to work for. I’ll be back in 2 years as a dance mom!!!

*Ooh – that the bugz slept in until 8am on Sunday morning! The wedding reception was Saturday night in Alder Flats, and I had to be home and in Sherwood Park by 930am on Sunday, so we left at 11pm and drove the 2 hours home. Normally they are up at 630am, but they decided to give us a little love 🙂

*for Kit-kat’s first step! Over, and over, and over! She takes one step and sits back down. Both bugz can stand up from the floor without any help now 🙂 They are learning more and more words every day. New ones: nose (nah), mouth (mow), coffee (cah), pa-pa (Grampa Rocky)

*Prison Break (and Wentworth Miller…)

*Where I am in my life, and all the good that has come from refusing to settle for second best. I can honestly say that I wake up satisfied, no matter how many things have gone wrong.

Sweet love

Oh such sweetness 🙂
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I am spending the day with a coffee mug, my husband, my babeez and my bestests, celebrating the Hawaiian nuptials of my dear Suzi.

Who could ask for a better day??

Kitchens, kids and closure

Before we address the obvious news of the day, let me address this:

I loooove my yellow kitchen. L-O-V-E. It makes me accept the reddish-yellow oak cabinets with bad antiqued brass handles and drawer pulls.

It screams, “Sit, have coffee, read the paper with the patio doors open!! Smell the lilacs in June!!”

Of all the happiness and elated feelings I have had about selling/moving, the only pang of sadness has been leaving my yellow kitchen and my beautiful nursery. New homes have beautiful, coherent paint jobs. All neutral, with designer feature walls. No room for a yellow kitchen in an open floor plan…

But then we found The Acreage. In all its non-upgraded interior glory:

Sweet glory of all that is good in country kitchens!! Now, if you will, look at the eat-in area:

Sweetness!! Wood-panelling, that I am going to paint white. Wood stove!! Can you imagine the coziness of the winter nights?? Can you SEE my curtains??

As if it weren’t enough, I found this picture online this morning (not of my acreage, just a random photo):

And at that very moment, as my heart skipped a beat, I knew that I HAD TO HAVE THIS ACREAGE. Mark my words. Every square centimetre of this kitchen is mine to have. And I am going to slightly remodel it just enough to incorporate this sink. Sweet God, I am in LOVE! (Except the faucet, which is weird … and brass. I have issues with brass – it reminds me of smoked glass and scary Ukranian babas).

Gramma, if you are reading this, that is the size of print I want for my gingham table cloth. And if you ever decide to get rid of the washbasin in the upstairs hallway, may I lay claim to it at this moment in time?? Xoxo…

***

In other news, I’d like to present to you my latest photo essay entitled “Unattended”:

Oops … Bad mama…

***

Michael Jackson. I can’t wrap my head around this. He is an icon in my eyes. I don’t care what his personal life amounted to (fascinating though it was), he was a musical genius and the face of all music today is what it is because of him.

I have used his music in choreography more than once. My best choreography was to 2000 Watts – it solidified my faith in myself. I still get chills when I hear the first strike in the music.

There is a hole in the world today. Say what you may, but you will not hear me utter one word against him.

***

As a legend passes, so does my dance career. I made the decision to quit teaching. This Sunday will be my last recital. It was without a doubt one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. The logical decision was made easier by my new career and our move from Edmonton. But the emotional decision was much more difficult.

Last night, I went to a drop-in dance class hosted by friends of mine. Let me tell you this: I can still jump like a mother trucker. I still have my stretch, to a degree, despite my extensive running this spring. But my style is gone. I am choppy and stiff and self-conscious. I butchered a fun, easy combo. It was actually embarrassing. I was happy to leave before we were done.

I love the girls. I love my students. But this experience definitely strengthened my resolve and knowledge that leaving the dance world was the right decision.

So to all my dancers, past and present: thank you so much for the last 9 years. Thank you for letting me teach you, and for everything that you taught me. Thank you for all of your hard work, all your achievements and everything we have experienced together. I will remember you always- you were my spirit and my soul for many years.

Xoxo,

Miss Meaghan

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Photo blog:

I have a new post up on my photo blog.
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Check it out and let me know what you think…

I get by –

I am opening myself up to the possibility of getting the things I want and need this year. Of leaving behind our bad luck and experiencing only good luck for the rest of 2009. Of being happy and satisfied.

I am committing myself to feeling positive about the quick sale of our duplex.

I am committing myself to the activity necessary to create a busy summer for my job, with many positive results, clients and (of course) paycheques…

I am positive that I will be in my new home by the end of this summer. We have found an acreage north of Spruce Grove that is well within our means, well within our expectations and well within our dreams. I am excited to put our offer in. I am excited to go and see it tomorrow. I am excited to roll up my sleeves and put some work into it.

I am excited to see my children playing in the yard 🙂

So, my friends, all I ask is that you keep your fingers crossed and think some positive thoughts for me in the coming weeks!

Hair and there

First and foremost, a big congratulations to my friend Krista on her new little man Sawyer 🙂 🙂

But almost equally important, look at what we have enough hair for now!!!

Ok, I know it’s a lot of photos, but we were very excited (once we got over how silly they looked…) They were so excited, in fact, that they ran around butt-naked for almost an hour last night. Ba ha ha!! And NO accidents!! Woo hoo!!

Multiple Mania

I’ve mentioned the stats before- the divorce rate among parents of multiples is twice that of singleton parents (or parents with children of various ages). It’s hard enough to keep a family together (multiple or otherwise) without the world scrutinizing your every move.
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I know the world is abuzz with Jon & Kate mania today. I didn’t want to add my two cents in to the mix, but I just watched “The Announcement” and it broke my heart 😦

I’ve watched their show sporadically for a few years. It was amazing and enthralling to see a family survive in the midst of that chaos, despite craft services catering and financial gains. I’ve always been a little torn by them – I give them credit for finding a way to pay for their family, but I question keeping kids in the spotlight like that. I don’t criticize their decision to carry 6 babies through pregnancy, or for using fertility aid. To each their own…

But to see a family fall apart in front of millions… It’s not fair. They made their bed, I know, but would it be so much to ask TLC to just turn off the cameras? Break the contract. Pay the family out their remaining royalties, etc. They’ve made millions for your network. Walk away.

To see two people separated, their feelings edited and their children caught in the midst of a tabloid whirlwind is sickening. I don’t care if they are celebrities. I felt the same way when Britney lost it. Turn off the cameras. Find some thread of decency in your corporate-bank-account driven priorities.

**Let me just acknowledge right now that I am a full-fledged celebrity gossip junkie. I worship Perez Hilton. But I draw a line at families and children, regardless of their proximity to the storm. I love watching a train-wreck in action, but there is a point where it is too much information and interest becomes a sick obsession. Give me all the “who was drunk last night” but leave the personal struggles behind closed doors.

I wish that everyone involved would just swallow their pride and walk away. Let the family focus on themselves, alone without the world watching. Cut your losses. It’s hard enough to keep a marriage alive today. Don’t make matters worse for yourself.

People have asked me many times if I plan to find an agent for my children. My answer is a resounding NO. Yes, they are beautiful, but I am selfish. They have amazing blue eyes and sweet smiles. They are identical and intriguing. But they are mine. They do not belong to the world, and as long as they are mine, I will keep them safe and warm and far from the public eye. I don’t want them to be the bread-winners for our family. Call me a traditionalist, but I believe in the parents supporting the children. I want them to take dance and piano lessons, go to kindergarten in a small town school, go skiing with us in the winters and rise to their fullest potential because of the wonderful children that they are.

Sorry for the tirade. It just breaks my heart to see a family put through this for the benefit of all those people who corner me at Walmart to touch my twins. There is a surprising lack of tact and respect for personal space and privacy these days.

I’ll get off my soapbox now 🙂

Soggy summer Gratitudes

*I had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Fallen Four Marathon Relay this past weekend in Mayerthorpe. It was an amazing experience, and I am humbled to have been able to be a part of it. The sense of community in the town was incredible. It was beautiful to see was has risen from the ashes of tragedy…
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*I am happy to report that I did not develop gangrene on Sunday from standing/running in torrential downpours during the event! It did take almost 2 hours to dry my feet out though, and they are very gross and in dire need of a pedicure 🙂

*I got to spend the better part of Fathers’ Day with my dad for the event. Leith got to spend the day with his little bugz, so he was happy too 🙂

*I turned 2-8. I am grateful that I did not have an age-related meltdown/heart palpitations this year. It was more of an underwhelming acceptance of age this time around…

*My family and good friends came to celebrate with me on Wednesday, and they let me cheat horribly to win our poker game 😉

*We went house-hunting with Erin a few times and found some nice properties in our price range – now we just need an offer on ours!!

*For the 60 minute massage certificate from Sherrie, complete with babysitting 🙂 🙂 I’ll be using that today!

*For knocking 2 more off my 101 list: going blonde and running a 10k (which was actually 12.7k, but whatever, it was a sanctioned race so it counts!)

Ha ha ha ha!!

I think my aunt gets me:

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It may not be the medal I deserve, but a birthday button is close enough!!!

Would it be weird if I wore it, like, every day??

Not gonna lie…

… I have a sickness.

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I just finished this:

I loved it so much that I am now a full-on addict. I wanna do it AGAIN!!!

So, at 11:30 at night, I signed up for THIS:

DU or don’t DU – there is no TRI

Ba ha ha ha … ahhh the post-race high is getting to meeee 🙂 🙂