5 On Friday: January 30th, 2008

1. Here are some pics from our trip to Banff last weekend. I took some fantastic video too, and want to have a go at putting together a little video eventually, but for now photos are all I got. Because it was so frigidly cold while we were there, the longest stretch of time we spent outside was probably 1 hour , up at Lake Louise, observing the Ice Carving Competition (which is what my video will be featuring). The rest of the time was spent outside for minutes at a time, then finding things to do INDOORS. Like ordering room service and an in-room movie (Slumdog Millionaire - excellent!!!). It was a really great, picturesque getaway.

First - Our King size bed!


Then, the Ice carving competition.

2. Although we tried to be careful up in the icy mountains, there was sadly one lone casualty.

My new Mac Pressed Powder.

Why do they have to make bathroom floors out of hard, unforgiving tile?

RIP my friend. *sniff*

3. Now that Warren is a blogger, I'm no longer the only one to blurt out "That's totally going in the blog!", followed by the token response "No way! You'd better not!".

This next anecdote might fall under the 'Conversations with Warren & Amanda' category, I'm not sure. After it happened, Warren said SMUGLY "Yup, that's going in the blog". But I forbade him. Because there is no way to tell the story without me coming out the other side sounding like a total bi*ch. Since I know it is a story he will throw back in my face over and over and over again, I decided I will out myself before he has the chance.

So here it is:

Warren & Amanda are watching Slumdog Millionaire in their hotel room, which is in the last 15 minutes of the movie. On the verge of the plot climax.

Warren: Where's the remote? Can you pass it? It's too loud.

Amanda: (gingerly passing the remote) Here. But BE CAREFUL. Really. Be sure NOT to hit the CHANNEL button, ONLY the VOLUME button (sounding more annoying and condescending than ever). If you hit CHANNEL we LOSE the movie completely and will be CHARGED to order again.

Warren: (takes remote and attempts to push a button).

Amanda: CAREFUL!!!!

Warren: Geeze!! I'm being careful. GAWD. (gingerly lowers the volume).

A couple minutes pass.

Amanda: I can't hear! (grabs the remote, NOT gingerly, and begins to hit the *volume* button, NOT carefully, only to watch the screen go black and discover she was holding the remote upside down. Meaning the volume button was on the other side, and she actually hit the channel button).

WOW.

I had no words. What could I say? I was in such a blur of my own stupidity and utter embarrassment that I don't even remember what Warren said to me after that. All I remember is him muttering under his breath something like "If that had been me, I'd be a dead man..." as he stomped off to seek comfort in his beloved MAC and begin surfing the web.

Needless to say, I had to call the front desk and grovel and tell them my sad story. Turns out the warning before the movie had a been a bit alarmist, and you actually could re-select a title you've already ordered, and it would play from where you left off.

PHEW.

But our relationship didn't come away un-scathed. I have an inner no-it-all bi*ch, and my dear husband now has proof.

4. Hm mm...any other stories from Banff I can share? Oh - I know! One tradition we have every time we go to Banff, is to visit 'The Trading Post' gift shop by the river. "Why?" you ask? Well...to see the Banff Merman of course!

He's kept safe inside a large glass casing, similar to a fish tank. Post cards graced with his image are sold for 30 cents each.

5. I will end this edition of 5 on Friday with the 'Disappointment of the Week'.

Our new blinds were (FINALLY!) installed in the bedrooms, living room & dining room this week. Great, right? Mostly, yes. They look great and exceeded our expectations. But the disappointment comes in to play when I enter the baby's room. You see, Warren's mom made us some lovely curtains for this room, and we matched the paint color to them. We had a perfectly adorable green room (green is my favorite color, and also happens to be a generic baby color!). When the sun came through those curtains, it lit up the room with a soft, serene glow that I loved.

The new blinds have a big (beautiful) molding around the top, so hanging curtains directly over them isn't an option. If we try to hang the curtains higher, we no longer see the lovely molding plus, the curtains would be too short.

Honestly, I'm over it. The blinds look great. But it was really hard to say good bye to those curtains that I always imagined being a part of the nursery.

A Quickie

Okay, I'm caught. Surfing blogs while I should be doing other things...

THIS POST from Backpacking Dad caught my attention, namely because it's about the fears and doubts we experience when going from being childless, to being a parent...seemed fitting I suppose.

Thought some of my parent friends out there might appreciate his perspective as well.

Opening the Vault

I suppose then, that this is my first pregnancy post, even though I wasn't pregnant when I wrote it. It was written back in September, after the incident had run it's course.

I have been blogging privately over the last few months, and will publish those posts over the next week. But I'm not going to post them all at once, because I'm a mean, mean lady.

Here it is, from September '08.

A Letter To My Uterus

1-2-3-4

4 months and counting...

...until we can pitch our reality show to TLC...

...titled "Warren and Amanda Plus One".

Move over John & Kate and the Duggars... we're 17 weeks pregnant.

Hilarity and entertainment are surely to ensue.

Blogger on the Fritz

My blog was on the fritz the past day or two, and the only way I could find to fix it was to change my template.

So I've simplified and gone for a more black and white feel for now. Threw in some red for good measure, and stylised the header photo a bit. I'm not sure you can even tell what the photo is anymore?

5 On Friday: January 23rd, 2009

1. The other night Warren and I were watching TV, and a 'Charmin' toilet paper commercial came on. It had those Charmin Bears, and they were mowing grass and clipping trees. Our conversation went like this:

W: Since when do bears do landscaping?

A: Hon, they're cartoon bears. They can do whatever they want.

W: Well, if I could do whatever I want, I sure as heck wouldn't be doing yard work.

2. I went to see 'The Wrestler' on the weekend. Aside from missing the first 15 minutes waiting in line for popcorn (I have my priorities people), I liked it. Wasn't quite what I was expecting - it's not a 'Rocky' comeback movie, that's for sure. And there was quite a lot of nudity (that could be good or bad I suppose). And there was one scene that was quite gruesome (again, good or bad, depending on your taste). But all of it rang very true - nothing was sugar coated. And Micky Rourke definitely fit the part of washed-up old wrestler, right down to the bleach blond hair and fake tan. He was a likable loser, and I enjoy those types of characters. Makes you rethink who deserves a second chance.

3. Tomorrow is my 1 Year Blog-Aversary with Cronin Chronicles. Since January 24th 2008, I have posted 88 times (including this one), which really doesn't sound all that impressive. That's an average of one post for every 4 days (roughly). Is my math right? Because when I put it that way, it doesn't sound too bad!

4. Since the world is a BUZZ with Obama fever, I will join in with my bit of Obama praise. But it won't be for the reasons you are expecting.

There is a little (well, not literally) American man who I'm not a big fan of. His name is Micheal Moore. I'm guessing his career is going to suffer soon, because how on earth will he be able to continue producing his anti-American propaganda movies now that The Messiah is in charge?

So, thank-you President Obama, for *hopefully* ruining the career of Michael Moore, at least for a few years. God Bless you and God Bless America.

5. Birthday pics from Open Sesame! Tiff - so sorry you couldn't make it. You were missed.

I'm 29 forever now peoples!

5 On Friday: January 16th, 2008

1. Sometimes, when sending an email, I am absolutely horrified when the spell checker comes on. Seriously, three misspelled words in ONE sentence? I used to blame the fact that I grew up attending French Immersion schools, but I think after all this time that is no longer a valid excuse. I'm really terrible at double letter words - recommend, preferred etc...is it double c and double m? double r or double f or both? And the ie/ei thing kills be every time. Without spell checker I would constantly misspell weird, believe and relief.

2. Guess what I'm doing tonight (hopefully)? Taking down the Christmas Tree. Yes, I know, I probably shouldn't admit that publicly. What's the date on this post? January 16th? *sigh*. My only defense is that it's a FAKE tree, so it's not like it's wilting and shedding and becoming more and more of a fire hazard each day...and we don't turn the lights on anymore.

3. I can tell already that this season of the Biggest Loser is going to make me cry, A LOT. Speaking of TV - does anyone know what starts up again tonight? BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA!!!!!! The end is near, and I'm so excited to find out the final secrets, but so sad to know it will all be over soon. Any other BSG geeks out there? Anyone? (tumbleweed goes by...)

4. My mom is taking me to 'STOMP' on Sunday. Has anyone seen it before? What did you think?

5. It's confirmed - a Banff getaway is indeed in my future! We're off for a romantic weekend in the snow capped Rocky Mountains next weekend. I always remind myself that people travel from all over the world to visit Banff, and it's literally on our doorstep. It will be a lovely birthday treat for me! (And Warren will probably enjoy himself too).

A Letter To Wellington (your new nickname)

15 wks


Dear Wellington,

I realise you're floating around inside my uterus, completely oblivious to the world carrying on around you. Meanwhile, on the outside, Warren & I are constantly thinking, talking and dreaming about you.

This morning we entered the prenatal clinic to a waiting room full of pregnant women and new mothers with infants. We were quite disturbed to notice that every one of them looked positively miserable. Oh CRAP. What have we done? Is this our future? However, we eventually chalked it up to the fact that likely anyone in a doctor's waiting room looks miserable.

We met the nice doctor and got to hear your heartbeat for the first time. The room was filled with big grins and long sighs of relief. One more milestone that helped make you feel more real to us. Glad you seem to be enjoying yourself so far. I'm finally starting to, too.

Now, I'm guessing this whole heartbeat thing will be one of the many, many things you do for us, without even knowing it, that will fill our hearts with love for you.

I know you didn't 'do' anything, per say, but thank-you. You are a very sweet baby.

Cheers,
Your Mom

5 On Friday: January 9th, 2009

1. Over the holidays I read 2 books. TWO books. That's insane for me. I literally gobbled them up without taking a breath. The first was 'Rush Home Road' by Lori Lansen. A really great character driven story that just kept me wanting to know more. The second was 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult. I asked for a Jodi Picoult book for Christmas because I've heard so many good reviews from friends. This one also kept me wanting more with each turn of the page, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The jury is still out on the ending though. I'm not a big fan of stories that get wrapped up in 'perfect little packages' like this one did, but I have to admit I didn't see the final 'twist' coming, and I really should have.

2. Speaking of twists, Warren & I watched a movie called 'Wanted' starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and the hunky James McAvoy. Warren found it for 10 bucks in the discount bin. Jury's out on this one too - it's over stylised, too violent in some parts and basically just ridiculous. But the story line is kind of interesting and it's visually very cool, and it opened my eyes to the amazing talents of James McAvoy, who is the clear winner in the movie. It has a great ending and a couple good twists (that Warren & I each guessed were coming, of course making us both very Smug, as usual). Angie is in purely for the paycheck, and the Producers put her in purely so they could print her name on the poster, and put her front & center on the cover of the DVD. She had barely any lines, and her character could have been played by anyone. I think Denise Richards would have been a better choice. Let's face it - I like a leading lady with curves. (And I don't care what In Touch Magazine tells me - Angie does not have 'healthy curves'. I don't even think Warren enjoyed her 'walking away, nude' scene, because there is nothing sexy about a towel hanging off a tattooed skeleton).

3. I didn't make official New Year's Resolutions this year, but one thing I do want to do is finish posting about our London/Paris trip!! And our trip to Kootenay Park Lodge. Really, this shouldn't be as hard as I seem to make it.

4. Warren found a good deal at the Rimrock in Banff - $109/night. So maybe a weekend getaway is in our future?

5. On Wednesday we had a new dishwasher installed, because the old one crapped out. I have to say, the stainless steel blends nicely with the 70's kitchen, and the other 20-year-old appliances :-) Oh, and that same night, our garage door opener stopped opening. God Bless Old Houses.

6. PS - Why has no one gone over to give my husband some love at CHANNEL WARREN? Is it because he's a guy? Is it because you don't 'get' him? Is your blog roll already too long and you just can't squeeze in another? Or is it because he is so awesome you just end up feeling bad about your own blogging? Really people, he doesn't bite. Sure, he's a bit odd, and really smug, and sure he sometimes grows his hair a bit too long, and his skin is really pale, but he's not a bad person. If you're short on time and don't want to read through all his posts, I recommend these ones (all clickable links):

Bizzaro World Bucket List
Heart of The Ocean
Mr. Gorbachev...Tear down these walls...
Coffee Table Republik

And, for nostalgia's sake...

The Most Memorable Moment of 2008 (written by yours truly, and still cracks me up beyond belief)

Go forth, enjoy, and COMMENT!

5 on Saturday: January 3rd, 2009

Geez, you'd think I could at least try and start the New Year off on a good note and actually post on Friday. Oh well.

1. Warren's parents just had their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1958, and they still seem to like each other a lot. Very INSPIRING.

2. Laughter feels so good. Here is an email back and forth with Warren that had me in stitches at work...maybe you had to be there.

Amanda: I bought you some Docker corduroy pants at the charity auction today. They are size 38/34, which might be a bit big, but I figured with all the Ferrero Rochers you've eaten lately...;-)

Warren: I'm fat and getting pants from charity...how depressing.

Made me realize I should have worded my original email a bit more delicately!

3. Warren surprised me and bought us tickets to see A Christmas Carol at Theatre Calgary on Christmas Eve at 2pm. I was off work at noon that day, so we went for lunch downtown then went to see the show. I love that story - always makes me tear up.

4. The posts over at Redneck Mommy didn't turn out as heart warming as I had hoped. She's now posted Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and the Journey's End.

5. Warren has started a website blog. I have no idea how often he'll post, what he'll post about, or if any of it will be any good. So, for now, this is not an endorsement, but rather an FYI. So please tune in to Channel Warren, and leave him some 'Welcome to Blogland' love in the comments.

Telling

We announced the news to some of our family on Christmas Eve. The reactions were substantially different this time, but not any less special.

My Dad was in Winnipeg for Christmas this year, so I decided to wait and call on Christmas Day to tell him. He was very happy, and said he'd suspected since Halloween, which was just a few days after we found out. He said I was a very, very tired Amy Winehouse, so he knew right away.

I told him the official due date was July 7th, and the conversation went like this:

Dad: Oohhh...maybe the baby will come late and share Grampa's birthday.

Amanda: When is Grampa's birthday?

Dad: July 9th (he says in a rather irritated tone).

Amanda: What? Grampa has the same birthday as you? How is it possible that I never knew this?!

Dad: No, no...I'm the Grampa!

I had a good laugh at myself after that. Poor Dad - thought I didn't even know his birthday. Will I have to start referring to him as Grampa now? That is just confusing.

Good Bye and Good Riddance

Adios 1st Trimester. Can't say I'm going to miss you.

You were a miserable sod, and the only real highlight was the 11 week ultrasound at which time I discovered my uterus hadn't let me down.

However, you were made more manageable thanks to Warren, who really stepped up to the plate. Thanks Hon.

Exhale

Today marked a turning point in this pregnancy. I called for the appointment on Thursday, and was lucky enough to get one for 9am Monday. It's at a new clinic that is desperate for clients. As happy as I was to get the appointment, I was dreading it all weekend, and was nearly in tears on my way out the door in the morning (sorry, Warren, for being so snarly and negative towards you). But I couldn't help it. The trauma of our previous ultrasound hung over me, and I honestly couldn't visualize this one unfolding any differently. The words 'fetal demise' kept running through my head, and I couldn't shake them.

This time I went alone, because Warren would have had to let the cat out of the bag in order to come, and I wasn't ready for that.

The technician was a nice English lady named Gillian. She asked the inevitable question "So, is this your first pregnancy?". So I told her my sad story. "Ah, so that must be why you're having an early ultrasound this time?". Ya, if you think 11 weeks is early, I guess. Isn't it normal to get one early? "Do twins run in your family". Gasp. Wasn't expecting that question. "Well," she said, "let's get to it".

As she pressed down on my belly with that little instrument, I held my breath and clenched my fists. Time seemed to stand still as I bit my lip with anxiety, bracing myself for the devastating news that I was sure was coming.

 "Oh boy!" she exclaimed, "baby's bouncing all over the place!" My eyes sprung open, "Really? Really? For real?" I asked in total disbelief. Gillian turned the monitor toward me and there it was. A moving image, a blur of black and grey. A baby. Complete with arms, legs, head and...a very pointy nose? A grin crept onto my face and I EXHALED. This was it. This was the turning point. The point at which I worry less, let my heart go, and fall in love.

5 On Friday: December 12, 2008

1. Like a lot of people, we were snowed in on Sunday, during the big snow storm here in Calgary. We had plans to drive up to Canmore for the night (for Warren's office Christmas Party), and I had booked Monday off so we wouldn't have to rush back. But the weather had other ideas. Our moms were stuck at our house for a couple hours, after some early morning shopping at Chinook. So my mother in law had a nap in the spare room, my mom relaxed on the couch and watched Scrooged, and Warren & I put up our tree and decorations and ate the Janice Beaton cheese we were going to take to Canmore. Then, we went to Mercato for dinner to replace the trip to the mountains. All in all, it was a pretty good 'snow day'. PS - I spent my Monday off getting all my xmas shopping done! I think I'm going to make that a tradition...booking a day off to hit the shops while they're relatively sane.

2. On the bus home the other night, I saw a local pub sign that read 'Book your frugal Christmas party now! Wings - 9 cents'. Gotta love a business that can turn the recession into a marketing ploy.

3. Erin still hasn't commented on last week's 5 On Friday. She's generally a pretty consistent commenter, and Warren noticed her absence. He is convinced this means she is mad at him for **jokingly!** mocking the conversation she had with her son about the word 'chair'. He'd like to call a truce Erin! He loves you AND Anderson AND your conversations! He is very sensitive! If you accept his truce, please leave a comment on last week's post.

4. I have never made a habit of buying 'holiday chocolates' in the past. I always avoided it because I knew I'd just eat them all within the first few days. But this year I succumb to the tempting displays in Zellers and bought Ferraro Roches, Toffiffees, Turtles, Chocolate covered Maraschino Cherries and two tins of butter cookies. I begged Warren to pace himself, because he's the kind of guy who just grabs handfuls as he walks by, then pops them in his mouth without thinking, in front of the computer or TV or whatever. I begged him to 'savour' the chocolates, and be mindful of how many he ate at a time. 'I want them to last until Christmas!' I pleaded. This morning I woke up to notice the Ferraro Roches had dwindled significantly. 'Um, Warren. The Ferraro Roches are looking a little slim'. Warren replied ' Haha! Wait until you see the Turtles!'. I opened the box of Turtles, of which I'd had TWO, and the box was EMPTY, save for one lone Turtle that he obviously had left as a joke. Men, hmph. Oh - and does he ever gain a pound? Nope. MEN! He promised to buy me another box, but what's the point?

5. If you don't have enough blogs to obsess over these days, I recommend Attack of the Redneck Mommy. She is about to embark (well, she's been embarking for a while now, but things are finally starting to HAPPEN) on a journey that will make for some excellent, heartwarming blog posts. She has 3 kids, but her youngest 'Shale Bug' died suddenly when he was 5. He was born severely disabled. She's written a lot about him, and even wrote a separate blog for a while dedicated to talking about him. Anyways - that's all for you to discover on your own if it interests you - but what's really incredible is that her family's experience of losing a disabled son/brother made them all want to adopt a special needs child. And not any old special needs - they wanted the neediest of the needy. And so her new chapter begins. Go check it out and read back starting at 'The Journey Begins, The Journey Part Two, and The Journey Part Three'. It sounds like the angel they've been wishing for has finally found them. Plus, she's funny and brutally honest - 2 key ingredients to an addictive blog. She posts about other things too...mainly her and her husband's sex life, and her amazing boobs. Did I mention she's funny?

A Letter To Little Gas

Dear Little Gas,

First of all, I'll address the obvious and apologize for the sad state of your current nickname. Trust me when I say I don't like the name at all and I hope it doesn't stick around for long. It came about when I was lying on the couch, rubbing my bloated stomach, moaning unhappily. Warren (your dad) saw me doing this and asked if I could feel a 'bump' yet. I said 'sorta, but it could just be a little gas'. In that moment you became our sweet Little Gas. Sorry about that. The other option was 'Demanding Beast Inside My Uterus', so this is probably the lesser of two evils.

Moving on to the point of this letter.

I've had a rough few weeks since I found out about you, I won't lie. Physically I've been feeling like hell (pardon my language), and emotionally I've been somewhat of a wreck. Crying over everything one minute, and giggling like a fool high on sugar the next. The thought of telling people about you makes me nauseous, so I don't. The thought of losing you deflates me, and there's nothing I can do to make sure it doesn't happen. I'm at the mercy of nature, and so are you. So I figured instead of continuing to go this alone, I'd reach out to you. I'd acknowledge you with a letter, and tell you that I am happy. I'm happy to have been thrown back into this so soon. Happy to have a husband who understands I'm going through a lot. Happy to have friends and family who, even though they are completely suspicious, do not pry too much. I am happy that big sweaters are in style (still need to get me some of those), and that tight pants can be explained away with the holidays. Now you know. I'm happy.

Hope you're doing okay in there. Chat soon.

Your Mom, Amanda.

5 On Friday - Late Again: December 6th, 2008 **#4 Updated**

1. Saw the new movie 'Australia' with some lady friends, and the best part was the gratuitous shot of Hugh Jackman topless by the fire, pouring a large bucket of soapy water over his head and rubbing the bubbles into his rippling muscles by fire light. The only thing that would have made the scene better, would have been if it was Warren doing that ;-) I love you honey - Hugh Jackman's got 'nuttin on you!

2. Speaking of movies, is anyone else as excited about the new Terminator movie as I am? Christian Bale as John Connor in the future during the War with the Machines...hello?? This one is SO going to kick-ass.

3. You'd think living is Calgary all my life would make me used to the fact that it can go from -16 to +6 in less that 24 hours. But no.

4. The other day I was watching Erin's video of Anderson learning to say the word 'chair' over and over again. Warren could hear the video from the other side of the room, and when it was done the conversation went like this:

Warren: I sure hope we can have more intellectual conversations than that with our children.

Amanda: Umm...I don't think that's possible before they can talk.

Warren: What?!!

Amanda: Yah, they don't come out reading War & Peace and Allan Greenspan you know.

Warren: What?!!

So thank-you Erin, for giving my husband a dose of reality ;-)

**After reading this, Warren was worried that Erin would be insulted by his comments, so he wanted me to make it very clear that the conversation was in JEST and he was completely joking. I figured this was pretty obvious, but Warren is very sentitive to these things.**

5. I turn 29 this January, which has me thinking about what I want to do for my 30th. I want to do something fun memorable. When Warren turned 30 (before I knew him) he had a week long 'Warren-palooza'. Since so many of our friends are well into their 30s, I worry my 30th will just fall to wayside, because 30 is old news now. In the comments, tell me what you did for your 30th!

5 On 3-Days-Past Friday: December 1st, 2008

1) Our new furniture finally came, after 9 long weeks of waiting. Or was it 10 weeks? I've lost count. Anyways...we're still waiting for window coverings, BUT, without further ado, here are some pics:






And here's a crazy story about our new coffee table/ottoman. We knew we wanted an ottoman/table hybrid, and we wanted to make sure we shopped around to find the perfect one, and not just buy the first one we found. So we went to Home Outfitters, Kincaid Furniture, Lazy Boy, Home Sense, Sears Home and Pier 1. Found a few 'close' ones, but nothing we were ready to commit to. Our last attempt that day was the good 'ole Consignment Gallery. This is one of our FAVORITE furniture stores. It's all consignment, so the inventory is constantly changing and you can find really unique pieces there. We've already purchased our hutch, pub table, British phone booth DVD rack, and a myriad of other items from there. It's always hit & miss when we go, so we weren't holding out much hope after the unsuccessful shopping day we'd had already.

Luckily, we found one we were ready to buy. Then, on the way to the till, HIDDEN behind a couch, was THE ONE. It was a double ottoman style, and each ottoman flipped independently to be a tray. So you could have one side as a cushy ottoman, and the other side a tray for your coffee. Or both as ottomans, or both as trays! And that's not even the cool part. It was in the EXACT SAME FABRIC as our newly arrived CUSTOM couches. Together in our living room (as you can clearly see from the pics) you would assume they all arrived together. It's creepy. It's moments like those that make me wonder about coincidence and fate and crap like that. Like - why we decided to try that store, and why I bothered looking at that couch - especially when we'd already decided on another one. Just weird.


2) One thing I very much dislike about my job: the RED LIGHT on my phone. The one that means I have a message(s). It glares at me - right after a trip to the washroom, or a nice relaxing lunch. It sits there, glowing, mocking me. Every time I see that damn light I get a pit in my stomach and think "which vendor hasn't been paid now" or "what emergency request has come down the pipes this time?" A while ago our company introduced this odd technology where your voicemail can be forwarded to your email. So, instead of listening to messages on your phone, you get an email with an attachment and when you click the attachment the voice message plays off of your computer speakers. At first I thought this was cool, but then quickly discovered that it makes it very difficult to ignore messages. I much prefer IGNORING that evil red light for a few minutes before succumbing to it's evil vortex of mystery.


3) I have this embarrassing habit of chewing my hair when I'm deep in thought or concentrating on something. Most of the time no one is around to see me, so when it becomes embarrassing is when a Director or VP sneaks up on me at my desk, deep in thought, chewing on my hair. I can only IMAGINE what this looks like to other people. I must look like a bearded lady.


4) Only 3 more weekends until Christmas, and they're filling up quickly. Why does December feel like SHORTEST month of the year? Also - the short days are MURDERING me. I am the most useless SACK in the evenings, because it's so dark by the time I leave work I could swear it was 11pm. And who wants to cook or clean or Christmas shop at 11pm?


5) Finally, a shout out to our Sweet Angus, who left us a year ago today. He was a precious soul we never expected to love the way we did. That's the best kind of love. Through surgeries and exploded tumors and a failing spine he showed us what it means to beat the odds and live a better life. As promised last year, we (well, Warren) drank a shot of the Springbank Scotch in his honor. Cheers - to ANGUS.

A Rant

I'm 8 weeks and 1 day today. The 2 month mark. These last couple weeks have been tough in a bunch of ways. On one hand, the 'good' news is that I've been feeling like ass. Nauseous and T-I-R-E-D. My appetite has been totally out of wack. I puked my guts out last Friday night. The spinach salads I was living on before I became pregnant don't appeal to me in the least these days, which sucks because that is the type of food the baby needs right now. As I read sentences like "babies eyes, ears and mouth are forming' and 'this time is crucial for babies brain and nerves to form' I worry that my diet is lacking the building blocks this baby needs right now. I read somewhere that the baby takes what it needs from my body, and I'm the one left short handed if anything is lacking. I hope that's true. A couple days after the puking session, I experienced the migraine from HELL. I laid in bed for an hour with an ice pack on my neck, until Warren found me crying in pain. He quickly went to Dr. Google to research ways he could help me cure my migraine 'naturally', and again he demonstrated what a lovely person he truly is. He walked into the room and said (sounding like a doctor) "Well, what's happening to you is very normal. It's probably caused by all the extra blood flowing through your body, or maybe dehydration. It's recommended you try to get more exercise". He realised quickly by the scowl on my face that none of this information was helpful to me in this moment. So he offered up some more useful information. 'I can give you a message, and I'll get the radio to play you some nice music'.

None of this relieved my migraine, but it did make me feel better, on the inside. I love you, Warren.

5 On Friday: November 21st, 2008

1. Warren & I have been together for 7 years, and that was really evident a few days ago. I was ready for bed, all decked out in my over sized sweats. My lower back was sore, so I heated up my 'bean bag' pad in the microwave and shoved the warm bean bag down the butt of my pants, with the elastic kind of holding it in place. Not once did it even occur to me to look in a mirror to witness the hideous silhouette I was creating on my body. That's true love right there, folks. Warren was in bed and lifted the covers for me to crawl in, and I crawled in backwards, going in for the 'spoon' position. Then I hear Warren whisper under his breath "oh, thank-god".

Amanda: What?

Warren:  Nothing.

Amanda: But you said 'thank god'?

Warren: Oh, I just saw your deformed lumpy butt and it freaked me out for a second. Then I realised it was your heating pad.

I wonder if this is what he imagined when he married the woman of his dreams?

2. Last night was the Best. Survivor. Vote. EVER.

3. I'm thinking of getting my engagement & wedding ring melded together on the bottom because I'm always adjusting them and straightening them. But, I'm nervous about getting it done for some reason. Has anyone else done that with theirs?

4. Does it make me lame that my idea of a great Friday night is a date with my PVR, my favorite blogs and some sliced apple with cheddar cheese?

5. All our dog training went down the tubes after our trip to Invermere. I have a very strong suspicion that Warren's dad let them on the bed while we were away. But, the dogs know the Pack Leader's are back in the house - so look out!

Changing Places

Warren & I have had interesting career paths. I went to Film school, he went to TV school. I got a job in TV, he got a job in Film. Then he changed careers and became a Realtor, while I took a TV job that enabled me to work with many of his old Film buddies. My job in TV has morphed from an Editor to a Producer. Now, Warren is the Editor.

BEHOLD. Warren's first movie: