Master Manipulator

I might be a genius. I came to this conclusion when I woke up this morning because I manipulated my own dream.

I am a vivid dreamer. I usually dream multiple times a night. I always remember my dreams and I often have to really think about whether or not something happened to me in real life or if it was a dream.

The dreams I hate the most are about my teeth. I HATE them. (I am also annoyed by 'pee dreams'). In these dreams my teeth usually fall out, crack or something gross and awful. Last night it was a fall out dream. One of my front teeth broke and I spit it into my hand. I reached up and touched my teeth and they all started to fall out. I was collecting them all in my hand. Normally at this point in time I would start to freak out. However, something strange happened. In my dream, I told myself not to worry - that I was dreaming and I would eventually wake up and I would have all my teeth. So I carried on what I was doing and secretly held all my teeth in my hand.

When I woke up I immediately slid my tongue along all my front teeth to ensure they were in tact. They were, of course.

I feel like this is a huge step in my nocturnal world of randomness.

The Bike Story

I was framed for a crime. Sort of. I'm reminded of it every year on my friend Dana's birthday - October 9 - the day this craziness occurred.

I had a hockey game that night and I was on my way to the rink. I was driving in the outside lane down Wellington Street - a very busy street. Looking ahead, I saw a man on the curb, standing beside his bike. He looked like he was waiting for traffic to clear so he could eventually cross. I didn't give him much thought. As I passed where he was standing he suddenly picked up his bike and flung it onto my car. It scared the crap out of me and I swerved into the other lane and hit the brakes. Thankfully, there were no cars there at the time. I looked into my rear view mirror and saw the guy run onto the street behind my car and lay down beside his mangled bike with his limbs all astray. When this all happened I had no idea what he was doing. I thought he was crazy. I was just mad he possibly damaged my car. I got out of the car and angrily walked over to him. I asked him what the h*ll was wrong with him. He didn't respond and I looked around and saw people walking toward me with concerned looks on their faces. Traffic had stopped and my car was parked diagonally across two lanes blocking traffic. Suddenly I realized what it looked like.

Everyone thought I hit him.

My heart started to race and I announced "I did not hit this guy. He threw his bike at my car." Suddenly I was the crazy one. Then I said "Didn't anyone see this happen?". A guy started walking towards us from the opposite side of the street and said "Ya, I saw it all - you were driving too fast and you hit him". Great - these guys were working together. That put me in a full panic and I said I was going to call the police. He said "good because you hit him". As this happened a little old lady had finally managed to make her way over to us. She was driving the car behind me. She told everyone she saw it all - that the guy was not on his bike and he did in fact, throw it on my car. There was a man in a suit standing beside me who then put all the pieces together and realized these crackheads were scheming together to try to get some money out of me. He said he was calling the police and suggested I move my car out of the middle of the street. This prompted the crackheads to run away.

We tried to see if there was damage to the car but it was dark and we were not able to tell. I was quite shaken up over the incident and the little old lady told me she lived around the corner and invited me over to use her phone. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I went to her house because I could have used a phone at the rink. But I did. So, I sat in this sweet lady's living room and called my dad. I blurted out to him what happened and he remained calm, as he always does, and told me to report it to the police. So I did. The police didn't seem to care and did nothing.

When I finally got to the rink I busted into the dressing room looking rattled and dishevelled. The room was quiet and my coach was giving his pre-game speech. I couldn't contain myself and rudely interrupted;

"Guys - you're never going to believe this...."

And as it often happens in my life, they responded with 'Only you Sara, only you.'


Favourite of the Day: With family coming home to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us, I was ecstatic to finally the newest addition to our family, Julianna. She is as beautiful as can be. She is 7 weeks old and I snuck in some good snuggle time with her. She is perfect.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Random Thought

At the end of the day, do you think Maury Povich and Connie Chung can actually have an intellectual conversation?

Remember When

On Sunday we celebrated my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary.  We had a great evening with family.  As a gift, we presented our parents with a photobook and slide show of pictures from the last 40 years. They loved it!!  Special thanks to my super cool friend John who worked his wonders on the slide show. 

It was fun to look back at how much we all have changed, to see their life together before our lives existed and to look back and remember people who have passed on.  The nostalgia wasn't even ruined when Jana said to my mom; 'You know Nana, GiGi's brother had real hairy boobs'.  

Here is a quick look at some of my favourite pictures we found; 

Pure sweetness.  My brother and sister in 1972. 

My brother lovingly reading me a story.  

--Ya right.  As soon as we saw this we both said

 'there's no way we did that - - were definitely posing'.  

Then we laughed and laughed.  

How short are my brother's shorts?  And nice mesh belly shirt.   

This is the one that made me laugh the hardest. 

This is my grandpa - making fart sounds in his armpit. 

I sure wish I met him...(for more reasons than this of course).

I don't know the story behind this one.  

I only know it involves me, my dad and a banjo.

And that we look pretty damn happy.    

 My sister looks so much like her daughter here, 

my brother has a barrette in his hair

and my mom looks so pretty.  I love this picture. 

Me - rockin' a plaid jumpsuit and stylin' some hair. 

Remember when bangs started way back on your head? 

Also - check out those pop bottles. 

Love my dad's jacket in this one. 

 

In today's news....

"Michael Vick and Nike renew their 'longstanding, great' relationship"

Really, Nike? Seriously? There were NO other athletes you wanted to endorse your products?

In the article it reads 'Nike declined a request for comment'. Of course they did. They were too busy doing team building exercises where they smashed each others skulls against concrete walls.

You guys are idiots. I hate you, Nike.

A shameless plug

So, I met this guy Joe through my good friend Jane. I knew Joe would be awesome, simply through his association to Jane. Well that and Jane told me he was awesome. So anyway, Joe recently wrote a song and made a video - his Rap Debut - and it makes me smile every time I watch it. It is a good video and I like to picture how much fun he probably had making it.

I like when people do awesome things - for the simple fact of them being awesome. With no motivation or ulterior motive - like he's not trying to win something or compete, you know?

Yes, I'm well aware I used the word 'awesome' far too many times here. But guess what? It's awesome - so eat it.

Meet Joe - he's the white guy.

(*Note: Video contains adult language and a small amount of dry-humping. Consider yourself warned)

me n' my fridge

A few years ago I started randomly collecting magnets - funny magnets. And not cheesy, 'make your neighbour giggle' funny - I mean 'Sara' funny (if that can be a definition). I've only found maybe 6 that are worthy for my collection. Then last week I found these on etsy. And I cracked up.

Favourite of the Day: It's T.V Thursday and I have PVR - which is far too much money, but worth every penny because it is the best invention in the world. Can't wait to go home and curl up on the couch with my boyfriend's Jim Halpert and McSteamy (and Karev). Speaking of which - did anyone see the sketchy video leaked of McSteamy and his Neutrogena Girl wife? Note to all famous people - if you make such videos you are real idiots to be surprised with the world finds them.

Tricky Tricksters

So, as I said before, I love Shoppers Drug Mart. I also previously mentioned how I accumulated a whole bunch of Optimum points. I decided yesterday was the day. I was finally going to redeem my points and I was quite excited. I spent the whole day fantasizing about all the fun things I could get for free with my points. I pondered if I should splurge and get things I wouldn't normally get since it would be free or if I should be a responsible grown up and get things I need.

Like my blog title states, I am my mother's daughter and my mother is a fan of buying in bulk. (Growing up, my friends referred to her pantry as the storm closet - because if there were a natural disaster we could survive for months on the things she has stocked in there.) I have found the same excitement in buying things in mass quantities so I decided to be an adult and buy the things I need.

When I got to the store I looked at their point redemption system. Based on having 65,000 I determined I would have around $100.00 at LEAST in free stuff. Here's how I came to that decision:

Logical right? Apparently not.

I happily stocked up on shampoo, conditioner, facewash, toothpaste, face cream...all that fun stuff. I had found some fantastic deals, so I decided I would use only half my points and get to do this twice!! When the cashier rang through all my items my total came to $55.85. She said I had to use the highest level of points that was closest to that amount and then I would owe the difference. Okay, sure. So - I ended up paying her $6.42.

When I got in my car I looked at my receipt and it said I had redeemed 40,000 points. But my total purchase value was $49.43. What am I missing here?

I went back inside to ask questions. Of course the only person working is a 16 year old girl with the communication skills of Mike Tyson. So - I still have no idea how this program works. All I know is I did not save $75.00 with my 40,000 points.

I did get free stuff and I have a lot of items in bulk though, so that's cool. But Shoppers? You are some tricky tricksters.

Favourite of the Day: Yesterday hockey season started!! I am so looking forward to another year of coaching and I was happy to be back at the rink and see all the girls. Can't wait for the draft to be over and have the team picked!!

A Day at the Fair

 I learned a few things this past weekend: 

• I spent too many years of my life missing out on Rodeos.  Cowboys, Horses & Bulls - So fun!  I need to do this more often. 
• Corn Dogs were always this American thing to me that I never understood.  But it seemed only fitting to try one at a County Fair and it was SO good! 
• You shouldn't go to the fair and miss out on Snow Cones.  I chose Blue Raspberry. 
• Even if a kid has a bracelet to go on any ride they want, all day long - Darienne is perfectly content to ride the Merry-Go-Round over and over.  And over and over.  
• A day at the fair wouldn't be complete if you didn't see someone step off a ride and puke all over the pavement.  
• Avery, the fearless speed seeker, did not want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me because it was too slow.  But she did and I loved it!
  

I had a great weekend away with Amy, Avery and Darienne.  I hope we can go back next year!

For anyone afraid of heights, here is what you

would experience on a Ferris Wheel. 

Just in time for Labour Day...

Witnessing the birth of a baby is most often a luxury held by the father. For that reason I feel so lucky to have been there for the birth of my niece, Darienne.

I forget the details leading up to it. I don't remember getting a phone call saying it was time to go. I don't remember where I was or what I was doing that day - which for me is strange. I ALWAYS remember those details. For all the other kids births I know exactly what I was doing and where I was when they were born. Perhaps the experience I had this time renders the other details unimportant in my mind. What I do remember is standing to the left of Amy, her husband on the right. We held her legs as she pushed. (And pushed and pushed). In the beginning I was excited but very nervous. I didn't know what to do, where to stand, where to look, what to say.... Until I heard the doctor say she could see the head.

The second I saw the head that kid had my heart. Suddenly it was real - and it was amazing. I was so proud of my sister for how hard she worked to bring that beautiful baby into the world. (and she was a nine pound baby...so she really did work hard). My mom was overwhelmed with emotion. She stood beside me, crying, as any mother watching her baby have a baby would. When the baby finally came out we were all VERY anxious to find out if it was a girl or a boy. My brother-in-law and I peered our heads over in unison looking for the answer. But the way the umbilical cord was laying, we weren't able to tell. Finally the doctor grabbed the baby like a football, held her up and declared "It's a girl!" We all cheered and cried with happiness like a scene right out of a movie. Then we laughed, knowing the tally of girls was now at four.
That was seven years ago today. Part of me feels like it was a million years ago, yet it also feels like yesterday. Crawling, walking, talking, laughing, reading, running, scoring goals, cracking jokes & even smearing chapstick on her butt. 7 years. I just can't believe it. That baby has become a beautiful little girl.

Birth truly is a miracle and I'm so thankful my sister let me experience it and share in that moment with her and her husband.

Thank you Amy. As always, you rock.



Some kids sing Barney, some kids sing camp songs. This kid? She sings old school country. Check her out: "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" by George Jones


Happy Birthday Darienne