An Update on my Sister - March 30

I emailed this note to friends and family yesterday but someone suggested I post it here as well....an update on my sister's breast cancer fight.

Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for your many emails and phone calls and kind words for us as a family and for my sister especially. She has remained very positive through all this, albeit tired, but she starts chemo tomorrow so we expect she'll likely start to feel worse as the drugs take effect. She has been told she'll lose her hair within two weeks but she's not concerned about that, more about feeling nauseous. The doctor's plan for her is 2-4 chemo treatments over the next 8 weeks followed by surgery to remove the lump, followed by radiation. We imagine this will go thru the summer. Then there will be 5 years of daily drugs that she'll have to take and we pray that after the 5 years she'll be cancer free.
So many of you have offered to lend a hand and we're so very appreciative of that. There's so many different ways that people can help whether it's emotional support or research, financial or practical. As her husband will still be working full-time thru her treatment we thought that practical help would really benefit them. While we have no expectations of you, if you felt that you were able to help in some way, perhaps by preparing and dropping off a meal for them (keeping in mind she's allergic to flaxseed) or maybe offering to clean their apartment, or dropping off an already read magazine, something like that, I know they'd be very grateful. I imagine these next weeks will be rather overwhelming for both of them so we thought that if you were wanting to do something like this that you could let Mom or I know and then we can let her know the timing.
She has been very touched by everyone's love and support and kindness and we thank you for that. Thank you also for your prayer's and positive energy!
Hugs,Rebecca
(on behalf of our family)

Earth Hour's Hour....

So? How did you do? Did you turn off your lights for Earth Hour last night? We did. We'd decided we'd get all organized in advance, getting the candles out and the matches, unplugging unneccessary appliances and power cords and making a plan of how to entertain ourselves for an hour without power. And no, there won't be a baby arriving in 9 months! My husband Mike even made fun of me because I was acting like suddenly the power supply would be shut off right at 8pm, but really, that's how I was approaching the whole thing, so I wanted to be prepared.

We had a great time actually. We took the doggie for a walk around 7pm so had turned everything off before we left and when we got home before 8pm it was pretty much dark so our Earth Hour started a bit early. We didn't turn on any lights but lit some candles. We sat on the couch for a bit and chatted and then I had a GREAT hot bath with candlelight and before we knew it, Earth Hour was over and it was after 9pm. We didn't even have time for the planned candle lit scrabble game. We decided though to keep the lights off for the whole evening and then the only power we did use was the TV/DVD player to watch a movie before bed.

It really wasn't hard to not use the lights for an entire evening so we're going to try to be more aware of our power usage on a daily basis and only use the neccessary lights in the evening, and all day for that matter!

Here's hoping your Earth Hour was a fun success! And if you missed Earth Hour last night, there's no reason you can't create your own Earth Hour, and hopefully, eventually, strive to make every hour Earth Hour. We're going to try.

It's just one hour...

The World Wildlife Fund is encouraging everyone to take part in Earth Hour TONIGHT! It's really simple, we all just have to turn off the lights or other unneccessary electrical things to save energy. It starts at 8pm and it's for just an hour, however, hopefully it will help people to realize that we don't always have to have everything plugged in and using energy constantly. Earth Hour is an attempt to help slow climate change and it will take all of us to make a difference.

Did you know that when you have certain items plugged in but you're not actually using them at the time that they're still using energy. For example, if you could uplug your microwave and coffee machine sitting on your counter when you're not using them that would help. Also, when you don't have your cell phone plugged into it's charger, you can unplug the charger. Every little bit helps. Obviously if you can turn out the lights, that's the easiest way to help support Earth Hour but it's also a good habit to get into turning off your lights when you don't need them. Let's try to make every hour Earth Hour.

Kudos to Canadians as Canada has one of the highest participation levels around the world with over 150 cities participating. If you'd like to participate you can simply turn off your lights but if you'd like to send a message to our government showing that you care about our Earth then you can sign up as a participant of Earth Hour on the World Wildlife Fund website - I just did. The site also has tons of other suggestions on how we can live "The Good Life" and help to fight climate change. Simple things like wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot, that's doable! Plus, there's a live kilowatt counter on the site so you can see how the energy levels will actually change tonight at 8pm. Kinda cool. So let's all do our part and 'turn out for Earth Hour'!!

WASP - What A Super Party!

Last night I MC'd a fundraising gala for WASP, the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and wow, WASP - What A Super Party! WASP supports people with disabilities and enables them to participate in sports, particularly skiing and riding, and many Paralympians got their start with WASP. It's an amazing program! Truly inspiring!

I think everybody left the 1st annual Friends of WASP Gala with a smile on their face. Possibly because they made a donation to a wonderful cause, enjoyed the scrumptious dinner, or won a fantastic auction prize. But I imagine more than a few left smiling because they'd had the opportunity to laugh their heads off. Why? Well, it was laughing at me. Not with me, but at me.

I've MC'd many events before but I've never been an Auctioneer. When I saw the program outline and it listed a live auction I asked the organizer if she'd arranged for an auctioneer to do the auction but she had hoped I'd do it. I suggested she find someone experienced because I'd never done this before and I really didn't want to risk not raising enough money for WASP. After all, it was a fundraiser. But she was confident that I'd be fine. Wow, was she wrong!!

I now know for sure that I am clearly not a good auctioneer, entertaining perhaps, but not good. However, my attempt at doing it made everyone in the room laugh, especially me, at myself!! I was horrible, and I'm not just saying that to be all dramatic. I forgot what the bid amount was at, not once, but at least a half a dozen times. No joke. I also couldn't keep track of who had most recently bid, it was a mess, but a funny one. My own confusion even confused the bidders and we weren't sure who had bid what and even one bidder upped his own current bid. It was pretty crazy. Clearly I'd never done this before and everyone in the room could tell. But luckily, the room was filled with some amazing people who could easily relate to how difficult this was and in the end, the target fundraising goal was reached and everyone was very entertained.

I don't think I'll be signing up to be an Auctioneer anytime soon although it turns out some people thought it was actually a ploy of mine to be so messed up to either get sympathy bids or just to confuse bidders to get the bids higher....well, no, that was definitely not the case, but hey, if it came across that way then I'm ok with that. Whatever it takes to raise the most amount of money for the great cause right? And after the evening was over, many people commented on what a great job I'd done. I think they were being really nice.

Hey, you have to be able to laugh at yourself right? Well, it was a great laugh! What a super party!

Ha ha ha, gotta love the ads!

Ha ha ha. I get such a kick out of the Google AdSense ads that pop up on my blog. Of course the spiders scan the site to see what topics I'm posting about and then Google posts the relevant ads....and I just saw that one of the ads is for tickets to a Donny & Marie concert....too funny, considering my recent posts about them. That made me laugh!

Happy Friday!! And, even happier weekend!!!

I learned something new about Donny & Marie!

Ok, so I kinda feel bad now about going on and on about Donny and Marie and what have they done lately? (see previous post 'What's the Deal with Donny and Marie') I just learned that they and the rest of the Osmond family are the founders of the Children's Miracle Network. I had no idea but I'm glad to have learned this and to see celebrities using their celebrity for the betterment of the world - good on them! So while they haven't released a new CD as of late, they are helping over 17 million children each year at the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals in North America, and I believe they're going international soon. Now that's deserving of a few extra minutes of fame.

Money CAN buy happiness?!

This is a great story and I love happy news stories. And funny that's it's still on the topic of consumerism - seems to be a theme for me recently posts-wise, yet I'm really not much of a shopper myself. But anyways, did you hear the story in the news yesterday about how shopping and spending money can actually make one happy? This definitely ties in to the theory in "Story of Stuff" (see below post) about how we're so driven to get more stuff, however, this has a bit of a twist.

According to research done at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School, money can buy happiness, but, only if you spend it on someone else. It seems our society is always trying to keep up with the Jones' but that of course means spending money on oneself to have the nicest house with the white picket fence or the fastest car, a new boat and whatever else you might want. We seem to think that the more we have the happier we'll be. I have to admit I'd be pretty happy to have any, or all of those things. But in this case, the money spent needs to be spent on others and then you'll be happier than if you bought something for yourself. Isn't this great? I just love this story and it just goes to show that the lesson we learned in kindergarten is true: giving is better than receiving. And if you happen to be a fan of shopping, well, who can complain if you're buying something for someone else because really everyone wins!

Ok, now I'm off to pick up some Easter treats, and no, they're not for myself! :)

Happy Easter!

Hmmm...the green choo choo.

On a similar topic to the theme of "Story of Stuff" in my previous post, have you seen the new The Bay commercial on TV? It's called "The New Renaissance - Rules for Living Well" and is basically going on the whole 'it's spring so go shopping for the new season' theme BUT it's trying to use the whole 'go green' theme to encourage you to shop, but not neccessarily for green products, just for stuff.

It's actually very smart, but oh so sneaky! For example, the soft, sexy male voice says 'Walk to work' while showing an attractive woman walking in very cool new open toed pumps - and what woman isn't dying to pull out her summery shoes to show off her recent pedicure now that the snow has cleared and the winter boots have been stashed at the back of the closet? The Bay is supporting being green by suggesting we all walk to work (kudos to them!), however, who would actually walk to work in pumps? Ok, I know some people do, but I'm not one of them. I'm all about comfort myself. The Bay is betting that by showing these sexy new shoes and tying them to the cause that they'll sell shoes, shoes and more shoes. And, as women tend to be, likely they will.

The ad suggests further tips to be green all the while showing products that 'relate' but aren't neccessarily 'green' products. But I bet they'll make some sales on those products just because they've suggested they're green. I guess their goal of making some greenbacks just jumped on board the green train. Smart....but sneaky...but smart.

Doing our part for our world!

Ok so I'm definitely not one to preach but....I watched this video today called "The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard" and while I already thought I was somewhat 'green', I realized that green isn't even enough for the future our our world.

I care about the future of the planet and for my future kids (don't have any yet) and for future generations, but wow, this whole issue of using up our resources and creating garbage twice as fast as we did a generation ago is a much bigger issue than I thought. The stats in this video are staggering.

While I learned the lesson a bunch of years back that it's not about how much money one makes or how much stuff one has, our society is still so driven by stuff. Gotta have more stuff! And better stuff. Yet most of the stuff I already have really would still suffice. I have an older big fat TV but if works. I don't NEED an awesome flat screen LCD, but it would be nice. We're so driven by getting the latest and greatest - no wonder there's so many perfectly good but maybe not the latest and greatest computers in the landfills. Ugh, it makes me shudder to think about it. And, the worse part for me personally is that I contribute to that 'gotta have more stuff' as I work in media and yes, media promotes consumerism which drives our economy but also our desire to 'have more stuff'. I know my place of work is very supportive of being green and recycling and paying attention to our carbon footprint, but is that enough? Sadly no, at least not from what I learned today by watching "The Story of Stuff".

I really encourage you to watch it because it's our world afterall. We're all in it together and it's going to take ALL of us to make a difference. I'll warn you, it is 20 minutes long, but isn't our future worth 20 minutes? It's definitely worth watching to help give us all a new perspective.

Maybe tomorrow morning instead of doing your daily crossword, or Sudoku, grab a coffee and take 20 minutes to watch this informative video. On the website it says "It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever." Trust me, if you watch it, you'll be glad you did! And I'm sure you'll be encouraging your friends to watch it too.

Helen Keller - what an inspiration!

I have a couple of favourite quotes and they happen to be by the same woman. A very inspiring woman named Helen Keller (1880-1968) who was not only deaf but also blind. For those of you who aren't familiar with her, she was a famous American Author and Educator and so much more.

My fave quotes are:

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”
I just love this quote and try to always remember that life is for living so let's get to it!

This second quote we included in our wedding program, it's so beautiful.
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

At her funeral, Senator Lister Hill of Alabama expressed the feelings of so many when he said of Helen Keller, "She will live on, one of the few, the immortal names not born to die. Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith." I completely agree. What an inspiration!

I have the BEST hubby!

I just wanted everyone to know that I have the BEST hubby! He's always been the best but these past few weeks he's really showed me how much he loves me. I've been sick at home for over 2 weeks now. It's a crazy flu virus that I just can't seem to kick and he's been here for me everyday. He even missed his entire spring break, including a trip to Mexico, just to take care of me. He cooks, he cleans, walks the dog, buys the groceries and basically holds up the fort entirely on his own and I'm very grateful to have him in my life. I love you Mikey!
ps- that's him in the montage of pics at the top of the page. Pretty cute huh?!

What's the deal with Donny and Marie?

Why am I seeing these two everywhere these days?! Haven't they had their 15 minutes? Ok, so Marie was on Dancing with the Stars and she fainted, but so were a lot of B or C or D or Z level celebs(minus the fainting, of course!). Why has the world chosen these two for renewed superstardom? Very strange. I get that they were famous....25 years ago! Now they are everywhere. They are in movies, Marie is getting her own talk show, they are hosting Miss USA together and I just don't understand it. It's not like they just released a new album or anything. Aren't there any other new up and comers that deserve to start their 15 minutes of fame?
I have to go, there's another story about Valerie Bertinelli on Entertainment Tonight that I don't want to miss. Just kidding. But seriously, what has SHE done since "One Day at a Time?"

Who wouldn't want to see Donny and Marie sing the music of "Deep Purple"?!

Sunday Night Therapy

Why is it that every Sunday night I end up sitting on the couch crying? Gosh, that sounds pathetic. But it's actually happy tears, honest. For as long as I can remember, on Sunday nights I watch Extreme Home Makeover and before the show ends, I have tears streaming down my face. No joke, streaming. It's such a great and happy and inspiring show. I'd love to work on this show helping people every single week. It's amazing. I've always said how in my work I want to be able to make a difference, help people in life. It might only be in a small way but I want to somehow make a small difference in the world. I happen to work in TV so that's a good start, but I am in no way an interior designer or construction worker or landscape architect. Sadly, I don't think this show is a good fit for me.

And now I've just discovered another Sunday Night Therapeutic show where I shed even more tears. Again, happy tears. Oprah's Big Give. Wow. How cool is that - essentially paying it forward just because. Just because. It's kind of like The Apprentice, but being a great person is the ultimate goal, not a great job, more of a vocation. I'm proud of Oprah that she's using her wealth to pay it forward inspiring people to be better human beings and making a difference in the world. Now how am I going to do that? Hmmm....thoughts??

Guilty Pleasure

Ok so I have to admit that there's a certain TV Show that is a total guilty pleasure of mine. It's a little embarassing to admit that I love this show so much but I just do and can't help myself. It must be the romantic in me or the purist....believing that true love really does exist. That, or, I just like the idea of being treated like a princess hoping every girl can find her prince. Have you figured it out yet? Ok I'll give.....The Bachelor. I'm a sucker for watching The Bachelor. I totally know that reality tv is not the best place to find your true love and it's really all so silly watching all these girls swoon over a guy they don't even really know. Really it must be the competition, it's about winning more than anything. Winning the guy, winning the ring, winning happiness, winning in that world of trying to find your soulmate. If you get him, you must have won. Not. Or, in reality, has the girl won the guy only to find out a few weeks or months later that really they're not that compatible and in real life they don't actually want to be married, or engaged, or even dating. At least the odds are that's how it'll turn out. So really, why do I like this silly show? Gosh, I don't know, but I'll be watching every Monday night when Chris Harrison repeatedly says "It's the most romantic rose ceremony ever." And here's something to laugh at, I even watched an episode while on my honeymoon - it was good entertainment. Thank goodness my husband loves me regardless of my tv watching taste.

Sick and Tired

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining but why am I still sick? It's so frustrating. It all started a week ago Sunday with an awful flu, chills, fever, headache, body-ache and all that stuff you get with the flu. It's really been going around. But then everyday that I think I'm feeling better, I feel crappy the very next day. It just won't go away! The fever and chills have passed thankfully, but now it's like a really yucky and sticky cold. Sticky because it just keeps sticking around. A heavy chest cold that keeps me so tired and just not feeling well at all. I sleep everyday and yet am still tired and worn out. I'm trying to eat really healthily with lots of fluids as well but this thing must love me! And the tell-tale sign that I am still sick...I don't like drinking coffee. It just tastes awful! Disgusting in fact. Yuk. Now in my attempt to find healthy things to eat online, I just found this Double Chocolate Chip Biscotti recipe on a healthy foods website, I think I'm feeling better already!

It's Jack's Birthday!

Welcome to the world Baby Jack! After a long few days of labour, little baby Jack arrived into the world at 11:12am today, March 11th, 2008 and Mom and baby are just fine. He has the cutest red hair and is already getting used to diapers. He's got so many family members who love him so much including some add-on Aunts and Uncles, namely myself and Uncle Mike. We just love this little guy and can't wait to babysit! Jack, we hope you like your storybook and black lab puppy from Uncle Jay.
xoxo

The Anticipation of New Life

Today is a very exciting day. Even though it may appear to be a regular Monday, wet and dreary as per usual on the wet West Coast, it's actually a very special day of anticipation. My bestest friend Jen is pregnant and has been for 9 months. Her baby is due later this week. So while we've had a full 9 months to prepare for the big day, nothing can prepare one for the excitement one feels when the labour begins and in a matter of days, perhaps hours, perhaps minutes, a brand new life will begin. Nobody knows if it's a boy or a girl but there are so many people eagerly anticipating hearing this babe's first breath, first cry, and seeing the joy of the new Mom and Dad as they hold their beloved bundle for the first time in this, our world. It's amazing how one can love this wee babe even though it hasn't even arrived yet. I can't wait to meet the little one and I wish Mom and babe all the best for the big arrival! Love you guys!!

Something to be proud of!

We all do things to be proud of, at least now and again. In 2003 the thing I did that I was proudest of was completing a triathlon. I'm by no means an athlete. I jogged now and again but was not a swimmer and not a biker either. So when I worked on a morning radio show and was asked by the triathlon organizers to compete, I laughed and said no. After a bunch of repeat asks, I finally gave in. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of training it was the day to get on the road bike. It was my first time ever on a road bike. I say unfortunately because after riding the 40km route, which went quite well I'm told, I had the misfortune of riding over some train tracks and my tire got stuck. I launched over my handlebars and landed on my head, with my face sliding along the pavement. My brother who was drafting behind me didn't have time to react and he ran over me. The ambulance came to scrape me off the pavement and took me to the hospital where I was diagnosed with a grade 3 concussion. Luckily though, I was only scraped and bruised. I hadn't broken any bones. But the concussion was enough. I was off work for 2 months and my jaw was jarred shut. My family wondered if I'd ever be the same. Whilst in the altered concussed state I decided that I'd do the triathlon anyways. I really musn't have been well. But, in the end, I did do the triathlon with just a couple of weeks of training. It took me well over 3 hours to complete but my goal was to finish and that I did. Plus, the bonus was that I wasn't last. It was the most amazing feeling crossing that finish line and throwing my hands into the air. I was crying with relief, with pride, with joy. I highly recommend doing a triathlon to anyone. If you put your mind to it, you can do it! I figure that if I can do one...little old me who's no athlete and was recovering from a head injury, anyone can do one. I really believe that. Now another thing that makes me cry, no matter how many times I watch it, is the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father and son who do triathlons together. You'll have to see it for yourself, and be warned, you'll need tissues. Now that's something to be proud of!

Talk about rubbing it in!

So you may have noticed that on many blog sites ads are posted. And in time while the ads on my blog page could change, at the moment they're all about Mexico and places to stay in Mexico and good deals to Mexico etc. Usually ads that are posted have something to do with content on one's blog.....and such, the Mexico theme makes sense (see posting below called How to Lose $2000 FAST), but man are they rubbing it in or what?! It's like salt in the wound but no tequila! :)

Happy Sunday Photo

I love how the little things in life can make people happy. When I got home from work one day these flowers were just reaching to the sun - like most of us on the wet west coast! They made me smile. Happy flowers! I hope they make you smile too.

My Family Has Cancer

Wow. My family has cancer. Pretty harsh.

Life in 2008 was going along pretty swimmingly until February 22nd when late in the day I got a phone call at work. It was my Mom crying on the other end. My sister, who's just 32, has breast cancer. Breast cancer??!! She's way too young for that. That's what the doctors thought too.

And even harder is the fact that my sister has been estranged from our family for sometime now. We didn't know if she'd talk to us or let us be there for her. Luckily for all of us though, she's allowed us back into her life and we're all so happy to be there for her.

Slowly the word has been getting out to family and friends of her situation and I've been really touched by all the loving emails that have been coming in, in support of my sister and our family. It's still pretty weird though, not only that my sister has cancer but to realize that wow, my family has cancer.

Everyone has been touched by this disease somehow, everybody knows somebody.....but then when it's a family memeber, it really changes everything. I didn't realize it until speaking with a friend who was telling me how his Mom also has breast cancer right now. He was asking about my sister and then about me. It really hit home when he said that while my sister is the cancer patient, it's the family that has cancer. It's true. My family has cancer and we're all having to deal with it. So far I've pretty much been in shock. I haven't really known what to do or how to act. I've tried to be really strong around my sister, been positive and supportive, but really, what can I do? I imagine some of you reading this have had to deal with cancer before and I'd love your comments, advice, suggestions on how to deal with cancer. Obviously the focus is on my sister and getting her well, but I want to make sure I too deal with this so that I can be the best person for her.

I know this isn't the happiest topic, but if anyone has any advice for me or for my sister I'd really appreciate it. Think of it as your good deed of the day. In the meantime, here's a link that I think I'll be using a lot in the near future. It's the Mayo Clinic's website with lots of information on breast cancer. Hopefully you'll never have to use this link for yourself.

How to lose $2000 FAST!

Ok, let's see how I can put a positive spin on this one. We all work hard for our money so rarely does one want to lose their money. But if you're in need of a way to lose $2000 fast, just do what I did, or didn't do.

This upcoming week is my hubby's spring break and like most students he wanted to get away. As his Sugar Momma, I work hard to pay our bills so I deserved a getaway too. Last weekend we booked an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. We were supposed to fly out today. Supposed to.

About 5 minutes after we booked the trip online I started to not feel so well. By the next morning I was not well at all and decided to stay home from work to get better. Well, missing Monday turned into Tuesday, to Wednesday, a doctor's visit on Thursday and doctor's orders to stay home on Friday as well. I got the flu! A virus, so no medication would cure me...I just had to rest lots and drink lots of fluids. But man, the flu for a week!

I was barely able to pack last night and was exhasuted when i finally got it done and then when I got up early this morning to head to the airport I certainly did not feel any better. As we got closer to the airport I realized, there's no way I can get on a plane, and, the last place I want to be sick is in Mexico. What if I got worse? So, we were a no show, and a no go to Mexico!

But no worries, we have a legit reason to cancel: sickness and death are the two allowable reasons to cancel and get a refund.....ah yes, that is IF you chose to purchase cancellation insurance. So not only do we miss out on a week in Mexico, we also don't get our money back. $2000 down the toilet and fast! And I still don't feel well, no duh!

Talk about a lesson learned!!

My first blog post.

Well I have to admit, two months ago I thought a blog was a type of slug. Ok I'm kidding but here I am with my first post.


What's the purpose of my blog? Well number one, it is something to do while my husband geeks out on his computer while studying for his computer course.

You see, my husband, who is 35, just went back to school full-time, so now I am his "Sugar Momma". I think he likes this idea. I mean what guy doesn't want a "Suga' Momma"?

So I sat and thought about what I would make my blog about.


Like a lot of us, I feel there is too much attention on the negative in this world. So I thought I would try to post positive stories. Positive stories from the world, and positive stories from my world. Just to add a little bit of happiness where and when I can.


Unfortunately, it's not all good news in this world. Each of us has our own ups and downs, trials and tribulations and I'm sure not all stories will be completely happy. But, that's life. I'll just try to focus on the positive.

I have been very blessed to have had a wonderful past year and a half. I was engaged, and married last year - it was amazing! Plus, I watched many friends get married and now others are pregnant(I think it's up to 7 preggo girlfriends at last count)! Some might say it's 'the water', although I think it may have to do with this story: "Men who do more housework have more sex". Hmmm, did I mention my husband is vacuuming right now? No joke!!