Random Tuesday Stuff

I’m going with a little random today to try and get myself back into the bloggy swing of things!

· It’s been a cold and miserable spring thus far in our area, but today, the sun is shining and the temperatures are finally supposed to be warming up. It would go a long way in bolstering my mood if I got to go for a non-windy, non-rainy, non-cold walk at noon today!

· Speaking of moods – I know I’ve talked way too much about being in a bad mood in 2015, but I have to say, Sunday was one of my worst days. I felt like I was shooting negative vibes out of me all day long, and what’s worse, there really wasn’t any good reason for it. All I kept thinking was, “This must literally be what it means to ‘wake up on the wrong side of the bed’.” That, and, “We’re going to lose tonight. This bad feeling must be an omen.”

· I’m a big believer in the power of positive thinking, so I tried REALLY hard to shove the bad mood out of the way, because I did NOT want my bad mood to be an omen for the Sens. I tried to let my niece Danica’s good mood rub off on me (she was so silly and giddy Sunday morning, which is rare for her!), I went for a walk, I had a nap, I made a fun supper for my mom and I. Yet still, couldn’t shake it.

· And then, the Sens lost. Of course.

· I’ve known for a long time that I don’t have a very thick skin, and that I can’t take the heat. Hence, I generally prefer to “stay out of the kitchen” when it comes to sports rivalries. I try not to tease and torment fans from other teams, because I don’t handle it very well when they dish it back. But in this era of social media, it’s hard to avoid, even if you’re not looking for it. Needless to say, I had a hard time not deleting a bunch of my Facebook friends over the past few weeks, including a few close friends and even some family members. Habs fans are total pains in the ass.

· I have a confession to make. Since starting down a “healthy path” in January 2013, there are two things that I had not had in over 2 years: a Big Mac, and a poutine. But the streak is over for both. I had my delicious Big Mac the week after Easter, and I had a drool-worth poutine this past Saturday. I’m not intending to treat myself with either of them on a regular basis again, but man, it was good to get a taste of them again!

  

· Someone’s probably going to shoot me for saying this, but… I really miss Christmas.

· I’m trying to learn the art of relaxation lately. Due to some recent renovations, I finally have a bathroom that I enjoy going into, and I’m finally re-discovering the joy of sinking into a tub of hot, bubbly water in the evening. I’ve also finally learned how to read in the bath. I know my friend Stacy is a big fan of reading in the tub, but I just didn’t get it… until now. I could sit there and read all night. Or until the water gets cold. And it does seem to calm me down and relax me considerably!

· Another thing I’m finally learning – to get up earlier in the morning to workout. This is a tough one for me. I love to sleep, and I’m not a morning person, so getting up 45 minutes earlier than normal could almost make me puke. But now that I’m back to work full-time, my free time in the evenings has become more sacred, and I dreaded having to devote part of them to my workout sched. I weighed the options, and finally decided that if I make the early mornings part of my routine, I will get used to it. Three weeks in, it is getting a little easier. I don’t quite want to murder my alarm clock anymore when it goes off at 5:45 AM. And I do so enjoy getting to go for a walk, eat supper, watch TV, and read in the tub. I think it’s been a worthwhile adjustment.

That’s all that she wrote for today! Hope you’re all having a great day, friends!!

Don’t believe us, just watch!

I am an Ottawa Senators fan.  I have been for 18 years now.  They are my team, and that will never change, I can guarantee you that.

But I have to admit that, since our beloved captain Alfie left this team as an Unrestricted Free Agent in the summer of 2013, I have been a bad Sens fan.  I have been a disenchanted, disgruntled, begrudging Sens fan.  And I hadn’t been paying a whole lot of attention to my team as the struggled and faltered through much of this current season.

My mom, on the other hand… she’s a good Sens fan.  A loyal, never-miss-a-game type of Sens fan.  And so it was that in early February, I was forced to move in with her due to on-going renovation issues at my place, and thus I was forced to watch hockey games.

At the time, the Sens were circling the drain, down near the bottom of the barrel in the NHL standings.  They had fired coach Paul MacLean, of whom I was a big fan, and to be honest, I was so disconnected from the team at that point that I didn’t even know who half of these young guys were on my team.  Chiasson?  Hoffman?  Stone?  Who the hell were these lads, and where did they come from?

Then, we ended up with a goalie crisis when BOTH of our top 2 netminders went down to injury, and they brought up this AHL goalie named Hammond.

I confess that I had written them off.  I had no hope.  It was going to be an early summer for this squad, and quite frankly, I didn’t care.

Even so, I was watching hockey again, because I was pretty much living with my mom, and, as I said, she never misses a game.

And wouldn’t you know… we kinda actually started winning games. 

Momentum started to build.  Dreams started being sparked.  The Legend of the Hamburglar was born, and with each win to his name, it grew legs.  This kid of ours, Mark Stone, was lighting it up, and his name started coming up as a possibility for the Calder Trophy, handed out every year to the Rookie of the Year.

Was it possible?  Could they actually make the playoffs?

With each win, the hope grew.  It grew, and blossomed. 

And against all odds, the Ottawa Senators culminated a magical, improbable run on Saturday afternoon, when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in their final game of the regular season, ending up with an amazing 23-4-4 record in their final 31 games.

They managed to crawl their way back after being 14 points out of the playoffs on February 10th.  NO team has ever mounted a comeback so big before.

It’s been epic.  The kind of thing hockey dreams are made of.

This morning, I woke up with that giddy feeling, the butterflies stirring in the pit of my stomach.  Tonight, we will take on the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1, Game 1. 

A week ago, I still wasn’t convinced that this would actually happen.  I wasn’t allowing myself to believe that I could actually be part of the playoff hype.

But now, it’s here.  We’re in.  I still can hardly believe it.

Last week around this time, a Habs fan that works in our office said to me, “The Sens are so hot… If they actually make it in, I don’t think anyone’s going to want to go up against them.”

Yesterday, they were given even more incentive, albeit in a very sad way, when Assistant Coach Mark Reeds lost his battle to cancer at age 55.  It was a tough day for the team, on the eve of the playoffs.  They’ve been playing for Reeds, and they’ve been playing for GM Bryan Murray, as he’s been battling Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

10 days before his death, Reeds addressed the team one last time, and his final message to them was to just keep winning.  “Let’s win it all,” he told them.

This morning, anything seems possible. 

No matter what happens, I can tell you this:  my love for this team has been refreshed and renewed.  They have managed to draw me back in and make me a believer once again.  It’s been nothing short of miraculous, and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.

Now it’s time to take it one step further. 

The Stanley Cup does not seem impossible today.

Let’s win it all.

An exciting Easter weekend!

Good morning, friends!  I know it’s been a while, but I’m still here… still kickin’!

Here’s some good news:  I’m in a heck of a lot better mood these days than I have been for the past couple of months.  Some of the things I was anxious and stressing about have finally worked themselves out, for the most part.  Phewf!

The bad news:  I’m zonked today.  I’ve been trying to get myself into a new routine this week of waking up earlier to get my workout done before work, and I looooathe getting up earlier than I have to.  Plus, last night the Sens pulled off an AMAZING comeback win in OT over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I was so psyched up afterwards that I couldn’t fall asleep.  Which makes for a mildly cranky Jill today.

But yeah… overall? Happier.  I’m a much happier kid these days.

I think this past Easter weekend played a huge role in boosting my spirits.  It was just so jam-packed with celebrations and good news!  Here’s a little taste of the awesomeness…

Good Friday:

This was the day we celebrated Sam’s 1st Birthday!!  I can’t believe a whole year has gone by since this little monkey has come into my life.   I remember they day he was born as if it was yesterday!  Sam is one of my favourite little dudes, and he always puts a smile on my face.  I had a great time at his party, enjoying yummy food, visiting with friends, and watching him do all the things little ones do on their first birthday:  open gifts, play with his cousins, smile for pictures, and smash his cake!  We love you, Sam!!

  Photo credits to Sam’s grandpa Eugene!

Saturday:

Saturday was a BIG day for our family!  My mom and I were up fairly early to hit the road, heading to Carp for a the bridal shower for cousin Leah.  Before we left, though, my sister called my mom to let her know that my brother had sent her a text to say that they were at the hospital and Baby Young was on his way.  To say we spent the morning on pins & needles waiting for news would be an understatement!  Of course, my phone wasn’t  charged, so once we got to the hall where the shower was being held, I had to find an outlet to plug it into.  Then I spent the rest of the time there sneaking off to check it for updates.  Shortly before we were ready to leave for home, THE text arrived to tell us that Baby Noah had arrived!!  Yay!!!

April 4, 2015 – Noah Brent Edward

(photo credit to Noah’s mommy!)

Easter Sunday:

Sunday was another big, busy, exciting day!  It started off with going to church, not only to celebrate Easter but also to celebrate the Confirmation of six young people into our charge.  I was a mentor for one of the Confirmands, and I was so proud of Sarah and the others who made this important step on their journey of faith.

After church, we went out for a delicious brunch, and then Mom, Kara & I headed to Gatineau for hospital visiting hours so that we could meet the newest member of our family.  Noah is soooo cute!!  He’s already got this auntie wrapped around his finger.  It was also wonderful to hear that his big sister Neve had visited the night before, and she is just in love with him.  They showed us pictures of her sitting and holding him, so proud and excited.  We are all over the moon!!

  More of Amanda’s awesome pics of Noah’s first day… so awesome to have a talented photographer in the family, right?!?!

After visiting Noah, we returned home for our Easter feast.  Because my sister and b-i-l had to work on Monday, I had volunteered to keep Danica and Caden for a sleepover.  After supper, we packed up and headed to my place for the night.

Easter Monday:

The kids had me up pretty early Monday morning, as we were all excited for our movie date that day.  We had lunch at Mom’s, then drove to Hull for a treat at McD’s (they had never had McFlurries before!! ) and on to the theatre to see Home.  We all really enjoyed the movie – I think we’ll all be quoting lines from it for a long time! - and of course the popcorn is always a highlight for me! haha!!

It was a spectacular weekend, to say the least.  How could I possibly stay in a bad mood after all of that?  Just thinking about it all this morning has erased my tired crankiness already. :)

Happy Wednesday, pals!!