Susan Sierra

The first thing they would teach you in blogging 101 is if you’re going to write a blog, you have to do it consistently. It’s been over a month since I posted and I thought I should tell you why.

My dad, Sunny passed away from cancer on April 8th. From the day he was diagnosed to the day he died was about six weeks. He was just 71 and so full of life. His wife, 6 kids, 10 grandkids and many other friends and family were able to say goodbye. His last 10 days of life were actually quite magical…lots of stories and lots of laughs.

It’s such a life-altering event. I’m doing ok though, and I do believe this stuff makes us stronger, better people. I just need some time to get my life back on track again, so I will continue my break from blogging for a bit longer.

Thanks for stopping by…and please check back soon:)

SS

I haven’t watched a full episode of AI in a long time. Until tonight. I believe I have been sucked right back in:)

David Cook’s rendition of Billy Jean was AMAZING!! His version is completely different than the original. One of the best idol performances ever. You can watch it here.

That’s really all I came to say. Good night..

We’re on the ferry, headed home after a long weekend o’ fun. Steve has taken the boys to the arcade and Jayla is settling in for a nap. We’re on one of the older ferries, with chairs you can move so I’ve rigged up quite the bed for Jayla (lucky girl!).

After our quest to find the perfect spot for our mini-vacation, we settled upon the Chateau Victoria. And what a perfect choice it was. Priority #1 while traveling with small kids is to book a one-bedroom suite. That way, the kids can go to bed in the bedroom, and we get to stay up past 9:00! I read lots of reviews about Chateau Victoria, so I knew it would be great…but it was even better than I expected. Extremely friendly staff, sparkly clean rooms and comfy beds…what more could you ask for?

I’m always a tad embarrassed upon arrival when the bellmen unload the mini-van and just barely manage to load all of our stuff onto one cart. This time was no different. Packing lightly isn’t something we’re very good at. We like to have all the comforts of home. And this time we also had to bring along all the supplies for an Easter egg hunt in the hotel room!

One of the highlights of our trip was the visit to Craigdarroch Castle. My oldest son Jacob (8) especially, thought it was “so cool”. Since I brought along my new bff (my lap top) I was able to check dinehere.ca while we were there and found some great restaurants too. Shizen Sushi served up some of the best sushi we’ve had and Café Mexico was fun and casual for the kids.

Well, the idea of a nap for Jayla was a nice one, but who am I kidding? It’s back to the play area we go…

- I love seeing 11:11 on the clock. I just did a few minutes ago.

- We’re off on a road trip tomorrow. Been planning and packing for days. This will be my first trip with my laptop and I am looking forward to having it along for the ride.

- Bryan Adams just keeps getting better. The show tonight was incredible. Casual, subdued and full of memories. Loved his story about chatting with a woman in his hotel room and her saying she was in town for a concert and when he asked which one, she said “Bryan Adams”. Funny.

Happy long weekend!

I’m at the halfway point of this day, surprisingly enjoying a little down time.

We all hit the road at 10 this morning (I won’t bore you with the lengthy details of 8-10am). Steve took Jacob to North Van for his hockey tournament. Jayla and I escorted Jackson to his soccer game. When we got to soccer it was cool and cloudy. And muddy. The soccer field is always muddy. It was quite nice actually…Jayla was happy to sit and watch the game and Jackson was happy to have us there. About half-an-hour in though, seemingly out of nowhere, we began to be belted with hail. Hail! That was a wrap on outing #1.

With the time we saved from the game being called early, we were able to race home before the trip to go bananas. We were soaked (and yes, muddy). A full change was needed by all, which is an event in itself.

Go Bananas was a blast. It was for a classmate from Jayla’s preschool. 30 kids and at least as many adults. Sushi, pizza, sandwiches, fruit plates, cake. This was definitely a “first kid’s” party! Jayla (third kid) had a very small family gathering at home for her birthday.

I’m now back home while Jayla sleeps and Steve and the boys enjoy the laser tag party. I have 2 whole, complete hours (to myself!) before Jacob’s hockey party.

I’m skipping the dip. I decided on store-bought nanaimo bars which I will remove from the original packaging and place on something from home so it looks like I made them. Sometimes, you just have to improvise:)

In the early 90’s, I was working at JRFM. I was single, no kids. I’d finish work at 2:30 in the afternoon and have the rest of the day to myself. I’d usually go for a rollerblade (for however long I wanted), cook dinner for one, maybe talk on the phone to a girlfriend and hmmm…that was about it. I remember saying the words “I’m sooo busy”. hahahaha. I always laugh when I think of that. Here’s my day tomorrow…

10:30-Noon - Jackson, soccer game
11:15-12:15 - Jacob, hockey game
Noon-3 - Jayla, birthday party at Go Bananas
2:15-5:00 - both boys, birthday party at Planet Lazer
5:00-8:00 - Jacob’s year-end hockey party - swimming and trophy presentations

Of course I also need to grocery shop, buy presents for those parties, oh, make dip for the hockey party…

aaaaaaaaaah……

Happy Spring Break!

6 grown adults pushing and shoving to get to the flats of on-sale cans of luncheon meat.

And it wasn’t even Spam. It was no-name brand luncheon meat. Ew.

I used to spend a lot of time (and quarters) at the arcade when I was a kid. I then progressed to my own system. Nintendo. Not the Super or the 64. Just plain old Nintendo…

My favorite game was Super Mario Bros.

The reason I bring this up, is because someone has made a bunch of Super Mario videos out of lego…and they’re really good…

Watch one here.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I remember my first Valentine’s Day with Steve. He was in the studio all day. I waited patiently…wondering all day what would happen on this…our first big day together. When Steve called that night, I was giddy with anticipation. Then…nothing! Nada! Zip! He simply forgot.

He hasn’t since:)

Truthfully, I’m not that into the Valentine’s Day hype. I love my husband and kids every day. I don’t need a reminder for that. I spent last night getting chocolates ready for the kids’ teachers and making sure all of their cards were filled out for their friends. Oh, and the kids had a concert at the school. Jackson sang with his Kindergarten class, Jacob sang with the grade 3’s, Jayla climbed all over me and Steve accompanied all the classes on the piano. Reminding me again that it doesn’t have to be February 14th to feel the love.

I came here one day to find that the web guy had placed a picture on my blog. Nice touch. But, the picture was a pre-bang shot. And that’s a hair memory I’d rather forget. So, I asked him to use a different picture (the one over there —>). The problem is, he didn’t like the dark background, so he photoshopped it out. Is it just me, or do I look like I have a plastic lid on my hair?

Happy Friday!