143 years young!

That's right! 143! Happy Birthday to our wonderful country!
Pleading & begging WHOMEVER is in charge of the weather to throw a little sun our way for the day....

Agenda; Canada Day Parade, head into the city to catch some fun & festivities, evening baseball game at the historic & famous Nat Bailey Stadium to cheer on our locals & future MLB stars! Fireworks! Shazaam!

Don't forget your Rocketgirl History lesson...you didn't think I would let you get away did you?  Nat Bailey...baseball fanatic, entrepreneur, started the White Spot chain of restaurants that we know & love.  Canada Day...1867, Queen Victoria signs the declaration that allows Canada to be an independent country of Great Britain.  Short but sweet, got it?

What are YOU doing to celebrate Canada Day?

Happy Father's Day!

First off, you know how I love the particulars and the reasons "why" behind everything! Here is your next history lesson tid-bit...I will keep it brief.

Father's Day! First recognized & celebrated in 1910, started in Spokane Washington! WOOOT! That's right next door! Now, onto MY DAD!

• His name is Barry
• He is exactly 20 years my senior
• A total kid at heart. HEART. OF. GOLD
• Talks alot...ALOT
• Used to always get mistaken for Harrison Ford
• Top of his field, has "built" almost every highrise & skyscraper in the downtown core of Vancouver
• Loves astronomy
• Would bend over backwards for anyone especially his three children and his grandchildren
• Worked his ass off, long hours when we were small so he could give us everything he never had
• When I was a baby, he was pushing me on the swings, I let go and went flying....he feels bad to this day! HA!
• Made it to every game,  performance and begrudgingly accepted every boy I brought home
• Cried tears when I did as a wee kid and a teen & when I had my first child
• Taught me to be strong & independant and always speak my mind. No matter what.

Athough sometimes it was tough love, I feel very lucky to call him my Dad.  I'm thankful it meant something to him to raise confident, happy children with values.  I thank God everyday that my children get to know him too.  He has always supported me and he even let me drive his vintage corvette! ONCE. But only once.

This is my dad on the very left....I'm not sure what year...early 60's? mid 60's? and his sisters & brother.

My Dad & his mom...

Dad...

My very proud father and my husband on our wedding day in Las Vegas 2 years ago...I love this pic!

Which leads me to my wonderful husband....who is THE GREATEST step-FATHER EVER to my two boys...who has accepted them from day one, when they were oh so very small, and loves them like his own.

And lastly to my ex-husband, who is SUCH a good Dad. 

I am so thankful that my boys will one day grow up to be fathers with all of the wonderful qualities that each of you instill in them each & every day.

All you Dads out there, the step-dads, the Grandads, Grandpas, the father-in-laws, uncles, brothers and every father figure in between, lots of love to you, I wish you a very Happy Father's Day!

Happy Victoria Day

Rocketboy & I hit the Farmer's Market in little downtown Abby yesterday before heading out to the in laws place. I believe in trying to buy local if you can help it, sometimes you can't but hey, try & support the little person eh? Usually what you get is better service, better product, better quality and a real sense of community not to mention satisfaction.

So, we thought we would troll the lane for goodies for Rocket-ma-n-pa-in-law, 34th wedding anniversary you know. We ended up with a handcrafted planter, we filled it with local goodies, bbq & hot sauce made from Abbotsford peppers, cranberry honey made from some busy Abbotsford bees, some local wine , some artisan breads and the most gorgeous flowers I have ever seen. We think they loved it.

Short ferry jaunt and we are in lovely Gibsons!

My in-laws have the BEST view EVER!  Truth.

There is one thing we do well in Gibsons....EAT! My FIL is the best chef, and the seafood is never ending...good laughs,(I ADORE my inlaws) too much wine, my wonderful boys doting on their adorable cousin...

Today, I lay low. My FIL squeezed me goodbye too hard, and looking for rare sea glass with my babes @ the beach took more out of me than I expected it would. I know...whine whine whine sore back whine.  Not ready for work on Tuesday...maybe it could stay Monday for a while longer????

I think this is ADORABLE! Pinky Swear!

From a 1950's high school home economics textbook, teaching girls how to prepare for married life.



1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work- weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.



3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Things to avoid: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

cutie-pie haylie

love, ROCKETGIRL xo

2305 & all's well

good evening. & welcome to monsterpiece theatre.

anyone? anyone?

alrighty then.

where are we all at? what has been going on & what is noteworthy?
me, well, it's now 2306h and all is still well.
there's really something to be said for silence.
it was a long day. mentally draining. advocating queen. c'st moi.
nice little visit with our friends, singing to the iphone and now....
SILENCE! the kids are asleep, the furbabies...asleep
the husband,snoring...asleep!
me & my laptop, seeing the world.

one night shift tomorrow night. i just cannot believe that it is nearing the end of february. i'm having a bit of a personal struggle...i worry too much....end of story.
i successfully finished a 2 day cleanse. i can't even imagine doing it for longer. tomorrow i get to eat though. like EAT. well ok, maybe eat. but it's far more exciting than the leafy greens i have been eating for the past 48 hours. may 1st i hope to be halfway.

nighty night to you all. remember. life is too short. make sure you have an advance directive, forgive your "enemies" YOUR life is what YOU make it.

put THAT in your pipe & smoke it. (smoking is bad. just saying)


love,at 2312h,

ROCKETGIRL

angst. if that's how you spell it...

so far so good. this set, dare i say, has been really good. two nights to go. don't groan, don't feel sorry for me. i cannot wait to do two nights back to back. been a while....i miss day sleeping, it's true.

weekend update; the spaghetti lobster was a total & utter hit! he said he was shocked i actually made it, as in took his request seriously. he said i needed to cook it for his father, which is the ultimate compliment, as my dear FIL is the best seafood cook i know. i made a peach cobbler type dessert from bakerella's website for dessert. there was a brief moment of panic when steve inadvertently came into the kitchen and saw the amount of butter i was using...he got over it, and ate it, and loved it.

i learned some new nursing terms this week and have thusly woven them cleverly into my charting. obtund & natal cleft. feel free to use them in your charting. go ahead. on a side note, i bumped into my old manager today who said, "i really miss you" ha!

i have utter fear & panic growing in me tonight. i heard some very distressing news on the weekend about a classmate of q's & more disturbing news today about one of his friends. i feel like i will never be able to protect him & safeguard him. i am so afraid and fearful for him in these formative years. i feel like it's august again....all those panic attacks about middle school.

my best friend, it's his birthday today. i love him with all my heart & soul. he gives me far more than i could ever give him. he does more for the boys & i then i could ever hope to repay him for. does that make sense? sure it does. i love you my steven.

love, ROCKETGIRL xo

the post about nothing.

i have been doing some pondering & wondering:

~who on earth would eat Schezuan KD?
~what on earth are all these social networking sites REALLY for?
~do you think we use our xoxo's a little too liberally?
~why didn't Triumph get more recognition? the band & the car...
~how should i cut my hair tomorrow?

i was supposed to do a night shift tonight but it got cut short by 8 hours. no complaints from me. 4 hours on the floor from hell, my floor, and a quick trip to the gym for a 30 minute cardio session and now, one cupcake, a cup of sweet peas? snow peas? snap peas? later oh and some rice crisps, ( i know, what was the point of the gym) i am sitting here watching PVR'd AI. Hahlariousssssssss. i can safely say it's the most joyous thing i have encountered all day. no wait, i lie. that was the 3rd most joyous. getting to go home early ranks up there. 2nd most joyous was waking up from my FIVE hour nap to find fed-ex had been here with my new yoga mat. most joyous of all was my first born accompanying me to the grocery store. he never wants to come shop. so that was really wonderful...i miss just me & quinn.

wednesday. a bit self indulgent. yoga. houseclean. haircut. mom-stuff. dinner. yoga. bootcamp. chillax & sort some shit out. i'm confused by my family, friends & loved ones.

breathe deeply. i think it will be ok.


love, ROCKETGIRL

there is always room for dessert

wind. i love wind. i want my babies home. i want my schmoopy poo home RIGHT MEOW!

somedays, i feel like they are the only ones in the entire world that can hold me up, the only ones at all that i can count on. i was raised as the oldest child in a home with a disabled middle sibling that required alot of attention. and then my pesky baby bro, so i was raised to be VERY independent...the bad news to that, is that sometimes, i feel like i don't need anyone or anything, cuz i can just handle life on my own...cuz i always had to. sometimes being that independent ain't always cool, i have to remember to let ppl in.

these days tho, i feel like i give and give and give, and don't get me wrong, giving can be a very beautiful thing. i love making ppl happy. just don't let people take advantage of your giving nature. it's a terrible realization/feeling. like a kick in the gut.

it's ok. my babies are on their way. my best friend in the whole entire world, the one who doesn't judge, lets me be me, will be here tonight. and then i have all that i need. oh and maybe a cranberry bliss bar too. well.

d.xo