Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Mist and Pip at Stanley park last weekend. Tabs was feeling a little under the weather so she rested in the van with her dad.
Tabs advanced in track to the division meet in long jump. So she will take tuesday off next week to attend the track meet. She's quite a little jock. She's tiny but powerful.

First, a heart felt condolence for the loss of my sister Catherine's dear dog Patrick--who died tragically yesterday. A dear little dog.

I had the worst dreams last night: frustration and being ignored, collapsing lifestyle and major unhappiness were the main themes. No doubt from yesterday's horrible time. I spent all day on the computer--wrote up 7 pages of forms--long paragraph style answers, all details about my research. Only to find out I'd done it on sandbox instead of rise and it was all mysteriously erased. I am so beyond mad, frustrated, unhappy. This ethics process has stalled me and lost me so many days, hours--the site is horrible, confusing and pathetically designed and no one offers any guidance--now, someone has access to all the nitty gritty details of my "ground breaking" research. F!

Gotta run a busy, busy day! And I can finally confess (as she is at school and won't read this until after the fact): Misty is getting a surprise award today at her school's award ceremony. Peter and I are to come to the auditorium at 1 pm today to view her getting the award--I don't even know what it is for--it is all hush, hush.

Downtown, Vancouver BC

Arrived at Hotel Vancouver. Pool empty, closed for repairs.
So far we've done a little shopping, toured the UBC Anthropology museum--wow, amazing collection of aboriginal artifacts from around the globe--especially BC west coast masks and potlatch serving dishes the size of canoes! You know the tribes lived well when you see the size of their food serving dishes.
Toured around Stanley Park in the sunshine--the girls played at a few parks. A beautiful day to be in Vancouver. I made the connection between San Francisco--Vancouver. The cities have a similar vibe. I love visiting them both. Supper at Earls and then a family movie in the room as Peter was feeling unwell. Now we're off to Victoria.
It is good to get away--forced to see oneself in a new light--for better and for worse. Decided my hair is a fright and I must try to improve it. Although I have really been trying, it still looks like crap. I'm going to get 3 inches chopped off and perhaps return to salon high lights--I hate it as it is now, so anything will be an improvement--considering shaving it all off to match my Mist.

Soccer in the Rain

Tabs playing on Saturday. I got soaked right down to my underwear just watching.
Tabs placed first in her class in a school wide geography test--so now she advances to the school final on Friday morning.
As soon as she is finished we are all leaving for a five night holiday to Vancouver and Victoria. We'll be staying in the historic Hotel Vancouver and then the Empress in Victoria. It will be a great little family get away.
This month is proving to be quite hectic. Track meets, piano concerts, dance recitals, band concerts... and I just today officially changed my thesis advisor. Now I have less than 2 weeks to get three strangers to agree to sign on to be on my thesis committee, meet all together with me and my advisor and finish my ethics review application and submit it! YIKES
All of this before my new supervisor leaves for Finland and then I, in turn, leave for Malaysia for 2 weeks on June 30th. Before that we must drive the girls and Fernando to Nelson to where their Auntie T will be waiting to babysit while we're off exploring the jungles of Asia.
My mom stayed last night and I drove her to the bus station where she caught a bus to Nelson for the week.
Tabs is at a friends, Mist at the mall with friends and Pip just returned home from Energy-Plex after an afternoon with Artemis and Hilary (the nanny).
Tonight I have Zumba but I really want to go to a movie instead! Hmm...date night tomorrow may be cancelled as I have to pack up 4 females for our trip and arrange for the doggie sitter.
Tomorrow morning the city is helicopter spraying our mountain for Tussock moths. So I have to barricade the house and none of us can go outdoors for 24h. I did my run this morning instead of tomorrow.
Pip and I just made our famous pumpkin brownies. Must go and ice them.
*Decided my personal essays are too time consuming for this blog. I will try to do one each month for practice though.