My Boys

It's hard to believe, but my little peanut is THREE! I've called Jesse "Peanut" since Jo-Anne told us she was pregnant and said the baby was about the size of a peanut. It just kind stuck. Jesse is the only one of my nieces/nephews that I was "present" for. And by present, I mean I sat in the waiting room on the incredibly hard benches for what seemed an eternity. Since he lives in the same city as me, I get to see him more frequently than my other kidlets. He's a pretty cool little guy who's currently passionate about Lightning McQueen and his buddies.

Liam came along 2 years (almost exactly) after Jesse. I wasn't able to be in the waiting room for him as I stayed with the Peanut. Over the past year Liam has emerged as a really good natured little sweetheart.

A few weeks ago we celebrated 2 birthdays for 2 boys in 1 party! It was a lot of fun, presents, cake, and noise! Following with tradition, I made a tickle trunk for Jesse, complete with some really cute costumes. It was a big hit. Especially after he watched some of my Mr. Dressup DVDs! Instead of lootbags, the kids all got a superhero cape with their initial on it. Everyone except Josh put them on immediately (I got to borrow Josh's...good thing we're both J's) and the funny part was that Jesse insisted on stripping to his underwear when he put his on. He became Captain Underpants!

Abby's Big Day Out

As is the tradition, when a niece or nephew has a birthday, we spend the day together doing something fun. It's hard to believe but my niece Abby recently turned NINE! It's nice that her birthday is in July because we can always do something outdoors in the sunshine. This year I picked her up and we had a picnic along the St. Clair River. It's such a nice spot to sit and watch the boats and just enjoy the view. We stopped by to see Grammie (her great) and then were off for an afternoon at Bluewater Fun Park. It has been a long time since I've been to a water park, but one trip down the speed slide and I was back in the groove! The weather was perfect - hot and sunny so splashes in the pool were a welcomed relief. Of course, what is a day at the fun park without cotton candy, bumper boats, mini golf, water slides and ice cream? We did it all! I think we were both exhausted by the time we got home.

What a Marvelous Night for a Moondance

When I checked my inbox to find a promotion for Van Morrison performing at The Fox Theatre in Detroit, I couldn't resist. Moondance is one of my favourite CDs and the Fox is such a gorgeous venue to see a concert. I had to act fast as the tickets went on sale the next day, but I was able to book it off and Jason traded a shift and we were all set.

My curiousity was peaked when I received an email the day before the concert with a few guidelines. The concert would start at 7:30pm SHARP. There would be NO late admittance. Cell phones, cameras and recording devices were not allowed and if used, would be reason for the individual to be removed from the concert. Alcohol would not be served and smoking was not allowed, even in designated areas. Re-entry would not be permitted. Basically if you showed up smelling like smoke, you would not be allowed in. Oh well...a few rules.

After getting a little lost in Detroit (there was a lot of construction) we parked and walked to the Fox. We arrived around 7:15, which was very unusual for us. We were ushered to our seats by some rather strict attendants (absolutely no line jumping) and the show started promptly at 7:30pm. Although I wasn't familiar with a lot of the songs, I really enjoyed the show. Good songs, great musicians. Although, as the show progressed, I started to wonder: where was Moondance, Caravan, Into the Mystic...hello? Brown Eyed Girl???

At precisely 9pm he walked offstage and was soon followed by his band. I thought we were breaking for an intermission, but the house lights came up, and the crew started striking the stage! WHAT??? Are you kidding? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, but frankly, I felt a little ripped off. We spent 2 hours getting there and 2 hours home, parking, walking to the show, the price of the ticket and he performed for precisely 1.5 hours (without the songs I wanted to hear)

I will still enjoy Moondance but will always remember that night at The Fox.

Amazing Grace Race

As I sit here watching The Amazing Race on my new 42" flat screen TV I can't help but wonder what it would feel like to be racing to the finish line on the real show. On Saturday, I competed in the London version of it! A couple of weeks ago, one of my co-workers emailed me to be a part of the "A Team" for The Amazing Grace Race. It was a fund raiser for the Monsignor Feeney Foundation.

Our team consisted of Allan (creator of many scavenger hunts - a great asset to the team) MJ, Allan's wife and a fiend on the cell phone with our "phone a friend", Sue up for any challenge and a stickler for details, and myself. What a fantastic team...we were out to win.

The clues were all written as riddles but we were ready for anything. We each had an A-Channel shoulder bag with all kinds of devices that might help us: calculator, French/English translator, cell phones, GPS, and of course, snacks.

Our first stop had us running in a human hamster ball, around pylons over ramps, up and down a hill...it was AWESOME! How many chances do you get in your lifetime to run in a hamster ball? Sue started out and we switched about halfway through. I couldn't believe how exhausting it was pushing/running inside a plastic ball with no airflow. What a rush!

We also had to row at London's rowing club, perform "You're So Vain" on the stage at Centennial Hall, play "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?", search through a nursery for 2 gnomes as well as answer PAGES of trivia questions!

Our team rocked their way through the day. We got four 10's (out of 10) one 9 and one 5. We were feeling PRETTY confident when we arrived back at the check in point. As they tallied the scores, we enjoyed a catered dinner. As part of the fundraiser, Blue Rodeo was performing a concert in the evening. Part of the prize for the winners was to meet the band. SO....when they came into the dining tent and said "Blue Rodeo would like to meet with Team Coulter and the A-Team" ....we were ecstatic!

I could really care less if I met Blue Rodeo, but I was about to win a 42" flat screen TV! Wahoo! So, I met Jim Cuddy & co. Got their autographs, photos, etc. and waited for the big moment. Both teams were waiting in the wings on the stage when they announced "and coming in second place today...the A-Team!" What? I demand a recount! We had that in the bag. We were ripped off! As the runners-up, we each won an i-pod docking station. It's a pretty sweet little machine, but it's no TV.

Hanging Out With Josh

My nephew Josh turned 7 a few weeks ago. I can't believe he's already SEVEN! Josh is a really cool kid. He's very much an observer. The strong, silent type...Josh takes everything in.

To celebrate his birthday, we went to Fanshawe Pioneer Village. Just as I thought, he loved it. We spent a lot of time watching the blacksmith pound away at the anvil. Then we headed down to the water to watch the sail boats and skip stones. Mr. Nature-Lover spotted so much wild life that I never would've noticed... a ground hog, bunnies, a beaver along with the regular ducks, geese, etc.

A stop at the video store to pick up "Over The Hedge", some pizza, root beer and we were in for the evening. Over The Hedge was really funny....a good choice. Of course, we played a little wii. Josh created a hilarious "mii" and we played golf. I have to say, I didn't suspect he was a golfer!

The Cure

Yesterday Jason & I went to see The Cure in Toronto. We got the tickets way back in August and the concert had been post-poned until now. Anyway, seeing The Cure was cool, but guess who we saw in Starbucks before the show??? JIAN GHOMESHI! Isn't that crazy? Ok, I guess not really as we were right across the street from CBC, but still...

In case you don't listen to CBC, Jian Ghomeshi hosts a show called Q every afternoon. It has become a part of my daily routine and is the source of many conversations. I regularly talk about Q and Jian Ghomeshi with Jason and we even listened to him on the way to Toronto. We had some time to kill and wandered through the CBC building. (we even saw Mr. Dressup's tickle trunk and the treehouse!!) Then we headed across the street to Starbucks. After being there about 20 minutes, Jason said "hey, I think Jian Ghomeshi just walked in". No way...really???? I casually turned around but couldn't really tell if it was him. Jason determined that he had some kind of CBC ID and since we were just across the street ...yep, it was probably him. Yes, it was very exciting! ha ha.

The Cure was pretty cool too. We were way up in the 300's but the seats were not bad at all. Lots of great songs that totally took me back to my high school days. Although, I have to say, I have never experienced such a sticky floor!!! Ewwwww, it was like the floor was made of fly-tape or something. Oh, and the girl next to me had bad BO. That's not pleasant. Once I got past those 2 things...a great show. They came back for not one, not two but THREE encores!

Street meat on the way out...great way to end the day in Toronto. Nothing like a hotdog with mustard. Yum!

Mother's Day 2008

Celebrating Mother's Day 2008. Here are a few of my favourite pix.

The Hunt for the Great White Squirrel

I've heard the legend of the white squirrels of Exeter, have you? In fact, there are websites dedicated to the rodents! I can't say I am a huge fan of the bushy-tailed creatures, but Jason seems to have a fascination with them. (all squirrels, not just the white ones) Last week he asked me if I'd like to get some peanuts and feed the squirrels with him behind his apartment on the weekend. I said sure, but I had an even better idea. Let's go and see for ourselves the great white squirrels of Exeter.

Our friend Robbyn joined us for our adventure. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday and we set off with visions of snow-white squirrels eating peanuts out of our hands. We stopped at SK Convenience, official retailer of White Squirrel Merchandise. The clerk gave us a brief history of the squirrels and wished us luck as they apparently "hide" when people come to see them. We were pretty confident when we purchased our bag of peanuts.

We headed off for McNaughton Park. It really is a beautiful park with a nice boardwalk, trees, flowers, other people enjoying the day...but no white squirrels. In fact, I didn't see ANY squirrels. Not a black squirrel, a gray squirrel...nothing. We walked, we looked, we called, we held out the peanuts - hoping the smell would coax them out. No luck. We ended up just eating the peanuts ourselves.

After a wildlife-less afternoon, we returned back to my apartment to find a WILD TURKEY in the parking lot!!

This video was done by my friend Vasja back in his high school days. An oldie but a goodie!

Making it Homey

Since the big move a few weeks ago, my TV has been sitting on a little table in the corner with cables spewing everywhere. (as you can see in the photo in my previous post) It was kind of driving me crazy so Saturday Jason & I headed out to find a solution. After an amazing lunch at Waldo's, we started looking. First off - Tepperman's. Apparently they do not fit the lifestyle of my home. No luck. Next stop: EQ3. Nada. Sears Home...nothing. The Brick? Nope. How about Leon's? Ummm, no. I had an idea in my mind that I wanted a corner unit that could hold my movies but not have them open and on display. I was not finding this at any of these places. Mostly they were offering plasma TV stands.

Jason suggested Walmart. Really? Walmart? Are you kidding? I had to pick up a few other things so we headed there. Would you believe it...the first TV stand I saw was exactly what I had in my mind. AWESOME! And as a bonus, I got Jason's staff discount. We loaded it up in the cart and headed home. It took about 2 hours but we finally got it assembled and all my stuff loaded in. I'm so pleased with the results. Take a look.

Moving On

After nearly five years at my house on Central, the time has come to move on. In early January, my roommate Jodi bought a house. This set the wheels in motion for lots of changes. Searching for a new home can be overwhelming. So many factors to consider...location, landlord, condition of the apartment, price, etc. After two weeks of looking at lots of places of varying degrees of acceptable I was just ready to make a decision. I didn't want to look any more and was ready to rent one of two places that I thought were the best of what I had seen. Fortunately, on decision day, Jason spotted the "FOR RENT" sign I had been looking for.

We went to check out the place, which used to be a nunnery. The landlords are an older british couple and are just adorable. They are also very particular so the place was spotless and well-cared for. I loved what I saw... hardwood floors, an awesome fireplace, and lots of character. I'm so glad I waited!

So, after 2 months of searching, packing and organizing I am now moved in to my new place. Moving day proved to me that I have awesome friends. I actually turned down several offers for help! A big thanks to Murray (and his truck) Vasja, Elvin, Alex, John, Jason, Jo-Anne & Marj. They all helped things go smoothly and quickly.

Now, I'm just finding a home for all the contents of my boxes. It's a slow process, but I'm making some progress. I'm including some photos, but keep in mind they are from MOVING DAY so there are lots of boxes, etc. Hope to see you soon!

I Love Fried Eggs

OK, so I was just reminiscing with a co-worker and thought it would make a good blog entry. Yes, I'm trying to get back into blogging. Anyway...

When I was little, I'd say about 4 or 5 years old, there was a commercial on TV promoting a new lottery. The numbers were drawn on Friday so the jingle (and I wish I could sing it for you on here) was "I love Fridays....I love Fridays!"

My little ears thought they were singing "I love Fried Eggs" so of course, whenever we had eggs, I would sing my song "I love Fried Eggs, I love Fried Eggs" ha ha ha.

My Iternal Alarm Clock

So, are we all created with an internal alarm clock? I have noticed that mine seems to go off at 8am...whether I like it or not. It is so annoying. Most times I try and go back to sleep, but am only successful sometimes. The rest of the time I toss and turn. So...any suggestions on hitting the internal snooze?

Christmas 07

Here is a photo recap of my Christmas season. Hope it was a good one for you. See you in 08!

Christmas Cookies!

Sarah & I made Christmas cookies last week. I was quite pleased with how they turned out. We were inspired while shopping and saw "snowflake" cutters. I thought they were so beautiful and Sarah said she already had a set. I got a surprise that morning when Sarah showed up...she got me a set of my own for Christmas! Sarah's mom used to be a home-ec teacher so she has every cookie cutter imaginable...even a foot!! Isn't that funny? My contribution was a lone VW beetle. However, this is a very cool cookie cutter.

During my first year of working at A-Channel, a co-worker, Paula Jesty, discovered my love of beetles. She insisted that I have this cookie cutter from her collection. Somehow, it found it's way into my playdoh box and was "lost" for the past 2 years. Last Christmas I was very sad...I really wanted to make beetle cookies for my mechanic but couldn't for the life of me find my cutter. This year I was determined to find it and that's when I discovered it amongst the Mop Top Hair Shop and other fun toys!

When the cookies were iced, I did take some in to my mechanic. I think he thought it was cool. Although maybe he just thinks I'm a nut. Oh well...I think they're cute! Take a look.

Ironman

So, I wanted to do a post about my Ironman-friend Sarah. I'm so proud of her for completing this enormous feat! For over a year she trained...and trained...and trained! Many early mornings, long bike rides, rain-soaked runs, even a fairly serious tumble from her bike after being chased by a dog! Through all of this she persevered.

On September 9th at 7am in Madison, Wisconsin...the race started. I was able to be there to witness this amazing event. In fact, I saw her mount her bike after the swim! I was so excited :) I was able to see her again as she returned from the bike and transitioned into the run and again about half way through the run. Every time I saw her, she had a huge smile on her face. Finally, I heard her name: Sarah McGrath from London, Ontario...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN! With a final time of 13:39:36 she joined an elite group of athletes. Way to Go Sarah!

Chewing Gum....ewww!

All my life I've had a "phobia" of gum. I'm not sure where it comes from, but gum just grosses me out. I don't like the smell of it, the look of people chomping on it, or touching it (even in the wrapper). Big Red or any type of cinnamon gum is the worst kind. Yuck! Just thinking about it grosses me out. Most times I can just politely refuse if someone offers me some, but if you know me long enough, you discover my intense dislike of the substance. I even wrote an essay in high school about this aversion. My teacher enjoyed it so much she made me read it in front of my class!! In fact, maybe I'll dig it up and post it here.

Well, last week I discovered I am not alone. OPRAH WINFREY shares my gum-phobia. When I signed in to my e-mail one day, I saw a link to a story about celebrity phobias and GUM was listed as one of them. I just had to find out who THAT was. I was delighted to know I'm not the only one!

Also...an interesting side note...on Saturday Jason & I were at the Detroit Science Centre. As we were entering the building, I saw the best sign ever. (only wish I'd had my camera) Posted by the door was a large sign that said "This building is Gum & Smoke Free". Ha ha ha...too funny!

This is my boyfriend when he was four years old. How cute is this???

Catching Up

Yes, that is correct...a new post. Finally. I'm not even sure if there's anyone left that reads my blog as I've been so negligent as of late. I'm sorry! Since Facebook came around, I've totally slacked off blogger. For all of you non-facebook people...I'm sorry, but what is your problem? Join the sensation! Just kidding. Here I am, wondering where to start.

Well, the summer pretty much came and went when I was blinking. How did that happen? It seems like I was just celebrating Canada Day and here we are crunching through the fallen leaves and pulling the collar a little tighter on the jacket. As I write this, it is October 13th. Anyone know why that date is important? Anyone? Well....it is Paul Simon's birthday. As you probably know, I believe Paul Simon is the most talented songwriter out there. So, on his special day, I'm wishing him all the best!

So, one of my newest hobbies is running. If you know me at all, you might find this hilarious. But, hear me out. It all started with a weight loss challenge between me & Jason. We challenged each other to drop some weight and get trimmer in 3 months. When I told my friend Sarah about this challenge, she got very excited and said "I can help you win!" I wasn't sure I wanted Sarah to help me win. You see, this was about 5 days before she completed an IRONMAN. I do not want to do an Ironman, so I was a little concerned about Sarah's enthusiasm. However, after watching the event, I felt a little inspired. (not life changing, but decided I could give running a chance...what had it ever done to me?) So after returning from the race, we went out and got me some "running" shoes and Sarah started me on a schedule. I started out by running for 1 minute then walking for 2 minutes. The next week I continued to run for 1 minute but my walking went down to 1 minute. The next week was running for 90 sec. and walking for 1 minute. This week I've been running for 2 minutes and walking for 1. Yeah! I know this doesn't sound like much, but to me...it is. Right now I'm thinking I'd like to do a 5k run in December called the Santa Shuffle. However, it's not really that cold now and no snow on the ground...I might change my mind when that happens! ha ha. Sarah has been SUCH an encouragement, it's been great so far. She even took my picture on my first run. I'll try and get it from her to post here.

My niece Kaelyn turned 3 in September. (actually the same day that Sarah did the Ironman) In keeping with my new tradition, we spent the day together to celebrate. Lunch at McDonald's, of course! (what do they put in their food to create such young addicts?) and then off to the animal farm and play ground. She is such a little cutie!! What fun.

OK, I must go to bed now. I will post more tomorrow about Ironman and my new friend Kermit. :)

Punchbuggy

Since I can remember I have loved the Volkswagen Beetle. Of course, it was the classic Beetle I first fell in love with and for many years, it was my dream car. When Volkswagen came out with the new Beetle, at first I scoffed at it. How could they think of changing such a good thing? And, I thought they were ugly.

Well, as time passed, they kind of grew on me. Of course, it would be much more practical to drive a new car than one that has had a longer life than me! In 2002 I purchased my yellow Beetle (I like to call her Beatrice) At that time, the bugs were a novelty car and it got lots of attention. Now they're everywhere!

In fact, about a year after I bought mine, my friend Karla Ann bought a green one. It's always fun to park them beside each other and we've had lots of lemon/lime jokes.

Of course, driving a Beetle you get to see lots of people punching each other as they see you on the street. Not because this car incites violence, but because of the old "punch buggy" game. Jason and I have become avid players, developing a sort of "beetle radar". We each have our weakness...he never gets the silver ones and I often miss the green ones. It gets a little intense as there are FOUR punch buggies between my place & his. We both know where they park and strive to be the first to see it.

I thought everyone knew the punch buggy game. However, I recently punched my Grammie in the arm as I called out "PUNCH BUGGY" and she thought I had lost my mind! I've had similar experiences with my mom, friend Robbyn and my niece Abby. Abigail thought it was great fun and a few weeks later informed me she plays with her brother Josh, but she always wins. 'atta Girl!