Ooops..

It's been two weeks since I posted!?! Where does the time go..

And not much goings on here!

Mike had his 32nd birthday! Was a nice long weekend with him and his parents.. we got to go to Kerry's for a YUMMY dinner. (*Kerry, you done GOOD!*) Was really nice to eat dinner, not helping feed someone else, at a nice slow casual pace!

He is back in school, doing his third year of schooling at BCIT. He just started, and I know he is wishing it is over already. Thank goodness it is just 10 weeks. Luckily there are lots of things to do around the house to keep him busy.. and being 10 minutes away from the Woodlot, biking is way more accessible.

Still looking for daycare for Ben. It's been a LOT more work than I thought, finding one here. Have a couple leads, will meet some ladies this week hopefully.

The 22nd was two years of Mum passing. Didn't feel like doing much that day. Was really hard. Got sad news that evening, friends of ours are separating. Hate to hear things like that. As far as me, I am just planning on what to do to the house.. paint, decorating ideas.. the wheels are turning. If only we could make them happen NOW! I told Kerry we are going to register at Home Depot!

Mom and Dad are coming back next Friday for a visit, and to go to a cousin's wedding on the 2nd. Let's hope for nice weather!!

Here are a few pics of my puddin' face :0)

7 little-known facts about myself

Laura also tagged me to come up with 7 little-known facts about myself. Here you go, L!

1. I played the clarinet for over 6 years, from grade 6 until I graduated. I haven't picked it up since then, and I don't think I could play a song if my life depended on it.

2. I knew in high shcool that I wanted to be a graphic designer. I applied to Capilano College with no back up plan and got accepted. Over 2,000 (or more) people applied and I think only 25 got accepted. I was pretty proud of myself. Kerry was accepted, too :D In terms of a career, I couldn't imagine doing anything else in my life.

3. As a kid we moved around a LOT. I lost count at 40. So having bought our first house, I am HAPPY! No. More. Moving. Period.

4. I used to obsessively collect Martha Stewart Living magazines. I would see the new one in the store, fall in love with the cover, the pictures, the typsetting (geeky designer thing..) and had to buy it. I owned at least a fews years worth. I even bought all the Baby & Kids ones, even though I didn't have kids. A few years ago, I decided enough was enough and purged through them. I now have a nice tidy folder of my favourite things :)

5. I met my best friend Kerry on our first (or second!?) day of college. 1998, Kerry? Holy smokes. We found out that we had/have the exact same doll as a child. Hers: Flarnsey (sorry if that is mis-spelled, K!). Mine: Baby Bum. She wore orange pj's, with a matching bonnet style hat, trimmed with eyelet lace, and a flap on her bum to.. you guessed it.. show her bum. I LOVED her. I recently learned that it was the Mattell Baby Beans Doll — Bare Bottom Bippy Beans. What a name. I *heart* Baby Bum.

6. My all time favourite flowers are tulips. White ones more specifically. I made sure to have a spring wedding at the beginning of March so that I could have white tulips.

7. I have never smoked in my life. Anything. And never will.

Kerry, Debs & Tamara.. I am tagging you to share 7 little-known facts about yourselves!

On the Eve of Monster Day..

My blogger friend Laura recently posted about guilt related to having children. Whether it be weight, or housework not getting done, or being tardy on filling out the baby book, I think we all experience it.

I try not to beat myself up if my house isn't in perfect order. Or if my dishwasher doesn't get emptied right away. I know I work hard as a mum and wife.. and I work from home too! So yes, Laura! Society can come and make dinner for my family! Walk my dogs! Wash my floors and do my work for me, too!

And to explain the title of this.. When my mum was pregnant with my sister, I guess that made me 3, I gave her a bouquet of roses (she was laying down at the time with a big bare belly!) and said "Happy Monster Day, Mum!". So yes. Happy Monster Day to all the mum's out there :D May 22nd marks 2 years without my mum and I will be thinking of her more than ever, and with Mother's Day the week before, it is extra sucky. I hate hate HATE that the anniversary of her death is two days after Mike's birthday. I wish it wasn't so close.

*sigh* Love you Mum.

Hawaii Five-0!

We are home!!

It was such an amazing vacation.. I don't know where to start! A lot of fun — breathtaking! Warning: This is going to be a long blog entry!

The flight there was pretty good, Ben was a bit restless on the plane but we all survived! Thank goodness to my mandatory purchase of a portable DVD player. A long day though.. lots of sleeping for him in the vehicle, late dinner (10pm Hawaii time?!?) but he was a trooper. It was so sunny and warm, about 28 degrees most of the time, some wind, with hardly any rain. When it did, it didn't last long. Different from here!

Coming home was tiring for Mike and I, more for him as I had to take anti-puke pills and made me doze off here and there. We left Maui at 7:35-ish and then had to land in Kona (which is like a 25min flight if that) and then to Seattle, then home. Ben fell asleep on Mike's lap about 5 mins after we took off in Maui, and then after we left Kona we had three seats to ourselves. Ben slept in the middle seat the whole way, even through landings and take offs! Then a cat nap on the Seattle 35min flight. We got in at 9am our time. Loooooong day.

Ben didn't care for the beach, I don't blame him. Where we were, the sand was really soft and was hard for him to walk in. I had problems walking in it! The waves were too big, too. Mom and I got flipped over and beaten up in the sand. There was a lot of time spent sun screening the two of us, and for good reasons. Our efforts paid off and we didn't burn (well, I got a teeny one on my shoulders on the first day)!

We got to play in the pool a lot, there was a kids shallow pool a foot and a half deep that Ben could walk in! He loved it! Gotta develop the water camera film to get more of those pics.

Hotel living was interesting, having Ben just in a cot around the corner from us. He would get up in the morning and come and throw his stuffed animal in Mike's face. I think he thought it was quite funny.. a novelty.

One of the neatest things we did was going to the Maui Ocean Centre. Was amazing! We got some neat photos and video of that. The fish are so colourful and bright.. and all stuff that you would actually see in Maui! Mike went snorkeling and did see a lot of the fish. He said it was pretty spectacular.

Downtown Lahaina was really fun. Lots of cool shops, cafés, and restaurants. It reminded me a lot of downtown Disneyland, except on the beach! Mike and I got to go for dinner to the Hula Grill ALONE! A date!! Yummy! Pina colada, sunset, good food, great company.. a perfect evening!

Mike and I got to go to Haleakala Crater, too. That was an amazing thing to see. Unfortunately the road up there is really windy, so I took anti-puke pills and it made me dopey. Slept the way down.


And now for pictures!

The Merriman's at Vancouver Airport
(Notice we all have matching Hawaii shirts... Thanks Mom!)



Hawaii! When we saw land, Ben started to clap ;)


Mike and Ben checking out the hotel grounds and pool our first day there.. hang ten!


Aloha Waste! Made me chuckle..


Ben lounging, floating on his lifejacket



Everywhere we went, there were either a) jacked up 4x4's or b) Mustangs. They were everywhere! I counted 18 Mustang convertibles in 10 minutes! Must be rentals..


Sunset while eating dinner at Canoes (great food btw), and Ben being a ham.



I LOVE this picture!


Aunty Panty's! Lingerie store in Lahaina..


We ended up having to do a lot of driving at times to get Ben to nap..
at least it was air conditioned!



Maui Ocean Centre photos.. Mom and I.


This fish and I had a face off.. I won.



Ben and Daddy.


Us!


Hula Grill



Mmm.. Pina Colada Lava Flow...


Mom, Dad and I at Lahaina.


Lahaina's popular Banyan Tree Park



Old Lahaina jail walls, made out of blocks of coral cut from the reefs.
And not very high I might add!


Me posing with a Sperm Whale skeleton.. LOL


Burning of a sugar cane field.


On the way up to the crater, there are tour groups of bikers coming down the mountain. They look like funny space people wearing big helmets and poofy blue (or yellow) suits. This one is the best though. Aerodynamic pose and all.


There are very select plants/animals that can survive at the top of the crater, due to the terrain and weather. But there is a goose-like bird called Nene (I read a plaque up there that said they figure they actually are related to Canada geese). A Mom and her babies crossed the road in front of us. Can you see her and a baby?


Felt like the top of the world! Elevation of 10,000 feet.



Silversword plant... they only bloom once in their life. Guess I missed it!





Mike the tourist.


Mike set up the tri-pod and video camera to take our pic. I warned him that I thought the wind would blow it over. "No no! It's won't get blown over!" Sure enough, after a few pictures, a big gust knocked it over right after this one was taken and broke the display. Pooh.


Kahului Airport.. all open. Translation: No air conditioning.


Maui Bus. Stylish.


Ben sleeping on the way home :0)