Author: Oily Minded Medic

This New Year’s Eve was much different than others.  Not because I worked overnight and not even because it was near record low temperatures for a large portion of the country but because I was humbled after witnessing humanity at its finest.

Several times over the last week I had the misfortune of watching the homes of multiple families burn beyond repair.  Our local firefighters did an amazing job.  They spent hours in freezing temperatures knowing that even though the structures in front of them were already too severely damaged to salvage on their arrival, there were things inside that were sentimental and irreplaceable to the home owners.  So they pressed on.  They continued to work overnight.  They continued to spray water and check for hot spots.  They continued to climb ladders. They continued to use SCBA and heavy protective clothing that would freeze once they stepped outside.  They continued to save the property of others.  They continued to put their lives at risk for complete strangers.

On all of these scenes one thing made itself clear.  People still care about their fellow humans.  Neighbours knocking on doors to save families, opening their houses in the middle of the night to host multiple newly displaced people, firefighters going above and beyond to make sure the citizens they serve are as comfortable as possible in such a situation.

I watched firefighters enter a house multiple times.  First to retrieve insulin.  Next for more medications.  I saw someone with ice hanging off their turnout gear carrying a laundry basket full of clothes and a pair of shoes to an elderly couple sitting in a car so they wouldn’t freeze.  Those same providers brought armfuls of pictures to that same couple waiting helplessly.

All those families that lost their possessions were the recipients of a general love for humankind.  Their holiday may not have been spent as expected but the year ahead brings a new beginning that started with love.

Yes, John is on his tiptoes.  He was afraid Gregory might be taller than him.  That would have been unacceptable :).  We’ve had these pyjamas for a year.  They were gifted to us for prime family photo ops.  Convincing John to wear them took being part of a parade that required him to dress up nearly a year later.  Whatever the reason, I am glad we were able to match for Christmas, even if he did change before noon.

The puppies dressed up too!  Gracie had a letterman jacket she kept twisting off.  Huntley, my parents dog, had a denim vest with snowflakes that matched my mother’s vest.  Sage was the cutest present of all!

Poor Huntley just wanted to sleep in peace and here I am taking pictures of her trying to squeeze into Sage’s bed.  Sage is not quite 15 pounds.  Huntley is around 60.  She certainly curled herself up quite a bit.  All of the doggies were given a really large bone covered in peanut butter.  Although Sage is much smaller than her furry family members, she was the boss of all the bones.

Due to my schedule of working December 25th and 26th, Santa came to our house one day early.  Saturday night we watched movies and Sunday the kiddos woke us up early to share presents.  There were computers and sneakers and scooters and jewellery and all kinds of things!  My favourite, though, was a pair of sunglasses.  My father suffers from deuteranopia.  That’s just a fancy way of saying red green colour blindness.

That is how he sees the world.  He didn’t even realise he was different until he was an adult.  He had no idea what he was missing.  A few years ago I saw a video where a father was given special sunglasses that allowed him to see the colour of his daughter’s eyes for the first time.  I knew one day I would get those glasses for my father.  This year, my mother and I decided it was time.  We shared the cost and purchased Enchroma® Glasses for Dad.

That is what seeing all the colours for the first time looks like.  Look at that smile!!!  They say the glasses work best if worn in the bright sunlight for at least 20 minutes to allow your eyes to adjust.  It was overcast and he only had them on for a few seconds but I think the end result was the same.  That is what Christmas is all about.  Making people happy!

We all came inside, scratched off lottery tickets ($27 won between us all), and sat down for dinner.  John made an excellent feast, as usual.  Gregory enjoyed it so much, he didn’t want to finish eating.  He became protective when we were clearing the table, hoarding any plates that weren’t quite emptied, lol.  I guess having an always hungry teenaged boy is a good way to reduce food waste!

Christmas is my favourite day of the entire year.  Not because people get things they probably don’t need and may never use, but because it’s about being together with friends and family.  It’s about loving each other.  It’s about making someone else smile, even when you have to work.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

While most people are enjoying time off with their families during the holidays, there are some that are working to keep you safe, healthy, and supporting our travels.  Whether they are retailers, service station attendants, restaurant workers, police, dispatch, military, or healthcare employees, many people are away from their loved ones during the holidays.  As a paramedic there are many holidays that I have missed.

So what do we do?  We spend the holiday with our work family and celebrate with our traditional family on another day.  This year my family had Thanksgiving dinner on a Saturday and will be celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve.

 

This is the first year my daughter and I have not gone to a holiday show with my mother.  We’ve seen Rudolph, the Rockettes, HoliDaze, and so many more.  We’ve been to the Nutcracker so many times I lost count.

This year my husband and I went to see Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz Lincoln Center Orchestra instead.  What an amazing show!  Traditional Christmas music offered in a unique style.

My father is the biggest kid of all.  I love watching him play with my children.  Even though one of my sons is 16 and the other is 13, they don’t hesitate to wrap themselves around Grandpa’s legs to have him walk them around the house.

Although Kenzie and Mom were unable to join me this year, we still find time to spend together.  Trying new foods and being silly.  These are the moments I live for.  I am grateful that my family is flexible enough to adjust their days to meet my schedule.  Not everyone is that fortunate.

Last year my  mother in law gave our entire family matching Christmas pyjamas.  It took nearly a year but I finally got my husband to put them on.  This year we will all be toy soldiers as we open gifts and enjoy each other’s company a day early.

So here’s to having fun with your family whenever you can.  Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.  Cheers!

Although the skill level is not quite NHL quality, the entertainment value is much greater.  Some nights one team smokes the other.  Some nights the skill is similar.  Some nights the players are almost too drunk to walk but they sure can skate!

It never ceases to amaze me how a bunch of adults can spend an hour on the ice hating each other then follow it by sharing a beer…or 12…in the locker room.

That is 3, count them… THREE… people in the penalty box.  The final score was 6-2.  Why are there 3 people in the penalty box?  Well, who else is going to make the spectators laugh on a Sunday night?

If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch beer league hockey, you are missing out.  You don’t have to be a hockey fan, or even understand the sport, to enjoy watching a game.  I don’t get to watch all of my husband’s games but I love it when I do!

If you have the chance to spend a night freezing in a tiny rink watching adults push the limits of their bodies and the rules, take it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Most days when our oldest two children have a day off school our youngest does not.  Occasionally everyone is home together.  The last Friday of September was an early release day for both schools so we took advantage of the extra time.  We decided to head towards the water.

Gregory had a school project, making a cart out of a cardboard box, due Monday and decided to stay home.  We brought him and our elderly puppy, who doesn’t like the car, to my parents house and headed east.  My husband, two of our children, our four month old puppy, and myself piled into the truck and drove for three hours.

Although dark, we decided to head to the pier.  They had lights and cleaning stations on the dock.  Our children love to fish and the water was full.  We had a lot of fun.  Even Sage enjoyed herself.

John was the first to catch a fish.  Normally he is the only one who doesn’t catch anything so the victory was his that night.  Next it was my turn and then Kenzie.  All fish were release back into the ocean.  We probably spent and hour or more reeling lines and having fun.

Alex was the last one to catch something.  He was so excited!  His line was pulling.  It was heavy.  He MUST have caught the biggest fish of all!  Nope.  He caught seaweed.  Seaweed filled with crabs.  It didn’t lessen his spirits and he cried out “I caught crabs” into the night.  He also caught the dock a few times and two boats.  Eventually he decided he would put the pole down and just use his hands.  He caught more with his hands than he did with his pole.

Morning came and we tried again.  The fish weren’t biting but it didn’t matter.  There is something about salt water and family that creates a peace within.

We enjoyed a waterfront breakfast and watched as boats floated by.  We sat outside in the beautiful weather.  Alex was enjoying his breakfast so much he asked what was for lunch with food still on his plate.  Sage sat under the table picking up crumbs and lapping water out of the bowls the restaurant left out for pets enjoying the scenery.  We saw a sailboat with the largest mast I’ve ever seen and watched as a yacht docked of fuel.  The innocence of Alexander’s childhood proclaimed “that’s a rich people boat”.  We bought a life vest for Sage and went back to the beach.

Sage loves the sand.  She does not like the ocean.  She ran away from the waves while growling.  We put her into the water, wearing her life vest, to see if she would play and swim.  She was really good at swimming… right out of the water and back to the beach.  Kenzie dug herself a hole and then covered herself in sand.

Sadly our time by the ocean was short.  We packed up and drove back to reality.  Perhaps one day we will have ourselves a beach house with a boat.

I love my daughter.  I love math.  My daughter loves me.  My daughter does not love math.

All my life I have found math and science to come naturally.  I struggle more with history, geography, and the arts.  Math was always my favourite subject in school.  When Kenzie approached me asking me for help with her math, I thought this would be EASY!  Boy was I wrong…

This is just one of the eight questions similar to this.  After explaining fractions every way I knew how, I didn’t know how else to help her.  I helped her get to the answer but she couldn’t do it on her own (It’s 21 in case you were wondering).  Shortly after going over this for the umpteenth time, I remembered she had her own, kid friendly, pre-diluted essential oils (pictured below from left to right Owie™, SniffleEase™, TummyGize™, SleepyIze™, GeneYus™).

So, I had her roll some GeneYus™ on herself while I opened a bottle of wine (not pictured).  Yes it was in the middle of the afternoon.  No I didn’t care.  She needed support with focus and opening her mind to learn new concepts; I needed support to be able to continue helping her.

FINALLY, after the SIXTH question, she understood.  She was able to finish the last two questions completely on her own.  She gave me the answers to check if she was correct and I made her do the math backwards to see what she thought.  Yup, she was right!  A GeneYus™ was born (clearly, pun intended)!

Y’all, I don’t know how teachers do this every day.  I know many teachers and they all have a strong passion for their class.  They all love seeing that “aha” moment when students finally understand.  I am so grateful that there are people out there who have the passion to teach my children as if they were their own.  I couldn’t do it myself.  Thank you, teachers.  Each and every one of you!

My husband loves it when I take his picture.  Especially when we are on vacation.  He really likes it when I take his picture sitting on a hotel bed early on the morning of his birthday.  Although I must say, MY favourite is when he is sleeping with our kiddos…

For the last six years we have been out of town to celebrate John’s birthday.  This year was no exception.  We spent the weekend with family and friends.  We always have one formal dinner and one more relaxed dinner.  My teenaged boys thought if they threw their formal clothes into the bottom of their bags they would look great!  Naturally, I needed to iron those same clothes.  At least the view was worth it. (There was also wine in my coffee cup so that helps…)

Friday night Kenzie obtained some modelling clay and proceeded to show her artistic abilities.  First with a snail, then she added some detail, next a rose, a glass of lemonade, and finally a birthday cake for her father.  She made many more things but these are my favourites.

Saturday night we had a pirate themed dinner.  Kenzie wanted to be a pirate and she asked that I be a mermaid.  Even though the makeup gave me hives, the smiles on the faces of my children made every minute of itching worth it.

Friday the girls all had manicures.  Saturday as the grandparents and munchkins were at the beach, John and I were pampered with massages in the hotel spa.  Throughout the weekend our daughter kept asking to buy John a cake.  Apparently making one out of clay wasn’t quite the same.  She finally had her chance.  My parents took the kids out for breakfast while we let John sleep in.  The restaurant happened to be next to a grocery store.  While they were out, my folks bought a cake for my husband, carrot, his favourite.  Kenzie can’t even eat cake due to a gluten allergy but she still wanted her daddy to have his favourite.  My kids are the best!

Finally it was time to go home.  We decided to have a race on a three story go kart track before we left.  My father loves racing.  He used to be a stock car driver.  All my children love competition, John included.  Kenzie was just tall enough to drive herself.  The next five minutes we bumped, passed, and chased each other.  Having children allows you to be a kid again also.  Even if you are almost 40…

One Saturday afternoon my husband and I needed to buy dog food for Gracie, our 15 year old lab.  Unbeknownst to me it was also Clear the Shelters day in our community and a local animal rescue had all their dogs, young and old, at the pet store.  Over the last 12 years we have had the privilege of being parents to Gracie, I have seen multiple puppies and rescues.  I have never met an animal that I couldn’t stop thinking about.  Until that day.

We bought dog food, went to a birthday party in our neighbourhood, finished the rest of our errands, and I couldn’t get one little puppy out of my brain.  John, my husband, brought me back to the pet store to see her one more time.  The rescue was gone.  There were no puppies left.  I didn’t even catch the rescue’s name.

John did some research and found the rescue and the puppy.  Monday I filled out the application.  Wednesday I received an email to schedule a phone interview.  Friday, while driving out of state to be a part of a wedding, the rescue called.  They scheduled a home visit.  They had to be certain everyone in the family was on the same page, Gracie would be okay with her, and the puppy wasn’t terrified.

Tuesday, just over a week after meeting this little girl, we had a home visit from the rescue with the puppy.  Gracie loved her!  As an elderly dog, she hasn’t been very playful lately.  She played and chased and licked this little one.  John was out of town and FaceTimed to see how the puppy liked our family.  It was love.  We set a date.  The following Saturday morning, she would be ours.

We named our little girl Sage Pearl.  One of her parents is a chihuahua and the other is a pit bull.  Over the last two weeks she has become an exciting part of our lives. She is playful and loving.  Gracie is normally by her side.  Sage was the runt of her litter and is still only a tiny girl.  At three months old we have no idea how big she will get but that doesn’t matter.  She has melted the hearts of our family and all of our neighbours.

#YouHadMeAtHolbert

This weekend was packed with activities and filled with excitement.  I had the privilege of being the matron of honour in the wedding of a good friend.  I was introduced to many new people that have quickly turned into friends I will have for years to come.

After driving for six hours over mountains and across state lines, my husband and I made it to our hotel.

We ran into town, grabbed a bite to eat, bought and wrapped gifts, and then it was time to change before we were off to rehearsal.  We finished dinner and helped with some decorating so we could all sit down for a few minutes and pamper the bride.  We made lotions, lip balms, spritzers.  We played games, drank wine, and had fun.

Early Saturday we helped with decorations again.  The bride bought professional hair and makeup for the bridesmaids.  The artists met us at the church where we continued to decorate while one was getting airbrushed and another hair brushed.  Before we knew it the photographer stole the bride.

After a beautiful ceremony was a reception with an unbelievable view.  The food, company, and atmosphere were all fantastic.  We shared more laughs and made more memories in one day than I have in a while.  Us bridesmaids have already decided to get together soon on a tropical beach with the bride and a couple more kind hearted souls.

I came home from working all weekend (12 hours Friday and 36 hours Saturday into Sunday) to find dishes on the counter, the dishwasher full of dirty dishes, a puddle of urine from our elderly puppers soaking into the hardwood floors, clean laundry on the love seat in the loft, a dryer full of wet clothes, a washer full of wet clothes, unfinished homework (which is due first thing in the morning), and a husband, who is just as overworked as the rest of us, running out the door to go play hockey.  Naturally, he’s late.  He just returned from coaching our son’s lacrosse team.

Up stairs and into the bathroom.  I let my hair, which isn’t terribly long, out of its clips.  It rebels…My 13 year old son told me I looked like Albert Einstein and I couldn’t really disagree.

I change into my pyjamas and, having two teenaged boys at the house while having a larger chest than the average female, I needed a bra.  I don’t want to come home after wearing a bra all weekend and do it again.  I inadvertently found the next best thing to being naked.  I bought a “full support” sport bra without an underwire a while back.  I actually believed it could keep the girls down.  That was a lie.  It is not THAT supportive.  To be fair, I need to wear multiple bras when I go to them gym to keep the sisters from causing me physical damage.  For some reason it caught my eye and I put it on.  It kept the ladies from sagging onto my belly.  Now I have a way to be braless but still be appropriate around teenagers…and neighbours for that matter…

I leave the haven of my bedroom, go into the living room, and open my diffuser.  A little Peace & Calming® and a little Stress Away™.  Within minutes I felt relaxed.  I was able to clean the pee off the floor and do the dishes without a care.  The laundry can wait.  All that remained was to pour myself a glass of wine.  Cheers!