Amberism

Its all in the definition...

The A-to-Z Meme that has been making the rounds had me thinking the other day. Just about everyone who is in a serious relationship listed their significant other as their best friend. For me, husband and best friend are two distinct roles and I have never considered Steve my best friend.

Don't get me wrong, Steve is the person I'm spending the rest of my life with and the father of the only children I will ever have. I adore the guy and am very blessed that he agreed to spend the rest of his life with me. That is not something to sneeze at, I don't really want to spend eternity with me, I pity the man a little.

That said, he's not my best friend.

For me, a best friend is someone who brings something to the table that your significant other doesn't. I don't believe that one person can be everything that I need. To be honest, I think that its unfair for anyone to expect one person to be everything that they need. My girlfriends give me things that Steve doesn't, nor does he even want to.

For example: as much fun as it is to watch whatever is the hit show on TV with Steve, its a helluva lot more fun with Michelle. Michelle and I sit down to a show, or even a movie, and have a running commentary through the whole thing. We love it and Steve hates it (so does my sister!).

And no matter how many times I present to Steve a finished scrapbook or crafting piece and receive "It looks nice" it just doesn't compare to praise I get when I show it to Fearthainn or Michelle or Mom or Grandma. With the woman in my life I can just sit back and enjoy the praise they so gracefully ooze. I love it, and Steve is not a man who oozes. He appreciates all that I do for him, but the guy simply doesn't ooze.

He seldom has uncontrollable giggle fits like Fearthainn and I do. He doesn't like to walk into Wal-Mart when the sun is shining and walk out when its dark like Michelle and I do. There is no way in hell he would have got in the car at 1 am to go to Wal-Mart over Christmas just because it was open 24 hours, just for the story. He doesn't get massages or do the "spa". Ever. He doesn't watch Gray's Anatomy like its a religion (although when I have a meeting, he will watch it and take mental notes because he is well aware that I will drill him when I get home. I should really learn how to program the damn VCR). He wouldn't talk on the phone for an hour about the highs and lows of raising kids like Ange and I have been known to do. He finds no joy in making little fridge magnets.

This is where your best friends come in.

I suspect he feels the same way. Getting up at 6 am on Wednesday mornings to go wakeboarding with me? I doubt that would be nearly as much as it is to go wakeboarding with the guys. Especially since I can't wakeboard. And I'm a bitch at 6 am.

He's the main person in my life, no doubt about it, and I tell him just about everything whether he cares to hear it or not, but my best friends are incredibly important to me and I feel blessed to have people in my life that I can call best friends and favorite friends and good friends and old friends.

Back amoung the technologically savvy

We bought a sweet new machine (finally!) so hopefully I'll be back amoung the living soon. Although, I'm fighting yet another cold, so I can't really make any promises because if I have a cold its only a matter of time til the little guy gets a cold and then...blah.

To keep you interested until I post a real post that isn't mindless chatter or a meme, here's a rare occurance, a picture of what I do all day...

This was taken before Christmas, he looks a lot more like Yoda these days :). Its such crappy quality because I resized it from a scanned film version. Too tired right now to care...

The A to Z od Me

I was tagged by Marnie!
Available or Taken? Taken.
Best friend? Michelle (and Fearthainn but she gets to be sister!)
Cake or pie? ice cream. Why isn't that a choice?
Drink of choice? these days I'd die just for a coffee...
Essential item? I can't think of a damn thing. My visa card?!
Favorite color? Don't really have one, but I favour earthy colors most of the time.
Gummi bears or worms? gummy bears!!
Hometown? I was born in Comox, BC but tend to consider Winnipeg as the town of my childhood and Calgary as my hometown, sorta.
Indulgence? ice cream, usually. Or granola bars.
January or February? definitely February! That's my birthday month!
Kids and names? Callum Gray
Life incomplete without? email :). (and friends and family of course!)
Marriage date? November 27th, 2004
Number of Siblings? natural sister - Fearthainn, and 2 step-sisters and 2 step-brothers (well, 3 but one I've never met). Steve has 2 sisters, a brother and two half-brothers.
Oranges or Apples? Apples, but I also quite enjoy oranges. Fruit, in general, is oh-so-yummy.
Phobias/fears? the dark. I'm 10.
Favorite Quotation? "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves" Edna Buchanan (I didn't know it was Edna Buchanan's quote, though, til I just looked it up!)
Reason to smile? my little dude makes me smile everyday!
Season? Fall. It always reminds me of falling in love
Tag three people:

Fearthainn
Michelle
Chrispy

Unknown fact about me: I'm considerably more shy than I appear to be to most people. I'm more shy than Steve, but because Steve isn't so quick to talk, they assume he's more shy.
Vegetable you hate: hmmmm...this is a hard one, I quite enjoy vegetables (making it easy to be Vegetarian for me!). I'm not over the moon about potatoes.
Worst habit? I leave things places. Like my purse, wallet, sunglasses.
X-rays I’ve had: just the teeth!
Your favorite food? I'm really not a favorite person, but say salmon...
Zodiac? Aquarius!

End of Year Survey

Stolen from Candi who stole it from Cori... (both are blogs that you probably can't read, sorry about that. Trust me, they're cool)

if you don't want to read this very lengthy survey the short of it is, I had a baby. That was big.

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?

* gave birth to Callum and then everything else that goes along with THAT;
* been working with a naturalopath;
* traveled with a baby;
* bought a trailer;

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

um, not really. Let's see
travel more - didn't happen, I got pregnant instead
explore my own town - well, kinda. I shop more locally anyway
do more volunteering - on this one I get a gold star. Go me!
get to know more people and perhaps become great friends - didn't happen with the getting to know more people, although I did make a great friend out of someone I already knew!
send birthday cards - I did! Except to anyone born in October (sorry Octoberites!) Every last one was late. Every one.
be better with money - hahahahahahahahahahaha. 'nuf said.
put past dreams and big plans into motion - if only I knew what that vague resolution was even refering to I might be able to comment on its progress.
read more - about the same, really
write more - didn't happen
improve overall health - constantly working on that one, and 2006 was no exception. I cut out cheese this year. That's right. I CUT OUT CHEESE. That, my friends, is a committment to health.
agility classes for Vegas - yeah, that didn't happen. We should really do that, though, he'd love it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

yeah. ME. And two of my friends also spawned this year. Several also got knocked up and will be spawning in the coming months.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

yes, Steve's Dad passed away in January.

5. What countries did you visit?

oh, shut up with all your travel questions. I didn't keep the resoluation! Stop rubbing it in my face!

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?

a job.

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Monday October 2nd, the day my son was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Besides giving birth I was good at being pregnant, and I'm still mighty proud of Callum's nursery. It's fun and fun for him which is what I strived for. I want his life to be fun.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Breastfeeding. heh.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nope. I am a model of good health. (knock on wood)

11. What was the best thing someone bought you?

The baby swing is pretty sweet (totally not something I'd ever buy myself, but nice to have when someone else shells out the money). When I think of all the things I got this year that are awesome, they were all donated or hand-me-downs. Like the crib, the cradle, the furniture in Callum's room etc, etc. It all rocks. With socks.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Wow. Where do I begin?

Michelle for being here for Callum's birth, for being amazing during Callum's birth and for changing her flight like 100 times just to be here for Callum's birth.

Steve for being such an amazing father. I knew he would be, but its just something else to actually see your husband in action.

Mom and Courtenay for being here when I so needed them here while I figured out how this motherhood thing was going to go.

Grandma for meeting Callum and suddenly adoring a baby :). hee!

K for making me a box (A BOX!) of frozen dinners after Callum was born. I didn't cook for a month, it was incredible.

I am surrounded by so many amazing people, I don't know how I got so blessed.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I can't discuss it in this forum, besides Michelle. no one else would even understand the entire situation.

14. Where did most of your money go?

hmmmmm....bought a car, bought a trailer, renovations on the house, kid stuff, etc.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

yeah, when you have a kid, these questions sort of all sound the same :).

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?

I dunno. Not really a song-time kinda gal.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? much happier, I feel more at home here now, and feel more settled with the decision to be here.

b) fatter or skinner? fatter.

c) richer or poorer? Poorer. So, so, SO much poorer. I don't have a job.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

I wish I had taken more time to just "be". I wish I had spent more time writing in my pregnancy journal and Callum's journal.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

watch tv.

20. How do you plan to spend Christmas?

I spent Christmas surrounded by my family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?

Callum. And Steve all over again.

22. How many one night stands?

Seriously? You'd want to even know this?

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Gray's Anatomy.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Hate? No. I have changed my mind about how I approach a couple of relationships in my life, but I wouldn't say I hate anyone.

25. What was the best book you read?

Posionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

eh. um. I dunno.

27. What did you want and get?

A healthy baby boy.

28. What did you want and not get?

A fast, natural, and easy labour.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Crash

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 32 and I spent most of the day on the couch while Steve installed cupboards in the garage because there was a scare that I might be having a miscarriage that day. And K came over and we had tea.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If we had traveled somewhere, I guess. More time with friends.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?

Jeans and t-shirt.

33. What kept you sane?

Steve, Fearthainn, Mom and Michelle.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Like, who would I NOT kick out of bed for eating crackers? The list. So long.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Kyoto. Gay Marriage. The War in Iraq.

36. Who do you miss?

I miss my sister, my Mommy, Michelle and Alex and the kids, Ange, Steve's siblings. All the people I wished lived HERE.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Whitney. You all don't know who that is, though, but trust me, she's cool.

38. What was the best thing you ate?
My Grandma has this kooky trait of remembering everything she ate when she goes on a holiday. I kid you not, she can retell her holidaying meal by meal which provides a lot of amusement for Fearthainn and I. Me, on the other, can not remember what I had for lunch so I truly couldn't remember the best thing I ate all year. I'm really not a food person.

ack!

It snowed last week (or the week before? I can't keep track of all the damn storms anymore) and never melted. Now its going to snow again tonight. What the hell? This is suppose to be mild living out here on the south coast, not all this winter crap.

This past week we finally moved Callum into his own room. Its been a pretty easy transition, for Callum anyway. It means a lot of fumbling around in the dark for me but at least I have my own room back. After my god-daughter was born I remember Michelle sending me a picture of her in her crib full of smiles and Michelle telling me that every morning when she went into the nursery, my god-daughter would be happily waiting for her and burst into a full on grin on sight. I had this romatic notion that I, too, would walk into my son's nursery in the morning and be greeted by his cute dimple and utter glee that Momma had appeared.

Back in the real world he's usually already whining before I even get there, and when I show up, he opens his eyes and ramps up the drama. Once he's eaten, assuming he was satisfied with the volume, he'll lean back and only then give me a big-ass grin. This usually happens at 5:30 am, on the days he wakes up at a normal time, like 7:30 am, he'll either go back to sleep without any indication that he's grateful I'm alive, or he'll move into a full-on crying fit.

At least the big-ass grin is freaking cute.

It's Green! And Yellow! And Bright!

I've been home for almost two weeks and am still not caught up on all things home-related. And we're still not into a real schedule. I've heard rumours that we should be by now, but no. Do you just start forcing a schedule instead of waiting for one to just naturally appear?

Besides getting over a nasty, nasty cold, Sir Callum is doing very well. He's very alert and active. He loves to be carried around like a prince (which doesn't make me very happy) and he LOVES the exersaucer because he can stand up in it. He prefers to be upright. I spent a godawful amount of money on a playmat and the kid isn't keen to lay on his back. Or stomach. Its peachy.

This past weekend Steve and I painted the living room yellow and green. It's very festive and bright. Its a spicey yellow and a mexican green so very colorful. I wanted colorful and fiesta-like but now I'm not so sure. I will admit that its quite nice to be in this room now, it makes you feel happy and alive. I think once the floor is in and the room is dressed I'll love it. If not, I'll just repaint the green something more neutral and understated and leave the yellow. When we finally get our new computer, I'll hopefully remember to take some pics and post them. But I make no promises!

Regularly Schedule Blogging

Sorry guys, but I don't have a home computer right now hence the blank pages...

When we get a new computer (with money from the money tree in the backyard. heh.) I'll be back! I miss the internet!!