The tree that almost wasn't

Conversation I had with my husband:

Saturday - December 12th
Me: "Honey, can you pick up a Christmas tree this weekend?"
Hubby: "Sure, if I have time I'll pick one up."
Me: "Great, we'll get an early start on setting up the house for Christmas."
Hubby: "Leave it with me."

Monday - December 14th
Me: "I guess you didn't have time over the weekend to get the tree?"
Hubby: "It was busy there, I'll pick one up during the week, I think they wanted to clear the old inventory out over the weekend before they bring out the good trees!!"
Me: "Are you sure.....there were a lot of trees there in the lot."
Hubby: "Yeah, its all about inventory control - Just In Time Inventory, other wise known as JIT, it's quite complicated, I'll explain it to you one day."
Me: "你以为你那么聪明"

Friday - December 19th
Me: "How's the inventory at the story, the fresh Christmas trees coming in yet?"
Hubby: "I'll pick one up this weekend, probably some inventory issues with the trees coming in from the US so they ordered more initially to have a good opening inventory. The NAFTA trade agreement may have something to do with the shipment delays....I'll explain NAFTA to you one day, its quite complicated."
Me: "你以为你那么聪明"
Hubby: "What was that??"
Me: "Nothing...just talking to myself."

Sunday - December 20th
Me: "Did you get a chance to pick up the tree yet?"
Hubby: "No, I think they will go on sale next week. Leave it to me, I'll get us a great deal. They obviously ordered too many."
Me: "Really???"
Hubby: "Its all about supply and demand....economics. It's quite complicated this micro/macro economics, I'll explain it to you one day."
Me: "你以为你那么聪明"

Wednesday - December 23rd
Hubby: "Going to get a tree tonight, wanna come along?"
Me: "Sure, you think there are any left?"
Hubby: "Tons, we'll get a great deal, kinda like a boxing day sale for trees. They really want to clear them out. All these idiots have been paying full price for them over the past few weeks. The stores are now selling them off at rock bottom prices to generate additional cash flows and not be stuck with an obsolete product line, its quite complicted, I'll explain it to you one day."
Me: "你以为你那么聪明"

1st Lot
Hubby: "Can't believe they were sold out."

2nd Lot
Hubby: " Wow, sold out again"

3rd Lot
Hubby: "umm, errr, I think we have a problem."
Me: "你以为你那么聪明"
Andrew: "I think you should have listened to mom last week."
Me: **rolling my eyes**
Me: "You waited until the last moment and they have sold out, nothing complicated here."

Thursday - December 24th
Hubby finds a store giving away free trees and we'll all hear about how this was all planned for the next 8 months.

Sam the Cat

We were put in charge of taking care of Sam this weekend. Sam is a nice little fur-ball, all she does is meows and sleeps....something that we all strive to do. Our instructions were to feed the cat, the only trouble....no cat food! I think Sam's was put on a diet, he was beginning to look like Anders!

We got Sam some cat food, and did that feline ever devower what was put in front of her. I was afraid to pick up that piece of food that fell off to the side in fear that I would be clawed, that's how hungry she was.


Speaking of hungry, the chips they left on the counter was delicious! Nice and crisp, from a freshly opened bag! I need to go to Costco more often! I could have eaten the whole bag.

Mmmm, we also saw some macadamia nuts, they were so, so good! Unfortunately, they were the ones split in half, not the expensive whole ones.

Not much to drink in the refrigerator. From what I gather, Anders may have a drinking problem!

Surprise for the Boys

My husband has to go away on a business trip next week so he took the boys out for a little adventure while I did some work around the house. They will go on these mysterious adventures that seem to take up the whole day. He won't tell them what the surprise was until he arrives at the destination!

Today's adventure was to the Baker's Market. This is a new activity being offered where local bakers got together to sell their freshly baked goods. The boys loved at as they got to try many different things, after all the sampling, they had no room for lunch. My hubby brought me home this Mexican pastry that looked so good.....it was apparently so good, Andrew wanted to have another one after devouring his pastry.

The boys also got to visit Santa over the weekend. My husband agreed to play Jolly Ole Saint Nick for Caleb's preschool luncheon. The costume was so hot that he was perspiring like he was playing hockey....poor guy and with the pillow under his outfit, he looked more like he was pregnant than jolly! Andrew knew it was his dad, Caleb didn't have a clue!

More Musings From Vegas

Caleb just loved Las Vegas. We're on the shuttle that is taking us down to "the Strip." They were amazed by all the lights, the loud sounds and so many people.








Andrew had a week off from school. He was given homework everyday.







Caleb could have sat here for hours. There were so many of these toy cars around Vegas!

The Concept of Sharing

A discussion I had with Andrew on Saturday:

At home....
Me: "Andrew, have you finished your lunch yet? We're going to Costco"
Andrew: "I'm not really that hungry dad, I had a big breakfast."
Me: "Are you sure?"
Andrew: "Yeah dad, let's go."
Me: "Ok, let's go."


One hour later....
Andrew: "Dad, I'm hungry, can we get some chicken fingers and french fries?"
Me: "I thought you told me you weren't hungry?"
Andrew: "I'm hungry now."
Me: "我不饿。俺一饿。弥补您的想法！"
Andrew: "Please..."
Me: "Ok, but eat the chicken fingers first before you eat the fries, and share the fries with your brother."
Andrew: "Ok dad...thanks!"


10 minutes later...
Andrew: "Dad, I finished the chicken, can I eat the fries now?"
Me: "Ok, remember to save some for your brother."


10 minutes later...
Andrew: "Dad you can have the container back, I'm done. The rest of the fries are for Caleb. Isn't it nice of me to share with him?"













Me: "我应该留在床上，让我的妻子带他们购物."
Andrew: "Can you get me a Sprite?"

Las Vegas

Andrew had a week off from school and we decided to visit good ole Las Vegas! The Venetian was fabulous, it is one of the nicest hotels on the strip.












Strolled down to NY NY. Only in Vegas could you get away with this.











It's so big!











These girls saw Andrew and loved his shirt. They wanted a picture with him....lucky guy! He was telling them which M&M's were his favorite!











...and we thought MJ was dead!

Sad Reality

Well, it's been awhile since we posted here on our blog. It's not that we have nothing to report over the last month, we've just been too busy to blog. To get things back on track, I thought I would share the experience I had today with RBC (aka "Big Bank"). I had made arrangements to get a money order from a client's account (which I am a signator). Their branch is in the Yukon and I phoned the account manager there to get him to fax the signature cards to a local branch here so we can verify the signatures on the cheque...easy right!

(I've changed the names, but here is how the process of getting a bank draft unfolded...)

1. Emailed our account manager last week for instruction on how to proceed given that the account is in Whitehorse. Our account manager Dave Hopkins forwarded my email to his assistant Judy Vermet who emailed the instructions (addressed to me) back to Dave.

2. Called Dave up today asking for a response to above....ahhh, light goes on....they forgot to include me in their email response. Not to worry, an RBC representative will contact me.

3. Rosa from RBC calls me and tells me to go to the Burnaby Branch. I'm to meet Anna Chin at 2:00 to get the bank draft. I'm thinking great, this is so easy.

4. Arrive at 2:00pm......Receptionist tells me "sorry sir you don't have an appointment and we never got an email from Rosa and you want a what!!!!"

5. Explained the situation to another RBC rep who tells me it's impossible to do.

6. Showed them my correspondences and they disappear for 20 minutes.

7. OK, now sitting in the branch's lobby and every 5-7 minutes I am offered coffee.....no thanks!

8. Finally Sia is assigned to help me and she assures me that they just need to contact the Whitehorse branch to get them to fax the signature cards down. Sia offeres me a coffee...no thanks!

9. Waiting and waiting....and offered more coffee...no thanks!

10. Finally ask to see Sia again, she's disappeared. Receptionist offers me a coffee while she looks for her.

11. New receptionist takes over the front desk, asks if I want a coffee....No!

12. Getting really upset now and drafting a complaint letter in my head.

13. I compose an email to Dave Hopkins but decine not to send it as I'll probably regret it later.

14. Offered coffee by the receptionist as she walks by....NO, NO, NO!!! Other people walk by smiling asking if I had been helped; I just glare at them.

15. Sia finally resurfaces and assures me she is doing the best that she can. She asks me if I want a coffee while I am waiting...NO!

16. Two hours later, bank draft is finally done as they get the signature cards from Whitehorse.

17. I complain to Sia and she asks if there is anything she can do for me...offers me a three Starbucks gift Cards and a Gas Voucher...I can't believe I accepted them, it's like finally accepting the coffee they offered me while I was waiting.

18. Going to donate the gift cards to Hitler at CPC!

Public Apology to HB

I was on the phone with a client and the boys came storming in like a SWAT team. Needless to say an apology was in order!

Dinner is Served

We had a wonderful dinner tonight. We normally do a nice meal on Sunday but as we chowed down on leftovers that day, the "meal of the week" fell on Monday. My husband did a marvelous Thai glazed chicken. He saw the recipe on Youtube and modified it a little as our family does like it spicy. One of the roasters was mild flavoured Thai for Caleb. Those are scalloped potatoes in the background. There was a hint of horseradish in it, a real nice taste.

My hubby did a nice peanut glaze with the pan drippings. I'm not sure how he made it but it was heavenly. Even though I am not a fan of bread, I found myself dipping bread into the sauce (no double dipping here).

We did a final harvest from our tomatoe plants over the weekend and my husband prepared this nice artichoke, tomato and shrimp salad. Trust me, it is as good as it looks. There is nothing like fresh tomatoes that really makes a salad extra special. I let my husband fall asleep on the couch watching the sports highlights....after a meal like this, he deserves a nap!

Saturday's Adventure

My husband knew I had to get some work done, so he took the boys out for the day. First stop was the new Canada Line. They rode to the airport and watched the planes take-off. The ride was fun and they were so excited to ride the new route which included a tunnel and crossing a bridge.












After a ride to the airport, it was time for lunch. They stopped off at Aberdeen Center for some noodles and a Papa Beard dessert. The kids watched the water fountain and were amazed that it shot water so, so high. They thought this was spectacular, we can't wait to have them see the water show at the Bellagio!










After a nice lunch, another cruise to the airport and a ride home, the kids were hungry again. The weather has been great and with October just around the corner, we fired up the BBQ again thinking the summer is quickly coming to an end. The kids just love sitting outside, they were chatting away to each other during the whole time talking about no specific topics. They were talking to each other but not really paying attention to what each other was saying.










My husband's favorite meal was on the menu tonight. After taking the kids out for the day, he deserved a nice home-made burger. With the house nice and quiet, I was able to catch up on some of my work. Listening to the three of them talk about their adventure made me somewhat sad as it sounded like it was a fun day and I wish I was there. The kids fell asleep shortly after dinner; they were so tired.

PNE Bonus

This was a picture taken about a year ago at the PNE; I recently rediscovered it in my camera-phone. I had forgotten all about it. I can't believe how much Andrew has grown over the year...he still has all his teeth in this shot.

Andrew actually won both these stuffed animals. One was for a car race and the other for throwing a ball in a basket. I remember he won these items at the beginning, when we first got there; I am sure it was no fun for my husband to carry them around the fair later when Andrew's arms got tired.

My Conversation with Andrew

M: "Hi Andrew, can I talk to you?"
A: "Hi"
M: "How was your day?"
A: "Pardon me"
M: "How was your day?"
A: "Fine"
M: "How was school today?"
A: "Fine"
M: 'What did you do today?"
A: "Nothing"
M: "Nothing?, nothing at all?"
A: "Yeap"
M: " What did you do in Math?"
A: "We added some numbers"
M: "What did you do in Spanish today?"
A: "Nothing, the teacher just talked and talked"
M: "Did you listen?"
A: "Kinda"
M: "What did you enjoy most about school today?"
A: "Recess....can I go now?"
M: "我浪费我的钱送你到学校!!!!!!!!!!"

Back to Normal

After a restful and uneventful night, things are back to normal again. Andrew and Caleb were happy to see each other again and enjoyed a piece of cake together just before bed time.

It was a perfect way to end a weekend that was a bit too dramatic than what we would have liked.

The Little Trooper

We were reminded over the weekend just how precious our kids are to us. Caleb had been diagnosed with a mild, mild case of asthma about a year ago. It was nothing that we worried about as it never caused him problems other than the occasional cough.

The other night, Caleb woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't stop coughing. A few hours later, his breathing was heavy and later he started whezzing. We took him to the hospital and they confirmed that it was an asthma attack. He was on a ventilator for a short while and soon was able to breath easier. He will be on puffers for the next week.

The whole incident made us realize that our kids are precious to us and we will do anything for them. Children's hospital was great as usual; the nurses, the doctors were fantastic. Thanks Zoe!

Nice Simple Dinner

We saw some fresh clams on sale at the local market the other day. Some sauted some onions, white wine, clams, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, chopped parsley...and you have a wonderful meal when served with some fresh bread. The little neck clams definitely have more meat than the manila clams....this is Andrew's third helping!

Nice Romantic Dinner

The boys enjoyed a nice evening with their new patio furniture set gift from their cousins AT&A. They simply love it and insisted that we have dinner outside. Andrew wanted to have a romantic meal with his little brother Caleb.

Unfortunately there were no candles (not allowed to play with matches), the stars were not out yet (would have been past their bed time) and no music to compliment the atmosphere (neighbours would have complained). They did enjoy the BBQ hotdogs, the salad and, some chilled Peligrino so all was not lost.

Chicken Kiev

With the movie "Julie and Julia" out, my husband has been experimenting with various recipes. Tonight he did Chicken Kiev for everyone, well almost everyone....Caleb was served a breaded chicken breast (his taste buds have not quite matured). Its a chicken breast stuffed with an herb-garlic butter mixture; it was so good. I told my husband to taunt you all with a picture of his creation.

PNE

A sure sign the end of the summer is near is when the PNE rolls into town. The kids (which includes my husband), just loves the annual fair...it's fun watching the "three kids" wide-eyed as they enter the fair grounds.

The whole fair had a sense of familiarity to it with the mini-donuts, whale-tales, the smell of pop corn. the sounds of screaming kids and my favorite....the useless stuff in the Showmart Building. My husband actually talked this one lady out of buying this steam cleaner. He gave the family our phone# and said they could have ours "free". The sales person was none-too-pleased.

A Night to Remember

Wow, I can hardly believe that the night is over. We were invited to this dinner tonight. The restaurant is in Richmond and is a favourite of the stars of Hollywood. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of a few celebrities and you know what? . . . We were not disappointed!!!


Believe it or not, that's Lucy Liu!!!! I think she flew up from San Francisco to shoot a local commercial or something like that. She was that lady who was in the movie "Charlie's Angels." She's actually talking to Jackie Chan here. I had to do a double take because the guy looks a lot skinnier in person than on the big screen but you know what they say - the camera adds a few extra pounds!


This is Lucy Liu again. She sat about two tables away from where we were sitting. It's funny how she resembles another person I know! I didn't know the famous actress has two kids. She really likes to take pictures!





This is Sandra Oh! I couldn't believe my eyes. We heard her telling others about an upcoming trip to Paris, it's probably an upcoming episode of Grey's Anatomy being filmed abroad. I'm not sure why she covered her face, probably camera shy as Lucy Lui was armed with her camera.

Friday Night

We took the boys to a football game last week. Our neighbour had some tickets that he passed on to us....free is always good. It was kind of difficult for my husband to explain the rules of the game to us, it is a complicated sport.

Caleb is looking not at the game with the binoculars, I think he was checking out what food was being served in the luxury suits behind us!

Summer Camp

Andrew recently attended a summer camp. One of the speakers during the week was an individual who will bring his reptile collection for a "show and tell". The biggest thrill for the kids were the snakes....they were so big. It was quite educational for them and a very hands on demonstration.

There was a lemur, a scorpion, a turtle and two boas!!!