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Just so this doesn’t turn into a baby blog…

October 4, 2011 By 3 Comments

Sooo, believe it or not, there are actually a few people in this family who don’t have kids, or who aren’t pregnant! You wouldn’t know though, because there are no posts written by us lately.  Honestly? It’s pretty much because my life isn’t as exciting as it would be if I had a baby to take pictures of and love all day.  As some of you may already know from twitter or…you know, knowing me in real life, I live in res at school now.  120% easier than living in an apartment if I do say so myself.  I live in the international and upper year residence, so my roommates are from the Netherlands, Australia, and Aurora (Ontario).  So you wanted to know what we all look like when we’re at a bar? I thought you’d never ask.

Please excuse the sweatiness that is me.  This was my facebook profile picture until my friend Michelle unearthed this one from the same night:

So much better.

In other news, I haven’t bitten my nails since I’ve been in Ottawa! So for a month, I’ve been growing my nails, and pretty much painting them a new colour every 3 days.  At the beginning of last week I bought a green OPI polish, and when I took it off, my nails were tinted green, and THEY STILL ARE. Seriously.  My nails looks diseased if I leave them unpolished.

Other than that I’ve just been doing the usual, school work, cheerleading, growing my hair, trying to decide what to do with my life.  I went to a career fair today at school and mom’s dream job for me was there- CSIS, so I chatted with them for a bit. It went alright.

Oh! I’m going home this weekend for Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be more excited to see the kiddies! Ottawa had an American Apparel warehouse sale for a few days last week and I went (twice) and got so many cute clothes for Hailey, Bri and Casey, and only a pair of shorts and a shirt for myself.  But helloo, they were all $4 a piece! I’ll try to post some of the finds when I get home on Friday!

Enjoy this abrupt conclusion, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post with a huge picture of my face, and random information about my life.

Filed Under: job stuff, ottawa, personal

On My Mind

March 7, 2011 By 4 Comments

So much is on my mind lately and I just feel the need to get it out.

-work: I don’t mind being back to work, much to my surprise. I really thought I would hate being there and being away from Hailey but I’m handling it well. However I don’t like that now I feel like I have no time to do the things I love to do. Like play with Hailey, show her the world and take photos, which is something else  I love to do. It makes me sad to look through my recently taken photos and have nothing to be proud of because they were all taken indoors, when the light was bad and I was chasing after a toddler, or running away from her because when she sees the camera she must have it. It’s tough for me to think about, because I had so long (1 year) to myself and Hailey. We could do what we wanted (mostly, Hailey’s naps are pretty important to her) and we got to hang out together. Now I live for 4pm when I leave work and get to go see her, but then I get so exhausted and can’t wait for 7pm (aka get ready for bedtime), which makes me feel horrible because I never get to see her, so I should love the time I get with her, which brings me to my next point…

-toddlerhood: Hailey is becoming a vocal testing toddler. She is happy go lucky sometimes and grumpy crying the next minute. I know this is normal with a toddler but it’s such a hard stage. It’s so hard when she only wants to be with me while I’m cooking or cleaning (which rarely happens these days to be honest), if I’m not holding her she’s crying at my feet with her arms in the air to be lifted up. I love that she has such a personality, but I could really do away with her grumpy times.

-wishing time away: I’ve also started doing something since I’ve been back at work, which I know lots of people do- wishing for the weekend. Monday arrives and I already dream about Saturday. But we are getting busy in the barn again on the weekend, need a babysitter for Hailey and before I know it the whole weekend has passed and I’ve hardly seen Hailey any more then I did during the week. So as I wish my life away, Hailey gets older, we get closer to the new baby and time flies by. I need to learn not to do this, but it’s so hard.

This is a photo free post because I don’t even have any photos I am half proud of to post in here.

To sum it up: work is alright, time is lacking and Hailey is growing older.

Filed Under: katelyn, life, personal, random

Winter Thoughts

January 10, 2011 By 4 Comments

Christmas and New Years just snuck up on me, and now that second semester is here, it feels like it should still be October, when school was just starting, Hailey was still under a year old, Mic was still pregnant, and winter hadn’t even started yet. It’s not that Hails and Casey growing up isn’t an awesomely cute thing, and that the new year starting isn’t a good thing, it’s just that I feel like I’m not ready for 2011 yet. For me, 2011 means growing up, and moving, and that when people ask what I want to do when I’m done school, I should have a legitimate answer. I feel like even now, when people ask me that and I have no answer they look at me like I’m crazy, but it’s true! I can’t help but get frustrated and closed up when people bring that question up, and it’s definitely what I dread most when meeting adults and at dinners with adults/people related to me, and believe me, it always comes up. Anyways, in true Lauren fashion, this post is filled with random thoughts that I’ve thought of during class this morning, and am filling my hour break with writing.
First off, here’s a song. I just downloaded it, and I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. Yes, the video is extremely boring, but it was either this or a blurry picture of Lee Brice playing the guitar. So here it is, Beautiful You, by Lee Brice.

I mentioned that I have an hour break today. Well, this semester I have a super weird schedule. Mondays I have four classes- 9:30-10:30, 11:30-2:25, 2:30-4:30, then 6:05-8:55, Tuesdays I have one class- 2:35-5:25, and then my next class isn’t until Thursday from 6:05-8:55. So I have a lot of free time if you’re not counting Mondays. This week was especially boring. I know I could take all this time and be studying and doing my labs and such, but because of Scotiabank’s annoying holding cheques rule (more on that later), I couldn’t buy my textbooks yet, so spent most of my time reading my syllabus for each class, watching movies, creeping facebook, and hanging out with friends. The fact that my Thursday class was cancelled last week because my prof was sick didn’t help either. That would have given me a lot of statistics work to be confused over. So Scotiabank- their slogan is “You’re richer than you think”. I agree with that, because I have money in my account, but because they are holding my cheque and can’t buy textbooks or anything yet, so I think they’re taking that a bit too seriously. So right now I’m feeling poor and hungry, but tomorrow when they hand over the money (a week and a day after I deposited the cheque), I’ll finally be able to eat at school and buy my textbooks.
I was at my friends house a couple of nights ago watching a Sex and The City marathon on COSMO, and we realized something. Life is not at ALL like Sex and The City. Well, I guess we knew that already, but we really started talking about it during 2 episodes. In the first one, Samantha got picked up by a guy walking by her on the sidewalk. In the next one, she got picked up sitting alone at a bar. Of course the whole “that would never happen to me!” conversation commenced. Earlier in the week I was discussing this with another friend, who then challenged me to talk to as many guys as I could by the end of the week. Well, by the end of the week I had talked to 5 guys. 3 were on my cheerleading team, 1 was gay, and the last was my friends ex-boyfriend who stopped by to pick up their dog for a walk. I decided that I failed that challenge. It seems so easy for some people though. I have never had a boyfriend in my 21.5 years of life, but some of my friends have had 5-10 boyfriends, and gone on countless dates. A few, even a couple of days after they had broken up with their long term boyfriend. Personally, I just don’t get it, but maybe that’s just me.
Last thoughts: a blog and a picture from a new years party!
This adorable couple is expecting their first baby any day now! I love reading this blog and looking at the pictures. Enjoy!

Sorry about the red eye ladies, but you know that if I tried to fix it I would wreck the whole picture. The blonde, brunette and redhead best friends!

Lauren

Filed Under: friends, lauren, life, ottawa, personal

Things I'm learning about myself now that I'm a mother

July 9, 2010 By 3 Comments
  • I’ve learned I’m really very particular about how Hailey is raised, which is a really good thing, but I’ve surprised myself
  • I’ve learned I’m not very good at telling people no when they are doing something to Hailey that I wouldn’t (well I actually knew that I wasn’t good at telling people no, but now I realize it even more, if someone does something to Hailey I don’t like I just cringe inside and let them keep doing it)
  • I’ve learned I’m a schedule person, and live by the clock.
  • I’ve learned that I don’t like change, which I realized after having a baby and moving into a new house. Not really the greatest way to learn that.
  • I’ve learned I am now unable to have a conversation without talking about babies or just thinking about them
  • I’ve learned I can have a conversation consisting of no words (boo baa laa dee laaa)

Filed Under: life, personal

Dear 2010: You can stay.

January 26, 2010 By 15 Comments

This marks my first post as an aunt annnnd an employed teacher!

That’s right, on Friday I got a letter in the mail offering me a job with the school board. I did a happy dance around my apartment, threw my kitten up in the air a few times, went to a meeting and signed some papers, and once I get the second half of my tuberculosis test done on Thursday, I can start teaching! Providing, I guess, that I don’t have tuberculosis, which will bring on a whole new set of problems. But my shot seems to be healing nicely so I think I’ll be okay.

So, yayyy! Problem solved. I am so relieved that I get to do what I want to do and that I won’t have to apply to any jobs that I don’t actually want, ever, ever, ever again!

Then on Saturday night, Erica and I were at the Hilton in Toronto for our awesome cousin Lara’s bachelorette party and I got a call from Leah  who said,  “Katelyn had the baby! It’s a girl!” I was shocked, number one because I was sure Rasperry was a boy, and number two because I didn’t get the memo that no one was going to find out when Katelyn went into labour. I thought I’d have some time to prepare! I’m SO HAPPY to add another girl to the family. Lara and our other cousin Lindsay ran out into the hall to join Erica and I and we did a tiny little celebration for Katelyn, Scott, and Hailey, then of course went back to celebrating Lara! Her bridal party did an amazing job of planning the perfect bachelorette for Lara which you can hear about from her point of view on her blog.

On Sunday Kent, Erica, and I made the two hour trip back to London to meet Hailey. I wanted to hold her but I have this belief (and I still stand by it) that my chances of dropping someone’s newborn increase 100% if I hold it, and really, that would ruin my day a whole bunch. Along with some other peoples. Not that I have shaky hands or am prone to dropping things but you know, it happens to the best of us. For instance tonight I dropped my keys before unlocking my door. But I could tell Katelyn was getting slightly insulted when she started asking me why I didn’t want to hold Hailey, so I sucked it up and very carefully held that cute little bundle of perfection. I love her! I miss her a whole bunch already and lucky Kent now gets to deal with every fifth sentence out of my mouth being something like, “hold the kitten and pretend it’s your baby.” For the record, he pretended to breastfeed and Levi attacked his hands. It wasn’t very realistic.

Filed Under: baby, Hailey, job stuff, katelyn, life, micaela, personal

The Health Crisis That Wasn't

December 15, 2009 By 11 Comments

Over the past week or so I have been experiencing a big health scare, and while I assure you all that I am fine and dandy now, I have alluded to it over Twitter and some of you may have heard some scary rumours about me. I’ll fill you all in here.

For two weeks in November, I experienced severe chest pain. It was so bad at times, I literally couldn’t move. I would lay on the couch or in my bed for days on end, moving as little as possible. I would try to go to work, only to throw up from the pain and go home. After I figured out that this was probably more than a pulled muscle from yoga, as I originally thought, I got it checked out at the doctor.

“Pleurisy, or a pulled muscle,” he told me, and handed me a requisition for a chest x-ray. “If it still hurts in a few days get it x-rayed.” I went the following day to get it x-rayed, as the pain hit a peak. Last week I went in for the results. I felt silly going, because a few days after my x-ray I felt completely fine again. Looking at the results, the doctor was concerned. The x-ray showed ‘pleural fluid’ consistent with pleurisy, but oddly, it also showed a ‘rather ill defined density‘ in my left lung. More x-rays, and depending on the results, CT scans and more.

I was freaked out. Density in my lung? What the #$%@ does that mean? A friend of mine put it well, she said “The vocabulary alone that comes with the words density in your lung is terrifying.” For five days, the words tumour … cancer … chemotherapy … swirled around in my head. I would go from cursing the x-ray technician for doing a bad job reading the x-ray, to telling myself it was a shadow, to dying. I had to remind myself all weekend that it didn’t matter how much I worried or stressed about the new results, that it wouldn’t change the outcome at my next appointment.

Well, Monday I had the new results. I had a minor panic attack on my way to the doctors, and held my tears in in the waiting room. Will this be the end of my world as I know it? Or will I walk away from here completely normal? My doctor informed me during my appointment that whatever was there for the first x-ray, wasn’t there for the second. It was gone. I was okay. I am okay.

So to all the people who offered me support over the past week, I thank you with all of my heart. And all of my left lung. I love you all, very much.

Filed Under: Calgary, health, life, personal

Haters to the left

December 1, 2009 By 33 Comments

Last time I wrote about something I loved there was a bit of a public backlash from a lovely fellow/lady in Woodstock, ON. I immediately deleted the comment but thought it was too priceless to share.

My first thought after reading this? Wow, this person has excellent grammar. So, bravo hater. You’re kinda mean but at least you can spell. From Woodstock, that’s pretty impressive (sorry to any Woodstock readers…)
So, there you have it: I’m stupid because I blogged about a scarf. Oh, and Erica isn’t really blonde. Gasp! She’s definitely a dark blonde, but it doesn’t bother her. Would you ever tell a black person they weren’t black enough? I should hope not. Why shouldn’t the same go for hair colour? We are all about self-identification here, people. Unfortunately for this person I won’t be shaving off my blonde hair anytime soon, but I did get a nice trim the other day so now my beautiful blonde hair is super shiny and soft.
I have a point and I suppose I should get to it.  I like blogging about things that I love. I like sharing them with you and talking about them. So I am going to continue to do so, even if it makes some people think that I am stupid. Sometimes it is tough to think about blog topics, especially when you are forced to by NaBloPoMo, and perhaps writing about a scarf was an easy way out. But this is my blog and I get to write about whatever I want to. That’s the beauty of a blog.
I have thought, and noticed other people twittering, about feeling stupid about potential blog posts. I often brainstorm blog topics, sometimes even write a post, and resist pressing the publish button because I think it is a stupid idea and people might stop liking me. Getting that comment was actually kind of good for me, because not for a second did I feel bad about what I had written. I know that I was being me when I wrote that, and there is nothing stupid about me.
Filed Under: Calgary, leah, personal

Disabilities are NOT uncool

November 26, 2009 By 12 Comments

I’m writing this on Wednesday night, just 5 minutes after the latest episode of Glee ended. Like the rest of the five blondes and so many other people, I’m a major Gleek. Glee can do no wrong.

Until tonight.

It wasn’t the music – that was fine. The plot? That’s ok too.

Do you remember the scene where Glee member/Cheerio Brittany demonstrated her ‘hairography’ skills to the club? First she compared her body movements to being tased. Then came the line “it’s like cool epilepsy“.

Now, wait just a hair-tossing moment!

Having a seizure is like being tased? Epilepsy is uncool?

Maybe I’m reaching, but what is a young kid with epilepsy supposed to think about this? Epilepsy is not just shaking your head and hair around. Epilepsy can suck. I speak from experience. But nobody should be sending the message that a disability is uncool. I am not uncool because I have seizures, just as Artie is not uncool because he is in a wheelchair, and the students from the glee club from the school for the deaf are not uncool because they are hearing impaired.

I’ve had epilepsy for nearly 10 years and although it is not an easy thing to deal with psychologically, only one person ever made me feel as though I was less of a person because of it. I’m comfortable enough with my disability that I can joke around about it with friends, but it is really disappointing when it is joked about on a top primetime television show.

Disabilities are NOT uncool.

That is definitely NOT a seizure.

Filed Under: health, Opinionated, personal Tagged With: , , ,

Protected: Wanted: 1 Roommate

November 20, 2009 By 7 Comments

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Filed Under: lauren, life, not so happy, personal Tagged With:

Direction

November 14, 2009 By 3 Comments

Perhaps the #1 questions I’ve been asked in the past week are “What happened?” and “What are you going to do now?” Prefaced with “I’m shocked!”

As good as the ‘shock’ comment feels, I don’t have many answers for the questions. Aside from the immediate ‘finish school’, I’m not entirely sure what I want to do next. Do I want to pursue a career in the field of social media ( if there even is such a thing)? Am I going to need more education? Should I be patient and trust that the right position will come along?

So, readers,I’m curious: how did you figure out what you wanted to do for a career? Are you there yet?

Filed Under: life, nablopomo, personal
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