Goodbye 2008, don't let the door hit you on the way out

I wanted to write a 2008 wrap-up, but as you can tell by the post below it would be a pretty angry thing to read.

So I'm not going to write about not-so-good stuff that happened to my family back home. Seriously, I kept asking myself, "what on earth is going to happen next?" I won't expand on it because it's not mine to tell... but trust me, it was not good.

And I'm not going to write how Fred and I were the subject of gossip by people we thought were our friends. And I won't write about how utterly hurt we were by it and how a friendship ended because of it.

And I won't mention that we still don't have our green card, and so we were not able to go home to Vancouver like we had planned. We ended up not taking a vacation at all this year because we didn't want to use vacation days or money from our vacation budget in hopes that the green card would eventually come through and I'd be able to go home for the first time in 3 years.

Missing from this summary will be all the mysterious illnesses Elise came down with and the numerous ultrasounds and CT scan we had to subject her to. You especially won't hear a thing about how Elise was diagnosed with diabetes only two days after she turned one. And how we got the phone call telling us we needed to take her to the hospital in THE MIDDLE OF HER BIRTHDAY PARTY.

And I won't write about how heart-breakingly awful her illness has been. Or the stress it has put on Fred and I and our marriage. Or how lonely it has been dealing with this by ourselves. Or how some days the despair is so bleak I wonder if I'll even be able to get out of bed.

When Fred sat down today to write the Cunha End of the Year Newsletter, he asked me, "What happened that was good this year?"

I thought about it for a few seconds and quipped, "Well, we're still alive."

But when I sit and really think about it, despite all the junk we've been through, there were bright moments.

As horrible as diabetes is, I realize that it's treatable. As long as we remain vigilant, and take good care of her, Elise will survive. I know of friends whose empty arms are aching for their children, and would take a chronic illness any day over the alternative.

Though we didn't take a vacation, the fact remains that we could have afforded to, if we had wanted to. Because we were blessed enough to get out of debt 4 years ago, and we have been diligent about our budget; we were not really affected by the economic crisis. Sure Fred's 401k has taken a hit and our investments are not worth as much as before, but we're young and have time to build them up again.

And since Fred didn't take a vacation, he had about three weeks worth of vacation days accrued that needed to be used up before the end of the year. So Fred has been on vacation since Dec. 12, making life a little less stressful for me. Elise and I have enjoyed having him home.

As far as our marriage goes, both Fred and I remain devoted to one another and will not let the stress tear us apart. It is our strong bond and love for each other that allows us to face this disease head on.

And above all, I know my God loves me and I can always find comfort in His arms.

So I bid 2008 a not-so-fond farewell. I hope that '09 is kind to you and yours.

My Fan Letter to 2008

Dear 2008,

You suck. To quote Homer Simpson, you are "the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked." If you were a person, you would that be Governor Hairpiece from Illinois. Perhaps the only way you could suck more is if you were the Dallas Cowboys playing against the Eagles for a playoff spot. Or maybe if you were just the Dallas Stars.

I don't like you very much and I'm glad you are about to be gone.

To sum up, you suck.

Yours very sincerely,
Joanne

Things I learned this Christmas

Well, we have survived our first Christmas with a child that is somewhat cognizant of what's going on, Christmas-wise. I learned some things and because I'm feeling mildly philanthropic, I thought I'd share them with you:

• Although toys that have lots of lights and make a bunch of noise are fun for the kiddos, not so much for the parents. Books = the perfect gift. The Little People Farm = not bad, the mooing isn't that loud. Toy Lawn Mower with music, a popper, and realistic sounds = just a plain old BAD IDEA. If we didn't have to surgically remove it from Elise's hands every time we need to take it away, then I would whisk it back to Target in a heartbeat.

• For toys that require ANY assembly, it is wisest to either assemble it and leave it under the tree, or assemble it and put it back it it's box (if possible) and wrap it. Because nothing is shorter that the patience of a 15 month that has spied a new, fun toy, and cannot wait the 5 minutes it would take to wrestle the toy out of the box, attach any loose parts, and insert the batteries. That girl, she can scream.
  

Those grey twisty wire things that are used to attach the toys to the plethora of cardboard that is inside the packaging (parents of young kids know what I'm talking about) are just plain evil. I think they have taken the place of that hard, impenetrable plastic that houses electronic items as my nemesis.

It's okay to give your child your old toys as presents. Hey, it's new to them. My mom gave Elise a rocking chair for Christmas, so I got some of my old stuffed animals, gave them a good washing, and sat them in her chair under the tree. Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, right?

Weirdest Christmas memory: Spiriting Elise through the family room with a blanket on her head. We needed to give her insulin and feed her before we could unwrap the presents, and there was no way to get her to her high chair without her seeing the tree and presents; so we put her blanket over her head and ran her into the kitchen.

Favourite Christmas memory: Elise's expression when she finally came into the family room. Pure amazement. It's fun to see Christmas through the eyes of a child, instead of a grown man who reverts to one on Christmas morning.

I'm an Adult Now

It's 12:33 a.m. on Christmas Day and I am awake. Still assembling and wrapping Christmas presents.

I think I've discovered the time at which Christmas loses its (without the apostrophe) magical appeal.

Shopping on Christmas Eve Observations

I realized this morning that all my Christmas shopping was not indeed done as I had previously thought. Poor Seven, who pretty much gets shafted every day lately had nary a present under the tree. So I gathered up my nerve and headed out this afternoon. My first stop took me to a nearby mall:

• It was busy, but not that bad. I remember when I used to go Christmas shopping back home. Now THAT was a beating. You would circle and circle the lot at the mall. Not to find a space close to the door, but to find a space at all. The best strategy was to sit in one spot and follow somebody when you saw them walking to their car. And if they were just walking out to their just car to drop off their bags so they could go shop some more? Well, then you'd run them over.
• People need to smile more... it's CHRISTMAS, dammit!
• I don't care who you are, or how old you are, but using the cruder term for bull-excrement three times in less than five seconds makes you sound like you have the IQ of a barn swallow.
• If you are going to a public place where there are copious amounts of people gathered and it's warm and indoors... shower, please!
• I saw a guy pounding on the outside glass of a store to get his girlfriend's attention inside. When she looked up at him, he motioned to her that she should pick up her cell phone that he was calling her on. Just... wow. She should totally marry that guy... now.

Second stop, Target. Man, I love that place. I always tell people that if I became homeless I would move into a Costco. Same goes for Target. Although I guess it would have to be a Super Target so I could have access to fresh fruit lest I get scurvy or something.

Happy Birthday Uncle Chicken!

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my brother Stefan (we tell Elise that his name is Uncle Chicken - actually I believe it's how he refers to himself). He's my older brother by 4 years, and he turns 25 tomorrow (Dec.21). So that makes me 21.

Look how awesome we are sporting our Bicycle Safety Week shirts in Stanley Park.

I can't wait until Elise gets to meet her Uncle Chicken, he is a strangely hilarious, fantastically bizarre, and an immensly funny guy to be around. He used to make me laugh so hard I would almost pee myself. I guess it's a good thing that Elise is already in diapers.

Now Where did I put my Bon-bons?

Heh, funny. Funnier still, I know people who could have written this letter...

Thanks to my friend Melissa for sending it my way. I needed a laugh.

We Can Dance if we Want To

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Say it With Me...

Awwwwwwwww!

The Return of the Christmas Tree

And it's baaaaaaaaack! The tree is up and fully decorated. And quite pretty!



Thank you to my WONDERFUL husband for all his incredibly hard work getting it done. Had it been me, I probably would have launched that tree into our street with a primeval scream that would have sent our neighbours scurrying inside of their homes in fear.

Then I would have kicked and stomped it until I was out of breath.

And then, for good measure, I would have driven to Southlake, stolen a Hummer, came back and driven over the tree again and again, until it was nothing but toothpicks. Being the good tree-hugger that I am, I would keep the toothpicks for use in my kitchen, and do all of this while wearing my Birkenstocks.

It ain't easy being green...