While you were sleeping...

James took me to lunch yesterday and we received a message from Tracey just as were were leaving the restaurant - seems Lexi found my birthday to be a bit of a yawn!

Lexi is two and a half months old and is two feet tall - we know that because we measured her on Jalen's wall. Jalen is now four feet tall and is a very proud big brother.

I know my actual birthday has now passed but I am celebrating again today with Clare, Gene and Laura if she is back from Florida. I suggest an all year celebration for your 65th - you have earned it!

Love

CA

Thank You!

Today is the day - this is not my "real" birthday cake - but it is one of many! I have been celebrating all year, and this month in particular. There are some birthdays that you should remember and you should celebrate. With my health-past this is a big one in more ways than one.

I am humbled by the e-cards, the snail-mail cards, the e-mails with good wishes and so much more. Thanks to all of you for remembering and for taking the time to be in touch. You have made my day.

My son is coming to town to take me to lunch and we will celebrate one more time. I won't stop here - this is my birthday year after all. Spending this day with James is another gift.

Love

Carol Ann

The morning after Earth Hour

So, we in Toronto did not do a great job in terms of turning our lights out last evening to observe Earth Hour. If we can't turn 'em off for one hour I wonder how concerned we are? Apparently Toronto saw only a 5 per cent power drop during the one hour we were to be most aware. Last year we (Toronto) saw a 15 per cent drop in power usage, and even that was not great compared to other locations around the world. We have some work to do. And, so do my Leafs. That's all I'll say.... Carol Ann

Celebration time!

At 45 years of age I battled cancer for the first time and a few years ago I battled it one more time - so 20 years later - to turn 65 this weekend is a celebration indeed! I am celebrating in style with friends on the 22nd floor of a beautiful Niagara Falls hotel with this view of the Falls. It is absolutely breathtaking and changes from one second to the next. I could look out the window 24/7.

Hope your weekend is as happy as mine!

Love

CA

Elizabeth Taylor and Cleopatra

Do you remember the first movie you saw with one of your children? Do you remember the first movie you went to with a baby in your arms so that you wouldn't feel alone because you had never attended a movie on your own?

Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra came out in 1963 - I was in grade 11 at Middleton Regional High School. Fast forward a number of years. I didn't see the movie until 1970 when, for a reason I do not remember, it came to the small theatre in North Bay, Ontario.

My son was a year old, I needed to get out of the house and I was eager to see if I could pinpoint scenes in Cleopatra where the passion between Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was real and not an act. James was not all that interested in the movie - he slept the entire time, as if knowing I needed this time to be both mine and ours.

Dame Taylor's passing yesterday reminded me of this special time with my son. I believe it was that very day that I began contemplating our journey together - just the two of us.

Have a gentle Thursday.

Love
Carol Ann

THREE - ZIP!

Reimer slogans are beginning to appear. "Optimus Reim" is Latin for "Reim (er) is very good." With the 3 - 0 win last night there will be more slogans to come for our young James Reimer. He is now 7-0-1 in his last seven road games, a good omen for a team just beginning a three-game road trip.

If (when) we keep winning and a couple of other teams slip up we will be alive post-season. I can feel it.....

CA

My Son...........

If you are a parent. If you have a love of skiing. If you knew my son James when he was Jamie. If you worked with me while my son was growing up and you saw him in my office over the years. If you know how proud I am to be his mother - you will love this photo!

Love

Carol Ann

My Leafs

Say what you want about my Toronto Maple Leafs but if you are any type of a fan you were happy Saturday night yes? Jalen and family were here and watched the game with me. Jalen likes to pick the opposite team to Nana's but when the score was 3 - 1 he said, "Nana I am cheering for both teams" because he knew we would win this one. I think Brian Burke is building a good team - there is always hope and that's what I have for my Leafs.

Kaberle wasn't that great against the Leafs and some of our goals Saturday night came from unlikely sources - Schenn, Kadri etc have hope too! It's not over.

CA

Family photos

We celebrated my birthday (a few days early) yesterday. It was a surprise until Jalen jumped out of the car and in one sentence said, "Nana ... my sister is wearing a dress today because it's your birthday and we have presents and we have cake and I picked out the words on your cake!" What a delightful six year old he is!

We measured both Jalen and Lexi on our "height wall." Jalen stands four feet tall while Lexi stands (with help) two feet tall. Jalen very proudly wrote his sister's name on the wall. If I ever move from this condo the wall will have to come with me!

I think I will have chocolate birthday cake for breakfast this morning. Life is good.

Love

Carol Ann

Reaching out to help a friend - Mike Crosby

My Bell friends are many and all too many are cancer survivors. Mike Crosby and I worked together in the early 1980's during my Rouge River Installation and Repair days - my best job ever!

Mike contacted me today to share that he too is a survivor - of prostate cancer. Last September he faced this disease with early detection, immediate surgery (radical prostate surgery,) speedy recovery and great test results. Mike is now giving back by taking part (for the third year actually) in the Embridge Ride to Conquer Cancer - Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. If you would like to sponsor Mike please go to www.conquercancer.ca/goto/mcrosby and make your pledge. Mike would really appreciate it I know.

Please pass this on to any of the Bell team you feel would be interested - and others too if you like.

From the heart,

Carol Ann

It's Friday........

I don't know about the rest of Canada but it is summer here in Toronto. We had record breaking warmth yesterday and already today we have summer-clothes weather! I would be celebrating if not for my Leafs forgetting to play during their game last evening - damn! When will I learn............

James et all are coming to town tomorrow - first road trip for the family of four and I can't wait to have them here.

We will begin charting Lexi's height on the wall as we have done for Jalen since I moved in to this condo a few years ago. This particular photo was taken over a year ago so I will update the picture and share it with you next week.

Enjoy your weekend.

CA

Mount Kilimangaro

My friend, and peer in the motivational speaking world, Nina Spencer (http://www.ninaspencer.com/) just returned from a successful climb of Mount Kilimangaro - can you imagine? I watched in awe as she trained last year leading up to the climb in January. You can learn lots more about Nina, and about her climb from her website noted above. This beautiful red heart was a gift from her incredible trip - thank you Nina!

Speaking of a climb, I am sure Sidney Crosby feels he too is climbing a mountain as he trains and waits for his return to the Penguins following his concussion (s) in January. The fact that he skated for the first time (around cones) yesterday and it just happened to be the day the GM's were meeting to discuss the concussion issue was planned I am sure. I hope it was - Sidney can make a difference in a huge way if he continues to speak out about this problem in the NHL. Sidney said he just doesn't know if he will play again this season - a tough thing for this young man, for the league and for the many young kids who tune in to a game to watch Sidney Crosby in action.

Have a gentle day out there.

Carol Ann

Devastation in Japan

It is not possible (or necessary) to remain positive all the time and when I read and view all the tragedy happening in Japan any problems I may have seem very very small indeed. Today's paper says, "Steeped in uncertainty, but striving to calm its people, the Japanese government struggled Monday to come to grips with the enormity of a national emergency that continues to grow." The death toll is now over 10,000 and over 300,000 have been evacuated from nuclear plant areas. I cannot imagine the fright. And, where to begin? For sure, we can say a prayer.

CA

Leafs 4 Sabres 3...

And, my Leafs are still in the hunt for the playoffs! Kessel played pretty hockey and Reimer assisted on a goal. Great game all around so all of you Leaf-doubters get back on board the band-wagon please. Oh, and to my two Bell friends who bet against me in last night's game pay up ... catch you at the next retirement party if not before.

CA

Home again!

Lexi and Tracey drove me home and I have to say, even though I had a wonderful time my hat is off to grandparents everywhere who take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis. "Two sleeps" and I am bone tired and need to come home and sleep in my own bed! I stayed longer this time and had a great visit with Tracey and both Lexi and Jalen. Tracey was able to run a few errands with me there including physio on her thumb/wrist. Imagine having a baby January 13th and still having your arm/hand in a cast-like-contraption two months later! She is wonderwoman!! And, she is back in her skinny jeans already too!!!

I need another rest before watching my Leaf's this evening - getting close to do-or-die. Not dead yet.

Love

CA

Visiting family

Lexi will be two months old on Feb 13th and is growing fast. She is gaining weight and seems longer in length each time I see her. Jalen was the same way when he was her age. Additional pictures of Jalen are in a separate blog - showing off his long hair followed by a trip to his favourite hairdresser. The picture of Lexi and her doll (thanks Auntie Connie!) was taken on International Women's Day!

Wonderful few days visiting with family.

xox

Long hair or not...

I love long hair on boys/men...Jalen not so much!

Family time

Heading North for a few days with Tracey, Lexi and Jalen. James is away this week. I will have pictures when I return.
Enjoy a new week.

Carol Ann

Friendships that pass the test of time

The first picture here is of my friend Pat Legg - this is the face of determination. You can't imagine the pain and rehab this woman is going through. And, she is doing it all with a smile, a positive attitude AND while baking her famous carrot cake for us. Shirley wanted to know exactly how to bake the cake but I asked for an extra piece to take home instead!

Shirley took me to her monthly Probus meeting in Waterloo and I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful women and of being their guest speaker this month. No matter where you go, you can always find others who have things in common with you.

A great trip visiting friends and making new ones.

Stay out of the rain in Toronto today.

Love

Carol Ann

A new month...

Here we are in March already. I am off to Kitchener/Waterloo to do some work with my friend Shirley's Probus Women's Club. I will stay to visit with Shirley for a few days and we will visit Pat Legg in Guelph. Pat is my friend who fell on December 4th and broke her pelvis in four different places. She was in a rehab center in Kitchener for some time and is now recovering at home with physio five days a week. This woman is remarkable. She is so determined and I am so very proud of her. She is working through so much pain and never complains.

Shirley and I were roommates in North Bay Ontario back in 1965 when we were young single women who had parties every weekend and danced on our kitchen table-top in our Go-Go boots. Clearly, we will have lots to talk about. Ah, the good old days when we were so innocent. Not that I would want to go back there anytime soon........

Love
Carol Ann