26 January 2015

I am not an animal

I was reading something to Sophia that said "human animals"...

S: People are animals?
Me:  Remember I said that we came from the apes?  So, yes, we are a kind of animal.
S: (pause)  I didn't come from the apes so I am not an animal.
Me:  (laughing) And where did you come from?
S: (pointing to my mid-section) Your tummy.

11 January 2015

My 3 words for 2015

I started this last year and I did use the words as my “flags on the battlefield of my challenges”.  I have to admit that they faded from my mind as the year went on.  This year, though, I will not limit myself to words.  In fact, I won’t even come up with something original.  In early 2014, I participated in defining Navarik’s core values and I have come to embrace these as my personal core values.

1) Be true

2) Be brilliant

3) Make it happen

I love what our team came up with.  Everyday at work, I think of these phrases and use them to guide and inspire me.  I have extended this to my personal life, too, although not as consistently.  My goal is to live by these values everyday, wherever I may be.

3 January 2015

And it was a good Christmas

I took time off from work from Dec 25 to Jan 4.  And I really did tune out of work.  I usually keep thinking about work even when I am at home but not this time.  It was a much needed break.

We had Christmas Eve dinner at my sister's.  My nieces prepared the delicious turkey and the rest of us brought the salad, sides, and dessert.  Ed found a TV channel that showed Cirque de Soleil all night and Sophia was quite fascinated by it.  I promised her that we would go see a show when the circus came to town.

Christmas day was pretty lazy.  Sophia and I made breakfast (it was Sophia's Christmas present to Ed) then opened presents.  We spent the day in our pyjamas, hanging out at home.  It was a very lovely day!

On Boxing Day, we loaded up the car and drove to Portland.  We visited my mom-in-law and her husband for a few days.  We found new things to do in Portland like go to the Children's Museum, bounce around in a trampoline park, and eat the freshly made ice cream at Salt and Straw.  We had lunch at the food truck area in downtown, and of course, helped the local economy by going shopping a little bit.

Back in Vancouver, we welcomed the new year with our friends, the Van Dops and LeFebvres.  We had a hot pot dinner and a sleep over at the Van Dop house.  New year's day was another hang-out-in-our-PJs day.  The kids played, we ate hot pot left-overs, and enjoyed each other's company.  It was a very enjoyable way to welcome the new year.