Hi all.
This blog has been terribly neglected. And for no apparent reason. I was obsessed with it in 2007, the year Sam was born. I could be counted on to post almost daily and I prided myself with good humor and words that I hoped would be meaningful. I had a strong following and I enjoyed the experience of sharing my life.
So, why the hiatus? Distracted. Busy with work. Bored. Lost the groove maybe? The audience drifted as I faltered.
Regardless, here I am today with what I think is an important story.
On December 2, 2012 Graham and I became proud owners of a 1920 British Arts and Crafts Bungalow, built originally at the tail end of World War I for a Captain Doherty and his wife. It is now a designated heritage home by the City of North Vancouver and we couldn't be happier. This after almost a full year of searching for just the right house.
Of course this means that our "family home" of almost a quarter of a century needs to be sold eventually. And with that, comes some very bittersweet thoughts and a treasure trove of memories. Funny stories. Poignant moments in time. Fighting. Making up. Laughter and tears.
Jordan was just 3 when we moved to Glenhaven. I remember the day we came to see it and it was in January. It's necessary here to admit some dreadful parenting because we lost track of him. We found him in the center of the backyard pool, balancing precariously on a fitted cover that was similar to a hair net in the way it snapped around the edges. HE thought it was a trampoline. WE knew he may begin to sink at any moment.
It was around this very same pool later that year when he told his sister Jennifer to "F**k off." He had been warned so this was the final straw and I proceeded to wash that bad word out of his mouth with a good shot of soap from the pump. With this and with bubbles foaming at his mouth, he looked up at me and said, "And f**k you, too!" Consequently, he got a double dose and that ended that.
Three weeks in bed with a bad back. Crawling to the bathroom. Sometimes laughing so hard and then crying at the futility of it all.
Photo albums are filled with the memories of birthdays, and Christmases and parties, endless parties. Canada Day parties. Over the five years they swelled from 26 to 152 friends and neighbours. Summer dinner parties. Keith and all his brilliance. A Mariachi band. Belly dancer. Oktoberfest and Bhangra dancing.
Baby showers and Book Clubs. Celebrating graduations or a great mark on an exam. A promotion. Times when we gathered to honor someone special. Sometimes someone we had lost. The circle of life as we know it.
Renovations were done. A new pool installed. This as a result of the previous one, cracking one June evening and sending over 20,000 gallons of chlorinated water rushing between the two houses below us and depositing rocks, plants, small trees and other assorted landscape debris directly into the neighbours beautiful inground concrete swimming pool.
Boyfriends for my daughters came and went like the wind. One vivid memory is of Graham's complete despair when Tara dropped Riley like a hot potato for someone new. "But who's going to fix my computer now?" he asked. Jennifer hiding grapes in the shoes of another boyfriend of her sister's. I don't think she liked him.
Jen and her baking. Making a beautiful blueberry pie for Barbie. Her dad delivered to Babs instead. Pie #2 created and delivered to Barbie. Her black lab ate it off the butcher block when she stepped out of the room for a minute.
BETA. VHS. CD's. DVD's. PVR. Nintendo. Play Station. X-Box. One hundred and forty-three remote controls.
Water fights with the boys who lived next door. Spontaneous and hilarious to watch from the safety of inside.
Homemade bike jumps on the street where a multitude of young boys would congregate and attempt to out do each other. I clearly remember being coerced into laying down on the road while the boys catapulted themselves off a rickety wooden contraption, sailing over my tense body only to land just meters away. I must have been into the wine during that time period.
Jordan and Marshall lipsyncing and dance routines. How could I have managed to lose all that video footage??? Priceless.
Graham cannon balling into the pool after a long hot day at work.
Jen and her dedication and sense of responsiblity in raising and training our puppy, Bob. Ten years later he is still an important member of the family.
Tara's friends horsing around on the pool deck, trying to push each other in but instead, crashing through the neighbours' fence and subsequently falling off a concrete wall into their newly planted garden.
Sleepovers that were never anything close to a "sleep" over. Beer cans tossed in the garden. Evidence of night sojourns to the nearby park to meet with other quasi-deliquents. Vodka replaced with water. Are you kidding me, Jordan?
And I won't sugar coat this either. There were some major conflicts over time. Arguments. Over homework. Chores. Money. Appropriate clothing. Makeup. Movies. Helmet or no helmet. Loud music! Good friends and bad influences. Curfews. Parties. Raves. The sleepless nights, waiting and wondering and hoping and praying. Every single parent has these stories.
And we survived.
We survived to celebrate two beautiful weddings and welcoming two beloved son-in-laws. Two perfectly perfect grandbabies. Joyful, joyful times as a much larger family, we would gather in this home and although it was not always spoken, we knew how lucky we were to have this home, this life and each other. Perhaps if there aren't some struggles along the way one can't truly appreciate and recognize the good times. Thank you for the good and the bad.
There was one not so funny moment with Sam over Christmas. We took the family to see the new house and I had suggested to Sam that he could chose his own bedroom for when he came to stay. Having done that and after looking over the house as fast as any 5 year old boy would, he tugged on my sleeve and asked..."But Grandma, where's the pool?" His little eyes became a little teary when I told him there was no pool. I looked to Graham and Jen for support but they just let me sink on my own. I will remember that and when I take Sam to Disneyland next year, they won't be coming with us.
I will remember this home.
I will remember Jennifer and the first time she walked up the front steps with my grandson in her arms. A loving mother she is.
I will remember Tara standing in the living room in her wedding gown waiting for her dad to enter the room. A caring daughter she always has been.
I will remember my boy Jordan walking through the front door after his time away in Europe. He was suddenly a man. And such a good one.
I will remember sharing with Graham the grief and sadness of losing his parents and the immense joy, pride, gratitude and love that we share for our children. Always dependable. Honest. Kind.
So it's a very bittersweet time for me this month. In going through the closets, drawers, cupboards and shelves the memories flood back as we prepare for this emotional transition.
Thank you 4233 Glenhaven Crescent. You treated us well. I hope we were deserving of your grace and charm. You always welcomed us home.
Leslie
This blog has been terribly neglected. And for no apparent reason. I was obsessed with it in 2007, the year Sam was born. I could be counted on to post almost daily and I prided myself with good humor and words that I hoped would be meaningful. I had a strong following and I enjoyed the experience of sharing my life.
So, why the hiatus? Distracted. Busy with work. Bored. Lost the groove maybe? The audience drifted as I faltered.
Regardless, here I am today with what I think is an important story.
On December 2, 2012 Graham and I became proud owners of a 1920 British Arts and Crafts Bungalow, built originally at the tail end of World War I for a Captain Doherty and his wife. It is now a designated heritage home by the City of North Vancouver and we couldn't be happier. This after almost a full year of searching for just the right house.
Of course this means that our "family home" of almost a quarter of a century needs to be sold eventually. And with that, comes some very bittersweet thoughts and a treasure trove of memories. Funny stories. Poignant moments in time. Fighting. Making up. Laughter and tears.
Jordan was just 3 when we moved to Glenhaven. I remember the day we came to see it and it was in January. It's necessary here to admit some dreadful parenting because we lost track of him. We found him in the center of the backyard pool, balancing precariously on a fitted cover that was similar to a hair net in the way it snapped around the edges. HE thought it was a trampoline. WE knew he may begin to sink at any moment.
It was around this very same pool later that year when he told his sister Jennifer to "F**k off." He had been warned so this was the final straw and I proceeded to wash that bad word out of his mouth with a good shot of soap from the pump. With this and with bubbles foaming at his mouth, he looked up at me and said, "And f**k you, too!" Consequently, he got a double dose and that ended that.
Three weeks in bed with a bad back. Crawling to the bathroom. Sometimes laughing so hard and then crying at the futility of it all.
Photo albums are filled with the memories of birthdays, and Christmases and parties, endless parties. Canada Day parties. Over the five years they swelled from 26 to 152 friends and neighbours. Summer dinner parties. Keith and all his brilliance. A Mariachi band. Belly dancer. Oktoberfest and Bhangra dancing.
Baby showers and Book Clubs. Celebrating graduations or a great mark on an exam. A promotion. Times when we gathered to honor someone special. Sometimes someone we had lost. The circle of life as we know it.
Renovations were done. A new pool installed. This as a result of the previous one, cracking one June evening and sending over 20,000 gallons of chlorinated water rushing between the two houses below us and depositing rocks, plants, small trees and other assorted landscape debris directly into the neighbours beautiful inground concrete swimming pool.
Boyfriends for my daughters came and went like the wind. One vivid memory is of Graham's complete despair when Tara dropped Riley like a hot potato for someone new. "But who's going to fix my computer now?" he asked. Jennifer hiding grapes in the shoes of another boyfriend of her sister's. I don't think she liked him.
Jen and her baking. Making a beautiful blueberry pie for Barbie. Her dad delivered to Babs instead. Pie #2 created and delivered to Barbie. Her black lab ate it off the butcher block when she stepped out of the room for a minute.
BETA. VHS. CD's. DVD's. PVR. Nintendo. Play Station. X-Box. One hundred and forty-three remote controls.
Water fights with the boys who lived next door. Spontaneous and hilarious to watch from the safety of inside.
Homemade bike jumps on the street where a multitude of young boys would congregate and attempt to out do each other. I clearly remember being coerced into laying down on the road while the boys catapulted themselves off a rickety wooden contraption, sailing over my tense body only to land just meters away. I must have been into the wine during that time period.
Jordan and Marshall lipsyncing and dance routines. How could I have managed to lose all that video footage??? Priceless.
Graham cannon balling into the pool after a long hot day at work.
Jen and her dedication and sense of responsiblity in raising and training our puppy, Bob. Ten years later he is still an important member of the family.
Tara's friends horsing around on the pool deck, trying to push each other in but instead, crashing through the neighbours' fence and subsequently falling off a concrete wall into their newly planted garden.
Sleepovers that were never anything close to a "sleep" over. Beer cans tossed in the garden. Evidence of night sojourns to the nearby park to meet with other quasi-deliquents. Vodka replaced with water. Are you kidding me, Jordan?
And I won't sugar coat this either. There were some major conflicts over time. Arguments. Over homework. Chores. Money. Appropriate clothing. Makeup. Movies. Helmet or no helmet. Loud music! Good friends and bad influences. Curfews. Parties. Raves. The sleepless nights, waiting and wondering and hoping and praying. Every single parent has these stories.
And we survived.
We survived to celebrate two beautiful weddings and welcoming two beloved son-in-laws. Two perfectly perfect grandbabies. Joyful, joyful times as a much larger family, we would gather in this home and although it was not always spoken, we knew how lucky we were to have this home, this life and each other. Perhaps if there aren't some struggles along the way one can't truly appreciate and recognize the good times. Thank you for the good and the bad.
There was one not so funny moment with Sam over Christmas. We took the family to see the new house and I had suggested to Sam that he could chose his own bedroom for when he came to stay. Having done that and after looking over the house as fast as any 5 year old boy would, he tugged on my sleeve and asked..."But Grandma, where's the pool?" His little eyes became a little teary when I told him there was no pool. I looked to Graham and Jen for support but they just let me sink on my own. I will remember that and when I take Sam to Disneyland next year, they won't be coming with us.
I will remember this home.
I will remember Jennifer and the first time she walked up the front steps with my grandson in her arms. A loving mother she is.
I will remember Tara standing in the living room in her wedding gown waiting for her dad to enter the room. A caring daughter she always has been.
I will remember my boy Jordan walking through the front door after his time away in Europe. He was suddenly a man. And such a good one.
I will remember sharing with Graham the grief and sadness of losing his parents and the immense joy, pride, gratitude and love that we share for our children. Always dependable. Honest. Kind.
So it's a very bittersweet time for me this month. In going through the closets, drawers, cupboards and shelves the memories flood back as we prepare for this emotional transition.
Thank you 4233 Glenhaven Crescent. You treated us well. I hope we were deserving of your grace and charm. You always welcomed us home.
Leslie
