This Sunday will be one year since my old friend passed on from this life. I've thought a lot about him and what he left behind and how much impact he's had on the world even since he's been gone. I had a dream last night that he picked me up on the star he's been riding (undoubtedly too fast and too crazy). And he took me on a ride to see the world and how really brilliant it is from up there in his perch in the sky. He was there to teach me the beauty in this world so that I could then teach my child in case I should ever forget. It was a sweet sweet dream and I was thankful to see him even if it was only in my dreams.

It was a lesson I sorely sorely needed right now ...

This past Tuesday was a tragedy of epic proportions in Haiti that has left so many people reeling. I have seen images and heard stories of their overwhelming grief and sadness. I close my eyes during yoga and can't get the image out of my head of a father holding his dead baby wrapped in a bloody cloth with a face of horror, grief, shock and sadness. My heart swells for this man I don't know and I'm desperate to find something I can do for these people.

And today I heard the news I've been dreading from my friend whose husband has been battling brain cancer like a champion for 8 years. He has very little time left to spend with his two young children and wife.

After all that ...

I've been living in total and utter chaos for the past few weeks. And this week, it got a little better.

In October of last year, we purchased new countertops. Exciting, yes. But disruptive too. And it was this week that Paul, the countertop guy, FINALLY decided to install the counters. Because the "rebuild" of our basement has moved at glacial speed since the pipe burst in mid-December, I still have piles of our junk on every chair, floorspace and counter on the main and upper floor. And I get to look forward to this type of living for the next couple weeks (at least). The dogs have to stay in the smallest bathroom upstairs during the day because there isn't a place where they wouldn't be in the way (of the rebuild guys) or they wouldn't have their menu of tasty treats (probably even razors, another story) to chew if they were so inclined. And right now, I get to live and sleep with the delicious smell of drying primer on our basement walls.

So, this week, when Paul decided to bring in the countertops, I had to find a place to put all the counter items (toaster over, wine rack, etc) and the additional items from the basement temporarily taking refuge on the counters, somewhere else on the already-packed main and upper floors. I contemplated making him wait to install until the rebuild was done. But at the rate we'd be going, our child would be 2 before we got our new counters. Now the only place I don't have to worry about knocking something over is my bed. I'd take pictures to give you a really good idea of what I'm talking about, but frankly, I don't want to preserve any of this mess for posterity.

Luckily it only took Paul one day to finish the install and the plumber a couple days to re-install the sink. And now I have a shiny new kitchen ...

With ugly counters and the need of new paint color on the walls. Yeah, I'm serious. After all that ...

What a week...

Welll, what can I say? This week suck(s)(ed). I'm on the up-swing and can write about it now with optimism in my heart ... Tuesday morning I awoke to whining pipes during my shower. An hour later, I was mopping up water in my basement; puddles under the floorboards, water spewing across the room; wet insulation and boards inside my walls. The plumber took 1/2 hour to fix it and Servicemaster will be there for weeks mopping up the mess, drying the walls, replacing insulation, and putting the pieces back together.

Yes, insurance will cover a good portion of it but there remains question about separate claims and leaky pipes and moving water heaters and toilets for repairs and how much will be covered with that... But, the bright side is that we will have a new basement for the Little Man when he arrives. New floor, new walls, new pipe, new insulation.

And the fact that my brain jumps mostly to the bright side now is quite a feat given that my propensity yesterday was to belly up (and what a belly it would be) to the bar and order a few stiff ones.

Progress, right?

Tan?

You'd think I could bring myself to write something witty, funny and interesting given all the time I've spent indoors of late. Alas, all I can do is blog about the weather (poster-child for small-talk when you have nothing else to talk about). Today we had a heat wave - it got to TWENTY. That was 30 degrees warmer than the days of late and almost FIFTY degrees warmer than some of the lows of late. I talked to an attorney in Florida two days ago and he was lamenting the cold spell - 60 degrees. I told him that was 63 degrees warmer than our weather. His response? I didn't know it still got that cold in the U.S. I told him he's had too much sun if he was serious. His response? He's losing his tan really quickly.

Wow. That's all I can say.

Imaginary Friend

Hubs and I have both been accused of having imaginary partners. I didn't meet B, Hubs' roommate until a few weeks back when I finally went to visit them in Calgary. B had to put up with me and the two dogs so he found just how real it all was. And I generally attend events and goings-on about town without Hubs because he's not around on a day-to-day basis for those day-to-day events that come up. I've had many comments about my imaginary husband. He's also not the commenting type on this blog so he is generally absent here too. But just so you all can remember or be convinced of his existence, here we are a couple weeks back in Calgary enjoying some time together. Isn't he cute?

Mopey and Dopey

The Fam is gone and I'm sad. It's inevitable and you'd think I could get accustomed to it given that Hubs routinely heads back to Calgary/school and I'm left with an empty house. But this time, I had a housefull of Family that made the house feel like Home; all cozy and well, crowded. Now, I'm left with just me and the two dogs to keep me company ... and they're moping too. I like to call them Mopey and Dopey when they're like this. Since I can't sit around and mope with the dogs cuz I have a conference to teach (YIKES) on Thursday and I have to go to work, I'll drown my sorrows in some leftover wild rice/turkey soup and sweet potatoes (that quite honestly were the best thing on our Thanksgiving table - Thanks Dave!). I do love me some Thanksgiving leftovers.(I know Hubs, it doesn't make sense, but this is me!)

I'm counting down the sleeps until Hubs gets to come home (22 sleeps to go) - I'm even making a string of paper rings so that I can tear one off each day until he gets back. That will give me and the dogs something to look forward to and maybe it'll help us all mope a little less.

The Belly

In the past three weeks, I've had significant development in The Belly. I think I've finally, as they say, popped... The Belly now has an identity of its own as it needs new clothes, moves on its own and generally demands more attention than the rest of me combined. I've had to start taking anti-heartburn meds because The Belly is squishing all my innards to the point where there's no room for normal food processing to occur. I went into work yesterday with one of my coats zipped up and had a good laugh with a co-worker when I walked in looking like the kid on A Christmas Story where he was so bundled up that he couldn't really move. I've also gotten comments from co-workers while looking at The Belly like: "Well, looks like I haven't seen you in awhile," when, in reality, its only been a week.

Last night, I was sitting quietly in bed reading my book and saw The Belly bounce under my t-shirt. I can't deny that it freaked me out. It's like watching your own body's development from an outside perspective and having no control or choice in how that happens. It's also a little like when your arm is still attached to your body but you've slept on it long enough to totally deaden the nerves and your arm flaps around like it's not connected to your body. I felt as though The Belly was taking over my body and was going to do what it wanted when it wanted ... and I guess it really is.

Maybe this is how pregnancy prepares a woman for parenthood.