Queen’s 22nd Update…

I’m a little behind on my Queen’s Updates! Prior to this, I tried to write one per month as a little “wrap up” and a reminder to folks to read a post they may have missed. Well…I’ve not written an update since July and since that last update, I’ve written seventy-nine posts! So, if it’s alright with you, I’m not going to summarize and link back to all 79…but here’s a note or two on a few of them. (Pssst… if it’s pink type, you can link to the post!)

For starters (and because it’s constantly on my mind), let’s talk about the gym! Fact is, things got crazy busy leading up to and following Christmas with a great many things and I haven’t been to the gym in a few weeks…like, quite a few! I miss it. Terribly! And without it…I’m not following a healthy lifestyle. So, Tuesday it is. Me and Mitch. Back in the gym and back on track. On top of that, I have to add cardio to my workout if I want to be serious about losing more weight so I’m working out a plan to get moving. I will say, despite not losing as much as I’d like, I’ve never felt stronger in my entire life! Bottom line and I truly believe this…everyone needs strength training. It just makes your body work better, makes you stronger and gives you energy. So, if you’ve been like me, gotten busy and made a few excuses for putting it off, give the boys at Evolve a call to get yourself back on the wagon.

Anyway, starting where I last left off, last August had me heading to France to drop The Tall Blonde off at school! I wrote my first post in French, fought back tears as I watched my Belle discover beautiful Angers, then totally lost it when it was time to say good-bye. But she’s doing great! Settled in and loving the life, the travelling…the adventure. She’s thrown herself into the culture and has discovered a group of amazing friends along the way. I greatly enjoy seeing her change and grow as she experiences new things and while we miss her, I believe that a year in France was the perfect thing to do…and I’ll look forward to her return in a few more months.

As quickly as summer ended I headed back to school, Spiderman made the hockey team he wanted to make, Bones continued with her riding then joined a Volleyball team and with all of that…I began running from one activity to the next with a jam-packed calendar and a crap-load of homework!

Then, as September drew to a close, I wrote a post that went viral and I HATED it. The post was on the loss of a friend who was known for her beautiful voice but to me, she was just my “hockey mom” friend. It had more people reading in an hour than I usually get in a day, reached multiple thousands of views, over 800 likes and hundreds of “shares” and while I should have been happy that I finally had a post go viral…I wasn’t. I was heartbroken. I lost a dear friend and didn’t want people to think I wrote the post to “get the reads” and considered taking it down but then decided that no…I wouldn’t. Maybe it would make people realize how very normal my friend Raylene was. How, as famous as she was, she was “just a regular Mom.” Like me.

October was a month where I found myself listing everything I’m grateful for. I’m beyond thankful for so many things in my life like horses and music, my classmates, this blog, my life and my kids. It’s been a year of realizing how very lucky I am to have so many wonderful people around me.

Just as November hit…I had the greatest surprise. I won a Coast award for being “the best” and I’ve not quite been the same ever since! It began a month of celebrations as one of my girlfriends became part owner of the new Lower Deck in Clayton Park and another became part-owner of Mills. In the middle of all of the celebrations, while I was feeling good about life, I survived a wee little breaking of my heart and the realization that it was another cause for celebration as I was finally, after four years, ready to put my heart on the line!

In the middle of all the celebrations I updated my website. I moved it over to a new platform and bought my own URL. It’s a bit of a work-in-progress as I’m not entirely sure how to “code” in this WordPress platform but so far so good. The best part…commenting is seamless and finally, people who’ve had trouble leaving comments before are leaving them with no issues at all! The bad part…all of my “like” and “tweet” numbers are gone and a whole bunch of “enters” are missing between paragraphs so it looks like no one likes my old stuff and, unless I take the time to fix each and every post, it looks like I don’t know how to properly format anything! BUT…did you notice the crowns on the left hand side AND the multiple advertisers listed on the right! (CLICK ON THEM!! The advertisers, not the Crowns…the crowns do nothing, the advertisers are fantastic!!!)

Christmas came and went in a blur! The Graphic Design students did a fundraiser for Out of the Cold and we managed to raise $1026 dollars for people in need! I spent a lovely girl’s weekend with Bones while Spiderman was away at a hockey tournament. Then, just as we were gearing up for Christmas preparations, tree decorating and holiday shopping…the most heinous tragedy occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary and it was all any of us could do to keep it together. For me, it was days of feeling horrid but for others, it will be a lifetime of sadness. I cannot fathom losing a child and can only continue to try to raise good, kind, caring and happy children living everyday to the fullest while doing our best to show that we care.

Despite such feelings of dread, the holidays continued and for us, the highlight was the arrival of The Tall Blonde from France which began one of the happiest holidays to date! We spent time with friends, threw a big party and spent a number of lovely evenings chit chatting and eating fabulous food while enjoying our lovely tree and the family memories that fill it.

As January approached, I put a few things in order starting with making a list of what I wanted in a man! You know…making plans for my future without making resolutions! January was NEW, BRIGHT, FULL of POTENTIAL…I was looking at a fresh new year with much excitement and positivity for everything ahead and then it crashed down with one phone call that had me rushing to the hospital. Next, I’m nursing The Tall Blonde back to health and serving her meals in a dark room on an old breakfast tray. I was terrified but after a week of care, she was heading back to France and I was facing better days but not before Spiderman pulled a few muscles at hockey, I got pneumonia and Bones caught the flu!

I’ve booked a vacation!

In a matter of weeks I’ve lost all of my “it’s a new year” creative energy and ooomph for the final semester of school. To be honest, I’m not even all that ooomphy for writing!

I need a do-over!

I’m trudging through. Trying my best. Taking some energy from my friend Elliott who’s braving the world! His project, I Heart my Trans, is taking off. In fact, all of his posters will be displayed in the gallery at NSCC this week!

February is here and that damn rodent, Shubenacadie Sam, is telling us there’s six more weeks of winter! It doesn’t surprise me as while I sit here, the snow falls outside my window in a good ol’ fashioned storm from years gone by. And while I write, spend the afternoon catching up on homework and finish this post…The Tall Blonde is in Portugal drinking Sangria and enjoying the warmth of a lovely day!

I want to be her!

And now you’re caught up. That’s my update. Totally reflecting that life is full of celebrations with a whole whack of curve balls thrown in to keep you guessing. As crazy as it is, it’s best when lived…to the fullest…surrounded by amazing people, wonderful family and friends who are there to support you, party with you when times are great and pick you up when things go wrong!

That’s life.

My life.

And it’s pretty amazing!

Queen
xo

PS – Click on all the links above to catch up on what you’ve missed. Like, Tweet, Share, Follow me on Facebook or Twitter and leave your comments. I’m blogging my life…one celebration at a time!