Today is the birthday of my elder sister Emily, a.k.a. Auntie Em. It is also the day she officially completed and bade adieu to her Major Research Project, finishing her Masters in Language, Culture, and Teaching. Emi is a special gal. She is full of love and complicated thoughts and stress and nostalgia and joy…
Tag: happiness
The Love for Four Fan Blades
My daughter has a fascination – bordering on a love affair – with the ceiling fan in the bedroom. Whether falling asleep or waking up, she gazes at it and her limbs get all excited (if they’re not swaddled). She grins and babbles to it in delight… and it’s not even on. E loved ceiling…
The Ladies of Election Day
Here we go, Americans: the Day of Reckoning. I hope you’re on your way to vote – or have already done so. According to the Chicago Tribune, lots of voters wait until Election Day to decide whom their ballot will support. That seems so strange to me, in a country with what is essentially a…
Dear Rainbow Baby, now that you’ve arrived
Dear, sweet Rainbow Baby A, You are finally here. Today you turned four days old. You arrived on Sunday morning, September 30th, at 10:21, after about thirteen hours of labour. It was a beautiful autumn day, and we could see spectacular orange and red trees from the hospital room. Precious girl, it was so amazing…
To my big boy, before his little sister arrives
Dearest E, We have been talking about your baby sister a lot this week, because we know she will be here very soon. In fact, as it’s now Thursday evening, chances are very good you’ll meet her within 48 hours! This morning you remembered, very soon after waking up, that your sister is almost here….
Evidence that after seven years of marriage, my Hubbibi and I are OLD
Hi everyone, Thanks for all your good wishes! Sean and I had our li’l getaway, and it was really, really nice. AND, it was perfect for retirees. Huh? We went to check in at our B&B, which is a beautiful house in the country run by a very nice guy named Shane. It has a…
Sebastian’s Birthday: A Lullaby for my Children
Monday morning – July 9th, 2012 Dear Sebastian, It’s 9:04 a.m. as I begin this post. It was important to me to write this morning, because I know that at this same hour, one year ago, you were still in my arms. It is exactly the same kind of morning it was on the day…
Expect Miracles
This is a picture of the bracelet I have been wearing every day in 2012, in the hopes that its auspicious message would sink in, beyond my skin, to my soul. This January, when I found out that I was indeed pregnant with our third child, I experienced a split-second of pure, undiluted joy. The…
Happy Birthday and Happy 10 Years to my Hubbibi
Yesterday, my beloved Hubbibi turned 35. (He doesn’t look it, though. They only recently stopped carding him at the liquor store, so I think I can safely say he’s 35 years young. Right, honey?) That means we’ve been together for 10 whole years. On his 25th birthday, we were a very new couple, living in…
BANG Movie Review: The Muppets
After seeing it, I would say the Muppets movie is less of a movie, and more of a feeling. Not that it doesn’t have a plot – it has a solid (albeit predictable) plot, with suspense and buildup and characters and a climax and everything. It’s just that when you combine the bright colours, the…