Love and Anger...and a few more memories

Ok, so we are going to start by talking about MAPS this morning and the chapter of the book that we discussed...called...Love and Anger.  As most people know, Love and Anger are two emotions that usually go hand in hand.  You get the most angry at the people that you love the most.  That is just how it goes...and most people need to learn how to deal with their anger in a proactive, and constructive way. BUT...when you are already grumpy and your kid does something that really makes you angry, you act out in anger.  It is hard to act out in love when something is already making you see things a little darker.  Instead of seeing your child as just a child, and they didn't do what they did intentionally to bother you, but just because they are a kid...but NOOOO...you can't see it that way...You see that your child did that act just to bother you because you have told them over and over and over again that you don't like it when (or want them to) do that!  Anger makes your brain see things differently, and usually all distorted in a way that makes you think that everyone is out just to piss you off.  So, next time I am angry, I am just going to have to take a deep breath, tell whoever it is that is bugging me to leave me alone for a bit, and then we'll get to the bottom of the issue...right??  Sure....in an ideal world where it is summer all the time and weeds never grow in my garden.

On a different note I am going to write about my last Saturday in Nova Scotia.  I am all done wanting to hold on to those memories...mostly because if I don't get them out now I am never going to remember what happened.  Also, Nova Scotia is a great place to visit, and we will go back there many times in the future, but I need to get on with my life in Alberta...so on to my vacation!!!

Day 11- 

This day apparently started in a way that was very similar to many days while we were there.  Alice was sleeping and the perfect way to get her up was to bring a baby to wake her up.  She tended to wake up a lot better when she was scared of knocking the baby off her bed.  LOL!!!!

This was my last Saturday in NS and I was very excited about what was going to happen on this morning.  But first we were going to another Saturday morning $5.00 breakfast fundraiser.  We originally went to Centerville, but there was about a 1/2 hour wait just to be seated, and the waiting room was PACKED!!!  Alice is not fond of big groups of people so we went to the other $5.00 breakfast at the church just down the hill from Aunty Brenda and Uncle Al's.  Definitely not as good as the Legion one from the week before and apparently not as good as Centerville...but either way, it was a $5.00 breakfast.  Good enough for me!

This was the day I was very excited about because...

we were going....

HORSEBACK RIDING!!!  W00t!  

Alice and I went out to the farm, were 20 mins early, realized that we forgot somethings (boots and a camera) hurried back to the house, got what we needed and then got back to the farm just in time!  :o)  Yay!  After we signed some release forms Alice picked out a helmet and we got on our horses.  We then set out on our Adventure.  My hips spread WAY more than I thought they had in my pregnancy because I even sat differently on the saddle.  Oh, my rear was getting sore within 10 mins...and we were going to be out for at least an hour.

About 1/2 an hour into our ride I asked if we could trot.  Alice said she was fine with it, so we stared to go faster.  Alice's legs are really short and so her knees were at a funny angle.  That angle made it very hard for her to brace herself when we were trotting...(that and lack of knowhow).  Anyhoo...it was the most HI-FREAKING-LARIOUS thing I had ever seen.  Alice's head was bobbing up and down as she was violently bouncing up and down with the trot.  I was laughing so hard I had to lean over the saddle just to keep myself from falling off the horse!  Even her bum* was visibly leaving her saddle.  LOL!!!  It was awesome!!!

Eventually, after a whole lot of different scenery, we started making our way back.  We stopped and saw more horses, and a cow that apparently thought it was a horse.  By the time we got back to the stables we had been gone for about 90 mins.  My poor bottom was so sore, and I even had bruises and the beginnings of saddle sores.  It had been TOO long since I had been on a horse!

We thanked them and gave them a tip and headed home.  (I am purposely leaving out the part about them only accepting cash and us needing to find a bank)  It was another big family party tonight, but this time it was at Aunty Brenda and Uncle Al's.  So, when we got back home it was time for helping getting the house ready!

I helped vacuum the main area and then my cousin Travis and his girlfriend, Tammy, showed up.  I had never met him before, and because of crazy, insane-o family dynamics he is one of 2 biological first cousins on that side.  When we first met our conversation went something like this:

"Hi"

"Hey"

"So, I guess we're cousins"

"Yup"

It was really awkward.  We had never met, and I don't really look anything like him, so it was just really weird.  Shortly after we had a really strange conversation, I went to get Jenni up from her nap.  Travis met Jenni and it was an instant connection...or at least seemed that way!  He just said, "Look at that red hair" and then they were connected on a deeper level.  It was almost as if the red hair really made him believe that we were related.  It was just amusing to me.  

Dinner was delicious, and there were so many people there (Including Uncle Paul, Grammy's youngest brother who is in his late 50's.  He is 19 years younger than Grammy.) that we had to have a "kids" table and a "grown-up" table.  I don't know if the kids table can really constitute as a kids table because Grammy and Karen sat there with us, but it was still the most fun table.  It was a blast.  Definitely the most fun kids table I had ever been seated at.  I know for me, growing up, I always wanted to sit at the grown-up table because I wanted to be a grown-up...but this time I was more than content to be at the kids table.

After dinner, we did the compulsory family photo's.  Most of the pictures are the classic everyone looking at Jenni - at least G&G are looking at Jenni - instead of the camera.  That seemed to be the typical theme of the whole vacation.  To get a photo where everyone was looking at the camera was somewhat of a miracle. 

And also, there was the compulsory act of me playing some kind of musical instrument and singing.  For some reason most of my family really enjoys when I do that.  (Apparently Alice has a few tracks of me singing from Open Mike night on her MP3 player.)  But, now it seems that I can't play any kind of piano instrument without Jenni "helping" me.  She loves playing the piano.  Jenni loves making music!  It is good to see her enjoy something that is so important to me.

Aunty Brenda's mom and dad (Grandmum and Granddad) were also at the big family bash, because they are awesome, and they were very happy to have met Jenni and I.  They are wonderful people, and are also very much missed!

So, unfortunately, I don't actually remember what happened after dinner.  I think Alice and I may have stayed up to watch some "Top Gear" or maybe even played "The Buffy Game", but I am a little foggy on what actually happened.  All I know is that the next morning was going to be a busy one, so I am hoping that I made a good decision and didn't stay up really late.

*I am sorry to have mentioned your bum Alice, but that was all part of the hilarity!