My Brother's Wedding: Leaving On A Jet Plane

Did I tell you all my brother is getting married? I believe I did here.

Anyway, the wedding is this coming Sunday in the Toronto area.

And I leave tomorrow to drive to the city I fly out of. It takes 8 hours to drive there. And I am doing it all by my lonesome. Apparently in the midst of a southern snow storm. Although I hear the snow is supposed to let up by tomorrow morning. I sure hope so! Keep your fingers crossed.

I will be alone in a car for 8 hours. That will be a lot of time to think. And to sing!

When I get to the city I am staying at a hotel in a room with a king sized bed! I booked the room last minute tonight on Hotels.com and the king room was the same price (well, a little less actually) as what I would have paid for a double room on the hotel's website. Have to love getting deals like that!

Then on Thursday I fly out to Toronto! I am a little afraid of flying. I have only flown three times (I count the return trips, not each individual flight) and each time I was with family. This time I am all alone! I did it alone with a 10 month old. I should be OK right? Anyway, I have my ereader loaded up with a wide selection of books and I packed my ear plugs for my iPhone in case I need music to calm me. If all else fails, my emergency anxiety meds will be used.

I am a little apprehensive about travelling all by myself. It's going to be tough leaving tomorrow morning. Especially the kids. I have never even been away from my three year old. Especially not for this long. I know he and his big brother will do just fine. I am more worried about myself. The last two days I have been a wee bit weepy, constantly on the verge of tears. I hope I am not a hot mess when I drop off the youngest at his sitter's tomorrow morning.

Needless to say my anxiety has been high the last few days. I am doing my best to keep it at bay. Just breathe I keep saying.

So, I just wanted to let you all know that I will be away on vacation for about a week. The 30 Day Blog Challenge will return when I get back home and settled.

Hope you all have a great week and don't miss me too much!

Here is a sneak peak at my best man dress I get to wear for the wedding...

Love the colour!

Day 6 of 30 Day Blog Challenge: My Day

Bullet your entire day.

Today was a pretty busy day for us.
On a usual day, we just stay close to home.

- Woke up around 7:30am.
- Got the boys and myself breakfast.
- Oldest was off to school early for sunrise gym.
- I surfed the Internet and read some blogs, tweets, etc.
- Dressed my youngest, then showered and got dressed myself.
- Stopped into Pharmasave to get a wedding card.
- Off to the library for a play date with a friend and her daughter.
- Brief stop at my step-mom's work as we were uptown already.
- Came home and made lunch for the boys.
- Hung out for part of the afternoon.
- Went to the school to pick up my oldest.
- Headed to my cousin's to meet her new baby.
- Swung by the grocery store to pick up a few items for supper.
- Boys played outside while I put supper together.
- Swept the floor in the kitchen/dining room for the second time in two days.
- Husband came home from work.
- Put the boys to bed.
- Watched two of my shows that were taped on the PVR.
- Now writing this blog post and doing some laundry at 10:25pm.
- Hope to get to bed "early" around 11:30pm.

What was your day like?

Day 5 of 30 Day Blog Challenge: Afterlife

On to Day 5 of my blog challenge.

Do you believe in an afterlife? Explain.

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Yes, I do believe in an afterlife.

I believe there has to be somewhere for our souls to go when we pass away. This can't be it for us. It just can't. Do you know what I mean?

I believe in God. I believe in Heaven. I grew up attending the Catholic Church and learned all about Heaven and Hell. However, I am not really sure if there is a Hell per say. I would like to think that there is an alternate place for those who haven't done the right thing. But I am just not sure.

Another thing that makes me sure there is an afterlife or something for us after our lives ends (whether it be reincarnation or whatnot) is the sense of deja vu. I experience it frequently and it intrigues me.

I used to watch this movie with my mom called Chances Are staring Cybill Shepherd. It is about a married couple who are deeply in love. They go to restaurant for a lovely evening out and the wife decides to tell her husband the news that she is pregnant. However, he doesn't make it there. He is hit by a car and dies. He is next shown waiting in line in Heaven. He finds out his options and decides to be reincarnated because he is so impatient to get back to his life and wife. In his haste he misses his needle. The needle that makes him forget about his previous life. Fast forward eighteen years later and he accidentally (or by fate) meets his daughter, starts dating her, but then starts remembering his former life. It's a great movie and really makes you think about what may lie ahead for us.

Death is a fear of mine. I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid to die. I think we all are. But knowing or believing there may be something waiting for us after this life ends, makes it a little bit easier.

I like to think that my mom, my grandpa (my mom's dad), my grandma and grandpa (on my dad's side) are all having the best time in their afterlives and are awaiting the day when we can be reunited.

What is your belief regarding an afterlife?

Day 4 of 30 Day Blog Challenge: Zodiac Signs

What is your zodiac sign? Does it fit your personality?

My birthday is May 19. That makes me a Taurus under the signs of the Zodiac.

Some positive words used to describe a Taurus are:

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Every word above is true in my case. At least, I would like to think so. Especially that last one. Just kidding!

I am very responsible (and thus, dependable). I like to help others. Somewhat artistic. I am very trust-worthy. You have secret, I will keep it for life. I am productive (when I want to be). I think and research things very thoroughly. I am very persistent. I will not let up until I get what I want. Trust me on that one (remember, I am trust-worthy). I am clever and generous. I like to give more than I like to receive.

Of course I am extremely organized. Hey, I am a librarian. If I could classify everything in my house by the Dewey Decimal System, I would. I am down to earth. I am usually pretty easy going and mostly have a cheerful disposition. And I am loyal to a fault.

Some of Taurus' weaknesses are:

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And each word above also describes my personality. Some of my friends may beg to differ but I have to admit that I have another side that people do not see. We all have one, don't deny it!

I can be very materialistic. I may not have everything I want (do we really need everything we want?) but that doesn't mean I don't want to have it! I am also self-indulgent. If I am passionate about something or really want something, I need to have it and all for myself.

And I am very stubborn (hey, I fall under the sign of the bull!). I come by it honestly. I do not let up until I get my way. Just ask my family.

From reading more about my zodiac sign I have found these other facts to be truth...

We are not great leaders but will follow along and learn/build on our experiences.
I am very independent, want to get things done my way.
I am cautious, practical and purposeful.
Make a great friend. I treat friends like they are my family.
Like routine and the order of life.
Typically easy going unless provoked.
Definitely not impulsive. Think things through. Want decisions to be the right one.
We are very sensitive, the slightest comment or negative remark can hurt deeply.
Can become lazy if asked to do something we do not want to do.
I fear change. I tend to worry and get nervous if change is on the horizon.
We do not share our feelings openly. Inner self is contained and secretive. (Heck yes!)
Apparently we are good with finances. We make excellent business people. We like to save for a rainy day. My mom used to call me cheap but I was just saving for the finer things in life!

Basically, most things that are said about a Taurus, really do apply to me. The good and the bad. And I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing.

Oh, this song just popped into my head...

"You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The Facts of Life"

Isn't that the truth!


So, what's your sign?

And no, that's not a pick up line. ;)

Day 3 of 30 Day Blog Challenge: Purse

It's Day 3 of my 30 Day Blog Challenge!

What is inside your purse?

There it is, in all it's glory. The contents of my purse.

I absolutely love my purse! (I have a slight addiction to purses lately.) This particular one is an Emma bag by Grace Adele. It's so beautiful and functional. So many pockets and such to keep everything neat and organized. And as you can see, I need a place for everything as I have A LOT of stuff in there!

So, this is what I have inside my purse (from left to right starting with the top row):

Hand Sanitizer

Lotions

Pure Instinct

Tea Wallet

Sunglasses

Pink Change Purse (Which actually holds cards and information like my health card)

Mini Shopper

Check Book

Wallet (Made by my lovely sister-in-law)

Pamphlet for the Great Strides Walk for CF

Chocolates and Mentos

Another Little Notepad

Lip glosses from Avon

Pen and Pencil

I tend to switch out my purses every couple of weeks. I switch between the Grace Adele and the bag my sister-in-law Aimee sewed for me a few months ago. I am going to Toronto next week for her's and my brother's wedding. So, I hope to go through her stock and pick out a few new pieces to add to my collection!

What's inside your purse?

Day 2 of 30 Day Blog Challenge: Middle Name

Question two is...

What is your middle name and what is it's significance?

Ah, my middle name.

It's Gayle. Not Gail. Gayle.

I was named after a good friend of my grandma's (my mother's mom).

Apparently, Mom and Dad were trying to come up with names for me while they were still in the hospital. After a number of vetoes on the first name, they finally came up with Brandy.

Then, their good friend Gayle walked into the room to come to meet the new little one. Me!

And then it hit my parents, Brandy Gayle!

A former boyfriend of my mom's heard about my two names and christened me with the nickname Drunken Storm. He still calls me that to this day. Isn't that lovely? Actually, it is kind of funny.

So, that is how I got my name. Not too exciting.

How did you get your name?