Its Christmas!

Now that we have gotten the 2 feet of snow that was predicted its finally Christmas.

My family has a rather interesting tradition as far as meals go. Because my mom has 2 sisters, and my grandmother needs to host a christmas we have always done a christmas with everyone (30+ people) on the 26th. This year it is postponed a day because of a cousin flying in from Australia. So the fussy Christmas is on the 27th. Yah for screaming children, sticky fingers on all walls, and parents saying "oh, its not his fault, he hasn't been able to get out to play."

Some of my worst childhood memories are from my grandmother's christmas. It never failed that my the end of the night everyone was mad at everyone else. If 5 people didn't leave in tears something was wrong.

So here we go again.

Finally!!!

Today is the day! My deck goes on today, its going to be beautiful, and just one more step to my house being done! After this its just the half wall between the kitchen and livingroom and then the basement. That's the hard part, because my father is determined to do that himself even though its been a year already and he hasn't even looked at it yet. 16months post fire we are still cleaning up this clusterf*ck. I love my house I love my house I love my house, thats all I can really say at the moment without screaming out the back yard.

Aparently I lost the locks for the back door. When we put the new door on in the porch we moved around the locks, and part of the old lock we took off the front door we now can't find. It was going to be the new lock on the back door in the kitchen, but yea... nowhere to be found! I know I put it away somewhere safe where I wouldn't lose it.... (anyone else have this problem???).

So either I find it tonight somewhere in the disaster that is my main floor of house or I sneak out in the morning and buy a new one and get it keyed... (leaning towards this, it was a cheap lock, with keying and tax it would be less than $30). My dad thinks he has an old lock that we can use, it doesn't match not that that really matters, it just pisses me off that I can't find the damn lock! Oh well, I can always change the back when I find it (probably next summer!).

I was reading a new series of books the last couple weeks. Twilight. I really thought I was over teen books, they bore me, but somehow these held me. And then I was wrangled into seeing the movie... I'm hooked. Stephanie Meyers is not quite in my favorite author category, but she is getting there!

And that would complete my update at the moment. There is more, still working through some issues, but they aren't at a point that I can really talk about them.

babblings at 2am

So my sleep was cut short. I was up at 9am (after posting at 5am) and on my way to the farm to talk to the barn manager. There is something so very theraputic about venting to someone not involved. She has a heart of gold, she listened to my concerns for the clinic, to the details of the story I'm writing, we talked about training issues we are both having with the horses we are riding, and my favourite topic of life... COLOUR! I love colour in the horse world, it excites me. Some of my favourite breeds of horses come in very exciting colours, or they should at least (in my oppinion).

This is a short post, have to be up in 3 hours to get ready for work. Night night all, hope your holiday was wonderful.

morning musings

I'm having a hard time today. Since opening up my clinic its been quiet. I knew it was going to be quiet, I've pretty much dropped off the planet for a year and a lot of my clients have either moved on to other therapists or are seeking other forms of treatment. Yesterday I had to turn down a client because of the type of insurance they were coming in with. That frustrated me because this was the only new client call I had all week, and here I had to turn them away.

I have done some work with this type of insurance and it ended up with me doing thousands of dollars of work and not being paid for it. I would rather not go down that road again, as not only did it end with me not being paid, but with the client in an uncomfortable situation. I don't want to go down that road again.

Where is this going? I'm scared it won't work. I don't have a backup to speak of other than a part time job that really doesn't cut it. I love my career, and the clinic has huge room for growth, but with the economy as it is I'm not sure that it will work. People don't have the extra $$ to spend on what most consider frivilous things. And while I don't believe preventative care to be frivilous its hard to convince the majority of people.

My family is very supportive this way. My parents want to see me succeed, and really see this as something that can work. My clinic is in a great location, there are lots and lots of people that have great coverage in this city. I have an add out in the next couple of weeks, hoping to catch the crowd before the new year using up the last of thier coverage. I'm also sending Christmas cards to the clients I was seeing last year before the fire, letting them know that the clinic is open now and I am taking clients.

So all in all I'm whining and crying at 5am, tired of trying to sleep and needing to vent all over the internet. I know this will work; it has to. I will have a great career in this.

Its Invasion Day!!!

I love this time of year. Canadians take over my favorite message board, and yes, its called Invasion Day. But thats not what I am writing about.

I thought I would share some recipes. Recently I have been expanding my cookbook of things that I put in the freezer (as I explained in a previous post) to include more soups. In an attempt to eat healthier and lighter soups can go a long way.

So first off, Mushroom Soup.
3 cups sliced mushrooms
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion sliced
1 box chicken broth
1 package Uncle Bens long grain and wild rice, garlic flavour
1 can creme of mushroom soup
2 cans milk

Fry the mushrooms, onion and carrot together till cooked. Add rice, chicken broth. Blend milk and soup and add to veggies. Heat for 20 minutes so flavours blend.

This recipe freezes very well, and is a fabulous meal on a cold blustery day.

In other news, nothing further on the house. I hope to someday have a back deck I can sit on... One day...

what to do what to do???

So since I already celebrated thanksgiving (up in the great white north) a month ago, and I haven't been good about my blogging, well, it's time.

I'm venting. I recently recieved an email from a family member regarding Prop 8 in the states. This family member knows my oppinion of such things, and that I do not apreciate such hate mail, and that just in general it makes my quite angry.

I'm not in a good situation to be venting to that person, because well... they are my support network right now. And I need them. But to shove this stuff in my face really bothers me. I grew up in a conservative church, and in conservative schools, but now I choose to live differently. My beliefs are still important to me, but I realize that there is more out there than any one person can pin down.

I'm sorting through some big changes in my life, and I need my support system, but I really do wonder how much they will be there for me when they put all the peices together.

and the adventures continue...

No more news on the house front. Contractor has had some family issues, all understandable and out of his control, so things are on hold until that gets sorted out.

Today was a lovely day, and my aunt and I went car shopping. Sometime in the near future I am looking for a vehicle. I want to know what I want so that when the day comes that I am ready to purchase I just go to the lot, say to the sales rep "I'm here, lets do this" and drive off with it the same day, at most have to wait a week for them to get it in in the colour I want. There really is nothing wrong with the vehicle that I am driving now except for the fact that my father is the only mechanic in the city that works on them and he is away for 3 months of the year. Its an imported older (pre 1990) vehicle and parts are very expensive and getting hard to find.

What I have found while car shopping is that no one thinks a woman is capable of purchasing a car for herself. I started off going with my dad, he is a mechanic, knows how cars work, and used to work in sales so can read between the lines better than I can. No matter how many times we told the sales rep that I would be the one buying said car the sales rep would still speak to my dad because he was older and male.

At least taking my aunt with me the sales rep looks my way now and again. There is still the fact that she is older and they look to her because they feel that she will influence my decision (not going to happen), or that she might be paying (also not going to happen).

So basically because I am young and a woman its impossible for me to make a sound decision to buy a car myself....

In other news, I am taking off for 5 days. I'm caring for a friends farm while she vacations. Me, 40 horses, and 6 dogs (2 of my own), should be fun!!!

last days of fall...

Yesterday and the day before were beautiful! A friend of mine has a farm with 80ish acres of bush on it, so I have been taking the dogs out for walks on the trails. I've been out there quite a bit lately, just wandering around on the same trails I have been riding on for 15 years.

I took some pictures, and I think one of them is going to be going up in my clinic. Its a shot of Cuyler (my male Aussie) running towards me just beyond the gate. Unfortunatly the camera focussed on the gate, so he is all fuzzy looking, but I actually like it like that. It's the kind of photo that makes you smile for the sheer joy of it.

The clinic, yes... the pone is ringing, so I can't complain, but I guess you always wish it was busier.

Still waiting on the back deck to be finished. The contractor got behind on a bunch of jobs due to a family situation. I am totally understanding of that, but gosh darnit I want my back deck!!! Oh well, before the snow flies I guess!

To everyone reading this (I know you are out there) please enjoy the last days of fall. Winter is coming sooner than we want to admit.

again...

So today was another day to work on the house. I got a second hand dishwasher a few weeks ago, its been sitting in the porch till my friend could come down to install it. Today was supposed to be that day.

Unfortunatly now we find out that the area for the dishwasher in the kitchen wasn't made for a standard "standard"dishwasher. Aparently there are 2 different sizes of standard dishwasher... news to me.

Unfortunatly too the sides of the stand aren't really moveable. The pantry is on the other side of the stand.

And all the plumbing is 6 inches out of the wall! Not inside the wall where it was supposed to be! So now my friend (who is a contractor) and my dad are taking down 2 walls to fix the insurance companies mistakes!

I love my house, I love my house, I love my house!

just around the corner....

Halloween!! Such a blessed time of year, all the little munchkins out for candy and assorted goodies. This year I am decorating the front of the office and will be handing out candy with a business card. Responsible parents check their kids candy, therefor my cards will be getting into the hands of responsible adults. And even if they hit the garbage, it was cheap advertising. So to all my readers, this is a great way to get out cards.

back... kinda...

So I said I would get back to blogging, and I am. Sortof. Its been 407 days, and while my house is almost finished, its just not there yet. This has me kinda down. Its small things that are left, but they just seem to be dragging on and on.

In other news, farm sitting was a sucess. No one died, no one was sick. Last year I was left with a very ill mare to nurse through the few days, giving medication every few hours.

Well I should be going. The guys finishing up need to get around in the house to finish framing the windows. It will be done soon.. I hope.

eventually

I will get back to blogging. Life has gotten in the way the last few days. Its been crazy, will post about it, but for now I really really need some sleep.

Rugby and Reading Roadtrips

In a few short days my favorite author is releasing the third book in her second series. I have been waiting for this book since the 16th of October last year when her last book was released and I finished reading it. What books you ask?? Karen Marie Moning's Fever books, more specifically Faefever.

A few years ago my friend L had to go to a rugby practice a few hours from home. I said I would drive her as the practice was long and she would be tired after, and maybe because I am just a mom to everyone and can't imagine the thought of them getting hurt when there was something that could have been done about it.

So on the way to her practice she tells me about this book that she got when she had to pick her sister up at the airport a few weeks before. She couldn't stop raiving about it, and she even had it with her. While she got all sweaty and muddy in the rain I was in the van reading this book. I fell in love with the story. It was the last book in her Highlander series, Spell of the Highlander.

Within the next 2 weeks I had tracked down the rest of the series and had it all read, I was hooked. There is nothing better than finding a new favorite author, though I have to admit she has stayed my favorite ever since.

So if you haven't ever heard of this author, please take the time to check her out. http://www.karenmoning.com/

We Remember

Today is the 11th of September, 2008. Crazy to think of how fast life changes. I was at school, in my history class, when my teacher started talking about the twin towers, pentagon, and planes crashing. We all went to the gym for an assembly, the principal and staff explained to us what was going on, there were councellors for us to talk to, and the rest of the classes for the day were cancelled.

My memory of that day is still pretty fuzzy after the assembly. I know I walked around the school for a while, and finally went into the art room and started to draw. I'm not an artist btw, but I do like to work with colour and texture sometimes. I find it theraputic.

Teachers were monitoring the hallways and classrooms, but everyone just seemed to be roaming around, there was no direction, people were crying, no one knew what was going on.

Life moved on, classes resumed, friends went into the military so they could stand for their country. But it was still a turning point in my life.

Today, if you read this, I just ask that you take a moment and pray for our leaders, our soldiers, and our friends. There are still people being torn apart with grief every day because of their losses.

End of the day...

Finally! Ok so its early (8pm) but really and truly enough already. My day did not go as planned.

Because the clinic keeps me pretty busy I usually have my supper meals cooked ahead of time. Lunches are usually eaten on the run, a quick peice of fruit or something like that. Suppers are a different story.

I keep my freezer full of single servings so that all I have to do in the morning is take out what I want for supper that night. By the time I close the clinic (after 7) its just a quick reheat and ready to go. If not I would just be starting to cook, and it would be eating too late. I still like to have homemade foods though, much healthier than heavily processed stuff.

For this plan to work I have to do some major cooking every now and again, and today was one of those days. I cooked and cooked and cooked, and now everything is neatly packaged in the freezer.

Another thing that was accomplished today was getting out for a good walk with the dogs. My neighbors a few houses down have added a new member to their family. They are calling it a dog, currently it is just over 1lb, and it isn't suposed to get bigger than 2.5lbs. Really and truly I thought it was a guinipig on a leash (very tired). Its cute I guess if you like that kind of thing. Personally I prefer my dogs (a very healthy 60lbs each) but each to their own.

The latest on the house is another 7 to 9 days of work. Tomorrow the last of the supplies will arrive. There was a mistake made when the measurments were taken last spring. Two windows hadn't been installed yet, and the gentleman doing the measurments forgot to add them into his assessment. So we were short J's (the peices for around the windows and doors). It was an honest mistake, and it really wouldn't have been a problem except that I chose a colour that isn't that common so no one had the extra peices in stock, they had to be ordered in from a larger supplier. This mistake was discovered on a thursday shortly after noon, and all orders for this supplier have to be in before noon on thursday in order to be delivered that afternoon. They only deliver on thursdays... have I mentioned that you shouldn't tempt fate....

Someday soon I will sit down and hash out the whole ordeal of the house, but for now its in bits and peices. However I will say this, the whole thing has been like this. Small mistakes that have caused weeks and months of backups.

How sleep changes things!!

So I'm back again, this time armed with a few hours sleep, and (bless the gods) coffee! I tried a few months ago to give up my daily indulgence of the sweet nectar of life, but the payoffs of coffee far outweigh the risks. I did however slow down on it, and start drinking all sorts of green and white teas.

So this morning I wake up to the sounds of large vehicles ariving at my house. This is a joyous sound to me, it means that the men are here to work on the siding, that it is going to be a nice day (no rain), and that we are one day closer to clinic opening and life resuming as normal. Unfortunatly this means that my plans of sleeping in a little bit have been put off, and my day is being run on 3 hours of sleep. The plans for today are completly domestic; cook, clean, play with the dogs (my kids), and maybe go riding if the workers clear out early enough.

I'm still figuring out this blog thing, it will probably change a lot over the next few weeks. I have some links that I want to post to some of my favorite websites, as well as post some pictures. Hopefully that will happen soon.

What's in a name...

So since its early in the morning and I can't sleep I decided I would explain my name.

Rhyadawn (pronounced Ride-On) is what I think is the perfect name for my first horse. I'm still looking, and starting to feel like its a never ending search (I might be a little picky). Timing is everything too, and right now just isn't the right time.

So Rhyadawn your Dreams... exactly what it says. Don't be afraid of your dreams, embrace them. I have a brand new clinic that will be officially opening very soon. Due to the aforementioned fire my house has been gutted and redesigned to be more than I could ever have dreamed of(upgrade insurance, very important). It might have been a huge inconvenience but God is good and He follows through. This is turning out better than I ever could have dreamed.

What will this blog be about... probably a little of everything. Some about my friends (who shall remain nameless), probably some about the clinic (also void of names and details unfortunatly), and just general life :)

New Beginings

Here I am!

I swore I would never blog, but well... things change. Last year, during some very simple renovations to move my business into my home there was a small fire, leading to lots and lots of water damage. It has now been 391 days and what should have been simple renovations are just about complete.

Its time for new beginings! To a clinic at home, to return to things I love, and to blogging!