THIS is 40

Love re-visting my blogs of the past. In some ways I have changed, in some ways I remain the same.



Here upon my 40th birthday, are 40 things you may or may not know about me:)


1- I collect the closure tags from bread, milk, bagels etc.  I have a container at home and a bag at work of them.  The bag at work of tags was suppose to be used for a craft? or sorting?  never happened. 

2- I love to do the laundry!  Putting it in, selecting the settings, moving it to the dryer and then folding it (in front of the TV)  Putting it away is another story.

3- I'd love to be a roadie for a band or just go on tour...

4- My new favourite singer: Gin Wigmore  But will always be a PINK fan

5- I'd love to work on an assembly line or be a food prep person (the one who cuts up the veggies, fruit or other ingredients {not the meat}) but I do love the job I have.  I think of my class as my classroom family.  I also am very grateful for the women I work with and the support from my students' parents.

6- Ok maybe I would cut up the meat if I had gloves on.  I think I can touch/clean/prepare anything if I had gloves on.

7- I have no chest (boobs) and I love it!!

8- I wear men's briefs sometimes. So comfy!  Victoria Secret low-rise bikini underwear are my alternative.  I hate thongs/G-strings.

9- Hair growth sucks at 40 (what the heck is going on!) Love laser hair removal:p

10- Not a big athlete but can be your biggest cheerleader:) I played water polo in university actually more like I trained with the water polo team because I only played one game as goalie.  Yes we lost that game but we'd lost every game that season:O)  Loved being goalie so much was goalie for the one season of Futsal I played a few years ago.  We actually won games, thank you very much!  so enjoyed it swollen fingers and all, even when I got the ball in the throat and couldn't talk for a bit!

11- I loved being pregnant.

12- My favourite movie of all time is The Princess Bride.  My favourite colour is purple, my second favourite is navy blue and my third favourite is black.  Favourite number is 2.  My favourite flower is a tulip, any colour

13- A huge multi-tasker.  If I am talking to you on the phone,I am doing 5 other things during that conversation.

14- I love Rockets, Sweet Tarts, real maple syrup and of course chocolate.

15- Wanna get my nose pierced, tiny little stud.

16- I was hit by a van when I was 5 years old, when I was getting off the school bus.  What I remember is waking up and my Mom feeding me ice cream and then I remember them wheeling me up to my room and my Dad commenting how the whole bed fit into the elevator.

17- I have three tattoos and considering another: this quote "For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first." Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games

18- My kids are my everything!!

19- I wish I could make money from my art.

20- I went to Brock University, majoring in Child Studies, I have ECE equivalency and a Montessori diploma

21- I run and want to be better at it.

22- My front tooth is dead.  I've had a root canal.  At the time in order to stop it from going brown my dentist rubbed hydrogen peroxide on it--it burned my gums.  I had 16 teeth removed as a kid and I had braces and a head gear

23- I use men's deodorant.  I stink and it stops the stink, also it is easier to find deodorant in the men's section. 

24- I will travel to Australia, NYC, Vegas, San Antonio, Greece and Hawaii one day!  I have been to the Dominican, Aruba, England, Italy

25- Love the smell of cinnamon and also spearmint.  Smelling these scents puts me in a better mood

26- I want to go in a hot air balloon, bungee jump and/or skydive.  I would go in a shark cage too.

27- I do not drink a lot (anymore).  I do not like wine or beer: drink of choice a rye & Coke. Or a Sambuca shooter (on fire)

28- I have texture issues: I will not eat eggs or pumpkin pie cuz of their texture or bananas

29- I LOVE going to an airport.  Whether it is to go somewhere or just to pick someone up.  I find it exciting.

30- Boudoir pix-done 'em! To celebrate losing 11lbs of baby weight.

31- I would get Botox for the line between my eyes.  It is from thinking so hard all these years.

32- I am terrified of bats but have held a tarantula,  a python, scorpion and cockroach.

33- I have never done an illegal drug...

34- Suffered from postpartum depression after my first child but didn't know it at the time.

35- I drink approx. 4 cups of tea everyday.  I also love to eat.  I do not like to cook but if someone makes me good food I LOVE IT!!

36- Have been judged and put down by others based on religious believes or my lack of a religion

37- Extreme introvert.  The friends I have are very very dear to me.

38- Childhood: was really really good.

39- Nicknames I have had: Rob, Robbino, Wild Bush, Bandit, Robynski Comaneci, Curly, Oottat

40- Been to a psychic and she was right!

Slow and steady

So my Wonder Woman vibes and all the goodness that Easter Seals does has brought some support my way for the Drop Zone campaign!

Thank you to 

Tim Webb

Audrey & Sean Leclaire

Manon Forgues & Martin Dubois

Graham, Adriana and Katheriene Woolner Falsetto

Aimee Smith

Layla Mackay

Isaac Mackay

Tim Mackay

Drivin' for your dollar!

Ok I have been in vacation mode and have had one awesome summer but I have put off collecting YOUR dollar for my Easter Seals Drop Zone fundraising 

http://www.thedropzone.ca/ottawa/

http://www.easterseals.org/drop-zone-ottawa/

 :(

So I have decided that if you message me, (via Facebook or bretondaphne@gmail.com) I will come and collect your $1! You do not even have to be home, leave it in your mailbox! I will go collecting this coming Monday!  

You can also do an e-transfer or go to the first link listed above and donate:)

Thank yous go out to the following:

Molly G

Stella G

Their new baby bro (coming in December)

Paul Grant

Emma Grant

Liam Grant

Bob Grant

Carolin Grant

Jenr (she donated an American dollar)!

I thank you in advance for your donation to Easter Seals, a great cause!

And thanks for helping this adrenaline junkie get her fix...again!

I am better because of you

Dear Mrs Smith

I am writing you to thank you for making me a better teacher...I think?  You were my grade six teacher at Georges Vanier.  I was an awkward 11/12 year old girl who was the definition of introvert.  I had a close group of friends and a did pretty good academically.  You might want to take credit for the academics but your methods weren't what I needed.  You'd pick me out to answer questions when my hand wasn't raised. To some this probably wouldn't really phase them

but to me it made me anxious and stressed. You yelled a lot and used intimidation to keep control of the class. No you didn't yell necessarily at me.  And the desk that you threw wasn't at me but I am sure Kevin hasn't forgotten it.  

I shared the same name as your son. You'd think that would give us a unique bond...? But I guess me being one of the none Catholics in the class didn't help my case. Still not an excuse to ignore me when I saw you by the canal and I waved a huge HELLO. Come on we both there to see the Pope float by in his bullet proof boat. Your behaviour not so Catholic like:(. Or even better is when my friend, on my behalf, asked what would happen if one was not baptized? "You won't go to Heaven." So as a grade six student you left me to believe I was going to Hell.  That's fine now, I have you to thank for completely turning me off religion.

I believe I missed more days at school that year than I had ever and I spent many mornings begging not to go to school, oh and headaches to boot.

Your techniques of us beating a pillow with a bat and yelling out what made us angry...were interesting?! By the way I made all mine up and would have never yelled that it was you, the only black cloud in my life at that time.

Again I thank you for making me a better teacher.  Yes I admit I can be a firm teacher and I do not "connect" with all of my students.  the ones that I don't immediately, I make a conscious effort to take time and speak one on one and find a special connection.  I do this because I don't want to be the teacher the student remembers as a "mean" "angry" teacher that everyone feared getting.

As an adult I saw you at Farm Boy.  I did not say hi. I didn't say anything.  I became that scared pre teen fighting an anxiety attack.

In the end I did learn a lot from you.  

Karma

Sincerely 

Ms Smith

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I used this pic one year for New Years cards that I sent out instead of Christmas cards.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
HOPE YOUR YEAR ISN"T CRAPPY!!!

Wishing you all the same this year:)

2:33:58

So when you show up for your third half marathon and someone is wearing the same running skort as you, what do you do?

Run faster than her!!!

Ok so I didn't beat my time from last year but I had so much FUN!!

I love the route, I love the crowds cheering me on, i love that my body did not cramp up on me.  I really didn't even mind that at the first few H2O stations they'd run out of cups and we either had to cup our hands and hope that it would be enough water or we all just drank out of the same large blue water bottles. Yummy!  

I love race weekend!!

While racing even caught up to a student's mom and now we share a racing memory together.

I have to thank Mirka my original racing buddy who drove me to the race, stayed to cheer me on with her baby Natalia and then waited for me to give me a ride home. Thanx Mirka!

And for my surprise fan who jumped out of the crowd and even ran with me a bit! Love surprises! Thank you Kathy!

I didn't even cry this time when I crossed the finish line !

I felt pretty damn powerful though! 

Ya I ph*ckin run 1/2 marathons!!!

My body hurt a lot afterwards, for days even and I know my left hip joint has some issues(drama queen), and every time I say this will be my last 1/2...I am pretty sure I agreed to run this race next year!!

I broke

So if you recall I said I would not be buying anything clothing wise.  Well I broke down and did buy an outfit for holiday celebrations.

I left it to the last minute.  So I couldn't come to your closet to borrow something. Literally, two hours before my staff party, I was at Act 2 looking for something.

Staff party!  Hat was not part of the original outfit but a great addition!  Pink blouse & vest!!

Christmas Day!  Again hat and glasses not part of original outfit.

I also wore this to Breton's team's hockey party.

No the vest is not real fur.  But I did have people petting me;(

To do list

Put up Christmas lights

Change furnace filter

Fix this

Fix this (put a new pluggie thing back into the sink). We have lost a few things down there...a lipbalm the whole thing is down there somewhere??!!

Either get the fan AND the light working or just find a new chandelier... With no wires hanging out:)

Happy Father's Day Dad!

 

 

Happy Dad's Day, Father! :)

 

I love you very very much!

 

I am proud when the stranger said I look like you and when others say B looks exactly like you!

 

I hope you have a great day!

A rare childhood photo of Dad.  He was always taking the pictures and never in any of them:)