"Ups And Downs"

Often, we find that life is about ups and downs. Sometimes we're on top of the world. Other times you just wonder if God has a personal grudge against you. Unfortunately, this week I'm feeling like the latter. Aegon decided to fire me last Friday for, now get this: using profanity while I was on the phone. Is that not the craziest bunch of crap you ever heard in your whole life? Another employee was sitting with me my first day on my own and, after muting the caller, said some choice words when he had to actually do something and help me. Well, some supervisors listened to the call and made up their mind that it was me that said those things and when I wouldn't say that it was me that said it, they decided to let me go. I don't cry very much but I did this day. It still feels like some awful dream. I still cannot believe that something I had worked so hard for and actually feel like I deserved is gone. I guess that's life eh? I can't let it ruin my holiday though. I really hope this is some part of God's path for me. He knows I would never jeopardize my job for a stupid reason like that. But He doesn't have to worry about money, does He? At least I don't think He does.

Saturday we went to Emily's Girl Scout Birdfeeder party at one of my favourite places, the botanical gardens. Here's what happened:


Emmy: "Hey Dad, why are there penguins at a birdfeeder party? Don't they eat fish?"
Me: "Well...yeah...hmm..."
Zach: "Gee Dad, the answers don't come very fast when you're dealing with penguins do they?"
Me: "Oh Zach, penguins love to eat little boys."
Zach: "I'll be good."


Me: "Hey Cari, um...we're not supposed to eat those."
Cari: "But Mike, this apple has peanut butter and birdseed all over it! It's so yummy!"
Me: "Lemme get a fork."


Zach: "Stop throwing leaves on me! My allergies! Where's my Singulair? My Allegra? My Astelin nasal spray?"
Me: "Gee man, how many allergy meds are you on?"

Good times.

Then we put up our tree yesterday.



Here are some of our prize-winning* ornaments:







Good times.

And finally, what pre-holiday period would be complete without Emmy's letter to Santa. Let's see what she asked for:


Will she get any of that? Well, we'll just have to wait and see I guess.

I'm not as bummed out right now as I was last week. Hopefully if I do enough looking and searching, something really great will present itself. I can always get the house cleaned up really nice. Might as well be useful in any capacity I can right?