tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197736402024-03-07T19:11:46.630-08:00the Braun BunchMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-62262059411247608762009-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:002009-12-21T10:15:55.717-08:00To My Grown Up SonYears ago, when Tye was very little, Mom gave me a copy of this poem. The other day I was going through some boxes of old pictures and found it. I thought that, since my grown up son was going to get married and move to Alberta, this might be a good time to share it.<br /><br />My hands were busy through the day<br />I didn't have much time to play<br />the little games you asked me to.<br />I didn't have much time for you.<br /><br />I'd wash your hands, I'd sew and cook,<br />but when you'd bring your picture book<br />and ask me, please to share your fun.<br />I'd say, "A little later, Son."<br /><br />I'd tuck you in all safe at night.<br />I'd hear your prayers; turn out the light.<br />Then tiptoe softly to the door.<br />I wish I'd stayed a minute more.<br /><br />For life is short. The years rush past.<br />A little boy grows up so fast.<br />No longer is he at your side,<br />his precious secrets to confide.<br /><br />The picture books are put away.<br />There are no longer games to play.<br />No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear.<br />That all belongs to yesteryear.<br /><br />My hands, once busy, now are still.<br />The days are long and hard to fill.<br />I wish I could go back and do<br />the little things you asked me to.<br /><br /><br />This poem is full of regret and sadness, which is contrary to my life with my kids. As many of you, who have known me all my life, I didn't spend a lot of time caring for my house when my kids were young. I can remember many days of playing board games and reading to my boys. I think I read "What's The Matter With Job?" 55 times in a row to Jack. I still can recite the whole story by heart. If you doubt me, just ask me someday. We also played a lot of "hide and seek" in the dark, inside the house and out. My neighbour used to complain that we were screaming all the time and it hurt her cats' ears. It also made our dog, Katy, bark like crazy. <br />So even though this poem is not completely true, I do have some regrets about the time I spent, or didn't spend, with my kids. For all of Jack's childhood, I was either a student or I worked, which meant he was in daycare. If I had been married, things may have been different, but I think if you asked either one of them, they had a pretty good childhood. I guess I just am feeling a little nostalgic today.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-41974953713325925802009-12-07T21:11:00.000-08:002009-12-07T22:01:01.273-08:00Our family has found JOY!I am going to be a Mother-In-Law. I am so excited. Tyler and Joy are going to be husband and wife. We had a weekend together with her and it was such fun getting to know her. On Sunday evening we had the family over for coffee at Joy's request. She wanted to get to know them all. She has an amazing memory, too. By the end of the evening she could tell Tye each person's name. When she found out that this wasn't even close to half of them her eyes nearly popped out.<br /><br />They are not wasting any time with long a engagement, either. They were thinking of a May long weekend wedding until I mentioned that Erica is getting married then so they decided that if they can't get married that weekend they would get married on May 1st. That way Tyler is at semester's end and they are planning a month long honeymoon here on the Island. So. That is the weekend everybody. I was given permission to put that in writing on here.<br /><br />I have some pictures of her and him from this weekend, but they are still on my camera. When I get then onto my computer, I will write a new post. With pictures. Soon. I promise.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-14736095670157445312009-11-30T20:31:00.000-08:002009-11-30T21:15:29.151-08:00Last Day of November. YAY!I have never done this posting every day for a whole month before. Oh. Wait. I didn't do it now either. :) I did try, though, and that was hard enough.<br />So my last day and what do I have to say. Susan wrote a beautiful post about sisters, although some of it was a total fabrication. I could do one too, with pictures that would show a side to them they may not want broadcast . . . but, payback's a bi...t hard to take, so that's ruled out. What can I say?<br />Hmmm. OK. I have something!<br />Our church is candidating a new Worship leader. I don't remember his name, but he was really good. I really hope they hire him. It would be nice to have the same worship leader every Sunday.<br />Hmm . . . What else. OH!<br />Tyler's girlfriend, Joy Patterson is coming to visit us on Dec 5th. She is only staying for the weekend, but I am really looking forward to talking to her face to face instead of on the phone or the computer. Then in January Tyler is moving to Calgary. He will be living with a friend of Joy's and going to school at DeVry University. I am going to miss him like crazy. He has never lived that far away from home before. It is going to be hard not seeing him every weekend or at least every second weekend. He has been such a support to me for so many years, but never more so than the last few months since I got hurt. He was amazing.<br />OK. Now I am feeling sad and don't want to write anymore. I need to think of something more cheerful or I am going to quit altogether.<br />OK. I've been sitting here trying to come up with something cheerful to write about and . . . nothing! What a pathetic life. LOL So, since Susan stole my great idea I just can't come up with anything. So I guess I'll just say Goodnight and I'll write again next month.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-33473476113761985382009-11-28T10:58:00.000-08:002009-11-28T11:48:03.674-08:00OK. A Real Post.<span style="font-family:arial;">It's November 28th and I have completely failed at this NaBloPoMo. My life just isn't exciting enough to do this every day for a whole month. I can't wait for December 1st. Then I will continue to blog, but not every day. Hopefully then, I will be able to write something a little more interesting and read-worthy.</span><br /><br />That's not the only reason I am looking December 1st. Paco is building me a table for my Christmas Village and I am hoping he will be done by next weekend. We are going to decorate the house next weekend including the tree and hopefully, the village. I love Christmas. this year we are doing something different for Christmas. Me and my kids, and David and Carolyn with their kids are going to Ucluelet for December 24, 25 and 26. We are going to be staying here. This is the Terrace Beach Resort. For any of you that are interested, it is owned by Jason Priestly and his parents.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GYo_tklubuat0NueGtmeyDpsLT4xJgLQ0-z4R70VkXgH0YetqfmNhfuYV_pImzZET-i8bntK8srHc8Z3j1iBgj8Y30ufUKr1KR871T-VGaj3oTeJy1f9s6IUao7YQ3RJoy65Qg/s1600/SeaStar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GYo_tklubuat0NueGtmeyDpsLT4xJgLQ0-z4R70VkXgH0YetqfmNhfuYV_pImzZET-i8bntK8srHc8Z3j1iBgj8Y30ufUKr1KR871T-VGaj3oTeJy1f9s6IUao7YQ3RJoy65Qg/s320/SeaStar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409240123257517858" border="0" /></a>They all come with a private hot tub and baebeque. They have an ocean view and trasils to wlak on and it is going to be completely different from our usual Christmas of too many gifts and not enough family togetherness. I am excited to be there.<br /><br />Also in December is our family gathering. Since Mom won't be here for Christmas, we are having our gathering on the last Sunday before she leaves, which is on the 13th. it's a little earlier than we usually do it, but it is important to all of us that we do it with Mom here. So I am really looking forward to December 13th.<br /><br />Now, both of the following will be interesting blogging. Telling you what I did yesterday or am going to do today would bore you all silly, since it consists of a lot of sitting, watching TV, making meals, going to therapy, and cleaning house. Although, yesterday, I had friends come over for dinner and the evening. I made homemade tomato noodle soup, and we played a four hour game of Settlers of Catan. that was fun. I should have taken a picture of our huge board to show you, but I didn't so you'll have to take my word for it.<br /><br />OK. that is it. I have nothing more for you today. I will try to do something tomorrow, but don't hold your breath.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-34099279557952754222009-11-25T22:31:00.000-08:002009-11-25T22:33:17.569-08:00I'm just too tired.Sorry, but it's late and I was in Victoria all day. I am tired and want to go to bed. I will do a proper post tomorrow, I promise . . . to try really, really hard. OK then. Goodnight all.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-72819344070306490882009-11-23T19:53:00.000-08:002009-11-23T20:20:58.464-08:00AND . . . More doctor's appointmentsToday I went to see the surgeon who put my leg back together. He is a very nice doctor and even showed me pictures of my leg during surgery. He pointed out the hamstring and where it was supposed to be, but wasn't, and the sciatic nerve. It is huge! I always thought that nerves were these tiny hair-like things, but this nerve is huge! It as as big around as a man's thumb. Anyway, the picture was very cool. He also showed me pictures from my first MRI which was also very cool, and pictures of the MRI from 2 weeks ago. I have been having some pretty serious lower back pain and he just wanted to make sure that I hadn't done something serious when I first hurt myself. The back pain has two causes. Since I was first hurt, I have been sitting crooked, standing crooked and walking crooked. This has caused three discs in my lower back to slip out of place and one of them is just touching the sciatic nerve. So the pain from that is causing my leg to hurt and the slipped discs are causing my back to hurt. He said we have three options. Option #1 - put me in a drug induced coma until next July or August and then when I wake up we can start rebuilding the muscles. Option #2 - Do nothing. That means that it could take another year or two before I would be "better". Option #3 - Have an epidural. He did warn me though, that even though these were commonly used on women to assist with difficult deliveries that he wanted to stress that I would NOT get a baby at the end of this. Funny man. So we decided to go with option #3. He said that I could expect one of two things. The injection would fool the nerve into not feeling the pain which would in turn assist me with the therapy and rebuilding of my hamstring muscles. OR it could do nothing and then we go with option #2. So now I just wait to hear from the anesthesiologist in Victoria who will be performing the epidural, which should be in about 2 weeks. Then possibly another 2 weeks until the shot and another 2 weeks to go back and see Dr. Gutmanis, my surgeon. As for going back to work, he doesn't even want to talk about that until he sees me again in approximately 6 weeks. AARRGG!! So I will have to content myself with sitting and doing not a whole lot. I think i will have to have a scrap-booking day at my house very soon. <br /><br />PS. I wish I had the picture he showed me of my thigh cut wide open. I'd post it for all of you. BUT, I don't so I'm sorry for all of you who would like to see that. :)Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-3399571190361663782009-11-21T19:43:00.000-08:002009-11-21T19:47:11.789-08:00Too much fun.On the 19th I had a really lame post, but told you that I would try to do better on the 20th. The 20th came and went with no post. All I can say is...Oh well. You'll have to get over it. My Mom is here and I don't want to write a long post when i could be playing skipbo or golf with her. So in the future, if there is nothing written here, you'll know why. OK. Gotta go. I think it's my turn to deal.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-70026736394860200622009-11-19T10:26:00.000-08:002009-11-19T10:37:12.823-08:00NaBloPoMoI am completely terrible at this. I haven't gone to check how many days I have missed and I'm not going to. Today is not much different. I am at a loss for what to write about so here is my big post.<br />My daughter, Alethea has started to blog. This is where you can read it.<br />http://aletheabraun.blogspot.com<br />She really wants to do this and, I know for myself that if I get comments, I feel like doing it again.<br />So that's it for today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-7249640670184621382009-11-16T20:33:00.000-08:002009-11-16T21:00:48.496-08:00I Miss Summer. AlreadyI know it's only November, but having been injured and immobile all summer, i feel like I missed the whole thing. now I miss the sunsets from the Beach Hut.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYQv8FII_tp-PQzmXduMMgj2Urm2Jv8m5v895VxnmZh8hOZJ3XXacb7L3alE8EEhs5xjzDGCwW26IYy_Lr2ZxzyaPVPP9CRoubs8cXXT4FiwPGKKiWauJm4TYDHkA5ONWqi4Kkg/s1600/Beautiful+sunset+%40+the+Beach+Hut+07-08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYQv8FII_tp-PQzmXduMMgj2Urm2Jv8m5v895VxnmZh8hOZJ3XXacb7L3alE8EEhs5xjzDGCwW26IYy_Lr2ZxzyaPVPP9CRoubs8cXXT4FiwPGKKiWauJm4TYDHkA5ONWqi4Kkg/s320/Beautiful+sunset+%40+the+Beach+Hut+07-08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404931117783770610" border="0" /></a>Isn't that a beautiful sight? Sitting there with family, while a warm breeze blows, the waves gently come into shore and the sun goes down.<br /><br />I also miss going to the lake. We only went once this summer. Last year we went at least 8 times and spent the whole day, laying on the beach, eating, swimming and laying on the beach again.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQH6DzNu0qYI28cMwvJtOudFnhmePiUeZHvdwd3VYHm70RXyoFh7UMDe1nQwKMB0J5D9TKRN8i1LKfwFyJyM59AUowz8wdJBFxiwpLOs4bEy0IDO18513GdwfbOKbH3rS1DEcCA/s1600/Spider+Lake+07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQH6DzNu0qYI28cMwvJtOudFnhmePiUeZHvdwd3VYHm70RXyoFh7UMDe1nQwKMB0J5D9TKRN8i1LKfwFyJyM59AUowz8wdJBFxiwpLOs4bEy0IDO18513GdwfbOKbH3rS1DEcCA/s320/Spider+Lake+07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404931109206169970" border="0" /></a><br />Now we can look forward to the following for at least another 3 months. We do get some sunny days too, but this is the story of our winter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4Uia8tl84vGtnN0M5olL-McMsO3jTNtBantZwEPyZP51Mu6teIV7PNDvSqeOev8_FRW67J4TCQ54ljZRkLvKeNt3WfQCTEv-Mtk6Vf6NF9ZS1BASbkm19unYGEzckfnRVTYYw/s1600/(++Umbrella%29+Shit+it%27s+Raining+04-08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4Uia8tl84vGtnN0M5olL-McMsO3jTNtBantZwEPyZP51Mu6teIV7PNDvSqeOev8_FRW67J4TCQ54ljZRkLvKeNt3WfQCTEv-Mtk6Vf6NF9ZS1BASbkm19unYGEzckfnRVTYYw/s320/(++Umbrella%29+Shit+it%27s+Raining+04-08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404931100503706050" border="0" /></a>Mitz, Mom and I found this umbrella last year in Whippletree Junction. It pretty much sums up the way it is here right now.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-62553178899317489182009-11-14T11:07:00.000-08:002009-11-14T11:28:22.819-08:00Mocha.All you who think this blog is going to be about Tim Hortons or Starbucks, you are in for a disappointment. I love both of those places and I love a good mocha. Not too often because they go straight to the hips.<br />The Mocha I am talking about is Alethea's pet rabbit. She is cute enough as rabbits go, (actually she is cuter than most) but she is still a rabbit. She is a dwarf with perky little ears and a very nice color.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2442Tw7g_KYnOi83h0Ge_YewESztB6EQm0e9cPCNmWUtJL3ILoZbh6yjxzSUKYZKuQEy2ZqMWaIYXkqXsZgBzRcL3GE8-ifCBvtQO_KuJE_ezp6w4ztgp4dEt5hJWdlx5gSoHMA/s1600-h/New+folder+042.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2442Tw7g_KYnOi83h0Ge_YewESztB6EQm0e9cPCNmWUtJL3ILoZbh6yjxzSUKYZKuQEy2ZqMWaIYXkqXsZgBzRcL3GE8-ifCBvtQO_KuJE_ezp6w4ztgp4dEt5hJWdlx5gSoHMA/s320/New+folder+042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404041087136718034" border="0" /></a><br />So she's pretty cute, right? Well, I think this rabbit has issues. She has a nice big cage with beautiful clean wood shavings, a water bottle, a little house for that safe feeling, (which she never uses) and even toys for entertainment. In the summer I don't even mind her, but now that it is colder and rainy outside, she lives in the house. She puts her nose down in the wood shavings and pushes them around until she has a pile of them on the floor. She doesn't seem to care that she pushes her nose right into the corner where she poops and pees. So now I have wet wood shavings and little round balls of poop on my floor. And she stinks. Not her cage so much because Alethea cleans it regularly. She, Mocha, stinks. If Alethea or Grace hold her while they watch TV, I can smell it on their cloths later. I don't know why she stinks. She just does. I think I would rather have Chris's Frankie in my house. I might change my mind if I tried it for a while, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't.<br /><br />Anyway, this is what you get for a blog when I am supposed to do this every day. I know, I know. I missed yesterday. I was busy with Mom. And then later with Jack. So this is all I have. I need to go get ready for Shawn and Steph's wedding.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-89282727680860823862009-11-10T20:43:00.000-08:002009-11-10T21:00:14.038-08:00Laundry.I hate doing laundry. I mean I really hate doing laundry. Most of all I hate putting it away. I wash it, fold it and put it in the laundry basket to bring to where it belongs and then . . . I just run out of motivation. I would rather rearrange my basement, clean the bathroom, wash windows, almost anything besides laundry. But, I did laundry today. Five loads of towels and sheets. I have the last load in the dryer as I write this. All the other loads are folded and in a laundry basket and on neatly folded stacks on the coffee table in my living room, waiting to be put away. It would help if I had a proper place to put them. I would, too, if I had a good place to store all my small appliances and other kitchen gadgets, but I had to store these in the linen closet because it's just outside of the kitchen. So my linen closet is full of small appliances and kitchen gadgets. I like kitchen gadgets and small appliances. I mean I really like them. But I digress. this is about why my laundry is neatly folded in my living room. Oops. It's not even about that. It's about me hating laundry. This is one thing I did NOT inherit from my mother. She loves doing laundry. She will go around asking people if they have laundry to do. I know that you all know how much she loves doing laundry. Dad used to say that she wouldn't even wait for him to get his socks off at night before she was taking them to the laundry room.<br />So, you might wonder why I am posting about laundry. Well, my Mom is coming here tomorrow and is staying for just over a month. I did not want her to come over and head straight for my laundry room and start washing towels. So I am depriving her of one of her greatest joys and doing something I hate. Why am I doing this? Because even though I am over 50, I still look for my mother's approval. Weird. I don't so much in other areas, but this is one area that I do. I'm not a great gardener and Mom loves it, but it doesn't matter if she thinks I'm a loser in this area. Just my laundry. I think I might need some therapy regarding this.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-34356399205285914652009-11-09T16:43:00.000-08:002009-11-09T16:58:37.502-08:00My short weekend.I am tired. I did very little more than lay in bed, watch TV, nap and read. I got there Saturday at 6 pm and went with Brent and Rhea to Brent's friend Tim's house for supper. It was a bit awkward until Tim's fiancé came and gave me a hug and told me that she always wanted to be a wedding crasher. LOL We went back to the hotel around 9, sat and chatted and had a beer and went to bed around 11. On Sunday morning we went for breakfast and then decided that since we had all seen Craigdarrock Castle before we would go see Hatley Castle. We drove way across Victoria and then when we got there we could only go to the gift shop in the basement. The castle was closed to the public. It would have been nice if that was posted on the website. By the time we got back to the hotel there wasn't enough time to go to Craigdarrock Castle so we just went to the grocery store and picked up some food and went back to the hotel for lunch. Then Brent and Rhea went to the wedding and I stayed in the room and did the afore-mentioned. It was actually quiet nice.<br />The train ride was also nice. I think all the beauty the Via Rail website brags about must happen North of here because from here to Victoria was nice enough, but nothing I would brag about. You see more beautiful scenery if you drive. Most of the tracks are in heavy forest so there isn't much to see and when it isn't in forest it runs behind most buildings so I got to see some unbeleivably messy back yards but also some beautifully manicured yards. Other than that there wasn't much to see. But it was relaxing. I fell asleep on the way there when it got dark.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-89293449168317071782009-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:002009-11-06T18:35:07.854-08:00VIA Rail, here I come.I am going to Victoria this week to spend a day and a half with my good friend Rhea. She and her husband Brent are flying here from Calgary for Brent's best friend's wedding. So I am taking the train to Victoria to spend time with Rhea while Brent is busy with Tim. We are going to have so much fun. We are going to Craigdurrock Castle,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SMfJlTm49AoAKsyOghGiDAAlvbatPgTS9zDBDX-aTtV07K4WuA7L_3LoON7gi3pcIzL_K7h_yj5hY7Ie179WhAXGCCZP8ixhwh5DQ-CtLrWI0UaDXvdBx_CaQLGlgXlDme-RUw/s1600-h/CraigdarochCastle1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SMfJlTm49AoAKsyOghGiDAAlvbatPgTS9zDBDX-aTtV07K4WuA7L_3LoON7gi3pcIzL_K7h_yj5hY7Ie179WhAXGCCZP8ixhwh5DQ-CtLrWI0UaDXvdBx_CaQLGlgXlDme-RUw/s320/CraigdarochCastle1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401179974740817074" border="0" /></a><br /> And the inside foyer<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2A-fuTXe7-S4PMQu4eSBKpSP19KwhuN7XjTFx55KwPwACgHiXvlGKiMYbnqJ-Se1rcNUlZLuEonZlTmCW9lNuCTNeROT-fzpcuHfebp9pfS7JnvXPMzhq1qAneM8VJigKtMIBg/s1600-h/Craigdarroch+castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2A-fuTXe7-S4PMQu4eSBKpSP19KwhuN7XjTFx55KwPwACgHiXvlGKiMYbnqJ-Se1rcNUlZLuEonZlTmCW9lNuCTNeROT-fzpcuHfebp9pfS7JnvXPMzhq1qAneM8VJigKtMIBg/s320/Craigdarroch+castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401180930548729842" border="0" /></a> <br /> And Hatley Castle<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3fQjX6O5bg8-xuSbiSwFdD0OH-BfZbrhK_6lHploGD7yPRshYCp8JHGWbLdTjUXNZEH7HK73expQezJVNgxHwfF-n75e1SHdEi1X3D4IUtAzaiqNSqVaUNeAKb0sA0MPA6CCuQ/s1600-h/Hatley+Castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3fQjX6O5bg8-xuSbiSwFdD0OH-BfZbrhK_6lHploGD7yPRshYCp8JHGWbLdTjUXNZEH7HK73expQezJVNgxHwfF-n75e1SHdEi1X3D4IUtAzaiqNSqVaUNeAKb0sA0MPA6CCuQ/s320/Hatley+Castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401179990637494866" border="0" /></a><br />We might find time to go to the inner Harbor, but by that time I might be ready to lay down and die so we'll play it by ear. Taking the train from here to Victoria is only $18. It has been said that this train ride runs along some of the most beautiful country in Canada.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6o8-uSQwvNxGlz2I4J1RsfztGR61t9R3_JnhGDtanHYPjEpY86HnZfKvZ9c83bWXg6m6ZYi2sYrg6r9oKgWf_k0I0h1ovNjTmaxRQBIKfAKipsiAY4vD_MytVmcDBWGgrh2BuA/s1600-h/canada-train-trip.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6o8-uSQwvNxGlz2I4J1RsfztGR61t9R3_JnhGDtanHYPjEpY86HnZfKvZ9c83bWXg6m6ZYi2sYrg6r9oKgWf_k0I0h1ovNjTmaxRQBIKfAKipsiAY4vD_MytVmcDBWGgrh2BuA/s320/canada-train-trip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401184120229267154" border="0" /></a> I am looking forward to finding out.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-55081498065090583112009-11-05T17:22:00.000-08:002009-11-05T17:50:39.700-08:00I'm boredLately, every day I go for physio or just to the pool and then back home to watch the grass grow and the rain fall. I can't go for walks and it's not because of the rain either. It's because I have trouble walking, and I'm sick of it. If I was healthy I could go to work and my days would be busy again. if I had kids at home I would love to be a stay at home Mom. Now I do a little housework and then sit down to either read a book or watch TV. I make dinner sometimes, and I bake occasionally, but I can only do that for a little while and then I need to sit down because my back is sore.<br /><br />OK. This is such a loser post. My life had better get a little more exciting or this NaBloPoMo is going to be really, really tricky.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-83386591265489891832009-11-03T07:20:00.000-08:002009-11-03T08:05:48.715-08:00E-HarmonyThere are many opinions about dating sites out there. To some it is a place to meet people and maybe, if you're lucky, find a person you could date, get to know, and again, if you're lucky, actually get married to. To others it is a shopping mall for sexual predators. To others, still, it is a multitude of desperate people to pick up, use, abuse and toss aside. BUT, to some, very select people it is a chance to find their soul mate.<br /><br />My son, Tyler has been thinking of the whole possibility of getting a "girlfriend" and maybe, some day, getting married. Last year at school, he met a girl at university he thought might be that girl. Her name is Ruth, she's a Christian and she lived in his building. He tried. He talked to her every chance he got, he even drove her to her Bible camp (where she worked for the summer) in Cowichan, but no luck. So this summer, he went on e-harmony on one of their free weekends. The way e-harmony works is, you have to fill out a very lengthy, detailed questionnaire about yourself and the person you are looking for. Then there are 5 steps to go before you even get to email each other. If both parties are not quick to respond to each other the weekend is over and you lose the opportunity to connect. Thankfully, for Tye, they both were quick enough to get to the email section before the end of the weekend. And that is how he met Joy.<br />Joy is exactly what Tye has been looking for in a woman. She is a very strong Christian, loves the outdoors, hiking, climbing, camping, swimming, snowboarding and even white water rafting. She is a little shy, but opens right up when she gets to know you. She isn't a girly-girl who likes all the attention focused on her. She almost never wears dresses or make-up. She has long strawberry blond, almost red hair and freckles. Tye said it was as if God looked around the planet and found Joy for him.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N1RDMNjSVgw-svI-cWO0MkU-hROtTCuE8YgAO1MK2t9M8SkDaM0EfbXjXBi9tsXzDPzhYfNP4in1WXEhn-VkgKUWiIBBHz1xJPqfI-ZfQOwFJRIqzc1emHx5jG160q3YAWW3GA/s1600-h/Joy+and+Tye+044.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N1RDMNjSVgw-svI-cWO0MkU-hROtTCuE8YgAO1MK2t9M8SkDaM0EfbXjXBi9tsXzDPzhYfNP4in1WXEhn-VkgKUWiIBBHz1xJPqfI-ZfQOwFJRIqzc1emHx5jG160q3YAWW3GA/s320/Joy+and+Tye+044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399908070013766146" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So does e-harmony work? It would seem so. So I got to thinking...maybe I should give it a try. So I joined and . . . nothing. Three profiles were sent my way and they all live in either Washington State or Vancouver. None of them are willing to relocate and neither am I, at least not to either of those places. So I'll wait until the year is up and then maybe I could be in a TV commercial telling about the ones that don't work. I think I should have stuck to the free weekend.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-27962155691082410122009-11-02T09:10:00.001-08:002009-11-02T12:35:45.098-08:00NaBloPoMoI am doing this for Chris. I haven't blogged regularly in a long time, so I may miss a day or two, but I will do my best.<br /><br />My son, Jack was almost stranded in Sask. He went there for John's funeral with David and Carolyn and now they have been sick for the last week. Also, Jack was exposed to a confirmed case of the Swine Flu while staying at Jake and Colleen's when Emily got sick. That means that he could get sick while on the way home in the van. David and Carolyn are quiet convinced that their kids, as well as Carolyn and possibly David, have all had it over the past week. The kids displayed almost all of the symptoms. So they aren't too worried about being exposed, but if Jack got sick while in the van, he would have to doctor himself. If he stays at Mom's until the possibility of having the Swine flu passes then he could fly here with her, unless he is still sick...or there is also the possibility that Mom could have caught it on the weekend. Do you see my dilemma? He is also missing work which has been quite and ordeal for Carrie, since she is picking up the slack for him.<br />So I went online to book him a flight to come home with Mom on the 11th, but couldn't get on the phone with Westjet and when I went online I needed Mom's user name and password, which she couldn't remember. So I called David to talk to him and it looks like their biggest worry is that if Jack gets really sick on the way home, how to best deal with that. Jack said to just take him out of the way somewhere and shoot him, because he doesn't want the test for the Swine flu. (Up the nose with a long, long Q-tip.) Now it looks like he will be leaving tomorrow morning and arriving home on Wednesday. Unless Cadence is still running a fever. They will take it day by day. I'm so sorry Carrie. I wish I could come and do his shift. <span style="font-style: italic;">Not really, but kind of.</span>Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-59292017450161414782009-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:002009-10-28T12:59:34.849-07:00I am sad.I cannot believe that it has been this long since I have written here. I am on Face Book almost every day, but the only blogs I have been reading for months are Chris's and Becky's. I am sad to say that I stopped checking John's after he stopped posting for a few months. I wish I had checked more often.<br />John tagged me on his last post about "Honest Scrap", so I am going to do it now.<br /><br />1. I love the ocean. Last Night I took Grace to her school for an evening function and had to drive along the Island Highway along the coast. The wind out on the ocean must have been pretty strong. The waves were crashing onto the rocks along the sea wall and I just had to stop and listen. I walked out onto the rocks a little way and sat down on a log and listened. Did you know that when the water retreats between waves the rocks make a tinkling noise? It is so beautiful. It's as if they were singing. So I sat there and sang the song "Give Me Jesus" and cried. I miss my brother and my Dad. <br /><br />2. I love my house. It is on a very quiet road. It has big rooms and lots of sunlight. I really like my kitchen. My back yard is very nice. My front yard will be by this time next year. I have fruit trees in my back yard. Apple, Yellow Plum, Green Grape, Kiwi, Bing Cherry, and I have been told a Peach. I can't wait for next Spring.<br /><br />3. I have many regrets. I usually don't waste a lot of time on regrets. Just long enough to realize that I need to make some changes. One of my biggest regrets is not calling my family in Saskatchewan and Alberta enough. We always say we are going to do better, but then when it really matters we find ourselves busy with everyday life. I really, really want to change that. I am a little envious of my sister Sue, who spent a lot of time with John and Chris before John passed away and the same with my Dad. I am going to try to do better.<br /><br />4. I hate driving in snow. I am not the world's worst driver, but neither am I the best. That isn't what makes winter driving so terrible though. It's all those drivers on the road who <span style="font-style: italic;">think </span>they are the world's best drivers that frighten me. I am really hoping for very little snow this year. Living closer to the water does make that a little more realistic than last year when I lived close to the mountain.<br /><br />5. When I was young I wanted to be a missionary. My Mom used to give my sisters and I the Sears catalogue when it would expire. We would cut out our favorite moms and dads and kids and furniture and paste them to pieces of cardboard paper Mom would save from her packages of nylons. Then we would cut them out and make our little families. Susan and Mitz would have a Mom and Dad and 10 - 15 kids. I would have only as Mom and about 35 -40 kids and would be the owner of an orphanage. Now you all know why I am a foster parent. God created me to be a missionary.<br /><br />6. I drive a two-tone, panel-sided, 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass station wagon. I love my car. I bought it 4 years ago at an auction for $600. Two years ago I paid $1200 for and engine repair and other than that it has been normal maintenance. So let's say then that I paid $1800 for my car. It has almost 400,000 kms on it. When it was new it was a very fancy care. Everything is power. Seats, A/C, tilt, cruise, pretty much loaded. Everything still works accept the cassette player. It does 27 mpg weather I am driving just around here or all the way to Sask. It doesn't use oil. It is like the energizer bunny. It just keeps going ang going and... I love my car.<br /><br />7. I have a need to help people. I don't know if it's the "missionary" personality I have, but it's not always good for me. I let people use me and take advantage of me. They suck me dry. It's not as if they want to spend time with me. They only call me when they need something, never just to spend time together. I have a hard time saying no because I hate confrontation.<br /><br />8. I, like my Mom and apparently my brother John, am a pack rat. I am getting better, but I am still a pack rat. It used to be I had a hard time getting rid of things and in that I am much better. My main problem now, lies in that I see something that I think would be useful and buy it. I do a lot of shopping (browsing) in second hand stores and I love garage sales. My main weakness is kitchen gadgets. I have so many gadgets that I have never used, but can't see any good reason to get rid of them. After all, they don't take up a lot of space and I keep thinking that I will need it one day and then I won't have it. That is not good.<br /><br />9. I am very, very afraid of spiders. i hate all insects, but nothing can freak me out like a spider. Even if it is no bigger than the end of a pencil. The bigger the spider, of course, the worse it is. Over the years I have gotten to where I can kill a small spider, but we have Wolf Spiders here and they can get pretty big. I killed one about a year ago, but only because I was home alone and I knew that if I didn't, it would be in the house and I wouldn't know where. That is more than I can stand, so I killed it. With my shoe. It took about 2 minutes of deep breathing and praying for me to be able to get close enough to hit it. Even then I just wanted to throw up, because I had to look at it to kill it. If I am watching TV and there is a spider on the screen, I can't look. My throat closes and I feel trapped. I hate spiders.<br /><br />10. I love the name Meemo. It was given to me by my nephew, Ethan when he was 2. Now I am Meemo to all the little children in my life. When I become a grandma, I am going to tell my children that I am Meemo to their children.<br /><br />That's it. I am done. I had a hard time coming up with some of this. I know. By the amount I wrote you wouldn't know that, but I did. So, I am going to tag a few people.<br /><br />1. Sue<br />2. Mitz<br />3. CarolMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-2456015474963598962009-01-19T06:18:00.000-08:002009-01-19T08:35:06.823-08:00Almost a year.It has been almost a year since my last post. I was going to post exactly a year to the date and now, because I got tagged, I have to post early. :) My brother John tagged me.<br /><br />So here goes.<br />1) I am mostly a country girl, but I do like living in town. Here's why I am both. Living in town, I can send the kids to the store if I need something quick. The kids can walk to and from school so I don't have to worry about them missing the bus and having to drive them. OK. That's the only reasons I can come up with.<br />Living in the country. If I sit in my back yard I can hear the water running in the creek in my backyard instead of the steady stream of traffic revving their engines to make it up the hill beside my house. I can also sleep with my window opened, and again, hear the creek, birds, the breeze in the trees, and, you guessed it, no traffic.<br /><br />2) I am over weight. I have struggled with my weight since having a hysterectomy in 1989. It is the one thing I struggle with on a continual basis. When I was a smoker (back in the 70's) I smoked almost 2 packs a day. I also drank about 30 cups of coffee in a day. Talk about addicted. Then one day God sent me a vision and I made a decision to quit. It was so hard. Mom took Tye over to spend the weekend with them and I curled up in my apartment and was sick for 3 days. But I quit. Losing weight is so much more difficult. When I quit smoking, I got rid of my leftover cigarettes and just didn't have any in my house. I could quit. I can't do that with food, though. I have to buy food. I have to prepare it for my children. I have to eat it. The trick is to stop eating before you get full and to eat the right foods. It would be so much easier if I could just quit buying, preparing and eating. One day, when I get to Heaven, I will weigh my ideal 135 lbs and I will look so good. :) In the meantime, I will work and struggle with my weight.<br /><br />3) When I grow up, I want to be a missionary. I watched a show the other day and I saw older, single women, living in villages in all different parts of the world, being house mothers for up to 15 children in a house. They had two daytime helpers, but the "mothers" lived in the house and took care of the children. At one of the homes the oldest children were around 10 and the youngest were toddlers. That's my home.<br />However, the fact that this is an almost unreachable dream, is something I have almost come to terms with...almost. My life choices when I was young made this unattainable at the time, as have my life choices now that I am almost old. Don't get me wrong. I love what I do. I am a mother to 5 children, 2 grown up boys I gave birth to and 3 girls I adopted. I love my family. I have a job I wouldn't want to give up for any other. But I believe that God implants in each of us desires and a purpose for our life. He tells us in His word that He will give us the desires of our heart, (Ps 37:4) which tells me that we have desires. I believe these are also given to us by God. My desire has always been to be a missionary, working with children. So I have made some adjustments. I do it in my own country and I have been a missionary to more than 50 children. So, in a way, I have attained my dream and maybe even grown up a bit.<br /><br />4) I drive old cars. I haven't had a new car, or even newer, since I became a mother. I am currently driving a "92 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser, that my kids call the "loser cruiser". I totally believe they love the car and that this is an affectionate nickname for our beloved, wood paneled, brown station wagon with a "turn around" seat in the back. When I drive up at their school to pick them up, everyone looks and points at me and I know they are talking about what a cute car I drive. My children are so humble, though. They quietly walk up to the car with their heads bowed and get in, sitting quietly while we drive away. I am so proud of them. They could be strutting up to the car, bragging and gloating in front of the whole school, but they don't. I was going to get a new car, but I know that my children would be sad to see our "loser cruiser" laid to rest so I think I will keep it until I know longer get to pick them up at school.<br /><br />5) I am loud. I don't like it, but I do recognize that it is a fact. I think it is partly a family trait, but I wish I had inherited a different one. I am working on not being loud, but it's hard changing something that has been a part of you for so many years. When I was a child, I was so shy that I wouldn't talk to anyone outside of family. Starting school was so traumatic. I remember peeing my pants when I was asked to share with the class for show and tell. Even as a teenager, I was shy. I talked to my siblings and I'm sure that on occasions, I was loud then, but it didn't seem to become a part of my character until I was about 18. I was working at a sewing factory (GWG) and had no friends. I was shy, awkward and not very cute. I had a broken tooth and bad skin. One day I was riding Rusty (my amazing little horse) out in the field and pretending I was popular and pretty. I knew this was really not "normal" to be pretending in my head, but it seemed the only place I was what I wanted to be. I made a decision that day. I was either going to change or I was going to run away forever. I talked it over with Rusty and decided that living without my family would be too difficult so I decided to change. It wasn't easy. I started approaching people and starting conversations with them. I liked how it felt and I think I learned to cover up my shyness that way. I am still shy and have to urge myself to talk when I am around new people. The problem with this is that I have created a monster. I can't stop it and I have become a loud, shy person, which is an oxymoron, I know, but still a fact.<br /><br />So, there you have it. I am going to do what John did and tag a few people.<br /><br />Sue<br />Chris<br />CarrieMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-84412830225018095492008-03-28T07:07:00.001-07:002008-03-28T08:00:38.421-07:00Gimme a Break.I have had such a busy Spring Break that I am thinking, I need a break. Yes, I need a break from Spring Break. Don't get me wrong. I have had a great time. I'm just tired from all the fun. I'm sick, too, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I don't have time to wipe my nose or cough so I just don't have a runny nose and I don't cough. Talk about self control. Yeah, right. I should be so lucky. The part about not having time to be sick is true. The rest? All I can say is "cough cough" "sniff sniff" "I wanna go to bed". That last past is said with a nasal whine. Did you hear that?<br /><br />My Spring Break started out with 3 day, 2 nights in Vancouver at the Teacher's Convention. We stayed at a 5 star hotel overlooking the Water, downtown and Stanley Park. The beds were amazing, the service was perfection, and hanging out with friends during and between workshops was pretty cool, too. We went to "The Old Spaghetti Factory" in Gastown for lunch one day. We walked along the sea wall during the one hour that we didn't have rain. It was quite relaxing. Then I went home.<br /><br />First thing to do was a thorough house cleaning. After all, Tye was here and "in charge" while I was gone for 3 days and he is a guy, after all. So Monday I cleaned the house, Tuesday I did all my shopping, Wednesday' Thursday and Friday I tried to have some time with my kids and my Mom. Then on Saturday I went to the airport in Comox to pick up Brent and Rhea and their twins at the airport. About 10 kms before the exit into Courtney I noticed that my car was no longer heating. I checked my engine heat gauge and it showed just below 100* which is where it is supposed to be. Then I slowed down to take the exit and the needle suddenly jumped to the red line. I pulled over and I could hear the fluid bubbling. Now I was still about 20 minutes from the airport and my car broke down. The first thing I did was call Tye in Nanaimo, who dropped everything and came flying, and I mean flying, to my rescue. I tried to call the airport to see if I could get a message to Rhea, but all I got was voice messages. Then I called Carolyn for some numbers for tow trucks and arranged to have my car towed. Just at that time, a good Samaritan pulled up and drove me to the airport. Tye got there about 15 minutes after me. We had a few days with Brent and Rhea, but couldn't take them anywhere because my car was parked in Comox and the van doesn't seat 10 people. So we went to a few places close by and the rest of the time we stayed around town or at the beach. On Monday I took them to the train station and then had the rest of the day and the next day to spend with Mom and my kids. Then on Wednesday I picked up my friend Marge Giesbrecht, at the Nanaimo airport. She is going home tomorrow around noon and then I get to spend a few days with my kids and see my Mom again for a few days before I start back to school.<br /><br />So, I need a break from my break.<br /><br />On another note, which you Saskatchewanians are going to enjoy and you BCers aren't going to believe. Yesterday, I was going to take my friend Marge to the Cathedral Grove and got just past the gas bar at Whiskey Creek. It started to snow! I'm not talking about a few flakes that were rain and then turned a little flaky. I'm talking big, white, heavy snowflakes, and lots of them. I stopped my car and decided that I didn't want to get caught in a white out. I took some pictures with my phone, which didn't do it justice, and turned around to go home. As I turned around and started to drive the snow disappeared. I looked back at a wall of white. Again, I took a picture with my phone, but you can't tell what it was supposed to be. I am so ticked! Snow in March! Lots of snow, not just a few flakes. It stuck to my windshield and to the grass at the side of the road. To top it all off, as i am sitting here writing this I looked out the window and, you guessed it, SNOW! What in the world is happening? I feel like I am back in Saskatchewan! I think they should change the name of this province to British Saskatchewan. B.S. Yeah. That's it. "Where do you live?" "I live in Qualicum Beach, B.S." That's all I've got to say.<br /><br />Gimme A Break!Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-41636994214026895992008-03-17T08:26:00.000-07:002008-03-17T09:00:43.196-07:00Chris sent me this a couple of weeks ago and I haven't had time to do it until now. So, now that I'm on my 2 week Spring Break, I thought it would be a good time to do it.<br /><br />01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink<br />02. Swam with dolphins<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">03. Climbed a mountain.</strong><br />04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive<br />05. Been inside the Great Pyramid<br />06. Held a tarantula<br /><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">08. Said “I love you” and meant it</strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> 09. Hugged a tree</span><br />10. Bungee jumped<br />11. Visited Paris<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">12. Watched a lightning storm at sea</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise</strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> 14. Seen the Northern Lights </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">15. Gone to a huge sports game <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(Watched the Calgary Flames beat some American team. I forget who)</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal;"></span></strong><br />16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables</strong><br />18. Touched an iceberg<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 19. Slept under the stars</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">20. Changed a baby’s diaper</strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br />21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 22. Watched a meteor shower</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 23. Gotten drunk on champagne</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">24. Given more than you can afford to charity</strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> </span><br />25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 27. Had a food fight</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">28. Bet on a winning horse </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(I didn't win, but I bet on a horse that belonged to Mr. Zaretski, a teacher at Valley Manor Elementary)</span></span><br />29. Asked out a stranger<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> 30. Had a snowball fight</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can</strong> (Had a contest with Jack. I lost.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">32. Held a lamb</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">33. Seen a total eclipse</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">34. Ridden a roller coaster</strong><br />35. Hit a home run<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking</strong><br />37. Adopted an accent for an entire day<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment</strong><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">39. Had two hard drives for your computer</strong><br />40. Visited all 50 states<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> 41. Taken care of someone who was drunk</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">42. Had amazing friends</strong><br />43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">44. Watched whales</strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 45. Stolen a sign </span><br />46. Backpacked in Europe<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">47. Taken a road-trip</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">48. Gone rock climbing</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach</strong><br />50. Gone sky diving<br />51. Visited Ireland<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - with that person!</strong><br />53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them<br />54. Visited Japan<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 55. Milked a cow</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><br />56. Alphabetized your CDs<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 57. Pretended to be a superhero</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">58. Sung karaoke <span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">( I bought Allysysn a karaoke machine for Christmas and we had a singing night.</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">59. Lounged around in bed all day</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">60. Played touch football</strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 61. Gone scuba diving </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 62. Kissed in the rain</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 63. Played in the mud</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 64. Played in the rain</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 65. Gone to a drive-in theatre</span><br />66. Visited the Great Wall of China<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">67. Started a business</strong><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken</strong><br />69. Toured ancient sites<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 70. Taken a martial arts class </span><br />71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">72. Gotten married</strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 73. Been in a movie</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> </span><br /></span></span><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">74. Crashed a party</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(Chris, Glenda, Sue and I crashed Becky's bacheloret party dressed up to the nines)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">75. Gotten divorced</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">76. Gone without food for 5 days </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(It was for a week. I was fasting. i drank loads of water and Chicken broth)</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">77. Made cookies from scratch</strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> </span><br />78. Won first prize in a costume contest<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">79. Ridden a gondola in Venice</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">80. Gotten a tattoo</strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> </span><br />81. Rafted the Snake River<br />82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 83. Gotten flowers for no reason</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">84. Performed on stage</span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">85. Been to Las Vegas</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal;"></span></strong><br />86. Recorded music<br />87. Eaten shark<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 88. Kissed on the first date</span><br />89. Gone to Thailand<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">90. Bought a house</strong><br />91. Been in a combat zone<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> 92. Buried one/both of your parents</span><br />93. Been on a cruise ship<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">94. Spoken more than one language fluently</strong><br />95. Performed in Rocky Horror<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">96. Raised children</strong><br />97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour<br /><strong>98. <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Passed out cold</span></strong><br />99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over</strong><strong style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;"> </strong><strong style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">(I've actually done that a few times. Now I think I'll stay put since i can't think of any place better to live)</strong><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><br />103. Had plastic surgery<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(It wasn't car accident, but when a 100 pound horse falls and rolls over you, I think it counts)</span><br />105. Wrote articles for a large publication<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">106. Lost over 100 pounds </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(Sadly, I've gained back about 45 lbs)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> 107. Held someone while they were having a flashback</span><br />108. Piloted an airplane<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">109. Touched a stingray</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">110. Broken someone’s heart</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> (</span> this was a long, long time ago)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">111. Helped an animal give birth </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(I grew up on a farm. I had to help a mare while working at the Horses For the Handicapped)</span><br />112. Won money on a TV game show<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">113. Broken a bone </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(Had a horse roll over me. That would break one or two bones)</span><br />114. Gone on an African photo safari<br />115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 118. Ridden a horse</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">119. Had major surgery</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 120. Had a snake as a pet</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br />121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon<br />122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period<br />123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States<br />124. Visited all 7 continents<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br />126. Eaten kangaroo meat<br /><strong style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">127. Eaten sushi</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">128. Had your picture in the newspaper </strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">130. Gone back to school </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">(Dropped out halfway through 9th grade and went back to adult education when I was 36. Took 3 years of school, grade 12 and 2 years of Rehab Work at SIAST Kelsey Campus)</span><br />l131. Para sailed<br />132. Touched a cockroach<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 133. Eaten fried green tomatoes</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span><br />134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey<br />135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating</strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(Well maybe I didn't actually do the killing part myself but I was there and helped with the butchering)</span></span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">137. Skipped all your school reunions</strong> (I wouldn't attend anything at WW Brown School. I hated that place. hence dropping out half-way through grade 9)<br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language</strong> (The other person only used ASL - American Sign Language)<br />139. Been elected to public office<br />140. Written your own computer language<br /><strong style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream</strong><br />142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care<br />143. Built your own PC from parts (My son, Tye did this many times before)<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"> 144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">146. Dyed your hair</strong><br />147. Been a DJ<br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">148. Shaved your head</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">149. Caused a car accident</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> 150. Saved someone’s life</span> (Did CPR until the paramedics got there. I found out later that the person survived.)Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-17162273382034514992008-03-10T17:50:00.000-07:002008-03-10T18:10:58.580-07:00Westin Bayshore, Here I Come!I am looking forward to this weekend. You may ask why, so I will tell you. I am going to Vancouver for a Special Ed Teachers Convention. We stay at the Westin Bayshore Inn. You should look it up online. It is a very nice Hotel right on the water, overlooking Stanley Park. They serve amazing food, they have amazing rooms with amazing beds, and best of all, I don't have to take care of any children. Not one. Only me. We get a wine and cheese social on Thursday evening with loads of appetizers and one free glass of wine. you can stay inside or go to the huge terrace and sit around while the waiters come around with trays of food. You can buy more wine or other drinks after your first glass or you can have amazing fruit drinks. And did I mention there won't be any children? Last year we went out for dinner on Friday night and had such a good time. This year there are more of us going, which will only make the time away from the convention more fun. I am praying for good weather for those three days. The weather network is saying it is going to rain, but they have been known to be wrong on the odd occasion, as we all know. I am praying for good weather, anyway. Even if it rains the whole time, it will still be a magnificent three days. No kids! Yay!! I will take some pictures of the room and surroundings and put them on Facebook. I might even shock all of you who read this and post them on here. Or I might just come home feeling so rested that I will blog about something totally unrelated.<br />Anyway, I am really looking forward to going to Vancouver. Jack told me that I have been sad and angry and stressed for a long time so I am hoping this will help me to feel a little less stressed. So, that's all for today.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-58437517476663906362008-02-14T17:43:00.000-08:002008-02-14T18:02:13.233-08:00Tagged: again.I have been tagged by Sue. So here are the rules.<br /><br />1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).<br />2. Open the book to page 123.<br />3. Find the fifth sentence.<br />4. Post the next three sentences.<br />5. Tag five people. & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.<br /><br /> "No, I read about her arrest in the morning paper, and volunteered my services."<br />"Why on earth would you do that?"<br />"I don't know. I guess I just felt a sense of obligation."<br /><br />This is from a book I borrowed from Mitz about a year ago called. "Puppet" by Joy Fielding.<br />I haven't read it yet, but I read a different one by Joy Fielding called "Run Jane Run." which is very good.<br /><br />So now I will tag Jude, Carrie, and Brittany. i think all my other blogging family and friends have been tagged already, at least once.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-74022972095204290352008-01-31T06:35:00.000-08:002008-11-13T14:13:25.610-08:00My Amazing MotherThis picture was taken last year in March. When we all heard that my brother John had cancer, we went to Saskatchewan to visit him. I stayed with Mom and Dad and one day we went to Jake and Colleen's to visit them. Jake and Dad were sitting in the living room and Jake was playing a bunch of old songs. Mom and Dad were talking about how this was the kind of song they used to dance to. Then Dad got up and asked Mom to dance with him.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBqRf8s8tZgt29mBW5eEONENOVHaZZWGDN3VFlCBNFNhwhsH2tfUAxnn6_HBtjsd7mwOFJYcs73Hx1zj3m74DgP0wZtAXr9_CtmYwkS5rp5AhcZGiQy9t_tHJPn5JmdPCKqA7DQ/s1600-h/Mom+%26+Dad+dancing+April,07.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBqRf8s8tZgt29mBW5eEONENOVHaZZWGDN3VFlCBNFNhwhsH2tfUAxnn6_HBtjsd7mwOFJYcs73Hx1zj3m74DgP0wZtAXr9_CtmYwkS5rp5AhcZGiQy9t_tHJPn5JmdPCKqA7DQ/s400/Mom+%26+Dad+dancing+April,07.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161651448347323010" border="0" /></a>I'm not sure what event this was taken at, but it just seems like they are thinking their thoughts to each other. Such a deep connection.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNhXf9F0oKazc2N5-f9QLThqJYKXV4nmnvtOizb4sdDhHGqdA8Vh6X-Cv2Mz6kHSxLUfwrTHm5OVjTw9ojGrwxERpsMbQyh0M41koFC98jGt0CjfXdVwxMvG4HF68qMbdC6Oj_Q/s1600-h/Mom+%26+Dad+in+love+12,06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNhXf9F0oKazc2N5-f9QLThqJYKXV4nmnvtOizb4sdDhHGqdA8Vh6X-Cv2Mz6kHSxLUfwrTHm5OVjTw9ojGrwxERpsMbQyh0M41koFC98jGt0CjfXdVwxMvG4HF68qMbdC6Oj_Q/s400/Mom+%26+Dad+in+love+12,06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161651452642290322" border="0" /></a><br />I have listened so often to Becky's song "My heart Knows" and every time I hear it I think of Mom at the River at Dad's memorial. Becky, I think this song speaks so deeply of your Grandma's heart and I am sitting here crying for her as I listen to your song, again. You have blessed me beyond anything I can put into words. Thank you for sharing the gift of music that God has given you. You should go share it with your Grandma.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBr2Esa9Es16PlJcuADbs_UbOlW_WbvSpt4IGniRfOy78_-11NfB5XZW2chjN234hlyXU15eGfdW3k1aItOz4roz3oSZVtDkkIC7AGt35YJ6Z-VQuCyh_xliS12R5ePmQAKXITw/s1600-h/My+Mom+%40+the+river+in+Cathedral+Grove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBr2Esa9Es16PlJcuADbs_UbOlW_WbvSpt4IGniRfOy78_-11NfB5XZW2chjN234hlyXU15eGfdW3k1aItOz4roz3oSZVtDkkIC7AGt35YJ6Z-VQuCyh_xliS12R5ePmQAKXITw/s400/My+Mom+%40+the+river+in+Cathedral+Grove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161651461232224930" border="0" /></a>Please, family, don't forget to pray for Mom. She is so lonely for Dad at times and I think her heart must be breaking.<br /><br />Sorry this is such a weepy post, but I just wanted to say how much I love my Mom and wish I could take some of her pain for her. I just pray that God will lift her head.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-57509451762932534172008-01-28T18:32:00.000-08:002008-01-28T19:54:47.334-08:00Chris made me do it.I am not the best blogger. This is evidenced by the time laps between my posts. I like doing it, but just can't seem to find the time. I have time for reading other blogs, but with blogger, Facebook and email, I just don't seem to have a lot of time for posting. But, Chris tagged me and that means I have to do this, so...here goes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Famous Singer</span> - Micheal Jackson. Not much of a start to this list, but there are 19 more to go so I'm not going to hurt my brain this early in the show.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Letter Word</span> - Mine. I hear this word quite a lot in my house. "Hey! that's mine! Give it to me." OK. I know this one is kinda lame, but you come up with something better.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Street </span>- Memorial Ave. This is the street that runs right by my house on the way to the most amazing spot in all of Canada; the Beach Hut, which I hope opens in early March. I can't wait to sit on the deck with a coffee and a smokie smothered in sauteed onions and cheese. Their poutine are also totally amazing. Then there's the Screamers. A cold drink made of 1/4 slurpy and the rest is ice cream. They have over 30 flavors to chose from and my favorites are Black cherry and orange creamsicle. Oh man. I wish it was open right now. I would take a warm blanket and go there even if it's freezing outside.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Color </span>- Magenta. All I can say is . . . phewey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gift/Present </span>- Mini-van. Tye drives it because I like my Oldsmobile better. It was given to me by one of the teachers at my school. Donna Beauvette is the Special Ed teacher and she got a new van and heard that Tye needed a vehicle so she gave - yes, you heard right, gave - me her '91 Chrysler mini-van. It runs great and was well maintained.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vehicle </span>- See above. LOL Just kidding. Mercedes. I drive an Oldsmobile, but I dream it is a Mercedes. Then, when my car starts to go in the ditch I open my eyes and realize, it was only a dream.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things In A Souvenir Shop </span>- Marbles. I know you probably think this is lame, but I found a bag of marbles with a Canadian flag inside of them at a little shop here in Qualicum Beach. They were actually quite pretty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Boy's Name </span>- Micheal. I have always loved that name. Even if you shorten it to Mike, I still like it. Mickey Mouse Micheal the police man? Well.. still pretty cool.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Girl's Name </span>- Mavis. I only ever knew 2 girls with that name. One was a girl from Langham school, whom I don't remember well enough to even remember her last name. Wait a minute. Her name was Avis Blushki. That means I only ever knew one Mavis. The one and only Mavis Braun. My cousin who went to be with the Lord. For all who were privileged enough to know her, she was amazing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Movie Title </span>- Maverick. A funny Western adventure with James Garner, Mel Gibson and Jody Foster.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drink </span>- What else would I say, but a Margarita. I don't like them much. I like a Monkey's Lunch. Banana liqueur, Kahlua and milk. You should try it. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Occupation</span> - Musician. I love to sing (even though I'm not spectacular) and wish I knew how to play the piano.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Celebrity </span>- Mel Gibson. I like that he doesn't get talked about a lot in all of those celebrity "rags". He's still married to the mother of his children and to my knowledge, has not had an affair. I'm sure that would be "news" in the Inquirer. Plus the "Passion Of The Christ".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Magazine</span> - Mademoiselle. I have seen it on the racks, but have never read one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">City</span> - Melbourne, Australia. One of the places in this world that I would like to visit some day. My first thought was to say Martensville, but I didn't know if a town would qualify. I would really like to visit there some day, also. :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sport</span> - Mud Wrestling. This is a pretty poor excuse for a sport, but I challenge you to come up with something better.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fruit</span> - Mango. I don't eat them very often, but I do like them. Especially if they are the flavoring in a Screamer at the Beach Hut. Mmmm.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason For Being Late For Work</span> - Migraine. I used to get them often when I was in my early twenties and then they stopped when I got pregnant with Tye. In the last few months I have had a few again. I'm not sure if it's stress or age. Maybe a little of both. All I know for sure is that I won't get pregnant again to get rid of them. Advil Liquid-gels is my new best friend.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something To Throw Away</span> - Mittens. It almost never gets cold enough here to need mittens. This winter is the exception, though.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something You Shout</span> - MOM!!! OK. I don't shout it, but I hear it. Often!<br /><br /><br /><br />There you go. I found some of these quite difficult. You probably don't need me to tell you that, the words speak for themselves. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to come up with so many M words. I would tag a couple of people, but when I check my blogs every morning, I don't think too many people even read them very often, let alone post anything. So, I won't. Just . . . I hope you found this entertaining.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19773640.post-63651834604462150032008-01-13T07:47:00.000-08:002008-11-13T14:13:26.029-08:00Oh Spring, Where Art Thou.I don't want to sound whiny or ungrateful, but I am seriously tired of rain and cloudy skies. This week, we had one day - yes, only one day - where the sun shone for any length of time. I came home from work, grabbed my old shoes and Grace, she was the only one who was home and wanted to come along, and went to Englishman River Falls. With all the rain, not to mention the snow, we've had, the Falls were pretty amazing. The logs that have been caught in the crevasse for years were shot out last year by the huge amount of water coming off the mountain. That means that this year, even though there is still a huge amount of water coming off the mountain, the spray is not quite as high so the bridge across the Falls isn't as slippery, but the view isn't quite as "Wow!" as it was before the logs were moved. Is that a run-on sentence? It feels a little run-on. Oh, well. Anyway, this is what it looked like from the bridge. As you can see, there was even some sunshine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIIl-uvyXS43JosjdPhX8xi5Hmmo82jcaotwwj83iS44EGjudzX-Aqoo4la_Lz53HC4ovDDB2ijmEDsBx96DRKfhWSXWzahi9aaCZPDCr2Xe-HaPbeQi_-g39VwaSmOBZQS1-Ng/s1600-h/Englishman+River+Falls+07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIIl-uvyXS43JosjdPhX8xi5Hmmo82jcaotwwj83iS44EGjudzX-Aqoo4la_Lz53HC4ovDDB2ijmEDsBx96DRKfhWSXWzahi9aaCZPDCr2Xe-HaPbeQi_-g39VwaSmOBZQS1-Ng/s400/Englishman+River+Falls+07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154996926217791618" border="0" /></a><br />So, to continue with my whining, Grace and I were going to go for a walk around to the Lower Falls, but I was not willing to let my nine year old slide down the "switch-back" part of the trail. It was so muddy and slippery that we had to turn back and go back to the car. We did walk around the back side of the falls a little way, but again, the path was so wet and muddy. So we went to the beach and sat and threw rocks and talked. This actually turned out to be quite fun, until it started raining again. Oh, well. I guess we can't have everything good. Carolyn's roses are blooming in front of their house and I have an amazing view out of my kitchen window, so I guess I'll quit whining now. Anyway, I read that the Beach Hut is supposed to open in early March and Coombs Market has been open all Winter so things are still pretty good. To continue on with my complaining actually seems quite ungrateful. I have a house full of healthy children, I am mostly healthy, I have a great job, great friends and a great family. On that note, putting up with a little rain seems kind of small and unimportant. I guess I just would love to get out and hike more than the rain allows.<br /><br />I would have posted some new pictures I took, but somebody borrowed my cable to connect my camera to the computer, so my pictures are there, but inaccessible. When I find said cable, I will post again with more pictures.Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09169580731008579431noreply@blogger.com6