Answer to Holiday train question and such

So - not a lot of response from people who found us in the "Holiday Train" crowd (though by looking at the web site stats I can see that some clicked on the picture and tried to find us).... not surprising that you could not see us because that picture was from the stop in London, Ontario (I took it off the web site). You didn't really think I was going to risk $20 on nothing did you? :)

So Sari and the kids had today off - I had to work but I am on holidays now. Let the fun begin! :)

Wooo - that is good stuff!!! :) (Click on them to enlarge)

"Poking her carrot in" - I am going to use that. :)

Holiday train

The CPR Holiday Train rolled into town tonight, so we went and checked it out (I will give $20 to anyone who can point us out in this photo). It was fun - nice night outside - ran into a lot of people we know - went for supper with some friends.... good times!

Sari and the kids are free - on holidays - I have to preach Sunday and then I am in the office on Monday and that is it for me too. Looking forward to going to seeing family - hanging out - sledding - skating - going to World Junior games - just having fun!!!! :)

PS. Check back tomorrow to see if you were right about where we are in the picture - seriously - $20 to the first one who spots us. Merry Christmas)

Christmas shopping

Is it a bad thing that I just started Christmas shopping tonight??????

Now - granted - it is not as bad as it sounds..... I mean Sari is great at the Christmas thing (If the elves ever go on strike - she could replace 98690348690368 of them - she would have gifts flying out of the North Pole like sixty) - so I don't have to worry about 99.9999999 % of it..... but I do have to get a few things.

Sari's gift is easy this year - she bought it for herself (ask her about it if you are curious) but I still had to get her a couple of things, right? As well, I had to get the kids a gift from their Dad (Sari accused me of buying a gift "for Dad" instead of a gift "from Dad" - I told her that it was going to be a Father/daughters bonding experience thing....... can I help it if they like the same things I like???? Gifts don't have to make the giver miserable do they?)

Anyway - there were a fair number of guys wandering around Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire tonight.... most were just "scouting still" - I mean, come on, we still have like a week left don't we? :)

Christmas on the road

Sunday after church we loaded into the van (at -32) and headed for Regina. Sari's mom had purchased tickets for us to see Steve Bell (a Christian singer from Winnipeg) that evening. The place was packed - we saw a lot of people that we knew - and had a nice night.

We then combined this event with our "Mooney Christmas". Sari and the kids took the day off school, Justin took the day off work and I moved my day off so that we could hang out there until Monday. It was really nice. The triplets are growing and changing rapidly, Caden told us lots of stories and we stayed up til 2 am visiting with Jen and Justin. It was very nice and relaxing and fun.

So - a few more things on the schedule this week - it is like the 12 days of Christmas (minus the "swans a-swimming" and the dancing girls) :(

Even more Christmasy stuff

So tonight we went to my "Office Christmas Party". Since I work alone (at the office anyway - other people work very hard - just not there), my party is really supper out with the elders and their wives.

It is a very nice tradition that has been going on for several years now and I really appreciate it. I do not know any other preachers in our churches that get an "Christmas party" so I consider myself lucky.

A nice supper, great friends, family, people who care about us..... a nice reminder of some of reasons we have been here so long.

More Christmas stuff to come.... stay tuned! :)

More Christmas.... it just keeps coming

Today is one of my favorite school days....... Christmas lunch!!!! Turkey.... ham.... mashed potatoes.... veggies...... coffee...... maybe even pie!!!! The school's "Spirit Club" puts it on and parents are invited. We all have to pay our own way though, so I intend to defend my "That guy just ate his own body weight in food" title (It is a real hit with the kids - not so much with the organizers though) :)


So I am off! More Christmasy stuff tomorrow and the next day and the day after that..... oh and I may even start shopping sometime in there too. :)

Christmas fun rolls on

Christmas tree decorated tonight - music - pictures - lights - nice! :)

The Start of Christmas Fun!

So we have officially started out Christmas season.... we went to see Stuart McLean in Regina (The dude pictured above) on Monday night. He is a storyteller who has a program on CBC radio and every year he goes on tour doing a "Christmas show" (Tells stories, brings musical guests, etc).

The thing that I really think is interesting about him is that (as you can see above) he just comes out on stage with a music stand, a microphone and a bunch of stories and mesmerizes people for hours at a time (who says the spoken word - including preaching - has no power or attraction any more?????)

This year we took the kids with us (normally it is just a "Sari and Me" thing). Over the years of listening to his CDs and things, they have come to like him too - so we included them.

We hit the road after school on Monday (at -25). Ate supper at Tony Roma's (yummmm). Went to the show (the girls had never been in the "Centre of the Arts" before..... yes I am aware that they call it the "Conexus Arts Centre" now but since I am sort of "anti-corporate naming rights" it is still the "Centre of the Arts" to me). Left the show at about 10:30 (after lost of laughs, good music and nice stuff) and headed home. Stopped in Weyburn at midnight (at -35) for snacks and finally got in bed around 1:15.

Mom and Dad made it to work the next day..... the kids slept in till 11:30 (but that will be part of the "nice memory" too, right?)

This now kicks off a ton of "Christmasy stuff" - I will keep you posted as we go.

PS. If you have not checked out Stuart Mclean before - you should. Maybe you will like him too.... click here.

Like some beautiful dream

It is a night that will live on in my memory forever....... the sights..... the sounds..... the colours...... the discounts!!!!!

Peavey Mart held their "Friends and Family" evening tonight and I was a "Friend" (at least I think that the manager is my "friend" and not a long lost cousin or something..... maybe that was his subtle way of breaking it to me... hmmm. Anyway.......)

You have to have a secret pass to get in(just like a secret agent - only instead of going to some foreign country you get to buy things from foreign countries - just about the same thing)...... and then the best words in retail.... "Employee pricing!!!!"

I saw grown men wandering around with their tongues hanging out as they tried to calculate (in their heads) what "20% off the last ticketed price" on that Plasma cutter is....... "Hmmm - 9 carry the 7........ well - it is cheaper than the rest of the year" - that is about all we needed to know.

So - I ran into several buddies over there and tried to talk them into buying some big ticket items based on the logic that....

1) When it is a percentage sale, the more you spend the more you save (so it is only smart to spend more) and

2) I may need to know someone who has that tool so that I can borrow it in the future (though that fact did not really seem to sway many of them one way or the other for some reason).

So in the end they had to pull most of us out of there kicking and screaming and holding onto the door jams (some ridiculous thing about the workers needing to go home to their families... or something).

So at the end of this most glorious night, I spent a lot of money....... but think about how much I saved by getting it on sale (isn't that what the women say all the time?????)

Wa?????

So I am playing squash with Paul Quilliams at the Leisure Centre tonight and I break my racquet. Now, this is a cheap old thing that I have had for probably 3 or more years. It has all kinds of dents and scrapes in it, the head is all bent out of shape and the grip is well worn out. Tonight several of the strings broke.

So I run into the locker room, throw the old racquet in the garbage can, get the other racquet that I have been carrying around forever (just in case this happened) and head back out to finish our game.

When I came back into the locker room, I look and someone took my old racquet!!!! Right out of the garbage can!!!! Wa????? I mean, it wasn't worth re-stringing (it would cost more to re-string it than replace it) and it had of no value at all.

The only logical explanation is that someone took it because it used to belong to me!!!!!

Maybe I have a stalker who was just waiting to go through the trash to pick up whatever worn out, broken, stinky thing that I throw away next!!!! I mean, I can see a whole new income stream here....... orange peels, old shoes, receipts from the gas station (those actually have my name on them even!!!!)..... the list of things is virtually endless. Maybe I should start putting towels around my neck and throwing them into the crowd like Elvis used to do (I wonder how much people would pay for a sweat soaked towel from me??????)

Anyway - if you are my stalker - this note is for you.......... send me an email listing the sorts of items that you are really interested in and I will send you a price list. If you act quickly (because I can't do this all day), I may even autograph a few of the items for you.

(I wonder if I should be investing in some "people" - you know like "I will have my people call your people" sort of thing. I have always wanted to have "people" or a "posse" or some "homeboys" or even a few "hangers on"........ that might be fun! Send your resume today! Space is filling fast!) :)

Not that Blogworthy

I bet that title really has you excited to read this, huh? However, that is the truth. Things are great! Life is good - just not really worth typing out for you. We have just been doing normal family stuff (as in "stuff families normally do".... I am not calling our family normal) :)


Katie had a V-ball tourney this weekend, so we spent some time over there (V-ball is done now - I may post pics sometime). Sari has been scrapbooking, to a card making thing and a craft show in town. Megan has been hanging out with buddies. I went to Weyburn for a hockey game last week, then I ended up taking my Korean buddy to his first hockey game last week (that was fun!).


I am loving having a heated garage to work in..... changed oil in the motorcycle today and put it away, tore the snow blower apart, just generally goofed around out there all day.


See - just not that interesting, but that is good. I was thinking today about how nice it is to have a family to hang out with on a Saturday. When I first moved here, I would go coach hockey at 8 in the morning and then just hang out by myself all day - just killing time. It is nice not to have to kill time waiting for something to happen, because - even if it makes sort of boring reading - it is still fun. Little things are the big things, right?

Deep thoughts (Part 0943946)

Confidence is that feeling you have just before you fully understand the situation.

Some Halloween pics

Jasmine picture

Here is a picture of Jasmine receiving her award from the premier. More pics to follow (maybe).

Supper with the Premier

Given my extended family's run-ins with the law... a date with a government official is usually not a good thing - but last night it was for me. I was invited to have supper with the Premier (and others) at Government House in Regina.


Jasmine Erickson, a young lady who grew up in our church, was one of five recipients of the "Saskatchewan Youth Award" this year and so she was invited to a presentation ceremony and supper. What does that have to do with me?


Well, when the selection committee was talking about the supper, they were wondering who they should have come and say "grace" before the meal - then they noticed that Jasmine had been really involved in her local church, so they called her and asked if she would like her minister to be part of the evening. Graciously, she said, "sure" so the Premier's Protocol Office called and asked if I would be interested in participating in the evening.


It was very cool - for many reasons. First of all, I have known Jasmine since she was a year old (she has graduated from a performing arts college now - so that is a while). She is very special to us.


Secondly, it was nice to meet the Premier, Brad Wall. He was very humble and warm and engaging. When he first came up to us, I was prepared to address him as "Mr. Premier" (as one should) and then he stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I am Brad!" When he heard my name he said, "Oh, you are the one saying grace tonight. Do you know the Pastor of the Church of God in Estevan? He was my counselor at camp when I was a kid"...... he was very impressive in that he did not think he was impressive (I even emailed him today to tell him how nice the evening was and he wrote back to me two hours later - remembered our conversation, remembered that I was with Jasmine's group - very impressive)


Anyway, the Honourable Dr. Gordon L. Barnhart, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan was there - he was very nice too. It was interesting to watch all the "pomp" surrounding him - he did not carry the book with his speech in it (an attendant did), we stood until he was seated, he left the room before the rest of us, we could not sing during the playing of "O Canada/God save the Queen" when he entered - but we were encouraged to sing later - all very interesting.


Other MLAs were there - the leader of the Opposition (Dwain Lingenfelter) - the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan (he and his wife were at our table) - the speaker of the house, etc, etc.


The banquet hall at Government house only seats about 80 people - so it was a rather small crowd - everyone included (dignitaries and guests) - so we really got a chance to visit.


And the food..... Yyyyyyuuuummmmmm!!!!! Butter nut squash soup, Beef Bourguignon, Roasted potatoes, asparagus.... gingerbread and raspberries for desert!! If you ever get invited - go hungry! :)


Anyway - I said my prayer and I got to meet and talk to some very interesting people. Most of all, though, I was proud to be there with Brent, Angel, Norma and Jasmine. What a great memory and what a blessing to be included in the lives of people that we love. It was wonderful!


I did not take a camera with me, but several in our group did, so I will post some pictures later.

Grandpa McMillan

Willie McMillan passed away today. He was 95 years old.


Thinking about him today, I am glad that I knew him. He was kind and gentle. Always friendly. Always ready to beat you at a game of horseshoes (and he did that a lot). He always went out of his way to say "hi" to me and to encourage me. He was always there doing his part - often in the background - but you could count on him.


Someone today called him a great "Christian warrior". Many have mentioned how much his example meant to them and how he encouraged others just by the way he lived.


I never heard "Grandpa" give a sermon (not that I remember anyway) - but just knowing him and even thinking about him today has taught me some valuable lessons.


A man named Eugene Peterson once wrote a book called "A long Obedience in the same Direction". That would be a good title for Willie McMillan's biography. Not flashy - not loud - just quietly going the right way - for a long, long time.


I am glad that I got to walk alongside of him for a while.

Is this a bad thing?

I decided to go to noon hockey today - for the first time in about a year. On the way over to the rink I see a hockey buddy named "Larry" and he tells me that we are playing at the "Civic" today - so I turn around and follow him over there.

Larry was saying that lots of guys had been showing up - so I was ready to go - but when we got to rink there was no one there. Undeterred, we went out and just skated around while we waited for the other guys to show up..... and we waited.... and waited..... and waited. Finally I got bored and left.

Turns out that we were at the wrong rink! After I left a rink rat dude asked Larry what he was doing out on the ice - we were supposed to be at the other rink (where - by the way - six other guys were waiting for us to show up)

Nice security there hey? Two guys walk in - open a change room - skate around the ice shooting pucks for most of an hour and finally someone decides to come out and see what on earth is going on. "City employees care!" - I think that should be their motto. :)

Possible bad thing #1 from this mix-up..... in spite of the fact that I was skating alone (basically) and just shooting pucks around - I was tired and sweating after only 15 minutes. So either it was really hot in there - or taking almost a year off is not the best thing for your hockey career.

Possible bad thing #2..... Sari has outlawed my hockey equipment! It is sitting in a room in the basement of the house drying out and she claims that she can smell it upstairs! In fact, I have been told that I have to take it out to the garage - now is that fair? Do I make her take her scrap-booking stuff to the garage? Do I? NO! (Granted - it may not smell quite as bad as the hockey equipment but the point remains).

Just because I literally have not washed any of it (not even the shirt I wear underneath it) in about 10 years is no reason to get all picky! Think of it as being "Environmentally friendly" - think of all the water I am saving by not washing it!!!

Women - they just don't understand. :)

From the "Better late than Never" file

So - I got it wrong! The Pro-life ladies weren't being rude..... they were just delaying their "Thank you".


They came by with a card, some dish soap, some paper towels (to replace what they used - even though I told them that they did not need to do that) and took out an ad in the paper thanking us for the use of the building. Seems they were just "focused" on that Wednesday. :)


It was nice of them though. I guess I should have waited before slandering them on this blog (good thing not too many people read it). :)


Stay tuned for another story where I learned something I needed to - the hard way -coming tomorrow (Or maybe in a day or two. The plague is sweeping through our household - I am the only one left standing so far - so we will see).

A life lesson learned

So I learned something yesterday......


Do not leave fifteen 65 year old Pro-life women standing outside your church building in the rain. In fact, if you have done that, it may be best not to stop to let them in - just keep driving right by the building and pretend that you do not see them. Trust me, it is for your own good!


We agreed to host the "Pro-life Soup and Sandwich Fund-raising lunch" yesterday, so I told the ladies that I would be here at 8:30 to let them in the building. Well, I got caught behind a train, so I did not show up until 8:40....... you should have seen it!!! Here are all these old ladies running all over the place - trying every door on the building - looking up and down the street - shaking their heads...... I thought they were going to start smashing the windows and lighting bonfires or something.... they were worked up!!!! :)


Anyway - I opened the door and it was like opening the flood gates on a dam.... they went rushing in like I had just pulled the plug in a sink! They ran all over the place - charged into my office and took it over with their coats, purses, boxes.... it was completely bizarre!


Then they started making sandwiches and they were scrapping and arguing with one another ("No that is too much mayonnaise!"... "That coffee is too strong", etc, etc).


After the lunch - they just bailed out. No "Thank you" no "It was very nice of you to allow us to use your building" - nothing! They just left..... it was sort of like a big snowstorm that just rolled in and then rolled out and was gone.


I survived the storm though. Good thing they are "Pro-life" - I may have been in real trouble otherwise! :)

Wisdom

"I know for sure that man’s best friend is his dog. If you doubt me, lock your dog and your wife in the bathroom for thirty minutes, open the door and notice which one is happy to see you"

- Phil Callaway

:)

Newtown, North Dakota (Part 2)

So the summer started and ended with a motorcycle ride to Newtown, North Dakota. The first time, in the spring, it was just Paul and me. This time, it was Paul, me, Dennis and a buddy of his named Dan - so our bike gang is growing exponentially - next time we will need 16 guys to go (4 x 4) but we would settle for doubling the number again - so 8 of you call Paul and tell him that you are in (Out of that group we should get 4 more who can go). We need a few more guys if we are going to start a rumble outside the Newtown "Tasty Freeze" (not a bad place to eat by the way - if you are ever there).

Anyway, we rode just about 500 kms - which by the way, is enough distance on an old Honda (not to mention - on an old rider like me!) :) We had beautiful weather and (as you can also see below) this time we brought a map (you may remember that last time Paul and I got a little off course). :)

Anyway - it was a nice day and a nice way to end the summer (it is rainy and cold here today with snow in the forecast).

PS. Thanks for the pics Paul!

Recent events

So - a quick run down of the week....


I rode my Motorcycle to Moose Jaw on Friday so that I could meet up with my brother, sister and brother in law...... then we went to Saskatoon to take in the NHL exhibition game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Islanders. Here is a pic from our seat......


Other than that - things are just going on like normal. We have one girl in V-ball (no pics of that yet as they just started today) and the other one ran her first Cross Country meet today. Here is what she looked like after running in +30 temps.......

You have waited long enough - more garage pics

Ok - Ok..... I know you want to see more of the garage...... it is not quite done, - still tons more to put up (Stock car racing pictures, things on the pegboard, etc) but it feels a lot more like home to me than it did before (which - Sari says - is a good thing b/c it may become my home if I don't smarten up) :)


Note things hanging on the walls rather than being tripped over
Pegboard filled with stuff - for easy access (thanks to Carol Barnard - who gave me all the hooks from Stan's pegboard before she moved - that makes me think of him when I am out there now)
Looking toward the front - finally a home for my tools boxes - cabinets - etc
Across toward the door
Note the lockers on the side of this shelf - the Leisure Center was getting rid of a bunch of old lockers - they were in a dumpster - so after playing tennis one day I asked about them and the girl said "Take as many as you like" - I took four. The best part.... they were from the "Girl's locker room" - no sweaty, smelly boy stuff in there! :)
For more pictures of the garage...... please send $14.95 (plus shipping and handling) to my home address (Come on - you know you wanna!) :)

And they said it wasn't worth my time.....

Every week the newspaper sends a reporter to the stock car track to cover the races. While there, he or she takes a random shot of the crowd. From that random shot, they somehow choose someone - whom they circle - and print the picture in the paper. If you are chosen out of the 1500 or so people at the races that night and your picture appears in the paper, you win a free pizza. Check this out...........

Now there are several really good things about this picture.........

1. I win a free pizza (as previously mentioned)

2. I have not been to the races in over a month and yet this picture appeared last night (somebody likes me!!!!!)

3. The only other identifiable person in the picture is my buddy "Shady" Shane. I think it is really funny that he came that close to winning - but didn't (I have offered to share the free pizza with him)

So there you have it - I have spent countless nights freezing on the stands at the stock car track - not to mention hundreds and hundreds of dollars - and I get a $15 dollar pizza......... and to think... some of you thought I was wasting my time out there! Ha! :)

A Week in MJ and Buffalo Pound

At the end of August, we spent a week camping at Buffalo Pound and hanging out with everyone in Moose Jaw. It was really nice to see everyone and to get to spend so much time together. We even got to go tubing behind Lenny's boat (but we did not get pictures of that - even though he dumped me in the lake) - anyway - here are some of the pictures that we did take - just so you get an idea of what it was like.

Camp site.....
We did all the touristy things that we never get to do when we are there for like 2 days (this was Megan's favorite)
We climbed some hills (I can't tell you how many pictures I have of the lake from the top of this hill - one from every summer of my life almost - this one with my girls - one of them is taking the picture)Down by the lake....

Garage Painting

So I waited like 6 months since I finished sheeting the garage and no one has come to paint it - so I guess it is up to me. Here is the start of the primer coat... more updates to come (just for you garage update fans!) :)

As you can see there is much more to do - you have not missed all the fun yet - come on down!

Think about this

I will post some holiday pictures and things soon, but for now.... think about this:


"No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery." :)

Summer is Wonderful

Just in case you missed this

This video has been passed around a lot..... but you need to see it. If you missed it or if you just need a smile - click below. :)

A new twist on an old saying

"Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime...... take Sari fishing and she will catch all the fish and laugh incessantly when you slip off the rocks and step in the water, or when you stick yourself with the fish hook (twice)".


Our kids are at camp so we have been hanging out and having fun..... we ordered Chinese food and watched a movie the other night, went for a big walk and had a camp fire in the backyard last night and then (as I mentioned) went fishing at Rafferty tonight. Sari caught 2 fish - a good sized jackfish and a small Walleye.... I caught nothing! I may need a tetanus shot after all the hooks I got in me - but that is another story.


So we miss our kids (just thought I better throw that in there just in case they read this sometime) but we are having a nice week together. :)

You might need it someday....a letter to my man on our anniversary

Here I sit, wishing I was with you and wondering how that could still be after so many years...okay so 15 years isn't so many years in terms of history but we have done so much in so few years together. If I say it feels like my whole life or a long time, I mean it in the way that says I can't remember not having you in my life. When I think back, I know there were times when you were not there, but even then, I know God had you in mind for me. What an awesome thought to think that you and I were thought out before we even knew one another. Okay so maybe you think that is not a grown up way to think (yes I am projecting what you might think here) but I am truly in love with all of it. I am in love right now with the sounds of our girls as they "create" their breakfast in their grandparents kitchen. After much kibitzing back and forth Katie prances into the living room only to spill her EGGO all over the blonde wood floor and Murphy is at the ready waiting for the okay to lick up the syrup. "Okay!". He rounds the corner with such vigor that his back end slips out and he nearly breaks a leg to get to the syrupy mess. Good grief. Megan then says, "that is why I like my eggo dry"...as if to say, you would never have spilled that, if you were smart enough to have your Eggo without syrup...what a conclusion. I love that you and I have been given these two and that they are a reflection of us. Sometimes to our chagrin and most times to our delight. I like that word ‘delight’ - it is how I feel about you most of the time. I delight in your humour, your hilariousness, your mind, your integrity, and your growing and changing world. I forget to tell you and I forget to dwell in the loving-you-parts. I let you down and I disappoint you. I wish those things could change. I would love to be the person who never makes your life difficult and that I was always "agreeable" and then I remember that we would be so boring without our "bickerson" ways and the challenge of loving each other when we both think we are righter. Yes that is not a word..... You have given me more joy and more pain than any of the people in my world and for that I am thankful. You are a true best friend. I could not ask for more. Whenever we are not together it feels like the ship has lost its main sail and we are not sure how we will get there without the strength of that sail. We flounder around until we are home again and there you are the piece of the puzzle that was missing. Notice you are not the rudder....hee hee and neither am I .... I thought if I put in enough of a pause there you would think I was about to say I am the rudder....I am not thank goodness.. Thank you for loving things that are open ended adventures like canoeing, biking and hiking. These have turned into some of our best times for our family. The memories are too many to mention. If I could give you one gift I would give you the gift of finished scrapbooks....not because I have nothing better to do, but because to look back over where you have been, just for a moment, is such a blessing. We will not dwell in the past because it makes us sound old, with nothing left to do, but it is a great view into a life of adventures together. Thanks for the grand adventure and for the ways you fill many moments with unusual trivia and the way you with bother with the things I would never think of...someone must look after those details....right?!?!? Thank you for balancing me and for being a wonderful dad to our kids. They are full of goofiness and adventure...currently brushing there teeth at the same time over the same sink and singing at the same time...just because they can. Megan then tries to sit on Katie calling her "Santa" in her whiniest voice and Katie says "Santa is closed" and they both giggle and go on to the next thing which today will include riding bikes which were made a hundred years ago which grandpa just happens to have in his back yard. This also, giving heed to the ever popular saying "I might need this someday". So today when we are not in the same place I hope you will crack open your box of memories and bask in them and then keep them close, you might need them some day on a day when time no longer finds us together. Happy Anniversary to the man of my dreams. Thank you and I love you.
Love
Me

A week in our life

So I know that I have not updated this in a while..... so I thought I would just give you the summary version of our last week - then maybe you will understand why I have not written. We have.... been to a "fireworks" party in Bienfait for Canada Day, watched a rodeo parade, went to the rodeo, hooked up the unit heater in my garage so that I have heat in the winter (pictures to follow for those who love the "garage reports"), went for a Motorcycle ride to Lampman with Skip (got caught in the rain on the way home and got soaked), went to the Souris Valley Theatre (live professional summer theatre in town), went to "Rodeo closing night fireworks", canoed on the Souris river, went fishing (caught nothing), went golfing (had a nose bleed from the 2nd tee until I got home - not sure why - did not help the golf score), went to a friend's house to celebrate her b-day (and played pool in their basement) and worked on getting the camper ready to go for next week (painted the hitch and bumper, checked the water system, tried the furnace - it works).

Add into that: working every day, getting ready for lessons at Estevan's Weekend at Camp, the kids have been swimming in their pool every day (seriously 4 hours a day even at 21 degrees), we put a new salt water chlorinator on the pool this week, Sari and the kids have been biking every day..... and a whole bunch of other things.

Write back if you would like specific details about any one (or two) parts of this post! :)

Wild(ish) Hogs (aka: Paul and Tim's Excellent Adventure)

Sari and the girls went to Dauphin to see her dad for Father's Day, so I was home alone this weekend. However, I did not have to sit around doing nothing.

A buddy of mine from town was telling me about a motorcycle ride that he went on from Estevan to New Town, North Dakota, to Williston, North Dakota and then back home. He said the highways are nice. Scenery is nice. It is a good time.

When I told Paul Quilliams about this, he said, "You and I should do that sometime!" Sometime turned out to be this weekend. I had no choice..... Paul left 8 messages on my answering machine on Friday night saying, "Are we going to New Town???? Lets go! I will buy you a hamburger!!" Literally, 8 messages (but he never did buy me a hamburger).

We went from here to Portal, ND and then to Bowbells, over to New town, across the Missouri, over to Watford City, to Williston and back home. We left at 7 am and got home at 4 pm. We put on something like 540 kms (The most I had driven in a day before was 220 kms). It was great though - we just took our time - stopped lots - looked around - had lunch...... Paul even brought his camera so here are some of the 40 pictures


Bikes in front of Stanley, ND court house (While we were sitting there some middle age dude drove by - honked, shouted and waved at us as if we were rock stars - not sure why. Maybe he wished he could go too)
Paul just outside of New Town
Missouri River behind us
Watford City - more about this in a minute
We went so far we went back in time...... rest stop at the Pioneer Museum in Crosby, ND

So as we are going out of New Town I kept seeing signs for "Watford City" but nothing for "Williston" which is where we were supposed to be going. I turn to Paul, point at the highway and then shrug as if to say "Is this the right road?" He had no idea what I meant, so he just nodded "Yes" :) So we eventually ended up at this intersection in the middle of nowhere way south of Williston - added probably another 100 kms to our trip.

The best part - I went to the stock car races last night and ran into my buddy who told me about this ride. I told him that we got a little lost at New town, he looks at me and says, "So - you did not ride the 1804 highway?"

I said "No, we missed that part!"

Trevor looks at me and says, "THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE RIDE!!!! The rest of it is ok, but the 1804 is twisty and turny and up and down - right beside the river - it is THE BEST PART OF THE WHOLE THING!!!! It is what makes the whole trip worth it!!!!"

Oops! Well - at least we have a reason to go again in the fall! :)

Relay for Life

The Canadian Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" has been going on in Estevan for 5 years now and we have not done anything with it. However, this year Sara's aunt and a few others organized a church team and it was a hoot!

Seriously - what could be more fun than staying up all night, eating, visiting, telling stories and watching grown men in dresses Belly dance? (Ok - that last part was part of the "Entertainment" - a "Mr. Relay" beauty pageant - and I use the word "Beauty" very loosely. It was very disturbing to watch - but terribly funny at 2:30 in the morning!) :)

The four of us made it all night without sleeping (It was over at 7ish so we did get an hour or two before going to church). I preached on no sleep and I think it went better than normal - maybe that should be my new strategy - I should write a book "Sleep Deprived Preaching - How an all night bender may help you connect to others!" (Actually - maybe the morning did not go so well - maybe I was so sleep deprived that I just think it was good - maybe that is why I am being called to an elder's meeting!)

Anyway - it was a good time. Met and talked with tons of people. I even got to do the Sunrise church service - it was great! I wrote a newspaper article about the whole night because it was so inspiring and good. Check it out here. As for the rest, a picture (or two) is worth a thousand words, right? (Warning: Happiness seems to wane from daylight to dark - but it really was not true. The night was the best part)

Katie - ready to roll
Bill and Mary - not sure what they are ready to do
Some of us were cold and trying to stay alert
Some of us had no problem "staying alert" thanks to the "candy and sugary snacks" table
Some of us were happy on the inside
And some of us got a chance to wear out "Aviator's hat" in public. Why? Why not? :)
Then there were those who looked like this most of the night (there is no "after" picture in church the next day though)
And then there are others that, if I posted their pictures, they simply would not be impressed - so lets just say.... a good time was had by all.

I am already looking forward to next year.

An Intellectual Moment

For those of you who may be confused. :)

Track and Field day

Track and Field is always a fun day..... for the parents anyway. Go to the school. Hang out. Visit. Eat too many hot dogs. Laugh as the kids work themselves silly...... it is a great time! Made even better this year by the fact that Sari works there, so we were "Insiders" (get to eat the good snacks in the staff room, crank music over the school's intercom just because). Too many pictures to post, but here are a few........



Half way through the day I hear the loud speaker saying, "Mr. Pippus, please report to the 100 meter dash". Turns out they decided to have a "Men's race" - all the teachers and whatever Dads they could talk into it. I won't tell you who won...... but let me just say, "HA! 40.... years.... old!!!! Take that!!!!!!" :)

Let me also say that my legs still hurt three days later. :) I always think, "Stretch!!??? I am too young to have to stretch!" Then after stuff like that I think, "Man I am so old! I should have stretched!"