Planes, Lennys and Automobiles (Part 2) - TKP

"So why Charlotte, North Carolina?", you might ask.

The answer is simple - race shops! Almost every team is located in the greater Charlotte area.

"So what?", you might ask.

Well - these things are not your average garages. Have a look....

This is Hendrick Motorsports - the shop that builds cars for Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Casey Mears (who won the race we went to) and Kyle Busch.
This is the outside of the shop - it is 600 000 sq feet (think 6 times the size of your local Wal-Mart).... by the way - note the "pond" out front - and "yes" it does stretch from where "Lenny" is standing to that other part way down there - and that is one of 5 buildings.
They also had a museum. Here is a row of Daytona 500 winning cars - in the exact same shape they left victory lane in (notice that they are covered in Coke - confetti - rubber - etc)
One of the most impressive viewing areas was at Penske racing - the home of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch's cars. They had a walkway that went from one end of the shop to the other so that you could watch the guys working.
Here is the view at Richard Childress Racing.....
Most of the shops had viewing windows or catwalks, but the best place was a place that we almost did not go to - a smaller team named "Bill Davis Racing" located approximately 70 miles from Charlotte. They had no tour - but they allowed us to walk around in the shop anywhere we wanted to go - as long as we stayed in between the black lines on the floor. That was cool because the mechanics just kept working away and you got to be right in it, seeing what they were doing etc ....
Then we went to their Truck shop across the street and the rules there were - none! Just walk around like you own the place. Look at anything you want. Just watch out for the guys who are working while you wander. Here is a picture of Johnny Benson's truck being worked on....
And, of course, Joe Gibbs racing - home of Tony Stewart....

Most of the shops have tours, museums, trophy rooms and gift shops. They are very impressive and it was fun to see how things are done. One car is worth more than $120 000 and it takes more that $20 million to sponsor one car for a season - now you can see part of why that is.

In four days we visited more than 25 shops and put over 700 miles on our rental car - And that is why you go to Charlotte! :)

Planes, Lennys and Automobiles (Part 1) - TKP

Most of you know that for the last 10 days Lenny (aka my brother Kurt) and I have been on an adventure.... we flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, rented a car, drove more than 700 miles all over the Charlotte area in basically 4 days, looked at and toured more than twenty-five race shops, took in a "World of Outlaws" Sprint car race with 14 000 people at the dirt track in Charlotte, watched NASCAR Nextel Cup practice and qualifying, went to the Busch series race, walked through miles and miles of vendors trailers and tents that sold anything and everything NASCAR, took in the longest night of racing on the NASCAR schedule - the "Coca-Cola 600" with 160 000 of our closest friends (though the 5 1/2 hour race seemed to be over in 10 minutes), and just generally had a great time. (How do you like that for an opening sentence?) :)

I have lots of stories to tell like how we spent most of our first full day lost because we were trying to navigate an area that has several million people using a map that had literally 5 roads marked on it (Lenny refused to spend the $7 to buy a map the night before - so after a day of looking for race shops and being lost - he relented and we bought a map!) :)

Or about how we could not understand 93% of the people 97% of the time (it was fun imitating their accent - for example - did you know that "Charlotte" is pronounced "SHA-lat" - well now you do!) The best was when we went to a sub place where the owner was an East Indian man - he spoke fairly good English but with an accent of course - it was entertaining to watch the "Good old Boy" in front of us trying to communicate with him - they were both speaking English but nothing was going through! :) (Interestingly enough, within 3.76 seconds of me saying "hi" to the lady next to me at the Busch race on Saturday, she asked "Where y'all from anyhow?" - so maybe they weren't the only ones with accents!)

Or how about Tony Stewart was "the show" for the whole race - even if he did not win (more on that another day)

Or just about how much fun I had with Lenny! It was great! I really enjoyed hanging out with my brother - doing something fun and memorable together. We laughed lots - talked lots - took tons of pictures and have tons of memories. So over the next few days, I will share some of them with you.

But for now - below are some pictures - mostly from the first day we were at the track (Thursday). In order they are: The front straightaway at Lowes Motor Speedway, Cup cars lined up to go out on the track for practice, Jeff Gordon's #24 Dupont Chevy and (of course) Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy.

Below that is a short video I took just to give you an idea of the speed that these cars are traveling. This is taken from up by the catch fence as the cars go into corner 1. They are slowing down and some have turned off their engines because it was a practice session (When they were going flat out, they would hit close to 200 mph where I was standing - they averaged 185 or so around the entire track - the ones with their engines off they are coasting by at approx. 170 mph). Notice how quickly they go by.

The word that kept coming to mind as I first watched these cars was "violent" - they are so loud that you had to plug your ears when you were down at the catch fence - they rumble your chest - they look as though they have no hope of turning and are going to go right into the end wall - they are big, scary, loud - and more fun than I have had in a long time! :) So - over the next few days I will try to give you a taste of that.

One last thing - I have to say "thanks" to Sara and Tracy who not only let us go on this trip, but encouraged it all the way (I think that they have big insurance policies on us that they were hoping to cash in!) Not many wives would let their husbands - especially a couple of boneheads that have the track record of doing stupid things together that Lenny and I have - go off and have fun while they held down the fort - but ours did. They are why going was fun - but coming home was better!

Enjoy! :)

A few quiet moments....

Well those of you who know us know that Tim is living his dreams and is off to the races this week. Don't worry the car you see here in no way involves Tim. Sorry maybe I should have said that sooner. He made it through all the hoops to get there and had lots to report as of last night. He will, I am sure fill the blog with many stories and such when he returns. I hate to say it out loud but it is just a little too quiet without him around. Hoping he is having the time of his life.

From Death to Life - TKP

[Editor's note: I know that some of you read this blog for its seriousness, reverence and intellectualism (well ok - lets just pretend that some do anyway) - if that is the case - boy are you going to be disappointed with this posting! I apologize in advance!]


I had a life changing experience yesterday. I ...... faith-healed my water cooler!

Yep - I know! Sounds stupid, doesn't it? But consider the source and hang with me for a moment.

It all started when I was just a gleam in my mother's eye... but we don't have to go back that far, so.....

Last week our water cooler died, so I did the only logical thing that any sane, Canadian male would do - I pouted! After that, I did the second thing that any sane, Canadian male would do - I tore it apart. I took out the circuit board - checked the transistors with my multi-tester - wiggled things around - I even did the "tried and true" fix of yelling at it and hitting things (my dad taught me that one!) - the result: Nothing! Dead as a doorknob! So for the last week we have been drinking room temperature water as the water jug drained down.

Last night, we had some friends coming for supper and we began to debate what to do with the water cooler. We had not bought a new one yet (One of us - I won't say which one - is quite cheap!!!), so we decided that the time had come to toss it outside in the trash - and then it happened!!

I know that I should be more serious and less stupid most of the time - but this time I could not help myself - so I said to Sari, "Before we take it out - I want to try to faith-heal it". She gave me one of those looks (I am surprised that she has not tired of that look yet - because I am starting to) and in my very best southern drawl, fake preacher voice, I laid my hands it and said......

"Oh Lord! You know how much we loved this water cooler.... and if you could just see it in your heart to bring it back to life - we would be forever grateful! Heal this water cooler!!"

I plugged it in - turned it on - and we have been drinking ice cold water ever since! :) (I realize that it is not exactly a "Water into wine" sort of miracle - but it was impressive to say the least!)

So I am considering a new line of work - I may open a "Small appliance Faith healing repair shop" - you know - start with blenders, maybe a hairdryer or two - maybe I can work my way up to waffle irons!!! :)

Its either that or just charge people for looking at my "miracle cooler".....

You each now owe me $5!!! (At this rate, I will collect enough to replace this one when it dies again). :)

One More Round

We got news today from Ma and Pa Muller that Dad is due for just one more round of chemo. The doctor was very pleased with his levels in his blood work and so they are saying this next round should be the last. I know many people are now touched by cancer in some way and so many will know how demoralizing it can be to have any form of the disease. I know dad was ready to retire and see the world out ahead of him, filled with so many dreams waiting for him to have the time to fulfill them. So I am asking for your prayers for dad as we continue to live in the shadow of cancer and knowing that the plans we have for us are not always what God has planned. If you are waiting for retirement to chase your dreams perhaps you shouldn't wait and if you are waiting for someone to be good to you, there really is no time like now,to be good to them. If for no other reason this past year has changed how I (we) see people and life and the urgency of loving now. I hope you will save some room in your prayers for my dad.

Two girls and an Air Hog - TKP

No "Air Hog" is not a new nickname for their Dad (though some who have heard me preach may think it is not far off) - "Air hog" is the name of the new, cool toy that the kids have.

When I was a kid, I liked any toy that flew: gliders, parachute men that you threw in the air, model rockets - didn't matter as long as it could fly - so when we were in Minot a few weeks ago and I saw this thing, I just knew that I..... I mean "the girls" just had to have it.

As you can see below - it consists of a rocket with two little airplanes attached to it.....
You use a slingshot to shoot the rockets and the airplanes into the air - "more than 5 stories up" the box said (and I would think that was close) - like so.....
The result is this.......
When the rocket gets to its "5 story tall flight" - it releases the little airplanes that then float and cruise around landing a couple of hundred feet in either direction (here is one of the kids after picking a plane up - as seen from the launch site).......

So the best parts of this....
1. It was $10
2. No batteries required
3. The kids thought it was great fun running after the airplanes
4. (Related to #3) I did not have to run after the airplanes
5. The kids were dog tired after 2 1/2 hours of running after airplanes
6. I get credit for being a "fun dad" - and I probably enjoyed it more than they did!

It is good to be a dad! :)

Minot Maniacs

Well due to overwhelming pressure from the man who has been monopolizing our family blog for goodness knows what, I decided to let those who wonder "what are the rest of you doing?" have something to read about.
We recently went on a road trip to Minot, ND. It was super fun and it was our first journey with the D's. We shopped and swam and looked at cars and motorbikes and ate out. I am sure that Tim will never be the same because I don't think he has ever survived a longer shopping trip. The rest of us loved it and so did Tim when the center of the mall fill with stock cars to drool over on the second day there.
Anyway the few days were as relaxed as we have been on holiday for a while and we all really needed the break from reality. Yes I am saying being with the D's is spaced out time.
Well back to Tim's ramblings for a while. I will be back to rescue you from him when I have a minute. :)

Your new contest = TKP

Someone asked how to pronounce "Flangerotty" - it is:

Flang - er - ot - y (just as it is spelled - b/c I spelled it phonetically)

Now - here is the real question:

"Flangerotty is used in a commercial for what product?"

(If you have been watching hockey playoffs - this should be easy to answer - as the commercial is on all the time).

Anyone brave enough to be the first to tell me? :) First correct answer gets an all expenses paid trip to Bienfait (Please note that "all expenses" have to be paid for by you yourself!) ;)

The lost has been found - TKP

If you have not read the post below - please read it first or this one will make no sense (chances are that it will make no sense either way - but it at least has a better chance if you read the other one first)

THE FLANGEROTTY HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!

I had given up on it - and then - like a miracle - I found it. This teeny, tiny little thing - I found it. It freaked me out!!!

Now, I still do not have a running mower (in fact I think I am missing another part - one related to the Flangerotty) - but at least I am getting closer.

Miracles do happen!!! Now, where is that faith-healer when I need him????? :)

Crying over my "Craftsman" - by TKP

So - have you ever had one of those days when you think, "This is going to be a nice day" - and then......

I had really good intentions of helping Sari in the yard today (cleaning up, taking stuff to the dump, power-raking the lawn with the mower), unfortunately it did not end that way.

For some reason - possibly because it saw me being happy - the lawnmower decided not start today (we have not used it this year yet), so I showed it - and tore it all apart. I had pieces spread all over the back yard ("Ha, who is laughing now", I asked it, but it said nothing) .

Unfortunately, as of 10:30 tonight, it still doesn't run (I know - hardly a success story, hey?) and, in fact, a little part (I think it is called a "Flangerotty" - though I could be wrong) - a very tiny spring from inside the carburetor float chamber, has gone AWOL. It is lost in the backyard somewhere - which is another disadvantage of not having a garage - when you drop things like "Flangerotties" (or is the plural "Flangerotti" - I am not sure) :) they get lost in the leaves, grass and other nature-type things out there (Which may be why you see very few garages with real grass on the floor).

Anywho, I am fairly certain that the "Flangerottie's" absence is not going to help me to get the mower running (I am also pretty sure that they do not just throw in extra parts for fun - though I often seem to have lots left over - "Flangerotti" are not cheap you know?)

Now - just so you don't think that I am just stupid (I can hear you when you say those things you know) I do know what I am doing. I took automotive courses in school and have kept 5 old mowers at our Bible camp running through many a summer of neglect and harsh treatment (from me that is - the other people who use them are very nice to them).

In the end, I took the carb off (8 times - seriously), took the head off, cleaned the valves and cleaned, checked and adjusted the magneto (Which, by the way, I had to get Sari out there to help with. She tried starting the mower while I held onto the spark plug wire. Not surprisingly, I got quite a shock from it - then she proceeded to pull the rope like 3489789347 more times... and you all think that she is so nice and sweet) and then - of course - I lost the "Flangerotty" for the second (and final time) in the day.

So, after working from noon till 7:39:33 tonight - nothing! Well - not quite nothing! I had to drain the gas several times.... I can't remember several significantly large portions of the afternoon - but (on the bright side) I did feel quite happy about the whole thing - if you know what I mean. :)

So - if any of you have a spare "Flangerotty" - or know a good "Lawnmower faith healer" - please give me a call will you?

(PS. Yes - I know it is not really called a "Frangerotty" - I just like saying it) :)

My little SUVs - by TKP

SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) are really great because they are dual purpose - they are tough enough to work hard and yet they are pretty enough to take out for a night on the town.

For years (and for those same reasons) I have referred to Sari as my SUV (surprisingly - she takes it as a compliment) :) - now we are raising some little ones of our own.

As you can see below - girly girls these ain't....



My goals here are many......

1. Raising non-girly girls (See "SUV" above)

2. Spending time with them doing something they wanted to do. Fortunately, I like this much better than playing with Barbies! (I DO TOO LIKE HOCKEY BETTER THAN BARBIES!!!! Those other stories about me are just total fabrications with no grounding in reality.)

3. Playing road hockey two little girls is very good for the ego - makes you feel like Wayne Gretzky (Well - it would if I was not so out of shape - those little girls can run for a long, long time - and I am getting old, ya know?)

4. It is a "Daddy Dating Strategy" - I am hoping that playing hockey will teach them to fight, use their elbows and be mean - something that I think will come in handy for them when they start dating - in 20 years or so.

Girly girls are great - but I will take SUVs anyday! :)

(Ps. We were in Minot last week and the mall was full of stock cars - too bad for me hey? One of the cars had a "M.A.D.D." sticker on it - "Mothers Against Drunk Driving". On the other side it had a "D.A.D.D." sticker - "Dads Against Daughters Dating" - I think I am going to sign up for that group!)

Why I am suing "Estevan Student Basketball Association" (or "How to hurt yourself while playing basketball with a group of 8 year olds") TKP

Ok - I am not actually considering suing anyone (mostly because the people at fault are all related to me and - therefore - I would end up paying damages to myself) but I did have an interesting evening with Megan's "basketball windup party".

Somehow I missed the message that the last night was a "Parents vs the kids" night. So when we got there I (being the "in tune with my kids" dad that I am) said "Oh, well! That is too bad! Maybe next year! Are they serving hot dogs at this thing?" The look that I received (one that I have seen from her mother several hundred times) told me that I was going to have to race all the way back home to get stuff so that I could play.

So, driving like a wild man (well - as wild as one can drive in a Chevy Venture minivan) I made it home in record time. I ran in the house, went to the bedroom, changed and then thought, "Where are my gym shoes?" Realizing that they were downstairs, I proceeded to run down the stairs, through the family room and down the hallway to the room that has some of my sports stuff in it. Now, being the energy conscious guy that I am (read "cheap") and being in a big hurry, I did not turn on the basement lights - so here is what my basement looked like to me.....
Had I turned on the light, here is what the hallway would have actually looked like.......
As you can plainly see, my eldest daughter (because she needed room to play "Dance Dance Revolution") shoved the coffee table across the room and into the hallway (something that they have been asked NOT to do 940386589078945790480 times - yes I have counted!)

So I come running as fast as I can through the dark basement ("Parent/kid basketball" had been going for more than 5 minutes by now and I just knew that - if I did not hurry - all the big time scouts would be gone and I would miss my big chance to break into the NBA - something I had been dreaming about for.... like... 5 minutes at least) and I run headlong right into the coffee table. Actually, I ran "Knees-long" into the table, then fell over on top of it and pushed it (at a tremendous speed) 3 feet down the hall right into (and partially through) the wall at the end (as the following pictures will show).....

So - I was not very happy at that point (to say the least). I would have posted more pictures - like the big bloody scrape that I got - but let's just say that the censors would not allow it and leave it at that, shall we?. :)

Now my knees hurt and are swollen, my back hurts and - to top it all off - I was right..... by the time I got back there the scouts were gone! Can you believe that???? I would have impressed them too - you should have seen me block that blonde kid (I don't know why she was crying - bloody noses don't hurt that much!)

Oh well - it was worth it. It was fun playing with them. The real star of the team is below. :)

Dirt Tracking - TKP

So most of you know that I have my motorcycle license and a Honda street bike, but I got to do something today that I have never done before - thanks to my buddy Erin, I got to go rip around on a dirt bike.

Now I have to admit, I was a little concerned about it - street bikes and dirt bikes are completely different animals.... but as you can see in the picture below - I think I got the hang of it quite quickly!


Ok - so maybe that isn't a picture of me - and maybe that is not "exactly" how I was riding - and maybe it did hurt my feelings just a little bit when that little four year old girl went flying past me on her motorcycle (the language kids use these days - it is shocking!) - but I still had a good time.

Earlier in the day at church, Erin was telling me that riding a dirt bike is really tiring and made him sore - I can see why now! (Well - not that I was going fast enough to be sore - but some of those other guys..... not to mention that little girl!)

But I did get some air - plowed through a ton of mud - dumped the bike (twice) - it was great! The best part was that in the end I handed all the muddy, soaking wet gear (not to mention the incredibly muddy motorcycle) back to Erin and he was stuck cleaning it all up! :)

It was a great way to spend a beautiful, 25 degree, sunny Sunday afternoon!


PS. A month ago or so I said that I would give $5 to anyone who could do the rap part from the BNL song "One week" (they had to do it as fast as Ed does and not mess it up - not even one little mistake). Eric Bailey wrote back and said that is wife, Erica, could do it. I said that she would have to prove it before I would send the money. Guess who was in church this morning all the way from Kenora, Ontario. And guess who showed off her "One week" rapping talent (unaccompanied, I might add). I was truly impressed! Unfortunately, I did not have the $5 on me, so .... the cheque is in the mail, Erica. No really - it is! :)

Birthday Girl???

Birthdays now a days have really changed. I don't ever recall being crowned with moose antlers and having strange people sing songs that really don't even resemble "Happy Birthday" to me all while trying to avoid slapping one of them silly with the horns as I spin around trying to decide where to look. This was the end of a crazy day spent in Regina with four pre teen gals who think they are 22. Now there were only four of them but it was all a small nigling (sp) reminder that I have lost a tiny bit of my screaming like a little girl faze somewhere along the way. We went shopping and to the science centre and to the Imax and to Ruckers(arcade) and then out for supper followed by a stop at Starbucks and home again all in the span of about 8 hours. It was the best birthday party I have ever planned and mostly because I didn't plan it. The girls did all that and we were tired, but really sold on the idea of doing something together being more important than getting presents and eating too much cake...don't get me wrong we did eat, the birthday girl even had ribs, all her own, for the first time. We had a blast and we're pretty sure the moose hat trend is catching on in Europe so it won't be long until everyone will be wearing them. A great excuse to whack someone by "accident" if they ruin your party. :)

Dreams Do Come True - an inspirational story by TKP

I am not a very sentimental guy most of the time - but once in a while something happens that just makes you stop and think, "Wow! Am I ever lucky!" Friday, I had just such an experience.

Rather than tell you about it, though, I think I will just show you - they say, "A Picture is worth a 1000 words" so here are a couple of thousand words for you.....



YEP - I BOUGHT A NEW SLEDGEHAMMER!!! Not just any old sledgehammer though - this is one of those fancy "Imported" ones (I did not buy it in Estevan but rather I "imported" it from the very exotic Weyburn Canadian Tire!)

The handle is 100% hickory, so your hands smell like Southern BBQ when you are done using it and it was on sale - 1/2 price!

I went with the 12 pounder. I tried the 10 and it was ok, but - call me crazy - the 12 pounder just seemed to whisper "Hit something" in a way that the 10 pounder just couldn't (Kinda the difference between a "Tough Guy" movie starring Sylvester Stallone as compared to Matthew McConaughey - if you know what I mean).

I just thought that this story was too good to keep to myself. It is just proof that - if you hold on - good things do happen to good people!!! (Sniff, sniff) - sorry! It just moves me so much!!!

Speaking of moving things - if you need something "smacked" really hard with a 12 pound sledgehammer - I am your guy!!!! :)

PS. I hope y'all realize that this is a joke. I just did not have anything really exciting to talk about (Sari already has dibs on all the interesting stories in our life) and I was getting desperate for something to write about.

The sad part is that I am thinking that some of you took me seriously - that I would get that excited about a new sledgehammer. Don't get me wrong - 1/2 price for a 12 pound smashing hammer did make me happy - but how boring would my life have to be before this would be a serious post?????

Now I am sad! MY LIFE IS A DISGRACE!!!!! :(

I think I am going to go smash something! :)

Dog Gone!!!!

If you follow this blog at all you will know that we have on occasion looked after our neighbors dogs as entertainment for Murphy(our dog) and as great foot warmers for us on cold nights. I was getting everything together for my favorite time of the year when the tax man cometh.... and I thought I would check up on the dogs. They are normally chasing each other around like their tails are on fire and the yard seemed pretty quiet. Well it only took a few seconds to realize that the neighbors dog Cody was missing. Cody had never escaped here before but had made several break outs in past yards. To make a long afternoon of worry short, she headed out on an adventure that only she knows about and was later found. Even after thinking like a dog for the afternoon, with my animal rescue crazy kids, I am sure Cody will come over again and maybe even try the Great Escape II. Who really knows what compels a dog to sneak through a hole a quarter of its body size....maybe her and Murph finally had the big fight and she was headed out to find Mr. Right?!?!??! Maybe the grass really is greener across the street. Who knows! Maybe she just wanted a holiday and doesn't know about Expedia or how much fun a cruise of the tropics can be. There really are so many things you can learn from a dog about how to escape a boring Monday afternoon .

Gone Home

Life is never more in sharp focus than when you lose someone. Especially someone who is terribly kind hearted. As was the case with Tom. This past week I headed home to Manitoba to visit with my friend Laura. In this past year the vivid importance of people has been a real lesson in how little time you really have to make superb memories with people. I am not talking about glamorous memories, I am talking about times that you will forever think of and smile. It was a weekend generous with laughter and stories about the past. I intended to go and somehow help them through a bit of a really hard time and instead I came away feeling like they had given me so much. There is nothing like an old friend and goofy memories to fill you up for whatever life has planned. It seems cliche to say things like "don't wait to say how you really feel" but it is easier to take the advise than learn the hard way. Life this year with my own dad has taught me so much about loving when you have the chance. So don't wait ... you won't regret it.

There are two ways to do things: the right way... and this other way

On Saturday we went out to play in the snow in the badlands behind our house. The snow was so deep that we decided to do some "Cliff jumping". It is hard to tell, but I was flying about 15 feet down the hill. Katelyn, as you will soon see, did not fly quite as far - but she did it in a much more spectacular fashion (Note the point when her feet are completely over her head).

We were sort of scared at the time (there are lots of rocks on this hill etc), but since she was fine, I figured that there is no point in wasting a good video! :)

Just for the record, I blame Sari for all of this. She was there. She was taking the video. She is supposed to be the "Voice of Reason" in our family!!! She is supposed to talk us out of stupidity like this!! I just hope that she has learned her lesson! ;)

(PS. You have to watch the videos in order to get the full effect)

A day of surprises!

On a day when we thought we were all out of fun things to do we were invited out to Richard's farm for a sleigh ride. What a ride through the valley. A snowy day that made us all smile and laugh out loud. From tipping back our heads and catching flakes to the "Who can hold on the longest contest?" it was a day to remember.

B and A's JPEGs of BNL A OK! - TKP

BNL with B and A

So what do you do in Saskatchewan when it is - 34 and the wind chill makes it feel like - 44? You get in a vehicle and drive for a total of 4 hours to a concert - that is what! :)

Sari and I got together with our friends Ben and Amy and went to see the "Barenaked Ladies" (for though of you who don't know - there is nothing to worry about here... no one was bare, or naked or even ladies for that matter - just a silly name for a band of 5 rather strange looking guys!) in Regina.

It was a lot of fun. They came on stage at about 8:30 and did not quit until 10:45 (no intermission, no real breaks - just 2 + hours of music). We stood up when they came on stage and did not sit down again. Sari was clapping - I was "WOOOOOOOO" ing - Amy was dancing - and we were not really sure what Ben was doing! ;)

One of the nice parts was that because they have been around since the late 80's/early 90's they can play for 2 hours and you know almost every word to every song. Well, except that stupid rap in "One week" - I can never get that.... "gotta getta better setta clubs, the kind with tiny nubs, so my irons aren't always flying on the backswing...." etc (If anyone can learn that rap and do it at exactly the same speed as Ed does without missing a word or messing up - I will give you $20 - seriously!! Find me and prove it - I don't think you can! Come on, Lenny, here is your chance! ) :)

So, of course, we had to go for coffee afterwards and then drive home - didn't get home till 2 am. Up at 7 to go get the girls from the Hill's house and then to work all day. No nap - No problem!

I AM NOT OLD YET!!!!!!!! :)

So that was the big excitement of this week. I will post some pics of the whole event here later.


PS. Remember - "One Week" rap - $20 - try it.

Buckled in....

So - the decision you all have been waiting for has been made.......

But, before I reveal the answer to the question "Flying or Driving" - I must say that I am shocked that not more of you took the opportunity to vote on this burning issue.... our forefathers gave their lives so that you could have the right to vote and what did you with their gift????? Nothing - that is what! Well - Crystal and Ben voted - but only Crystal actually acknowledged the $100 voting fee - and that was the important part (the cheque is in the mail, right? I mean, it has been a few days now and I have not seen it yet. I guess the cold weather is delaying its arrival, right?)

Well - after much debate and many long hours - we booked airline tickets today!!!! So, that is it. No turning back now. Flights, hotels room, rental car - all locked in. There is no way out now (Well, I guess I could just refuse to go - all this stuff is on Lenny's credit card after all) :)

The only bad part now is that if every decision that we make on this trip is as hard to come to as the "Fly or drive" question - Lenny and I are going to spend the entire eight days standing on some street corner in downtown Charlotte going, "I don't know! Which way do you want to go? We could go left.... or right. Left looks nice - but right has its advantages. Maybe you should go left and I will go right and then......." :)

The problem is (I think) that we are both being too nice (believe it or not). We are trying to consider how our decisions will effect others (like our wives). We are trying to be considerate of what the other brother wants to see or do and how much money he may want to spend.

I don't expect that to last! :)

Decisions will come much more quickly as soon as we start tapping into our "Pippus rage" - they may not be the best decisions (in fact, I can almost guarantee that!) but they will come fast. No more mamby pamby "What do you want?" - "I don't know - what do you like?" stuff!!!! What are we.... girls?????

So - I expect that now that we have that "niceness" thing out of the way - things will go much more smoothly.

I am getting excited now that we have a plan!!! I just need a few of you to come through with your $25 "reading my blog" fee and I will be set!!!! (I don't care whether you knew I was charging for my blog or not!!!! Unless you can completely erase from your memory every word you have just read - you owe me $25!)

Thank you in advance for your patronage! :) TKP

Lennys and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!!!! :)

So, it is happening!!! After many years of being nothing but big talkers, Lenny (otherwise known as my brother Kurt) and I are going to a NASCAR race in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We have tickets to Cup qualifying, the Busch race and the Cup race. Our hotel is within a mile of the speedway and is near all the race shops. The race shop tours are going to be cool. They are huge and really interesting. You get to watch the cars being built, most of them have museums and stuff like that as well.

As I said, this is something that we have talked about doing for years and the time has come (Well - actually my wife told me "The time has come, stupid!" - though she did not add the "stupid" part - and she actually said "Happy Birthday" but I know what she meant!) :)

Now we just have to decide how we are getting there. Do we pay the big bucks and fly down like adults, or do we do the "Planes, trains and automobiles" version of the trip and drive 30 + hours??? Is the cost saving worth the grueling marathon trip or not? Or is the trip 1/2 the fun (think of the memories.... "Lenny, remember the time that we fell asleep and almost ran into that bridge abutment??? Or the time we felt like throwing up because we had been in the car all day, every day, living on McDonalds and Gas Station food for three straight days??? Or how about the time that we fought all the way across Indiana????" (Could be Good times, huh?) :) I am taking a pole to see which way we should go - so please leave your comment below (Also please note that every vote for "Flying" must be accompanied by a $50 bill to help offset the cost. Check that - make it $100 - it is a long, expensive flight!)

What could be more fun than a week in the southern states, looking at race shops and 800 horsepower stock cars? I can't think of anything much better! :)

All Bugged OUT !!!!!

Wild and wonderful things have happened to these children and here is the story of their visit to Pippus ville. Having just enjoyed a trip to the brand new Walmart (to purchase the all important bug eyed glasses) and a cup of hot cocoa at the local Tim Horton's, the gang all went sledding when the windchill was -28. The hill was out of the wind...if a hill can be out of the wind in SK. We ate lots of snacks and went out for a hockey game...the Bruins won! We got up too early and skated in circles, played playstation until our fingers were numb and gathered up for a picture when it was all over. Here's what we looked like, our eyes all buggy and red...but give us a few weeks and we'll be ready for another gathering of the Pippus crew. No animals were hurt in the taking of this picture.

Makeover Madness

When you are stuck indoors for weeks at a time one begins to look around and say "yuck". For the last week or so Tim has been working away at projects that have been sitting here for a while. It is actually a great hobby to divert the brain away from the everyday and challenge it to dream of how something could look finished. Now for all you husbands out there who are thinking that I just cracked the whip and the Tim is working, this is all done and begun under his own steam..no prodding or nagging. Now nagging does happen but not about this getting done. I am pretty sure the project itself has been doing most of the nagging for me. I am planning to get some painting done this weekend too. The lime green walls of the basement while fun are just a little much. So I would take before and after pictures but maybe you will just have to come and see for yourselves. While we may get finished, I doubt it will be the end, as a change around here is as good as a move. Nothing like a little paint to change the view. Maybe I could paint a beach with palm trees...I am missing summer just a touch. Today is the first full day of sunshine we have seen in about 30 so we have been out in -20 weather soaking it up. I'll take the sun any way I can get it. Well I am off to pick up the paint and get started. Stop by to see the changes when you can.

The Pippus ZOO?????

Dogs, Dogs and more dogs!!!! Recently some friends of ours left for a holiday to the sunny shores of Belise....nice! Okay so yes it is colder than stink here and warmer than stink there but I am not jealous even a little. With that said you should know that when they go on holiday we get to dogsit their lovely Samoyed dog Clara. Well this time came with the bonus of their son's (he works all day and has no yard) dog Cody a very pretty Husky. So as I lined up their bowls to feed them I thought it resembled a zoo just ever so slightly. Now all the dogs get along very well but the dining room where they spend most of their time is not that big and they each weigh 50+ pounds just to give you an idea of what our zoo is like!!! So you wonder what we are up to at least this weekend....letting in and letting out...feeding...watering...scooping...walking....playing....and so on...... Hope your "zoo"was as fun this weekend.

Man's Best Friend - HA! :(

(Those who have weak stomachs and do not like even slightly gory details - maybe you should skip to the next posting - Tim) :)
Those of you who read Sari's last post will know that I was violently ill in Dauphin last week. I mean violently ill!!! I never get sick, but when I do it is a doosy! :)
I woke up at 2 am in the upstairs bedroom and I felt awful, so I got up and ran downstairs to main floor. Now the main floor bathroom is right beside my inlaws' bedroom, so being the kind and considerate (not to mention handsome) son-in-law that I am, I kept going down the stairs to the basement bathroom. Immediately upon arrival I was in trouble and so I did the only logical thing I could do - I threw up in the bath tub. (Some may not see this as a "logical" occurrence, but, believe me, considering the alternative it was!) :)
Now, my lovely and nice wife followed me downstairs and when she arrived and saw what was happening she promptly announced "Oh gross!!! That is disgusting! There is no way you are coming back to bed with me!" (If you ask her she will tell you that she was trying to be kind and said "Oh you poor dear! Let me make a bed for you in this room so that you can stay down here - nice and close to the bathroom" - but I know better than that!) :)
Every 1/2 hour from 2 am till 5:30 am I was in the bathroom (here comes the somewhat gory part)...... 6 sessions of throwing up 3 full times. Throw up 3 times - go to bed - get up - throw up 3 times, etc (It was so bad that, by the end, I was throwing up stuff that I hadn't even eaten!)
So what does this have to do with the title of this post ("Man's best friend - HA!") you ask?
Another valid question at this point may be, "Why am I wasting my time reading this at all?"
While I have no answers for the second question - I can fill in the dog part for you.
Murphy's kennel (with Murphy sleeping in it) was right beside the bathroom door. Every time my "parade of puke" forced me to get up, I had to turn the light on (how else would I possibly have found the tub again, right?) and each and every time I turned on the light on, I could hear Murphy in his kennel take a deep, deep breath and then let out this sound....

"SSSSSSiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

He sighed at me like 16 times that night!!!

And I don't mean a "Oh that is too bad" sigh. It was an, "OH BROTHER!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, MAN???? I AM TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!!!!" sigh.

No sympathy! No whimpers of concern! Nothing!! Just 16 big, inconvenienced, sighs!

Maybe, though, he would have been a little more sympathetic had I not laughed and laughed at him while he ran around the yard during the whole "Hydrogen peroxide" incident (see earlier post). Oh well!

Man's best friend - HA! I DON'T THINK SO!!!! :)

(Ps. The rest of the story..... I Stopped throwing up at 5:30 am - ran a fever and slept a good share of the day - ate some soup at 3 pm - some potatoes at 6 pm - then I did what any smart, highly fevered, weak from throwing up, Canadian prairie boy would do - I went to a Dauphin Kings hockey game! And now, I feel fine! Hockey - good for what ails ya!)

Dauphin New Year

We spent the beginning of 2007 in Dauphin with the folks there. It was a treat to check out the new rink and find out why hockey players where padding...thanks Joel! We spent the better part of a week sledding, having bonfires in the yard and going for walks in the winter wonderland of the parkland. Dad is doing well after his first treatment for leukemia and we all enjoyed and savoured being together just a bit more than usual. Dad and I even tried out the snowshoes and laughed at trying to scale a hardened snow drift in them. A few of us got the flu...well everyone but the girls and me. Go girl power!!!! Sorry Tim:( A wonderful holiday time doing what we hoped we would..well all except for Tim and the long night of.......he can tell you more about that if he wants to.

Moose Jaw Christmas

We spent the first part of our holiday with the folks in Moose Jaw. Arriving on Xmas eve we got to Deb and Dorians in time for a yummy supper. Then we all piled in our van and headed out to check out the lights of the "Moose". (A tradition to Tim's side of the family) Then we ended the evening with the viewing of the black and white version of a Christmas Carol.(Also a strongly held tradition) On Christmas day one of the highlights for Tim was playing on the outdoor rink his brother has been working on in his backyard. The kids loved it too. Megan stayed out and skated back and forth for several hours. Katie and her cousins played hockey when they could get the ice time away from Tim and Kurt. We all were treated to a wonderful Christmas supper from Tracy's kitchen.
All in all we really had a super time with much more to tell and so little space to tell it in. "Christmas ROCKS" or so my oldest daughter says. I would have to say I agree.