The first time ever (56 of 33)

For the first time ever, both of my vehicles are in the garage tonight.

Now you may say, "So what?" Blogging that you have both of your vehicles in a garage is like blogging that you watched the news tonight or that you bought new socks - big deal - who cares?

But I care.

It may sound stupid if you do not know me that well, but because I grew up without a lot of stuff, I appreciate a lot of things that some people take for granted. I know lots of guys who bought houses that had garages..... they neither care nor appreciate the fact that they have one. In fact, some of them never even use them - they are just full of junk. I have literally waited years and years and years to build one - changed oil and worked on vehicles in the snow winter after winter - and tonight is the first night I am really using my new garage - and I appreciate having it.

One other thing that makes it even nicer is that I will always remember Bob, Mel, Skip, John, Margaret, Miles, Adam, Jurgen, Pia, Paul, Shady (not to mention Sari and the kids) who helped me build it (either physically or with advice when I needed it).

So on this cold, windy, -40 degree night, I am thankful for having something as common as a garage. What about you? Can you see your blessings?

Sunday (55 of 33)

So what do you do when it is -29 out and the wind chill is at -40 something? Well if you have a snow blower that you have never used before........ :)

I bundled up - went out and cleaned up my garage a bit and then got thinking, "I bet that there is enough snow in the back alley to try out that snow blower" - so I filled her up - set the choke - pulled the rope and away she went (not on one pull like it did back in Sept when it was 10 degrees outside, but it started) - so I went and threw snow all over the place for a while. It is the best free, 30 yr old snow blower that I have ever been given. :)

Sari and the kids did Christmas baking this afternoon. I did my part too (my part being "eat at least 8 balls of uncooked cookie dough" - mmmmmmm - raw eggs and flour!!!!!) I was waiting for Sari to slap my hand and tell me to go away - but she didn't (somehow I think this has something to do with all the extra life insurance that she now has on me - hoping I would get some "Chicken disease" or something from the raw eggs and then she would be rich. But.... HA!... I don't die that easily) :)

Then we wrapped up the day of happiness by renting "Fred Claus". Yes, it is as predictable as you think it might be (go ahead - imagine what you think the plot is....... yep you are right!). However, as family movies go, it was nice and fun. The kids liked it, so that was worth it.

That is it. Hope you have a good week. Let me know if you need some snow blowing done, cause I am ready!!!!! :)

A day of Friends (54 of 33)

So today was a day filled with friends.....

First Jen and Justin came over with their 4 (count them 4) boys. We had fun holding 3 of them... somehow the 2 yr old did not want to be held that much - the triplets were super cute though. However, we decided that Jen and Justin should have had quadruplets so that Sari, the kids and I could each have one and then we would not have to share. Next time, right guys? :)

Then we went over to Rose and Shady Shane's for supper and gift exchange. We all got very nice stuff, but I think they spoiled Sari in particular. She was piled under so many presents that you could barely see her - not that that is a bad thing - just observing.

Then Shady, his kids, my kids and I, met Justin and a new friend (Andrew) at the Bruin's game - and the home team won 9-3.

So on a cold and windy day we were warmed with the warmth of friendship ("Warmth of friendship" was a little over the top hey - doesn't really sound like me does it? Well, you get the idea anyway!) :)

Christmas Supper (53 of 33)

We had a nice night tonight at our church's Christmas supper. We really did not do anything that special - all we did was hang out (oh - we also ate - we ate a lot - at least I did). Hanging out, though, was the special part. Many of those people have been around as long as I have been here (18 yrs) and some of them have been going to church together for over 40 yrs now. There are some newcomers too and all of that together makes for a lot of shared memories.

We also spent some time reflecting on the past year too. I do not know what the coming year will hold, but I am glad that I have his group of people to go through it with me. :)

Nice Night (52 of 33)

So I had a nice night tonight.... I got to hang out with a cute blonde girl!!!


My two other cuties went to a mother/daughter pot luck at the school, so that left Mumpy and me alone. Rather than sitting at home watching TV or just doing nothing, I decided to take her out for supper - and it was a lot of fun! Sometimes she does not get to talk quite as much as the rest of us (she is by nature a little more quiet), but get her by herself and she does not stop talking (she is my girl after all) :)


So we went for supper and then Christmas shopping. She led me all over the place showing me things that she thought were interesting, or things that she thought that Sara would like - it was fun to see things through her eyes.


I have done some of this in the past, but I likely have not done it as often as I should. That is going to change though. I am going to take each of them (including their momma) out for more coffee dates, suppers, etc, because I think they need that one on one time. I know I do. :)


Besides, I am not going to have the chance to do that someday, right?

Garage Pictures (51 of 33)

I know that all you "Garage Addicts" are waiting, waiting, waiting for pictures - so, tonight is the the night. Hard to do it justice b/c it is a work in progress (ignore the ladders, saws, motorcycle and see it for what it will be).

I decided to put OSB (Oriented Strand Board - just in case you are curious) in there just b/c it is stronger, will not be as affected by the cold if I do not keep the place heated all the time (unlike gyprock which needs heat or it can crack the mud etc) and (as a bonus) it was a little cheaper too.

It is very dark in there right now, but it will be better when it is painted a bright white. One or two more days and this part will be done. Then put up the door openers and get using the thing.

There is also the little matter of waiting for my plumber to come back to put the furnace in - he is MIA at the moment - but we must have done a decent insulating job. When it is -10 out, I can easily get it up to +15 in there with a little space heater - so it has not been bad working out there yet. Anyway - here are the pictures.....

Here is the northwest corner - North wall was the first one done....
South wall......
A little bit of the east wall (easiest and therefore the last one I will do - tough stuff first) and a bit of the ceiling which was done before any of the walls

No way! Very cool (50 of 33)

Do you remember hearing a while ago that an astronaut lost their tool box on a space walk? It just floated away.

Did you know that you can see that tool box crossing the sky at night right now? A pair of binoculars and an idea of where to look will yield this view.



If you would like more info about how to see it for yourself, click here.

Just for Laughs (49 0f 33)

I had nothing to say tonight - then I cruised to my buddy Jason's blog and he had come across this and posted it - I thought he was funny so I am passing it on. (That and the fact that Sari LOVES Scottish accents - she will like it just b/c of that)

PS. I love the bagpipes - just for the record. Seriously I do! :)

The Final answer (48 of 33)

So I know that many of you have been losing sleep waiting to find out whether, in 1974, KC and the Sunshine Band sang.....

"That's the way! I like it" (Two phrases repeating the same idea)

0r....

"That's the way I like it" (One complete statement interrupted by an "Ah huh" or two)


And the answer is.......


I am not sure. The evidence is inconclusive (go watch the video posted in the like below and see for yourself).


1. In favor of the "two separate statements" are the following:

- The title of the song is "That's the way" with "I like it" in brackets - which would seem to indicate that the song is called "That's the way"

- In the lyrics on the official band site - the two phrases have an apostrophe between them most of the time

- The song sounds like it is two statements - the "ah huh" splits them up


2. In favor of the "One whole phrase" camp.....

- Checking the lyrics again, the entire phrase is used - no apostrophe - all one sentence

- The lyrics make more sense when the "one phrase" thing is used. For example: he sings "When you take me by the hand, tell me I'm your loving man" - then it would make sense that he would say "That's the way I like it"

- The title of the song on the lyrics page of the official web site calls it "That's the way I like it" (Right under the "KCSB lyrics page" title)

- At the end of the Youtube video he sings the whole phrase several times

- His biography was entitled "That's the way I like it"


So - if I had a gun to my head I would go with the "one phrase" crowd. Call me crazy, but there it is. :)

Now - the really important news..... KC and the Sunshine Band are touring again - they did lots of dates last year..... who wants to go with me???? I would go - I think it would be fun - but there is one stipulation - you all have to dress like the horn players in the video (or as they appear in this picture)
Why just you and not me????? Well, I am planning the thing so I get to make the rules. :) Who wants to go?????? I know some of you would like to wear the 70's stuff just once. :)

PS. On a more real note: we set up our Christmas tree tonight - it went super fast this year - older kids help a lot - it looks nice. Maybe pictures of it and the garage progress tomorrow - or maybe pictures of the Christmas tree in the garage!

Random thoughts (47 of 33)

Just some thoughts on a Saturday night.....

1. Sari and the kids are over at Katelyn's teacher's place watching a movie. Why do I mention that? Well, since Sari started working at the school, the kids are getting to see teachers in a way completely foreign to me when I was a kid.

When I was a kid, teachers could have been like aliens for all I knew. I mean, I never saw them outside of school. Maybe they didn't actually live in Moose Jaw. Maybe, every day at 4 pm (we had to got to school till 4 - unlike these wimpy kids today who get out at 3:15) the teachers got back into their spaceship and went home (wherever that was). Maybe they lived at the school 24 hours a day (that was the only place I saw them). I don't even think that they had first names (we never knew them anyway).

Now my kids are going to "Melanie's" house - watching movies - eating snacks (SNACKS I TELL YOU) - there is no separation - no intimidation - where is the "other-worldliness" of the "teacher - student relationship"????

Gone - that is where it is!!!!

I think I am going to have to get "Melanie" to give both of the girls detention for no reason - just to balance things out. :)


2. So I went to the hockey game tonight (alone - did I mention that the kids and Sari were at their teacher's house????? They chose hanging out with their teacher over going to the hockey game with their Dad!!! Can you believe that???? I even offered to double their "concession allowance" tonight, but NOOOOOOO!!!! No Shady Shane tonight either - I don't know why he did not show up - maybe he went watching girlie movies over at "Melanie's" too) and I go to buy my ticket. I say "One please" and the teen-age kid asks me "Is that an adult ticket?" So for the second time this season I could have got in as a student apparently (the first time the girl just charged me as a student). I am still a young pup - contrary to what Sari said (see yesterday's post)


3. That #2 thing reminds me a of funny t-shirt saying that I say today (I have seen it before but was reminded today)...... "You are only young once, but immaturity can last forever". I think I am going to put that on my business cards. :)


4. Puctiontion blog answer # 2 - re. Phil Collins "You can't hurry Love" (See post below). I think that this one is pretty simple - it is "You can't hurry love" (Love cannot be rushed). I think it is funny to think that his momma is calling him "love" in the song - like "You can't hurry, Lenny" - but that is not right. It means what it means - check it out for yourself and see if you agree. (It is a fun video to watch one way or the other - I wish I could have a couple of extra of me to sing and dance with - that would be cool!) :)


Tomorrow - the hardest answer of all - the KC and the sunshine band one - check it out too and let me know what you think - two phrases or one? (See blog below for this too and check the link - I have a couple of comments about this video for tomorrow too) :)

Could it be? (46 of 33)

So I spent all morning sheeting the inside of my garage and then I went to noon hockey. There were not a lot of guys there, so that meant lots of skating - and I was wiped out afterwards!! It was hard to go back to the garage after lunch and I can still feel it in my legs and lungs. Maybe Sari is right - she told me that maybe (just maybe) I am getting old. :)

Could it be that I am not going to make the NHL????? But I reaaaaaaallllllyyyyyy want to. :(


PS. The first answer to the "Punctuation blog" below...... the right answer is "God rest ye merry, Gentlemen". The blessing was "God rest ye merry" (may God bring things that make you happy) and it was addressed to a group of "gentlemen". So there you go - next time you need an old time blessing, you can say, "God rest ye merry, Lenny" (or whomever).

Answer to the punctuation of the second song tomorrow.

A few things thatI am grateful for (45 of 33)

So I am tired tonight.... bagged.... knackered (as some of my friends would say)

How do I know that for sure? Well - I have been sitting here trying to think of something to write and I am almost out. 45 straight days and I am pretty much done - believe it or not.

Oh I could post a copy of one of my favorite "Youtube" songs - about a certain type of doctor (if you do not know what I am referring to - leave a comment - maybe I will send you a link - or maybe I will just post it someday anyway), or I could rant about Ottawa some more, or I could tell some long story about some silly thing.... but you know what? I don't feel like it tonight.

So - as I was sitting here trying to think about what to write - I thought about(in no particular order).......

- The fact that I got a Christmas card from my 90 year old Grandma this week - and was able to call her to thank her for it.

- How nice it is to have a mom who calls me ever week or so just to see how I am doing

- A brother, a sister, a bro-in-law and a sister in law that are beating me in my family hockey pool (why am I thankful for that? Because it will make it even better when I come back and beat them at the end of the year)

- A buddy (Shady Shane) who makes time each week so that I can go to his house, goof off and play video games (Hockey actually) for an hour each week - just for fun!

- A wonderful family - a lovely wife and two great kids - who dragged themselves out into the cold dark night tonight to go buy me some Christmas presents (I am also thankful for the fact that they are likely to be asleep in about 10 minutes and I can go snooping!) ;)

- Some new German friends who are just fun to hang out with and who are teaching me useful words like "egal" (It does not matter) and "unsinn" (Nonsense) - it is fun to run around yelling "Unsinn" once in a while for no reason.

I could go on and on about friends - being with both sides of our family over the coming holidays - the great group of people with whom I have worked for the last 19 years - snow that is falling making it look like Christmas - I could go on and on.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that even when I think that I have nothing to write about - I have more to be thankful for than I could write about in 948503498690386903806983098 posts on this blog..... and that makes me a little less "knackered" and a lot more happy!

PS. No one has tried to punctuate the songs in the post from two days ago (though a few people have talked to me about them - get your guess in now - answers tomorrow)

A Political thought (44 of 33)

I have no illusions that politics will really change things - parties no matter what their ideologies say sort of have their hands tied by the system that is too inefficient to really do anything. Having said that - I do enjoy following what is going on anyway.

So - what did you think of Mr. Harper's and Mr. Dion's speeches tonight?

I hate to say it, but I think Mr. Dion came off looking better (other than the fact that his party could not get his taped message to the TV studios on time - come on! You want to run the country but you can't even meet a TV deadline!!!) Dion was more passionate, more focused and actually said a few new things. As I said, I hate to admit it, but he sounded like he had a good point. There is only one problem......

If - as Mr Dion says - all he wants is a government that works for the people and if he just wants to work together to make this parliament work..... why does he not just work with the government that we already have? Why not cooperate with the Conservatives?

Could it be that if he did that he would not get to be PM? Could it be that this is more about getting rid of Mr Harper than to actually helping the country as he would like us to think? Hmmmmmm?

PS. Let me know what you think - and see the question re. song punctuation from last night

Questions that need answers (43 of 33)

Ok - here are three questions that I need the answers to -they are driving me crazy - please help if you can.


1. In the Christmas song "God rest ye merry Gentlemen" - where does the punctuation go? Is it....

a. "God, rest ye merry Gentlemen" - as in "God.... rest those dudes"

b. "God rest, ye merry Gentlemen" - that would be like "Good luck, you merry dudes"

c. "God rest ye, merry Gentlemen" - "God rest you, happy dudes"

d. "God rest ye merry, Gentlemen" - As in "God give you a happy rest, gentlemen"




2. In the song that Phil Collins (among others) sings - is it.......

a. "You can't hurry, love'" - where "love" is what his momma calls him - as in "You can't hurry, Billy. You just have to wait"

or is it.....

b. "You can't hurry love" - The meaning being that you must wait for love to come along



3. In the old "KC and the Sunshine band" song is it.......

a. "That's the way! I like it!" - Like "Way to go! This is the way I prefer it" - same idea repeated

or is it all one thought....

b. "That's the way I like it" - as in "That is the way I would prefer it to be"


So there you go! I will give you a few days to comment and we will see what you think (By the way, there is a right answer at least for the first one - but don't look it up - vote for all of them first and then go and see if you are right).

Ps. Good luck ever hearing these songs again without these questions coming to mind - you are welcome! :)

No Pictures yet (42 of 33) :(

A friend wrote to us recently and asked what was going on in our lives. She remarked that she knew what I was doing and where the garage was at because she had been reading the blog, but she had no idea of how Sari was doing or how the kids were, etc, etc

So the garage is coming along nicely.... I am really happy with it! :)

Ok - this will not replace a personal response to the email, but for others who are wondering if I still have a wife and kids...... we are sort of between things at the moment. Katie is done with volleyball - they came in 2nd in the city and she played a lot - good for a grade 7 kid to be a starter. She is still in Spirit club at school (basically a group that plans fun functions for the kids) and she is baby-sitting a few hours per week.

Mumpy (Megan) is talking about playing basketball when it starts after Christmas but she mainly fills her time with friends, sleepovers and doing science experiments (she has a book that has like 349068903869 home experiments to try - so between doing that and building forts in the basement - she is busy).

Sari woke up today and realized that there are only 25 days until Christmas - so she was/is in full panic mode now. :) She still loves her job - more and more each day actually. She is getting all Christmasy - and I really like most of it - the decorations, the lights, the music (all except for Billy Gilman - uuuuuuggggghhhhhhh!!!!!) :( Anyway - it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around her thanks to her.

So - what else do you want to know? More about the garage you say... well you will have to wait till tomorrow now! :)

It is late - but it is (partly) done (41 of 33)

It is 9 minutes to midnight as I write this - Sari and I just finished putting the last sheet of OSB on the roof!!! Jurgen and Pia were here again today - came over at 4 and worked till 6:30. I went to Bible study and then Sari and I worked from 9:30 till now. The hardest part (ladders, 10 feet over your head, lots of lights and boxes to cut out) is over now! Woo hoo!!!!

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. :)

The best invention ever (40 of 33)

I did not know it until this very day, but the contraption in the picture above is the best invention in the history of the world (just for fun.... write back and tell me what you think the best invention ever is - you could win a million fake dollars - the winner will be picked at random).

What is it, you ask? It is a drywall lift! You throw a piece of drywall on it (or in my case, a piece of OSB - Oriented Strand Board - or "Chip board" as it is called) and you can lift it up to the ceiling 10 feet over your head. It makes putting this stuff up much easier. Just run it up, move it around to where you want it, screw it to the truss and you are done. I rented this one from the rental place in town and I would have paid 49869384693 times as much for it as I did (shhhhh - don't tell them that) it is that good!

Jurgen, Pia and Skip came and helped Sari and me and in one day we got 3/4 of the roof done and most of one wall. Considering the fact that almost every sheet on the ceiling had to have cutouts in it for a light or an electrical outlet or something else, this was good progress. The worst of it is over, just about 8 more sheets on the ceiling.

Hurray for the greatest invention ever!!!! :)

Woo Hoo(39 of 33)

The building inspector was here and is gone..... in 23.3 seconds! Seriously - walked in, had a quick look around and that was it. No questions about what I did. No suggestions as to what could have been done better. Nothing. As before, he would have been gone in 10 seconds if I had not asked him a question.

That is the kind of inspector I like! Reasonable - not nit-picky - "looks good - start sheeting it" - and that is it! Woo hoo!!

Wanna come help sheet the thing now??? Huh??? Huh???? :)

The Inspector Cometh (38 of 33)

Tomorrow at 9 am the Building Inspector is coming by to look at the insulation and vapor barrier in my garage. That is the last "ok" I need and then I just have to sheet it inside, put up the door openers, set up shelves and get the unit heater (furnace) in and I am ready to go (sounds like a long list yet).

I hope he likes what he sees when he looks at the insulation b/c we had to put this tar stuff on all the seams of the plastic - it is messy stuff! If we have to take it down....... uuuuuhhhhhhggggggg!!!! :(

I spent 3 hours out there tonight "prettying" it up - lets hope he is happy! :)

Stuff (37 of 33)

A couple of things (quickly) tonight....

1. It was Parent/Teacher interview night tonight - it is an odd thing now that Sari works there. It was sort of different to be part of the "inside" group - that was new. What was not new was the good report the kids got. In fact, their teachers had nothing to say - we mostly just chatted b/c the girls are doing well - that was nice.

2. I have the building inspector coming on Friday morning to inspect the insulation/Vapor Barrier - I have a few more things to finish tomorrow night before he comes - I hope he likes it.

3. I went to the Bruins game tonight (after I was done at Bible study). I have been going to lots of games lately b/c a buddy of mine gave me some free tickets. Anyway - since having one of the player's grandmas tell my buddy Shane and I that she was going to pass our critiques to her grandson (see post below) the Bruins have not lost. In fact they won 7-0 tonight - biggest margin of victory in years and the first time I have ever seen a shutout. I think Shane and I are the reason for the turn around. The NHL is going to be calling soon..... you better talk to me soon before I am gone and hanging with the Big Boys!!! (I coached "junior novice" hockey for 2 years - the NHL has to be similar.... other than the fact that the players likely won't have their moms in there helping them tie their skates!) :)

Good night!

Dancing with the Stars is done - and a PS to "stupid Paul" (36 of 33)

(Spoiler warning - if you have it PVRed and do not want to know who won - stop reading now)

So it is over. :( I have never watched more "reality TV" in my life as I have these past few weeks with DWTS. If you had told me two months ago that I would end up watching that show, I would have punched myself in the gut for being so stupid.... but it was fun.

As I said before, it was interesting to watch people who have been successful in other areas of life put themselves in the awkward position of having to dance in front of people and be judged on it. Most of the time, people protect themselves from looking like they don't know what they are doing - but on this show that was sort of the point and that was interesting to me.

Contrary to what I wrote before, I wish someone other than Brooke won. I ended up liking Lacey way more than Brooke and I was really hoping that Warren would win. It is, though, after all a dance show and Brooke was the best dancer - so it is fair - but still too bad.

Now what am I going to do with my Monday and Tuesday nights until it is back on in March????? Visit with my wife and kids maybe hey?

PS. If you have not done so, please go read my post from yesterday re. squash and Paul making me run too much. I feel better about how hard he made me work now though because his comment on my post shows that apparently he was worn put too - a lack of oxygen to the brain from working too hard at squash is the only explanation I can come up with that explains his comment! :)

What are we thinking (35 of 33)

For the past 5 or 6 winters, my buddy Paul and I have got together every Monday night to play squash.

We started again tonight. We said that we were going to take it easy - it was the first night after all. We are just out to have some fun, right? No need to kill ourselves.

I may need to start looking for a "Senior's squash tour" if things keep going like they did on this "easy" night.

Make me run - I am an old man - Stupid Paul! :)

Nice day (34 of 33)

Today has been a nice day. Good and encouraging time at church. A nice visit with Calvin and Mary and Jurgen and Pia. I got to see some people going out of their way to be nice. I got to see my wife and kids go out of their way to be nice to me (they hung the Christmas lights - something that I really did not want to do - while I was off helping someone else). I had some nice family time - it has just been a good day.

So - I wanted to give you a some music to listen to - open a new window and play these three songs while surfing for other stuff (unless you want to read the words). Have a listen - you may like the messages. Have a good week! :)

The first is by Matt Redman - it is an older song but I like the message of it


This is also by Matt Redman - a new song that I like a lot right now (cheezy video but it gives you the words)


This one is from Addison Road.... I really like it lately too.

Scattered thoughts (33 of 33)

1. We had a good camp board meeting today (Clearview Christian). Thanks to all who made time to be there - it was fun!

2. Jessica made it to Weyburn (Jessica is my "New to me" pick up). I had not driven her very far yet but she made that trip very easily. (Why is she called Jessica you ask - well the last one was Becky and I could not call this one Becky as well. Besides, she is just a Jessica - I tried to call her Samantha but that was just wrong!)

3. I went to the Bruins game again tonight and kept my mouth shut this time. However, the Bruins won tonight - played way better than last night. Shady Shane and I are just waiting for the phone call from the coach asking us to teach him everything we know (see post below) - he must still be out celebrating thought because he has not called yet.....

4. You will notice that I completed 33 of 33 days of posts - they say habits are formed after 21 straight days - so I am going to keep going. This is not the end..... so please keep checking back for more stupid thoughts from me! :)

You know you live in a small town when..... (32 of 33)

You know you live in a small town when.....

1. You go to the Co-op to buy gas and the girl behind the counter enters your 5 digit "Co-op number" without even having to ask (Seriously - this one lady there does that to me all the time - I have trouble remembering my phone number and she remembers my Co-op number)

2. You go to the bank to get some American money for your wife who is heading to Minot and the teller calls up your bank account - withdraws $600 and gives you American money never once asking your name, account number or for ID. (I was hoping she made a mistake, thought I was someone else and took the cash from the wrong account, but she got it right!)

3. You go to the Bruin game with your buddy "Shady Shane" and sit there talking about how the Bruins could do things better, critiquing every play that every player makes - as if we were Gretzky and Kurri themselves - only to have the very nice lady who has sat in front of you for the last 3 games turn around inform you (very nicely mind you) that she is the grandmother of one of the "worst" (in our opinion at least) players on the team! Doh! :) That happened tonght - fortunately we had not criticized her grandson too much tonight because he did not play much - but in what other place would that happen???? Go to a Rider game - yell at Henry Burris - have his Granny take a strip off you! Doesn't happen! However, this lady actually agreed with what we were saying and said that she was going to pass our "tips" on to her grandson. So the Bruins will be greatly improved now because they have access to our vast knowledge of the game - or we may get run out of town - one or the other. :)

PS. My nice wife - who is always nicer and more sensitive than I am - was a little appalled that I used the word "chick" repeatedly in a blog three days ago. She thought it made me sound like a redneck idiot (I reminded her that I was trying to be funny - but that did not seem to help). Then today, when I was riding around in my truck listening to CBC radio (I do that because I like to pretend I am intelligent) I heard the term "Chick-lit" (From literature written spefically for women) used twice! I have heard of "Chick flicks" (Sappy girly movies) but never "Chick-lit". So I think Sari owes me an apology - if the CBC can use it - so can I. What do you think?

An Experiment (31 of 33)

I hate Facebook!!

I have stated this before, but let me recap..... since Facebook came along, 93.39096 % of people have abandoned their blogs. No one writes on them and no one reads them (good for you for showing up here, by the way - way to go). As well, I believe that Facebook's format creates short, useless "conversations" - unlike the witty, intelligent ones that you find here.

Now I admit that I "lurk" on Sari's Facebook (I refuse to get my own) but that is only because it is the only way to keep up with people since the blog abandonment noted above.

All of that is background to this: I was listening to the radio this morning and the Dj guy, Matt, says, "So I changed my marital status on Facebook from single to married and then I wrote in my status line, 'What a wild couple of days in Vegas that was!!!'" He went on to say that it took exactly 37 minutes for one of his friends to read and respond to this posting - he also mentioned that he was leaving it up there to see how long it took until his mother called him! :)

I thought that was funny - so here is the challenge: If you have Facebook - come up with the most outrageous thing you can think of for your status line - time how long it takes someone to respond to it - and then comment here and tell me. This will accomplish several things:

1. It will give me some interesting comments to read

2. It will be a good socialogical experiment (if you end up writing your Doctoral thesis based on this - I get 1/2....... whatever that means!)

3. It will mess with Facebook - maybe even bring the whole thing down because no one will trust it (Just like the guys in the States who have organized a group to vote for the worst American Idol singer to try and get the "worst to first")

So there you have it. That is your challenge (should you choose to accept it). Are you gusty enough to try it - or are you "yellow"? Let me know - either way! :)

An alternative to Dating Services (30 of 33)

If any of you readers out there are single, have I got a deal for you!

(If you are married, you can keep reading if you want - just to see the great idea that you are missing out on - but you are hooped already as far as this discussion goes).

Forget blind dates!

Forget being "set up" by friends!

Forget dating services!

Forget the internet!

Forget stalking people!
(Oh come on!!!! Like you haven't!!!!! A buddy of mine and I used to "just happen" to end up having coffee in the same restaurant as this girl he liked - every night of the week..... he took me along to make it look like we were hanging out and just ran into her, but it was stalking none the less. PS. That did not work out so well - just in case you are wondering. He did not get the girl and I developed a caffeine addiction)

I am starting a completely new, completely revolutionary, completely fool-proof method of picking up chicks (First off, call the ladies chicks - they like that!) :)

This program will also help you single girls get guys, but let's face it..... who needs more help around here????? Not the chicks!

For $1000 I will reveal my new found secret to you...... ok...... since you are here anyway, I will tell you now, but I expect everyone of you who have read to this point to send me $1000 in the mail - even if you stop reading right now - you still owe me the $1000 (you can't stop in the middle and expect to pay nothing - you fill 1/2 of your gas tank you still have to pay, right?)

Ok - the secret....... First, go to broadcasting school and learn to do the radio DJ voice thing (you know what I mean) and then, second....... well, that is about it.

In over 18 years of recording the "Ministerial Moment" (a short devotional thing on our local radio station), I have yet to meet a DJ that looks the way they sound.

In other words, everyone sounds way cooler on the radio than they ever are in real life. The voice never, ever matches what the actual person looks like....... but that is ok! The trick is to get on the radio - talk lots - make people think that you are some sort of Greek God or that you are a really Hot Chick (see there is the key word again guys.... give it a try) ........ and then never, ever, let any of your listeners actually meet you until you are married to one of them!

Now you may ask, "How will I get from people thinking I sound like a Greek God or a Hot Chick on the radio to having them marry me sight unseen??????"

What am I..... Your mother????? I can't do everything for you here.

PS. When I was in high school, I thought about going into radio - and maybe I should have...... I mean, think about it..... I would have been like Fabio over there!!! :)

One step closer - almost (29 of 33)

Thanks to Sari's help, I have almost all the vapor barrier on the walls of the garage - one good day to finish all the little junk and I will be done that part - then on to putting OSB or gyprock on the inside and I will be done - mostly (there would still be a furnace to put in, shelves to put up, walls to paint, things to organize, etc etc - but the main part will be done).

So I do not have a lot to say today. Basically......

1. I sat in my office getting ready to record lessons at the radio station tomorrow - no one came by for coffee

2. I went to noon hockey

3. I went back to the office and read for my sermon - no one came by for coffee

4. I came home, ate supper and worked in the garage - no one came by for coffee

5. Watched "Dancing with the Stars" with Sari - no one came by for coffee

6. Ate some cereal and now I am going to bed


So I would blog about my day - but who would waste their time reading that????? I guess you just did! :)

Come back tomorrow though - I promise the post will be more interesting - I will even go do something wild and crazy if I have to just so that I have something to write about (and remember, you get what you pay for here and since I have not seen too many big cheques rolling into my mailbox........) :)

A Reality (TV) Check (28 of 33)

So I am conflicted...... and because of that, I have two confessions to make.

1. I am getting a little bored with "Dancing with the Stars". If you have been following this blog (and shame on you if you have not been - what are you doing with your life????), you will remember that I confessed that I started watching "DWTS" about a month or so ago..... and I sort of liked it - but now I am starting to get bored with it. This happens to me all the time. Generally, I have the attention span of a gnat! Fortunately, it is almost over and then I can be unconflicted about making myself watch it or not.


2. Even worse...... I am starting to cheer against Brooke! I think she is a bit of an idiot (could it be that she is famous for something other than her smarts???) :) I don't know - I would almost rather see Cody and Julianne win the thing - or Warren - not Lance so much (though I do like Lacey)....... maybe part of it is my "cheer for the underdog" nature or to put it more accurately "cheer against the favorite" (Usually, if everyone thinks something is cool.... I have to hate it - just on principle! "If it is cool, it is stupid" - that is my motto!)


So sum up: I get bored easily and I think popular things are stupid! That makes me fun to hang out with don't you think???? :)


Who says that I need counselling? HA!

The best toy ever!!!! (27 of 33)

Over the years, there have been moments when I have wished that we had more money so that we could buy the kids something really big, cool and nice. Not that I think it is good to spoil kids and give them anything they want (our kids have grown up pretty far away from that), but once in a while I think, "I wish I could give them........"

And then they do something like this.........
Megan was reading in a book about how to make Ju-jube towers - so she got us to buy her a couple of bags of ju-jubes and some toothpicks and she and Katie spent all afternoon making towers - trying different designs to see which were the most stable - seeing who could build the tallest one....... and then Megan took hers and wore it on her head like a helmet (I am not sure what that was about).

Other kids think that they are deprived when they do not have the latest video game system.... my kids play with their food all afternoon. I like that! :)

I've still got it!!!! (26 of 33)

So when I went to the Bruin's game tonight, I walked up to the ticket booth and said, "One please" - and the girl charged me $9 instead of $12 - in other words, she charged me as a STUDENT!!! Apparently I still look like I am in university - or maybe even high school!!! :)

I was feeling really good about that until my buddy Shane got to the game and I told him my story - he thought about it for a second, then checked his change and he realized that the same girl charged him the wrong price too.

Actually, I think that subtracting $12 from $20 confused her so much that she just started handing out $11 change to everyone - it is either that or maybe both Shane and I look like kids yet. That is the story that I am going with! :)

PS. We did give the money back - just in case you are curious.

JOHNNY BENSON.... JOHNNY BENSON!!!! (25 OF 33)

Who is Johnny Benson you ask? He is the 2008 Craftsman truck series champion!

He came into the final race race of the season tonight leading Ron Hornaday by 3 points in the championship (second closest race in Nascar history). For most of the night he was terrible. Riding around in about 10 place while Hornaday led laps and took the championship lead.

Benson stayed on the track with 10 laps to go, passed Hornaday who pitted and then held him off at the end - Benson finished four tenths of a second ahead of Hornaday and took the title.

Johnny is a really nice guy - the championship was back and forth all season long - the race was back and forth all night long - I gave up on Johnny 7 times - but he won it.

In the end, Johnny won by 7 points. Johnny is one of the nicest guys in racing and because of that he has not always had a lot of success. Fun to see the underdog win.

Who cares you ask? I do!!!! And it is my blog so..... woot Woot!!!! :)

Johnny in the #23 truck.
PS. Lenny and I were in Bill Davis' shop in Charlotte - walked up to Johnny's truck in the garage - one that looked just like this..... maybe that is why he won.... the "Pippus Luck" (No wait - the Pippus' name is associated with lots of things - many of which I cannot mention publicly - but luck likely is not one of them) :)

Did you know..... (24 of 33)

Did you know that Estevan is the fastest growing city in the province???? Our official census count says that there are just over 10 000 people here - but estimates are that there are actually closer to 15 000 people living here in "transient housing" (5th wheels, campers, motel rooms etc). A new hotel just opened here and two more are being built. Three new subdivisions are underway and there is not an apartment or a basement suite to be had.

In fact, CBC radio is coming to do their morning show from Estevan next week so that they can talk to people about the "boom times" that we are in.

There are way over 500 jobs listed at the job bank (and those are just the advertised ones). Oilfield worker (with no experience) are getting starting wages in the $80 000 range. Our neighbour just quit his job and moved to another one - the oilfield company gave him a truck and over $100 000 per year (he has been working in the oilfield for only 3 years!). Katie's teacher quit his job in the middle of the year and went to the oilfield. There are openings at the mine - all sorts of service industry jobs (restaurants are closing b/c they do not have enough workers) - anything you want.

So with all this going on here - where are you????????

Pictures and a clarification (23 of 33)

In reverse order, first the clarification...... there was a real cougar in our yard - I am not lying. Another neighbour told me that a couple of years ago he had fresh paw prints and a line in the snow that was made by a cougar's tail. The cougar circled the house and left - crazy, no? And last winter one was seen on the hill by the Shell gas station that is by our house - so "no" I was not kidding about that.

On to more important things: Here are some new pictures of garages, etc.........


First up - garage wall insulated waiting for vapor barrier.....
Next, ceiling - done and vapor barrier in place
Outside lights working - I just finished wiring them and putting up the fixtures yesterday, so this is the first night they have been on.....
A section of our new fence - the fence of compromises..... Sari wanted an 8 foot fence - I talked her down to 6 feet but I wanted spaces between the boards and she did not - so she won that battle.
And last but certainly not least...... my new snowblower!!!!! Given to me by Dwight Muller with an assist from Justin Mooney who told Dwight that I liked fixing old motors etc and would likely be interested in this machine....... I cannot wait for the snow. You can see in the picture that it is sitting amongst scraps of insulation.... just to give it that "sitting in the snow" look (Don't try blowing insulation through it though - it does not work so well! Also it is likely a good idea not to go up and down the back alley throwing rocks around either...... I just got it running and had to try it out somewhere right??????)
So there you have it! As to more important things: Katie got all of her serves in today in her volleyball game..... Megan got 90% on her Social Studies test (Canadian Geography)..... Sari still loves her job (she has still been getting up at like quarter to 7 in the morning - and she is happy about it!!!! That would tell any of you who know her how much she likes this job!) :) She is good at it too - just by the way. And me..... I am happy! "It is good" - as our German buddies say.

PS. One last thing: You would not believe how funny it is to watch Sari giving a recipe to a German lady who is then trying to communicate that to a Ukrainian lady. Sari says something, then the German lady gets her husband to help translate that into German, he then asks the Ukrainian's lady's husband what the German word is in Ukrainian and then he finally tells his wife what to write down. Then the whole thing flows backwards (Ukrainian lady, husband, German husband, wife and then Sari) to make sure it was the right thing. Then they do the next ingredient. I don't know what the end result will taste like but it was funny to watch!!! :)

Oh - and we found a new international language: "Caramel" - it is the same word in all three languages (or at least they all understood that word first try). :)

Interesting visitors on Remembrance day (22 of 33)

We had a very interesting Remembrance Day in that we had two visitors that we have never had before.........

1. Germans! Interestingly, this is the first time that our new German friends (who moved to our country just 2 months ago) have had time to come to visit us. The irony of this was not lost on me. It seems odd that, at one time, people like Jurgen and Pia would have been considered "the enemy" (of course - a different time, place and circumstance obviously). They are so nice and we had a really good time with them - not to mention a really good roast beef supper. When they were leaving, Jurgen told Sara that she was a good "cooking wife" - it was nice! :)

2. A Cougar! No, not some lady in her 50's who is out to get a younger man, but an actual live cougar!!! About 7 pm, Murphy started barking and barking at something. Then, a few minutes later, our neighbour from across the street called to say that she just saw a cougar in our next door neighbour's yard. It climbed one of the trees and then it came down and she lost sight of it. Had her scared to death! So, of course, (with Sari yelling at us) we had to go see if we could see it. I took a big flashlight shot it towards the frontyard....... and two things reflected light back - eyes I thought....... but it turned out to be just the reflectors on the neighbour kid's bike. :) Then as we were sitting in the living room visiting (Pia kept looking out the window every 5 minutes to see if she could see the cougar) Katie yells, "I just saw it! It jumped up in the tree again!!!" We did not believe her..... until we looked out and there was something in the tree for sure. I got the flashlight again and...... it was just a big cat..... a big kitty cat named "Lee" (belongs to one of the neighbours)- so I guess we were a little freaked out about it but it was exciting! :) Soon the cops came and talked to the neighbour lady, looked around a bit and left. It is not unusual for cougars to be seen in town - in the past few years a couple have come out of the valley and have been seen in town - but we have never had one in our yard until tonight though. Also until tonight, Sari has never before put leftover roast beef in my pockets and encouraged me to go for a late night walk with the dog........ odd! Maybe I should re-think that 1/2 million dollar life insurance policy that she talked me into. :)

Anyway, it was a really interesting night - in more ways that one. :)

PS. I have had a ton of requests (ok - just one) for pictures of the garage and how it is going. I put up outside lights today - so that is another step...... pictures of the lights, insulation, gas line, snowblower and many other exotic will be posted soon..... try to sleep tonight if you can - I know the excitement may be too much but........ :)

Sari is home... and I sort of have Gas (21 of 33)

The two things in the title are unrelated - but both sum up today.

Sari went to Minot with one of the teachers from the school - they went Christmas shopping. I am not sure how much stuff Melanie bought but if it was anything like the pile that Sari brought home..... I am not sure that there is anything left in Minot for the "Minotonians" to buy (Is that what people from Minot are called..... anyone who knows the real answer to "What do you call someone from Minot?" - a fake Million dollars to you). Actually, she did not buy a lot of stuff. She got some good things and had a fun day.

As for the gas.... at about 10 am (hang with me here - this is not a graphic story in any way) my plumber showed up with the gas line for my garage. He moved the gas meter outside a couple of weeks ago and I dug the trench but he did not have the line. We went out for Sunday lunch yesterday and who is in the restaurant but my plumber buddy - so I talked to him for a while but did not mention the gas line - but that must have shook his memory b/c he showed up today. Good thing he did too b/c the ground is already starting to freeze (I could not shovel the piles of dirt back into the trench today - too hard). The next few days are supposed to be in the plus range so I will get that filled in. No idea when the unit heater (furnace) is coming but that is ok - I have some insulating to do yet anyway.

PS. Related to the post below re. Michael Bishop - when the Riders released him today, does anyone know.... was he wearing the visor or not (just curious). :)

Actually - I find that sad. I was in Mike's corner - I wanted him to do well and I was impressed with him even before he become a Rider (Dude can throw the ball 80 yards - how can that not impress you) - but I guess, like they say, "It is a performance business" and when you do not perform..... it is sad all around. :(

A question (20 of 33)

I am not going to rant about the Riders - it is immature to cheer when they win and pout when they lose - and it is not really that important (right Marilyn???) :)......... but I do have a question.......

Why did Michael Bishop wear a visor in his helmet as seen here, but later in the game it was gone as in this picture?

I don't get it. It was not tinted so it has nothing to do with the sun. He took it out, so it was not prescription....... seriously...... can anyone tell me the real answer?

A million fake dollars to the first one who can.

An Offensive Display (19 of 33)

Many weeks ago I had a discussion with several of my preaching buddies in which I said (and I quote), "Michael Bishop should be the starting quarterback for the Sask Roughriders..... and if anyone else thinks differently you are an idiot!"

Well after today, I am not sure who the idiot is.

I am sure that not all the Interceptions were Bishop's fault (sometimes it looks bad on the QB when the receiver runs the wrong route, etc) but the Riders did nothing on offense at all. Ugh!

Oh well, I at least I did not drive there and sit in the stands freezing to death to watch that stinker of a game - right Lenny????? :)

Pro-life Supper: One up and one down (18 of 33)

So we went to the Pro-life supper (see post below for details).... Being the MC went well - I even had one guy tell me, "You were like a white Chris Rock - without the swearing!"

Ok - actually no one said that - I said it to me, but that does not count does it? :)

So here is the real review.....

1. Get involved in something!!! I am even more convinced that it is worth getting out there and doing something with others. I came away from that supper encouraged, inspired and with a better opinion of the Pro-life group in Estevan. I saw some people I knew and I met a bunch of others who are doing good in our community that I did not know at all. It was well worth doing - so that was the "Up" part.

2. The down part...... I learned early on in our marriage that I should never take Sari to an auction sale (it is a genetic thing right Marilyn?????) Apparently, I should not take her to "silent auctions" either. I think that she was the "top buyer" at the silent auction tonight. She would like me to say that she was not "buying things" but "supporting Pro-life".... Uh huh! Right! Sari could find a way to shop in a prison cell ("Hey I'll give you $4 for that radar gun.... whadda say?????") :)

All in all it was a great night! I have to say too that I am really proud of the girls too - we were going to leave them at home but they wanted to go. Sat through the whole 3 hour thing without complaining at all. Way to go girls!!!

Get Out there (17 of 33)

Don't you hate it when people actually listen and take what you say seriously?

Last month I was teaching about "Living what we believe" - basically the idea that talk is cheap. I was in Genesis 1-3 and read how God made the first man.

I then asked, "Why - if we really believe that life comes from God and that we are more than just the result of a series of fortunate accidents - aren't any of us in this church more involved in things like 'Pro-life'?" I went on and on about us having lots of the right answers - but maybe not so much the right actions to back them up.

As I was going along - I suddenly remembered that I had been asked to MC the Pro-life supper in town...... and I was dragging my feet as to the answer. There was part of me that wanted to help out, part of me that wanted to support the people who work hard at presenting a very positive Pro-life message (I am not sure what your local group is like but ours is low emotional, heart-string appeal and ver much high on positive and encouraging messages - which to me is good), but part of me just wanted to be left alone.

I admitted to the church that I too was really good at talking and not so good at doing - and so I am MCing the Pro-life supper tomorrow night.

To be honest with you, I am still not 100% excited about it yet. I could be doing 34897689376893 things (most of which would really account for nothing). I could avoid the stress of meeting new people and the challenge of a new situation. I am not even sure that I agree with all that Pro-life stands for (so part of tomorrow night is a fact finding mission too).

But more and more I am trying to get out of the church building. I am trying to focus on what I can do to help, rather than just stand around and criticize what is or is not being done. There are tons of good people trying to do good things in our communities. They could use some help and some encouragement and I will likely benefit by being with them.

I will let you know how tomorrow night goes.

PS. Speaking of Good People - our German friends came in to visit tonight and they brought their very last chocolate bar to me. As I said, the world is full of Good people (but I am not sharing!) :)

I'm moving to Germany (16 of 33)

Ok - I am not really - but if I had to pick a country to go to right now - Germany would be the place.

I know nothing about it. I have no idea what the climate is like (sort of like the Caribbean isn't it?). I have no real concept of its history or its people and I can only "speak" three German words that are phonetically spelled (and someone can correct the spelling if they know them).....

- Egal ("It does not matter" or "Regardless")
- Lieb (Dear)
- gnow ("It is so")

At least that is what my new German friends Jurgen and Pia tell me that they mean - I sometimes wonder though because when I say these words they laugh at me, but that could also be because I am saying them with a Chinese accent (Why Chinese you ask? I am not sure. It is just the way it works out for me)

So why would I move to Germany?????

Chocolate!!!! I have discovered real German Chocolate..... and it is yummy!!!

Every time I go to Jurgen and Pia's they load me up with more (I am starting to ask myself if they are just that nice - which I think they are - or are they trying to get me really hooked and then they are going to make me pay for it)

Last time they gave me this stuff with whole almonds in it - ooooohhhh!!! I am considering breaking into their house just to steal the rest of their stash.

So - there you have it. Tonight's insightful comment on how to live your life to its fullest..... forget your dreams..... forget your friends...... forget your family....... forget success...... move somewhere that has good junk food (or at least make friends with people who go have friends there who will ship them some).

Bring back the "Drop in" (15 of 33)

I am starting a campaign - a campaign to bring back the "drop in". I do not like the fact that people think that they need an invitation to go to someone's home and visit. I do not like the fact that we (Sari and I) act as though we need to plan for a week before we have someone over for an evening.

Sara's aunt and uncle dropped in at our place (they actually came to work - they came to help me insulate my garage - but I was not that interested in doing that tonight) so we just invited them in for coffee - and it was really nice. We have been talking forever about having them over (and many other people are on that list too) but just never seem to find the time to do it.

So - if you need one - here is your open invitation......... "Drop in on us". Call us on the spur of the moment and tell us that you are coming over or that you want us to come over. We usually are not as busy as we think we are. You may not get a perfectly clean house or a huge spread of food (though thanks to Sara our house is always clean and there is always something good to eat) - but I guarantee that you will get a nice visit and we will be happy that came.

Can we work at bringing back the "old time neighbourliness"? (is that a word?) Can we get over having to impress each other with stuff and show? Can we just enjoy hanging out together when we get a chance? I think so.

So - when are you coming over? :)

A love like that Post # 14 0f 33

Since Tim is on a binge of blogging, I thought we could include a little sappiness. Everyday something insignificant happens at our house but every time it does I smile a warm smile and then forget about it. You may have heard Tim rant about our dog Murphy and go on and on about how he does not like him. Murphy is our third kid. Well we make him eat from a bowl on the ground and sleep in a cage(kennel) but in a lot of ways he is one of the kids. He may not be all Tim expected in a dog and well sometimes you get what you get. A dog is only as good as his owner. But Murphy could change the world if he we could bottle how he feels about me. Every time he is outside and then is let in, he races all over the house looking for me. Last week I began to hide until he could find me, just to see how long he would look for me. He did not rest until he did. And when he finds me he does his part to perpetuate the stereotypical tail wagging, happy dance, dog we are so fond of. And I smile and think ahhhh my dog likes me. What if we all greeted each other this way.....with so much enthusiasm and unconditional loyalty. What if we did not stop until we found each other. What if when we did find each other, we knew we were loved just because we were found. I like my dog and that is reason #1. He "knows" how to be a great celebrator, at least with me he does. Anyway I may not blog often in this goal to reach 33 but maybe we/I can only stand so much mush. Hope you have someone like Murphy in your life who lets you know you are the best.

Something to know (13 of 33 )

Wisdom comes in many forms. Sometimes it comes in the form of people. Sometimes it comes in the form of sayings ("Don't eat yellow snow" - for example). Sometimes it comes in books. Then other times it comes the hard way.

Last Christmas I bought the girls a racetrack like the one you see above (b/c of course every little girl's dream is to have their very own race track - right?) Somehow they really did not seem that interested in it (similar to their reactions to the hydraulic jack, the grease gun and the new 5 range, 12 function digital multimeter that I bought them in previous year - some kids don't appreciate anything)... that is until yesterday when Megan found it in a box downstairs and decided to put it together.

She worked on it for two hours (seriously - she is a determined little girl) before she enlisted the help of her sister - together they worked on it for another hour or so - but they still could not get it to go together properly. Girls! :(

So - I decided to help them...... 2 hours later it still was not working! We moved pieces over here - we put the loop-the-loops over there - we switched short pieces for long pieces and still nothing seemed to work.

That is when I finally realized that a piece was missing. In all this stuff, there was no way to put it all together and make it work. Throw away one piece and - tah dah - works like a charm! So here are my words of hard earned wisdom for you.......

1. No matter how simple a child's toy looks - it isn't!

2. No matter how "easy" is seemed to go together the first time - never throw out the instructions

3. Have kids (preferable before Christmas - you may need to get on that come to think of it) so that when you see cool toys you can buy them "for them" and not look like the total loser that you could look like if you just bought that toy for yourself

4. Never say to your kids, "What is going on? How can it be taking this long? I can put this thing together in 5 minutes" - that will come back to bite you

5. Label the pieces in the order the go together before you take it all apart this time bonehead!

6. Blame Sara for any missing pieces, parts, instructions, etc. I even blame her for me buying it in the first place (she was not there at the time, but she did not tell me to take it back, right? Well maybe she did - but she should have been more forceful)

The kids ended up playing with the thing for several hours - it is still set up and they want to try it in the dark (the cars have headlights you see). So it was nice to hear them laughing and having a good time. It was fun watching them play together. It was nice to see them enjoying my gift........ and best of all....... they are going to bed soon and I get to try it out! :)

Just for Pun (12 of 33)

I still have a lot to do tonight before Sunday am (look over my lessons, Pick songs for tomorrow, etc) so I am simply going to share something simple tonight. I like puns and word plays, so here are a couple of my favorites - enjoy! :)

- A man rushed into the doctor's office and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!!" The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient."

- A famous Viking explorer returned home from a voyage and found his name missing from the town register. His wife insisted on complaining to the local civic official, who apologized profusely saying, "I must have taken Leif off my census.

A Halloween Post (11 of 33)

Our neighbour two doors down has a little park bench on their grass near the end of the driveway. This year for Halloween he stuffed a bunch of old clothes, made a rag doll sort of thing, put a "Grim Reaper" face on it, put a big sickle in its hands and stuck it out on the bench. It was sort of funny to watch the kids coming down the block in the dark, looking up and seeing this thing sitting there.

It was even more funny when the kids moved in for a closer look and the "fake doll" jumped and yelled, "Happy Halloween"!!!! :)

You could hear screams from down the street all night long! I bet that there are few kids who will not be able to sleep or will end up in their parents beds tonight! Good times!!!! :)

Here are a picture of our two - each of them dressed up in combination with one of their friends...... two twin hula girls and and old, odd couple.

PS. We had 94 kids come by (before we went out for the rest of the night) - How many did you have???? ($1 000 000 fake dollars to the one that had the most!) :)

Just for a laugh (10 of 33)

While looking up something else entirely - I came across this. If you grew up in Canada, this will make sense. Have a look - it is worth a laugh. :)

PS. The answer to who I like on "Dancing with the Stars"........ the winner of a million fake dollars is....... Crystal Quilliams!!!!! I am cheering for Warren Sapp because I think that he is funny and that he moves exceptionally well for a big dude. Add in the fact that he was a football player (not an actor who may have taken dance when they were young) and you have to cheer for him. As for cheering for Brooke Burke....... well..... come on...... have you seen the show???? :)

So there you have it. More exciting contests to come. Thanks for playing!

All I want for Christmas..... (9 of 33)

I am by no means a Dodge fan..... but if someone wanted to wrap up a 2009 Challenger for me, I would take it. My dad had an early 70's Challenger that had this body style. I have seen a couple of these things rolling around the streets of Estevan and they are nice!

Come on - if everyone who reads this blog were to kick in..... how much could it actually cost each of you??? A cheap, "plain Jane" one is only $24,995... but if you really wanted to spoil me the upscale version is $50,270 (The good news - that is Canadian dollars folks! No exchange for you - see you saving money on this gift already!!!)

Think how fast I could get to Ministerial meetings and back! I would be saving time all over the place. Red. Blue. Orange would be nice! I will take just about anything - surprise me! :)

Let it Snow!!!! (8 of 33)

So I am in Regina on Thanksgiving weekend and I tell my buddy Justin that I am going to buy a snow blower b/c if I don't I will never get into my garage this year (by the way, garage update coming soon for all you "Garage fans").

Justin says, "I saved one for you!" He went on to explain that Sara's cousin (Dwight) had an old snow blower that he wanted to get rid of - so Justin told him to keep it for me. Justin did not know that I wanted one, just that I liked goofing around with small engines and stuff.

So I picked up this snow blower this past weekend and it is great! Best free snow blower I have ever been given! It is about 20 years old, but Dwight said that it worked well and he was not kidding. I poured about 2 cups of gas in the tank tonight, turned on the gas, set it to run, set the choke, pulled the cord about 1/4 of the way out - and it started - first pull!!!!!

So of course I had to put it in gear, drive it out the garage door and try it out - so here I am going up and down the back alley shifting gears - putting in the clutch on each side and doing power turns - trying out the auger to see it if works (if it throws snow like it threw the few rocks I picked up - it will be super good). I am not sure what the neighbours thought about me snow blowing the back alley when it was +14 today - but they will be happy come first snow fall and I am out there cleaning out the entire neighbourhood! :)

The only problem: the electric starter is stuck - so I need to fix that - or not. If it keeps starting on 1/4 pull who cares about electric start? And it is a Toro so it just may keep going and going and going.

So now I am praying for snow - or I may just go buy several bags of marshmallows - spread them out in the alley and blow them around - gotta get some practice before the real thing right? :)

PS. Not too many guesses for my "Dancing with the Stars" favorite yet (See post below). Tracy did cash in (very quickly I might add - as if she has been wanting to tell me to get a life for a long time) on the one fake one million dollar prize - so that is nice. Your fake cheque is in the fake mail! :) All will be revealed tomorrow - so guess now and tune in then.

PPS. Pictures of the garage, snow blower, garage wiring, new gas line all coming too (I know - it is really exciting but try to get some sleep anyway!)

Confession is good for the Soul (7 of 33)

I do not watch many TV shows. I watch lots of hours of TV... football, hockey, racing, news - SpongeBob SquarePants (Seriously, I love SB - he is fffunnnnnyyy!!!! Check him out sometime).... but I never, ever watch just plain old TV shows. No sitcoms (other than Seinfeld re-runs) - no reality shows - certainly no bonehead talk shows...... nothing! Until three weeks ago.

I am hooked on................. can I say it......... "Dancing with the Stars" (there I said it - are you happy now?????)

I have no rhythm - anyone who has seen me at a wedding dance would know that (it doesn't stop me - but it should) so I am just really impressed with people who can dance. I think it is interesting too to watch people who have been successful in other aspects of life trying to figure out how to dance well. I mean, it is one thing not to trip and kill yourself and (apparently) it is another thing to do the dance properly. I admire people who can put themselves in strange and uncomfortable situations - things that they are not used to - and do it anyway.

I really liked last week when two couples did the "Jitterbug" - If I had three wishes......... well being able to do the Jitterbug would not be one of them... but it might make the top 433. I am impressed with people who can do a fast dance like that and make it look graceful. That is cool!

So (if you are still reading) - the reader poll of the night...... for $10 in fake money (come to think of it, since it is fake money - make it a million dollars)....... which "Star" do I like the most? You can only guess once - winner to be revealed later when I have nothing else to write about! :)

PS. A bonus million to the first person to tell me that I need to get a life! Are you ready??? GO!

Look around (6 of 33)

So I preached today from a passage that basically said, "Jesus went to his hometown and no one listened to him b/c they were too familiar with him" (that is my paraphrase of Luke 4). When things are always there, it is easy to overlook them or take them for granted.

One of the biggest challenges in life (I find anyway) is to keep looking at what you have and not what you do not have - to look at your blessings instead of your problems.

In church today, I asked people if they could see the blessing of their friendships and their families - and then I gave them 30 seconds to get up and say something to someone they appreciated. When I said "Go" everyone jumped up and it was really cool! People laughing - talking - hugging - smiling - it was unplanned but it was cool! For a moment at least, we remembered how much we really like one another - and that was cool.

As this new week starts and I go back to my routine and my "familiar" stuff - I am going to try to see the good and not the bad.

How about you? :)

Boys road trip (5 of 33)

So I thought we were going to freeze to death (and we almost did), but it was worth it...... Shady Shane, Lenny, Knucky (Justin needed a nickname and this is it for tonight.... ask him if he remembers why) and I went to the Rider game tonight.

It was 10 Celsius at kickoff and near zero at the end of the game. The wind was blowing at 60 - 90 kph, but it was a good day. The Riders beat the Eskimos (55-9), we ate enough pizza and nachos after the game to choke a horse and we just generally had a great time. Thanks for the fun guys and thanks for the tickets Paul! :)

Day 4 of 33

When was the last time that you thought a small job would take a very little time - only to find out that it actually takes 93589034589485904 times longer than you thought it would? For me - that was today!

I went to our Bible camp to do the "Winter Shutdown" thinking that it may take me 2 hours at the most...... it actually took 10 hours (from the time I left the house till I returned). Drain the water system..... put anti-freeze in the sinks, etc..... fix door handles..... haul the canoes up the hill..... put away life jackets...... find all the basketballs that were lost in the trees.... round up the dehumidifiers to take home..... put the riding mower away...... on and on it went. Everywhere I looked, I saw another thing that had to be done.

Now I am not bragging or complaining (it was actually sort of fun to be out there alone - normally there are 09435093486908469 people out there - it is a very different place when you are there alone) - I am just saying that the next time you think sometime is just going to take a few hours - maybe triple it - just in case! :)

Roll this around in your mellon for a while (3 of 33)

A buddy sent this link to me - if you have 5 minutes it is worth a look. I am not sure how accurate it is, but - come on - it is on the internet so it has to be true, right? :) Click here!

The world at our door (2 of 33)

On Wednesday nights, our church building has two separate groups (no there has not been a nasty split - this is actually a good thing). One group holds a Bible study as we have done for years and the other group is learning English.

The city of Estevan has been blessed with many new workers - mostly coming from the Ukraine and Germany - and we have been blessed with an opportunity to get to know some of them and become their friends.

These people amaze me! They have left everything that made their lives secure and easy and they have moved to Canada in search of a better life.

The crazy thing is that in spite of the challenges they face every day (Imagine yourself moving to a place where you do not know anyone, do not really speak the language, do not know the customs, etc) they are happy!!!! I am sure that they have their moments, but they rarely complain. They do not to worry about little things. They are not too proud to ask for help (in fact, they like it when you correct their English - that does not offend them b/c learning is more important than their pride). They are just fun to be around.

The funny thing is that they have come to us because they think that we have something to teach them. However, the more time that I spend with them, the more I realize that I have lots to learn from them too.

If you are gonna go..... go big! (1 of 33)

So for many years I have been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I had shirts, hats, banners.... I have still have 21 Borja Salming Hockey cards (all the exact same) from 1979. I went and saw them play in Winnipeg back in 1991 (and they got kicked). Then they signed a whole bunch of players that I could not stand and I had to quit (at some point you have to take a stand or you are just cheering for jerseys and not the players themselves right?)

So I have declared myself a Chicago Blackhawks fan!

Why? Well - good young team - fun to watch - I have had Blackhawk uniforms since I was little (first b/c the Moose Jaw Canucks wore them and then b/c the rec hockey team I played for wore them). I even got my 4th or 5th grade school picture taken while wearing a "Hawks" jersey (I missed the real picture day and I forgot when retake day was - I thought it was cool - it looked like a hockey card! I was even missing some teeth at the time I think) :)

Anyway - Sun 102.3 (our local Fm station) has a new morning DJ and yesterday he declared - on air - that he was a Chicago BlackHawks fan..... and did he get made fun of!!! People kept calling in and asking him what he was thinking, why he was so stupid, etc (oddly enough - he kept playing these calls on the air).

So today he said, "If there is even one Hawks fan in town - please call me!" So that was my chance!!!! A clean break with me Maple leaf loving past!!!! So I called in.......

"Hi this is Sun 102.3"

"Hey, Matt" I said, "I am here to save you"

"What??? Are you a Hawks fan?????"

"Yep! I have two jerseys in the closet - a white one and a red one"

He then accused me of lying - so I had to convince him that I actually knew the players, who was good, what was going on - etc. He was so happy at the end - I think I have a new best friend! :) Sari played it all over the school - people asked if that was me on the radio today.

So the next time I go to the radio station to record "Ministerial Moment" I am going to introduce myself to Matt as "The only other Hawks fan in Southeast Sask". I am sure he will be happy to meet me - either that or he will worry that I am stalking him - one or the other!

So how many people get to declare their changing of hockey allegiance on the air????? It must have been meant to be! :)

PS. I told you that I would post something for 33 straight days - I did not say that they would all be life changing or even interesting. If you are unhappy with this post, I cannot offer you your money back (partially b/c you did not pay for it) but I would be glad to replace this post with a new one tomorrow. Please come back then! :)

33 posts in 33 days

Ok - so here is the deal..... we stink at the blog thing (at least lately anyway). We have done nothing!

I have a friend who about a year ago promised to post 30 things in 30 days on his blog. He did not promise that they would be inspiring or interesting or even good in any way - just that there would be 30 different posts in 30 consecutive days. Well - that inspired me and since we need something to push us to do this...... we are doing 33 in 33 days (just because I am competitive and think that id he can do 30..........) :)

So - it may be me or it may be Sari. The posts may be long or short. They may be funny or serious. Interesting or uninteresting. Original or stolen..... who knows? The point is - keep coming back here b/c every day will have a new post (unless we are out of town and then - come on - as if I am going to waste my time doing this - am I a dork?)

Ps. If you ever do wander by here - please leave a comment. Even just sign your name so that I know that someone still looks at this thing. Tell your friends/neighbours to drop by (the $100/month charge will seem like nothing after you see the stuff I have for you - I promise!!!) :)


33 posts in 33 days!!!!! Guaranteed or ....... well...... or nothing. What are you going to do about it?????? Huh, punk???? :)

Quick update

Hey all

I am sorry for not updating this thing more regularly.... stupid Facebook - taking everyone away from blogs...... well I refuse to let it die! REFUSE!!!!!!! (Whew - that feels better!) :)

Things are busy around home these days. Kids are busy at school with cross country, volleyball and helping mom out. Speaking of "helping mom", Sari is really enjoying her job and the feeling that she is not just doing a good job (which she is) but also that she is helping the kids. She loves the staff at the school too and has met some really interesting people - so that is good. We are still adjusting to life without her at home full time - but it has not been that bad.

As for other things, we have been working like dogs in the yard and on the garage. I will post some pictures soon - but since the last time I updated things, we have built an all new back fence, worked on the patio (we currently have 50 patio blocks stacked in the back parking space just waiting for someone - you - to come help place them) and have wired the garage. Yes it is true! I have power and lights out there now. On to insulation and sheeting - soon hopefully. I am very happy about that.

I am going to play hockey tomorrow - first time this year - wish me luck! :)

So we are healthy, happy and good. As I said, I will update this more regularly and I will post pictures. Thanks for coming around to check on our space on the net - I will not let it die.... Facebook or no Facebook! :)

Faster Pastor 2008

Estevan Motor Speedway held its 2008 version of "Faster Pastor" (This is the race when ministers from around town get to jump into cars and race one another) on Sept 20. Due to the fact that they only had a few cars available, we ran 2 heats of races (4 cars in the first heat and 3 in the second).

I decided after last year (when I raced very carefully and "nicely"), that this year I was going to go hard ("Checkers or wreckers" as they say). I was in first heat in car 21 - have a look! :)



With 2 of the three trophy girls after the race (the other one was taking the picture) :)

Back To School!!!!

So Back to School has a new meaning around these parts. I recently, like a few days ago started a job at the girls school. I am the admin assistant and have more stuff to do than I know what to do with. I love the people there and so that is a great part. I am on the same holidays as the girls and I am of just after them and Tim can be home with them when I can't be. It worked out very well so far. Tim thought I should update the blog with more than just the boy stuff. So that is my new news for a bit and i need to head to bed soon because I may fall over. Well I am excited and look forward to a lot of fun with some really great people who are busy educating and loving our kids.