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.

May the seasons peace
wrap you in its arms
May its joy dance
in your heart
And may its love
fill your life now and
throughout the New Year

Merry Christmas
From the Pippus Family

The last day for the dog of black and white (almost)

So tonight we are out celebrating the festive time of year with friends and return home to what looked like an explosion all over the back yard. My good friend and neighbor had been Santa and left gifts for us at our back door. Now if you know nothing about Murphy our dog you will preface the rest of this story with this information. He has cost us at least $2,000 since his adoption into our family. Something that of course has endeared him to Tim. He rarely chews on anything and has stayed clear of all gifts even ones containing chocolate... SO in the debris of the torn gifts and ripped packages we found the remains of 12 lindor chocolates. All consumed by you know who. The girls began to cry (depending on the size of your dog and the amount and type of chocolate your dog can die within 24 hours of eating it) and so I began to look up what to do online. That was no help and so having an in with my vet ( I clean for them) I decided to call them. She advised me to give him a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to make him vomit and he did alot and so he is alive and puking. I won't even mention what he did in the yard later on. ewwwww! So if you are planning to be Santa the front door is an excellent way to get to our house or the chimney or the windows... :) What else could this beautiful season hold for us?????
S

The Last Week before the Man in Red

We have had a full weekend and really a full month. We have spent time with friends and enjoyed this season and all that it brings. One of those times was spent at our church Christmas supper. We had a hotpot luck supper and sang carols. Tim inspired us with words about family and times like these to be thankful for. Some shared moments of thanks from the past year. It was a time to be reminded of how good life is when you share it with those you love. It is hard to believe that this is the 13th Christmas I have been here. You learn a lot about a group of people in that time including just how blessed you are to have so many people who really love each other. My kids said the best part of the night was watching pictures of everyone on a power point show of a bunch of events from this year. So as we look ahead to holidays we are all ready for a break. We are looking forward: To being with family. To doing nothing. To laughing. To watching the Anne movies for the first time with my girls. To playing with the kids toys. ( after all why be a grown up if you can't play with the toys you picked out:). To staying in our pj's. To sledding. To skating. To playing games. To sharing why Jesus was born. To drinking hot chocolate and spice tea. To just being together.
Have a yummy week!
S