Happy New Year!!!

You Know You're In a Small Town When....

On the way up to our cottage in the Caribou lies a small quaint little village called Lone Butte. Not a roaring metropolis by any stretch of the imagination. There's a gas station, a little general store, an arts and crafts place (connected to a tire place) and a pub. The pub is wonderful, it's like a big lodge with snowshoes and canoes hooked up to the ceiling and big screen TV's and great chicken burgers.

We often stop in at the pub on the way home for a good meal to hit the road. This last visit we met our friend Esther there for lunch. At the end of our meal I got up to use the washroom and noticed 2 other women were heading the same direction. No problem I thought, there are 3 stalls. I've used this facility before. I'm "in the know".

I opened the door to the washroom and noticed that all 3 stall doors weren't shut. Hmm, I thought, I'm sure those 2 women were headed this way, they couldn't have gone anywhere else. I pushed one door to open it (the doors swing in) and it was promptly slammed in my face with an "I'm sorry". There was someone inside but she hadn't closed the door! I went to the next stall (the big one) and this lady was too far away from the door and just sat on the toilet and looked at me and said "I'm sorry"! By this time I was afraid to even try the 3rd one!

So I washed my hands as if that's all I came in there to do.

Life's just so different in the city.

2 Weeks From Now...........

Diamond Head

Counting the Days

A Giving Heart

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart. -- George Matthew Adams

Home Again

We're home safe and sound from spending Christmas in 100 Mile House. The roads were bare and dry all the way up and a little slushy on the way home. It was a good trip. We took a drive out to our cottage and saw the progress being made on our kitchen. All of the old cupboards have been torn down and it's getting prepped for beautiful shiny new ones to take their place all made by Chris' dad Jim. We visited with our realtor friend Esther over lunch at the pub in Lone Butte. It's nice when a business relationship turns into friendship. Nothing like good grub at the pub.

Tomorrow we're heading out to Abbotsford to spend some time with Paul and Betty.

Christmas is all about spending time with friends and family and this year we've done lots of that. It's been a good one.

Christmas

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. -- Calvin Coolidge

We're off bright and early tomorrow morning for 100 Mile House. Pray for good travelling weather and safety on the roads.

It's been busy around here celebrating with each other and with friends. Last night we dropped off the boys and had a wonderful Christmas celebration with our good friends. Tonight we drop off Maggie and celebrate with another friend.

I'm truly blessed with many good friends. They come from all different walks of life, some I've met through work, some through church, some through other people and it's amazing to me how God brings people in our lives for reasons.

Years ago I went to Bible College in Hawaii and made lots of friends. Over the years I've lost touch with people as we've moved and not exchanged new addresses and I'm really down to a handful of people that I still correspond with. One of them still lives in Hawaii and I've seen her many times over the years as I've visited. I've invited Becky several times to come to Vancouver and let me show her some Canadian hospitality but she hardly ever leaves the island.

Just last week Chris and I were talking about going on vacation in the Spring. Her boss had told her they were putting on a freeze on vacation time in Feb and March so she asked if she could have days off in January. He said Jan 10 - 22.

Chris came home and starting punching in dates for different places. We talked about Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Hawaii. Do we go all inclusive, do we go somewhere neither one of us has ever been before? She played around with different web sites looking at hotels and airfares. All of a sudden I heard her say, "wow Hawaii is really cheap for airfare only". The dates were perfect, Jan 11 - 21, it fit right in the days she has off. The deal was too good to pass up and we had to book it the next morning.

I contacted my friend Becky in Hawaii and told her we were coming. Well, guess what? The person who hardly ever leaves 'the rock' is going on vacation to CA almost the exact dates we're going to be there and offered us her place! How cool is that!

It always amazes me how God works out the details for us so effortlessly.

I'm abundantly blessed.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2006!!!

This is officially my first Christmas Blog so welcome! We have come so far in this technology of ours. I’m so old I can remember learning to type on a manual typewriter.

Year in Review:

We started off the year on a sad note having to put down Chris’s beloved cat Bryce. She had been his mom for 9 years and it’s always so hard to lose a pet. He had a lot of personality and won me over to ‘cat world’.



Last Christmas my mom asked me if I’d like to go to Hawaii with her this year and we went in February. Unfortunately the weather was the worst I’ve ever experienced in the tropics and for the first time ever I came home without a sun tan. Much to my dismay. However, we did have some good Mother and Daughter bonding time and spent some quality time doing what we do best, shopping and eating. It was a fun week away.

In April John’s kids and my mom and I got together in White Rock to remember John and spend some time together at the beach. It was great to see them again and to see what fine young people they’ve become. Derek wasn’t able to make it but I caught up with him a week later in Vancouver at the café where he was working. Josh is busy at the Ad Co. he works for while freelancing as well. His wife Gina had 2 hip replacements this year and both have been successful. Hopefully she’ll stay healthy now. They’ve sure had their share of trials but have come through amazingly well and strong. Niki is finishing her degree in Tourism and Hospitality and is a great mom to 2 year old Alaia.

My step-father Paul had a stroke at Easter time which left him with a sore shoulder and lots of aches and pains. He’s no longer driving so he’s had a few adjustments to make in his daily routine.

We spent a lot of time at our cottage this summer because of some unexpected time off for both Chris and I. Chris had some medical issues this summer and was on leave for a few months. She’s back to good health now and we’re thankful for that.

I fell down the stairs after finishing my Handy Dart shift the end of July and what started out as a sprained ankle turned into a bad bone chip which took months to heal. Because of that I wore an air cast for 2 months, had 4 weeks of Physiotherapy and another 6 weeks of strengthening and exercising at the Rehab Program. I finally returned to work Nov 12 and happy to be back driving around town. I’ve decided not to go back to the group home for the time being anyways.

In July my mom celebrated her 80th Birthday at a restaurant joined by Paul and his kids, Ralph & Lalani from Kamloops, Niki & Alaia, , Chris and Me. It was a great time and we all enjoyed ourselves. We later enjoyed a train trip to Whistler for the day.

In September we came home with 2 baby boy kittens! What a lot of fun and energy they have. They’re absolutely charming and Maggie has welcomed her little brothers Benson and Bailey with a lot of grace.

I’d like to remember my brother John who passed away December 15, 2004 and my dad on December 12, 1989. I miss them both very much and as December rolls around it’s always a bittersweet time. The years help to heal the hole left behind and I know they’re both with the Lord which is far better.

Who knows what a year will bring except the Lord and I’m glad He’s the One in charge, I sure couldn’t do it. I’m very blessed with good friends and a loving home I share with Chris, Maggie and our bundles of energy Benson and Bailey.


Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings on you and yours in 2007!

VW John

It's been 2 years since my brother John passed away. He was asleep on his couch and never woke up. He had been ill for years and we always knew he wouldn't live to be old. We're thankful that he was able to live his life to the fullest right to the end.

John was a guy who walked at a different pace from the rest of the world. He always stood out in a crowd. He was tall and blonde and always tanned. He lived his life with passion. He loved God above all else and served Him with devotion.

He loved his family and although his wife left him years ago he never broke his wedding vows and loved her until the end. He was the best dad 3 kids could have. He became a Grandpa 11 months before he died when his daughter Niki had a baby girl named Alaia. He was passionate about his VW’s and was well known in the VW community as VW John. He lived and breathed VW’s. You never knew what he'd be driving next. Over the years he lost count as to just how many he owned.

John and I were never very close as children and in our early adult hood never saw each other very much at all. Sometimes we would go 2 or 3 years not seeing each other although we didn’t live very far apart.
That changed about 10 years ago when out of the blue John called me up and wanted to go out for lunch. That was the beginning of a different relationship for us and one that was very close in the end. We got to know each other as adults and put away the past. He was always there when I needed something, he changed the oil in my car, he did household stuff, he called me lots just to chat and we enjoyed just hanging out.

In 1999 John and I took a vacation together to Hawaii. My mom made it possible for John to go and we had an awesome time. We stayed with my long time friend Meredith at her home. It was John’s one and only trip to Hawaii and he made the most of it even carrying a VW tool kit home in his carry-on luggage.

In 2004 our cousins from Holland planned a cousin get together. Again, my mom made it possible for John to go and this time it was the 4 of us that went. John, Mom, Chris and me. Good times with the cousins. They got to meet John for the first time and we all enjoyed ourselves. Chris and John and I enjoyed a day in Amsterdam shopping and riding the canals on a barge. What a blast.


John left behind his 3 kids: Derek, Josh (Gina) and Niki and his granddaughter Alaia. They’ve grown up to be really nice adults and a pleasure to be around. We got together to remember John’s birthday and share some “John stories”.

I miss John and his loud boisterous voice shouting “hello”. I miss the sound of a VW roaring in my driveway and hearing the door slam as he shouted “Hey, got anything cooking for dinner?” I miss John’s quiet spiritual side as he shared his heart with me. I really miss my phone ringing at 10 pm, that’s when he’d always call to chat.

Here’s to you John. I miss you and I’m glad you were my brother.

Guess Where We're Going in January???

December 12, 2006

17 years ago I was working by myself in a Church office when the phone rang. Since I was the one who primarily answered the phone I naturally picked it up. It was the call nobody ever wants to hear. It was my mom’s Pastor calling to tell me that “there had been an accident, your mom is ok but your dad is dead.” Just like that. I was stunned to say the least. I asked him to repeat it and he said exactly the same words exactly the same way. I will never forget that day or the way that Pastor relayed the news.

The next few hours and days were a blur of people coming over, staying at my mom’s, making funeral arrangements, dealing with unfamiliar things and people, taking care of so many details.

My dad wasn’t in an accident, but he did die while driving his car. He had enough sense to know something was happening and pulled his car over to the side of the road. He put the car in park and he was gone, that quickly. “Changed in the twinkling of an eye” the Bible says. Later on they told us he had suffered a massive heart attack.

My dad was a quiet unassuming man but he went out with a bang. He was on the main street of small town USA and they shut down the street and re-routed traffic. He would’ve gotten a chuckle out of that.

I miss my dad. My mom tells me I’m the most like him out of the 3 of us. He didn’t judge people, he would do anything for anyone, and he loved me more than life itself. I was blessed to have a dad who loved God, who treated his wife with respect, who loved his children and never hesitated to tell us how much.

My dad’s last words to me were “I love you Sweetheart, you’re my only girl”. Such a good reminder to tell the ones we love how much we love them and how much they mean to us.

My dad was 65 years old and had plans to live a lot longer. God had different plans for him and as painful as it was losing him, I’m thankful that he never suffered from a lingering illness like so many others around him. It was his wish that when it was his time to go that God would just take him and God granted him that wish.

I miss you Dad.

From your one and only girl.

Carol Ship Cruise

This last week we went on a Carol Ship Cruise in Vancouver. It was a beautiful night, clear and bright. It was fabulous to see the city skyline and all the lights. We live in such a beautiful place and often don't take advantage of it. We had been talking about going on a cruise for awhile and finally did it.

This cruise was fantastic, in that it was well organized when you got on board, the food was wonderful, first class.


There was carollers on board to help get the singing starting and that was fun. 3 of them walked around singing and we all joined in. Well, not all of us. About half of the crowd didn't speak English. Let's just say Little Drummer Boy was a hit with that crowd because they pulled out all their chopsticks! Too funny.

There was one man who really enjoyed singing and he had a big booming voice especially when it came to any Spanish. Feliz Navidad was a bit hit with him.

When it came time to sing The 12 Days of Christmas somehow we were "8 maids a milking". Not sure how that happened!


It was a wonderful night and a good time was had by all.

And So the Holiday Season Begins

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

"In honor of this holy season" Saint Peter said, "You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven."

The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle", he said.

"You may pass through the pearly gates" Saint Peter said.

The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells."

Saint Peter said "You may pass through the pearly gates".

The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.

St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked,"And just what do those symbolize?

The man replied," "These are Carols."

And So The Holiday Season Begins....

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, h obbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Man of the Year

Stuff that Canadians find funny

Vancouver (Reuters)

Day 2 - Vancouver Blizzard 2006 - Revenge of the Commuters

Chilled Vancouver commuters faced their second day of winter hell today, as an additional ¼ centimetre of the peculiar white stuff fell, bringing the lower mainland to its knees and causing millions of dollars worth of damage to the marijuana crops. Scientists suspect that the substance is some form of frozen water particles and experts from Saskatchewan are being flown in. With temperatures dipping to the almost but not quite near zero mark, Vancouverites were warned to double insulate their lattes before venturing out.

Vancouver police recommended that people stay inside except for emergencies, such as running out of espresso or biscotti to see them through Vancouver's most terrible storm to date. The local Canadian Tire reported that they had completely sold out of fur-lined sandals.

Drivers were cautioned to put their convertible tops up, and several have been shocked to learn that their SUV's actually have four wheel drive, although most have no idea how to use it.

Weary commuters faced soggy sushi, and the threat of frozen breast implants. Although Dr. John Blatherwick, of the Coastal Health Authority reassured everyone that most breast implants were perfectly safe to 25 below, down-filled bras are flying off the shelves at Mountain Equipment Co-op.

"The government has to do something," snarled an angry Trevor Warburton. "I didn't pay $540,000 for my one bedroom condo so I could sit around and be treated like someone from Toronto."