FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY...

1. Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

2. One Tequila, two Tequila, three Tequila, floor....

3. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

4. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

5. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.

6. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

7. What if there were no hypothetical questions?

8. If a deaf person swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

9. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

10. Is there another word for synonym?

Today I was at the Mall and they had the Cops Fighting Cancer riding through the mall on their bikes and motorcyles. As I was about to leave the grocery store the security guys came over and asked everyone to stay where they were because the bikes were going to be coming through. As they started their procession people began to applaud and kept up the applause as they rode by. It really was quite a sight.


As the last motorcyle went by the tears were flowing down my cheek and I cried for everyone who's lost someone to cancer. I don't know of anybody who isn't affected by the disease. So many of my clients have cancer and so many friends............and so on and so on.




I took a moment to remember my friend Joy who passed away just last summer with cancer. She'd had it twice. The first time in her breasts and the second time it was leukemia. She lived an amazing life of love and devotion to people with disabilities. I still can't believe sometimes that she's gone. I've been going through old cards and photos this week while tidying up stuff and I came across a note she had written me.


My friend Barb fights it on a daily basis and while I witness her struggles I'm always amazed at her courage and her fight to live a 'normal' life.


So take a moment today to remember someone you know with cancer. I do not know what it's like to have the disease and I can't say that I understand how someone feels but I do know that I care.

I can't respond to any emails today, something has crashed on my computer

and the mouse is missing.

Sometimes.........

you gotta wonder what these two are up to. Maggie and Bailey are the best of friends and often will share a chair or a couch. When I come home at night they snuggle with me side by side. Tonight they were both sitting in the office looking at me as if to say "well? are we not adorable?"


It's been crazy around here with painting and changing rooms around to accommodate SOMEBODY'S new desk and table and computer. It's all coming together and we're glad to have some organization back in our lives.




I was sorting through some pics and came across this one from 25 years ago. Too funny. I had the biggest hair around. But I come by it honestly. Ya think?

Goin' to the Chapel.........

Today we attended the wedding of Bren and Kathy at our Church. It was a happy occasion for everyone as we celebrated their love and commitment to each other.

I'm not sure who let her in? mmmm........




It was a lot of fun just hanging out with friends and joining in a lot of laughter and best wishes for happiness on their journey together.

One of the best ways to
make yourself happy is to
make other people happy.

One of the best ways to make other people happy is
to be happy yourself.

Sometimes I feel like Maxine. Ever have one of those days? You beat your head against the wall over and over and over again and still all you can think of is, gee it feels so good when I stop!

Today was one of those days. It just seemed like I was beating my head against a wall at work today. I drove and drove and drove non-stop without a break until I couldn't stand it anymore and apologized to my client while I ran into her washroom at the place I was picking her up at. Not good. But had to be done.

AND THEN...the icing on the cake was that my last client of the evening...oh let's call him KK told his nurses that I had left him behind at the Hospital on Friday night and he waited until 1:00 am for a taxi ride home. What a blatent lie. An absolute lie. Not only didn't I leave him behind I waited 50 minutes for him and drove him home. I was absolutely livid when I heard what he had said. He's lied before about drivers and I've played his little wait and see game but tonight was it.

I think the next time I have to drive him home I might just hit one pot hole too many. Yup, in fact there are a lot of pot holes coming his way. hmmmm, I see a whole bunch of pot holes in his future...ok enough already.

I just had to vent. About KK and the pot holes. I'm ok now. It just really upset me because I'm the one who sits and waits for him 3 nights a week. And he made up a story about me and that bugs me.

She's The Smart One

Chris is the smart one in the family. Not only does she have a charming personality and is a whole lot of fun to live with but she's really, really smart. Academically she doesn't do well on paper and I know her grades were never that good but that's just because she freaks out on exams and doesn't spell check.

Anyways................Chris is starting a night course at Vancouver School of Theology this semester. It's a long ways for her to go after working all day and then taking in a 3 hour lecture. She'll have lots and lots of questions and opinions for her professor, I don't think he knows what he's in for yet.

I'm really proud of her for going for it. Just watching her go through all the hoops just to take a Master's level course, well, I get tired just watching. She starts tonight so for the next several Tuesday nights she'll go there after work and then come home really late.

You know Chris is an only child right? Well, when we were on our cruise we found her long lost brother. Hence the photo.

She's the smart one.

I'm the funny one.

Life Explained

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty
years.'

But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy
ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

Because You Asked

Recently a faithful reader (Hi Val!) asked me if I'd been to the Netherlands. Yes as a matter of fact, I have! I went for the first time when I just about 2 years old and could still travel for free. Sitting on my mother's lap and it was an 18 hour flight. How much fun was that!

The funny part about my arrival in Holland that first visit was that I hadn't yet begun to talk. I was a quiet one. For weeks before the big trip my mom coached me, "Hi Opa, Hi Oma". Nope. Not a word. My mom was getting worried. Surely this kid who's just about 2 years old can say hello to their grandparents.


The big day arrived. Many many hours in the airplane. My grandparents had made the long trek from northern Holland all the way to Amsterdam to greet us. My mom was holding me up to have a look at them after clearing customs and at the top of my lungs I yelled, "HI OPA!!! HI OMA!!!" just like I had been doing it for my months. Those were my first words. It was like until I could actually see them I had no interest in saying their names.

I went again for a trip to Holland when I was 16 and spent most of the summer there. It was a lot of fun and I spent time with cousins from Amsterdam who were much older and wiser than me. Suffice to say, it was a learning experience.


I went again when I was 21 with my dad. I spent a couple of weeks with him visiting family and then spent the summer in Belgium. After the summer was over my friends and I went to Holland and stayed with family for a week or so. Good times.




Then I didn't go again for a long time. My mom and I went in 2000 and had a ball. We stayed with my dad's only sister who has to be the sweetest lady God ever created that I call family. She's now 86 and I still would like to see her again.

Then in 2004 my mom and brother John and Chris and I went for 2 weeks. We went to the one and only cousin reunion. I have 25 first cousins on my mom's side without any spouses.

We hope to go next year and combine it with some other sights in Europe. This is our Dutch foto. It was taken in Volendam and every time I've been in Volendam I've been to the same shop and had a foto taken with whoever I was with. Somewhere in my collection I have the other foto taken at this place with my brother John. I wonder how many people have worn these costumes........

It's All About Family

For the past few days we've been enjoying a visit with my cousins from Holland. I cherish these times as I can count on one hand the number of times I've visited with any extended family. I've always been so envious of people who grew up with family all around them. I've watched friends just be so casual about family dropping by like it's no big thing. For me it's a very big thing. Because my mom is my only link to Holland I have to keep the communication open between me and my cousins.

These are 2 of my faves, Barend and Rennie. They're seasoned travellers, well-organized and easy to have around. They laugh alot and express their love quite openly towards me and Chris and for each other. Barend speaks English very well so he interprets for everyone and makes the conversation flow. I wish I could speak Dutch as well as he speaks not only Dutch but English, French, German, and a smattering of some more languages.

We enjoyed a beautiful dinner out with them at one of our favorite places. They loved the food and the ambience as well. Our pets love them and watch their every move, especially the packing of the suitcases. I'm sad to see them go. Now it's our turn to go to Holland. hmmmmm, you never know!