New Digs

Weekend at Harrison

Some pics of our weekend away with BB. We stayed at the Resort and had a fabulous time as always. Weather was great and we laughed a lot and came home and said, "I can't wait to do that again next year!"

Funny story. Years ago I attended a large Pentecostal church pastored by 2 lady Pastors. One of them was always trying to play match maker. She loved nothing more than to see young people she had nurtured in the faith get together, marry and produce children for the Sunday School.

One girl, Kathy comes to mind. Kathy walked with a limp and was a little self-conscious about her disability but Pastor V kept on telling her she was praying that God would send just the right man into her life. Kathy had a bit of an attitude and said, "well, just so you know if God wants me to get married He knows my address and He better just send someone to me because I'm not going out there looking."

Sometime later Kathy was living in a basement suite in a house owned by a lady who attended the church and liked to have girls she knew from church rent the suite. Before Kathy came Virginia. Before Virginia there was me.

Anyways.......Virginia had moved out but not all of her friends knew that. One Saturday night when Kathy was home, there was a knock at the door and a young guy was standing there who knew Virginia and was hoping to visit with her. He had caught a ride into town and gotten dropped off so he was there for the evening. Not knowing what else to do Kathy invited him in.

Yup, God knew her address and knew who to send her way. It wasn't long before Kathy and the guy who dropped in to see an old friend got married.

Saturday I was in Harrison Hot Springs and I saw them together. They've been married 20 years.

Poops and Poodles

A very proper man started going into the neighborhood drug store every week and buying 2 dozen boxes of condoms. Week after week, he would come in with the same order. One day, the druggist felt he had to say something to the man.

"Wow! You must have the stamina of a bull. Talk about getting lucky! How on earth do you use that many condoms a week?"

The man looked at him in disgust and said, "I beg your pardon, but I find the whole idea of sex repulsive!"

So, the druggist asked, "Then what do you do with all those condoms?"

The gentleman answered, "I feed them to my poodle and now she poops in little plastic bags."

DIVORCE VS. MURDER

A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the Pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy some Cyanide."

The pharmacist asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?"

The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband."

The pharmacist's eyes got big and he exclaimed, "Lord have mercy! I can't give you cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law! I'll lose my license! They'll throw both of us in jail!

All kinds of bad things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!"

The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.

The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied,

"Well now, that's different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription."

Pastor's wife has surgery to ensure permanent smile

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Debbie Randolph, wife of Don Randolph, pastor of Eagle Creek Presbyterian Church, says she used to spend all week exercising her cheek muscles to prepare for Sunday's smiling marathon.
That changed Monday when Debbie became the first woman in the country to undergo surgery that puts a fixed smile on her face. The novel procedure means she will never have to worry about "whether or not I'm smiling for the duration of Sunday morning."
"It's my duty to smile," she says. "When I'm not projecting that joy of the Lord, I'm letting people down, no matter how crappy I feel."
Before, when sheer willpower kept the smile on her face, her cheeks would be too tender to touch by Monday.
At other times, people have come to the door during the week and caught her not smiling, to her horror.
Now, with a smile firmly in place, Debbie can think about other things. Asked how she conveys other emotions, she said she signals to her husband with hand movements if she's sad or angry.
"But that isn't often," she says, smiling. •

Chris got a new car! Actually its an SUV but it's really really pretty and she let me drive it! Did I say how pretty it is? It has all the bells and whistles. She's going away this weekend, maybe I'll take it for a drive while she's gone. Sounds like fun to me.





Chris is really good at making things fun around here. Kinda like the time she tried to fix the plumbing up at the cottage.









Or was it the time she tried to rig up a hot tub just for fun?









Actually she did get a brand spanking new car, it's a VW Tiguan (It Tiguan to know one) and it is really really pretty and a lot of fun to drive especially when you play with the sun roof at the same time. And she IS going away this weekend and leaving it behind. But I'm going to Victoria with BB to see Paul so I think it's safe. But you never know.

Sleepless in Seattle

We went to Seattle on Saturday for the Seahawks game. Well I didn't go for the game, I went for the shopping and hanging out in Seattle. Not going to waste my time at a football game. Are you nuts? Leave it to the nutty ones for that (not mentioning any names).

It was a great weekend. We booked into a hotel downtown and after a quick bite to eat, C and D headed to the game and I headed straight to the mall. Everything was in walking distance which made it perfect for all of us. I love downtown Seattle. It's like Vancouver but nicer. Or maybe because Vancouver's home it doesn't seem as nice to me as it does to tourists.

I shopped a little, ate great Mexican food, drank a fabulous Margarita on the rocks, and went outside and listened to music and watched people. After it started getting a little dark I walked to the hotel and watched a movie.

Seahawks won the game and in walked C and D all happy! yeah hawks!

We stayed in a room that was 'Victorian' in style but it really was like the inside of a circus tent. Everything was striped. Even the bathroom. It was like being in the inside of hat box. Or a popcorn box.

And then the fun began. We turned off the lights to go to sleep and just at the point where everyone's drifting off........the TV came on and then went off. What the ??? And a few minutes later just after the heart rate's gone down......it does it again! How weird is that!

Things that make you go mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............had to go shopping at the Outlet mall Sunday to get it off my mind.

Now that we've sold the cottage we're thinking of different things to do with the money. Cruising comes to mind. This one is a great deal. I don't know, what do you think?

SOLD!

And just like that (with a snap of the fingers) we sold the cottage! My mom and I drove up to the cottage on Saturday morning. xChris and Diana had driven up Friday night. Early Sat morning someone knocked on the door and there was a realtor with a couple wanting to see the place. They came in, walked around and were very enthusiastic.





Sunday afternoon we decided to take a drive to Green lake and find a place to sit and enjoy the lake.





We packed up chairs, beach umbrella, floaties, cold drinks, the dog and away we went.




We had the most perfect 4 hours at the lake. We decided rather than eating out at a restaurant on the way back we'd just drive to the cottage.




When we got back there was a note on the door from our realtor telling us there was an offer written up and to call her ASAP. It was a good offer but not quite what we were wanting to get. BUT we have a whole cottage full of furnishings we need to dispose of and so with the counter offer we offered the goods.



It was accepted and they were pleased to get the furnishings as well. The deal closes on Aug 17 and they take possession on the 28th. On one hand it's a little sad but on the other a big relief. My mom was happy she could be there for the event and get to see the place one more time. It just felt like God's hand was on us and the timing couldn't have been better.

A chapter of our lives closes and a new chapter begins.

Time For An Update

We're off to the cottage this weekend along with Bad Betty and Diana. Chris is spending the week (lucky her) and the 3 of us are driving home after the long weekend.






It's been hotter than hot this past week and a real struggle to keep cool while driving a sauna on wheels.

Just enjoying settling into our new home and meeting new people in our building and trying new places to eat and stay cool seems to keep us busy. We are loving it here and the accessibility to everything. An easy walk to go and get produce for example, farm fresh, good stuff. We walk everywhere and because I'm still on an 830/430 shift we get home around the same time and have the whole evening together. Lots of fun.


The boys have settled in well although the heat this week hasn't made them happy. We did keep them enclosed in the bedroom with the A/C on to keep them cool but they don't like being penned in.

Bad Betty celebrated her 83rd birthday on Wednesday so we took her out for schnitzel and white wine. It's her fave so why not? Works for us too.

OK, I'm outta here. Seeya next week!

About the Emails............

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past years. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of Trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with four thighs and no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face.... Disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore, and Uzbekistan .

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. Tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbour's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . . .

Oh, by the way.....

A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

________________________________

Night Out With The Dog

What a great night! Barb and I went to see Dog the Bounty Hunter. He was truly inspirational and I felt very blessed to have been a part of his night here in Vancouver. What I heard was a testimony of God's grace and forgiveness in someone's life. Listening to God's still small voice speaking to you and knowing that what you're doing is exactly what God wants you to be doing, where you are is exactly where God wants you, who you're with is who God designed for you.

Baby Easton had his first photo shoot. Isn't he handsome. Probably the best kid around. According to people in the know.

Lots of unpacking going on around here and opening boxes like it's Christmas morning. You know you think you label a box...pretty surprising sometimes what comes out of it.

Cousins from Holland visiting. Good times.

Visit with the step-dad yesterday. He told me his dad had taken him to have his watch fixed. hmmm...Paul's 86. If his dad was alive he'd be about 120.

Having a great summer. New home. New furniture. Same job. Same partner. But it's all good in the hood.

Next Sat? DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER!!!! Stay tuned.

It's July 1st!!! Happy Canada Day!!! AND it's our little B's birthdays...hard to believe that they are 3 years old. We brought them home tonight to their new home for the first time. They're impressed I can tell. Lots of windows to look out of, scratch bars in the dining and living room and food dishes in the kitchen. Just like it should be.

The big move was last weekend and with the boys home we can finally say we're all in. The month of June was a blur of packing and moving boxes into storage, more trips to Sally Ann, stuff to the dump and furniture being sold. We don't have much furniture yet as we're getting all new appliances tomorrow (yeah) and a bedroom set and dining room set on Friday. We have a couch and chair and tables being delivered in another 4 weeks or so but we have new patio furniture! Right now we're eating all of our meals on the deck, loving the top floor and view of the mountains and park.

Quite exhausted but feeling a big sense of relief that we're all here under one roof. Now for the big job of unpacking but it's coming along and in another week or so we should be all organized.

Whew!

Today would've been my dad's 85th birthday. It's hard to believe he's been gone for almost 20 years. He had just officially retired and receiving his first few pensions when the Lord called him home. He was a good dad. He had a big heart and would do anything for anybody except when they ticked him off. Then he would mutter under his breath and smoke a cigarette. He was a quiet, gentle man who shyed away from social engagements and preferred talking to people one on one.

He was a God-fearing man who believed in following the Lord and living according to 'the rules'. He knew his Bible inside out. Both my parents do. I was blessed with such a heritage. He taught me many practical things and still left so many things unlearned without the opportunity to teach me.

I miss him even after all these years. He never really saw me grow up. He would've been proud of my work with people with disabilities. They always had a special place in his heart.

When Kit passed away I woke up with the thought of my dad welcoming him into heaven and saying 'well they finally sent me somebody useful'. My dad didn't like useless people. He liked people who couldn't do things themself and asked for help but not people who weren't willing to learn how to do things for themself.

Happy Birthday Papa.

Movin' on Up

We're in the middle of purging and packing and putting stuff into storage. Things are a little hectic around here. Not a lot of blogging going on.

Baby Easton is in the hospital with jaundice so we pray for his health and well-being. We haven't seen him yet but hopefully by next weekend he'll be up for visitors. I have an Aloha shirt with his name on it. It's only right. Necessary actually.

We bought a condo in Pitt Meadows, a quiet little town across the river. We're looking forward to being able to walk everywhere and enjoy the trails down by the river both for walking and cycling.

Sooooooo much to do in the meantime. We've also listed our cottage so that's going on as well. Whew!

The Miracle

Easton Joshua, weighing in at 6lbs, 13oz, healthy, happy baby boy! Such a blessing to have a new baby in the family. Everyone's ecstatic. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

* Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Ever have one of those hymns that you've sung all your life and it still continues to speak to you today? This is one of those hymns. I've known it as far back as I can remember singing it in the Baptist church we went to as a family waaaaaay back.

Last week I picked up a young guy with Downs Syndrome who goes to College every day. He's friendly and usually tells me really really bad jokes on the ride to or from his school. Just after I picked him up I had to pick up another lady from a Senior's residence. When she got on the bus she recognized him and said, "oh there's our singer, Driver have you ever heard this young man sing?" I said I hadn't and that previously he had only told me jokes. She encouraged him to sing telling me he could put more feeling into a song than anyone she knew so I told him to go for it.

And go for it he did. He pulled out all the stops. He had a book with him and this was the song he picked. All the verses to "It Is Well With My Soul". He poured his heart and soul into it. He didn't sing on key but he sang all the words with every fibre of his being and you know what? He blessed me right down to my socks.

Last year when we went on retreat we walked a labyrinth for the first time. If you haven't tried it, find one. It's a spiritual experience. I walked and talked to God at the same time and asked Him for a word for me for what I was going through at that time with a family issue. I was being challenged and stretched and not sure that I would make it through to the other side without falling apart. And the word God gave me was "It is well with your soul" and I knew then that things would be ok. And they are.

I find so often today that church music is just all flashing lights and a big show and speaking only for myself, I don't get a thing out of it. I miss the days of singing the songs that mean something. I've often asked "what on earth are they going to sing to us in our nursing homes when this is what they're learning now?" But that's a whole other subject.

So for today, It Is Well With My Soul.

And I'm Back...............

One thing about a week is that it goes by very quickly. We arrived home bright and early Tuesday morning. The week was wonderful. Lots of Mother and daughter bonding, me running beside my mom down the street saying "can you not slow down even a little"?








We had the best weather ever imaginable. Warm, sunny days, not too much humidity and hardly a cloud in the sky. Just the right climate for walking and walking and walking, because it IS what BB does best. We walked everywhere and enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of Hawaii.








We visited with friends at our familiar places. Becky took us to Halekulani to listen to sweet Hawaiian music and watch the hula. We liked it so much we went the next night on our own.















We sat and listened to the sweet sounds of the slack key guitar under a star-lit night with the moon hovering over Diamond Head just before it dropped.














We drove around just spending time together in the car with a dear friend who's lonely and just wanted to hang out. We had lunch together at the Country Club where we always go and oohed and aahed over the scenery just like we always do.
















We went for a second tour of Shangri-La, the home of Doris Duke, a wealthy heiress who invested not only her wealth but her time and energy into creating an oasis built by the beach. The place is incredible and only available to see by appointment.



















We went to church down at the beach and although the service was disappointing the highlight was the girl doing the gospel hula to "I Know My Redeemer Lives". That was fabulous and a real treat.









For Mother's Day we went to the top of Waikiki to the revolving restaurant and enjoyed fabulous food and endless scenery. It was a great way to end the week. Every year BB says "this is my last trip to Hawaii, I'm old you know" but I always tell her I think she's got one more trip left in her. Here's to you BB!

Aloha!!! I'm leaving Monday for a week in Hawaii with Bad Betty. We'll be fine, don't worry about us. LOL. We can find our way around, we've done this before. Ala Moana Shopping Centre here we come! So cheap on da Bus too! We'll be visiting friends, enjoying good food and laughs, walking the beach in the morning and along the canal in the early evening.

Until we return I leave you with these pics: