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!

The End of Summer

Yesterday we were on our way to the cottage heading up Hwy 1 through the Canyon. It's beautiful drive and we love it. We had gotten past Hope and through the first couple of tunnels, the traffic slowed down to a stop. Cars coming towards us were telling people to turn around, there was a bad accident and it'd be at least 4 hours before the road would re-open. We turned around and when we got back to Hope the line-up to use the Coq was bumper to bumper so we came home.

We were able to attend the Retirement/Birthday party of our friend S. so that was nice. We had felt bad that we weren't going because of it being on the long weekend so went and had a nice time and got to meet some of her friends and spend time with them.

Today we went to church and it was nice to be back after missing most of the summer services.


After wards we went for lunch and then to the beach. Gotta love the beach on a summer's day.


Lots of people were enjoying the day as well. We've had such lousy weather this summer it was nice to have a clear sunny day for a change.


We had just finished our ice cream when I saw my former landlords from Abbotsford out with their kids. It was great to see them again. We had enjoyed sharing a home together for about 2 and a half years and I hadn't seen them since I moved back to Surrey in 2004.

I'm off until Wednesday so I can spend some time with my cousins from Holland. Then back to DART'n................peace out.

11 People On a Rope

Eleven people were hanging on a rope, under a helicopter, 10 men and 1 woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to leave, otherwise they were all going to fall. They weren't able to choose that person until the woman gave a very touching speech.

She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return.

As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping ..........

It's been a quiet week around here...not a lot going on. Isn't it supposed to be summer though? I've been wearing jeans and a jacket to work at night, aren't I supposed to be wearing shorts? Yikes! Not impressed people!

We're off to the cottage bright and early tomorrow morning (yawn). I haven't been there very much this year so I'm looking forward to it. Maggie is very excited. It is HER place after all, she just lets us use it, as in, drive her back and forth.

Next week my cousins from Holland will be here for a few days. They'll have seen the Rockies by then and will have a cuzillion pics to show us. They've been here before and stayed with us for a week. Well seasoned travellers and a joy to have in our home. Because I grew up without any extended family around I really enjoy my time with relatives.

Have a safe and peaceful long weekend. Happy Labour Day or Labor Day for you 'mericans. By the way, that Barack is some speaker. What a fabulous speech! I was very impressed. Having a robot in leadership in Canada pales by comparison.

The Olympics

I love watching the Olympics. Love them. I watch sports that I would never otherwise watch just because, well, it's the Olympics and we have a Canadian participating! Like who knew we had a Gold medalist woman wrestler from a small town in BC before the Olympics? Not me! Good on her!

I'm absolutely fascinated with diving. I can't imagine spinning around that many times in such a short period of time heading downwards all at the same time. Unless I was a gymnast of course, then it would seem easy. Easy peasy. Like running across the floor and all of a sudden springing in the air and somersaulting oh about 2 and a half times before landing on my 2 feet and not hopping. hopping bad.

It looks so easy when you're sitting on your couch with your remote in your hand doesn't it? Of course I think there should be Olympics for the Common Person as well. Things that I can relate to. Like remote control flipping between channels for example. Laundry is another. Like how fast can you switch clothes from the washer to the dryer? It's an art in our household. Or making a bed.

Whatever the sport, I am a big supporter. I also love the Special Olympics. Now THAT is fun. I drive a group back and forth to SO practice on Thursday nights and they're good. Every week they tell me that. J, I was GOOD tonight. I'm never sure if that relates to distance or speed or behavior.

It's all good. In the hood. Back to the Olympics. As you were.

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well- being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.



5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.




7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.



8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.



10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so. ALWAYS!



~Take a moment today to thank God for your pets.Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters~

Dinner Cruise

We went on a fabulous dinner cruise last night around Vancouver harbour. We left from Granville Island and sailed up the coast of West Vancouver and past Lighthouse Park.

We had done this cruise before but it was on a foggy October evening and we didn't venture outside that night.
Last night however the weather was perfect. Vancouver at its finest. We got a guided tour of the coastline and of the Hollywood homes.

Here's Oprah's (on the right)...notice the 2 O's in the front, a signature of hers.

We were hoping to see Robert Redford come out of his home (left)and wave at us but I guess he was having drinks with Barbara Streisand who lives just down the street. It's just the way we were.

Vancouver's a beautiful city and there's so much to see that even if you've lived here all your life it never gets old. Although some of us do. Not mentioning any names.

Here's to sunny nights in Vancouver and good times with great friends.
Peace out.

Honestly...I Don't Make Up This Stuff !!!

Due to declining sales, next Gaither video will be A Wal-Mart Homecoming


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As its target audience slowly but surely departs for their own heavenly homecoming, Bill Gaither’s Homecoming video series has dropped in sales. Now Gaither has struck an Eagles-style partnership with Wal-Mart to produce "Always: A Wal-Mart Homecoming."

"The combination of gospel favorites and a celebration of low prices is a welcome theme to our audience," says Gaither. "For believers, coming to Wal-Mart is like coming home."

The new sing-along DVD — the 189th in the Gaither Homecoming series — was filmed live at the flagship Wal-Mart store in Bentonville, Ark., on stage in what is normally the women’s clothing section. Footage of people singing is intercut with slow-motion footage of Wal-Mart associates serving customers with a smile, and of people shopping and finding good deals. The songs were chosen to fit Wal-Mart’s message of good brands at affordable prices, and include standards such as "Something Beautiful," "We All Need Saving," "I’m Free," "Mine, All Mine" and "Redeemed."

What remains of the Gaither Homecoming crew will tour and hold Wal-Mart Homecomings in stores nationwide. "This could be the last and best concert you’re ever part of," Gaither promises. •

http://larknews.com/july_2008/

This Is What You Get

Quit trying to fool me people. Don't you hate it when Scientists get things all messed up? Enough already! Like life isn't already messed up. Poor little zonkee.

Takin' Care of 'Bidness'

A tale from the DARTside

One day I was driving a client home from his day program. I'll call him R. I had often driven him home and everyday was the same. Get on the bus and say "who is it" and I'd tell him my name so he knew who his driver was. I drove him home often and that's about all he would ever say.

One day I had driven him home only to be back at his doorstep the next day to pick him up. I got to the door and the person who answered said, "R will be out in a minute". So I waited. And waited. And waited. And just about the time I was about to give up on him and knock again R came outside.

I said "good morning" to him and he said, "Oh Hi J, it's you again" and got on the bus. After he was seated on the bus he said, "You know J, I had to spend quite abit of time in the washroom this morning so I'm sorry if you had to wait for me."

I said, "no problem R, sometimes in the morning we have to 'take care of business' and left it at that. R. never said a word. 10 minutes went by and we were just about to his drop-off location and all of a sudden he blurted out:

"That's what I was doing alright, 'taking care of bidness'.

You gotta love 'em. So real.

The Zen of Sarcasm

I stole this from my blogger friend Val...too good not to pass along. My sarcasm has gotten me in trouble before and I even belong to a Group on FB that's proud of Sarcasm, gotta love it. Enjoy!

~ Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

~ It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

~ Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

~ Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

~ If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

~ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

~ Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

~ Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

~ Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

~ The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

~ There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

~ Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

~ Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

~ Never miss a good chance to shut up.

You Know Who You Are.......

My computer is down with a virus (cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, achoo!) so I've pulled out one out of Chris's closet while she's away and I can go and get mine fixed.

In the meantime, I don't have any of your websites in my list of faves and so you know who you are...send me a link so we can keep in touch k?

I don't like losing touch with people.........help keep me connected!

Thanks!

J.

QB

Today I heard that someone I cared for in a group home passed away today. I'll call him QB. He was a client who was 'very difficult' to work with. QB was the first autistic client I have ever had. His autism was bigger than all of us.

Autism is difficult to say the least. More for the person suffering with it than anyone else. QB was often in a lot of pain. He had emotional scars from his years in an institution and they were scars that never left.

My favorite QB story:

One Sunday we were attending church and QB loved church. There was something in going to church that touched QB's spirit and often when he was the most agitated he would calm down being around God's people.

It was Communion Sunday and at this particular church the juice and the bread were left on tables spread around the auditorium and people could come up to the table and take their juice and bread whenever they wished to do so during the service. Kinda like a self-service.

QB had no capacity in himself to go and serve himself communion. It's just not something he could have ever done. He was sitting in one of the chairs and a worker who had come along to church said, 'i think i'll go get QB communion'. But what he didn't know was that his wife had the same idea and she had gone up to the communion table and gotten juice and bread for QB. Because J, the worker went to a different place in the auditorium they both landed at the same time beside QB wanting to serve him communion.

QB had had a rough week and it was by anyone's account a challenge to get him to go to church and to sit still. But there he was, sitting still and not causing any disruption.

J and his wife both had the sacraments in their hands and realized they had both gotten the same thing for QB so they did what any God fearing Christians would do. They served him twice. After the second time J's wife said, 'you're going to get a double blessing today QB'.

And that's just what happened. QB sat quietly and took what was offered to him. And then he started to cry. The cry turned into full blown sobs and soon he was convulsing in tears. I've never seen anything like it. Crying was foreign to QB, I'm not sure he had ever done it before or if he ever did it again.

Something in QB's spirit responded that day to the unconditional love offered to him through a couple of servants of the Lord. God met him in his deepest need and for that day he was at peace.

Rest in peace QB, you're finally home to rest. Jesus is welcoming you with open arms and letting you know it's ok now, you're home.