Kite Flying

We need to send out a big "Thank You" to Tanis for the awesome kites she bought Ella for her birthday. We took the kids to the "far park" this afternoon to fly them. They absolutely loved it. I bet Ella ran around flying her kite (she gave one to Mason) for at least an hour and didn't want to quit. I already know this is a gift that will be getting a lot of use this summer.

It was getting a little chilly out, so us wimps, the parents, said it was time to go! We went for a bit of a drive and, just as the kids fell asleep, arrived at our favorite restaurant. We were able to get 'our booth' and enjoyed a meal of Chinese food for the parents and pop and chicken fingers for the kids.

It was a fun day and everyone, even the kites, returned home in one piece.

- H

Tagged - Heather

1. One of my most favorite things to do is to watch 24 with Chad. Jewel got us hooked a few seasons ago. Last season we would make this great salsa/cream cheese dip and sit and watch every Monday night. We've, unfortunately, cut out the chips and dip this season, but we still enjoy the show as much. I also like watching The Unit and The Office with Chad. We have mini-at-home dates three nights a week!

2. I am very proud of my children. They are the cutest, most precious things I could ever have. I truly enjoy them and all they do. I've been meaning to write in a blog some of the cute things they say so I'll just add it to this--Mason--"What you said?" Almost any time you tell him something, he doesn't hear and needs you to repeat it! Also, he has said a few times..."The Holy Ghost told me how to do it. He talks very quietly, but I have good ears." He's a new little sunbeam this year and learning lots. Tyson--"Uh-huh." You just have to hear how he says it to know how cute he does it. It is even cuter when he adds his exaggerated nod of his head. "Gum" and of course "Mom"--it melts my heart every time!

3. Of course there are some days when I don't, but for the most part, I really enjoy cooking and baking. I especially like to try new recipes and to experiment. I have learned to make Thai food which is neat to me because I never envisioned myself ever knowing anything about any different kind of food. I really want to learn to make some great Mexican food. That is my new fascination. I've never had Mexican food in the States, but I hear it far surpasses anything we could eat here--that is how I would like to make it--like they do in the States.

4. A month or two ago we purchased a Vita-Mix blender. I didn't think I could ever love a possession so much as I love this. I can make strawberry cheesecake ice cream in seconds that tastes awesome, but somehow is very low in fat. I also love making, well eating, strawberry daiquiris and other "healthy" shakes.

5. Cheesecake--I MAY be able to say no to other desserts, (MAY in all caps means possibly--I have such a sweet tooth) but I can never say no to cheesecake. I guess that is my weakness!

6. I've always enjoyed hiking and camping. Growing up, my family and I would go to Waterton in the summer where we hiked so much. I mostly went camping with one of my friends and with school, but now Chad and I and the kids go quite often. All the kids love being outside in nature and that makes it even more enjoyable. We're planning to do a lot this year--hopefully the weather will cooperate with us!

7. I don't do as much as I used to, but I enjoy walking. I feel we live in a very beautiful area and I love to get out first thing in the morning when the air smells so fresh and the sky is clear. It is really refreshing and invigorating to me. It seems like it starts my day off right!

Unfortunately, I know the same people as Chad! Well, even fewer really so I have no idea who to tag. Sorry!

- H

Tagged - Chad

Well thanks to Tanis, I have been tagged. Unfortunately the only people I know with blogs are my sisters so I don't think I will be able to pass it on...
The rules are to write 7 random facts about yourself and then list 7 people who you are tagging and leave them a comment in their blog to let them know.

1. I am fascinated with 'how things work'. For this reason, I like engines and timepieces. I love saltwater aquariums because the processes that take place within them are so complex. I like the idea that I can input electricity into a system and sustain a single drop of ocean, thousands of miles from where it belongs.

2. I am most proud of my ninja skills and all the work I put into the self-taught discipline as a youngster. It is really surprising how many times a day one uses the abilities of 'move silently', or 'scale walls', or 'invisibility'.

3. If you are in a job interview and are asked to share a personal weakness, it is usually a good idea to list a weakness that can be spun into a strength. Something like, "I sometimes work too hard" or "I'm a perfectionist" etc. In light of that, I would have to say that my only shortcoming, if you could even call it that, is that I'm lazy. Maybe dog-lazy.

4. I can't stop myself from straightening paper clips. Sometimes it's after I succumb to the urge to try and produce a perfectly straight piece of wire - most of the time though, I don't even realize what I'm doing until I look down and see that I'm holding a ruined paper clip. I have swiped paper clips from the desks of secretaries and supervisors when they weren't looking.

5. Sometimes I let things eat at me. Like injustices I've witnessed. Or comebacks I've thought of too late. The thing that bothers me the most is some parents' attitudes towards their children's behavior. As an illustration: if a neighbor or friend, or even stranger, comes up to you and says, "your kid just did ___ ". What do you do?
A) Say, 'oh no, not my Jonny, you must be wrong.'
B) Call Jonny out to apologise.
I have caught kids breaking windows, or robbing other kids, or stealing property. In some cases, the parents have just hired a lawyer and told the kid not to say anything to police. That makes me want to tear my hair out! Even if we had strict penalties here - what message are you sending to your kids when you cover for their bad behavior? I don't know about you, but my job as a parent isn't to give my children the things they want, or make things as easy for them as I can -
my job is to help make my children into good adults.
If a school teacher, or nursery leader comes to you and tells you your child is a brat - it's because your child is a brat... fix the problem with them, don't criticize the adult. Dang, now I'm all worked up again.

6. I am vulnerable to the following two things:
- Argon, atomic number 18, and
- a certain cute little brunette.

7. I sometimes have a nagging feeling that something is about to go wrong. You know how they say you should stop to smell the roses and recognize the everyday blessings you have? Well, I am keenly aware that every day is awesome. I think our little house is perfect. I don't want a new car. I don't want to be retired yet. I don't want our kids to grow up. In fact, I don't want anything to change from how it is right now. I feel like Heather and I have stumbled upon an elusive happiness and contentment that some people never realize. It might sound silly, but because things are so great, I sometimes worry that we have tests and trials coming...


The next ones tagged are:

Heather (will post here)
Frank
Joe
Keifer (you have 24 hours to respond)
Captain Raynaldo (written on parchment is fine)
Ike
Jonny


- C

How The Time Flies!

I can hardly believe Ella will be six years old tomorrow! The time has gone so very quickly. It seems like it was just yesterday that she blessed our lives with her arrival! She truly is a sweet and precious girl. She is so excited this year to have a party with some of her friends from school and some of her cousins. I am excited as well. I always have so much fun preparing for a birthday. I love making fun cakes for the kids. This year Ella has chosen a picnic theme. On Saturday (the day of her party) I will make a cake that will look like a picnic blanket and then make a cake that will look like a wedge of watermelon that will sit on top of the blanket. Stay tuned for some pics! This year is extra special for Ella as it is her special day at school tomorrow. (That just means that I get to go to school with her and help the teacher with whatever she may need)! We decided that we needed to make some cupcakes tonight for her to take to share with everyone. Some of the decorating was not working quite as I had planned, but it was all worth it to see her smile and her anticipation for eating them. Ella seems to be able to find happiness in the smallest things. I really don't understand sometimes how we have been blessed to have such wonderful children, but I am so thankful that we do!

- H

I just got the strangest letter

First of all, I need to tell you some background. In June of 1997 I was standing on the platform at the train station across the street from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. This station was a hub for us missionaries travelling to and from the mission office and the various areas of the mission. Those of us who had received a phone call at 'moves time' would arrive at the mission office, have a brief meeting, then head out to this train station with our new companion and a supply of materials to deliver to our new area. We started out as a fairly large group, but as each train came and went, the group got smaller and smaller, as did the mountain of scriptures wrapped in brown paper. It was getting late in the day and my Thai companion and I were the last ones left. I was trying to arrange our supplies into an organized pile so that when the train stopped, we would be able to throw our supplies, then our luggage, then ourselves onto the train before it took off again. As I was doing this I looked up and saw a man walking down the platform. He was a foreigner, like me, but I could not place his nationality. He was Caucasian but his skin had a deep tan that suggested he spent a lot of time in the sun. He walked with a jaunty stride and wasn't wearing anything on his feet. His hair was matted and his clothing was ragged but he held onto a canvas sack like it was the most valuable thing in the world. I tried to start up a conversation with him but he kept looking from side to side as though he was worried he was being followed. He interrupted and said "traveller friend, I can't see the sky for all this dust in the air. In which direction lay the harbour?" I wasn't sure exactly where he meant but I pointed to the South and he nodded "aye, shoulda trusted my nose". He said goodbye and started to leave. He seemed like a neat person and I could tell that he probably had some interesting stories so before he left I gave him my card with the mission office address and encouraged him to write me.
And that was it, at least it was until this afternoon when Heather checked the mail and found the following letter:

I wasn't even sure it's the same person I met at the train station - he didn't tell me his name at the time; but when I looked at the address on the letter, I saw that it had originally been sent to the Thailand Bangkok Mission Office then forwarded to our old Claresholm address. From there it looks like it was forwarded to the house that I lived at in Edmonton when going to college, and then to the townhouse where Heather and I lived after first being married. From there it was forwarded to an apartment building we managed in Calgary and finally here to our current address. I cannot believe that the letter found me after all of that - even more incredible is the return address that was stamped on the envelope when it was first mailed:

Cpt. Raynaldo
12 Leagues South South West of
Bobbin's Haven Island
Bird Sanctuary

The whole thing seems so strange... I don't know what to make of it. I would think that someone is playing a trick on me, except I have never before told anyone about my meeting with the stranger on the train platform. I sat down and wrote a quick reply, telling him about our adventures. Who knows, my letter may even find its way to him just as his did to me and we might hear from him again...

- C

Names and other interesting facts...

Yesterday Mason lined up all of his dinosaurs, along with some creatures that really couldn't, even loosely, be classified that way. He shared with me the names of some of his favorites - names he made up all by himself:

Army
Spikeypoke
Rainby
Thousand Dragon
Sandy
Horny
Scales

Heather is not very keen about one of the names and has tried to get him to change it, but I think he should stick to his guns. Sometimes things grow into a name and just wouldn't be the same without it, you know?

It's like Tyson. We still didn't have a name picked out when Tyson was born. I thought that we could take a few days to think it over but the nurses at the hospital were adamant that we would not be able to leave without first filling out the form with his name. There was a steely glint in their eyes that suggested it wasn't a request, it was an order. We spent a half hour or so back in Heather's room waiting for inspiration to come to us (well, I spent the time wondering about whether or not the nurses were committing the Criminal Code offence of Forcible Confinement by keeping us there). Finally, I was so grumpy and tired of the place, and just wanted to get everyone home, I turned to Ella and asked her to pick which of our choices she liked the best. She choose 'Tyson' and I said 'fine' and wrote it on the silly form, then dropped it off on our way out the doors. For the first little while Heather and I wondered if we had the right name; however, today it is obvious that Tyson is a 'Tyson' and could never be anyhing else.
Wouldn't you say?

The following list has come from the Internet, emails, and stories that I have heard - so they are likely the most accurate information possible. Having said that, I have not corroborated any of these facts. Feel free to share your own interesting points in the comments section!

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for - blood plasma

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes

Oak trees do not start producing acorns until they are 50 years of age or older

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise

Walt Disney was afraid of - mice

If you hold a chickens beak to the ground and draw a line out from it in the dirt, the chicken will not move until you break its focus on the line

If you put a dried banana leaf in the path of a boa constrictor, it will never cross it

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog." uses every letter of the alphabet

A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove

Thomas Edison, light bulb inventor, was afraid of the dark

There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones

More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave

Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women

Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words -- none of them with the letter "E"

The letter "E" is the most commonly used letter in English. "Q" is the least commonly used.

A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court

A duck's quack doesn't echo - and no one knows why

I like the duck one the best because it's kind of mysterious. The only one on the list that I am doubtful of happens to be the one that is easiest to verify - the paper folding one. I think that the paper-folding person should hook up with the gold-flattening person... together they'd prolly be able to work something out.

- C

The Big 3-0

Yesterday, April the 17th, Tanis and John came out to Okotoks on the pretense of watching Brooklyn while Jewel went to school with Mya - ya right you guys, I'm sure you just happened to be in town on that day of all days...
I decided to throw a wrench in whatever surprise-party plans they had by dropping in unannounced and uninvited. That must have really messed them up because they didn't even go through with the party - Jewel just went to school with Mya like everything was normal! Haha I got them so good, that was awesome. Better luck next year guys.

Even though there was a bit of a breeze, some of us went to the "Far Park" to watch Uncle John fly his radio-controlled airplane. The kids thought it was a lot of fun and they were running around in the field trying to follow the plane. Heather seemed to like it as well and I think my chances of getting one are moderate to good.


I spent some time riding around on the old Honda that I'm fixing up. A model just like this was a surprise gift from dad when I was 14 years old. I still remember getting off of the school bus and seeing it parked in front of the house. Aside from the memory, I like the bike because it is the same vintage as me, and is in a little better shape too : )


When we got home Heather made a special meal of spicy chicken pizza and mojitos (club soda, lime juice, sugar, raspberries, and mint leaves). She also made a little chocolate cake with whip cream and strawberries that we ate while watching an episode of 24.

Verdict: Best Birthday EVER!

I couldn't forget to mention this special gift from my niece Abigail:

- C

Cruising

Well, I took my turn with uncle Darcy's Hummer and drove it to work today. I was a little disappointed that no one was in the parking lot when I drove in. I checked on it a few times during the day - ya it was inside a locked police compound, but, ya never know...
At the end of my shift the parking lot was empty again. Instead of heading home right away, I sat behind the wheel, engine running, just watching the back door of the district office. After a couple minutes, two of my coworkers came out and started heading for their vehicles. I threw it in reverse, pulled out of my stall, and casually made my way toward the exit gate. The surprise on their faces was obvious. I stopped and rolled down my window.

Them:
"Wow, Chad that's nice"
"Is this yours Fish?!" (just a nickname)
Another officer, still working, pulled up alongside in his patrol car.

Me [looking at the truck as though noticing it for the first time]:
"Oh, hey fellas!" "Naw it's my uncle's, just borrowing it for the weekend."
They admire the truck and ask me a bunch of questions about what I think of it. I tell them "it may not be the lifestyle I can afford, but it's the lifestyle I deserve."
Sober nods all around.

When I got home, I switched the child seats from the car to the Hummer, then took Heather and the kids to the Turner Valley Inn Family Restaurant. The kids were even more impressed with the transportation than my colleagues were. Mason, looking out his window, exclaimed: "I can see everything... the trees... and the snow..." Ella already has plans to get one herself.
Having the truck was a lot of fun for everyone and made the family outing even more exciting.
I am planning on writing an automobile review of the Hummer; specifically, comparing it to our Honda Civic. There seems to be a serious lack of head-to-head comparisons between the two vehicles for some reason. Hopefully the information in my next posting will be of benefit to someone who is having a hard time deciding which to get.

Until then, keep the shiny side up,

- C