Update!!

Dad is home and doing better. Still not sure of the cause of the the blockage but he is no longer suffering from that nasty thing. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers.
And in more news....I have added another blog to my repertoire. 90 Day Body By Vi

Happy Thanksgiving!

MMMMmmmmmm! Turkey and all the trimmings! Mom's pumpkin pie with real whipped cream! Don't forget my special whipped potatoes. It was delicious. Too bad everyone couldn't be there.
When we arrived on Friday afternoon Dad wasn't feeling well. He kept saying that he thought he had the stomach flu. By Saturday evening he was in absolute agony. Mom took him to the hospital and they immediately admitted him. His blood pressure was dangerously low and so where his oxygen sats. The did xrays and discovered that he has a large bowel obstruction. As of Sunday evening we have seen no improvement. We are quite worried since they have no idea what could have caused this. He has never had abdominal surgery so adhesions are unlikely. The next most common reason for this type of obstruction is cancer. Let's hope it is a less common cause. They will be taking him in for a CAT scan tomorrow and possibly surgery.

Happy Thanksgiving!

MMMMmmmmmm! Turkey and all the trimmings! Mom's pumpkin pie with real whipped cream! Don't forget my special whipped potatoes. It was delicious. Too bad everyone couldn't be there.
When we arrived on Friday afternoon Dad wasn't feeling well. He kept saying that he thought he had the stomach flu. By Saturday evening he was in absolute agony. Mom took him to the hospital and they immediately admitted him. His blood pressure was dangerously low and so where his oxygen sats. The did xrays and discovered that he has a large bowel obstruction. As of Sunday evening we have seen no improvement. We are quite worried since they have no idea what could have caused this. He has never had abdominal surgery so adhesions are unlikely. The next most common reason for this type of obstruction is cancer. Let's hope it is a less common cause. They will be taking him in for a CAT scan tomorrow and possibly surgery.

Challenge Party!!!

We had so much fun!! The group that got together was such a great mix. We tasted some great shakes, talked about a lot of stuff, shared great company and laughed tons!!! For those of you that couldn't make it we will do another one soon!! I now have a three more people doing the challenge with me and that is so exciting.

New Things. They Are A'Comin'

First off. I've decided I need to take better care of myself so to that end I have joined a 90 health challenge. I am so excited to do this. For more info check out this website. I'll be taking before and after pics for you to be the judge on the results. I hope to lose 30lbs. If you feel like joining me let me know. The more the merrier!!

Secondly, I have now become the overnight manager at the store. I will finally have a regular schedule and weekends off!!! Now I can go to church with my family more often than once in a blue moon. It will be a great change since I am such a night owl anyway and never get much sleep. I'll let you know how it goes!

Closer Than You Think

It never ceases to amaze me just how small the world really is. When we were living in Florida a couple visited our church (just had my cancer surgery so was not there myself) who introduced themselves and said they were from Canada. My husband thought they looked familiar so after the meeting he introduced himself and was able to question them a little more. Where in Canada are you from? Alberta. Really? What town? Cardston. Ohhhh that's how I know you, my husband replied. You're the Dr. that delivered my daughter. Dr. Taylor was more than a little surprised to find us so far from home.

Just after we moved to Knoxville a young couple moved into the ward (our church boundaries) and introduced themselves to my father. They mentioned that they were from Idaho but the wife had grown up in Canada. Of course Dad had to know more. Turns out She is his cousin's daughter and we had both been at the same family reunion only weeks before but hadn't met each other.

I started working at another Walmart in Edmonton and there is a terrific Assistant Manager there, Heather. She is fun and we have a lot in common. Turns out she grew up in Lethbridge and my uncle Richard was one of her teachers. We know a lot of the same people. Not only that but I am surprised how many Tolman family members (cousins) I run into in the store on a weekly basis. I know we have a huge family but still we are all 6 hours away from the town we grew up in and the city we live in has more than a million people. The chances aren't that great. I also ran into a girl I grew up with, 3 houses down, at that same store. It's nice to know you aren't alone in this big city but still the randomness is bizarre.

Gynecological Cancer Awareness

September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness month. Don't forget!!! Wear your purple ribbon in support of those of us who have been challenged by this disease. As a survivor of Uterine Cancer I am trying to raise awareness. Did you know that there is no screening test for uterine cancer? A pap smear does not check for it. Gynecological cancers are still considered taboo in our society and a lot of women are still ashamed about speaking out. Hey, you know me. I have no shame. Please, support me and wear a purple ribbon this month. If you are so inclined donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

One of those Lists........

***********FOODOLOGY***************

1. What is your salad dressing of choice? Italian

2. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? The Sawmill

3. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? fresh veggies!!!

4. What are your pizza toppings of choice? mushrooms, onions, sausage

5. What do you like to put on your toast? Freshly sliced tomatoes, onions and cheddar cheese.

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

1. How many televisions are in your house? 2

2. What is the color of your cell phone? Black

3. Have any idea how many Megahertz your computer has? not at the moment but I could look it up.

***************BIOLOGY******************

1. Are you right-handed or left-handed? right

2. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? bahahaha.....do I have anything left? lets just say I'm an official eunuch.
.
3. What is the last heavy item you lifted? furniture

4. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? only intentionally not accidentally

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************

1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Sure

2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Veronica maybe

3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? uh yup!! I love it!

************DUMBOLOGY******************

1. How many pairs of flip flops do you own? 3

2. Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Hmmmm...October 1993

3. Last person you talked to? the boy of the house.

4. Last person you hugged? Hubby

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************

1. Season? Spring....the colors of the Alberta blue sky and the green, green fields.

2. Holiday? Easter.

3. Day of the week? Any day I can do something besides work.

4. Month? June

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

1. Missing someone? Nope

2. Mood? Frustrated

3. What are you listening to? Get Your Kicks on Route 66

4. Watching? Cars!

***************RANDOMOLOGY****************

1. First place you went this morning? The registry office to get the car done.

2. What's the last movie you saw? In the movie theatre... The Help!!!!!
At home ... Cars

3. Do you smile often? From what I am told.

4. Sleeping Alone Tonight? Not unless something drastic happens.

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************

1. Do you always answer your phone? no LOL I have a phobia of the phone... be prepared to leave a msg

2. Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Sierra.

3. If you could change your eye color what would it be? I wouldn't. I have the coolest eyes ever. Blue with one quarter of the left eye brown.

4. Do you own a digital camera? What a silly question. Duh!!

5. Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes.

6. Favorite Christmas song(s): Up on the Housetop

7. What's on your wish list for your birthday? A new digital camera

8. Can you do push ups? maybe....haven't tried lately

9. Can you do a chin up? no way!!!

10. Does the future make you more nervous or excited? don't worry about it.

11. Do you have any saved texts? nope.

12. Ever been in a car wreck? unfortunately..

13. Do you have an accent? Who me? Depends on what I'm saying with whom I am speaking.

14. What is the last song to make you cry? Brad Paisley : "That's When You Find Yourself"

15. Plans tonight? Hopefully dinner and sleeping.

16. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? well ya.

17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. apps for my iphone.

18. Have you ever been given roses? Yes

19. Current worry? That I will never be able to retire.

20. Current hate right now? Not owning my own home.

21. Met someone who changed your life? yes

22. How will you bring in the New Year? asleep.

23. What song represents you? You Can't Always Get What You Want.

24. Name three people who might complete this? I have no idea

25. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Totally :)

27. Do you have any tattoos/piercings? Do ears count?

28. Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? Yes

29. Does anyone love you? Yes

30. Ever had someone sing to you? Yes

31. When did you last cry? monday

32. Do you like to cuddle? yes -of course

33. Have you held hands with anyone today? No

34. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? Classical

35. Are most of the friends in your life new or old? both

36. Do you like pulpy orange juice? The only kind!!!!

Latest Photo Shoot

Here's a link, PICTURES, to the latest portrait session I've done. See the pics on the work blog.

Nothing Pithy to Say

I've been on vacation for 10 days now. We haven't done anything really special except to visit family. That's been great. I've missed them all so much. The one thing I have realized while away from work was just how much I actually liked being a stay at home mom. I miss having time to coupon and work the sales flyers to save a few dollars. I miss having time to take kids to the pool or hang out in the yard. I never thought I would feel this way. It always seems to be a case of "the grass is always greener" syndrome in my life. I like my job fairly well. I enjoy the people I work with but I love my family more, of course. I wish we had the income for me to do that for the last few years of the boy's at home time. I don't want him to go off into the world thinking that I didn't have enough time for him. It's not just that. I really do like making my home a nice, comfortable place and I just don't have the time or the energy to do it well while I work these insane hours. No, I'm not complaining.....just voicing my thoughts over the last few days.

New pics

on vacation but did a little work. See it HERE

Seriously? You thought I what?

It just amazes me sometimes how misconstrued some things become. No matter how good your intentions someone will always find a way to take offense or think the worst of you.

A few years ago we had a large family trip (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents) to an historic area that was meaningful to the family. I had a nice time for the most part even though things didn't always go as planned and sometimes people got upset by the little stuff. Over all it was a good experience. However, I apparently made the biggest boo boo of all and didn't even know it. I think most of you know that I do a little professional photography as a side job. While there I found a lot of enjoyment shooting family and the scenery. I even made friends with a fellow photographer. When the trip was done I posted all the pics to my professional site so that the entire family could see what I had done and could either let me know they wanted a copy or even purchase professional prints (not Walmart quality) to hang in their home. This was before I had blogs and had become proficient with facebook. I knew no other way to let everyone see the pics. Well, unfortunately my price list (discounted from what I charge normally) is included on the professional site and this upset family members. They thought I was trying to make money off of them. That was never my intention. No one called to say they were upset. No one emailed. I thought I was doing people a favor by shooting their pics professionally and by giving them a way to get professional prints. I guess I was wrong and it took years for me to find out. Why can't people just let you know if you've offended them in some way? I don't know anybody who intentionally goes about their day trying to cause offense. I would never be like that but now I have family (inlaws) who have barely spoken to me since and I had no idea why. I guess this may be one of the reasons. Who knows? I probably did something else offensive and have no idea what.

What's Your Earliest Memory?

I've been reading another blog lately that focuses on the author's memories and it got me pondering my early memories. A lot of those memories happened in the same field; the one up the lane from the house. When I was really small and we were running a lot of cattle we used to do the branding in the corral on the hill. I was much to young to participate but that didn't mean I didn't want to join in on what looked like loads of fun (I still think it's the most fun of anything, ever). So I would park myself on the top rung of the corral opposite the action to get the best view. As I sat my 3 yr old self there I distinctly remember eating maple walnut ice cream (Grandpa's favorite) out of one of Grandma's blue bowls. It's not much of a memory. Nothing significant happened but to this day I love that field, maple anything, and branding cattle.

Divine Comedy

Have you ever seen BYU's Divine Comedy group? The daughter claims to be their biggest fan and I can see why! They are hilarious!! Check out the next couple of videos for some good clean funny.

Thick as Pea Soup!!

And I don't mean the foggy mornings either! Yes,the weather this summer has been abysmal! Wet, rainy, chilly!! Yuck!! Unfortunately the mosquitoes seem to love it. I've never seen so many nasty buzzing creatures before. You can't go anywhere without a cloud of them around you. We've even been bombarded with them inside the store, if you can imagine that. I think it's pretty sad when you have to wear insect repellent while at work, indoors. Those nasty critters have been sneaking into the house and car too. You've probably seen me as I commute each day slapping away at the infestation. I'm worried I'll end up breaking a window, I'm hitting it so often.

Sierra's Bridal Shots

I've added a few of the pics from the daughter's bridal photo shoot on the other blog. Click HERE to see!!

Grizzly Bear Update

I don't know why but this subject of this animal's supposed immanent demise is stuck in my craw but it is and it's really causing a raw patch. I was doing some reading and happened upon this statistic "In May 2002, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the Prairie population (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba range) of grizzly bears as being wiped out in Canada. As of 2002, grizzly bears were listed as Special Concern under the COSEWIC registry." Wiped out huh? I guess those bears from the mountain regions must have been loving up on each other something fierce to cause something of a population boom in the last few years. Check out what the Cardston County website says as of June 20th. "We have seen the greatest increase in bear activity south of Cardston in a line from Police Lake east as far as Del Bonita. These Grizzly Bears are using the St. Mary River and Milk River as travel lanes and can often be found in close association with these rivers. It would appear that we have at least three family groups operating in this area along with at least one large boar and a couple of sub-adults." Police Lake to Del Bonita? Well if that ain't prairie somebody better pay for me to go back to school and get a better education. You can't even call that area foothills. Rolling prairie? Maybe. Another statement by the Canadian Government stated that the recovery of the Plains Grizzly was not feasible. "Some species have already disappeared completely from Canada. For example, we used to have Grizzly Bears on the prairies but they no longer exist. They disappeared in the 1800’s with the advancement of European settlers and the advent of firearms." I think these folks must get out of their offices a little more often. It might be a good idea to quit discounting the local human population's knowledge of their own surroundings and listen to that annecdotal evidence they report.
UPDATE!!!! July 12

Grizzly Bears Everywhere!!

I don't know if you heard but in 2009 the Alberta Government released the results of a five year study showing that there were only 500 grizzly bears left in Alberta. This resulted in an outcry of fear that the great bear was in trouble and must be immediately added to the "threatened" species list. In fact, for the area of extreme south western Alberta, Waterton area(south of HWY 3 to U.S. border, from the B.C. border and east): 51 bears. Only 51 in all of that area? Really? If there are that few and they are known to be elusive animals, why are there so many sightings around the Cardston area alone? We aren't even talking in the mountains but just along the creek, a couple of miles out of town limits, on the golf coarse and in the open? Even making their way along a prairie river. The bald, grassy prairie!

The population is considered "dangerously small". Dangerous in what way? Here's a quick excerpt from the Cardston County website, "County Residents are reminded to be vigilant regarding Bear Safety around the County this spring. Bears have already been sighted in a number of locations throughout the County, including 2 sows with 2 & 3 cubs in the Carway area, a boar in the Carway area, a sow with cubs along Lee Creek and 501 West between Beazer and Leavitt, and a sow with cubs near Mountain View." "since the first part of May we have seen the greatest activity near or on the Montana border and pushing northeast up along the St. Mary River towards Woolford Provincial Park. Sightings in this area typically involve a Sow with a two year old cub, a large boar and a single bear which is likely a sub-adult out on it's own." " Fish and Wildlife in co-operation with U.S. Officials is also monitoring a Sow Grizzly with two cubs (two years old) that has been moving around south of Payne Lake and Big Beaver Dam Lake in the Mountain View area." Only 51 bears though, remember, but 13 of them hanging out in this small area. I know of 3 people who have seen 7 of these bears less than 10 miles apart. These aren't backwoods hunter types either. They aren't out actively trying to count the population but happened to run across them while outside. We have land in this area. I've spent a lot of time up there over the years and never had problems before. Now we are seeing the bears much more often.

If only it was just grizzlies to worry about, "Wolves have been seen on the landscape as well with some frequency, the greatest activity seems to be along the Montana Border again, a pack of four wolves (two light coloured and two dark coloured) have been reported with some frequency"

And just for your amusement, "Cougars sightings seem to be more common place and Wildlife Officers did investigate and confirm that a cougar did kill two goats on Lee Creek in April near Beazer. There has been no new occurrences of this nature, but people living along Lee Creek should be watchful and report missing stock or cougar sightings to Fish and Wildlife so the situation can be monitored."

Now don't get me wrong. I love animals!! I would never want to see a species disappear from the world. I am one of those freaky people who watch Oasis and Animal Planet on a regular basis. However, I do believe that this study was flawed. I don't think the population of grizzly bears in the southwestern corner of Alberta have been properly counted. How can they be? A lot of these areas are mountainous and you can't tell me that the bear census takers climbed every mountain, traversed every path and found them all. Oh PLEASE!!!!!

Chooo Choooo!

We've spent a few days trying to find some sort of activity to do over the weekend as a family. I was hoping we had time to go to Drumheller and see the museum and other sights. I just didn't have enough time off to make it worthwhile so we found something else. The Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions in Stettler, AB was the prime choice. We all really enjoyed it. It's an historic train that takes you to a tiny town called Big Valley, feeds you a good dinner, allows time for you to sightsee some adorable museums and a bright blue church with 3 antique organs. We even got permission for the boy to play the old pump organ. The real fun though was the entertainment on the train and the staged robbery. I am so glad we stumbled upon this out of the way treasure. We're thinking about going again for the Christmas special. It could be a real treat.

Footsteps In the Night

I couldn't settle down to sleep last night, as usual, so I was reclining against the pillows finishing up my book. The breeze, not the hurricane we've had all week, was gently moving the blinds creating a little background noise but something else caught my ears. It wasn't a sound I had heard since moving to the city. Clip-clop, clippity-clop. I sat up and squinted into the dark night to see five horses trotting down the street. I shook my husband awake and asked him if he thought I should call the police. It was 1;30am so I wasn't sure anyone else would notice but we saw a truck with blinkers on and thought they must have belonged to them. HEHEHHEHEHEHE we were wrong. Five minutes later I can see flashing red and blue lights and hear that clop, clop along the hardtop again. Five horses trotting the other direction this time with a full police escort of 4 mounties. I don't think they knew anything about herding animals though. They hadn't blocked off any side streets the horses could escape down and they forgot about the large unfenced park across the street. Those horses saw a chance for freedom and took of like a shot! Those poor mounties!! You should have seen them trying to four-wheel it across the soccer fields after the horses!!! Completely made my night!

Poached off another blog

I was trolling the blogosphere and came upon this gem:
If it’s inside it doesn’t count

A friend of mine reports on her blog that the women in her ward got chocolates this past Mothers Day.

All really very unremarkable—chocolates are a very ordinary default Mothers Day gift in our church, after all.

Well, unremarkable except for the latte fillings the ones from her ward had, that is.

For those of you who are not LDS, a ward is the equivalent of a parish. It's just the local congregation.

A Great Read!

I work so far from home now that I don't make it home for lunch hour. I took up crosswords, sudoku, and chatting with the other associates, but after a while I got really bored. Since one of the areas I oversee is Stationary, I see all of the books that come in. One caught my eye. It wasn't the title or cover that grabbed my attention. I don't really know why I picked it up but I am really glad that I did. It's called "THE HELP". What a fantastic read. It's set in the deep south in the early 1960's and focuses on White Junior Leaguers and their African-American maids. If you pick up one book this summer, this is the ONE!!!

Vancouver Island Pictures

Posted on the work blog!!! Pictures for your viewing pleasure.

A Taste of the Wildside!

We took a trip over to Vancouver Island for the last couple of days to take in a few of the must see places. One of the police officers, a long story I'll get to another time, suggested we go to Ucluelet while there. What a fantastic drive!! The views were astounding and the weather perfect. We did a little sight seeing, threw some stones into the ocean and picked sea glass. On to Tofino. Cute little village! We were getting a little hungry by this point so we stopped at a gas station and asked the man behind the register for a good restaurant. Without hesitation he recommended the "Wildside". Remember that. Always ask a local where to eat. What a favor he did for us. The place looks horribly shabby. It's a tiny shack nestled among other tiny shacks that happen to be adorable little shops and it serves food to kill for. The husband ordered a salmon burger. A beautiful, fresh fillet of salmon on a wholewheat kaiser roll with fresh green leaf lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onion, mayo, corn relish, smoked tomato relish, and avocado. The boy ordered a chicken burger: again green leaf lettuce, fresh tomato, onion, mayo, bacon, cheese, smoked tomato relish. I had the shrimp burger: panko crusted fresh caught shrimp with chili mayo, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and red onion. These were the freshest of ingredients straight off the boat and tasted like heaven. They use local products and you can taste the difference!! Oh and the fries? Fresh cut potatoes with chunky sea salt; just right!
If you ever have the chance to drive the Pacific Coast Rim make sure you stop here for a meal. You won't regret it!!!

Recommendation Day

I've been hanging out on the web a lot lately as I try to plan the daughters wedding and have found some great sites. I was thinking about presents for upcoming events and saw this site called www.snaptotes.com. They can put a picture on almost anything. So cute!!
One more recommendation for the day. Have you discovered "As Sistas in Zion" yet? These women are hilarious!!! I love their fresh take on life. It is so refreshing to find women who love the gospel, don't take themselves too seriously, and spread the fun!!

Oh the pain!

I love popcorn! I've admitted it, finally! It's not that I just love it; I eat it at least 3 times a week. Things have now changed. Popcorn has betrayed me. As I was eating my lovely snack late one night last week, I heard a crack and began to feel grittiness in my mouth. I spit it out and felt around my mouth with my tongue to see if something was amiss. I found that the wisdom tooth on the upper left side had a rather large section that was now missing with sharp edges poking my cheek. Being new to town, I hadn't yet found a dentist so I left it for a couple of days while I found one who could fit me in. Two days later I found myself in a dentist chair with a large pair of pliers in my mouth as the dentist wrenched my tooth back and forth, back and forth with all his might to remove the offending tooth. I thought he was going to rip my head right off my neck. It was unreal! Finally I heard a popping sound and it was over. Now I have a massive hole in my upper jaw and liquid foods are my new food of choice. Popcorn you have betrayed me! ...........But I still love you!!!

More Pics!

I've posted some more pictures on the work blog

It's Spring!!!!

Today I went outside at my lunch hour to find that suddenly the sun was shining, snow melting and it was warm. Really! I'm not kidding! I was so excited that I texted the hubby and told him to go out too. When I arrived home I found him and the boy outside shoveling the last of the icy snow off the edge of the driveway and onto our 1.5 metre high snow pile. Just a reminder of all the hard work the hubby has put in over the long winter. I was so thrilled by the warmth that I went into the garden shop and bought 5 hydrangea bushes to add to my collection of orchids. Now it looks like springtime in the house too. So lovely to see flowers blooming and hear the birds chirping again. I feel a bizarre sense of excitement and freedom. I LOVE spring!!

They've Been Found!!!!!!!

Prayers have been answered!!! They have been found!!!! They ran out of gas on the side of the road near Las Vegas. Can you believe it??? I'm thrilled! I can't imagine how ecstatic their mothers must be. READ MORE HERE

Change, it is!!

This afternoon the District Manager called for my presence in his office. Well if that doesn't make ya nervous?!?! It's like being called into the Principal's office. Yikes! I new something was up but I wasn't expecting what they told me. I was given praise and such but I am not sure these people know me. They called me organized and a people person. Bahahaha! They need to get to know me better. Anyway, the gist of it is that I am being transferred to a store in Edmonton. It's not too far. Should be able to drive it in 40 minutes or so. I'm just shocked. I didn't expect to be transferred so soon. I'll take it though. I think this could be a superb opportunity! But talk to me in a few weeks and we'll see if I feel the same way then.

Sacramento?!? Are you out there?

The missing kids from Lindon, UT have been spotted eating in a homeless shelter in Sacramento!!! We need your help! Keep your eyes open! Please! We can bring them home to their mothers!

Observations of Role Reversal and Aging

Instead of whipping back to the frozen tundra after our dress shopping extravaganza, the daughter and I, detoured to the home town for the night. Dad had to help with the cows and of course that meant I wanted to go. Early the next morning Dad and I headed out into the hills to feed, water and check for newborn calves. There wasn't a lot to do; just 2 round bales, chop water holes in 2 ponds, get the calves out of the shelter, count head, see who is making bag, that sort of thing. We got into the tractor to take the bales out and realized we had no knife to cut the myriad of string on the bales. All we had was the axe to chop the water holes. So, Dad, a better tractor driver than me got that role. I got the axe. When we arrived at the feeding locations I jumped out of the tractor and took the axe to the bale. Chop, chop, chop. Not so good at cutting string with a dull axe and a springy bale. Then on to the ponds where Dad would again hand me the axe to chop out the holes. He stood to the side with a shovel and would scoop out the ice pieces so that it froze over slower. That's when I realized our roles had reversed. I don't know when it happened. The last I remember, Dad would have chopped the holes. Dad would have swung the axe to cut the strings. I would have been the helper. Now I am the strong one. He is the helper. I am the one who wields the axe and jumps in and out checking the cows. It's weird to say.....I am the strong one. I have never felt like I had equal power with my father and now I feel bizarrely elevated. He is still my dad and I will always respect that but when you grow up in a home where the father is the end all be all you feel intimidated; sort of like a shrinking violet. To have my father hand over the axe, stand aside as I worked, and not ask for it back or show me how I did it wrong is unnerving in many ways. The axe has been passed.

Wedding Dress Shopping

The engagement is official!!! We took a quick trip down to Calgary to Beautiful Bride which carries a line of modest wedding dresses especially for LDS brides. Not to be let out of any part of her first granddaughters special day, my mom drove up to meet us. It was so much fun!! It's a good thing I took the camera because otherwise I may have had tears running down my face. Otherwise occupied, I was able to concentrate a little. She looked undeniably beautiful!! She is going to be a spectacular bride. That fiance of hers had better be properly stunned. LOL!

Interesting Facts

I borrowed these from another blogger named Andrea Buffaloe:

1. Debra Winger was the voice of E.T.
2. Pearls melt in vinegar.
3. The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro,
Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
4. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairs.
5. Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in
the palms of their hands.
6. Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from
the sale of vodka.
7. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy
dog" uses every letter in the alphabet. (Developed by
Western Union to test telex/two communications.)
8. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without
repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable."
9. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with
only the left hand.
10. No word in the English language rhymes with month,
orange, silver, or purple.
11. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
12. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from
the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The
horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how
to walk up straight staircases.
13. The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie"
(thus the name of the Don McLean song).
14. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
15. Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their
unwanted people without killing them used to burn their
houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."
16. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence
on July 4th, 1776: John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of
the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't
added until five years later.
17. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
18. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen
seconds.
19. The name "Jeep" came from the abbreviation used in the
army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
20. The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the
lowest point in Colorado.
21. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
22. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four
pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of
money in coins without being able to make change for a
dollar.
23. All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck
on 4:20.
24. The only two days of the year in which there are no
professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the
day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game.
25. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or
older.
26. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original
"Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
27. If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will
keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.
28. Snails can sleep for three years without eating.
29. Actor Tommy Lee Jones and Vice President Al Gore were
freshman roommates at Harvard.
30. The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually
indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they
could be confused at a crime scene.
31. Any month that begins on a Sunday will always have a
Friday the 13th.
32. James Doohan, who played Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott
on Star Trek, was missing the entire middle finger of his
right hand.
33. The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile
in every five must be straight. These straight sections are
usable as airstrips in times
34. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

Please Help Find These Children!!!!

A man I once knew has done something really stupid. He has abducted his children and disappeared. Please keep your eyes open and help us get these kids back to their mothers. David has taken his daughters from his second marriage and his son from his first marriage. The more eyes we have out there the faster we will find them. His son happened to mention to a friend that he may soon be moving to Florida so we think he might be headed there. He has had them for more than a week now and has a really good head start so they need all the help they can get.

Lindon, UT

MISSING

LINDON, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Lindon police are searching for two missing girls who were allegedly taken by their non-custodial father, David Steele Fratcher.

14 year old Amber Marie Fratcher is described as Caucasian, 5 ft 4 inches tall, with blue eyes and long brown hair that goes down to the middle of her back.

Amber was last seen wearing blue jean capris and a gray sweatshirt. Amber has a small scar right below her right eye and often wears glasses. Amber also has both ears pierced.

Amanda Mae Fratcher is described as Caucasian, 11 years old, 5 ft tall, and weighs approximately 125 lbs. Amanda has blue eyes and shoulder length brown hair. Amanda was last seen wearing a blue and cream V neck shirt and gray jeans.

Police say the children were endangered as the father had allegedly made suicidal comments at some time in the past.
Amber Marie and Amanda Mae Fratcher

Police added that they have no information to indicate that the Fratcher currently has intent to harm himself or the children.

According to police, the children are considered endangered because their location and physical condition is unknown to their custodial parent and as they are potentially traveling with very little, if any resources or money, although the Father did apparently take some clothing and supplies.

Fratcher and the children were also believed to be living in the van, and with winter weather conditions, police were concerned for their health and safety.

Lindon Police, with the assistance of the Orem Department of Public Safety, the Utah County Child Abduction Response Team (CART) and the Utah County JCAT Team served a search warrant at a home in Orem on Wednesday evening.

Police found evident to suggest that David Fratcher plans to take the children from their mother potentially re-locate with them to an unknown new city.

Police say an ongoing investigation into computer and cell-phone records from the search warrant was underway in an effort to learn of potential locations where the children may be.

Anyone with information on Fratcher or the girls was asked to contact the Lindon police at 801-229-7070.

The RV show and sale

Have you seen RV's lately? Holy Freaking Cow! There are some gorgeous ones out there now. The Hubby, son, and I went to the show here in Edmonton this afternoon and were completely overwhelmed and a little awed. They have fireplaces, and lofts. Oh and don't forget full size fridges, washers and dryers, satellite dishes, tile floors, forced air heating and who know what all else.




Outside each RV was a floor plan. A floor plan?!?!?! I had no idea travel trailers were so serious. I think we looked at a few hundred. You really could live in one instead of having a house. Hmmmm maybe that's what we could do once the kids leave for good. Then we could get in all the travel we like to do.

Blue Monday

Supposedly today is the most depressing day of the year. Do you agree? Has today been worse than any other day of the year? Santa is long gone..... the bills have arrived...the holiday weight is still hanging around....the days are cold and short....the snow is getting deeper. Is that a good enough reason to be depressed? No way!! We should be like kids on a snow day and jump into it with relish!! Besides, we are supposedly closer to the happiest day of the year June 17th! Only 5 months to go!!! Yeeeehaaaawwww!!! NO, I am not downplaying serious mental illness. That is certainly not my plan here. In fact I admit to having severe anxiety disorder myself. Nothing to be ashamed of.....at least now that I am on my meds, right?

The furnace goes wonky now?

Really? We're in the middle of a severe cold snap and the furnace is only working intermittently!! RIDICULOUS!! We are going to freeze to death if this thing doesn't kick into gear. It's -23*C out there right now and we haven't headed for the nightly dip. Oh I hope this thing figures out how to make the connection and fire up all the way.

Happy New Year

and for your entertainment.......have a look at the nutty daughters foray into the news.