Kristen's Rants and Raves

Where am I?

2007-05-16T21:04:00.000-03:00

Finally able to log in again, I have moved to a new blog site: http://kristenscontemplations.blogspot.com/

Be Still?!

2007-01-27T19:26:00.000-04:00

Last night Jonathan and I ventured out to St. Martins to a retreat centre. We had already postponed this once due to babysitting and almost cancelled because, you know, we're "so busy". But we went. Here's how much I have to learn about retreating. I kept thinking, what are we going to do? There's no radio, there's no TV...it'll be just us in a cabin in wintertime, it'll be dark when we get there...so we brought my laptop and rented a movie. Yep, you read that right. Well, thank goodness that Ken and Fay (who's centre it is) know so much more about retreating than we do! We get there and the woodstove has a fire going and they've addressed a card to us and given us bookmarks that outline how to retreat and just be still. I'm so glad they did. I poured Jonathan and I each a glass of sparkling grape juice and we relaxed and we talked. (Imagine that). We never did watch that movie and I can honestly say that today, I feel so good, so relaxed (the bubble bath I had this morning helped too). I didn't even want the radio on as we drove home. So thank you Ken and Fay for your Breath of Heaven cottage! To see more click here: http://inthestillness.ca/

Miniature Earth

2007-01-27T19:19:00.000-04:00

Thank you Lisa for sending me this link: http://www.miniature-earth.com/

Think Fast

2007-01-24T17:41:00.000-04:00

I love riddles and challenges...click here for some fun! http://www.richstevens.com/flash/iq.swf
BTW I scored 9 out of 11

Welcome Baby Chapman!

2007-01-17T18:06:00.000-04:00

I received the much anticipated and very exciting news today that my friends, Jill and Dave (and little Andrew), have a wonderful new member of their family. Aaron Luke Chapman arrived in the world on January 15th and Mama Jill reports that everything is a-ok! Congratulations Chapmans and welcome to the world little Aaron!

Where are the Hippies?

2007-01-16T21:08:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of The Amazing Race, it is the only reality show that constantly grabs my attention...mostly because I love travel and seeing other cultures. I had a feeling that they would look to do an All-Stars show sometime soon and I was right. Season 11 (premiering in February) is going to be an All-Star edition. So who do you think of when you think Amazing Race All Stars? Well, I got 4 pairs right on: Rob and Amber (of course, how can you do a reality all-stars without them?), Uchenna and Joyce (the only previous winners of The Amazing Race to be in for All-Stars), Charla and Mirna (can be a little annoying, but memorable in a more pleasant way than not), and David and Mary (the coalminer and his wife, very endearing). I'm kinda amazed at who isn't there...most notably: BJ and Tyler aka - the Hippies. I'm also not looking forward to watching Dustin and Kandice again (annoying beauty queens don't get any easier to like). There's one pair that has never raced together before but met on the show: Danielle and Eric. I didn't start watching the show until part way through season 3, so I can't comment on any of those racers...and there are no teams from seasons 4, 6, and 8. No teams from the family edition is understandable, probably the worst season of the Amazing Race. But there were some memorable teams in those other 2 seasons...I guess with couple breakups and all you can't re-cast some people. Season 4 was particularily memorable (the virgins, the clowns...). I also suppose you wouldn't want to relive some particularily abusive racers (anyone remember Jonathan? poor Victoria!).

Here's the cast (any predictions?):

Kevin & Drew
Lifelong Friends ("Frats")
Season 1 (4th Place)

Ozwald & Danny
Best Friends ("Cha Cha Cha")
Season 2 (4th Place)

John & Jill
Formerly Dating
Season 3 (5th Place)

Uchenna & Joyce
Married
Season 7 (1st Place)

David & Mary
Coalminer and Wife
Season 10 (6th Place)

Charla & Mirna
Cousins
Season 5 (6th Place)

Rob & Amber
Married
Season 7 (2nd Place)

Teri & Ian
Married Parents
Season 3 (2nd Place)

Eric & Danielle
Dating
Season 9 (2nd/8th Place)

Joe & Bill
Life Partners
Season 1 (3rd Place)

Dustin & Kandice
Beauty Queens ("Blondies")
Season 10 (4th Place)

something about 7 months

2007-01-11T18:16:00.000-04:00

7 months must be the turning point in pregnancy. I went back to work this week and most people have asked me how much longer I have to go (5 weeks of work, 8 weeks of pregnancy). And every one of them seems surprised by the answer. ("That's still aways away!") Am I that huge really? There must be something about 7 months of pregnancy that makes people think you're almost ready to go, even though you've got another 2 months to go. Is this because we don't often see 9 months pregnant women around? Are pregnant women in movies designed to look 7 months pregnant when their characters are 9 months? I think I'm doing pretty good overall...I feel good, I'm right on track with weight gain and baby growth...and I still fit all of my maternity clothes with room to spare yet (I know I'll need it, I remember 38+ weeks from the last time around!)

2007-01-10T20:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Grandma

Now that I know how to post video (YEAH!), here's one that Jonathan and Elijah made for my mom for her birthday last November

2007-01-10T20:02:00.000-04:00

Jeff Foxworthy - Redneck Stomp

I think most people are aware that I was converted to country music about 7 years ago (something I swore I'd never do when I was a child...who knew?). Well our local country station broadcasts the Jeff Foxworthy countdown each weekend and I have to say I'm hooked. In fact not to long ago, we rented one of his comedy DVD's from Quality Convenience (if you live uptown, you know that Quality is the place to rent DVD's...if you haven't discovered that yet, it's the place with the hula girl out front on King Street). Oh my gosh, I can't remember the last time I laughed so much, I had tears running down, he's that funny. Here's a taste of his humour, if you haven't discovered him yet.

My Pet Peeve today

2007-01-10T19:19:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know that our computer crashed last week...we seriously thought we lost everything (and when you've been meaning to back up your photos onto disks and never actually did it, it's a hard lesson to learn). Well, praise God because we have our computer up and running again (and now have backed up all our files onto disks) and thanks to Kevin and Rob and others and Jonathan's persistance!
Of course the first thing I wanted to do today was check my email and was had that mini-euphoria confirmation that people like me and here's proof because look at all my email. But here's my beef...I had 3 times as many emails in my spam inbox and 3 spams made it through Yahoo!'s spam filter into my regular inbox...and one of them was cleverly disguised as if it was from someone I actually knew! Argh! So all to all you spammers out there - get a life! Seriously!

9 weeks to go and all is well

2007-01-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

A baby post update. Yesterday, I saw my baby doctor for what is now my every 2 week checkup. I was waiting back results for a couple of things and "praise God!" everything is good. The baby is growing right on track and appears healthy. I am officially not gestational diabetic! The only thing I have to worry about is my iron intake and am now on iron pills 3 days a week. So all in all, I'm pretty happy. Keep praying that all stays good!

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

I looked over my New Year's Resolutions for 2006 and remembered that it was to read Jane Austen. Well, I didn't read all of her books, but I did read Pride and Predjudice and loved it. Of course I loved it, I'd seen it in movie form a number of times (the BBC version is my favorite). So now I'm thinking of New Year's Resolutions for 2007. The standard ones are no good to me, I don't drink or smoke so there's nothing to give up there. I'm not allowed to lose weight (I'm supposed to be gaining about a pound a week for the next 2 months). I restarted my nightly praying well over a month ago and seem to have that down into a habit...so what is left? This is how I get into resolutions like "read Jane Austen"...maybe I should just continue with that one...every year for the next few years I should pick one of her books and read it. It makes sense really. I actually do a have her collected works sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read. I do this a lot actually. I have books that I want to read on my shelf that sit there for years and never get opened. Then I complain that I have nothing to read. When I'm really in a state I pick one of them up and am amazed that I'd never read it before. Recent examples include "Cold Mountain" (sat on my shelf for 3 years before I read it), "The Grapes of Wrath" (sat there for 13 years), and most recently "The Nun's Story" (sat there for 7 years). All very good books by the way. I just finished "The Nun's Story" yesterday. I originally bought it after it caught my eye in a used bookstore. I'd seen the movie with Audrey Hepburn and loved the movie, but then I never read the book. I wish I'd read it before, it was really captivating! I know I talk about books a lot on here! Maybe my blog title should have been something like Bookworm Kristen?

Friends and Family

2006-12-27T08:09:00.000-04:00

At Christmas dinner, Jonathan asked all of us what we were most thankful for this Christmas (I did tell him that was a Thanksgiving question, but I got shot down). My answer was simple...I was really worried about spending Christmas in NB this year, but we have some great friends that we spent it with and that helped me to enjoy my time.
This is the first year since 2002 that I have not gone back to BC for Christmastime. I did look into it...I had this wonderful daydream of picking up Jonathan from work last Friday and driving him down to the Moncton airport and surprising the heck out of him for Christmas...then I looked into the details. First, I'm borderline as far as flying goes...technically, I could fly there, but probably not fly back...too pregnant. Second, the cost. This would be the first time that we'd have to pay for a seat for Elijah...and you know how much airlines want to put on seat sales at Christmastime don't you? We could fly to England for less than we could fly across our own country! Long story short, both of us were kinda dreading not being with family.
We really did have a nice Christmas. We do have some great friends here that are becoming more like family to us than just friends. This is really cool to me because I had these kind of family/friends growing up. In fact one of them introduced herself at our wedding open mike with "Hi, I'm Karrie, I'm Kris' big sister by default". So thank you David and Janet, Debbie and Christy and the Ransons!

Do you think this is true?

2006-12-24T07:47:00.000-04:00

Jonathan heard a radio stat the other day that women are more stressed out by Christmas than men. Do you think that's true? From talking to some friends and reading their blogs, and my own experience, I think we do do more of the preparation generally. In the past month I wrote the Christmas cards and letter, did the decorating, baked, shopped for everyone (except myself, Jonathan does that), wrapped the gifts (well, I'm almost done that, I still have Elijah's to wrap...you'd think a 2 year old would give me a moment to myself! He's sitting on my knee as I write this), did all the posting of parcels...but the truth is I like it. I enjoy decorating. I enjoy baking. I enjoy choosing and wrapping gifts. Jonathan really couldn't be bothered. He likes the tree being up and all, but I don't think he'd put it up if it was just him. I also get certain rights in the house as the official Christmas preparer person. For instance...I write the cards, I get to open the cards that arrive (I love opening mail that isn't bills!). I do the baking...I get to choose what gets baked (this year, holiday rice krispie squares, shortbread cookies and nanaimo bars and pumpkin pie). I do consult as well, I ask if there are any requests...that's how brussel sprouts ended up on tomorrow night's menu. I did find something out about Jonathan I didn't know until last night. He asked what kind of stuffing we're having. Now, I'm a big believer in Stove Top because it tastes good and is easy...I didn't realise that Jonathan wanted homemade. I guess his mom always had 2 kinds of stuffing (sage and onion and chestnut). They are really good too, we've eaten them at his sister's the past 2 years, I just wouldn't think to make them myself...Carole, I guess I'll have to get the recipes one day. So tomorrow is still Stove Top (unless I, or Jonathan get otherwise inspired). But really, I think I've only had 2 stresses this holiday season...the biggest was the Christmas (excuse me, Winter) Concert at work. Which went great after a near nervous breakdown by me on dress rehearsal day last Monday. And the other was at the post office in Shopper's. After waiting in line for 1/2 an hour (with a 2 year old in tow...and remembering that I'm 7 months pregnant here)...I get told that I'm sorry, they haven't unloaded the truck with my package on it yet. Well, I know it's not the fault of the lady who is the only one working (why they would only schedule one worker during the Christmas rush is beyond me), but then why would my little parcel ticket say my package would be there when it isn't...argh! But if that is the most I have to stress about, I guess I'm doing all right. So Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Relax. Enjoy your egg nog latte (if you are in BC, where you can get those delicious things, I'll probably have another holiday spice smoothie from Tim's because it's the closest I can get here in SJ). I'll be enjoying the Christmas Eve service tonight at Stone. (It's my second favorite service of the year...my favorite is Easter Morning...what joy!). And hopefully, I won't be up too late afterwards getting Elijah's gifts wrapped!

My unofficial tutor

2006-12-22T06:33:00.000-04:00

I have a new addition to my blog...that little counter there in the bottom corner showing where my blog visitors are from. I'm kinda a mini-stats geek that way. (my favorite part of YouthWorker magazine has always been the stats and quotes pages). Who do I have to thank for introducing me to this latest blog toy? Chris of course. Chris has become my unofficial blog tutor (though he may not know it). He has all kinds of additions and modifications to his site and sometimes it inspires me, like it did this morning. He has also very patiently attempted to teach me how to add video to my site (which I will do one day successfully). Unfortunately, I am one of those people that blogger has denied access to blogger beta (temporarily, I'm told) for some bizarre reason, my blog won't transfer over. Anyway, just a little thank you Chris, you huge cyber geek! You inspire me. (odd, isn't it?)

Curious?

2006-12-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Elijah has recently discovered the world of Curious George. I didn't think he'd be into these stories quite this early on in life, but he loves them. I love them too, which is why we have them in the house...but they are very, very long to read!

So I was thinking that there's a few strange things in these books (and no, I'm not talking about the Ether...that's a whole other post).

First: In the original Curious George book, the man in the yellow hat takes George to live in the zoo and George is very happy at the end of the story...how then is it that in every other book George lives with the man in the yellow hat? This is never explained. There is a missing story here! Did George get kicked out of the zoo? Did the man in the yellow hat secretly take him away one night? What happened exactly?

Second: Does the man in the yellow hat have a name?

Third: How does George know that the hat is yellow? It seems to me that this little monkey from the African jungle has an amazing grasp of the English language!

Forth: Did you ever notice the responsibilities that the humans in these stories put onto George, a monkey and then get really, really overly reactive when he messes up? He's a monkey! Why does he need to be locked up in jail? Or, chased by angry farmers? Why does the paper boy just hand off his paper route to him?

Fifth: Did you ever notice the conditional forgiveness in Curious George Gets a Medal: All will be forgiven, if you go on our space experiment!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

2006-12-20T21:09:00.000-04:00

For some reason I found this the most interesting question on the Christmas Fun survey...here's what some people said:

Nigel: Have you seen the young, "Hip" Santa in the Fido commercial? If that's Santa, he doesn't do any work, probably IMs his elves on this "Blackberry" while sitting by the fire with "sexy" Ms. Clause and an Egg Nog Late.

Lisa: Just sit them under the tree

Jill: does Santa exist?

Sarah: Wraps everything.

Carole: He wraps them and disguises them.

Tammy: He does both

Taryn: Santa always left fully assembled unwrapped gifts. Mrs. Claus, however, has a flair for packaging.

Jaclyn: They're wrapped in blue shiny paper (That's how you know they're from Santa. He doesn't have time to write tags).

What do you say?

Christmas Fun

2006-12-13T21:59:00.000-04:00

Thank you Nigel for a variant of "getting to know your friends!"- you know I'm a sucker for it!...and Jaclyn, I can't believe you posted this faster than I did!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Both

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We've got multicoloured on the tree, and white in the window

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not this year, but have in the past

5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Jeff's birthday (Dec. 3)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding desert)? Turkey Dinner

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? waking up and seeing Santa in our house when I was about 6 or 7 (we can thank one of Dad's friends for that one!)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember when I knew, but I knew long before I told my parents I knew...I remember overhearing Jeff asking Mom and Dad one day and I thought "NO! Jeff, you're going to ruin it for us!"

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Jeff always wanted to growing up, but I don't think we did. Now, we've started a Christmas pajamas tradition with Elijah, where he opens up a new pair of PJ's on Christmas eve that he wears that night.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? Usually shortbread growing up

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Snow in BC was very exciting. Snow in New Brunswick is fun and pretty the first day...not so fun and pretty when you've had 4 plus months straight of it!

12. Can you ice skate? Yep!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I got a magic kit when I was 7 that I was really excited about...and I remember the Christmas that Jeff and I both got phones hooked up in our rooms,that was pretty exciting...probably the best though was being able to fly back to BC for Christmas the last couple of years

14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin Pie

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We had so many growing up that I loved (going on a Christmas lights drive, eating at White Spot on Christmas eve, opening up stockings first, one at a time, picking a present passer...), but I really loved Dad reading to us on Christmas Eve. He would read, The Night Before Christmas, and The Christmas Story from Luke. Now, it's been fun to combine traditions with Jonathan and create new ones.

16. What tops your tree? A star

17. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? I love watching people open up gifts I've chosen for them (I know that sounds like the cheesy"right" answer, but it's true!)

18. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? O Holy Night

19. Favorite Candy? Not really a candy, but I have to have Nanaimo Bars at Christmas time

A week in the life of a 2 year old boy

2006-12-10T08:07:00.000-04:00

Monday - went to Walmart for mittens...Mommy bought us a Twix bar to share...had to eat the chocolate off first!

Monday night - played with Daddy in my new PJ's, love to touch the ceiling

Tuesday -went to the Church Army Christmas dinner...Daddy helped me take pictures...here's my godparents, David and Janet

Wednesday - fixing the walls in the kitchen

Thursday morning - decided to eat breakfast in Mommy's chair instead of my booster seat. Look how cute and charming I can be when I want something.

Thursday night - helped Mommy with the Christmas tree. Daddy thinks she is really brave for putting it up.

Saturday - helped Mommy make cookies...I ate 5 later

Saturday night - took my teddy's for a spin in the laundry basket

later Saturday night - decided not to wear pyjamas and not sleep in my bedroom. Made a bed of pillows on the couch instead.

Do all boys have stories like this?

2006-12-10T07:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was trying to have a nap. I say trying because I actually did get about 20 minutes of sleep in before Elijah pulled one over on Jonathan and ran into our bedroom asking me where his hat was. I ignored him with the big "fake sleep" and then overheard Jonathan's little talk to Elijah about not waking sleeping Mommy. The damage was done really, I am not a person who finds it easy to fall back to sleep...particularily when Elijah's next brilliant idea is to get Daddy to chase him, including running into the bathroom and shutting the door repeatedly. Apparently, playing in the basement had lost its appeal for the afternoon.

As I laid there willing sleep to come I started to hear a giggling...not just a giggling, but a real intense belly laugh from my son, I was curious, but stayed where I was still hoping to sleep...that is until I heard the words "up your nose". What? What has he done? The dream of sleep now truly gone, I went to see what was going on. What I saw was Jonathan demonstrating to Elijah how to blow air out of his nose and Elijah in hysterics unable to do it. Elijah had put a button up his nose. I could just see us now, at the Regional waiting for a button extraction from a doctor on a busy Saturday. Now both of us are demonstrating and encouraging him to do the same...blow your nose...no, don't sniff! And trying not to laugh, because it's pretty funny at the same time. Thank goodness Elijah sneezed and we got the button out.

I think this a rite of passage for a boy. My brother's was a pea and Jonathan's was a piece of corn, probably both around the age of 2 or 3. (personal side note: However; Christian, this doesn't explain your recent incident, aren't you a little old for this kind of thing?)

Thank you

2006-12-10T07:34:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of your book suggestions...I'll be searching out at the library for sure. Book suggestions are always welcome for me so anytime you read something really wonderful, please let me know!

I have a sickness

2006-11-29T17:13:00.000-04:00

I do, I feel completely uncomfortable if I'm not currently reading a novel. I know this sounds weird and I thought I'd be okay reading non-fiction (which, I'm currently doing), but I feel unbalanced right now. The problem is is that I have pretty much gone through all the new books that looked interesting to me at the library...there's one left to come in, so I'm at a loss as to what to do. In the past few weeks I flew through Margaret George's Helen of Troy, I've read all of Emily Giffen's books (the problem with discovering a relatively new author is they don't have many books out yet), gone back and read a lot of Belva Plain's books (I know I'm desperate when I'm doing this), caught up on all the Nicholas Sparks books I've missed in the last few years. And now I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any ideas? Any suggestions? I like historical fiction. I like really good writing. I love a good storyteller. Please help!

Don't do it unless you really mean it!

2006-11-29T16:59:00.000-04:00

Jonathan is usually out 2 Saturdays of the month working. This past weekend, Elijah was really missing him. Elijah and I were playing in our room, when he spied one of our wedding pictures on the wall. He said, "I see Daddy and Mommy"...I told him that was our wedding picture. First he wanted to know where he was, then he wanted to know what a wedding was. I told him that we had a movie of the wedding. And I didn't think much more about it until about an hour later. Elijah starts asking to watch Daddy's wedding please, over and over again. Sure. So I dug out the wedding video that I haven't seen in a long time and we started to watch it. He loved it. He starts shouting to the TV things like "Hi Nana, Hi Gramma, Hi Cousin Allan!". He got giddy when he saw Mommy and Daddy on the TV. He loved the hymns and hearing me tell him who everyone was. He wasn't so fond of the sermon (we fastforwarded through it), but he really liked watching the dancing afterwards. I enjoyed it too. It's fun to see all these people I haven't seen in a while (Dave Taylor - where are you?). To think of all the changes that have happened since then...most of the girls standing at the bouquet toss are all married now; the fellow who caught the garter married one of them; describing people to Elijah in terms of whose Mommy and Daddy they are (then having to explain that none of these babies were born yet). So all in all it was fun...the first time. One thing I didn't think of was a 2 year old's viewing habits. Elijah gets fixated on one movie at a time. So we may watch 1 hour of TV a day, but it may be the same show each day for a week or two. So I have now watched (or at least put on) our wedding video for Elijah about 5 or 6 times this week. Now, I loved our wedding, I thought maybe we'd pull out the video on our 5th anniversary this year, but this is getting to be overkill. And apparently, this is all he wants to watch. I suggest Blue's Clues, Thomas, Baby Einstein...No, Mommy and Daddy's wedding. Fortunately, Jonathan is looking into transferring it over to DVD soon before Elijah wears the tape out. Then, maybe we can hide it again for a few years.

TV Land's 100 top catchphrases

2006-11-28T17:02:00.000-04:00

Being one without cable, never mind American cable, I don't think I'm spoiling anything here. TV Land has compiled a list of the top 100 TV catchphrases that they are going to air in a TV land special over the next week. I was actually surprised that more Seinfeldisms were not there. Notibly missing for me were "Not that there's anything wrong with that" and "Master of your domain". Also missing was "NOT!" from Wayne and Garth on SNL...don't tell me that you weren't constantly barraged with that in the early '90's!

Here's the list in alphabetical order:

In alphabetical order, TV Land's list:
_"Aaay" (Fonzie, "Happy Days")
_"And that's the way it is"
_"Ask not what your country can do for you ..." (John F. Kennedy)
_"Baby, you're the greatest" (Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, "The Honeymooners")
_"Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril Live")
_"Book 'em, Danno" (Steve McGarrett, "Hawaii Five-O")
_"Come on down!" (Johnny Olson, "The Price is Right")
_"Danger, Will Robinson" (Robot, "Lost in Space")
_"De plane! De plane!" (Tattoo, "Fantasy Island")
_"Denny Crane" (Denny Crane, "Boston Legal")
_"Do you believe in miracles?" (Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics)
_"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")
_"Don't make me angry ..." (David Banner, "The Incredible Hulk")
_"Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., "Good Times")
_"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, "Sanford and Son")
_"Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ..." (Eddie Haskell, "Leave it to Beaver")
_"God'll get you for that" (Maude, "Maude")
_"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, "Peanuts" specials)
_"Good night, and good luck" (Edward R. Murrow, "See It Now")
_"Good night, John Boy" ("The Waltons")
_"Have you no sense of decency?" (Joseph Welch to Sen. McCarthy)
_"Heh heh" (Beavis and Butt-head, "Beavis and Butthead")
_"Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show")
_"Here's Johnny!" (Ed McMahon, "The Tonight Show")
_"Hey now!" (Hank Kingsley, "The Larry Sanders Show")
_"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, "What's Happening!!")
_"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, "Fat Albert")
_"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, "Batman")
_"Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, "Everybody Loves Raymond")
_"Homey don't play that!" (Homey the Clown, "In Living Color")
_"How sweet it is!" (Jackie Gleason, "The Jackie Gleason Show")
_"How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, "Friends")
_"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)
_"I know nothing!" (Sgt. Schultz, "Hogan's Heroes")
_"I love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal, "The A-Team")
_"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)
_"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, "Newhart")
_"I'm not a crook ..." (Richard Nixon)
_"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
_"I'm Rick James, bitch!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, "Chappelle's Show")
_"Is that your final answer?" (Regis Philbin, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire")
_"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)
_"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)
_"Jane, you ignorant slut" (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Just one more thing ..." (Columbo, "Columbo")
_"Let's be careful out there" (Sgt. Esterhaus, "Hill Street Blues")
_"Let's get ready to rumble!" (Michael Buffer, various sports events)
_"Live long and prosper" (Spock, "Star Trek")
_"Makin' whoopie" (Bob Eubanks, "The Newlywed Game")
_"Mom always liked you best" (Tommy Smothers, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour")
_"Never assume ..." (Felix Unger, "The Odd Couple")
_"Nip it!" (Barney Fife, "The Andy Griffith Show")
_"No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, "Seinfeld")
_"Norm!" ("Cheers")
_"Now cut that out!" (Jack Benny, "The Jack Benny Program")
_"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, "South Park")
_"Oh, my nose!" (Marcia Brady, "The Brady Bunch")
_"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)
_"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)
_"Read my lips: No new taxes!" (George H.W. Bush)
_"Resistance is futile" (Picard as Borg, "Star Trek: The Next Generation")
_"Say good night, Gracie" (George Burns, "The Burns & Allen Show")
_"Schwing!" (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle)
_"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)
_"Smile, you're on `Candid Camera'" ("Candid Camera")
_"Sock it to me" ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In")
_"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, "Star Trek")
_"Stifle!" (Archie Bunker, "All in the Family")
_"Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, "How I Met Your Mother")
_"Tastes great! Less filling!" (Miller Lite beer ad)
_"Tell me what you don't like about yourself" (Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy, "Nip/Tuck")
_"That's hot" (Paris Hilton, "The Simple Life")
_"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, "ABC's Wide World of Sports")
_"The tribe has spoken" (Jeff Probst, "Survivor")
_"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, "The X-Files")
_"This is the city ..." (Sgt. Joe Friday, "Dragnet")
_"Time to make the donuts" ("Dunkin' Donuts" ad)
_"Two thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert, "Siskel & Ebert")
_"Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, "Welcome Back, Kotter")
_"We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Welcome to the O.C., bitch" (Luke, "The O.C.")
_"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, "Saturday Night Live")
_"We've got a really big show!" (Ed Sullivan, "The Ed Sullivan Show")
_"Whassup?" (Budweiser ad)
_"What you see is what you get!" (Geraldine, "The Flip Wilson Show")
_"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, "Diff'rent Strokes")
_"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)
_"Who loves you, baby?" (Kojak, "Kojak")
_"Would you believe?" (Maxwell Smart, "Get Smart")
_"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, "The Flintstones")
_"Yada, yada, yada" ("Seinfeld")
_"Yeah, that's the ticket" (Jon Lovitz as the pathological liar, "Saturday Night Live")
_"You eeeediot!" (Ren, "Ren & Stimpy")
_"You look mahvelous!" (Billy Crystal as Fernando, "Saturday Night Live")
_"You rang?" (Lurch, "The Addams Family")
_"You're fired!" (Donald Trump, "The Apprentice")
_"You've got spunk ..." (Lou Grant, "The Mary Taylor Moore Show")

Book Review

2006-11-27T17:40:00.000-04:00

Most of you know that I love to read...Jonathan frequently mentions that he married a book nerd...which goes hand in hand with my brother's assessment of me growing up. Since university, most of the books I read are novels. This past week; however, I decided to pick up one of those books that isn't a novel that has been sitting on my shelf for about 6 months. I'm terrible that way...I love getting into fiction, but professional reading, I put off and put off. Well, I'm glad I picked this one up and read it. It is "The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander" by Barbara Colorosso. It is written specifically for parents and teachers, but I think that anyone who is concerned about recent school shootings, violence, bomb threats, suicides, cyber bullying etc... could get something out of it, looking for a community solution. I highly reccommend this book to all. As soon as I was done, my friend Jaclyn asked to borrow it (she teaches grade 7), Jonathan also wants to read it (he's a youth pastor), and my mom asked for the information (just as a concerned citizen). It is a really easy read...I read it off and on in about a week, and it makes a lot of sense. She has a way of putting situations that I never thought of before, looking into the why's of behaviour and how we can teach our kids to handle situations that they encounter every day.

Long Live the '80's

2006-11-27T17:36:00.000-04:00

All About the 80's

2006-11-18T08:48:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we had a combo party: Housewarming (yes, we've lived here 6 months)/my birthday/ethnic food/80's. Oh, the food was soooo yummy! And the 80's rocked! The tunes were great (just ask Elijah). We dressed up (J and I raided VV the night before). After we got ready, Jonathan looked at me and said: "Wow, it's like high school"...fair enough, I admit to being in high school from '88-'93. And, of course what would be a party at my house without party games and prizes (think 80's prizes: Nerds, Jelly bracelets etc.) The games included solving Rubix Cubes, moonwalking, breakdancing and trivia. How many of the top movies of the 80's can you name by year? (BTW, 1984 was a great year for movies - think The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters and Footloose). For those interested here's my 4 part quiz (and no, I didn't make up the questions myself, I searched 80's trivia sites for the questions, but it was fun...and I felt smart). How many can you answer without looking up the answers? Jeff, I'm thinking of you specifically!

All About the 80's Trivia Quiz

Part 1: The Movies

In Empire Strikes Back, what was chewing on the power cables of the Millenium Falcon while Han Solo and company were hiding inside the asteroid cave?

What was the license number on the Ghostbusters' car?

In 'Back To The Future', where did Doc Brown get the plutonium to power the time-travelling DeLorean?

In 'Empire Strikes Back' when the ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi said that Luke was their last hope against the Empire, who was Yoda refering to when he said: "No, there is another"?

In 'Dirty Dancing' what was Baby's real name?

In 1989's "The Little Mermaid", what was Scuttle's name for a fork?

In the 1984 movie "Splash", the pretty blonde mermaid chooses which street name to be her own?

In "The Karate Kid" what color did Daniel have to paint Miagi's house, as part of his training.

In the movie "Stand By Me", what did Gordy, Chris, Vern and Teddy set out to find?

In the movie "Rainman", what was the only airline that Raymond said had never crashed?

Part 2: On TV

Who had the trademark saying "Nanoo Nanoo?"

What did people desperately tried to avoid getting on "Press Your Luck?"

What were the names of Kevin's best friend and girl friend on "The Wonder Years?"

Who was the 4th child on "Growing Pains?"

What actor mouthed the line "Whatch you talkin' 'bout Willis?"

What were the names of all five Huxtable kids on "The Cosby Show?"

Who was the head villian on "The Smurfs" and what was his cat's name?

What was the name of Bo and Luke Duke's automobile?

Name the 4 girls from the "Facts of Life" and their chaperone.

What was the name of Norm's wife on Cheers?

Part 3: The Music - Lyrics

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

Buying bread from a man in Brussels, he was 6 foot 4 and full a muscles

And mama always told me be careful what you do, don't go around breaking young girls' hearts

Been workin, so hard. I'm punchin, my card

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, it's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

Tin roof...... Rusted

Slight of hand and a twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait

Your feet are going to be on the ground, your head is there to move you around

Oh thikin' about all our younger years, it was only you and me, we were young and wild and free

You do the boom boom into lay heart, You set my soul sky high when your lovin starts

Part 4: Odds and Ends

Name six members of the Brat Back

Name 3 books by Judy Blume

Who was the leader of the Transformers?

Name all five New Kids On The Block.

What craft toy involved cutting plastic figures, coloring them in, and then baking them in the
oven?

What was the famous line uttered by an old woman in Wendy's ads?

Name the four ghosts from Pac-Man.

What was the first video played on MTV?

What caused the gremlins in the movie Gremlin to become evil?

What snack food was portrayed in claymation dancing to "Heard it Through the Grapevine"?

For Jonathan

2006-11-18T08:43:00.000-04:00

Jonathan wanted to know:

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		85%
Superman		80%
Wonder Woman		77%
Green Lantern		65%
Robin		64%
Supergirl		57%
Iron Man		50%
The Flash		45%
Batman		20%
Hulk		20%
Catwoman		20%

Birthdays

2006-11-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

I admit that I suffer from pregnant brain...as my brother Jeff would say "where's Kris's famous memory now?". Yes, I used to have a good memory, a really good memory. Then, 3 years ago I got pregnant. Now, I'm pregnant again and suffering even more. Example of how pregnant brain works: Sunday morning and I'm lay reading (which means that I'm leading the service at church). I'm doing okay, following the order all right...Michael comes up to read the epistle...great! Now it's the psalm. I'm looking around...no one is coming up to read the psalm...I notice David mouthing to me "the psalm, the psalm"...oh, yeah, that's right, I'm supposed to read the psalm! Things like this happen quite frequently. I'm getting to be a good writer of notes and constantly use the white board on our fridge to jot things down. Anyways, the whole point of this is, I'm now terrible at remembering birthdays. Sometimes I'm good at remembering the months...or, good at remembering them about a week after the fact, but I just can't rely on myself to remember them any more. So, if you got a little birthday alarm email from me, please respond to it...put in yours, your spouse's, your kids'. My mom tells me that you never fully recover from pregnant brain. I don't know why this is, but it's a true fact. If for some reason, you didn't get an alarm email from me, please just leave your birthday in my comments area. Thank you.

I admit it, I steal

2006-11-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

I steal ideas from other people's blogs and use them...here's one I got from Jaclyn:

A rose by any other name...

1) MY PORN STAR NAME (first pet and current street name): "Bridget Fowler"

2) MY MOVIE STAR NAME (grandfather/grandmother on your Mum's side, your favourite candy): "Winnie Carmel"

3) MY "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME (first Initial of first name, first two or three letters of your middle name): "K-Da"

4) MY DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): "Blue Dog"

5) MY SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): "Dawn New Westminster"

6) MY STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name andfirst 3 letters of the town you grew up in): "Sprikr Waabb"

I've also done this one as the the 1st 3 letters of your first name, the 1st 2 letters of your maiden name, with the 1st 2 letters of your mom's maiden name and the 1st 3 letters of the town you were born: "Krido Wanew"

7) MY TERRORIST NAME (first name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards): "Netrisk Sretlaw"

8) My SUPERHERO NAME ("The", your favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink): "The Blue Blush"

What are your other names?

Okay, so am I a Maritimer, or...do I still fit the BC People?

2006-11-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

I read this Maritimer post today and I got all the jokes...I could relate...after 4 years of being looked at funny because I'm "from away", am I finally becoming one of them? But read on...I also relate and get the BC jokes too!

you know you're a Maritimer when....

1.Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass atractor on the highway
2."Vacation" meansgoing to Moncton for the weekend.
3. You measure distance in hours.
4. You know several people who have hit a deer.
5. Your Grandparents drive 100 km through 13 feet of snowduring a raging blizzard without flinching.
6. You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.
7. You install security lights on both your house and garageand go and leave both unlocked.
8. You think of the major food groups as: Meat, Fish and TimHortons.
9. You carry jumper cables in your car and yourwife knows how to use them.
10. There are seven empty cars running in the parkinglot of the Canadian Tire store at any given time.
11. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over asnowsuit.
12. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes arefilled with snow.
13. Your lingerie consists of tube socks and flannelpajamas.
14. You know all 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, StillWinter and Construction.
15. It takes three hours to go to the store for one item,even when you're in a hurry because you have to stop and talk toeverybody in town.
And Finally: You know you live in theMaritimes when...16. You actually understand these jokes

You know are from BC if...

1. You know the provincial flower (Mildew)
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminium cans or paper in the trash.
3. You use the statement "sunny break" and know what it means.
4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.
8. You consider that; if it has no snow on it then it is not a real mountain.
9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Blendz, Moka House and Tim Horton's.
10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.
11. You know how to pronounce Squamish, Osoyoos, Esquimalt & Nanaimo.
12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.
13. You can tell the difference between Japanese,Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food.
14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working eight hour days.
15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast:"showers followed by rain," and Tomorrow's forecast:rain followed by showers."
17. You cannot wait for a day with "showers and sunny breaks".
18. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
19. You know that Dawson Creek is a town, not a TV show.
20. You can point to at least two ski mountains, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
21. You notice "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 5, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
23. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 10, but keep the socks on.
24. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
25. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
26. You recognize the background shots in your favourite movies & TV shows.
27. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you can't find the old ones after such a long time.
28. You measure distance in hours.
29. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in your car in the same day.
30. You use a down comforter in the summer.
31. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.
32. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
33. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer) &Raining Again (Fall).

Granted, I think measuring distance in hours and using jumper cables must be a Canadian thing!

Ew! Gross!

2006-10-30T17:31:00.000-04:00

I received the following email from my mom, one day after I received some other similar disgusting news at a conference. 1st the disgusting conference information: A conference presenter once brought his hotel bedspread down to share with his audience...why? think about it. You know that the sheets and pillowcases are clean, but the bedspread? When was the last time that was washed. So he took some CSI spray and spayed his bedspread. He then turned out the lights and showed all the crap that was on his hotel bedspread. Everything including fecal contamination was there! YUCK! Interestingly enough he sprayed the bedspread with essential oils and it all disappeared. The moral of the story! Travel with essential oils! I am!
Here the other disgusting news:

PURSES
I never gave it a thought. Who'd a thunk? Have you ever noticed gals who sit their purses on public restroom floors - then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a lot! It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress. Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"! Read on...
Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their purses down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that purses are really dirty, because of where they have been. Smart Momma!!!
It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake put purses to the test - for bacteria - with surprising results. You may think twice about where you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere; from the office to public restrooms to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their purses, but did you ever stop to think about where your purse goes during the day?
"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in restrooms."
"I put my purse in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."
We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, then we set out to test the average woman's purse. Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their purse. Most said at home they usually set their purses on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at least a little bit dirty.
It turns out purses are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the purses tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the purses could make people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the purses," says Amy. Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier purses than those without, with one exception. The purse of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says Amy.
So the moral of this story - your purse won't kill you, but it does has the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your purse at home and in restrooms, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of your purse the same way you would a pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your purse on the countertops" - your purse has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc! Do you really want to bring that home with you? The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a purse will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather purses.

Things that bug me

2006-10-28T12:08:00.000-03:00

Today Elijah and I were coming out of the Tim's drive-thru and heard a fire truck coming down the main road. As we watched it coming, the car in front of it caught my attention. It refused to move over for the fire truck. Seriously! Where are you going that is more important than the fire truck?!!! As the fire truck honked and tried to get by, the driver actually frowned and shook his head with a disgusted look on his face. I couldn't believe it. How selfish can one person be?! Fortunately, the other cars on the road were all pulling over and the fire truck managed to find a path through.
Other things that bug me these days:
-People that don't signal!
-Jaywalkers! Kings Square is especially bad for this. Saint Johners would not survive Vancouver streets!
-That a 2 year old's favorite word is "no"...does it corelate to age? a 2 letter word for a 2 year old...do I have hope that when he's 3 his favorite word will be "yes"? :o)
-that the stove burner liners are never where I think they should be at the grocery store (btw they are kept by the disposable baking pans in the baking aisle...not in the cleaning aisle and not by the aluminum foil)
-spam email that gets through yahoo's spamguard
-that ATV moved Dancing with the Stars to Saturday night instead of Tuesday/Wednesday...I know, I know...but I like my brainless TV mid-week (and please don't say I could just watch it in ABC...we don't subscribe to cable)
-Oh and I'd like CSI NY and the Law and Order shows to air one hour later too

Like Mother, Like Son?

2006-10-21T08:11:00.000-03:00

Or maybe just all kids like to do this...here's a snap of laundry day at our house:

Duplo

2006-10-21T07:48:00.000-03:00

Jonathan and I are clearly having the time of our lives. The real reason to have a toddler around? Yes, he's loving and wonderful all by himself and we couldn't imagine life without him...but he has great toys! Do you remember that day long ago when you realised that your friends weren't playing with toys anymore (or if they were, it wasn't cool to admit it). You had to put your cars and dolls into a box that your mom put into storage (and you hoped against hope that they wouldn't end up in a garage sale someday). You had to learn new ways to call up your friends. Say things like "Do you want to hang out?" instead of "Do you want to come over to play?". The grand healing solution to that melancholy time happens years later. You have a kid...they have toys. In fact the best toys that they have are the ones you remember. (Hint to people who are not yet parents, or new parents just getting into the toy thing: if it was around when you were a kid, there is a reason they are still marketing it, kids actually love to play with it again and again). So in our house right now, we have puzzles and toy cars, stuffed animals, Little People, and best of all Duplo! (No worries, we'll get the real Lego when Elijah is 6...choking hazard you know!). Jonathan and I are having a great time! Here are some of our recent creations.

Colisseum Bowl by Kristen

Airplane by Jonathan

ELIJAH by Jonathan

Jonathan/Robot/Monster by Kristen

What do want to be remembered for?

2006-10-19T17:51:00.000-03:00

I guess it is man's need for eternity that wants him to leave his stamp on the world. We seem to want recognition either by being published, or, prizewinner, or, having our moment on film. We want to be remembered as having walked this planet after we are gone. How will you be remembered? My attention was caught today by a new product created by a company called Eternal Image. They have announced that sports fans can have their ashes held in an urn declaring them a lifelong fan of their favorite Major League Baseball Team. Eventually all 30 teams will be represented. If you aren't a baseball fan, no need to despair. The company is also in talks with the NFL, NBA and NHL.
For me, I would like to be remembered as a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Most of all I would like to be remembered as someone who walked with Christ. I would like to be remembered by the one I hope to be with for eternity. I put my trust in Him almost 7 years ago and I can honestly say that my life has never been so good. Where I was lost before, I now find purpose. I know why I'm here and I know the direction I am going. The truth that I've discovered is that for years I lived without God in my life. I always felt there was something more to life, but I didn't know what it was. Once I met Jesus I began to develop a relationship with Him, my life began to make sense. It was no longer directed with me at the centre. It was directed with Him at the centre. He, who created each and every one of us desires to be with us. God is a gentleman, He will not impose Himself onto us. He desires a relationship with us, but a relationship works 2 ways. We have to want Him too. If you feel that your life is missing something...if you feel that you would like to find purpose...if you would like to know Jesus, then I ask you to consider praying this simple prayer (prayer is not a big mystery, it is just talking to God): "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be." Where do you go from there? Or maybe you just aren't ready to take that step? Or maybe you are just a little bit interested in what I have to say today?Then I encourage you to check out one or more of the following.
1) look into taking an Alpha course...http://www.alphacanada.org/
2) read this and think about it: http://www.godlovestheworld.com/
3)or read this and think about it: http://www.fathersloveletter.com/

I don't know if this is still a secret but...

2006-10-13T14:42:00.000-03:00

OOOh, do I have you all in suspense? Are you the least bit curious as to what my secret is? Okay there are a bunch of you out there who have known this secret for a while and are going to be like..."Hello Kris, tell us something we don't know"...and some will just be glad that it is all out in the open...Now do I have your attention?
Okay my not so secret secret is...and I can't believe some of you haven't figured this out already...Jonathan and I are expecting our 2nd baby in March! So there is the reason that all of a sudden my shirts are a little longer and baggier and that I take a nap every day. I actually thought this was pretty obvious by now, but apparently not. The due date for those wanting to know is March 7th (which makes me 19 weeks along). I had my second ultrasound this week and everything looks good. So please keep us in your prayers that everything continues to go well.

Seventh Graders

2006-10-12T16:24:00.000-03:00

There shoud be a prize for successfully surviving a) going through 7th grade and b) teaching a class of 7th grade. Only in 7th grade would you hear something like this:
(I, the teacher, had just gotten my haircut)
"Hey, Mrs. S., you did something to your hair...did you get highlights?" Student A
"No, stupid, she got it cut, didn't you Mrs. S?" Student B
"Oh, yeah, it looks good Mrs. S.?" Student A
"Yes, I got my haircut, let's move on to the lesson" Me
"Did you get layers or something?" Student C
"Yeah, she did, didn't you Mrs. S.?" Student B
"Moving on with the lesson..." Me
"Layers, what are layers, do you have layers Mrs. S.?" Student A
"Hello, Music people!"
"But Mrs. S. it's kinda like music because your hair has layers and music has layers" Student B
"no, music doesn't have layers" Student A
"Yes, yes it does, doesn't it Mrs. S" Student B
"Actually, music does have layers, and we'll talk about that another class" Me
"See stupid, I told you" Student B to student A
(and yes, I did have to discipline student B for the continuous use of the word stupid)

Fonts

2006-10-12T16:21:00.000-03:00

What makes people choose the fonts that they do? I like this one for the blog because it seems friendly (and there are only 8 font choices anyway). For work I usually choose Comic Sans MS because it is one of the only fonts to use an "a" without the curly top, the way most people print. I chose Allegro font for my Daybook because I teach music and Allegro is a music word. When running my first girls group I used girly fonts like Curlz...to be girly. Do people really think this much about fonts, or am I just really tired today?

Random Musings

2006-10-12T16:17:00.000-03:00

Is it just me or is the can of Pam spray getting smaller?

Why do people say "as quiet as a mouse?" These are people who have never lived in an apartment full of mice. Mice are the noisiest things I've ever heard. They are loud running around in the walls, and they squeek loud when they are caught.

Also, why do people say "sleeping like a baby"? Sure, babies sleep a lot, but only for short periods of time and not soundly at all. When Elijah was an infant (and even now in toddlerhood), I would have murderous thoughts about people who rang the doorbell or called during nap time. Don't wake the boy! What are you thinking?!

I am not a great gardener

2006-10-10T18:24:00.000-03:00

I love the idea of gardening! When we first moved into this house I was so excited because I would finally get to try my hand at gardening. (We've lived in apartments for 4 years). The house that we are in has beautiful gardens. Gardens, plural, as in 7 garden spaces. I started off with the best of intentions. I went to Home Depot and purchased my first ever gardening tools. We went home and I takled the first (and smallest garden space). I had a great time, weeding and turning over the dirt. Later in the week I set out to tackle the another one of the smaller gardening spaces, this time I weeded about half the space before going in for the night. I did finish the space sometime in the next week. The third space I went after was the largest space. I finished the 1st third of it (with the perenials) in a few days, and the looked at the larger weed filled space, which I'm guessing traditionally has grown vegetables. Vegetables! Hmmm, I could plant vegetables. Back to home depot I went, imagining a fall filled with my own home grown squash, maybe some fresh herbs and tomatoes too, grown in the greenhouse. That weekend I started turning the dirt and ripping out the weeds. As the sun rose and my arms started to hurt, I began to think...this is a lot of work, how can I do this any easier...I still haven't figured that one out, and I must admit, although I did get most of the dirt turned, my seeds never got planted (so the squash we feasted on this weekend came from the Superstore, not my garden). Over the course of the rest of the summer, my interest in plants and weeding waxed and waned. I got excited about it again when something new and pretty bloomed. I was happy when David took me on a tour of my gardens and told me what plants I had (and what were weeds). But most of my interests went elsewhere. I decided that I have too much garden. Our neighbour informed us that the previous owners of the house loved to garden "all day, every day"...great for retired them, but not so great for mother of busy toddler me!
Fall is here now and my interest in gardening has once again risen. I've been very good about going in and weeding the patches. Pruning plants back for the winter...I'm still working on what is and is not a weed and hoping I haven't killed some of my plants in the pruning process.
I'm imagining a fresh begining to the garden of '07. One where my vegetables and herbs will get planted. One where I will put in sunflowers because I think they are pretty. One where I will dedicate at least one night a week to weeding and pruning. And one where my tulip and daffodil bulbs will come up. Elijah and I planted those this weekend. We've put them to bed for the winter, dreaming of a spring where I will be a real gardener at last!

blogger update

2006-10-07T09:11:00.000-03:00

He's caved...Jonathan is now a member of the blogger community...see the link to the side. He, like me, was a member of spaces and decided to move here...are more people reading my bl0g because I'm here now, or do I just notice it more because blogger is a friendlier place to leave a comment? Does anyone know how I can trick blogger into letting me post more than 2 pictures on a post? And so far I'm not able to put video on here without really messing up my blog? I don't know why and I don't know how to fix it! But overall, I'm a happier blogger here.

I've been looking forward to this

2006-10-07T08:47:00.000-03:00

Every parent has things that they dream about doing with their child. Jonathan couldn't wait until Elijah was old enough to build with Legos and old enough to play wrestle. Well, they currently build monsters and houses and towers and all sorts of things with Duplo (Lego will come when he's 6) and Elijah loves to climb all over Jonathan. So that dream is being realised. My own dream was to bake with my child. I have memories of making little pies and cookies with my mom, so this week I thought, let's see if Elijah is ready to bake with me.
Of course once you mention something to a 2 year old, there is no forgetting. I was inspired to ask Elijah if he wanted to make cookies, to distract him as Jonathan was heading out the door for a meeting (stop a fit mid-cry). So we washed the dishes (okay he played with the water in the sink as I washed the dishes) and then set out to make cookies.
Problem #1 - we have no eggs
Solution - I found a "Kids bake'em" cookie recipe, no eggs required
Problem #2 - the recipe calls for chocolate chips, we have no chocolate chips
Solution - use raisins and add a little bit of cinnimon
Elijah had so much fun with this...the reason I know is because he was still telling Jonathan about it 2 nights later at Tuck Tuck time.
He dumped all the ingredients in the bowl and mixed the dry ingredients (didn't want to stop mixing them) wanted nothing to do with mixing the wet ingredients - that mixer is too loud. He also attempted to form his own cookies on the baking sheet with his spoon (okay, I reformed them so it would make a whole cookie, but not bad for a 2 year old!). And then of course he ate them...spitting out the raisins of course ("no like raisins mommy"). I had no idea he didn't like raisins, especially considering he ate a 1/4 cup full of them while the cookies were baking and then asked for more...to be 2!

Family

2006-10-07T08:45:00.000-03:00

The Dog Park

2006-10-07T08:36:00.000-03:00

The Dog Park is a new concept in Saint John...okay it's only been open for about 2 weeks. We took Keziah on opening day (for the free stuff) and let her have a run and play with the other dogs. People are so funny. They are more aware of what their dogs are doing than a lot of parents I meet at the playground with their kids. They hover and make sure that their dog isn't being the bully dog of the pack. I have no problem with Keziah deciding that she is the lead dog of the small dogs. She's quite happy to run and jump and lead the chase. One afternoon we were there and the other dog in the small dogs area was a teacup chihauhua. The little thing was all over Keziah and you could see her, yeah, I'll put up with you expression...until the chihauhua went a step to far...all Keziah had to do was bark once at her and the chihauhua meekly backed away and acknowledged that yes, Keziah was queen of all. Of course she's not always the queen. We've also let her in the big dog area, where she gets along fine, but definately knows her place, backing down from the springer spaniels of the world. Smart girl.

Keziah

2006-10-07T08:33:00.000-03:00

For those of you who have never met our little dog here she is.

the Radio Man

2006-10-05T18:58:00.000-03:00

Yes, I admit it, I've turned our son into a country music fan. Not only is he a fan, but he has his own separate taste in music from me. One day, when Jonathan and Elijah were driving, Jonathan turned it to the classic rock station when Elijah said "no like it Daddy, like country". The biggest issue with listening to the radio with Elijah is now that he really likes some songs, we have to explain the concept of the radio to him. Once a song he likes finishes, he says "again", so we've had to tell him about the Radio Man, and how it is up to him which song he plays. Fortunately for us, Yahoo Music exists where we can watch music videos on demand. Here's Elijah's top requests:

Brand New Girlfriend by Steve Holy aka "Kissy, Kissy, Foosie, Foosie" in Elijahland
I'm a Roadhammer by the Roadhammers
Give it Away by George Strait
Truck Got Stuck by Corb Lund

He now recognises these songs much soon than I ever would. Fortuanately, his taste is not limited to these songs alone. He quite enjoys it when I put the DixieChicks on (but not Uncle Kracker, as I've found out). His taste is not completely limited to country, he loves Ray Charles ("Play Jack Mommy!"), old big band swing, especially Benny Goodman, and surprisingly enough, soft techno, think back to your early 90's high school dances. Apparenly, he recently discovered the B-52's Love Shack on an old tape I made, and has had Jonathan play it for him at nauseum while driving (you're making your Mama proud boy!, that was one of my grade11 theme songs!)

Where's Max?

2006-10-05T18:47:00.000-03:00

Surfing online with a two year old is incresingly interesting...from comments like: "no typing Mommy" to website requests: "Max Mommy!", who knew? For those of you interested in Elijah's top sites to visit here you go:

nickjr.com : accesses to Max and Ruby (particularily the game "Where's Max", Elijah giggles in sheer delight when he finds Max in this hide and seek game.)
Also accesses to Blue's Clues although our choices there are more limited as Elijah refuses to accept anything to do with Joe, he only wants games with Steve in them. Elijah's favorite is Instrument Sound Matching (known as "piano") where he constantly surprises me at how many he gets right.

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/elmosworld/ Elijah's favorite Elmo games are Chicken Dance Elmo, Zoe's Silly Seasons, and helping Mr. Noodles walk the dogs.

Yahoo! Music...he loves watching music videos and the best way to play the songs he likes...more to follow on this.

newnuma.com and the original numanuma dance...he's one of Gary Brolsma's biggest fans

bobthebuilder.com He likes the building Lego game and the feature where you meet Bob and the gang.

www.hitentertainment.com/thomasthetankengine Thomas the Train

Banned Books Week

2006-09-28T14:08:00.000-03:00

We're always celebrating something aren't we? This week is the official Banned Books week. The American Library Association keeps track of those books most frequently banned. I was looking at the list and saw many classics (To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies...), some that I just think are gross (Captain Underpants) and some that would be good discussion starters as to why people don't agree with the material (Harry Potter). I've read 11 of the 25 books. Three I read as required reading in high school. One I read to my 2nd grade class a few years back. It makes me wonder about the rights of free speech and what good banning books does anyways. I understand objections to some of these books, but I also believe in learning from them. Banning something does not make it go away. You may not agree with the portrayal of African Americans in To Kill a Mockingbird, but does that change history? The book was written to capture a part of America's past. And was one of the best books I've ever read. You may not want your child reading Harry Potter because of it's associations with witchcraft and wizardry, but why not take it as a opportunity to discuss your objections with them. They are well written books.
Here's the list of the top 25 "objectionable" books...how many have you read?

"Harry Potter" (Series) (J.K. Rowling)
"To Kill a Mockingbird" (Harper Lee)
"The Color Purple" (Alice Walker)
"The Outsiders" (S.E. Hinton)
"Lord of the Flies" (William Golding)
"Of Mice and Men" (John Steinbeck)
"Goosebumps" (Series) (R.L. Stine)
"How to Eat Fried Worms" (Thomas Rockwell)
"The Catcher in the Rye" (J.D. Salinger)
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (Mark Twain)
"The Giver" (Lois Lowry)
"Brave New World" (Aldous Huxley)
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Mark Twain)
"Captain Underpants" (Dav Pilkey)
"The Anarchist Cookbook" (William Powell)
"Carrie" (Stephen King)
"Flowers for Algernon" (Daniel Keyes)
"The Dead Zone" (Stephen King)
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (Maya Angelou)
"Go Ask Alice" (anonymous)
"American Psycho" (Bret Easton Ellis)
"The Chocolate War" (Robert Cormier)
"James and the Giant Peach" (Roald Dahl)
"The Pigman" (Paul Zindel)
"A Wrinkle in Time" (Madeleine L'Engle)

She's Here!

2006-09-27T16:32:00.000-03:00

Everyone, I'd like you to meet baby Sadie, our new neice born on Monday, Sept 25th at 5:50pm to Jim and Andrea. She is a tiny thing, weighing 5lbs, 13 oz at birth and was 51 cm long. Congratulations Jim and Andrea! We can't wait to meet her in person!

Chick Flicks

2006-09-25T13:20:00.000-03:00

This Saturday was the re-birth of my bible study group. We used to meet quite regularily and what happened??? I think we broke for the summer in 2005 and haven't met since. We all agreed that we needed to start it up again, but how and when? Usually, "we'll talk about it" and "definately soon".
This summer I happened upon a book in the BBR (Baptist Book Room for you non-SJers). The book was called Chick Flicks designed for women's small groups. I bought it thinking, if nothing else, it's a good resource to have. Well the other girls seemed to love the idea of it. The concept is simple: dinner and a movie. Each movie chosen in the book has underlying spiritual themes, or themes/issues that we encounter as women. There is a discussion guide and relevant bible passages for each movie.
Our first girls night happened this weekend. The movie was Fried Green Tomatoes (and I couldn't believe that the girl at Blockbuster had no idea what I was talking about...aren't the people who work in movie stores supposed to know something about movies?). The menu was southern (and yummy!). We all brought something: Fried Chicken, Lemonade, Baked Beans with Rolls, Potato Salad, Vanilla Fruit Salad, and Peach Pie. (I'm sad to report that no one attempted to actually make the fried green tomatoes, although I have made regular fried tomatoes once in the past).
I forgot how good this movie is. If you've never seen it, I highly reccommend it (although I am giving it a Kleenex warning). The discussion after was good and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It looks like we'll have more with us next month for All About Eve (NY themed food). Looking forward to it!

My 2 year old's view of the world

2006-09-20T16:47:00.000-03:00

*aka* note to Jill

Today Elijah climbed on my knee as I was perusing my friend Jill's latest "photo spam" at Yahoo Photo's. At each picture I patiently answered Elijah's questions about who the people were and what they were doing. Several of these pictures were of Jill and Dave's son, Andrew, who is 6 weeks younger than Elijah. After we finished, Elijah said, "I want to see him"..."Who honey?", "me want to see Andrew"...I complied and re-showed him one of Andrew's pictures. " No Momma, me want to see him!"..."that is him honey"..."no Momma, me want to see him now. Andrew and Elijah play"..."Well, we can only see him in the picture honey, he lives far, far away in Saskatchewan"... "No Momma, me see him now! Andrew my friend!"
So Jill, our dreams of our children one day getting along have come true, they are friends, even if it is only virtually and in Elijah's mind.
Incidentally, Elijah and Andrew have played together once before, they were 7 and 6 months old respectively!

Never in Canada?

2006-09-07T16:08:00.000-03:00

A few years back an old friend and I got into quite a heated debate as I refused to sign a petition that he asked me to. My reason for not signing the petition was because one possible implication of this action going through was that it could make reading the Bible in public a hate crime. His response to me was that that would never happen in Canada, no one would ever get arrested for reading the Bible in public.

I subscribe to the e-newsletter from the Voice of the Martyrs, an organisation dedicated to the reporting of and assistance for Christians who face persecution throughout the world (www.persection.net) . Usually the stories I read about concern people and churches in places far away such as China, India and Eritrea. Today there was a story based in Calgary. It is as follows:

Canadian Street Preacher Arrested for Praying in Public
Four years ago, Artur Pawlowski and others began a ministry to establish a church among the street people of Calgary, Alberta. Along with holding services in parks in the downtown, the Street Church is involved in caring for the physical and emotional needs of the homeless.In mid-August, Calgary held a Fringe Festival described as an "uncensored, non-juried theatre festival." For the Street Church, however, "uncensored" did not appear to apply. According to an August 21 article in the Calgary Sun, Pawlowski was concerned about the spiritual influence of tarot card readers and other spiritualist practitioners who had set up displays at the festival. He began talking to the vendors about their practices. Some of the vendors took offense and called the police. The church members were asked to stop talking to the vendors. They agreed. Two days later, on August 16, Pawlowski and others gathered on the street to pray and read the Bible in an area far away from the vendors. Nevertheless, organizers called police who charged Pawlowski with obstruction of justice, trespassing and disturbing the peace. Pawlowski spent the night in jail and is scheduled to appear in court on September 7.Pray that the leaders of Street Church will faithfully carry out the task God has given them (1 Peter 5:1-4). Pray that the Holy Spirit will give them the words they need as they answer these charges. Pray that all charges will be dropped.

No Prayer in Schools

2006-09-04T17:21:00.000-03:00

(I lifted this from Jaclyn- thanks Jac!)

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said: "Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to gointo that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride intheir ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raisetheir self esteem. You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balancea checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, make sure all students pass the provincial exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that almost qualifies my family for food stamps! You want me to do all of this, and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY!?!

He's growing up!

2006-09-01T09:00:00.000-03:00

This is Elijah on his first day of Daycare. I felt like I was sending him off to school. He is only going 3 mornings a week but I can't believe that he's such a grown up little boy now! I had to get him a whole daycare package of things to take, including indoor shoes and the little backpack you see (Thomas the Train...he loves it so much he wants to bring it wherever we go).

The Zoo

2006-09-01T08:52:00.000-03:00

Saint John boasts a very local, very small zoo. A couple of weeks ago my friend Luan and I took our kids to it (the little girl is Zoe). Unfortunately, the lions and tigers (and pot-bellied pigs) decided that they would not be at all social that day and stayed inside where we couldn't see them!

Helicopper

2006-09-01T08:46:00.000-03:00

Camp Medley is very close to CFB Gagetown. As a result, Elijah and I saw lots of military things during our week there. We saw Army trucks and soldiers and most impressive to Elijah was the "helicoppers". He just loves them! We saw them on our drives to Fredericton. They flew over the camp. So one morning I decided to take him to the base itself (guessing that there probably was a military museum nearby, and finding out that I was right). He loved it! Now, he wants to see it, meaning up close so he can touch it and play in it...

Camp Medley

2006-08-26T21:32:00.000-03:00

We're back! We've just spent a week at Camp Medley. This is our 3rd straight summer of doing this. Jonathan works as Camp Chaplain for the week and Elijah and I tag along just for fun. So, yes, He's 2 and he's had 3 summers at camp! Camp Medley seems to be a thing around here. The first year that we were here and hadn't been up to the camp we kept running into people at church events that treated them like Medley reunions. I actually didn't get the whole camp thing. I'd been to Girl Guide camp as a kid and went away to a church camp once when I was 15 for a week. But I don't feel that I got the whole experience the way that people who are Medley lifers do. There is a commraderie among them. They know the songs, the games, the routines. It's a whole other culture. It's been great to have taken part of it the last 3 years. I feel like I get it now. And I feel like I'm one of them. The camp in itself is very simple and it prooves you don't need a lot of fancy things to keep kids happy. The games are big and basic (Capture the Flag type stuff). The choice of activities are simple too: swimming, canoeing, crafts, etc. I know it's cliche but it's good clean fun (except for the mud pit and whatever Brennan has organised for the day!). All the kids go to a chapel session a day as well as a chapel service at night. Overall the kids seem to love it and the staff is excellent! They really seem to enjoy their job and they are wonderful with the kids. Already we are talking about going back next year. I look forward to seeing the new kitchen and staff quarters.

Why Rhiannon is one of the coolest people I know!

2006-08-15T16:28:00.000-03:00

My friend Rhiannon got married this past weekend. I have known her for almost 4 years. When I first met her she was a student at UNBSJ. Her major was history and her speciality was Italian Fascist History. She graduated first in Arts in her year and won the Lieutenant Governor's award. (So she's a smart cookie). She then went on to pursue her master's (and eventually she will get her PhD), and she had 2 universities fighting over which could offer her the best package. She eventually chose the University of Georgia and moved to Athens. (which in itself is a very cool town, I automatically think of REM). I also need to mention that Rhiannon is musically talented, playing the cello. She also is a very unique dresser. She never follows the fashion magazines, but manages to look extremely stylish and well put together all the time. Sarah and I often use her as an example when we teach the teen girls at our church about how to dress great without looking trashy (as a lot of fashion is these days). So after spending a year in Georgia, we started to hear that Rhiannon was seeing someone down there. We then found out that he was Italian (remember that she specializes in Italian history) and they were introduced by their pastor. So the rest of her year looks something like this: they fall in love, get engaged, he meets her Canadian family, they fly to Italy so she can meet his family...meanwhile she completes her masters degree, defends her thesis and graduates (the ceremony was the week before the wedding). They are heading back to Georgia shortly as she now has a teaching post at one of the colleges down there (she's 6 years younger than me!). She's going to teach on her year off before starting her PhD. The wedding was lovely by the way. Traditional and simple.

Only my boy...

2006-08-15T16:21:00.000-03:00

Well, and Jonathan's boy too! Here's a couple of our wonderful 2 year old as only wonderful as he can be!

Head and Shoulders

2006-08-15T16:12:00.000-03:00

Once in a while you find odd things online...this one was too funny: Please enjoy "Head and Shoulders" by "U2" here: http://www.mothergooserocks.com/headandshoulders.html

I forgot 3...

2006-08-15T16:10:00.000-03:00

As my brother would say, "Where's Kris' famous memory now?". So, I forgot that I saw Jason McCoy, Lace and Paula Abdul. Color Me Bad opened for Paula...remember them? "All for Love"

Post-Concert Wrap-up

2006-08-11T20:55:00.000-03:00

Last night I saw the Dixie Chicks in concert for the 2nd time. The first was 6 years ago in Vancouver, and quite frankly I was floored that they would have a show here in Saint John. Totally worth the waiting in the early morning rain for tickets. I forgot what good musicians they are, and their back up musicians are amazing! There were many standouts of the night for me. The first was at the end of Top of the World, each musician slowly faded out until there was just Martie and Janna (backup fiddler) left playing, so hauntingly beautiful. I was absolutely mezmerised by it. I also very much enjoyed their encore performance of Travellin' Soldier, just the 3 girls, simple. Of course I enjoyed other parts of the concert. All my favorites were played including Cowboy Take me Away. The funny thing I was thinking was how different this show was from the first time I saw them. The first time, it was very girly and young. This show was a lot more mature, but just as good, just in a different way. But I guess that's par for the course, I've changed in 6 years too.

I also got to thinking about other concerts I've seen in the past. My friend Steven says he doesn't like to go to shows any more because he doesn't remember them much past the show. I don't know about that for myself. Those that were good were really good and memerable (which is why I wanted to see the Chicks again, I loved them the first time). So here's a blast of my past, a somewhat complete list of show's I've seen over the course of my 30 years. As chronological as possible-it gets a little cloudy for me. Too bad my brother is not here to consult with me, he remembers all of this kind of stuff. Opening bands are bracketed (if I can remember them) and I warn you, for those who did not know me in my teen years, I was very much a bubblegum youth!

Mickey Gilley - Lynden Fair
The Beach Boys - post Mariner's game
Tiffany - I was 11
Debbie Gibson (Bros) - and I had a hat to match
Whitney Houston (After 8) - my whole family went
New Kids on the Block (Perfect Gentleman)- twice! Yes, I loved Joe when I was 15.
George Michael
Jimmy Buffett - another family event
Harry Connick Jr. - Twice, the first time was total swing and rocked! The second was funk, a little disappointing
INXS - the weekend after Princess Diana died, sadly, Michael Hutchence died 2 months later
Hootie and the Blowfish (54-40)
Bryan Adams
The Pursuit of Happiness, the Odds and ??? Help me out Ang! - back to UVIC event
Shania Twain (Leahy)
Trisha Yearwood
Depeche Mode - twice in Seattle
ZZ Top - with my dad
Joan Osbourne
Sophie B. Hawkins - the last 3 courtesy of Jeff
Cube Fest - many R&B artists, including Mace...but I went to see LL Cool J
Ricky Martin
Goo Goo Dolls (the Odds and Sugar Ray) - I won these tickets!
Lilith Fair - the final tour, mostly I wanted to see Sheryl Crow
Creation Fest 2000 - another music festival, the band I remember the most was Delerious?
Spirit of the West
Dixie Chicks (Patty Griffin, Bob Schneider)- twice, see above
Paul Brandt
Dolly Parton (Hot Toddy) - she was a blast!
I know I've got to be missing someone somewhere, so if you've been to a show with me, feel free to comment!

The Blogging World

2006-08-09T17:55:00.000-03:00

Quite an interesting place! I had no idea how connected everyone was on a blog, or who reads whose and who finds each other online...I first started blogging on my old site about a year ago. I was inspired by my old university roomie Angela who had started one. A fun and easy way to keep a website running. (Oddly enough, now that I've moved to this site, Angela has started her own on blogger!). I've also found out that it is a source of marital debates...my friend Jen (sorry Jen), is quite disappointed that I've moved here because her husband Chris loves this site and was urging her to keep her blog here, like he does...score one inadvertantly for Chris. I also found out that there are people who read my blogs that I had no idea about, but to be fair, I read theirs too. How do we find each other? Mutual friends links. (Hi Christian!). I'm also pretty demanding for comments, considering how much I lurk around other people's blogs and say nothing...this is going to be part of my blog resolution, to comment more! So I've updated my links, adding blogs that I read from time to time. I highly reccommend Jill's (although she's on vacation now), she is one of the best writers that I know. See you online sometime!

Is this church?

2006-08-07T20:58:00.000-03:00

I think a lot about church. What do most people think of when they think of church? To some it's a place...a place of comfort, a place they grew up in, a place they remember going to sometime in the past, a place they were married in, a historic place to visit on holiday...simply a place. To others, it is something that some people do, but not for them, they couldn't imagine stepping inside unless it was for a friend's wedding, or something like that. As a child I went to a church. Loved Sunday school and have some happy memories of having tea at the minister's house. Later on in life, church became a place we went once in a while, usually at Christmas or Easter perhaps, but not always. It was not something that was immediate to me, it was just a nice thing to do once in a while. I was what some would call "de-churched". I had gone in the past, but no longer went to. It was something I went back to later in university...probably because I had a huge surrounding of Christians in my life, the family I boarded with for 2 years, my 4th year roommate and my 5th year roommate. They all involved me in church somehow, be it telling me about it, or taking me to the occassional service, or university young adults event...any way I think about it, it just became an awareness in my life again. Those that know me now may be surprised to know that I only became an avid church goer about 7 years ago. I got to know Jesus through a program called Alpha. Which is a great program in that it explains Christianity extremely well and is a safe place to share a meal and ask anything about Jesus. I loved it! Back then I was very happy to be going to church because it meant meeting with Jesus and others who loved him every week. I made some very good friends at that church (including my husband). It suited me very well because there were several people there in my age group who did more than just attend a Sunday service. We did improv drop-ins, photo rallys, went to the beach, hung out in coffee houses, went dancing... basically we were people in our 20s who did what most people in their 20s do, but we also had God. To me those people and the time we spent together was church...more than a building. As time has gone on, we've all gotten married and moved to different parts of the country and I'm looking (longing) to find church like that again. It's true, I go to a church. I'm learning a lot from our minister in terms of church leadership and bible teaching. And that part has been great. I would love; however, to seek God in a different way. To just meet with people, to worship together, to pray together (and for each other) and to read and discuss scripture together. This is a place I could call home. Not the buisiness of church, but really being the church.
I often wonder too about friends of mine that I had before I became a Christian, how would they fare in what we call church? Most of them would never set foot in the door. It it not a comfortable place. It is a culture all on its own. How can we make meeting with God a reality for them? It's definately possible, but we (I) have to go to where they are at and love them. Chuch can't be the mold we've made it into. It is too foreign, not something that is part of their childhood, like it was mine. There are no fond memories there for them. I know of some wonderful ministries that happen in parts of the world that are not church as we would traditionally define it, but are definately churches in the sense of people meeting together to meet with God in the culture that is relevant to them. Churches that are skateparks where the skaters worship God by skating. Churches that meet in pubs and coffee houses. I would love to see more of this. Everyone has the opportunity to know and love Jesus, but we the church as traditionally defined have got to stop standing in their way and trying to force those of another culture into ours. Even I, who have great childhood memories of church and am quite comfortable in a church building, have a longing for something a little bit different, a little less defined. Something that relates more to who I am, building on my life before I set foot back in the church building. I want church to be real. To have more of Jesus. He met and ate with people where they were. Would he be found in our buildings today? Or, would He be elsewhere? In the pubs, in the danceclubs, in the skateparks, in Starbucks... When we look at it that way, how can we be anywhere else?

Camping

2006-08-05T19:33:00.000-03:00

We just arrived home from a camping trip to Cap Pele, NB. Not terribly far from Saint John, I know, but we'd never been there and when travelling with a 2 year old, you want to stay pretty close to home!
Elijah was very thrilled with the whole idea of camping. He doesn't remember our failed trip to Cape Breton last year (rained out). The entire trip was pretty much the best time he could imagine. There was a toddler play park in the campsite. We were right on the beach and best of all we were in a tent. Thursday night bedtime went something like this (remember bedtime for him is 8:30). His eyes flashed around the tent looking at everything. "A tent Mommy!" "Yes, we're in a tent"..."A tent Daddy!" "Yes, we're in a tent"..."Camping Mommy!" "Yes, we're camping"..."Camping Daddy!" "Yes, we're camping"..."time to sleep now Elijah, put your head on the pillow"...(head goes on pillow for less than one minute, he looks around again) "A tent Mommy!"....this goes on until after 10pm, when finally the excitement somewhat wore off and our little boy finally drifted off to sleep...I'm assuming, I think I drifted off before he did, so much for the romantic evening by the campfire with my husband!

Elijah is 2!

2006-07-30T21:35:00.000-03:00

My amazing little boy has officially joined the ranks of the terrible 2's (which I would like to rename the terrific 2's because he's just lovely!) . In keeping with the theme of 2, we had 2 parties, 2 cakes, 2 pools...
The first party was your ideal summer kids birthday party. The sun was out (praise the Lord! - after the thunderstorm during the night, and me wondering, what the heck am I going to do with all those kids inside the house?). Elijah's friends and their parents began arriving at 10:30 (2 hours before naptime, good thinking Mommy!). My friend Luan brought her sister's kiddie pool to add beside ours (thank you Luan!). I set out bubbles and sidewalk chalk, Elijah's basketball hoop and other assorted outside toys and we let the kids go at 'er. They had a ball! The parents set up umbrellas and blankets. There was plenty of shade for Baby Zachary and Baby Arlo to sleep in. And plenty of food for the kids to come running to. Actually it was almost a task to get them come for cake, they were so happy to be splashing in the water!
The second party was really an excuse for us to have some friends over. Friends without little ones, that love Elijah and wanted to celebrate the day with us. This time we had a BBQ. A bought cake (the one in the morning was homemade Elmo, the evening one was pre-made Bob the Builder). And surprisingly enough, most were into watching Elijah's new Thomas the Train video (who knew?). I finally got to meet Steven's invisible friend Virginia (who is a real person, and a lovely one at that!). And we had a great time. It's too bad that this morning Elijah decided that we needed a morning drum solo to us up at 6:20 instead of letting us sleep in! I guess that is what we get for buying him a drum kit!
Thanks to all who came and celebrated with us. Thank you for the lovely gifts and lovely time!

This time for real

2006-07-30T21:24:00.000-03:00

I've decided that I've really had it with MSN spaces. I did give them another chance...they fixed my ability to add pictures, which was good;however, they kept changing their format so that I don't really like it anymore. As of yet, you cannot add video, which I'd love to do. And the final straw for me was tonight I couldn't log in...or view any of my friend's sites. So here I am, back for real!

New Blog Day One

2006-03-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am. I've been blogging for a while on msn spaces and have discovered that I have lost the ablility to post pictures. What's a girl to do? So I've decided to try out a couple of other blog sites and see what I like. I set up on Yahoo 360, but so far, I don't really like the format. A couple of my friends use blogger, so I thought I'd give it a shot. So far it seems pretty straight forward...we'll see how I do. Any feedback about blogger?