When I get where I'm going....

This week my parents are in Australia. They are attending the wedding of Ashleah Allana Taylor, daughter of their/our dear friends Kari and Al. In our brief time living in the same place (Prince George), their lives, their friendship touched our lives in a profound way and left a mark that lasts a lifetime. They died together on August 18, 2009. For the last 2 months there have been at least a dozen times I have attempted to write some appropriate tribute, but each attempt seems so trivial, not enough, or i can't see the screen for the tears in my eyes and the lump in my throat stops me from moving forward. I am one among thousands of lives that they touched. I am so beyond happy that my parents are there. As I sit on the other side of the world I ache with them as they grieve, and rejoice with them as they celebrate Ashleah's wedding day. There are many stunning tributes on you tube that convey how big and beautiful they lived their lives. I am so thankful to have known and loved them and to have been known and loved by them.




http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/daughter-watches-as-parents-struck-down-and-killed-by-4wd-20090819-eqgv.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSO6pS-T1AY&feature=related


October 10th, Erik and I attended 2 funerals for his friends from high school one of which was his roommate when he was 19. I had a couple of interactions over the last 15 years with each guy. We sat near the back for both services. Both had many who loved them. I cried, not because I really knew them, but because I could hear their mother's sobs from the front echo all the way to the back of the church. Jeff and Gordy died together. Their deaths were also very published.





http://www.theprovince.com/news/Kamloops+pair+slain+Mexico+were+under+surveillance/2044356/story.html

After Jeff and Gordy's funerals I told Erik that at some point we should have at least one conversation about our funerals, what our wishes would be, etc. All he said was that he knows he for sure wants this Brad Paisley song played. As I listen to it today, I think it's perfect for him.

I know if she is still alive my mom would be heard sobbing, but I am left to wonder and really ponder...what will people say of me? Write of me? Will I have made a difference?

Rants and Raves

When I lived in Lynden one of the things I enjoyed on occasion was reading the "rants and raves" section of craigslist. Some of them were rude and crude, some of them were over the top, but in the mix was always some things of merit. I started thinking today is the kind of day when my home is quiet but my thoughts are busy. Which led me to thinking I will make my own list of rants and raves.

Raves:

A two year old that still has a 2-3 hour nap. This is needed to keep the pace with her. Thank you, Lord.

Ok, so this is the absolute coolest. Perhaps I have been living under a rock and am the last to know about these. But, this week I was told that there is such a thing as crockpot liners!!! That's right girls, no more breaking your back scrubbing a dish that is as heavy as your toddler. Talk about making the crockpot meal even more enticing. When it offers effort time of 5 minutes and cleanup time of 5 minutes and it's not dropping $50 bucks at a restaurant...then it deserves a rave (technically, it deserves it's own post).

Husbands...mine deserves a raving for standing in the freezing cold, snow and other nasty weather conditions allowing me to sit in this lovely home with the fireplace burning so I can play with the baby, be home for the older girls, and write this post. I look at him and think right now, more than ever, he is the jack of all trades. His current roles include: carpentry...love the new toddler bed, chauffeur (he does all the driving when we are on vacation or it snows), best friend, prep cook some nights, balancer of girl hormone levels, and these are all besides his day job. Thank you, honey.

Allrecipes.com which is probably my new fave. I love that I can look in the fridge, type in 4 ingredients, and find a great recipe complete with lots of reviews.


The condo. The most wonderful purchase my parents ever made. One of my most favorite places in the world. It offers family time, rest, time to play games, read books, watch movies, scenic beauty, and quickly sets my mind and heart to rest.

I want to hunt down and hug the creator of the portable dvd. While I have some guilt that we didn't spend all 12 hours on the road playing find 3 things, or name that license plate with our children and maximize the "family time". I will suck it up and say my parents were much better parents than us and send my verbal hug to the creator of "peace in a vehicle".

Cheesy Songs that just make you feel good. The song you are listening to is among my all time favorite cheesy songs. Yup, right up there with "You're so Vain". The saddest part of finding this song to add to my playlist was that I couldn't find it performed by Anne Murray. The best version EVER!

Rants:

My own lack of computer knowledge. This would be why i haven't blogged or posted. Something's up with the usb port and apparently I am not smart enough to fix it/figure it out. It will annoy me badly enough to resolve soon enough. Unlike past experiences with say scrapbooking I have carried on and taken pictures. That's progress.

Snow before December 22. If this was on my kids lists it would be on raves and so while I will enjoy observing them enjoy it...I could totally live without it.

Facebook chat...starting to get on my nerves. On the rare occasion it works and doesn't say "sending" repeatedly the rest of the time I'm usually getting booted off.

The metric system...guess I should do a refresher course. Can't we all just use inches and feet? Another suggestion would be to tell the temperature in just Fahrenheit. I've had to resort to having to say I am going for a long walk in the cold and it doesn't sound nearly as horrific as walking 13 kilometers in -27. *just an example...not an actual experience.*

Battery Thieves. They keep breaking into our house and stealing them from Demi's toys and all the remotes. Lucky for me I think I should be able to bribe the bandit. Since she used all the "juice" and left evidence. I would so love to post the 300+ photos with friends, 100 of which are probably self portraits. Pics that will never be Brielle's facebook profile picture but will have been the reason I can't turn the channel even when it is Demi's nap time.


Like I said, just ramblings today. Hope your day is filled with more raves than rants!