Mom's are the best!

I had the pleasure of having my dear mom over for Mother's Day this year. She first made a stopover in Kamloops with Aneta - solved her odor problem . . . well, her car's odor problem - not's hers, and then they headed down to my place. As you all well know, my dear mom is so predictable and loves to help where she can. They arrived at dinner time and BEFORE we even sat down to eat she was cleaning the top of my stove. Now the rings around the elements are always stained and I could never get them very clean but my dear mother decided to give them a go and before I knew it the rings were sparkling, the holder thingy under the elements were sparkling and my oven looked brand new once again. How does she do it? She is blessed with the gift of tackling impossible jobs and succeeding as Aneta also experienced. Mom is always a blessing and an inspiration. She doesn't clean out of duty - she cleans out of love. . . .works for me!

It really has been great visiting with them. Today we went to church and then headed down to White Rock to walk the beach and had a gourmet icecream cone. Sound good? We would have loved for you to join us!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers that read this!

I've been tagged . . .

Here goes . . .

Three Things I'm Afraid Of:

1. Something happening to my boys
2. Spiders
3. Snakes

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:

1. Pauline
2. Jonathan
3. Jack ( a guy I work with that is absolutely hilarious!)

Three Things I Love:

1. Hiking to the top of a mountain
2. Warm windy days
3. The Beauty of Fall


Three Things I Hate:

1. Injustice
2. Arrogance
3. Rain in excess

Three Things I Don’t Understand:

1. Why the years get shorter and shorter as you get older
2. Prejudism
3. Why people drink black coffee when it is so much more enjoyable with cream and sugar . . .


Three Things On My Desk:

1. A little blue coil notebook that says "David." "Do Not Toch or take pen" and "Do not open" Hmmm, tempting . . .
2. Bottle of water
3. Wallet

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:

1. Procrastinating - I should be studying for my final exam
2. Visiting via blogs with my relatives
3. Listening to the Hope Floats soundtrack

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

1. Volunteer at an orphanage in Zimbabwe or Zambia
2. Have grandchildren - lots of them
3. Take a guided mountain hiking tour in the Swiss Alps

Three Things I Can Do:

1. Run a half-marathon and survive
2. Conquer my fear of heights
3. Learn

Three Things I Can’t Do:

1. Conquer my fear of snakes and spiders
2. Read maps/charts
3. Drink black coffee


Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:

1. Beautiful music
2. What your kids have to say
3. Your head and your heart together - If you just listen to your heart you may make unwise choices based only on feelings and if you just listen to your head you may make heartless choices. They make a good combo.

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:

1. Rude people
2. The voice of temptation (unless it's telling you to eat chocolate - then by all means go ahead)
3. Gossip

Three Things I’d Like To Learn:

1. How to draw/paint
2. To public speak
3. Wisdom

Three Favorite Foods:

1. Croquettes
2. Gourmet salads
3. Chocolate

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:

Little House on the Prairie
Waltons
Popcorn Playhouse

Three Things I Regret:

1. Not having more kids
2. Not going to University after I graduated
3. Not travelling when I was younger


So now its my turn to do some tagging. I tag:

Julie - you can make a guest appearance on someone's blog to answer the questions. My blog welcomes you with open arms . . .

John's 50th Extravaganza

Early March I was honored to be able to attend the 50th birthday of my oldest brother John. It was a sad occasion as it marked the end of his youth as he has now officially reached the top of the infamous hill. As I pondered the significance of this event I observed my oldest brother and found him to be acting in a manner that denied the truth of which I speak. His facial expressions belied the age he must surely be feeling. The light in his eyes was a sure indication that denial was firmly planted in his mind and that the significance of this event seemed not to be viewed as one of mourning and sadness. His squared shoulders and the confidence of his stride were indicitive of someone much younger than he. I marvelled as he interacted with his peers - he appeared to be engaged in meaningful conversations with those much younger than he, those who gazed up at him for the wisdom they so desperately sought. I had to wonder to myself. What was this all about? I noticed particularly, four young ladies that were very adoring of this gentleman (see picture above). They seemd to gather about him at every opportunity and hang on to his very word. Maybe this wasn't such a sad occasion after all. Maybe 50 years marked the beginning of a new life event, one filled with the wisdom of the past and the excitement of the future, one of seeing the enjoyment of your children as they grow and learn and love. Maybe that's why John's demeanor was one of wisdom and respect and zest of life and not of a poor soul who's journey through life is beginning a downhill slide. Maybe 50 is an achievement milestone, a marker to be proud of. When I look at John and all he has accomplished and the love that surrounds him I know that it must be true. . . Suddenly I can't wait to turn 50!

The Illusionist

Has anyone seen the Illusionist with Jessica Biel? I just watched it and thought it was a very good movie. I've wanted to see it for a while but just never got around to it and now I'm glad I did. I love watching movies and this is one I would recommend as worthwhile. It's kind of a tragic mystical romance suspense movie. If you have any favorite movies you want to recommend feel free to comment! Even you anonymous viewers if you're out there . . .

Another "Jon" Story

Before Morphine

After Morphine

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My poor son Jon. He has no fear and decided that he could leap over a five foot fence without a problem. And, amidst the cheering crowds he attempted this most amazing challenge. As he neared the fence he could hear the fans chanting "Jon Jon Jon" and realized he had a reputation to protect and determined that he would be successful at all costs. He leapt high into the air soaring like a eagle. The crowd grew louder and cheers began to erupt when all of a sudden the fence began to creak and groan. It began to grow higher and higher. Jon realized too late that his chances of success were suddenly reduced to impossible but being the determined athlete that he is and determined not to let his fans down, he continued his attempt only to find himself on the other side severely wounded.

Well, my dear son broke 3 bones in his foot and had to be taken to emergency for surgery where he had 2 plates and screws inserted into his ankle. He was in the hospital for three nights. Needless to say he is not a happy camper. His fans realized that the supernatural growing of the fence was completely out of his control and have since been showing their support through gifts and delicacies.

. . . just another day in the life of my son Jon.

A funny story . . .

Well, I went to Prince George to visit my dear friend Susan and to celebrate her 44th birthday. We had a great time and got lots of visiting in. Now, Susan has always been gullible but the following incident really confirmed to me just how gullible she is! Picture the following:

We're all sitting at her kitchen table. It has a beautiful pointsetta table cloth over it and we're all enjoying birthday cake. I have my trusty camera by my side and spontaneously take a picture of the tablecloth. I look at the result and think to myself, hey, that almost looks real. Impulsively I say to my dear friend "Hey Susan, want to see a picture of my latest gardening experiment?" She says sure and I walk around the table with my camera and show her the picture. She looks at it in amazement and says "Wow, that's really beautiful". Then she looks at me skeptically and says "is that really your garden or is it a picture from the Butchart Gardens?" (a beautiful garden you can tour in Victoria). I say with all the sincerity I can muster that it is indeed my garden and add that I too am very surprised at my success with this venture as I usually can't keep anything alive. She again exclaims at the beauty of my "garden". I then say to her "You know, Susan, it's not really that difficult - would you like me to let you in on the secret to my success?" She nods and gets this concentrated look on her face as she anticipates my words of wisdom . . . I tell her to look at the screen on my camera and then I point it towards the table cloth and click the picture. A confused look comes over her face ( a look only Susan can give) and suddenly the light comes on and she looks up at me and says "I thought that the flowers looked familiar!" and starts to laugh . . . and laugh . . . it was priceless and we both laughed until our stomachs ached! It was soooooo funny and a memory I won't soon forget. I hope she never changes!

On a sidenote - She said she remembers being teased in a similar fashion years ago when we were growing up . . . especially by Aneta! Yes, my ds Aneta! So Aneta, what have you to say for yourself?

The Amazing Magic Ball!

This Christmas I bought David a magic ball from the Science store. He had expressed an interest in it during several visits over the last half year or so and I thought it would be fun to get it for him for Christmas. It's meant to be interesting to look and if you touch it the electric show changes inside the ball. It even has an audio setting and if you put it near speakers it will flash to the beat of the music. It's a very cool gadget. Well, anyways, trust Jon to find other "uses" for this seemingly innocent contraption. He discovered the following:

1. If you place your whole hand on the top, the electrical current inside the ball will focus on the palm of your hand and begin to burn it. He suggested contests to see who could keep their palm firmly planted on the ball for the longest amout of time.

2. If you touch the ball with one finger and touch another human being with the other hand you can give them a shock. If you touch them on their toes the shock is more painful than simply on the arm. Also, between the fingers is another area sensitve to shock.

3. If you touch the ball with one hand and then rub your finger along the arm of an unsuspecting victim you can actually burn the hairs off their arm. I know this to be true and I have personally experienced the burnt hair odor on my arm!

So, there you have it. A simple innocent Magic Ball has become an object of terror and weapon of destruction! Picture Jon holding the magic ball and trying to grab a screaming David and you will have an accurate picture of the serentity of a Christmas morning in the Mackie household!

We just came home from a great visit with the Coulters in Kamloops.

Good conversation, fun, games, reading and food. Very relaxing and very enjoyable! We dropped Jon off at Sun Peaks to stay with Jill and her family until after the New Year. So, as you can well imagine our house is devoid of the electrical current that seems to follow that boy wherever he goes! It's actually quite peaceful! However, we'll miss his energy before too long and look forward to his return!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and all the best in the New Year!