Do You Have Room?

I'm all about getting into Christmas for the right reasons today... Enjoy!

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Halloween and Busy Month!

It has taken a little bit to get all caught up with everything. October ended on a real high note! Our ward held a "Trunk or Treat" and almost all of us dressed up to go.  The party was a hit! They did not expect too many to show up, but we filled the gym and ran out of hot dogs.  

I got to be one of the judges for the Halloween Costume contests. E won for the "funniest". (I declared a conflict of interest on that one and stayed out of the voting!)

D thought this would be a great costume - and so did many other people! I thought he should go as the guy who just got home from the dentist!

But I got outvoted...

The next morning I got to go to another great Relief Society Birthday Breakfast. I was there officially in two categories - as a member of the RS Presidency and as a girl with an October Birthday! It was a great breakfast and came with some even better company!

Aren't they beautiful?

Then we were into November. Now half of that is gone and I'm still wondering where it has gone to. Ever have one of those months where it just flys by and you know you were busy - just not sure about what it was you were busy doing? Me too!

I know we've been to a viewing at the funeral home, Rememberance Day activities at school, looking after other kids.

T had a huge medical scare and we spent some time running to doctors to figure it all out. Turns out it wasn't as serious as originally thought - but it gave us a scare for a little bit of time there. I'm sure this one took up most of my worrying hours. I prayed so much for him through this one. I think everything will be fine now though. Prayer works!

We're gearing up to head into the Christmas Season now. I'd love to do another cookie exchange like we did last year. It was so much fun to just sit and visit with friends and neighbours. I need a little bit of time like that these days.

Three Things I'm Grateful For

1. 
   
   T is really okay. Big scare but he'll be fine.  
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Freedom - I love Rememberance Day. It is such a great chance to show respect for those who have fought for our freedom. I honor those brave men and women.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   My husband... he's been very good to me!
   
   
   

Another Funny Story

I had the boys at the pediatrician's office. As we were reviewing their meds and symptoms, the doctor commented, "You boys are like black and white!"

To which V points at his brother and replies, "He's the black one..."

A little shocked at this I try to clarify, "She means that you two are opposites."

And V yells, "You mean I'M THE BLACK ONE??!!"

Poor doctor and I couldn't contain it anymore... I laughed the whole way home and neither boy could figure out what was so funny.

Catching Up

It never ceases to amaze me just how much can happen in a week or so!


Since my last post, we've had two birthdays, two birthday parties, been to Cardston, visited family in Glenwood, babysat lots of babies, you get the idea... It's been super busy here at our house!

We had fun at T's birthday party. He didn't have as many friends come as he had hoped - but they were very well behaved and he really enjoyed himself. Dad took him shopping at a pawn shop with his birthday money. I know, I know! But it was what T requested.

My birthday was a little more low key. D took four of us to the Olive Garden for dinner. :) We don't get up there much because it is so far away - but we do love the food. T was more than a little upset that we made him order from the "10 and under menu" - because he was just hours older than ten. With his special condition, sometimes it's hard for him to understand that not everything is about him or what he sees/wants/feels, etc. I was glad he was there with us though. V, on the other hand, tried all kinds of new foods there and said it was now his favourite new restaurant. I had a great evening and I was certainly glad that I had worn my stretchy pants!

I also had two very good friends who helped me celebrate. Shelley took me out for lunch and Cori brought me a bag of wonderful gifts and a beautiful note. I am very blessed indeed.

The other part of my birthday present was that Drew and I went to the Cardston Temple together for the first time in months on Saturday. The whole day was really nice - except for the little bit of blizzard that we drove through on the way home. We even stopped to visit my uncle and aunt in Glenwood. We always enjoy visiting with them - they are just so wonderful!

There was a big surprise waiting for me yesterday. Remember when I mentioned that I'd been duped on EBay? The package SHOWED UP!! I was stunned! The thing had come from Singapore - but it was here! D and I were both stoked! Good thing we had waited and not bid on another one...

Finally, we're now into Halloween mode here. We will have D's kids here for the weekend and he's not taken them out for Halloween since he split from his ex... um... wife... (almost said something nasty there!) When the kids ask what I'm dressing up as, the answer will have to be "the mom who stays home to give out candy". I'm kind of looking forward to that!

D found these glasses at the local dollar store. Check out the package for them. I think I'll submit this to engrish.com.

They are hilarious!

Even the dog gets in on disguises for Halloween!

Three Things I'm Grateful For

1.  I got to hold Rebecca's baby yesterday! He was born on my birthday so not even a week old. Very cute!
2. My EBay package really did come! I still can't believe that after all the fuss that EBay and PayPal made about it. But I am glad it's here!
3. I'm another year older - and wiser. I have truly been blessed with so much in my life and now I have so many to share it with.

Overheard from the TV Room

I overheard this conversation tonight coming from the TV room. Picture the setting...

Four of the kids (ages 9, 10 and 11) are watching "Castaway". They are at the part of the movie where Tom Hanks is riding the raft and a whale is swimming beside him...

V: There is a whale following him.
I: There is?!
V: Yes - but it doesn't hurt him.
E: Wait - doesn't he get inside the whale?
T: No! That's Noah!!
I: No - Jonah gets swallowed by the whale! Noah got eaten by Moby Dick!

Apparently, we have a little educating to dole out here.

Duped on EBay!

I didn't think it would happen to me! I've been so careful! I've had dozens of successful transactions!! But this week, I got a note from EBay stating that the last purchase I made was with a seller of questionable repute... or something to that effect.

What a pain in the butt! I had to lodge a complaint with PayPal to get my money back. I also had to make a claim file with EBay, but by then, the "seller" had been removed. I'm hoping that I have provided enough evidence to get my money back, but in the meantime, I wait.

The guy I spoke to at EBay suggested that I be more careful when dealing with some (not ALL) overseas sellers. You can bet I'll be watching for that very closely in the future...

Three things I am grateful for -

1. I didn't get ripped of hundreds of dollars. Double checking that all my info is still secure. Whew!
2. The stinkin' snow has stopped for now! If snow were warm I wouldn't care - but snow is cold and I don't like it.
3. We had a chance to look after the most adorable baby girl this past week - and we fell in love with her! It was great to have a baby in the house for a few days - especially a baby GIRL! I want one...
   

Birthday Month Has Commenced

October is the month of the year where we have the most birthdays in our family.

We start early off with Mr. V. This year, we had to host a birthday party a day early, because our church General Conference was being held on the actual birthday. Actually, I don't really mind the 2 hour birthday party after school. Most of the time the kids come here, eat, play and leave and I can have almost everything cleaned up by the time everyone else gets home. It's just easier this way.

Here are a couple of photos of the birthday boy and his buddies...

See the wad of cash he got? I know it doesn't show here but he was just beside himself! He kept repeating that he'd never had that much money in his whole life - and that was probably true. Didn't matter... he spent it all before the weekend was done.

Now, brace yourself for what you are about to see... This is a creation that can only happen when one is rushed for time, and attempts to ice a "too warm" cake with "too much sugar" icing. This, my friends, is my creation worthy of a mention on Cake Wrecks!

You don't have to tell me! I already know!! The worst cake in the history of me making cakes! I had to entice the kids to eat it by putting mini chocolate bars all over it!! It did taste way better than it looks though... :( If that means anything at all.

I may just buy a cake for the next birthday this month...

Three Things I'm Grateful For:

1. 
   
   That I'm able to stay home to care for my family. This has made a world of difference for the children - and me. I know way more about what happens here and can keep better tabs on their needs (and behaviour!)
   
   
   
2. 
   
   My health is good. After watching my little sister go through what she did last month, I'm even more grateful for this blessing!
   
   
   
3. 
   
   My testimony. I always feel this growing when I watch General Conference. It is just so neat to be able to sit in my own home and listen to our Prophet and the other leaders share their wisdom, insight and guidance with us. It was a really nice weekend.
   
   
   

Hurray for Friday!

I've turned into a bad blogger!!

It's not that there hasn't been plenty going on in our ever crazy household - I've just not had the time to blog.

Ok - that's not even true...

I've just not had the motivation.

There! I said it!

I've not been motivated to write about all the weird, unexplainable, hilarious things that happen in our daily lives. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes to try and keep track of it all, and so I confess I haven't.

On top of everything that we do in our family, I've been dealing with a business situation that rapidly got out of control. I was so excited at someone new signing up in my business, and then when things started to turn - I wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. The big wigs in the company got involved. They had to! To make a long story short - lines were crossed and decisions were made and I no longer have a new jeweller. I'm disappointed about it but I think it was for the best.

Remember people!

Be nice and don't blame others when you don't understand something!

Wait... this is good advice for my family too...

I may just make that one out of vinyl and stick it on our front door! Ha!

And it might work as well as the other vinyl signs I've made -

NOT!

We had a birthday this week too. Did you hear that I now have a TWENTY YEAR OLD SON?? I can't believe it either! How did this happen? When did he get to be a foot taller than me?? I love you Bryce and want you to know that I'm very proud of the person you have become!

On Tuesday we had the chance to summarize what we learned in Atlanta for our Foster Agency. Because he suffers from severe stage fright - you can bet that DH was super grateful that the people ahead of us took up so much time with their amazing presentation! I was so enthralled with the 72 hour kits, that I didn't want them to end either. Turns out our scheduled 40 minute presentation was more like 7 minutes - and he didn't have to do anything but nod his head in agreement. Whoo hoo!!

Anyway, with everything that we've had going on all week - I decided today would be a good day for me to do something for me! I'm heading on down to a craft show at the Roundup Centre to look at things no one else in my family enjoys... and I will be happy!

Except that I have to take the boys...

...which means there will be whining...

...and complaining...

Sigh...

Maybe I can distract them by having them try and help me find new things to put on their birthday invitations next month! There's the plan!

And after I clean the house, get the bags of clothes to the clothing exchange, attend all my meetings on Saturday, look after whatever arguments break out amongst the children, and go to church... I can relax in my craft room...

HAHAHAAA!!! Sometimes I crack me up...

Three Things I'm Grateful For -

1. That I get to stay home to look after my family. I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle all we have to do and go to work too!
2. For a church calling that helps me see a bigger picture. I've learned so much working with the wonderful Sisters that I do. I love all of you!
3. For my family... despite all my complaining, they are amazing and I love them to pieces!

Small Hero

V came home from school yesterday and told me that he saw a "scary guy" starting a fire in the alley. I went a looked right away, but didn't see anything. A few minutes later though, I saw the smoke rising!

We called the fire department right away and V got to tell his story. They put us through to the police and he got to tell the story again.

When they asked if he could tell them what the man looked like, he replied, "SCARY!" Not a great description. LOL!

The firetruck came and I'm sure they just kicked some dirt around, because they didn't even pull the hose off the truck.

Didn't matter to us. V was a hero in my book! He had done exactly what we have taught him to do. See a crime and report it. Very proud of my little guy!

Remembering Today...

I am Canadian - but I remember with my US friends and family.

I remember exactly where I was when I heard what was happening, and what was said.

It was a very somber day at work that day. My boss wouldn't let me leave to be with my children.

All the planes were being grounded across North America, and the skyscrapers in downtown Calgary were being evacuated.

Many people went to the airport to help those passengers who were stranded and hungry because they were no where near their destinations.

We watched the reruns for hours, days - maybe weeks afterward.

I called my father in Utah to tell him that the US was at war. He wasn't awake yet when I called him - and he was a little disoriented. He had access to a TV - I didn't. He gave me a play by play for a few minutes before I had to hang up.

A fellow blogger posted this tribute to her blog this morning. You can see it here or below.



God bless us all...

Three things I'm grateful for:

1. The freedom we enjoy here. Many take this for granted - but we enjoy it all the same.
2. My family is safe and all with me.
3. Knowledge... let's not repeat this episode in history.
   

School's In and I'm Still Busy!!

I can't believe that the kids have been back in school for almost a week!

I've got two in two schools this year and their timetables do NOT mesh!

Both schools are a stones throw from the house. Both school share a field - sort of... but one starts at 8:20 and the other does not start until 9:00 a.m!! I spend my mornings and afternoons running back and forth between these schools to get the boys there and back again - and it is not fun!

However, both boys were super stoked to get back to school. No really! Even if it doesn't show here...



T gets to attend the brand new school this fall. It is the first time in a very long time that the boys have not attended school together - and if it weren't for the time difference, it would be awesome all the way around!

I'm still waiting for the "routine" part to settle back in... alas, it's been one of "those" weeks already. Errands, dentists, doctors and kid stuff... trying to get back to the gym routine, etc. It's hard to do! Especially when we've had such fantastic weather!

I've had to make a few sympathy cards this week too. A childhood friend of mine lost her brother on Saturday. I don't know the details - just that it was sudden. Really sad. He was just older than me and leaves behind a wife and two kids. I think I'm going to pull out my journal from when I was a teenager and refresh my memory on some of the great adventures we all had together. I like to remember the happy times. I'll take those memories with me to the funeral on Friday.

My mother's co-worker lost a grand-baby this morning too... They think it was SIDS. Poor little thing was only 4 months old. Tragic week...

Three things I'm Grateful For -

1. My family is all well and healthy.
2. My knowledge that this life is not the end...
3. SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION!

Relief at Last!

It took most of yesterday to recover. We'd been so busy with out latest placement that we'd hardly had time to just sit. I feel terrible for the little guy - but he was out of our realm of experience.

We're still not sure how such a small child could have been left alone by his parents - but he was a great object lesson for our own kids who always want to know why they just can't do whatever they want. A child that rants and raves, kicks, bites, throws things, smashes things, opens oven & dishwasher doors, runs out of the house, scratches, etc. He'd not been given any guidance by any adults - and he is the one who will suffer for it. Not since my nephew had I personally seen such a severe case of Reactive Attachment Disorder.

It is HARD to keep your cool as you're chasing him through the house - or trying to protect the other people in the house. We just kept looking at him and wondering what series of events led to this - constantly remind everyone that this was not his fault. He'd not been taught ANY social skills or appropriate behaviour modification. Maybe his mother didn't know how to mother him? Maybe she has mental issues of her own? We'll never know the answers to these questions as he has been placed with another family that has more experience with his condition - and sadly, that was a RELIEF for our entire family. I think poor DH will need a longer break before he agrees to do an emergency respite placement again.

It was nice to just be with our younger children last night. We played a fun game of cards that DH calls "The German Game". I think it's a lot like Uno, and yet not quite. The boys did really well learning how to play, but sometimes got angry when they didn't win a hand.

At one point V told DH that he was "Cheap! With a capital 'P'!" After a good giggle, we explained that "cheap" didn't start with a 'P' - that letter came at the end. His retort was, "I know! You're cheaPah! Pah! Pah!" as if to emphasize the 'P' sound that should clearly be capitalized! Sometimes, their condition makes our boys super entertaining - and they just can't understand why...

Another great example of this... Yesterday at Superstore, we stood at the deli counter. As S was looking at which meat she'd like to buy for lunch, V sees a very large Kubasa sausage behind the glass. Without warning he yells out, "Mom! Look at that huge wiener!"

The poor guy behind the counter couldn't contain himself. "Did I just hear your kid yell out to look at a big wiener?"

I responded, "What kind of a place are you running here?" Poor deli guy started laughing so hard he couldn't even stand up straight. And all the while V asking what was so funny. "What did I say that was so funny?!" Life would be so boring without kids.

Three Things I'm Grateful For -

1. The emergency placement kid is gone! Sad - but true! We were exhausted and our house was destroyed! We're glad he's safe with a different family now.
2. Time with my family again. It was such a nice day yesterday - and I have the afternoon alone today! YIPPEE!!
3. School starts this week! "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Even the boys are anxious to get back to a routine and see their friends again.

Some Funnies and Some Gratitude

Someone sent this to one of my Yahoo Groups this morning - and it was funny enough to share. Especially funny because many of these things are TRUE!

1. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
4. I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
6. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
7. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
8. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
9. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
10. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the **** was going on when I first saw it.
11. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
12. How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?!
13. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
14. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
15. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
16. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
17. Was learning cursive really necessary?
18. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
19. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
20. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
21. My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
22. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
23. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
24. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
25. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
26. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
27. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
28. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
29. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
30. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
31. Bad decisions make good stories
32. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
33. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
34. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
35. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....
36. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
37. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
38. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
39. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
40. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
41. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
42. While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.
43. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
44. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
45. When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
46. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
47. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
48. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
49. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
50. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
51. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
52. I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
53. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
54. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
55. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
56. It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
57. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
58. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
59. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
60. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@st@rd before dinner.

Funny!

Now for the gratitude... I've often thought of this exact scenario myself, so I'm glad someone took the initiative to start this movement. I'm committing to do this the next time I see military personnel. I hope you'll join me!



Three things I'm grateful for:

1. I live in a free country. But I know that the price of freedom is not free.
2. I have a job that allows me to stay home and look after my family. Can't think of a better job!
3. I'm healthy. I'm praying for my little sister who is in the hospital this week - so I'm especially grateful for my own health.
   

New Placement

We're having a different kind of experience here this week. D's kids are here visiting, V and T are at camp for the week, and we got a call for an emergency placement. Things were already a little wonky with the kids that do live here being gone - and the kids that don't live here staying - but now we have a youngster who is brand new to care. Talk about stressful!

I had to laugh when we got the call to take him. D's comment was, "Well there went our relaxing week!" I asked him on what planet he thought that we were ever in for a relaxing week. We now have a house full of high maintenance people. Holy smokes! This little one is sure testing the boundaries. Clearly there has been a great deal of permissive parenting in his young life. Rules seem to elude him.

I got a hefty dose of this today when D took his kids to Calaway and I stayed home with little mister. I don't think I've ever had a kid that age speak to me like he does. When he started screaming in Walmart - I grabbed him and walked out. Sigh... I think I need another week of vacation after D's week off!

3 Things I'm Grateful for -

1. That D is home this week. I like having him around more.
2. That it is still summer (sort of) and school will be back in next week.
3. "... that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7)
4. 2.

More Atlanta and a Trip to the Zoo

I can't believe it's been a week since we've been home! Kind of surreal, but nice. It's so much cooler here than it was in Atlanta.
D in front of the Philips Arena. He was in heaven being this close to these sports places. (I would have rather gone to see something historic!) I must admit though, that seeing the Olympics stuff was very interesting.

The CNN Tour included a trip up this unbelievably high escalator. We didn't go on the tour - but I'm thinking that Atlanta folks are big fans of really long escalator rides. I think this one goes up five floors.

This was in the front lobby of the CNN building.

The Monday night banquet and some of the folks we sat with. The couple on the left were Canadians too from Ontario. In the middle is Jenny, our supervisor from our fostering agency. So sweet! Great food, great new friends and entertainment watching people do new dances I'd never seen before.

Here are the 3 from Calgary again. What a fun evening! If we ever get to go again, we'll remember to "dress up" for the banquet portion.

Did you know Coca Cola (can't say "Coke" in Atlanta) came from Atlanta? Me neither! But here I am enjoying a blistering hot bronzed version with it's inventor, John Pemberton. HOT! HOT DAY!

I guess if you take the "Coca Cola" tour through their museum, you can taste how different Coke is all over the world. We didn't take that tour either. Atlanta was REALLY EXPENSIVE if you are a tourist!

I took some cool shots from the plane rides home, but looking at them makes me feel all woozy all over again. I've decided I don't really like flying and I certainly don't like TURBULENCE! So I'll spare you the airsick feeling...

We had only been home a couple of days when we were visited by D's sister and 4 of her 5 + a friend. The kids were very excited to all visit with their cousins - while V and T were excited to meet their new cousins! We decided to drop a truckload of money again to take kids to the Calgary Zoo. D and I had forgotten that, while the Calgary Zoo is a world class facility, we don't really enjoy walking around with kids that don't listen and want us to spend even more money on the incredibly expensive food that they sell there. We've agreed we will not go again until we have grandchildren that are old enough to enjoy it, but young enough to listen!

We did see some great sights though. The peacocks are free to roam anywhere they'd like at the zoo. I'd never seen a mama with her chicks before. I do know that these things will chase and bite you if you get to close - so we let them pass without bothering them. Well, most of us did... back to the no listening thing again.

This is a picture of the last Ray to survive the mysterious Ray Deaths from last year. These are actually very cool animals! Beautiful to watch them gliding through the water.

Boy, did we get an elephant education this time! The male is "in musk" at the zoo and two of the females are "ready and waiting". You can imagine the kids faces when the male dropped what looked like a 5th appendage and proceeded to scratch his belly with it. I think the "big guy" was just showing off! The boys are still talking about it. (Picture X-rated - not available for showing on this blog.)

"Dinny" the Dinosaur first moved to the Calgary Zoo in 1937. I think he is still in the same spot! He was declared an Alberta Historical Resource in 1987. I remember playing on him as a kid and like me, he's showing a bit of his age.

This is a picture of all the kids in the Prehistoric Park. I think it was the only time they were sitting still and it wasn't for very long!

T posing for me with a cool bear statue in the North American Exhibit.

Just some good advice in the South American Exhibit. That place took me right back to Georgia with all the humidity and heat! Had to get out just to breathe again.

Thought I'd end with the picture of the glorious lunch my DH packed for us. Despite it's appearance - it was delicious and I love him for thinking ahead!

Three Things I'm Grateful For:

1. The cooler weather. I never thought I'd be so happy to be cool.

2. DD bought her first car yesterday! This means I get my van back!! YAY!!

3. Kids actually listening to our discussion about being respectful and showing us that they CAN do it when they try. Sort of...

Back from Atlanta!

We had such a great time! Despite the flights, my fear of flying and the turbulence on the planes... I took so many photos of really cool things its hard to narrow them down.

This was a very cool moving sidewalk under the tarmac at Chicago Ohare. Seriously! We were moving around under the planes!! Huge airport! Had to ride this one to get from our landing gate to our takeoff gate. We kept checking our gate numbers, because airlines have a way of changing gates without warning. We got to ride this ride twice - because they did change our gate and it was on the other side of the airport.

Loved this dinosaur in the airport too. We spent 4 hours on a layover there... I hate that it wasn't long enough to leave the airport and see more of Chicago - however, it was great if you are a people watcher... and I am!

From Chicago we flew into Atlanta. Rough ride!! I swear the plane dropped and I flew out of my seat. I hate rides at the Stampede so this was no fun for me! Once in Atlanta, we took the "MARTA" to the hotel. We didn't know that Atlanta is close to being the number one crime city in the US. At least that's what their own newspapers say. Thankfully the train took us almost to the front door of the hotel. I will also add that Atlanta had the cleanest subway I've ever been on - and that includes Calgary's! Beautiful city - really, really beautiful!

Have I mentioned the heat! I've never experienced humidity like that before. It was hard to breathe. I loved the air conditioned buildings and spent most of my time indoors.

THIS was the escalator we had to take to get to street level from the train. I swear 4 or 5 stories high - it took a very long time to get to the top. The walls were freaky too. They were parallel to the angle of the escalator and if I looked at them riding up or down, I got dizzy. Turns out we were about 80' to 100' underground. Yikes!

I don't know if this shows up very well, but behind us the whole tunnel was rock that had been carved out for the train. Very cool! I mean very hot... the temperature was hot even that far underground.

This one was at the arts centre stop.











This is just one of the cool views from inside the hotel.

I guess I should mention the actual conference we attended. We were representing our agency at the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA). We took classes on The Hurting Foster Child, Building Rapport with Adolescents, Conflict Resolution through Trust Building, Behaviors, and FASD Placements and Supports, as well as 3 keynote speakers. All were EXCELLENT and we learned so much! It was great to network with people from Ontario, all over the US, Scotland, Australia, Bermuda and Hong Kong.

I know that I walked away with a completely different perspective on many issues, as many of our presenters had been foster kids at one time. Some fail, some succeed - but that was all dependant on the influence of their foster parents. I hadn't really thought about what happens to these kids after they "age out" - but now we know! We actually felt like we had some insight and experiences that could be shared with others in our workshops. All in all it was very empowering.


We came home with a wealth of information, highly motivated and inspired and ready to take on a new venture... we have decided we want to work toward becoming trainers/presenters ourselves! We want to be the kind of parents and foster parents that influence kids for good. We're already working on our first presentation for our agency that we will give this fall - and we're so excited for this chance!

I've got more pictures - but I'll save them for another day. I'm beat!

Three Things I'm Grateful For -

1. Getting back home safely and being met by my ever-lovin' family at the airport. I'd missed them!
2. The chance at a great education opportunity (for fostering AND diversity) in Atlanta. I almost perfected my Georgia accent while there too.
3. A loving and supportive husband. It was so nice to spend a week with just him.