Rearview Mirror

With the new year only hours away, here are some highlights (in no particular order) from the presently fading 2008:

• Going to the movies with Leslie & the kids.
• Taking our annual trip to Banff for my mom's birthday. This time, in addition to sitting in the hot springs, we rode the Gondola.
• Retreat at Kananaskis. Great time with the Pearce's & Sabourin's & playing hockey on the outdoor rink.
• Me & the kids skated several afternoons in January & February on a little frozen pond a couple of neighbourhoods over.
• Monster Jam with the fam.
• My six month Partner stint with Starbucks.
• A trek to Hamilton & spending some time with the Goodyear clan.
• Watching Jake play soccer and seeing him score!
• A life changing weekend spent with new friends at Foundations.
• As I Lay Dying w/Berk & Eric at Mac Hall.
• Camping in Kananaskis on the May long weekend (first time we've gotten to camp on that date).
• Spending the weekend with Jason, Sarah & Abigail - love these guys & their friendship!
• Phil & Amanda's wedding. It's that much more sweet when Leslie & I get to do the ceremony of people we know & love.
• We got to a few Stamps games - Jake, Joel, Berk, Graham, Darcy & moi.
• Stamps win the Grey Cup!
• Jake, Joel, Berkley, Graham & myself become proud 08-09 Stamps season ticket holders - that means, we're going to the Grey Cup!
• Camping in Kananaskis with our buds, the Sheas! Gotta plan to do it again this summer!
• Camping in Montana, USA - good time of exploring across the border!
• Milllarville Market with the kids - both in the summer & during Christmas season.
• Seeing Joel receive Most Dedicated Player Award for his work last season in hockey.
• Seeing Joel receive Hardest Worker Award following his week at Dinos Hockey Camp. That award earned him a composite stick from Dinos Hockey. Not too shabby!
• Annual trek to the tat show with Berkley & Jake.
• Spending a few days catching up with Mike during his visit to cowtown.
• Metallica at the dome - unbefreakinglievable!
• Turkey Bowl '08 - had a good game & reconnected with some old friends.
• Avs vs. Flames w/Berkley - I love the atmosphere at Flames games.
• Advent activities with Les & the kids.
• Seeing Cinderella with the fam at Storybook Theatre.
• Watching Julia perform her speaking part during the school Christmas/Winter Concert.
• Getting our puppy - Brutus ("the barber" Beefcake), affectionately known as "Brunacious B"
• Leslie's mom getting married & Grandpa Max becoming part of our family. We had a great visit with them in the spring.

Our family cultivated deeper relationships this past year as we began a smaller, more intimate faith journey with good (becoming greater) friends. You guys have been a blessing to our family and we are extremely grateful for your love & friendship - back at you! I love watching our kids play together like adopted siblings. The birth of Sydney Bell into our group is a highlight all on its own!

Movies I saw & enjoyed:

• Bee Movie
• Be Kind, Rewind
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Kung Fu Panda
• Bedtime Stories
• Saw series (though not all released this past year)
• Horton Hears a Who!
• 21
• Iron Man
• Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Skull
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• The Incredible Hulk
• Get Smart
• Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
• You Don't Mess with The Zohan
• Drillbit Taylor
• Tropic Thunder

Fav downloads of 2008:

• Metallica - Death Magnetic
• AC/DC - Black Ice
• Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
• Disturbed - Indestructible
• Brian "Head" Welch - Save Me From Myself
• Scars On Broadway
• P.O.D. - When Angels & Serpents Dance
• The Black Crowes - Warpaint

Fav books read in 2008:

• This Beautiful Mess - Rick Mckinley
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
• Save Me From Myself - Brian "Head" Welch
• Wide Open Spaces - Jim Palmer
• Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
• Pagan Christianity - Frank Viola & George Barna
• The Shack - William Young

Thanks God for all the blessings of 2008 - the ones named, the ones unnamed & the ones I misunderstood at the time as a pain in the ass. Parts of 2008 I wished away. Forgive me for not living in the moment as I should have. I want to live more heartily the moments of 2009 that you give me.

Merry Christmas!

I'm working today, on Christmas day, for the first time since I was 17 years old. Back then it was 1989, I was a young pup in love, about to leave home & washing dishes at an Irving Big Stop Restaurant.

Times have changed. I really didn't want to leave the fam to come downtown to work today. I feel like I'm hungover. Joel said he'd get up early. We sent him back to bed at 4 am. They did well to wait until 6 am.

We had a great advent time together this season. We decided to look forward to the celebrated birth of Jesus by way of a daily family activity.

We were in a pinch for time, so Leslie picked up an advent calendar from Starbucks. I put together a list of family activities that Leslie & the kids each chose 5 things to do & I chose the reamaining 4. Our 24 activities from the list are as follows (beginning on December 1 & wrapping up last night on Christmas Eve):

1. Color a Christmas picture
2. Make sugar cookies
3. Walk the dog together
4. Have a bubble bath (individually of course)
5. Make a gingerbread house
6. Paint wooden ornaments for the Christmas tree
7. Go bowling
8. Make hot chocolate with all the fixins'
9. Have a chocolate fondue night
10. Put candy canes on the Christmas tree
11. Volunteer at the Toy Warehouse (The Salvation Army)
12. Campout around the Christmas tree
13. Fancy dress up for dinner
14. Dollar store gift exchange (each person given $5 to spend on the other four family members, then we go home & exchange gifts)
15. Make it snow in the house by making snowflakes and hanging them from the ceiling
16. Paint each other's fingernails & toenails in Christmas colors
17. Go out for ice cream
18. Make a Christmas ornament
19. Make a hideout and hangout with flashlights
20. Have a picnic at Elbow Falls
21. Give each other crazy hairstyles
22. Tell a round robin story
23. Put together a Christmas or winter scene puzzle
24. Read "Twas The Night Before Christmas" & put out egg nog & cookies

We truly had a blast together!

We did everything on the list with the exception of three things that were put on hold because of the weather. On the day of our snow storm we had to postpone going bowling; our dog didn't get walked & our picnic at Elbow Falls were both put on hold because of the negative temperature lately.

Next year I hope to put each of the activities in a decorated matchbox, each individually wrapped like a small gift (that is, if we can find the small matchboxes - otherwise, I better get crackin' on consuming Altoids!).

My Lady

It was Leslie's birthday this weekend too - yesterday!

Me & the kids got her greeting up on the board at the Hitmen game that we attended with Joel's team. I was slow on the draw and missed her name but got the rest of the message before it scrolled away.

I love you Les - you're a beauty!

I love your smile, laugh & sincerity.

Jake's 11th Birthday

The J-man, Jake-ola is 11 today! Happy Birthday big guy!

We had a sleepover party with his friends last Friday. Tonight we are camping out around the Christmas tree and watching his baby videos (while drinking hot choco with all the fixins'!).

Shuffle

Music is a big part of my life. My kids, especially Jake, has this same love within him.

I have the coolest kids! Jake had a birthday party/sleepover on Friday. When his mom asked him to go pick out a CD for background music he came back with Nirvana - Nevermind. Julia was sitting in the kitchen with me. When the second song came on she looked at me and said, "I know what this song is." I said, "What?" She said, "In Bloom." That's my girl!

Today, I'm at the office and shuffling my ipod. It's good to hit shuffle when you just cannot decide what to listen to. I've heard some goodies I haven't heard in a while:

Always There For You - Michael Sweet
New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
My Promise - Tourniquet
Lickin' - The Black Crowes
A Little Sleep - Deliverance
Lay it Down - Ratt
The Best is Yet to Come - Frank Sinatra
Out Tonight - Rent Soundtrack (Sorry Les, couldn't take this one and had to skip it - not a fan)
Walking on the Moom - The Police
Dare You to Move - Switchfoot
Friend of a Friend - Foo Fighters
Narrow Daylight - Diana Krall
Goin' Home Tonight - White Lion

What music has been ringing in your ears lately?

Metallica Setlist - Calgary, Dec. 4th,'08

Metallica is unbelievable! Their live sound is amazing! I was blown away & am speechless!

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End Of The Line
3. Creeping Death
4. Harvester of Sorrow
5. One
6. Broken, Beat and Scarred
7. Cyanide
8. Sad But True
9. ...And Justice For All
10. Wherever I May Roam
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore:
16. Last Caress/Green Hell (Misfits cover)
17. Breadfan (Budgie cover)
18. Seek and Destroy

Life is worth the effort

I came across this prayer today:

Dear Lord,

So far today, I am doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent. I have not whined, cursed, or eaten any chocolate.

However, I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that. Amen.

Alive

I was reading Jim's blog the other day & he asked the following question:

When is it that you feel most alive-most free, most at peace, most connected, most content, most alive? Please don’t look upon your answer with judgment. It doesn’t have to be any sort of “religious” or “spiritual” answer. Describe a recent moment or experience when you truly felt alive. You don’t even have to understand why it is these deep feelings were stimulated within you. Don’t analyze it. Just tell when you felt it deep inside.

This week there have been several moments:

• watching from the bench & getting to coach Joel at his game this week - I usually coach the defense but this time I was with the forwards
• coloring Xmas pics & decorating sugar cookies with Leslie & the kids
• chatting with Leslie while she made spicy peanut brittle
• spending some time at my kid's bedside tucking them in - rustling my fingers in their hair & kissing their forehead
• having dinner with my friends, watching our kids play and sharing advent together
• a good cup of coffee

God is in those moments - more than feeling it, I know it deep in my heart & it brings me great joy & contentment.

And you... ..when do you feel most alive?

Indestructible

Really wish I were going tonite but...

..I get METALLICA tomorrow night!!!

Larry, Curly & Moe

The Stooges plan to take down the Conservative government. Morons!

Where is the democracy?
What does that say to young voters who can't be bothered because they don't think it means anything?

Cello - if this mutiny happens it will be sealed in the minds of all voters that there is no point in voting because politicians will do what they want anyway.

Truth is, I didn't vote Conservative and am ashamed this morning that the party I voted for is acting in this way.

On another note, you will soon try to visit this site and it will not be available. I had toyed with Nov. 30/08 (2 years from this present blogs start date) but find myself with a little more time to play with.