It was THIS big!

One of my top 5 favorite movies of all times is Big Fish. I think I love it so much because I relate so well to the main character.......I tend to exaggerate a bit......just a little bit.

This movie is about a man who is dying and his son is visiting him. The Dad shares these amazing stories of his life but the son doesn't believe them. He thinks his Dad is lying and he's pretty ticked off because he believes that all his life his Dad has been lying to him . He just wants to know his Dad and he keeps getting all these BIG FISH stories and wacky wierd stories of events and characters that are too wierd to be true. The Dad dies and low and behold all the characters from the stories his Dad told are at the funeral. Maybe not quite as the son pictured them.....but they're all there! The stories were all TRUE!!

I absolutely love telling stories. I love telling stories of events of my life or other peoples lives for that matter!. I reinact events, I use foreign accents and just the right facial expressions to get the story across......and yes....sometimes I exaggerate a little bit. Lately my kids have been busting me and kind of wrecking my stories. I'll have a captive audience of friends.....I'll be in the middle of a story....they're all watching me, hardly breathing, looking shocked, or amused or whatever I want them to be when right in the middle one of my kids would go " No you didn't. " or " There weren't that many" or " They didn't say it like that"......ARGH!!!!

I've actually had to sit my kids down and tell them to stop doing that.

"But Mommy, you're lying!" they exclain loudly, tears collecting at the corners of their soulfull eyes. ( see? Doesn't that sound better?)

"Not really lying," I reply." I'm embellishing and improving the story.You see, there's a story and then there's a STORY. People want the STORY."

Don't get me wrong......I really don't lie. I tell the story and sometimes it just seems exaggerated by my sheer enthusiasm. My enthusiasm for telling the story sometimes makes the story better. I mean really would you like to hear about how it was raining and I forgot to close the car windows or would you rather hear about how it was absolutely pouring, in fact it seemed the rain was horizontal it was so windy. I heard the snap of branches just over my head on several occasions and the kids were pale despite their summer tans. We were almost at the door when I remembered I had left the car windows open. God help me, I had to go back! Just then there was a blinding light and instantly the deafening crack of thunder....simultaneous which meant the strike of lightening was within feet of our car........anyway, you get my drift?

Now my kids would go....." we weren't pale........it wasn't simultaneous....blah blah blah"

I think I've had a pretty interesting life and I do have some good stories. I just make them better for YOU the listener.

Wedding Season

Summertime and the livin' is easy......

When I was in my 20's, ( which was, I admit 20 years or so ago)starting around April I spent almost every 2nd weekend at a wedding until mid September! Summer was definitely wedding season and I started shopping for wedding gifts at Boxing Day sales in preparation!

Two springs ago, while driving the kids somewhere, my 10 year old daughter stated that she had never been to a wedding! She sounded sad and in all honesty I was sad for her! Weddings are exciting for a 10 year old girl. The bride, the fancy dresses, the dancing.......but alas, no one's doing it anymore!!!

We have neices and nephews at that "marriage age" but they're living together......no weddings.

I told her that if she didn't get to go to a wedding sometime this summer we'd crash one!! Wouldn't you know it ( to prove that what you think about you bring about!) about 3 weeks later, we get an invitation to a wedding!!

A gay wedding!!! Gay marriage was just legallized in Alberta and two of my friends were going to be the first!!!

Imagine my delight when the conversation went like this......

Me " Hey guess what? We just got an invitation to a wedding!!"

My kids " Yippee!!"

Me " Um....this wedding is going to be a bit different though"

Kids " Why?"

Me " Well, it's two boys getting married"

Kids " And?....."

Me " Well, that's a little different"

Kids " Is there going to be a dance?"

Me " ya"

Kids " Yippee!!"

Yup, they were excited to be going to a wedding! They didn't seem at all phased by the gay part. To them it was two people getting married....it was just a party celebrating a marriage!

It was great! No different from many of the weddings I had been to. There was a lovely ceremony, a great buffet and a dance to follow! Mom of the groom cried, uncle of the other groom got too drunk! There were neices and nephews and brothers and sisters and gramma's and grandpa's and friends!

The speeches were great. A hilarious one about how the groom chose the perfect time to come out of the closet......at the moment when his brother phoned home from a Mexican jail! His parents couldn't get too mad at him then!!

A touching one where one of the grooms tearfully thanks his "stand in parents" for being so supportive and being there for him. His own missionary parents absent on this special day.

The kids had a blast, hubby and I had a blast and we all spoke often about how much fun it was.....and how "normal" it was. Really, a wedding is a wedding.

Hard to Believe

Just over a year ago our good friends and neighbour's 6 yr old son Jake was hit by a truck and killed while coming home from school. This tragic event happened just a few blocks from our homes.

I will never forget that day for as long as I live nor will I drive past that corner, as I do every day, without thinking of it.

Within hours of the accident there were flowers, balloons and stuffed teddy bears placed at the corner signpost. In the end there were more than 200 teddy bears donated to the local children's hospital. One stranger from our community built a little cross with some kind words carved on it. Another stranger from the community drew a charcoal sketch of Jake and affixed it to the street post. At Christmas time, our family left a little tiny Christmas tree and a small stuffed snowman. At halloween our two families went trick or treating together as we have for years.....this year we made a stop at the memorial and each child gave "Jake" some goodies from their goodie bags.

Our friends Mike and Jill have been keeping their son's memorial small and tasteful. They themselves tape a small vase to the sign post and fill it with artificial flowers. When others in the community add something like a poem, a picture or a balloon, Mike or Jill take it home to put in their memory chest so that it doesn't become a distraction or a hazaard to drivers.

All in all it's a small, pretty spot where a horrible tragic event occured.This event rocked our community. It's not just the family that goes to the memorial. It's a place where strangers have placed poems or flowers because you can't just go to their house, knock on the door and say " Here, I was feeling bad so I wrote this poem!". Instead people are able to anonymously show their grief and support to a member of the community.

A couple of weeks ago Mike was driving by and he noticed everything was taken down and a cardboard box was sitting by the signpost. Their flowers and vase were in the box with a note that said " could you please stop putting flowers here. When my wife and daughter go by it makes them too sad." There was no name signed to the note.

The next day after much thought, Mike put the vase and flowers back on the signpost and a day later someone once again put them in a cardboard box. During these few days, the driver of the vehicle was acquitted of all charges and we celebrated Jakes 8th birthday, an emotional and difficult couple of weeks for the family so Mike put the flowers back in the vase, and back on the signpost.

The next day they were gone, no cardboard box either. The person took everything.!!

You know, I, my husband and my kids need those flowers there. Our community of friends needs those flowers there. I ran to that spot a year ago with my nurse brain running through basic first aid..... yet I came upon our little Jake lying on the street with 5 paramedics doing CPR and advanced resuscitative efforts to save his life. I drive past that corner at least once a day and like seeing some flowers and the odd balloon thank you.

Who does this guy think he is? So, his wife and daughter are saddened by the flowers? There's a big sign in the shape of a coffin that says "FATALITY" on the top of the sign put there by the City.....and THAT doesn't make them sad??? If anything, those flowers make a driver SLOW DOWN because they say...someone died on this street corner.

I'm flabbergasted. I don't get some people.

An honorable man

After my Dad's passing in April, the Edmonton Journal ran an article about my Dad. Here it is.

Fine singer passed up career to be near his family
Glyn Williams could have travelled world, but cherished home life
Don Retson
Journal Staff Writer
Edmonton
Edmonton's music scene was abuzzz in 1966 when Glyn Williams received a dream offer to join the world-renowned Roger Wagner Chorale on a tour of the United States.
It was a terrific opportunity that offered Mr. Williams- the first professsional opera baritone in this city- a chance to become internationally known.
A family member recalls that chorale music director Roger Wagner, who had met Mr. Willams at a workshop in Calgary, applied all the presure he could to get him to accept a lead role in the six-month tour, which opened at Carnegie Hall.
Mr. Williams thanked Wagner kindly, but resisted the tantalizing offer. "He chose to turn this down because it would have meant being away from his family for extended times" recalls Ken Smith, Mr. Williams' brother-in-law. "He loved his family more than his job or his music."
A humble mand blessed with an incredible voice, Glyn E. Williams died of cancer on April 14. He was 79.
"Glyn Williams was truly one of the finest vocal talents that his city has ever produced," said former CBC-TV producer Armand Baril.
Baril recalls the official opening of CBXT-TV Edmonton on Nov. 7, 1961, when a live concert from the jubilee Auditorium was broadcast nationally on CBC-TV. As producer-director, Baril said he shared the excitement of that gala event that featured various local musical talents, including Mr. Willams.
"When Glyn started to sing," said Baril, "it was clear to everyone across the nation and in the concert hall that here was a magnificent voice destined to go far".
Edmonton Opera's resident baritone in the late 1950's and early 1960's, Mr Williams did appear occasionally as a guest solosit in the U.S., such as at the Seattle Worlds Fair in 1961 and the Welsh Singing Festival in San Fransisco.
Betty Mae, his wife of 56 years and a talented musician in her own right, would play for her husband whenever he didn't have an orchestra to back him up.
"We were a team," she said of her husband, whom, she added, also had a great talent for leaving people in stitches with his wicked sense of humour. "He didn't tease or he didn't make fun of anybody else,"she said. "He was just witty."
Despite his many opportunities to go on to the world stage, Mr. Williams chose to remain here with his family, where he performed major roles with Edmonton Opera, Oratorio, the concert stage and radio and TV.
In a Journal aricle in 1966, then music critic Ann Burrows said Mr. Williams' invitation to join the Roger Wagner Chorale on tour was an honour and that " no local singer is more deserving of such an excellent professional opportunity."
Born in Vancouver in 1929, Glyn's family moved to Edmonton when he was very young. After graduating from high school, he got a job with Imperial Oil in 1949, staying with them until his retirement in 1987.
He met Betty Mae when they were both participating in an amateur variety show which was put on for several years. In proposing, Mr Williams got down on one knee, giving Betty Mae both an orchid and an engagement ring. They were married in 1952.
Blessed with a beautiful baritone voice, Mr. Williams sang in the Knox Metropolitan Choir for 45 years. His love of music led him into the professional opera society of Edmonton. He participated in its first production of Madame Butterfly, playing the role of Sharpless. He was in several other operas over the years and had the major role of Marcello in La Boheme. This success led him to star in a locally produced TV variety show on CBC Edmonton which ran for 2 1/2 years.
A great family man, MR. Williams would attend almost every sporting event or concert that his children were involved in.
At his recent memorial service, grandson David Donnelly said Mr. Williams was also proud of all seven of his grandchildren. "Grandpa gave us confidence to succeed in whatever we wanted, " Donnelly said. "He showed us that we can do anything we set our minds to."
Besides Betty Mae, Mr. Williams is survived by daughters Judith and Dilys and his son Richard.

Happy Father's Day to an amazing Dad.

Amazing!

Gunther von Hagens' "Body Worlds" The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies is being presented in a couple of weeks here in Edmonton at the Science Center.

The kids and I have seen the ads and pictures on the sides of buses while driving to school and Nathan hasn't really commented while Claire says she's creeped out!

I think it's pretty amazing.
From individual organs to whole bodies, BODY WORLDS offers visitors a rare opportunity to see the complexity of human anatomy and physiology.
BODY WORLDS features authentic human specimens preserved through a revolutionary process called Plastination. This remarkable preservation technique replaces bodily fluids and fat with reactive plastics, thereby preserving human tissue in its natural state. Visitors who embark on this amazing journey below the skin's surface will view an extensive collection including more than 200 authentic organs, systems and whole-body displays.
Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS exhibitions are the only anatomical exhibits that use donated bodies, willed by donors for the express purpose of serving BODY WORLDS mission to educate the public about health and anatomy. To date, more than 8,000 people have agreed to donate their bodies to BODY WORLDS for Plastination and use in the exhibits.

I can't wait and I think we're sooooo lucky to have this exhibit come to Edmonton.

Father's Day Fiasco!

Sometimes in this fast paced world of calenders, blackberries and daytimers I wonder if we're all losing it.....
I know I am! Here's what happened this weekend.
Things have been fairly hectic with work, kids, and the social calender and when things get like this I often walk around with a sick feeling that I'm forgetting something. On Saturday while shopping for some summer clothes for my daughter Claire I noticed the Father's Day signs at the mall.
Wham! Holy shit ! I almost forgot Father's Day! ( I think to myself as I silently pat myself on the back for actually remembering) Claire and I traipse off to the Hallmark store for the perfect cards and then we buy the perfect set of beer mugs.
I have to work early in the morning so Claire has it all planned to let Kevin sleep in while she and Nathan make him breakfast in bed. Upon my return from work we'll sit him on the couch and present him with the cards and gift.
Well Father's Day went smoothly and without a hitch........yesterday.......a week early!!!!!
We all believed it was Father's Day....even Kevin !!! Later that day it was Claire who said,"Mom, isn't Father's Day on the 15th or 16th or something?"

We all burst out laughing and Kevin seems pleased at the idea of a replay next Sunday!!

My kind of Daycare!

When we had kids we made the decision that I would work my shifts around the kids. No daycare or dayhome for us......but we didn't see this one!

Not only would I put my kids in this one.....I'd quit my nursing job to work there!!

Maybe in China, because I've heard you're only allowed one child they don't have enough children for all the daycare space........

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

Congratulations to Sameer Mishra from Indiana who successfully spelled "guerdon" to win this years 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. I'm always amazed every year at these kids who can spell words that I didn't even know existed!

Last year a local boy came in runner up! He was in grade 8 at my kids' school here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada! The school is an arts based school, Grade K-12 . We were soooo proud of Nate and his amazing accomplishment. Here was this average Grade 8 public school kid surrounded by homeschooled, spelling bee careerists ( spell THAT!) and he spelled his way to runner up! Gotta love those stories.

I sure wouldn't do very well in a spelling bee. I do read alot but have to admit I kinda skim over the long hard words usually mispronoucing them in my head only to embarrass myself later when I try to use it in a sentence. Never mind knowing it's root origin!

Just today I was talking to my husband and I said a big word.....wrong....and he politely corrected me. I hate that!

My son's a good speller. He has a weekly spelling test at school and NEVER studies the words. The night before he sits down, I recite the words and he spells them......correctly.....first time......even when I mispronounce them!

I just want you to know though......I DON'T use spell check......ok, maybe you already knew that.

Go back.....way back......

I was doing a little channel surfing while waiting for my oven to preheat and stopped on Oprah for a moment. I used to watch her quite alot and haven't in a while due to time, kids, and the fact that I would rather read, but today I ended up turning off the oven to watch the whole show.

She had Dr Brian Wiess on today. Brian Wiess MD is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School and is Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. Dr. Weiss is a psychiatrist whose specialty is past life regression therapy. Yup, he hypnotises you and takes you back to past lives......past lives your "soul" has lived before.

It was facinating.

I've read alot lately about the metaphysical world and reincarnation and this is how I see it.

Our physical bodies are just "vessels" for our souls. Our souls basically "use" our bodies to learn or perhaps teach others a lesson (apparantly the wise old souls come back to do some teaching) Once this particular lesson or lessons are learned, our physical bodies die and the soul leaves the physical body it was in to reincarnate in another physical being.

His own words probably explain it better.....

"I think everybody reincarnates because we have many lessons to learn, lessons about love, compassion, charity, nonviolence, inner peace, patience, etc. It would be hard to learn them all in only one life. Also, some people come back voluntarily to help others. " Dr Brian Weiss

Well, we can only hope this is so. Little Jake's tragic death a year ago only means that his soul has moved on and we all will meet him again in some other life. His physical life and his death taught us all so much about love, life, compassion, patience etc. Jake must be a wise old soul.