I have a Leprechaun Name!
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The World through my Eyes, A Random Collection of Stories, Funnies, Photos and Art
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I have to vent. This afternoon, Tyler was out just on the block when a couple of other kids came over, pushed him down, kicked him, threatened him and stole his bike. Grrrr. I am furious. Craig jumped in his truck and I in my car and if I would have found them myself I don't know what I'd have done. But thank goodness, Craig found them, chased them down, put the fear of God into them and retrieved the bike. He says they were only about 12 or 13 years old. Grrr. I think this area is getting a lot worse, maybe time to think about moving. Not that I want to, but I can't even let my kids play on our own block without being harassed and have things going missing out of our yard- The sad thing is that is all a bunch of little pre-teen native kids who we've had all the problems with. Last fall one stole Ty's skateboard a couple of times. The last time I walked right up to a ground floor apartment balcony and took it back. There was a dad or someone there and he didn't say or do a thing. I ask what is wrong with the kids but I have a good feeling someone should be asking the parents. It makes me sick!
Today is my big brother Ryans 35th birthday, He was born in the days of sideburns and Elvis.
Ryan is one year older than me but I usually kept up. Or I tried my hardest! He was always doing something when he was little, like disassembling all my dolls and barbies into pieces, torturing me with bugs, sicking dogs on me on the way to school, telling on me...usual sibling stuff I guess. I've decided to compile a "Best of" List:
Grossest thing I ever saw:
Ryan was claiming his devotion to a girl but she wouldn't give him the time of day unless he "proved it", which meant eating Ju-Jubes that she spit on and threw into the dirt. He was maybe in kindergarten or grade 1, and I was pretty grossed out and tried to talk him out of it, but the first one was green and he said "mmm, greens my favorite...it's just a little dirt"
Worst Rat-Out:
Ryan ratted me out for going to meet Corey O'Brien in grade 5 which ended up being the first time I was kissed by a boy. When I got home I was grounded for 2 weeks.
Worst time in trouble:
It's a long story in which the blame lays mostly on me but Ryan got it too cus he went along with it. My mom left a $20 bill on a chair in the living room and it was I, maybe 5 years old who came across it and had the bright idea of taking Ryan and all of our friends to the store. This is in the 70's, when a bag of chips or a chocolate bar was 25 cents. So me, Ryan, Tim, Ernie and Paul walked down to the corner store and I said since I found the money I would let them each get one thing and one thing only. So we all bought one thing. And I was left with like 19.00 in change and no good explanation for what I had just done. Once we were out of the store and I was left holding all the money, my concience went crazy and I told Ryan what I did. We decided the best thing to do was get rid of the evidence. The closest thing around? A big green garbage bin!! About 2/3 full. Later that day, or maybe even the next, my mom was questioning if any of us knew what happened to the money and it all came out. My mom was furious. It was money for Ryans birthday present. She marched us down to the bin and made Ryan hop in and search for it. Then when we got home we got our first dose of wooden spoon.
Scariest Moment:
Anytime Ryan was driving and I was a passenger. He makes me nervous.
Funniest Moment:
Ryan and I moved out when I was still in high school. We had a housewarming party and someone had the bright idea of buying a texas mickey of whisky! Well, Ryan was smashed, everyone else was smashed...that night was also a puke-o-rama, but I'll spare you the details. Well after everyone was gone I couldn't find Ryan, but I could hear the cat crying. I found him and the cat behind the recliner chair in the corner, and he was holding the cat down, who was trying to get away and he was saying "shhh. shh...you're going to hate me in the morning!". I don't know what that meant but I dragged Ryan out and rescued the cat. Then I tried to help Ry to bed. But as we went through his bedroom door he knocked over his dresser and tripped at the same time, he took me down with him, I landed on top of him and the dresser on top of both of us. I was trying to get up when I felt Ry start dry heaving and I looked down into his face. Right before he spewed I turned his face away from me and held it so he wouldn't puke on me, but it was puddled all around us. Then he passed out. I had to just lay him in it and leave until I worked up enough strength to pick him up. It wasn't really that funny then. But it's darned funny now!
Proudest Moment:
Everytime I see what a good dad you are to your kids!!
Worst ouch:
Once when we were riding our bikes to school he started chasing me with a stick. I took off as fast as I could but he got the better of me when he decided to poke the stick through the spokes of my tires. I went almost straight over the handlebars and got the wind knocked out of me SOOOO bad before I hit the road. I was furious.
Well Ryan, can you believe we're this old now!! And we have kids of our own?? My newest best memory was this past Christmas, when we went to dads for dinner...
"Sal AAAD? Would you like some salAAD?"
It was so funny to be sitting at the table with you and Jill giggling away about that. I felt like we were all kids again and everytime I think about it I still laugh! We have a lot of good memories and maybe one day we'll live in the same town long enough to have more! You're too far away big bro.
Hope you have an awesome birthday,
Love your Wendell

I was hoping to see this tonight but got so wrapped up in cleaning my house that I forgot to even try to view it, I heard we wouldn't probably see it at all here. The one at the end of the month will best be seen by the west coast so I might have better luck then.
The last time I remember an eclipse was when I lived in Abbotsford. I was driving to Seven Oaks Mall and I heard on the radio that it was happening, so I found a place to pull over. I just turned off the car and my cell rang, it was James. I asked him if he was watching and he said yes he was out in his yard. At that moment we both burst into a rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart and had a then we had a good laugh. It's actually the only eclipse I *remember* seeing since I was little and had to wear those freaky classes the schools handed out, but I'm sure that was a solar eclipse anyway. We had to watch a movie in class that put fear into every child in the class of looking directly into the light. Except me. I didn't appreciate it much then and I did sneak a look up at it, eyes squinted cus the glasses were too dark and I wanted to see what it really looked like. Cory G. told me I'd go blind. I guess I was a rebel at heart even at that tender age.
Last night was a nightmare! The kids and I haven't been feeling well for days. We all went to the doctor on Wednesday night. Ty got perscribed some cough medicine and the doc said it was a viral bug that would pass. Well it passed all right. I had sent Ty to grandmas because I thought he was the worst and didn't want us all to get the sore throat and the kids and I crawled into bed at 8:00. At about 2 am, with my stomach in the kinks and headache from hell I just started to drift off when Shay woke me up with the curdling screams "I puked on my blanket". I got up, helped him hurl the rest in the toilet and cleaned up his bed, floor, hallway and bathroom where he missed the toilet... and brought him to the living room to lay on the couch and watch a movie with a big bucket. Ugh! So then I TRIED to go back to bed, not 20 minutes later, my puke-levy broke, I hurled my guts out for about 1/2 an hour and then went back to try to lay down and rest my tummy. Well not long after I heard Breanna FREAKING out, she puked too! So I go out into the living room where Shay was and there's Breanna....COVERED in puke, smushed all over her hair, face, clothes, couch, floor and some in Shays bucket!! EEP! So I threw her in the shower, cleaned up the couch, floor, hallway, bucket and clothes and went and sat with them. It was horrible. By this time it was 5:00 in the morning. It was SO FREAKING horrible. I am so tired. I just woke up at noon, went into the living room and there was MORE puke in the puke bucket. Breanna claimed it so I made her go dump it. (Sorry baby girl!) Well at least Tyler is feeling better...
I got these photos from my friend Adam...
The book these came from said some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat painted!

Shay and I preparing to head out onto the ice. His skating skills are still sketchy, he fell and hurt himself 3 or 4 times, then sat out for a long time. Then he found his boots and had a blast playing in the snow which was perfect for snowmen and snowballs. I think it went up to plus 4.
Me and Craig
THINGS THAT I LOVE:
This past year has been a rollercoaster and a lot of times a nightmare. To my family and friends left standing I just want to say I love you all and I couldn't have gotten through it without you.
I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my life and where I am supposed to be. And the thing is I really don't have a clue. Once in a while I get this big blast of optimism and clarity but that is only at the times when I am powerless to make a change or go a certain direction. For every piece of good news in my life there is a parallel negative that stands in the way of me of going anywhere at all. Most of the time things are completely backwards. Just off the top of my head, I've got some work to keep me going for a few months, and I get to work from home but physically, it kills me. Literally. My back is broke. I was told I need an MRI then to bring those results to a specialist, well, they booked the specialist for April and the MRI for June. Okee dokey. Meanwhile, I have rent to pay. And I don't feel like I am ever going to get ahead and to know I have to live in this pain for even one more day is depressing. And I have to wait til the end of June to get some answers. 5 months!! Sigh. That is only one example, probably the biggest example of the backwardity in my life. I just invented that word. But amidst the daily angst I sometimes stumble into or onto someone or something that truly inspires me and reminds me there is a higher purpose and along with that some hope. And last week I was inspired by a little girl. I'll just say go to the website and see for yourself. I have a CNN video clip and will add the link but for now...
She's truly astounding, and I'm rendered speechless. Anyway that's all for now. I've vented. And I have work to do. :) So bye for now.
Three handsome male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female Poodle. The three male dogs fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end up arriving in front of her at the same time. The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return. Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them, "The first one who can use the words 'liver' and 'cheese' together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me." The sturdy, muscular black Lab speaks up quickly and says, "I love liver and cheese." "Oh, how childish," said the Poodle. "That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever." She turns to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and says "How well can you do?" "Um. I HATE liver and cheese," blurts the Golden Retriever. "My, my," said the Poodle. "I guess it's hopeless. That's just as dumb as the Lab's sentence. "She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, "How about you, little guy? "The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and finesse, is the Chihuahua.He gives her a smile, a sly wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says ... (ok this is good) Liver alone. Cheese mine."
When you feel that nobody loves you, Nobody cares for you, Everyone ignores you, And people are jealous of you, You should really ask yourself... "Am I TOO sexy?"
I have been saying for a long time that 2007 will be my year. Because of the "7" thing in my life, all major events have happened in 7's and intervals of 7 years. This year my birthday is even on 7/7/7. I've decided I'm going to Vegas for that, and even though I was wayyyy too lucky the last time I was there, I have a good feeling about it.
This year has been going like a rollercoaster. Huge ups.
I had court on January 16th for the ahole who was breaking into my house. It went well. I went completely prepared to testify and wanted him to get jail time. They kept us separated, shuffling us in and out of the courtroom, and finally, his lawer came out of the room and into the lobby. He said "hey look, this judge is going to hammer him really hard. It looks like jail time...Is there any way you'd consider a Peace Bond". I said "no, I don't think so. He's never even admitted the truth, even when confronted with the evidence, and he's never said sorry. So, no!" He asked me to wait and a few minutes later he came back and said M would take responsibility and apologize, and I could decide on some of the conditions. So I agreed. All I wanted from M was the truth, from his lips. And I got it. And also got to see him brought down and broken, red as a lobster, sweat rolling off his forehead, twitching and shaking in front of the judge and a room full of men in suits. Mr big and tough guy who's not afraid of anything or anyone looked terrified.
And I was cool and collected as a cucumber, I even didn't accept his first 2 apologies but he got it right on the 3rd attempt. Anyways, all said and done, he's still not getting away lightly. He has to keep the peace and be of good behavior for a year. That's gonna be a tricky one for him. And I have one more whole year of a no- contact order, so I don't have to worry about him coming around anymore, which I am sure I took care of for good on court day, because I'm sure he hates me forever for how I stood up to him that day. Victory for me. Yay!!
I've even got some more work coming in. I'm going to be doing 3 websites. It hurts my head to think about it but it's work and it's money, and working mostly from home is also a bonus. And in a few weeks I have another job opportunity but it's still kinda iffy so I'll update on that later.
I also just got my very first child support payment on Feb 1st. 2 years and a huge lawyer bill later. But that was a big event. Sadly for my kids I am not convinced the rest of the payments will let come let alone on time, but I guess we'll see. But another victory for me...Yay again!
Other than that my rollercoaster has had a few downs, but I'm trying to deal. I had a bunch of good, but then got some pretty scary news about my health. I didn't take it very well at all the first few days but I gotta keep reminding myself that things have a funny way of working out and I guess I'm holding onto that.
The peeps are all doing good. Tyler has really taken to skating this year and often goes down to the community rink. Craig even takes him sometimes. Shay is only concerned with his best buddy Jayden and spends all his time there, and Breanna is sweet and smart as usual. I'll have to upload some pics when I have more time.
I'm going to end with my new favorite joke....
Lifesavers
A teacher was doing a study testing the senses of first graders, using a
bowl of Lifesavers.
The children began to say:
red............cherry,"
Yellow.........lemon,"
Green..........lime,"
Orange.........orange,"
Finally the teacher gave them all honey Lifesavers. After eating them none
of the children could identify the taste.
Well," she said, "I'll give you all a clue; It's what your mother may
sometimes call your father."
One little girl looked up in horror, spit her Lifesaver out and yelled:
"Oh My God!!!! They're assholes!"
BEFORE - You take my breath away AFTER - I feel like I'm suffocating BEFORE - Twice a night AFTER - Twice a month BEFORE - She says she loves the way I take control of a situation AFTER - She called me a controlling, manipulative egomaniac BEFORE - Saturday Night Fever AFTER - Monday Night Football BEFORE - Don't stop AFTER - Don't start BEFORE - Is that all you're having? AFTER - Maybe you should have just a salad, honey BEFORE - It's like I'm living in a dream AFTER - It's like he lives in a dorm BEFORE - $60/doz. AFTER - $1.50/stem BEFORE - Turbocharged AFTER - Jumpstart BEFORE - We agree on everything AFTER - Doesn't she have a mind of her own? BEFORE - Victoria's Secret AFTER - Fruit-of-the-Loom BEFORE - Charming and Noble AFTER - Chernobyl BEFORE - Feathers and handcuffs AFTER - Ball and chain BEFORE - Idol AFTER - Idle BEFORE - I love a woman with curves AFTER - I never said you were fat BEFORE - He's completely lost without me AFTER - Why won't he ever ask for directions? BEFORE - Time stood still AFTER - This relationship is going nowhere BEFORE - Croissant and cappuccino AFTER - Bagel and instant BEFORE - You look so seductive in black AFTER - Your clothes are so depressing BEFORE - Oysters AFTER - Fishsticks BEFORE - I can hardly believe we found each other AFTER - I can't believe I ended up with someone like you BEFORE - Passion AFTER - Ration BEFORE - Once upon a time AFTER - The end
What a cruel way to be woken up...freezing rain and a brisk wind. Not a good combination when your kids ride bikes to school. The inevitability of the box coming out is killing me! I mean the box that is full of jackets, snowpants, boots, mittens, hats, scarves, gloves, in which there is 50 of everything and nothing that matches even remotely. When this box comes out of my closet I can kiss my floors goodbye. Nice to know ya, see you in the spring! Well actually my vacuum is broken right now so maybe this will work out in some weird kind of way. There was snow forecasted for today and I am praying it won't, because I'm supposed to do another round of bus driver training at 9am tomorrow. Snow is the LAST thing I need! For many reasons. Actually, my driver training is going very well. I've only had 2 days on the road so far, but I'm pretty comfortable. And I only have to do the test in the big bus, then I'll have a small one to drive on a regular basis. My instructor wants me to take the road test on Monday, I said we'll see how it goes tomorrow. I still need to practice pulling close enough to the curb, and I tell ya, pulling 6-8 inches from the curb in a big bus exactly parallel in the front and back is not that easy. I think I made like 3 out of 10 attempts...but I can do it, I just need more practice. Other than that not much else is new. The kids are back into their routine, and have actually been TIRED at bedtime...this is good! Some sanity has returned to our home. I am also in a great place in my personal life and feel very lucky to have a great relationship! The first time I made him dinner, I got burnt making french fries in oil, one of the fries exploded right on my wrist as I dropped it in the cooker...to this day I still have this scar in the shape of a heart! Is this a sign??

Yesterday I did my first driving lesson on the school bus! Gordon, my instructor picked me up at my house. He had me do an inspection and then told me to hop in the drivers' seat and head back to the bus yard. Now, I've never driven a bus before and I was all, like "HUH!!". I figured I would do some practicing in an empty ol lot or something first and I was quite unprepared for this request. However, without much hestiation I jumped into the drivers seat and snapped into my seatbelt. I did really well, I only hit one or two curbs trying to navigate my turning radius and there were no little children that were in immediate danger at any time. Yay me! It was kinda strange at first being eye to eye with truckers on the Yellowhead, but that was kinda neat at the same time, It's a whole different perspective up there. So Gordon only gasped at my driving twice, and I spent about 4 hours getting used to the bus, I'm doing Country and Railroad crossings training today and I'll probably practice a little more on the backing up. Anyway, I'm feelin pretty good about taking the test in a few days, so I'll update more later.

Get this!
By the time I had closed the door behind me, Breanna is already turned towards him, finger twirling her hair. He's leaned right over and there are (count them) 6 other kids staring at them who are STARING AT EACH OTHER!!
I stood and watched them for another minute and then had to walk away, shaking my head. Later on that night, I asked her "So does *J* still think you're his woman?" She says "Weeeell, YA! Actually he does!". I smiled and teased, "Just remember, NO KISSING". "Ewww", she said and squinched up her nose. "You are a good girl", I said! Then I asked "So what would you do if *J* kissed you?"
She said "I would do NOTHING!"
I asked "You would do nothing? And just let him kiss you?"
And she just smiled all slyly. She said she was joking but after seeing the picture I'm really quite sure that I'm not convinced.
Two nights ago I was watching a show about this guy who filmed bears and spent most of his life and time out in the wild getting to know all about them, and eventually this guy was eaten by a huge, mean bear that he had seen around and tried to "befriend"... There were a few people there and I offhandedly remarked that would be the "Crocodile Hunter" one day... Well this morning as I read the internet news I found that is exactly what happened. Steve Irwin was killed by a deadly stingray that pierced his ribcage and through his heart. "While excruciatingly painful, stings are rarely fatal, Collin said. Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart. "It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said." I guess you just can't tame mother nature. Or think you can control it. Or however you wanna put it...These guys went up against the odds and some of the deadliest creatures that roam this earth. Out of love...or passion...or the adrenaline rush when you do something you're scared to do...whatever the reason they did it and they ended up dying doing it. I started to ask myself why people would do these kinds of things and then I thought about me! I've done crazy dangerous things. Skydiving was one of them, probably 24 hours on a mountain alone was another. Add in hitchhiking when I was younger and really really naive, running away with my friend Jenn and staying in the Dover Hotel (which was like a biker bar when we were like 14 or 15), Doing 14 Whisky shooters in a row and drinking straight from the 60 oz bottle the second time I got drunk. I think I did clinically die the next day, but I had to go to work.. (I guess some higher up thought that my position as Salad Bar Girl couldn't go unstationed because here I am today!) I even think my ex marriage could also go into this catagory of crazy stupid dangerous things. And the more I think about it I could go on for days. Is this any different from what the Crocodile Hunter did...Other than the fact that I have never like, baited myself for attraction and went into a murky croc swamp to wrestle and subdue a 14 foot monster, or walked barefoot around poisonous snakes, or jumped into a pool of stingrays. I've pushed my own limits, and though I had a bad spell of it for a while, I have refused to, and have not succumbed to fear. I just HOPE this doesn't make me a target, like those other guys. RIP Crocodile Hunter!!
I recently posted Ode to T-dot...well this is a story I took from her blog cus I wanted to share my laugh with everyone...Taylor is very blunt and doesn't take crap from ANYONE!
"Well... I'm kinda rethinking my move to a small town. Today I was out for an appointment, and there was a ... dissheveled looking man who I would guess to be in his 50's. Actually he kinda reminded me of Hulk Hogan, platinum hair and all... except this guys hair was longer I think, and he wasn't buff and he was dirty.
Anyhow... The guy was telling the lady at the desk that he couldn't stay for his appointment because he had another appointment that he had to go to... but could his cousin ( a woman who looked like she crawled out of a dumpster) stay for the appointment instead of him. The lady at the desk said no. So Hulk went outside, then in he came again... he was upset because they just didn't understand and could he speak to a manager. Well the manager comes out and is listening to the man ( and at this point I am totally captured by this odd display) and the manager stops the man and says... "Wait, now, is this your cousin or your wife?" and the man replies, very exasperated.........
BOTH!!!!!!She's my cousin and my wife.
Well... I couldn't take it... I burst out laughing... which was very rude, but I just couldn't help it. Now I am laughing HARD, like stomach hurt kinda laugh. And this man looks at me, looks over to his cousin-wife and says "Babies having babies". Well that got me going even harder, and now Kayden (my son) is starting to laugh too. I am now crossing my legs for fear of wetting my pants, clutching my stomach and crying and not even making noise I am laughing so hard... Somehow I manage to get out the words... (this was very brazen-even for me)
"H-h-how d-do you circumcise a r-r-edneck?"
Then a young man who was also sitting and waiting, says "Kick his cousin in the chin!"
Well, now I lose it... I am struggling to breathe, I mean really gasping for air... and I'm not gonna lie... I think a little pee came out. So then the manager who is standing there with a professional expression on his face cracks a smile, and starts to giggle... yes, the manager who should stay professional was giggling. Well Hulk and Dumpster Lady stomp out, clearly offended. After they leave the manager comes over to me... which at this point I am sprawled back over the chair going "Oh God... No more.. it's hurts... no more!" And asks if I need a glass of water... which at that point was even funnier. I needed about 20 minutes to calm down before I could even speak.
But it wasn't just me laughing... some of the girls in the back came out to see what the commotion was about, so the manager takes them back and tells them... and all I know is they went back there, then about 3 minutes later, I heard about 10 people erupt in laughter. God.. that was PRICELESS!!! It is now 2 hours later, and my stomach still hurts. This was the single most funniest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life. And there I was with out a video camera... damn!"
Today I'm going to a job interview...