TRAIN CAKES AND SCALLOPED POTATOES

Holy Hannah!!!  What an amazingly fun day.  Kevin got home around two and we headed down to Kathy's.  It was a warm sunny day and we all sat around outside and watched kids play and smelled the most wonderful aroma of bbq'ing ham wafting around the corner.  Dinner was delicious and fun.  I love tasty food, lots of flavour.  We had curried coleslaw, cheesy scalloped potatoes, asparagus, pickled beets, delicious buns, yummy sweet potatoes and, of course, train cake!

Later we all ended up down at Craig and Jo's.  They had a couple staying with them who had a wee one exactly Ainsley's age.  They put them down and Kevin put our two down as well.  Then the fun started!!  We played games and sang karaoke.  God Almighty!!  We were ALL bad!!  Jeez I laughed til I almost threw up.  Got home late and Kevin stayed the night down there.

They got back here around nine in the morning and some how the Easter bunny had come and I didn't hear him!!!  The kids went downstairs with bags and loaded up!!!  So much fun!!!  The bunny also left a couple of awesome toys that I was hoping would keep them busy whilst Kev and I could watch the latest episode of Survivor.  We are huge fans, every week we phone each other and discuss.  We have never had the opportunity to watch one together!

So, as the kids were about to bust open their toys, Kev came into the kitchen and said they had to leave.  And leave right now!.  I must admit I got a little testy.  They were supposed to come over one week before the long weekend and they didn't.  Then at least they were here for the weekend, but no..I guess not.  But he was so distressed with whatever was happening at home that was calling him back I backed off right away.  I felt bad for him.  So off they went.  Fenton was sure not happy about it I must say.

One night this week I got to babysit Ainsley.  She has been so sick with croup.  But I had the best time playing with her.  You forget how such simple things as drips of water from a sippy cup into a regular cup can be so captivating!  Also she is at that magical age where she repeats any word you ask her to say.  I love it.  She even says Monte.  She says "Maweee"  Its so cute.

Last night Kathy and I went to the last hockey game (for us) of the season.  The Blazers are doing swimmingly well and they won again last night.  The crowd was LOUD!!!  We started with a lovely dinner at the pub then the loud crazy ride down to the game.  A very happy noisy crowd rode home afterwards.

Well today is decision day on the garden outside.  Depending on the price, I think I am going to put two raised garden beds on the front lawn.  I have two front lawns, an upper one and a lower one.  The upper one, closest to the house, isn't visible from the road so thats the one I am going to use.  I want to grow beets and carrots for pickling.  Plus other simple things.  Its going to have to basically take care of itself though.  It will get automatically watered by my inground system and it will get all day sunshine.  My dad and my mom would be happy.  I am under no illusion though that its going to be a great garden.  I do not have a green thumb.  Kathy and I are heading out to the garden centres this afternoon.  I am going to go talk to the people at Lyons...they are the ones who take care of my place.  It might be wiser to get them to build the boxes and fill them.  We'll see.

Well I best get my day started.  Kevin suggested that to make walking more interesting and easier to get to, (I hate walking...shovel list big time) I should download pod casts on my phone and listen to them as I walk.  He suggested one called Serial.  Its about a murder and its about ten or twelve episodes long, a page turner!  Each episode is about 45 minutes and you must NOT listen to them at home in your comfy chair.  It makes you want to get out there and walk so you can hear the next segment.  So I shall put on my giant uncool headphones and go awalkin' in a much better frame of mind!  TTYL  (as usual all the pictures are totally out of order...stupid blog)

EASTER EGG HUNTING

THE FINISHED CAKE

HUNTING

LOOT

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COEN AND AINSLEY...SOCCER PLAYERS

MAKING THE CAKE

CARVING THE HAM....MY SCALLOPED TATERS  (REALLY ITS SOUPED UP BETTY CROCKER...BEST SCALLOPED POTATOES MONEY CAN BUY...WAY WAY WAY BETTER THAN ANY YOU MAKE  FROM SCRATCH)

SO PRETTY!!!

FALLING DOWN ON MY JOB

I see its been five days since I posted.  I haven't even been that busy!  I did do some housework and laundry getting ready for company.

Kevin and Tandy arrived yesterday (Friday) for the Easter weekend.  I was out shopping.  I popped into the bulk barn for candy!  As is our tradition the Bootles and company and ourselves will be making a train cake.  We have been doing this since April and Dorothy (April babies) were tiny.

We make or buy about six loaf pan cakes, cover a long board with tin foil and make a train.  Some years the cake is splendiferous and some years maybe not so much.  Last year, at Kathy's, one of the younger decorators had a vicious cold, runny nose, hacking cough etc and by the end of two weeks we all had it.  So this year Kathy, who is responsible for the actual cakes, bought small loaf tins and each person gets their own little train car to decorate.  And I bought about eight bags of candy from bulk barn and I shall dole out each of their candy choices.  That way we all keep our germs to ourselves!  We are doing that later today.

Today I also am making a massive pan of scalloped potatoes, coleslaw a la Paula Deen, and icing.  I hope I remember how to make my butter icing.  It has literally been years since I made it.  Icing sugar in a bag doesn't go bad does it?

I have the kids today.  Last night at dinner K&T asked if I minded keeping the kids while they drove back to Penticton.  They unexpectedly got an appointment to see a house for rent in Penticton.  They live in Ok Falls, but with both the kids attending a school in Penticton, the driving has become too expensive.  Plus Tandy is looking for work in town and that would mean they would have to get another car.  Rentals are almost non existent in Penticton.  So they drove all the way back last night.  And I just got a call from Kevin.  The house got rented by someone else this morning at nine.  They never even got to see it!!  So Kevin is heading back right now.  Tandy is staying home.  She has exams next week so she is going to study.

So I am going to trundle along now (in my Mother's famous words) and get chopping, mixing and measuring.  The kids are suspiciously silent right now.  I think they figured out how to find something on tv to watch, not something they do very often!  I shall take some pics this weekend and report back.  TTYL

DRUNKY MOMS AT LUNCH AND DRUNKY MOMS AT THE PUB

It was definitely a week of drunky moms!!!  Some good and some bad.

On Friday I met my friend Kathy (not my sister) for lunch at Mr. Mikes.  We ordered our food and were well into our gossip session when we noticed a taxi pull up outside and spill out a very young mom and two cute little girls.  They were seated right beside us.  It didn't take long for us to notice that mom was somewhat four sheets to the wind and really really loud and inappropriate.  The first thing to arrive at the table was a huge giant beer, shortly followed by a tequilla shot then a cup of crayons and colouring books.  She tossed back those drinks lickety split!

About a noisy fifteen minutes later another taxi pulled up and a very large rolly polly super underdressed (a lot of skin and tattoos showing) lady (and I use that term loosely) rolled out and came in and joined Drunky.  God! they were so loud!!!  Kathy and I could hardly hear each other.  The kids were amazing.  And they pounded down the drinks...they had switched to bellinis.  At one point Drunky got up to go to the loo and if a half wall had not been right there she would have totally bailed.  As Kathy and I were wrapping it up and paying our bills etc...Drunky suddenly hollered over to me, "Oh my Gawd, I love your hair.  I just can't take my eyes of you!!!  Its so awesome...blah blah blah"  Jesus Murphy!!  So embarrassing.  We got out of there.  I DO NOT like drunk people.

Monte and crew went down to Squamish to play in the brewery.  April and Myles went and I guess the band was really good!  It was so cool for Monte to have his sister see him play!!  They got home safe and sound Sat. night.  I didn't see him.

  I went down to sister Kathy's and we headed out to Gurdeep's place, where over the next hour about twelve sober lovely ladies arrived.  Around nine we headed over to a pub nearby where one of the lady's husband's band was playing.  And they were amazing.  They were a cover band and they played all those oldies that we all love.  Jeez, did we ever have fun.  Those lovely sober ladies weren't sober for long!  Except for Kathy, Gurdeep and I, they all got hilariously tipsy and sooooo funny.  We closed the place down!

Kathy and I gave a couple of ladies a ride home as they lived up near Kathy and I took one of them in my jeep from Kathy's place to drive home up by me.  We got to her place around 12:30 - 1:00 am.  I pulled up outside her house, foot on brake and prepared to say nice meeting you, bye bye now.  But...she did not get out of the jeep.  She started to tell me about her house, then her dog, then the guys that park illegally to car pool to the mine, then how everyone has illegal suites, blah blah blah.  Finally I put the jeep in park, then I shut off the heat, then I opened the windows, then I fixed the time on the clock.....and she just talked and talked and talked...drunkenly, slurring her words.  Finally I told her I had to go.  It was ten after two. Oh Lordy!!!  What a fun crazy night!

Yesterday I met Anne at Milestones.  That was the second time in two days I was in Milestones.  Friday night I met with my school group of friends.  There were about fifteen of us and I had the best time.  What a lovely bunch of people.  Trouble is though its so loud in there.  Its hard to hear everything but we still had a blast. 

 And...we all ordered and after one hour we still didn't have our food.  So we asked our server and she sent the manager over.  He was very polite and apologetic.  Ten minutes later our food arrived.  We didn't mind too much.  The delay gave us all time to catch up.  And when our bills arrived, he had cut them all in half!!!!  My 24 dollar dinner became 12.  I was happy! 

And yesterday at ten in the morning I met Anne for brunch.  We sat there for three hours!  The food was great and we talked non stop as usual.  We never ever run out of stuff to talk about.

Now after all that eating I am back to intermittent fasting.  My blood sugar went up a little but it would come right back down again.  The secret is to not skip testing...even when you know its going to be up.

Now its Monday.  I am going to get my paper work done if it kills me.  TTYL

BIG HAIR PROBLEMS shovel list to the power of infinity

Two things...signs and expensive hair salons.

Firstly:  Signs.  I couldn't make a final decision to actually take the step to cut my hair.  I decided to wait one week and if in that week someone make a complimentary comment on my hair I would not cut it.  I haven't had a comment made about my hair from the public for a long time.  I think I am beginning to look like a demented old lady and scaring people off.

Well, the very next day I was in the bank and this awesome old lady teller (probably younger than me) was helping me and as we waited for a manager, she goes " Wow!  I really like your hair! Don't you ever change it!!!"  Seriously!  Hahaha!! So I told her about what I was tentatively planning but now, because of what she just said, I would not be cutting it!

But the top needs trimming and curling.  So after perusing all the beauty salon choices, I picked one pretentiously called "Ra".  I picked it because it listed spiral perms as something they do.  Off I go and as I was walking toward the magnificent venue, and it was magnificent, I remembered something.  The beauticians that work in higher end salons don't like frowzy afro dry over permed hair.  The Vietnamese salon I attended in Vancouver would perm my hair if they knew for a fact that I would end up bald.  But salon 'technicians' don't do that.  

And sure enough.  I got the big talk, the clucking tongue, the gentle criticism of the last person to do my hair, and finally "Well in all good consciousness I cannot put my name to a perm on you.  Its like a chef will not put his name to an inferior dish...it is not good for one's reputation."  FRIGGIT!!!!  So after a lot of critical chit chat I left.  So I went up to a place up the hill and I could have probably got someone 'inferior' perm it anyway, but I didn't.  I bought old fashioned curlers, little tiny ones. I shall be doing the curl thing old school.  sigh

Monte's band is rehearsing downstairs right now.  Loud!!!  And they are sooooo good.  Its amazing how good they are.  The lead singer is can really sing and has written some awesome music.  They are playing in Squamish this weekend.  Monte was at a piano lesson tonight and didn't get home until about a half hour after the drummer arrived.  I invited him in and we had a fantastic conversation.  He is about my age.  It seems so funny to have such an oldster playing with them.  They are a very different bunch of guys.  Big small long hair short hair old young country pop......interesting.

Well its a food day tomorrow.  I am meeting my friend Kathy Smith for lunch at 11:30 at Mr. Mikes.  Then I have supper with my high school group at Milestones at six.

Jeez I typed this the other day and forgot to hit post!  Sorry!  TTYL  (I am typing up a new one as we speak)

I HAVE MAGICAL SYBLINGS

I am not sure if I mentioned that I signed up for a trip the end of May.  Its an escorted tour, with a guide.  The tour is through a local travel company.  It is a "Mystery Tour".  Nine days.  Thats all we know.  They did give us seven clues and we do know that we don't need our passports.  I think I have figured out a couple of the clues but none of my fellow travellers want to know!

 Kathy and Kerry and a couple of their friends are going and they asked if I would like to go to.  Which of course I leapt at the chance.  I put a small deposit on it and the balance, which is pretty considerable given I am going as a single, was due this week.

Yesterday I got a message from my amazing sister that she and Kerry and my brother and his wife paid for my trip.  I immediately burst into tears and sat in my chair and could not believe it!!!  What a generous amazing gift.  They wanted to thank me for the use of the Maui condo...as if they needed to do that!!!!  I was just so happy for them to use it.  I didn't need a thank you!  What a generous awesome thing to do.  And right now, due to investments etc... I am totally short on cash flow so this couldn't have happened at a better time.  Such a huge relief...they will never know just how much.  I'm still in shock!

Yesterday was a lot of fun.  I picked up Kathy and we headed down to the Kiwanis meeting.  As it turned out, a really good one.  It feels good to be with a group of awesome people whose only purpose is to make money to help kids, one way or the other.  It isn't easy.  It takes a lot of dedication and planning, but in the end there are so many things out there that depend on public money.

After the meeting we went to a drugstore and bought anti wrinkle cream.  She doesn't need it.  She hasn't got even one wrinkle on her face.  And as April so eloquently put it when I told her, "Mom, its way too late for you!"  Hahaha!!!  Then we hit Save-on.  Love that store!!  Wish I was eating more.  I always have such a good time with Kathy.  She is a lot of fun.  We were in there forever!  At least three quarters of the time I was walking around, pushing the buggy with my elbow, whilst I was on the phone with April!  

Well I still haven't got my papers done.  They are still sitting in the dining room in a giant rubber maid.  Sigh.  Not my fave job.  But I am going to solicit Monte's help.  I will sort and he can file.  (shovel list shovel list shovel list)

We did a fun thing last night.  I had Monte buy some green coffee beans from his friend down at Zacks.  Monte used to roast coffee in Port Alberni when he lived there.  So he hauled out the box that held everything.  He uses a pop corn popper and he's really good at getting it exactly roasted to the perfect roast.  So he did exactly that.  He roasted up some beans then ground them up.  I can honestly tell you that those coffee grounds were the best smelling coffee grounds I have ever smelled!!!  He also has one of those Italian coffee pots you use on the stove.  He made me the best tasting espresso I have ever had!  We will sure be doing that over and over!!!  It was so fast and easy and delicious!!!!

He just came upstairs and caught me listening to a Bjork song.  He loves Bjork (B Jerk I call her).  I hate her.  But I really like this one song she does.  I didn't want him to know actually.  No encouraging the B Jerk in this house.  He was off to have a quick (ya right) coffee with his friend and then he is coming home to help with the paper work.  TTYL

THE ROASTING

THE GREEN BEANS

I WISH I HAD SMELLOPICTURES!

MAKING IT.  NOTE THE DIRTY FILTHY STOVE...IT WON'T COME CLEAN...I HATE THIS STOVE

THE WEENIE DRANK HIS WITH CREAM AND SPLENDA...I TOOK MINE STRAIGHT UP

ANOTHER QUOTE...WHAT THE HECK

Like I said before I am not one for memes or quotes etc.   Somehow they all just end up too cutesy entirely and they all say the same thing.  Its like all diets...its just various forms of the same thing...cut the carbs.  Memes and quotes are always telling you to buck up, believe in yourself, be kind to others, quit whining blah blah blah.  But I was watching a cop show the other day and I heard an awesome quote used.  The quote was from Mike Tyson...."Everybody has a plan, until they get  punched in the face."  Hahahaha!!!  I thought that said it all.  Be ready for those punches cuz its all in how you deal with them that determines your successes.  Love it!

Kathy and I went to the hockey game last night.  The Blazers are in the playoffs which start in two weeks.  Last night they played the Vancouver Giants and won their seventh game in a row.  The audience was crazy!  All those old men screaming at the players...so funny!  And the bus ride down and back was hilarious!  Its just so much healthy fun!

Monte has been cooking lately.  I think he is being influenced by a couple of his new friends.  One is cooking up a new menu for Zack's, a popular local coffee establishment and the other is a chef at the Plaza...an upscale restaurant...the white tablecloth kind.

So  Monte has been putting together pasta dishes....really odd but delicious ones.  The last one was fresh pasta, mixed with chopped calamatta olives,  capers, anchovies, onions, garlic, kale and chopped fresh tomatoes.  Delicious!  I'm trying not to eat too much and he's making it hard!  And....he cleans the kitchen after!

Well I solved the ticket dilemma.  I saw Shannon's suggestion and I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I'm a weenie!  Hahaha!!..so I ordered two more and this time I made them printable.  In the meantime if I find the other ones they can take two friends with them.  Stupid me.  This is what happens when your papers are not organized.  I even have a lovely filing cabinet.  No excuses.

Well I gotta bounce.  Monte is on his way back from brunch at the Plaza...la dee da!!  His chef friend (and band mate) fed him brunch for free and in return Monte is making a thrift store/recycling dump run for him with his van.  Sometimes I wish at least one or two of his buddies had their own vehicles.  When he gets here we are moving my file cabinet upstairs to my purple room.  No more disorganization!  TTYL

WEEZER SCHMEEZER....DAMN TICKETS

I can't find those damned tickets.  I know they came in the mail.  And I KNOW I put them in my dresser drawer.  And they ARE NOT THERE!

I took a huge giant rubber maid and I have sifted through every single piece of paper on the main floor of this house.  That rubber maid is full.  How is it they can just disappear like that?  I never ever throw out paper.  Ever.  I cannot lay eyes on them.

And once again it is approaching tax time.  I hate this time of year.  I have a huge myriad of papers to find....mortgages, house sales, t5's or 4's or something, charity contributions blah blah blah.
(SHOVEL LIST BIG TIME)  Oh well I have been saying for a while now I am going to organize my papers. Hmmm...I wonder if I threw the Weezer tickets in their envelope in my seldom used purse.  I shall have to go look.

Monte and I built some plastic push together shelves this morning.  You should have seen us.  Honestly!  Humans are so reactively stupid sometimes.  First we look at the instructions and start exclaiming...OMG!!!  These are the worst instructions I have ever seen!!!!  Then we become absolutely convinced there are pieces missing.  Next its some of the pieces are the wrong ones.  Then for sure at least one of them is broken.  Jeez!!  And the whole freaking time we are panicking we are putting it together perfectly.  Anyway, the shelf is now neatly placed out in the garage with all my shoes and boots on it.  Well not all.  I am missing four odd shoes.  God only knows where they are.

I forgot to mention that Clare did call and Monte and I met him and Tish at the Rusty Gull for lunch.  It was wonderful!  Its always so good to see them and they are looking so well and happy.  One thing.....just as we sat down with them at our table, a song started playing on the sound system.  It was "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes...one of Bill's all time favourite songs.  In fact it was one of the first songs on his funeral playlist.  We are pretty sure that Spod has chosen music to send us his love.  I told him it should be marshmallows, our family's safety word, but I think it is music.  Its happened too many times with different songs he loved being played at really significant moments.

So, I am going to close out with an apology and two pictures.  My apologies to Shannon and Cookie.  The trip was so sudden and I was pretty much puky through the whole thing, except for the last day.  I think I ate ten gravol.  And the pictures are explained beneath them.  TTYL

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS MY AWESOME SISTER GAE ME

TYNE DALY...MY FAVE ACTRESS...I AM GETTING MY HAIR CUT JUST LIKE THIS

I LOVE THIS HAIR CUT

CHANGE IS GOOD

I heard through the grapevine that the purple on black was hard on the eyes.  At least one person I know thought that!  So in their honour, I am changing the background on my blog...just for him!!!

On Friday I got a couple of texts from April.  Both she and Myles were having days from hell...for one reason or another.  They both worked that day and things were happening etc...So I offered for them to not come up that night.  I didn't want them to worry about disappointing me and it being a big chore, a tiring one.

So, instead, I offered to come down instead.  Monte was coming down Sat. anyway and I could hitch a ride with him, and stay at the North Vancouver Hotel...my fave home away from home.  They graciously accepted my offer!

Well, at about three in the morning I got violently nauseated.  Man I HATE nausea.  I lose my will to live immediately!  And this was a doozy!  I took a very strong gravol and froze into my chair, not moving and waited for it to kick in.  It did sort of and I fell asleep.  This happens periodically, it has all my life, so annoying and definitely on the top of my shovel list. 

But this time it wasn't gone when I woke up in the morning.  Damn!!!  I bumbled around and packed and found crap I was supposed bring down to them (life straw, xmas card, dream catcher, GST cheque (april's), her ipod and Weezer tickets)  I found it all except the Weezer tickets...its a sign...Weezer sucks.  I quickly packed two shirts and underwear and thats about it.  And you know what?  I actually got out to the van and realized I hadn't packed my lappy or cords.  Holy Jeez!!!  I was seriously off my game!

I shut my eyes all the way to Vancouver, minus ten McD stops for bathrooms.  I gotta mention something here.

Monte is a brake rider.  You know.  One of those people that uses his brake every ten seconds to slow down for corners or vehicles in front of him etc....  I remember when I first started driving an automatic, through the canyon before the Coqu was built.  And I took great pride making it from the last light on the highway in Kamloops all the way to Hope without once touching my brakes.  We used to call brake riders "Albertan drivers" in a most disrespectful way!  (Sorry Albertans...well, not really hahaha)

  So on the way home tomorrow I am going to teach him how to do that.  Once I drove our big diesel truck from Van to Kamloops when it had NO brakes.  But it was a standard and thats pretty easy to do.  But the guy at the dealer ship, even after I warned him, drove it right through the lot fence.  Hahahaha!!!

I checked into the hotel and Monte was off to his buddy's place.  April came down to the hotel and we spent the next few hours lounging and gossiping.  We had sooooo much to talk about and catch up on.  It was just awesome.  I had taken another gravol by then and was pretty drowsy but it was a wonderful few hours.

Yesterday (Sunday) April picked me up mid morning and I spent the day laying on their comfy couch under a warm fuzzy blanket and we watched the race (Nascar)  Bliss!!!!  Then around six we went over to On Lok the best Chinese food restaurant ever, on Broadway, and had a spectacular meal.  I couldn't eat much so we brought tons home and we shall be dining on that tonight!  I feel 100% better today.  Monte is due over here for a quick lunch visit any time now.  He is bringing sushi.  I checked my blood sugar and its still in the 4's so maybe my type 11 is going away.  They say it is curable if you just cut out the unnecessary carbs.

I got a quick text from Kevin, I haven't found out how or what he did, but the travel insurance is going to cover all his costs after all.  Thank goodness!!!  I thought we were going to have a big fight on our hands.  I will be interested to see who he called first.  Probably his insurance agent.

Well, gotta bounce.  Well actually I don't but this is getting too long and boring.  Hope you enjoy the new background!!!!!   TTYL

PS:  I am trying to get hold of Claire (I always spell his name wrong...Sorry Clare!)  No answer but I left a message.  Monte and I are hoping to have lunch with you tomorrow!  Its been way too long since we have seen you!  I will try phoning tonight too.

CRANKY

I am.  Cranky.  Sometimes I just get irritated and scathing about everything.  I almost ripped the door off the dryer a few minutes ago.  Stupid frigging thing.  No matter what I was throwing into the dryer it got hooked on the door, or fell on the floor, or hung halfway in.  I was cursing and swearing, grabbed the damn dryer door and started to shake it...then realized what I was doing and stopped.  Stupid thing.

Then I was trying to fold the clothes but no matter what I did they wouldn't turn inside right, or come together smoothly ready to be folded, or statically clung to EVERYTHING or gave me a giant shock.  So I grabbed the whole load and threw it all over the room.  It all landed everywhere, on the rabbit cage (and he immediately started to chew a hole in my tights through the bars, stupid rabbit) all over the beds, and....all over the ladder shelf in there.  On the top was an open container holding about a thousand pounds of rabbit food, (stupid rabbit) and that food sprayed everywhere....all over the room. Oh My God!!!  Epic mess.  I need a cigarette.  Or maybe a heavily carbed meal.  Sigh.

Yesterday was a good day though.  I picked Kathy and Kerry up from the airport.  So good to see them again!!!!  And to top it off they brought suitcases full of things I want to keep from the condo in Maui.  It was awesome to see those glass gekkos, and my shells, and my sea glass, and my bamboo lamp, and my tiles etc....  so awesome!!  I have decided to paint the main bathroom  a seafoamy colour and turn it into a Maui bathroom.  Like a mini condo piece.  I think I might even hang Tom up in there!!!

When I got home I figured out how to set skype up on my lappy and messaged Emily to let her know. She skyped me right away and we spent the next three hours catching up on newsies and discussing important things!  It was so awesome to visit with her.  I don't know why we didn't do this sooner!!!  Such a good visit and whats really cool is that she knows every single person Monte has become friends with here in Kamloops.  I can't wait til she comes home!

Well, April and Myles are wending their way up here later today.  And they are another couple of people I miss a lot.  We do talk on the phone but its not the same as molecule blending.  Their room is all made up and ready for them.

I got a pretty frantic phone call from a frantic Kevin last night....and I don't blame him.  While he was in Maui he was getting pretty severe chest pains.  He had a three hour visit at the hospital and an x-ray.  He was with the doctor for two minutes.  Yesterday he got a bill....the travel insurance his insurance provider sold him would cover the 59 dollar x-ray but he would have to pay the hospital the 6,000 dollar bill!!!!!  Are you effing kidding me????!!!!  What the hell is travel insurance for?  I would be in that insurance place that sold me that policy and I would go down their throat and out their a**hole for selling me a piece of bogus goods.  Jeez, April was in the hospital in Mexico for half a week and had a million tests done and didn't have to pay a cent!  So I told him for sure to not pay it until all avenues are exhausted.  He couldn't anyway.  Simply put, he hasn't got the money.  Not now, not ever.  Okay, now I am mad all over again.  (shovel list).

Speaking of shovel list, if I ever put bucket list, know that it is a mistake and in your mind change it to shovel.  I do not have a bucket list at this time, and happy not to.  I go now.  Too cranky to write anymore.  TTYL

HAH!!! I WAS RIGHT

I was dead right.  I knew if I just waited it out my face would cure itself.  I just didn't figure it out fast enough.  Yesterday morning I rolled out of chair and pulled on my boots.  I fed Emma, put Molly out, put Emma out and headed out the door by seven thirty.  I got to the doctor before it even opened.  In I go, remove my boots, walk five feet to the desk, she writes my name down and I am done.  I wasn't in there even two minutes.  "Come back at 12:15"  Okay.  Sigh.

So I headed home, showered, did more on my closet then headed back down at 11:30.  This method always irks me but I do get an appointment the same day.  But, I noticed as soon as I got home that my baseball size lump had reduced down to a couple of marbles and didn't really hurt anymore.  CRAP!!!!  If I had noticed earlier I would not have gone in.

But I did and now I am kind of glad I did.  He gave me the overall and then checked my face.  My blood pressure is now down to 130 over 65.  My blood sugar is a steady 4.3 with the occasional dip to 3.3.  I have lost another ten pounds.  And my face is definitely a blocked saliva gland which is getting better on its own.  Good, good, good and good!!  And he was friendly as hell.

But...before I was called in I was out in the waiting room with one other lady.  An older gentleman who beat the two of us in the door at eight am was in with the doctor.  As soon as you enter the place you have to remove your shoes.  There is a little place you put them and you put them back on when you leave.  Save germs or something.  So the only shoes that were there were the lady's that was waiting, mine, a gentleman's and over at another spot were three employee's shoes.

The old man came out of the doctors office and went to get his shoes.  And they were gone.  Completely gone!  We all looked and looked and looked everywhere.  They were slip on brown oxford Rockports...not cheap shoes.  He was very good natured about it but not happy really.  He ended up having to leave in his stocking feet with those disposable pull on booties.  The poor guy!

Today the colonoscopy nurse called and I did another interview.  She was so good and reassuring.  One clever thing I did was tell her I can't lay down without my hip seizing up.  I told her that even when I am under conscious sedation at the dentist I squirm around.  So she said that she would make a note of that with the dr. and maybe they can give me a little extra!!!  Yes!!!  Just what I wanted!!  Put me out people...the more the better!

So enough about me and my health.  Boring!!!  TTYL