Steve & Edie's Friday saga

No, not the singers from the 50's and 60's!

Well I almost did her in today. From the car to Shopper's to drop of Christmas photos and then walking through Circle Centre Mall to Zeller's for lunch must have been a 1/2 mile. I did let her rest on a bench about 1/2 way through though just in case anybody thinks I am trying to punish my Mother in law.

We got nail polish, slippers and pictures and a nice lunch. Here's one picture from Christmas dinner at Bob and Lura Mae's. Neil was taking pictures so he WAS there!

And Parker and Shawna stopped by earlier in the day......

Hmm, winter's day with my Mother in law

Well now that you have laughed or cringed it hasn't been as bad as I may imply. I took Colleen to work, had breakfast at Smiley's Buffet, and looked around Peavey Mart for Christmas markdowns. I have some more lights and stick on window decorations. Now to try to stay out of trouble. Hmm difficult? It depends on how charitable Colleen is feeling.

I keep noticing some of her, my Mother in law, not Colleen, forgetful things and then just when I am ready to add it to the tally of concern, I forget to put the gas cap on the car or forget why I went to the other room! Argh.

Okay don't broadcast this, but her tentativeness with almost all walking is more of a concern. Maybe not feeble, but at times close. Put that with frequent shakiness and the "Breeden sigh" I never know what I am going to encounter. I know there are no blog secrets so enjoy and be wary of judging someday you might be 83! JUST DON'T BE STUBBORN.

Have a great Day or evening depending on where you are.

Merry Christmas

I GOT MANDARIN LANGUAGE CDs LOOK OUT WORLD!!!

A nice day so far. We will be joining Elizabeth & Neil at Bob & Lura Mae's in late afternoon for Christmas Dinner. Fun will be had by all.

I trust you are all experiencing Christ's love today!

We hope to hear from the Belfast crowd soon.

December 23rd

Well Melissa is at Heathrow heading to Belfast in about 4 hours. I am headed to PA in a couple hours to get Colleen's Mom and bring her here for Christmas. I hope we hear from Jay and Julie. Haven't heard much since Sept. 29th, sigh!

For those of you that have a heaviness in your heart I am praying that you will be encouraged and you will be blessed with moments of happiness and joy.

I hope and trust that all who read this will remember that we celebrate this time of year due to the birth of Jesus. The excitement of a new life and the capacities of God's love for us are astonishing. Please revel in the wonder and amazement of the season, but also remember years later Jesus suffered and died on the cross because He loved us. The joy of a new birth is complemented by the joy of a love so great that He willingly accepted our punishment and died in our place.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas Decor at our house

A few things collected over the years
Angels basket, nativity lantern, three angels, snow globe
and one of my many light strings

Christmas at Lakeview Church

Chapter and Verse

 

Another week

Well another week, almost. pretty ordinary even though Colleen was away for 4 days visiting her sister Judy in Campbell River. Too bad they had almost as much snow as we do, but it may be melted or rained away in a few more days.

I got to attend another SaskTel Customer event tonight. A bit thought provoking to think I have been attending for more than 15 years! Hmm, more of those curious age realizations. I have made some wonderful business relationships over the years even though most of the people I see each Christmas have not had direct business with me. The personal dimensions speak well of many of the people in SaskTel and Saskatchewan. It sure builds my ego!

Well now to give more though to my weekend talk with my Power Hour small group. tomorrow night Zou and then Sunday morning Kids.

Wow December 2nd

What a mixture of things this week.

The realization that I have 3 work weeks left in 2006.

-25 and new snow 2 or 3 days in a row!!!!

The first weekend entering our new church through the Main Entry. It sure makes it warmer and as the previous pictures showed BIG.

This week one of my Aunts passed away. She was 79 and has lived in Ardmore OK the last few years with her daughter. It brings back the realization I miss my cousins. I love all my family in Canada, but sometimes the childhood family heartstrings ache. And to top it off my cousin, Kathy Carroll, said she, me and my cousin Dean Robertson are soon to be patriarchs of the family now. OUCH! Not yet 57 and a patriarch! She will be 59 in July. I used to think she was so much older than I was. Why she is still very young!

Now I'm not sure my Aunts Neva, Ruth and Avis and Uncle Fred would be so happy to be counted out, but I'm sure they are quite willing to see us pick up the family torch.

Well enough for now. I should be more involved getting Colleen ready to fly out to visit her sister in Campbell River tomorrow morning. We should be at the airport about 6:30. Did I mention the -25?

more snow more wind more driveway cleaning

What more to say. The snow is now 5 feet high on the side of the driveway!

And one for Sylvia (ok and Linda)

A few pictures from Lakeview Celebration. The first event in the newly finished Lobby

A few photos from tonight's Celebration at Lakeview Church

Ok Linda here you go

We went to visit Colleen's Mom in PA on Nov 11th.

Just another day

Well really there never is JUST another day. We need to realize each day is a blessing from God. Oh, there are some days that don't feel like a blessing, some days are a matter of choice not desire.

Today is a good day. Above freezing, warm office, car and food. All other things are a bonus.

Old but beautiful

Well she isn't really old, just having a Birthday. Today is Colleen's birthday. She got this bouquet

from her Mom yesterday afternoon.

Cold but beatiful

The blanket of snow creates a stillness.
The soft fluffy snow shows the smoothness and grace of God's creation. 

It warmed to -11

Just making a path to the alley and garbage. It is about 10 cm deep, light and fluffy! And COLD! 

YIKES -22 this morning

we should be able to declare the first -20+ day as vaction or sick day!

Sam at tea

Poppa Neil can't resist his youngest grandson. Sam is a few months younger than our Alexander.

Colleen's Birthday Tea

 

The last 14 hours

Well we now have 20 cm of snow and the first BIG driveway clearing behind us! Sorry no pictures. check out the web cam at http://webcam.usask.ca/bowl_big.html to see the beauty of it all.

Another day in sunny Saskatoon

hopefully the sun will come out melt the ice on the roads.

UP EARLY AND DON'T KNOW WHY

I trust all of you are well.

short update

We have been after Melissa to post so I will try to lead by example.

I have been trying to finish one project for a few days now Colleen has been trying to get me to finish for maybe 5 years! when I put it on top of everyday concerns for her health, Jay, Julie and Alex and Melissa it almost overwhelms me. Also I am not the world's best finish carpenter. Not the worst, but I like to do it myself and have the determination and not much skill. So it has taken me 3 years to get to where I MIGHT have the patience to use the skill I do have.

Oh please be praying for Lynn and Sylvia as they travel to Belfast, Ireland, oops Northern Ireland, to Jenn & Roger and David and Hilda with their mix of children and child to be. I think Jenn is due within the next couple weeks.

Saskatoon is a sheet of ice

Well this morning we had everything covered with a thin sheet of ice. Most has cleared now it is noon. I heard of several semi trailer trucks in the ditch and saw several bike riders picking themselves up after discovering that lateral stability is not good on ice!

Several years ago I talked with my friend Lee Barbour, engineering prof( now department Head), about bikes and cars winter stability. A bike has a better weight to contact surface ratio than a car, but the car wins with the protective cage and lateral stability every time!

It makes me desire Kaohsiung.

Saskatoon's first snow

 

The beauty of the first snow

 

The uglinesss of the first snow

 

The beauty of the first snow

 

Life continues on

Well like most people a few weeks fly by very easily when you are in the normal routine of work.

Get up go to work, come home, do stuff like get ready for winter, eat, sleep, care for each other, laundry, love, work and repeat as needed. Oh and MSN chat with Melissa often.

Then get ready for the next week or so which reminds me I am off to Mississauga for SCOD meetings next Friday and Saturday. I am the ??? on the Study Commission on Doctrine for the Free Methodist Church in Canada. It has forced me to think in a very differnt manner. Mind you a LOT of things in the lst 5-6 years have made me think in a different manner. I am almost too deep a thinker now! Alright some of you will laugh at me as a deep thinker. I hide it well at times.

Well that's it for now.

May God's peace fill each of you.

And remember to leave a comment even if it is only Hi I was here, but use your name!

Grandpa for 1 year!

We met at Moxie's for supper on friday night.

First there were gifts.

then there was mashed potatoes!

WE ARE HOME

A day late and so0me NW money ahead. Do I REALLY need to go in first thing in the morning??

The Adventure continues

The airline was over booked out of Detroit so we volunteered to be bumped. A VERY nice room at the Hilton suites, comfortable, but not elaborate, king size bed and a very good dinner. Hmm, now where will we go with the $600 in NWA travel voucher? We each got $300.

Oh and the wireless internet at the hotel helped rebook our pickup at home too. Too bad DTW, MSP and YXE don't have free access. They do have WiFi, but as far as I can tell you need to have a contract with a provider to look at anything other than their site.

Up at 7:45 to catch the shuttle and clear security for our 10:05 flight. I hope we sleep reasonably well tonight.

TTFN

Waiting in Osaka

Well we have the first leg well under way. We arrived at 11:30 local time in 2 hours and 1 minute from Taipei. Melissa is probably enjoying a good sleep at Chris and Nevada's about now.

We have had wonderful time, now we are in the endurance phase! We are here for just under 2 hours before we set out on the 13 or 14 hours to Detroit. Too bad we couldn't divert slightly south as we fly back through Alaska and the NWT. I think it would be worth learning to skydive.

Vending machine prices rival Saskatoon which is a shock after the much lower prices in Kaohsiung and Taipei. A 1 litre water bottle was often 15 or 20 $NT ($0.68) and it is 150 yen ($1.44) here! And when it is out of a product it seems to make a substitution for you. The woman didn't look too surprised!

Last night in Taiwan

We've had a great day and a half in Taipei. We went to Bongo's for dinner last night and had good poutine. Today Breakfast at Grandma Ditti's and lunch at the food court in the 101 Building. It was too rainy to bother going to the observation deck. In 12 hours I think we will be on the plane headed for Osaka, Detroit, Minneapolis and Saskatoon.

Thanks to all our hosts in Taiwan. It is like leaving family behind.

Last night in Kaohsiung

Well, I can hardly believe it.

We head to Taipei tomorrow to visit Chris and Nevada McKenzie and celebrate Melissa's 33rd birthday. On Saturday we hope to visit the 101 and a few other things while avoiding the protests related to upcoming elections.

Then on Sunday we will gain 14 hours. We leave Taipei at 8:15 in the morning and arrive in Saskatoon at 10:45 pm. About 35 hours of travel time including a 7 hour layover in Detroit! I'll go crazy just turning my watch back.

It has been FANTASTIC and very satisfying to meet so many of Melissa's friends and coworkers.

Our last Sunday at BCC

Colleen got to help with finding harnmony during worship practise.


It has been great to get to know Melissa's church family.

They have lunch each Sunday after church.
I though some would appreciate hearing part of one worship song. Sorry for the amatuer recording. 

Dr. Wu, Melissa's Mentor and Guardian

Dr. Wu invited us for lunch. Another elegant hotel and fantastic meal. We are being hosted as royalty. Mind you Dr. Wu did say Melissa will be the Queen of the foreigners! And that her busines card should say Social Entrepeneur.














Dr. Wu presented us with a lovely fruit basket. And had wonderful words to say about Melissa.




We are privileged to present 2 Saskatchewan scenes to him in appreciation for his support and encourgemetn to Melissa. 

International Coffee Morning

Melissa is involved with an international coffee morning that meets monthly. It was a very elegant fruit and cake presentation in the Howard Plaza Hotel.











We were in a room at one end of the Unicorn Hall. Coffee and other beverages were in the main hall.











I was the only man! Some times there are men, but I can understand why some men would be a bit intimidated. Look at the power and beauty at this table!










This week Marilyn, standing, brought card making kits to purchase and practise. Mine was very basic.



And of course this appers to be one more thing Melissa has discovered and ended up one of the major organizers. It is a great connection to the business community though.