Word Play

My Uncle posted this on FB and I thought it was clever. Enjoy!


1. ARBITRATOR: A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonald's

2. AVOIDABLE: What a bullfighter tries to do

3. BERNADETTE: The act of torching a mortgage

4. BURGLARIZE: What a crook sees with

5. CONTROL: A short, ugly inmate 

6. COUNTERFEITERS: Workers who put together kitchen cabinets

7. ECLIPSE: What an English barber does for a living

8. EYEDROPPER: A clumsy ophthalmologist

9. HEROES: What a guy in a boat does

10. LEFTBANK: What the robber did when his bag was full of money 

11. MISTY: How golfers create divots

12. PARADOX: Two physicians!

13. PARASITES: What you see from the top of the Eiffel Tower 

14. PHARMACIST: A helper on the farm

15. POLARIZE: What penguins see with

16. PRIMATE: Removing your spouse from in front of the TV

17. RELIEF: What trees do in the spring

18. RUBBERNECK: What you do to relax your wife

19. SELFISH: What the owner of a seafood store does

20. SUDAFED: Brought litigation against a government official

A Post of the Tired Mind

I was just sitting here, thinking about how tired I am. Two of my students transfered their lessons to Thursday so I have an hour to sit and relax. And I think I need it. My only wish is that Jesse were home from work. Soon, though. :-)

I am thankful I have something to be tired from. And of course,

If you must have motivation, think of your pay check on Friday. -- Noel Coward 

(My inspirational quote of the day.)

Here's another one:

We can only learn to love by loving. -- Iris Murdoch

Btw, if you hadn't noticed already, my sister Hannah is getting married on June 2nd. It's going to be a red letter day!

Excuses... excuses

Once upon a time 

there was a girl who decided

 she wasn't busy enough

 and took on more work. 

She works at the Pharmasave, she works at home, she works at the theatre and she also bakes cookies. She has no time for things like writing blog posts or keeping up online or writing letters or scrapbooking or practicing the piano.

To top everything off, her beautiful sister

 decided to get married

at the beginningof June 

and wedding planning was added to the mix. 

So, the authoress doesn't mean to be rude by not updating about her life. It's merely a matter of being really, really, really, really busy. 

(P.S. She still has time for Jesse.)

(And Snow.)

Pictures of Adorable Siblings

We went to see them. Oh yes, we did.

It was a good visit.

I know ya'll wanted to know what Uriah's tongue looks like.

Jesse enchanted them with his music. 

He always does.

Sara and Ruth thought it was good enough to dance to.

Little girls should always dance....

Cilla was leery of my camera but I won her over.

She has a beautiful smile!

Because there was company, the kids got all rowdy.

Here is The Horse (Zeke) and the three Lone Rangers (Ruth, Sara and Uriah).

The day we went up, a book came in about Saskatchewan. It was for kids and I knew my little sisters would like it. Sara finally got it away from Ruth and is being all studious. :-)

Two Thousand Years Ago

....a man named Jesus was born. He lived what He taught. He was loved because He was love. He was hated because he interrupted the comforts of every religion. He was killed because of humanity. He rose again because Death had not the strength to imprison Love. He ascended because He reached farther than the Universe. He lives on without beginning or end because He is unfathomable.

Amen.

General Awesomeness

Today I am thankful. There is so much in my life that makes my heart glad. To be honest, I had my "complaining" days lately. During the past week... well, let's just leave it at: I am not a good sick person. :-) However, being a fair-weather person is not something I like to be and when Tuesday rolled around with me feeling like a walking skeleton, I decided to begin a "What I am Thankful For" post; because there are so many reasons to be thankful for in any state of being. This is the completion of that post. It took awhile to evolve. :-)  

I am thankful for God. He is magnificent. He never ends. There is always More of him. He forces me to think for myself and to become a stronger, deeper person. As each day passes, I find myself more entwined with his presence and the excellence of his spirit. In some ways, it is the easiest thing in the world; it also can be incredibly difficult to cast away my fears and embrace Love. But I know that nothing is impossible. There is so much to say about God but I think I will leave it at that.

I am thankful for Jesse. When we first began our relationship, I feared that our love for each other was only a passing fancy. It didn't feel like a passing fancy but how can you know? I learned very quickly that a relationship can only move forward if each has complete faith in the other. Jesse has proven himself in every way possible. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me... and guess what? He says the same about me. Our love grows stronger, deeper, fuller each day. When Jesse asked if we could date, he told me that he felt our meeting and getting to know each other was no accident: we were meant to be together. I believe this with all my heart: God hand-picked us for each other.

I am thankful for our house: it's old; it's meandering; it's home. The kitchen is over a century. Someone who has lived in our neighborhood for 40 years came into the store the other day and I asked him when the renovations took place. He thought for awhile, then he said that they took about 20 - 30 years to complete. I can see why. They are extensive. I love everything about our house... well, minus the leaks in the bedroom and office. Lol. I've been awakened by water dripping on my hand.

I am thankful for my jobs: piano/voice teacher and part-time receptionist at the local Pharmasave. My studio is here at home. I teach 15 students, three days a week. They are the light of my life and the balm of my soul. I love their imperfections, their joys and griefs... I love how each week brings a new challenge in teaching them. I help them and they help me. All of us have become better musicians... not just them. :-) Teaching music and voice has definitely been the most difficult task I have ever undertaken. I think about my students constantly. I plan lessons. I send kids to festival. I advise them to attend The Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party. I study instruction books to see which ones I like or dislike. But it isn't the teaching that is the hardest part. The hardest part is getting to know my students: I care and I get involved. They are all my friends. I respect them and they respect me. It's exhausting but it's the most rewarding, beautiful thing I have ever been involved in. :-)

Pharmasave has been a really great experience. Plus: I have the best bosses, managers and co-workers. Plus: I have learned so much. Downside: standing on concrete for 8 hours a day kills my knees, back, neck, etc, etc. Plus: I really hope to be working there for a few years (or until our kids come along).
 Pharmasave has actually become a second home to me and my coworkers have become second family. They are all like sisters. We vary greatly, we have different problems and we handle our different problems in different ways. But we all have the same goals. I suppose I could admit to Pharmasave being a bit of an exclusive club: if you're really lucky, you get in. ;-) (Actually, if you're a pleasant person who isn't afraid of hard work, we'd probably allow you a membership!)

I am thankful for good health: this morning, I woke up feeling... good. I've been sick for two weeks. Not the kind of sick that has you laying in bed (though there were a few days of that) but the kind of sick that you notice. Lack of energy, headaches, diarrhea, dehydration, etc., etc. The great thing about being sick is how much you enjoy being well afterwards. Lol. Today is one of those days. It's like, "YES! I can teach 7 students today. Bring 'em on!" I am eating healthy and taking walks and drinking lots of water and cranberry juice... ahhh. :-)

Between these things and every small circumstance that makes up my life, I am awesome. God is awesome. The cat is awesome. (Some days.) (I shall write more about him later.)

Life. I shall enjoy it while I have it. :-)

a Post of MaNY ThinGs

[Note: this post contains a series of comments regarding flu symptoms that I knew you would want to read all about. Enjoy!]

Instead of many words, the month of March showed my life in a series of pictures. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed the challenge of finding something unique to take a picture of. Actually, not only unique in subject; shape, composition, angle, size, color and many other things that make up a good photograph made it a good month for me and my camera.

The big question now is: will I decide to take another photo challenge in April? The answer is... I don't know. ;-)

There are a couple reasons I am hesitating but mostly, the problem is that my energy level is way down because of this cold/flu. Sam had it first, then Di; Jesse got it next... and of course, I was the last in line. Jesse was getting well by the time I got it. I don't think I have it as badly as any of the other three. I have no idea about Sam's symptoms, but Di and Jesse were coughing badly, had a fever, no strength whatsoever, etc, etc. They were so sick. There was a day when I thought I was going to have to take Jesse to the hospital. But he started getting better and he is on the tail-end of it now.

As I said, I didn't get it as badly. Part of that is due to my overdosing of oregano oil, vitamin D and ginseng. I don't have the cough, thank goodness! But there is an down side to my version of this: my symptoms seem to come and go as they please. For instance, a week ago Thursday, I started feeling sick. I was sick until Monday night, then I suddenly felt better and was improving until Friday. Suddenly, in the afternoon, my air was cut off. I could not get my throat to open up. I was wheezing and coughing and could not catch my breath. Between Jen and myself, we got it fixed (luckily, I was at work). Saturday, I was feeling much better... even great. Sunday, I was sick all day. All solids and fluids were through me in a flash. I was getting dehydrated. I managed to stop the flow by evening and come morning, there I was: feeling GREAT. All morning, I was feeling awesome. Noon rolled around and suddenly, I was feeling horrible. It felt like I got slugged in the stomach. Stuff was going through me again... I had to leave work at 1 pm and go home. I was so disappointed.

But I have decided that there are a couple ways of dealing with this. I could complain and moan. I could just think about myself. I could ask God, "Why?" Or, I can be thankful for the rest... the chance to read... the ability to write blog posts and share my little universe with people across the world... I can trust that He doeth all things well.... I can be full of faith and love in this very moment... I can rest content in His love for me. I think I'll choose the "Or" option. :-)

...even the very hairs on your head are all numbered... 

Because of the past week or so, I have been able to do a lot of reading. I finished "The Golden Compass" trilogy and "The Hunger Games" trilogy. I found both series to be amazing in their own way. "The Golden Compass" is written from an atheist/agnostic perspective. While I certainly did not agree with some of his theories, I did carefully consider what he had to say. I really enjoyed The Dust. I have had a similar theory for a couple years because I see colors. People, living objects, sounds/tones all have different colors. I feel that these colors come from their souls or spirits. These colors are the equivalent, or at least have similarities to Pullman's Dust. But there is one major difference in our beliefs: I believe God is in Dust or the colors (or whatever you wish to call it). Pullman does not. I believe that God is an Infinite Being with no beginning or end. Pullman teaches... well, the exactly opposite.

I did agree with his view of religion and the Church: both have been the destruction of many souls... snuffing out life after life. Is this to say that The Church is at fault? Partially. But it is up to us, as human beings, to seek out Truth. People can order us about, confiscate, bully, manipulate, try to hide the inside of the tomb or whatever they choose to do. However, I think it is easier to follow orders than to seek our way to God and Truth. When it's just me and God having a chat in eternity, I will not be able to say, "He/she/it made me do that." No, it was MY choice. It was MY choice to sit around helplessly and let people tell me what to do or to learn to walk on my own. It was MY choice to allow the abuse or to stand up for what was right. MY choice to remain in a bad situation or move on. MY choice to react in anger or in love. No one made me do anything. God didn't even make me do anything. He threw open doors, even pushed me a bit. But in the end, it was up to me to make the decision. Such is a scary realization. This is why people do not want to think for themselves: the responsibility of freedom feels threatening. That is why the Church, religion or even our communities and our homes, have so much power. But only because we allow it.

And Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me....

Just to clarify, just as I have a right to make decisions means that other human beings do as well. They may hold beliefs that I do not agree with at all. That does not mean that I judge them or do not take them seriously. I change my mind all the time. That means that I used to be wrong or may be wrong now. So, I expect others to have different ideas than I do, or wrong ideas. I respect the learning process... I must admit that I respect it more for having been there so many times myself.

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

The Hunger Games was quite a reading experience. They're brutal. If it had not been for the overlapping theme of Hope, getting through them would have been even more difficult. I don't want to give too much away because I want people everywhere to read these books but I shall allow myself a small comment: You may not enjoy these books but they are worth reading. And PLEASE do not stop after book one... or even book two. Read them all. The story is not complete until the very end.

And where is now my hope?