Congratulations Miga

Miga will graduate from puppy school next week and we are so proud of her. She is surprisingly calm for a Standard Schnauzer and is wonderful with the kids. She really only gets excited when she sees a dog walk by our home, which makes Cyril absolutely crazy. Miga is a dog after all, she can't help but bark her fool head off. The classes were great and I recommend Kayt from PetSmart. She was wonderful!

Sci-Fi Camps at U of S

Alex's week long camp video from Sci-Fi Camp at the U of S. He was in Compton-2 class and there are some pictures of him. They had a busy week building with Lego MindStorm, creating four science projects and participating in the theme days like Haywire Hair Day, SuperHero Day, Crazy Hat Day, and Tropical Day. Here is a video of all of the campers.


Sci-Fi Week 7 Saskatoon Camps

Boys and Baseball

So what is it with boys and baseball. Look at the smile on that boy's face. Startling resemblance to the photo taken below don't you think... after the birth of our first born son Alex!!




I knew that this was something that was going to be a huge deal to Cyril on our trip. He hasn't ever seen a MLB game and from the moment we purchased our tickets online from StubHub.com he was thrilled with excitement. The tickets posted up on our cork board for the weeks leading up to the trip were a daily reminder for him of all that he would see at the ball park in Seattle. Cyril is in love with baseball. He follows players and knows ridiculous statistics about home run heroes and pitching no-hitters. It all seems like wasted knowledge to me and I am lucky if I can remember all of the Mariners players names after just seeing them(twice) last weekend.
For Cyril, baseball is more than just a game to sit back and watch. It is about ERA statistics, strikeouts, RBI's and player history and who is going to rise to the occasion. It is about who deserves to start pitching and who will follow when the shoulder girdle can't bring the heat. It is about the potential of witnessing a cycle by Ichiro Suzuki only to watch him take a walk on his 4th time up to the plate. There was so much to see at the game but I think seeing my husband in his glory was the ultimate.



The first game we saw was an evening game on the Saturday we were there and there was a tribute to all the American military. It was cool and rainy so the retractable roof was closed, though the stadium still seemed huge! It was amazing to see such pride for all of the men and women there and at one point they asked everyone in the crowd to stand if they are serving or have served in the military/ navel force/ army, etc. and I was floored how many people stood up. And the support that they received that night must have felt so good to them. I think that patriotism is something that we Canadians take for granted or it is something that gets forgotten about(unless of course we are presently hosting the Olympics). Sadly they don't really sing their anthem aloud... I really wanted to belt it out but Cyril recommended I just don't. I sang quietly instead.... I like the tune, what can I say.



Someone said that we should try garlic fries at the game so of course we did.... so good and why didn't I ever think of sprinkling fried minced garlic on my fries? We shelled peanuts and stayed alert, we sat in prime foul ball territory, 12th row behind first base line. Cyril had a permanent grin the entire time and just couldn't believe it was happening before his eyes. We drank a ton and took pictures galore. Mariners won!!! It was so much fun that before we left we bought tickets to the next days afternoon game... just hours prior to our romantic dinner and Norah Jones concert!!

*** I have to mention here that Jason Verlander said 'Good Morning' to me in our hotel elevator on Sunday morning. He is the pitcher for Detroit that we had seen start pitching at the evening game the day prior. Let's just say he was fine. (This is where Cyril would spit out how much he makes each year and this would justify the tailored suit with his initials embroidered into the cuffs of shirt!). Like I said...he was fine. ***



The Sunday matinee was a completely different experience. It was sunny and hot so the roof was open and we had identical seats but behind the 3rd base line instead of the first. It was 'KIDS DAY' at the park and the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed. We took a far less amount of pictures and drank equal amounts of beer. The sun was so hot I burned that tops of my knees and forearms and my face was glowing pink. The Mariners ended up losing that game but we had so much fun cheering along with the tens of thousands of fans. It was awesome and Cyril loved every minute of it!!

Seattle 2010- City Highlights

Enjoy our pictures. We had so much fun checking out Seattle together.



This was the Link that we used to get from the airport to our hotel downtown and to and from the baseball games that we saw. It was quick and cheap!!



Best fresh organic fruit smoothie that I have ever had!!



Fresh cut flowers filled the market. The thing we will remember the most about Seattle were the smells. Each step through Pike Place Market took you into another scent, whether it was fresh fish and seafood vendors, flowers, spices, Russian pastries incense, or used books.... it all was wonderful.



Heading down into one part of the market... it seemed to go on forever.



Lowell's for breakfast down at the market. Great views of the shipping yard to the south. Yummy cinnamon buns too.



One of my favorite pictures.... totally sums up the feeling we got while being down at the market.














This was an instrument that one of the street performers used and I found it perched on a foot... cute hey.



















Making cheese.... yum.



















The sign says it all. The green ones to the left are big for our standards. They were delicious too.


















This Gum Wall is in Post Alley behind the market. Gum of every color and size lines the brick wall outside the market theater. So gross and so awesome!!
Can you spot the Canada flag?

My hair is coming out!!!

What do you do with people in your life that take and take and take and have little to no potential of really giving you anything at all in return? The 9th and 10th commandments are really being put to the test these days!! I need patience and rum... almost daily. Okay I don't drink rum daily but I do think about it when I am at the end of my rope these days.

So wish I could get into details about this one!!!!
Come on celebrity talk show host... score me some tickets cause I have a baboon on my back!!

People are crazy.

Jeep Goodness

Okay, Cyril came home and made me sit down and read this ad he found posted on Kijiji. Let's hope he was searching Kijiji for a vehicle and not MC Hammer pants.

Enjoy!!



Date Listed 13-Apr-10
Price $9,950.00
Address Saskatoon, SK, Canada
View map
For Sale By Owner
Make Jeep
Model Liberty
Trim limited
Year 2005
Kilometers 142000
Colour Teal
Transmission Automatic
Fuel Type Gasoline
Drivetrain 4 x 4


OK, let me start off by saying this jeep is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this jeep would look like Tom Selleck. It is just that manly.

It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.

This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or On Star (real men don't even know what the hell On Star is).

No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself. The jeep also has an automatic transmission so if you're being chased by Libyan terrorists, you'll still be able to shoot your machine gun out the window and drive at the same time. It's saved my bacon more than once.

It has room for you and the four hotties you picked up on the way to the gym to blast your pecs and hammer your glutes. There's a tow hitch to pull your 50 caliber anti-Taliban, self cooling machine gun. I also just put in a new windshield to replace the one that got shot out by The Man.

My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $9950, but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Would it hurt? Hell yeah. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There's only 142000 on this four-wheeled hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash.

To sweeten the deal a little, I'm throwing in this pair of MC Hammer pants for the man with rippling quads that can't fit into regular pants. Yeah, you heard me. FREE MC Hammer pants.

Rock on.

Where's the TV?

So last night I watched one of those 'my house is better than your house' shows on HGTV. You've seen them. The shows where homeowners re-re-re-make a space to look just perfect, adding convenient shelving, wacky furniture and art with just the right amount of mood lighting to accent the room. I am sure that half the time these people don't even live in their creations because that would just mess it up. And if they are so obsessed about keeping everything pristine and sterile then what kind of drugs would they need to take to control their panic attack brought on by a child's nose bleed in the living room or lego structures resting on the kitchen island. And why don't they ever ask the people how long it took to prepare the home for the TV cameras? I know that is something that I would be interested in knowing. Would they mind giving us a shot of the cleaning supplies pantry please.... THAT, I may find a little more helpful.

Anyway, home esthetics is not the issue here. The show last night was called something like 'Biggest Bang for Your Buck' where they critique three homes that have been renovated with $120,000( and I am sure that everyone stuck to their puny budget) and some fancy designers determined which home would receive the biggest return on their spending. The conclusion of the show revealed that the home that didn't offer a whopping flat screen television in the great room would not be favored by potential buyers and therefore was proclaimed the 'loser' of the show, receiving under 50% return. This particular homeowner was pretty disappointed that his masterpiece was dismissed for practicality because his 'living' room didn't double as a theater. How sad it is that we 'have lost the art of conversation'. I didn't care for his collage of mismatched chairs, randomly placed all over the huge room. The designer critic noted that the placement of the chairs may make more sense if there were area rugs to make definite distinction of each conversation area. Clearly the owner didn't own a vacuum because he doesn't have any rugs!!

So should every great room offer a television for times when the conversation gets stale... even if it is discreetly hidden behind a teak wall panel to the right of a secret wine closet? After shutting off the television proudly utilized on my bedroom dresser, for times when 'you know what' gets stale( or is getting to bed early cause he is going to attempt a morning workout at gym prior to heading to the office), I slept like a rock and today thought this may be the perfect conversation piece.... to post on my blog.

Happy conversing.... not.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Hey Mom... I know you can't read this cause you are doing your civic duty as a juror but I hope you have a wonderful day. It may be a day of bloody evidence, witness testimonies, hard core facts, surveillance video, time lines, paper trails, mistaken identity, and the repetitive slamming of the wooden gavel...' You're in contempt!!!'

I double dare you to stand up and yell at the accused 'You can't handle the truth!'



Birthdays can't always be rainbows and butterflies( especially in February) but today I hope amongst all the legal rambling you can find some happiness. Remember that you are loved and respected by so many. Thanks for all that you do for our family and those scavenger ministers and their entourage. Your work is a big part of who you are and it shows by the amount of appreciation people have for you. Happy Birthday MOM.

We love you!!
Now get your butt to the courthouse!!!

Love Sherri

Valentine's Day Horror

I love my husband. I do. But Valentine's Day really brings out the worst in him. He feels this overwhelming pressure to show me some lovin'. Like he's under a microscope on this one particular day and being graded on how well he does. He hates all the fuss and propaganda surrounding this day.... 'It's just a marketing money maker!' he states every single year.
It's like he's being forced to show emotion, God forbid. And I don't want to portray my Cyril as a cold-hearted beast or something cause he is far from it. We have an amazing trust and unspoken respect for one another. I can say that our marriage has just gotten more connected and our friendship has grown more and more over the years.
I think Valentine's Day would be the perfect opportunity to remember just how great we are together... but Cyril just feels Scrooge-Like. The biggest cop-out comes as it did this morning...' So what do you want for Valentine's Day?' he grumbles. I told him to get me the Dog Whisperer book. Ha. I honestly would like to book. As a Valentine's present, not really... but I'll take it. I do love my dog after all. I remind him that a love letter is still on my list, eight years in a row. He acts like I'm asking for the moon or something. Sheesh. Doesn't he remember how easy it was last year? He helped the kids make me breakfast in bed... complete with a menu and sleep-in. It was wonderful!!
Anyway... I spent a half hour searching for the perfect Hallmark on Saturday. Hopefully I can come up with the loving, sincere, heart felt words to go inside of it. I have to dream up something else to top the four minute birthday iMovie that I made for him last week! It is a good thing that I am the hopeless romantic in this relationship. Maybe my gift to him has to include some perks for me too! I better get creative this year!!
If you have any ideas you can post them on my blog... he doesn't read it.

Torch Time

So Tao and I stopped by the riverbank to take in the festivities for the Olympic Torch coming to our part of the world. I brought the chariot because I knew traffic would be crazy and I'd have to haul a bundled up 3 year old 10 blocks to see what we came to see then another 10 blocks to get back to the van. I also had a sneaky suspicion that she may need a power nap after her first gymnastics class.... totally the cutest little girl on a trampoline!!
Anyway we get to the site where the main stage area is set up and there are thousands of people... it was pretty exciting. I found a place at the back of the pack where they had randomly placed hay bales for people to stand on to catch a glimpse over top of the crowd. Turns out I am standing directly in front of the protesters that showed up to fight for their cause. Yikes.. I felt pretty uncomfortable until I saw all the police standing around, then I just felt the need to move. So a few yards ahead I planted myself on another hay bale and got cozy beside some guy that was cheering, with the crowd instead of against, so I knew Tao and I would be okay!!
The show was full of energy and heavy advertising for RBC and Coke. We really were 'parked' quite far from where the torch was going to pass through but I spotted it over a crowd of people and watched as it made its way to the cauldron. After the torchbearer told her story and all the dignitaries spoke it was time for us to head home. Tao was sleeping by this time and everyone was starting to leave so I tried to get closer to get some better pictures.



We had to walk around the back of a church to get back on track to the van and on our way we came across this young torchbearer with his torch. He was from Rosetown but we missed his name. He was so generous to take a picture with sleeping Tao, my future Olympic gymnast, twice( first shot didn't work so I changed my batteries in record time). It was really neat to be a part of history in a super small way. Just to see that flame that brings so many people together every few years, may never see it again. Hopefully Tao will enjoy seeing this picture when she is older!