Heinrich & Irene and the kids came over for supper tonight. It was a lot of fun :) Their kids are so cute, and absolutely hilarious. Noah is so skinny his pants kept falling off. Kian has stopped "walking" for the time being, but he can crawl like he's got a rocket in his diaper!
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

I really need to get a few more toys for the kids...yeah,...the kids ;)
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

Peek-a-BOO!
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

Sunshine come and do your shining, you're welcome to come and make your place

Ever wake up and know it's gonna be one of those days where even if everything went wrong you know it won't bother you at all? Woke up this morning with sun in my eyes, and Bleach's "Good As Gold" playing on the stereo. It's amazing what two days of sunshine in a row will do for you :)

"Now I'm sunny with a high of 75 since you took my heavy heart and made it light, and it's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be alive" - Relient K "High of 75"

Goin' to wpg with Liane in a few minutes...gonna pick up her wedding ring (mine's still on order :( , check out some wedding decoration ideas, and pick up a few last things for the big trip. Should be a blast! Cruisin' down the highway with the sunroof open, tunes pumpin', blue sky & fluffy clouds....oh yeah :)

Enjoy it!!!

this is probably my least favorite fireside picture ever, but we had a really good time with Keith & Stacey, Heath and Bruce, and Ash. Sat around the fire for 3 hours...knacked a lot of sunflower seeds, ate a lot of cake, a lot of rhubarb, and had some pretty good conversation in between :) Thanks Keith & Stace!
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

Seize the Day

Today was one of the slowest days at work that I can remember. I started at 12:30, and by 2:00 I had finished all of the bike repairs, and the rest of the stuff I needed to get done. The next seven hours were spent looking for stuff to do, and having a little fun. From 6:00 'til 8:30 there were virtually no customers, so Charissa and I did a little product testing. We played mini golf for a while, threw a football around in the hall, broke in a few baseball gloves, and tried a little volleyball in the store, but that proved to be too hazardous :) Wouldn't you know it, at 8:40, nearly time to close, we had a ton of customers all at once...showed a couple of people some bikes, sold some shoes, some baseball stuff...we were swamped! We had more customers in those 20 minutes than most of the day. I love working in retail! Every day is so different.

Well, after work I realized why nobody was at the mall tonight. I think every single lawn mower in Winkler must have been in use this evening. I drove down one street on the way home, and without exaggerating, every single yard except for one had been mowed. Give people one nice day, and they get stuff done! And so, not to be outdone, I mowed my grass too, in the fleeting daylight. Reminds me of the game Prisoner's Base....at least I think that's the one where you have to tag people on the other side of the field, but you have to leave your line after them to be "fresher" than them. Well, I finished the lawn just before ten, and it is quite possibly the freshest mown lawn around. For now :)

I feel like I'm 60 years old. Not sure how I know what it feels like to be 60, but I can imagine. My one hip is killing me. Liane and I went for a couple of long walks today...one in the morning from my place to my parents, then to Mike & Renee's and back, and then one tonight all the way around to 15th street and back. Standing/wandering around all day doesn't help the situation either. After we got back from our walk this evening I had such a craving for food, so I ate six pieces of toast, and had a rather full bowl of ice cream. Yummo. Now I feel really full, and really tired...perfect conditions for sleeping. Add an open window above my bed with a breeze blowing...oh yeah :) Can't help wondering though, how on earth am I going to hike 14 miles (23 km for you metric folk) a day with 60 lbs on my back (25 kg for you metric folk ;) ? We'll see how determined or stubborn I am I guess. But I can hardly wait! ONLY SIXTEEN MORE SLEEPS! And if I go to bed right now, it'll only be fifteen when I wake up! Okbubye!

Slippery Stuff

Had a rather embarassing moment at work today. I was taking my bike from the store to the old Saan location where I leave it during the day...had my left foot on the pedal, my body on one side of the bike, but not sitting on the seat, kind of like when you push off to ride... was coasting across the hall at a good clip but forgot that my tires were wet from the rain, and as I tried to turn, the bike slid out from under me rather quickly, and I landed on top of it, slid for a few feet, and came to rest in front of the mall manager, the ex-mall manager, and my boss. My first thoughts were for the condition of my bike, and then to my surroundings. I got up rather quickly, and sheepishly. Luckily the bike was ok, and my pride heals quickly :)

Went to see Star Wars Episode III after work with the Nikel kids (Rudi, Heinrich, Alex & Liane). Can't say I'm a big fan, but it was an ok movie. I think it would be fun to watch some of the fight scenes in slow motion.

My brain is in slow motion. It's 12:15. I have to get up early this morning to do some grocery shopping before work. Now I've got a headache. Better go to bed before it gets worse. Ta ta for now.

photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005

Liane's newest (and my future :) niece: Tabea Kate Nikel
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005