A not- so -odd request but a first for me nonetheless!

Approaching me in a panic this afternoon in class, one of my grade 8 female students begged me for a sanitary pad. No embarassment, no awkwardness. I would have rather died than ask my grade 8 teacher for a feminine product!! I am glad she felt free to ask me and I am glad I could bestow her request! In all my years of working with teenagers, I have never had any of them ask to borrow a pad. Glad I was able to "save the day" in the life of this adolescent girl!

sun, surf and sand: where I long to be right now!

National Seashore, Cape Cod, 2006
Duck Harbour, Wellfleet, Cape Cod, 2006

Lament of a single woman living in a couples world

Let's face it. We live in a couples world. For the single person - single meaning: over 30, never been married, widowed, or divorced - this couples world can be tough to navigate. Sure there are many perks of being single, especially without having the responsibility of children. And of course, the old adage is true, "the grass is always greener on the other side." Overall, I think I do well at making the most of my single life. Yet, for me, the most difficult part is being left out of things because I am single and not part of a couple. It is especially hurtful when friends who were formerly single or single again suddenly ignore you and exclude you from activities.

Before I move on, I must commend my friends at my church. They are wonderful at including not only me, but the other singles in our church community. I am grateful for their awareness and action! I LOVE that we are becoming more inter- generational and are breaking down the marital status barriers! For those in my church community reading my blog, I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for the inclusive, supportive community you are building! I am also grateful these friends allow me to love, enjoy, and observe their children ( without having to babysit!!)! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

So, for those of you who are married or not married but have a significant other, I want to encourage you to reach out to your single friends. We need each other no matter what our marital status.

Here are some helpful tips:

** invite your close single friends along on a vacation with your family. I know travelling has become awkward for me as I get older. I don't want to go on a vacation alone ( well, I did to Paris but that was a unique situation) but it is hard to find single friends to go with on vacation.

**invite your single friends out to dinner with your family. Who likes eating alone. I have been to restaurants on my own, but prefer the company of people!

**invite your single friends out to the theatre with your family. Who likes going to movies or the theatre alone. Once again, I have been on my own but prefer being with people I know and care about!

**invite your single friends over to hang out with your family. Don't assume your single friends don't want to hang out and don't assume they have an amazing social life and are too busy! Most of the time they are home alone!

**invite your single friends on other family activities you may be doing, like hiking, skating,etc.

** help out in practical ways (ie)- offering to fix needs around the house or help solve issues with the car, etc.


I know there are times when you need to be a couple and need your family alone time. We singles get that and no need to feel guilty! But, I am just encouraging you to be sensitive to the needs of the singles in your life, whether it be at your church, your work or your neighbourhood. (I think it is especially difficult for "senior" singles. )

TOGETHER , let's make this world easier to navigate!

a few of my favourite things

Given to my mom by her parents for her 11th birthday, 1948

I LOVED these books as a little girl! Little Women was given to my mom for Christmas by her Irish cousins Billy and Sarah, 1949. Heidi was given to mom by her parents.

My souvenir replica of a lobster trap from Newfoundland, 1975. Stuffed toy lobster - souvenir from Cape Cod, 2006.

Cafe au Lait, Baguette with cheese, Paris, 2007.

Turquoise retro clock, Sears, 2006. Eiffel Tower, Paris, 2007.

Vintage crocheted bathing suit, $2, Kingston, 2001. An assortment of my accessories!

Savon de Marseille Soap, Paris, 2007. But, Pamper & Soothe in Port Perry carries this line!

Antique orange clock bought at an outdoor antique street market in Paris, 2007.

Bead bracelet was a gift from the Powers family, summer 2007.

Thank you for your Prayers

My dear bloggy friends...thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging words for me as I sang at our Good Friday service! I felt them and know God was glorified! It was a God moment! On Thursday, a special lady at my church gave me a verse that was so timely. She had no idea but God sure did! She was so cute. She even made me repeat it after her to make certain I had it memorized! Here it is:

" Whatever you do in word or deed ( or song!) , do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17) I didn't even peek as I wrote this out!!!:) It is memorized now!!:)

I give thanks to God for using this song to bring glory and honour to Him AND to remind us our sacrificed Jesus set us right with God. How can you say no to this man!

Happy Easter

"He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. "
Matthew 28:6

Oxymoron

My students, in a way, are an oxymoron -a love dislike relationship! Allow me to paraphrase Forest Gump:


Each school day is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you will get.


For the most part, my week with my students ( the regular stream ones) has been very disheartening. The majority of teachers feel the same way I do. It is a new challenge trying to teach this generation of students.


But, God in His mercy and love encouraged me today through the "special ones" of our school! It amazes me how two children with autism can brighten even the darkest hour.

I was walking by my dear "S" 's class ,who were standing in the hallway, when "S" came up to me and asked me about my dog.

I need to give you some background info that will be helpful for you to understand my conversation with "S". About 3 months ago "S" asked me if I had a dog. I told her the whole story about Toby and that she got sick and died. "S" asked if she was buried in a cemetery. I say yes just to keep things simple. Well, little did I know that my dear "S" would occasionally keep asking me about my dog Toby. Her memory is amazing, especially with remembering birthdays.

"S" hasn't asked me about Toby for over a month now until today- totally random - to us non- autistic people that is! We have no idea how the autistic process their thoughts and for "S" this was not a random conversation. So, here it is:

"S": Miss Whalen, where did you get those ear rings. I love them.

Miss Whalen ( that would be me! ): Thank you. I got them at H & M.

"S": Miss Whalen, what happened to your dog?

Miss Whalen: You know "S" what happened to my dog.

"S": She died. She is in the cemetery.

Miss Whalen: That's right.

"S": Bye Miss Whalen. Can I help "C"?

Miss Whalen: Yes you can help "C", but later. Bye "S".

"S": Okay. Thank you. Bye Miss Whalen!

Then when I went to my next class, I had the cutest encounter with my sweet "D"! We were sitting at the computers in the library when I looked over at "D" to see how she was making out. Our eyes met and all of a sudden she blew me a kiss and then immediately gave me the thumbs up signal! Somehow I think that little girl knew I needed that priceless moment today!!

I thank God for creating these "special ones" and allowing them to be part of world! We have so much to learn from their lives.

I ended my week knowing I am blessed to be part of these love dislike relationships!!!

Random Thoughts, Eh?!

"An Oshawa, Ont., teen held in China for stealing a pair of sunglasses from an airport kiosk is coming home. Her father says she is scared but is doing well." CTV News

This Oshawa teen was on a school trip to China for the March Break. The high school she attended was my Alma matter! Apparently her parents went on to question why no one told their daughter the rules were different in China regarding shoplifting. They went on to say that if their daughter shoplifted here in Canada at Walmart it would be no big deal. ( my paraphrase!)

Unbelievable. Here at school we wonder why our students have a hard time accepting responsibility for their actions. Go figure! I have become very frustrated with the state of our children. Of course, I am making a sweeping generalizing statement but I am afraid at how this generation will turn out. I am NOT totally blaming parents. I think there is something bigger that is happening in our society to influence our children. I have seen a drastic change in the last 5 years especially in the whole area of lack of respect for elders, for their own peers, for teachers, for principals, for parents for law enforcement. They have no fear for any kind of authority. Makes me wonder how this translates onto their faith. Do they fear God, fear eternal death, fear sin?

These thoughts were on my mind as I stopped at Tim Horton's for my morning coffee before work. It was interesting that the employee who served me totally opened up and began sharing about the challenges she has been facing with raising her teenage daughter. She doesn't understand her daughter's lack of respect and doesn't understand why she "talks back" to her. And this is a huge concern. Her culture is one that is VERY respectful. It was neat this woman felt she could share with me! I didn't even mention to her about my thoughts this morning!!!:) I was able to offer some words of encouragement and a smile!

I know parents are exasperated and my heart goes out to all the parents out there. You have a tough job ahead of you! I will be praying!

Just some random thoughts on my mind this morning in light of this news story. Great way to represent Canada, eh?

Prayer Request

I came here this morning to ask you bloggy friends that pray to pray for something but am going to ask you to add one more thing to that list! This morning I have been feeling sooo defeated and sooo rejected. It could be hormonal or it could be related to my other prayer request.

First, I would ask you to pray for me this Good Friday as I am singing in our 10 am service. I am very nervous as I don't normally sing solo's at my church. The song I am singing has a powerful message and it is my prayer that God would be glorified through this message. Pray that I will face no distractions and that those who need to hear this message will have hearts that are open. It is an old song by Julie Miller called, "How Can You Say No To This Man." Please also pray for the musicians helping me that God will use them in this song as well! I am praying for what I call a "God moment." Thank you my friends!

So, in light of this, I am feeling so overwhelmed with defeat. I do not normally feel like this and as I sit here typing this at work, I just don't want to be here. So, I would ask you to pray for me today. Thank you so much.

I didn't even feel like reading my Bible but I did and once again God is amazing and gently puts me in my place!!!I was reading from Romans 4 where it talks about Abraham. When everything was hopeless Abraham believed anyway deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he WOULD do. Abraham dared to trust God to do what only God could do. I had to ask myself, "Do I live like this?" Honestly I wish I could say I lived like this all the time but I can't. It goes on to say the sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God - set us right with God.

It then occurred to me as I was pouring my heart out to God about these feelings of rejection, that Jesus was rejected over and over again. AND, I have rejected Jesus over and over again by not spending time with Him. But, amazingly, the sacrificed Jesus enabled us to be set right with God! He empathizes with us - with me.

I hope this post has made sense....the bell rang so the students are pouring in and I must go. I wanted to get this sent off this morning....these are just some of my raw thoughts. Thank you for listening and praying.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My maternal grandparents were born in Northern Ireland. My paternal great-grandparents were born in the south of Ireland. I dedicate today to my wonderful Irish heritage! The above family photo is of my mom with her only brother and his family! ( my dad and I are in there too!!) Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

I went back to work today after a relaxing week off for our March Break so I'm a bit groggy as I write this post!! I will back in top form later on in the week!!! Top of the Mornin to ya'll!!!

Do-it-Yourself Friendship Dinner

My "gaggle" of girlfriends from church, who get together every Wednesday night, had a Do-it-Yourself dinner hosted by Debbie! It was a scrumptous menu: wine or punch, marinated shrimp and chicken, assortment of fresh veggies, jasmine rice, chocolate birthday cake, chocolate ice cream , coffee and tea.

Sharon and Debbie, our "hostess with the mostess!"

Jenn, Terri, Deb, Sharon, Joy-Lynn cooking up their stir-fry's!

The scrumptous ingredients!

C'est moi! Chef Extra-

ordinaire!

My stirfry concoction...can you see the steam rising?! Doesn't it look delicious?!!

My finished masterpiece! As my dad, who is a chef, says, 'It's all about presentation'

Our special evening ended at 2 in the morning! It was well worth the bags under the eyes the next day! We laughed, we cried, we reflected, we reminisced, we debated, we hugged and of course we ate! I cherish these friends, some old some new. Women friendships are unique and special. They break down the barriers of race, religion, marital status, age. I love that my "Wednesday Girl's Night Out" gaggle of friends are an ecclectic assortment of women who love Jesus and want to support each other the best we can!

One common theme of the evening was our thankfulness and gratitude for the older, Godly women from our church who were incredible examples to us over the years. Their faithfulness in ministry, their continuous prayers for us, their support in so many ways, their wise counsel, their wise teaching, their obvious love for Jesus, their friendships with women, is cherished. It is my prayer that I will be such an example to those young women who come behind me!

Boxer or Briefs?

How do I get myself in these situations...

privy to interesting conversation in the most unlikely places.

So there I was this morning at Starbucks, peacefully enjoying my "tall, skinny, caramel, soy latte -extra hot" when these two 40-something ladies from the 'shwa (only those who read this blog that are from Oshawa will understand my missive - sorry for the inside joke- I hate excluding people but it is necessary info for this story) sit down in the comfy, wing back chairs beside me. I was trying to block out their loud conversation as I read my book, but something one of the 40- something ladies said, caught my attention. It went something like this:

40- something lady #1:

"So, my son just turned 21 and is so excited because he just bought his first pair of underwear all on his own."

40-something lady #2:

"Really?"

40-something lady #1:

"Yes. He was so proud but called me and said, 'Mom, I bought the wrong size. Would you do me a favour and return them to Zellers for me. I don't want the cashiers to raz me.' So I returned them for him."

40-something lady #2:

She actually had no comment, just nodded her head.

WOW...wow...wow...21 years old... virgin underwear purchase ...I was speechless too. Mom should have made him return said underwear. Poor guy. I couldn't help but wonder if they were boxer or briefs!

No Boys Allowed

Okay....there is something seriously WRONG with this picture....



... man, without wife or girlfriend , lurking about the lingerie department whilst I embarrassingly search for a "granny girdle," which is apparently guaranteed to transform me into a shapely wonder woman, free of "wrinkles!"



I WILL excuse the poor guy lurking about who is flabbergasted whilst searching for his girlfriends correct bra size. I overhear the said girlfriend say to him sternly,



"pay attention will you."



PAY ATTENTION????



Give the poor, nervous guy a break. He has no idea what he is searching for amidst the endless sea of bra choices. For goodness sake, I have trouble finding my correct size and the correct style I want on a good day!

I never did find my wonder woman knickers!

a sight for sore eyes

Neighbourhood boys OUTSIDE ( not playing video games inside:)) playing road hockey!
This is what Canadian winters are all about!!

March Break Memories

I was looking through one of my scrapbook albums the other day when I came across the following pictures. Wonderful, life changing memories came flooding back to me as I recalled that special day 15 years ago spent in Tijuana, Mexico. I was working with Youth For Christ, Edmonton at the time and each March Break we took a group of high school students down to California. We always participated in a missions project and this particular year, we went to "Panamerica," a community in Tijuana which was built on an active garbage dump. The above picture is a typical family dwelling.






Here I am playing games with the local children. Everyone was a winner and received a prize!

While the children played games, their moms lined up to receive bags of food and clothes.





The highlight of the day for me was being in the wash house! Each child was given a bath and had their hair washed and de-loused. After they were cleaned they were given a new set of clothes and then were sent to me to have their hair combed. They were allowed to pick one special barrette for me to put in their hair. At first, I was not keen on touching their hair as I had never experienced lice before so I quickly combed the knots and added the barrettes as fast as I could.

I wasn't prepared for the huge smiles on their faces after they saw their finished look. They LOVED what I did. In fact, they loved it so much, they went to fetch their friends so their friends could have their hair done too. I was humbled immediately. These little girls had no idea this was NOT my best work. I was so worried I would catch the lice that I forgot why I was there - to serve, to bring joy, to share Jesus in even the smallest details! I needed to give my best- these little girls deserved that much. So, I carefully and painstakingly worked the many knots out of their hair and then gave them a beautiful hairstyle! I will never forget their smiles and hugs. I have often prayed for these kids over the years. Most would be entering adulthood. I wonder where they are now. I pray that they remember Jesus was shown to them that glorious day!

love like that

"Watch what God does, and then you do it...mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that." (Ephesian 5: 1ff-The Message)

I read this passage this afternoon and several things spoke to me.

First, God gently reminded me that I need to keep better company with Him. It is the only way to know Him and the only way to learn from Him. He is truth and in order to know that truth I need to be more diligent in spending time in His Word. It is easy for me to read my little "Echoes of Eternity" devotional ( which is great by the way) and pray but lately I have been skipping my Bible reading. It is imperative especially as I am participating in an interesting book club at work.

Our book this month is called, "The God Delusion," by Richard Dawkins. He is a professor at Oxford who happens to be an atheist. In this book he sets out to, "eviscerate the arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of the existence of a supreme being. He makes a case that faith is not just irrational but potentially deadly."

I prayerfully decided to purchase this book and read it. It is tough to plough through and is not witty or humourous as promoted on the back cover! A friend of mine gave me a copy of a rebuttal from a Christian author, which is a helpful supplement. I enjoy hearing the various arguments but want to make sure I am not subtly sucked into his definition of truth. Thus, my need to "keep company with God" and be diligent in studying the Bible - studying Truth! I look forward to our book club discussion. At this point, I must digress a bit and share a neat story related to this book.

One of my co-workers, who is also in the book club, was in a car accident last week on her way to work. It was the morning of one of our bad snowstorms, so the roads were terrible. She ended up crossing the road into the oncoming traffic and hit a sign ending up in the ditch. She hit no other vehicles and had little damage done to her car - though clearly shaken. When she was telling me her story, she ended by saying:

"After I read 'The God Delusion,' it confirmed what I had always believed, but now I definitely think there is a God up there - no there is a God- he spared my life."

At that moment, I silently sent up a thank you prayer to God and then I said to her, "yes there is a God and He definitely looked out for you!" God used this "garbley- gooped" ( is that a word...I hope so!!) book - a book setting out to disprove God exists- to reveal Himself to my co-worker! God is AMAZING! It confirmed that I am to continue trudging through this book and be His voice, even though He doesn't need me to be His voice, at our book club meeting! The Truth will set you free!!!

Secondly, this passage spoke to me about how we are to love. In society today, it is all about " what will you give me in return for_________" You fill in the blank. Love has become conditional. Even in the church. One of the reasons I wished God allowed me to have children of my own was so I could understand His unconditional love more. But, the great news is all I need to do is keep company with Him and I will learn a life of unconditional love. Watch, observe, remember the Cross! As I take an honest look at my heart, most times my love is conditional. Keep better company with Jesus Karyne so His UNCONDITIONAL love will permeate to all those you encounter. Real love. How radical. People in this world need to know real love. Truth. The Cross. Jesus. Love like that!

Doin' the Hokey Pokey!

Today's blog post is dedicated to my new bloggy friend at Hokey Pokey Life!
She seems like my kind of girl! And she is a "southern belle" to boot!!:)



Almost one year ago, we went on strike after Spring Break. I was not happy about it as I am not really a union person. But, I had to go along with everything!!

So, being the creative, crazy person that I am, I decided to make the best of the situation and have some fun! It was FREEZING cold outside even though we had no snow. So to warm up, I convinced my fellow picket -er's to join me in doing the "Hokey Pokey" - a song we sing regularly with our special needs students - AND the name of my new bloggy friend's blog!!:) She loves to do the Hokey Pokey too!!YAY!!

The following pics are the documentation of our "Hokey Pokey" debut on the picket line.....



...you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about...

....you do the hokey, pokey and you turn yourself around....

.....that's what it's all about!

Calm AFTER the storm!

Sunday....a glorious, sunny, crisp day! Did we have a storm on Saturday???!!:)

The storm still rages on! Part of my house/dog sitting duties is to shovel the driveway. Now I remember one of the perks of living in an apartment!!:)

Chocolate Poetry????

Isabella's Chocolate Cafe is nestled in the heart of the 'shwa and has become one of my favourite local hang-outs! If you have ever been to the 'shwa ( or Oshawa as it is most often called. Its claim to fame is " the city that 'moto-vates' Canada" because it is home to General Motors) you know finding cool, artsy, socially conscious cafes with ambiance are few and far between. Every Friday night Isabella's has live music - or so I thought! I convinced a friend of mine to join me last night in the middle of the storm ( I was experiencing "cabin fever" so had to get out of the house. Oh btw, I am house/dog sitting for friends of mine from my church. They are off to the sunny US south - lucky people!). We found some comfy chairs at the back of the cafe where an artist was showcasing his work. We were pleasantly surprised and felt like we were at a gallery opening in New York City. Not bad for the 'shwa!!! Still no live music though. That is how I bribed my friend into coming...he loves listening to new music artists!

So you can imagine my dismay when a group of people, armed with poetry books, came sauntering back to our comfy area! Apparently there was to be no live music. Instead, it was "chocolate poetry" night! Due to how we were sitting, we ended up becoming part of their poetry circle by default! I was okay with it but wasn't sure if my friend would be into it! He said he was! We sat politely listening to the poems being read. Everyone was friendly and invited us to participate. I even had a woman "come on to me", which was an interesting experience in and of itself! For me, that made me a tad bit uncomfortable! No further comment! There were interesting characters participating! I so enjoy watching people and do enjoy meeting people with different interests and backgrounds! It makes the world such a colourful place! As simple as this sounds (or maybe it is a cliche), I am glad God made us all different! How boring life would be without a colourful world! The final verdict. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and decided we would go to the next chocolate poetry night! Here's hoping they actually hand out chocolate!

Welcome Ultimate Blog Party Guests!

Greetings Ultimate Blog Party Goer's ! Welcome to snowy, cold Canada! I am nestled in for the night awaiting the onslaught of yet another winter storm bringing over 25 cm of snow! (I forget the conversion in feet my US bloggy friends - but it is a LOT of snow!! ) We averaged about 2 storms per week for the month of February and it hasn't showed signs of stopping! In my neck of the woods, we do not normally get this much snow. Thus, I am ready for a good blog party to cheer me up!

So, come on in, put your feet up in front of the warm fire, have a cup of hot chocolate with me and stay for a while! I look forward to meeting you!

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Karyne and I have been blogging for a little over a year. I am a single - never been married - white female and am LOVING being 40!!! :) I work in an elementary school as an Educational Assistant , but my first career was a youth worker for a youth organization called, "Youth For Christ!" I do love what I do in spite of a few challenges, but doesn't every job have its challenges!! The key is to maintain a good sense of humour and have flexibility! I do blog about many of my student adventures, so beware!

Things I love ( in no particular order):

chocolate, the colour orange, vintage finds at great prices, travel, art: both participating in and appreciating, Paris, hiking, my parents, spending time with my friends, singing, playing piano, worshipping, shoes, cooking, Paris, coffee, hockey: just watching, not participating in, laughter, concerts, theatre, walking in downtown Toronto, road trips, maps, Paris, blind dates, Paris, antique hunting at flea markets, adventures, Paris...

Thanks for sharing a cup of hot chocolate with me! I look forward to visiting with you again! Enjoy the party!

Sharing Yummy Recipes!

For those of you who have linked over from Lysa's site, WELCOME to my blog! I am excited to try some of your yummy recipes too! The recipe I have chosen is from this AMAZING Canadian cookbook called, Looneyspoons. It is low-fat food made fun! Enjoy this easy to prepare, easy to devour, easy to lose weight recipe!

“Chicken Catcha Tory”

“In this recipe title, TORY could refer to (a) a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, (b) a certain “TORY” of the Beverly Hills 90210 gang (okay, okay, we know our Spelling is wrong – it’s “TORI”), or (c) a spectacular low-fat version of a popular chicken entrée. Choose “c” and enjoy!”
(“Looneyspoons: Low-Fat Good Made Fun,” by Janet & Greta Podleski)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup each chopped onions and green pepper ( I put in less onion)
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 can (19 ounces) tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can ( 5 ½ ounces) tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine ( as a good Baptist, I sometimes will use cooking wine instead!! Hehehe!!)
1 – ½ teaspoons each dried basil and dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti or linguini ( I use any type of pasta…I prefer penne)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all ingredients except spaghetti in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to a small roasting pan or large casserole dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour, until chicken is very tender.

Ten minutes before cooking time has ended, prepare pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken and sauce over hot pasta.

Makes 4 servings.

Hint #1: To reduce the sodium content of this recipe, use no-salt-added tomatoes and low-sodium tomato sauce.

Hint #2: I actually make this in a Crock Pot ( or Slow Cooker as some of you may call it) and cook it overnight. I find it so much easier in a Crock Pot and the meat is soooo tender. It is yummy and easy to make! AND the BEST part is it is LOW FAT! It makes large portions and your family will never know it is LOW FAT!!!:)

Hint#3: I always compliment it with a fresh baguette!

Enjoy Bloggy Friends!

The Ultimate Blog Party

I love a great party! I also love reading blogs - maybe a bit too much as my "To Do List" never seems to get finished! As a child, I always had a pen pal and loved corresponding with them. I loved hearing about their life and learning more about their country. I especially loved receiving pictures from them. ( I later discovered I am a visual learner and a people person, thus the reason I LOVED putting a face to the names!) One of the reasons I love blogging is to be able to enter the world of friends and strangers alike, learning together, being informed together, laughing together and hopefully growing in new and fresh ways together. I count it a privilege to be invited in to the sacred place of my bloggy friends.

So, I was excited when I read an ad on a friends blog about this " Ultimate Blog Party." It combines two things I enjoy very much! Why don't you consider being part of this cool event. You can read more about it here:

"During the week of March 7-14th, the blogosphere will be party hopping - jumping through our Mr. Linky list of participating bloggers, meeting new friends and partying blogger-style at the Ultimate Blog Party 2008, here at 5 Minutes for Mom.
Are you going to be there?
Last year’s Ultimate Blog Party was a blast with almost 1000 participating bloggers. So make sure you don’t miss out on this one. It is a fantastic opportunity to introduce your blog to a bunch of new people and to find new blogs that you will want to read regularly.
As well, The Ultimate Blog Party features tons of prizes. The prize list is constantly growing - check it out! Thank you to Pamela, from Happy Panda, who is coordinating the prizes and will draw the winners."

To find out more details go to http://www.5minutesformom.com/

I can't wait to see you there and meet new bloggy friends!

As the old campfire song says,

"Make new friends and keep the old, some are silver and the other's gold."

Vintage Velour Track Suit: a.k.a. "Pimp" suit

My first glimpse of the brand new, hot off the fashion runway, velour, Adidas track suit was on the body of Tony Dorsett, a Dallas Cowboy, March Break 1977. He looked stunning. My family and I were in Florida visiting Dad's cousin when we had the opportunity to meet the famous Tony Dorsett. Dad's cousin was running a football camp with Tony as the special guest. (My brother actually got to pick him up at the airport.) I will never forget standing on the football field mesmerized by Tony's emerald green, velour track suit. I had never seen anything like it! My 10 year old mind knew it was very expensive but thought only "bad people" ( pimps as I would later come to understand) wore them. I watched too many episodes of Starsky and Hutch I guess!! So, while everyone around me was ecstatic they were in the presence of this famous football player, I couldn't keep my eyes off his track suit!

You can imagine my surprise today when I walked into my grade 2 classroom and saw the student I work with (March 3) wearing a vintage velour track suit like Tony Dorsett's. This is the same student who poured white glue in my hair, who makes running commentaries on my fashion sense - complimented by exaggerated expressions, who attempts to taunt me every time he uses a glue bottle and pretends he is a jellyfish, sucking the life out of me until I acknowledge his reference to the glue incident, but eventually gives up when I don't give him the satisfaction ( seriously, he was to be sent home for purposely pouring glue in my hair, but his mom refused to pick him up, thus, he received no consequences for his behaviour. So, when he taunts me, he is basically saying, " hahahaha...you can't catch me...I won't get in trouble." ), AND who is very endearing most days! I do have a soft spot for this child! He IS cute and looked adorable in his "pimp"track suit!!

***The above pic of Tony Dorsett is like the one he gave me except it said, "To Karyne, All the best, Tony!" I will have to try to locate it in my treasure trunk. The pic of the vintage velour track suit is identical to the one Tony wore that day with the exception of the colour.***

Confession is good for the soul

My intense salt craving today led me to eat the snack of the autistic boy ("C") I work with in the afternoon. Yikes. What did I do. Does it count that he never eats those scrumptious Hickory Sticks his mom packs in his lunch daily. Does it count that he had no idea I inhaled them. It wouldn't bother him - I don't think. Does it count that I had a difficult afternoon with him - don't I deserve a treat. Does it count that I am PMS-ing. Oh my, listen to me. I STOLE , repeat STOLE, chips from a helpless autistic boy!!!:)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Rom 8:23

"This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

I had to leave work early today because I had a bad migrane. Blurred vision, swiggly lines forming a mirage in my peripheral, pounding head, nausea beginning to set in. I should have clued in that something was amiss when the first words uttered emphatically from my grade 2 student as I walked into his class this morning were,

"YOU LOOK AWFUL!!!"

God gently reminded of my morning verse that has actually become my morning mantra:

"This is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!"

We never know what the day will bring, but thank goodness God is in control of it!

PS I ended up sleeping for 3 hours when I got home. The severity of my migrane has subsided but my head is still mush! I haven't had a severe migrane like this is ages. Ugh!

Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye

One of my greatest fears has come to fruition. I dropped my car keys down the elevator shaft this morning, on my way out to church. My timing is impeccible!!!:) Luckily, I keep an extra set of keys hidden away for such occasions as this! Worried that I had somehow damaged the elevator by my plain old stupidity, I called our superintendent to tell him the bad news. Surprisingly, he was not worried. He would call the elevator guy on Monday to come out and climb down the shaft to find my "whale" keys! I had no idea they were able to retrieve such items. Hooray for me! And only a minor inconvenience for the rest of the residents in the building. Poor elevator guy though!:) Hello Baby Hello!

PS And I wasn't even late for church! I even had time to fill my car up with gas and go through the car wash!

Lessons in Spontaneity

inhibition n feeling of fear of embarrass - ment that stops one from behaving naturally.

antonym of inhibition: spontaneity

spontaneity n the act of the voluntary and unpremeditated; occurs through natural process without outside influence.

Moving back in with my parents, who are in their “golden” stage of life (over 70 years old!), has taught me a few lessons in letting go of inhibitions. I always thought of myself as a spontaneous person until I reached my 30’s. Something happened. The spark that was always ignited in my soul vanished without warning. Life does that sometimes. My strong Christian faith experienced a crisis of belief during this period further plunging that spark into total darkness. Would that spark ever be awakened yet again?


Astoundingly, as I neared my 40’s, that spark began to be stirred up and was ready to fan the flames of spontaneity again! My relationship with God was rekindled! Life is good! I LOVE being 40! No opportunity wasted! I am determined to not let any fear stop me from “behaving naturally,” stop me from being spontaneous! Although I’m not sure I am at the same stage as my parents when it comes to letting go of inhibitions….

Am I ready to?

** eat meals at the table in only my bra and knickers (pl n “woman’s or girl’s undergarment covering the lower trunk and having legs or leg holes” ) Well, only if it is a Daisyfresh bra! hehehe - that was for you my fellow "road rage sista's"!

** tell a group of teenage girls waiting for the Go Train in the middle of winter that they should have a warmer jacket on and be wearing mitts

** tell that same group of teenage girls that they are beautiful and are carrying lovely handbags

** flirt with a fellow “senior” at Tim Horton’s while my husband/wife is sitting beside me

** have no issues with noisy flatulence in public places, especially restaurants

**have no problem with speaking my mind when unsatisfied with customer service in department stores and/or restaurants

** have no problem telling friends their choice of fashion is wrong

However, I was ready to…
** travel solo to Paris for a vacation - I even climbed up all 722 steps of the Eiffel Tower!

** skinny dip in the daylight

** go to the movies solo

** eat at restaurants solo

** go to the theatre solo

** stalk celebrities at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

** ask for a picture with one of my favourite actors I literally ran into at a restaurant and continue talking with him for more than 1 minute

** be more bold in sharing my faith

** listen to God when He prompted me to share something extremely personal at church

** go to the Spice Girls concert

** willing to partake in quirky skits at my church

And...

FINAL - LY, an example of total surrender to the liberation of inhibition – an example of true spontaneity….

I was willing to strip down to my bra and knickers, because I did not have my bathing suit, so I could join my friend in the pool and hot tub at our favourite hotel! I didn’t want to miss out on the fun. For a brief moment, when two employees of the hotel walked into the pool area, I had a wee bit of a panic, but calmly swam to a corner of the pool and waited until they left! Yes, you heard correctly! I am turning into my mother!!!:) Ahhhh!!! (Sorry, no picture of this one!)

Karyne’s homecoming was long overdue! As a friend so eloquently commented on this photo,

"Now that is the girl I know and love....this makes me laugh!"

There’s no stopping me now- although I may want to add a filter!!:)

I love to be spontaneous. It is truly who I am at the core of my being!