George Clooney....still more...

You can imagine my excitement when I turned on "Breakfast Television" ( a City TV morning news program based out of Toronto) this morning and they informed the viewers about this article in the National Post.... So I definitely decided I needed to go and get myself a copy on my way to work. The article reads,

"Why just read about George Clooney and Sarah Larson's breakup-People magazine broke the story yesterday-when you can actually live it? To activate this innovative feature of your National Post, simply follow the instructions below and watch celebrity news come alive before your eyes!"

I am GREAT at following instructions....

Here's one for my George-ey!!

George Clooney...WIthout further adieu...my TIFF pics of George Clooney

As promised..... Here are my pics I took at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 2007)! I was 2 ft away from my George!! My camera was acting up...can you believe my luck!! In addition, I was getting pushed and shoved and thus had to resort to pointing and shooting without looking! These are the results and I actually think they are very cool pics!! I was so impressed with my George. He spent 15 minutes talking to his fans on the red carpet at Roy Thompson Hall, before heading in for the premiere of "Michael Clayton." I was so close yet so far away. Even though I was only 2ft. from him, I couldn't get my hand in the swarm of bodies for him to shake. It didn't matter. I got to see my George in person. He is just as good looking as on film. However, I was surprised he was not taller. He is about my height - 5'8'! I am okay with that!! ;) It was an
extraordinary night! A perfect way to celebrate my 40th birthday!

George Clooney: Newsflash

George Clooney is single again!!!!!!



YAY!!!!



I knew we were destined to be together!!!:):) Am I delusional?! A girl can only hope right!!!:) Hehehehe!! So, George, if you are reading this, I am waiting for you - me - a young looking, confident, sexy, beautiful, fun, 40 year old Canadian woman, who is NOT clingy, NOT after your money, who loves her independence, loves to travel, loves to pull pranks, loves every movie and TV show you've ever made - well, maybe not every, and who unfortunately does not love motorcycles!!!!

I have this cool pic of my "boyfriend" George I took last September at the Toronto International Film Festival. I will post it when I get home from work as it is on my laptop. I went searching for an old blog post about that adventure but must not have written about it. I can't believe it! It was such an exciting evening....I saw George on my 40th birthday! I think I wrote about it on my Facebook page! Stay tuned...you will laugh at the pic!!:)

GEORGE CLOONEY IS SINGLE AGAIN!!!!!

ABC Wednesday - "S"

Another weekly photo party over at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place. Check out all the creative photographers! Here are my contributions for "S" week!

S ea and S alt air. I LOVE the sea and LOVE the small of the salt air! I am fortunate to live by a large body of water- Lake Ontario, but it is not the sea! I pretend. So any opportunity I can, I try to take a trip to the sea. This photo was taken in Cape Cod, MA.


S nowstorm. We had too many snowstorms this past winter! I am sooooo glad S pring is here!

S wing. Little Amish girls enjoying this favourite summer pasttime!
S trange S igns. "Intercourse" is really a town in PA!
S isters. Two of my closest friends!

Sweet Moments From Today....

The grade 8 students in "C"'s class presented their valedictorian speeches. Every one of the speeches I was privileged to hear mentioned how they have been changed by "C" being in their class this year. They went on to share how they have learned more about autism and are not afraid of "C" anymore! They see him as a real person who is funny! Tears of joy filled my eyes as I listened to their sweet honesty. All the frustration with "C"'s stubbornness, all those nose bleeds I've had to deal with, all the doubts wondering if integration is beneficial, all the playfulness, all the smiles and giggles, all the work that has been accomplished have been worth it all to know these grade 8 students have been impacted by a precious young man who has autism. Their lives will never be the same. It was a sweet moment.

My sweet "D" has a problem with fool smelling flatulence due to all the beans and chickpeas she ingests! Today was no exception except now she is trying to place the blame on me! Here is our conversation:

"D": ( pointing and smiling at me) Kowryne, you passed gas?

"Kowryne" (me!): No "D" ....you passed gas!

"D": ( giggling) YES!!!!

"D": ( still smiling) You stink.

"Kowryne": ( still smiling) No "D"...you stink!!!!

"D": Oh sawry ( sorry)....Okay.

I LOVE that "D" is able to joke around now! Another sweet moment.

A "not so sweet moment"....

One of our grade 8 students participated in the regional track meet yesterday and collapsed half way through her run. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital. When the teacher called her parents to inform them of their daughter's situation, their response was, "we will come after work (to the hospital)." What parent wouldn't come right away to their child's side. Obviously her parents. Our principal, along with the teacher stayed at the hospital with her until her parents arrived hours later. ( she is okay by the way!) How sad. How sad. How sad. No wonder this girl looks sooooo dejected all the time in class. My heart aches for this precious child. A not so sweet moment of the day.

Loads of Testosterone!!!!!!!

Yesiree! And boy was I excited! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My friend Sandra, the same friend of this story, and I headed yesterday to the "Monster Truck Jam" at the GM Centre. Not only was I excited to spend time with Sandra and her son who has autism, but I saw it as an opportunity to meet some single men! Monster Trucks=Men. I like that equation!

Remember I mentioned I thought I had died and gone to heaven as I was faced with a myriad of possibilities! Well that was until...

I saw all these little 5 year old boys with their dads trickle into the GM Centre. I had a feeling I wouldn't be meeting any single men that day!

All kidding aside, we had a fun afternoon as virgin Monster Truck watchers! Sandra's boy thought HE had died and gone to heaven!!! He LOVED it and was sooooo happy and content all afternoon. It was a beautiful thing to watch! Another fun adventure with a great friend! Enjoy the Monster Jam.....
Here is the GM Centre in Oshawa- or "the 'shwa" as it is affectionally called. Take note of the name of the venue-"GM". Stands for General Motors of Canada. Yes, Oshawa is home to a VERY LARGE General Motors car and truck plant. General Motors. ( No, I haven't been paid to advertise. Our family has invested interest. My dad worked for GM in the computer division and I even worked in the truck plant for a summer.) Can you see in the next picture who sponsored this event.....
NOT General Motors. No, it was Ontario Hyundai! I thought that was ironic!
Here is my fav. Monster Truck, "T-Max," jumping over some General Motors vehicles. Another bit of irony!
Here I am enjoying the show!
I LOVE this pic of Sandra's son! There were times I wanted to join him and hide in his coat too! It was scary and LOUD!

Tragedy for one of my favourite Christian singers

Please say a little prayer today for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family today. Their five year old adopted daughter from China was tragically killed in their driveway on Wednesday. You can read the story here. Apparently, they were getting ready to attend their oldest son's high school graduation. My friend at Catherine's Chatter-Waiting for Hannah blogged more details of the tragedy, including the fact that it seems it was their oldest son driving the car that hit Maria. I feel so sick for this family. In addition, their oldest daughter just got engaged over the weekend. We need to uplift this family in prayer.

ABC Wednesday - "R"

Photo Party over at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place. Check out all the creative photographers. Here is my contribution for "R" week.

"R" ope. "Jump Rope For Heart" event held at the elementary school where I work to raise money for "The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation." (May, 2008)
"R" ail overlooking the "R" iver Seine, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
I took this photo on my first day in Paris. I had just arrived earlier that morning and wanted to stay awake all day in order to adjust to jetlag. So, I went for a brisk, long walk near my hotel. This was my first view of the Eiffel Tower. I was SO excited! It felt WONDERFUL being in Paris. I felt alive and free! Free to be me! A glorious, sunny, spring day welcomed me to Paris - the city of lights, love, amazing architecture and rich history! (Paris, March 2007)

"R" eading at an antique, outdoor booksellers market. (Paris, March 2007)
Cobblestone "R" oad. Pere Lachaise Cemetery. (Paris, March 2007)

Treasure found

Carefully leafing through my maternal grandmother's brittle Bible today in search of some family- tree information, I found the following poem. (Grandma Porter was the keeper of our family records and history- our archivist! I miss that and feel compelled to carry on that tradition) I have no idea the year this poem was written but am guessing anywhere from the 1930's to the 1960's! I had a good chuckle! For those of us who grew up in a conservative church, we will appreciate the conservative message and all the implications that go along with it!!:)

"The Christian Maiden's Glory."

But if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her. ( 1 Cor. xi 15.)

We're living in a danger zone,

Oh, Christian maid beware!

The Devil with a cunning tone

Would have you bob your hair.

He'll tell you that it's falling out.

Or else it's getting thin:

Your headaches would be gone no doubt

And thus He tries to win.

Your hair, your glory, just to think

That which took years to grow;

The Devil in a crafty wink-

Would lay your glory low.

That which the Angels' wond'ring eye

Deem as subjection sweet:

That which fond Mary took to dry

Her blessed Saviour's feet.

T'was love that touched that won her heart,

Love drew her glory down;

But greater love, the Saviour's part,

He crowned her with renown.

Let no the Devil's scissors touch

Thy hair, it is a treasure,

But keep thy glory be it such,

To use it for His pleasure.

M.I.C.

This is my maternal grandmother. One of my memories of her is the way she ALWAYS wore her fine, gray LONG hair!! Meticulously every morning, she would divide her hair into two plaits. Then, she would intertwine them into a neat bun at the back of her head. According to family legend, she promised her father, when she left her home in Northern Ireland to immigrate to Canada, that she would never cut her hair. And she obviously felt it was her Christian duty!

Well her grand-daughter let "the Devil's scissors touch!" :)

I am thankful times have changed and my "chrisitan duty" is more than length of my hair!

P.S. Do you see my grandmother's AMAZING necklace! I absolutely LOVE it and wish I still had that treasure today! I never realized when my grandma was alive that she loved great accessories. It must be genetic!

P.S.S. I just read this interesting post at "He made me do it...so..." It is related to my grandma's poem...check out Supersimbo's wife's post here. (May 20, 2008)

Praise

"Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under His care." (Psalm 95:6-7)

Old men will always be boys!

Here is my 74 and 3/4 year old father holding the "souvenir" he bought on his trip to Lancaster, PA. My first introduction to this "souvenir" was when I was helping my parents unload their car last night. I heard a farting sound come from my dad, but was suspicious. You see, I made a discovery a few years ago. By mistake really. Unintentionally, I discovered I could tell the difference between my parents' flatuations.

How you ask?

One summer on holidays, my friend and I were visiting in the living room of our trailer while my parents slept in the back bedroom. All of a sudden in the middle of an important conversation, we heard a loud fart come from the back of the trailer. I interjected with, "oh that was just my dad."

Approximately 3 minutes later, we heard another loud fart coming from the same direction. Without missing a beat, I calmly said, "oh that is my mom."

Immediately in mid -sentence I gasped! I realized I could tell my parent's farts apart! My friend and I laughed hysterically! Did I have a new-found gift?

Thus, I knew the sound coming from my dad last night was fake. A-ha! He was caught in the act trying to trick his daughter. She was not fooled!

Giggling , my dad excitedly showed me the eight different farting sounds this gadget can make. He actually has names for them. I can only remember "the wet one" and the "one that sounds like your mother!" ( Apparently my dad has the "gift" too)

There is NEVER a dull moment in my family!

Old men will always be boys and I am okay with that!

This "Road Rage Babe's" new problem.

A dear co-worker of mine has been in the car with me on two occasions when I have allowed my road rage to get the better of me. You remember my confessions of road rage? I thought confessing would be an effective strategy for helping me eliminate this problem. Obviously not. Today, I had a minor setback. It is that "time of the month." But, I shouldn't really use that as an excuse should I!!!



I was trying to find a parking spot at Costco and became impatient with the van in front of me, who was waiting to pull into an empty spot. I had my eye on the spot directly across from this space. My co-worker and I had limited time as we had to be back to our Autism course in 30 minutes. Finally, the van pulled into his spot and as I was about to enter "my" spot, a car coming from the opposite direction pulled in. I couldn't believe it. I was mad. Apparently ( I say apparently as I really don't remember exactly my reaction ) I said with hand gestures - no, not obscene gestures, I just talk lots with my hands, " you took my spot." She clearly was not happy with me and angrily said, " I didn't know you wanted that spot."



My poor co-worker friend was so embarrassed. She did casually make a comment to me in fun when we saw the woman in Costco. It went something like this, " you are a Christian girl...get it together."



Back at our Autism course, I couldn't get her comment out of my head. I felt so remorseful. What kind of example was I as a Christian? Yikes. Didn't I recently write a blog about walking our talk. What a HUGE lesson for me today. Even though I make light of my "road rage" stories, I need to stop the behaviour. I need to honour God in all I do, even in my driving habits. I don't know why I didn't make that connection before. Probably because I am usually alone when I am driving. I asked God to forgive me and now need to ask my co-worker to forgive me.

And maybe I need to enroll in behaviour modification therapy!

P.S. I just want to point out my road rage only started when I moved back to this area where I grew up. There has been a HUGE increase in population and very little increase in infrastructure to accommodate this influx, thus the major traffic issues. I'm not excusing my behaviour, but it explains why so many people have road rage issues in this area, including myself. Although my co-workers feel it is because I'm sexually frustrated!!! hehehe!! We won't go there!!:)

Resurrecting "Tiger Beat"

Barbara at Writing From the Inside Out asked a GREAT question yesterday on her blog...

"What kind of posters did you have on your bedroom wall when you were in high school?"

I took up her "challenge" and googled some of the men that hung on my walls in Jr. High and High School. What a fun trip down memory lane. I used to live for the latest edition of "Tiger Beat" magazine!! Did you know they still produce "Tiger Beat?" I couldn't believe it when I saw it a couple of months ago at a newsstand! Without further ado, here is a sampling of the posters that hung in my very pink room:

Blind Dating 101

I am a sucker for watching the reality TV show, "The Bachelor." Why? I have no idea. The relationships usually don't even last. There was only one success story- Trista and Ryan. I think I still hold out hope that something will eventually work out for some lucky bachelor. I hope this British bachelor really did find true love in the American actress, whose father I used to be in love with in the 80's! ( Lorenzo Lamas of Falcon Crest fame!)

I guess the real crux of the matter is I am still a hopeless romantic, even at 40! I realize I am being idealistic, yet still relish the thought of being swept off my feet by my "knight in shining armour!" Okay, don't gag anyone!!! It is true!

Although at this stage in my life, I think I have given up hope that my knight will be arriving and have come to the conclusion that God somehow wants me to be single. Don't worry, I haven't felt the calling to enter the convent yet!

Maybe that is why "The Bachelor" is so appealing to me...it allows me to still dream... it allows me to live vicariously through someone else...okay I know it is TV and most likely staged, but hey...let me hold on to my dream!!

This seems a fitting segue ( excuse my spelling...Janina, my editor, I need you now!!) into the first installment of one of my blind date stories!! I thought it would be fitting to share this story first since it is at the forefront of my mind! Here goes....

Panic set in as I glanced around the crowded Sunday School classroom only a few short weeks ago. Directly sitting across from me was one of my blind date stories gone bad. I was in shock and many questions flooded my mind, such as, what is he doing here, why he is at my church, is he just visiting for the day, do I say hi to him, will I have to change classes, why does he keep staring at me.

It all started when a co-worker of mine asked if I would like to be set up with a co-worker of her husband at Costco. "He is a church boy too, " she said. Always up for an adventure, I said, "SURE!"

As it turned out, I knew him in an indirect way as his parents went to my church. I found out later that he and I were actually in youth group together but because he was younger than I, I didn't remember him. Apparently we even went to the same high school. So, my romantic mind got carried away with me and I was thinking what a cool love story we would have! ( and a great blog post!! hehehe! wait...I didn't blog back then!)

Phone numbers were exchanged. I eagerly anticipated his phone call. Sure enough he called the next day. Things were going well until...

he started to weep.

I mean uncontrollable sobs.

Something you would not typically expect from a guy, but I thought, "hey...great... he is a sensitive guy in touch with his feelings!"

Now, to be fair, his marriage had recently just broken up and thus the reason for the tears when telling me the story. For me though, it was too much information too soon. Prior to this sudden bout of crying, I had some "red flags," but thought I would keep an open mind. So at this point in the conversation I was second guessing my decision to have coffee with him. Quickly, my thoughts played my mom's " words of wisdom" tape from over the years....

"don't be so picky, give it a chance, he has a nice family, he has a good job, you aren't getting any younger...blah, blah, blah...give it a chance."

Rewind?....Delete?...I can't delete my mom's mom-ism's...So... Rewind it is...

We set a date and place. Oh no, another "red flag." He wanted to meet at the scummiest, smallest, and not in a -good- part- of -town Tim Horton's ( like Dunkin Donuts for all you Americans. Definitely not Starbucks). Call me old fashioned, but I'm not into going to a fast food type place on my first date. I love Timmy's coffee but not the greatest ambiance for a first date. He didn't even pay for my coffee....another sign in my books.

I know it may sound like I am being "picky." You bet I am! At this stage in my life, I do know what I want and don't want and am a good judge of character. I would rather be single than with someone just for the sake of having a partner.

So, we chit- chatted some more taking a trip down memory lane about all the mutual people we knew. No chemistry though. Then it happened again....He brought up the topic of his divorce again ...

You guessed it...

the uncontrollable sobbing started again.

Politely, I thanked him for a nice evening and made my exit.

I concluded that he was definitely not ready for a new relationship. He needed time to heal.

Has this healing taken place? I have no idea, but do hope so for his sake. We haven't spoken to each other yet. In fact, I try to avoid any eye contact, which is a difficult task in a small room! It is a bit awkward. Suffice to say, there is no chemistry even if he is ready for a relationship! The adventure with the "crying guy" may not be over. Stay tuned...

ABC Wednesday - "Q"

It's that time of the week for ABC Wednesday's over at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place. The letter Q
is the star of the week.

Q uiet.

(Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto)

Future Q ueen of England.

Mother's Day Celebration!

First stop on the adventure: my parent's church for the Mother's Day service.

Second stop on the adventure ( I forgot to take photos! Can you believe that?!): Dinner at a old "haunt" of my parents when they were courting fifty-one years ago, "Sunnybrook Restaurant - a.k.a Marina's Soda Shop," at the corner of Bayview and Eglinton in Toronto. Still amazing food and amazing service after all those years!

Third and final stop ( well, we took a bit of a detour to the beach on the way home) on the adventure: Visiting my grandparents at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto - the most gorgeous cemetery I have ever been to in Canada!
Mom wanted to place these silk flowers in honour of her mother at the graveside. Protecting the flowers from the elements! (It kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me but hey, it's my mom's idea, so I need to respect that, especially on Mother's Day!)My mom ...My mom and I....My mom and dad...
These pics were taken of mom and I yesterday after the tea! Like mother like daughter!

Mom thoroughly enjoyed her day! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating you! Thank you for loving your children unconditionally!

I had a dream...I found Petit Fours..but it was only a dream! Hark! The "Mother - Daughter High Tea" was a success without the Petit Fours!

My church had this amazing Mother -Daughter High Tea yesterday in honour of Mother's Day! I was asked to be one of the table hostesses. As a table hostess, one of our responsibilities was to set the table, using personal china or church china, place cards, etc., if we so desired. In my previous blog post, you knew I enlisted the help of a "transplanted -southern -belle -bloggy- friend -of -mine" at Hokey Pokey Life. She came up with this GREAT idea for place cards using "Petit Fours." (You can read about that story here.) Well...the GREAT "Petit Four ADVENTURE" ensued. Do you think I could find Petit Fours anywhere in Durham Region, population approx. 500,000? Do you think I could find Petit Fours anywhere in Toronto - the community next to me, population approx. 1, 500,000? Canada is part of the Commonwealth. We bow to the Queen. I bet she has full access to Petit Fours! So, here my dear Hokey Pokey friend can find Petit Fours in the great country of America, yet we here in the great province of Ontario, where the first British settlers settled, in the great country of Canada, are without! What was I to do? I put my creative juices into action, using one part Hokey Pokey's idea, one part my idea and one part Isabella's Chocolate Cafe's idea! The photo above shows the end result! A purse( or handbag as it is called in the UK!) filled with two homemade chocolate truffles, displaying the place card with the verse, "...Do not forsake your mother's teaching. [It] will be a garland to grace your head..." (Proverbs 1:8,9) written on it and tied neatly together with pink polka -dotted ribbon! I am very pleased with the end result! Wouldn't you agree?!! Thank you Kimberley ( Hokey Pokey) for your great ideas! I did find out that the owner of Isabella's could have ordered Petit Fours for me from his wholesaler but I was a day late! Thankfully, a wonderful time was had by all at the Mother-Daughter High Tea. It was a LOVELY day. I am grateful my mother was able to join me in this celebration! Here is my table:
I set the table as a tribute to my mom and her mother! It turned out to be sort of "shabby chic," which I loved! The china plates, teapot, cream and sugar hailed from Ireland. They are "Donegal Parian China", a gift from our Irish friends. ( I only had 6 plates so mom and I used china plates from Scotland!) The tea cups came from my mom. Fifty-one years ago, when she got married, it was customary to have "tea cup showers." As a little girl, I always LOVED my mom's tea cup collection, so I was thrilled she allowed me to use them yesterday! The daffodil cutlery came from my mom's trousseau as well! I decorated the centre of the table with one of my pinafores, one of my grandma's lace bibs and a baby photo of my mom. ( I like to be symbolic!) The wee vase is "Belleek Parian China," coming from Northern Ireland as well! The flower in the vase was stolen - oops, I mean "borrowed" from a flower arrangement in the senior's building where my parents live!! lol! Shhh....don't tell anyone!!

Here is my beautiful mom! Doesn't she look great for 71 years old!!!

The program.... The platters of food....one layer had sandwiches, one layer had squares and one layer had scones! Delicious! The platters on my table are actually from my great aunt's trousseau! There is debate on the etiquette of what to eat first at afternoon tea, but apparently the Queen loves to eat the squares first then work herself down to the sandwiches! So, our table decided to follow the Queen's example!! Here is my mom and I with another guest from my table.
Here are the lovely ladies from my table! We had a wonderful time together and they LOVED my place cards! I was blessed to be able to share the afternoon with my mom. I even made her cry when she watched the video the daughters made to honour our moms! It was a special day!

( to view the rest of my pictures from the tea, you can check out my web album at: www.picasaweb.google.com/swile67.)