Making Time to Play

Well my house just transfer into Christmas with a real tree and stuff everywere. Sad thing is there is no snow and the next month is full of Christmas parties and I have trouble getting in the mood without snow and cold. It is coming but still it is November and the parties begin.

Good news is the road are great as I get to spend the next two weekends with road trips for Speak Out Presentation in the good ole South West Sask.

Big news of the day is that the all the power on the west side of downtown was out today because three guys doing construction hit a major line. Not sure if they survived but downtown was shut down and guess what today is....the santa claus parade downtown with a lights on ceremony. Everything is gonna workout but man. Santa is coming to turn the lights on and EMS, Fire, Police and Saskpower has shut down main street and no power. Will Santa prevail? Ok course he will.....He is Santa right.

The things that I've loved, things that I've lost
Things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need

The above little ditty is from Audioslaves hit Doesn't Remind Me. How many songs can I name that are tied to an event. Soundtrack of our lives kinda thing. This song however hits me home because alas it asks and answers that question that everyone is asking. One simple word with so much danger. Why? Yes everyone is asking why these days and seeking answers. Well as the above says, I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget. Don't seek the answers that will haunt or never really be answered;

Bend and shape me
I love the way you are
Slow and sweetly
Like never before
Calm and sleeping
We won't stir up the past
So discretely
We won't look back

It is almost like we can draw a line in that sand from a moment and move one. Sounds easy right. Well if your dreams and subconsious agrees then you're ok, if not keep at it. If I have learned anything this year it is that we need to enjoy the good and every moment of it because it can change in an instant but I also learned that only thing I can control is the way I react to things. For me right now the great news is that I have that "we" to not look back.

So thanks Chris for writing such a wonderful song with a message really for everyone. Be it a past relationship or something as simple as a bad day.

Yes, our wedding. Yes I said our wedding as Elaine and I are engaged. The big date is August 19 in Moose Jaw. With the recent family events in our lives, it has never become so clear how important family and friends are in your life. So on Elaine's Birthday I proposed to her. Here is the story.

Well I bought a ring 2 weeks ago on a trip to Regina. I told my friend that I went shopping and she asked me if it was something shiny but I denied all that. So I was planning to propose the day before Elaine's birthday and take her to the Emerson Drive Concert but that became unglued when my Baba passed away and we went to the funeral in Saskatoon the day before her birthday and stayed at the farm. Even with this I still wanted to propose and Baba would not want it any other way. So I formed a new plan but It was tested to the max. I was going to take Elaine out for supper in North Battleford and show here the park were I use to work and do it there. Well in the mean time my family (god love them) invited themselves to come for supper with us. Now this posed the problem because I want to be alone and they wanted to travel with us. (no!) So we worked it out that they would drive with my sister even thought the space was tight. I told everyone we were going shopping and showing Elaine more of were I grew up. Well that worked. Then in the afternoon my sister started packing up and I asked what they were doing. Well having a newborn proves to be time consuming so they just packed early (relief). To make things worse I want to propose on the riverbed and it just recently snowed and I was not sure if I could make it to the river (I made it). Then to top everything off I had to tell my Dad that he could not come with us. He want us to drop him off but I had to frequently say no!

Ok so I finally made it. Went for a walk in the sand along the river and we had a conversation and I wished were happy birthday and gave her a card that I made in the kindergarten style folded paper and marker variety. Well I pulled out the ring, got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Elaine started crying and here exact works when she saw it was "Are you serious?" followed by yes.

So that is it. I have a beautiful and amazing girl to wake up for the rest of my life. The best feeling in the world is to know that you are loved and John and Paul really had it right, "All you need is love"

Well I had to say goodbye to someone very special today. Simply put I am very sad but cannot remain sad when I think of my Baba (this is grandma in Ukrainian). She was the best. So much of my memories of childhood cirulcate around her. I had the privilage of doing the eulogy as I did for Geed. Never was a glass empty or a plate empty with Baba. I like to thing that my skills in the kitchen come from her. I promise to continue to "Make all gone"

I will recall with a smile your time, borscht, cabbage rolls, perogies, pickle and your love.

Well to cap off a weekend that was not meant to be the engine just fell out of my plane so to say. Went to Regina Saturday for some boring meetings and then returned with an urgent message that my Baba (Grandma) was not doing very well and I should come home. So bolted off to Saskatoon to visit my Baba who was still alive but not doing so well but stable. Spend Sunday with the family but we returned to regular back to work Monday. After carving two pumpkins and handing out candy the phone range again with the news that Baba never woke up this afternoon.

Must say I’m having a stretch of bad luck. Saw the shirt the other day that said luck is for losers and basically I’m losing big time. Too many funerals in the last little while and to top mater off, I just broke the button of my pants. Yuck.

So I get to write another eulogy for someone whole I will really miss. So much of my culture will be gone but not lost. I just recently made my first bowl of borsht with my comments being it tasted sorta like Baba’s and that means it is really good.