News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, but we're not making much headway on the accumulated snow piles! I have gained access to the barbecue, so that's something at least. The bus people put me back to work immediately on my old run. Only one student had been suspended this time! However, there were a lot of happy faces, several parents came out to greet me, and one grade 11 boy surprised me with a big hug! The markets have been volatile, but I've been blessed with some recovery and am back on quota. I've been watching the women's curling championships all week where Rachel Homan managed to complete the round robin in first place. Now, they're in the playoffs, and have advanced to the championship final against Switzerland tomorrow. I'm expecting the gold! March Madness has begun, my favourite basketball time of the year. Already we've had a batch of bracket busting upsets. The Jayhawks won their first, and play again tomorrow. I don't have high hopes for them if they don't get their injured centre back, soon. Wendy has been very busy with appointments and clearing up the back log of paperwork here. Each of us has started a set of dental cleanings at the college. 

Eric and the boys have been holidaying on the Island, while Erica has been away in Mexico all week. Reports indicate that all involved had a good week. 

We've had a few chats with Erin and Kristian since we got back. They seem to be doing well at work and school. We miss spending time with them. 

Trav & Joanna are very busy this weekend with a hockey tournament. This time it's all business as they've set up a booth there. Trav's hockey team continues in the second round of the playoffs and started off with a win; they play again tomorrow. Gemma and Andrew are busy with school, but we haven't seen much of them yet. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been beautiful, and a lot of snow has sunk or melted from the streets, however, there remains a lot more to go! The week began with the Brier final, and Kevin Koe came through with a convincing win! I've had this week off, and now I'm into the women's world championships that began today with a win over Russia. I have high expectations of Rachel Homan; she was there last year and managed a medal, but I will be disappointed if it's not gold this time! The markets have been troubled all week with weak Chinese data, and strong Russian dictator! My accounts felt the pain as well. As a result, I have now fallen below quota—sigh! We have completed our visit to Regina; it was a very good time. Thank you, dad, for hosting us so graciously. We also relished in the chances to spend time with Erin & Kristian. We miss them all already! We drove to Winnipeg on Friday, met up with Erica, and passed the night with her, before she continued her trip to Mexico this morning. We cashed out a Red Lobster coupon from David when we arrived in Winnipeg and enjoyed a fabulous seafood feast—thanks, Dave. We completed the drive down to Thunder Bay today. Travis & Joanna welcomed us home with a lovely dinner. They've done a great job of taking care of things while we were away—thank you. Along with everything else, I'm getting ready for March Madness which is set to begin in the coming week. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk! 

Eric/A enjoyed a sunny week in Parksville and at least one of them was able to get out on the new bikes every day. The bikes are testing out well. Erica has been off work this week, and is taking the next week in sunny Mexico. She met up with Tanis in Winnipeg this morning, and they have flown to the Mayan Rivera for a week of RnR. Eric had a trip to Vancouver on Monday to visit his brother and enjoy two periods of Canuck hockey. He also watched the third period but some of that was obscured by tears! The boys finished up a final week of school, and are now off on a two-week spring break! I don't remember such long spring breaks when I was a kid, nor when I was a teacher! 

Erin has been under the weather nearly all week, but is gradually getting better. Kristian is into the rainbow loom and has made projects for most of us now. 

Trav, Joanna and crew have been managing their usual activities of work and school. We look forward to catching up with them now that we're back home. Trav's hockey team starts their second round series on Wednesday. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. Finally, the weather has turned Spring-like with above zero temperatures facing us each day on the forecast for next week. We got a couple more dumps of snow this week, but I've scored a couple of shovels, so the driveway clearing went easily. I've also cleaned off the deck, so we plan a barbecue in the coming week. School bus driving has ended for now; I trained a new driver on the route this week, accompanying her for the final time on Wednesday. We'll have to wait to see whether there is a route for me back in TBay. I've been watching the Brier all week, and as expected my three favourites rose to the top, tied with identical 9-2 records. Playoffs are underway. BC(Morris) awaits in the final which is set to be played tomorrow. AB(Koe) overcame PQ(Menard) in an extra end to advance this evening, after Menard knocked off MB(Stoughton). SK(Laycock), my sentimental favourite, entered the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" country by giving up a steal of 3 on their final end to miss the playoffs! The markets have been roiled this week by events unfolding in Ukraine. Good economic data in the US has driven their markets to all-time highs, but we have not had such good data here. Still I've been blessed with good gains and am at quota for the first quarter with three weeks to go. I will try to build on that rather than let it fritter away! Wendy has continued with therapy on her arthritic hands, and also keeps over-working them with sewing and other projects. On Friday evening, she prepared a family celebration for Dad's 89th birthday—that was a nice gathering featuring birthday cake by Ashley! Tomorrow is her birthday—happy birthday, dear!

Eric/A have had a good week which included them obtaining new motorcycles! It's raining there right now, but they look forward to getting them out on the Island roads soon. They got a matching pair of Kawasaki Vulcan 900 bikes. Look pretty good to me!

Kristian had Thursday and Friday off school. We enjoyed having him with us. He and I got out for a try at tennis on Friday afternoon. That was fun!

Trav, Joanna and crew keep busy. Trav's team is in the playoffs and won their first round series already. Now they wait for their semi-final opponent. In the meantime they continue to look forward to Spring! They are currently enjoying a family visitor.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has ended with extremely frigid weather on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. March has clearly come in as a lion, so we look forward to lamb-like weather, and hope it will arrive soon. The Olympics ended wonderfully for us as our men won the hockey gold with spectacular defensive play allowing only three goals in six games. Today, our national curling championship has started, so I'll be tuned in to the Brier all week long. I will follow my sentimental favourites in Sask and the NWT, but I'm picking Kevin Koe to win it all, with Jeff Stoughton right in there as co-favourite, and I have to give a nod to John Morris and his new BC team, since they got to the Olympic trials final. The markets have shown recovery in February with all indexes in the green for the month, and only the DOW remaining in the red for the year to date. I've been blessed with another good week and end the month above quota so far this year. Wendy has had further consultations about her arthritic fingers; other possibilities are being entertained, and we are hopeful that improvement will be obtained. Bus driving continues to go well, and with the arrival of March, I am reminded that only a few days remain in this sojourn in Regina. Dave left last weekend for a holiday trip to BC; he is currently on Vancouver Island. Dad has obtained a new walker and is practising getting around the house with it. Rich and Sue are coming back from Zambia into this deep freeze—sorry about that! 

Eric/A and the boys are entertaining Uncle Dave this weekend. Last night Erica enjoyed a bit of RnR with a trip the spa. Today they're off to Port Alberni where Liam is in a hockey playoff—go Liam! Haaken enjoyed the local production of Mamma Mia! He demonstrated his enjoyment of ABBA and threw in a few dance moves as well—go Haaken! Eric had a performance review to mark the completion of his probation; it was positive. He continues to work on his case load, building the case for funding for another year, and writing articles for the organization.  

Kristian is suffering with symptoms of a urinary tract infection and is on antibiotics; we hope he feels well soon. Erin continues to balance work with the demands of home and Kristian's homework. They completed a book project this week—I hope she gets a good grade! 

Travis & Joanna remain very busy with work, but hockey season is drawing to a close in Thunder Bay, so the Puckshots work should ease soon. They are suffering under a very snowy winter there, and looking forward to Spring which can't come soon enough! Under an extended polar vortex, even Lake Superior is mostly ice-covered. 

And that's about enough for one week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. We enjoyed mild weather with snow melting off the roads at the start of the week, but it's turned a bit colder again. We enjoyed a trip out to Gravelbourg on Wednesday to visit Janelle and the boys and the kids! The trip home turned a bit more difficult as we hit an ice-covered hi-way from Belle Plaine in. We've been occupied with the Olympics all week, rejoicing as both curling teams won gold, our women's hockey team won gold, and our men's hockey team has advanced to the gold medal game tomorrow. We've marvelled as our skiers, snowboarders and skaters displayed their artistry. We've shuddered at the cruel juxtaposition against the conflict in Ukraine, and are partially relieved that some progress seems to be happening there. The markets have continued to lurch with each headline, but I've been blessed with another good week and I'm back on quota year to date. Wendy is off to a women's retreat at Kenosee Lake this weekend. Otherwise she's busy taking care of things here and working on several projects. She pulled one all-nighter on a sewing project this week; some things never seem to change! 

Eric is preparing a proposal for the contract that includes his position. We hope his brilliance will shine through and his employment will be secured for another year. Hockey is winding down for Liam. He has an exhibition game today, and then they move into the playoffs through the first two weekends in March. One of their key players is out, so Liam and the rest will have to take up the slack. Haaken continues with school and drawing. It has been discovered that, contrary to tax advice they received years ago, he does qualify for a disability tax credit, so it will be interesting to see these benefits flow through. Erica continues to work on budget and facilities development including public and staff meetings. Collaboration is tiring! Today, Eric/A are off to Courtney to get service work on the CRV and check out a motorcycle shop! They have up front seats for Brent Butt in Nanaimo this evening, and hope they're not the butt of any of his jokes! This weekend they've suffered a major snow storm, and no snow blower in sight! 

Oh, no, evacuate Parksville! 

Kristian has been on school holidays this week, so we've been able to spend much extra time with him. On Wednesday he enjoyed new friends at Gravelbourg including the animals! Erin is enjoying better health and also got some repairs completed on her car. We've enjoyed spending several evenings with her. Today we took in Finn's first birthday party. It was another good time, thanks Tori & Sharon! Then, they closed the week at the Lego movie, and enjoyed that a great deal as well. 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are struggling to survive a very snowy winter in TBay. Recent photos indicate we may be called upon to head home and dig them out!

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has finally broken and we're enjoying single digits once again. Bus driving is on hiatus as the schools here have the next week off. The markets have regained traction, and all North American indexes are in the green for February. I have been blessed with a full month's quota very early again; I hope, unlike what was the case in January, that I will be able to hold these gains and even add to them in the remainder of the month. We are enjoying coverage of the Olympics, but the timing is often troubling for me since I have to be up and off to my bus driving early each morning. Women's curling Canada ended with the favourite Rachel Homan repeating as champion. Our curling teams are doing well at the Olympics and we are following the hockey teams closely as well. We have enjoyed another good week here in Regina. 

Eric/A and crew celebrated the Family Day last weekend with a trip to Seattle. They took in Pike Place market of quaint shops, small merchants, farmers markets and fish mongers. They enjoyed EMP museum with a variety of musical and film sectors. They attended Monuments Men and found it an impact-full movie. Liam is thinking he should become an artist! The trip was also in celebration of Haaken and Liam's birthdays. Liam marked the occasion by bargaining the purchase of a leather coat. Somehow he convinced his mother to assist in the payment; it seems he doesn't understand the principles of bargaining, so she ended up bargaining against herself! Eric has completed his probation in his new job, now we only hope the position will be funded for another year. Erica continues to be busy with school closure meetings and has begun budget meetings. She is hopeful that the prospect of a spring vacation trip to Mayan Riviera with Tanis, a friend from Kenora, will bolster her to get through all the meetings! 

Erin and Kristian have both endured struggles with illness, but we hope they're on the mend now. Kristian has the next week off school, so we hope to get in some special activities with him. They are off to Yorkton and Melville this weekend for hockey activities with Uncle Eric and family. I'm sure they'll enjoy their time there. 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew continue to thrive in Thunder Bay. Business keeps Trav & Joanna busy. Gemma is considering application to the International Baccalaureate program for her high school years. Andrew also is achieving good progress at school according to his recent reports. 

And that's about enough for this time. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. The cold weather persists, but we finally see some single digits in the long term predictions. Bus driving continues to go well. Wendy had an intervention with her doctor here in Regina, and her finger was frozen and broken free once again. We hope the ongoing therapy can assure greater usefulness for her as she battles arthritis. The markets were very troubled coming out of January and that persisted early in the week, but they turned green later in the week and I was blessed with a full weekly quota. Women's curling dominated the week, but Stephanie Lawton (Saskatchewan) lost in the playoffs this morning, and will play in the bronze medal game tomorrow against Chelsea Carey (Manitoba). Rachel Homan (Ontario) has been dominant all week and will play in the final tomorrow against Val Sweeting (Alberta). The Olympics have started, so we're getting a lot of coverage from Sochi that entices us to remain watching late into the night! 

Eric/A and the boys are off to Seattle this weekend. BC has a long weekend, so they're taking the break down there helping them celebrate the Superbowl victory! It was a week of birthday celebrations for Haaken and Liam; that called for a few special events! 

Kristian's friend has been very ill, and spent part of the week in the hospital. As a result, Kristian has been unable to use his regular after school care, so we've been able to have the extra time with him each day. Erin joined us for supper a couple evenings. Today they joined us for special BLT egg casserole breakfast from my gluten-free program. 

We keep hearing from Travis & Joanna via Facebook or texting. They are keeping very busy in Thunder Bay, and Joanna often calls us on Sunday morning to make sure we're up and off to church! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie, where the women are strong, the men are handsome and all the children are above average! As threatened, we definitely had some nasty cold weather to deal with this week, but it has moderated once again by the weekend. With January gone, we hope the worst of winter is behind us. Wendy is doing well, and keeps busy with visiting, Bible study, a job interview, and taking care of the rest of us—and she does it well! Bus driving has continued to go well; I have learned the new route and most of the riders. More importantly for my piece of mind, they have learned what Busdriver Bill requires in the way of bus decorum! The markets have continued their troubled ways. All US indexes were down for the month with the most representative S&P-500 down 3.56%. The TSX eked out a small gain of 0.54%, however, I was unable to hold onto my quota for the month. After achieving it in the first three weeks, it was disconcerting to see it fall short in the losses of this week. American football reaches its much-hyped climax this weekend, and I shall be hoping Peyton Manning and the Broncos can capture the championship. The Ladies' Championship has begun in curling, so I'll be busy with that this next week. Alberta and Manitoba won the Junior Championships last weekend. Today, we had a special treat as our Zambian friends, Ba Mateo and Ba Tamala hosted us for brunch and a viewing of their new home—it's not a traditional Tonga home for sure! 

Eric/A and the boys carry on with life in Parksville. The coming week features birthdays of both Haaken and Liam, and that is an eager anticipation. This weekend, Liam is playing in a hockey tournament in Port Hardy and he scored his first goal of the season—congrats Liam! 

Erin got her car in for repairs. She suffered a little driving a rental this week, so, she was glad to get her Altima back on Friday. Kristian had a day off school on Friday, so he spent it with us. I also had the day off from bus driving. 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are thriving in wintery Thunder Bay. We miss the regular back and forth we enjoyed with them. This weekend they're particularly busy at Elks Hockey Tournament. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana. Weather dipped to -30 early in the week, but it returned to above zero temps with rain this weekend—wild extremes! Now, they are threatening us with a return to -30! The markets also suffered through extremes as we moved up nicely early in the week, however when fears of currency problems around the world arose, the indexes climbed into the proverbial hand basket and hit descend! As a result, I lost most of the gains I had accumulated at the start of the week and only ended a little bit up. Wendy has gradually recovered from her illness, and is busily engaged in shopping and taking care of the rest of us! I've come down with something today, and spent most of the day in bed. The North American team easily won the Continental Cup of Curling in Las Vegas. I turn my attention to the national championships over the next several weeks. This week it's the Juniors. We suffered a plumbing failure here at the house, so the bathroom wall is cut open and repairs are being planned and done. American football has taken the week off, however Peyton Manning easily handled New England last weekend, and has moved into the Super Bowl, so I remain engaged!

Eric/A and the boys are keeping busy with life in Parksville. We haven't heard much from them this week.

Erin & Kristian experienced some down time with the flu. Both were home ill at the start of the week, and Kristian spent Thursday here with us as it appeared he wasn't quite over it. 

Trav & Joanna keep busy with work and sports. They scored a contract for their Stickerz spin-off to develop a tournament logo and imprint the specialty pucks for the upcoming hockey tournament. Trav's team lost in the semi-finals of the tournament last weekend.

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

We've enjoyed a week of beautiful weather here on the shore of Lake Wascana, with single digits every day, and many of the days above zero. The melting has considerably improved the streets and roads as I've been driving bus all week. The first assignment has gone well, and I was able to drive by memory on Thursday and Friday. Next week, I change to another route, which, it is planned, will be my assignment until we leave in March. Investments have continued to go well even though the markets have been a bit wonky. I have been blessed with the quota for the month already, so I hope to build on that during the next two weeks. Jeff Stoughton scored the big win in the Curling Skins. Lawton will represent Saskatchewan at the Scotties. The curling this week is the Continental Cup being played in Las Vegas. My American football interest remains as Denver won, but they come up against a tough opponent tomorrow! Wendy keeps busy with home care, shopping, and has now fallen victim to the big D—there's something I hope she keeps to herself! She's in the market for new skates as she's found her old ones unacceptable. I'm thinking I should replace mine as well. 

Erica has been very busy with facility reviews and other meetings. She also got medical testing, and has not experienced the same success as I have through going gluten-free as some of her blood chemistry came back asking for attention! A recent trip saw them losing $4 on the way, but the search revealed Liam's hat they thought had been left in Chicago—win some, lose some! Haaken has been accepted into the summer program at Emily Carr University, so the family is trying to build a month in Vancouver into their summer plans. Liam, Eric/A have determined to start going to a gym program each week—only once each week as it stands right now! 

Erin has been suffering ill health all week, but she has continued to struggle to work. On Monday, she answered a call for Jury Duty, but that was short lived as she was dismissed as soon as she walked in. We're thinking the trial must have come to an early end. Kristian is back at school and achieving some good ratings. He had a skating day this week as well. We're hoping Grandma gets new skates and all of us can get out skating soon.

Trav & Joanna were in Minnesota for a hockey tournament last weekend. That was fun, although the team did not experience much success. Now they're back at more usual routines of work and business. This weekend, Trav's team is in a local tournament and have struggled to a 2-2 record in pool play. Now they're in the playoff round. They're also taking care of our house. Thanks for that! 

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Wascana. We drove down to Nanaimo Sunday morning, caught the 12:30 ferry and drove up to the five-star Howard Johnson's at North Bend—thanks How and Di for a nice visit, great rest, and fine food! On Monday, we continued through the mountains and stopped for the night in Banff. We hoped to get Kristian a trip up the Sulphur Mountain Gondola on Tuesday morning, but the ride was down for maintenance, so we packed up and completed the trip to Regina. On Wednesday afternoon, I stopped in at First Student to see when I might have some bus driving, and they asked me to start the next morning! So, I'm back at the bus driving game! Investments have been tricky this week as we seem to be back in the headline watching game, and we're looking for a Goldilocks' story. First it was data being too good, so investors feared removal of stimulus, but finally on Friday the jobs data was just the right amount of poor, so investors were encouraged that stimulus would continue and got back into buying mode. All told, I had a great week and am back on target toward my monthly quota. Curling is back on the agenda with the Skins game in Banff where my old favourite Kevin Martin is into the final tomorrow, and the Sask Women's championship in Tisdale. American football continues in their playoffs; one story ended for me as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers lost last weekend. The other continues with my big game tomorrow afternoon in Denver. This morning, we enjoyed a visit with Marti, and then she accompanied us over to Moose Jaw. We got in a short visit with Elvin & Grace, enjoyed a fine meal, and perused a small sub-section of the photo albums they've assembled. Thanks a lot cousins! Tonight we had music practice with Dave, Heather and crew.

It was hard to drive east on Sunday after enjoying our week with Eric/A and the boys. Thanks guys. Now they're all back to school and work, although Liam was under the weather and missed the restart of school. 

We enjoyed having Kristian travelling with us while Erin continued with work in Regina. Now, he's back in classes, but at least we get to see them often.

Trav & Joanna are with his hockey team in Minneapolis this weekend. We hope they're having a safe trip and a good time at the tournament. 

And that's about enough for this week.

Investing 2013

Another year in my training program has come to an end. I find I am gaining some proficiency, and perhaps a dangerous level of confidence! Certainly, 2013 was my best year since I started this game. 

The year was marked by big gains on the US indexes with the broadly based S&P 500 up 29.6%, and the narrowly listed DOW up strongly as well at 26.3%. We had a good year, but nothing close to those numbers as the TSX was up 9.6%. 

I had a great year as my gains matched my percentage quota, however I had reduced my capital investment to only about 50% of my accounts, so I did not gain the dollar amount I have established as a quota. Perhaps that may play as, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!", but I prefer to see it as being able to sleep at night! Certainly, there is no way to know that further investments would have paid off at the same rate. In retrospect, I can see how I would have done better if I had maintained discipline to operate strictly within the guidelines of my strategy, so, I enter 2014 with renewed resolution to follow my plan! I do well on the buying end, but am always reluctant to sell, and that often results in less income that I should have gained. I feel that my prayers for wisdom and blessing have been granted; perhaps I need to focus more requests on discipline! 

In 2014, I plan to continue my policy of continually scrutinizing my plan, and investigating alternatives that may prove more worthwhile in a changing economic environment. My current focus is on dividend paying stocks that are exhibiting growth. I play them with a 10% Trailing Stop, and am finding this results in little trading action, but good gains. 

Happy New Year!

News Update

Another week has passed; it finds us far from my hometown, on the shore of the biggest lake—the Pacific Ocean! We had quite a struggle to leave John & Marion's on Sunday morning as fresh, wet snow had fallen overnight. However, thanks to Shop Dry and Wendy's shovelling we eventually made it out to Vernon for breakfast and church. On Sunday afternoon, we headed over the Coquihalla, out the lower mainland, and across to Nanaimo on the ferry. There was some compacted snow on the connector, and it was a bit slushy at the summit, but overall the trip went fairly easily. We have enjoyed our week in Parksville, being graciously hosted by Eric/A and the boys. The weather has been temperate, if rainy, and toward the end of the week the sun came out and I even got to enjoy a game of golf. That went surprisingly well since I hadn't played in months; I managed a +9 for the 18 holes which is very good for me. Investments were shaky around the New Year's holiday, but I was blessed with an over quota week all the same, so I'm thankful. I finished December with a good rally, but didn't quite make quota for the month. I plan to write up a little summary of the year's action in a separate blurb once I get settled back in Regina. Our Junior Men's hockey team is playing in the world championships, but they have fallen short for the 5th year running. They are set to play Russia for the bronze medal tomorrow morning. American football is in the playoffs. I will be cheering for the Broncos because of Peyton Manning, otherwise I don't care much about it, although I will be interested to see how far Aaron Rodgers, just returning from a broken collarbone, can take the Packers. 

Liam had a hockey tournament this weekend, so we got to enjoy that along with him. Eric and Erica have had some work days around the New Year's holiday. We all went out bowling one evening, and to the movies another. I enjoyed the second instalment of the Hobbit trilogy with Eric/A, while Wendy, Haaken, Liam and Kristian took in The Frozen. We have enjoyed our week of puzzle-making, recycling, shredding and spending time with this section of our family. 

Erin has been struggling to survive in the cold weather that has descended on Saskatchewan. She did manage a trip to Yorkton to see her brother, Eric, play hockey, and meet up with other members of her birth family. She managed to FaceTime with us a few times, most notably at the summit of the Roger's Pass connecting on Wendy's iPad via my tethered iPhone. 

Travis & Joanna are holding down the fort in TBay. It has also turned bitterly cold there this week. We keep in contact via text, phone and FaceTime. Everything seems to be under control! 

And that's about it for this week! 

News Update

Another year has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. This weekend has found us on the shore of Lake Okanagan graciously hosted by John & Marion—thanks guys! It's been a great week and year, and we are feeling abundantly blessed. This week we enjoyed Christmas events with the family in Regina. Enjoyable memories were created and not a few invented! Helicopters flew around the living room, and sometimes made successful landings. Shopping, gifting, Boxing Day, and returns were completed. Then, on Friday, we packed up the Sorento, added Kristian to the back seat, and headed west. We look to complete the trip to Parksville tomorrow. The holidays have cut the business week to just three days, but Friday was a good one, providing a full week's quota all by itself, so I still have a chance of making my monthly quota. American football is running out the regular schedule this weekend and there are a few interesting stories there that I will be following.

Haaken and Liam have enjoyed the week off from school, but that may not have been the highlight of their week: at their request Eric/A kept Christmas morning as a quiet family time. They were very pleased to receive several items on their wish list, and one thing that wasn't—iPhones. Now they are learning that with great iPhones comes great responsibility—like answering texts from mom and dad! Something that came off well was Haaken and Liam picking out their own gifts for Mom and Dad. It was very sweet, and Eric/A enjoyed watching them watch the opening of their picks. The whole crew got together with Eric's family for Christmas dinner. They had thoughts of a quick trip to the States since they had time for it, but they found out that the ferries from Victoria to Port Angeles were fully booked. In hind sight, they could have crossed to Tsawwassen, but they didn't have that thought in time to take advantage of it. The highlight was time spent in prayer with friends and family in honour of their 20th wedding anniversary. It was a very special time. Eric put together some last minute planning for their anniversary at the Tigh Na Mara resort. Now they're madly preparing for our arrival!

We enjoyed our reunion with Erin & Kristian this week. We had an extended-family celebration at Rich & Sue's on Sunday afternoon. Thank you, Ashley, for hosting that! Kristian has enjoyed learning to fly his helicopter. Kristian scored many more gifts on Christmas day, so he's been busy just getting most of them opened! Erin had to head back to work on Friday, but Kristian is travelling with us.

Travis & Joanna keep in contact with us through texting and FaceTime. They are also taking care of the house while we're away. Thanks guys! They had some sad news this week as their rat died. Not everyone misses it equally!! Otherwise, helicopters and the conure try to peacefully co-exist!

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown to the shore of Lake Wascana in the Queen City. The final day of classes was Thursday; bus driving was completed well, and I enjoyed collecting gifts from my students. Especially touching was the number of high school riders who paused to shake my hand and thank me for how I treated them. I may get the run back when I return in March, but that is not assured. On Friday we drove up to Winnipeg and were graciously hosted by Mike, Peggy and Talitha; thanks guys! This morning, we packed Eric/A's newly obtained sled-bed into the Sorento and completed the drive to Regina where we are being graciously hosted by Dad and Dave; thanks guys! The weather became colder as we headed west. Some of my fellow bus drivers made fun of us trying to get away from the Thunder Bay Winter by spending three months in Regina! The markets have continued to whipsaw; the big news this week was the Fed beginning to taper their bond and mortgage purchases. Then, the US jobs data and GDP were upside surprises as well. Unfortunately, our economy is not keeping up, so the TSX is lagging badly. The DOW has gained three times (24% vs 8%) as much as we have this year. However, I shouldn't complain, I had another good week, but still need to recover from last week! There is nothing in particular that I'm following in sports just now. 

Eric/A and the boys are preparing for the holiday break and putting on the Bethlehem Walk. 

Erin tells us that Kristian has been eagerly anticipating our arrival all week; well, so have we. What a delight to get to spend some time with them again! Grandma and Kristian were into a Lego project already this evening! 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew hosted our Christmas celebration for the Thunder Bay group, and we enjoyed a few good-bye gatherings with them before we left. 

And that's about enough for this week! Merry Christmas to all. 

News Update

We've had a week of cold weather on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. My bus has succumbed to the cold, and now gets plugged in each night. It was struggling to start at zero, so it is not a surprise that -20 proved too much! We've not had much more snow, but some is falling today. The markets have continued to be troubled; this week the decline is blamed on the government—who knew they could actually get together and accomplish a two-year spending plan?! That was too much for investors to digest and they went into a selling mode! So, I experienced the pain of a losing week. The week started with a big win by Brad Jacobs in the Olympic Curling trials. He will now be our representative in Sochi, and I'm expecting a medal for sure—hope it's gold!

Eric seems to be suffering from education withdrawal; he applied for and has been accepted to Penn State for a Post Bachelor Certificate in Autism. Fortunately he can do this on-line and work at the same time.

Bethlehem Walk

Eric, Haaken and Liam have been preparing for Bethlehem Walk this week. The church is expecting 10,000 visitors. Wow! Eric has had several practices this week, and the boys have made some really great drawings. Erica is amazed at their talent and how their styles are so different. Haaken sees things from such interesting angles and Liam is just so meticulous in his art. Both amazing! Erica has continued to have meetings every night this week. The Facilities Review continues with reports due earlier, meetings held earlier, and work having to be done earlier in preparation for the Christmas break. She's really looking forward to the break!

Erin and Kristian have FaceTimed several times. Kristian has had a haircut to match with Sadie! They seem to be getting ready for Christmas, but Erin has also suffered some ill health that has interfered with some of her planned activities. We look forward to seeing them at the end of another week. 

On Friday evening, we had a combination celebration for Andrew's Birthday and Christmas with Trav, Joanna and crew. We chose the traditional all-you-can-eat buffet at the China House; it was very good! Wendy scored a lovely iPad mini courtesy her children; she was surprised and delighted! I got some great gifts as well. Thank you guys! Best of all, we had an occasion together, complete with duelling helicopters, and nothing beats that!

And that's about it for this week! 

Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

Carole and Carolyn

Aunt Carole was a mentor, music teacher, sister, friend and employee! We drove to her front door in  Yellowknife at about 2am in late July 1977. We were welcomed, cared for, accommodated. This conviviality continued as she worked with me and for me during the eighteen years we lived in Yellowknife. Among many other things, Carole was a driving force in the development of a new school in Frame Lake South subdivision of Yellowknife. I became the first principal of that school as she brought me on board her vision of a community school, and I supplied the expertise and positional authority that came from my training and experience as an educational administrator and teacher. She worked for me there as an educational assistant. When I moved on to start another school in Range Lake North subdivision, she would have come along, but the superintendent refused to allow both Carole and her son to work in the new school, so she remained at NJMacpherson. Her multi-year influence on me through the church, the family and school were earnest, effective and important. She remains one of the most important shapers of my life. 

Carolyn Joy, her daughter, although arriving to our consciousness on this date some years ago as "Carole and boy", has benefitted from the years of an even more intimate relationship. She became a beautiful young woman who accorded me the honour of officiating at her marriage; she has remained a friend and supporter all the while growing a loving home with Rick, and growing two fine young men. She embodies so many of the values that I admire in her mother. 

Carole was taken from us much too early by cancer, but her life, efforts and influence live on in her family, her friends, her community; these are her legacy. Now Carolyn has determined to memorialize her mother and honour her brave fight against cancer. She writes, "Many of you know that while in Regina (2008) I lost my mom to cancer. It was definitely during that time that I had some of my darkest moments as well as richest.  Life is funny – we all know that curve balls come from all directions. We learn so many lessons through the tough times! One of the lessons that mom left with me was to live life intentionally.  I have decided to sign up for the Ride to Conquer Cancer 2014 and make this ride about my Mom’s journey. Maybe in some small way I can make a difference. During this season of giving if you can make even a small donation towards my donation goal I would really appreciate it. I've committed to riding 200km and raising critical funds to support the Alberta Cancer Foundation, and I need your help. Please be a part of my journey and make a donation today."

Rick and Carolyn are both planning to take part in this effort. Please support them by following their respective links:
Rick
Carolyn
Thank you in advance for your generosity! 

News Update

We've had a cold and snowy week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Winter has arrived in earnest, and we've had several deposits of snow. I have finally had to get the snowblower out as I cleared the driveway. We even had a snow day on Thursday as the rural roads were so treacherous they cancelled the buses. Wendy has received disquieting news that her employer, Big Lots Canada, is shutting down. Perhaps it should not have been a surprising move seeing how disorganized they are, but they just spent big money completely refurbishing the store here and had a grand opening about a month ago! Sigh! Better economic data out of the US has hit the markets this week. Investors are afraid it means the end of easy money, so they sold most of the week. Finally, on Friday the news was so good on jobs both sides of the border and increased GDP in the US, that investors became afraid of missing out and began buying, so we got some recovery. I'm hoping it leads to a year-end rally! All markets were down about 1.5 to 2% for the week, but I was blessed with an excellent week and an above-quota gain—thank you, Lord! The Olympic curling trials in Winnipeg have drawn my attention all week. This afternoon, my favourite, Kevin Martin, lost in the men's semi-final. I'll be cheering for Brad Jacobs in the final tomorrow. This evening, Jennifer Jones won the women's final and will represent us well in Sochi.

Haaken and Liam are involved in Bethlehem Walk, an annual production of the church that draws tens of thousands from the Island and mainland. They are playing artists in Bethlehem who specialize in illustrating Old Testament stories, and featuring a few drawings inspired by an unusually large star that has appeared lately. Liam got new shoes; he's moved from size 9 to size 10.5 since the start of the school year—yikes! Haaken has been experimenting with voice-overs on the computer. Eric is playing a Rabbi in Bethlehem Walk. He is already demanding script rewrites and his own trailer. Erica is busy with school closure meetings most evenings. She'll be glad when that is over. She awarded herself a trip to the spa for a facial and an evening of relaxation on Friday, and has decided she needs to negotiate that into her next contract! 

Erin and Kristian are enduring some nasty winter weather in Regina. She has her winter tires installed, got a new battery and is installing a remote starter for her car as well. Sadie had a hair cut, so she's ready for indoor weather only! Erin has been called for jury duty, so we'll see how that develops. 

Trav got winter tires for his car this week. He's enjoying the improved traction! He and Joanna are keeping very busy; I guess that's good. Andrew is having a birthday, so we look forward to celebrating with them all. 

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It began with the glorious victory by the Riders in the Grey Cup game! There were some down times during the season, to be sure, but the Riders were dominant during the playoffs and the championship game was an impressive win featuring a record-breaking rushing performance by Kory Sheets. The week also opened with our first snow, so we had Green and White simultaneously! Go Riders! Bus driving has faced a few extra challenges with the snow creating slippery conditions and resulting in several spectacular accidents that closed streets and impaired traffic flow. Some of our buses got stuck after sliding off rural roads. The markets have continued to be inconsistent with the American holiday causing a lot of distraction and low volume. Despite TSX being up only 0.27% for the month, my portfolio did well gaining above quota both this week and for the month. I am feeling very blessed—thank you, Lord! However, I would need a spectacular December to make my annual quota. Football is over, but the Olympic Curling trials start tomorrow, so I'll be fully occupied with that in the coming week. Wendy has kept busy at the Big Lots store; the shifts remain irregular—they often call for her to start earlier and usually ask her to stay longer than scheduled. Is this a system?

Eric/A and the boys have had a busy week. Erica's was consumed in meetings and music practice. They broke out the Christmas stuff and decorated the tree as you can see. The family enjoyed the new Hunger Games movie. Eric is really enjoying his work, now through two weeks! He is getting more and more clients. Liam has a break from hockey compared to last week when he had three practices—one at 5:44am! 

Erica is experimenting with gluten-free cinnamon buns with little success. When Eric asked what was needed to fix that batch, she replied, "Gluten!" Haaken had a good week. He's enjoying borrowing movies from the small group host—they have a good selection of The Simpsons and Monty Python.

Erin and Kristian seem to be doing well. Erin has a cute new hairstyle courtesy of a friend who needed a subject for her journeyman's (Watch for a new gender-neutral version of this term!) test in hairdressing! Last evening they joined us via FaceTime to sing Happy Birthday to Travis. 

Travis, Joanna and crew continue their busy lives. Here's the report on a recent hockey game. Hockey photography has occupied a lot of their time and efforts. We celebrated Trav's birthday Friday evening with a steak and pasta supper here. Wendy prepared a gluten-free cake; it looked great, but the taste did not match up! 

And that's about it for this week.

Paraprosdokians

Paraprosdokians (Winston Churchill loved them)

Thanks to my brother Jim for passing these along.

#5 is one of my favourites. 

They are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous. Enjoy!

1. Where there's a will, —I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, —but it's still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, —some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, —we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up, —we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right, —only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, —wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism, —to steal from many is research.
9. I didn't say it was your fault, —I said I was blaming you.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, 'In case of emergency, Notify: —I put 'DOCTOR'.

11. Women will never be equal to men —until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

12. You do not need a parachute to skydive, —you only need a parachute to skydive twice.

13. I used to be indecisive, —now I'm not so sure.

14. To be sure of hitting the target, —shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

15. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian, — any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

16. You're never too old to learn —something stupid.

17. I'm supposed to respect my elders, —but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Go Riders Go!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It began with a thrilling victory by the Riders in the West final, and thus we look forward to the Grey Cup game tomorrow afternoon! Go Riders Go! The markets continue to roil—the first three days were down, and I didn't quite recover on the final two. Still I remain above quota for the month and have one more week! The weather is colder, and they continue to threaten snow. Wendy has had regular shifts, and a few additional shifts as well. At least they're allowing her time off for our months in Regina, which Walmart would not.

Eric has started his new job. Erica and the boys continue with their work, school and other activities. They were also delighted with the Riders victory. 

Erin and Kristian have FaceTimed with us a few times. Erin got her hair cut quite a bit shorter, and had it re-styled; we like it, and I think she does as well. Kristian continues to progress in grade three. It's cold in Regina, but it is expected to warm to above zero tomorrow for the game tomorrow. The city, of course, has been green crazy all week!

Trav & Joanna are very busy with their various work assignments. Trav's hockey team is on a bit of a winning streak. He is not only coaching, he is also playing some hockey this season. The new bird seems to be settling in well. Gemma and Andrew are doing fine.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned colder, and some days even remained below zero. We're being threatened with snow, but so far we've escaped that. Today, I roto-tilled the garden area, so that's ready for winter. I thought I was finished with trying to turn muskeg into soil when we left YK, but it's a big issue here as well. Wendy has been working all week at Big Lots; that's going fine, but she is continually frustrated by the level of disorganization there. Investors are struggling with record levels on the US indexes; some fear a "correction" while others fear missing out on the rally! Public comments by the incoming Fed chair got them back in a buying mood this week, and I had a great week raising me to above quota for the month already. Now, I need to make up for some months that fell far short! The Riders thrilled us with a win on Sunday over BC; they are set to play the west final tomorrow in Calgary—Go Riders! The Canadian Open of curling is the big event this week. Two of my favourites, Koe & Stoughton, are in the semi-finals tonight, but only Kevin Koe advanced to the final. 

Eric had his interview for the Parksville job on Tuesday, was offered the position, and accepted it. So, he's begun his work as Marriage & Family Therapist; he's in Vancouver this weekend for a conference. Erica is busy with a facilities review, enrolment forecasts, and financial forecasts at work. Liam is back into hockey as he recovered from lower body injuries. Erica and the boys had dental checkups; Erica has a clean record, but must brush less vigorously. Haaken has a couple of small cavities; Liam will be getting to know the dentist rather well in the next while! Eric will get his dental checkup next week. They're hoping for some R & R and a Riders win this weekend!

Erin & Kristian are coping in snowy Regina. Her work at Taylor Motors continues to be rewarding and fulfilling to her. Kristian continues to progress at school, and enjoys his friends. Things work out well for after school care, so that's good. Erin still hasn't put the snow tires on her car, so it must not be too wintry yet! 

Trav & Joanna have been busy with hockey team photography by Puckshots, along with their regular work. Trav's hockey team continues to thrive in league action, and played a tournament last weekend. Beaker continues to mature and brighten in colour. Gemma and Andrew are progressing well at school.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained nice although the big game hunters are crying for some snow! I've done some more work in the garden getting the composting material refreshed—hmm, refreshed somehow doesn't seem like the right word for compost! Bus driving is going well. We settled our contract, so I got my back pay. They provided flu shots on Friday, so I was glad to avail myself of that. The markets have been riled once again. Good economic news concerned the investors as they worried the Fed might start tapering earlier, then we got even better news on the jobs front on Friday, and investors decided things were going so well, not even the Fed could mess it up! I had a good week and remain above quota so far this month. Next week will, I'm sure, be yet another story! Football playoffs start this weekend. The Riders host BC for the west semi-final tomorrow—Go Riders! Pre-Olympic Trials are on in curling, so I've been watching that this week. Wendy has kept busy at Big Lots Canada. Today, she must have found the shift dragging so she left an hour early! Actually, she had forgotten to update her wrist watch last weekend, so she skipped out—at least that's her story! 

Eric/A have been considering, debating, questioning, researching and praying over the big decision on Eric's job offer in Dease Lake. Finally, they have come to a decision and Eric has accepted the position as Child & Family Mental Health Clinician.  This process now complete, he has received an invitation to interview on a job in Parksville! Yikes! Haaken is setting up a visit with North Island College to spend a day experiencing college classes and see what that is like. Liam, having recovered from his "lower body injury" is back at hockey, however, his visit to the dentist this week has him looking at some further dental work. This weekend the crew is in Victoria to visit Eric's family and enjoy playoff football. 

Erin & Kristian chatted with us a couple of times this week. Everything seems to be progressing well for them in Regina. Kristian completed and presented his book report to the class—that seemed to go well. Their early snows have melted, but more is promised! Kristian had the day off school yesterday due to a PD day; he spent the day at the Y. 

Trav is keeping busy with work and coaching. His Elks won their game over Nipigon and remain just one point out of first place in the tightly contested league. The family rejoiced over the addition of a new member this week. Beaker, a Crimson-Bellied Conure is the newest arrival!

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

Another fine week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been mild, with a few showers. Wendy has kept busy at Big Lots, working pretty much a regular shift this week. The markets have continued to be volatile as investors try to decipher whether good news is good, or whether it may indicate the impending end of stimulus. However, I was blessed with excellent gains and was able to complete the month above quota, and get a good start on November. I had my regularly scheduled check up with my oncologist. He was pleased with my PSA levels, and after many years of six-month checkups, has agreed that once a year will our new schedule. I enjoyed a sibling conference call this week in celebration of Viggo's sixty-fifth birthday—another one on the pension! The World Series came to a conclusion with my Boston Red Sox winning it all. The Riders played out the string against Edmonton this evening, and is set to host BC in the West division semi-final next Sunday. Go Riders! This week, I've been enjoying watching the Masters, the first big tournament of the curling season. My long time favourite, Kevin Martin, beat another of my teams, Kevin Koe, this afternoon. He is into the final against Glenn Howard tomorrow. 

Eric/A and the boys started the week at Tony & Lisa's. This visit was featured in their family update as the Salsa Files! Eric and Erica continue to ponder their future. Eric has won a position in Dease Lake, but opportunities  up there for the rest of them look less clear. They were blessed with a nice payout on the transfer of Erica's pension from Ontario which gives them some relief on the financial side. 

Kristian scored a big haul on Hallowe'en; now we'll see how long it lasts. If he's like his mother, he'll still have some next October! We enjoyed FaceTiming with them about their adventures this week. 

We get back and forth with Trav, Joanna and crew and that's nice. Trav keeps busy with work and hockey. They lost their most recent game, and fell to three wins, three losses on the season so far. 

Well, that's about enough for this week.