Simply Swellegant

The BIG SHOW was last Saturday night and I couldn't be prouder! They did a great job, had a good turn out, and I really hope they'll bring the show to Kelowna. My camera doesn't take great indoor pictures to start with, so add in the theater lighting, and well... not the best photos, but here's a taste of the evening... WAY TO GO MARK, CONRAD & JAY!

Their Swell Poster...


My Talented Brother...


The Elegant Assistants...


The lovely Cleland Theatre in Penticton... before the doors opened and while all the spouses and siblings were in the lobby, nervous for our guys!


The First Ticket...


Improv Game... that's my little brother in the kilt...

Heeeeerrreee's Jonny... eager audience participant...



Serious business, this improv thing...

And no comedy night is complete without a scene acted bare-footed and blind folded, on a stage littered with set mouse-traps.
Yes, seriously.
A high "cringe factor" for all.


My Date at "Martini's"...



And me and Michelle... I don't know if this was before or after we delicate flowers polished off a plate of natchos, calimari, spinach dip AND the Appy Platter.
For 4.

I'm a Binger, but sadly not a Purger.

Last week's binge was coffee.
Yup.
Coffee.
That stuff I don't drink.

I made a pot for my girlfriend Cathy, who was in from Calgary. and discovered that I had a container of "International Delight Fat Free Hazelnut Creamer" in the fridge.

I don't recall purchasing this container of sweet and creamy goodness, and thought what luck! when I discovered that there seemed to be no expiry date.

I wonder which part of this nectar called "International Delight Fat Free Hazelnut Creamer" contains the magical ingredient that keeps this stuff from going bad.
I think it's in the "Delight".

Anyhow, I drank pot after pot for 6 days and now that I've polished off the IDFFHC, and have promised myself to never buy it again, I must move on to something new.

I'm making a good effort on the eating front, so I'm back on the Black Bean Salad... here's the recipe incase you are in need of a new, healthy binge item.

That's assuming I'm not the only binger out there.
You know who you are.
No one's here to judge.

SANTA FE SALAD (From the Best of Bridge "That's Trump")

Original Recipe...

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 2 limes (O use 1/4 cup "reallime" if necessary)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tps cumin
salt and pepper

Salad:
19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
12 oz can kernel corn, drained
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil and lime joice. Add cilantro, cumin sald and pepper and mix well. stir in salda ingreients and correct seasoning. serve at room temp.

My Variation...
I add a diced cucumber and somtimes a mango.
I use 1/8 cup oil
I use more diced peppers sometimes.
I've never used Jalapeno and I use less red onion.

enjoy!

Highschool Musical

We met in 1986, I was in grade 11, they were in grade 12. We became fast friends and pretty soon we were inseperable. Cathy and I were talking about how secure we felt in those friendships... we were at school together (that year), we wrote each other letters during classes that we traded in the hallway as we passed on our way to the next class... we ate lunch, we hung out in the evening, we spent our weekends and summers together. We were ALWAYS there, and always there for each other. This weekend we were able be together again, catching up and being an ear and shoulder for one of us who's recently been put through the ringer.

In the last 21 years, you name it, one or more of us has gone through it... traveling, jobs, school, love triangles, break-ups, engagements, broken engagements, weddings, babies, infertility, adoptions, major moves, major adventures, deaths, and now a pending divorce. While we might not have kept "in touch" always, we have been kindred sprits and felt a deep love, concern and care for each other--shared heart-ache and celebration, even though sometimes distantly and silently.

There's just something about the people you knew best (and who knew you best) in those years that roots inself so deeply in your heart, that no matter what, why and when, you just are able to pick up where you left off and "be there" again when the occassion calls.

Jason, Cathy, Sherri & Ken (who we miss desperately when we're together without him)... whatever our friendship looks like today and tomorrow... you are a part of my heart always. I thank God that He has held us together through it all, leading us back to the same place at the same time every once in a while.

Love you guys.

DO SOMETHING FUNNY THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!

If you haven't already heard, this coming Saturday the 21st, at the Cleland Community Theatre in Penticton there is going to be an awesome improvisational comedy show starring some amazing BC talent... (including my baby brother)!

The tickets are only $17.85 and it promises to be a really fun evening. If you've got the night free and have a couple of friends who would like to take in something very funny, very different and support local comedy/theatre... LET ME KNOW AND I'LL GET YOU SOME TICKETS, (or you can call the Cleland Theatre).

Dawney K -- Talent Scout

Nothing thrills me more than discovering fresh talent.
It warms my heart to see unknown artists realize their dream.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered this young man on Conan O'Brien.
Then I discovered him on YOU TUBE.

I will now post his video here on my well-read blog and, if all goes well, we should be hearing him on the radio soon.
On that day, I will toast his success... and I'm sure he'll send me a note of thanks.

Gavin, if you're reading this (and I'm sure you are)... you don't need to thank me. It was my pleasure.

p.s. I love you.

In the meantime, the rest of you take a moment to enjoy the very talented Gavin DeGraw...

More Videos

IT'S DECKTACULAR

We're all decked out around here now! There's a little mater of the step and trim, but otherwise, it's a gorgeous piece of work out there in our back yard... Joel and Dad did an awesome job! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GUYS!

We had a few friends over to break it in... as you probably noticed,there were no headlines about wild parties on the Westside where the structure collapsed and guests fell to their fate... ours would have read "and party goers fell as much as 18 inches... several people were thrown off balance and one shoe got quite dirty"... it would have been very dramatic. Good we dodged that bullet!

It was kind of cool temperature wise, but I made everyone stay outside anyway.
I'm not that gracious of a host! I also wanted to take a pictures of the deck all set up without the pesky people getting in the way of it's true beauty... but I have to wait for a break in the rain to get that shot:-)

Looking forward to many many, many good times in our backyard, now that we have a nice place to relax and entertain!

Do come by!

p.s. you know how at every party there's always that "one guy" who has to get in the hot tub... Chris was "our guy" :-) Love it.

BIG WEEKEND!

First things first... the Kelowna Women's Race!

The Sole Sisters hit the pavement, running through the orchard area of East Kelowna, on a gorgeous Sunday morning. There were 350 women, 17 Sole Sisters, and everyone did so well!

I didn't quite better my PB of 1 hour flat (I was 1:02) but it was still a good run. Here are a few pics of me and my runnin' girls!



And then there was the Deck Warming Party on Saturday night... pics coming soon!

Simple Pleasures...

Things that have made me happy in the last few days...
1) watching Brodie win his baseball tournament
2) a DIY french manicure that doesn't look too bad
3) pre-washed spring mix (a big box for $3.49 at Superstore)
4) perfectly cubeded cheese on top of that spring mix, chef salad
5) the amazing women who run beside me - my Sole Sisters
6) feeling ready for the 10K in 10 days!!
7) dropping off 19 Sole Sisters shirts for printing today
8) a date with Cheryl to Taco Del Mar this week
9) sharing a carpet cleaning with Mel and enjoying clean(er) carpets
10) remembering how good I have it being married to a responsible adult
11) my responsible adult's beautiful blue eyes
12) Adam's love for rocking out on his electric guitar
13) looking at Krista Jefferson's photography (my best friend's little sister)
edisonphotography.com
14) My little brother's BIG SHOW coming up in a few weeks--DON'T MISS IT!
theartofdelusion.com
15) Black Bean, Corn, Red Pepper, Cilantro, Lime, Cumin salad
16) A brand new book by one of my favorite authors, Erwin McMannus, called "Soul Cravings"
17) that one year after my back injury I'm all mobile and stuff.

In the Works...

Now that I'm done with the busy schedule I've had for the last few months (my job at Kaleido is over and the Memories & More retreat is over) so I'm back to working just a few hours a week now, this is probably the perfect time to get a few things done around here before the kids are off for the summer. I'd love to do some painting and a few things around the house--I took last week "off" and just enjoyed a lot of coffees and visiting with friends, which was delightful.

My running partners and I are gearing up for the East Kelowna Women's Race, June 8th... there are a bunch of us doing either a 5 or 10K and looking forward to a strong race. After that, I've got a few great women around me and we've committed to each other to run the OKANAGAN HALF MARATHON in October! We're doing it!! We've started to discuss our training plan, we've vowed our faithfulness to each other... and we all agree on one important note: we get to buy really cute running outfits before the race.

If anyone out there is thinking about starting running, just know you're invited to join our group on Saturdays at Bliss Bakery in Peachland. Right now we start running at 7:30, but we'll probably start earlier soon. There are people at all levels of speed, endurance and experience. It's an awesome atmosphere to get started... let me know if you want any more info!

Can we Interest you in a Byland's Gift Certificate, Ma'am?

Pathetic?
Absolutely.

Here's the deal...
Adam's class is doing a fundraiser for their big trip to Thetis Island in June. Bylands is doing them a favor by letting them sell $25 gift certificates for Bylands (for $25) and they'll give a $5 kickback on each gift certificate to the "saleskid" for their trip.

So, I'm asking if anyone who thinks they might spend at least $25 at Bylands this spring, if they would consider buying a gift certificate or two from Adam.

We do deliver.
AND I JUST READ THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THE ORDERS IN ON THURSDAY! YIKES!

Thanks, friends!
(I hate this fundraising thing and this is the only one I'm going public with.)

The Kerns Take Spokane

We had a very fast, but very good weekend with family, celebrating "grandma great" this weekend. The service was perfect, we had lots of good moments with cousins and aunts and uncles, an I got in a much needed coffee with a good friend going through a tough time... it was a good weekend.

Highlights...
- Just a few of us cousins hanging out in the Howard Johnson lobby, laughing together.
- an amazing photo video of Grandma's 101 years
- watching the kids and their dads play in the pool
- sitting across from my friend Jason at Perkins over tea
- meeing "new" cousins... great people.
- a couple of good laughs at the Golden Corral

Tough things...
- it went too fast
- didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with my sister-in-laws
- the sorting of the last of Grandma's things
- Adam was a little sick one night and he and Joel missed the Golden Corral
- Brodie over-eating at said Golden Corral, to the point where he thought he was going to puke

Here are a few pics, starting with my favorite... Me and Nathan and our Blingy-Grills...

Louise

Joel's grandma passed away this morning at the tender age of 101. She was smart and funny and sweet and sharp. She had the cutest giggle. She loved Jesus. We have a ton of great memories of her and are looking forward to going to Spokane next weekend to celebrate her life and be with a bunch of people who loved her.

Idea Man

I guess Brodie, (who's almost 10) has been hearing Joel and I talk a lot about my work situation, and the upcoming launch of the Phases 2 & 3 at this condo development. He recently has offered a few suggestions to snaz up the whole launch event.

1) Parade
2) Fair
3) Petting Zoo

He also suggests I get some sales training, because I'm "kind of like a warrior going into battle without a weapon." His words. Seriously.

Steve Martin - Cruel Shoes

I don't know if any of you grew up on Steve Martin's comedic stylings, but my brother and I used to spend hours listening to his comedy albums... complete with gigantic headphones. We also had one of his books (we were all about the literature in our house) and I always loved this story... so for my fellow-warped-sense-of-humor-peeps... enjoy:





Cruel Shoes
by Steve Martin

Anna knew she had to have some new shoes today, and Carlo had helped her try on every pair in the store. Carlo spoke wearily, "Well, that's every pair of shoes in the place."

"Oh, you must have one more pair..."

"No, not one more pair... Well, we have the cruel shoes, but no one would want..."

Anna interrupted, "Oh yes, let me see the cruel shoes!"

Carlo looked incredulous. "No Anna, you don't understand, you see the cruel shoes are..."

"Get them!"

Carlo disappeared into the back room for a moment, then returned with an ordinary shoe box. He opened the lid and removed a hideous pair of black and white pumps. But these were not an ordinary pair of black and white pumps; both were left feet, one had aright angle turn with separate compartments that pointed the toes in impossible directions. The other shoe was six inches long and was curved inward like a rocking chair with a vise and razor blades to hold the foot in place.

Carlo spoke hesitantly, "... Now you see why... they're not fit for humans..."

"Put them on me."

"But..."

"Put them on me!"

Carlo knew all arguments were useless. He knelt down before her and forced the feet into the shoes.

The screams were incredible.

Anna crawled over to the mirror and held her bloody feet up where she could see.

"I like them."

She paid Carlo and crawled out of the store into the street.

Later that day, Carlo was overheard saying to a new customer, "Well, that's every shoe in the place. Unless, of course, you'd like to try the cruel shoes."

My Baby Turned 12

I can't believe I have a 12-year old, complete with girls calling and ringing the doorbell. Thankfully, his little brother keeps him grounded with goofy-ness.

More Conchords

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Little Tag Game for us...

Kelli had this on her blog... if you have a blog, I tag you to answer on yours!

1. If your doctor told you today that you were pregnant, what would you say? No. No. No... no.... no...no...no...nonononononononononononononononono.

2. When was the last time you flew in a plane? January 2008, coming home from our cruise.

3. What did the last text message you sent say? Text what?

4. What features do you find most attractive in the opposite sex? Nice smile, with smiling eyes too, bald head, 6'4", blue eyes, amazing dad, soft heart

5. What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future? Half marathon in October.

6. Shoe size? 9ish

7. Been to Mexico? yup

8. When is the last time you had a massage? too long ago... can't remember!

9. What was the last TV show you watched? Big Bang Theory

10. What are your plans for the weekend? Adam's Birthday Sleepover on Thurs, Family Easter/Birthday dinner at mom & dad's Friday, working Sat, Sun, Monday.

11. If your significant other asked you to marry them today what would you say? Yes, I need to redo that wedding of 1992.

12. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Nothing, the kids cleaned the van yesterday!

13. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? stuff.

14. If you could marry any celebrity today who would it be? Jemaine Clement of flight of the conchords. He's like a sexy cross between an Ogree and a librarian.

15. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope.

16. What is the best ice cream flavor? Baskin Robbins Peanut Butter Chocolate.

17. What is the last sporting event you watched? Grade 6 boys basketball tournament. 3 grueling hours.

18. Ever go camping? yes, but it's complicated.

19. Last phone call? Michelle Newman.

20. Are you allergic to anything? MSG, alcohol, felt :-)

21. What is one thing you have learned about life recently? What's important to Jesus better be important to me.

22. What do you do at work? Sell condos & organize stuff.

23. What is your mom's name? Brenda

24. Ever cried for no reason? Probably

25. Can you do the Crank Dat dance? Is that the Soulja Boy one? No, but I'd love to learn it.

26. What is your favorite color to wear? Neutrals and reds.

27. What is the longest plane ride you have ever been on? Kelowna to Manilla, Philippines. (Firstclass from Vancouver to Hong Kong because they overbooked the flight!)

28. What is the longest road trip you have ever taken? Thunder Bay, Ontario to Orlando, Florida.

29. What are your turn-offs? arrogance, buzz words, racial slurs

30. What was your last alcoholic beverage? Pina Colada, January '08

31. What are you craving right now? Coconut chicken. (Ah, that's what I'll make tomorrow!!)

Something for the Ladies

Time for a little more Flight of the Conchords, don't you agree?



My favorite part is...
"... hermaphrodite... lady-man-lady
Oh you sexy lady-man-lady...
with youre sexy lady bits and your
sexy man bit tooowooo...
even you must be into you woo wooo...."

Oregon or Noregon?

He has a dream.
He wants to pack up his wife and kids and explore the Oregon coast.
He dreams of watching the surf, toes in the sand, the salty air whiping through his hair...

And for the last 10 or so years I have found every excuse to kill Joel's dream. (Well, the hair part was kind of taken care of for me.) My chief objection being my dislike for long drives in the car.

But it looks like he's finally worn me down and we're heading south this summer.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing... the "to do list"...
Dunes, camping, crabbing, hiking, aquariums, shopping, themeparks, visit grandma, take in a full day of outdoor concerts then the grand finale is to spend a week at Patti & Nathan's cabin just outside of Edmonton.

Did I mention we have 2 weeks to do all this?


My favorite quote of the evening was after I suggested Joel do the planning and research for this trip (since that's usually my area) and after hours of googling/mapquesting/etc...

Joel: "I don't know honey, this is going to be an awful lot of driving. I don't know why you thought this would be such a great idea. I don't get you."

yup.

(of course he was mocking himself and his dream of 3 weeks of travel squished into 2 weeks.)


I would now like to list my hesitations, (it's my blog after al):
1) the idea of packing camping gear for a mixed holiday far from thrills my need for simplicity & organization
2) if we have to pack our camping crap/gear we need to take the van, which is questionably reliable.
3) When I camp, I like all the food organized and prepped at home so that the cooking at the camp site is easy (and clean.) But can you bring food across the border these days?
4) Can I be away from home for 2 weeks without doing laundry?

I would now like to point out how openminded and flexible I am, and the compromises I believe we have agreed on.
1) If I didn't have to pack hardly any food (because we'd mostly be eating out) I could probably camp.
2) and since we won't have to bring all the cooking gear, we might be able to take the car, especially if we found a cabin or a YURT (google it.)and didn't have to bring our tent & "beds" either!
3) I can go to a laundry mat when we get to the cabin in alberta
4) I will be in a hotel by night 5 or 6.
5) I don't have to go to the theme park... theme parks make me throw up.


Shockingly flexible, I know.
The control freak is trying to lossen her grip.
Baby steps. Baby steps.


So, I'm asking for ideas from anyone who's done the oregon coast... what shoud we see, where's the best place to camp, any tips or ideas? We're thinking of the Newport area...

Me, Joel and the boys... the Griswalds have nothing on us.

Neglect

It's not so much that I forgot I had a blog...

Well helllooo and if you are reading this I thank you for not giving up on me. I promise I'll do better or die trying.

Coles notes on the last month:

Job-- goin' ok... I'm liking what I'm doing, although it's been pretty quiet. Traffic is picking up so that's good. I know this is a temporary situation, just not sure how temporary, so I'm looking at each week as a bonus and we'll just have to wait it out and see! There have been a couple of weeks that have been pretty busy with lots time in at the store, plus my 20-25 hours here, but doable, and know it's short term, you can do anything, right?

Including the Science fair...
which was last Thursday. Thankfully Joel was able to oversee the projects and the kids had fun. I still don't understand how their things worked, but I don't need to clutter my mind with things like understanding electricity.

Wining and Dining...
the last 6 weeks have been full of getting together with friends and it has been so nice to do that. We've had a great time catching up with friends we haven't been able to socialize with for a while and look forward to keeping up this habit. It's really reminded me how many special people we have in our lives and how important it is to be with them. I am blessed with great people to call my friends --- thank you.

And it begins...
Two weeks ago I witnessed my son being hugged by a female classmate. His wasn't a "hug back" so much as a distant, brief, open-handed pat on the shoulder. I guess this is what happens when you're about to turn 12. I am now in full pursuit of an all-boys boarding school in northern saskatchewan.

and with that... I must go flog some condos on some unsuspecting senior citizens.

He loves me this much...

Dinner made by Joel (with help from the guys)... Salmon, Wild Rice & Stir fried vegetables -- all heart shaped.

Heart shaped peppers, carrots & zuchini.

Now that's commitment!

Here's to at least another 18 1/2 years!

WEIRDNESS OF LATE

Job related:
So, I was supposed to start a new job on Sunday as a sales assistant for Kaleido, which are lovely condos going up on the Westside. I was going to be filling in for 3 weeks for the sales people who were going away on holidays. Friday night (two days before I was to start) I got an e-mail from the gal who'd hired me saying that she'd quit -- acutally 4 of the 5 people who are working at the 3 sites quit-- so she felt terrible, but I was not longer needed to replace people who no longer worked there, (they were hiring me, not the company.) So I was kinda bummed about that... it was a 3-week opportunity to try project sales and a nice way to get one extra paycheck!

So, I decided to re-apply for the job, knowing that there was one person scrambling to do the job of 5 people, and since I'd been trained already and was available, I thought I might be appealing. I was.
I'm meeting the remaining salesperson on Sat and will probably start on Monday. Yes, I'm going in with my eyes open---there is usually a reason 4 out of 5 will quit a job on the same day.

Baby related:
Our great friends Chris & Julie have been expecting their 4th baby any day. Two days ago I decided it was a girl and they would name her Kenya.

Why Kenya?
So far we have Shalaya, Dezmond & Terrell... Kenya just seemed like a fit to me.

Well who do you think was born last night? None other than Kenya Loeppky, a beautiful baby girl. Freaky, huh? I had no prior knowledge. And actually, I guessed Terrell on the second try... when he was born, Joel went over to spend the night with the kids (it was a middle of the night hospital trip), and when he got home at 4am he said, "It's a boy!" and I said, "Is his name Tyrone?" Joel said, no, but it started with a T... "Is it Terrell?" And yes, it was.

So there are my two tales of weirdness this week.
Everything else around here is just the usual variety of weird.