Friendships

I have been thinking a lot about friends lately. I go through phases of stuff like that. Sometimes I get really busy and don't think about much other then what is going on in my life at that time. But at times, something will happen that makes me think of that person or that one.. where are they, what are they doing, do they miss me. I think of things we used to do when I am doing that same thing. Or I will be watching something on tv and it will remind me of when I used to watch a show with someone.

I guess what set this "mood" this time was I got an email from a very old and dear friend of mine last night. I had not heard from her in years. But going through Facebook the other week I had gone through and typed in her name and different variations of her name. There were quite a few and so I sent them all a generic message saying hey is this you? I never expected to find her but she did reply and you could hear me cheer all over the house!!!!

But it made me think of how I tend to close off my heart to new friends over the years. Everyone of my closest bestest friends have all moved away from me (I swear I do use deodorant and toothpaste on a regular basis!!) and each time I swear I will never get close again. But somehow someone always manages to worm their way into my heart and it opens again.

So today, this post is a dedication to the women that I call my sisters. We have cried together, we have laughed together, we have shared together (and no that is NOT called gossiping!)and you have all helped me get through bad times and shared the good ones as well. Thanks for coming into my heart when I needed you the most.



This is Carmen. We truly are Spirit Sisters. And it is ironic as the first time I met her was at church and she was teaching a lesson. She seemed standoffish. I knew our son Kim knew her and her husband when they lived here so I called him that day and say hey what can you tell me about her. He said do not let first impressions fool you. She is nothing like that at all. He was right. She will defend her friends and family with a passion you can never imagine. We are so alike even though I have grandkids older then her children. We are both critical of ourselves, both perfectionists, both anal retentive lol. But I love her dearly. She was there for me when I decided to come back to church and opened up her arms to love me unconditionally. I will never forget that.



This is Dusty. She came in my life back in Sask. I refused for so long to give into her friendship! My previous bestest friends had moved away and I really thought I was going to die from the heartache. She was the opposite of me. She was a female version of Keith. In fact we used to kid around that we had the wrong spouses. She was the one who had the water fights in the summer with Keith while her hubby and I sat and visited lol. But she kept annoying me till I gave into her friendship. We joke around now that we couldn't bear to be away from each other so when one decided to move to BC we all moved together. Her youngest daughter is my namesake. I had never had anyone name their child after me. This same child is getting married next month.



This is Jan. We met here in BC just after we decided to move back to Surrey from Vancouver. We were at a party and started talking. We got talking about being overweight and I told her you know what? This is who I am. If people can't see beyond my weight to be my friend that's their loss. We haven't stopped talking since. Before they moved to Calgary we used to do everything together. I miss our Sunday dinners, our movie nights and especially our Survivor nights. She too loves me unconditionally and I can unload every single burden onto her shoulders and she takes them every time without question.



This is Jude. She is my very oldest friend. We met in Regina also when Keith and I moved in next door to each other. We talked so much on the phone the men hung an intercom system in our homes so we could stay off the phone. In all the homes I have ever lived in she is the only one that has ever come to my door to say hi welcome to the neighborhood. We have survived through real heart attacks, tornadoes, floods, and loud husbands. We survived car fars and our own language that no one could understand but us. I miss her the most.



This is Betty Lou. She is the one I thought I had lost. I met her when we first moved to BC 19 years ago. She was my shopping friend and we lived in Bellingham in those days. We met in a family history class and realized we were actually related!! She was with me when we drove to Salt Lake City to take our son on his 2 year mission. She was there when we drove away and I couldn't stop crying. She was there when I tried to put together Keith's surprise 40th birthday party. She was there when I was bed ridden for 6 weeks one time and took over the household. I have missed you dear friend.

I am loyal to my friends. I know a lot of women but I am close to very few. Those I do take into my heart I would defend with my life. I trust them with every ounce of me and that means the world to me. Thanks.. You mean the world to me even when we haven't seen one another as much as we would like.

(Now I just hope I have the right pictures with the right names :)

Stress Care Package

So I am putting together a stress care package for my cousin, his wife, and uncle to my other cousin Darrell that has been missing in the Bahamas just short of 2 months now. I would like my family and friends to post here what they would like to find in a package if they received a care package in a time of high stress???

Idiocy of oven drawers

I decided last night that I would like to meet the person who figured one day that it would be really great if a drawer was invented to go under the oven for storing all your bake ware. What an idiot! Cause you know no matter what it is you need out of there it is going to be at the very bottom of the pile!! After wrestling the contents of mine for several minutes last night to get the pizza pan out I finally took everything out and slammed it shut!

Then I realized it was dirty so opened it back up to clean it. How the heck do crumbs get in there??? I mean I can understand UNDER the stove getting gungies from sweeping but in the drawer? So I pulled it out then realized under the drawer and behind the drawer was dirty so pulled that all out to clean there. How the heck did spills get way back there? It's not like the blueberry pie that I made last week that spilled in the oven made its way down there? Nothing usually spills io the floor or if it does it usually is in front of the other counter where kids pour drinks.

I give up. So now my oven drawer remains empty of all my round, square, oblong, rectangular cake pans, my 8". 9" and 10" pie pans, my 4 sizes of cookie sheets, my mini an0d regular sized muffin pans, my broiler pans and my grilling pans. Everything is nice and neat standing on their side on an eye level shelf in my pantry closet.

Now onto the bottom drawers of my fridge!!!!!

And the winner is..............

We are very proud to announce that our 11 year old granddaughter Britnee's hockey team won the championship!!!!!!!! They didn't lose a single game in the playoffs and the coach said to her mom afterwards that Britnee was the best forward he had ever coached or seen on a youth team!! If I wore buttoned shirts they would have been popping hehehe. So after they got the trophy the music was playing "We Are The Champions" by whoever sings that song... (if it isn't country it really isn't music so have no idea the name of the group!) so Britnee downloaded it on her MP3 player.

We went to Seattle for the weekend and all the kids had music something or other plugged in their ears on the trip there and back and most of the days and Saturday night the munchkin wanted to listen to something too so Britnee let her listen to her music and of course that happened to be the song that was playing at the time. Well Miss Miranda would not listen to any other song and learnt how to move the button so it played over and over again. After awhile Mommy pokes me in the ribs (she was cross stitching on the bed and I was reading ) and says listen to Miranda lol, The picture does NOT do it justice but here was this 2 year old saying "we are champons oooh oooh we no losers.. mumble mumble we are champons oooh oooh we no losers!!!! It was hilarious!!

Man to have had a camcorder on hand would have been priceless!

Bored Bored Bored

Ok I am not so much bored with myself but more am hating not having my own money to blow on what I want. Keith doesn't have a problem with me using "our" money but I do. When I want to buy him a gift I hate asking him to use "his" money to buy him something or have him see the purchase and how much I spent when he does his online banking. So I have been wracking my brain to come up with a business proposal that will bring me money and yet be so flexible that when I need to lay down or stop sitting or not do anything on bad pain days I can do that.

Today I got a lightbulb moment. I use to write a lot in my previous life (pre-BC days) and was quite good. I had several short stories and articles published in papers and magazines. But I want beaucoup moolah not an allowance which is what short stuff would sell for so I have decided to write a book. I started one way back when then shifted career brains and went back to work and the book got put on a back burner. I don't know if I want to finish that one first or do something completely different, whether I want to do a series, childrens, or comedic (Erma Bombeck genre)etc.

Keith hates reading.. absolutely hates it and will only do it under great duress. So I asked him if he could read any type of book that would make him want to read what kind would it be. He looked at me like I was asking him which poison he wanted me e to add to his food. He said none. Maybe I will send out an inquiry to the rest of my family and friends and ask them for their opinion.

He did say he would read it if I had lots of pictures in it. I said "How old are you?2?"

30 days of sustainability

So Vancouver has been doing this 30 days of sustainability since April on the concept that if everyone that lived in the Vancouver area did one new thing off the list every day they would save enough power to take care of one town for one year. I am big on environmental issues and work very hard at doing my part. So I thought cool Keith and I will take part. Most of the things I was already doing like recycling everything possible, walking as much as possible, take transit instead of the car (which I did under great duress as I think everyone here knows how I feel about the idiocy of our transit system) and so on. One of the items on the list was to only use cold water to do laundry. Now I do that. Well almost do that. I only use hot water to do our whites. Keith wears white company t-shirts for work (why they do that when they are a construction company is beyond me!) and when he gets home they are dirty.

But I did it for almost a month now and I want to go on record as saying whites DO NOT get as clean in cold water as in hot water. Even with using Spray and Wash and bleach the clothes are still stained. Not as stained as when they hit the washing mashing but not Sally clean when they come out. I can not stand my clothes to have stains on them not even white socks. I take it as a reflection of me when my husband goes to work with a mustard stain on his T-Shirt.

So sorry Vancouver but I am going back to hot water just for my whites. It's called compromising. As soon as Keith starts making sure his food doesn't hit his shirts and he doesn't work construction wearing white t-shirts we will go back to cold water wash for whites in the meantime I will take transit twice as often to make up the difference. (And grumble under my breath the whole time!)

Like Mother Like Daughter

I have been thinking about my mom lately. She isn't doing well with what is going on in her life. Her partner is gravely ill and I feel so helpless way out here. I was used to just popping over every month and visiting for a few days and now I have to save for a year to go over. I am planning on flying out there next month to spend a week. I wanted to spend more time but now have more medical appointments coming up that I can't put off so will have to make do.

I remember growing up I used to think when I grow up I am never going to be like my mom. I am never going to do this or that and I am going to allow my children to do what they want when they want. That lasted till the first one started walking and that was it. But I was young and it would drive me crazy when people would tell me I was just like my mom.

I remember getting her an answering machine one time as I got tired of calling over and over again till she would answer. And one time after I had gotten it for her I had called for days before I reached her and she said she had gone away. Ok Mom why didn't you have the machine on? Because I didn't want anyone to know I wasn't home so if someone was going to break into the house they would know when I was gone. OK Mom but you do know if you don't answer the phone they also know you are not home. Yes but they won't know when I am returning.... Stop asking any more questions!

I used to call it small town logic. Then one day we had friends visiting from out of town and we needed something and I said oh we can just go to the store. They asked how far it was and I said oh it's car far. They looked at me and said what the heck is car far? I said you know.... too far to walk and so you need the car. Keith just shakes his head as I said don't even say it!

Then another time I had been working out more intense then usual and when I got home from my walk I was out of breath. Keith asked how it went and I said it was exegen. He said what? I said exegen. He asked what the heck is that? I said .. you know.. you exercise so hard you need extra oxygen! DUH! Every one knows that! He just smiled as I said DON'T EVEN GO THERE!

But last summer when my mom was down and I had my daughters and granddaughters around me I thought to myself I guess my mom did a pretty good job. When someone told us as I stood by my one daughter how alike we were I was so happy. To me she is so beautiful that if they thought I looked like her that must make me pretty good too :)

Thanks Mom for the good genes and I guess now that I am "more mature" small town logic isn't so bad! This picture is of my mom, my girls and their girls and me!

Wacky Whistler Wednesday

So it is play catch up on our last week at our condo in Whsitler!! What a blast! And I mean that whole heartedly :) We got to be a part of the 1000 day kickoff celebration so that was cool. The grandkids got to sit in an actual luge so that was very exciting for them. We had a couple of nice days and a couple of drizzly days but that never stopped us from window shopping. I did actually convince my daughter to go up to the gondola and she finally agreed to it only to find out we could only go up part way then transfer onto a chair lift for the remainder of the ride up. ANNNND!!! TO top it all off we actually got to see a family of black bears right under our feet!!!She would not go on it at all so Keith and I took the rest but the two toddlers and off we went on the rest of the ride. COOOOOL@!!

Spent quite a bit of time sitting in the hot top relaxing my muscles which is always a good thing. The 3 year old taught the 2 year old how to open doorknob and for 5 days we kept saying Miranda don't slam the door just as she would open it again and slam it over and over again lolol.

Coming back into town we stopped at Brandywine Falls and took the kids on a short hike to see some falls and they were quite excited about that! I am glad to return to my bed tonight and no little girls saying Nana cmon!! Enjoy the pictures@!!

Cousin update

This is the latest I have managed to find on Darrell. This Mr. Ellislade needs to get his act together. If it was his family member that was missing I can guarantee you there would be fires planted under his staff;s butts to get in motion. Had they told the public he was missing the day he went missing instead of days later there might have been a greater chance of finding him. And what is this crap about the woman who had Darrell's wallet and credit cards and taken money out???? HELLLLOOOO!!!You have been in the sun too long if we are going to believe that crap.

http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=12664

this is the web page of the latest report for the Staff Detective of this bummer of a case.

Cat Scan Results

Well I just got back from my doctor's visit. Good news is my brain is still there :) Not so sure for my mind though :) The results are no tumour or skull fractures which is a huge relief. What there is though is degeneration and bone spurs and disc bulging of my C4-7, The headaches are coming from the spurs pressing on my cranial nerves. I am going to be seeing a physiotherapist that deals strictly with cranial injuries so have to get an appointment for that. I also need to wear a cervical collar for different times in the day to give my neck relief from having to hold my head up as the weight of it is too heavy most of the time. I have to be careful not to wear it too much as my neck muscles will weaken and play host to a whole new set of problems. She did increase my sleeping pill dosage as I have not slept properly in months with all the headaches and extra back pain. I was lucky if I could get 2-3 hours a night which was just making things worse. Hopefully that will help in the short term. That's about it for that.

Bathing Suit Blues

As we are going to Whistler for 5 days of R&R on Thursday this week I wanted to go out and get a new bathing suit. GROAN.. the dreaded event. I have a drawer with 1/2 dozen suits that are technically the right size but fit horribly. Having lost 150 pounds in the last 3 1/2 years and now having a so called "normal" sized body you would have thought this process would have been easier. WRONG!

After an entire mall search and numerous "Try this one" from numerous salesladies I finally listened to my daughter who was with me and tried on a tankini. I loved it! I loved the idea! My problem is I am tall and even trying bathing suits that are marked as "TALL or LONG" they were still too short in the body for me. That Cloutier height again! Although I can't totally blame my dad's side of the family as my mom at 5'8" was the short one and her one brother was 6'7".

But I digress. The first tankini I tried on was the PERFECT color and fit really nice. I did the bend in every direction and twist and turned in the dressing room much to the glee of my 2 year old granddaughter who kept saying "Nana silly!" But it stayed in place and nothing rode up and moved. And it was $29.99 to boot!!! All the other so called long/talls at the bathing suit specialty stores were sitting around a hundred dollars.

Then I did a search for Whistler on things to do this weekend and apparently it is the official kickoff for the 2010 Olympics and there will be celebrations going on and all the top athletes will be there!! WOOOHOOO! I am so packed and ready to go!

More Steel

This is my latest stainless steel acquisition. If Keith had his way our entire house would be in stainless steel!! Does he think I live in an institution or something?? But on the other hand I found some wipes that are made for s/s appliances and it protects from fingerprints and marks which is a lot better. I hate having any marks on anything so when I found this I was very happy. I had gone to get some Lysol wipes and found it. So now I only have to wipe it down once every few days instead of every few minutes lol.

One month later......

Yesterday made a month that my cousin Darrell Cloutier was last seen alive. Today makes a month he has been officially missing. I am still angry at the way this seems to have been swept under the carpet with the authorities. They refuse to make any comments on charges that may or may not be laid on the woman who was found with his bank and credit cards. Hello!!!! How on earth can you plead not guilty when you are caught red-handed???

What kind of earth do we live on that makes people think it is ok to do harm to another person? What kind of upbringing did those people have that made them think it was ok to do wrong? I mean I am 50 years old and to this day if I walk in someone's house with my shoes on I can hear my mother's voice in my ear saying "Take your shoes off!"

I have prayed constantly for any knowledge, any word on Darrell. I have prayed constantly for my uncle and other cousin and their family that they might find some measure of comfort in their grief right now. If by some chance the person that did something to him or knows who did reads this, please.... Darrell has a very large extended family that loves him... please.... let his family have him back.

Campbell River

Well we found out 2 days ago that Keith might have to go out to Campbell River for 2 months. His boss called him and said they had a chance to bid on a contract out there but did not want to put the bid in if Keith wasn't willing/able to go out there. He had been asked specifically from BC government to supervise the contract as he has done several of their contracts in the last 2 years and they have always praised him and his work. Keith told them we had to talk about it before he could give his answer. His boss said that was ok he would stay on hold while we talked lol. OK. Our "talking" about it means praying about it together and doing a pros and cons list :)

I am not impressed with the out of town though I have to admit. I know it is only for 2 months but I do not do well on my own. I hate it. I really do. I don't sleep well. I have to have all the lights on in the house at night time and every little noise makes me jump. We also had made plans to go back to Sask for a couple of weeks in June so that would be out of the question now.

On the other hand, he would end up getting about $5000.00 at the end of it (on top of his pay) which would come in handy as we are really needing to get a new vehicle. Ours is an 89 and although it has served us very well, it is starting to 20 buck us to death. We are not big on getting in debt either so that money would put a big chunk away for saving for a new SUV. We also had planned on going camping with the kids here in July for a week at our favorite campground in Fort Langley and now I don't know if Curt's van would be able to pull our trailer or not.

Decisions decisions... We did pray about it and Keith felt good about it (mind you he thinks logically instead of emotionally like I do) so I told him to go ahead. I didn't get an answer either way and I am sure cause my heart was yelling NO NO NO too loud for my mind to hear anything. I don't like the idea of being without a vehicle for that length of time though...

Oh well... maybe the company won't get the bid!!!!

The end of a long weekend

So Sunday night brought tears as two little girls went home from the weekend of dollies and staying up late and bubble baths and French braids and homemade cookies. The tears came from Nana though as I said goodbye to them. It was a real joy watching them play with their babies and play house, chasing one another around the house with their babies in their strollers running over my feet and into the backs of my heels every other minute :) And I loved every second of it. As you can see from the picture they were plum tuckered out. The bed they are on is a queen size and it took the whole thing by the time you added all the stuffed animals and special pillows and babies that you can't see under the Pooh blanket.

I came across a quote today on Motherhood and it made me think of this past weekend. I always wonder about the way I raised my children, could I have done better, should I have done this or that, should I have stayed home instead of working, did they miss having a parent home 24/7. But as I watched these 2 little girls and how well behaved they were (well unless you count them screaming their heads off when Papa kept chasing them all over the house telling them he was going to take their babies away!!) and knew that the way my children were raised directly or indirectly, shows in how they are with their children and I am very proud of them.

The quote is from Neal A. Maxwell:

When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling then what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.

Tea Time Anyone?

My 2 year old granddaughter sleeping over this weekend with her 3 year old one while the rest of the family get busy with the family busy our son to their new place. Miranda got here before Rosaleen got here and so she decided SHE HAD to set the tea things the RIGHT way and no ifs ands or buts. So I couldn't resist taking a picture of her getting the tea pasrty ready for her cousin to show up lol

Venting on Shopping and Dining Experience

So I have been to Washington State 3 times in last 3 weeks, twice to Seattle and once to Bellingham and I have come to the realization that Surrey sucks when it comes to shopping and dining selections. We are the second largest city in the province of BC and yet unless you are willing or financially able to spend hundreds of dollars on one outfit you are limited to Zellers and WalMart. As if that wasn't bad enough, try maneuvering around the jammed packed aisles that are crammed with displays let alone get a cart around the clothing racks!! Why can't we have a Target here? WalMart came here and they were a US based company what's the difference?

To buy women's shoes in size 11 again unless you want to pay hundreds of dollars on one pair (and I NEED way too many shoes to do that!)you are limited to shopping at Payless which of course means you have to follow the current fads of 5 inch wedges. Get real. I didn't like wedgies the first time they were in style in the 70's! So you have that or sneakers. Oh yes both of those will look real great with my suit and pantyhose.

Then you get the whole dining experience. Or lack of it. If you want to go for a steak dinner you get the choice of the Keg. If you want real seafood you go into Vancouver. There is one choice for a place to go for "coffee" and dessert at Death by Chocolate. Oh wait I lied.. there is also Tim Horton's I suppose. We stopped at a place called Old Country Buffet on Saturday in Bellingham on our way back from Seattle. They have a huge selection, everything was hot enough to burn your tongue, the trays were refilled before they were even half emptied, the dessert bar was almost as big and you had 3 main meat entrees, prime rib, baked ham and steak not counting the fried chicken, BBQ ribs etc.

We have one buffet in Surrey and yes it technically has a large selection but once you picked through the national dishes that are covered in sauces you can't name and anything deep fried, battered or breaded you come up having your token plate of limp green salad and potato salad swimming in what I assume is supposed to be mayo.

Why can't we have a open stall market like North Van or New West has where you can go along and get all your grocery items that are fresh? I was really excited at the beginning of this year when I found out a new strip mall featuring a "large" retail store, and restaurant was opening just a 5 minute walk from my front door. WOOOHOOO! That feeling of exhilaration was short lived when I found out this retail store was a Save on Foods grocery store and the restaurant was yet ANOTHER Tim Horton's. The grocery store is now flanked by a different supermarket withing a couple minutes of it and there is already a T.H. kitty corner!! There is now going to be a video rental store but there is one already at the end of that parking lot.

Puhlease! Come on city council!! Can you not limit the idiocy that some merchants have at requesting the same old same old? Do we not have quotas on how many donut places there can be in one square mile? Why can't we have real stores like Micheals or Linen's and Things or Ikea? Something useful? Why can't we have Red Lobster or Chili's or Outback if you are bent on allowing chains to open?

This city is so lucky that this is home to me otherwise I would be out of here! And as soon as I become President of the world and inheriting wealthy I am going to open up all those places. Stick that in your pocketbook where it hurts.

Exerisise in Frustration

I am so frustrated with life right now. I have had basically no news on Darrell since last week. My mom is feeling very left out of the loop and only gets what little I can pass on to her. For now all that is happening that I know is my uncle and his other son have returned back home to Calgary.

I am a mother of 5 and I can't even begin to feel the anxiety of separation, the feelings of guilt of desertion, the feelings of sheer hopelessness and the ability to keep a stiff upper lip. After all no news is good news right? Meantime I was so mad yesterday I threw a bag of groceries across the room when I walked in the door! How uncharacteristically of me. But I feel hopeless. I want to go to Nassau and smack those police across the backs of their heads to get them moving.

If they had gotten the message out to the public of Darrell missing then there would have been a greater chance of finding him by now. I am sorry for their tourism economy being hurt by missing visitors but maybe instead of hiding the facts they can do something about the crime level. People just don't go missing and leave their wallets and car behind. Not 3 weeks before you depart to go home.

Sigh... life really sucks big time right now. On a different note.. I finally got an appointment for my cat scan for this Monday the 7th at 9pm. My doctor had been on holidays and when I was in last week to see her replacements due to the increased headaches and intensity of them, she must have past the message to my doctor. All I know is they are staying open till 9PM for my appointment. Long after normal business hours. What a great doctor I have.....I am not looking to the day that she wants to retire.

Life is spent counting how many more days before this rain is done with. We get one sunny day but then 3 more days of rain. I see the Rheumatologist tomorrow and I know he is going to ask me if I am ready to move to a drier climate yet and my answer will still be the same. NO.

I have been working extra shifts at the Family History Centre just to get my minds off things and trying to keep busy. We have our youngest son and his family moving this weekend to a place about a 5-6 minute walk from here!!! I am so thrilled. So their little girl is spending the weekend here to keep her from being underfoot and I'll bring our other 2 year old granddaughter over for a sleepover and they argue about who is charge of the new babies and crib I bought for them to play with.

Well that is about it for now. Hubby is now working night shift at BCIT to correct something that a subtrade did wrong over a year ago. Keith told the company they were doing it wrong and they said oh it's ok it will pass. It didn't . But because there are faculty and staff there during the day he can only work after 10 pm. That's ok letsa me get caught up in all the shows I have on tape.

Till later.. thanks for listening :)

latest newspaper report on my missing cousin

27th April
Probe Expands Into Missing Canadian Man
By Vanessa C. Rolle
The police are networking with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and the local Ministry of Tourism to share information regarding the investigation into the disappearance of a 34-year-old Canadian man, police have confirmed.

Assistant Superintendent Walter Evans told The Bahama Journal on Thursday that investigations into the whereabouts of Darrell Cloutier, who went missing around April 10, were still ongoing.

Mr. Cloutier was reported missing by his employers at PCL Construction Ltd. on Paradise Island on April 11 when he failed to show up for work.

Mr. Cloutier is an administrative officer at the company where he has been employed since 2004, and is a resident of Olde Towne Sandyport.

"We are in constant contact with representatives from Foreign Affairs in Canada and they are aware, and there is a link with the Ministry of Tourism. So they are updated, and this is not just a singular effort in terms of information, or with regard to information," ASP Evans said.

"We have a person who is missing now and we are doing everything that we can at this stage to find the individual. He is still missing. I can confirm that and the police investigation continues."

He would not comment on whether police were still investigating to determine whether Don Diego Cartwright, 32, who had been picked up by police for questioning, was still a person of interest in the case.

ASP Evans also would not comment on whether police planned to bring any additional charges against Patrice Knowles, the 36-year-old woman who was charged recently with using Mr. Cloutier’s credit card.

Knowles pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud. She is on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison.

"All I can say is that we have been making some inroads in regard to our investigation. We don’t want to go further than where we are on our comments on that," ASP Evans said.

"The police investigation continues in this matter. The police have not ceased any operation on that and there has been a continued effort in regard to the search for the missing Canadian. We will continue to search until we get positive results."

Friends of Mr. Cloutier have raised a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

The police are asking persons who may have any information regarding this case to contact them at 502-9991 or Crimestoppers at 328-TIPS.

The police were reportedly following leads and doing physical searches in the area of Delaporte where the missing man was last known to have been seen.

Mr. Cloutier is a Caucasian, five feet nine inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing black pants and a tan coloured golf shirt, police said.

Your life in 50 questions

Got this from one of my sons and I put my answers to his questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Where the heck did this extremely LIGHT blond hair come from around my forehead?

2. How much cash do you have on you? about $40.00 not counting a wallet just for change cause it's always something the grandkids need change for :)

3. What's a word that rhymes with “DOOR?” Eeyore

4. Favorite planet? Earth

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile phone? Keith who scared the heck out of Lareta and made her scream which made me scream as the border cross officer stared at us!!!

6. What is your favourite ring tone on your phone? Traditional ring

7. What shirt are you wearing? well wearing jammies right now but was wearing ablue shirt with white collar and cuffs today

8. Do you “label” yourself? Perfected Anal retentive

9. Name the brand of your shoes you're currently wearing? Bare feet.. latest brand

10. Bright or dark room? Bright

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Makes me snort

12. Who do you miss right now? the person that I got this from and his family.. waiting for him to learn how to fly

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? family history while watching CSI Miami

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? I don't have text msg on my cell

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? On Scott Road and something or other.. We have Mac's out here

16. What's a word that you say a lot? PUHLEASE

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Keith

18. Last furry thing you touched? Keith... needed a shave :)

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Too many to count

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None.. well I have a current one still not finished in my camera but it is a new film

21. Favourite age you have been so far? 48

22. Your worst enemy? Myself

23. What's your current desktop picture?
"Hmmm I can't seem to be able to add a pic on here.. but it is of my Easter girls :)

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Night Love have a good sleep"

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? I would say a million dollars,

26. Do you like someone? I like everyone

27. The last song you listened to? Ticks by Brad Paisley

28. What time of day were you born? I haven't a clue.. I was born a month early so that wasn't a priority

29. What's your favorite number? 8

30. Where did you live in 1987? 52 Powers Bay, Regina, SK.

31. Are you jealous of anyone? nope not that I can't think of off hand

32. Is anyone jealous of you? I don't think so.. if they are they have never said

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? On my way to work at the hotel trying to do managing on my cell figuring out what we were going to do with all our guests that would not be flying and all the ones stuck at the airport that would need rooms

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? uhhh usually bang it a couple of times

35. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes,

36. What do you most look forward to? Owning my own house

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Spanish

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Already have.

39. Are you touchy feely? Definitely

40. What's your life motto? hmm have to think of that one

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? diamond stud earrings, wedding rings and my CTR ring

42. Whats your favourite town/city? Whistler BC

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? medicine and a Dora egg at the pharmacy

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? A week ago

45. Can you change the oil on a car? Yes. I have.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? That he left me high and dry deserted in a strange town

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? at least 1500's on all but my maternal grandmother's maternal grandmother's line. I can not for the life of me get past her. So I have 5 generations on that one

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? I wore a fancy dress that I made for my 25th anniversary last fall.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My lower spine, my shoulders muscles are cramping and I have a really bad headache but I would think something was wrong if they didn't.

50. Have you been burned by love? Many many times.. which is why I have a brick wall around me now

Your life in 50 questions

Got this from one of my sons and I put my answers to his questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Where the heck did this extremely LIGHT blond hair come from around my forehead?

2. How much cash do you have on you? about $40.00 not counting a wallet just for change cause it's always something the grandkids need change for :)

3. What's a word that rhymes with “DOOR?” Eeyore

4. Favorite planet? Earth

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile phone? Keith who scared the heck out of Lareta and made her scream which made me scream as the border cross officer stared at us!!!

6. What is your favourite ring tone on your phone? Traditional ring

7. What shirt are you wearing? well wearing jammies right now but was wearing ablue shirt with white collar and cuffs today

8. Do you “label” yourself? Perfected Anal retentive

9. Name the brand of your shoes you're currently wearing? Bare feet.. latest brand

10. Bright or dark room? Bright

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Makes me snort

12. Who do you miss right now? the person that I got this from and his family.. waiting for him to learn how to fly

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? family history while watching CSI Miami

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? I don't have text msg on my cell

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? On Scott Road and something or other.. We have Mac's out here

16. What's a word that you say a lot? PUHLEASE

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Keith

18. Last furry thing you touched? Keith... needed a shave :)

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Too many to count

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None.. well I have a current one still not finished in my camera but it is a new film

21. Favourite age you have been so far? 48

22. Your worst enemy? Myself

23. What's your current desktop picture?
"Hmmm I can't seem to be able to add a pic on here.. but it is of my Easter girls :)

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Night Love have a good sleep"

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? I would say a million dollars,

26. Do you like someone? I like everyone

27. The last song you listened to? Ticks by Brad Paisley

28. What time of day were you born? I haven't a clue.. I was born a month early so that wasn't a priority

29. What's your favorite number? 8

30. Where did you live in 1987? 52 Powers Bay, Regina, SK.

31. Are you jealous of anyone? nope not that I can't think of off hand

32. Is anyone jealous of you? I don't think so.. if they are they have never said

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? On my way to work at the hotel trying to do managing on my cell figuring out what we were going to do with all our guests that would not be flying and all the ones stuck at the airport that would need rooms

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? uhhh usually bang it a couple of times

35. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes,

36. What do you most look forward to? Owning my own house

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Spanish

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Already have.

39. Are you touchy feely? Definitely

40. What's your life motto? hmm have to think of that one

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? diamond stud earrings, wedding rings and my CTR ring

42. Whats your favourite town/city? Whistler BC

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? medicine and a Dora egg at the pharmacy

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? A week ago

45. Can you change the oil on a car? Yes. I have.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? That he left me high and dry deserted in a strange town

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? at least 1500's on all but my maternal grandmother's maternal grandmother's line. I can not for the life of me get past her. So I have 5 generations on that one

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? I wore a fancy dress that I made for my 25th anniversary last fall.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My lower spine, my shoulders muscles are cramping and I have a really bad headache but I would think something was wrong if they didn't.

50. Have you been burned by love? Many many times.. which is why I have a brick wall around me now

Head still attached but barely

So I emailed my doctor over the weekend asking to come in this week because my headaches from my head injury are still constant and I have enough health problems to begin with without adding to them. I got an email back Monday morning stating my doctor is still out of town but I could get in that afternoon with her counterpart. I have seen her several times and really like her so off I go.

I go over what happened and how stupid I really was for not seeing the wood there and how idiotic I was for hitting my head on it the second time like I couldn't see AND feel it there the first time. My results of my head x-ray were in and she said that was normal and asked me where the pain was. I said the headache is all over pretty much but the pain is at the base of my skull into my neck. She said they only x-rayed your head and didn't do the base or the neck!! UGHHHH! So she sent me back with big letters stating do the base of the skull AND the neck. Meantime the radiologist twists my head into a pretzel and smiles and says hold that position now! Yeah right come here and say that to me!!

She started me on anti-inflammatories to at least try and get the swelling down back there and sent the paperwork in for my cat scan. She said it is completely up to the Radiologist of who gets priority but she sent it all off while I was there. I got my prescription and toddled home. By last night Keith had to get me a blessing as I was doubled over with nausea and my acid reflux went into overtime. I had even made sure I had eater before I took the medication but because I basically don't have any stomach lining left from my illness it was too much. Oh what a joy it is to be 50!!!

Nothing more on news for my cousin. Nothing in papers nothing anywhere :( I feel so helpless way out here with no family contact. My mom calls every day to ask if I got any news as she knows I can search the internet but there has been nothing since last Thursday. When does a person stop looking? When does one draw the line and say I have to go back to my life etc. I think of my own children that are grown and what would I do if I was in my uncle's shoes right now in another Continent let alone a different country. My heart aches for him and my other cousin that is there. I wish I could give them a hug and tell them my hug is there for them as well as my love.

Sunday Update

Missing man update

calgary.ctv.ca

There are a few more developments in the disappearance of a Calgary man working in the Bahamas.

CTV spoke with Darrell Cloutier’s father who is in Nassau. He says they met with police on Thursday and the news is not good.

Police say if Cloutier is found, it is unlikely he will be found alive.

Police also told Cloutier’s father that they think they know who is behind his son’s disappearance.

Darrel Cloutier, 34, was last seen Tuesday night.

Small Town Memories

I have spent a lot of time this past week in thought about what's been going on in my life trying to decide or plan where I am going and what I want to do. Kind of like a goal re-evaluation sort of thing. I hurt someone's feelings and broke their trust this week and it just about did me in. It was done completely unintentionally but it happened never the less and I can't undo the damage. So I have been sitting and stewing and thinking and realized how much simpler life was in the "good old days".

I grew up with in a family of 6 children. my dad was from a family of 13 children and my mom a family of 8. I grew up with both sets of grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles and cousins living in the same farm/town. Every Sunday was spent at the grandparents home for supper. You went to church without fail, went home for a big Sunday dinner, had a nap then went to the farm. My uncles would get their instruments out and everyone sang and we danced till meals were ready. Every birthday and holiday was spent together.

Every spring part of the farm land was rototilled and all the families would gather to plant a communal garden that we tended all through the summer months and all the families harvested it together. Spring was meant for branding the cattle and riding horses in the pastures to round the calves up. Holidays were meant to shove our city cousins out of the hay loft into the bull pen below to scare them. Butter was a treat to churn and we would fight for that honour. We all had our own little cups that we got to stick under the milk separator to get the first milk fresh from the barn.

Our meals were breakfast dinner and supper not high tea or dinner at 5PM. Our doors were never locked. You could leave your purse on the front seat of your car all night with the windows down and it would still be there in the morning. It was a given that all the girls at 14 became candy stripers at the hospital.

We never had a curfew when we were little cause all the town children knew when the church bells pealed at noon and 6 pm it was time to go home. When the street lights came on it was time to go home at night. We all had the same rules. Rush hour traffic meant there were 2 tractors coming down main street (all two blocks of it) at the same time.

Every time we went home (after I got married) for the weekend Keith would be up at the crack of dawn waiting for Lemieux's Hardware Store to open. It was a kind of old fashioned general store. It sold dishes, furniture, saddles, cowboy hats, records, jewelry, vet supplies..... it had a table on the one side that the old men sat around chewing the fat and talking about old women while they played checkers. Keith loved to putter around and always had to be kicked out at noon as all the stores in town close from 12-1 so all staff can go home for lunch. Even the banks close at noon.

Our children would get so excited as they never had to tell us where they were going to play as the whole town was a safe play land. They were thrilled when my mom would give them 20 dollars and tell them to go to the store to get milk or bread or something that she made up just so they had the experience. They would go and the clerks would notice someone that was visiting and they would ask who are you here visiting and they would say Memere and Pepere and they would already know who that was.

You had to walk to the post office to get mail and it took you 5 minutes to walk there from any direction but 20 minutes to get the mail as everyone knew the mail was put in the boxes by 10am so you had to visit with everyone there. You were raised that everyone was Monsieur and Madame and yes please and thank you. You were raised to respect your elders and you never talked back to them. We never shot anyone in our schools unless you counted spit balls behind the teachers back.

No one was kidnapped no one got murdered, every one watched out for one another.It's so ironic now at 50 years old as I reflect back to my good old days and I realize what I so desperately wanted to run away from when I was a teenager that knew everything is the same thing now that I would give anything to be able to run back to.

thursday update

Family fears for man missing in Bahamas

DAWN WALTON

Globe and Mail Update

CALGARY — Ten days ago, Darrell Cloutier was preparing to leave the tropical digs where he has worked for more than two years when his idyllic life in the Bahamas was unexpectedly interrupted.

On the evening of April 10, the 34-year-old administration manager for a half-billion-dollar expansion of a luxury Atlantis resort on Paradise Island was dining with his replacement — another Canadian sent south by Edmonton-based PCL Constructors Inc. — and giving the new guy the lay of the land.

“Darrell was doing an absolutely excellent job for us and in fact was coming to the end of his tour of duty and was about to leave in the next few weeks to return to Canada for a new assignment,” Ross Grieve, PCL's chief executive officer, said Wednesday. “His career was going very well and he was going to take on more responsibility.”

But the morning after that business dinner, the normally dependable Calgary man didn't show up at the work site. His co-workers telephoned him and, by afternoon, went to his condominium in an upscale Nassau neighbourhood where he lives alone.

They found his front door unlocked and groceries purchased the day before still stowed in his car. They called police.

“It's very scary because it's been a long time and there's still no sign of him at all,” Mr. Grieve said. “Your mind could run wild with scenarios but you just don't know, you just don't know.”

Wednesday, Glenn Miller, chief superintendent of the Royal Bahamas Police Force central detective unit, said a 36-year-old Bahamian woman has been charged with a number of offences, including possession of Mr. Cloutier's credit and bank cards, as well as fraud for allegedly siphoning funds from his bank account.

He added that two other people were being interrogated Wednesday in connection with Mr. Cloutier's disappearance. That's in addition to another man, who was also wanted by police for questioning in the case and turned himself in Tuesday.

None of the latter three has been charged, but Supt. Miller said police believe all four people were somehow acquainted with Mr. Cloutier.

“From our inquiries there's definitely a suggestion that they know him,” Chief Supt. Miller said.

“It's difficult to determine at this time what happened,” he added. “It's a very suspicious matter and we're treating it as such. Our inquiries are intense and we're treating this as if something happened to him.”

Police are looking for travel documents, but so far haven't had any luck. They are also looking into threats family members said were made against the affable Canadian, who plays in the weekly Nassau Street Hockey League and has worked for PCL for eight years.

“At this point, I don't have any complaint of a threat other than the relative suggesting he might have been receiving some threatening calls,” Chief Supt. Miller said.

Mr. Cloutier's father, Raymond, travelled to the Bahamas last week and told investigators about the threats. His brother and a cousin are also on the island trying to help find him.

Bahamian police did not immediately alert the news media to the missing foreigner and asked the company to refrain from talking about it, as part of the police investigation.

On Monday, local police held a news conference and said they were making progress.

He also said Bahamian police are working diligently to find Mr. Cloutier.

Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that consular officials are in touch with local authorities and have offered assistance to the family.

Wednesday update

I emailed CTV news yesterday asking why a Canadian man has been missing for a week and there still has been nothing on the news. This is a link to their story.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070417/bermuda_missing_070417/20070417?hub=TopStories

Tuesday cousin update

Police search for Canadian

By Tenovia Trotman, Guardian Staff Reporter

tenovia@nasguard.com

Police are continuing an ongoing search for Darrell Cloutier, a 34 year old Canadian who was reported missing since last week Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent Hulan Hanna held a press conference Monday afternoon to update the press on the progress the police are making into the matter.

Darrell Cloutier came to The Bahamas to work in 2004 on a work permit as an Administrative Officer employed at PCL Construction Company located on Paradise Island. According to Mr. Hanna, the report about Cloutier being missing, came from someone in Mr. Cloutier's work environment who hadn't seen Cloutier at the expected times and places. It is reported that the individual became concerned and alerted the police.

Chief Superintendent Hanna said that the information the police have would suggest that the man is single. Mr. Hanna said that Cloutier's father has been contacted and is assisting the police.

Further, it was reported that police have in custody a 36-year-old-female resident of Western New Providence who is assisting the police with the investigation. Mr. Hanna said that there is a possibility that the female in custody and Mr. Cloutier may be known to each other.

Police are not divulging any information about the woman at the time due to the nature of the matter.

As part of the investigation, the police are also currently pursuing the whereabouts of Don Diego Cartwright, a 32 year old resident of Bacardi Road. Cartwright is believed to be 5'7", dark brown in complexion and of medium build. Police are asking the public to give them any information that they may have on the matter.

According to police reports, Mr. Cloutier was last seen between April 10th and April 11th at the Sunrise Beach Villas wearing black pants, a beige golf shirt and black dress shoes. Mr. Cloutier is 5'9'', of light complexion, with dark brown hair and weighs about 180 pounds. According to Mr. Hanna, police are not certain if there is a relationship between Cartwright and Cloutier, but Cartwright is wanted by the Central Detective Unit in connection with a possible kidnapping of Mr. Cloutier and is considered armed and dangerous.

Mr. Hanna said that Cartwright is a person of interest and that the police need to see him. According to Mr. Hanna, it is a matter of police protocol that whenever the police are looking for someone who they believe deliberately does not want to be found, that person or persons are then deemed potentially dangerous to the public.

"At this point all lines of inquiry are open; no definitive conclusions have been made to determine what happened to the individual," Mr. Hanna said.

He added that the police are very interested in locating Cloutier alive and well.

Famous Relatives

I found a site today that if you enter your information in, it will check to see if you have any famous relatives. I hope the link comes through!

http://trees.ancestry.com/RelationFinder/relate.aspx?pid=19914256

Childhood Problem

I was watching a tv show the other night that totally bothered me. It was about the new children's health concern. We all know that childhood obesity and childhood diabetes are at an all time high but what the pediatrician's were saying on the show was that what they are seeing on a too frequent basis is abdominal problems. They said that the children of today are eating so much crap that it is constipating them and giving them so called "Stomach Flus" on an all too frequent basis.

If you are squeamish do not continue reading this!!! They went on to say that as adults when we are constipated we take some sort of laxative but the problem with children is the medication is too potent for their tiny organs that are still developing. So what is happening when they finally do have a BM is it tears up their rectum giving them hemorrhoids and fissures. They also went on to say that frequently when they get too constipated to "go" that the fecal bacteria starts going backwards giving them the nausea and stomach pains and when it gets bad from no relief children are starting to throw up and mixed in with stomach acid is fecal matter!

They continued on to say that children's diets these days are made up of chicken nuggets, French fries, pop, chips, pizza, fast foods etc.. they said vegetables if any.. consist of canned or frozen corn.. if fruit is part of their dietary diet it usually is one piece a day if even that much. When they were interviewing parents on why their children were not getting more fresh fruits and vegetables they were always getting the same 2 answers... 1. it costs too much and 2. the children don't like it.

They said the reason children don't like fresh produce is because it doesn't have fat, salt and preservatives in it that give it that oooey gooey taste kids have gotten accustomed to. They said how expensive is it to buy fresh produce compared to medications, laxatives, enemas, missed work due to doctor visits. They (the specialists) said the average family meal out costs 40-50 dollars and they showed fresh produce totaling that amount to show the parents what they actually could get for their money.

At the end of the show a panel of specialists went to elementary schools throughout the country to find out what children had in their lunch boxes (for those that took lunches to schools or had cafeterias) and it was almost unanimously starch, starch and more starch with almost no fresh produce or anything healthy. Drinks were supposedly fruit juice but when they checked the labels they found that over 97% of them started with "water as the first ingredient and then some sort of sugar fructose, sucrose, dextrose anything that ends in ose is a sugar"as the 2nd ingredient. They said don't get fooled into thinking that just because the labels says no sugar added that there isn't already a bunch of sugar in it to begin with.

I was blown away by the show. Completely blown away.

Nerves of jelly

So tomorrow is my first visit back at Royal Columbian Hosp for a mammogram that I have to get every 6 months because of my progressive breast disease. I am not happy to the techs not finding it before it tumour had gotten that big and now every 6 months I have to go get re-mammogrammed, re-imaged and re-biopsied to see what has changed towards the breast cancer. I am not impressed. Talk about a death sentence hanging over my head. But trying to keep positive.

And the winner is.....

So today I get a call from Zellers saying I had won their Easter Basket draw. COOL!! I didn't know I had entered it. I called Lareta and asked if she remembered my entering the draw and she said Mum we did that like 3 days ago don't you remember? I said oh!! I thought I was entering my name to get my flyers sent to me in an email because we don't get flyers here. She said well yes that was what the email line was for but it was for a draw. Did you not see the huge bunny basket there. WELL DUH! I may be forgetful but not blind lol. I said well I just thought it was for display. I am sure she gets whiplash from all the head shaking she does at me lol. So Keith went to pick it up and this is what it looks like. I have had a bad bad pain day today between the headaches and backache and FM flareup... haven't even gotten dressed today and now have a migraine coming from the aura floating in front of my eyeballs.. joy.. thank goodness this basket doesn't come with eatable treats!!

Ongoing Head Saga

Hi there

Well I just wanted to keep you updated on what's been going on with my head since the inhury of a month or so ago. I saw the speicalist today. He made me lay down and while cradling my head he did some twists and turns and then said I am not touching you until you get a scan done. He said the problem is not at the base of the skull that she (my doc) thought but actually at the C3 vertebrae. He said there possibly can be a skull or a C3 fracture or the suspicions mass that is there was pre-existing and with the injury it just exaggerated it and he wasn't doing anything till he got a scan done on it. So he called my doctor at that point but because it was late in the day her office had closed for the day so now it will be Tuesday or later before they can connect to talk. He said he will probably get me in a collar of some sorts until they get this scanned just to keep the weight of my skull off my neck. He said the shooting pains are actually the neurons that are misfiring because nerve endings are compressed now and when my brain is working with thoughts etc and things to do it sends more impulses which misfires more. He told me to rest and to keep my mind still I looked at him and said are you kidding me? You know my mouth never stops talking even when I sleep right?

So there you go.... I will let you guys know anymore as I know it. We want to wish all of you and your families a Happy Easter. We will be having our family dinner tomorrow and the Easter Egg Hunt as Terry is down for this week and he goes back Saturday so we wanted to do it together. We hope all is well with you.

Love Sally

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

I got up this morning and thought what the heck is outside? I pull up the blinds to see the ground covered in a thick white blanket~~ I thought yesterday was April Fools??? And it was bloody cold. I was determined to go out as I had 4 grandchildren's birthday presents to shop for and I was NOT going to dig out my winter coat that I had just had cleaned and put away for Spring! So I froze my butt and finger tips off let me tell you.. well not quite but you get the picture.

So I am still on my renew myself with Spring and new things and I picked out this book at the second had store on making wood projects. The first one(cause it seems the easiest) will be the night stand then the deacon's bench for my patio then the dining room table. At the rate this weather is going that should take me all summer to complete as I have to wait for the weather to stay warm so I can do the building and refinishing outside. Yes I know it probably would be cheaper in the long run to buy them but I am determined to use my brain and do SOMETHING useful during my memory fog days!!!

Shopping Find

So I am out on Friday with Lareta shopping for new loafers. Mine had gotten too big and I kept walking out of them when I took steps which was annoying to say the least. We checked out Payless as that is one of the few stores that carries size 11 and I did find some new loafers that were $14.99!!! How perfect was that? I was so excited I decided to check out new spring shoes and these are what I found :-)

I am a sling back shoe kind of gal.. but rarely do I buy shoes that don't already match something. Usually I buy a piece of clothes and then get shoes to match. I have to have shoes that match my suits and dresses etc!! It's my one vice. Then you have to have a purse to match the shoes. So when I saw these shoes my first thought was I don't have something to actually match it first but because they are "tannish" (Is that a color?) and soft white I figured they would go with pretty much all my summer clothes so got them.

Then Lareta showed me the purse she had been looking at prior to that day and we both fell in love with a different purse so had to get those then another sales clerk came up to me while I was at the till and said oh by the way we have these clutch purses to go with those dress shoes you have.... groannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn... but they were such a good deal what was I to do?? I haven't bought new shoes or purse since last summer so what the heck??

Very hilarious!!

I haven't figured out yet how to post actual video links on my side bar.. (help Kim???) and I hope by just putting in this link you will be able to watch this hilarious video song on the "frustrations" sometimes of doing family history. I would be interested in hearing from all of you to see if you can actually watch the video :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfNpk2Bt0OM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblog%2Eeogn%2Ecom%2F

Another Spring Attraction!

Now is the perfect time to shake off those winter doldrums and get back into action with your genealogy. Here are things you can do to revitalize your family history research.

1. Clean your house. Bring those boxes of old photographs out of your attic and basement into the daylight. Scour closets and drawers for "hidden genealogical gems," such as old letters, postcards, diaries, bridal and baby books, funeral registries, memorial cards, medals, and other memorabilia. Store them in the right environment where you can easily find them again and don't forget to label everything!

2. Break your cabin fever. If you live in an area prone to inclement weather, you've probably been stuck in your house all winter long and chained to your computer for research. Not that perusing the latest online genealogical databases or search engines is a bad thing, but now it's time to get out there and network! Take a class at your local Family History Centre. Call up a relative and plan a visit. Make a point of going to the cemetery to look for your ancestors' headstones.

3. Organize! Get those family history files and binders in shape. Purge duplicates and file those loose documents. Scan photographs and documents and safely store your originals. Enter key data into your genealogical software program.

4. Plan a research trip. Look for bargain airfares and try to visit your ancestral town or village. Or, take a road trip to where you grew up or where your ancestors lived. Make sure you use the Web to identify key places you want to visit before you hit the road. Note cemeteries, courthouses, special walking tours; use Google Earth or other maps to locate the neighborhoods, streets, and addresses where your ancestors lived.

5. Brush up on your skills through any number of learning opportunities. There are many conferences planned for the spring and summer. You can also sign up for online genealogy classes which you can do at your own pace, such as those available at GenClass (sign up now for new classes in April and May!).

And if every thing else fails ask me for help :-)

Where I come from

So I was at the Family History Centre today and after about an hour I scooted my chair to someone else that was there doing their work to show her something I had found on line to see if she was familiar with that web site. I had written it at the top of one of my pedigree charts and as she was glancing at the web site at the top she says hey that's my line! I asked what are you talking about and she said I have those exact same Cloutier's in my line but had lost the line at my great grandfathers!! She was so excited we both hugged and squealed saying hey we're related!! Six degrees of separation let me tell you!! Although we were 8th cousins but that's close enough to me ;) AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is fluent in french WHOOOOOHOOOOOOO

She didn't have anything I did not already have but I did give her from my grandchildren up to my great grandfathers. She was very pleased. Come to think of it I never did get her to check out that site for me lol. But instead of going to bed I have been working on this page. Not as fancy as my buddy Carm but it works for me :) In time I will be more creative at them once she learns to sit still long enough to teach me :)

Wedding Day Idiocy

So I am hooked on this new show that comes on weeknights at 1am called Whose Wedding is it Anyways? It is a show about wedding planners and what they have to go through to get a girl to her wedding. The show always depicts 2 different brides and 2 different wedding planners. The first one comes on and happens to mention as they are walking into the 4 Seasons in Atlanta that the banquet room and food is going to cost 140,000 dollars!! I thought I had to have heard wrong.. that must be the entire wedding budget but oh no they mentioned it again .. not only was that the hotel catering bill but the entire wedding budget is $350,000!!!!! HELLO ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

Who in their right mind pays that kind of money for something that lasts a few hours? Do you know how many computers you could put in elementary schools for that kind of money? Do you know how many hungry children that live below the poverty line that go to school hungry cause there isn't money to feed them and what your wedding day could provide for even one school?

These weren't even movie actors or celebrities.. just your normal John and Jane Doe. This is just wrong!! and just think when that couple wakes up in the morning in their $6.000 dollar a night bridal suite they are still going to have morning breath!!

Woman's Vocabulary

1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying YOU ARE IN TROUBLE

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking, "What's wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.