Catching Up

Because of my lack of blog posts the past while, it would probably appear that I haven't done anything worth mentioning.  That would be a lie.  The truth is.....I'm a SLACKER!  So, in an effort to catch up, I'm going to include a few pictures of some of the things that have kept us on the road.


 1)  OUR FIRST TRIP TO HAWAII

Obviously kinda breezy that day.

 At The Polynesian Cultural Center -- my favorite part of the trip!

The Mr. cracking open some nuts at a Macadamia Nut Farm.

Even the church we attended was gorgeous!

The changing of the guards before 

the opening of...... a farmer's market??

I always wondered what had become of the Invisible Man.

2)  EASTER WEEKEND

Our first grandchild's baptism.

 Is it wrong to admit that the whole time I was wondering 

howI could get my hands on one of those jumpsuits
and turn it into an Elvis Presley costume?

How cute are these four?

Reading the clues to find their Easter baskets.

Success!

3)  MY NEPHEW'S WEDDING

 The bride and groom.

Sons 1A and 1B were asked to be the emcees. 

My cute -- albeit blurry -- nieces.

 The groomsmen -- my nephew is on the right.

Parents of the Groom.

1)  VISITING DAUGHTER #3 IN IDAHO

Just one of the fun places we ate.

(How I could resist?)

Complete with a jukebox located at every vinyl booth!

 In an effort to fit in with the theme,
 we made sure to order root beer floats.

After finding out we were from Canada,

and at the conclusion of our temple session,

 they let us take a self guided tour of all three floors! 

So that's where we've travelled the last couple of months.  And although we saw and did many other things on these trips, this is what I happened to get pictures of.  Some day I'm hoping to do better at taking pictures.  I hope.

Dixie

Thoughts on Mother's Day

This is the first Mother's Day since my mom passed away, and I'm feeling a little extra melancholy today.  I sure miss her!  I've written about her in the past, but usually in a bit of a joking manner.  She was, after all, a very funny person.  She appreciated a good story -- even if it meant being told at her own expense.

Before her death, my brother and I were appointed as executors of her will.  Since that time, a lot of our focus has been on getting her physical assets distributed, and her financial assets freed up.  Along with a few other things, I was lucky enough to inherit a large selection of costumes.  They are beautiful old-fashioned dresses, hats and bustles -- all of them homemade.  I love every piece!  As nice as that is to have a physical inheritance from her, I'm even more appreciative that I've inherited her love of musical theatre.  It's brought me SO much joy over the years.  THANKS MOM!

I also wanted to spend a few minutes thanking my children for the opportunity to be their mom.  What a wonderful gift!

Daughter #1 -- Thanks for letting me "learn" on you.  I've heard it said that first children deserve a medal for having to put up with all of their parents' parenting mistakes.  You've certainly done your share of putting up.  I admire your strong work ethic and your love of learning, two things that I'm trying harder lately to emulate.  And thanks, too, for sharing your off-beat funny sense of humor with us.

Daughter #2 -- Even at a very young age, you've had the ability to be a good friend.  Your kind and generous heart draws others to you, and your determined efforts to sustain and strengthen those relationships, has always been an example to me.  Your love of nature and the outdoors -- not to mention your willingness to be seen in a plaid redneck coat -- is inspiring (if not a little baffling!)

Son #1A -- By a mere two minutes, you are our oldest son, but for some reason I always put your name second when referring to you and your brother.  That's not really fair is it?  I'll try to do better.  I want to thank you for being so helpful.  You always seem to know just what needs to be done, and start doing it, before I even have to ask.  I see this same thoughtfulness carry over to other people and projects you're involved with.  Thanks, too, for sharing your creative musical talents with us.  They have brought me so much joy!

Son #1B -- (Who from now on will be referred to second when linked with your brother -- just kidding!)  Although you've never enjoyed school, I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who does as well at it as you do.  To quote Westley from The Princess Bride, "Truly you have a dizzying intellect."  I've always admired your hard work and diligence in the many extra-curricular pursuits you've been involved with, even when it seemed you were working alone sometimes.

Daughter #3 -- Right from the beginning you've exhibited a peaceful spirit which has been a real blessing to our family.  You will probably never know how much that has meant to me over the years.  I also want to thank you for your great example in your efforts to strengthen your faith.  You have always been spiritually mature beyond your years.  It's been a pleasure watching you grow up!

I love these kids!  Who aren't really kids anymore.  But to me they'll always be my kids.  And I'm so grateful to always be their mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Dixie

Crazy Busy

Crazy and busy!  That's how I would describe my life these past several weeks.

It all started when I realized I had probably gotten a little overzealous in my plans for the Showbiz Kids' year-end show.  But can you blame me?  After all, those kids came into my classes back in September with such enthusiasm and talent that I just kept thinking of more fun songs to put into the program.

About one month before the big day, it started to dawn on me just how much work this was going to entail:

                  27 children x 42 songs = a whole lot of costumes, props, scenery, and confusion!

My sewing machine has become a permanent fixture at my kitchen table.  So has a complete assortment of thread, elastic, velcro, pins, and fabric.  Every spare area in my house had piles of costumes, props and painted cardboard scenery.  Fortunately The Mr. has been very patient.

The past five days were especially tough.  However, with help from some of the moms, Sons 1A and 1B, and 27 confused (albeit enthusiastic) children, we were able to pull off an extremely difficult production to an appreciative crowd.

Last night, as I watched the kids on stage, I was reminded again how much I love doing this.  It makes all the "Crazy Busy" worth it.

I was once told by Daughter #3 that I probably had five good years left in me.  That was five years ago.  I've decided to prove her wrong!

Dixie

Missing in Action

Like a lot of people, I put pictures of people I love on my fridge. Since our extended family has gotten so big, we don't all fit on the fridge anymore. So I've had to put everyone into an album.

Everyone except my grandchildren. I still keep them on the fridge, 'cause I love to look at their cute little faces every day. Since there are only the three pictures, it's easy for me to memorize every little detail:

• Daughter #1's two little boys sitting back to back with their stylish sweaters, hands on their knees, and cute smiles.
• Daughter #2's little girl with the adorable Valentine headband and holding her hand out with a real heart-shaped sucker hole-punched into the picture. (I know we were supposed to eat the suckers, but they looked so cute, we've purposely left them in.)
• Daughter #2's little boy wearing the shark t-shirt, and also holding out his hand with a real heart-shaped...........Wait A Minute!!

I swear that sucker was there this morning. Who took it? The only people in my house were 14 adorable Showbiz Kids. Hmmm?!?

Dixie

It's Not Fair!

The other day The Mr. went to the doctor for his annual physical. After reviewing the results of his blood work, the doctor informed him that his blood sugar levels were low. Apparently this was the cause of his fatigue during the day. He came home quite excited about the prescription the doctor gave him..........A chocolate bar every afternoon!

At MY last doctor's appointment, my blood work also indicated there was a cause for my fatigue, and I was also given a prescription..........stomach-wrenching iron pills!

Now I ask you, "Where's the justice in that?"

And as if that's not bad enough, I even caught him pouring CHOCOLATE milk over his cereal!

I think I'm going to demand a second opinion.

Dixie

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...

WHO: The Bride and Groom

WHAT: A Wedding

WHERE: Cardston Alberta Temple

WHEN: Saturday, March 3rd

WHY: Because they're in love

Wishing this cute couple all the best!

Dixie

Deletions and Dreams

Okay, let me first say that I didn't PURPOSELY delete from my blog the list of blogs that I follow. But somehow they got deleted. And try as I might to get them back up there, I'm not succeeding. I don't know if it's my computer or my stupidity. I'm banking on the latter. In the meantime, don't be offended it your name doesn't appear for awhile. I'm working on it!

And now, onto another concern. Recurring dreams. Specifically my recurring dreams.

For many years I've had the same two dreams over and over again. The first involves me losing my teeth -- slowly, one by one, until I only have a couple left. I'm left with a feeling of complete hopelessness.

The second, and I have to say, this one disturbs me even more, is where I'm looking for a public washroom. The only ones I can seem to find are ones that are overflowing, disgustingly dirty, or they don't have a door on them. After searching for a suitable one with no luck, I opt for an out-of-the-way stall with no door thinking I can finish up before anyone sees me. I quickly find out that the stall I'm in is actually in some VERY public place and I find myself in a rather embarrassing situation with everyone watching me.

Now if these aren't disconcerting enough, I've recently added another dream to the repertoire. In these I'm just going about my regular activities when I "remember" that I have a dog (and in one case a baby) and that I had forgotten all about feeding them or taking care of them for two weeks -- it's always two weeks -- and I feel terrible that I could totally forget about being responsible for them.

I really would like to know why I keep having these same dreams over and over again. I asked The Mr. if he ever has recurring dreams. His reply: "Not really."

Is this a common thing?

Does anyone else experience this?

What do they mean?

Why do I keep having them?

I could really use a chat with Joseph (and his amazing technicolor dream coat) right about now.

Dixie

Shrek-cellent

Yesterday we celebrated "Family Day" here in Alberta. Sons 1A and 1B suggested that we attend an interactive screening of Shrek. I have never done anything like that before, but I LOVED it!

Since the guys had been to one of these events before, they came equipped with crowns, swords and kazoos. But for those of us who didn't, we could select something at the door to help get us in the mood. I chose a lovely purple tiara. When we entered the theatre we were handed a program of what we were expected to do once the movie started.

Once we took our seats we quickly folded paper airplanes and made confetti from the scrap paper they gave us. And then the fun began: Cheering for the good guys, booing and hissing the bad guys, making kissing noises in the romantic parts, singing along with the songs, and of course throwing confetti at the wedding.

It was so Junior High -- and SO MUCH FUN! You are actually expected to say and do the first thing that pops into your head. How could that not be fun?

Dixie

Easy to Draw, Hard to Spell

Has anyone out there ever lived in Saskatchewan? Can anyone spell it?

Many years ago The Mr. and I spent 11 years in Saskatchewan, living in 3 different cities. I suppose that was the pre-requisite we needed to get an invite to a "Saskatchewan or Bust" party by these two cool cats:

The party was tons of fun. We played "Jeopardy" with Saskatchewan-themed categories, ate food that reminded us of Saskatchewan, and reminisced and joked about people, places, tv shows, and catch-phrases that reminded us of Saskatchewan. Here are a few of the things that came up that made me smile:

1. Mount Black Strap -- a man-made mountain, turning an old garbage dump into a ski hill. You've gotta give them props for thinking outside the box.
2. Scramble Corner -- an intersection in downtown Saskatoon where all the traffic is stopped at the same time, and the pedestrians can "scramble" whichever direction they want.
3. The Great Sand Hills -- if you drive far enough down a gravelled country road, in the middle of nowhere, you will come upon humongous sand dunes that are perfect for sliding down on pieces of cardboard.
4. Population 1,000,000 -- In 1982 the locals were thrilled to discover their province had reached one million people. That number steadily decreased until just a few years ago when Saskatchewan once again reached a million people.
5. Vi-Co -- a brand of chocolate milk introduced in the 1950's. It became so popular that no one ever referred to it as "chocolate milk". It was always "Vi-Co".
6. "Size Small" -- a children's tv show produced in Saskatoon featuring "Miss Helen" and her two teenage/adult (?) children.
7. Saskatchewan sayings -- as if the locals were trying to defend any criticism pointed toward their province.

• "Saskatchewan's not THAT flat!"
• "Yeah, but it's a dry kind of cold."
• "It's easy to draw, but hard to spell"

Notice the saying on my friend's shirt?

The party has gotten me thinking about our years spent in that wonderful province. We met wonderful people who were hard-working, friendly and down-to-earth. We had wonderful experiences including going to Law School, serving in various leadership positions in our church, and the birth of our last four children. I was able to get to know many relatives with whom I would otherwise have probably lost contact had I not lived there. I'm so grateful for my time spent there.

So, for anyone who dares, feel free to take this short trivia quiz about Saskatchewan (answers located in the comments section).

1. Which of the following first names is NOT a town in Saskatchewan: Bruno, Denzil, Ebenezer, Gerald, Kendal, Robert, Scott?
2. Name two Saskatchewan towns that have the same name as a body part.
3. How many times has Queen Elizabeth visited Saskatchewan?
4. Where was our family living when the Queen visited our children's elementary school?
5. Which city has underground tunnels that were used by smugglers and gangsters in the late 1800's?

I'd love to hear about your favorite Saskatchewan moments.

Dixie

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?

A few days ago The Mr. woke up and was surprised to discover that the room was spinning around. After a few hours of dizziness and stumbling around the house, he asked me to drive him to the doctor. There he was informed that he had an inner ear condition affecting his balance.

The kind that can't be healed with medication.

The kind that lasts anywhere from a week to a month.

The kind where you have to be driven everywhere you want to go.

By the time we left the doctor's office, he was feeling worse than ever. The tests the doctor had performed on him had left him feeling dizzy, weak and nauseas. He could hardly stand up without tipping over, so I had to help him walk to the car. He was holding my hand trying to look casual, but his balance was so off, that he was kinda pulling on me and making me stagger as well. To the casual observer, I'm sure we appeared more like two drunken sailors.

Once home, I became his nursemaid helping him every time he needed to change locations in the house. I often would have to ask him where he was headed, because his head was facing one way, but his body was leaning the other. As we stumbled around the house hand in hand we started giggling realizing that this is probably how we're gonna be when we get elderly.

And that's when it dawned on me:

Those elderly couples who we see holding hands and we think, "Aren't they cute? Still in love after all these years." Well, love has nothing to do with it. They're just keeping each other from tipping over!"

They're still kinda cute though, right? And probably still in love.

With a Corn Cob Pipe and a Button Nose....

A few days ago I was pulling out of the parking lot at Superstore. I happened to notice a car two spots over with a snowman buckled in the front seat. It made me laugh right out loud.

"What kind of a funny person would even think of doing that? I love it!"

I thought it would be fun to take a picture of it, but just as I was pulling out my camera, another car pulled in between us, obstructing my view, so I never got the picture.

I never really gave it another thought until just this morning when I went visiting teaching. As my partner and I pulled into our friend's yard I saw the very same car - with the very same snowman - parked beside me.

I should have known. The car belongs to Daughter #3's good friend. Who else? That kid is a riot!

The Concert-Goer

Last night I went to a Jim Cuddy concert. The two tickets were a Christmas gift from The Mr. so I figured I better take him with me. ;)

As I was mulling over the thought of going to a concert -- especially one that we knew nothing about -- it made me smile. It seems to be a pattern for me. Let me preface this by first saying that I have rarely been to a concert in my life. As I reflected on this matter, I could only count five. But not one single one of them was attended because I loved their music and could hardly wait to see them in concert. They all had different reasons..........

TROOPER (1978 - Lethbridge - 16 years old) I had just broken up with my boyfriend and heard through the grapevine that he was already moving on and taking a date to this concert. So I did what any sensible girl would do..... I bought a ticket and went to a concert I didn't have any desire to see. I'm really not sure why I went. Maybe I was trying to prove that I had also moved on with my life and wasn't sitting at home pining over him. Or maybe I was secretly wanting to spy on him.

AIR SUPPLY (1981 - Lethbridge) I was getting ready for work one morning with the radio on. The deejay announced that the 10th caller would win two tickets to Air Supply's concert. I was right beside the phone so I gave it a try. I WON!! At this same time, The Mr. (who I was engaged to at the time) heard this on the radio in his car on his way to work. He was pretty excited seeing as that would be one more date idea. That wouldn't cost him a cent.

HAGOOD HARDY (circa 1989 - Kindersley, Sask.) As the newest member of the Arts Council (not to mention the poorest), I felt pressured to purchase tickets to at least one show during the year. We were a small town with a small budget, so the only name on the performers roster that sounded remotely familiar was Hagood Hardy. (Is anyone out there old enough to remember "The Homecoming"?)

FAITH HILL & TIM MCGRAW (2007 - Edmonton) My sister-in-law who lives six hours away was coming to Edmonton for this concert with a group of women. They had some extra tickets, and she wanted to know if I wanted to go. I didn't know any of Tim's songs and only one of Faith's, but the promise of spending a few hours with my fun sister-in-law sounded pretty good. So I plunked down big bucks for some performers I knew nothing about.

JIM CUDDY (2012 - Edmonton) We aren't what you call Jim Cuddy fans. (In fact I didn't even know what he looked like until last night.) I had heard his voice a couple of times on the radio, however, and commented that I thought he had a really cool-sounding voice. So The Mr. surprised me with the tickets for Christmas.

(As you can tell by the empty seats behind us, we got there a little early.)

Last night's concert was actually really enjoyable. We may have to do that sort of thing more often. Truthfully, though, I'm pretty sure I prefer to spend my ticket money on musical theatre. Now there's a whole other blog post!

Dixie

Goal Setting and Record Keeping

Tonight I attended our ward's Relief Society meeting at the church. The theme was "Project Life". One woman first spoke to us about goal setting -- evaluating, planning, acting, reporting, re-evaluating, etc. It was so motivational for me!

Even though it's a new year, and traditionally we all make New Year's resolutions, prior to this evening I hadn't really given it too much thought. I knew I wanted to dejunk my house and start eating healthy again, but I hadn't really looked past that. But now that I've made some progress in those areas, I feel like I can move on to other things. Things that will be a blessing in my life, and my family member's lives.

The next two women talked about their experiences in journalling and record-keeping (Project Life). The scrapbooks they have kept were fantastic! And even though I know that's not the way I will do it, I do want to make a better effort at keeping a record of my life. Again, I'm hoping that this record will be a blessing to our family.

One of the girls quoted from Bob Dylan: "If you want to keep your memories, you first have to live them." That statement really resonated with me -- I felt like it combined both ideas of goal setting and record keeping. I came away feeling blessed with great ideas and impressions. And I'm feeling empowered.

Here's to an amazing 2012!

Dixie

Made Me Smile

The past week in retrospect -- a few things that made me smile. In no particular order....

A few days earlier I saw a crew of safety-vested workman digging in the snow in this same spot and wondered what they were up to. It warmed my heart to think that our county council members thought it was important to have this fun little ice fort and slide for the kids.

Probably not a big deal to most people, but sometimes I have a hard time finding my favorite toothpaste, because all the newer, fancier versions have replaced it. So when I found this big stack of "Colgate Regular", I had to take a picture. And buy several boxes.

Hard to tell, but this is a picture of my dashboard displaying the outside temperature of 11 degrees Celcius (52 Fahrenheit). At 4:29 in the afternoon. In January. In Edmonton!!!

The bananas on the right were an average-sized bunch measuring 7 inches. The ones on the left were a whopping 13 inches!

With all my dejunking this past week, I was also able to get rid of two VERY HEAVY solid wood desks -- university study carrels, actually -- that we have been lugging around with us for the past 17 years. I was ecstatic when the Salvation Army said they would "gratefully accept" our donation. That ecstasy quickly faded when I realized that it would only be me and The Mr. trying to lift them into the back of our truck. (I'll be the first to admit I'm a weakling.) Imagine my delight when a VERY NICE man from our ward showed up at the door. I swallowed my pride and asked for his help. It was the best thing I've done in a long time.

I wish I had taken a picture of him to add to this "happy things" post.

But I do have a picture of a different guy who made me smile.....

The Mr. has been a great help to me this past week. After all these years, he's still my favorite guy in the world. And I think he kinda likes me, too.

Dixie

It's a Dirty Job, But Somebody's Got to Do it!

I've got the cleaning bug. And I've got it bad. No room is off limits!

• Dejunking my costume room Did I really need three rabbit costumes? Although having said that, Daughter #3 and her two friends did have fun with them a few Easters ago delivering treats to unsuspecting children at the park.
• Efficientizing (?) said costume room This idea of knowing where to find something when you need it is great! Hmmm......I wonder if other people know about this.
• Rearranging three bedrooms The new bedspreads, cushions and curtains I purchased months ago are finally getting put to use.
• Downsizing the CD collection Wow! I can see the top of my stereo now!
• Scouring a neglected shower stall Eeeewww! Enough said.
• Revamping my closet layout It's funny how a double-decker closet rod and more shoe shelving can bring such peace of mind. And a cleaner closet floor.
• Arranging food storage It will be nice to stop tripping over the Superstore green bins that had taken over the storage room floor now that the food is put away. Oh, and I can use my bins again instead of paying 5 cents each for bags.
• Cleaning up Christmas I've decided I really have some ugly Christmas decorations, but I'm having a tough time getting rid of them. I guess there's a fine line between "this is ugly" and "but it's a tradition".
• Organizing the storage room Just having the food storage and Christmas stuff put away is a big help, but there's still more to be done! If we haven't used certain camping gear in over 10 years, it should be okay to donate to goodwill, right? Now I just have to convince The Mr. of that.
• Hauling a boatload of stuff to the second-hand store Do other people love this as much as I do? It's so liberating!!

The house is not the only thing I've been dejunking. I'm also doing a liquid cleanse for my body. (Too much junk in there from the holidays.) Good thing I've been at home cleaning all week. I can't be too far away from a bathroom!

Nip, Tuck and a Murder

Everyone has Christmas traditions. Somewhere along the line our family picked up a strange one that has nothing to do with the holiday -- our annual Murder Mystery.

THE CAST:

Dr. Beau Tox

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Den Chures Mae Kittbetter

Orthodontic Surgeon Nurse

Dr. Phil Sleepie

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Fay Slift

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Anna Lyst

Psychologist

Kim Plant Rich Zucker

Patient Patient

Staff and Patients of the Cuttendash Clinic

Note to Daughter #2: We missed you and your Mr. Handsomepants. And yes, those were balloons!

Dixie

The Resident Entertainer (Part 2)

For the past couple of weeks I've struggled with posting my thoughts, but since this blog has become my only form of journalling, I know I need to do it. I even WANT to do it, but not sure how to pay tribute to the most influential woman in my life -- my dear mother.

Seven months ago I posted about my mom, the resident entertainer. To me she always has been, and always will be an entertainer.

-- She had a knack for rearranging words and music, and always seemed to be working out the details for her latest variety show.

-- She always had a new joke to tell us. Half of the time she couldn't remember the punchline, but that was usually the funniest part of the joke.

-- She could chord to any song on the piano, and always had us kids and grandkids gather around to sing old-time favorites.

-- She had a never-ending supply of costumes and hats, which she loved to dress up in, hoping others would join her.

-- She had a natural gift to tell stories. As my sister once noted, "Mom, it's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it."

-- She could make the FUNNIEST faces. She didn't care how unflattering they made her look -- she was always willing to take one for the team.

-- She had an incredible assortment of musical instruments and loved to play them all, even joining a weekly jam session in her 80's.

-- She could make anything out of cardboard, and created many wonderful props to delight audiences.

-- She was a terrible cook. Okay, I know that doesn't really fit into the "entertainment" category, but because of her many culinary mishaps, she has provided me with tons of humorous stories to tells my friends over the years. Entertaining!

I love this woman! And I'll miss her terribly. As someone mentioned at her funeral, "She hasn't really died, she's just taken her show on the road."

Dixie

Lately

Just a quick list of some of the things that I've been enjoying lately:

*Meeting up with a few high school friends in Lethbridge for lunch and visiting. It was just like a great movie. We laughed, we cried....

*Running Showbiz Kids. I know I've said it before, but I love Tuesdays! And this year I'm lucky enough to get to do it on Wednesdays, too!

[Insert picture of 27 adorable children here.]

*Watching my grandchildren take part in their ward's Primary Presentation. So fun!

*Going for lunch at Cora's with a few women from my ward. When I told The Mr. how great it was he said, "You should do that more often." SWEET! This is one time when I will definitely be obedient to the counsel of my husband. (giggle)

[Insert picture of six incredibly gorgeous women here.]

*Finding a super deal on some costume hats for Showbiz Kids. Who doesn't love 75% off?

I'm hoping the fun keeps coming!

Dixie

Go Home! Go Home!

A while ago The Mr. and I went to a church social. A western-themed church social. (And let me just preface this by saying that The Mr. was so excited to have an excuse to wear his cowboy boots.) Anyway..... after the barbecued beef-on-a-bun and the steer roping demonstration, we were told to form a big circle for square dancing. This is the part I was especially looking forward to.

The professional square dance caller was especially good at his job, and quickly had us learning a few basic tricks. We knew who our partner was, who our corner was, who the side couple was, who the head couple was, and most importantly, where "home" position was. We could soon do-si-do, allemande left and promenade with the best of them.

We apparently surprised the caller with how quickly we had caught on, so he decided to teach us some more advanced steps. He warned us that things might get confusing, but comforted us with this great advice: "Remember where your home position is, because no matter how crazy and mixed up you get, you can always go 'home' until you get your bearings, and then you can start up again when you feel ready."

After a few minutes of success, our little group of eight started falling a little behind and getting tangled. We knew we were in trouble, until one of the ladies in our group yelled, "Go home! Go home!" We all promenaded back home and waited until we were ready to join in again.

I've been thinking about this and how true it really is. When life gets crazy and a little too hectic and confusing, it's so nice to be able to go home and regroup until we feel confident enough to take on life's challenges again. (Of course that only works if our homes are places of peace and happiness.)

Moving on to a different story, but with a related theme, I've noticed how my 86-year-old mother is also longing to go "home" as things here on earth are getting pretty tough for her. As her body weakens with age and leukemia, it's interesting to observe that the things she's concerned about, all have to do with going home to be with loved ones again.

I think I've always known it, but between square dancing and spending time with my mom, I'm realizing just how important home really is. I'm recommitting to placing more emphasis on both of these homes.

Dixie

Room 805

Last weekend The Mr. and I travelled to Banff to attend a Law Society Convention. The activities were being held in the historic Banff Springs Hotel. Several years earlier we stayed there on business, and were put up in a swanky room, which was quite a treat. Since we were paying for our own room this time, I knew it wouldn't be quite as luxurious as the last one, but still expected a fairly nice room. After all, this was The Banff Springs Hotel.

Upon our arrival, we were told they didn't have our reservation. After 20 minutes of waiting, we were finally told we could stay in Room 805. Apparently, in an effort to apologize for the inconvenience they had caused in losing our reservation, this was to be an "upgraded room with a spectacular view of the valley". How exciting! We could hardly believe our luck.

We took the elevator to the top floor and began to wind our way down the corridor towards Room 805. Something struck us as unusual, though, when we realized that the farther we went, the narrower and shorter the hallway became. At one point my claustrophobia started to kick in, and I began to wonder if I would make it.

"You can do this, Dixie. Just think of the end goal -- the upgraded room with the spectacular view."

Finally, at the very end of the hallway, we came to our room and opened the door with anticipation. And immediately began laughing. There it was -- Room 805 -- the tiniest little room we have ever stayed in! It was a triangular-shaped room with the corner cut off. As soon as we stepped into the room we were practically touching the bed. This picture was taken right in front of the door:

And if that wasn't funny enough, we noticed this little door cut right out of the wallpaper:

Here's what it looked like from farther away:

What's that all about?

I do have to say though, the room really did have a spectacular view ...... if you walked over to the very edge of the wall and looked out a small little window.

Dixie