CFRin' It Up

Last year -- just for fun -- several members of our family decided to attend the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR).  We are far from "cowboys", but discovered it doesn't matter.   You don't have to be a real cowboy to enjoy all the fun that is offered there.

So, armed with nachos, popcorn and mini doughnuts, we huffed and puffed our way up to the cheap seats, and settled in for a good time.  The livestock show, Farmfair International, and the "Smooch Cam" all made for some good memories.  One of the most fun things we did that day, was play a little game called "Take Your Picture With a Random Cowboy Without Getting Caught".

This one cracks me up.! You can hardly see her,

but Daughter #1 is peering through the closed

glass door that the cowboy is leaning up against.

So, that was last year.  We just went for the fun of it.

This year was a little different.  We had a reason for going!

It was six years ago that I submitted this little post, where I predicted that one day we'd see our niece or nephew competing in the CFR.  Well I'm thrilled to say that this was the year it happened!  Because of their high standing in the team roping event throughout the year, Clint and his roping partner qualified to earn a spot at the CFR last weekend.

You know you've made it when you get to wear the official jacket!

Thursday Night

Sitting with Kim and Mel in the expensive seats.  

We were so close I could almost reach out and touch Clint.

(Not to mention the Rodeo Queen's bedazzled cowboy hat.)

Kim and Mel had tickets for all six sessions, and every day Kim would come home with more and more treasures she had purchased from one of the booths at Farmfair.  I never purchase anything at these type of trade shows, but Kim seemed to be having so much fun, that I promised myself I would buy some little thing when I went again.  

By Saturday other family members had arrived, and we headed over to the Expo centre.  As promised I made my purchase -- a big bag of various flavours of fudge.  

And an electric steam mop.  What???   I never do that sort of thing!  It looks pretty cool, though.  Ha!  I suppose I have to actually take it out of the box for it to work, though.

  

We also spent some time looking at the livestock.  I can never get used to the smell, and apparently they can't either.

 Pee-yew!!

Holy Smokes!  Look at the size of that one!

There were lots of people  in working with the livestock to keep them looking clean and pretty for the judging.

Who knew that they fluff up the cows with a vacuum?

Who's that photo-bombing in the background?

Enjoying the show from the nosebleed section.

Clint warming up his rope.

Meeting up after the show.

I'm so proud of Clint.  He did such a great job!   

Now, as I mentioned in that earlier post, I'm not much of a cowgirl, but after spending the weekend supporting Clint, I think I could get the hang of it.  The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if The Mr. could have joined us.  He was out of town again.



Wait a minute.

Dixie

Coincidence?

Not too long ago I read in the paper that Prime Minister Stephen Harper would be returning home to Alberta after a gruelling 78-day federal election campaign -- the longest in Canadian history.  I imagine he was getting worn out from all that travelling.  Even though he lost the election, he was probably almost glad to be "home" after so many nights on the road.

Wait a minute!  I think I'm getting mixed up with someone else.

The Mr. has also come to the end of an excruciatingly tight travel schedule, and will be returning home to Alberta.  He too has been coming and going for a record number of nights.  For the past couple of months, his suitcase has never made it to the closet.  Whenever he was at home, it just took up residence on the floor beside his bed for a couple of days until he was out the door again.  

Hmmmm.  Coincidence?  

Coincidence?

Coincidence?

Coincidence?

Coincidence?

Coincidence?

I think not!  Welcome home, honey.

Dixie

The Surprise

For the past few years, The Mr. has been doing a little travelling for his job.  Two or three times each month, he flies to the same city, and is put up for a night or two in the same hotel.  He's become such a regular, that the valet parking attendants and the front desk staff welcome him by name when he walks into the lobby.

One time he was in a shopping mall, and a young woman said hello to him -- calling him by name.  When she realized that he didn't recognize her, the young woman explained that she used to work at the hotel and remembered him as a regular guest.

He seems to take great delight in the fact that they know who he is, and treat him like he's special.

Well, imagine his pleasant surprise when he checked in last week, and was informed that since this was his 50th visit, he would receive an upgrade to a large luxurious suite.  He called me right away to tell me the exciting news.

Last night he checked in again -- his 51st visit -- and had a little surprise waiting for him.  He called me right away:

The Mr.:   Hi Dixie.  You'll never guess what they left for me in my hotel room.
Me:   What?
The Mr.:   A bathrobe with my name stitched on the front.
Me:   Are you kidding me?  That's crazy!
The Mr.:   It's really nice quality -- better than the regular ones they have in the room.  I'm going to take a picture of it and send it to you, so you can see for yourself.
Me:   Too bad it has your name on it.  Otherwise I would have used it in my blog.


So, true to his word, I soon received this picture by email:

Gotta love the guy for being a good sport!

Dixie

P.S.  The more I think of it, the more ridiculous it is.  Why would a person staying in a hotel room wear a robe with their own name on it?  Don't they already know who they are?  And is the guest supposed to take it home with them or leave it to be laundered, and then stored away somewhere for when they come back?

The Runners

runners  (run'nerz)  noun

1) People who run, as for exercise or in a race. 

2) Footwear used while running (Canadian colloquialism).

It's been a little over a year now since The Mr. and I first started using the indoor track to get some exercise.  Although I haven't really lost any weight, or gotten any smaller, my running shoes are proof that we've been working hard.

It's kind of exciting for me -- this is the first time I've ever worn out a pair of runners from the purpose they were intended.  Usually they just become stained from painting or mowing the grass.

My only hope is that "the runners" mentioned in the first definition don't become as warn out as "the runners" in the second definition.

Dixie

What Day Is It?

Every now and then I like to take a peek at the "National Day" calendar to see what special days are coming up.  And then just to be ridiculous, I like to celebrate them.  For example, did you know that yesterday was "National Sandwich Day"?  In its honor I served toasted tomato sandwiches to The Mr. for lunch.

In the past The Mr. and I have had a lot of fun  throwing a few parties based on some of these national days.

"United Nations Day" on October 24th was lots of fun.  Starting off with a potluck supper, each of the guests brought a dish from one of the United Nations.  We followed that up with games and entertainment from around the world.

Learning the dance moves to "Little Brown Girl"

Trying out the Maori Stick Dance

"Defy Superstitions Day" is always on September 13th.  But when it fell on a Friday (13th) I knew I couldn't let it go by without celebrating it.

 "International Bacon Day" also proved to be tons of fun.  An entire potluck meal with every dish containing bacon was a carnivore's delight!  Who knew butterscotch and bacon ice cream could be so tasty?

The winner of one of the bacon-themed games.

The interesting thing about the "National Day" calendar is that there are usually several different options for each day.  Take today for example.  The following are all listed for November 4th:   

          "National Candy Day"  --  I've definitely been celebrating that!

          "National Eating Healthy Day"  --  Well, doesn't that just ruin the whole candy thing?

          "National Skeptics Day"  --  See Previous comment.

          "National Common Sense Day"  --  I guess I really should put the candy away.

But I needn't be disappointed.  After all, tomorrow is "National Doughnut Appreciation Day".

Dixie

P.S.  I see that November 20th is "National Absurdity Day".  If you were going to celebrate that one, how would you do it?  

The Intruder

A couple of nights ago The Mr. was out of town on business.  My friend, Lissy, and I were having a girls' night in.  As we were watching a movie in the family room near the back of the house, I noticed the motion-sensor light come on in the back yard.  That crazy light always comes on whenever the neighbour's cat comes into our backyard.  My dream in life is to be able to open the patio door quietly and quickly enough to give that cat a good dousing with a giant "super soaker" before he runs away.  But I digress.......

Anyway, I ignored the light, thinking it was just the cat.  I ignored it, that is, until I heard a loud thunk against the wall around the corner of the house.  I got up, opened the patio door, and in my loudest and clearest voice, I called The Mr. by his first name and said, "Call the police.  There's someone in our backyard!"  My intention in doing that was to scare off any intruder(s) that might happen to be in the yard.  Not only would they know that we were aware of them, but they would hopefully think that there was a male present to offer a bit more of a threat.

What I didn't realize is that Lissy had gone to grab her phone and called 911.  As I listened to the one-sided conversation, and watched her closing the curtains, I decided that maybe I should take this more seriously.  Apparently the dispatcher told her, "Lock the doors and stay inside.  An officer will be there shortly."

And then the neighbours dogs started barking.

It became official -- I decided to start taking this more seriously.

By the time the officer arrived at my front door with his flashlight, we may or may not have been a little worked up.

The officer told me to meet him in the back yard.  He shone his flashlight and called out to anyone who might be hiding in bushes, sheds, or our utility trailer filled with junk waiting to be hauled to the dump.  Nothing seemed to be out of order, which didn't help to convince him that we had heard that loud thunk.  

When he shone his flashlight up to the second-story window of our playhouse, it took a little convincing for him to believe me when I told him that the dummy in the window was just a prop left over from the Western-themed backyard bbq that we'd had over a month ago.  I'm sure by this time he thought we were completely insane.  He left shortly thereafter.  I suppose I can't blame him.

But come on, a dummy in the window!?!  That's pretty funny, right?

Because it was dark outside, there is no way I could have gotten a decent picture of the dummy that night, but this is what that little scene looked like the next day in broad daylight: 

I have to admit, I'm kinda curious as to what the police report had to say.

Dixie

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I lay here on the couch - almost comatose after eating far too much this Thanksgiving weekend -- a few thoughts are rolling around in my head:

• Are three naps in one day too much?
• Pre-stuffed turkeys are decidedly gross.
• I'm so glad I tried the pumpkin cheesecake this year.  It's a great alternative to the pumpkin pie.
• It was fun to watch Son 1B with his new bride.  I'm pretty sure they like each other.
• I spent so much time eating.  I think I forgot to count my blessings.
• I'm thankful for The Mr. He's a pretty cool cat.
• How many pounds of turkey were consumed in Canada this weekend?
• I love sweet potatoes!  Why do I think I can only serve them on special occasions?
• My stomach hurts.
• Will I ever learn to eat in moderation?
• Will I be able to run around the track tomorrow?
• I wonder if there's any cheesecake left?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dixie