What a Summer

Well, with just a few days of "summer" left, I thought I better give a report. Much has happened, which explains why I have not written hardly anything on it. I thought I would take some time today to recap what has been one of the most memorable, exciting, busy, and positive summers of my life.

In June I went to Vulcan Days in Vulcan Alberta. I know, many of you are a bit shocked because I am such a Trekkie that I haven't gone yet, but I did. It was much fun. I enjoyed the small town feel and the visit back to my old Trekkie days when I wouldn't miss a convention for anything. We met Tim Russ of Voyager fame (Tuvok) and I got a signed photo of him. He was a very gracious guest and very talented. I commented to Heather recently that while I enjoyed that day, I couldn't help but feel that I had in many ways outgrown my obsession with Star Trek. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a geek, I just don't feel that I am as much of an Uber-Geek as I used to be. I have outgrown much of it. I still watch the DVDs every week and look forward to new stuff, but I feel that it has taken its rightful place on my priority list. Maybe it has always been there, but I finally recognize it now.

One week before classes ended, Heather and I received the clearances from Salt Lake that we were hoping for that allowed us to get married in the temple. We decided on a date, July 27th, and a place, Cardston, and we got started on the plans. It's amazing how much can get done so quickly.

School ended with June, and July became a very hectic time. While the first couple weeks had nothing really planned, I spent a good part of it moving my stuff out of Tara's and into my new house. It was a strange feeling moving most of my past two years, and while I was excited about where I was heading, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad about leaving what had been a good home for Annie and I. One thing that is for certain is that I am grateful and blessed to have Tara, Bryan, Amy, Connor, Kaleigh, and Liam as a part of my family.

On the 15th I went to Orlando for a teachers conference to learn about a new style of teaching involving cooperative learning from the Kagan Institute. I was there for ten days. Being close to Disney World I was able to visit Sea World for a day, as well as Epcott Centre. It was a lot of fun. I gave me some great ideas for what to do with the family this Christmas. I was able to see some great sights that I had never seen before. I was particularly impressed with Sea World. I really enjoyed the shows and the animals. I think the "Believe" show featuring the killer whales was my favourite. Epcott was great as well. My hotel was right next to Downtown Disney so I was able to do some good shopping and eat at some nice restaurants. I found this beautiful crystal of Cinderella and Prince Charming that I had engraved for the wedding. My only complaint about Orlando was the excessive heat and humidity. Temperatures of 90+ degrees Farenheight (I think that is in the mid-30s in Celsius) was excrutiating. I was at least able to avoid any sunburns.

My trip home was a real trial. I missed my connecting flight in Houston because some snobby Air Canada gate person wouldn't let me on the plane because I was at the gate 9 minutes before departure instead of 10. Worse than that he wouldn't book me on a connecting flight to Toronto that would have gotten me home that evening and instead expected me to spend the night in the terminal until 7am the next day. Suffice it to say, I am no longer a fan of Air Canada. There were some helpful people, but too many of them need a lesson in customer service.

Back home, it was a quick couple days until the 27th. That's right, the wedding day was finally here. Heather was amazing at planning and preparing everything while I was gone. While I helped out as much as I could before I left, most of the work was hers. Dan Oler was my best man, with Matt Harker and Ricardo Perez as the other groomsmen. Heather's sister, Melodie, was her maid of honor. Since her other choices for bridesmaids had just had babies and couldn't be there, so Amy and Ella (Melodie's daughter) filled in. In addition to the wedding party we had a full sealing room. All of our parents plus Shelly were my side of the family. Heather's Aunt Connie and Uncle Darryl, her cousins Christina and Jennifer, as well as her brother Barrett and his wife Kari made up Heather's side. Mindy was able to come with Dan, and Matt's parents were also there. Clark and Elayne Lybert came, as did Alex and Carol Schwarzer. While the room was full with our friends and loved ones, it felt like there were so many more from beyond the veil. It was the most spiritual experience I have ever had in the temple. We had a great lunch at the Cobblestone Manor for all who came, and then after a lengthy photo shoot Heather and I went to the Harker family cabin outside of Magrath for a couple of days. That Friday we had a wonderful reception in Calgary. So many wonderful people came, and so many other people helped. It was a great experience, and very special.

August 4 saw us fly out to New York City where we spent a few days before our Bermuda cruise. I must admit that NYC surprised me. I really enjoyed that city. It is so vibrant and wonderful. The people there are extremely polite and helpful. We went to the Bronx Zoo, Times Square, Chinatown and Little Italy. We saw the Lion King on Broadway, went to the Temple (although we did not go in because I forgot my temple reccomend), and ate at some great restaurants. We had a blast, and we would love to go again. On the Sunday we went to church then caught a cab to the cruise line. The crusie was an absolute blast. We met some great people who were so warm and friendly. The food was wonderful (except for my putting on a few extra pounds), the service impecable, and the entertainment was fabulous. Bermuda was also very lovely. We went to some nice beaches, saw the zoo and aquarium there, and just enjoyed ourselves immensely. When it was finally over, we were more than ready to get home.

After a few days at home, we went to Edmonton. We visited the Edmonton Zoo with Heather's brother Adam and his daughter Alexia, did some sealings at the temple, and attended some great plays at the Fringe Festival. We spent some great time with Matt and Sharon Harker and their kids. It was a great time, but again, we had to get home. I started school the day after we got back where I had received some training to become a coach for other teachers at my school.

The long weekend of September was the Muscular Dystrophy walk. It has been a year since we lost TJ, and I was grateful to be able to do something for him. After all this time I still miss that guy, but I know that he is in a better place and that thanks to the blessings of the temple, we are brothers forever.

Well, this has been too long of an entry and I cannot make anymore sense of what I write, so here is my Top 10 List

Top 10 Best Things About This Past Summer
10. Meeting Tim Russ at Vulcan Days
9. Making pancakes at CISN
8. Cruise food
7. Horseshoe Bay at Hamilton, Bermuda
6. The Pretenors at the Fringe
5. Lion King on Broadway
4. Weird Al Yankovic concert in Orlando
3. Sea World in Orlando
2. Seeing an okapi, indian rhinos, manatees, malaysian tapirs, gallapagous tortoises, small clawed asian otters, sea turtles, Pere's David deer, and killer whales for the first time at various zoos and aquariums
1. Getting sealed to my soulmate, sweetheart, and true love for time and eternity.

The End of an Era

Wow, I really blew it with keeping my blog updated throughout the summer. It was a very busy one, I'll just say that, and that I plan to blogg about it in the next week, but something happened very recently that will take a precedence to that.

22 years ago, my family moved to Lamont, just outside of Edmonton. I loved listening to 1220 CJOC in Lethbridge, and was hoping to find a great radio station in Edmonton. After a few months, I found CISN 103.9 FM. What originally drew me to this radio station was the morning program, featuring Bruce Bowie as the main DJ. Over the next 21 years, I tried to listen to Bruce every morning. Obviously there were periods of time that I couldn't listen (my mission, for example), but I took every opportunity to tune in online, via satellite, etc. It was more than just being a listener; he also accepted random phone calls on just about anything.

When I first listened to Bruce, I found his show very funny and enjoyable without being too over the top nor the least bit offensive. I was a very shy teenager at the time, but I got up the nerve to phone up and give him a joke or make a comment every now and then. To my surprise, Bruce played them on the air. Over time, he came to recognize my voice, and a cool friendship was formed. through these phone calls, I gained confidence in myself and came out of my shell a bit more each time. Bruce made me feel important and welcomed my contributions, and I cannot fully give my appreciation for that.

Over the years, Bruce had many people on the show that came to mean a lot to me as well. Some of the listeners like me who may or may not have had a great social life were also regular callers, like Ramblin Rick, Earth Daddy, and the Trivia Man (who suspiciously bore a verbal resemblance to Edgar) also became welcome favourites. CISN employees included Warren Henderson, Don Daniels, Tracy Gray, Jimmy Carter (not the US president), Jennifer Martin, and this guy named Jimmy the Intern were all great parts of this program. Bruce had two special co-hosts that also became like friends to me: the lovely and feisty Cheryl Brooks and for the last 8 years the wacky and lovable Sean Burke. Both of these individuals were amazing personalities that added so much to the show, yet throughout the whole time, there was Bruce. One thing I admired about Bruce is that with working with all of these individuals he played to all of their strengths, and seemed to genuinely appreciate all that they contributed. Bruce is a humble man who does not hog the spotlight and glory for himself. He share willingly and graciously.

Another impressive feature of Bruce is that he was very funny without being offensive. Often his jokes were silly and absurd, but they got me cracking up. I never heard him go somewhere that one shouldn't. In the world of radio I hear a lot of stories that try to push the envelope just to get noticed. Bruce never went there, and I could feel safe listening to him with anyone else in the room (Sean is another story, but I still love the guy). Bruce also loved to laugh and it seemed like he was one of the lucky few who seemed to truly love his job.

Now, I know that it seems like that Bruce has retired or expired with this, but he has not (thankfully). He is, however, leaving CISN Country to take over the morning show at 630 CHED, a talk show format. I am looking forward to this, although I feel like the child whose parents have split up, as I will be listening to CHED one morning and CISN the next, but I cannot wait to hear what Bruce does in this new challenge. Still, I could not let his leaving CISN go without comment, because for 21 years of my life, Bruce in the morning on CISN has been a constant in my life.

Yesterday I phoned Bruce at CISN for the last time to express my appreciation for what he has come to mean to me. Among my feelings of being special, I also must thank him for being there for me during the best and worst times of my life. I loved to share great news with him, but most importantly he was there for me on the darkest parts of my life. When my mother passed away, Bruce spoke some very kind words about her on the air on the day of her funeral. He paid her a wonderful tribute. That helped me with so much healing. When Jen left me, Bruce sent me a very encouraging email that helped me get up off my feet and keep going with a smile. When my brother TJ passed away last year, I phoned him and Sean up the following morning. While Bruce was not supposed to play any requests, he played "I Believe" by Diamond Rio for me. It was a small thing, but it brought so much healing to me that morning.

So Bruce, if you happen to read this, please know that your work as an ambassador for Edmonton, morning funny guy, and overall great person has touched so many lives in so many ways. I am only one out of many that will miss you on CISN, but you won't get rid of me just yet.

My Top 10 Bruce Moments
10. Allowing me to cook pancakes for him and Sean during the Fringe Festival the last three years
9. Phoning him from the Salt Lake City airport on my way to France at the start of my mission
8. Delivering homemade truffles at Christmas with my mother
7. Talking to him at concerts, radio picnics, etc.
6. The Crazy phone where Bruce and Sean convinced some poor guy that they had canned the swordfish that he had caught and was hoping to get mounted
5. My phoning in as "Preston" and wanting to "R-E-F-O-R-M!" things in this country, and Bruce playing along with it
4. Having him get me in on the last two April Fool's jokes that he and Sean played on CISN listeners
3. TJ and I spending a morning with him at the station as part of TJ's job shadowing
2. His letter he wrote me when Jen left, his tribute to my mother, adn his playign my request when TJ passed away
1. 21 years of making my mornings that much better.

That Time of the Year Again...

I always have a bit of dread with springtime. It isn't the weather or anything like that, it's how quickly summertime is coming. I usually find this time of year very stressful and hectic, with this year being no exception. Heather and I have successfully moved her and the boys into the new house, but I have no idea as to when I can finally move myself in. Yup, no word from Salt Lake yet as to when we can get married. There were a few delays beyond our control, so now we just hope that it will happen before July hits. It's hard to plan a wedding when we cannot nail down a specific date.

School, which is the source of normal anxiety this time of year, goes ever so quickly, and I wonder if we will get everything finished like we want to. I am behind on marking, keeping my lower lip above water for lesson planning, and just getting a bit below minimum sleep it seems. Add to that a number of students who are under their own pressure that decide to respond to it with acting out, shutting down, cheating, or just plain melting down, and it makes this time of year especially hectic and nerve-racking. Still, there are some reprises like grad that helps things go more smoothly. I just wish fewer students would not give up so close to the finish line.

I had the whole summer planned out for this year...and now there are several uncertanties, mostly associated with the uncertainty of being married or not. Heather and I had been hoping for a cruise that would include staying a few days in New York City, but we'll see. Maybe Christmas...SMACK...don't say that! I am going to Orlando for a teacher's conference (CHA-CHING!) but again, we had hopes to have Heather and the boys come with so we could make it a bit of a family vacation. The biggest thing was just being married! ACK! Sometimes I wish that patience did not take so long to learn. Sigh. Well, we keep going forward. As long as we know that it is a matter of when and not if, we can handle it.

One other nice thing about this time of year is...TV FINALE SEASON! Yup, my favourite shows have wrapped up for the season. I found that I only really followed two shows this year, while others I had a more casual interest in. Survivor was good this time around, and CSI has been...good, but not great without Grissom. I enjoyed V and am glad that it is back for another season. Of course, the big one for me this year was Lost. It is done for good as of a week ago, and I was very happy with the finale. I know many people out there in internet land are very unhappy about it, but I was satisfied with a very happy ending and all the characters that I had come to know and love over the last 6 years having relatively happy endings was great. So, for my Top 10, I give you my Top 10 favourite Lost moments...

10. In another life, brother! When we first found out that Desmond, the man Jack had net years ago jogging, was in the hatch, I did not know how much this character was going to mean to me. He slowly became a great addition to the Losties, and I was happy to see that he has a good ending.

9. Death of Frogurt. Neil was the name of an annoying character that made frozen yogurt (hence his nickname of Frogurt). He was very obnoxious and loved to antagonize others in the Losties group, especially Hurley. In his last "moment", he was berating Sawyer and Bernard, calling the former an inbred and telling the other he couldn't make fire. One second later he is struck by a flaming arrow. Sweet!

8. Hurley, meet Charlie Pace. This is a scene that takes longer to describe than to watch it. In the last episode, when Hurley, after years of not seeing him, sees his good friend Charlie again, alive and well, the smile on Hurley's face is priceless.

7. ***SPOILER FOR LAST SEASON!***

The last of the Kwons. When Sun and Jin share their final moment together, with Jin refusing to leave his wife to die alone, I was touched by their devotion to each other. To have been only reunited so recently and then to go down together, I thought that I understood Jin's decision to stay. Yes, many complained about not having one of them live to raise their daughter, but I understand how they decided to end it.

6. Super Walt...or was he? There was a moment early in Season 1 where Michael was on the beach with Walt. It was raining and Walt was complaining that his dad was not going to look for Vincent, his dog. Michael told him that he would go when it stopped raining. Walt looks out onto the ocean, and then it stops raining. It was very subtle, but I always thought it was cool.

5. Hurley to the rescue! I believe that it was also at the end of season 3 that Hurley, after being told that he would only get in the way, would end up saving Jin, Sayid, Bernard, Jin, and Sawyer by driving the Dharma van into the Others (literally for one of them), our favourite husky multi-millionaire showed us that courage comes in literally all sizes, including plus ones.

4. Locke's revelation. While I felt that Locke should have lasted longer than he did, his first revelation stands out as the most powerful moment in the first season. To see where he had been before the crash and what he became, the whole idea of "Don't tell me what I can't do" became a rallying cry for this character.

3. The reunion of Rose and Bernard in Season 2. I know that most people will say that Sun and Jin, Kate and Jack, Hurley and Libby, Claire and Charlie, Sawyer and any girl that moved may have been the most romantic/special relationships on the show, but I thought that Bernard and Rose were the personification of true love. When they were finally reunited, after weeks (for them) and years (for us) of being apart, with Bernard worried about finding her and Rose confident that he was OK, to see them finally reunite was for me the most touching moment of the whole show.

2. The final scene. I know there are a few people who have not seen this episode yet, so I will not place any spoilers. I will just say that it gave me much satisfaction to see a very nice bookend and have a final good-bye to all my favourite people on this show.

1. Charlie's sacrifice at the end of Season 3. I really felt that Charlie was one of the best characters who ended up having the most heroic and meaningful death. We had been forwarned about it for weeks leading up to it, but it was still a shock when it finally happened.


Finally, the alternate endings to the finale...

Say Hello to the New Home Owners!

I could not believe that March went by so quickly. I thought a quick update is in order.

Heather and I are still waiting for the papers from Salt Lake clearing us to be sealed. In the mean time, we have taken posession of a wonderful home. As of last Friday, we are home owners! Since that time we have been removing wall paper, painting, other quick renovations, and moving her and the boys into the new place. I of course will move in when we finaly get married, which will hopefully be soon.

It amazes me as to how quickly everything has progressed. Yes, there have been some bumpy roads in the last few months, but over all everything is falling into place. I so look forward to finally being married to the most amazing woman there is and having a family with her. While I am eternally grateful for my older sister and her family for allowing me to stay in their basement these past two years, I am looking forward to having a home of my own.

Just wanted to make a quick entry. Here is the Top 10 List:

Top 10 Things I Have Always Wanted to Try
10. Skydiving. Yes, I am afraid of heights, but for some reason falling out of a plane has appealed to me.
9. Performing in a theatrical play. No, I do not mean in some amateur type thing like is done in church (although those are fun). I mean a professional play.
8. Watching surgery take place. Since I am a biology teacher, it would be very cool to see it being done.
7. Alligator meat. Actually, there are several animals I want to sample, including bear, kangaroo, and snake.
6. Traveling to every state in the US and every province in Canada. I'm just missing one province but almost all the states.
5. Attending a big show biz award show...wearing a pair of jeans, T-shirt, sandals, and asking where the BBQ is at.
4. Interviewing a famous person. Don't care who. I just want to ask them what their least favourite song from the 80s was and then sing it to them over and over again.
3. Visit the grave sites of all of my heroes who have passed on. This includes Jim Henson, Johnny Cash, Joseph Smith, and Gene Roddenberry (which will be difficult as his ashes were sent into outer space)
2. Sit in on a session of Parliament with a friend of mine and heckle the politicians like the two old guys on the Muppet Show.
1. Parenthood. At least that one is on the horizon.

Love is in the Air (So That's What That Smell Was)

OK, the title may seem like I am feeling cynical but I'm not. Heather and I are having a wonderful Valentine's Day together. In fact, this is the best Valentine's that I have had in a good long time, maybe ever. She is making me a romantic dinner as I speak, and we have spent most of the day together; attending church together, watching Fox and the Hound (I have never seen it and quite enjoyed it). Later on we are having family over for birthday cake (it was Thursday. I took her to Japanese Village for dinner and she loved it).

On January 29 I officially proposed to her. I sent her on a scavenger hunt at the zoo. Her sister, Melodie, was at the Australia building, then she went to the South America building where Tara, Amy, and Kayleigh were waiting. Her next clue sent her to the Elephant Crossing, where Bryan and Connor were. She was then sent to the Rainforrest where her parents waited. They sent her to the Volunteer Resource Centre, and there she was given the final clue to head to the new Conservatory. I got down on one knee, asked her to marry me. She said "yes" (of course) and then we took some pictures and had the whole family meet us at Tony Romas for dinner. Was she surprised? Nope. She had it all figured out. Did she enjoy it? Absolutely! We are hoping to get married in April, but we need to wait for our sealing clearances to come through. Hopefully the wait will not be too long. This puts us in the interesting situation where we are telling everyone that we are getting married and having them be on standby so that we can all rush up to Edmonton as soon as possible. We are also house hunting. It has been a long time since I have been in the business of being a home owner, and I am looking forward to it.

School started a new semester in February, and everything is going well. I am having a blast with all of my classes, especially a very keen group of Grade 9s in Science. Life at FFCA is good. I am growing in my profession a lot, and look forward to the growth to come.

So, for the Top 10 list, I present...

The Top 10 Things That One Should Not Give For Valentine's Day
10. Vacuum cleaners... that gift just sucks
9. Power tools... she might use them to change the locks
8. Spatulas, wooden spoons, or any non-electric kitchen things
7. Blender, toaster, or any electric kitchen appliance
6. Self-defence lessons... she may use you as her "dummy"
5. A maid outfit... not the sexy kind, just the one where you expect her to clean the house
4. A one-way ticket to Nunavit... for her mother
3. A one-way ticket to your house... for your mother
2. Underwear... not the sexy kind, I'm talking "Granny-Panties" type
1. Weight Watchers coupons