The World of Way

The World Of Way Website !!!

2008-05-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi People,

I know that some of you check out this site to see what we are up to, but in light of the big family trip coming up we have a family website.

theworldofway.com

This site will tell you about our trip and you can keep in touch with us while we are away. There are a few blogs posted there about our Vaccanations, etc.. and also a map of where we are going and when.

Thanks for your interest and see you on the new site.

Shawn

HOW SMALL CAN YOU PACK A TOWEL??

2008-03-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Rebecca and I were at 7-11 this afternoon. By the checkout was a package of something that looked like it could be candies. It was called TowTabs. Rebecca was looking at it when the clerk pointed out that they were towels. We had to buy some to try them out. They are a small hard cylindrical shaped tablet. You add 1/2 ounce of water and it expands. You unroll it and you have a small towel for washing your hands and face or wiping things up. It was so cool that I am sending Shawn back to 7-11 to get some more to put in our backpacks for our trip.

Krystal's Grad Dress

2008-02-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is. Krystal's Grad Dress!!!

STUFF! STUFF! STUFF! (getting ready for the trip)

2008-01-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hi People,

Well it is not long now until we get ready for our big adventure, and in preparation for the trip we decided we needed to do some clean up in our storage area under the stairs. It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate in a storage area in 9 years.

We started to pull everything out so we could go through it, you know, keep the good, toss the bad, and donate the rest. Well we piled everything up in the basement and let me tell you that was scary. It was crazy how much stuff (and what kind of stuff) was in there. Everything from little baby shoes to an actual bag of garbage.

We decided to take some before and after pictures, because they say seeing is believing. Here are some pictures of how our basement looked like after we pulled everything out and then after everything was sorted.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Amazing, I really do have a floor in my basement :-)

Well I guess that is step one complete.

Check out our NEW family website http://www.theworldofway.com/ ! It is going to be dedicated to our world tour for now, so come on by and see what we are up to.

Shawn

Grad Ring

2007-12-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Grad time is coming and to celebrate we are letting it ring out.

Here is the first glimps of the RING !!!

Looks good Krys.

Shawn

SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE

2007-09-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

Today was the YP Band Garage Sale. This was a fund raiser for the exchange trip with the Grand-Falls Windsor YP Band. When all is said and done and added up and expenses paid, we should clear about $4,500. This is well beyond our wildest expectations. Thank you so much to everyone who donated items, helped organize and price all week, helped sell today and carry things around and do pick ups from people and to everyone who came and bought (especially those who paid more than the asking price!!!) You know who you are and you are all amazing!!! Here are some pictures of our very successful event.

New Post

2007-09-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I have got to be the world's worst blogger. It just seems that nothing of any interest is going on or else I am so busy with things going on that I don't have time to write a new post. I am going to try and do better. This weekend we are getting ready for back to school. Thankfully (and for the first time ever) I did the back to school shopping back in July!!! Yesterday, my mom and I went to the farmers market in St. Albert and then out for lunch at Brewsters. It was a really nice time. Then in the evening, Shawn and I, Krystal, Rebecca and my parents went to Symphony under the Sky. It is the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra playing in the park. Their guests were the Arrogant Worms. If you have never heard the Arrogant Worms, I recommend that you pick up one of their CD's. They are hilariously funny. It was a great time. For anyone who was there, we were in the Mini Donu section.

Kim

What is the fingering for that note?

2007-07-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

Working with young players (and some senior bandsmen ;-) ) I often get the question, what is the fingering for this note, or that note. Well here is a great tool to help all brass players master those 3 little values.

This is called a Brass Trainer. It works very simply. You just use the arrow keys indicated to correspond to your 3 valves and indicate the position for the note shown. With the keys pressed you hit the space bar (with your other hand) and the program will indicate if you are correct or not. If you are wrong it will tell you the proper fingering.

You can change the range as well as allowing sharps and flats. so it is good for beginners and more advanced learners.

NOTE: if you change the instrument note the following;
Trombone is in Bass Clef (C), Tuba is in Bass Clef (C) and Euphonium is in Bass Clef (C)

Here is the link. Brass Trainer

Have Fun :-)

Alberta Salvation Army Music Camp 2007 stuff

2007-07-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hi People,

I know that there are always people looking for music for competition etc, and sometimes folk can find it and sometimes they can not. Just as a helping hand you can click on the links here to get the music you are looking for.

VOCAL
Junior Competition Piece
Intermediate Competition Piece
Senior Competition Piece

INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST
Junior Competition Piece
Intermediate Competition Piece
Senior Competition Piece

INSTRUMENTAL ACCOMPANIMENT
Junior
Intermediate
Senior

I hope this helps some people. See ya all at camp.

Shawn

Junior Vocal, Beaver Creek

2007-06-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the song being used for the Junior Vocal Competition at Beaver Creek. (The competition is only until the end of the first refrain of My Chains are Gone)

YOUR FORTUNE IS...

2007-06-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that we are planning on taking a trip around the world next year. Well a few weeks ago we had Chinese food. When Rebecca opened her forture cookie it said "Your feet will touch the soil of many countries". We got a good laugh out of it and told Rebecca it was obviously talking about our trip. Well today we had Chinese food again and this was Rebecca's fortune.

Who said fortune cookies don't know what their talking about?!!

You Live In Alberta!

2007-05-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

According to Jeff Foxworthy this is how you know you live in Alberta.

1. If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Alberta.

2. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Alberta.

3. If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Alberta.

4. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Alberta.

5. If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of Edmonton for the weekend, you live in Alberta.

6. If you measure distance in hours, you live in Alberta.

7. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Alberta.

8. If you have switched from "heat" to "air conditioning" and back again in the same day, you live in Alberta.

9. If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Alberta.

10. If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you live in Alberta.

11. If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Alberta.

12. If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Alberta.

13. If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Alberta.

14. If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Alberta.

15. If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Alberta.

16. If you find 10 degrees Fahrenheit "a little chilly", you live in Alberta.

17. If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Alberta friends, you live in Alberta.

A NEW CAMERA AND ONE LONG SONG

2007-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Some of you know that I have been working part-time for my dad for the last few months helping him out with a few big deals that he has. The client that we are working for came into the office yesterday and gave me a new digital camera and picture printer. It will really cool so I should be taking a lot more pictures in the future.

Rebecca is in the All-City Childrens Choir. Her conductor had his doctoral recital on Wednesday night and had the Childrens Choir perform two selections. They were great. He also had his university choir perform a very long song. It was Bach's Easter Oratorio. It consisted of an orchestra, a choir and four great soloists. I was helping supervise the Childrens Choir during this as he had warned them that the piece was 12 movements long and that they were not to applaud until after the final movement. The choir was very well behaved considering they had to sit absolutely still and listen to all 12 movements which lasted 55 minutes and was not in English!! Kudos to Brandon for a great recital I'm sure the doctorate is in the bag!!

San Diego Zoo

2007-04-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday at the San Diego Zoo. 100 acres of plants and animals. We began our day with a 35 minute guided tour on a double decker bus which covered 75% of the zoo and gave us a great overview. We spent the rest of our day exploring the zoo ourselves. At the San Diego Zoo they are very much into endangered animals so along with the zoo regulars they have many animals that you don't see at other zoos (or anywhere really). I didn't know that they also have many endangered plants and trees. Our guide showed us one tree that was worth $25,000 and told us that they have several of these trees in the zoo. In fact she said that their plants are worth more money than their animals!! After we left the zoo we had supper and went shopping. That's it for today so I will leave you with some animal pictures.

SeaWorld

2007-03-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

We went to SeaWorld today. It was a beautiful day and we walked until our feet were aching. The weather was beautiful today which was good because almost the first thing we did was go to the Dolphin Show and sat in the "guaranteed to get soaked" zone. They didn't lie we were totally soaked. Krystal got pictures of that because she has a waterproof camera. We also took in Shamu's show and saw manatees, rays, sharks, sea stars, fresh water aquarium, salt water aquarium, polar bears, seal lions, seals, penguins, etc.

We were at SeaWorld for 8 hours today. Then on our way home, Becca wanted supper and Krystal didn't want to go out to eat until she showered. We all looked pretty bad from getting wet so much today. I had the idea to pick up food and take it back to our hotel. There is a mall across the street from our hotel. We went to a Chinese food place call "Pick Up Stix" and got chinese takeout. It was really good and really reasonably priced.

Tomorrow we are going to the Zoo.

San Diego

2007-03-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

It is now Friday morning. Yesterday, we drove down to San Diego. We stopped in Carlsbad on the way down at The Flower Fields. This is 50 acres of flowers. There were flowers everywhere. When we went in, they gave Rebecca a passport. You walk around and there are 8 different stations. At each station you get a stamp in your passport. When you have all the stamps, you can go to the gem mining and for one dollar you empty a bucket into your mining screen, submerse it in water and shake it all around. When all the sand has filtered through, you are left with some polished rocks. Rebecca loves rocks and collects them so she really enjoyed this. Here are some pictures of The Flower Fields.

There was an outlet mall next to The Flower Fields and so we went there and had some lunch at Ruby's Diner. It is a 50's style diner and now Krystal wishes she was born in the 1950's. Then we drove the rest of the way into San Diego and checked into our hotel.

We are just finishing breakfast and plan to head out to SeaWorld today. Later.

Wicked was Wicked

2007-03-29T00:52:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to let you know how today was. We arrived in Hollywood just after lunch today. We parked at this enormous complex called Hollywood & Highland Complex which had underground parking as well as shopping, restaurants, theatres, etc. Graumann's Chinese Theatre is a part of this complex. I had heard that Hollywood Blvd. is not a very nice place after dark so we parked there because it is underground secured parking and they also have a shuttle to Pantages Theatre.We walked down Hollywood Blvd. for a while and looked at the stars. We also went into a couple of souvenier shops. Then we went over to Ripley's Believe It or Not, which was actually quite interesting. We went back to the Hollywood & Highland Complex and bought our shuttle tickets, had lunch, went into some of the shops, looked at the Hollywood sign, had ice cream and hung out. We did not go and see the footprints at Graumann's Theatre because the sidewalk was blocked off and covered up with a blue carpet. When we caught the shuttle later in the evening and drove past this area there were hundreds of people. One of the people on the bus said that it was the movie premiere of Will Ferrall's new movie "Blades of Glory". Just as we drove past Will Ferrall was standing right on the sidewalk heading towards the theatre. We had a perfect view!! Then we went to the Pantages Theatre and saw Wicked. It was amazing. We all loved the show. It was extremely well done. The show was phenominal and so was the Pantages. The Pantages was built in 1930 and was home to the Academy Awards from 1959 to 1969. Krystal took some pictures in the lobby which I will try and post tomorrow when I have a proper internet connection at our hotel in San Diego. Later days.

Disneyland and California Adventure

2007-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to California Adventure yesterday. It was much less crowded than the previous day. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon there. Then we went to Downtown Disney and had a late lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and did some shopping. I took the packages back to the hotel while the girls went back to California Adventure to go on the Tower of Terror.

Then I joined them at California Adventure. We saw the High School Musical Pep Rally, which Rebecca really liked. If you have been to California Adventure then you know that there is a giant ferris wheel there. Each branch of the ferris wheel has three compartments, two that move back and forth and swing as the wheel goes around and one in the middle that is fairly stable. Last year I greatly enjoyed the stable compartment. It shows a great view of the Park and ...is stable. This time I let the girls talk me into going on the unstable compartments. Anyone who knows how much I dislike heights when I feel insecure then you know that this was a great accomplishment and I am now very brave.

We stayed at California Adventure until it closed at 8 pm and then decided to go back to the hotel for a swim and hot tub and call it an early night rather than go back over to Disneyland.

This morning we went to Disneyland. We stayed there until around 1 pm and then headed over to Tortilla Jos for lunch. While we were having lunch it began to pour rain. We were looking outside wondering how we were going to get back to our hotel when we were done eating as we were dressed in shorts and tank tops and did not have jackets with us. Amazingly, by the time we were done eating, the rain had passed, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. We went back to the hotel anyways. Rebecca and Krystal went to the pool and I drove to Target to get Rebecca some medicine. Now that Krystal's eye is better, Rebecca has a very nasty cold. It is now just after 5 pm and we are going to go back to Disneyland. We will re-enjoy our favorite rides and watch the fireworks. This is our last day at Disneyland. Tomorrow, we hit Hollywood.

Disneyland

2007-03-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally woke the kids up at 10:30, mainly because I was getting bored. They got ready and we headed over to Disneyland. The early morning clouds had burned off and it was wonderfully warm. We did some rides, had a pineapple whip and then did some more rides. The crowds were huge. I don't think I have ever been at Disneyland when it was as crowded as it was today. Around 3 oclock we left and went and got lunch (at Dennys) and then we went back to the hotel and had a swim and lay around by the pool. At 6 oclock we headed back to Disneyland for a while, made a little trip over to California Adventure so the girls could go on California Screaming (a rollercoaster) and we went on the giant ferris wheel. Then we had to hurry back to Disneyland for the evening fireworks. We went on a few more rides and then Krystal wanted to go back to the hotel. We told her we would be right along behind her but by then the crowds were down and Rebecca and I ended up going on a bunch of rides. We didn't get back until midnight and Krystal was already asleep. We were very tired and our feet hurt so we went straight to bed.

Krystal had been having a lot of problems with one eye. It started in the Calgary airport. It was very red and watering and she thought maybe she had something in her contact. She tried taking her contact out and putting it in again but that didn't help. Later she put some eye drops in because she thought maybe her contacts were dry. By the time we got to our hotel after travelling all day her eye looked awful. Really red and swollen. We went to bed and unfortunately this morning it didn't look any better even after resting it all night. She didn't put her contact in that eye today so she could only see out of one eye and she was a little self conscious about the way her eye looked. We went into one of the stores in Disneyland and she got some sunglasses. The lady in the store suggested that Krystal had pink eye. I will say that be this evening, although it was still a bit red it looked like it was much better. Hopefully by morning it will be okay and she will be able to wear her contacts without any further problems.

Tomorrow, California Adventure will be our main focus. Post to you later.

DAY ONE - TRAVELLING

2007-03-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I am sitting here in our room in the semi-darkness. It is about 9 am but I don’t know when I will post this. Shawn had told me that I need to pay $5.00 per day for internet at this hotel but it seems like there are several unsecured wireless networks but I can’t figure it out. I’ll ask Krystal later and if we can’t work something out then I’ll have to break down and pay.

Any way our trip down yesterday was very long. We left Edmonton at 3:00 pm with no problems and flew to Calgary. We landed in Calgary and walked past many stores and restaurants in search of our bags and US Customs. We only got lost once and a very nice Calgary volunteer in a white stetson pointed out where we needed to go. The kids both wanted to eat but I said wait until we get through Customs and then we’ll have about 3 hours before our next flight we can eat then. We cleared Customs with no problems and then discovered that the only places to eat now that we had passed security again were Tim Hortons and Harveys and they both had massively long lines. Both girls wanted the chicken strips combo at Harveys. I only had $20.00 Canadian and the sign said it was $6.29. We took out some paper and figured out that if we each had a combo it would come to exactly $20.00. I stood in the line for 20 minutes. When I got to the front of the line I told a guy with very limited English skills that I wanted 3 of the chicken strip combos. He said 3 or 4 piece. There was only one combo listed on the menu board so I replied the one that is $6.29. Then the conversation went like this:

Him: Don’t mind the price.
Me: What?
Him: It’s old price.
Me: What? ( I was having a hard time understanding his accent and broken English)
Him: price old.
Me: What is the price?
Him: Price different.
Me: What is the price?
Him: price different.
Me: Well you must know what the price is. What does it cost?
Him: (unconvincingly) 30 cents more.
Me: Well I only have $20.
Him: price different
Me: The price should be what is says on the board. I don’t have enough money.
Him: price different.
Me: Forget it!!!

I admit I was angry. I had waited in line a long time and was not feeling well and I was very hot. I went back to the girls who still wanted chicken strips and did not want to eat at Tim Hortons. I know I could have ordered them chicken strips anyway…I could have ordered myself something else or I probably could have used direct debit, but I was not thinking clearly. Maybe it was jet lag (I KNOW I ONLY FLEW 42 MINUTES TO CALGARY, ALLOW ME MY EXCUSES OKAY?).

Anyway Rebecca went back and stood in line for 15 minutes and ordered the chicken strips for her and Krystal. By this time I didn’t even want to eat anymore. They shared their chicken strips combos with me and Krystal went and got me an Ice Cap from Tim Hortons.

Here’s the funny part. When Rebecca came back to the table I looked at her receipt and the chicken strips combos were …$6.29 EACH.

Anyway we caught our plane to LA and arrived about 10 minutes early but then had to sit on the tarmac for 35 minutes because there was some problem and our gate wasn’t available and they had to find us another one. We got our luggage. Our large suitcase was the second last to come out and we were getting a little worried as everyone else got their luggage and left but we eventually got all our luggage and caught the shuttle to the rental car office. We had to wait a really long time at the car rental office as our clerk went outside to try and find us a car. We had reserved a convertible and the clerk next to her said she had tried to find one on her computer and couldn’t. Our clerk went outside to look. I was thinking I had reserved this months ago and they better have my car. Luckily I only thought this and didn’t say it. She came back and said she had found us a brand new one with only 3000 miles on it. Then she said because we were so patient she took an extra $20.00 off our rental. The truth is we were too tired to do anything so of course we were patient but lesson learned. I even complimented here.

Well thanks to Krystal’s awesome navigational skills, we made it to the hotel. By the time we checked in it was after midnight (1AM) in Edmonton. I put Rebecca to bed and Krystal and I took a quick walk outdoors because Krystal was hungry (it had been 8 hours since we ate). I got her a quick snack we headed to bed an hour later.

It is now Sunday morning and both girls are still asleep. I think I will let them sleep. This is our first day in Disneyland but it is open from 8 AM to midnight today. We won’t last 16 hours there so I will let them sleep awhile and we will go this afternoon and evening. The weather does not look great today anyway. It is very overcast and cloudy. We received a complimentary paper today but when I looked at the forecast it is in Fahrenheit and I have no idea what that is in Celsius so I will just wait and see.

This has been a really long post but then again I am sitting watching people sleep so typing is definitely more interesting. I will post later today if these girls ever wake up. Bye.

California Here I Come

2007-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well I am packing. The girls and I are heading off to California in two days (on Saturday afternoon). This should be an adventure. We are renting a car at the airport and so I will have to drive on Los Angeles freeways from LAX to our hotel near Disneyland. Shawn has written out exact directions for me with ariel pictures so I guess if I get lost I can rent a plane and figure out where I should be. I hope to post often while we are away so stay tuned.

Kim

KRYSTAL IS

2007-03-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Krystal was using my computer the other day. I love that she is amazing and quirky. This is a list that she made. It made me laugh so I am posting it.

Krystal once swallowed a panda.
Use the force; Krystal does.
When you say “No one’s perfect,” Krystal takes this as a personal insult.
Krystal once had some left over playdough. The end result was Chuck Norris.
In a nationwide taste test, 4 out of 5 people prefer Krystal to Pepsi and Coke.
Krystal puts grease on handlebars.
In order to communicate with other people, Krystal invented language.
Krystal can speak Braille.
They say a meteor wiped out the dinosaurs…Krystal doesn’t like lizards.
If earth was an apple, Krystal would be the best tasting part.
Krystal knows how to recite the alphabet sideways.
Once a cobra bit Krystal's leg, after 5 days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer, Krystals’ cure death.
A handicap parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually, in fact, a warning that the spot belongs to Krystal; and that you will be handicapped if you park there.
Krystal can touch MC Hammer.
Krystal knows Victorias Secret.
Krystal created Halo-and sold it to Microsoft.
A unicorn once kicked Krystal, that’s why they no longer exist.
Sally sold seashells down by the seashore. How many shells did Sally sell down by the seashore? None, because Krystal called her stupid and broke all her seashells.
Krystal can divide by zero.
You know the dead sea? Krystal killed it.
Lying is not in Krystal's vocabulary. Truth forms itself around whatever Krystal says.
In the first Jurassic park, the tyrannosaurus rex wasn’t chasing the jeep. Krystal was chasing the tyrannosaurus and the jeep.
When they say that looks can kill, They’re talking about Krystal.
The song “simply the best” was written as an understatement about Krystal.
Even if it looks like chicken, smells like chicken and tastes like chicken…if Krystal says it’s pork. It’s pork.
Everybody loves Raymond, Except Krystal.
Krystal wears custom made shoes with ‘Krystal’ imprinted on the bottom. That way, if someone asks for her autograph, they will get it permanently signed on their faces.
Krystal invented the GIF format for pictures, originally it stood for “Gosh, I’m Fabulous,” and the pictures were all self portraits.

WICKED

2007-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted for quite a while. Since the end of January we have been going through quite a time at our house and it was consuming a lot of my time and was not appropriate for posting. We have resolved the situation and now I am focussing my energy on something else...namely our Girls Trip to California.

I now have the airline tickets booked, a cool car booked (a convertible) and our hotels in Anaheim and San Diego. The hotel in San Diego will get us discounted tickets for the Zoo and SeaWorld when we get there and Rebecca and I are going to pick up our Hopper Passes for Disneyland today (EVERYONE PAYS THE KIDS PRICE).

You are probably wondering why this post is called WICKED. Well Krystal and Rebecca have been listening to songs from the Broadway musical "Wicked" (mostly the song Popular..listen to it if you get a chance) for some time now. I went online and found out that Wicked is playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood when we are there so today I bought 3 tickets. I had to pay more than I planned because the two cheapest ticket values were sold out and I had to change our plans to visit Hollywood from Sunday to Wednesay but it is done. I think it will be great fun and Krystal called me "AWESOME".

Hope everyone's day is going well.

Kim

ANOTHER DRIVER IN THE FAMILY

2007-02-01T11:31:00.001-08:00

No I am not referring to a golf club. Krystal took her road test this morning and passed. Hats off to her. I tried to talk her into rescheduling yesterday when the weather was so bad but she said if she can't drive in snow then why get a license, you wouldn't be able to drive in Canada. She went this morning and did great. Now I have to start the real worrying. She'll be fine, I'll be a nervous wreck.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

2007-01-26T05:52:00.000-08:00

Many of you probably don't know this but Rebecca and her dog, Angel, have the same birthday. When we went to the pet store to let Rebecca pick out a puppy, she went back and forth between all the different choices and kept coming back to this one little black and white puppy (this was not the puppy I wanted her to pick but it is the one she wanted). When they gave us all the information about the puppy we found out that the puppy was born on January 26, the same day as Rebecca. It was destiny that the two of them should be together.

So today I wish happy 10th birthday to a wonderful, caring daughter REBECCA and a happy 2nd birthday to mischievious but very entertaining dog, ANGEL. Hope the day is great for both of you.

Angel and Rebecca are having a sleepover birthday party this evening. Thankfully Angel didn't invite any other dogs to come sleep over because a house of girls is enough!!

TRAVEL PLANS

2007-01-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is over and things are back to normal so I will take this opportunity to bring everyone up to date on our travel plans. The girls and I (Kim) are planning on going to Los Angeles/San Diego during spring break. Shawn will not be joining us as he wants to save his holidays for the summer. So it will be all girls for 10 days. We have had much debate over what we want to do and have decided on the following: Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland and California Adventure, Sea World and San Diego Zoo.

The reason Shawn is saving his holidays is that we are going to Newfoundland in the summer. Two of Shawn's sisters are planning a family reunion (just for the 10 kids and their families but that still makes a huge crowd). Also there is Music Camp for one week.

Our YP Band is planning an exchange trip with the YP Band in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and the plan is for their band to come here in August 2007 so Shawn will need to take holidays then. Our band will then go there in March 2008.

Finally, our biggest travel plans. One day I was thinking about how I would like to just leave everything behind and take off for parts unknown. When Shawn came home, I told him what I was thinking and he said great let's go. We discussed this and have decided that at the end of June 2008, after Krystal graduates, we are going to take off for six months for a trip around the world. We have told our families and have been met with mixed opinions but have decided that we are going to do it. It is both exciting and scary and of course anything could happen between now and then to change our minds but plans are under way!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2006-12-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. I received a laptop computer from Shawn and the girls. So now I can blog from any room in the house. Beware, I just may blog in the future from the laundry room, back deck or bathroom, just because I can!!!

Shawn has been asking for a violin for years and the girls and I finally got him one this year. They we spent along time yesterday listening to him try and play it. Note: We didn't want to listen we just didn't have any choice. He is very talented musically though and I am sure he will be playing beautiful music very soon. (He says a day and a half).

Krystal's favorite gifts were a new video Ipod and a waterproof camera. If you don't know, Krystal broke her last camera because she dropped it in the toilet. This one can be totally submerged in water for 30 continuous minutes.

Rebecca's had to narrow down her favorite but she got an Ipod, Nintendo DS and a microscope and some Bratz, including a Bratz Kidz.

We also used money from my grandmother to furnish a school in another country. So somewhere in the world a school will now have desks, blackboards, chairs, etc. This was done throught the World Vision website. If anyone got Christmas money, I would recommend checking this out. There are things for all budgets and price ranges.

Well Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Kim

CHRISTMAS UPDATE

2006-12-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well, here is a quick Christmas update for you. We now have our Christmas tree up and decorated and some other Christmas decorations up throughout the house. I have completed about 60% of my shopping and it is all wrapped. Today, I am writing Christmas cards and going shopping. I think I have accomplished a lot especially since it was a very busy weekend.

Rebecca is in the All-City Children's Choir and they had a concert at the Winspear on Friday night. She had a rehearsal on Friday during the day and when I went to leave with her on Friday morning, I realized that I had left my van keys in Shawn's car. I ended up taking a taxi to drop off Rebecca and having my mom meet us at the other end and drive me to Shawn's office so I could get the keys. Then Shawn drove me home. Not exactly the way I wanted to start my day.

Rebecca's concert on Friday night was awesome. She had birthday party on Saturday, while I went shopping and then Saturday was church and The Salvation Army Christmas concert at the Winspear (which Shawn and Rebecca were in). I will post some pictures of our Christmas decorations soon.

SNOW PILE

2006-12-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, we had our street plowed. One thing about living on the edge of the city and that we got our street plowed first. Anyway, the snowplow left a nice big pile of snow in the middle of the road. Here is a picture of Rebecca playing on it.

Christmas is coming!!!

2006-12-14T08:10:00.001-08:00

Yes, Christmas is coming. It is only 11 days away. We do not yet have a tree or any Christmas decorations up (unless you count the lights on the house which Shawn never took down last year and he now thinks he can just plug them in even though they are falling down in several places and look like they were hung by a drunk elf without a ladder). I have not even begun shopping yet much less all the other things that need to be done before Christmas. This wouldn't be so bad except that my whole family comes over to our house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I should probably have a tree for them all to put the presents under. Maybe we could just decorate a hockey stick and put the presents under that?? It wouldn't take as long to decorate as a tree and the branches wouldn't get in the way of the presents!! I could start a new Canadian holiday tradition!!!

Well I should go a dig the Christmas decorations out from our storage area. Blog to you all later.

Kim

JINX OR SILVER LINING?

2006-11-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm convinced that someone somewhere has a little voodoo doll of me and was having a great time using it last week. Everywhere I went something went wrong but after reading my last post I've decided to try and look on the bright side of last week.

1. Rebecca and Shawn had the flu - bright side: they are now better and I got to spend lots of time with them when they were sick most of the week.

2. Krystal's boyfriend broke up with her - bright side: he must not have been the one that God had planned for her and she is moving on (she's already been out 3 times since then with other guys).

3. I made Krystal drive to school and she crashed the car - bright side: we met a really nice girl named Nicole who was driving the care we hit, nobody was injured or died.

4. I lost the headlight from the car on Highway 21 - bright side: out car had a new nickname "Cyclops" and it was loose from the accident and will be covered under the insurance claim from the accident.

5. I went to Bible Study at Janet's and her dog had a stroke in the middle of Bible Study - bright side: The dog is doing well now and at least people were there so she wasn't alone when it happened.

6. I came home and went to close the garage door and it broke with the van inside it so we were down to one crashed car with only one headlight - bright side: Shawn thinks he can fix it (although he fixed it on Saturday and it broke again on Sunday morning...the only bright side I can come up with is that because the door is partially opened it lets a lot of light into the garage and I always thought we should have put a window in the garage. Oh also when it broke again the van was on the outside of the garage not the inside but we can't drive it right now because it is at the mechanics.

7. I drove the van on Friday and now there is something wrong with the brakes - bright side: we took the van in to get it checked, they told us that the rear calibers had totally blown out. Shawn told them that we just had them replaced on July 2 and so they informed us that they are under warranty. (the downside of this bright side is that only the parts are under warranty and we have to pay over $300.00 for labor to get them to fix the defective parts. I don't know about you but this just seems really wrong to me. They said the labor would have been covered if it was with 100 days of being done but it is exactly 140 days so we are out the money. I said so you can just keep putting defective parts in and making money from our paying the outrageous labor costs?? Ok Ok I'll stop now my down side is longer than my bright side.

Well I think you all have the idea and just remember next time you see me ... watch out you never know what may happen!!!

Bad Luck

2006-11-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, most of the time things so fairly well for us. This past week has been an exception. Last Sunday, Krystal's boyfriend broke up with her, they got back together on Monday, and he broke up with her again on Tuesday. She has been so upset that her school called me on Thursday to ask what was the wrong as she is always so upset in school lately. This past Saturday night Rebecca got the flu and was throwing up every half hour Satuday night and Sunday. She was a little better on Monday but still sick and stayed home from school. Sunday night Shawn caught what Rebecca had and has been sick since Sunday night (he is still sick today).

Because Shawn and Rebeccas were sick yesterday, I told Krystal I would take her to school. I suggested she drive (she has a learners). She had not yet driven in the snow but a lot of people were off work and the roads were fairly good. Maybe not my best idea because she had an accident. She hit a red car driven by a very nice girl named Nicole who was on her way to the first day of her practicum as an occupational therapist.

Then today, I came home from driving Rebecca to school. I parked in the garage and as I was coming into the house I pushed the button to close the garage door. There was a weird noise and the metal brackets that hold the door closing unit in the air bent. The entire garage door unit twisted sideways and the door came partially off. Shawn went out to look at it (even though he is home still sick) and says that the side tracks that the door slides on bent when the door was coming down. He is now seeing if he can get the door open enought to get the van out and then close it and we will be parking in the driveway until we can get it fixed.

So, I thought to myself when everything seems to be going wrong, what do you do? Why you blog about it of course!!

Celebrities

2006-11-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Check out our look alikes.

SNOW DAY

2006-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today we awoke to the first REAL snowfall of the year. Rebecca was ecstatic. Once we had breakfast, Becca and I headed outside to make a snowman. We then finished our outing with a massive snowball fight inside the trampouline. NOTE: a trampoline is very slippery when it is cold and covered in snow.

2006-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRYSTAL!!!

We have not blogged in a very long time but I could not let this day pass without wishing our first born daughter a happy 16th birthday. She is awesome and we love her very much. Anyone who takes the time to get to know her will find out that she is truly amazing!!!

Tattoo for Two

2006-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

I know some may think I am crazy already, but sometimes you just have to "Seize the Day", you know take the opportunity or as they say in Latin "Carpe Diem".

In fact did you know that "Carpe Diem" was my high school motto. It was it was on my school crest. If you don't believe me have a look at this;

Where did I get that picture you might ask, the answer is Krystal. She took a picture of my arm.

That's right I got a tattoo. However I was not alone, Krystal also has a tattoo, 2 actually as you can see.

If you would like to know if it hurts, that depends. For me, no problem for Krystal it stung and burned, I hear some people actually cry. Really it did not hurt at all, just like a prolonged scratch.

Well there you have it. Tattoos for the 2 of us. In case you are wondering, NO Kim did not get one.

:-) Shawn

LAUNDRY AND CRAYONS

2006-06-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

For the record, laundry and crayons do not mix. When I woke up this morning, Krystal met me with the words "We have a problem". I washed a load of Becca's clothes yesterday including most of her new summer clothes we recent bought. When Krystal opened the dryer this morning, it was purple inside and all of Becca's clothes have purple marks with a little yellow thrown in for good measure.

Krystal kindly went on the internet to find out what to do (what did people do before google?) I sprayed everything with Shout and washed in hot water. Most of the stains did come out. I sprayed the remaining stains and am rewashing them. Hopefully that will get the remainer out. If anyone needs to know, Crayola's website has a section on how to get crayons out of various things.

She also found a site that said to put wet towels in your dryer and turn in on to get the color out of the dryer. That did not work so I guess I am going to have to try and scrub it out. Ahhh...the fun just never ends.

TRAMPOLINE

2006-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

So we bought a trampoline at Costco on Friday. There was a $100.00 off coupon and it was a totally spontaneous purchase. We went there because Shawn wanted to buy a book and we came home with a book and... a trampoline. It has already provided hours of fun.

What that gas light on your vehicle really means...

2006-05-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently when the light in the van that says you need gas comes on...it really means you need gas. I went out this morning to pick up Krystal. Krystal said "you need gas". I said I know, we'll get it on the way home". Well we ran out of gas about 4 blocks from the gas station right in the middle of the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Calgary Trail. Krystal quickly jumped out thinking she could push the van through the intersection. Luckily a guy waiting for the light to turn green did not want us blocking the intersection so he got out and helped her push us through to the other side.

Now, I know you're thinking only a few blocks to the gas station right?? Of course, so we did what anyone would do. We sat in the van and phoned Shawn at work and asked him to come and bring us some gas. While we were waiting people were staring in at us as they drove past (we were creating quite a traffic jam becaus we were blocking one lane of traffic) so we climbed into the back of the van, put the seats down and lay down so no one could see us.

We passed the time planning how we would survive as we only had a bottle of water and no other food supplies. Luckily help arrived in half an hour and with the survival techniques we implemented we were able to come through the ordeal unscathed. It will probably be on the news.

Orders and Regulations

2006-04-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what the Salvation Army's Orders and regulations are? How to find them?
Well I was wondering the same thing therefore I did a little research.

If you are a Salationist and would like to read them use the following steps as a quide;

1. Go to http://www.salvationist.org/. This is "the home for Salvationists and friends on the web."

2. You will need to register to access the information. Just click on the words "new registration"
in the box to the right of the page. (or click here if you are unsure).

3. Once you are registered, go back to the home page and click on the word "login" located in the top righthand cornor. (again if you are unsure you can click here).

4. Once you are logged in go back to the home page. Under the menu item called "resources" choose 'orders and regulations'. (or click here)

5. You will see the following text at the top right hand of the screen called "text only version".
click on that sentence. (or for your convienance you can click here).

That is it you are in. Read and enjoy.

God Bless.
Shawn

P.S. Don't forget to check out the new officer moves just click on my link to the right called
"Salvation Army Changes 2006" When you get to the site click on the words "ANNUAL CHANGE".

(or just click here it is quicker :-) )

NOTE: It take a few minutes to load, and when it does just scroll down to see the list,

Spring has Sprung!

2006-04-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ahhh!,

Spring has sprung, the time of the year when young men's hearts turn to golf (lol) and young women's minds turn to (aggghhhh golf again?), and much younger girls hearts turn to "How can I go play with my friends up the street, without having to walk and mom and dad says they won't drive?"

The answer to the last question is easy it's the

PB1000 Electric Scooter.

That's right folks we have lost our minds again. We have allowed Rebecca to buy her own self propelled vechicle. She has been having a great time and staying outside with her friends for longer periods of time. I guess it's a win win situation.

Here are some pics of Bec discovering what it means to have your own wheels.

Criminal Update

2006-04-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

It has been a long time since we added to the blog and we thought you might need an update on those 2 sly criminals that vandalized the kitchen. Well worry not they are still behind bars as these pictures show and we all know that pictures don't lie ;-)

Prince "shifty eyes" Way

Angel "Who, me?" Way

"The Rodent"

2006-02-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Rebecca has been striving all week to prove that she is responsible enough for a new pet. She has saved her money and tonight is the proud owner of a hamster. You heard me and yes I believe we have lost our minds.

It is cream colored teddy bear hamster named...Cream (surely you could have figured that out). Becca has checked things out and informs us that it is a male hamster. I don't really want to know how she can tell. Maybe it was because it was hogging the remote :-)

Pictures, pictures everywhere.

2006-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hi People,
As promised I have started going through the pictures from our little California adventure. There are quite a few and so to save space I posted them on my Webshots site.

If you look at the links on the side of the blog here you will see a link to my Webshots. Go there and check out the pictures.

Have fun, be jealous, book your own vacation..

Shawn

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2006-02-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from our house to you!!!

Back to the Grind

2006-02-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,
The vacation is over and we are all back to the daily routine. There is still no snow here in Edmonton, but the forcast says it is coming.

We are tring to sort through all the pictures we took in Disneyland, and we are looking for our next big adventure. Maybe a Disney Cruise? just can't get enough of that mouse.

While in Disney I got hooked on SUDOKU puzzels. They are great fun, so while you wait for our next blog, why not check them out for yourself.

www.loquax.co.uk/puzzles/sudoku.htm

Have fun and blog ya later. :-)

The Adventure Continues

2006-01-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hi People,

Well it has been a couple of days since we posted. There is just so much to do and see. Thanks to Krystal and Rebecca we have tons of pictures so here are just a few more to keep you in on the fun.

California Adventure
Some fun in the sun. This is the additional park Disney added, with some cool rides and some more characters.

Krystal and Rebecca with Pluto. P.S. Pluto is a Yellowcard fan.

The people there are "Incredible"

And come from far away like the orient.

It is a lot of fun in the California sun and some times you just need to cool down, a nice trip down splash mountian might just do the trick.

Well it's off to bed, got to get rested up for more adventures in the morning. We are starting tomorrow off with a "Goofy" breakfast. Did you know Goofy was a cook?

Bye for now.

The Ways

The Wonderful World of Disney

2006-01-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

It is Saturday Jan. 28, 2006.
Our 1st day at Disneyland.
Here is Rebecca standing at the entrance
to Cinderella's castle.

The entrance to Fantacyland,
where dreams really do come true.

Once inside you can even visit the magical
land of Narinia.
"Without going through the Wardrobe."

You can sail away to far and distant lands.

But never fear, for there are those
(like Merlin)
who will help to point you on the right path.

There are places to eat,
or stop for "tea".

But don't forget to pay,
or they might put you "away".

Well the first day was great, and tomorrow it is off to
California Adventure.

Stay tuned for more exciting times ahead.

P.S. leave a comment, we would love to here from you.
The Ways.

THANK YOU JESUS

2006-01-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

After checking in at the hotel, we decided to go to Downtown Disney to look around and get something to eat. We decided to eat at Tortilla Joe's. It was very good. We were serenaded by a band of wandering musicians.

Our server was named Jesus.

Krystal said "I was hungry and Jesus fed me, I was thirsty and Jesus gave me something to drink." As he cleared the table she began to sing "Thank you Jesus". I guess it just goes to show that Jesus is always with you no matter where you go!!

Disneyland

2006-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

We have arrived in Disneyland. Our plane arrived around 3 p.m. and we took the shuttle to our hotel.

A Crime has been committed.

2006-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

It was a day like any other, we arrived home to the loving yelps of our two four legged friends, when alas ! our home had been vandalized !!!!!!!

The scene of the crime. -- The Kitchen

We are pleased to announce that the villians responsible for this crime have been found,
tried, and convicted.

Unfortunately they have been released on bail. If you see either of these hooligans, be forewarned they should never be left unattended around linoleum or linoleum products.

Prince "shifty eye" Way
Angel "who me?" Way

Fun times ahead !!!

2006-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

We are getting excited !!
Disneyland is just around the corner.

We are taking a family trip at the end of January to see Mickey, Goofy and friends.

We will post some pictures when we get back and tell you all about it just to make you jealous.

Welcome to the Way family blog :-)

2006-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is our first blogging experience. Myself (Shawn), Kim, Krystal and Rebecca hope to keep is as current as possible. Have fun while you are here and come back often.

P.S. Be it known that any spelling mistakes on this blog are the sole responsibility of Shawn. lol.