It's just been one of those days that seems a little non-productive.  I've been for a couple of walks down in the ravine with Boomer and have noticed that Jan and Clint have set a cross country ski track down there.  I'm thinking if tomorrow is like today I may haul out my cross country skis and give it a go.  I honestly think that skiing down there would be easier than walking at the moment.  There is so much snow it is really a bit of a slog.

I did get to Costco to pick up my sunflower picture and was going to pick a couple of things up but thought differently once I was in the store.  I have NEVER seen it like it was today.  People were lined up from the cashier checkout all the way down to the meat department!  I am not exaggerating!  It was mind boggling and needless to say I decided those couple of items could wait.  There was no way I was going to line up like that.

Kathy dropped by to pick up my boots.  Lucky girl gets to do a bottle drive tomorrow for her daughters soccer team.  Oh how I miss the days of bottle drives and bingos.....NOT!!!!  I had given her a golf club for christmas but wrongly thought a lefty would need a lefty club.....not so.  Although left handed, she golfs right handed. How strange is that!   We have played together many times but when I bought the club I had this nagging feeling I may have bought the wrong one, which is exactly what happened.  In any case took I took it back to Golf Town today for an exchange and ended up wandering around thinking about what I would like to buy for myself.  Fortunately, today....no retail therapy.  Must be the post Christmas hangover!  I'm shopped out and it's hard to even contemplate golf with the weather what it is right now.

Skipped my workout today.  I was up to the club yesterday and as usual the fitness facility was hopping.  I had to laugh, I was chatting to Kelli's badminton coach and he said his New Years resolution this year was to not start working out until February when everyone else would have given up their resolutions.  How true is that one!!!  It's like that every year.  January is busier beyond belief and then February rolls around and things get back to normal.

10 days til we leave for Mexico.  I'm really looking forward to skipping out on winter for a bit.  I see my oncologist this week.  Hoping he doesn't want to give me a round of chemo....it's on my mind a lot at the moment.  Oh well.....it'll be what it is....

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is,

you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,

it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty;

to provide you with guidance and support;

to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,

this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,

because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;

things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,

and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

My friend Marian always talked about friendships in terms of reason, season or lifetime friendships and I have come to view the notion of friendship in just this way.  However, having said that my perspective has changed somewhat over this past year.  I, like most of us, had friends in all categories but have learned that you really can't compartmentalize  your friendships this way.  I have many "lifetime friends".  Friends who I have had for a long time, friends I am in frequent contact with, friends who are there for me and I for them, friends who I know I can count on and they can count on me no matter what.  Friends who I have a long and interesting history with. Friends who I have shared both joys and sorrows with.   I have also had many reason and season friends but amazingly, many of these friends who I have lost contact with over the years have come back into my life.  Season friends now have become reason friends and both reason and season friends will probably remain lifetime friends.  I have often marvelled about how technology for someone like me, the person who has many technological challenges, has allowed me to reconnect with so many people.  Through email, my blog and yes, even facebook which I always vowed I would NEVER participate in,  I have been able to reconnect and stay connected with so many of you who have brought me so many smiles and words of encouragement.  People often tell me that I inspire them to live their lives fully and to appreciate everything precious in their lives,  but this goes two ways.  When you tell me these things it reinforces me to carry on because I know many of you out there have made significant changes to your own lifestyles.  You inspire me too!!!  

Yesterday I had the funniest message from my friend Carol who I mentioned a few days ago.  I'm sure she won't mind me sharing her message with you even though I could possibly be arrested!!!  Keep in mind I loved her boys......they were the most amazing kids to teach.  Athletic, full of fun and just plain good kids who I knew would grow into good adults!  Enjoy....brought a smile to my face that's for sure!!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Monday, January 7": 

Leslie, you have to remember that the boys had to be good (at school) as you reminded them that you had seen them (when they were just wee lads) "naked" in the Ladies locker room at CWC!!!!!!!! I think it went " You guy's can't call me Leslie any more and you best be good or I will let everyone know I've seen you naked!" LOL 

This weather is not endearing me to winter.  Yes, I guess if you are a skier you are over the moon with this.  Geoff and his buddies headed up to Lake Louise this morning.  Hope the highway drivers were better than the city drivers.  I heard a guy on the radio say this morning "What is it about a snowfall that makes everyone forget how to drive?"  How true.  We were out and about this morning and could not believe how many people could not stay in their lane.  One woman actually veered into our lane and we had to pull over and hit the drift on the side of John Laurier.  I don't even think she knew what she had done but if we hadn't of moved she would have most certainly have hit us!

Did a little running around and then hit the Winter Club for my version of a "workout".  Thirty-five minutes on the stationary bike and 30 minutes in the steam room!  A far cry from what a workout used to be but still has the same endorphin effect on me!  Felt great to sweat and puff a little!  Bill had his workout then came home to tackle the shovelling.  Now he's off to shovel his Mom and Dad's sidewalks so he's certainly getting his share of exercise today.  Both of us are looking at this and thinking some beach time in Mexico is going to be great!  Had an email from my friend Maureen this morning.  They have had two baby whales born right off Kamole Beach in the past couple of days!  How cool is that!?

You can see the mother whale between the white buoy and the palm tree.  Apparently the coast guard has been out keeping curious people at bay who are too anxious to get too close.  I ask myself where in heaven's name is their common sense on this one!

I have had so many people laughing in disbelief at some of my "career highlights" I just have to share one more with you.  Actually this one is a little more current and happened at Ranchlands a few years back.  Our staff meetings happened on Friday afternoons.  I was planning to head up to the lake to spend the weekend with my Dad and in order to speed up my exit from the city I decided to pick Boomer up over the noon hour and bring him back to the school.  I snuck him through the gym and into my office where I left him while I went to the meeting.  He's not a barker so I wasn't too worried about him being discovered.  Hmmmm......what I did forget about was the fact that our caretaking staff would be cleaning.  Michael, one of my favourite caretakers opened my office to get the garbage and was shocked when a big black dog came streaking out the door.  Michael I might add is terrified of dogs so this was not a good thing!  I am forever grateful he did not have a heart attack!  Boomer could hear voices in the library, so being the social boy he is he literally frolicked into the meeting and proceeded to bound around the room greeting everyone with the unbridled enthusiasm he always greets people with.  Kevin, our principal was stunned.  He said, or I maybe should say yelled "Where did that dog come from?"  I was sitting in the back row doing what I normally did at staff meetings.....(visiting my happy place) when I realized what was happening.  At first I wanted to just sit there and pretend I had no idea where THAT DOG came from but many of the staff knew who Boomer was and there was no escaping this one.  Jumped out of my chair apologizing profusely but definitely was in the dog house along with my dog that day!  No attagirls for me that day, that's for sure!

Hoping all of you who braved the highways to get to the ski hills today had awesome snow conditions!!!  For me.....just a little too chilly I'm afraid!  I'm a spring skier! So if you are a skier or a boarder you have to watch the youtube video I posted on Facebook.   It is pretty funny!  I tried to add it to this blog but don't have a lot of luck with videos so apologies to those of you who can't access Facebook.

Today we drove to Edmonton for my surgery follow up appointment.  Arrived around 1:00 for my 1:15 appointment.  Really wasn't expecting any "bad" news but am finding that any and all doctors appointments, scans and tests, even bloodwork are causing me angst!  I think they call it white coat syndrome.  We arrived at the clinic and were placed in an examining room to see Dr. Knedeman.  My toes started to tap, my foot was vibrating and I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate.  Weird....and I have no control over this. Bill said it was to bad there wasn't a stationary bike in the waiting room that I could ride.  Exercise has always been my go to when I'm stressing.   Finally the medical student came in to do the preliminary work up.  He left the room and in came my surgeon.  He asked me a few questions, told me no weight training for another couple of weeks, looked at a little bump I had along my incision and reviewed the pathology report.  All news was good.  The margins on the surgery were very good, the bump is just an suture that will dissolve in time and he was pleased that I was active and looking good for three weeks post op.  Ahhh......breathe!  We left the office and I turned to Bill and said "I like that doctor!"....Bill had a point.  It's easy to like a doctor who gives you pretty good news.  So next step is my appointment with the oncologist next week to determine what my next round of chemo will look like and when it will start.  I am crossing my fingers that he will be OK with starting when I get back from Mexico but if not I will go ahead and have it before we leave.

On the way back from Edmonton I got an email from Kelli.  Each year the first year Med students do a fund raiser for Cancer.  This year they have donated a portion of the money they have raised towards GI research.  They have asked Kelli if she and I would be willing to speak at their head shave event.  Of course I am nervous about this but feel I need to acknowledge the wonderful work those students have done. I also want to acknowledge the support I have thrived upon from family, friends and a medical system that has been there for me every step of the way.   We'll see how I do speaking to a group of students older than eleven.  Maybe I'll just pretend they're eleven not young adults!   Kind of like visualizing your audience naked!

Geoff and Lindsey just got back from Revelstoke tonight!  The skiing was amazing.  Geoff is so stoked he's heading off to Lake Louise tomorrow.  He said it was just dumping all the way home.  If it was going to be warmer than minus 16 I'd even think about going!  So we forge ahead with our eye on the prize.  A healthy, cancer free future!  It's within my reach.....I truly believe this!

Have had a quiet morning and am going to head up to the Winter Club for a bit of a stationary bike ride and a steam.  The wind is chilly out there today so am thinking Nose Hill might not be in the cards for the puppies today!

I had several emails from people who seemed to enjoy my stories from yesterday and you know that those positive reinforcements just lead to more of the same so thought I'd share a few more humorous stories about my early teaching days.

Back to Junior High School.....I arrived on my first day in my brand new track suit feeling pretty proud that I had snagged this job.  I was traipsing around the school when a kid stopped me and asked if I was in Grade 7 or grade 8!  "Duhhh....I am the teacher!"  How humbling is that for a start!

I think I mentioned yesterday that Sir John A. MacDonald was a pretty high needs school in those days....probably still is is my guess.  We had lots of discipline issues and the kids were challenging to say the least.  I remember one day hauling a kid out of the gym.  I don't remember what he had done but I had had it with him.  I escorted him to the main office and sat him in the xerox room, told him to stay there until I came back, and shut the door and left.  Finished off my afternoon, did my prep for the next day and went home.  Around about 5:45 PM my home phone rang.  It was the assistant principal.  He had just discovered this kid in the xerox room and wanted to know if he could send him home. Oh boy....I should have been totally lynched on that one but somehow it totally flew under the radar.  I suspect the kid never mentioned to his parents what had happened.

At Sir John A. MacDonald most of us had to teach an option unrelated to our teaching assignment.  It could be pretty much anything you were interested in.  How I picked what I did I cannot recollect but it was a weird choice that's for sure.  I, who had never even shot a gun and had never been hunting in my life decided I would teach a Hunter Training Course.  This involved some book work where we studied various birds and wild life, learned how to use a compass and to do orienteering, and  learned some basic survival techniques.  I had quite a full class of both boys and girls and we threw ourselves into the theory part of the course looking forward to the culminating activity which was a winter survival camping trip to the Hunter Training site out near Caroline.  I had never learned to drive the school bus so the social studies teacher was going to come with me and be our driver.  When the time came to get organized to go to camp I had to have a parent information night.  Now remember, this was my first year teaching.  I think I was about 22 years old at the time.  A few parents attended the meeting to hear what we would be doing at camp.  One Dad expressed concern over the fact that we would be using firearms.  I remember looking at him in total amazement and saying "We aren't going to be shooting each other....we're doing target practice on clay pigeons!"  Honestly, if a parent had said that to me and was planning to take my kid to camp, I wouldn't have let him go!  So we drove to Caroline.  The kids built lean toos out of trees and sheets of plastic.  They cooked their meals over open fires.  Some of them had never cooked a thing in their entire lives.  We shot guns at clay pigeons and did target shooting and we did some orienteering.  The camp was a total blast.  The social studies teacher, my girlfriend Kathy and my dog all shared a lean to.  I'm sure the parents would have found that interesting that two different sexed teachers were sleeping together in the same shelter!  Thank goodness Kathy and the dog were there!  Many years later I ran into one of the students who had been on that camping adventure.  He was grown up and was a driver for Calgary transit.  He told me that of all the things he had ever done at school that was totally the best!!!  In those days we didn't have the same restrictions as we do now.  I would never get away with going to a camp and doing those things now a days nor would I even consider it, however, having said that the freedoms we had in the good ol' days often really allowed us the opportunity to really connect to kids on a different level.  I used to drive my students everywhere.  I often would take them out for an ice cream cone or lunch.  This is something teachers can no longer do as we are not supposed to drive students in our cars and there is always that huge liability cloud hanging over absolutely everything you do.  Heck...we're not even supposed to give them any treats that aren't on the CBE's Healthy Eating List!  How times have changed!

For years I used to organize the after school ski program.  I loved it.  It was a week where many kids who had never had an opportunity to ski or snow board got to do so.  I remember one year deciding that COP was a boring place to ski and maybe I'd join the kids in a snow boarding class.  I am a pretty decent skier but just because you can do one, does not mean you will pick up the other easily.  I attached myself to a group of snowboarding grade 5 and 6's.  They picked it up instantly and by day two almost all of them were negotiating the hill with turns and stops.  That is everyone in the group, except  for me.  I could turn left but not right.  I did not like the fact that my feet were attached to the board and would not release when I wiped out which made me tentative and pokey.  By day three the kids were chomping the bit to go all the way to the top.  Our instructor, a good looking 18 or 19 year old guy, looked pointedly at me and said "We cannot go to the top until EVERYONE can turn both directions and stop!"  Every head in the class swivelled in my direction with looks that said "Why do we have to have you in our group?"  So.... on day 4,  I purposefully stalled and arrived late, hoping the class would go out without me.  I felt bad holding them back and had decided I needed to just go practice off somewhere by myself.  No such luck.  The instructor had pulled my equipment for me and was waiting for my arrival as were the impatient kids.  So off I went but miraculously that evening it all came together and I finally learned to do what I needed to do so that the class received permission to go to the top.  I did learn to snowboard that year, although honestly I never took to it like I do to skiing and have not tried it since.

After a few years of teaching Junior High I made the decision to move down to the elementary level.  When you are a Junior High PE specialist you coach every team around.  You start in the early mornings with practices and there are many evenings when you are driving kids to other schools for games and then taking them home afterwards.  There were no concerns in those days about teachers transporting kids.  It wasn't uncommon to put in 12+ hours a day.  After a few years of this and after I got married I decided I would give elementary age kids a go.  I applied and got the job at Collingwood, however I was only half time PE and half time classroom.  I'll never forget the first day of school looking out at a class of grade 5 students sitting in their desks and thinking to myself what the heck am I going to do with them?  i had zero classroom experience.  Believe you me it was a steep learning curve.and to this day I have the upmost respect for the work a classroom teacher does!  It is not an easy job and those good at their jobs tend to make it look way more effortless than it is. After a couple of years at Collingwood I moved to Beddington Heights where I continued to have a small classroom assignment and much to my delight more time in the gym.  I remember getting a student in my class who was deemed to have some psychological issues.  I was still pretty young and a little naive and thought I could save every kid.   I took him under my wing determined that I would be the one to turn him around.  It was around this time that I was expecting Geoff.  It was a cold winter day near the end of my term.  I was big and uncomfortable and anxious to pop this baby out and get my old body back.  I was in the classroom and the kids were quietly working on an art project when this particular boy yelled that he smelled fire.  He then pulled open the desk drawer next to him and the papers flared up into a small bonfire.  I leapt up from my desk, grabbed the flaming desk drawer which was also spewing a toxic black material from the melting plastic drawer and ran outside with my whole class following behind to dump the drawer in the snow.  At first the kid was the hero until we figured out that it was in fact he who had lit the desk on fire!  There were many other incidents with this boy and he was eventually expelled from our school  For years I have expected to see his name in the paper attached to some crime.  He was such a disturbed kid!

Speaking of fire....it was 1988 when my own kids almost lit Cambrian Heights on fire.  I had gone in on a weekend to get some things prepared for a winter olympics sports event we were going to have to celebrate the winter olympics.  I took Kelli and Geoff with me.  I was in the teachers workroom and they were back and forth between there and my office.  Kelli was 3 at the time and Geoff was 5.  Kelli always had a bit of a speech problem.  We often had to have Geoff translate for us as he was the only one who could understand her chatter.  In any case....she kept running into the teachers workroom, excitedly telling me something but I didn't have a clue what she was saying.  I just kept nodding and smiling and she would race back to my office which was just around the corner.  After several of these little interchanges I thought I could smell smoke.  Just then Kelli came racing back in to the workroom and this time I really listened.  She said "Geoff lighted de fire and I blowed it out!"  I raced to my office just in time to see the contents of my garbage can flare up.  I had left a box of matches on my desk that we had used when we did the torch run between schools.  Kelli and Geoff had discovered them and were having a great time.  I must say I rarely spanked my kids when they were growing up but that is one day that they both got their butts paddled!  I think they both still remember this event to this day!

So tomorrow we head to Edmonton for my follow up appointment.  Have been trying to get a hold of the oncologist to see when he wants to start my "mop up chemo"  I am really hoping they will wait until I get back from Mexico but if not I'd like to get it in this week so I have a few days to bounce back before we leave!  As usual...having trouble getting anyone to return calls so will just have to wait and see.