Congrats to the girls who did the Pineapple Challenge today!  Lisa, Dusty and Kim!  Sounded like a total blast!  Let us know how you did!  This event was in support of Lymphoma and Lukemia.  Honestly, with all these cancer fundraisers you'd think we'd be closer to a cure!  Every time you turn around there's another worthwhile cause out there.

Had another pretty good night which is definitely helping how I feel during the day.  I think I'm having a mild reaction to the narcotics though.  I found that every little sound brought me around last night and I had some pretty graphic dreams around those sounds.  I have become a bit of a noisy sleeper since I developed vocal chord issues and occasionally almost make a whistling sound when  I inhale in.  This often wakes me up not to say what it does for Bill.  Last night I did the whistle and immediately awoke thinking that it was Kelli saying "Oooooooooo, Mom.....he's pooping on the carpet!"  I had this vision that she was sitting in the loveseat and I in the recliner in the family room and Boomer was between the two of us doing his business on the family room carpet.  Yuk!  It took me a minute to realize that in fact I was in my bedroom and there was no dog or daughter with me and certainly no doggy doo.  Then the rain started outside and each time I heard it I thought someone was creeping around my bedroom.  So totally weird but the good news is that this time I know it's the drugs and don't have the paranoia I had after my surgery.  I will start weaning myself back from the drug a little tonight as I the pain issues seem to have eased.

Kelli and Bill headed out for a bike ride today.  Kelli caved and bought a road bike.  I think I should be getting kickback shares from the bike stores in town.  I'd say at least 8 Honey Badgers have purchased new road bikes this year, including Geoff, Lindsey, and now Kelli.  I just know if I had a fancy dancy road bike I'd be much, much faster!  Guess I can use that as my excuse for being the slowest Honey Badger in the pack!  We seem to have two distinct sub teams within our Honey Badger Team....Team Cannondale and team Giant!  Kelli, believe it or not is on Team Giant!  Teresa did the identical ride, once on her Mountain Bike and once on her Road Bike and it made a difference of 40 minutes to her riding time!

I had planned to go to Nose Hill this afternoon but before we actually managed to get there the skies opened up and it pelted rain.  Bill and Kelli not so lucky!  They got totally soaked.  Probably good practice for next weekends ride if it's anything like last year.  On the long range side of it though they are not forecasting rains which would be totally fantastic!  Tomorrow they are planning to attempt a second ride and if I have another good night I will probably join them for a portion of the ride.  The Herald did come through with it's article this morning which is just about the first time ever.  I think I can thank them for the extra $1000 in donations I received this morning!  Our team is just short of  our  $18,000 goal which, if we achieve it, will put the Honey Badgers at an outstanding $200,000 over just two years!  So many times we tried to get the media to come out and give recognition to our Ranchlands students for their outstanding efforts on the Terry Fox Run.  I still think they missed a great story but perhaps I am a little biased.  One year the TV crew promised to come out to cover an event we were having and we had to have a media release from every student in the school before they could be filmed.  For those kids whose parents would not give parental permission, we had a designated seating area where the media were not to take pictures.  The kids were so pumped....and then, you guessed it...... we were preempted by a bigger story.  I used to look at articles from other schools who in my opinion did not do half of what our kids had done and were being recognized.  The thing about Ranchlands though was it wasn't just a one year thing!  It was every single year for 16 years.  I was so happy when I learned the school had continued on with the event after I had to go on sick leave.  They raised an incredible sum this year as well.....over $20,000 and invited me back for their wrap up assembly.  It was a very touching and memorable event for me and gave me some of the closure I needed leaving the school the year previous in the middle of the school year.

So Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there!  Tomorrow it's your turn to be spoiled a little whether that be a special gift, a golf game, a bike ride, a dinner of your favourite foods......whatever.....spoil your Dad tomorrow.  I am sorry not to be spending the day with my Dad but we will just celebrate it another day instead.  Honestly, what's so special about June 16?  Why couldn't it be for June 17 or 18? Who cares as long as you recognize the fact that this man has been there for you.  My Dad and I have had a long and happy relationship! Both parents shape a child into the adult he or she grows into but my Dad gave me incredible freedoms and trust over the years from a very, very young age.  I was telling my kids the other day that when I was five we lived in Charleswood, quite close to Triwood Community.  I used to walk to Kindergarten every single day which was located in Capitol Hill, probably a good mile and a half from our house. (I know....you're all thinking of Granny...."When I was your age I rode my horse to and from school every day and it was uphill both directions!")  Calgary was certainly a different place in those days.  We often left our doors unlocked and neighbors really knew each other.  Bill and I have lived in our home in Edgemont for 26 years.  We live in a cul de sac and over the course of years most of our neighbors have moved on.  Of the 16 homes on our street, only 4 are original owners.  So sad because when we first moved her we had amazing barbecues and block parties and we all knew what each other's kids were up to and played an active role in parenting them and watching out for them.  Different times now for sure......Calgary has become a big city!  Still a decent place to live for sure but it's no longer that safe little haven it once was, although I do believe that we sometimes are so reluctant to allow for any risks at all in our kids lives!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO MY DAD, TO BILL AND HIS DAD......
HAVE A GREAT DAY!