look at the time...

my, my.
It's been an embarassingly long time since I've updated this blog. I'm sorry, to all of you who read this on a regular basis. I haven't had a whole lot to say in the last little bit.

the 5 things making me laugh

Here are the top 5 things that have made me laugh this weekend:

1. a "pimped-out" 1970's VW Bug. yeah. that's what I thought. What are tires that size doing on a car that small????
2. a 70 year old lady riding a bicycle with pig-tails, a pink basket, and pink streamers. (no explaination required)
3. Our AISH neighbour, who consistently climbs out his window and lays on the grass, with his stereo pumping, without a shirt. (incidently, he was also the one who was YELLING about the oilers at 11pm. that did not make me laugh.)
4. a bumper sticker on an older car: "0-60 in 11 minutes" (I want one of those!!)
5. Riley, telling me that his new sibling could be a "cowboy, or a cowboy-girl, or just a baby"

And there you have it, boys and girls... the best of.

have a great long weekend.

The Ice Cream Man

I have never lived in a city where the ice-cream man came around on a regular basis. (I am ignoring the fact that there were ice-cream "men" EVERYWHERE in Thailand.)

I'm talking about an ice cream guy who comes around every day at 2pm. Yes, that's right. There's an ice cream man who comes around with a little motorized 'thing' every day, playing 'Music Box Dancer'. The first time, I couldn't see him. However, today he drove right by the bus I was on.

And I was shocked. Then I laughed. And now I don't know what to do.

The ice cream guy was driving an unmarked cart, had long, scraggly hair, and was wearing a belt pack, cut-off shorts and a Molson Canadian Beer t-shirt. Dude, the guy looked SCARY.

and I'm wondering: WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD LET THEIR KIDS BUY ICE CREAM FROM HIM?? Being origninally from a town where there were no ice cream men, I'm just wondering if creepy guys with belt-packs are the norm for ice cream men. The irony was hilarious to me, and still is.

And so I ask: does everyone's ice-cream man look scary? or is it just mine??

15 Saturdays in a row

I've heard of a month of Sundays, but I never thought it was real.

Until now.

Almost.

The last 2 weeks have felt like a month of Saturdays. and Sundays. I've never had a stretch of time feel so painfully LONG!! The last two weeks have been one day after another after another of stuff; hard stuff. Heart stuff, and head stuff, church stuff and people stuff, job stuff, death stuff ... the list goes on and on and on.

I've sat here staring at this screen for ages and ages trying to figure out what to write; trying to figure out the words to say how the week was, how I feel like I've been on a roller coaster too many times in a row, how grief and death affect people.

I lost an aunt last week, to a battle with lung cancer. She never smoked, and that makes my mom mad. I think it's because cancer is so unfair. It gets people, even healthy people. People with lives, with families, with jobs and with grandkids. You cannot escape it -- death just happens, and cancer hits people when you least expect it. My aunt was 57, and diagnosed with cancer on January 24. This past Tuesday, we congregated for her funeral.

What do you say in response to that?

You can't. I can't. I don't think anyone can.

On Friday, my sister graduated from High school. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. My little sister looked like a princess with her gown and her sparkley hair. It was great to see her and her friends all dressed up, having fun and being grown up all at the same time. The weather was poor, but the day was great.

Like I said: I've been trying to find the words to write to explain this week, with it's ups and downs, and I can't. It's all I can to do trust God, knowing that he's got it all under control. And somehow, under his watchful eye, he'll turn this month of Saturdays into something beautiful.

But right now, this past month just seems like a wild ride.

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I
am
so
tired.

This has been one of the most tiring weeks in a long time. It ranks up there among the top 5 of all time.