When I last posted I was writing about the lack of time to tell you everything, since then an entire lifetime has passed by…yesterday I tried to write about all of this, and after a few failed attempts decided to merely record the events… grab a cup of coffee or decide to read it in two sittings.. I think it is worthwhile, something for everyone… if you don’t read it all now, come back and grab it in pieces… one week of a good life
Saturday June 20th: The Westfort Church Family Picnic out at Chippewa… we arrived late because we had been working in the house and the sun knocked us out… that morning I had a fleece sweater on, but by picnic time (10AM) we were sweating. The heat 
wave has begun…
We came home and splashed about in our pool 
, and then collapsed into bed, well I did, Tony worked on finishing the downstairs bathroom (he had a major plumbing 
operation going on in there.) The girls and I went shopping for Emily’s graduation shoes and some things for the house. Rainer was arriving that night and had a rental car lined up so we would not have to meet him, but Katherine wanted to….except she got violently ill… headache, after effects of the heat… so Tony, Jenni and I went and met him… directed him to his hotel.
Sunday, June 21st: Father’s Day… Mary had driven thru the night and arrived about 9:30AM. Katherine sang in church… Jenni introduced Rainer to every Baptist within a 10 mile radius. We came home and had hamburgers from M&M Meats baked in the oven, not so spectacular. Rainer went back to his hotel for some jet-lag recuperation and Mary napped after we opened Tony’s Father’s Day gifts.
Rainer returned and the 5 girls and my mother took him on a Canadian adventure… complete with rhyming clues, they went to some spots, scenic and otherwise that meant something to them.
Tony and I grilled the world’s best steaks at home and feasted with baked potatoes and fresh strawberries 
…and we watched “Seven Pounds.” I loved this movie because stories of sacrifice inspire me… the heat 
continues to swelter
Monday June 22nd: My Dad’s birthday and I thought about him alot and missed him even more… Katherine went to the US 
with Rainer to cash in her savings bonds which were used for a laptop, Mary and I went to Hannah’s school to take the school photo 
however it didn’t happen because rain 
canceled the family play day. The BBQ was not canceled and Mary and I tried to eat with her but Hannah declined. She did offer to watch us eat 
hot dogs at a spot isolated from her friends. We said , “no thanks” to that spectacular offer. Instead, we came home and took my mother to a new restaurant find of Tony’s and mine… Salisbury Grill in Westfort… Katherine went to a yearbook signing party at Tim’s in the evening. Despite the earlier rain… it is stifling hot 
and I have another migraine at end of day… Both Emily and I felt stomach ill- woozy and groggy… I fell asleep early in the evening but woke about 9-ish… the girls and I did “how well do you know….” quizzes and my kiddos discovered some new things about me (the soup kitchen was a volunteer gig, not for pay…and i dated a CPA so i tried out accounting as a major for a semester) … Mary treated me to 
Dairy Queen.
Tuesday, June 23rd: We baby-sit the boyz… I smash Carson’s finger in the door and promise him McDonalds 
but I choose apple juice for him (a reminder that I do think about healthy foods.)
The Family Playday at Hannah’s school happened and we took the school photos… Mary (armed with one tall can of hairspray 
) helped Katherine get glamorized for the grad dance… I picked up Tony and we went to the Vicker’s Park giant photo shoot with all the seniors… Katherine took “Patty” (our car named by Katherine and Emily, but immortalized by Katherine and her friends.) By now in the week, the heat wave that afflicted us 
was really getting me … but Tony, dauntless, cooked delicious “homemade ” burgers on our grill. Rainer and my mother left for the US to pick up Melinda in MSP. Katherine went with a small group of friends to Lorraine’s to debrief from the dance. Sometime after, Katherine arrived home and had washed out her hair. Melinda called (~2 -3AM ET) she had left her passport behind.
Wednesday, June 24th: Melinda arrived. Melinda arrived with a painfully clogged ear. And promptly set about helping get Emily ready. Katherine 
decided to treat Melinda’s ear.. with a variety of methods 
, but nothing works…
We only live a few blocks from Fort William Gardens where the ceremony took place but we drove and on the way, are treated to the procession of students from the school to the arena with bagpipes 
leading them… very cool, really very cool.
Once inside… hmmm how to say , oh I already did, quite possibly the most painful event I ever sat through… the audio sounded like the drive-thru of a broken down fast food place, it was hot 
and stuffy, with each award they read the entire rubrik for the award… I think Mary changed the reservation 
times twice. George sat next to me, and never one for formality he amused me with a running commentary on the proceedings. Leaving the place was dreadful, getting people organized and by now my head was in need of strong narcotics… plus I was having hot flashes and once inside 
Montana’s, I threw up in the bathroom and cried through the first half of the meal.
BUT there were these brilliant moments: Hannah and Amanda dancing 
in the parking lot, then Melinda and Emily dancing
… then Mary and Melinda
mugging for cameras. I remember Tony joking with Katherine. I remember Melinda across the table from me in serious pain with her ear and smiling. I remember Katherine playing hangman on the kraft paper tablecloths. I remember Emily delighted with her grown-up order of citrus salmon. I remember Katherine and Emily hugging sitting next to each other. I remember in spite of my headache, actually enjoying my prime rib sandwich. I remember and will always remember how special Emily felt having this fancy meal. I remember Rainer teasing Emily about her graduation and school next year. AND did I mention that the heat wave continued? 
Thursday, June 25th: Mother made pancakes for breakfast, fresh batch as each person awoke. Katherine drove out to Trowbridge to try to secure a camp spot for a fire 
in the evening, and could not… we ended up winging it later on. And the day was eaten up by smallish things… Emily and Hannah went to school… we picked them up, we bought stuff for the campfire, Melinda made guacamole 
and rice krispy treats 
(these will become important later) Katherine and Emily made salsa… I worked on projects… Rainer played rock band 
, and tennis 
with Melinda on the Wii. We packed up cars with stuff for the campfire.
THE ceremony was fun… it moved quickly… I knew so many of the kids, many of our friends were there either for their own kids, or for Katherine, or for both. Desley, George and Perry sat behind me with Mary, it felt like my back-up crowd was there.
A huge emotional moment came when the vice principal told the story of one of the graduates… he was forced to live on his own at the age of 14, he had to leave school in Grade 11 simply to support himself, he works at our local Safeway, the staff and management there stood by him, he came back to school and now at age 21 he was graduating. While I did not know the story, I knew immediately who they were speaking of, it had to be the nicest, gentlest clerk there, Waylon. His name was announced as the winner of the Inspiration Award, and he stepped down to the front of the stage, beaming, but when he saw the auditorium on its feet applauding, he stood still and was himself overcome with emotion. I cry again remembering. 
Katherine was beside herself with joy when she grabbed her diploma, Lorraine almost knocked the vice principal down getting her diploma, Sarah snapped up some awards, and then it was over… and I started to cry. I turned around and Desley was there and I almost choked her with my death grasp. Afterwards, there were a flood of photos (as FB attests to) … and we might have lost our tripod 
there… anyone seen it?
We went to Trowbridge and had a campfire. Beneath the stars, the black sky, you could feel a timelessness… and I am thrilled Tony thought of this… it was a good fit for us… seems like the place to celebrate…
Friday, June 26th: The heat has broken and the air feels refreshingly cool…Photo shoot at Fiorito Foto and Design. Dana made it so much fun. The girls felt glamorous. Dana captured their individuality. Dana got six rowdy headstrong young women to cooperate and unify and still they shone as unique stars. Dana gave each one of them a gift: to see a beauty about themselves that all of us see… they got to see it. Also they received the gift of fun, delight, sheer joy, laughter together, an adventure together.
a bit of car trouble and Nik to the rescue.
Rainer went to Canadian Tire 
to deal with Mary’s tires. Where he was spied by Leona… he then went to the US 
to pick up Melinda’s passport which Earl has express mailed.
Once home, the girls set about cleaning- cooking- decorating -shopping… Melinda and Katherine went shopping, and Mary began to cook… about 7 batches of our family recipe curry… yes I will post recipes… I was working on some slide shows and printing Sarah’s book… Mary was also directing the kitchen staff(Grandma and Jenni) in sous-chef assignments… Jenni diced 4 packages of chicken… my mother cooked rice, cleaned up behind the cooks… Mary also baked and frosted several dozen cupcakes. Melinda upon arrival began to set up and decorate the party areas…. We had a drink station out on the deck and moved the huge dining table against a wall…. we had homemade salsa, Jenni’s egg dip, the curry, a Caesar salad, and 12 condiments. and… well, a plate of rice krispy treats 
from the campfire the night before.
Desley and Mary cut and assembled Sarah’s book… Tony set up the TV upon huge bins in the corner of the living room and slide shows played.. we had three slide shows, Sarah’s slide show refused to play on the DVD player but several people saw it on the computer.
Dinner was well received… Tony sang a song he had written for Katherine and Sarah, and there were some tears in the room… … in the loft, Pastor Al played the drums on rock band … Desley and Wil supervised a makeshift day-care in the backyard…
as the party was winding down, some of us sat in a circle in the dining room… Carson came and climbed up in a chair, and a bit of something bubbled from his mouth, then a little bit more, then spewing forth into the center of our little circle. Dana, cool as a cucumber and as fast you could say “rice krispy treat” went to cleaning up her little man.
It seems that he had a few too many… rice krispy treats that is, maybe 26 too many… give or take 20…
Amanda and Hannah decide to have “an all–nighter” … lol, they stay up all night…
Saturday, June 27th: we are beginning to feel the effects of going crazy… arrive late for the Bible study I am helping to lead, I have brought the wrong session on DVD, but these women forgive me… they love me… God uses the wrong session to answer some huge questions some of us have…
and Melinda and Emily go to the clinic… Emily is pronounced perfectly healthy, the white sludge having had disappeared from her throat, and Melinda receives antibiotics 
… Rainer leaves on a jet plane… Mother, girls minus Amanda and Hannah, and Beth go to see The Proposal… and then we watch rented DVD’s: Just Friends and Two Weeks Notice, as we are now jonesing on rom-coms (a term i learned from Mary, the filmer.) We ate grilled burgers and leftover curry.
Sunday, June 28th: Wake up and cannot remember when church begins… have we switched to summer schedule or not? I am in charge of updating church web site but I was not at primo condition all week, so maybe I forgot to update… but we find a bulletin and that mystery is solved… this is the day that we are having a birthday party 
for Leila, so sometime after church an unknown amount of people are coming over… Katherine suggests cheerios 
and jello 
since the guests will be babies… we end up adding macaroni and cheese and sliced hot dogs 
to the menu, plus cupcakes 
arranged to look like a bunch of balloons
… Amanda and Hannah decorate the living room with webkinz and toys. The TV is still up on bins so we add the slide show from her birth and a new slide show from the millions of photos Tony takes of her every week at church… PRESTO! a party a celebration! 
Tony says a a prayer before we eat for Leila and her family, our friends… for Melinda and Mary’s travel and I shed a tear over the riches in my life.
Nik asks Katherine to play the bass 
out at Murillo’s evening service… and she brings me home a trail mix cookie from Timmies 
…
Tony and I watch One Week 
this movie deserves its own post, and I might just do that tomorrow… Canada goes by on a motorcycle… quirky, offbeat, no easy answers, sensational music (Joel Plaskett ROCKS!) and a reminder to live like you might have but a moment left… a reminder to “make some history,” “to take no prisoners,” and to “blow their minds.”
Whew! 
Hang in there…just about done… Is everything here? no, nope, nada,
I chose not to record some moments of adversity, but I suspect if it is worthy to remember , we will…. I know the moments here will jog 
our memory for the unrecorded ones.. I didn’t want to forget this week, so it was important to me to write it down… like memorial stones in the river Jordan… (we will get some galleries up later)
and then this morning… Melinda has posted a link to a blog… Jump David Jump… written by a man who may (or may not) have ten years to live… read it… in the grand scheme it is more worthy than this post… BUT… for me~ it all comes together… the forgiveness of friends, of children, trail mix cookies and the daughter that brings you one, the delight of a 13 year old growing up, memories being built and constructed one minute at a time, art expressing huge stories and tiny moments, mistakes, friends, the threads that run thru our lives weaving us together…whether we like it or not, whether we appreciate it or not… the way this decision influences that event whether we realize it or not… it is bigger than you and me…
and if I only have one week left .. then well, I want to spend it with you… I want to pack in more time with loved ones, more time with Jesus, one more big huge thought about God and his love, one last bite of salsa, one last time hearing Emily say “ACK!,” one last time hearing Finley tell me his very important thoughts, one last casserole delivery, one last email… I want to spend it with you. I want last week again… packed with you.
**** Tony said in response to Carse on Friday… It’s not a party until someone throws up… yep, that and until you are there…
