Thankful

I'm a big believer that feelings and actions are connected but not in the way that most people assume. I think the general assumption tends to be that ones actions are a reflection of one's feelings. You know how it goes. Boy likes girl so boy pursues girl. What if that's only part of the picture? What if our actions inform our emotions, our feelings, our heart?

Right now I'm not feeling too thankful. It's a season, I guess. It's easier to see the things that are frustrating, discouraging, disappointing and hurtful. Instead of focusing on that, however, today I choose to think about the things that I am thankful for. I am actively focusing on those things and hoping that by choosing that path I will be able to embody a heart of thankfulness.

So here it is. Right now, I'm thankful for...

• Sunshine and warm weather.
  
• A good cup of coffee. It's amazing how a good cup of coffee can make the day brighter.
  
• Green grass.
• The smell of the blossoms on the tree outside my door.
• Chocolate...the darker the better.
  
• Being active.
  
• Not one but two jobs that I enjoy
• Games. Board games. Sports. I like games.
• Good books
• Kids. They're fun...and their love is unconditional.
  
• warm showers after teaching swimming lessons.
• Staying connected via my blackberry. It's a fun new toy.
  
• People that understand, sympathize but don't patronize. They're few and far between but a gift when you find them.
• Flip flops...and no socks. I don't like socks.
  
• BBQ'ing
  

Finals

Yes, we're rolling into the beginning of June and into the Stanley Cup finals. It's that time of year. Also time for ball tournaments, birthdays, sunshine and crazy kids in the pool for swimming lessons but that's all for other posts.

Back to hockey.

I'd wanted to see Pittsburgh and Chicago in the finals but was sadly disappointed by Chicago. Really. They didn't even show up. Sad. So, here it goes...

(4)Pittsburgh v. Detroit (2)

Pittsburgh is young and on fire. They got off easy with Carolina, finishing them off quickly and with little injury. They've had a bit of a break now but, sadly, breaks never seem to bode well at this point in the playoffs. Plus, Detroit is a bit more mature and, well, Detroit. As much as it pains me to do it (I hate Detroit! Yes, I do know I've said that before.) and as much as this article might give me hope, I'm going to pick Detroit for the Stanley Cup Champions in 6 games. Sigh.

Oilers introduce new head coach...

Welcome Pat!! Looking forward to a good season!

Read up on the details here.

Current Read

The Birth House, Ami McKay

Current Read

Wings, Terry Pratchett

Calgary Herald Book Drive 2009

Just in case anyone is wondering, yes, I am a geek. Yes, I do love books. Yes, there will be a Calgary Herald Book drive again this year and, yes, I do have dates.

Check it out at the Crossroads Market on June 12 to 14 and June 19 to 21.

I'm looking forward to it.

Round 3

Well, round 2 went a little bit better. Game 7's. Overtime. Surprises. Hits. That's playoff hockey, folks, and it's set to continue!

Eastern Conference

(4)Pittsburgh v. (6) Carolina

I'll be honest, Carolina seems to have come out of nowhere one me. I didn't expect them to make it past round let alone to the Eastern Conference Final. Still, I'm finding myself a fan of team Crosby, I mean, Pittsburgh. I'm taking Penguins in 7.

Western Conference

(2) Detroit v. (4) Chicago
I don't like Detroit. Never have. I don't know why. I just don't. They've got a good team yet again. That said, Chicago's been full of surprises this year and is looking calm, cool, collected, confident...and like a winning team. Not one to shy from picking the underdog, I'm going with Chicago in 7.

Yup, both series in 7 games. It's going to be a good round, folks! Chicago and Pittsburgh in the finals sounds like fun, too, doesn't it!?

Let them eat cake!

This was sent to me in an email. You know, one of those forward things. I thought it was fun...could be that I'm ready for dessert. Mmm...dessert...

It was fun to think of what desserts I appreciate most and see how close the "psychiatrists" were.

(the pic is one I took at Andrew and Denisa's wedding May 2, 2009)

If all of the eight desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one)! Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.

REMEMBER - No Cheating. Make your choice before you check the meaning.

Here are your choices:

1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue Pie

4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Icing

7. Ice Cream

8..... Carrot Cake

No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully about what your choice will be.


OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what the
researchers say about you... SCROLL DOWN---No Cheating


1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When
tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

3. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent caregiver and a good teacher.
But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your
own thing. You shine when it comes to helping others and have many friends.

4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and
lacking motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving.... You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. You can be very emotional at times but a true20person in every way. You like
to do things for yourself and help others learn about themselves.

6. CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING-- Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball, football,basketball, or soccer.. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't
like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends. You were meant to lead and teach others. A wonderful role model.

I've decided it's like the horoscopes, really. You can pick any one of them and find yourself in them but it's still fun. Any guesses on which one I picked? ;)

Alan Hirsch

Here's a link to the blog of a guy who's doing a lot to help re-educate and re-orient the churches across North America and Australia to living as Kingdom focused, Jesus lead, missional people. Some good stuff and lots of great links to all sorts of resources. Enjoy!

I'm a little crabby with blogger right now. I can't seem to get a picture into the header without it doing wacky and crazy things. Like shrinking it to half the width of the frame...or extending the image and the corresponding description in the header to unreasonable proportions off the screen. Arg.

Why won't it just do what I want it to!? Insert image from file! Is that so hard?

Here's another reason that I know it is really spring...wait for it...ball season! I played my first game tonight (they played last week but I had to work so it doesn't really count). There was no rain and no sno..wait...um...none of that white stuff that starts with "s" (Can't say it. Don't want to jinx it!)...just a lot of wind. It was cold but we played. I wasn't swinging very well yet but played descent in the field - first base tonight, boys - so that made me feel a bit better.

It just felt so good to be outside playing a sport after what's felt like a long, long time indoors over the winter. I love sports. I love outside. I love hanging out with good people. Putting the three together just seems like a good idea.

The team looks good and I'm happy to be playing. I think it's going to be a good season.

See the entire collection here.

If You Could Design a T-Shirt, What Would It Say?

My sister just sent me these after a conversation a while back about a t-shirt I'd create. I'm sure it already exists but it would read: "I see stupid people." 'Cause I do. They're everywhere. Then I decided that that likely wouldn't be very flattering or edifying. Maybe I need to come up with something better.

Lost?

This is one of my favorite versions of one of my favorite Coldplay songs.

*This video came from a competition - there are several other descent videos featuring the same song.

NHL Plays of the Year