THE WAY OF THE LORD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

This post is the 22nd entry of my self - imposed 22 day writers challenge!
For good measure, true devotion and utter enjoyment I will add two more days of daily writing which will bring us to June 1.

A long time ago I wrote my bucket list. On the paper I listed everything I wanted to learn, achieve, see, travel to, accomplish and read during my life party here on earth. One of the books I wanted to read is THE BIBLE.

This book scares me; it is way too thick and way too complicated written to make heads and tails of it. The Bible is THE silent bestseller on the book market. It has been around forever, it will never go out of fashion!
Knowing what the bible teaches is part of my own 'well rounded', personal education. I am born protestant to once- a- year church going parents. Religious education wasn't high on the agenda at school- it is part of our curriculum and not more.


Given the choice, I rather read a Dan Brown novel than the bible. Having said that, The Lord works in mysterious ways: A few months ago I decided to open my doors to two Jehova witnesses (Dec 14, 2013, True Religion), - who brought the bible into our house! To this day, I am still with the ladies! These two wonderful women have become part of my private, weekly enlightenment routine. We are flicking through the bible, we are reading bits and bops, comparing, talking, laughing.
What can I say, "Jehovah made me open the door so I can finally read his word".

What an interesting book this is. After spending all those months with the ladies you can ask me,
Are I converted? No. Are you wiser? Yes! Am I enjoying myself? You bet! Will I join the Jehovah crew? I Don't think so.



Our middle son plays basketball with the team of our local Christian School. After the first practise he was so surprised these boys are so normal, just like him! He told me some boys pray before having dinner, he asked me why we don't go to church!
Why don't we?
Over the years I formed my own belief about who or what GOD is. Dominic and I are free spirits, we are interested in everything others call God, Jehovah, Buddha or Allah.
I told our son, "Just because you go to church doesn't make you a good person. If you want to go, I will take you."
Guess what happened? Our son believes he is a good person - up to this day he has chosen to sleep in instead of getting up and going to church.

IS YOUR PRODUCT EXCLUSIVE?

THIS AIRLINE DOES IT RIGHT

The Human Resource Department of WestJet Airlines must be reading my book VERRY BERRY EXTRA-ORDINARY. How else did they find out about "my secrets"?
Secret No.1 It doesn't matter WHAT you sell, it matters HOW you sell it!
Secret No. 2: It doesn't need to cost money to become extra-ordinary.
Secret No.3: Just be creative!
Secret N.4: You only need to concentrate on one item only to make you special!
http://www.amazon.com/VERRY-BERRY-EXTRA-ORDINARY-Recipies/dp/1460203690/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360543398&sr=1-3-fkmr2&keywords=very+berry+extra-ordinary

When I flew home this morning, the ground crew plus flight attendants of WestJet had us passengers all smiling; from the first boarding call to their final farewell on the plane.

What did they do to make us all laugh? They didn't wear silly uniforms, they didn't dance, they didn't hand out little presents, all they did was...changed their tone of voice during their announcements and added some sparkly bits and pieces to their presentations!

Would you like to read an example?

Instead of the usual, monotone boarding announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, please come to get ...bla,bla,bla.
This lady dressed up her announcement like this (you need to read the following with attitude and FUN in your voice):

"Ladies and Gentlemen, flight No 234 to Abbotsford has a new check - in gate. Please come to gate B. B for Bruno, Beatrix, Bernice. Do you see the lady in her bright yellow vest, - the one waving at you- yes that me. If you want to get to Abbotsford you need to come and see me!"
"Do we have any little WestJetters whose parents want to get on board first? Kids, grab your parents and come on up!'


Inside the cabin it went something like this:
"Hello Ladies and gentlemen, we are flying to Abbotsford and we are taking you with us. This is flight No....

"We would be very surprised if you actually paid attention to our safety demonstration, but if you do, we would very much appreciate that."
'This comfortable Boing 737 has fashionable floor stripes which will illuminate in case of an emergency."
When the flight attendant demonstrated the oxygen mask we heard this :'" You too can look this beautiful if you pull the straps to tighten the mask""Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! By slightly changing their tone of voice, by adding a few silly words, the whole plane was listening!


It doesn't cost anything to stand out from the crowd! Good job West Jet Airline.
(I wonder how many books they bought...)

Home Sweet Home, It is great to be back on top of our rock.
See ya tomorrow!

CELEBRATION in THE PRAIRIE

Congratulations and jubilations are in order during my last night in the prairie.
[caption id="attachment_809" align="alignnone" width="300"] Workshop completed, PROST C.Waschko[/caption]

Today we did our second LIVE LIFE NOW event in the middle of nowhere (Weyburn), we rocked it, our guests laughed, cried and interacted vividly with us. If this isn't enough reason for celebration, here is another one: I am flying home in the morning. Back to kids, husband, dog (don't have one, it sounds good though) and castle.

It has been four days of no rest, not much relaxation and lots of running around. I really hope Dominic (my husband) didn't mistake this for a well deserved holiday on my behalf. Because it wasn't. The next time I prefer to get invited by an organisation who organized everything for me! Did somebody say it Is easy to create, market AND facilitate your own event? I don't think so - if they did, they were lying! If it's easy, everybody would do it - and where is the fun at that?

I look forward to coming home, being a mother again! Please, please, please, let there be a big pile of dirty laundry waiting for me. Let the fridge be empty! Please- I want to get back into the swing of things.
Told ya. the prairie makes me crazy!

Oh, and I nearly forget to tell you, the folks down here have a saying: "After three days you can still see your dog running." Yeap, it's that flat here!



Tomorrow I am back, reporting from luscious, green, hilly, picturesque, more busy and more crowded Lower Mainland B.C!

STILL HERE -

I should rename this blog to "Prairie Log", as this is my third entry on this topic! Bare with me, I will be home on Monday and things will get back to normal...

After our event, we left our venue elated and ready for tomorrow. It was 5.30pm Weyburn time on a Saturday, we went shopping when it hit me: The movie set from Yesterday World changed into Ghost Town: We hardly saw any souls anywhere! How many more names can you give this place?
6pm is too early to be tucked away at home, but not too late to be out and about?
Apart from petrol stations, the odd fast food joint and Walmart, everything else was shut. Let's hear it from Gail: You never ever see anybody out and about. Not on Monday, on Tuesday.....ever!

Today we presented our live event LIVE LIFE NOW for the first time!
Part of our presentation is devoted to goal setting. That got me thinking; Do you set goals? If yes, do you take them serious? Do you act upon them or do you live your life like "I want to become a rich, let's find a good job and see what happens?"

Here is my question: If we never heard of goal setting when we were little, and all you had was your imagination, your ideas and dreams- how far would they carry us?
Do we gravitate towards our own wishes and ideas anyways without manifesting them on paper?
Autsch, it's official, the prairie makes me mellow, I am writing way too serious stuff.

Right here is the part I should mention my parents, my all too serious, over protective father, my amazing hospitable, overwhelming mother. None of them open to anything fancy like 'becoming an entrepreneur, dream big, setting goals. What are goals again? Instead of 'doing what you love doing" the motto of my father was 'Do what earns a steady income and has a future (become a civil servant!). Enough said.
My parents deserve a whole book devoted to them, therefore I am not even tempted to start with them....you will thank me, believe me!

As my chances are slim to hear from you (?), I will answer my own question.
YES, we are guided by our dreams, wishes and ideas. Take it or leave it, here is part of my story:
When I was little, I fall in love with this man:

There was no question in my mind - ever, I was going to marry a native American!

I wanted to live in an English speaking country, become a writer and if I was lucky enough to have children, I wanted four - four Boys!
Here comes the spooky part: I am married to an American (without hair!), I live in Canada (reminder: they speak - among many other languages, English) I wrote a book and we have four boys (ok, I cheated, one is an exchange student, he is ours on a temporary basis only).

All this without ever knowing what goal setting is? What is that called?

One Happy Mother!
See 'ya tomorrow!

STILL In THE PRAIRIE

...and definitely not in love!
There is something about this flatness that depresses me - only kidding, nothing ever depresses me!
Rather, it feels like I stepped into yesterday world, straight from a movie set. After seventeen months of looking at the mountains in BC I can honestly say, the prairie is not for me (the power of snow covered mountain ranges makes you fall in love with them.)

Stop whinging Christina and get back to business:
My venture partner Gail and I are facilitating LIVE LIFE NOW here in Weyburn. Our event, nor we, aren't known (famous!!!) - yet. There is no sponsor, no event manager, no booking agent, no huge crowds waiting for us to hear our pearls of wisdom. All we have is our combined enthusiasm, stories, knowledge, experiences and a deep desire to inspire, help and motivate the ladies to LIVE LIFE NOW.

Today, we were busy was a capital B. We even did last day cold calling for our event at the local community. The employment agency, the Chamber of Commerce, schools, banks and kindergarden got their fair share of a quality 'Christina & Gail" -motivation pitch.
More shopping had to be done, Gail baked, broiled, printed, decorated and finalized the order of our presentation.
What was my involvement in all of this? I stressed Gail out, reminded her of the next tasks ahead, wrote the shopping list, ironed my shirts (even the folks here on the prairie like to see their presenter in a neatly pressed outfit, so I hope), packed my books and wrote this blog. Fair is fair!
[caption id="attachment_798" align="alignnone" width="224"] One busy lady![/caption]

Unfortunately, wishing, hoping and praying doesn't make it far in life if you don't get up and do your part! Fortunately, we did everything that needed to be done to make it a fantastic day tomorrow. Maybe I should go to bed wishing, hoping and praying for a successful 1 x event tomorrow.
Will see ya; tomorrow!

IN THE PRAIRIE

As you might remember, we immigrated from The Netherlands to hilly, beautiful B.C. We lived the 'flat' lifestyle for 12 long years; long enough to call myself an expert on Lowland - Living, big mistake!

Guess where I am at this right moment: Right in the middle of the Saskatchewan, in a place called Weyburn. If you need help with your bearings, let me help you. It's a bit further right from where we live, it is the second province to the east from B.C.
Whatever made me think Holland is flat? It is, but not as flat as it is here! Goodness gracious, the prairie is flatter than any pancake you ever baked, flatter than any crepe you ever ate. Let me say it again, it is FLAT in Saskatchewan.

This morning I left from Abbotsford airport, which is just the cutest, most efficient and less crowded airport I have ever been to. With cute I mean, as much as cute can be used to describe an airport.
In order to get to Abbotsford you drive through winding country lanes, picturesque scenery on both sides; the mountains are on the right hand side, the Fraser River on your left. There isn't a more idyllic way to get to any airport than this.

Coming back to the prairies- my mate Gail picked me up from Regina - (say the name with an English accent - not the German way- and you will know why I have a hard time saying it...) and we headed off to Weyburn. Which is a 100 km ride further down the dirt road with no street lights and road markings. During the car ride I couldn't get over the fact how flat it is...nothing to see, just a vast vastness.

To make the ride more interesting we shared stories about our past lives. If we had a friendly competition going on there, I pretty much won with my story about the teacher I know: Happily married for 20 years, four children, meets the love of her life and leaves her husband for - another woman! These two ladies move in together, husband is totally devastated (how can a man compete with another woman?), the ex- wife enjoys her new found pleasures. Anyway, after about two years ex wife returns back to her husband. The reason: Her lover cheated on her - with a man!
Yes, truth is stranger than fiction.

You will hear from me tomorrow with an exclusive report on prairie living!

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE QUOTES:

It


This will be it for today- What the heck, yesterday I introduced you to my personal, SEXIEST MAN ALIVE, today I shared with you some short and sweet wisdom!
See ya'tomorrow!

SEXIEST MAN ALIVE - EVER

[caption id="attachment_775" align="alignnone" width="224"] 2013: Sexiest Man Alive![/caption]Have you ever clicked on my Gravatar? If yes, you know what the Very Berry Extraordinary posts are all about. If you haven't , I will tell you now: I write about our new life here in Vancouver. The truth is, life as immigrants in a new country is as life as citizens in your own country; sometimes it is amazing, smashing, frustrating or extra-ordinary; and sometimes it is just - living life! It is normal as everywhere else. I.e. nothing ever so special happened in our immigrant life today.
So instead of bitching about the current high petrol price, $ 1.49 per liter, I will let you in on one of my best kept secrets. I will share with you who my all time favourite, hottest man alive is! ( I am sure you can't wait to read about this one...)

Courtesy of willing readers of PEOPLE MAGAZINE, we get an annual update on the SEXIEST MAN ALIVE.
In 2013, the crown goes to Chunning Tatum. Would you argue with this decision? You tell me.
He follows into the footsteps of Bradley Cooper(2011, USA), Ryan Reynolds (2010, Can.),Jonny Depp (2009, USA), Hugh Jackman (2008, Aus.), Matt Damon (2007, USA), George Clooney (2006, USA), Matthew McConaughey (2005, USA), Jude Law (2004, UK), Jonny Depp (2003, USA).

Do you see that the mighty, vastly populated United States has produced more sexy beasts than any other nation on earth?
I will argue with this decision!

Looks are fickle, fashion comes and goes, the new trend or face is waiting around the corner. Looks mean little if you only have looks- no sex appeal, no 'something'!
Therefore, I want to introduce to you, the most overlooked, undervalued, highly sexy, ever so timeless, witty, cruel, most famous man(?) ever produced. Right, he is a fictitious creature, he doesn't exist. The actor yes; Mr. Tim Curry wouldn't make it far in any beauty contest...

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Very Berry Extraordinary's Own SEXIEST MAN ever created: Yes, you need to click-
( I am NOT talking about Brad, I am talking about Frank)



I sweear to you, this is no joke! I LOOOOVVVVEEEEE this creature! Whenever I watch this scene I get goosebumps from top to bottom.
What do you think? Desperate housewife syndrome? Or can you relate and agree?

I FEEL AT MY TOUGHEST...

definitely not when I sit in a traffic jam, listening to crappy music tunes.
I re-tuned my radio stations and found CBC radio- something similar to BBC radio in England.
Finally, more talk than dumbing down auto/ food/ fashion commercials. This radio station offers a news update as well- NEWS is a word non of the other big commercial radio stations recognizes or respects.
Crawling through the traffic I listened to a beautiful story about being tough. The narrator ended with the question "When do you feel at your toughest?'
Here are some of the answers I loved

- When I change my daughters diapers (told by a father)
- When I wear my Doc Martens
- When I chop an onion without bursting into tears
- When I wear sunglasses inside
- When I ask for a pay rise
- When a woman asks me to open a can for her
- When I need to change a car tire

And me, personally?
I feel toughest when I walk into a bookstore, a copy of Verry Berry Extra-Ordinary in hand, give the manager my best pitch, eye contact and all- and get turned down. It hasn't happened too often -yet- , still, with this NO I am getting closer to a YES!

When do you feel at your toughest?

ABOUT BRONCOS & CRABS

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On this glorious Sunday afternoon half the population of Vancouver's Lower Mainland area stood in line for the Rodeo in Cloverdale (Dominic and I included)

- the other half was on the beach in White Rock (where we ended up going).

Our much anticipated trip to the Rodeo was cut short due to the fact all their tickets were sold out. Bugger, why didn't they tell us that before we stood in line for 40 minutes? Our next chance to watch real cowboys would be in Calgary during the Calgary Stampede in July- but that is a 12 hour drive from our house.

On our way back to the car we received the above leaflet from one (friendly!!!!) anti rodeo demonstrator. She told us about modern day techniques to make a horse buck.

Holy Moly! And I was under the impression cowboys still use real wild horses and bulls. Ask a professional cowboy and he will twist and turn this evidence to his liking accordingly.

The day was too young to drive back home. Instead we set out for lovely White Rock. White Rock is the sunniest city in all of Canada. It is chosen as retirement place by many wealthy, healthy (it's hilly there) pensioners; it is a favourite hang-out spot for day visitors.

Instead of watching horses going crazy, we watched crab trappers doing their business instead. Did you know you can catch crab with raw chicken pieces? Canadian rules and regulations for a crab hunter are intense (see picture above). Only males of a certain size are allowed to be caught. The rest must be thrown back into the water - and only four big ones per crab fisher are allowed to end up in the pot!

See ya tomorrow for day 13!

FRED & GINGER at STARBUCKS

I never had so many magic moments with complete strangers as I have here in Canada.

Moments initiated by random, funny, friendly comments. Most of the time these sound bites lead to more 'serious', still non - committal chit - chat with no hidden agenda. My encounters with strangers ranges from an encouraging "Want a ride?" (while I am running up the hill) to long drawn conversations; like the one I had the other day with a photographer in Fort Langley. The latest one in my collection of wonderful moments happened at Starbucks today!

The gentleman in front of me, a casually dressed, handsome, mid 50's guy placed his order. I didn't hear what he ordered exactly but I remember his answer when Starbucks girl asked him: "What is your name again?" Instead of the common Peter, Michael or Dylan response, he told her "Fred Astaire." Ha,ha, I thought that was funny. What was even funnier, Starbucks girl (in her late teens) wrote the name on his cup!



Hearing the dancers name brought flashbacks of happy childhood memories: Saturday afternoons spent in front of the tv, watching dance classics like "Shall we Dance"; Fred Astaire tap dancing across the silver screen with partner Ginger Rogers.
Right there and then, in the queue of Starbucks, I did a little dance routine, spread my arms out wide and yelled "And I am Ginger!"

Fred in front of me turned around, laughing. Ghee, he was happy to see his old dance partner again. Nevertheless, he needed to get it off his chest:"I remember you much taller." Which I retaliated with "Yes, with my dance heels on. Today I am with the bike, I am wearing Converse."

Dominic was laughing and so were all the other mid 40's present in the line up. The Starbucks employees still didn't get it! Sadly, they never heard about the most famous dance duo in movie history(or is that team Travolta/ Newton-John?). It all depends on how old you are.

The cashier got so confused that he handed Fred's change into my outstretched hand. He figured (rightly) Fred and Ginger belong together.

The moral of the story? If you are a middle - aged man (or woman) stay away from the young ones! They wouldn't even know the songs you whistle to - or you movies you used to watch. And how much fun can that be?

See ya 'tomorrow. We are off to the Rhodeo in Cloverdale.

THE OVERRATED VIRTUE of BEING BUSY

This is post 10 of my 22- day challenge! So far so good; I am quite impressed with my determination to not falter under pressure. It is a real task to put something more or less intelligent into cyber space on a daily basis. Here we go, number 10:
If you fall into the Parent / Working category, life will offer you two guarantees: Our children will grow uo and the next tax bill is in the post! If you live in Vancouver, you can add a third certainty; sooner or later it will rain again. Like today!

Dr. Seuss said it best when he wrote:

"The sun did not shine
It was too wet to play
So we (I) sat in the house
All that cold, cold wet day.

I sat there with Sally (alone)
We sat there we two,
And I said, "How I wish I had something to do!" The Cat in the Hat


Right here I need to BLEEP: There is always something to do, to research, to focus on, to change, to clean, to bake, to shop for, to fix, to improve, to organize, to find, to connect to, to write about, to help with, to educate on, to volunteer with, to offer, to dream about, to worry / to laugh about, to waste time with, to argue about, to wash, to iron or simply put, to change the world to make it this tiny bit better.
And sometimes, on a rainy day like today, it's fabulous to let somebody else do the above.
All I need to decide on is how to break the news to my husband when he comes home:

"Then my husband came in
And he said to us two
"Did you have fun? Tell me, what did you do?"
And I did not know what to say
Should I tell him
The things that went on here that day?
Should I tell him about it?
Now, would should I do? Well...
What would you do if your husband asked you?
(Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat)

IS THERE such a THING called LUCK?

[caption id="attachment_156" align="alignnone" width="300"] The lucky couple! C.Waschko[/caption][caption id="attachment_151" align="alignnone" width="225"] One lucky couple! C.Waschko[/caption]I just talked to my parents in regards to their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary!

My dad considers himself a very lucky man! He always mentions 'how lucky' he is that he married my mom; how 'lucky'he was with his job. how 'lucky' he is his children live the good life!

That makes me wonder, how much luck can one man have? How lucky can we get?

Could you help me out with the following:

Are we born under a 'lucky star'?
Is it destiny we are born into a certain social class?

Do we have a personal destiny to fulfill? Is there a book written for us when we are born - i.e. whatever happens to us has to happen because it was written in that book?

Thank you for helping me to define'being lucky'.

YES to a SECOND TERM?

Yesterday, citizens of BC went to the polls. Today, we hear the province wants the same old, same old.

In a few weeks, our household has to vote if we want to grant our Korean exchange student Joey a second term in our home!



Last year in September we said yes without hesitation. We had the wonderful opportunity to offer a young boy a home away from home. All it took was a firm handshake plus the promise to offer board and three square meals a day. Back then it was the beginning of a new adventure.  Soon we need to decide if we want the same old without him, or the same old with him.

Cooking or doing the laundry for a sixth family member doesn't bother me - what bothers me is his mess! His room is a minefield of scattered dirty, clean, wet, dry clothes. Wrappings of candy bars, Korean noodle packs, books, writing utensils, cologne etc I am sure you get the picture!

Our boys have already said Yes to a second term. Joey has successfully slurped and gamed himself into the hearts of this adopted brothers. Dominic and I are more fussy.  We will only offer him a second term if he promisses to

- put his dirty towels (plus clothes) into his laundry basket - and doesn't leave them on the bathroom floor  (maid service please!)  One day we actually run out of fresh ones, they were scattered around his wc- he uses a fresh one every day!

- he agrees to hand in all his hand-held electronic devises after 10 pm. That will be a tough one, he is on them all night!

- he throws away his earphones. He loves the buzz in his ears all day long; you can't talk to that kid - you need to yell!  He can't hear you! (or doesn't want to hear you) .

- obeys  my 'get outside rule. This is another tough one! Joey loves our men den, his computer and the spacious indoors!  Guess for how long he can sit in front of the computer for? Guess again! NINE (!!!) hours! Even for a hard-wired  Korean computer geek I think this is a bit much

- he stops taking 30 minute long midnight showers!

What I don't care about is how he spends his parents money: He only buys the best of the best. For him that is everything with the name NIKE on it!  I send my boys to the SALE aisle, Joey hits straight to New Releases!

See ya tomorrow for day 9 of my 22 day challenge!

[caption id="attachment_230" align="alignnone" width="225"] Am I happy about a second term?[/caption]

 

OUR THREESOME hit ROCKBOTTOM

Day seven (of my personal writers challenge) marks my 7th episode, 8th season itch with special agent Jack Bauer (24)!



Yesterday saw the breaking point in my relationship with him, I fall asleep;  as soon as a man puts a woman to sleep, it's time to say Good-Bye! I rather knock it off right now  than sleep through the remaining 16 episodes. I prefer to dump him than wait for the grand finale.

All there is left to do is break the news as gently as possible to Dominic! . We were in it together! Both of us enjoyed our threesome thoroughly - ours wasn't a crowded marriage of convenience, it was a match made in heaven!

Jack was always there for us, he is the perfect host!  He never talks back, he knows how to entertain, he is witty and very problem solving oriented! Not once did he interrupt us. We on the other hand could pause and stop him any time we wanted to, with no hard feelings attached!

Thanks to Jack, Dominic turned into a fine agent himself. After 176 episodes his business brain turned into agent mode. With most accuracy Dominic can predict the outcome of any plot invented by writers anywhere. He even offers remarkable solutions to a pending nuclear attack - all from the safety of his own couch!

Now I remember why I like Jack so much, he reminds me of my husband when he still had hair!

Oh Jack, we had our good times together, 7040 minutes long to be precise! We watched an average of two hours daily, mostly past midnight; which turned us into compatible cast members for the Walking Dead.

Unfortunately, I violated my own rule to enjoy a party, 'leave at the height of your enjoyment'. Instead of taking one episode at a time, I turned into  an addict. I wanted too much!  I got my fingers burned, lost my appetite, and got bored! Sorry Jack, it's not you, it's me!

Dominic has to enjoy the action on his own, I might sneak in every so often, but as I'm concerned, it's over!

See ya tomorrow!

I Have a NEW PARTNER,

she is a woman!

[caption id="attachment_729" align="alignnone" width="225"] The Dream Team! C.Waschko[/caption]

She is my joint venture partner! Teaming up with somebody else? Me? No way, I like to be in control! Now I changed my mind; what happened?  Do I get older and wiser?  Do girls have more fun together?The answers will be two times yes, and the second answer needs to be seen!.

On post six of my 22 day challenge I want to update you on one of the various book promotion plans I put into action: I talk -  and created a fun, inspirational presentation "Dream & Dare to make it Happen!". ..

Writing about talking, this is where Gails gets into the picture! She likes to talk too, but in a different manner and vastly about different topics! Gail is a Quantum Leap Strategist, a Life Coach with over 20 years of experience! Gail knows how to change a mindset- I know how to get you off your arse and do what needs to be done! I know how to help you find your USP (Unique Selling Point) and how to take advantage of this something!  With our two very different skill sets we put a workshop together.

Gail already offers LIVE LIFE NOW through her company; with me as partner we gave it a totally different spin!  Are you curious? Please read about it here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/571093552915499/

This worshop is the first in a line of events we have planned throughout the Vancouver and Regina area!

I like the idea of talking myself onto a Bestsellers List. What do you think? Noble, dumb, old fashioned, too time consuming, exciting, hard work ... I would love to hear about your approach on making the list (bestsellers- that is)

See ya tomorrow!

 

BATHROOM TALK

Gentlemen, does the following scene looks familiar? You, your wife (or girl-friend) and a few other couples are sitting in a restaurant. At one point your wife excuses herself to use the washroom! This is the secret code for all the other ladies to get up, grab their bags and follow your wife into the sacred chamber - never to be seen again!



Have you ever wandered why it takes us so long to return? Ever wandered what's going on behind closed doors? (for educational purposes only,- no kinky stuff please).

I have a good idea what we are doing in there. Just this afternoon I read an article about the popularity of washrooms in restaurants and bars - and apart from the occassional drug user, it's all harmless stuff!

Guys, let me be your fly on the wall in a female washroom:

As soon as we enter a bathroom, we women turn them into our social network lounges! Have you noticed, we love to chat! We chat waiting in line for a vacant cubicle, we chat when we are inside the cubicle. We might even chat to the stranger in the space next to us. If needed, we exchange toiletpaper through the gap with the woman on the other side of the wall.

The one thing we don't do, we don't poop- in plain men talk it means, fart! We rather explode than letting it rip!

When we leave our stall we gossip, apply a new layer of lipstick, add more powder to the face, comb our hair, chat some more! We wash and dry our hands long and thoroughly. By the end of our visit we have made a few more friends!

I asked Dominic what he does when he goes to the bathroom. He looks at me, raises his eyebrow and said:"Nothing!" ( he thinks: dumb question, what do you expect me to do?)  Literally, he walks in, does his business, washes his hands (???) and walks out. Now I get it, that's why there is never a queue in front of the WC for men -  you unsocial creatures you!

See ya tomorrow for day 6 of my 22 day challenge!

BATHROOM TALK

DUTY and OBLIGATION of a citizen

We have a General Election coming up here in BC on May14! Our call of Duty has arrived a few weeks ago- and blimey, until this morning I was under the impression we are not allowed to vote - we aren't Canadian Citizens - yet! This morning I read the small print and yeep, panic sat in: We are allowed to make our voices heard!



Ha, the only problem is, we don't have the slightest idea who deserves our vote! I have three more days to read myself more clever to make an informed, educated and logical (for us) decision on Tuesday.



If we want to see changes or support the status quo, we need to make our voices heard! If there is something to vote for or against, I am in. It's important to have an opinion, to stand for something or somebody- non of these wishy-washy answers like "doesn't really matter, you decide for me, I don't really care",  for me. Three more days to read to get informed...

In business I always support the undeerdog, the independent business owner,- never a franchise or a corporation. They both kill creativity, the second one is too big to care about me as customer! In politics I always vote for one of the two big ones - to me that makes more sense than supporting the independent party who can't make a change yet!

BC's current Premier is Mrs. Christy Clark, a Liberal, challenged by Mr. Adrian Dix from the NDP (New Democratic Party). Like everywhere else in the world, the reigning party gets shit what what they did and what they are currently doing and the opposition promises to do everything better or different. As I am not quite sure what exactly goes on in Party Land, I can't bore you with political jargons, promises or statements. All I know is,  I will be ready by Tuesday.

One of the big ones for me is the current debate to build a 1177 km long twin pipeline to carry app. 525.000 barrels of petroleum per day (!) from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat in B.C.

Mrs. Clarks loves the idea of building the pipeline, to create local jobs and more prosperity to the Province. The original plan was to sell the petroleum to the Chinese, but as I just heard, they pulled out of the deal. Mr. Dix is soooo anti pipeline. One of his objections is based on the environmental impact a leak would cause- can you imagine?  Good thinking Mr.!

I need to check on healthcare, education, college tuitions, job prosperity, economic growth...it will be a weekend spend reading! But again, you will see us at the voting booth- it is our right and our obligation!

WHEN It's HARD to be a WOMAN

On day three of my 22 - day challenge I want to enlighten and delighten you about the most frustrating 'thing' we women face on a more or less regular basis!

If you think I am referring to                                                                                              Our daily shower-shave-make-up routine,  Finding yet another excuse not to have sex ("I don't feel like it" is a statement, - not an excuse), - Getting our period whilst out and about, wearing white pants, - Getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and realizing: Dad has forgotten to show us how to change one of these, or Learning that getting pregnant is easier than raising children, please think again!

All these above are slight inconveniences - they come with the territory of being a woman! No, what I am refering to is the agonizing, time consuming quest to shop for the perfect dress!

Nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the fruitless outcome of wandering through the mall, visiting one shop after the other, trying on countless items and still come home empty handed. You have the vision in your head, you have the money, and still can't find what you came for.

[caption id="attachment_702" align="alignnone" width="225"] My fashionable Self at the beginning of my quest C.Waschko[/caption]

I've done the mall walk many times over, this time I went to Value Village instead- at least their dresses won't shrink or fade anymore!

[caption id="attachment_698" align="alignnone" width="300"] A fun shop for all of us who like a good challenge! C. Waschko[/caption]

At my age (younger than Madonna, older than Nicole Kidman) I prefer to shop for something that suits me rather than what is in fashion.  My body type (taller than, but less trim and muscular than Madonna, more toned than Nicole) calls for a dress that ends above the knee. If you have short legs, anything below the knee makes them look even shorter.

[caption id="attachment_699" align="alignnone" width="225"] This one is too long, the wrong pattern.    C.Waschko[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_700" align="alignnone" width="225"] This one is too short, need a tan first                               C. Waschko[/caption]

I love sleeveless outfits - then I notice my upper arms are more flabby than "normal" these days. Ok, no sleeveless for me today. Something low cut is pretty cool too- but only if you can fill out the cleavage bit! Here again, this one comes off the list. I like a slim cut, not a tight fit! The difference between figure hugging and tight is choosing between looking like a pro or a sausage - here we go again, we are back to sausages!

[caption id="attachment_701" align="alignnone" width="225"] Nice one... for somebody else! C.Waschko[/caption]

What about colours or patterns?  This is another, all too serious matter altogether. As a matter of fact I know, green, brown or lilac doesn't suit me, vertical stripes make us look fat. One of my favourite colours is blue- the problem is, I own way too many shades of blue already!

How difficult is it to find a good fitting, half sleeve, knee length dress with a round neck? Very! I couldn't find it at Value Village either!

Dear husbands, boy-friends or partners of sorts, do you see how difficult it is for a woman to find the perfect something? (not you, the dress)!

The next time your respected spouse comes home with her new outfit please give her a hug, pay her a compliment and don't look at the price tag! Most likely she went through hell finding what she came home with!

I will see ya' tomorrow!

A Canadian Delicacy: POUTINE

We Germans have a love affair with sausages!

If I have to name two of my countrys' obsessions, it has to be soccer and sausages!  We even have the big North - South divide: The folks down in Bavaria love their Weisswurst;

[caption id="attachment_690" align="alignnone" width="300"] That's the Bavarian way[/caption]

whereas we in the North can't stand that stuff; we prefer our harty currywurst!

What soccer and sausages are to a German is hockey and Poutine to a Canadian! Let me introduce to you, the National Dish of Canada:

Poutine is the ridiculous combination of French fries, sprinkled with cheese curd (or melted cheese), drowned in gravy!!! 

Don't be fooled by its appearance, it may sound disgusting, it tastes heavenly!

Nobody really knows whom to thank for this discovery; the French fry is hardly a Canadian invention!  (It is generally accepted that the fries were invented by either the French or the Belgians).

Poutine was born in rural Quebec in the 1950's- but as I just said, not one person can  claim being the inventor! Like many good things in life, poutine was created by accident.

One serving of crazy fries has more calories than you can consume in a whole week! It is  one of these "I have to be in the mood"- "I had one beer too many" - dishes!  

Enjoying Canadas National dish goes hand in hand with eating a whole tub of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream or polishing off a 200gr Milka chocolate bar- you know it's not good for you, but your body tells you, do it anyway. You feel drawn to the darker, more greasy side of life- you want to live on the wild side of the menu card!  

If you are planning to visit beautiful Canada, make sure you get your fix of soggy, cheesy, salty fries- there is nothing like it!

Whereas a good sausage can go with every meal, Poutine has to be reserved for the next special occassion! Mothers Day perhaps?  

See 'ya tomorrow!

THE MOST ANNOYING THING PARENTS DO...

...when dropping off their children at school.

Parents are the same all around the world: We only want the best for our kids and bugger the rest!

When it comes to waving good-bye to their precious ones, parents park their cars everywhere, regardless of whose driveway it is, what is in front-, besides or behind them.

It's the same old scene every moring, regardless of where you are in the world! What my Dutch buddies do with their bikes - leave them everywhere- my new Canadian parent friends do with their cars-  leave them everywhere! I just love it, it proves the point we are only people, regardless of where we live ! Canadians may be ueber friendly, but for these 2 minutes in the morning they are as ignorant, over protective and arrogant as the rest of the world wide parent group!

This madness is bad enough during dry, sunny days- imagine what is going on when it's raining... need I say more?

I can wash my hands in innocence, I am not part of this group- I prefer to bitch about them and make my boys walk!

[caption id="attachment_683" align="alignnone" width="300"] Strolling home photo: C. Waschko[/caption]

Now that this is off my chest, it is time to cook dinner- again- I will see you tomorrow!

Just a reminder, this was the first entry of my 22 day challenge!