...with a whopper!!!! Ladies and gentlemen!

Mackendra participated in her very first "Showdeo".  All the participants had different tasks they had to do while riding their horse.  They were awarded points according to fastest time and whether they completed the task.  In the 4 events, Mackendra placed in two of them.  She achieved 8th place in the riding while her arms were taped down around her waist, and she achieved 4th place in the above event...the riding while holding a Whopper candy on a spoon event.

Way to go kiddo!  Not bad for 3 lessons!

...a wonderful day...ruined.

Imagine a beautiful, crisp October evening.

Imagine that you are a nine year old girl on her very first horse back riding lesson.

Imagine that you are riding a gorgeous paint horse and having the time of your life.

Imagine you have finished your ride and are running around with your new friends, the other children in the horse riding lesson.

Imagine playing "horse tag".

Imagine running away as fast a you can from the kid that is "it", and they are running as fast as they can to tag you...imagine them catching you and giving you a little shove.

Imagine you falling forward and your shoulder slamming into a post and the breath being knocked out of you.

Imagine the ride to the hospital and the pain every time you try to move your arm.

Imagine your Mom's feeling of hopelessness as she receives a call from almost 300 miles away that you are going into xray, that the doctor is sure that you've fractured your left clavicle.

That's a wonderful day....ruined.

...R.I.P. Roxy the Hamster

Yesterday was a sad day.  Mackendra's hamster, Roxy, died during the night.  We knew she was coming to her end...she hadn't been moving or eating, or doing much of anything for the last two weeks.

So, we said our goodbyes and then buried her in the woods behind our house.

R.I.P. Roxy, you were a good pet.

...what a weekend!

So, you might ask, "what did you give the kids to make them fall asleep like that?"
And my answer would have to be..."a great weekend!"

We travelled down to Portland again this weekend.  Aislinn had a 3-on-3 tournament down there.  It was such a great atmosphere.  I'm not sure of the numbers, but there must have been about 250 teams, of all age groups playing outside 3-on-3.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  Aislinn's team was called the Dream Team.  And they were in the Gr. 9 division.  They had 2 games on the Saturday to rank them and won the first game handily, but lost a close one the next game.  They ended up playing 4 games on the Sunday, the second game against the same team they lost to the previous day, and winning the whole gosh darn division!  Yup!  They ended up the Gr. 9 Girls Champions!  Aislinn played amazingly.  She took her team on her shoulders and carried them all the way to the winner's circle.  Not to say that her teammates didn't help...they were fabulous!  They all contributed.  But Aislinn was in a different mindspace...she did not want to lose...she didn't let them lose.  I think it was the best I have ever seen her compete.  It was so great.

This was right after the won the last game.  The girls made their own shirts.  Cute huh?

And these were the shirts they won!  Even cuter!!!

It was Frank's birthday today as well.  When Aislinn asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he told her that the best present would be a championship...so, Frank was one happy birthday boy.

This was the only picture that I have of Frank this weekend.  It is actually me and him trying to figure out how to use the camera on my tablet.  Haha.

Mackendra figured it out way before us.  Witness one of her self portraits.

So, after 6 games and a great weekend of basketball, this was the girls on the drive home.

...my baby turned 9 yesterday.

So, my girls are growing up.  Yesterday was Mackendra's 9th birthday.  Yowsa!  9 years old, already!

It was kinda a quiet birthday, it usually is for Mack's birthday, unfortunately, most of her friends were away on their own summer vacations and were unable to come.  Summer birthdays, what can you do?

Anyways, we had cake and presents and decorations...and I think Mack had a great time.

And that cake????  It was delicious!

Happy Birthday, my love.

...Happy Birthday to Me!

So this is a few weeks late, but check out my new toy!!!!

This little baby is called the ASUS Transformer Prime...and oh my goodness, it is like a Transformer!  It doesn't turn into a car that shoots laser and talks, but almost...

Is it a tablet?  Is it a laptop?  Is it AWESOME?

Yes!  Yes!  and double YES!!!

It comes apart and I can tap all over the screen and it does cool stuff, and then, when I need to type something, I just pop it back into its keyboard, and voila!  Its a mini-laptop!!!  No more lugging around my regular laptop (which I must say, I still love and works wonderfully, and I use for homework) while I have to travel.  Nope!  Now I have this super powerful...very high tech (probably more high tech than I will ever need) super sleek device.  I now have access to all this cool, geeky stuff, and I can finally say, "I have an App for that!"  Hehehehe

This was my birthday present, from Mr. Wonderful.

Here he is looking mighty happy about sitting on a beach in San Diego.  That man loves the beach more than Mackendra, I think.

Anyways, I was asking for a Kindle, and Frank said, "why get a Kindle that only does one thing, when you can get an Android tablet that can run all the ebook apps you want plus SO MUCH MORE???"  I said, "uh...I don't know" ('cause I really don't) and then he proceeded to research and find me the best thing out there.

Glad that man never listens to me.

....About Mr. World Peace.

Ace met another NBA basketball star yesterday.  Lucky girl.

The man in the black is Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, of the Los Angeles Lakers.  The other dude in red is Big Gabey (he's pretty much family now).

Big Gabey and Metta have been hanging out quite a bit, every time Metta comes to Vancouver, at least.  Big Gabey sets up workouts and gets guys together for Metta to play with while he's in town.  Pretty cool...and they met through Twitter.

Anyways, yesterday Big Gabey texted us and told us that Ace could come up and meet Metta.  So we all jumped in the car and hung out until he was done his game and then he came over and talked with Ace.

This time, Ace wasn't as star-stuck.  She still smiled like crazy and didn't say much, but she was at least able to answer some of his questions.  Much better than last time with Steve Nash.  I think she was more prepared.

Metta was very nice and told her to keep working hard (she had been shooting around while waiting for him to finish his stuff).

So, now Ace knows two guys on the Lakers (Steve was traded two months ago)...hopefully we have a chance to go watch one of their games in the near future.  How awesome would that be?!?  And now with the signing of Dwight Howard...OMG! they are real contenders for a championship next year.

...The Summer Blahs.

So, I'm sure many of you can relate, at least the parents out there...

I'm in the midst of the "Summer Blahs".  It is that special time of year in which the kids are not in any summer camps and the vacations, for the moment, are over, and yet school has not resumed.  It is that lovely annual moment in which we hear, on constant rewind, "I'm bored!" and "Why do I have to go outside?"

I hate this time of year.  I am constantly yelling and threatening and shoving my kids outside.  "No! you can't stay in your pajamas all day, and No! you can't lie on the couch and watch TV all day!!  Go outside and DO something!"

I have a saying, and I truly believe it...."Only boring people are bored."  If my kids sit there and refuse to use their imaginations, or engage in any meaningful correspondence with another human being, of course they are going to be bored.

I really don't have the time or energy to entertain them all day, everyday.

 "Yes! you have to brush your teeth!!!   No!  Popsicles are not a major food group!   What?!?  No, you have to wear clean underwear, not your bathing suit from yesterday!"

Grrrrr....the Summer Blahs!

Please, please let these last few weeks go fast!

July 2012...A Summer Vacation

Just some of the pictures taken in the last few days...

We followed Aislinn's AAU basketball team to two tournaments...the first in Phoenix, AZ (which surprisingly, we did not take any pictures...I think it was too hot to even think about it...109 degrees!!!  My brain was melting) and then on to San Diego, CA (where the above pictures were taken, and a much more reasonable temperature of about 80 degrees).

In Phoenix, we spent as much time as possible as close as possible to any air conditioning we could find.  It was hot! hot! hot!!!  Frank, Mackendra and I spent the day at the waterslides.  It was a blast, and it did manage to keep us reasonable cool.

When we reached San Diego, we spent a full day at the beach (where Frank and I proceeded to get slight sunburns, even though I was running behind an annoyed Mackendra, reminding her and bugging her to put on sunscreen...she didn't and still didn't get burned...darn kids and their resilient skin!)  We also spent a full day (9am-11pm) at the San Diego SeaWorld park.  It was a blast and we loved all the shows and especially the new roller coaster "the Manta".  I think Mackendra went on it 4 times.

Aislinn has been playing a ton of basketball, and her team is doing quite well.  They only had 8 players for Phoenix and then 7 for San Diego.  They have been winning most of their games and Aislinn has really progressed and matured as a basketball player.  She has two more days of basketball this summer and then she will be ready for a few days off.  She really loves her team, they are a bunch of great girls.  And Angie, their coach, is learning a lot and doing a great job as well.  I can bet she is looking forward to the summer being over as well though. 

We have the rest of today (Monday) and then we fly home on Tuesday night.  It has been a great vacation and because Aislinn has spent all of her time with the team, and Mackendra has been staying with us, we've had a great time hanging out with her.  A lot of "Mommy and Daddy" time for the little one.

It is surprising that it is only the end of July...I've felt that with all the fun and activities we've packed into the last few days, that it could very easily be the end of the summer.  But...we have all of August to finds more fun things to do.

Enjoy the following video...

And have a great summer, yourself.

Love Tanya

Waiting for Summer...

Hello Friends and Family,

Well, tomorrow is the first of June.  Summer is just around the corner.  The weatherman needs to be reminded.  We have had the coldest, wettest, yuckiest spring that I can remember.  I think we've had perhaps 4 decent days since April.  It is so weird.  From one day to the next you cannot predict what the weather will be like.  I am dying to get out camping, but I won't even begin planning because of the periodic monsoons and frightfully cold nights.  It just wouldn't be worth it.

With Summer almost here, the kids are starting to get antsy and complain about having to go to school.  At least...more than they usually do.  I love hanging out with them during the long, long days of summer.  We always find fun things to do together.  We might go to the pool, or the park, or head out for a road trip or camping.  There are always lots of BBQ's and popsicles.  Its usually when we go visit family.

This summer, Aislinn will be spending most of June, July and August playing basketball down in Vancouver, WA.  She is playing for a great AAU travelling team and we will be putting a lot of KMs on the car getting down there.  I think we are planning on joining the team in Phoenix, San Diego, Portland and Seattle for tournaments.  So excited!!!!

Mackendra is playing on two soccer teams at the moment.  She is such a dynamic player and when she runs hard she is so fun to watch.  I think she will be spending some time in July with her cousins up in Prince George.

My little brother is getting married in July to the lovely Auria...about bloody time, I say.  Can't wait for the Bachelorette party!

Oh!  I finished my first clinical up in Penticton.  It went very well and I had a lot of fun working up there.  I am sooooooooo glad to be back home though.  Being away from the family just isn't right.  I will be starting my 3 online summer classes next Monday.  Boo!  And then I will be back in the hospital (this time in Abbotsford) on August 27th.

Frank is doing very well.  He's looking to finish his Business Degree this summer.  That will be huge!  Just like when I went back to finish my degree.  It will be such an accomplishment and the closing of a chapter in his life.

I don't have any pictures to upload...I know...boring!  But until this afternoon, our camera has been missing. I have to get back in the habit of taking pictures.  I think a whole six months of our lives has not been documented.

So, things are starting to pick up.  We will be very busy this summer.  I just hope the weather cooperates.

Tanya

...my new toy!

OOOOOOOO!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

After 15 years of faithful service, our old vacuum cleaner died of old age. I've been waiting patiently for this day, and I was promised a new Dyson, or as I call them, the Lamborghinis of vacuum cleaners.

Can you see the resemblance?

And boy, does it suck! It sucks like crazy! And we get to see all the dust and hair that the old vacuum cleaner failed to get.

Its cheap entertainment. And my floors are so clean.

Love my new toy.

...Guess what I did today???

I totally helped identify some unknown remains today!

I volunteered to go to the morgue, with another tech, to take some skull x-rays of some poor individual that was found deceased.

I don't know the whole story, but I do know that my images have been used to positively identify a missing person. X-rays were needed because the individual had been deceased for quite awhile and decomposition was quite advanced.

No, the smell wasn't bad. He was dessicated, not rotting.

Yes, there was some extensive damage to his head and face, but I did fine, didn't get nauseous or faint.

Yes! It was cool.

The other techs opted out of going, but I really wanted the experience. I am glad I did it and I am also glad at how well I handled it.

That's another notch on my belt. Feeling pretty good right now.

....Johnsons make the world go 'round.

So, I was witness to a beautiful thing tonight...

As I was sitting in my room in Penticton, I went on Skype and saw my husband, my sister's boyfriend, and my brother's fiance sitting in my living room, back in Coquitlam, laughing it up and having a great time with a couple beers and some hilarious stories.

It really was a thing of beauty....

3 different, unrelated people, brought together by their love of a Johnson.

We are one powerful family.

...I need to get back into doing scrap pages.

My sister, Ting, made the above scrapbook page. I love it. I used to do this. Before x-ray.

Maybe I will be inspired.

Thanks for the lovely page, Sis.

...where have I been, you ask?

Penticton, of course.

But of course it doesn't look like this right now...add more snow, less green.

That's more like it....except I don't hang out by the water...my view is a little more like this...

But, less sunshine...and more lonely.

This would be a picture of me, if I sat around naked, and I was more sepia-toned and less Chinese. See, lonely.

Actually, this is me now...in Penticton/Summerland. Wishing I were much closer to going home than I am.

A little under 2 months, people....2 long months.

I miss my kids...

I talk to them almost every night on Skype, but it just isn't the same.

Anyways! Found this picture on the internet...Aislinn in the newspaper again.

It was taken about a month ago. She was playing in the Junior Girls semi-finals. Her team lost. But I was pretty proud of her.

Okay, off to bed. Another day down...I'm keeping count!

Love Tanya

...Poor Mackendra.

Poor Mackendra.

Life just ain't fair! Mom has the day off...one of her lovely 4-days weekends. Dad is taking the day off "working-from-home" *wink*wink* so he can spend the day with Mom before she drives back to Penticton at OMG-o'clock tomorrow morning. And Aislinn has an "I-day" and doesn't have to go to school today. But Mackendra...Mackendra has to go to school. She tried everything to get out of it. And Mom and Dad had to bribe her with breakfast at Tim Horton's to make it happen. It worked, but she wasn't happy about it.

Poor kid...I'll find a way to make it up to her.

...Introducing...Marshall Chia Ho Hulme!

Marshall Chia Ho Hulme. Rachel, my little sister, is a brand new Mom! Marshall was a few days late, but then, he was in a huge hurry to get out. Rachel got in the truck at 7am to make the 35 min trek to town and Marshall made his appearance at 7:48am. Cutting it close, to say the least.

I can't wait to meet my new nephew. And share "war stories" with my sis.

Love you guys!

...which one is "Goofy"?

My Uncle Alex

The gentleman on the right, sitting there beside Aislinn? That is my Uncle Alex. Actually, he's my Great Uncle. He was my Grandmother's youngest brother. This is the last picture that we took together before he passed away recently. This picture was taken May 2011 on a surprise family trip down to California. We always made time to visit with Uncle Alex and Auntie Ceci. They were some of our favorite people. And the restaurant that we are sitting at? That's our most favorite Dim Sum restaurant in the world! Everytime we go through California, if at all possible, we meet up with Uncle Alex and Auntie Ceci at this restaurant and eat our butts off!

Uncle Alex passed away quite suddenly on October 3, 2011. He is sorely missed by our family. He was the sweetest and gentlest man I have ever met. He was a great piano teacher and both my girls wished that we lived close to him so he could have taught them how to play. Uncle Alex also loved to eat. He had a great appetite for Chinese food and because of that, we got to eat at some of the tastiest Chinese restaurants in and around San Francisco. This last time, at this very restaurant, Uncle Alex convinced Aislinn to eat Fish Eyeballs. EWWWWWWW!!!!

The last time we met, Uncle Alex treated us to a hearing of some of his favorite musicians on his top-of-the-line record player. It was a beautiful evening; sitting around, listening to great music with him.

I hope my Auntie Ceci is doing well. We've only talked once since his passing. She sounded so sad and lonely. I've phoned a few times, but once the phone was busy and the second, I simply left a message. I think we will make another trip down to California and visit Auntie Ceci soon.

We love you, Uncle Alex and we miss you terribly.

...oh oh...homesickness is setting in.

It has been almost a full week since I've left home. Today, Saturday, was the first day that I didn't have clinical, and the homesickness has set in.

Its going to be a long five months.

Penticton Regional Hospital

So...believe it or not...the powers that be have allowed me to irradiate living, breathing, human beings. I am currently on site at my first of three clinicals. I happen to be learning how to XRAY!!!! people at Penticton Regional Hospital. I am here for 5 months (against my wishes...I had hoped to stay closer to home).

My best friend from high school, Naryn, has graciously allowed me to live with her and her excellent family (Dave...the hubby, Taslyn...the super kid, and Stephen...the live-wire) in Summerland. I only hope we are still friends after these 5 months!!!

I have already completed two full days on the Radiography Department and despite what the other techs are saying....I have not broken any machines! I swear!!! Actually, the unspoken rule at the hospital is: its always the students' fault. They've even let me take some xrays on my own...well sort of...the techs were there to make sure I didn't screw anything up too horribly. So far...I don't think there have been any malpractice lawsuits threatened. So good start to the clinical.

With me in Penticton...that means that Frank is at home with the kids...again...for 5 months....while I get to play "new x-ray tech" here in Penticton. Can I just say that my husband is long-suffering, extremely understanding, completely supportive, and a great man for letting me do this again? I feel incredibly guilty about the entire thing. I hope I can make it up to him somehow.

I miss my kids too. We see each other and talk to each other via Skype each night. In fact, I think I have better conversations with Aislinn this way than face-to-face! But, it just isn't the same. I miss tucking them into bed each night. My only consolation is that my Clinical Instructor scheduled me for 4 day weekends almost every other weekend and it only takes me 4 hours to drive home. So, we all have something to look forward to.

I'll probably do some more blogging now that I have a little time. Stay in touch.

Love Tanya