I was just sitting on the main floor of our house eating a bowl of Rice Krispies with bananas, while reading the Saturday comics. Banks and Stella were sitting there staring at me, waiting to be able to lick out the bowl. My mom is in Edmonton with all her sisters for a crazy shindig, and my brother was staying at his girlfriends for the night (no worries its all kosher - she lives futher out of town that we do, and they have an extra room for him). So I am home alone reading the comics, the last one to be exact, The Family Cirucs, when BANG, I heard something fall in the basement. Shit. I sit still waiting to here any more sounds. One minute goes by, my mind is racing, horrible things are starting to creep into my head. BANG again. Shit there is someone in the house. I go into panic mode. I run to my room to get my phone not there, I sneak in the kitchen as to go undetected by the intruder, race back to my room and madly dial my brothers cell. I am so panicy I dial the wrong number and get some freak on the phone. Shit. I try to dial agian, except I hit the vol. button instead of the talk button and the phone rings (adjusting the phone volume) and I jump to the roof. Okay, calm down. I get my brother on the phone, I am whispering "Justin there is someone in the house."
"I locked the doors when I left."
"Well," I explain, "I think they came in the basement window."
"Oh," he says, "do you want me to come home?"
"No they will kill me before you get here."
"Well what do you want me to do."
"I want you to stay on the phone with me. I am gonna go get a knife. Shit there are no sharp knives in this house."
"Get that white one, it's a dagger. Or better yet run upstairs and get my machete."
"Justin, I don't have time for that. So stay on the phone, if I scream call the cops."
I start to creep downstairs, its pitch black cause all the light switches are down there. My heart is pounding, I switch on a light, and another, and one more. I go to the laundry room, nothing, spare room, nothing, main room, nothing. I check all the windows, they are intact.
So you guessed it, nothing was wrong. My brother being the sweet guy he sometimes is, calmed me down and talked me through it. I tend to overreact at times and create drama.
My heart is still pounding. And the house is making wierd creaky sounds. Its not so fun.
But I'll live. Yay!

I am a teacher. I get a summer vacation. I love my job so much!

I am having just the best summer. I love my family and friends.
Things I have been up to:

• Hanging out with my Auntie Heather, and her babes Ethan and Ella.
• Getting ready for Gwennie's wedding (3 weeks to go)! Wedding shower at my place on Saturday.
• Chillin' with Kristen, and catching up on all the gossip, I miss her so much when I am gone.
• I went to see Gwen Stefani and Akon - woot woot - with my friend Pinto.
• My grandpa turned 83 and we had a big bash.
• Loafing around the farm, one of my all time favorite things to do!
• I am playing fast pitch 2 nights a week. I just loving playing ball again!

Okay there is a glimpse at my super exciting life. I am in a volleyball tournament as well as a baseball tournament this weekend. Gwen's shower is Saturday morning, and Sunday will be hanging out with my dad. Another busy weekend!

6 more weeks of vacation to go!

Here are some pictures from my lastest farm adventure.

Me and my gang strutting down the trough in one of the pens. We look pretty tough, well excpet for that goofy one in the front.

Bringing the horses in. My favorite is Leroy (second from the left), someone changed his name to Big Guy unbenonst to me.

Have a great weekend!

Back in Winnipeg and...

I got bit by a mosquito the minute I crossed the border.
I had a wood tick on me yesterday.

Schools out for Summer

Thursday was my last day!!! I thought I would cry, I didn't. My students annoyed me and I was sort of glad to say bon voyage. Cleaned my classroom, went for a mani and a pedi, packed my house, packed my car, and hit the road. I threw the cats in the car and proceeded to drive the 14 hours up to Dutchville, Montana. That's where I am now. I am in culture shock. Lots of white people, not so used to that. Oh and there is grass. I haven't seen grass in 10 months.

Do animals have belly buttons?

Stella (the cat) jumps from the couch to the floor, trots over to where Erin is and rubs herself on Erin's leg. Erin, down on her haunches, starts to pet Stella, and Stella rolls on to her back. Erin is stroking Stella's belly and gazing at her lovely fur. She out of no where poses the question - "do cats have belly buttons?" My mind starts to race, comparing the 50 cats I have had in my life, then I jump to dogs, then to calves. No belly buttons my memory is telling me. I pretty much freak out imagining all these animals with belly buttons, its just a creepy thought, and then think - how could I never have noticed this. "It has to be true," Erin says, "they have umbilical cords. How else do they get nutrients from their mother?" Cara says cats have inverted nipples - easy access inside the womb. We all chuckle. Erin is convinced they do, and starts to probe Stella's belly. We argue back and forth, Erin throwing out all her big biology major words. I say there is no fricken way they have a belly button - who cuts the umbilical cord. Erin gets her DNA studying, John Hopkins student, boyfriend, future husband, Dr. Nick on the phone. Dr. Nick says they have umbilical cords and he belives belly buttons too. I again get a visual of umbilical cords hanging out of a cat to her litter of kittens. I ask Dr. Nick, now on speaker phone, "so its like 6 tentacles just hanging out of the va-j-j?" Dr. Nick says yah. Erin says that the mother eats the cord. I am getting sicked out. In the mean time Kim (the computer addic) has pulled up a web site and is reading... It turns out cats are placental animals (as well as whales, elephants, armadillos, cats, dogs, sheep...), and do have a belly button. It is in the same area as humans, and is only just a slight scar, covered by fur. They are born in a sac, and have an umbilical cord. Go figure.