| Fri Nov 29 Greetings and happy thanksgiving to you non-Canadians (we already celebrated here, which is further proof that Canada is leading in progress while the United States is becoming a mere observer in world relations.) What's new in Kingcome? Well, a lot is always new, and yet, a lot is always old, but here is what is new with us. Nothing borrowed nor blue. I celebrated my 29th birthday yesterday. And compared to previous years where I have been able to go out to restaurants, watch a movie, and have numerous family and friends around, this year was very unique. I had the blessing of having to suspend an employee without pay for one week and suspend a child for carrying a 13 inch butcher blade around in his pocket, which he had in his pants while we were playing indoor soccer. I may have not been able to write this to you had I been impaled from a body-check against the wall. Neither of these tasks have I ever had to do before, so to enjoy the privilege on my birthday made it much more memorable. But staff at school threw a nice little party, with assistance from Kristin, and they all pitched in to get me 3 squirt guns: one dolphin, one alligator and one shark. Happy Birthday to me. You're all fired. We experienced our first flood last week as the rain had been non-stop for 16 days, the mountaintops were covered in snow, but the temperature was warming. WHOOSH! Ok, so it didn't whoosh, it rose slowly overnight, but no one could get to the school (most people couldn't get out of their houses). Our end of the village is a bit higher, so we just had big puddles, but the southern lower half had a river. By the next day it was gone, no damage, no tragedy, no big deal, really. But we thought it was all very exciting! We are going to Abbotsford, a suburb of Vancouver, for Christmas break. Not sure for how long yet. There is an MCC apartment there that workers use and it happens to be vacant for December, so we were offered it. We will have the most Doritos-Movie-Pizza-Donut-TV-do-nothing-filled Christmas EVER. Today I had my first experience chasing a non-student out of school. Little Bear, a fluffy big black dog, snuck in the door as it opened and refused to budge after running into the computer lab and planting himself on a keyboard laying on the floor. Seeing me haul that dog out like a sack of potatoes between my legs must have made for a great sight. I know this because of the many laughs behind my back during the removal. I have been playing indoor soccer with the Primary class - grades K-3. They wear those colored mesh shirts to separate the teams. What the 15 minutes basically consists of is kids with mesh shirts over their faces, kicking the ball at full-throttle regardless of direction or aim, some kids having serious problems staying on their feet even without trying to move and one girl running around the perimeter of the gym pretending she's a cat. It's, to say the least, eclectic. And very entertaining. Nicole: She has been involved in some health presentations lately at school. As a result: "Hey, Nicole, do you want some brownies?" "No." "Do you want some of these chocolate bars?" "No." "Hey, do you want some suckers to take with to your friends'?" "No." "Why don't you want to eat these foods that all kids love?" "Because. I don't want diabetes." Thank you for all of your support during our time here in the Great White North. With love, John Kristin Nicole and the bear looking over my shoulder (roar! crunch crunch) |