Island Life

Bye Bye 2007

Mon, 31 Dec 07 17:59:00 UT

Well here we are saying goodbye once again to another year! Hard to believe that come midnight we will be at the beginning of a brand new year - 2008 - wonder what it will bring? 2007 was a good year and a not so good year for me. The older I get, the quicker the years go by and the slower I wish they'd go. I am just not up to hustle and bustle anymore. I liken myself to the tortoise in the story about the tortoise and the hare in a race. I may be slow moving but I am a finisher!! I like to say "haste makes waste"!! I seem to have one speed these days and it is "slow".

We are seeing 2007 out by having a good old fashioned winter snowstorm so Lornie and I will be spending a quiet evening here at home. I have to admit tho that I am pleased to be staying in as I am still wore out from all the Christmas preperations. Seems like whenever I wasn't at Tabi working I was in my kitchen working. No rest for the weary! We had several invites for tonight but due to weather couldn't go. Lornie drove Mel in town earlier this afternoon as she has a party or two to take in tonight and since it is her second last night home she wanted to go party to see her friends. She will probably spend the night at Rachelle's or crash at the party she is going to.

Tomorrow I am cooking Prime Rib as the kids and Matt will come for supper. It won't be anything fancy just the beef with some potatoes and veggies. I am now trying to figure out what I should throw together for a dessert. Maybe a cheesecake or a crisp? Tonight we are having leftover Seafood Casserole and stuffed baked potatoes. Last evening we had my Mom, Lornie's Mom and his sister (home from Nunavut) as well as Ben and Mel for supper. It was a nice visit with our two mothers.

Merry Christmas 2007

Tue, 25 Dec 07 19:55:00 UT

Merry Christmas 2007 to everyone!! Hard to believe that it is now Christmas Night so another one is over. I worked lots of hours before today as it is a busy time for retail and today I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing our meal. Mel and Ben were great helpers though and I sure appreciated all they did for me.

Last evening Lornie, Ben, Mel and I went to Christmas Eve church service and then came straight home. Rachelle and Matthew joined us later for several hours but they went back to town for the night. We had an enjoyable family evening around the tree, sipping wine and snacking on some little treats. Seafood was kind of the theme as I had made bacon wrapped scallops, marinated baked jumbo shrimp, a shrimp ring, lobster stuffed deviled eggs, lobster dip, and an assortment of cheeses. Yummy!! As always the kids wanted to open one gift and like usual they chose their gifts from Tipper. This year Tipper had shopped at Paderno and Chelle and Mel got travel mugs while Ben and Matthew got beer mugs (stainless). Lornie got a coffee mug (decorated to look like a tool belt) and I was surprised to get one too, a beautiful calander of paintings by Newfoundland artists.

Today Chelle and Matt arrived out just as we were getting into our "Santa" loot so it was perfect timing. We had our traditional Christmas Morning breakfast of Tim Horton Donuts - the kids have been having this for many years as they are not egg eaters so when younger I came up with donuts as a special Christmas breakfast treat and even tho they are now in their 20's we still have this every year. Chelle and Matt headed back to town for a few hours but arrived back out in time for dinner. We had roast Chicken complete with stuffing, a mashed potato casserole, carrots & apple casserole, turnip & pea casserole, roasted asparagus, and steamed broccoli & green beans. For dessert Mel had whipped up a blueberry cheesecake. I am still full!!

Klutzy Moi!

Fri, 14 Dec 07 16:36:00 UT

Lord but what a klutz I have become! I was never all that graceful (sorry Mom but guess my tap dancing lessons of long ago didn't give me grace) but now I think I am becoming a danger to myself. Would you believe that yesterday morning as I was getting dressed for work I somehow got my foot wrapped up in the corner of a blanket on my bed (hey, the bed was made and I was standing on the floor making my way into the bathroom) and came down HARD onto my knees, mainly my right one but the left one too. Talk about PAIN! Lornie heard the thud downstairs in the kitchen and came upstairs to see if I was okay. He helped me up and I continued to get ready to start my day. At work, later in the day I knelt down and when I went to get up I thought I would pass out from the pain. This happened several times till it got through my thick head that I couldn't kneel or squat without hurting getting back up. I am off today and I have been favouring the right knee as it is still pretty tender. I hope I haven't done any damage to it. Can you imagine the reaction of my physiotherapist if I have to go to see her about it. Last May when I was attacked by a manakin at work and needed physio, I was a source of chuckles there as they had never had anyone injured by a manakin before. This time it was a blanket I had a tussel with. Man, I am pathetic!

Christmas Newsletter 2007

Tue, 11 Dec 07 12:05:00 UT

SEASONâS GREETINGS 2007
FROM OUR FAMILY
TO YOURS

Well here we are once again into the festive month of December with Christmas fast approaching. Before we know it, Christmas will be behind us for yet another year! It doesnât seem like a whole year could have gone by since I last wrote up our yearly Christmas letter for 2006 but according to the calendar it has. I guess the old saying of âthe older one gets, the quicker the time passesâ is true! I must be really aging as time is sure speeding by!! I have always loved the Christmas Season, havenât you? There is always the hustle and bustle of shoppers looking for that perfect gift for someone special (little did I ever think that one day I would be on the retail side of Christmas and serving all these busy shoppers). Many people have a smile on their face and a Christmas carol on their mind as they forge onward with their Holiday preparation. There are the gifts to buy, cards to make out, groceries to buy and baking to do as well as decorating the house (both inside and out) and wrapping the gifts. There are never enough hours in any given day so we all go flat out.

We are planning on staying home for a quiet family Christmas this year. Melanie arrives by plane on December 21 and is home until January 2 so will be with us abit longer this year - YEAH!! I imagine Ben will come out on Christmas Eve to spend the night as this is what he does every year but I am not certain yet where or what Rachelle will be doing for Christmas this year. She and Matthew are in a long distance relationship (he is in Nova Scotia) but are hoping to be reconciled in the new year. My Mother has been invited to my brotherâs home for Christmas so that means she wonât be here. Tipper is still hanging in there and we are hoping he makes it through Christmas for one last family gathering. He turned 14 years old last summer which is very old for his type of dog and is getting quite frail but he is still as stubborn as ever and the beloved âbabyâ of the family.

Ben moved out of the duplex he was sharing with Rachelle this summer and moved in with a good friend of his. They have a basement apartment in a home on the Brackly Point Road just past the airport so it is within walking distance for Ben to Fortius, where he works. Late last year Fortius did a big layoff so Ben was unemployed for awhile. Fortunately though he was the first employee called back when they started up full production again. He is working all days now and he is liking this as it means he can go to all the Rocket games which he loves to do. In fact, he was offered the night shift not to long ago but declined due to his hockey games.

Rachelle is staying busy with Positive Change (which is in its 4th year of operations) and now has 3 office locations. She is in Charlottetown 3 days a week, in Montague on Tuesdays and now Souris on Wednesdays. She seems to keep getting busier and busier which is a good thing. In July she had a bad car accident when she hydroplaned on water and wrote off her car. Fortunately, thanks to being a seatbelt user, she wasnât seriously hurt or killed. She was lucky. The car she bought to replace her Toyota is a silver Honda Civic Sport 4 door complete with sunroof and cruise control. She loves this car!! The end of October she moved apartments once again as she found the duplex expensive once Ben moved out. She now has a nice little one bedroom apartment in Harbourside in downtown Charlottetown. There is underground parking and is within walking distance to her office on Kent Street.

Melanie is still in Ottawa and taking courses at the University of Ottawa. She did not graduate this past June but plans on doing so May 2008. Her studies kind of got put on the back burner last January when the Editor in Chief of The Fulcrum resigned and she was voted in as the new Editor in Chief. This is a full time paying job so she was kept pretty busy adjusting to her new position. She is loving Journalism and is hoping to find a job in this field when she graduates this spring. This past fall she got to interview a person she has long admired - Rick Mercer, the comedian from Newfoundland and 22 Minutes fame. She is also planning a national journalism conference that will be held in Ottawa this January. Sheâs having a great time corresponding with some of the best journalists in the city. Melanie turned 23 in September and was very touched as well as surprised when her friends in Ottawa all got together to celebrate with her and gave her an Ipod. She just couldnât believe they had done this for her!! She made it home in July for a brief visit but couldnât stay long as she was between assignments (she had a job free lancing for a small alternative publication in Ottawa for the summer)

Lornie is still with Direct Energy and working long hours. There are 3 Direct Energy technicians on the island now so that is good as it lightens his load some. We are heading to Halifax for his Christmas party the weekend of December 7th and 8th. It will be nice to have a little getaway. He is really perfecting the art of hobby winemaking and I have to say that I enjoy the fruits of his labour! He makes from kits but he also does wine from scratch too. He makes Red Currant (we grow them), Cranberry (buys them fresh in St Peterâs), Blueberry, and this year he has put down a Plum (friends gave him the plums which he froze until he could make the wine), Raspberry (again, the berries were given to him) and a Grape (we went grape picking at my Managerâs home).

I changed jobs in May. Samuel & Co were moving locations and going to The Charlottetown Mall so I was not looking forward to the move as I hate that Mall. In May we went to Moncton for Lornieâs sisterâs (Elaine) 50th birthday celebration. When we got home there was a message on our answering machine. It was from the manager of Tabi (a Canadian chain ladies wear store) wanting to talk with me. She offered me full-time work. I love Tabi clothes and have been shopping there since I discovered I could fit into their clothes over 5 years ago. She made me an offer I couldnât refuse so I gave notice at Samuel & Co. Unfortunately though, shortly after I had given notice I was injured at work when a manakin hit me on my left shoulder - talk about painful!! I saw the doctor and was put off work for 10 days and sent to Physiotherapy. This meant I was unable to finish my shifts at Samuel and late starting my new job at Tabi. But, everything worked out okay in the end.

Lornie and I enjoyed a one week holiday this past summer on the Madeleine Islands, part of the province of Quebec. We rented a 2 bedroom house so Lornieâs brother Gerard and his wife Barb came with us. It is a beautiful spot, so peaceful and serene so a perfect location to getaway to and unwind! In September we went to Blackville, NB to visit our good friends Alice and Richard for a weekend. We had a marvellous time there and enjoyed many laughs and chuckles. Then, Thanksgiving weekend we did a getaway to Nova Scotia where we toured the South shore down to Yarmouth and then up through the Valley. We ended up coming home a day early as Lornie took sick with a virus which gave him a very painful stiff neck. I had to do the driving on the way home as he was unable to.

Hereâs wishing all our family and friends a very happy Holiday Season and a new year filled with love, peace, prosperity, friends and good health. As we begin this special holiday season may we all stop for a minute and remember those who are not as fortunate as we are and to give thanks for all the blessings we have received. Let us all say a prayer that the following words some day will come true:

PEACE ON EARTH
GOODWILL TO MEN

Crap, I Missed November Completely

Tue, 11 Dec 07 11:52:00 UT

Today is December 11th and it is my first time in over a month to find time to go on my Journal - help, where did November disappear to??!!!!?? I am off today and since my elderly Mother was going out to a Christmas lunchon I didn't have to give up my day off at home to take her around running errands. I have been busy so far today with laundry, organizing Christmas presents (to see just what else I need to buy and I am happy to report in the gift department I am doing ok) and catching up on my emails and my Journal. Since I work in retail this is a BUSY time of year for me. Yesterday I managed to finish making out our Christmas cards as I was waiting to begin my noon hour shift at work. Thank goodness that is done and they are in the mail and on their way to our family and friends. I did a Christmas Newsletter again this year to put in with the cards so I will try to post it here in my Journal for anyone that is interested to read.

This past weekend we were in Nova Scotia as my hubby's Christmas was at The Inn on the Lake in Fall River. We decided to make a weekend of it and went over on Friday late afternoon and came back on Sunday morning. The hotel was lovely as was the party. We went to the Market in downtown Halifax on Saturday morning and bought a case of our favorite wine from Blomidon Winery, a small winery we discovered in the Valley in Nova Scotia several years ago. Unfortunately this wine is only available at the winery or the Saturday morning market. We were chatting with one of the owners and he said that come February it will be sold in the NS Liquor Stores as well. Their L'Acadie, Rose, and Seyvelle Blanc are really a nice wine and pleasant on the palate. Christmas will definitely be MERRY at our house this year!!

Bye Bye October

Wed, 31 Oct 07 15:48:00 UT

Today is Halloween, a day I always look forward to as I love seeing all the excited little kiddies in their strange atire come knocking at my door. Their enthusiasm is always so high and they are so eager to fill their treat bags with treats. It is fun to try to guess who eachone is but sometimes we get completely fooled and baffelled. Living in the country like we do, at one time we would know every child but now that we are empty nesters we don't know as many young families as we once did. I figure that by about 6:00 pm our first callers should be arriving. Of course there could always be an early arrival or two. Usually our last callers are by 8:00 PM but the odd time or two we have had them later. I was off at 2:30PM today so it sure was nice to get home early to prepare. I was off yesterday and did some decorating both outside and in our front foyer. Sure wish I knew how to put pictures in my journal enteries as I would show you some of my handiwork.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Halloween this year!!!

Day Off and Night Out

Fri, 26 Oct 07 15:54:00 UT

This evening Lornie and I are going to Confederation Center to see "Man in Black" a tribute to Johnny Cash. I am so looking forward to this as I have always enjoyed Johnny's music. Plus, it is always nice to get out! I have to work tomorrow but had today off. Spent a good part of it in town grocery shopping and running around. I just never seem to have the time to do all I want or need to do. Does anyone?

My daughter Rachelle is moving this weekend. This is about her 12th move since graduating high school in 1999! I think she has become an expert at packing and unpacking. She is moving into a nice little one bedroom in Harbourside right on the harbourfront of town. Unfortunately tho, she will not have a water view. But the location is ideal for her and there is underground parking for her car. She is quite excited about this move as it is a new start for her since breaking up with her boyfriend.

more tests

Wed, 24 Oct 07 19:01:00 UT

Last week I had a physical checkup with my family doctor. I have never really had one with her before as I always saw my heart doctor every 3 or 4 months so didn't feel the need to go to see the family one. Anyway, I heard from her nurse today (the day after I saw my new heart doctor for the first time). My cholesterol is pretty high again at 7.7 (altho it has been much higher at times) and my sugars were elevated. So now I have to go see her on Nov 8 for a fasting sugar glucose test. I remember having one years ago and I hate them as the junk you have to drink is so super sweet it is nausiating. I feel like I am breaking down all at once! My heart doctor yesterday put me back on 3 meds that I have been off of for several years or so. I am back to wearing a nitro patch, taking norvasc (heart pill) and niacin (for cholesterol). He added these 3 but didn't take me off any. I am so sick of taking meds!! Is it worth it?!?

So Far in October

Tue, 23 Oct 07 09:19:00 UT

I feel badly that I have not been online here at my Journal yet this month and here October is quickly coming to an end. I reall have no good excuse for not writing except to say that my life has been so busy that I have just not been able to find the time to write. I miss my Journal enteries and always feel guilty whenever I have been away from them for a spell.

Our weather this fall has been fantastic, more summer like then what we had in July. If this keeps up that will make for a short winter. Every year our weather seems to change and get less typical. Maybe someday we will end up with two seasons instead of four (wishful thinking on my part). We haven't been out in our gazebo for awhile now and I sure miss our relaxing times spent there.

Earlier this month (our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend) hubby and I went on a little escape weekend to Nova Scotia. The weather was perfect, quite warm in fact and sunny! We caught the first ferry on the Thursday morning and headed for the Southwestern shore of NS. We enjoyed seeing all the "scarecrow people" in Mahone Bay and the quaint fishing villages hugging the coastline. We spent our first night in West Pubnico (the home of this year's 4th place Canadian Idol!!) at a lovely motel. On Friday morning we headed towards Digby where we enjoyed a nice lunch of Digby Scallops at a restaurant overlooking the water. Then we headed to Annapolis Royal where we stayed in a cozy cottage for the night. On Saturday morning we toured Annapolis Royal and even took in their Saturday morning Farmer's Market. I love this historical little town as it has so much ambiance and atmosphere! We strolled through their Historical Gardens and saw many flowers I would love to have in our gardens. We had hoped to stay in the Valley on Saturday night but since we hadn't made any reservations there were no vacancies to be had. So, we headed to Windsor where we stayed at a Big 8. When Lornie awoke on Sunday he had a sore neck - he couldn't move it to the left at all. Since he was in so much pain we hopped in the car and headed for home (a day early) with me doing the driving.

I have been working 5 shifts a week all month and am beginning to tire. I don't think I can continue this pace for much longer but I might have to as my manager went home sick on Friday (I ended up working from 8:00am to 9:30pm that day). Later this morning I have an appointment to see my new heart doctor. I have been on a waiting list to see him since my old one retired last February. I am nervous and aprehensive about what he will say to me today. I know he will not like my weight as I am much too large and my cholesterol is probably skyhigh again. I really should get serious about my health but I am just so down in the dumps these days and feel so bad about myself that I just can't be bothered to try to improve. I feel guilty that my daughter helps others learn to change their lifestyle to loose their unwanted pounds and yet here I am walking around obese. This mustn't look good for her. Maybe if/when I hit rock bottom I can start climbing back up.

Knights to the Rescue

Fri, 21 Sep 07 00:22:00 UT

I worked the evening shift today (Thursday) and since Lornie is out of province on business I had to take the car today. When I came out of the mall onto Kent Street at 9:30PM I saw a piece of white flutterring under the wiper blade on my car. I thought I had a ticket till I got closer to it and saw it was a napkin. Curiously I picked it up and read a note written on it which said "I see you have a flat". A BIG Thank you goes out to the wonderful anonamous person who so thoughtfully took the time to find something to write on and left me that note. With Lornie being away I didn't have two sweet clues what I was going to do. Then who did I see making his rounds but Danny, a Mall security guard. He saw my predicament and came to my aid. He spent a good 20 minutes or more trying to jack up my car and take off the flat. Unfortunately tho the jack wasn't being very cooperative. So, he let me back into the mall (it was closed and locked up for the night) where I let myself back into Tabi and called Lornie. He then got a hold of Nick, one of the young men who works with him. Nick then drove into town (and I am sure he must have been settled in for the night when he got the call for help) to come to my aid. But, before he could get there Danny appeared again and this time he had two men (they had a tool box) with him. They were working on an upper level in the mall and on their break had noticed my flat tire and also the napkin on my window. These strangers then proceeded to fix my jack and change my tire. God bless them!! Just as they were putting the flat away in my trunk Nick arrived. I felt so bad for having dragged him out into the night to rescue me and then being rescued by strangers before he got there. Chivilry is not dead - it is alive and well on the streets of Charlottetown!! How glad and proud I am to be a Prince Edward Islander!!

Mouse in the House

Fri, 14 Sep 07 20:48:00 UT

Tonight while sitting in our familyroom, enjoying some wine and cheese etc and watching Coronation Street on the TV what did my eyes gaze upon but a MOUSE scurring across the floor! Eeeekkk!! I HATE the little vermin and it has been 20 years or more since we have had one in the house. In fact, we have been in this house now for 20 years and this is our first mouse!! I am all a tremble as they really freak me out! HELP!!! Lornie has finally let Tipper (our loyal 14 year old dog) back in the house so I am hoping and praying he will take care of this mouse for me.

Happy Early Birthday Ben

Mon, 3 Sep 07 19:30:00 UT

My oldest< Ben, turns 28 on Friday (September 7th) but since Lornie and I will be away then we celebrated it early and had Ben out today. We enjoyed a BBQ in the gazebo and Mother Nature helped out by giving us a nice day weatherwise. Tday is a holiday here in Canada but Lornie went to work anyway as there is always lots for him to do. He picked up Ben mid afternoon or so and took him out here. Rachelle and Matthew were supposed to join us but at the last minute said they couldn't come. This rather pissed me off as if I had of known earlier that they had gone to NS I wouldn't have prepared as much food. As it was tho, Ben got to take lots of leftovers home for him and his roommate as Lornie and I didn't need them.

We started of with mussels which we steamed with wine and garlic/dill.rosemary. Then we nibbled on a veggie tray with dip. Lornie BBQ'd hot italian sausage, sirloin steak, new potatoes, a mix of mushrooms/zucchini/onions/peppers and we also had fresh corn on the cob as well as a medley of broccoli/cauliflower/yellow beans/carrots. We had carrot cake for dessert as that is Ben's favorite cake. We let him take my car home and I will pick it up after work either tomorrow or Wednesday. I think Ben enjoyed his early birthday celebration.

Sorry August

Mon, 3 Sep 07 11:24:00 UT

I just don't know where the month of August went!! I can't believe that I just never got round to making any Journal enteries! Shame on me!! So, just to quickly fill you in I will give a brief sketch of the month of August for me.

The first cople of days were spent on holiday in the Magdalen Islands which are a part of the province of Quebec. My husband's brother and his wife came with us and we all had a wonderful time and sure enjoyed ourselves! We had rented a 2 bedroom house there so there was lots of room. We relaxed and took things easy while there and the Magdalens proved to be the perfect spot to do just that. The guys were "in heaven" when they went into the local Co-op and found cases of 30 cans of beer for only $29.99 - $1.00 per can - it was like they had struck gold!! I took lots of pictures some of which I have put on my Facebook site and if I could only figure out how to put pictures on here I would love to do so.

On the weekend of August 17/18/19 we had 4 functions to attend. On the 17th our good friends Cathy and Franky were married in a beautiful ceramony at the Basilica in Charlottetown. This was the second marriage for both of them so it was nice that her 2 daughters stood for her and his 2 sons for him. It was a fairly small family type wedding so we felt touched to be included. The reception was at the Stratford Town Hall and a friend of Cathy's cater it and as well Cathy herself had made many of the dishes. I have never seen so many courses served at a wedding before. To start there were Mussels, breads, and an assortment of dips; next came a lovely salad followed by a pepper soup of some type; then there was a choice of crepes or lobster cheesecake (I chose the lobster cheesecake and it was absolutely devine and I just have to get the recipe off of Cathy); then came of main dish of stuffed pork, seared scallops, whipped blue potatoes and asparagus - delicious! Dessert was their wedding cake and a medley of fresh berries and whipped cream. Being gluten free I had the berries but Lornie went for the cake. He couldn't tell me what kind it was though other then that it was tastey.

On the 18th we had another wedding reception. Karen, the daughter of a good friend of mine and who I have known for over 30 years got married. She had had a beach wedding on the 17th followed by a family meal and then had a larger reception the evening of the 18th. The hall where the reception was held was decorated so beautifully on a beach theme.

Then on the 19th we went to a "Ling" family potluck. This has been held for the past 4 years or so and was the first one we got to since the very first one. Since my father has been dead for 30 years we don't get to see many of our relatives on his side so this is a good chance to do so. I was delighted to see my cousin Franky and his wife who live in Ontario. I haven't seen them since I was in grade 12 and was in Ontario representing PEI in a National debating compitition. (Yup, I have always had a big mouth and gift of the gab!!) After the potluck (which we had to leave early) I went out for supper with the ladies from Samuel & Co (where I used to work). It sure was nice to see them again as I value their friendship and miss them. We had a lovely meal and then several of us went into the bar and had a drink together.

Things are going good at Tabi and I am enjoying my job there. I have been working 37 or more hours a week the past month so this means I don't have much free time to do things I enjoy doing. I have been having to come to town most days off to take my mother around shopping etc. This is making me exhausted and I don't know for how much longer I can keep up this pace. Last week I was off on Tuesday and I refused to go in town as I had much to do around the house etc. This meant mom didn't get out shopping (but I had taken her twice the week before) so I took her after work on Saturday. She wasn't to pleased as she didn't like going out so late (6pm) but it was that or not at all!

Weird, or What?!?

Tue, 24 Jul 07 08:55:00 UT

Yesterday my car went in to get two new rear tires before our trip this weekend to the Magdalen Islands. I dropped it off at Canadian Tire on my way to work and Lornie met me there and drove me the rest of the way to work, then pcked me up after work to take me to get the car. Well, on the drive home I was following him when we stopped for the lights at the Hillsboro Bridge. I could see him by looking in his driver's side mirror except it was weird as it wasn't his face I was seeing but my father's face and he has been dead for the past 30 years. He had died just before I met Lornie so he never got to know my family. I have always regreted this. Now I have never before seen any resemblence what so ever between my husband and my father so this was really weird! I could swear that it was my father looking back at me via the van's side mirror. What do you think?

Words of Wisdom

Sun, 22 Jul 07 13:34:00 UT

This morning in church (yes, I go regularly :) lol) I spent much of the time reading and rereading the words written on the back of the T-shirt being worn by a young lad several pews in front of me. As I kept reading "a jouney of a thousand miles begins with a single step" so aptly written by a wise man named Confusious so many thousands of years ago I couldn't help but think of just how true those workd are. Everything in life has a beginning and an end. Right? And, at each beginning there is that initial first step. When we are born, we take that first most importand breath. If we don't, then our life ended before it ever really began. When Children start school they take that first step out the door and onto the road of learning. When a couple marry they take that first step of becoming as one. When a journey of any kind begins that first step has to be taken! Here's to all those many "First Steps" each of us take on our road of life and may we take many and enjoy them as well!!!