He Is Risen Indeed!

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.; Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Matt 28:5-9

Happy Easter from the Berkans!

Until next time...

World Curling Championships

Well, if you know me, you know that I spent a lot of time at the Ford World Men's Curling Championships in Regina a couple weeks ago. I had a fantastic time going to games with friends and family. We even took Alexander to a couple of draws. At the second one he was talking about something curling...not even sure what. There were a couple of ladies in front of us and one turned and asked him how old he was. After he told her, she turned to her friend and said, "He's pretty knowledgable!" As well he should be!! :)

Anyway, I have picked a few of the 700ish photos that I took to share with you. These are my favourite photos - not necessarily the ones that tell the story. For example, I don't have a good photo of Tony Angiboust. He threw 4th rocks for France and we took a shining to him. He wasn't terribly involved in the strategizing (per the paper, it's because he's too emotional) but he did have a few opinions. For example, if there was a relatively simple draw for one, he'd rather play the triple take out and roll for one...the thing is, he would make them!! It was crazy but really fun to watch. Watching him play in the tiebreaker, he proved that he could make other types of shots but the takeout - no matter how difficult - was his favourite!! In the end, we were glad Canada won, even though it wasn't the team that we wanted to see come out of the Brier. Anyway, without further adieu, here are the photos.

These first chunk are from the week of play:

This is Tom Brewster - skip of team Scotland.

This is probably my favourite photo from the whole week. I just love how it looks - Torger Nergard from Norway.

The pants were there! This was Norway's new look for the World's. I thought they were a very clean look! Norway didn't perform up to expectations the beginning of the week but improved to the playoffs in the end.

As the photo above...Thomas Ulsrud from Norway. He was voted (the award had a name but I don't remember what)Miss Congeniality at the event. He seemed to have a sense of humour as he purchased a pizza for Canada's coach Norm Gould before they played them (Norm became known for his snacking during the Brier). And they wear those pants...'nuff said.

Canada's Jeff Stoughton with brushers Steve Gould and Reid Carruthers.

Canada's Jeff Stoughton (I liked the angle on this one).

Niklas Edin - skip for team Sweden. I remember watching him at the 2010 Olympics (where he placed 4th) and he was a big weight, hitting kind of team. A different team showed up for the World's - they were a softer, draw oriented team but they got 3rd so I guess they know what they're doing.

Niklas Edin.

Our other favourite team is Germany. Not sure why, other than we like Andy Kapp. This is their alternate (but he's played with Andy forever...) Holger Hohne.

Team Czechoslovakia - Jiri Snitil, the skip. He was very photogenic.

Team Sweden's third - Sebastien Kraupp - I just liked the photo.

The aforementioned Andy Kapp, in classic Andy Kapp stance. After throwing, particularly a shot that is intense, he'll get down on his hands and knees and then come up.

More classic Andy Kapp.

The rest of these photos are from the Gold medal final. Canada defeated Scotland 6-5.

Marching in...with giant flag guy in the background...he was at a lot of draws but it made for a cool photo op!

Jeff Stoughton.

What do you do when your Daddy's in probably the most important game of his career? Why the same thing as any other little boy...play cars. That's Tom Brewster's wife on the edge, looking down and if you can't read the back of his son's jacket...it says "The Munchkin".

Canada's third...Jon Mead.

Jeff Stoughton

Tom Brewster, technically, but I just liked the photo.

More fun equipment photos.

I was going through my photos and I saw this one I'd taken of the camera man and I just really liked it so here it is.

Watching through the boom camera.

Jeff Stoughton - victorious.

Raising the flags.

The crowd isn't the only fan. I love watching the athletes take it all in. This guy had a decent camera, too. I'm not sure who it is...I think it's France's alternate - Jan Ducroz?

Anyway, there is the week in photos...aren't you proud of me for getting the 700 down to about 25?

Until next time...

For My Sister-in-Law OR How to Bring the Outdoors In

Once again, I have been noticeably absent! However, this time it was for fun...curling, curling, curling!! I had a great week attending a lot of the Ford Men's World Curling Championships but those photos will be posted later. For now, this was a request (a long time ago) from my sister-in-law, Jen.

Way back in January (almost February, really) we decided to bring snow into the house and let the boys play in it as it was just too cold to go outside. Well, Jen wanted details so I have finally gotten the photos together and will give you those details!!

First, you need someone (a husband will do) with a shovel and a big container...Rubbermaid does nicely. He can haul in about 3 of these (though our tub is a bit small so you may want to consider 4.)

Then, you need the main participants...the children. You get the enthusiastic ones decked out in ski pants, boots and mitts. (Make sure they use the potty before going out or you'll have to do it over again - hee hee - just kidding!)
Then you get a favourite snow toy...play imitates life so a shovel really should suffice! You let the non-enthusiastic stay on the sidelines, simply admiring.
Next, the work begins. Gotta make sure that snow doesn't stay in one place too long. From one side to the next.
And back again. This time add in one parent (though you may want to keep them on the outside unless your tub is really big!!). A pair of gloves is also in order.
Be sure to take pride in your work. That snow pile won't admire itself!
After some time has passed - about 1/2 an hour when it's really cold outside (-30 or so), the snow will be right for some real fun!! Be sure the snowballs are a manageable size for little hands!
Go ahead...throw away...the wall can take it!
Gotta make sure those ski pants get put to good use. Have a good sit down...see just how waterproof they are.
All those snowballs eventually gathered together and created a cute little snowman!
When the non-enthusiastic hear the fun and decide to return, allow some leeway. Maybe a tentative stand on the outside but with an apparatus that allows access.
When they get more comfortable, a pair of boots shall suffice (the likelihood of them sitting is much, much less). Encourage their hard work too...nice pile!
Finally, wait several hours for the snow to melt...better yet run the tub full of hot water and still wait a couple hours for it to melt. It will swirl away to nothingness and no one will ever know the confused identity of your bathtub!!

There you go, Jen, how to bring the outdoors in!

Until next time...