From my childhood throughout my teen years and well into my adulthood I have been force fed the notion that the wind only blows in Southern Alberta Canada. Well folks I am here to let you in on a well kept secret---The wind blows in Edmonton Alberta Canada, Salt Lake City Utah, Palm Springs California and even in Toronnah! And they do bundel up, everyone here wears a hat of some kind. They are smart. No snow , yet - just a cutting wind.
This has been a rather quiet week - Grant and I are doing the one step forward and two steps backward in an effort to learn what we need to know about the church computer programs. In addition we will spend several days of study before we conduct our first "Career Workshop" to job seekers.
Last week we were introduced to a family from Mexico who needed rides to and from church. We have begun a series of home evenings to help them with their english and gospel basics. Sister Maria Covarrubias invited us for mexican food today. It was delicious! We went with the Elders to Sister Barnes (from Jamaca) on Saturday for a short lesson then Grant and I went to the Toronto Temple for an afternoon session. Beautiful large temple. There were very few patrons and very few temple workers.
Not much more to report today. We are well , our family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. Bye for now the Gehmlich's
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentines Day, February 14, 2010
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !!!
Approximately 2,000 occupants live here in the twin towers of Humberwood Blvd. that is a little over half the number of people that reside in the town of Cardston. Wow. Is it any wonder that Grant and I have gotten lost in the underground parking lot - more than once, more than twice, more than three times. In order to help us find our way to our car and from our car to the elevator, I took a black felt pen and drew small arrows on three of the pillars leading to number 58 - which is between two cement pillars just wide enough for us to squeeze into and carefully open our passanger doors.
Now that we are out of the underground parking we use our fob to get into the main hallway where there are four elevators to take us to our apartment on the 21st floor.
This has been another week of instruction in the employment centre. We waved a red distress flag at Bro. Doug Mallory, our Area Manager from Detroit. He answered our call for help and got into his car that very day and drove up to Toronto. He spent 2 days here with us. What a help he was.
Saturday I located the Value Village and there shopped for more lamps, a few dishes and a table cloth. Looks pretty good. Sundaywe went to the Etobicoke Ward. The elders called Saturday night to ask us to pick up a mother and her two teen age children for church. A lovely Mexican sister with a 14 year old girl and a 17 year old boy. Nice family. We have invited them to come to our home for family home evening tomorrow night.
If you watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics I am sure you were as thrilled as we were at the wonderful, spectacular, fantastic, all inspiring, display - that welcomed the world to Canada and the Winter Olympics. WONDERFUL!!! And a huge thank you to those who worked for years to make this event such a highlight in our lives. We are so very proud to be CANADIAN.
Bye for now - Elaine
Approximately 2,000 occupants live here in the twin towers of Humberwood Blvd. that is a little over half the number of people that reside in the town of Cardston. Wow. Is it any wonder that Grant and I have gotten lost in the underground parking lot - more than once, more than twice, more than three times. In order to help us find our way to our car and from our car to the elevator, I took a black felt pen and drew small arrows on three of the pillars leading to number 58 - which is between two cement pillars just wide enough for us to squeeze into and carefully open our passanger doors.
Now that we are out of the underground parking we use our fob to get into the main hallway where there are four elevators to take us to our apartment on the 21st floor.
This has been another week of instruction in the employment centre. We waved a red distress flag at Bro. Doug Mallory, our Area Manager from Detroit. He answered our call for help and got into his car that very day and drove up to Toronto. He spent 2 days here with us. What a help he was.
Saturday I located the Value Village and there shopped for more lamps, a few dishes and a table cloth. Looks pretty good. Sundaywe went to the Etobicoke Ward. The elders called Saturday night to ask us to pick up a mother and her two teen age children for church. A lovely Mexican sister with a 14 year old girl and a 17 year old boy. Nice family. We have invited them to come to our home for family home evening tomorrow night.
If you watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics I am sure you were as thrilled as we were at the wonderful, spectacular, fantastic, all inspiring, display - that welcomed the world to Canada and the Winter Olympics. WONDERFUL!!! And a huge thank you to those who worked for years to make this event such a highlight in our lives. We are so very proud to be CANADIAN.
Bye for now - Elaine
Monday, February 8, 2010
21st floor on in our new residence
Monday, February 8th, Our first day on our own in the Employment Resource Centre - and we have survived!!! I hope we locked everything up o.k.
Luckily we weren't busy with people rushing in for help. But to back up a couple of days. Saturday was a day to do errands, locate some lamps, mirrors, ironing board cover, some garbage containers and so forth. We decided since we weren't going to be here permanently (Grant keeps reminding me that this is just a temporary residence and we aren't going to make it a mini Tajmahall) We agreed that we would first look at Goodwill for these household items. But before we began that quest - we had to locate a vacum repair shop. This we did in search of a new brush roller. As you might guess the vacum repair man tried very hard to sell us a new vacum for only $60.00 more than the cost of a new roller - stating that these plastic rollers only last one year. We explained that we would only need it for 18 months and since I only vacumed once a week and needed it for only one bedroom carpet - the new plastic roller would do us just fine. Sadly he let us go with just an order for a new roller - to be in stock in one week's time. Well, on our "Onstar" to find the one and only Goodwill store. This took us almost downtown - so we thought. Here we purchased two table lamps for our bedroom, a wicker basket for my hair appliances, a kitchen clock and a small end table to put our printer on, $41.00. Next stop to Homesense, we needed a floor lamp, tablecloth for our card table and a few inexpensive pictures to hang on our bare wall in the living room. Again "On Star" since we were part way downtown Toronto the address closest was on Yonge Street. As we crossed a freeway with 17 lanes - we felt like to were probably going the wrong direction. Upon arriving at Yonge Street we decided that we readly didn't want to spend a half hour trying to find parking so we made a legal U turn and headed back toward Etobicoke.
We found a Homesense -one store, part of a HUGE strip mall. Here it looked like there was one of every store in town. The wind was raw and I mean raw. Grant waked across the parking lot to Rona for some wood filler and a can opener and I walked into Homesense. We purchased two mirrors, some carmel popcorn -yum, yum - an ironing board cover and braced outselves for the wind again. Next stop Ikea. This was just across a freeway opposite this huge mall. Oh, lovely Ikea. What did we purchase there - one lively orange garbage can. A very fragile floor lamp and that was about all. By now it was dark and thankfully we were close to our apartment.
Did I mention that the office room in our apartment was painted an intense dark green? No windows and it was dark - I mean dark. We got permission to repaint - soooo I have painted two coats of beige the same color as our living room and kitchen, as well as some sanding and painting a coffee table, end table, t.v. table, and a set of book shelves that are on loan from the Mission home. With this completed and my computer working at last - I am ready to put my full attention to my task - that is - a resource person at the employment resource centre. President Hinckley stated:
"There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution"
Now I wish to leave you with a story from the Welfare Square by Brother Rudd
" Ora " A salesman for Sears Roebuck began to have serious health problems. He had a stroke, a heart attack, and a cerebral hemorrhage that resulted in severe headaches. He was given a medical retirement and spent the next three years pretty well confined to bed. Then on the advice of his doctor that he should get out and meet people and with the blessings of his bishop, he was sent to work at Welfare Sauare. The contact with other people and the service he could render at his own pace and with the pressures off was invaluable to him. His health steadily improved. He did not receive financial assistance - only a few groceries occasionally. His real pay was the feeling of happiness in rendering a good service to others.
This good man worked about 30 hours a week and went to the temple at least once each week. His heart condition bore continual watch, but his severe headaches were a thing of the past. Those who saw him busy working at the storehouse would never realize the condition he had been in before. His quote when interviewed was, "I have made a million dollars worth of friends at Welfare Square." Good night now. Elaine
Luckily we weren't busy with people rushing in for help. But to back up a couple of days. Saturday was a day to do errands, locate some lamps, mirrors, ironing board cover, some garbage containers and so forth. We decided since we weren't going to be here permanently (Grant keeps reminding me that this is just a temporary residence and we aren't going to make it a mini Tajmahall) We agreed that we would first look at Goodwill for these household items. But before we began that quest - we had to locate a vacum repair shop. This we did in search of a new brush roller. As you might guess the vacum repair man tried very hard to sell us a new vacum for only $60.00 more than the cost of a new roller - stating that these plastic rollers only last one year. We explained that we would only need it for 18 months and since I only vacumed once a week and needed it for only one bedroom carpet - the new plastic roller would do us just fine. Sadly he let us go with just an order for a new roller - to be in stock in one week's time. Well, on our "Onstar" to find the one and only Goodwill store. This took us almost downtown - so we thought. Here we purchased two table lamps for our bedroom, a wicker basket for my hair appliances, a kitchen clock and a small end table to put our printer on, $41.00. Next stop to Homesense, we needed a floor lamp, tablecloth for our card table and a few inexpensive pictures to hang on our bare wall in the living room. Again "On Star" since we were part way downtown Toronto the address closest was on Yonge Street. As we crossed a freeway with 17 lanes - we felt like to were probably going the wrong direction. Upon arriving at Yonge Street we decided that we readly didn't want to spend a half hour trying to find parking so we made a legal U turn and headed back toward Etobicoke.
We found a Homesense -one store, part of a HUGE strip mall. Here it looked like there was one of every store in town. The wind was raw and I mean raw. Grant waked across the parking lot to Rona for some wood filler and a can opener and I walked into Homesense. We purchased two mirrors, some carmel popcorn -yum, yum - an ironing board cover and braced outselves for the wind again. Next stop Ikea. This was just across a freeway opposite this huge mall. Oh, lovely Ikea. What did we purchase there - one lively orange garbage can. A very fragile floor lamp and that was about all. By now it was dark and thankfully we were close to our apartment.
Did I mention that the office room in our apartment was painted an intense dark green? No windows and it was dark - I mean dark. We got permission to repaint - soooo I have painted two coats of beige the same color as our living room and kitchen, as well as some sanding and painting a coffee table, end table, t.v. table, and a set of book shelves that are on loan from the Mission home. With this completed and my computer working at last - I am ready to put my full attention to my task - that is - a resource person at the employment resource centre. President Hinckley stated:
"There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution"
Now I wish to leave you with a story from the Welfare Square by Brother Rudd
" Ora " A salesman for Sears Roebuck began to have serious health problems. He had a stroke, a heart attack, and a cerebral hemorrhage that resulted in severe headaches. He was given a medical retirement and spent the next three years pretty well confined to bed. Then on the advice of his doctor that he should get out and meet people and with the blessings of his bishop, he was sent to work at Welfare Sauare. The contact with other people and the service he could render at his own pace and with the pressures off was invaluable to him. His health steadily improved. He did not receive financial assistance - only a few groceries occasionally. His real pay was the feeling of happiness in rendering a good service to others.
This good man worked about 30 hours a week and went to the temple at least once each week. His heart condition bore continual watch, but his severe headaches were a thing of the past. Those who saw him busy working at the storehouse would never realize the condition he had been in before. His quote when interviewed was, "I have made a million dollars worth of friends at Welfare Square." Good night now. Elaine
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