I Have to Say it...

Bernard, you are one awesome guy.

I first met you 25 years ago in Sidney, BC at a corn roast at the Church. You and I shared many a laugh as you helped me wallpaper my newly rented home. After one of your many visits, I'd wake up Trish and we'd follow you a bit. You always went to the 7-11 to pick up a snack for the road home - we'd giggle and hurry home to our beds.

I waited and waited for you to 'pop' the question and in June of 1986 you finally did. I was both amazed and took in my stride the fact that you married me and became the father figure for my three children all on the same day.

Adjusting was hard - in fact, in some ways, we are all still adjusting but then, that's what families do as they grow. You brought a calm 'even-ness' to our family. I had tried to ride both horses at the same time and was mighty saddle sore by the time you came along. I was grateful to leave some decisions completely with you. Other ones we fought over. It seemed I was constantly choosing between you and the kids.

Because you didn't show your emotions like I did, the kids and I had a hard time 'reading' you and trying to figure things out. One time you explained - to Trish, I think - it may have been to Cristen - that although you weren't jumping up and down on the outside, you were jumping up and down on the inside.

I think once I figured that out, I supported you much better as a wife and as a mother. I knew the lives, well being and hearts of all of us were safe with you.

You have certainly gone the extra mile. You have fed us, sheltered us and clothed our mortal bodies. You have provided strength, love and encouragement to our spiritual bodies as you have held the priesthood of God with honor. You have worried with us, laughed with us and hugged us with your strong arms.

My heart swells with love each time you are called upon for advice from one of the kids and I look forward to raising the ones we lost to miscarriage in the life to come.

Happy Father's Day my 'handsome man!'

Sheesh!...(lol!)

Okay...okay...quit pushing will ya? Sheesh. A girl just can't get any rest around here, can she?

Just kidding... I'm glad there are a few of you who enjoy my blog enough to let me know I haven't been keeping up as well as you'd like me to be doing. And come to think of it, they do say that there is no rest for the wicked and as I really don't want to be seen as a wicked I guess I better start writing.

Actually it's more like speaking than writing. I have this new voice recognition software called Dragon Naturally Speaking that I'm using and it's really kind of neat. After you have the software set up all you really need to do is speak into the microphone and away it goes. It will type about 40, no sorry, it will type about 140 words a minute.

I'm using it to get my hands a rest. Some of you might know I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and am playing the doctor game until I can get surgery on them and get my life back to normal.

Anyway, the microphone on the headset that comes with the software decided it was going to work anymore. So I contacted the company through e-mail to find out what I should do about getting it replaced. If any of you dealt with tech support in any measure you will know what I've been through. They sent me a whole list of things to do including calling their helpline for my one and only free call. Before I went through any of their list of things to do, I did what I thought was smart and checked the software with another microphone I have. And lo and behold that microphone worked so that tells me that the microphone on the headset that came the software does not work.

I then went through the list of things they had sent me to do and, so I could say that I had performed all the tests, I performed all the tests. Guess what? The microphone became at the headset is dead.

I decided not to call the helpline and use my one and only free call because I'd already determined through the other tests that the microphone that came at the headset was indeed dead. I e-mailed customer support and reported that I had performed all the tasks and that the microphone was indeed dead. Let me say at this point that it was very interesting that at the end of the list, the very last of all the tests they wanted me to do was to try another microphone to see if it worked. Now why they didn't start with that test is beyond me.

Anyway, they e-mailed back suggesting I call tech support to verify that the microphone is not working. I e-mailed them back to say that I preferred to use my one and only free call on a matter that I could not resolve but, if they wanted, I would call tech support.

Their reply to me was that I have 90 days free support - so where did that come from? Does that mean every time I contact them warranty grows and grows and grows ? After all it's gone from one free phone call to 90 days free support in four e-mails.

Let's just say I'm glad I have that in an e-mail from them.

I am now off to call tech support... this should be fun... sort of like a rope burn I'm thinking.

Ah well, what else is a gal supposed to do on a hot summer day besides getting hotter under the collar?

I'll keep you informed.