A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined...
-'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca - age 8
-'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4
-'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5
-'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4
-'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7 'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7
-'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6
-'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7
-'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6
-'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8
-'My mommy loves me more than anybody don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6
-'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5
-'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7
-'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4
-'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4
-'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' Karen - age 7
-'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6
-'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8
-And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Life According to Bill Gates
Got this in an email recently...
Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
If you can read this -Thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English thank a soldier.
Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
If you can read this -Thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English thank a soldier.
2 girls + 4 Days in a Car
= random quotes that probably no one else will think are funny:
Day 1
Day 1
Nik: "Loud noises hurt my stomach"
Cole: "Oh my gosh I want to eat my hands!"
Nik: "It's weird to think that we have eggs"
Day 2
Cole (somewhere in North Dakota): "Why does everything smell like crap every couple miles?"
Cole: "This is what I would look like without a pinky"
Day 3
Cole (reading a sign): "Rapid City"...... Nik: "They do everything fast there"
Day 4
Nik: "Do you think the gym will be open?" ....... Cole: "Are you really gonna go to the gym after you carry in all your boxes?"
Cole: "You have the paranoid look of a speeder"
Monday, August 18, 2008
Summer is Winding Down
Not sure if winding down is the proper phrasing. Winding down kind of implies a slow, gradual process. The last couple weeks have been anything but slow and gradual. As always, it's the end of the summer crunch to squeeze in appointments and last precious time with family and friends. This past week I was doing something every nite after work. Monday was a chiro appt and bowling w/ Natalie. Tuesday we had Evan for the nite so we played basketball and foosball after a big roast dinner. Wednesday I went for dinner and tennis at Dad's. Thursday I went for dinner and a movie w/ Chris. Friday nite we went to Zeke & Red's and sat around the fire. Saturday I finally got a day at home. I slept in, watched some Olympics, finished watching a movie I had started Tuesday after work, and shelled enough peas to possibly make me wanna revoke the post entitled "Just a Regular Green Thumb" (haha). Yesterday was church and then a big group of us went out for lunch at BP as a kinda "goodbye" lunch for me and Melissa who are both heading back to HU this week. Helped Mom with a few things around the house and then our neighbors came over for a visit last nite. Today I have to do some serious packing and then I get to pick up Nikki at the airport. This afternoon will just be packing and no doubt a lot of talking (with her being gone in Atlanta this summer we didn't talk nearly as much as we usually do so we have lots to catch up on). Hopefully I can take the quad out for one last spin too. I think we're having a big dinner w/ Mom and Dale and then going to Dad's for dessert/air hockey/say goodbye. Tomorrow is a busy day. Chiro appt at 9:15 (eww) and then drop my car off at the dealership to get an oil change while I have a hair appt at 10:00. Come home and finish packing up the car and then spend the nite just hanging w/ Mom and Dale. We head out Wednesday morning and will hopefully make it to HU Saturday.
It's kinda hard to believe how fast the summer went... but at the same time, it was a good one. I got to do a lot of cool things and the memories will be cherished. I have grown a lot closer to people and really strengthened some relationships this summer. At first I was only excited to get back to school to see everyone (esp. my man!) but now I'm getting excited about classes and everything too. I can't believe I'm a senior! The future hold a lot of exciting (and scary!) things but I think I'm ready for the challenge... at least I hope I am...
Anyways, better get packing and showered so I can pick up Nik at the airport!
It's kinda hard to believe how fast the summer went... but at the same time, it was a good one. I got to do a lot of cool things and the memories will be cherished. I have grown a lot closer to people and really strengthened some relationships this summer. At first I was only excited to get back to school to see everyone (esp. my man!) but now I'm getting excited about classes and everything too. I can't believe I'm a senior! The future hold a lot of exciting (and scary!) things but I think I'm ready for the challenge... at least I hope I am...
Anyways, better get packing and showered so I can pick up Nik at the airport!
I gotta write that one down...
Here are some funny quotes that I've felt the need to write down during conversations over the past little while:
One Sunday at church Garth was preaching about how Jesus could have called ten thousand angels. Kyla Stienwand (6) leaned over to her mom and says, "Did Jesus have the angels' phone number??"
While watching the Olympics and eating dinner with Dad, I asked "Did you ever do hurdles?" He replied, " Mmhmm. I didn't like them in high school. I could never get over them."
Playing I Spy w/ the twins on the way back from the farm, Kyla decided it should be "with my big eye" of "little eye"... it was her turn to go and she said "I spy with my big eye something that is... black And you're gonna miss it so I'm gonna tell you. It's the ducks"
Found this in a joke email when I was cleaning out Dad's comp: "What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other? A speech impediment."
Can't remember where I saw this next one. I have heard the first part numerous times but the ending was a bit of a twist: "Whenever God closes one door He always opens another... even if it's hell in the hallway."
One Sunday at church Garth was preaching about how Jesus could have called ten thousand angels. Kyla Stienwand (6) leaned over to her mom and says, "Did Jesus have the angels' phone number??"
While watching the Olympics and eating dinner with Dad, I asked "Did you ever do hurdles?" He replied, " Mmhmm. I didn't like them in high school. I could never get over them."
Playing I Spy w/ the twins on the way back from the farm, Kyla decided it should be "with my big eye" of "little eye"... it was her turn to go and she said "I spy with my big eye something that is... black
Found this in a joke email when I was cleaning out Dad's comp: "What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other? A speech impediment."
Can't remember where I saw this next one. I have heard the first part numerous times but the ending was a bit of a twist: "Whenever God closes one door He always opens another... even if it's hell in the hallway."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Just a Regular Green Thumb
Last Friday nite before I went to the farm I partook in a task that I have been doing every summer since I can remember...
I shelled peas.
Now normally most kids would groan at the assigned garden chore but I always enjoyed it. In fact I have several fond memories of just getting the peas picked before it rained and then sitting on the covered deck with Mom shelling peas and listening to the thunderstorm around us. Some peas would fall from our bowls and land on the deck... and were from then on seen as a playtoy for the cats. They would bat the little rolling vegetables around until their newfound toys either rolled right off the deck or they lost interest and decided to instead have a nap under one of our chairs. There were always jokes and good conversations had over those bowls of peas and of course we snacked on a couple along the way. Our thumbs would turn the color of the green pebbles in our bowl and we didn't care. We would usually shell the peas into these big stainless steel bowls and the ping-ping of the peas landing in the bowl harmonized with the pattering of the rain around us.
It wasn't raining on Friday night. In fact it was about a 100 degrees outside so I opted to sit in the basement instead of out on the deck. But the pinging peas hitting the bowl still took me back to all those summer memories. I guess I'm just a regular green thumb...
I shelled peas.
Now normally most kids would groan at the assigned garden chore but I always enjoyed it. In fact I have several fond memories of just getting the peas picked before it rained and then sitting on the covered deck with Mom shelling peas and listening to the thunderstorm around us. Some peas would fall from our bowls and land on the deck... and were from then on seen as a playtoy for the cats. They would bat the little rolling vegetables around until their newfound toys either rolled right off the deck or they lost interest and decided to instead have a nap under one of our chairs. There were always jokes and good conversations had over those bowls of peas and of course we snacked on a couple along the way. Our thumbs would turn the color of the green pebbles in our bowl and we didn't care. We would usually shell the peas into these big stainless steel bowls and the ping-ping of the peas landing in the bowl harmonized with the pattering of the rain around us.
It wasn't raining on Friday night. In fact it was about a 100 degrees outside so I opted to sit in the basement instead of out on the deck. But the pinging peas hitting the bowl still took me back to all those summer memories. I guess I'm just a regular green thumb...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Dilbert's Rules of Order
(something else I found when cleaning out the computer...)
1. I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.
2. I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.
3. Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.
4. Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue.
5. Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If he /she isn't there the first time, chances are you won't be needing him/her again..
6. I don't have an attitude problem; you have a perception problem.
7. Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky, and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling?
8. My reality check bounced.
9. On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.
10. I don't suffer from stress. I am a carrier.
11. You are slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.
12. Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
13. Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
14. Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
15. A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.
16. Don't be irreplaceable--if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
17. After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before.
18. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.
19. You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
20. Eat one live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
21. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
22. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.
23. Following the rules will not get the job done.
24. When confronted by a difficult problem, you can solve it more easily by reducing it to the question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
A Good Pun Is Its Own Reword
(I was cleaning out some old files on Dad's comp and came across this...)
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
What's the definition of a will? (Come on, It's a dead giveaway!)
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you a flat minor.
When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.
He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted. It taint yours and it taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
The poor guy fell into a glass grinding machine and made a spectacle of himself.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
What's the definition of a will? (Come on, It's a dead giveaway!)
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you a flat minor.
When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.
He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted. It taint yours and it taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
The poor guy fell into a glass grinding machine and made a spectacle of himself.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!
The theme for camp this year was celebration. I still haven't gotten around to posting about the amazing week at ARWC but here is a small list of things to celebrate recently:
-I was the model for Dallas' make-up class final (which was way fun!) and she totally aced it. Congrats on becoming a certified make-up artist!
-Just found out today that Uncle Bill's cancer is back in remission!!
-Having a blast shopping and then finding sweet deals at La Senza (and then coupons and a 10% off card-thanks Phil!)
-chillin' at Kate's house and watching Brian Regan & Larry the Cable Guy... oh the hilarity!
-having some of the most AMAZING conversations with Matt lately (more on this later, hopefully). The vulnerability and openness has just been indescribable and I'm so excited for our future together. I love you! (Can't believe it was 15 months on Tuesday!!)
All for now, I will hopefully post again when I get back from the farm this weekend...
-I was the model for Dallas' make-up class final (which was way fun!) and she totally aced it. Congrats on becoming a certified make-up artist!
-Just found out today that Uncle Bill's cancer is back in remission!!
-Having a blast shopping and then finding sweet deals at La Senza (and then coupons and a 10% off card-thanks Phil!)
-chillin' at Kate's house and watching Brian Regan & Larry the Cable Guy... oh the hilarity!
-having some of the most AMAZING conversations with Matt lately (more on this later, hopefully). The vulnerability and openness has just been indescribable and I'm so excited for our future together. I love you! (Can't believe it was 15 months on Tuesday!!)
All for now, I will hopefully post again when I get back from the farm this weekend...
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Weekend Getaway
After all the chaos of having family stay at our house, combined with the emotionally and mentally draining process of planning and attending a funeral, we all needed a break. So in light of that... Mom, Dale, Evan and I went out camping to Joseph Lake this weekend. We shared a site with our good friends Lorie & Shakey and despite some cool/windy weather, it was a great weekend. We played a few rounds of croquet, had a round-robin bocce ball tournament, ate some great food (why does food always taste SO much better when you're camping??) and sat around the campfire gazing up at the blanket of twinkling stars and talking till late into the nite.
There were some tense moments when emotions would flair up and attitudes would be in need of adjustments, but all in all it was a fun weekend of family time. I guess maybe with Debbie's death so fresh on my mind, I really cherished the memories with family... helping Mom with the dishes, winning bocce ball games with Dale, wrestling and goofing around with Evan... it was great. Perhaps one of the coolest times of the weekend was Saturday nite sitting around the campfire. Evan sat on my lap and kept my legs warm. It was getting late and he literally was dozing off to sleep in my arms. I don't get to spend a ton of time with my little brother because he lives most the time at his mom's house and I'm gone 8 months out of the year at school. But the time we do spend together is usually a ton of fun. There was just something special about having your 12 year old brother sprawled in your lap and just about drifting off to sleep.
And the fact that I had him pinned on the ground not once but twice when he wanted to wrestle me didn't hurt my feelings either... haha
There were some tense moments when emotions would flair up and attitudes would be in need of adjustments, but all in all it was a fun weekend of family time. I guess maybe with Debbie's death so fresh on my mind, I really cherished the memories with family... helping Mom with the dishes, winning bocce ball games with Dale, wrestling and goofing around with Evan... it was great. Perhaps one of the coolest times of the weekend was Saturday nite sitting around the campfire. Evan sat on my lap and kept my legs warm. It was getting late and he literally was dozing off to sleep in my arms. I don't get to spend a ton of time with my little brother because he lives most the time at his mom's house and I'm gone 8 months out of the year at school. But the time we do spend together is usually a ton of fun. There was just something special about having your 12 year old brother sprawled in your lap and just about drifting off to sleep.
And the fact that I had him pinned on the ground not once but twice when he wanted to wrestle me didn't hurt my feelings either... haha
Sunday, August 3, 2008
We'll Miss You Debbie
(Mom was asked to give the eulogy for Debbie's funeral. We had some input from her husband and friends on the stories, Mom picked which points she wanted included, and I put it all together. This is what we came up with...)
We are gathered here today to remember a loving wife and mother, an awesome sister and an incredible friend. Debbie has touched everyone gathered here in some way, shape or form so it is today that we come to celebrate the life and the memories she left with us all.
Debbie Marie Polei entered this world on June 18, 1974 as a screaming bundle of joy; the 4th child born to Leonard and Arlene Polei of Wetaskiwin Alberta. Debbie always appreciated a good laugh even at a young age and her humorous antics as a child brought laughter into the lives of those around her. When her sister Joy would babysit, Debbie and her brother Kevin loved playing dress up. Debbie’s sense of humor apparently started early because she was known for always dressing up as a boy and yet Kevin would always dress up as a girl.
Her sense of adventure led her to the pool and before long she was on the team and swim meets took up every weekend of her time. Debbie didn’t seem to mind the time commitment and her hard work and fish-like skills landed her numerous medals and awards.
In her high school years, Debbie tried her hand (and quite frequently her elbows) at basketball. Good friend Dan recalls watching her games and, in keeping with the competitive and somewhat aggressive spirit of Polei athleticism, Debbie was a force to be reckoned with on the court.
Debbie never shied away from a challenge and was always up for anything to do with the outdoors. She loved quadding, fishing and true “roughing it” camping. Hiking and mountain climbing were right up there on her list as well and the mountains held a special place in Debbie’s heart since it was on top of a mountain that her sweetheart Brad Adam proposed. Sharing a mutual appreciation for sarcastic wit and challenging adventures, Brad and Debbie were married July 24, 1999.
There was never a dull moment at Brad and Debbie’s house. Their door was always open to visitors and it was often a central meeting place for friends and family alike. It wasn’t uncommon for people to just start showing up at their door on the weekends and they were always welcomed in with open arms. The house was always full of laughter and although Debbie was at first hesitant, she quickly joined in on all the teasing and jokes. Her sharp wit made for some excellent comebacks and she definitely dished out her fair share – with good friend Don often being the one to catch the brunt of her pummeling. According to Don, Debbie was also a towel-whipping champion. Rarely did the dishes get done without a towel fight breaking out, often resulting in Don hiding in the pantry.
Brad’s love for motorcycles rubbed off on Debbie and before long she was just as gung-ho about it as he was. They went on numerous trips all over Canada and the U.S. – loving the thrill of the open road and the time spent together. Debbie didn’t bat an eye at some of the rough accommodations they encountered on the road but took it all in stride as part of the grand adventure.
Debbie loved to have fun but she definitely knew the value of hard work. Vince Lombardi once said that “the dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success.” This couldn’t have been more true for Debbie. There were many years of studying, balancing night and weekend classes around work and otherwise busy schedules. The course was far from a cake walk but with Debbie’s drive to never give up and Brad’s patient encouragement all along, Debbie successfully earned the title of Certified General Accountant in 2004.
Debbie kept a busy schedule but she never lost sight of what was most important to her – her family. In addition to being a loving and devoted wife, Debbie was always involved in the lives of her extended family members. She was constantly going to hockey games, graduations, baseball games and anything else her nieces and nephews were involved in – always cheering them on and celebrating their accomplishments. Of course she never passed up the opportunity to poke a little fun at the kids and give them a hard time either.
Her deep love for children however was best displayed with their son James who was born on June 8, 2006. Debbie was an excellent mother, always going for walks or playing outside with James, and of course always available for hugs and snuggles.
Debbie truly believed in living life to the fullest. Even in the hard times, she maintained a positive attitude and managed to put a humorous spin on things. Debbie lived a meaningful life of love and laughter and it is those memories that I believe Debbie would want us to carry with us. Her love for her family and friends is something that will live on even though she is not with us anymore. It is natural for us to be saddened but I think Debbie would want us to follow her example and live each day to the fullest. Debbie is no longer with us in body but a part of her will live on in every camping trip, motorcycle ride and towel fight, and her smile will be in our hearts forever.
We are gathered here today to remember a loving wife and mother, an awesome sister and an incredible friend. Debbie has touched everyone gathered here in some way, shape or form so it is today that we come to celebrate the life and the memories she left with us all.
Debbie Marie Polei entered this world on June 18, 1974 as a screaming bundle of joy; the 4th child born to Leonard and Arlene Polei of Wetaskiwin Alberta. Debbie always appreciated a good laugh even at a young age and her humorous antics as a child brought laughter into the lives of those around her. When her sister Joy would babysit, Debbie and her brother Kevin loved playing dress up. Debbie’s sense of humor apparently started early because she was known for always dressing up as a boy and yet Kevin would always dress up as a girl.
Her sense of adventure led her to the pool and before long she was on the team and swim meets took up every weekend of her time. Debbie didn’t seem to mind the time commitment and her hard work and fish-like skills landed her numerous medals and awards.
In her high school years, Debbie tried her hand (and quite frequently her elbows) at basketball. Good friend Dan recalls watching her games and, in keeping with the competitive and somewhat aggressive spirit of Polei athleticism, Debbie was a force to be reckoned with on the court.
Debbie never shied away from a challenge and was always up for anything to do with the outdoors. She loved quadding, fishing and true “roughing it” camping. Hiking and mountain climbing were right up there on her list as well and the mountains held a special place in Debbie’s heart since it was on top of a mountain that her sweetheart Brad Adam proposed. Sharing a mutual appreciation for sarcastic wit and challenging adventures, Brad and Debbie were married July 24, 1999.
There was never a dull moment at Brad and Debbie’s house. Their door was always open to visitors and it was often a central meeting place for friends and family alike. It wasn’t uncommon for people to just start showing up at their door on the weekends and they were always welcomed in with open arms. The house was always full of laughter and although Debbie was at first hesitant, she quickly joined in on all the teasing and jokes. Her sharp wit made for some excellent comebacks and she definitely dished out her fair share – with good friend Don often being the one to catch the brunt of her pummeling. According to Don, Debbie was also a towel-whipping champion. Rarely did the dishes get done without a towel fight breaking out, often resulting in Don hiding in the pantry.
Brad’s love for motorcycles rubbed off on Debbie and before long she was just as gung-ho about it as he was. They went on numerous trips all over Canada and the U.S. – loving the thrill of the open road and the time spent together. Debbie didn’t bat an eye at some of the rough accommodations they encountered on the road but took it all in stride as part of the grand adventure.
Debbie loved to have fun but she definitely knew the value of hard work. Vince Lombardi once said that “the dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success.” This couldn’t have been more true for Debbie. There were many years of studying, balancing night and weekend classes around work and otherwise busy schedules. The course was far from a cake walk but with Debbie’s drive to never give up and Brad’s patient encouragement all along, Debbie successfully earned the title of Certified General Accountant in 2004.
Debbie kept a busy schedule but she never lost sight of what was most important to her – her family. In addition to being a loving and devoted wife, Debbie was always involved in the lives of her extended family members. She was constantly going to hockey games, graduations, baseball games and anything else her nieces and nephews were involved in – always cheering them on and celebrating their accomplishments. Of course she never passed up the opportunity to poke a little fun at the kids and give them a hard time either.
Her deep love for children however was best displayed with their son James who was born on June 8, 2006. Debbie was an excellent mother, always going for walks or playing outside with James, and of course always available for hugs and snuggles.
Debbie truly believed in living life to the fullest. Even in the hard times, she maintained a positive attitude and managed to put a humorous spin on things. Debbie lived a meaningful life of love and laughter and it is those memories that I believe Debbie would want us to carry with us. Her love for her family and friends is something that will live on even though she is not with us anymore. It is natural for us to be saddened but I think Debbie would want us to follow her example and live each day to the fullest. Debbie is no longer with us in body but a part of her will live on in every camping trip, motorcycle ride and towel fight, and her smile will be in our hearts forever.
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