That is what is going to happen in this house.  Tonite we peeled 200 pounds of “KROMPIRE”, you are probably thinking wow, how many of you were there?  There was exactly three of us, good thing I called Sylvia at 3:00 and asked her to come to the Center to help.  I figured that I could round up some mothers from Croatian school to help for the Banquet.  Nobody came, I even sent out an email to which NOBODY responded.  Everyone has an excuse for why they can’t help.  Don’t bother commenting that I should have called you, they announced at church on Sunday that they needed help Friday and Saturday for the Banquet.  The other lady was just someone who called Fra Stipe to see if they needed any help.

I am very disappointed in everyone, everyone loves to brag about how much they love the Center but go underground when it comes to rolling up their sleeves and helping.  Thanks to everyone my hands look like my Pok. Strina’s with that permanent dirt etched into them and Goran will not eat a potato for at least a month because I cannot bear to peel another potato for a long time.

pehar.jpgJust a quick note to Senka Pehar, Thanks for the great Thank You card for the Wedding.  It was truly one of the best cards I have seen.  Good chioce…… Check out the attached picture

img_3986.JPGimg_4301.JPGimg_4304.JPGimg_4303.JPGimg_4306.JPG

Every three months 10 of us get together for what we call “SEKA NIGHT”.  It was my turn to host this past Friday, not to kick Anda and the kids to the street I decided to host at “Fab at Forty’s” house.  I decided on a Mexican theme and chopped and diced all afternoon to prepare fresh Guac, salsa, fajitas, Tacos and Salad.  The night was fabulous with typical laughing, yelling, burning (sorry Annie) and fun.

The typical email went out within days thanking the hostess but what I noticed was a few of my seke were giving me credit on cooking.  They acted (not Donnie) very shocked that I could cook and then do such a great job.

For the record, “step-sisters”, I cook all the time and have been told it is good.   You are all lucky that I am not one to get offended and you just get another meal from me in your lifetimes!!!!!

Let the apologies begin……..

Love your seka Teta Aud

To my seke, can’t wait for Seka night, see you around 7:30 .  Ole its all about Mexcian tonite.

Shout Out to Ivica, don’t know who you are and how you found my blog but welcome and I hope you enjoy!!!!!

Kuma, can’t wait till the shower tomorrow and a BIG Shout out to Tanja and Larissa who have flown in the attend!!!!!

center1.jpg Fall of 1977 Pok. Jozo Vrdoljak

copy-2-of-center-053.jpg Mass moves from the Office to the “Garaza”

copy-2-of-center-070.jpg Fundraising banquet in the “Garaza”

copy-2-of-298.jpg Breaking Ground for the new Church

centerchurch.jpg Finally “A DREAM BECOMES REALITY”

They call me the “Center Nazi”.  Some people may take offence to this comment but not me.  My father was one of the original men to write a cheque for the deposit for the “DREAM”  Anda had a spaz, because 30.5 years ago to write a check for $1000 then come home and say ‘make sure it doesn’t bounce’ was huge.  At the time they probably made about 10 cents an hour (just kidding), had 5 kids and a boater nephew from Croatia living with them.  Ante didn’t care, we ate, slept and breathed the Center.  I actually remember my parents taking hot water from Oakville to Norval because there wasn’t any there and the house had a foot of soil in it.  Don’t bother asking Sylvia about this, “Mapparently” she doesn’t have a good memory and only recalls the past two years of her life if we are lucky. 

Every weekend was spent doing tedious tasks while cleaning and trying to level 160 acres.  Boy at that time I wished I was a “CAKER” and did normal things like stay home and watch cartoons.  The first mass was held in what is Fra Stipe’s office today, the kids sat on the stairs since we couldn’t fit.  We were chastised and ridiculed for going to mass at the ‘farm’ and till recently people still called it a ‘farm’.  Yes it was a ‘farm’, it still is a ‘farm’ but only WE can call it a ‘FARM”.   How funny is it that that little ‘FARM’ now has the biggest Church ever built, not bought, in the Diaspora.  Yesterday we made the cover of Globus under the heading “CUDO U NORVALU”.  Like I always say, kids should not be held responsible for their parents ignorance, yes I blame the parents for teaching their kids to mock another church.  As for the teens and adults that mock the Center, they are just ‘uneducated peasants’.

Over the years, we had our share of problems but most were overcome.  Today the Churches have come together and now support each other.  Funny story, not to long ago “Grammar Nazi’s” son “Jofis” was asked by one of his Croatian friends, ‘what religion do you guys practice at Norval’ this again not the kids fault but his mid-thirty year old parents.  Let us learn from our parents mistakes and teach our children to be aware that a Church is a Church and we are all Croatian and should respect one another’s parishes.

The church opening was on Sunday, this was supposed to be the most important day of my life, besides on good days, my wedding and the birth of my children.  I have to admit I was a little disappointed not because of the beautiful church, not because of the estimated 3000 people that attended but because I missed it.  As I listened to mass in the outer hallway, I looked around and most of the people I saw in the hallway were Center people, these people did not get to witness the blessing of the new Church because as usual we always put everyone else first.   Yeah, I hear you, be happy there were so many people, but I am SELFISH.  This is the day we dreamt about for over three decades and honestly not to witness it was a big kick in the ‘PATCH’.  People more mature then myself have been saying be happy it was such a success, blah, blah, blah……

There is a list of people I want to Thank, let see how may of you can find my sarcastic ones and feel free to add your own;

THANK YOU to the people who stormed the doors to get a seat before 1:00 when they had planned on allowing people in.

THANK YOU to all the young people who parked their “zlatne guzice” on klupe and didn’t get up for older people.  Man that is just plain ignorant, even if I ever had a seat on Polnocka, I always got up for someone older than me.

THANK YOU to the parents who felt their children deserved seats instead of putting them on their laps so more people could sit.  Maybe then, 7.5 month pregnant Andrijana wouldn’t have a hemorrhoid on her butt from sitting on the marble floor and Marko wouldn’t have put out his back helping her get up.

THANK YOU to the people who blocked the entrance and refused to move so more people could get into the front of the church.

THANK YOU to the people ( I saw you) who called the Center a farm but managed to get a seat and a view of the Blagoslov.

THANK YOU to the people who felt they could save seats and refused to let people sit even though they arrived earlier.

THANK YOU to the people who didn’t attend mass (I forgive you if you tried but couldn’t get in) but went straight to the buffet and ignored the Donation Box.

THANK YOU to the lady who swore my children’s “MATER” while they were trying to get a piece of chicken.

THANK YOU God for letting me bite my tongue that day and hide my disappointment in alot of people.   Fortunately my tongue is back.

THANK YOU to the people in the Church who now when to kneel, I guess I will learn this Sunday.

(Serious Thank You);

THANK YOU to men like Ivica Zdunic who has donated both financially and physically to get us our dream a little sooner.

If I have offended anyone with my THANK YOU list, you should probably keep it to yourself because I was being as sarcastic as humanly possible.  At the end of the day, it is Thursday and I got a good dose of Father Nick and Fra Ljubo and I am very happy.  The Church is gorgeous which I dare anyone to deny and we should be very proud.  Sunday I will attend my fist mass ‘inside’ the Church where someone will tell me when to kneel.  It will take some getting used to after being in the hall for over 20 years but I am very excited.  On Tuesday as I looked around the Center I realized we still have allot of work to do, but we WILL do iot one step at a time.

I have a new appreciation for being the “Center Nazi” because on Sunday as we sang “Boze Cuvaj Hrvatsku” I cried because I knew my dad and the other Center men were watching us and smiling, they may have passed on before the opening of the Church but they were there in Spirit.