Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Happy Birthday Sam


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Halfway through summer

This is Will's last night here. Just think, he's been here Grady's entire life.

It has been a good visit. He got to see lots of family thanks to reunion, and have some relaxing time, while somehow getting a lot of stuff done around the house. He and Geoff have  made a lot of progress on clearing out the garage and Will has had some good ideas of what to do with stuff. He and Geoff also made a sandbox for Kane. And bottled homemade beer.

We have had a lot of company this month. Will, of course, and Mom, Jude and Laura, Sam and Nancy passed through on their way to a wedding in Golden, Grace and Dallyn were here this weekend. So all that and little Grady's arrival have made things much more exciting than we are used to.

Grady is the sweetest little guy. So far he is easygoing, but that could change in the next few weeks.  Or not. Kane seems to be adjusting to a baby in the house as are Grady's parents. 

Wish we were having better weather. I know that I heard in the spring that our summer was supposed to be hot and dry, but it is the opposite. The garden is coming along slowly and keeps having to recover from hail.

We are not planning any holidays in the summer but are going to go to San Francisco in September for a week. 


Beach day

Am making potato salad, doing laundry and waiting for Richard to get back from shopping, then he and I are going to beach. 1st time this year, which is odd-it has just been busy, though if you ask me why, I could not tell you.

Got back from reunion weekend and was tired. I fell asleep on the plane home, but actually was not too bad the next day at work. I enjoyed seeing everyone, but really, I am an introvert. I can chit chat etc., but then need time alone to recover. Did a presentation the next day on alcohol detox, which probably some at that reunion needed afterwards, looking at them on Sunday am.

The basement is coming along. The nice thing about insurance is that they do everything! No fuss! I think we will redo TV room carpet too-this is what happens-one thing gets replaced and you think, 'well, the other stuff is kind of crappy too'

Weeding again at rental. It seems not as bad this time around-weeds pull out easy in dry soil! The grasses we planted last year are filling in nicely and spread too-yay for less space for weeds to grow!
It has been quite hot and nice here, have I mentioned how lovely having air conditioning  is? we just have it on in afternoon til evening, then open everything up and house stays bearable for sleeping.

Work has been busy, busy. I think the transient population in the summer adds to our drug induced psychosis population who need admission. There sure have been a lot of people wandering through with that. Also, did you know that heroin use in Kelowna has seemed to drastically increase? I really cannot remember anyone during my high school years who ever did this-very little cocaine use too. Yet, there certainly are younger people who are using these drugs quite a bit. FYI-neither are good for your mental health. I highly recommend not taking either of these up, if you had been thinking of it.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Fun in the Hat






A very good visit with the MH Robins, they are such excellent hosts.  Ramona was in charge of accommodation so we all had our own rooms in various parts of the house.  Meals were eaten at Fred and Christine's and Rhonda's and Ramona's.  Fred even came over and made us breakfast each day!!  One day we toured Medalta which in it's heyday made pottery for all around the world.  It was fascinating and I got a lovely new bowl..  We went to F&C's and swam in the condo pool and used the hot tub.  Did lots of visiting, all of the family coming over to Ramona's.  Laura and I took the scenic route home, stopped for lunch in Hanna. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Once again catching up on months of posts. Whoops!

I am just hanging out in New Haven, sweltering (it's been what the Americans call 95 all week), but it has been quite a dramatic few weeks. I booked my knee surgery for June 21 and then dad agreed to come help me (awwwww!!) The surgery went well except I took forever to come around apparently, and then dad and I had an excellent week. We went to the beach and to Rhode Island and to the library a LOT. He was a very calming houseguest because we tend to process information the same way, so I never had to wonder what he was thinking about something. As long as I could get him to keep his clothes on, it was all good.

Also we called 911 on a screaming lady and a guy passed out in the parking lot; went to the North Haven Irish Festival; got lost in Fair Haven so we could try and get found again; bought a hat; levelled my stove; hung out on the Green; and dad went for pizza at 2am and shared it with a homeless lady on my front steps. Not a bad week's activities! Especially considering I did most of it on crutches. (Note: the insurance paid for them, so apparently they are mine now! I guess I will Freecycle them when I leave in case anyone else needs them).

The day after he left, I took off for Manchester. I got an unexpected opportunity to go to the Bangor ERP Summer School, and wasn't turning that one down! It was very helpful and then we went to a festival in a field in North Wales and hung out in Manchester for a few days - and watched a taping of Gok Live! We didn't get called up onto the catwalk, though.

We have booked the wedding venue for real. Feb 15, < href = http://www.polhawnfort.com>here
. Now I am stressed about paperwork and visas, but hopefully all goes well and we can have a party with as many Badgers and other assorted cool people as can make it! I am a bit worried about how much of Del's HUGE family we can invite but hopefully it will all work out.
So ummm... if anybody wants to do any wedding planning feel free! I don't even know where to start. Maybe I will just crochet baby goods for Timmy's kid instead :)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

New house!

Dallyn and I are all moved into our new place! We got the keys July 8, and figured we would just move slowly since we both have leases until the end of July. But then we decided it would be easier to just get it over with, and moved everything this weekend. So we moved some boxes through the week and all the furniture Saturday, then blew some money at Ikea on Sunday. The only thing missing now is a kitchen table, which is in Mom and Dad's garage, and kitchen chairs, which are at Tim's since they are Grandma's old ones. I'm planning to head to Rocky the last weekend in July to both pick those up and visit the new little fella. Here are some pictures: 

Monday, July 15, 2013



Hey, we should buy these! For next time we are in a big scary city.

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Repairs

Last week, Richard came home from work, said, it smells musty. Oh probably air conditioning, I said. He went out again, came back in and said, we have a flood.
leak in water line in downstairs. $100 plumbing bill, $1000 insurance deductible, and new flooring, drywall etc in downstairs back rooms. Good thing it was there, we don't use those rooms much.
Also, painted, painted at other house-laundry room floor and walls. Looks much brighter and cleaner now, but took up entire weekend-days and evenings. New tenant was not moving in until Sunday evening, so we thought, ok let's get it done. Actually Richard thought it and I grudgingly agreed that it needed to be done. And had to clean suite as people don't really get what 'clean' means. You mean cleaning behind shower curtain and windows? Yes, those need to be cleaned too.
Poor Richard was getting cold and sickly during this process, then I got it afterwards.
We are looking forward to seeing Will.
I cleaned house today-cleaning etc in other places means that this place does not get cleaned.
Booked my flight for Alberta. get into Calgary Fri evening at 7 pm, leave Sunday at 430 pm.
Mom and I going out to do a little shopping today and then I plan to read on deck and do very little else.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Celebrations


Last weekend was a busy one. Abbi's wedding was on Saturday. Abbi and Grace have been friends since they were babies and Grace was a bridesmaid for Abbi. Grace and Dallyn came down on Thursday evening and spent all day Friday helping with wedding setup. The ceremony was at Abbis' new in-laws' acreage just outside of town, a beautiful place. The weather forecast was not great, but they decided to go ahead with the original plan and do it outside. The girls came over on Saturday morning to get dressed; the wedding was at 1:30 and when Geoff and I left here at 1:25 they still weren't dressed. The photographer spent quite a bit of time getting photos and they spent a lot of time out in the yard. She had them hanging their dresses on on the clothesline and took one of Abbi's dress hanging on the trellis with the climbing roses which had just come out the day before. Anyway, the rain mostly held off until the ceremony was over.
Jude came on Friday, she wanted to get in on Kane's birthday party.
Betty Anne and Greg were in town for a school reunion, so they stopped over in the afternoon before we left for the reception and dance. We weren't expecting them but it was nice to have a bit of a visit.
The dance was fun, we sat with people we know and caught up with them. Stayed until 10:30!
Our minister is on holidays and Geoff was leading the service on Sunday. Somehow he roped me into agreeing to give the message. Will, I could never do your job.
Tim and Courtney had planned a birthday party for Booboo on Saturday. His birthday is not actually until August but they seem to think they will be busy then. However, they postponed the friends part until Sunday - Courtney's family came down Saturday afternoon and they had their family celebration. We were going to drop in but Betty Anne and Greg came over, but Jude went and got to meet the family she hasn't met yet. We went over on Sunday after church, they had some friends over and we enjoyed a barbecue in the sun on Tim's beautiful deck. Jude gave Booboo a bubble lawn mower, which was big hit. He ran around the yard with it and the other kids chased the bubbles he made.
Now we are looking forward to Will and Mom arriving and having more family time next week.
Courtney goes to the doctor on Monday and is hoping she doesn't have much more waiting time for the baby. Can't wait to see him. Who will he look like?

Sunday, July 07, 2013

Approaching Deliverance

...or the day of delivery anyway.  Things have been really busy here, as per usual. I have been working on the fence quite a bit in the last while, and Dad has been a gigantic help. Getting close now, but still a lot of work to do. We are all getting very excited for the arrival of the new baby, Courtney most of all, and the date is fast approaching. I have booked off a couple weeks of "vacation" for the week of and following the due date. My work has been really understanding and has told me my days off can start at a floating date, depending on when the baby arrives. Not sure if I have mentioned what we are having (spoiler alert) but it will be a little boy, and that is just fine by us.

This has been a very good weekend. We decided to celebrate Kane's second birthday a month early so that he had one more day that was just about him this summer. Saturday was the planned day, but unfortunately the forecast was for the birds. Some of Court's family could only make it that day, however, so we wound up just having them over so that there was room in the house to fit everyone, and invited everyone else to come over Sunday. It may have been a good thing after all as Mom Dad and Grace couldn't make it Saturday, due to Grace's friend Abby's wedding. Jude was still able to swing by and meet the in-laws, though, which was great. Today my side of the family came by, along with Dallyn (sp), who was looking a little green around the gills, and a couple of friends with their kids. Great weather today and a lot of fun in the sun! Kane was spoiled as usual.

Anyway, here is a couple pics of the new fence/deck as well as some of the maternity pics we had done last weekend. Very much looking forward to seeing those who will be out this way soon!



Saturday, July 06, 2013

Happy Birthday Grace

Surf Camp!

I've had a pretty busy week!  Last Friday I was the master of ceremonies at an ordination - the MC at an ordination is the person who organizes all the people, makes sure they're in their proper order, and doing what they need to be doing, and know where to stand and so on.  Luckily it was on a Friday evening, and there was another ordination the next day upisland, so not too many clergy came, which made it easy to organize.  It was a great service - a friend of mine from VST, so I was glad to be there, and glad to have a role in the service.  He's from El Salvador, and I think he started at VST the same year I did, but part time, commuting each week from Victoria.  I'm sure he's glad to be done that!

On Saturday was my farewell party from St. Luke's.  It was really nice -the choir wrote and chanted a Psalm about me (with a great deal of help from our parish administrator!), Peter came back to sing a song about me, and one of the ladies in the congregation does a little comedy routine, based on, I think, an old SNL piece, so she did that (about me).  It was a great evening.  Since I'm from Alberta, the organizers decided that the evening should have a western theme.  Bonnie, our administrator, is also a champion baker, and made three beautiful cakes, two in horseshoe shapes.  The parish gave me a beautiful painting of the Rockies, done by an artist in the congregation.

This is it, though I don't know why it's rotated like that.  Anyway, the artist, Jim Webb, used to work for Parks Canada in Banff, and does paintings from his sketches from that time.  He refuses to sell them in Victoria, since he says that people here don't appreciate the Rockies like they should.  I think he sells them at a gallery in Camrose.  It's a great painting, and only makes me want to have another by him!  The evening was a lot of fun, if a little Will-centric.

Sunday was my last Sunday at St. Luke's.  It was a great morning - lots of people, and I preached and presided at both the 8 and 10 (I made them combine the 915 and 11 that day!).  I'm sorry to be done, but glad to be moving on, or perhaps glad that I'll get to try something new.  I'll miss the people here though!  Sunday afternoon, right after church, we left for surf camp.  There were seven kids signed up, as well a junior leader, three camp staff and me, the chaplain.  We couldn't all fit in a rental car, so the Diocese had to rent an extra car.  Since I was the only one over 25 on the trip, I drove the rental car the whole time.  I was a little disappointed at first to have to drive - I was looking forward to a nap - but in the end it worked out OK.  The drive to Tofino is tricky in places, but not too bad, and it certainly is beautiful.  We picked up campers in Lantzville and Parksville, and made it to camp by about 7.

The camp went really well.  The kids were all between 13 and 16, which seems to be the worst age for paying attention or having common sense.  The youngest was actually 11, but her brother was there.  We had two days of surfing, and it was wonderful.  Surfing seems to be one of those sports that it's easy to pick up the basics, but hard to be good at.  I wasn't able to stand on my board, but did get up on my knees several times.  We had lessons from a place in Tofino, and the instructors were really good - would help us catch waves, give us tips on techniques and that sort of thing. Most of the lesson was just letting us get in the water and try it out, which was great.  Even when I fell off (a lot) or couldn't catch a wave, it was nice to be in the water.  The weather was hot and sunny the whole time, so the ocean was just right if you were in a wetsuit.
Alex, one of the camp leaders, and our lifeguard got a picture of me on a board, but I haven't got a copy yet.    Most of the kids liked surfing - there were two that didn't want to go the second day, and just stayed on the beach, and the junior leader flatly refused to even try it.  On the last day, instead of surfing, we hiked to an old wrecked plane near Tofino.  It's a crash from 1945, a plane that had taken off from Tofino airport to patrol for enemy submarines.  There is no trail to the plane, just a rope through the forest that you have to follow as best you can.  The really tricky part is that there is a huge bog that you have to go through, which is muddy even in July!  We all got pretty muddy, but the kids loved the hike.

We got home last night (Friday) in the late afternoon.  It was a great camp, but I was sure glad to be home.  Now I'm in Victoria for a week or so, then through Kelowna and home to Rocky for a real holiday!

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Shirts, summer, travel

So, after 6 months of working at Finning I have resigned effective July 16, 2013.  Long story if anyone wants to hear it ask when next you see me. I get to keep my shirts so if anyone wants one let me know (ha ha).  Ugly and they don't breathe very well, polyester, still have the creases from when I unpacked them even after washing every week.

I will have lots of time for Robstock and folk fest and Wilf and I are planning a trip to Vancouver Island through Prince Rupert and take the Ferry to Port Hope, then home through Kelowna for a visit.   After all that I will probably go back to temping. 

That is all.

Monday, July 01, 2013

Happy Canada Day

Since I am Canadian, I will talk about the weather. It will be hot-high of 36. Air conditioning, we appreciate you.
Richard and I are going to the events downtown, looking for spots with shade, no doubt.

Our tenant downstairs moved out. He did not clean very well and got all hostile when we told him that he had to do a few things, even though they were far from all the things that needed to be cleaned and that Richard is now doing. I said to Richard later, 'I felt like telling him, your anger won't work to get you out of doing this, I've seen much worse, I work in mental health, I have learned that I do not need to react to anger' I think he must have reflected, as when we came back he was much calmer. Really, to tell us that it wasn't clean when he moved in? Nice try.

Cut grass here and at Mom's last night-it was still 30 degrees at 9 pm. We have had lots of rain, and with warm weather, grass grows. And weeds.

I found out that an article I submitted for publication will be published! It's for Journal of Ethics in Mental Health, and is from an essay I did on ethically analyzing a treatment called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for people with Borderline Personality Disorder. I was pretty excited! I had to do some revisions, which I guess is is pretty standard. It was hard to do the revisions-after looking at something so much, to try and rewrite a section-however, it was only the intro that I needed to redo, so we'll see how it turned out. I should send to Theresa for editing! Actually, Allison does all my editing-I should put her as co-author, not the prof.

All our flowers are blooming nicely-this warm and enough-rain weather has made them happy.  Me too!