Fathers Day

In a grand Father's Day gesture, the kids and I decided to let John chose how we would celebrate his special Dad's day.  Of course, he chose "fossil hunting at St. Marys." 

It could not have been a more calm and beautiful Sunday evening.  

The kids and I feel so blessed to have this man leading our family.

Saturday evening Fun

Before school was even out, we were feeling ready for summer!

We stole away one evening to Waterton for our first Can Cooker meal of the season.

It was so yummy!  It helped that we had Grandpa and Jewel Kendall and fam with us.  

The kids always love time with their cousins.  

It was a gorgeous pre-summer outing that had us really looking forward to July!!

2019 - It's a wrap!

June 13 and 14 was grad for so many of the students that I have gotten to work with this past year.   This was a crazy hard year.   My personal work was a struggle at times, and for many of these students, it was equally challenging.  I think we all kinda felt like we were crawling to the finish line.  

Words can not convey how proud I was of so many of these students!

Many of these students have endured/overcome such obstacles to achieve this.  They are grit and determination personified and they don't even realize it!!

I can't wait to see them down the road.  

Graduating class of 2019 was definitely one of my faves!

A Chill birthday worthy of a DQ cake

It was a quiet birthday this year, but a sweet one, just the same.  

I'd had a rough week at work and I felt grateful for the opportunity this day gave me to be with my family.  After work/school we attended the kids' year-end piano recital.  

After the recital, the kids had some gifts for me and John had purchased a DQ cake.  

John had purchased a lightweight raincoat for me to take on our cruise.  Abby and Jess gave me cute coupons and letters, Nate made me a large piano out of paper, and Sam had gotten Abby to take him to the store so he could buy (with his own money) some of my favorite treats.  

It was a day in which I felt special to those who matter the very most to me.

Nothing makes a birthday great like ice cream cake and those you love!

Student Council Retreat

For the past year, Abby has been serving on her school Student Council, which has been a great opportunity for her.  Last weekend, the School sent 12 Student Council members on a two-night retreat, and I got to be one of the accompanying chaperones.   

We spent the weekend staying in a hostel and exploring the Kananaskis, an area in 

Alberta that I had not explored before.  It was so much fun! 

The trip involved a lot of food (orange french toast, wings, pasta night - all at sit down restaurants) soaking in the hot springs, exploring the Banff Hotel, hiking,  watching the newly released Aladdin in the Banff Theatre, and late nights playing every ridiculous game those kids could conjure up!  

I owned the role of "Werewolf" like a boss, pathetically competed (and lost all sense of pride) in a sing-off, and scared the living daylights out of all 12 students with the best late night prank ever.  

Mr. Sloan took the group up to "The Vault" which was a fascinating cave created back during Cold War time, with the intention of using it for a place to store Top Secret Government Documents.   It was fun to walk to the end of it and explore the different "rooms."

I particularly LOVED getting to just be with Abby.  

She is fun.  She is so good.  And she is a genuine friend to me.   I'll happily accompany a handful of students and stay up later than any human should - for a chance to get to be with her!

The Kananaskis is definitely an area we will be visiting again!

Spring Drive

Sometimes (as in like, once in a blue moon) Jessica and I wake up super early and go on a morning drive...

The world is particularly beautiful when it is just waking up for the day!

Native Honor Night

I love my job.  

It isn't easy.  It isn't always fun.  There have been more challenges arise this year for me than I ever thought possible.   BUT... I do love the students that I work with, and because of that, I love my job.

Earlier in May, the school held it's annual Native Honor Night, a special evening dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating First Nation students.  It is a formal evening (many of these students value this event over the actual grad ceremony in June) that includes dinner, a program, traditional dancing, and gifts for each grad.    This year there are 27 of them from our school, and the hope is that every single one of them will graduate.   

  Oh, I pray that they will!   

I am proud of these kids.  Many of these students are the first ones in their family to graduate, and every one of them is overcoming substantial difficulty to do so.    To me, they are grit and determination personified, and they don't even realize it.  

I am not sure what this next year has in store for me and my work.  Things feel a little unsteady right now.  I hope I will be able to keep working with this group that I love so much.  

Choir and Mountain Play

Last month our local Girls Choir held a 30-year anniversary event in which choir alumni were invited to participate in a joint concert with the current choir.  John's sister Sarah was one of the original members of this choir, and Abby was a part of it a couple of weeks back, so it was fun to get to watch both of them perform.  

It was also fun to have Sarah, Ed, and Malachi with us for a few days.

They always introduce us to new experiences and fun!

This visit, they brought along their bikes and it was SO fun to enjoy Waterton with wheels!

Sarah had wanted to experience riding along the Red Rock Parkway while vehicular traffic was prohibited.  She commented a few times that there was something about being on that road without anybody else that was exciting - and she was right!

The kids loved it.  Even Nate kept up for most of the way, only having to turn back a few minutes before the endpoint.   It was neat to see where the Kenow Wildfire reached, and to see how the land has recovered.  It was also cool to travel this road outside of a car.  You notice things in a different way.   The wildflowers were just starting to come up, with patches of shooting stars blanketing the ground.   I'm pretty sure shooting stars are some of my favorite flowers.  

The dainty little things survive the harsh mountain climate so well.

At one point Nate grew too tired to keep going.  I knew that we were probably within minutes of our destination but he was so so tired and I was tired too wanted this to remain a good experience for him, so he and I turned back.   We stopped at the top of one particular hill, parked our bikes and just sat, right there in the middle of the road.   Not another human being in sight!

Dreeeaammmy!!!!!

After that fun ride, we ate pizza and enjoyed Beaver tails down by the lake before heading home.  

It was a perfectly beautiful evening, one that made me feel grateful for calm moments and company that helps us see the world a little bit differently, even if just for a moment.

  

Mother's Day

I feel so very blessed to have these people in my life. 

 Oh, how I love them!

Moments before the sun goes down...

Earlier in May my brother texted us and let us know he would be at the farm the next day.  He said something about "heather was making chili" which pretty much sealed the deal for us.  I'm pretty sure no distance is too far for a bowl of Heather's chili. For reals;)

All of my siblings and the cousins converged for just a few hours that evening, but as always, it was a perfectly good time.  The kids talked, played outside until the sun went down, and we all visited.  When we had filled up on chili, Tim Tams, Hot Chocolate and Krsispy Creme donuts - we crawled into our vehicles and made the trip home...

...each one of us looking forward to next time.  

Sweet 16

This post has been a long time coming.   We just weren't quite ready to be done celebrating Abby's birthday.  It was kind of a "Birthday Month" for her.  

On her actual birthday, John took her out for dinner. One of those sweet "I want to be her first date" kind of a thing.  It meant a lot to Abby, though I was kind of bugged that we didn't get to have a birthday dinner with her.   They came back home around 7:30 to find Abbys local cousins here ready to sing and eat cake.  

I generally try to take my kids on a birthday date at some point, this year Abby drove me to Waterton for some ice cream.   (I'm not sure how Jess managed to come along.  She is kind of like a pet dog that way.  If she hears the jingle of car keys, she is out the door and in the van, before anyone even realizes.)

Abby tried to take her drivers test (to receive a class five license) a week after her birthday.  The whole experience was such a disaster.   Abby was stressed, I was frustrated, we had forgotten to update our proof of insurance which caused delay....oh and Abby ran a stop sign.  

Neither Abby nor I were shocked when the tester told her she'd failed.

It was hard for Abby, but I was so proud of her for not only trying but for letting it be a teaching experience for her.  We are the product of everything we experience, and I am so thankful for the experiences that Abby has had in life, so far.  She is truly turning into one of the most reliable and consistently steady friends that I have.   I absolutely adore her!

Abby waited a couple of weeks and tried her test again, this time securing a passing score.

She was so excited and is constantly looking for reasons to drive!! 

 (note her loyal little puppy  companion in the front seat;)

It has been so nice to be able to send Abby for the kids after school or to have her to run an errand.  Last night, she went to a party and returned home shortly before midnight.  I kinda loved that I didn't have to get out of my pajamas and drive out of town to pick her up. 

Granted, I did feel like my heart was on my sleeve for 4 hours and I had a constant prayer in my heart that she would be safe and well, while not in our care.

Sigh...motherhood is a double-edged sword at times.   

Happy Birthday, Girl!! 

Glorious Spring Day

Last weekend was surprisingly warm.  A hopeful little gift from Mother Nature assuring us that despite the cold March, and cooler than normal start to April - Spring is coming.  

Oh man - it is coming!!

This has been such a challenging few months for me.   I am not sure if the side effects of my surgery last June (aka menopause) is now starting to present, or if I am just going through a hard time (peeks and valleys, right?) but I have really struggled lately to feel peace.  

Work is hard.

My calling feels hard.

Creating positive relationships with others feels hard.

I truly feel as though I am failing all across the board.  

I know it is me.  It must be me. 

I have sure been grateful lately for daughters.  Two girls who love me no matter what and their spider senses tingle at just the right times.  

Like last weekend, when Jessica said, "Mom, I know what you need.   You need a drive to Waterton,."   (Actually what she really said was, "You need a drive to Waterton, and a puppy." but we've all started blocking out her puppy propaganda, at this point.   All I heard was Waterton;)

We walked the Red Rock road as far as we could, and then took a trail back down to the van.  We didn't see any bears or wildlife, though they surely must be up and awake now. 

 We took pictures, talked, and made plans for summer.  

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for daughters?  

And spring. I'm also grateful for spring. 

Spring:  A lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.

Happy Birthday Gramps!

Well, it was a big month for my Father in Law.   He turned 76!!!  Woop Woop;)

March was a challenging and busy month for me and I wish that I had really put forth more effort into a party for him, but thankfully some of his Calgary family were able to make it down to party with him.   

We love this man with all of our hearts!  

That time we thought it'd be fun

February has been cold.  As in, -28 degrees cold, and it has been that way for a few weeks now.   

There was this one time, a few weeks back, where we thought it would be awesome to try ice fishing.   

Uh... yeah...that was funny.

#frozenfingersfrozentoes

#frozenchildrenfrozenmom

#frozenbait

#johndressedlikeaneskimo

A bit of Puppy Love for the Birthday Girl

Not only did February bring us a week long holiday from school, but it also gifted us with a birthday celebration of a really awesome daughter.  Jessica turned 12 this year and we decided that this was an age worth going all out for.  (Really we decided very last minute that since we were all off of work/school, why not throw a very last minute party.   But let's pretend we put a lot of time and planning into it, shall we?)

One of the few shows my girls like to watch (besides M*A*S*H, I'm so proud;) are cooking shows.  Nailed it, Cut Throat Kitchen, the Great Canadian Bake Off... the girls just love a good cooking competition.  We decided we would invite Jessica's friends to join us for a cooking competition of our own.  

We held the party in the Home-Ec room so that each of the groups could have their very own space to bake in.   Seven delightful girls were paired off and given one extraordinary challenge in honor of Jess: 

They could bake anything they wanted, so long as it was PUPPY inspired!

After five minutes for planning - the timer began.

90 minutes to wow the judges!

One team debated making "Cake Pups" (witty girls;) but settled on a caramel layered, sprinkle infused round cake with puppy art on the top.  Team number two really threw their hands into the task and literally sculpted a dog, covered it with fondant and then painted with a layer of icing until it really did look like a dog.   Team number three went for a classic and tasty cupcake accented with a chocolate fondant dog bone on the top. 

It was kinda cute to watch them rush around their kitchen, plotting, scheming, in search of the next ingredient.  They were all just a tad dramatic about it all, but no one was more dramatic than our judges. 

Sir "Sugarbottom" (Nate) ,  the Simon Cowell of the group (Sam), and our main judge and host (Abby)

At the end of the competition, we sang to Jessica - cut into each tasty creation, and called it a day.

Not too bad for last minute planning, if I may say so myself.

ACC - Girls weekend Baby!

This past weekend was so fun.

SO - FUN!!

Abby, Jessica and I spent the weekend in Calgary supporting Jessica in her first ACC experience.  Back in December, we received word that Jessica had been recommended by her beloved mentor Linda Burwell, and had been awarded a place on that Alberta Children's Choir.   

The choir consists of young singers from all over the southern half of Alberta. They receive a packet of music to practice, met as a group one Saturday in January, and then spent four days rehearsing as an official choir this past weekend, with a culminating formal concert at Knox church on Sunday.

Because Jessica had to be at rehearsals from Friday- Sunday, we decided to make a girls weekend out of it.  I am so glad that we did this!!

We would drop Jessica off each morning and then Abby and I would tackle our "Abby To - Do list." 

We visited a couple of malls, ate at KINJO and dined on our favorite sushi rolls, spent a chilly afternoon at the Telus Spark center, and visit a downtown cemetery in search of my great Grandma Catherine Rausch.  Abby had really done her research and knew exactly where to find her!  It was a nice moment to stand there with Abby and feel connected to an ancestor we had never met before.  

Abby wowed me by driving from our small town home all the way to downtown cow town with absolute competence.  She braved Deerfoot trail like a champ!!

 Each day we would pick Jessica up around 4 or 4:30 and go on an adventure.  

Our evening adventures involved eating out at our favorite places (hello Freshi;), doing face masks at the hotel and hot tubbing before bed.  

On Friday evening (before the hot tubbing and the eating;) we purchased tickets and rode the elevator up to the top of the Calgary Tower.   It was so fun!   The view was incredible and our knees would get weak and shaky whenever we got remotely near the glass floor.  It was pretty cool.  

On Saturday evening, our adventurous hearts took us to the Top Dog puppy place where we pretended to be looking for a dog to buy.   We were so delighted with this cute little guy, we almost forgot that we were just pretending.   We came pretty darn close to walking out of that store with a new pet in tow.  (Wouldn't John have loved that;)

Sunday was a lot more chill but equally enjoyable.  We dropped Jess off at the Knox church and went and read books while sipping hot chocolate at Tim Hortons.  With the city experiencing temps in the -20s we were pretty determined to stay as warm as possible before attending the concert.   

Uncle Ben, Aunt Kat, Blythe, and Marilyn came to the concert to support Jess and it was so nice to see them!   Jessica looked so happy and radiant and the singing was so beautiful, especially considering the spectacular backdrop and acoustics.   It was a lovely concert!

Linda even made the trip up to support her choir kids.   

Considering all that this dear woman is going through, I was so touched by this sweet gesture.  

She has been the main reason Jessica has come to love music and I am so grateful for her influence.

We returned home Sunday night, happy to see the boys, but thrilled to have gotten to spend three days with my girls.   I'm thinking that I need to make this whole "Girls weekend" an annual thing.