Abby is Home!! (Oct 2024)

I felt such joy when I found this milk. Note he expiry date  - that was Abby's return date! It's a whole thing to be able to say that "my daughter will be home before the milk in my fridge expires!" 

The excitement I felt as October 24th neared was unreal. 

John and I both took the day off of work, though due to flight delays, we could have worked the day and then left. How could we have known though. What's a few more hours of waiting when we'd already waited 18 months? 

Jewel secretly came over and decorated the driveway. 
What a nice welcome home tribute for her!

Before we left, we made sure to throw up some yellow ribbons. 

We found a great spot in the airport, where we could watch her arrive and wave to her before she came through the international doors. When she did finally make it through those doors, we were BURSTING with excitement and already in tears!

We loved her surprise at the growht Jess and Nate experienced while she was away and it felt soooo good to hug her and have her back!

This will go down as one of my favorite days in 2024!

 

THE Best Northern Lights show OF MY LIFE (OCT 2024)

This night. 

Wow. 

I will forever remember this night. To date, this October evening gave us the BEST Northern Lights show I'd seen. For hours, the lights danced and changed. I even drove out to Waterton hoping to catch some there. I was not disappointed. 

God is good. 
This universe is astounding. 

 

Assessment Conference (Oct 2024)

Early in October, I attended an Assessment Conference with my Junior High Language Arts colleagues. 

Kylee teaches Grade 8 and Bailey teaches Grade 7, both of them fantastic teachers who have so graciously accepted me into the LA program. 

We went to Canmore, AB and spent three days learning about assessment strategies in Education. 

We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. 

On the way home, I had to show them my favorite Heart Creek Bunker, a cave just off the highway. 

I was thankjful for the weekend and the chance it gave me to get to know these people that I now work with. 

 

Thanksgiving - Oct 2024

I LOVE Thanksgiving! 

It brings us the first real long weekend of the year, the air is crispy, and the promise of Turkey dinner looms. I mean....c'mon!

No matter what, even if we get invited to somebody else's house for dinner, I still have to make my own Thanksgiving meal. I must have the leftovers!

Thankfully, this Thanksgiving was at my house, which made for a wonderful, delightful party. 

It also marked one of the last times that Max would join us at our house for dinner. 

We are blessed. 

Random September 2024

During this month, Nate made the most delicious chocolate chip cookies ever. 

We have learned that placing chocolate chips on the top after they come out of the oven makes them even yummier!

Jess and I hiked in to the Blackiston Falls lookout. I love these moments with Jess. 

Speaking of great moments with Jess - eating Loaded Nachos Supreme, while swinging in hammocks was definitely another great idea. 

Jessica's car experienced its kajillienth break down. Poor thing would have moments when it just would not start. We replaced the battery and starter (twice) and did every other repair we could think of. Even after this picture was taken, there would be a few more broken down days before we finally figured out the problem. 

Autumn walks....

Sunday evening at the farm....

Joy riding with the friends...

and Visiting neighbors together...

All contributed to the awesomeness that was September. 

Glacier Hike with John (Sept 2024)

John and I discovered, a few years back, that September is the best time to enjoy Glacier National Park. We no longer ahve to deal with the vehicle registration program, the tourists (not us) have gone home, and the weather is still nice. 

This year, we hiked in to Josephine Lake, which is a spot we used to bring Grandpa to. The hike holds a lot of dear memories for us. The elephant stump was a spot our kids always insisted on stopping at. It feels a little strange to enjoy these moments without our kids, but we certainly look back on those days fondly. 

 

1st week of school - Sept 2024

Look at Jess on her first day of her senior year!

I feel like this picture perfectly depicts what her Grade 12 year was like. She juggled sports, and schoolwork like a champ and that little blue Stanley followed her along like a loyal friend. 

This picture also depicts Nathan's personality as a Grade 9 student really, really well. His refusal to cooperate for a photo shows his feirce independance. (That's what I'm going to call it, at least;)  He also  blew a chunk of his summer earnings on DQ and Subway. Horray for an open campus! 

Jessica and her friends figured out, early in the school year, that if they came to our house, they could enjoy free food. Occasionally I'd pop in at lunch and there were usually 3-10 friends of Jessica's already there. They actually became regular members of our family and there was always someone there to take care of Radar. 

                                          

Jess and nate both got to have John as a teacher, which was cool. 

Our two missionaries made us so proud. By this point, Abby only had one transfer left, while Sam was just a nearing his halfway mark. What a joy it was to have two missionaries out at the same time!

Home Sweet Home? (Aug 2024)

As we made our way through August 2024, I became increasingly aware of time, specifically how quickly it was slipping away! For the first time in my life, I had a classroom to prepare. 

I was so unbelievably nervous. 

Slowly but surely, the space began to take shape. 

 I had no idea what lied ahead for me, which is probably good. Had I known the level of overwhelm I woudl feel, just a few weeks later, I may have turned around and run for the hills. 

I am so glad I didn't. 

A lot of learning and growing happened in this space. 

A lot. 

Random August (2024)

Summer of 2024 was beautiful! 

I was graduated and did not have to focus on finishing classes or earning any more credits. Absolutely sublime!

We hiked and John fished. 

We tried to have the missionaries over for dinner more often. (Others around the world were taking care of Sam and Abby, it felt like the least we could do.)

Jess spent a lot of time waterskiing with Grayson and the rest of us (or atleast John and I) spent our free time paddleboarding. 

This Payne Lake scene has been experienced (on repeat) for more than a decade. Ever since our kids were young, we have been coming here. I will always be thankful for a Payne Lake sunset.