Weekend in Review: Roadtrip!!!

I have been meaning to blog for a few days, but this week has just flown by. I mean, walking Aidan to school and back home again has taken its toll. I am exhausted this morning. Aidan was, too, so I asked Jonathan to give him a ride. He was so slow getting dressed that I was glad Jonathan was driving him. He is tired today.

On Monday we went on a family roadtrip!! We don't usually do this, but on Monday we thought we would do something fun as a family. We piled into the car and set off on our adventure.

The kids had no idea where we were going, but that was alright. They had books and some music to listen to, as well as looking outside for animals. They are usually pretty good in the car.

We ended up in Nanton, Alberta. It is about 50 minutes south of Calgary on highway 2. Anyway, we used to always stop there for supper when we were going on holidays. (They have this cute little drive-thru right off the highway. Really good milkshakes!!) Anyway, they have opened this new train store: Big Sky Garden Railway. I have never been there before, but it sounded really good...It was!
They have a huge garden railway in the back that has three sections: North American, Swiss Alps and European. They also have two covered areas for Thomas the Train sets that the kids can play with. We spent a couple of hours there. I did the scavenger hunt. Jonathan said I could be the kid and do it!! YAY!! I love scavenger hunts!

Emma played with Thomas the whole time. Aidan went back and forth from Thomas to the automatic trains. For only $14 we could come and go as we pleased all day long. We could have brought a picnic, too!

We had lunch at a little diner. Some hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. Then we went on to the WWII air museum. It was a bit boring for the kids, but there was a few planes they could go in and Aidan had lots of questions.

On the way home, I misdirected my hubby and we ended up going home through Chestemere Lake. I remember when it was a little while from the city to get to Chestemere. Now, it is right next door, pretty much. Definitely a bedroom community for people who work in Calgary. Anyway, we let the kids out to run around for a bit. They were facinated by a jetskiier. In awe, actually. Meanwhile Jonathan and I were terrified they were going to fall in.

All in all it was a wonderful day!! Probably the last one until next spring. (Sigh!)

Weekend in Review: Car Crashes and Balloons

Well, it has been awhile. It was so nice out last week that I finally got my garden planted. So far we have no casualties, although we have no veggie plants, either. Hopefully something will begin to sprout up in the backyard, but I will not hold my breath.

Friday night was supposed to be a fun date night. Jonathan and I have not been on a date since Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I ended up in an accident. Nothing too major. Just bumper to bumper. I have never been in an accident before, so this was something new. Hopefully there will not be too much damage. We'll see.

It was a reminder that I really need to be concentrating on driving. So many times I am doing something else: talking to kids, radio flipping, etc. Let me state for the record: I NEVER talk on my cell phone while driving. I pull over! Anyway, I guess I just needed a wake-up call. I got it loud and clear!

Jonathan and I did go out. I had an alcoholic beverage. I needed it. We went to Red Lobster and then to Chapters to walk around. We wrote down a bunch of books to request from the library, since we try not to buy books anymore. Where would we put them?

On our way home we stopped at 7-Eleven. I had a slurpee and Jonathan had Dr. Pepper from the fountain (not bottled). You can now put shots of vanilla, cherry or lemon in your fountain drinks. I am so excited to go and try vanilla and coke! I love that combo!! I also had a mint-chocolate Aero bar. I haven't had one in ages. It was good!!!

Yesterday Jenny and I took Aidan to see "UP". It was sooo good. Aidan was a bit scared at the scary spots, but overall he really enjoyed it. It was his first 3D movie. I think that was exciting for him. The dogs are HILARIOUS! You need to see it. It is a wonderful story for young and old.

We have been watching Season 3 of "The Office" on DVD. (borrowed from the library) Anyway, I am totally lovin' it. The show is sooo funny. Anyway, I thought I would end with some Jim/Pam/Karen triangle. It has been my cheering up device so I will share it with you!!

Weekend in Review: It is a Manic Monday!!

Good day everyone! It is Monday. I can feel it in my bones. Our weekend was very busy:

Friday - supper at the Cheesecake Cafe for Mother's Day. They have Callebaut Cheesecake right now, which was simply divine.

Saturday - swimming in the morning; Aidan had a birthday party in the afternoon (he was the most well behaved boy!) and then I worked in Promiseland that night.

Sunday - Jonathan got up with Aidan and made me pancakes. Then he went and cut my parents' lawn. I bought a few groceries. Then we had small group in the afternoon. After supper I had to go to the airport and pick up my parents.

I did not get to spend Mother's day with either of the two Moms who mean the most to me. (My mom and/or Jonathan's) We tried to call Sandra yesterday, but no answer...(I hope you are alright, Sandra and not trapped under something heavy!!) We will call later today again.

Anyway, I am tired and it is no wonder. Look at what we did! Crazy!!

Hopefully I will be able to tackle my garden this weekend. That is the plan, anyway. My mom thinks there are some tulips and some daffodils growing in my garden already. We'll see how they are. I will leave them this year. They never bloomed last year. We'll see.

Okay, so I thought I would do the Manic Monday thing again today. It should be fun...or not!! Anyway, without furthur ado...



How old were you when you learned to tie your shoes?
I think I was in Kindergarten or Grade one. I know I did wear velcro in Kindergarten. I had a doll that I used to practice things on like tying shoes, doing buttons, snapping snaps...

Have you ever snooped in somebody else's medicine cabinet?
I wonder if anyone hasn't. Sometimes you are just curious. I know I am. So I have looked.

Who do you think you are?
Obviously I think that I am someone who needs to know what is in other people's bathroom cabinets. I don't know why...

Other than that I think I am a Daughter of the Most High God, Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Singer, Writer, Reader, Girl Guide Leader and Mountain lover!

Weekend in Review: IT'S DECEMBER!! AAAHHHH!!!

It's December. I had a moment of panic this morning when I realized that it was December. I changed by calendar and then took some deep breaths. It will be alright. It will be alright.

Anyway, since my brain is on hiatus right now (AKA still recovering from shock) I will leave you with something that is a little more coherent. Enjoy this blog thingy, while I go wrap presents, address cards, bake cookies....

Your Christmas is Most Like: The Muppet Christmas Carol

You tend to reflect on Christmas past, present, and future... And you also do a little singing.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Weekend in Review: I Can Make Puppets Talk!

Yes. It is official. I am a puppeteer once again. How exciting it is to do puppets! I forgot how much fun it was.

I showed up on Saturday night for my "Shepherd"-ing job at Promiseland and ended up doing puppets. How fun!! It was a blast. I only mad a few mistakes. (Not enough mouth movement from my puppet!) Considering I had never looked at the script before I went in on Saturday, I figured I did pretty good.

That's about all I have done this weekend of importance. I went on a date with my hubby on Friday night. We went for supper, bowling and then dessert at The Cheesecake Cafe. It was fun. We haven't had a fun date in a long time, so it was nice.

I did go to my friend's daughter's baptism on Saturday afternoon, too. She was my best friend in high school. We still keep in touch, but we are not as close as we used to be. Maggie (the baby) is so small (10 weeks old) and cute. That being said, I am so glad I am not going through with that again!! I am done with sleepless nights and feedings at 2 am. It was nice, but I am glad I have moved on!!

I need to go and do some homework for tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Weekend in Review: No More Watermelon!

How much watermelon can you have in one weekend? I tried to answer that question at camp. Let me just say that having it 4 times a day is too much.

Camp was interesting...we'll move on.

I watched the Emmy's last night. It was like a trip down memory lane. I had no idea that they were planning that, which made my blog entry on Friday very timely. Thanks to those of you who left me a few others. I will post another list on Friday.

The Emmy's were fine (I try to mute the speeches if possible). Unfortunately, celebrities still think they are politicians and political scientists, trying to give us their view point on who to vote for. Sorry, but unless you have a degree in poli-sci or have experience, I am not going to listen to you. I would rather listen to normal people, who live normal lives.

And what is up with "30 Rock"? I have watched it a couple of times. It is okay. But is it really funnier than "The Office"? I don't think so!!

And then there was "Madmen", which I have never seen. But to beat out "House" or "Dexter"? Crazy.

The "Amazing Race" won for best Reality TV show...again. So, all was not lost. It starts again next Sunday, so I will keep you posted. I love that show, and Jonathan has started to tape all the reruns of it on VHS. (Like father, like son. If he starts numbering them, I'll let you know, Sandra!!)

Last night was the first time that I had heard that William Peterson was leaving CSI, for sure. I have decided that he is allowed to leave if he is going after Sarah Sidle. That is the only way I will be happy. (It is a little bit funny my addiction with some shows...or sad!)

I hope you are all having a fun day. I am tired. Please check out Postsecret if you have not already. There are some really good secrets this week, especially the last one!!

Have a great day!

Weekend in Review: Book Club

Well, this past weekend was supposed to be the first meeting of my book club: The Feathered Quill. Unfortunately, only my mom and my sister could make it. So, it has been postponed until after we read our first book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I am opening up my book club to any of you who might want to read along with us. I will probably have a site up and running for discussions on the books we are reading. Just let me know if you are interested in taking part.

Other than that, nothing much happened this weekend. Aidan is a little bit sick (a wee cold). He's just building up his resistance again. I am sure he will be fine in a day or two.

Hope you all are doing well. It is a lovely day here. The temperature is supposed to reach 26 degrees celcius. Hopefully gas prices will go down, too!!

Weekend in Review: Nothing to Report

This weekend was just the same as every weekend Jonathan is on woship team. It flies by, you wake up and all of a sudden it is Monday. Where did the weekend go?

I am trying out this new blog template. What do you think? I really like the 3 columns, because it looks way less cluttered. I am not sure about it, though. We'll see.

Aidan went to Preschool this morning and Emma and I did our Gymboree class. We are all tired. Emma is sound asleep already and I just laid her down 10 minutes ago. Aidan could fall asleep, too, if he doesn't fight it too much.

I have my first Bible study tonight - Hallelujah! I have missed it a lot over the summer. Hopefully I will be able to reconnect with some of the ladies from last year, as well as make some new friends.

Hope you are all doing fine. It is beginning to feel like fall here. So much for global warming!! Leaves are on the ground in some places already!!

Weekend Review: The Giants

Pastor Henry Schorr was back preaching on Saturday night. I love him so much as a preacher. His sermons stay with me throughout the week and I am constantly thinking about them. This week's was no exception.

He was talking about Caleb and how Caleb lived his life. The main passage was: in Numbers 14, which you can read HERE. The part he focused on this week was:

" 'If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.' " Numbers 14:8-9

Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who believed that God could handle anything, including some "Giants" living in the Promiseland. He had rescued them out of Egypt, after all. What were a few giants to God?

The point is that as a believer, we need to be living in peace; laying down our giants and burdens in order that God can deal with them. We must believe that God can take care of them, instead of trying to take care of them on our own.

I know you are thinking: "Why is she sharing this with us?"

For the past little while, I have been struggling with the fact that I am not working. I spent 5 1/2 years and a ton of money in order to have a teaching career. Yet, I am not teaching. I know that I am doing what God has wanted me to do, but I sometimes feel like I will miss my career altogether if I don't work - even just a little bit. I feel like if I am not working than other people are taking my jobs. There will be nothing left for me when I want to return to teaching.

All of this came to a head this weekend. I love staying at home. I can't imagine anyone else raising my children. But, it is the beginning of the school year and I am, again, not working. I am going to get on the sub list, but even then I will only be working a little bit, and only if my dad is able to watch the kids.

Then my friend emails me this quote:

"Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling." Van Gogh

I know that I am called to teach. And I am doing that, even though there is no money involved. I know that God is in control. Even though my career path seems to have taken a detour, God can handle the detours of this life. Thanks be to God for godly friends who continue to encourage me. I will perservere.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Weekend in Review: I'm Blind as a Bat!

For the record: I never have been able to see very well. I wear glasses. My dad has hardly any periferal vision. It has been passed on to me. Jonathan is used to me by now. He grabs me when I am going to walk into something or someone. He bugs me about it, but he still protects me.

I know there are other people out there who are just like me. I generally think that everyone is like that, and therefore do things a bit differently. I wait instead of charging ahead. I would wait the 5 seconds before going into another person's personal space (i.e. right beside that person)!

Now let me clarify a bit. I do not blame the other lady. I don't. She was just doing her shopping. I was the one who didn't see her.

It happened in the dairy section, right in front of the whipped cream. I was grabbing some whipped cream off the shelf for supper last night. (It was a million degrees, so I decided to make mousse!) I was reaching for the whipped cream, and turning to my right to get back to Jonathan. In the meantime, this nice lady had stepped right beside me, blocking my path back to Jonathan. When I say right, I mean like not even a foot away. I guess she thought she could grab whatever she needed before I left the shelf.

Another important thing I forgot to tell you: I was holding a coffee in my hand at the time. I had taken the lid off of the cup because it always leaks all over my shirt. It is annoying.

Anyways, I turned and walked right into the lady. Everything went in slow motion. I tried to stop my coffee (which was lukewarm, thankfully) from spilling, but it was too late. It went all over her arm; all over my foot. I had nothing to clean it up with - no kleenex/tissues in my purse. I felt horrible. Apologized 3 times, but there was nothing I could do.

I went back to Jonathan and he said: "Are we going to get sued?" Ahhh. My lovely, comedic husband. Gotta love him. (He made fun of me all the way home, while I beat myself up all the way home!!)

The irony: I am getting my eyes checked on Tuesday.
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We spent lots of time with Granny and Grandpa on Sunday, which was nice. Grandpa is doing a lot better. He seems to be recovering well.

Jonathan and I watched the movie "The Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet where they swap houses for the Christmas holiday. Very good. Check my review out.

But the most exciting thing that happened was that Canada won a lot of medals. We now have 8 medals: 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze! I am so proud!!

Today is laundry day and playing in the pool day. It is supposed to be 34 degrees celcius today. Too hot for anything!! I will be trying to stay cool!

Here's to Canada!

Weekend in Review: My Son Could Do That!!

The highlight for the weekend was my parents being home, which gave Jonathan and I a chance to slip out on Sunday for a date. It is our anniversary on Thursday (9 years) so it was a wonderful way to celebrate our years together.

We ended up going to the Glenbow Museum. I haven't been there in years. It was really good and they have done a lot of work. The aboriginal display and the Mavericks display were really well done. They are new and improved since I last was at the museum.

The fourth floor is the same as before. A little bit has been done, but a lot more could be done. I love interacting with the things that I am viewing. There isn't a lot of this upstairs yet.

On the second floor, they had their feature exhibit: an art exhibit called The Big Gift: Calgary Celebrates Art from Canadians. It was... interesting. Some of the pieces really touched me. Some...not so much. A few of them even gave me the creeps. I couldn't look at some of them for very long. Then there were a few that, no offense, could have been done by my son. (Which is what a few kids were saying while they were looking at the art.)

There were lots of comments on our society's industrialization. There was one where you could create your own landscape by cranking a wheel. It really begged the question: how much of our nature is formed naturally or is it constructed by us? There was also the giant poop machine...

After spending 2 1/4 hours at the museum, we headed to Eau Claire Market for supper. I used to hang out here when I was in high school. Now...they are planning on tearing it down. It is pretty sad inside. Plus, they took out the IMAX, which is very sad.

We went to Joey Tomatoes. We haven't been there in a long time. We used to go to the one in Sherwood Park, AB all the time - before kids. I had the rotisserie chicken and Jonathan had steak. It was an interesting experience: the interior decor was a mixture of art deco and western; the waitresses all started to talk about the tall guy with sunglasses - he was inside and never took them off...HMMM!!

After supper we decided to rent movies which we haven't done since we lived in McLennan, AB. Sad, I know. We rented I am Legend (see my movie review)and Elizabeth: the Golden Age. Interesting to us was a couple who were on a date and trying to decide what movies to get. They spent so much time trying to compromise. It was funny to Jonathan and I because we remember that stage of the relationship, so long ago. It reminded us of how far we have come - a perfect reminder when we are celebrating our 9 years of marriage.

All in all it was a wonderful night. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life to take this journey with. God is good.

Sadly, my parents had to leave this morning and go back to Toronto. They only have a few more weeks and then they will be back. It was hard for them to leave today. It was hard for me to let them go. My mom is so tired and my dad is fighting the battle of his life. They can both see light at the end of the tunnel, which I think will help.

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Tina~ Yes, I love convertibles - to feel the wind blowing through your hair....

The picture above is of Lake Louise, AB. Another definite spot to go when you come to Alberta. It is gorgeous.

Weekend in Review

I've decided that Mondays will be my Weekend in Review. If you missed Friday's Top Ten, please read that below. I was a little late putting it up, so you might have missed it!!

Weekend in Review:

The main event of this weekend was going on a road trip on Saturday. We all piled into our Corolla (better on gas than my parents' van) and started to drive. Jonathan had it all planned out.

We drove to the big metropolis of Torrington, Alberta. There are only a few main streets there, including the Highway. They have a Lutheran church and a diner (that was closed). They also have the world famous Gopher Hole Museum: a museum filled with stuffed gophers dressed in costumes and holding props. Yes, it is true. The museum is only a little shack, but they get thousands of visitors every year. I have never been, but Jonathan thought the kids might like it.

It is a little creepy. I had a friend in elementary that had gophers in his backyard as pets. They were in cages. They smelled and would bite you if you got too close.

There was one dressed up as a girl with flowers in her hands. I heard myself saying to Jonathan that I thought she was cute. That's when I decided I had been at this museum long enough and entered the gift shop.

Once in the gift shop, I was bombarded with things that were gopher related. I was also blasted with music. Someone had written a song about the museum that they must play over and over again when people stop in to the museum. They must get tired of the song.

Aidan really enjoyed it. Emma thought the animals were alive and kept banging on the windows and saying 'hello' to them. I would recommend this stop when you are in Alberta. It is too funny to be missed.

Here's a little taste!!

Gopher Hole Museum - Click here for another funny movie.

We finished off the road trip by stopping at Olds, Alberta for lunch. They now have a Super Walmart and a Loblaws type store, Dollarama...So, they don't have to drive to Calgary anymore.

We then drove to Cochrane and stopped at a playground to play. It was so hot that we just stopped for 20 minutes or so. Then it was back in the car for air conditioning and home again.

It was a fun time and definitely a good way to spend our day as a family. Aidan said he had lots of fun. Emma, I'm sure, did as well.