Monday and I'm Outta Here

Road Trip by Mommyajg featuring Fantas

I'll see you all next weekend.  Right now I am packing up, cleaning up, resting.  Trying to get ready for the big road trip tomorrow.  I am really looking forward to it.  It should be great fun.  An adventure.  Time alone with the hubby...Should be great.  Hope you all have a great week.  Here's some music that has been stuck in my head for you to listen to.  Some old songs, but ones I love.

Back from Camp

On Maid of the Mist!!  Was SOOO cool!!

I am back!  Had a great time.  Am still tired and camp ended on Saturday.  They say it takes about a week to recover.  I am not there yet, I guess.

I will post some more pictures here in the coming days.  Lots of stories to tell, but the one that I really want to tell is about our GREAT group of girls.  Despite all of the hardships, the programming problems, the long walks to the island and the many other organizational problems, the girls hardly every complained.  They trucked on, doing their thing, having a great time.  I am proud of them all.  They were great.

Disney Pictures!!

Friday Fill-In: Tomorrow to Disneyland

Well, tomorrow morning at 10:40am I will be leaving on a jet plane for the Happiest Place on Earth!  (Okay, I don't really BELIEVE that.  It only says it on a plaque!)  Anyway, it should be fun.  I promise to come back with stories and pictures galore!

If you think of it, please pray for the husband as he is taking care of the kids all day long for 4 days.  I think it is really good for them all because there is no Mommy to fall back on.  Daddy bonding time is good.  But a lot of work.  So, just pray for patience and energy for him.  I am so thankful for this opportunity to get away.  He is a really GREAT guy!!  I am blessed.

Anyway, since I have lots to do, please enjoy this wonderful Friday Fill-in!!  I'll be back on Wednesday!
 
1. My sweet children never fails to make me smile.  They are always giving me hugs, telling me I am the best Mommy.  Yesterday Aidan and I had a nice time in the morning packing and talking.  It was nice!!

2. I'm looking forward to going to Disneyland. One more sleep!!

3. The kidlets watching CBC kids is what I'm listening to right now.  It is "Super Why" right now, which is a great show about reading comprehension, spelling, letters, and problem solving.  It is great.  "Super Readers to the rescue!"

4. Potato salad must have a bit of zip in it! A bit of mustard usually does this nicely.  Otherwise I find it bland.

5. A fruitloop was the best thing I ate today.  Unhealthy, but they are yummy!!

6. Today was supposed to be nice, but now is quite chilly, forcing me to turn on the furnace.  YIKES!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with my sister and staying up late watching Disney movies, tomorrow my plans include flying to LA and eating supper at the Blue Bayou and riding Pirates of the Carribean and Sunday, I want to spend the whole day at Disneyland going on all the rides!

Why I have not written

My friend Melissa (of Memories after Midnight) has had an emergency this week.  Her husband was rushed to the hospital on Monday night after having a seizure at work.  They have determined that it is either Encephalitis or Meningitis.  He will need to stay in the hospital for a week or so.  Needless to say, my spare time has been taken up with praying.

On this coming Saturday we are having a Dedication service for Emma.  We were waiting until we were comfortable in our new church.  Aidan had his done when he was a month old or so.  And it was done in the actual church service.  Since Center Street Church is so big, they have to do it as a separate service.  Anyway, we have been finalizing details for this.  It should be fun.

Last night we went to the interview for a new school for Aidan.  He needs some more challenges in his schooling.  We have applied to the Science School and the Arts-based learning school.  Anyway, we went and met with the principal of the Arts one last night.  It is a small school (200 students) and seems like a nice little place to be.  They have lots of technology (smart boards in every room) and computers (apple notebooks).  All of the grade 5s and 6s get their own laptop.  I know.  Crazy.  She said she has a spot for him for next year.  So, I think this will be the one we choose.  There is usually a waiting list for the Science school.  I will keep you posted.

Today and tomorrow is Teacher's Convention, so Aidan has no school.  Tomorrow I have no Maggie, since her Daddy is off.  I need to do some running around for the Dedication, anyway.  And then Monday is Family Day.  A nice long break for us all.

And the most exciting new??  My mom, my sister, my mom's best friend and I are all going to Disneyland in May!!  I can't wait.  I have not been since I was in Grade 9.  We went for Christmas then.  This time we are going in a low time.  Lines should be shorter and weather will (hopefully) be nicer.  Last year we went to San Diego.  This time we have added a friend and are going to see THE giant mouse.  I told the kids we were going to LA, but not specifically about Disneyland.

Anyway, these girl trips are going to be an annual thing.  I think it is necessary for my sanity...especially as a stay-at-home mom.

Goin' to see a Man about a Squid

Well, it has been such a crazy week around here. I mean, we have been walloped with snow, it seems like constantly. Everyone has been late to get anywhere and it has been so cold. Trying to coordinate Aidan getting to school and Jonathan getting to work has been a challenge. Add to that the whole Christmas presents needing to be sent to Ontario...Needless to say, I am glad it is Friday and we are leaving town for the weekend.

One of the many blessings of having a sister working for WestJet is the deals that she is able to get. We are taking advantage of one of these today. My parents and sister, the kids and hubby and I are all going to Vancouver for the weekend. We fly out today at 6:15 and come back on Sunday around the same time. It is a 'flying' trip, but I think the kids will really have a good time. Emma has never been on a plane and I don't think Aidan remembers.

Tomorrow we are going to spend the day at the Vancouver Aquarium. Since the kids have not seen much sea life, I think this will be great. I haven't been to the Aquarium in years. It should be good.

Anyway, I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. I will come back with pictures and stories for your reading pleasure next week!!

In honor of the sea life, here's one of my favorite clips!!

Things Heard at Camp...

In her bunk bed

Doing the puppet show again. Grandpa and Aidan were weekend long buddies!


Campfire

Emma playing in the tent. She thought it was neat!


Emma at the campfire on Saturday night. She almost fell asleep.
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Things Heard at Camp

...whispered by Emma: "goodnight mommy, goodnight jenny, goodnight grandpa, goodnight granny, goodnight aidan..."

..."There's a gofer in the cabin. HELP!"

..."Look at the deer, Aidan and Emma. Do you see them?"

...Emma: "Let's find Grandpa's flowers (aka some wild flowers growing)"

...Aidan: "Grandpa, let's do a puppet show with my cows!"

..."Now we remember how Harry Potter ends..."

..."Stand back from the fire!"

...Aidan: "I am going to sleep in the tent with Granny, but no snoring. Okay,

Granny?"

...Aidan: "I want to go back into the building now!" (At 1 in the morning!)

...Aidan: "I like watching the toilet paper go down the hole!" (Okay, he may not have said that exactly, but it is what he did everytime he went to the bathroom!)

...Emma: "I need to go to the bathroom, too! Now, wash my hands?" (She didn't need to go, but wanted to go whenever one of the girls went. I guess she's started the 'bathroom group thing' early!)

...Emma in her sleep: "I want to go, too. I want to go, too!" and really loud giggling!

And the thing that we will all remember about camp...

...Emma whispering: "Granny asleep? Yes. Grandpa asleep? Yes. Aidan asleep? Yes. Jenny asleep? Yes. Mommy asleep? Yes. Emma asleep? No."

Friday Fill-ins: Camping

I am going camping with the kids today. (And my parents and sister - my hubby is staying home!) It is supposed to be HOT all weekend, so we should be in for some good weather.

This is the first time, in a long time, that I am not packed! I have packed most of the kids clothes, but I still have to pack all of my clothes and a few other items. It is really stressing me out! (Perhaps I need a life! Remember that I am Monica from "Friends"!)

As you can read below, my mind is on camping!


1. Not being ready to go is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I want to get up and dance and start singing. Or I want to have a nice cup of tea, by a warm fire and read a great book!

3. The first cup of coffee in the morning when the house is still quiet tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is hard, but it is ALWAYS worth it and the right thing to do.

5. When my children hug me and say they love me that is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is something to be said for being busy before a trip. At least then you are not watching the clock!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a wiener roast and smores and a campfire, tomorrow my plans include going swimming and Sunday, I want to eat ice cream and relax at home after a busy weekend camping!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend no matter what you are doing. I will tell you all about my adventures when I get back.

San Diego Part One: You Know You're in the States When...

*****PLEASE NOTE: Okay, I know that I have some Americans reading this blog. So I just want to point out that there are some fundamental differences between Canadians and Americans, especially our culture. It is nothing that I am trying to make fun of or put down, I just thought it would be a good way to talk about my trip. I love the States and always enjoy going there. So, this is all in fun!! Okay, I think that about does it!!

When we got to the States, my sister and I started a list of things that are different about our country and the USA. So, without furthur ado...

You Know You're in the States When...

1) Everything can be added on, made bigger, or comes in regular or large. Which is fine. You can get things bigger up here too! The difference is that everywhere we went people asked you if you wanted more, you wanted it bigger, you wanted to add something on. From food to souvenirs. IHop to gift stores. We don't do that up here. Perhaps we figure that if people wanted it bigger or more of something, that we will just ask. It was very interesting.

2) It is a redeeming quality to join the Army, Navy or Air Force. Now I am not saying that we Canadians do not uphold and support our troops. I am just saying that everyone becomes a hero in the USA if they are part of the Armed Reserves. And it seems like everyone has a family member or knows a friend that is a part of the Reserves.

3) Loud Patriotism. People were already decorating for July 4th which is over two weeks away. Not only that, but they were decorating! This is something that we should adopt up here. I really think we should. I am going to do a little hunting for some Canadian things and put them out. I mean, we should be more loud about our patriotism.

4) Alcohol is everywhere. Even at the San Diego Zoo you could buy a beer and carry it around. Oh, and at the pharmacy you could buy a case of beer and some wine. That is just not done around here. I mean, we have liquor stores, but you are not supposed to drink on the street. You can in the USA, though. It's like the Stampede grounds, without the gates.

5) Everyone has an accent. They think we do, but everyone had an accent to us. And most of them were different.

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Okay I will blog more about that later. Need to go get up the kids!!

Saturday Blogthingy: Off To San Diego

Well, I am all ready to go. Just hanging around waiting until I can start getting dressed and close my suitcase and head to the airport. I was awakened by some magpies this morning, so I am a little bit tired, but the plane is good for sleeping!

I will be sure to share some photos from San Diego when I get back. We are going shopping this afternoon and then to the Zoo tomorrow. It will probably be busy because it is Father's Day, but the Zoo is huge. I am sure we will all fit!! :-)

I hope that you all have a wonderful time this weekend doing what you enjoy. It is supposed to rain in Calgary all weekend long. That is not so good. Hopefully Jonathan will not be stuck inside all day long, though!

Well, in keeping with tradition, here's a Saturday blog thingy. Since we are going to the place where Mexican food is all around us, I figured a quiz about that would be good. I am not a big Mexican food eater, but I will eat it if there is nothing else. As it turns out, I am my favorite type of Mexican food!! You are what you eat, right?

You Are Nachos

You are outgoing and generous. You love to share you life with other people. You are carefree and light-hearted. You try to always make the best of things. While you enjoy being with other people, you also value your alone time. You like to reflect, think, and pick things apart. You like to study everything carefully.

What Mexican Food Are You?

Vegas: The First Installment

I was putting together a photo album of our trip to Vegas. I do plan to put these into a scrap book at some point. Of course, we are not sure when that will happen. So for now I am just going to protect them in an album.

This got me to thinking about our trip there and the fact that I haven't really shared anything about it on here. I said I would, and I haven't. So, I guess I will share a bit tonight. We'll call this the first installment.

First and foremost, I think I should tell you about the two shows we went and saw because those were the highlights.

The Blue Man Group:
Totally awesome! I had no idea what to expect, but I was totally blown away. If you ever get the chance to go and see it, you should. It was amazing. They were funny, they were really good musicians and their band ROCKED!! And there are a few surprises to boot.

On a side note: While we were sitting there before the show started, there was this guy with a whole bunch of flowers, two rows in front of us. He started talking to the people behind him about meeting his girlfriend at the show. Then he asked to borrow their cell phone. (He was really weird, okay? Not a good vibe about him at all!!) The people said no and told him there was probably one out in the lobby that he could use.

Well the next thing we know, he is sitting in the empty seat beside me. He starts talking to the lady on his other side. (I was purposely trying to avoid eye contact and was pretending to talk to Jonathan!) Anyway, after a few minutes about talking about his girlfriend coming to meet him, he left. I did reach down, at one point, and grab my purse from under the seat. Just in case!! He was totally working the crowd. I have no idea what his game was, but he did not have tickets around us. The seat he was sitting in was filled with a lady. Overall it was a creepy experience, but the show totally made me forget about it!!

The Phantom:

So we got our tickets online when they were having a sale. We ended up getting 2nd row seats for quite cheap. Let me tell you, those were wonderful seats. I mean, we could see the expressions on the actors' faces. It was so good. And they start by putting the chandelier together and then it comes crashing down (well, almost) on some of the audience at the end. I can't explain it, but it was amazing. I think it is something that you need to experience. The guy that played the Phantom was amazing!! It was a wonderful time (and no creepy flower boys, either!!)

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I am glad that we spent the money on those above two shows. They were well worth it. Even if there was a creep on the lose! Don't worry, though. There were a lot of those around. We were in Vegas, after all....

Forgotten Places

I forgot a few places in my list, that I must add.

Africa - I have always wanted to go on an African safari and South Africa is supposed to be lovely. Also, we sponsor a child in Uganda, so I would try to get there to visit him.

Ontario - Which I thought was a given, but I just didn't include it on my list. Since half our family live there, it is a very special place and has a very special place in my heart. I would visit there as often as I could if we could afford it.

Russia - Only because I took a course on Russian history in college, and I would like to go see the places I learned about.

Europe - I would love to take a tour of all of Europe. Spending extra time in those places that I mentioned yesterday.

Victoria, BC - Was lovely, especially if you enjoy pubs and drinking tea.

I feel much better, now. I think I have mentioned all the places I would go or have gone. I will think of more I am sure.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend.

Top Ten Fridays: Places To Visit!!

This week's installment of Top Ten Fridays will be about places I would or have visited. These are places not to be missed!! Without furthur ado....

Top Ten Places to Visit:

10.) Las Vegas - I will be going there next year for my anniversary with hubby!!

9.) Okanagan Valley, BC - My Granny used to live in Vernon, so we used to go there every summer. Lovely weather, beaches and vineyards.

8.) Alberta, Canada - Yes. I am biased here, but we do have a wonderful province. There are lots of different places to see and things to do: Dinosaurs at Drumheller, Mountains, Edmonton (West Edmonton Mall), Calgary....

7.) Disney World

6.) Disneyland

5.) Germany - I would like to go there and visit the places where I may have some relatives.

4.) Scotland - I would like to go here and visit Grant castle and meet some of the Grant clan. It would be wonderful.

3.) Italy - I have always wanted to go there, but I have yet to do it.

2.) Israel - To walk where Jesus walked.

1.) Paris, France - I went there in Grade nine with my junior high band. It was amazing. I loved every minute of it, from the cafes to the lovely buildings, to the Eiffle Tower. It was great and I will dream of it until I go back again.

These are just a few places. Where would you like to travel? Did I miss some of yours? I would love to hear about them. Leave me a comment!!

Have a wonderful day!!