Good bye 2012

I have been reflecting over the last day or so on exactly what to blog about for this post.  2012 was a big mixed bag of emotions for me.  It started by spending New Years eve with our great friends Pat and Charlene and their kids.  We had supper at our house and then had a quiet New Year's eve at home.  It was just as we had over the last 4 years.  We were planning on our trip to Nova Scotia in the summer, and were excited to drive there (little did WE know).  We enrolled Joe in hockey and he thrived in it.

I planned on getting more connected with my god daughter Adelle and twin neices, and for the most part I did.  We welcomed people into our lives that unfortunately ended up not being the people we thought they were.  At times I think we are just too nice and trusting, which unfortunately in this case was our downfall.  Winter turned into spring, and we had a great time just spending time together.  Spring turned into summer, and we changed our summer vacation plans.  We decided to take a family only trip, and we booked a beautiful cabin in the woods at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta.  The 4 of us talked at length on what we wanted to do when we were there, and planned side trips to see friends. 

And then, well, we all know what happened in July.  We packed up what we could, said goodbye to the only home that Joe knew, and moved back to Nova Scotia.  We were down, but we were together and we certainly were not out.  Rob decided to change careers, a move I totally supported.  Retail just wasn't where we wanted to be and after what had happend with the Northwest Company, we were not doing that again.  I started looking for preschool jobs, but they are very hard to find here.  I had many interviews at daycares.  We decided we would take the summer to enjoy ourselves with the boys, which we did.  We took them to Maine to spend a weekend with Adam and Genevieve, and we were able to make new friends and spend a great deal of time with Adelle and Jamie.  We laughed and tried to find our new normal. 

We were just beginning to feel like we were going to be ok when we got the news that my Uncle Clar was dying.  He had been battling the same lung disease as my dad, but none of us expected he would go as fast as he did.  Again, our world tipped a little sideways and we were a bit lost.  Uncle Clar was an amazing man, he stepped in as my surrogate dad when Rob and I lived in Newfoundland, and was an all around amazing man.  The world was a little dimmer the day he died.

This picture is from when we visited there in July.  Joe was only 2 months old and he was in full blown colic.  I was ready to trade him for a gold fish.  Uncle Clar was the only one who could get him to stop crying by just holding  him.

We were in a state of shock but again, we are a strong unit.  We perseverved.  Nothing else could go wrong, right?  The universe wasn't really that cruel, was it?

Less than a month later we lost Uncle Jim Grant.  Talk about not having a moment to catch our breath.  Jim fought and lost his battle with cancer in less than 4 months.  Jim was my birthday buddy and I plan on doing something that day just for him.  We joked when he was in the hospital that he would have to get better because now that I was back we were going to celebrate together.  We still will.

Along came September and even more changes.  We were settled somewhat into our new life.  Family members on both sides kept saying with all the negative in our lives with losing loved ones they were glad we were back to support.  As were we.  The boys were thriving being around so many family members again.  Joe was quickly adapting from being a "kid from the north" to being "a kid from the park".  They both loved to be outside.  One of the funniest things I can remember is both boys trying to navigate how to go down hills on their bikes.  Saskatchewan kids don't have to deal with hills, there are none. Joe pretty well wore out the back tire on his bike driving down the hill and "power sliding" around the corners.  Only a few scraped knees and wipe outs, but many squeals of joy.  They both settled into school quickly, and for the first time in many years so did Rob.  He went back to school and changed careers.

Now here we are at the end of the year.  Was it all bad?  Hell no.  Like everything else, it was a learning experience for us.  We learned how to adapt and survive as a family unit.  I am very proud of who we are and what we can over come. 

We have all become closer as a family, and are just as crazy as ever.  I love that I have all these crazy people back in my life.

These 4 have been spending a lot of time together.  The girls and Joe are all getting to know each other, and Colby is rekindling the friendship he had with the girls before we left. 

Christmas morning was amazing.  We spent it with all our family.  We had a family breakfast on my side of the family, which was amazing.  And of course what is Christmas without a family picture of us at our finest?

Kassie decided to bring an apron for Rob to wear while cooking breakfast.  Another Christmas tradition in the making maybe?

My brother even got in on the fun.

I had to take this picture. I have the same picture of Colby and BJ from when Colby was 3.

Then we packed up and had Christmas dinner with the other side of the family. We actually forgot to do our traditional crazy picture as we were all tired and cranky.

2013 will be a new year for us in all terms of the word.  What we have learned from this past year will last us a life time.  But honestly, I won't change a thing.  Happy New Year to you and yours.

This is my favorite picture.  This was taken in July just after we got back here.  Even though we had just been through hell and back, we came out together, still smiling.

"Are you happy you're back?"

I must admit, I am really getting tired of this question.  I was asked this question just today when I met up with a family friend.  We have now been back in Nova Scotia for just over 3 months.  I really can't believe how quick the time is flying.  In one month from right now it will be Christmas Eve.  I will not be in Ile a la Crosse with my family there, but for the first time in 5 years I will be with all my family here.  My mother in law has been giddy with excitement about having all 4 of her grandchildren under the same roof on christmas eve, and for the first time in 5 years a web cam will NOT be used to read "T'was the night before Christmas", although I have joked that we should still use the webcam in the same house.  I was told by a good friend of mine in a Facebook comment that I need to let go of my anger about what happened, and that really resonated with me.  In the first 8 weeks we were here, I was miserable inside.  I had to keep a brave face for my kids and my husband, but I was so bitter and broken that it physically hurt.  I stopped eating, I was physically sick every single morning at the thought of facing the day NOT in Saskatchewan.  I felt like someone had died and I didn't know how to deal with it.  That "someone" who died was our life in Saskatchewan.  Within the first few weeks of being back here, we lost 2 great men in our lives very close together.  I watched 2 very strong women and 5 very great cousins say goodbye to the rock that they called their husband and dad, and realized just how foolish and selfish I was being.  I had my health, the health of my children and my husband, and we were still all together.  So I found a way to let go of the anger.  I no longer want to fly to Winnipeg and beat the ever living shit out of people, although there is a large relay that is happening very soon that a large part of those people will be participating in and I would be lying if I said I didn't hope their luggage gets lost, they get traveller's diarrehea and they stumble and fall and break their noses and have to pay foolish amounts of money for medical attention because their insurance was incomplete and.... well ok, so not ALL of the bitterness is gone.  I have been spending large amounts of time with my neices and in laws, and have had some great snuggles and quality time with my nephews.  So yes, NOW I am happy to be back.  I will never be happy about the way it happened, but we're here and we have made the best of it.  Rob is waiting for the final steps to be on the volunteer fire department here in our community, he has a new trade that regardless of what happens in the future NO ONE can take that from him, and I have found a great new "work home" with some amazing women.  And of course, I have been spending more time with my "brother husband" as he is now referred to at work since the day he stopped in "just to say hi".  The rough patch is over, we have climbed this hill and although we may be a little bumped and bruised, we are still together and as strong as ever.  Oh yeah, and did I mention I'm going to the YUKON BABY!!

11 years ago today

we met, and I totally and instantly fell in love.  I have been falling in love more and more every day with this amazing kid.  He has a personality all his own and makes me so proud to be his mom.  Happy Birthday Colby, you really are one of a kind.

Where to begin.....

I have been a bad blogger over the past month.  There has been so much going on in my personal life that I honestly just didn't have the energy or the desire to blog about it.  So here it is in a nutshell:

1.)  On September 4th, we lost a fantastic man in our lives.  Uncle Jim, Rob's uncle by marriage and my uncle by choice, lost his battle with cancer.  We were all in shock and still are.  He was a great man who saw the good in everyone and welcomed me into the family from the very first time we met.  We also shared a birthday him and I, and I will make sure to do something special on my birthday just for him. 

2.) I started and ended a job within a 2 week period.  Initially it was exactly what I thought it would be, but just a few days into it I quickly realized it was NOT a place I could work.  I am not going to go into details, but let's just say my morals wouldn't let me stay in a place where I knew I wouldn't be happy. 

 

3.) Colby and Joey have started a new school that they both seem to enjoy.  Joe is friends with a little boy who's mom is a childhood friend of mine.  It's quite amazing to see how the world comes full circle.

4.) I have been contacted by the town that I used to live in to do some contract work for them.  I don't want to go into details until it is finalized but I am really looking forward to it.  It has also made me very homesick for the home I can no longer call home. 

5.) I virtually walked with my friends in Ile a la Crosse during the Relay for Life.  My amazing friend Judy used Facetime on her Ipad while using her Iphone as a wireless hotspot so I could walk a lap with my former family.  Needless to say I cried the entire time and spent the night cursing the Northwest Company and the Northern Store for my heartache. 

 

Walking the lap.

 

My amazing friends lit a luminary for Uncle Jim.

 

My Metis Mama.

6.) After dusting myself off and trying again, I found a new job closer to where I live in a daycare that I love.  I have been there for almost a week and I can easily see myself there for the next few years.

7.) After much internal debate, I booked a plane ticket for myself to go to the Yukon next June.  My amazing friends Kara, Kennie, Jenn, Sarah and I are meeting in the Yukon next year for a week of girls fun.  We initially talked about this in honour of the amazing Indigo Sweetwater who was taken from us last year by that evil known as cancer.  She was a jewel of a person who was an amazing inspiration to us all and made the 5 of us realize that you have to live for today.  We have never met (well with the exception of Jenn and I who met for the first time this July when we were driving back here) and I am soo excited.  Never in my life would have I have imagined I would be doing anything like this. 

 

The amazing and beautiful Jenn.  We were only together less than 2 hours but we have known each other for years.

 

Thank you Glen!

Glenn Litchfield Well there you go a Blog name that is great....RIGHT SIDE UP....send me the prize, LOL

I posted on FB a while ago that I needed a new name for the blog.  After looking through everyone's suggestions, we kept coming back to this one.  Your prize will be in the mail soon Glenn.

My heart is so heavy

Clarence William Power

February 20, 1955 - August 21, 2012

Power, Clarence William: On August 21, 2012, I lost my best friend and husband, Clarence Power. Born in Gander February 20, 1955. From 1957 - 2012 resided in his beloved Harbour Main. Passed peacefully away at the Health Science Centre in the presence of his loving family after a long struggle with IPF, a serious lung disease. Pre-deceased by his father, Joseph, mother Rita (nee Hickey), and two brothers, Joseph, & Brian. He leaves to mourn his beloved wife of 35 years, Rosemary (nee Howard), three beautiful girls: Kellie Ann, Krista Lee, and Heather (Cory Dalton) and precious little angel, Claire , brothers: Mike (Anne-Marie) and Francis, sisters: Rose Bryden, Rowena Street (George), and only living Aunt Bride Glenn, Sisters-in-law: Elizabeth and Madeleine, many loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and all the Howard in-laws. He was well respected by his friends and co-workers, Local 740. He was loved by everyone he touched. He loved his community, hunting and fishing but his greatest love was his wife and girls. Resting at Dunphy’s Funeral Home, Holyrood. Visitation on Thursday & Friday from 2 - 4 pm & 7 - 9 pm. Funeral will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 25, 2012from SS. Peter & Paul Church, Harbour Main. Inurnment will be in SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Harbour Main

This was my Uncle Clar, my dad's youngest brother.  He has been fighting the same fight my dad did for the past 2 years and lost his battle Tuesday past.  He was my stand in dad when we lived in NL, and even danced with Dad and I during my wedding "father and daughter dance".  I know he is in heaven right now with my dad, and they are probably playing crib and watching to see if the NHL will be playing in September.  I miss you Uncle Clar.

Finding normal again

It has been almost 2 weeks since we moved back to Nova Scotia after Rob was let go from the Northwest Company.  In that time, we have bought all new furniture for moms house, outlined and acquired approval to renovate her yard (we need to build a bigger shed for robs quad and motorcycle and now that kids live here again we want to put up a fence and as we are now in a trailer park and rent the land you must acquire approval first).  The kids are happy to be back around soo many of their relatives and I am not sure how or why but this experience has changed Colby.  He is a different kid now, but in a positive way. I have been working very hard at trying to make this easy for them and have been working on making this a permanent home for them and for us. Many of our pictures are hanging on the walls now, and I had a phone interview yesterday and a follow up in person interview with the same company in 2 weeks. I am nt going to tell you yet about it because I don't want to jinx it but I feel really good about I and it is very exciting. I will admit though, I feel somewhat guilty that I am starting to feel happy here. I didn't want to.  What I want s my old life back, but I can't have that.  It was cruely taken from us by the Northwest Company and for that I will never forgive them.  What I want is the life I had there and the new life we will have here all at the same time. But we all know that can't happen. Notice how I keep putting The Northern Store and the Northwest Company here?  Well, there is a reason for that. Many people have found us through this blog looking for information on the company and we have always been big supporters. Well, now if anyone finds us by searching the Northwest Company, they will see our story.

The day our world turned upside down

This has been one of the hardest things we have ever done.  Let me explain.  For those of you who don't know me in person or are not in contact with me on Facebook may not understand.  On Thursday, July 12, 2012 Rob was dismissed from his job with the Northwest Company.  He was the manager of the Northern Store in Ile a la Crosse, Saskatchewan for 4 years.  On that Thursday, he was visited by his district manager and HR manager when they dropped the bomb that he was "no longer the right fit" for the company and he was dismissed effective immediately.  Yep, IMMEDIATELY.  As of 2PM that afternoon, he was unemployed and we had 7 days to vacate the house we had called home for 4 years.  It still chokes me up to think about it.  There was no indication what so ever that his job was in jeopardy.  He was performing well, his store was doing well, and to say we were shocked was the understatement of the year.  The community outpouring of support for us was out of this world.  It was within an hour that the first person showed up, in shock.  And then another, and another and another.  So many that we ended up leaving that night because I couldn't cry anymore and we had to make a plan of what the hell we were going to do.  We decided we would immediately have to start selling our large items, the first being the boat we had just bought and both loved.  Rob was adament that he was not going to sell his quad or his motorcycle, so we bought a 12ft cargo trailer to haul back what we could.  And from Friday morning to Sunday evening we packed.  And purged.  And sold. And cried.  Sometimes all at the same time.  Our friends were amazing, and were there for us from the time we heard the news to the time we left.  The only time they were not there was when we were sleeping.  We had more people offer their homes to us so we didn't have to leave the community.  A petition was started within an hour of him being dismissed to get him to stay.  People of the community started calling and emailing the head office of the Northwest Company voicing their upset with the decision.  They threatened to boycott the store (which many did).  The MAYOR of the town called Rob as soon as he found out when we left town for a night and then stopped over the next day.  I don't think I have ever seen him so mad.  The community came together and had a potluck supper for us the night before we left.  There was over 100 people there (many people were out of town on a pilgrimage or there would have been more) and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  The elder who spoke there stood up and said "You belong to us.   You belong to this community and we want you back.  There is no word in our language for goodbye because we do not believe it in.  This is So Long for now".  We believe there is more to this story and we will probably never know the real answer.  Rob was offered a severance package from the company, so we were able to move back to Nova Scotia and not worry about having the money to get here.  Fortunately for us the money that we made when we sold most of our stuff was enough to hold us over until we received his severance, which we did when we were 3 days into our trip. We have moved in with my mom, which will work out really well for all of us.  The boys are happy to be back amongst family.  I have a hole in my heart where the town of Ile a la Crosse will always be, and although we may never live there again, we will certainly be back there to visit.  My dream is to win the lottery and build a summer home in Ile a la Crosse, with my own plane so I can go there whenever I want.  All I can say is that we are taking this as a new chapter in our life, and I will never lose contact with our Metis family in the north.  So much that I had planned on getting a tattoo of a pelican on my arm, and now I think I still will but there will be a Metis sash there also, so I will always have a visual reminder of my home away from home on my arm.

Chasing rainbows

Rainbows have a double meaning for me, both good and bad.  I remember when my god daughter Adelle was christened.  Her mom Genevieve, Genevieve's amazing mother Alice and I went all over her little community chasing this amazing rainbow that came out.  It was vibrant and clear and we were determined to find the end of it.  So, on one hand rainbows make me smile and miss my friend.

Double rainbows have a different meaning completely.  When my sister came to visit and stay with the boys 2 years ago we also saw a double rainbow.  It was in February, and it was unseasonably warm that day.  It rained on my way to Saskatoon to get her, and unbeknownst to me the temperature suddenly dropped as we were travelling.  We were about 200kms away from home when we saw a beautiful double rainbow.  We were talking about how rare it is to see a double rainbow when I noticed an accident on the road.  I pressed on the brake and we slid right across the road.  The road that I thought was clear was in fact sheer black ice.  We spent the next 3.5 hours driving very slowly hugging the shoulder of the road in 4 wheel drive to get home safely.

This rainbow shot amazes me.  These were taken on Canada Day.  This storm rolled through so fast it was like it never happened.  I chased this rainbow all over town in the rain like a fool.

Sooo busy

I am soo glad I have decided to not go back to work next year. I have been sooo busy with pictures over the past few weeks. I normally wouldn't let myself get this busy, but it has been a 1 year old's birthday party and graduation pictures. I took Joe with me one night and while waiting between sessions we decided to play around.

This is one of my new favorite pictures.  I look so relaxed and de stressed, which is how I want to look all the time. 

The baby of the house

Possibilities and changes

Since it was announced at our staff appreciation lunch today I can announce it here; I am not going back to work next year.  I decided, for many reasons, none of which I am comfortable discussing here, that this would be my last year.  Luckily for me I am on a year to year contract, so I can easily pull EI for the next year.  I also have my photography to help fill my time and my bank account if needed.  This will be the first year in 10 years that I will be able to take a year off work and not have a baby at home to take care of.  Now that both boys are in school, I will have my days free to spend as I please.  It is a very liberating thought and I can't wait.  A friend of mine stopped by tonight and saw the framed prints we have in the livingroom.  They are pictures that I have taken around town.  She loved them, and told me that I should be selling them.  It has really intrigued me, as people have said this before to me.  I think we will put a few more together (this means a trip to Saskatoon to get more frames) and see what happens.  I have never really been into what I called the "artsy fartsy" type pictures, but I will admit they are starting to be my new obsession.  The storm clouds here are amazing, and I went out tonight and took a bunch of pictures that I still need to process.  But of course, what would a post about pictures be without my absoutely favorite bird in the entire world and the inspiration for my upcoming tattoo??

P*rn, ladybug style

Things that you just don't see everyday.  Luckily I just happened to have my camera handy.

He's off to the Cayman Islands

Each year the Northwest Company participates in the Canadian Diabetes Marathon. It is a 21 km 1/2 marathon. Each year staff members have the option of applying for this to participate. Each person has to raise 3000.00 of their own money, and the company will contribute 3000.00 to cover the expenses. Rob decided for the first time this year to apply and was accepted! We are currently fundraising for him. We have had 1 Mother's Day basket that raised almost 550.00, a bbq that raised just over 300.00 and yesterday we did a bake sale that raised over 100.00. The generosity of this community and our friends and family both near and far is just amazing. We currently have a framed poster that we are selling tickets on at the store (which we will ship for free if someone from away wants to buy tickets!). You can also support online if you choose. If you wish, you can follow the link HERE and put in Rob's name (Rob Schwartz). That will also be counted towards his fundraising. The picture you ask? Well it's this one:

Oh, and thanks Chandra for reminding me.  If you use this link and put in Rob's name, it comes up that he is in Toronto.  It was set up by head office so everyone, regardless of what province they are in, comes up Toronto.

Happy Mother's Day

Maiden voyage in the boat.  We loved every minute of it.

Just makes me think

I wouldn't say that I am an overly religious person.  I do have my beliefs, and I don't like to push them on other people.  I know I have blogged about this before, but today is the anniversary of my very close friend's nephew's death.  He took his life the day Joe was born.  I like to think that as the two souls passed, one leaving one coming here, that they made an agreement to one day lead us here.  I feel like we were meant to come here, and today more than ever confirms why.

Happy 6th birthday

6 years. I really can't believe he is 6 years old. It seems like it was just yesterday I was wondering what the hell I did to deserve this (well, that is a LITTLE harsh. I was a bit of a rotten teenager and I'm sure I wasn't the angelic baby I would like to think I was and Karma really is a bitch). Well, it was all great AFTER the croup finished and took away the screaming monster and gave us a beautiful little smiling boy (and let's face it, we deserved all those smiles after the 6 months of sleepness nights and wondering what it would take to make him JUST STOP CRYING). Happy birthday little man.  We all love you very very much.

May 11, 2006

May 9, 2012

I'm tired of the negative comments

I have been a little testy today, so something that happened earlier really just set my kettle boiling.  There is a woman here in town who loves to bash the Northern publically whenever she can.  Too high of prices, taking advantage of poor aboriginal people, wonk, wonk wonk.  Most of the time, I can just laugh it off and let it go.  For those of you who don't know, my husband is the manager of the Northern store here in town.  We are a small Metis community where the Northern is the main source of groceries and large ticket items.  The next place you can go to shop (and we are fortunate as a lot of Northern stores are in Fly in communities where you do not have the option to drive) is 2.5 hours away. Yes, the prices at the Northern are high.  A lot of it is shipping costs.  You can blame one or another, but at the end of the day, it's a business.  If you don't like it, don't shop there.  Spend 5 hours round trip to buy cheese 2.00 cheaper.  The part that bothers me the most is that I see this woman in this store ALL the time.  Either don't shop there, or shut up about it.  The Northern does a lot of good in communities also, but no one seems to recognize that.  The Northern raises MILLIONS of dollars for the Canadian Diabetes Association.  Rob donates constantly to functions around town, more than he should sometimes.  The Northern is also a job to a staff of 15, who otherwise wouldn't be working. Grrr.
But now for some amazingly amazing news.  Rob has been selected to participate in a marathon this December for the Canadian Diabetes Association in.. wait for it.... THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.  Bastard!!  I'm very proud of him.  He has a fundraising goal of $4000.00, because whatever he raises the Northwest Company will MATCH dollar for dollar!  So we are both on a very serious weight loss / exercise regime.  Which I suppose is why I'm soo testy today.  Sugar withdraw is a BITCH!

April Highlights

I sit here, wondering what to type, so I will show you what has been going on in my life through pictures, as usual.

I had been approached by a local business in town to help them with some redecorating.  I'm not sure if this is going to happen now but since I enlarged a few of my pictures and framed them,  they look really good in my livingroom.  Now all I have to do is convince my husband that the walls need to be painted.

Brian is the son of the first friend I met here, 4 years ago.  We joke that when these guys graduate the picture slideshow of their live is going to be 5 hours long!  These 2 have grown up together over the past 4 years, as Brian just lives literally across the street.

We went to Saskatoon last weekend and while we were waiting for the 5th wheel rails to be removed from our truck we played in the parking lot.  It's amazing when hand held games are put down the fun you can have trying to balance on a curb, and then trying to keep your balance when someone (like your evil grinning father) keeps trying to push you off.

A shooting we will go

The weather is finally warming up here and after almost a week of all of us being sick we had to get out of the house. Rob recently bought a .22 that he SAID was for the boys to learn to shoot. Yes, you read that right, my husband is now buying firearms with the purpose of teaching our children to shoot. This is something that never would have happened had we not moved to the north. I love that we live in a place where we can teach our children how to use firearms safely. They are growing up respecting guns, not afraid of them. There is a sandpit just outside town that we can safely use for target practice. I will admit, I also took a turn shooting the gun and it was really fun. Hopefully we will get a few more hours out there this weekend shooting it!

One proud daddy!

He's a natural. No my friends, that is NOT a toy. That is a real .22 that my child is holding.

See that little dot on the top of my hill? That's my kid.

Same picture, zoomed in.

Once we got home, the puddle in the backyard was just screaming to be jumped in. I will admit, Joe didn't want to splash at first and I wasn't having ANY of that foolishness. So, like any good mom / preschool teacher I did what I do best... I junped in first and splashed him.

He's trying to run away from splashing. So I just walked on the water and splashed him. Hmmm, you didn't know I walked on water? Well, I AM awesome you know.

It didn't take him long to enjoy it.

Speaking of compromises.....

I just finished reading Tawny's blog and she was talking about compromise. There are a few people who still don't know, so I am telling you now and explaining the why. We had originally planned to drive back to Halifax this summer, to bring the motorcycle and bring back my blanket chest (which I will still get out here someday). This was all based on Rob getting 4 weeks vacation to do this, as it takes the better part of a week to drive there each way. We also ordered our passports so we could drive down through the states to make it more of an adventure. Well, unfortunately Rob was NOT able to get the 4 weeks like we were hoping (he is only entitled to 3 weeks per year), so we have had to cancel the trip. 3 weeks is just not enough time to drive to Halifax and back. We would be spending more time in the truck than we would actually spend there. That just isn't a good plan, and since it is so so close to summer plane tickets for the 4 of us are astronomical (think more than 4000.00 in plane fare ALONE). That's not counting renting a vehicle, and we have to eat and have some spending money. That's just waaaay more than we budgeted and saved for. As much as I love our family, it has taken us much too long to get out of debt to jump headfirst back into it. So our vacation as been postponed. We knew the boys would be dissapointed when we told them we were not going, and since he does have vacation approved already for the summer, we decided that we would finally take a family vacation, just the 4 of us. So we are going here:

Obviously, when we go there in July there won't be snow.... hopefully. The kitchen. Look at those walls!

The view from the loft bedroom, over looking the livingroom.

This is a horse ranch in southern Alberta. It is close enough to drive to, and we are staying there for a week. We are only 2 hours from Banff (yea baby we're going!!), an hour away from Calgary and an hour away from Drumheller. Lots of day trips planned, and of course when staying on a horse ranch at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, we do a day of horse back riding! As much as I miss my family in Nova Scotia and am heartsick that I won't see them for another year (with the exception of Hubby #2 who is coming in October, the inlaws who are coming in November and my mom who is coming for Christmas), this makes it a little easier. And of course, there is always Skype.

Future hell raisers of the North

It's that time of year again

It is finally warming up here in town. The temperature is hovering around the -10ish area, which is fantastic for here. The ice road will soon be melting, so this weekend is the last weekend I will use it. Better safe than sorry, right? Oh gracious, someone help me. I'm blogging about the weather.

I am somewhat known in this community as "the woman who makes wedding invitations". I was asked by a couple in town to make an invitation for their wedding. It turns out that she wanted 2 invitations, one for her family to keep, and one for "everyone else". Her hubby to be is an avid hunter, and she wanted "a deer or a moose on the invitation". This is what I came up with, and they both loved it. Damn, I'm good. Rob's only comment is that I should have used a "bigger deer", but the only other pictures I had of bigger deer than this one were dead ones. Somehow I didn't think that would be appropriate. :)

How I spent my week off

This week here in Saskatchewan we have been on Winter Break. That means I have been off work all week. We have had a very quiet week here at home. The boys decided that their doors needed signs. Joey's door. He wrote all the signs himself. There was one that said "No Colbys Allowed" but luckily that one came down.

Colby's door. Simple and to the point.

See the brown outline on the floor? I decided to clean the oven with Extra Strong Oven cleaner. It cleaned the oven great, but the overspray RUINED my floor! Never in my life have ever I had to protect the floor. I read the directions on the side of the can and it actually says to line the floor with newspaper. Luckily we are being renovated very soon and a new floor is coming. We tried SOS pads, Spray Nine and even paint thinner! Nothing takes that shit off!