we have not had our wedding photos on display in our new home. we used to have a montage of 4 photos displayed in our bedroom at our old house. these days that frame sits with the rest of the "where or do we hang these pictures now?" area.
i was 23 when we were married. i had just graduated with my B.Ed. and Kristian had a semester left before he was awarded his B.Sci. in Engineering.
my engagement ring and both of our wedding rings were purchased from the money obtained from an insurance settlement. good jobs were rare at that time. i had a degree and no contract with a school board. instead i was making $7 per hour with the YMCA child care. i also continued to work as a waitress at the University making the same wage without tips. as in, tips were not allowed to be given to us.
i still remember trying to figure out how we were going to put gas in the car to spend Christmas with my family. and that was the least of our problems. the month before Christmas we didn't even have enough money to buy presents. or food for us. it seems like so long ago. we used our wedding gift cards to buy presents that year. the rest of the money went to food and gas. Kris' brother taped a $20 bill to a big rock (old joke between the 2 of us!) so that we could go to a movie.
at the time, photos of a day etched into our memories were at the bottom of our priority list. enlargements were never done. all we had were 4x6 proofs.
i still have my dress and all the rest of the wedding outfit. the dress was purchased off the rack at a discount. the veil was handmade by me. no jewelry except earrings purchased at The Bay. my only indulgence were the hand gloves.
16 years later those details are not important.
now my outfit makes me laugh. i was the size of a toothpick when i got married, so it no longer fits. even my feet have grown! only the gloves still fit. so apparently it was worth it to splurge on something i will only wear once but never outgrow?
Kiara has been nicknamed 'Princess Tiara Kiara'. she was delighted to try on this special dress.
i hope to take photos of her in it as she grows.
she looks so regal.
we rarely see this dignified side of her.
adorable.
i told her that she is allowed to get married once she can fit into that dress. i wonder if she will remember that comment.
the kids also had fun looking through the photo album from our photographer. the wedding album i wrote in. they thought Daddy looked funny in his "big, round" glasses. Aidan reasoned that it was because they did not know how to make them smaller back then. too funny.
we chose not to videotape our wedding. if we had, it would have been on VHS. a tape we couldn't watch right now.
we were surprised to receive a cassette tape of the ceremony. which we could listen to in the car. or on one of the kids' players (and run the risk of getting wrecked!).
if my last post was nearly two months ago, it is safe to say that my priority has NOT been on this blog!
wow.
Kiara was only 16 months when i started this blog. Aidan was barely past 2 years old. my days were intense and busy. yet they were calm and relaxed. in reality day to day was exhausting. yet it was still nice to have the freedom to create our own schedule. when i think of how life has changed since then, i am really in awe.
Kristian had changed jobs and was working ridiculous hours. we thought it would be short-term and a move in the right direction for us. we couldn't have made a worse decision! now we know.
Kiara was so sweet. still is. but she certainly has had her 'moments' since then!
Aidan loved life. still does. he still has so many of the same expressions he had as a toddler.
me. where to start?! for one thing, life has not slowed down a whole lot. but my present place in life is more secure than ever before.
we. new home. new church family. some old friends. some new friends.
it has been an adventure! some parts i wish we could have avoided. other parts have been more incredible than i could have possibly envisioned
here we are today.
Kristian. still not working at his dream job. but sometimes the dream job is not always what we though it would be. however he has a high standard and his company values his work. there are still some rough edges. i am proud of him and the decisions he makes. unless it involves house cleaning....ha! the kids still race to the door when he gets home from work. definitely the hero in our home.
Aidan. our firstborn of two firstborns. the child who has parents who are too hard on themselves. it is no wonder he is the same way! he still has the same smile on his face as he did when he was a baby. eyes that are full of wonder and excitement. the only person in our family who wakes up with a smile on his face (most of the time!).
i think he has more introvert in him. although he is more outgoing and adventurous as he grows. he loves to learn. loves it like his daddy. in fact they even look more alike every day. kinda freaky at times! i am in awe over how quickly he catches on to concepts at home and school. yet he can't remember to "make his bed, brush his teeth, comb his hair" every day without being reminded.
it has been neat to watch him grow and make his own decisions. lately he has had a lot of questions about God. he is eager to learn more about faith at church and at home. we have some interesting conversations. some are challenging for me too! i love that he is not afraid to share his faith daily with his friends. he is so brave.
he - for the most part- makes some amazing decisions too. choosing friends. choosing activities. we are proud of him for this, and pray that he is always strong, brave and confident.
this year we found some jeans that actually fit! skinny jeans. he will hate me for it later...but i have to take a photo of his butt in them. adorable. the last time i said that about that body part....he was probably 18 months....wearing jeans and had diaper bum! baby bums are so cute.
here he is on the first day of school. he just found out who his teacher was. and which friends are his classmates. he has 25 kids in his class. there are still 4 classes in total. that, my friends, is the size of MY entire elementary school when i was his age. my high school graduating class only had 20 of us. i know what it is like to be on the teaching side of having 50 kids in a grade...split into 2 classes. this. this is a whole new world. i will never know what it is like for him. of course he will never know what it was like to have my school experience either.
he adores his teacher. she is very sweet. she says this is a great class and comments how smart they are and how well they listen in class. i am envious!
one of his oldest friends. they met in kindergarten. i think they met at school, then got acquainted at our local park one afternoon. they are BUDDIES.
can you tell?
as a result, i met his mom. found out we have a ton in common. lots not in common. but we hang out when we can. we are happy for our boys. and happy they introduced us too.
my sweet baby boy is now a cool and smart kid. some days it takes my breath away. i'm excited for the future. sad that the years have sped by as quickly as they did. i was warned. i did my best to enjoy that time. now i wonder if it is even possible to savour those days as much as we wish.
as he gets older, life gets more complicated with him. so many choices. the best we can do is love him, nurture his confidence and passions in life and encourage him to be who he was created to be.
he is Kristians' "mini-me".
Kiara. amazes me. she can be complicated. at times i believe that she is very intelligent and am in awe of her abilities. then other times i am frustrated at her lack of abilities! she is stubborn, like me. she is outgoing, like neither of us. she has grown up so much lately. she has matured into this nearly 5 year old body that we had hoped for!
since she was 2 years old, she has begged to go to school. cried when i dropped Aidan off and did not leave her too.
she told me this week that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. to be honest, i have often thought that she will be a teacher. i just was not sure what she would be teaching! she loves to direct activities. she is starting to think through situations and what she needs to be prepared. like the time she was upset that she forgot her purse at home. why? because you never know when you may need it. so funny!
she is different from Aidan. Aidan clung to me on his first day of kindergarten. he wouldn't say a word. just cling. Kiara ran ahead and told me she could go to school on her own. wherever Aidan would stay silent...Kiara is vocal and loud!
i have worried about her lack of and hyper-sensitivity to details. hoping that she could find a balance. praying that she would. praying that i could help her. we continually pumped up kindergarten and the maturity that she would need to be a part of it. i think she will be fine. she is so vocal, that i fear her extrovert nature may make her stand out and she will have to take the blame for others. then i think perhaps i am shadowing her with my own struggles. then i pray that i can find the balance.
when i picked her up after her first day, the teacher had nothing but praise for her actions. "Jimmy" could not speak English and he missed his mommy. he cried the entire time. Kiara covered her ears and complained about his crying hurting her ears. then she tried to calm "Jimmy" down and cheer him up.
she may land in trouble that was not just her making. but i am thrilled that her character to be brave and help a child she never met is present. now i need to pray for wisdom for her as she makes her choices of who to help.
she is my mini-me. she is who i wish i was and also who i wish i wasn't.
then there is me. where to start? as Dr. Seuss said, "There is no one alive who is Youer than You." and that is OK. back when i first started this blog i had compared myself to the character in L.M. Montgomerys' book, "The Blue Castle." i can related to Valancy on so many levels. the background story is so sad. i remember nearly crying as i read about her life. then for awhile, it seemed that the ending would not be so victorious and wonderful. thankfully the book ended happy. the Valancy at the start of the story and the Valancy at the end....were the same person, differing only in acceptance.
so many times over this last stage of my life i have wished that i could have passed through it 20 years ago. it would have been so much easier. but i did not. instead i got to drag my husband and children along with me. some days i feel bad that they have the company in me that they have....other days i am simply happy for the company!
i had never dreamed that i would be working at my favourite little scrapbook store. sharing company with artists i admired. teaching regularly. art. getting published. making the front cover of one of my personal favourite magazines. meeting scrapbook celebrities that i never dreamed i'd be in the breathing area of. i still think of teaching. but i can't imagine teaching without continuing what i am doing now.
my valleys have never been so low. yet my mountain top experiences have never been so high.
God is good. we pray for good things. i don't know anyone - yet - who prays for bad. sometimes the answers to our prayers are not exactly what we expected. and sometimes it is better. in the long haul.
We pray for blessings We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching(s) of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
and if we got down to it. i am very blessed. i need to get on this blog and share those things more often. such as the kindness of my babysitter to treat me to a tea latte when i picked her up at work. i know i would never have thought to do anything like that when i was her age. sometimes it is the small things in life that matter the most at the end of the day.
me. still growing. ha!
i don't think a blog is the appropriate place for me to share right now. maybe one day. but i am open to sharing my story with you personally if asked.
we. it has been a journey. one day at a time. leading us to today.
we would not trade today.
the kids hate it when i do this....but there is one song that i have to play once in a while. and sing LOUD.
it was a hit back in the '90's. it was written by Steven Curtis Chapman. before their lives took a journey they never expected. or wanted. Started out this morning in the usual way Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today Another time around the circle try to make it better than the last I opened up the Bible and I read about me Said I'd been a prisoner and God's grace had set me free And somewhere between the pages it hit me like a lightning bolt I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say "let's go"! Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure Come on get ready for the ride of your life Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored This is what we were created for We'll travel over, over mountains so high We'll go through valleys below Still through it all we'll find that This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams
i used to think it was about someone who never read the Bible until that point in time. now, i think that it is about those of us who do read it and think it was not written for us.
so the phase of having preschoolers and toddlers in our home is now past.
the future of having school age children is upon us.
so i remind myself that the adventure is far from over. it is still going. we just turned on to a new road! and that is a good thing. a very good thing.
i am debating on ending this particular blog. i tend to be sharing more of my art related activities on my Projects blog than i used to. i may print it out into a book format. to keep. for my kids to read one day.
i may start a new blog. fresh start.
i may keep just one blog and simplify!
for the first time in the history of this blog...i have not gone back to edit. so sorry for any mistakes you most likely encountered!
it has been a few years since i experienced the frustration in February. as i was driving Kiara to playschool today i was wishing i had a magic wand to wave across the city to remove the snow and ice! if only it were that simple.
frustration in February? we have a few days where the sun shines, the air is "warmer" and puddles form. then we dip into nearly below 30 Celsius for a few days. this year it is very pronounced. all of us are tired to death of the snow pants and other layers involved.
i would have to say that my kids are handling it MUCH better than i am.
i came across this photo from last year. the windrows rise to the lower level of branches this year.
we may need a canoe or rowboat to take the kids to school in a few weeks. i think many of us have given up on the removal of ice from our sidewalks. especially when you see the snow piles that have yet to melt!
i've pulled out all the hearts and valentine decorations i've made in the past. i also found old photos from my nearly month long scrapbook class with Wilna Furstenberg. every day i (and the kids!) enjoyed a video and photos for the project of the day. i should get out my archives from that class because i didn't have time to make everything. my favourite valentine projects were made from her inspiration. i still have supplies that i purchased with the intent to create....and sitting still waiting for me!
it really makes me happy to still be happy over projects i made 2 years ago! and think they are still great! ha!
i've come across other inspiration this year too. i think our fireplace needs a heart banner.
i've become very nostalgic the past few weeks. thinking back and looking back at photos of the kids.
those days. tiny cramped house. don't miss that! i envy the time we used to have together. i love that i have a bit more freedom of my own while they are in school. but i miss the toddler and preschool activities that we used to do together. the free time. even the constant messes! {the 'messes' seem to have gotten crazier with age} i don't know what spurred on this activity. it even involved stuffing their little backpacks with more gear. those days were so intense too. funny how that part is so easy to forget!
morning yogurt and crazy hair in 2009.
yogurt and crazy hair in 2010. apparently some things never change!
he was so proud of himself for making his own sandwiches in 2009. well, he still is. but now he uses the "but you make them soooo much better, mom!" if he doesn't want to make his own. i'm very much hoping he can eat peanut butter in a few weeks. hate having to be on the cautious side with his diet.
2010. thank goodness for the wii to help us cope with winter blahs. he still enjoys doing this same activity this year. except now he knows how to get it started without my help. which is good, because it always confuses me! he told me last night that he was very excited to learn what all the buttons do on the tv remote. TreeHouse TV has now been replaced by YTV. i still remember when he could watch Bob the Builder and Toopy and Binoo for as long as he was allowed.
i am so grateful that they still enjoy playing pretend together. they both love being outdoors. even in the cold!
they become more independent each day. as much as i love it, it is harder than i thought having them be so. our little world is changing.
i never thought i would have enjoyed the past 6 years with having young kids and babies. i always knew i would enjoy them from grade one onwards....and was taken by surprise with how much i loved the years leading up to that. never would have guessed that Aidan's first smile (at only a few hours old) would have made me melt the way it did. there is nothing like having your own child look into your eyes. with happiness or sadness.
i am sad that Aidan has several hours with his friends and teachers that i miss out on. an entire day of events, feelings, moments that i miss. his own world. i never thought i would miss that part of their childhood. it leaves me astonished that i could have ever thought that way!
as much as miss him, i am grateful that he is able to experience life on his own. he's safe. he's protected and cared for. he's more independent and responsible. there are things that just have to get done at home. whether it is necessary cleaning or shopping. or even something for me to enjoy on my own. like reading without being interrupted. i have to remind myself that he did not get my 100% attention all day at home.
motherhood brought out a soft and sensitive side of me that i never knew i had. i now get emotional and tear-eyed when i least expect it. i become very angry and irritated if i see my kids being treated less than i think they deserve.
some days the responsibility of being the mom leaves me entirely exhausted. i wish life had a pause button. or even rewind. kind of like PVR. i hate to miss out on anything. but i get overwhelmed at times too. laundry piles. dirty dish piles. dust bunny piles. dirty sinks and towels! fingerprints everywhere.
i am forever grateful for friends who are far ahead of me in child years. they have spotless and silent houses (for hours at a time). they remind me that i will one day not have fingerprints or piles of work to catch up on. they tell me stories about when their kids were the ages of mine. they share how far of a distance their kids are now and how little they sometimes see them. they remind me to be grateful for where i am at today.
even so, i think we all like to have a few moments to wallow in our own self-pity.
before i had kids, my self-pity days involved wishing i could be at home. unshowered. wearing pj's.
when the kids were small and sick we were all unshowered and wearing pjs. and i wished i was clean, fresh and dressed up, out of the house, with other responsibilities.
funny how life works.
and thank goodness February is the shortest month of the year. with even more gratitude that my life really is blessed. and, yes, winter will not last forever.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:"
....had to start with a photo of Kris....only because he just celebrated his birthday! wink!
doesn't it look like this dinosaur is about to nibble on Kris' ear?
a brand new dinosaur exhibit just opened north of the city this summer. we finally made it out! maybe one of the last "nice" summer days?
it was worth the trip. the only drawback to the day is that hundreds of other Albertans had the same idea. it definitely became quieter as the afternoon went on.
long necks?
there is no exaggeration when i say that the kids spent HOURS trying to dig up this artifact. they plan to bring shovels next time. ha!
the dinosaurs are attached to motion sensors. with the crowds, it was impossible to know when or where you have to be to start them. however, they are on set cycles. you could visit every day and see different movements each time.
the dinosaurs inspired the kids to act like dinosaurs themselves. complete with roaring and claws.
there was no tricking the kids that the dinosaurs would eat them! they assured us that it was impossible for them to be alive, and that it was just a fun park.
we did find some live creatures. i was too slow, but a little wood mouse ran out from under this bench when the kids took a break. it came out....stopped.....took a look...and ran back to it's hiding place. no chance that it took a second look! not that the roaring and yelling helped either.
baby dinosaurs!
clever. Kiara enjoyed this the most.
this was entertaining for all the ages of kids!
the only moment for a group shot. at least all the faces are visible.
it was a fabulous afternoon. everyone slept well that night! with happy thoughts. love nights like that.
i had read that it was intended to stay open throughout the winter as well. i am very curious as to what their hours will be and what their exhibits will do. i could see us heading back out in the spring for a fun day outside. however i think the summer months will be amazing. it isn't limited to just dinosaurs....they have combined the trail to also include fabulous information about the Boreal Forest. a good surprise.
i had heard good and bad reviews of the park. when it came to the negative comments, i had to wonder what it was being compared to. i simply could not agree. in fact i wonder if they went to the same place. anyone remember what the Tyrrell museum in Drumheller started out like? exactly. besides, this park allows the kids to interact at a level that they are at. we did not do it that day, but there is even a dinosaur the kids could ride! our only complaint...and this may be in the works...it would have been awesome to have a cafe with 'dinosaur bones' or 'terradactyl eggs' or 'long neck fries'.
too bad our city playgrounds and parks could be more creative in including interesting sculptures to climb, i think it would be very inspiring to many kids.
this morning i have "new" on my mind. as i browse through my mountain of photos from this past year, i realize that many of them fall into the "new category". we've had new bikes, new experiences, new friends, new home....never mind the lists of "firsts".
as tiny as the house was, it was huge in terms of the amount of memories amassed here. photos of the kids as babies and with their first friends. as much as i miss the familiar old walls and the cuteness, i have not once missed the crowded spaces and tripping over something.
we were just chatting with friends over the tiny kitchen. i never had enough cupboard space to store the few cookie sheets, muffin pans and such that we had. baking days meant that the table had to double as a counter. the baking supplies were usually stored on a shelf in the basement (which also meant they had to be cleaned before i used them....we never had mice issues, but i'm sure there were multitudes of bug families that probably danced on them). sometimes we would have company in the middle of baking frenzies, so i would temporarily store the baking pans in the oven. apparently it was only me who knew this trick. Kristian discovered this temporary storage place when he made supper one evening. without checking the oven he preheated it. in this instance the oven also stored a gingerbread house kit from costco waiting to be assembled. 2 new rules were added to our list that night. one, never put "flamables" in the oven as storage. second, always look in the oven before you turn it on!
here we are in our new home. more than ample storage space for my baking supplies. (oh, how nice to have everything on the same level! and no more cobwebs forming on my muffin tins.) i never need to store any baking pans inside my oven anymore. however, i still find myself checking the interior before i turn it on.
oh did this photo remind me of the final days of winter just one year ago. in fact it was taken on March 9, 2009. exactly one year ago.
we spent months looking at open houses and showhomes. a new community nearly every weekend. lots of time looking and praying about what decision to make. meetings with a realtor and our banker. by March we had narrowed the options down to rebuilding a new home on the present lot or selling and moving to a new pre-built home. the banker made that final decision for us.
then came the homework. the new way of house hunting. mls listings with photos on the computer. printing out houses we liked. this took a lot of time! after a few weeks i started to make spreadsheets of our criteria. the photo above was a common vision of me for at least two months. the first few weeks were fun, however my "fun meter" slowly dropped after that time!
my friend, Roslyn is at a similar point with her family. listening to her stories of their journey brought back my own memories. more than anything it also reminded me of the fun of the unknown. we each had our list of what we hoped for in our home, yet we didn't know what the complete package would look like.
i am excited to hear her tell me of the day that they found their new home.
i remember walking through the door and within 5 minutes knowing this was it.
was it only a year ago that we had no idea where our new home would be?
every once in awhile, usually on a quiet weekend, Kristian or myself will blurt:
"let's go look at a showhome!" to which the kids suddenly get very quiet. then we all smile and think how awesome that we don't have to do that.
this is the blog that my friends and family read to hear updates on our little family and to see recent photos of all of us. or mostly our babies!
so this lovely group of people are not always aware of what is happening in my creative or hobby side of my life. which is fine! scrapbooking is not for everyone (sadly!).
so many scrapbooking magazines were not able to weather out the recession. this one is home-made here in Canada. i figured it was a good place to start sending some of my pages to get published.
i had 2 published in their winter issue. then i had 1 published in this spring issue.
this is for our Danish relatives! you know who you are!! remember the oldest buildings we have here in Edmonton? this photo was taken at the park that has some re-creations (and some real ones too) of those "old" buildings.
i sooo did not want to cut up that background paper. i also struggled with what part to cover up with my photo.
it is hard to believe that the photo is nearly 2 years old. those munchkins really are growing too fast. so hard to not get a good photo of them at the park too. i wish it were open year-round.
and that is all. sunny days are in the forecast. so are quieter days. maybe this will mean my camera comes out of hiding more often? i hope so!!
Kristian was out of town one evening this week. we had an early supper then the kids and i put on our pj's. after we finished the bedtime stories the three of us curled up on the couch and watched some of the olympics. it was still a fairly early bedtime, but because they got to watch tv after supper they thought they stayed up late! haha!! something i need to remember.
we were watching the figure skaters. to my knowledge it was the first time Kiara had seen this sport. my dear girl who thinks she can just put on skates and spin figure 8's! she thought this was amazing and decided that she will do that one day. it would have been fun to put her in my old pair from when i was her age. i'm not sure what happened to them. they were so unique!
Aidan, on the other hand, thought the speed skating was completely awesome. there is a skating oval in town. it would be fun to take him out to see the skaters in practice. next year we should enroll him in a power skating class. i doubt he'll be taking figure skating lessons, but perhaps Kiara will. considering her parents' genetics she is quite coordinated. and muscular. recessive genes are amazing things.
one talent they both possess is creativity. i was telling someone about his first scrapbook page. in all honesty his first page was better than mine! however he is also still impressing us with his photography skills.
here is one of his photos from today.
are they not ADORABLE?
he taught himself how to use the timer and get poses set up. i guess i can be a good role model after all.
both of the kids started in a program at the new church we are attending. it is a club that meets once a week. Kiara's group is pretty low key. Aidan is in the group that starts to introduce scripture memory. it blows my mind how easily he has been able to memorize. Kiara too, for that matter! she listens while Aidan practices and most of the verse ends up memorized. ironically she learns the words that Aidan gets stuck at....so when Aidan is reciting, she will often interupt him with the answer. given the opportunity to say the verse herself, she can say only the words that Aidan can't.
we will get this photo (among others) printed this week. i will enjoy seeing how he decides to use it on a layout. then i will share it here!
it was the last day that we could say "good-bye" to our old house. it was hard to have to hang on to it for 3 weeks after we moved. kind of like the blanket that you knew you had to finally give up. or a toy that you were too old to play for. a comfort that you had outgrown.
it was not our choice to hang on to it for as long as we did....but i'm glad we were able to.
our first home. we lived there for nearly 11 years. changed nearly everything ourselves. brought both of our babies home to that home. so many memories. a long time.
the kids had one last dance in the living/dining room.
this was a special little playhouse. their grandpa olsen helped daddy build this. even Aidan had a part with this project. they played in this EVERY DAY until the snow was too deep and the air was too cold. but as soon as it melted and they could make a path...it was played in again. so hard to say good-bye....we all know that we won't have anything in this caliber again.
Aidan and grandpa olsen built this flowerbox. great memories. soooo happy that i'm a shutterbug! i have some amazing photos from that day it was built and installed.
this pear tree was not much taller than the fence when we bought the house. it does need pruning. but the leaves were so lush. and it provided a beautiful background....pruning the top became something we chose to avoid! and yes we got pears. every year.
this apple tree was only planted two years ago. this was the size of the pear tree nearly 11 years ago. amazing to compare.
the neighbors with whom we shared this fence are honorary grandparents to our kids. we already miss them. i do look forward to visiting and peeking over the fence to view the growth and changes in the yard. half of the yard was messed up with the building of the garage....so the new owners will have a bit of a clean slate to work with as they green things up and put on their personal touches.
both of the kids had one last climb on this tree. it really is not the greatest climbing tree. but they both hung out here a lot.
our first little home was built in 1949. the same year that the community school was built. we learned that the property the school used was once a dairy farm. i think the original farmhouse or an old barn (now converted to a house) still stands on the original land. even last Christmas we still got mail for the man who had built the house! last summer Zbig told us that the house was too small for his family (in the 1950's), so they rented it out; while they had purchased and lived in a house that was larger and closer to downtown. after their children left home, they returned and retired. the next owners were a postal worker and an airline stewardess. they did not have children. then came the family which we purchased from. they were both academics and she had completed her Ph.D at the UofA just before they moved. they also had a one year old at the time. Barb is insistant that the home attracts "nice" people! i was concerned about who would be living there following us and the care they would have for the house. we renovated nearly everything during the time we lived there. for awhile we had seriously considered a demo and rebuild. it took us a long time to process the fact that we would then need to destroy all the work we had done! painful. however we knew that the way it was presently done was no longer working for us and we simply needed some space. it came down to the cost. the financial decision and the physical decision. would the cost of re-building be the best choice? it was tough. it was either to stay and work it out creatively or see if there was a possibility to purchase a home that would meet our needs. truly all of the details were God's handiwork. that might sound fluffy, but it's true! the new owners fell in love with the house immediately, and that love stayed. how fortunate we are that they loved the house as it is and saw the beauty that we did. i don't expect the paint colours to stay. or the little details we added to make it our home. but i feel assured that they are the type to not let it waste away....these old homes do take more time to care for. it would be so tough to visit Zbig and Barb, and see the house fall apart. as the city grows in size and condos seem to be multiplying, we have wondered how long it will be before the house becomes replaced. will these new owners be the last? or will it be spared? sixty years ago it was just a field for some dairy cows.....
i closed the door behind us for the final time. we are now only welcome as guests.
i studied the view from the alley. the new garage. the lush pear tree. my beloved clematis. so green. it was so beautiful. it was exactly as we had hoped for when we planned the placement of the garage. so private. a sanctuary. no longer for us to enjoy.
we had grown accustomed to people walking by and staring...starting with the south corner where they could get a view of the backyard...then you could see them study the house...the front yard. a compliment.
no more.
but pride that we were able to uphold a home that was well built. and has been filled with happy people. and lovingly cared for by several owners over the years. love.
lots of tears today.
we're moving away from some very special people too. we haven't known them for long. it was our kids that enabled us all to meet and get to know each other. so nice to not have to run away from a problem community, but to leave with tears and sadness. and if any of my amazing neighbors are reading....please note that you are only 20 minutes away from us....and that includes bridge wait times!!!!! after all these years the community is building a brand new playground that includes a fancy splash park. we do not have a splash park here. sooooo we are definitely going to arrange some large group play dates with all of yous!!!!
how wonderful to have tears and be sad about a move. we are blessed.
so much has happened to our family in the past year.
looking at these photos reminded me of our life just one year ago. sometimes our lives change in seconds. and sometimes it is a long process of many days.
in our case it was months.
as tough as it was, i am thankful for the changes. and i'm grateful for that.
Roslyn tagged me a few weeks ago. it was my first tag. i was so unprepared! now i am ready....
i have to share 6 random things with you:
1. i grew up on a farm. not far from the creek where the Cree and the Blackfoot used to meet and hunt buffalo or battle...so the "legend" says! it is still called Meeting Creek.
{more photos here and here-scroll down a bit, great photo!}
2. my first "real" job was in a camera store called "The FotoShoppe". i. am. serious. i was sixteen and worked just Saturdays. it was a good job and i am thankful for my parents "encouragement" to apply. i regret that i did not work for a longer than the six months i did. i guess this job would be considered 'foreshadowing' in a novel?!
3. i have been told that i should be a travel agent or travel advisor. i am choosing to take that as a compliment! if it allowed me to see more places...i'm all for it!
4. i used to hate running. i tried to run when i lived in Canmore, inspired by mountain views and air. i tried to run with Kristian while we were dating and i wanted to impress the dude. then i gave up. until a former pro athlete told me that most runners take six months to like running. so...i bought a good pair of running shoes and gave myself 12 months! after six months i was already hooked. after a few years i found myself training for a half marathon. i sure won't boast that i am any good at it! but i enjoy the activity and i am anxious to start running again. hopefully soon.
5. i was an adult when i learned to swim. at that time i was surprised to discover that diving headfirst into deep water was fun. i am still working on my front crawl. must be my rhythm or something...{ahem!practice!!} one day...
then i'll leave you with a little photo of my baby girl....
she is such a goof! pretending to sleep. i love her sense of humour!
today at church she brightened the day of many people by hugging their legs!! i think we will need to sign her up as a greeter before the service. there are so many times that she makes me shrink in embarrassment...so it is a blessing to have her do something that others enjoy.
we had some bizarre weather here yesterday. rain. in January. so weird following a week of VERY cold weather!
apparently the last time we had rain in January was in 2005. i had forgotten! so i started to think about it....Aidan would have been a baby. yes. Kris was still working on his graduate degree at the UofA. and he was riding his bike. then i remembered hearing him tell me about how ICY the path was....and the one time that he returned home to change his clothes. yes, that was January. he had slipped on some ice and landed in a puddle! in January.
i am still waiting for my photobook! would you believe that it is LOST?! and this has NEVER happened to this company before!? lucky me. they are printing a new one for me. i am very thankful that they are doing this. and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one is speedy and makes it to my house...early! on one hand, the company rep told me that they all remembered my book and loved it. hmmm....that's cool. now if i can only see it in person myself.....
i came across a website on Sunday that had some inspiring photos. very inspiring. so in the dark, late that night, right after viewing....i pulled out the camera and tried a few. not bad. but not great either.
soooo.....i begged Kristian to leave his wedding band at home on Monday!
i'm liking this!
when we were engaged i was finishing my last year of my undergrad degree and Kris had another semester left. we both scraped together some money to purchase these rings. neither of them were rings that we totally loved. but they were what we could afford!
part of our thinking was to melt them and redesign new rings for our tenth anniversary. we would be working, earning money and have extra cash. that was the dream!
i need to add that Kristian is a materials engineer....and like most of his colleagues in this field...has a favourite metal. tantalum. he has always wanted a ring made of this material.
we will celebrate our 14th anniversary this year. and we still have the same rings! and two kids. and one and a quarter incomes. who would have guessed that the year we celebrated our tenth anniversary we would have just had a baby. with one parent on maternity leave. and the other back in university. no income.
life is not always as you planned it!
i am BLESSED to have two healthy and happy kids. BLESSED to have Kristian who works hard....growing constantly to learn how to be a great dad, husband and engineer.
we buried my grandma on a very cold and crisp winter morning a few days ago.
i remember her saying that she and her twin sister were born during a blizzard. i found it very fitting that she would leave this earth on a less than pleasant winter day too.
aside from what we felt...it was a beautiful day. the country drive to the cemetary was one of those rare scenic drives. the hoar frost and snow on the branches of trees was a beautiful sight.
she is now beside my grandpa. someone she loved very deeply and has missed his prescence every day since he left.
seeing this reminded me of a picture grandma loved. it hung wherever she lived. i remember her talking about the last supper many times.
the service was something that grandma would have loved. it was very emotional and full of faith. my grandmother had a lot of spunk! she was also sincere in many of her roles. she lived a full life. we would have welcomed to have had her for longer. we'll miss her prescence. but all of us are thrilled that she lived so well and for so long. we are also celebrating that she is no longer blind. without pain. full of memory. and thankful that we will see her one day.
for now....
Christmas is coming. very quickly.
one of my children is understanding the traditions. especially when they pertain to receiving gifts! thankfully we still have a gingerbread house to complete, cookies to bake, cookies to decorate, crafts to finish.... the weather is literally "frightful" with the temperatures hovering around -30 degrees Celsius. so we're stuck indoors. we do have some errands to run and groceries to buy this week. those are difficult at times with the kids...but even less enjoyable when i'm cold, the kids are cold, the car is cold and i have to buckle and un-buckle three seatbelts.
can we hope for some warmer weather by Christmas Eve?
