December Mail

Chancery & I were walking up the street this afternoon.  I had just gotten the mail from the mailbox, & Chancery asked, "Did we get any mail?"

Me: "Yes, three pieces."

Chancery: "Is it all for us?"

We still get mail for the people who used to live here, so it was a valid question.

Me: "Yes, it's all for us."

Chancery: "Is it our first Christmas card?"

Me: "Nope, it's bills."

At that point we were passing a neighbour who was shovelling her driveway.  "That's all I got too," she said.

Chancery: "Maybe tomorrow a card will come!"

Digby's New Toy

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I give you "Digby's New Toy", a short video starring Digby, & his new toy!

As We Wait For Gilmore Girls....

In a few short days the eagerly anticipated Gilmore Girls returns to our screens for four 90 minute  episodes.  But as I look forward to these new installments, I also know that it will be over too soon.  I have been waiting for Chancery to be old enough to watch Gilmore Girls with me, so I did not re-watch all the old seasons in preparation for the re-boot, but I have been thinking of all the other shows which have tided me over in the last several years & have some connection to Gilmore Girls.

   If you have not allowed yourself the pleasure of the fast-speaking, coffee drinking Gilmore Girls, I advise you to start there.  It's where it all began after all.

Now, I have not actually watched Parenthood (I don't know what was going on in my life at the time, but I didn't really hear much about it when it was on) but I have heard all kinds of good things about it in the last year & I intend to go back & watch it.  One of the main characters is Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls).

Hart of Dixie is the story of a female doctor from New York city who is bequeathed a small town practice, or half of it anyway.  The show deals with her adjustment to small town life & the quirky characters who are her new neighbours.  Hart of Dixie uses the same sets at Gilmore Girls.

Bunheads is a story about a Vegas showgirl played by Sutton Foster, who moves to a small coastal town, & begins teaching ballet.  It's written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also wrote the first 6 seasons of Gilmore Girls, & the upcoming Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.  Many of the actors from Gilmore Girls also appear in Bunheads, such as Liza Weil (Paris Geller), Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore), & Sean Gunn (Kirk).

Younger also stars Sutton Foster as a recent divorcee who is on the hunt for a job.  When she discovers that she keeps getting turned down for being too old (over 40), her friend encourages her to pretend to be in her 20's.  She is now trying to maintain her younger identity & keep up to speed on all the technology, fashion & slang she should know!

I've heard that This Is Us is the new Parenthood.  If you liked Parenthood, you will probably like This Is Us.  It has a great cast including Milo Ventimiglia (Jess from Gilmore Girls).  It follows the lives of triplets (one who's adopted), who are trying to figure out adult life, & also flashes to their growing up years, giving us some perspective on what they are struggling with.

And we're back around to Gilmore Girls!  There has been some discussion on whether the show will return for more after these 4, or if it will really be over.  I'm excited to see what the people of Stars Hollow have been up to over the past 9 years, but I won't get my hopes up for more episodes.  After those are over, I have lots of other shows to get caught up on!

San Diego Retreat!

Last week was the biannual CRC PW Conference/Retreat.  I never know what to refer to these events as since they are both a conference (we have speakers & break-out sessions), & a retreat from our everyday lives, so I waffle between the two.  This year the event was held in San Diego, & we had gorgeous weather (32C/95F)!  It was great being able to see old friends & meet new ones as well.  We played games, wandered around the city, laughed, cried, hot tubbed, learned about difficult places, & God's grace through it all.

And when the conference was over, some of us stayed for a few extra days.  These are the hijinxs we got up to!

Alicia & I  searched through Groupon for fun activities, & we decided we didn't want to do things we'd do with the kids (like the Zoo, or SeaWorld)

So we decided to jump out of a plane! 

It was crazy fun, & it was an added bonus that the weather was so nice!  We didn't have to worry about being cold at 13,000 feet because at 8am, it was already 23C , so a light sweater was all we needed.

 We made it!

Next, we went to the beach!  On our  way there, Alicia kept saying, "look how beautiful this is!"  So I took a picture.  Then she informed me, she had been talking about the view of the water out her side of the car!  Oops, I still think the palm trees lining the road are cool!

Alicia had a surfing lesson while I layed on the beach reading a book.  Our friend Beth joined us as well, & had a nice stroll along the shore.  See, there's something for everyone in San Diego!

Our last evening, the three of us went to a little shopping area for supper & to look for some souvenirs.  I had mussels, which were good, but not as good as PEI mussels!

In one of the shops I found this awesome dishtowel, but I was unwilling to spend 13 American dollars on it, so I just snapped a picture instead & called it a night.

At the rental car place, we were told to go pick the car we wanted.  When we got to where the cars were, there were a few Chevy Cruzes, & a lady was about to drive away in a Fiat 500.  "You're lucky you got here before us!" I joked.  She replied, "Do you want this car?  I work for the company & I just have to bring a car to the other lot."

So, we got the Fiat 500 for the day!  It was a fun ride, but I think something was wrong with it because it was making some weird sounds!  

The next morning the other girls left, & I was on my own, so I took my book to the pool to while away the hours before my flight home.

It was a busy, yet refreshing week away, & I look forward to the next one in 2 years' time!

Halloween 2016

This year the kids changed their minds about a billion times on what they wanted to dress up as for Halloween, so I decided I was not going to buy anything for their costume until they had decided for sure on what they were going to be.  That left us buying a pumpkin bucket for Chancery at 4pm on October 31, which was not the ideal time, but there was a last minute blow-out sale & we got one for less than a dollar, so I call that a win!

 Digby was easy to dress.  We just had to not book him for a haircut until after Halloween!

Isn't he the cutest Ewok you ever did see?

Asher chose to be a Ninja.

We made him nun-chucks out of toilet paper rolls & some string. 

Chancer decided on Sunday to be a black cat, & emerged from her bedroom after rest-time with this mask she had made herself!  Chad helped to cut out the eye-holes, but the rest was all her own doing.  

Here they are, good thing we went out early enough that it wasn't too dark, or I wouldn't have been able to see them!

An Odd Up-Do

My hair is very open to the power of suggestion.  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.  When I was in grade 7 I got a perm, & my hair was tightly curled until the day I cut it off, there was no relaxing that perm, & that was ok.  On the few occasions I have had my hair straightened, it stayed straight until I washed it, & I looked like I had been born with straight hair.

However, in general, when I wear my hair down it seems to think it is frizzy time.  No one likes frizzy time.  When I was in highschool I used to dry my hair in a low bun so it would stay relatively straight with some waves at the bottom.  But I have a lot of hair, & it takes a long time to dry.

The best way to manage my hair is to wash it at night & sleep with a towel on my pillow, but recently I have discovered a way to make my hair look even MORE curly, but the first day leaves me with a questionable hair-do...

This is day 1 hair

And this is the result!

First Day of School 2016!

I don't know why, but the first day of school kind of snuck up on me this year.  I realized yesterday that I had to go through the kids' clothes to make sure they had enough jeans that fit without holes in the knees (Asher didn't), & get rid of some of their favourite shirts that are just too short or too tight!  We finished all that just before supper, then I realized at bedtime that we didn't know where their backpacks were.  It's a good thing the school provides school supplies or I would have been in trouble!

This morning I had every intention of taking a picture, but there was a bag of garbage by the front door, & I got distracted & forgot, SO once the kids came home for lunch I snapped their picture!

This is the first time Chancery has been at the same school 2 years in a row (due to changing schools in PEI to go to the French school), & she was excited to see her friends from last year again.

Asher is now in grade 5, & Chancery started grade 3!

Only 10 more years until they are both in University!

Waterton

Sunday we all went to Waterton National Park.  When Chad was growing up, quite often the family would go to Waterton & walk up the creek in Red Rock Canyon.  It was the kids' first time in Waterton, & it was time they partook of the tradition.  They were excited!

It was a bit chilly, so the kids were wearing jeans & long sleeves.  They probably should have changed first, but they were so excited to go up the canyon!  They did get their shoes & jeans wet, but we had brought shorts & sandals for them & by the time everyone got back out of hte canyon it  had warmed up quite a bit.

 It was quite the adventure, & I had to turn back due to inappropriate footwear.  Next time I'll know better!

It was awesome jumping from rock ot rock, trying to keep dry (& not always succeeding)

Troy & Tara said the water was way lower then they had ever seen it before, so they made it all the way to the end of the canyon!

After all the canyon adventures, we headed to the lake for some rock skipping.  For some reason I am a terrible rock skipper, so I was rejoicing in my accomplishment of throwing a rock with 2 bounces!

Than Chad told me, it was only one bounce, & a plop since it never came out of the water the second time.  I guess I need more practice!

After the lake it was time for dinner, then shopping (without much luck), then ice cream (you can't mess with tradition!), then the candy store (as if they needed any more sugar!)

It was a great time hanging with the family!

We're Having Fun In Alberta!

Grandpa & Grandma's house is always a fun place to visit.  There are so many things to do that are different from what you can do at home!  We came for a week's holidays to visit & relax, & we achieved our goals!

The kids caught a bunch of grasshoppers & kept them in an old cookie container as pets.

Chancery said, "Look they like me so much that even after I set them free they just stay here with me!"

That probably had more to do with them being lethargic & hungry from being in the container for several days than liking her, but anything is possible!

Digby enjoyed cuddling up in blankets on the cool mornings. 

I love thrift shopping, & there are several good shops in town.  I scored these shoes for 50 cents!

Chancery achieved her dream of looking like a real cowgirl, & we picked up several pairs of cowboy boots, at reasonable prices, to fit as the kids' feet grow.

Chad's parents live near a river, so we walked down to it & the kids had great time playing with the rocks & building towers.

 Meanwhile, I got a free fish pedicure!  It was bit tickly, but the price was right!

 Digby also enjoyed the walks to the river, though he did not seem to enjoy the walks back home quite so much.  After cooling off, it's a long, hot walk back to the house.

It's hot enough that cactus grow along the trail!

Deer frequently visit the yard, & Digby gets very excited every time they show up.  At one point there were 2 Does, & 4 fawns under the trees!

We love Southern Alberta!

Beach Day!

One of the things we do as often as we can is go to the beach!  When we have company we take them to the beach with us!  Normally it's just the kids & I, & while the kids play in the water & build things in the sand I read a book.  Troy & Tara's family is not used to being so sedentary, so they did a bit of  beach exploring as well.

They found big & small starfish...

Asher became a merman...

 And the kids built a few sandcastles!

After our fun day at the beach we went to dinner at one of our local pubs.  The kids like it because they have etch-a-sketches to play with, & we like it because it has good food & a fun atmosphere.

When we got the bill we saw that we hadn't been charged for the kids' meals, so we brought it to the waitress' attention.  "Kids meals are free this month!" we were told!  If only we had known earlier, we would have come more often!

Capilano Bridge & Granville Island

When we have visitors, we finally visit the touristy places!

Our first stop was the Capilano Suspension Bridge & Cliffside Walk.

The kids were being part of the totem pole

We had a lot of fun walking all the cool walkways.

There were quite a few signs stating that if you dropped something off the walkway, you were not to attempt retrieving it yourself, but to alert staff.

We tried to figure out what they would determine as valuable enough to retrieve since we saw a shoe, a coat, & a sippy cup that apparently did not make the cut.  For example, if you dropped your wallet we assumed they would get that, but what if you dropped a single credit card?

The actual suspension bridge was packed with people moving like herds of cattle, so we did not get a photo.  You'll have to go see it yourself!

 Once across the bridge, there is a treetop walk, & inexplicably this 'room'.  Perhaps it is for those who do not like heights to wait while their friends do the treetop walk?  But if you do not like heights it is unlikely you would have crossed the suspension bridge in the first place...  So many questions, so few answers!

We were unafraid to do the treetop walk! 

Asher found a large tree, but it was unclimbable.

 Chancery found someone willing to give her a shoulder ride!

The next stop was Granville Island to get some lunch!

We walked through the market & everyone was happy with the choices for lunch.  It's not always easy to please 8 people's palates, but we did it!  We had some Chinese, Curry, Deli Sandwiches, Bagels, & Pizza!

We walked around for a while, then decided to go on a 30 minute harbour cruise.

 

We saw a lot of waterfront floating homes 

 And the cement factory is painted to look like people!

After our cruise, we had some gelato, then it was time to head back home for the day!