A Proud Moment

It's always exciting when you see one of your children set their heart on a goal and then accomplish it.  It was a feeling of pride this week when we saw this graduation picture.

Jenn has worked hard over the past months to achieve the goal of this diploma.  It would be hard work for anyone but even more difficult for a mother of four young children.  

Congratulations Jenn!  

We are so proud that you stuck with it through the hard times.  We will be praying that the right job will come up and your dreams will come reality.

It's About to Get Real

For the past week and a half I have been in training.  It's hard to teach an old gal a new career but I'm working on it.  The first week I stayed in a hotel in Red Deer and would stumble back to the room at the end of the training day and try to read my material.  I was totally exhausted from the learning curve that was being thrown at me each day.  It was a new experience being a big girl and driving to a new city and staying by myself at a hotel but I did it!

This week since it was a short week of training I decided to do the drive up there and back for both Monday and Tuesday.  It added two hours to my day but it also gave me a beautiful drive in the morning.

And at the end of the day it gave me a chance to let my brain soak in what I learned or perhaps relax from too much thinking.

Today was the final day....two tests were completed and two tests were passed.  We learned a little more, heard about payroll entries (yeah!) and were presented with a certificate along with well wishes for a successful week.

And so tomorrow it will get real!  No more practice entries.  No more pretend money.  I won't have to get up as early or read anything at night but I am sure that I will be exhausted from trying to remember everything and hoping that I did it all right.  Fortunately we have a few days to watch and learn and then we will be watched.  Yup, it's about to get real!

When do I get holidays?

On Hold

So I woke up to a rainy day.  My plans were to take it easy after a long week of training.  Ron went to work and I went downstairs to get a phone to call my dad to wish him a happy birthday.  Down the stairs I went...splash!

The sub pump decided not to work through the night.  Now we are trying to find the right people to help clean up the mess.  So much for a sleepy day.

I guess my reading will have to wait and I was so looking forward to it.

So for those who have been waiting for house pictures...let's just put that on hold too.

Oh the Fun WE HAD!

For nine weeks Ron and I got to be full time grandparents.  It was wonderful....not always easy and sometimes very tiring but wonderful!

The month of June Emma and Jacob gave us lots of laughs and many smiles.  We got to take them camping and canoeing and they were part of the move from Deschambault Lake....through smoky skies and lots of miles of travelling.  So before we put them on the plane for home we wanted to make one more stop with them...the zoo!

And so it only seemed fair that one of the first things we did with Sarah was take her to the zoo.

While Emma and Jacob were part of the tear down of the house, Sarah's job was to set up the house.  The furniture arrived and we unpacked, put away and searched for the things that we had put away.  When the house was in liveable condition it was time for Sarah to have her holiday and so we had to go find some mountains.

The Three Sisters in the Background (Sarah, Emma and Abbigail)

Her idea to pose like this to match the picture!  Love her creativity.

Feeling on top of the world!

We might have pushed her just a little too hard.

Enjoying??? Lake Louise

But for the most part she loved the mountains...wanted to climb them, take pictures of them and just see them.

Of course life with Sarah wasn't all fun and games.  She was working out.  First swimming lessons.....

And then her goal to be the "Next Ninja Warrier!"

So we had the kids in total for nine weeks.  Emma and Jacob made it to Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Sarah made it to Alberta and British Columbia.

Not bad for a couple of grandparents and three beautiful grandchildren.  Wonderful memories for us all!

Catching Up

So the last few months have flown by and sometimes I have to be reminded of where we are and what my phone number is.  I hope to spend the next few evenings trying to catch up with all the events while I spend the week at a hotel.

Why at a hotel?  Well, it is time for me to go back to work.  I will be in Red Deer for a week and a half to train.  So my days of semi-retirement and full time nanny have come to an end.  It is time to get back into the working world again.

But first lets just go back a few months.  In March we thought that we were staying another year in Deschambault Lake.  Our medicals were done and even I passed the psych assessment and then....life changed.  Ron got a transfer to Alberta.

In May we went to Three Hills and purchased a house and then I flew to the Yukon.  I met up with Stephen for a trip south.

At the end of May, Ron and I flew to Ontario where he performed a wedding for a beautiful couple who happen to be moving out west in a few months.

The first week of June we flew back home, bringing along two sweet little visitors.

 

Emma and Jacob spent four weeks with us.  During this time we dealt with a very smoky Saskatchewan.  Our house was packed up and we travelled to Alberta.  Jenn flew out to pick up these two munchkins and left Sarah with us for the next five weeks.

 

We had lots of fun with our precious granddaughter.  During her time with us we had the newly married couple from Ontario move in with us and a dear friend of mine come to visit for ten days.  When she left, she took Sarah back home with her.  That was yesterday.  Now I am in Red Deer.  Tomorrow I will be off to learn my new job. 

So....that's it in a short little blog.  I will try and fill in the blanks over the next few days.  So for now...wish me luck.  They might ask for my phone number tomorrow.