A Church Picnic

Today Ron and I went our separate ways.  He had to sing in Wilton and Sarah and I went to church in Napanee.  A church lunch was planned for after the service so I spent my morning in the kitchen helping with some preparations. It was nice working alongside some old and new friends.

After the final amen, the congregation flooded out the back door to the awaiting barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs.

The older crew set up their lawn chairs under the shade of a tree.  

The younger generation barely ate as they headed towards the bouncy castles.  Sarah watched along the sidelines as her three little companions raced from one toy to the next.  Finally she was called out.  Emerson challenged her to a race on the climbing wall.  They were harnessed in and given the count down and the race was on.  It was a close finish but Sarah won.

They then moved to another obstacle course where they had to climb up one side and slide down the other.  Sarah was an easy win the first time through.  On the second go she decided to go head first which ended more like first and Emerson pulled off the W.  

Before long the last call was made for the toys and the boys stood by with long faces until they watched in anticipation of the crumbling on the castles.  It is amazing watching how quickly disappointment can change to interest with the right persuasion of parents.

It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Birthday Celebrations

Today was a full day.  We separated and conquered the tasks.  Ron and Sarah left for Kingston first thing in the morning.  They picked up Ariana, the birthday cake and shopped a little bit at Lululemon.

Cheryl and I worked at organizing the house for the birthday celebration.  We straightened, decorated and prepped for the party.  I was so thankful that Cheryl had agreed to come.  She helped in so many ways.

Lunch was served and then Ron took the girls to Gary and Denise’s to see the sheep and The Soap Shack.  Cheryl and I worked on the final touches.  We were ready!

The Bruyere’s were the first to arrive.  We were now a party of 11.  Next mom and dad arrived and found their chairs.  The last to arrive was Sarah’s grandma Lynn, her Aunts Christina and Liz.  The party was ready to start.

The table was set with food and everyone served themselves and found a place to eat.  

People chatted across the table and around the room.  

Downstairs, the kids were doing more laughing than eating.

Cake and icecream was served after the meal.  

Sarah opened her gifts and thanked everyone for their thoughtfulness.  She made her rounds to give everyone a hug.

The kids drifted off downstairs.  The Wii was given a work out with each one taking their turn. The pool table got a little attention too.

We made sure to take pictures as everyone was leaving.

We also took pics of those staying…

It was a good day.

16 and Driving

Sarah started her day with Aunt Christina.  This was a day talked about and planned for years.  Aunt Christina wanted to be the one to take Sarah for her driver’s test. We drove to Kingston and went for a walk and then got the message… “Well…I finished.” I waited and then sent a reply that just said, “and.”  Almost immediately I received two messages.  Sarah responded with, “passed” and Christina sent a picture of a happy girl.

Christina then let Sarah drive around Kingston.  First was a drive through to get a free drink from Starbucks.  They drove around Kingston and then found us at Reids’s Dairy.  Christina said that she thought she was ready for this maiden voyage but it took a little more out of her than she expected.  It was so nice of her to give Sarah this experience.

Once we got out of Kingston and onto quieter roads, Sarah drove.  She really did amazing.  She even pulled into the garage and not once did I slam on the brakes from the back seat.

We had a steak lunch and a little rest and then the girl was ready to go.  She wanted to get her free treat from Dairy Queen.  Off we went with Sarah as the chauffeur.  

Still recovering from the poison ivy

We stopped at Nana and Papa’s to give them the news that a new driver was in town.  Sarah drove home and took us through Frizzell Road where the birthday tour continued with a stop to see the sheep.  Gary and Denise were no where to be found but the sheep wished Sarah a very Happy BAAthday.

Ron decided that if a girl can drive our car, she should be able to drive the lawn mower.  Yikes, I hope he never thinks that of me!

Sarah looked at the car and thought it was a little dirty so out came the cleaning supplies for the vehicles.  With Grandpa’s instructions and direction, we now have a clean car.

Finally, as the evening approached we sat down to some cake.

It was an exciting day…driving, cutting grass and washing a car!  Who could ask for anything more?

Sweet Sixteen

Today is the day that Sarah has been waiting for.  Today she turns 16!  Many, many years ago I remember the excitement of that special birthday for me.  Being able to write a test and given the permission to drive.  It’s pretty exciting and worth celebrating.

It’s hard to believe that our little princess is now Sweet Sixteen and yes, she is the sweetest.

We are so proud of the young woman she is becoming but of course, to her old grandparents, she will always be our little grand baby.

Happy Birthday Sarah!  Praying that this year will be filled with happy memories, good friends and lots of joy.

Love you more!

Nanny and Grandpa

What’s In A Name?

I called a friend on Wednesday night and asked what she was doing.  She responded with “nothing, what do you want to do?”  We set a plan in motion.  Kevin and Pam were going to meet us at our house at 7:00 am with their kayaks.  Sarah said that she didn’t want to go with “us” but then learned that us included two extras and so she decided to drag herself out of bed.  Our first visitor wasn’t Pam and Kevin though…Penny, the neighbour cat showed up for breakfast.

After Penny had her breakfast, Sarah had hers and Kevin and Pam arrived.  They followed us down Mountain Road.  After living in Alberta, we wonder why this road is named that.  There are no mountains in Ontario. Oh well…what’s in a name?  Really…Penny, the cat??

Back to my story…we arrived at Eagle Lake and if you are getting in your mind that we drove up a mountain to a lake where eagles soared, you would have to change your thinking.  We drove along a somewhat curvy, unelevated road and we did not see one eagle.  The lake would be more aptly called, Loon Lake because we did encounter a number of these.

Speaking of names….we once hiked to Lost Lake.  We wondered if after being there it should be called Found Lake??

We set out paddling.  Kevin and Pam were in their kayaks, Sarah on a paddle board and Ron and I in our canoe.

It was a beautiful morning.  We paddled and chatted.  Ron and I went around Comet Island since we were working together in our canoe and the others were all independent.  Once again, we have no idea how this island got that name.  We didn’t see any comets, satellites or even stars.

We enjoyed our morning even without mountains and eagles.  Loons on a lake made for a good day and I’m talking about birds!

Pampering Day

The car was looking for some attention.  I’m not sure if the Ram bragged about his oil change and good check up but the Honda wanted her day too.  For the past week, she would remind us that she was getting close to needing some fresh oil.  Each time we would start the car a reminder would flash up.  Vehicles are so smart these days.  We kept it our little secret that she was already booked for her special day.  We drove to Belleville which really threw her off because we had been going to Kingston for her check ups.  I think she got a little excited when we pulled into the Honda Dealer.  We dropped the keys off and were shuttled to the mall.

Twice the dealership called to give us updates on how she was doing.  Her brakes needed some servicing, the oil changed and a few other special treatments. She was loving her special day.

Meanwhile at the mall, Sarah and I thought we should be serviced too.  Sarah decided to get her hands looking  pretty while I decided to having sparkly toes.  We couldn’t talk Ron into it.  He did slip in and took a couple of pictures.  One of us was happy to see him, the other didn’t see a reason for a man to be there!

After our servicing, we got a call that the Honda was done with her special treatment too.  Sarah and I were a lot cheaper!  

Sarah shopped for some new books at Indigo.  That girl loves to read and learn.  She even likes the smell of a book store.

We had lunch at Montana’s…Sarah picked up the bill.  What a nice treat!

Now as long as the Honda and Ram keep quiet about their special days, we will be good.  If Kawi hears, he will be wanting his day too. 🏍️

Piece by Piece

This week was a full one.  Sarah was registered in horse camp which meant leaving the house every day before 8:00 am.  The camp was about one hour away so we tried to plan things to keep us busy for the day.  Monday, we shopped for new furniture for Sarah’s bedroom.  It took us most of the day to look, decide and purchase.  Tuesday, we had the truck serviced and walked a lot and shopped a little.  Wednesday was our island day with Pam and Kevin.  Thursday was a no go day so we worked on moving Sarah’s old furniture out of her room.  On Friday, we picked up the bed and desk and did a little exploring which I will save for another blog.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Sarah was learning all about horses, doing some riding and looking after the big animals.  She really enjoyed the horse time but the rest of it was a little much but she did it.  

By the end of the week, the owner had asked Sarah if she would be interested in coming back as a counsellor.  That was straight from the horse’s mouth!

When we got home on Friday night, we were all tired but there was work to be done.  Sarah and Ron worked to put the furniture together.  

There were lots of pieces and careful instruction reading taking place.

After about the 900th step, they decided to finish the desk in the morning.  

As of now, the bed and desk are set up, waiting for the mattress to be delivered on Monday.  Sarah can then settle back into her room.

Piece by piece the week went by and piece by piece the furniture got together.