Fridays (April 25th and today)

Two weeks ago our time in Ontario was still going strong.  We decided it was the day to visit so off we went to Stirling where I had worked before moving out west.  We stopped at the new school and were given a tour by a good friend Barry who is the school custodian.  The school had changed so much.  When I was there it was a grade 6-8 school which had been torn down and the new school housed JK-Grade 8.  From there we travelled to Frankford where we had lived for almost 10 years.  We stopped to visit a dear friend, Winnie.  We enjoyed chatting, catching up and looking at pictures.  We didn't know that a week and half later Winnie would lose her husband, Keith.

From there we drove south and decided we needed to find some curd, which is an Ontario cheese treat.  On the way a crazy driver was trying to almost run us off the road.  He finally pulled ahead and then off to the side of the road.  Ron cautiously drove past only to have a familiar smiling face greet us.  It was Spencer!

Spencer and Stephen were friends from the time that we moved to Swift Current.  He was a regular at our house and we were so excited to see him.  It was almost like seeing one of our own kids.  After hugs and a little chat on the road we went on our way smiling and glad that he had spotted us.

 

From there I began texting Ruth, a friend from when we lived in Sharbot Lake (which was before we lived in Frankford).  Her and her husband, Jim were in Kingston and so off we went to Kingston.  Jim was playing for his dinner.....well, kind of.  He was playing at the Seniors Residence where Ruth's mom now lives.

We enjoyed the evening with them over dinner.

Jim and Ruth have been great friends over the years.  Jim and Ron use to play in a bluegrass band called "Country Church" when we were pastoring in Sharbot Lake.  It was really nice to have some time together again.

And today....
Ron was off today and we went for two walks.  Ron even got his shorts out today since it was so warm.  I cleaned out some drawers for when the girls come to visit and did some baking since we decided to have a barbeque for the members.

It is the first time that I had made ginger cookies and I am pretty sure it won't be the last....pretty tasty, even if I say so myself.

Thursdays (2 weeks ago and today)

Well life was about to change in Ontario for us.  The grandchildren were going to be picked up but first we spent the morning enjoying their company.  It was time for Jacob to go and see Great Grandma and of course Sarah always seems to be the first in the vehicle.

Once Jenn and Joe came and picked up the kids it was way too quiet.  Ron and I went for a long walk and then we decided to go to Kingston.  We had a great visit with my cousin Roxane and her husband, Denis. 

Kingston is really a beautiful city and we seem to be in it a lot through this week.

When we got back to Mom and Dad's there was no little body to snuggle in between us and I certainly missed having them there but I had acquired a good cold and a good night's sleep was overdue.

AND TODAY....Ron is finishing his last day shift.  I was supposed to be working hard on my courses but I got a little/lot distracted.  We are going to have company coming for part of the summer! 
Sarah and Emma are coming to spend some quality time with Nanny and Grandpa!!!  We are excited!  While I was on the phone with WestJet setting up all of this I was emailing with our travel agent to finalize our cruise for next February.  I've been busy.

For my Get Fit Challenge I had to take a picture of a healthy meal that I ate today so here it is:

I'm not going to tell them that I am barbequing a hamburger for supper tonight.

April 23 vs Today (2 weeks later)

Two weeks ago life began early in the morning with one little man in our bed and we were quickly joined by two girls.  Oh what fun!  Once again I have to say I love being a Nanny.  Once the kids were all dressed and ready for the day the fun began.  We decided it was time to play and so grandpa took the kids to play ball in my parents backyard.

I'm not sure who had more fun.  When Jacob laid down for a nap we took the girls for a walk down to Springside Park in Napanee.  This is a spot where Ron and I had our wedding pictures taken 31 years ago and it is always a favourite place to walk.  The falls were roaring at this time of year.

 

It is quiet day here...no kids, Ron is in training all day and won't even be home for lunch.  I did my exercise on the treadmill, threw in some laundry and sat down to update my blog before starting my school work AND then I heard the noise.  Just like a kid I get so excited.  I grabbed my camera and changed the lens.  I pulled up blinds and opened the door.  I grabbed the ipad to get a video.  It's court day in DL and the court party is arriving!

It doesn't take much apparently to make my day because I always find it exciting to watch the helicopters or planes arrive in our little world. 

Two Weeks Ago (April 22nd) and Today

Let the fun begin....Jacob woke up in the night and I went and got him and he slept in between Ron and I in a double bed.  There is nothing like having a little one snuggle up to you.  You don't sleep much but that little warm buddy moving around is worth every sleepless moment.  Sometimes he would have his head on me and the next I would experience his feet and I even got a fist.  In the morning he sat up looked at Ron and I and said "hi" in the cutest little baby voice.

It is pretty quiet at our home but no so much Mom and Dad's.  There were four adults and three children and it was fun.  They are a great entertainment.

And of course there is the cheers of accomplishment for something that is done, special dances for music played or hugs just because.

We took the girls up to see Great Grandma and Jacob only stomped his foot a couple of times for being left and they enjoyed playing in a cozy blanket.

Sarah sent a video message to Uncle Stephen while we were there.

Ron and the girls went out for lunch with his mom and sister and I went back to Mom and Dad's to have a nap with Jacob.  I have to admit I love being a Nanny.  I wish that we were closer so that I could see them all more.  They are precious gifts from God who continue to bless my heart.  We continued the day with lots of laughs, hugs, walks and snuggles.

Today....it is much quieter here.  It is raining here so we had to exercise inside today.  I am so thankful for an elliptical and tread mill.

I got my mark for my last course.

Ron is at training all day so I should motivate myself to do lots of school work but first an extra challenge was given to us today for my Summer Slim Down Group.  We were to do an random act of kindness.  That was a bit of challenge to me since I don't usually see too many people so I decided to make some bread for Ron's partners. 

And back in Ontario today a dear friend is saying goodbye to her wonderful husband.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Winnie. 

Easter Monday and Today

Two weeks ago was Easter Monday and Sarah wanted to dress up pretty so after her and I made buns for lunch and went to Walmart for a little bit of shopping she got fancy.  Sarah loves to dress up!













And then we waited for the guest of honour to arrive.  We hadn't met our newest granddaughter and she arrived in style!



Of course you can't give all the attention to the newest sweetheart so Great Nana and Great Papa spread some love on Emma and Jacob.

I apologize to all other grandparents.  I know that you think that you have the cutest grandchildren but I must admit I think mine are really the cutest!  Warning:  The next picture is known to melt hearts!

We had a nice surprise in the afternoon when an old school friend of Jenn's stopped in for a visit.  There are about 20 years differences in the next two pictures.

Jenn and Alicia have been friends since Jenn was in Jr. Kindergarten in Sharbot Lake.  Alicia is one year older and between them they ruled the school while we lived there.  They have continued to be friends through the years and it was great to see Alicia and her beautiful little baby girl.

We spent the day with Jenn & Joe at Mom and Dad's.  Ron visited with his mom and sister and then Ron, Debbie and I ventured to the park for a bit of play time.  When Jenn left for the evening she left 3 out 4 children with us....it was bound to be an exciting few days!

AND TODAY....Ron is off to work again after we went for our early morning crisp walk.

I started a Summer Slim Down Challenge.  It is 28 days of exercise with additional challenges given each day to spur us on to losing weight.  The challenge for today is to drink water....I need to drink 40 oz of water today, exercise at least 25 minutes (did 52 minutes) and encourage the person who posted above me (done).

And I will continue to work on my school work.  All day I sit in the backroom reading, watching DVD's and working on assignments.  Today's goal is to figure out my personality style and Emotional Intelligence.

So time to get at it....or perhaps a cup of tea first!  I wish that counted as a glass of water.

Easter Sunday and Today

Two weeks ago today was Easter Sunday but unfortunately we didn't make it to church.  It was a travel day for us.  We were awake bright and early and arrived at the airport just after 4:00 a.m.  Travel seems to be a lot of hurrying and waiting.  We checked in and waited to board our plane to Toronto.  It was a very smooth ride.  We landed in Toronto and grabbed some lunch to wait again. 

Our next part of the trip was a new adventure for me.  Usually when we land in Toronto we either grab a shuttle to Napanee, rent a car or are picked up.  This time we were flying to Kingston.  Ron had done this when he left for training in Regina and had flown back to Kingston 5 years ago after graduation.

When we boarded the plane I was thinking of my friend Catherine who does not like to fly.  This plane had a total of 36 seats.  Nine rows with two seats on each side of the plane and a very narrow aisle.  Fortunately it was a calm day and very little turbulence and it was quick.  A normal two plus hour drive was reduced to 50 minutes from take off to landing. 

Ron was busy taking pictures out of the window as he recognized so many familiar landmarks along the way.

We flew right over Napanee into Kingston to be picked up by my mom, dad and Sarah (as mentioned in a previous blog).

Napanee

Once we collected our luggage from this very tiny airport we drove to Lemoine's Point to stretch our legs and mom actually fed a bird from her hand.

Kingston is only 30 minutes from Napanee and it was nice to drive along the lake and see familiar sights.  It was nice to be with mom, dad and Sarah.  It was also very nice to feel the warmth of Spring.

TODAY....It is another cool day with just a few scattered flurries in the air.  Ron and I went for a walk this morning to the dock.  Since it is cooler the roads are not muddy and so it made for great walking and any time that I can go for a walk I certainly enjoy it.

Still lots of ice in the lake but at least we can see the dock now.  It was covered for most of the winter with piles of snow.

Yes Ron, I think it will be awhile before we go canoeing.

As for the rest of the day....Ron went to work and I went to church, well kind of.  I am able to enjoy a church service thanks to Pastor Paul Israelson and Family Community Church in Swift Current.

After "church" I will work more on my school work which is like sitting in classes all day (technology!)  And then tonight we are going next door for a steak dinner!  It is a reasonably busy day in the middle of no where.  I will be taking dessert!

Happy Sunday!

Reliving the Past

Okay not too far in the past but I thought it would be fun, for me at least, to relive our Ontario trip since I was too busy in Ontario to update my blog plus my mom and dad don't have internet so it wouldn't be very much fun sitting at Tim's blogging when I could be with family.  So I will do the two weeks ago this time and what I am doing today to compare.

Soooo.... two weeks ago today we woke up to snow!  Ron had worked until 2:00 a.m. and was awake around 9:00 a.m.  We finished packing the suitcases and packed up the truck.  We were leaving behind lots of snow.

The roads were a little messy with first snow, then slush and then finally after 2 1/2 hours of driving things cleared up.

I was the designated driver since Ron was still recovering from his night shifts.  We stopped in Melfort for lunch and then drove to Regina to spend the night at Depot.  It's always a treat to go to Red Lobster when we are in Regina.  We settled in for the night and slept as much as you can knowing that you need to be up early and travelling the next day.

AND TODAY... it is cool out but at least the snow is gone.  Yeah!

And Ron is back to work but at least he is working days which means for a bit more normal of a life although yesterday was a busy day and he was pretty tired last night after getting back into the routine.

And since I am behind in my school work my days will be filled with Organizational Behaviour and Wellness in the Workplace for the next two months.