Vacation fun!

Yeah, that's right. That's me on the go-cart. The kids can't have all the fun, can they?
Gramma and Will on the ferris wheel at Heritage Park.
Celebrating a happy occasion! The boys and their folks.

Caffe Crema

Looking at these pictures doesn't it make you crave a rich, flavorful latte and cozy up on the couch while the kiddie's take a seat at the coloring corner? If you are in the Calgary area - you're in luck! Welcome to Caffe Crema - a coffee house that offers French pressed coffee made from high quality coffee beans. It also shares a space with my brother-in-law's mission church.

It's here that the Halldo family hosted the matriarch and patriarch's 40th wedding anniversary. Our families flew in for the occasion to celebrate. The cousins had a blast playing together and the coffee house had its coming out party!

40 years is certainly something to celebrate and I appreciate the Christian legacy that they've passed on to their sons and now a new generation of little Halldos. What a blessing it is to have that common denominator among us binding us together for eternity!

Oh Lord, How Majestic is your Name!

Wayne's family is from Calgary and we get the awesome opportunity usually once a year to go back and visit. A highlight for us all is a trip out to the mountains. I have fond memories of first "discovering" the Canadian rockies on my first trip to Calgary to visit my then boyfriend. Now my beloved and I take our children to witness this incredible marvel of God's creation. I can't help but sing in my head an old Sandi Patti song I liked as a child "Oh Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth." However, I must admit other things were going through my head as we all ascended the mountain in a tiny gondola. It was more like "I'm gonna die, I can't breathe, are we almost to the top?" I think I liked the Sandi Patti song better!

Saying goodbye

August - brings up thoughts of heat, swimming, vacation and VBS. This year was a bit different! We had a few hot days but not many. We did manage to get the slip and slide out once. We filled up the kiddie pool a few times. We made it over to the Clement's pool a couple times too. Both kids attended VBS this year and had a blast. Wayne on the other hand went out of town to attend a wedding in North Carolina - an old friend from Seminary and fellow pastor. Strange for a pastor to do during VBS but this year we had a vicar. We made new friends from Wisconsin by hosting Kim and her daughter Laura for a few days as they volunteered for VBS. I took the week to go over upcoming curriculum and lesson plans in a house by myself (gasp, that NEVER happens). And as VBS drew to a close, so did Vicar's stay with us at Divine Word. Zanna made a new friend in Vicar that was very amusing to watch. Not having to compete with his fiance until he married her and brought her back here in July, Zanna had him all to herself. The fact he got married never bothered her. He was "her vicar" as she would call out in defense of anyone who dared to bother him. And she even managed to befriend his wife Kendalyn (perhaps in order to keep a watchful eye on her?). Anyway, this picture makes me laugh - notice how she's planted herself right next to him? Nevertheless, the time came for them to go back from whence they came - that would be the Seminary in Wisconsin - and we wish them both many blessings in their new life together! Zanna, on the other hand, continues to watch for silver Honda Accords that could be Vicar's.

Ta - Da!

We've been in our house for three years now and I'm starting to get antsy. So in an effort to squelch this feeling and give me something new to look at - I've attacked the bathroom. My next project is rearranging the playroom/schoolroom.

Rachel's summer project

Here's the main bath before. Stay tuned for the new look.