Journey out West

Our July continued with a trip out to Calgary to visit the other side of the family. Zanna was thrilled that this year she was tall enough to ride Grandpa's go-cart by herself! She went round and round the property and successfully caught on to the feel of the clutch and break. She figured out how fast she could take the corners. She had a grin from ear to ear! She was feeling pretty confident in her driving ability that when Grandpa asked her if she wanted to go with the guys to the RV place she replied that, "no, I'll drive." Here lies the miscommunication. Grandpa thought she meant " No, I don't want to go to the RV place. I'll keep driving around the property." When in fact she meant "No, I don't want to go with you. I'll drive to the RV place myself." So the guys took off, not noticing they had someone following them down the street. Yes, you read that right. She sped down the driveway and out into the street ready to follow the guys to the RV place off of Highway 1. Oh, yeah. Thankfully, her angels were on high alert and by the grace of God, that go-cart stalled halfway down a country street. Fran and I were chatting it up in the house when dear daughter opens the front door sobbing like I've never heard her cry! After stalling and managing to get to the side of the street, she kept thinking the guys would notice her not behind them and come back for her.  Poor thing kept waiting and finally took off her helmet and trudged up the hill. The tears streaming down her face mixed with the dirt of the dust kicked up and the helmet hair sticking up on all ends produced quite a disheveled site! She was sticking with her story that "Daddy said I could". After calling Daddy and filling him in, the misunderstanding came out and helped shed a clearer light on what happened. She was pretty shaken up but safe and sound, thank God! Quite a first day of vacation! This incident did not keep her from driving though - don't worry!

We had a calmer day at the Calgary zoo the next day and were thrilled to take in the new penguin exhibit. We went with the cousins and they had a great time together in the Calgary heat.

Not all of our holiday was spent in Calgary this time around. We loaded up Grandpa and Grandma's  new motor home and piled in for a 10 hour drive to Saskatchewan. We were going to celebrate the 45th wedding anniversary of Wayne's aunt and uncle. He was looking forward to reuniting with family he hadn't seen in almost 20 years! We had never met most of his cousins children all of which were ages 12 and under - perfect for my kids! Lots of new friends to play with.

While the traveling accommodations were certainly nice and we had nothing to complain about, 10 hours anywhere was enough to drive you nuts! And there wasn't much to look at between Calgary and our destination. We stopped to refuel and get some lunch at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Or so it seemed.

This is "Cactus Corner" where I was sure I had last seen my eldest child after being abducted by some backwoods, toothless perverts. He was lost. After being the first to exit the motorhome to run to the bathroom, we couldn't seem to find him. They had moved the motor home to park and he wasn't in there. He wasn't in the bathroom. He wasn't in the shop. He wasn't in the restaurant. He wasn't in the motor home for a 2nd check. I screamed his name, ran frantically around like a crazy person. I panicked, I prayed. Wayne checked the motor home a 3rd time. Suddenly, my husband and son were coming toward me and I wanted to hug him and whack him all at the same time. He had come back to the motor home after using the bathroom and went to the back bedroom, closed the door, lounged on the bed and read his book. He hadn't heard anyone calling his name and finally wondered where everyone was. After working up quite and appetite from all that running around, I had to sheepishly enter the restaurant I had just been screaming in and order lunch. Ah, vacation. Sure is relaxing.

On to our trip. There may have not been much of "anything" for this city girl to look at but there was this -

Not bad, eh? Beautiful fields of canola, wheat, barley and other things stretched for miles. Food. This is where it all happens.

We had a great time upon arrival and it was great to be a part of such a happy occasion! Last summer we drove the back roads of Albert Lea, MN to discover my roots. This summer we drove the back roads of Foam Lake, Sask to discover Wayne's roots. We visited graves of never forgotten family members, drove past homesteads of family, visited the home of Wayne's deceased grandparents and enjoyed the memories he recalled there.

Here's the old one room schoolhouse that Wayne's dad attended for grade school and where Grandma Sally used to teach. We also visited the farm of Wayne's aunt and uncle and got a tour! Yes, I'm up there in a dress!

In honor of the anniversary, fun things were planned which included a morning of golf for those that golfed (not me) But these people did -

Zanna and I did some miniature golf and baked in the intense heat while slightly cheating on miniature golf to "move things along".  That evening there was a lovely meal, slide show and shin dig to celebrate! Wayne also had the privilege of baptizing 3 of his cousin's kids on that Sunday! After all this family fun, it was time to pack up the motor home and head back west. Shortly after departure, Will got sick. Let's just say, the bathroom was good to have but then we had to smell everything that happened. At the nearest truck stop I purchased some Pepto for the sick kid to try and keep things coated over the next 9 1/2 hours. It was disgusting. And after all that time of being in an enclosed space I had just about had it. I was starting to loose it. When my phone finally picked up some bars, I texted this to my sister-in-law -

It was my only contact with the outside world!! Will continued to be sick for the rest of our holiday there. It varied in symptoms. Basically, it was a fever and lethargy. The fever broke the night before we boarded the plane but went into a head cold that lasted until a few days ago. It was brutal!
And that's our trip!

What you can do with a door

I've tried telling people about this cute little building but I took pictures this time (with the owners permission of course). There's this little town in Wisconsin called Sayner. It's not much but it's home to several upscale shops that attract the vacationers from Chicago and this little gem - the Red Door. 

The owner's shop is right next to her own home and she has this little place in the back she and her husband put together with walls made from different doors. Adorable. 

This gal does things with spray paint I can only dream about. A bit dramatic? Maybe. But she finds things that people throw away and gives them a second lease on life! 

I would love to curl up here with a mason jar glass of fresh lemonade and read my book "Red Scarf Girl". 
So the next time you're about to get rid of something like a piece of furniture, light fixture or frame, attack it with spray paint! 

Scenes from the Northwoods of Wisconsin

*coming off of a holiday spent at my parent's home tucked in the Northwoods of Wisconsin
The home was designed and built by the hard working hands of my grandparents shown in the bottom picture. A labour of love years in the making and home to many happy family memories, this is not the only legacy they leave. They have lived a life of faith in Jesus and have walked 66 years of marriage dependent on His grace. They have modeled forgiveness to those that wronged them, rose up against a past of hardships with fierce tenacity and refused to be defined by circumstances out of their control. Always the first to volunteer at church, faithfully sing in the choir and eagerly attend midweek Bible classes, their priorities have been clear to those around them. Christ first. Despite their actions telling all around them that Jesus is important to them, this is not the legacy either. Jesus Is.  Jesus Is. This is the eternal legacy they leave to the generations after them. This is the legacy left to my kids.
 My grandparents - regardless of how wonderful they are - are still sinful human beings like all of us. As a child I didn't see that. I only saw how much they loved us through Grandma's cookies and cream puffs and Grandpa's riding lawn mower turned into a grandkids go cart! Now an adult, I see their struggles, their health continue to decline as only old age can bring - a reminder that this life is temporary. Death is dependable.
Jesus isn't confined to the pages of a good book. My grandparents are ordinary people made extraordinary through Christ. Jesus has been the one giving them the strength to forgive, to get up after falling and showing them they are defined not by outward circumstances, but by who they are in Christ. He knew they'd be lost on their own. And because death is dependable, they'd be lost forever. He overcame death by living a perfect life in their place, taking the punishment of their sins by suffering and dying on the cross and triumphantly rose again and declared His victory! His power is made perfect in their weakness. He sees them as perfect and worthy to live with Him for eternity. And because He did this not only for them but for the whole world, they passed this down to their children who passed it down to their children and I am passing it on to my children.

Parents don't only parent their own kids. We are parenting generations. Faith can be lost in one generation. It can become lost through spiritual apathy, disconnection from regular time in God's Word, a low priority for church attendance or any number of distractions this world and Satan has to offer. This is not an easy legacy to leave - even harder than the log home it took my grandparents years to build. This is a battle fought over a lifetime against real forces of evil that would have us give up. The stakes are high - souls connected to our biology, family and loved ones. But He promises to help, encourage and sustain us through His Word and sacraments. He loves us and wants us and future generations to be with Him forever. The legacy we leave can be a legacy of death or a legacy of life.
By God's grace, may it be life!

Birthday Bash

Every once in awhile the food put in front of me is so impressive I have to take a picture of it. This was one of those occasions. Wayne took me to Le Cordon Bleu restaurant for a fancy-schmancy birthday lunch. It was divine. And this dessert was so pretty it was hard to ruin it by eating it - but I did. Cointreau and chocolate creme brulee. Thank you, honey!
And then, to keep it real, for supper it was - eat whenever you're hungry and heat up in the microwave some frozen mini pizzas from Costco. 

On my "you are special today" plate used only for special occasions! Wayne even took a bite out of one before I could get to it. Keepin' it real.


It was a beautiful day outside. Somewhere around 27 and lower humidity than the last few days we've roasted in. The kids got out the sprinkler.

I've been a mother for over 12 years now and finally got around to making frozen fudge pops - you know, the ones from a box of chocolate fudge pudding? 
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
3 cups milk
mix well and pour into popsicle mold. Freeze. Serve.
Win mother of the year award.

Strawberry Pickin'

May you make time, dear friends

to stop and pick the strawberries!

Many Memories

I haven't posted in awhile because it's been so busy! We've had company, celebrated important milestones and made many happy memories.
First up, Will turned 12. I know. I can't believe it either. I'm trying to prepare myself knowing that by next year at this time, I'll officially be the parent of a teenager. Yikes! 
To celebrate this exciting birthday, Will had his choice of restaurant and he picked one of his favourites - Red Lobster. He's not a cheap date! In the picture above, he's attacking his crab legs. And I do mean attacking - crab was flying all over the place! Oma and Opa arrived from Wisconsin to help us celebrate and we had lots of fun with them! Will requested a cake from DQ and we were all happy with that choice.

Will wrapped up some of the classes he had been taking this spring. He finished his SHEP (Science and Canadian History Enrichment Program), took his tests, finished his projects and learned a lot!

Instead of Canadian History this time, they did geography. As they learned different aspects of the subject, they applied it to the island they had made up. It was a great way to learn and a fun project to work on! 
He also finished up the junior Toastmasters class. There's no doubt he's not bothered by public speaking. Now it's a matter of having something worth speaking about. Future pastor? We'll see.

Here he receives his Toastmasters certificate

For the past month and a half, he and his team of 2 other boys have been preparing for the IEEE Lego Robotics contest. They prepared for many  hours and had two really cool and well designed robots ready to compete to show for it. They also prepared an i-Movie with graphics and music and information on their team and their robots. 

In the picture above, they are drag racing their robot with other teams. Ages of competitors ranged from Grade 5 students through high school so the competition was tough! Their team came in 2nd - just one point shy of being first! It was a great experience and we are so proud of them all!!

While Will was busy competing, I was up the street at our church taking part in our first Ladies' Tea. We had such fun and had quite the spread. Those who were hostesses decorated their individual tables however they liked. Mine had a bird theme.

A few days later, Grandpa and Grandma from Calgary flew in to spend the week with us! It had been quite awhile since they had visited last and before my father-in-law was diagnosed with his cancer. He's doing very well, and is managing it as best as can be expected. Golfing always makes him happy and I had fun doing errands, lunch and some shopping with Fran.

She even came along on one of our field trips - bird banding. We had done this last year so we had a better of idea of what to expect. We got a chance to see several birds banded but not any we saw caught in the nets. 

It's so neat to see them up close and learn the signs of how old they approximately are, male or female and how much fat they're carrying. 

Lastly, Zanna celebrated a very exciting milestone - Kindergarten graduation!

We had a special dinner while Grandpa and Grandma were still here. We're so proud of her!!

It's slowed down temporarily now that we're done with school except for a few fun things I've been meaning to get to through the year and never found time. A study of Shakespeare's stories and where his inspiration came from, time spent learning about Michelangelo and studying his art, Mathtacular videos and Mavis Beacon typing (thrilling, I know), talking current events after reading "God's World News", our last Eastern Hemisphere location for the school year - Central Asia (how 'bout them yurts?). Plenty of playing in the slip and slide, biking and trips to the park. Bring on summer!!

Ascension

We assembled in the backyard with Meditations, the Treasury of Daily Prayer, My Prayer Book and a half dozen balloons all filled with helium. We talked about Jesus' last words to his disciples and to us. We praised Him for finishing His work here on earth perfectly on our behalf. We found comfort in the knowledge of Him preparing a room for each of us and continuing to rule his creation. We asked for strength in this life, continued assurance of our salvation and grace and joy knowing that He rules all things for the ultimate good of His people. One by one we each took hold of our balloon marked with Jesus' words " and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" and let. it. go.