A Little of This & That

Hmmm...

2011-09-16T18:50:00.001-06:00

Well I never did post about Arizona like I said I would...did I? Maybe I'll get around to it by next March? That task seems sort of daunting at the moment!

~K~

A Tidbit of Vegas

2011-04-10T15:56:00.004-06:00

Neither Duane nor myself enjoyed Vegas at all. We really liked the Cirque show on our last night (Mystere), but other than that we couldn't wait to leave!

The first collage shows the things we saw shortly after we arrived on the strip on night one. I'll admit, I would have liked to see more of the Venetian than I did...but they sure had a nice washroom :) Treasure Island is where we saw Mystere on our last night. The first night we stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel, so we went up the tower to get a glimpse of the Vegas skyline/strip at night.

The second collage shows the views from our room at Hooters. Yes, we stayed at Hooters. Long story.

We also had our photo taken at the Vegas sign...gotta do the things tourists do! Notice, also, how Duane is so amazing that he has a sign coming out of his head!

This is all for the Vegas portion of our trip!

Stay tuned for Arizona!

~K~

PS If you want to see any of the photos bigger, just click on the collage.

Vacation Time!!

2011-03-19T17:27:00.008-06:00

Hmm...4 months seems to be a new record! Yep, just not much to blog about b/c really all we do is snowshoe and ski in the winter! And work.
I've taken random pictures here and there of our snowshoe experiences, but I think it'd just get old...posting about the same thing each time. So I just haven't!
However, since my parental unit has been deprived of my life bits via photojournalism, I'll post a few photos of things that have gone on in the last few months.

Our trip to Rossland for a ski weekend:

Shoeshoeing excursions:
Fairy Creek

Checking the stability of the beaver dam...yes, we then walked across it.

Then we crossed the creek

Then we (unintentionally) walked through someone's backyard

Was super cold that afternoon...first time I had to wear something to keep my neck/face from freezing!

Silly husband...always finding things to jump from

Found our next creek crossing spot...we bumscooted across that log and then rock hopped and climbed the hill on the other side.

See?

My view

Family Day Outing with Steve & Karen Above Coal Creek

Duane on the way up the powerline

Just like Duane...Steve is always jumping off stuff

The guys running the hill

This is how we all got down...tobogganing down the powerline! SO fun!

Night time Snowshoe with Alisha

Golf course

I think I wore about two layers too many..maybe three.

Turns out we've got some time off at the same time for once!! We took this rare opportunity to book a little vacay down south. I'm not sure how many suggestions were made before we settled on an Arizona road trip (with a quick stop in Vegas on both ends). Thinking this might just be the last time the two of us get to go away on an extended vacation for a few years...so I'm hoping for a good time!

We leave tomorrow afternoon to drive down to Kalispell, Montana to catch our flight, and we return home again on Sunday next week.

I'm sure I'll have lots to blog about upon our return! Adios!

~K~

Newgate

2010-11-16T15:52:00.004-07:00

BC's South Country is gorgeous! Sand dunes, beaches, water and lots of room to roam. I'm hoping next summer will provide a bit more time for me to explore down there.

After taking in the Remembrance Day ceremonies here in town, Duane and I headed south with Tyler and Alisha for an afternoon of exploring and skeet shooting! It was absolutely gorgeous out and we didn't want to waste our day off inside. It turned out to be a little chilly by the time we got to Newgate, but we were still excited to shoot. It's been awhile since I've picked up a gun, so my aim was pretty terrible. I do think I actually hit a couple clay pigeons though! Since I don't really want to take the blame for such terrible luck, however, I think I'll blame it on my eyes. My vision seems to be pretty wonky these days. Them's the breaks for getting old, I suppose. Or something.

~K~

Halloween Hiatus

2010-11-03T15:16:00.003-06:00

Duane and I went out quadding with our friend Tyler this past weekend. I was like a kid in a candy store, I was so giddy! I think I probably grinned the ENTIRE time...even when then wind was whipping my bare face. I forgot my sunglasses, but I pretty much didn't care :) It was all good, and it was a GREAT way to avoid all the halloween hubbub in town.

Things got even better once we hit snow. I LOVED being up in the snow and the fact that my toes were frozen didn't matter much. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I actually feel sorta bad that Duane had to drive the whole time and I got to look around and take pictures. He didn't seem to mind too much, and he did a wonderful job driving! I can't wait for winter!

Here are a bunch of the pictures I took while we were out. If you want to see them bigger, just click on the picture!

~K~

Ok...this is getting annoying!

2010-10-03T14:54:00.000-06:00

Can we just talk about how obnoxious this is??? I post a new post, and the thing cuts off my last picture!!

So here's the last one it cut off of me and Duane at the waterfall...

And, because I had to do another post anyway, here's a shot of our freezer starting to fill up with deer! We now also have elk on top of all this!

~K~

Fall Features

2010-10-03T14:51:00.000-06:00

It seems Picasa now only lets me post 4 at a time, so I had to skip the collage of my freezer full of venison (and now elk!).

I thought I'd post a few pictures to show you how I've been spending my Fall days.

Walking to work on cold, fresh snow mornings!

Going for random backroads drives with the hubby.

Lots of walks with cute kidlets! Yes, she's wearing a toque and it was only mid-Sept!

Visiting local nature spots with the hubby. Ooohh preeetty!!!

~K~

The Extra Picture...

2010-10-03T13:27:00.000-06:00

These are the pictures from our loooong walk up at Island Lake. What a lovely day it was for such a nice hike! I think you can click on the collage so you can see the individual pictures a little better.

~K~

A Family Visit

2010-10-03T13:23:00.001-06:00

It's taken me awhile to get to this post, but here it is!

Almost a month ago, Duane and I headed up to Calgary for a week of wedding prep and family visits! Mom and Dad Clemens and Mike, Carol and Rachael were in town, along with MANY other family members. I also finally met some of Duane's aunts and uncles that I'd heard about, but had never met. It was a week of BBQs, get togethers, and fun family time. There was a lot going on and it did get a bit overwhelming sometimes, but I'm glad we were able to be there! Karen and Steve were wonderful about opening up their home during this time, and even spent a night or two in their tent in their own backyard so guests could sleep in their house! Duane and I also took up residence in our tent in the backyard. I only slept there one night, as I decided it'd be nice to have a bed, shower, and full access to a mirror the night before the wedding...so I slept at my dear cousin's house :) Thanks Mel and Dan!!

The wedding went off without a hitch, and it was lovely!

I was able to spend some extra time in Calgary visiting with friends and family, as well as visiting our church family there. I love it when I have the chance to do that. Makes my heart happy. Oh how I miss WSFMC!!

I headed home Sunday evening, and awaited the arrival of the family down to our corner of the province. We had a great time with the family here, and the weather was wonderful! We were able to do a long hike up at Island Lake with them as well as a visit to a park during an evening walk.

It was great to see everyone again! See you at Christmas!

Here are a few collages I made up of our time together.

Pre-wedding playtime with Auntie Karyn

The ceremony at the Naturbahn Tea House at Canada Olympic Park

Rachel hangs out with Uncle Duane & Auntie Karyn

Ridgemont Park

There's one more collage, but for some reason, it won't load from Picasa. It's got all the shots from Island Lake. I guess I'll just have to make another post so I can add it :)

~K~

Garden Tidbits

2010-09-01T16:40:00.005-06:00

As I sit here reeking of freshly mowed grass (which isn't such a bad thing, though I should probably shower), I thought I should post a few shots I took last week of the progress of our garden and of things around the yard. I figure the parentals would appreciate it :)

I should mention that neither Duane or I had any say in the matter, nor any part in the undertakings. Apparently we have our own personal gardeners? I shan't complain!

We have apples! (but they're rotten and full of worms)

This apple didn't fall far from the tree. Only about 2 feet :)

The new bed of bushes.

The new hostas. Sad day when they took out my lily of the valley to put them there :(

These are growing all along one side of the shed, along with the sunflowers. Not sure what they are.

These smell really pretty!

Hard at work!

A rare shot of this visitor!

My favorite visitor :) Hung around for most of the afternoon!
He likes the apples...he can have 'em!

Duane got me flowers!

~K~

Accidentally...

2010-07-24T20:15:00.007-06:00

UPDATE:
~~~
Turns out I really only biked 32km. Duane figured out the mapping thing properly, and according to what he figured out I'd actually mapped that I rode home, then turned around and got back on the highway and rode all the way to Morrissey again, which is where my trip apparently ended. Which I SO didn't. 32km certainly doesn't seem quite as impressive, but it's still FAR more than was intended, so I say good for me.
~~~
So tonight's nice, easy bike ride out to Cokato turned into a grueling 40-something kilometer long-distance endurance ride. Oops.

The intent was to go do something simple since I haven't been on my bike since the incident last week. It also happened to be really nice out and I wanted to do something outside.
Once I got as far as my employer's house I planned to turn around...then I thought, "hey, it's really not that much further to Morrissey Road...maybe I'll just quickly do that instead of turning around." Quickly my @(#$)*!! There was nothing quick, or enjoyable for that matter, about it. It quickly turned into "come on, Karyn, it's just up the hill and around the next corner..." Right. It never was. Clearly I haven't driven out that way often enough to have anything in my memory bank about it. Anyway, being the stubborn soul I am, I pushed myself to keep going...and going...and going. And going.
It took me just over 2 hours, but I'm home, alive, and rather sweaty :) I will also forever regret not putting on my biking shorts. My girlie parts will also never let me forget.

Here are some pictures I took before I turned into the long-distance biking psycho.

Yes, those are shoes on the powerline...I didn't notice them until now. They're a trail marker, and they also kind of ruin this shot. Oh well.

Out on Cokato Road looking back towards town...I think those mountains are part of the Lizard Range.

I had to get the cliche Red Barn picture that almost every visitor to Fernie has taken.

It's a really cool barn. I also think every photographer who shoots weddings around here has used this for a backdrop. Duane has.

Another look back towards town. There's Mt. Fernie and the 3 Sisters.

And here's a link to the route I took (minus the random loop at the end...couldn't get rid of it).
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1292+5+Avenue,+Fernie,+BC&daddr=1+Ave+to:10+St+to:2+Ave+to:Pine+Ave+to:Pine+Ave+to:Cokato+Rd+to:Morrissey+Rd+to:Crowsnest+Hwy%2FBC-3+E+to:Crowsnest+Hwy%2FManitou+Rd%2FBC-3+E+to:13+St+to:13+St+to:49.510066,-115.062668+to:Morrissey,+BC&hl=en&geocode=FXV68wIdOVkk-SnNLiCdjGtlUzH0Wus8BJW_5A%3BFQJv8wIdBWUk-Q%3BFVhr8wIdmlwk-Q%3BFXBl8wIdylYk-Q%3BFY5U8wId2k0k-Q%3BFTlF8wIdL0Qk-Q%3BFRoi8wId-jck-Q%3BFWyl8QIddeQk-Q%3BFTcS8gIdOJsk-Q%3BFWtF8wIdiAIk-Q%3BFbd68wIdLVkk-Q%3BFah68wIdUlkk-Q%3B%3BFc2r8QId_gUl-Sk3WdmO3XJlUzGAuHXiIMNOrw&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=12&sz=16&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12&sll=49.510344,-115.064664&sspn=0.007008,0.01929&ie=UTF8&ll=49.451164,-115.040588&spn=0.112266,0.308647&t=h&z=12

Well, that's a long and random link...whatever...too lazy and can't be bothered to change it. I really need a shower :)
Anywhooo...thought I'd let you all know I'm alive and well...but I probably won't be tomorrow.

~K~

Oh, the Pain

2010-07-21T16:46:00.004-06:00

Well, it's Hump Day and I still haven't been to work this week. For those of you not on Facebook (MOTHER), this is the culprit.

Post shower and wound clean-up

I had a little spill while on an easy-peasy bike ride with the family on Sunday night. And, actually, it was AFTER the trail riding section and while we were playing around at the bike skills park before heading home for supper. Why I'm admitting that, I'll never know...but, so it is. How embarrassing. Should I also admit that it was on the easiest section of the park? It was the tiniest bump of a hill...like a mole hill...and I either hit it a bit indirectly and too quickly, or I just had no idea what the heck I was doing. I vote for the latter. I wish someone had videotaped it.

A few hours after the redness had died down

The unimpressive leg wounds. Shouldn't this be cooler since it's what I first fell on?

I went to the Tea House on Monday for my 9 hour shift and sucked it up. I was hurting but that job wasn't physical, and I couldn't justify not going. And, as it turns out, I wasn't nearly as sore on Monday as I was on Tuesday!!
After much waiting around with a stiff neck and majorly sore everything-else-muscles I did, finally, get a massage by the wonderful Kathy Morris. I highly recommend her! Based on my line of work, it was suggested that I avoid work for the next couple days to make sure my muscles have tamed a bit. I have far more mobility today, but there are still twinges in my neck every now and then. I hope/plan to get a massage tomorrow as well to focus more on my neck, and then go back to the hotel on Friday. Friday and Sunday will be my only shifts there this week, plus my short shift at the Tea House on Saturday afternoon.

3rd day after the fall. A nice yellowish bruise has taken up residence on my elbow.

Still hurts to wear anything that chafes on the shoulder wound...ie. most shirts.

I am very thankful for understanding and supportive employers both at the Tea House and the Best Western, who tell me to take time off to make sure I'm better! I just didn't listen to the ones at the Tea House *wink*

~K~

About that Time Again...

2010-06-24T11:18:00.007-06:00

Figured I should probably blog again. I just don't like blogging without pictures, and I don't like blogging with ONLY pictures...so I kinda get stuck sometimes.

The last few weeks here in Fernie have been one thing. Wet. Almost constantly. It's been pretty depressing and, from what I understand, it's been very similar almost everywhere else in this region. It's just not good for a person's sanity. Really it's not. Fernie was going stir-crazy! Well, I can't speak for everyone...but certainly for myself and most people I've talked to.

On the upside, it seems the weather is taking a break from dumping rain, the clouds have floated away for the most part, and the sun is shining! We were starting to worry that the week or so of sun in April was all we were going to get this year! Hopefully that's not so. This morning when I looked at the thermometer it was almost 20 degrees, and it was only 8am! Nice. I poured myself a mug of coffee and took my bowl of porridge and soaked up the sun on the back deck for quite awhile. It was heavenly! I didn't have to work with the kids today since I was waiting on a phone call for an interview time at the Best Western, so this allowed me the time for a pleasant morning "waking up" in my own time (even though I was awake as soon as Duane's alarm went off at 7:15).
While I was outside I decided it was time to cut a few flowers from the garden so we could enjoy the beauty inside the house as well. There is SO much in that garden, but the only things flowering right now (that are nice for flower arrangements) are the lupin and peony. I had to do a pretty serious ant hunt before I brought the peonies in, and I still missed some. Ew. One was crawling on the table and one on the wall. It was then that I decided to arrange them OUTSIDE on the patio table :) I think they turned out pretty nice. Can't go wrong when the flowers are so full of color!

Last night Duane and I were able to eat out on the deck for the first time, since it was finally so nice out. We BBQd burgers...well, Duane did...and enjoyed the sun together. It was then that we decided we were going to go out to do something when we finished. The something turned out to be a quick hike up Castle Mountain. Duane has biked it once before, but I'd not had the chance to get up it yet. I opted out of biking it, and boy am I glad I did! I can't believe people bike some of those hills! And there are some pretty interesting switchbacks to fiddle with on a bike. Like I said, I'm glad we walked :) It was the perfect way to end a great summer evening, and I hope to do much of the same throughout the summer if work allows for evenings with the hubby. Here are a bunch of the pics I took.

Our destination point: Castle Rock

Our wildlife encounter: grouse

Getting closer!

Castle Rock and wildflowers

A silhouetted husband

Castle Rock and the Lizard Range across the valley

Rounding the bend to the summit point

Duane picked me a flower :)

The Lizard Range, West Fernie and the setting sun

The Fernie townsite, Mt. Fernie, the 3 Sisters and Mt. Proctor across the valley. So pretty!

Traditional couples shot at the summit

And, yes, I made it up happy and in once piece :) I haven't hiked in just over a year!

Finished work with the kids, Duane's weddings are gearing up, I change hours at the Tea House for the summer, still waiting on another summer job ("it's only for 2 months, it's only for 2 months..."), enjoying the weather, and enjoying life!
So there's the update!

~K~

If It Weren't For the Rain...

2010-06-02T20:17:00.003-06:00

...I'd be out doing this.
I like the rain, but enough is enough. I can't gain confidence if I'm not out there practicing!

That's all I have to say about that.

~K~

Oh My Word...I'm Blogging!

2010-05-05T13:29:00.003-06:00

Well guys...here she is! My new bike :) Isn't she fab? She rides like a dream; so much smoother! (however, my rear end begs to differ...)

The "old" bike has been relegated to the basement, poor thing. Maybe I'll try to sell it to some unsuspecting mountain bike newbie next Spring. Ha ha. It really is a nice looking bike, but it is seriously a tank to haul up any type of hill...and if I'm going to get into mountain biking/trail riding at all, that guy isn't going to cut it!

Since I know no jargon I won't bore you with too many details, but she's a Trek6000 and has front suspension. It's a hardtail, which I learned means it has no rear suspension. Whatever. LOL It's not made of steel and I can bike up hills now, and the gears aren't finicky...that's all that matters to me! She's even quite pretty looking :) Hopefully she'll help get my bottom half toned up and leaner this summer, and will help get Duane and I out doing something together...unlike skiing!

Maybe 29 won't be so bad after all (not that I was too worried...). Happy birthday to me.
(these are a couple of birthday gifts from my new favorite shop in town...The Green Petal)

~K~

Vegetable, Flower or...weed??

2010-04-07T14:29:00.004-06:00

What the heck is growing in my garden? Anyone know? Mom?
I really need to tidy it up, but I took a few pictures first and maybe someone could enlighten me?

My guess is that the last one is a lettuce of sorts...but that's all I've got.

~K~

Fairy Creek Trail

2010-01-27T17:31:00.006-07:00

Not that we got very far up the trail before we diverted to more interesting and not so trail-like spots.

We took a couple hours on Sunday afternoon for a photography lesson..anything to hang out, just the two of us! I enjoyed it for the most part, but I think learning all this exposure stuff makes my head hurt. Numbers and figuring out how they correspond is NOT my forte and sorta takes the fun out of the hobby for me. I certainly enjoyed the time outside with the hubby though, and I think that's what counts.

Here are the shots from the afternoon (even though I know most of you have seen them on FB already...but my mother hasn't. Here you go, mom!).

The Teacher. He looks good in blue. I have a crush on the teacher...but I think I'm allowed!

He gave me a tough exposure here, but I figured it out!
One of my faves from the day

Another favorite. There was an old vehicle in shambles, and the door was pretty cool.

The photographer doing what he does best.

Another favorite...there are a few!

Yet another fave.

These icicles were just so neato!

Final shot of the walk...not a great one, but my husband just HAD to pull off the three-pronged icicle and shatter it on the rocks!

~K~

Forgiven

2009-12-29T14:32:00.006-07:00

I pretty much love this song. Verse two is pretty significant in my situation. Love it. Click on the link to hear it sung by the Gaither Vocal Band and Signature Sound.

I Then Shall Live
Gloria Gaither (who, by the way, is one of the most brilliant lyricists EVER)

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, Ill forgive another;
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your power and glory, let them shine thru me.
Your Hallowed Name O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world thru me.

~K~

Jody's A Mommy & I Have A Nephew!

2009-12-10T22:00:00.007-07:00

Ok folks...here goes the story. I feel as though I've told the important bits multiple times over facebook already, but I guess things get lost in the mix.

Mom, correct me if any of this is incorrect...the days all blended together, as well as the amount of times she was sent home!

Friday, December 4, Jody and Nigel were asked to come to the hospital for an ultrasound. Jody understood that if baby was decidedly large, they were going to C-section that day. Nigel understood they'd induce her if baby was large. Turns out one doc (Jody's) figured they should get him out, but the head obstetrician figured he could wait a bit and let Jody go into labour naturally. The ultrasound showed baby was about 7lb 10oz - 7lb 11oz at that point. The OB said that's not abnormal because they "have tiny Asian women who come in here and push out 8lb babies all the time". In other words, he wasn't concerned. They were sent home and told to call Saturday morning.
Jody thought they were to go in on Saturday, so in they went...and they were sent home again...as I figured. Nobody thought it was worth it to induce her. She was told on Saturday that she should come back Sunday and they might induce her.
Sunday rolled around and Jody and Nigel headed back in early to get things checked out after she woke up and noticed her water was broken around 6am (could've been broken a couple hours, she figured). Monitors showed she was in the early stages of labour, so the doc wouldn't induce her and she was sent home. I went from the hospital to church half asleep. Jody and Nigel joined us for lunch after church and Jody was ok, but obviously uncomfortable. Jody stayed the afternoon and "napped" in the guest room..Nigel went home. Sunday evening (midnight-ish) comes and Nigel is sleeping, dead to the world, and Jody is suffering some really bad back labour. She calls mom crying asking mom to go over so someone awake is there with her. Mom spent the night Sunday night and went to the hospital with them on Monday morning, where they finally admitted her and she started active labour.
Mid-morning on Monday, mom whipped home, woke me up and we left for the hospital figuring things were going to progress quickly. They didn't. Jody had very, very uncomfortable back labour almost the whole time, yet wasn't dilating past 4-5cm for hours. Baby and mom were both stable, though, and morphine was ordered. After the morphine was administered, Jody was still uncomfortable and the only difference was that she was extremely drowsy. Awhile later they gave her fentanyl. It also did nothing to help with her pain. Jody was in and out of "consciousness" for a number of hours. Eventually the epidural was ordered, administered, and we had our Jody back! She was in great spirits, though tired, and even mentioned that her tummy was itchy! We hadn't heard that all day! She also was able to realize how hungry and thirsty she was, but wasn't able to eat anything once doc had it in his mind that they might do surgery. The poor girl!
Shortly after the epidural, we noticed baby's heart rate increase significantly...up into the 170s, and within a couple minutes (when doc was out of the room on a phone call), the heart rate went up to the mid 180s! It was determined at that point that a c-section was going to happen for sure. She'd dilated to 6-7cm by this point (post epidural), but it wasn't quickly enough for the doc and baby's head was still facing up. So we were at the point that doc wasn't happy with her progress, baby's head was up, and baby's heart rate was up indicating possible infection setting in because of the amount of time that had passed since her water broke. From the time Jody's water broke to this point was about 36 hours. In my mind, that's completely unfair and abnormal. It's one thing to want to let her labour naturally, but when her water broke Sunday morning I think it should've been a max of 12 hours after that they'd induce!!
Just before 9pm on Monday night, Jody was wheeled into the OR with 2 grandmas and an auntie waiting in anticipation on the other side of the doors.
Gavin Peter Guest was born at 21:21 on Monday, December 7th and weighed 9lbs 8oz!! He was 20 and 3/4 inches long and after mommy held him for a few seconds, he was whisked from the OR to the NICU...right past the waiting grandmas and auntie...we looked like the paparazzi :) He was also born with a microform cleft (this isn't Gavin, but this is similar to what his lip looks like...just on the opposite side) that managed to heal itself in the womb. Apparently that is very rare...go Gavin!! The doctors have no concerns about it. His breathing was too rapid for comfort, which is why they took him to the NICU...but once they got there and got his breathing under control, they also noticed his blood sugar levels to be very low.
(they wheeled Jody in there post-recovery to check him out)
He was put on an IV of sugar water to help regulate that, as well as now feeding him formula to help wean him off his meds. Apparently blood sugar issues are common in newborns, but I'd never heard of it. They originally said 24-48 hours in there, but as of today, it's been almost twice that.
Jody has been doing well, but has been very tired...rightfully so...and she is quite swollen from all the fluids they pumped her with, and they finally removed her catheter and her IV fluids and meds yesterday. She is also sore from the surgery, but is surviving. She was discharged today without her son, but will hopefully have him in her arms soon. Nigel has had to go back to work the day after Gavin was born, and I stayed at the hospital with her all day, every day. She enjoyed a few visitors (thanks guys!) yesterday, and we're working on finding someone to stay with her at home during the next couple days while Nigel is at work. I have unfortunately come down with a cold or something, so we don't want her catching a cough. Having an incision and a cough would not be a good thing...so I'm staying away. It's really tough though!!
As far as I've last heard, they were hoping to remove his IVs either tonight or tomorrow and see how he does, and he should be home in a couple days! They have also lowered his meds from 18ml/hour to 4ml/hour and he seems to be regulating his blood sugars ok!! I might be lucky enough to get to hold him once before I move home at 6am on Sunday morning.
I'll be back for a baby steal at Christmas with my husband!! :)

Here are the pictures of his first couple days and all of these are through a window with no flash, so pardon the out of focus-ness :)

Gavin's 2nd day - first 24 hours:

Gavin's 3rd day:

Since Jody was discharged today, I worked overnight, and I've managed to come down with a cold, I didn't go to the hospital at all today. There will be no more pictures until Christmas...unless he comes home before I leave on Sunday!

~K~

40 weeks

2009-12-01T22:52:00.003-07:00

Somehow I forgot to post Jody's 40 week pictures here! Suppose it works out well, since Wednesday is (according to Doc's last guess) her due date and she'll REALLY be 40 weeks then :)
These were taken at church on Sunday, and I hopefully will get a couple more in before baby arrives. We'll see though!
I know I already posted all these on FB so this is kinda redundant, but my parents only see them here and enjoy reading the blog...so here's for the parentals!

Still glowing, but sore and uncomfortable...she just doesn't show it.

Today I saw this belly under the shirt. It really looks like her skin will burst open any second. Poor girl.How is this even possible?

Come out, Christmas baby!!

~K~

It's About ME!

2009-11-30T14:43:00.010-07:00

**WARNING!! THIS IS LOOONNGGGGG**

Not *everything* is about me....but this time the post on MY blog will be about ME. Not my sister or her belly or the fact that there's no baby yet. Not a photo journal of baby duckies (oh wait, that was on Facebook!). Not even a post with pictures of all my friends' children because I don't have my own (hmm..that was probably on Facebook too).
Nope, it will be about me, my current situation, and my future. Being that this blog was started to document moments in the life of Duane and/or myself (with little input from Duane), I'd say that's a concept! But don't you worry. When there's a baby out in this world waiting to be captured on camera...I will be there, and there will be a subsequent post on this blog. But right now, it's about ME.

Things are looking up and I can now say, confidently, that I have a future to look forward to. Another concept! Isn't that what life is supposed to be about? Goals, dreams and a future waiting to capture happy memories? I think so.

My journey:

When I blogged on the 28th of April to tell you all that I was taking a hiatus from the blog world, it was because, 2 days prior, Duane and I decided to separate and take a break from our marriage for a time. Things were not going well, but I will not go into details. Leave it to say I had a lot of work to do along with some serious soul-searching. Neither of us really knew what this separation would look like; whether it was a temporary thing, or whether it would turn into something permanent.

The day before my birthday, Duane dropped me off in Calgary at my relatives' home where my parents and siblings would also be before long. The drive from Fernie to Calgary was long, quiet and almost to the point of painful. There was no real goodbye. My family wrapped me in their loving embrace and allowed me time to cry on their shoulders. I love them for that.
I was in Calgary to celebrate the marriage of my beautiful cousin to the love of her life, and to celebrate my birthday on the same day. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest days of my life that I have had to endure. I hate that I have to say I endured my cousin's beautiful day...but honestly, it was hard. I was celebrating a marriage when mine felt like it was falling apart. Celebrating my birthday was the furthest thing from my mind, but endured that too and put on a smile for the camera when we went out for dinner anyway. This is a birthday I won't forget, but will constantly be reminded of. The silver lining is that I can never forget Mel's anniversary! :)
The ride "home" to Abbotsford was also long and there wasn't much that was discussed. My family seemed sensitive to my pain and pretty much left it alone. I can't say I enjoyed the drive that day.

May was a very hard month. I suffered through a ton of emotions...probably every one you can list, except the happy ones. I'm not sure I knew which end was up for most of the month. I spent a lot of time in bed and didn't eat much. I didn't spend time with anyone and kept myself holed up in the basement suite. Yes, I felt sorry for myself. I'm also pretty sure I went through some sort of depression. **Note: this is my side of the story (and helps me remember where I've come from), not a pity party...and I'm not discrediting what Duane went through. I just don't really know what he went through since we didn't talk. At this point, all I really know is that he was angry. For very good reasons.**
Eventually (near the end of May) I sorta picked myself up, sorta went job-hunting, sorta hung out with people and sorta started showing my face and my new stick-thin self. I even went up to Whistler for a girl's weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday, which I've wanted to join in on for years. I also walked a lot, took lots of pictures of things that made me happy, and posted them on Facebook as a way to show everyone I was up and (not really) running. I don't feel I attempted to prove I was "better" or even completely happy, but there is a point where you don't want to air your dirty laundry to the world, so select people were told (mostly those who asked) of the separation and kept the "mask" on for everyone else. The mask wasn't used for me to pretend like things were ok when they weren't, it was a means of self-protection and privacy controlled only by me. And I think that's fair. It's just what you have to do, especially when you're out there promoting yourself as confident and capable to the business world as a potential employee. It doesn't mean I'm happy, it just means I can put everything out of my mind and be my "normal" self when I go to work because I'm not going to go there and be a crab for 8 hours and whine about how terrible my life is. That is unacceptable.

June came with me starting my job almost full time in the shoe department at WalMart. Somewhere I never expected myself to have to work again. I felt that time was done in my teens and that it should be left there, but I did what I had to do to earn an income. I also began counselling with a psychologist twice a month at $150/session. What a mistake that was. Financially and emotionally, it was a mess. After two sessions she told me I was going to be getting a divorce and I should work to accept that and work through the emotions that would come with that instead of the emotions I was already dealing with. I chose not to go back. That was one of the smarter decisions I've made in my 7 months in Abbotsford. After my last session there, I went to a ladies retreat with my mom's church. That weekend kick-started something in me and I just don't know how to explain what it was. I was motivated to be a better wife and to fight for my marriage. Maybe it was all the estrogen in the air. I started with a new counsellor who was far more reasonably priced a week or so later, with a fresh outlook and a knowledge of what I needed/wanted to do to help my marriage along. June flew by. Since then, our sessions have worked towards that and worked at understanding what went wrong in the first place. I had my last session with her a week ago, and I would say (and I think Duane would agree) it was well worth it.

July happened with a lot of friend time, walks, picture taking and playing with kids. I think I pretty much just tried to enjoy myself in July.

In August I took a short trip to Calgary to visit Duane. I won't go into detail here either, but things went far better than I could have hoped for. I had no idea what to expect from the visit, as three months with little communication makes for a potentially awkward reacquainting. Essentially, we communicated very well, had a few lovely days together mixed with tears (happy ones!), forgiveness and re-commitment. Like I said, it was more than I could have hoped for. In the end, it was a VERY hard goodbye and I felt like a three year old on the first day of preschool...tears, clinging, cries of "don't go!" and hugs. I think I cried in the van for half an hour...then I slept. My family reminded me that now I knew things were going to be different, and that I would see him again. In a way, that goodbye was harder than the first one. There was no anger in my heart the second time like there was the first time. Love makes leaving all that much tougher.
August was also the celebration of Miss Ava's third birthday! I was SO happy to be able to be home for it this year, and I've loved the time I've been able to spend with the Murison family.

September meant the start of full time courses online for me (STRESS!). I am working towards my Early Childhood Ed. certification which was initially meant to end in June. I dropped hours at work in order to accommodate time during the week for school and getting assignments done, and while it helped, I was still feeling a LOT of stress and pressure to do well. I put that on myself. Duane was supportive and encouraging. September also included much phone/iChat time with Duane...almost every evening. We also started a devotional and were very committed to it, even though it was difficult with only one copy of the book and reading it over video chat or the phone.

Part way through October Duane drove in for another quick visit and we spent a day/night in Vancouver. We had a lovely time and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. We visited the Vancouver Aquarium and took a very long walk on the Sea Wall through Stanley Park. We did manage to lose our way winding through the trails at one point, but then the iPhone and some people along the way got us back on the right track. There was also the opportunity to visit with his parents and brother there (who were in the city for a relative's wedding), which we gladly took. We ended up having lunch in New West on the Saturday and had to quickly race back to Abbotsford afterward to get me to work and so Duane could get back to Fernie at a decent hour. I really enjoyed having him here and having the chance to work on our communication in person! October also brought a bout of the Swine Flu (or some variation of) for me, and I was out for a week. I consider myself lucky with the mild symptoms I had compared to friends of mine! I felt like garbage and couldn't focus much on school (lost quite a few marks that week and a bit), but it was nothing compared to them. Since then, I have had a very tough time staying focused and motivated to finish school. All I can think about is going home to Fernie and getting my life back. I ended up dropping half my course load after my bout with H1N1, which I felt very at peace with even though I lost a lot of money doing it. My sanity was more important.
October was also another birthday celebration for a couple Murison family members, though I only was able to celebrate Levi's with the family. The big boy turned one!

While I feel I have adapted pretty well to living "on my own" in my parent's basement, hanging out with friends, doing school, working and helping my sister prepare for the baby, I still feel like something is missing....that would be my life with my husband in Fernie. I felt very in limbo here in Abbotsford with no future, knowing it wasn't where I was meant to be...even though it was meant to be for a time. My friends have been everything to me..keeping me in good spirits and giving me days to look forward to when we planned get-togethers. My family has also been supportive and is there for me when I need them. It isn't easy, but I'm surviving.

November has been hectic, to say the least. I made a sort of last-minute trip to Fernie to attend the job fair so I could find work. It was a silly waste of time, unfortunately, in that I was only able to drop off three resumes in the end, but not a waste of time in the area of being with my husband in our house in our town. It was refreshing. It helped motivate me to continue looking for work from a distance, with Duane's help. I think my Chai Matcha Latte from the Tea House was also a helpful boost :) I'd been craving it for a good 6 months!! Speaking of the Tea House...I start work there in just a couple of weeks! More on that in a minute.

The last couple of weeks have revolved mainly around baby...is it coming early or not? Does Jody have everything she needs? I have not focused on school as I should and am feeling the pressure of the possibility of failing a few of my courses. One of these courses is one I need in order to be able to apply successfully for my Early Childhood Ed Assistant certificate, and I'm worried I won't be able to rack up enough marks in the coming weeks to pass it. My focus has been on my excitement about baby and Fernie and spending as much time with friends as I can before I leave, and I haven't been able to focus my attention where it needs to be focused. I wonder sometimes if I'm dealing with mild burnout symptoms. The feeling that nothing can be done, that all is lost...but this is only about school, not about life...so I don't know.
These last weeks have also been spent applying for jobs online when I see something I might be interested in, and this last week has proved very successful for me!
While in Fernie at the beginning of the month, I left a resume at the Fernie Tea and Coffee House...only because I know the owners and was aware their daughter had to leave her position there to teach piano full time...not because I know a THING about being a barista! Things happen when you know people. I received a call shortly after I returned to Abbotsford, asking if I would like to join the team for 8 hours a week. This week we had a conversation on the phone about hours and how that would work for me. Being that it would be a supplementary job, I needed to find something that would work alongside that job before I could agree to join them. I asked for some time, which they gladly gave me, and in the following few days I threw resumes out there like crazy via email and applied for a part time childcare job through a job website in Fernie. I had two other phone/video chat interviews this past week, after which I was offered the job for both! One was a full time front desk position at a lodge and it had potential of some decent benefits in the future. The other was for the part time childcare job. The first was for the Tea House. This has clearly proven to me that last year was NOT my time to be in Fernie, and that God sees this as "His timing" now. This encourages me in that I think, if He's providing these jobs for me now, He knows my relationship with my husband will be fully restored! Woohoo and woot woot!! *lol* Funny thing was that I was offered the job for the front desk position about 24 hours earlier than he told me he'd phone and I hadn't had my video interview for the childcare job yet! I asked for some time to get back to him on it so I could finish the other interview and get a feel for things. The feeling I got was great, and the race was on for whether the mom would get back to me before my time ran out to call the lodge back with my answer! Oddly enough, I was phoned later that night (while I was at work) and offered the childcare job! I was able to wake up the next morning, phone the lodge and (nicely) refuse his offer, and call my new employer to sort out details.

Since then, I've been trying to figure out how and when I would get back to Fernie, as my first shift at the Tea House begins on Monday the 14th! I start my job as a nanny to three cute kidlets at the beginning of January. I don't have a date yet, but my guess is as soon as mom and dad go back to teach when school opens! Two of the kids belong to one set of parents and the youngest, coincidentally, belongs to a couple I know from church! A God-thing...I think so!! I am really looking forward to getting to know both couples, all three kids, and getting back into my life with Duane in Fernie!

Here's to 2010!!

*and ok...it did turn into a bit of a photojournal of sorts, but it would have been the dullest post ever if I hadn't added some element of color!**

~K~

39 Week Doc Update

2009-11-26T11:41:00.002-07:00

Jody had her doc's appointment a day later this week (Wed). Here's the update:

She's gained almost 10 pounds in a week...that makes her about 150. SO weird for a sister in our family!!
Baby is weighing approx. 7 pounds...and if there's a week to go, there's potential for that child to be around EIGHT when it is born!! YIKES!! That poor girl.
She's measuring 44cm...and I'm not sure why the doc hasn't induced her yet!!
There is still a LOT of fluid (probably more now than last week!)
Doc seemed very surprised to see her sitting in the waiting room...but still wants to give her some time before an induction.
She is feeling very uncomfortable and baby's head is quite far down in the pelvis....good sign? Movement is also slowing down...also a good sign.
Doc has scheduled her next visit for yet another day later in the week next week (Thurs)...I think he's giving her as much time to go into labour naturally as possible.

Duane's guess is for TOMORROW. I'd be ok if he was right.

~K~

39 Weeks...Check!

2009-11-25T01:02:00.005-07:00

If we're going by the first due date (Nov. 29), which I am because I'm stubborn, then the little mommy has 5 days to go!! Now, if we go by the last mentioned due date (Dec. 4), then the poor dear still has over a week! Can you imagine?? I do suppose some of you can.
Well I can't, and I'm impatient and want this baby out NOW! Aside from seriously wanting to meet the little person who's turned my sister into a house, I'm concerned baby won't make its appearance until after I've gone to Fernie...and there happens to be potential of that happening SOON. Like Monday. And that sucks for me (except for the fact that I get a job out of the deal). I do know Duane would be happy with this concept, however :)

Do we think she can make it to 40 weeks (or 39 weeks and 2 days if we use the last date)??

Maneuvering is not a skill Jody possesses right about now...she couldn't even get herself all the way on the bench :)
Sort of hiding the belly...just think of it as daddy's protecting hand...or something...
Frontal! Doesn't look nearly as big this way.
Nigel needs a reminder to smile...oops...but they're still cute!
Could she get any bigger?? No SHE can't...but that belly sure can!!

Or any rounder, for that matter??? The nasty sister made her get all the way down to the steps...oops. Don't worry, I helped her up :)

Are we done yet???

~K~

Here's Mommy at 38 Weeks!

2009-11-16T17:58:00.003-07:00

We didn't get a chance for a "proper" shoot this week, so the quality is a bit lacking. Sorry 'bout that, but I wasn't willing to get the almost-mother drenched outside...as much fun as that could have been. Maybe it was more selfish and I just didn't want to get drenched.
Instead, we got a few casual pictures that may or may not include a wood-paneled wall. Again, sorry 'bout that.
Then I went and laughed at her when she tried to get up from the couch, and instead of helping I took a picture! Whoops.
This week also produced a first-ever "mommy view" of the belly. Fun.

The church shot...baby was VERY distracting that day!

Ah yes, wood paneling. Right, this is about the pretty soon-to-be-mommy...not the wall.

38 Weeks!!

What'd I tell ya? She has trouble getting up off the couch and I go take a picture. Bad sister.

I think there's a baby in there, or else she should stop walking around with a ball under her shirt.

I do think she needs to go into labour now. Purely for selfish reasons, of course.
(maybe this is the last belly post???)

~K~

Early?

2009-11-11T11:32:00.002-07:00

I was updated via email last night regarding Jody's 37 week doctor's appointment.

Seems she has a lot of amniotic fluid in there which, in turn, will create quite a lovely and possibly embarrassing mess when her water breaks! No chance of her just having a trickle! Ha ha...can't believe I'm talking about this on my blog :) Too funny.

Anywhoo...best news from yesterday's appointment is that the doctor thinks the baby will come EARLY!!! This is VERY good news for the very excited auntie-to-be! I've been particularly bothered that baby may not come until after I've moved back to Fernie permanently (though moving is a GOOD thing..), and I was very sad about the possibility of missing the actual birth. Sort of bittersweet I think. I do suppose there is still that chance as the doctor can't be 100% sure, but hearing that from the doc makes me just a little more hopeful that the anticipated event will occur any time now!

COME ON BABY!!!

~K~

Week Thirty-Six!!!

2009-11-01T17:13:00.004-07:00

Only a month to go! Or less...so this mommy-to-be thinks.

We'll have to see. I'd better get my notice in to work so I'm not at work with the vehicle when grandma and grandpa need to get to the hospital :) Oh yeah...and the very excited auntie!!

I'm starting to change my tune a wee bit, methinks. Is she maybe having a girl?? I might have to join the masses and say that she is. I dunno, but this shot looks rather girl-like to this anticipating aunt!!

As always, finishing off with a close-up of the wee one!

Until 2 weeks!

~K~

"it" got me

2009-10-25T15:32:00.003-06:00

Maybe I was a little too sure of myself...cocky even. Maybe it was inevitable...me and my weak immune system. I don't know but whatever the case, "it" got me. That dang flu I was so sure I would avoid.
Now I'm stuck at home, in the basement, alone (except when my lovely mother graces me with her ever-bidding presence...love her!).
I shall not complain much because I know a few people who were hit harder with "it" than I...but nonetheless, it still sucks. So much so that I was in tears this morning. Maybe that has something to do with the "mom effect". Mom comes down to soothe and feed me medicine, and the faucet turns on...anyone else get that way when you're sick and mom is around? It reminds me of a child who, without mom around, is fine to run and play but as soon as mom or dad shows up, the tears start. Strange phenomenon. I don't know that I would've cried had she not come in, even though the constant coughing at 7:30 in the morning really was wreaking havoc on my weak and achy body. Mom, I'm not so sure that onion is working.
My bedroom is adorned with garlic and onions. Ah, home remedies.
My day-time area is adorned with warm beverages, vitamins, pills and cough syrup. It's oh so glamorous. I'm pretty sure I'm done with it all.

~K~

Here She Is!

2009-10-20T15:45:00.005-06:00

I forgot to take the 34 week shots on Sunday. Oops. However, with her due dates being switched left, right and centre, who really knows how far along she is anyway?
So here she is today at somewhere around 34 weeks :)

I also have a B&W of this one (which Jody likes better), but I like the color!

Until next time!

~K~

I'm a Bad Blogger

2009-10-07T16:13:00.005-06:00

I have become obsessed with pregnancy as of late, and because of this affliction I find it hard to post here unless it's something that relates to such things.
Today I will break away from the constraints of said affliction, and post something that is completely unrelated to anything...and, for that matter, not even my own thoughts! I do suppose it is cheating a bit, yes?
Too bad.
Anywhooo...I read a blog. It is called Kazooisms. I enjoy it. Caroline is a cheeky, cheeky monkey. She's also 3, so I think that comes with the territory. For your reading pleasure, I present a recent post from Caroline's mother:

what goes around comes around

Yesterday was a Bad Day®. Like the kind of Bad Day® where everyone in the house is just impossible and miserable and under-rested. Caroline was feeling a bit under the weather and I was feeling like loading up baby sister and getting us all ready might send me to the loony bin, so she stayed home from preschool. And by "stayed home from preschool," I mean "drove her mother absolutely insane to the point of actually considering walking out and never coming home."

I'd fished an intact roll of toilet paper out of the toilet, argued with her for two hours on why she needed to nap and how naps are not naps if you take them standing up with your eyes open, had a conversation about where it's ok and not ok to pee (note: she says it's not ok to pee on the roof or in the sky), etc. So when she was still being difficult about something I can't remember, well, I pulled the pointless and useless "I am the mom so I am the boss" card.

She countered with, "Well I am a big girl, so I can make some rules."

I told her, "I am a bigger girl and I'm the mom and I'm in charge."

She grimaced and groaned and bent over and gave me the evilest look she could conjure up and said, "Mother, you are STRETCHING ME OUT!"

She has many other hysterical, yet maddening quips posted on the blog. You should check it out. And no, I have no idea who these people are, or how I even came upon this blog in the first place.

~K~

30 Weeks!

2009-09-21T20:52:00.003-06:00

Here are the shots from my mini photo sesh with Jody (and Nigel's hands!) on Sunday. Only 10 weeks to go, people!! Woot! I'm hoping to do one more shoot with them once belly is bigger, but until then I will continue with the update photos at about 4 week increments.

~K~

Again?

2009-09-18T22:45:00.003-06:00

Jody's doc has decided to change her due date again. I guess he misunderstood her when she told him her LMP. Now the date is closer to the original one and is set for November 30th, but you know what? I think I call balderdash on due dates anyway...baby will come when he's ready!! Yes, I said "he"...that's my official guess. My other guess is that he's gonna come along sometime between November 28th and December 4th :) ha ha!! That encompasses all the due dates (yes, 3 of them), so it gives much opportunity! All I ask is that baby arrives before I go home after Christmas!! That shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.
She's 30 weeks on Sunday and I plan on taking her to the park for a quick photo sesh!

~K~

6 Months (??)

2009-08-19T20:02:00.004-06:00

Hey all! As promised, I'm keeping up another month on Jody's pregnancy process...well, a month and a bit, I guess. Jody and the rest of the immediate family were on holidays when she hit her 6 month mark, and I was here...not on holidays, but working. That's alright though.

These photos were taken after church the day she turned 25 weeks. Yesterday, however, at Jody's first visit to the new doc she was told that A) he believes her due date to be Dec. 4 (which adds one more week and would mean she's only 24 weeks now), and B) that our Snugabye is a fairly large one! The little one in her belly is measuring around the 28 or 29 week size (!!!), head is down, and baby is up along the right side of her tummy. I guess the movement she has been feeling down low must be punches, not kicks!

Soon she and Nigel both go in for bloodwork to determine blood types and to see whether they are RH positive or negative. I can't remember what that means, but I do know that if she's positive (correct me if I'm wrong) it means she likely has to get a rather nasty shot! I know for a fact that will not be a happy day for her. Let's hope it isn't necessary. I wonder how she's going to handle taking Snugabye for shots after he/she is born...

I think that's all the update I have at this point...here are the newest pictures.

~K~

Halfway

2009-07-12T13:21:00.003-06:00

Today Jody hit the 20 week mark in her pregnancy! I took 2 more pictures of her belly progress, and I'll have to also take pictures on the 29th as that is (if you're going month by month) 5 months. Her due date, in case you aren't aware, is on the 29th of November. I can't wait to meet our Snugabye!

~K~

Dad Demolishes!

2009-07-06T18:07:00.006-06:00

During the days of nice weather, dad got to demolishing the front flower bed. He's been wanting to take it down since I got home, but we just weren't sure how to go about it or what he wanted the finished product to look like.

It's mostly done now...but there will need to be a few things done to make it look finished. Dad did all the breaking and tearing down while I stood and watched (and took pictures), and then I carried all the bits and pieces of brick to the other yard and transported the big stones to the other garden.

Here are a few pictures of the process. I haven't taken any of the (somewhat) finished product as the weather is slightly blech right now.

And, of course, KC joined us outside in the sun while she was over for a visit. Jody and Nigel's place wasn't exactly conducive to kitty cat living at that point.

*UPDATE*

Here are two pictures I took this morning of the current state of the front planter. Mom and dad are out right now to buy plants and standing planters.

This is the shoddy "wall" to hold in the rest of the planter that we're keeping up. Until dad becomes a bricklayer or a mason, I'm not sure what's going to happen with that. I have no skills to that end...anyone have any ideas? I can't let it stay like that forever...yikes!

~K~

Jody and Nigel Moved!

2009-07-06T17:47:00.006-06:00

Jody and Nigel are now out of their 1 bedroom apartment (where Nigel has lived for 5 years) and are in a cute little 2 bedroom basement suite that happens to be owned by Jody's boss...(and that was the longest run-on sentence in the history of my blog). They're closer to us now on this side of town, and she's been doing well taking walks to visit us. She's practicing for when she's going to have to push a stroller all the way here :)

I've, so far, only taken pictures of the practically empty suite, so I'll have to remedy that when they've fully unpacked. They've got a LOT of stuff to go through before that's done! There's much less room in this place, and much less storage...even though it is a 2 bedroom as opposed to a one bedroom. Nigel is going to work on building an outdoor storage area for their extra things that can be stored outside...so we'll see when that comes about. This weather is going to have to start cooperating first, methinks!

Here are the few shots I took on moving day.

Taken from the front door...living room and kitchen. Bedroom straight ahead is theirs and the bathroom is just behind the kitchen wall.
The bedroom on the right is baby's (they're going to have a boy...that's just my inkling..and then they won't have to paint!), and theirs is on the left.Bathroom and linen closet...obviously.

Baby's blue room and current storage roomJody and Nigel's room

And Ducky's new home...poor boy didn't know what was going on and took to hiding in his hutch during the process.

That's all for now!

~K~

Healer

2009-06-14T01:29:00.004-06:00

~K~

YUMMO!!

2009-05-18T00:40:00.004-06:00

Oh my heavens...the smell of lilacs around here is so wonderful it's almost nauseating! I can't get enough!

(This would be mom demonstrating the proper way to smell a lilac...stick your face in it!)

~K~

Hiatus

2009-04-28T16:45:00.003-06:00

Just so anyone who still reads this is aware...I will be taking a blog hiatus for awhile, so you don't need to bother checking in often....if anyone even does!
I'll make sure to post to let everyone know of my return to the blog world!

~K~

Stellan's Surgery

2009-04-21T16:45:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to wear orange this morning!! Many people planned on wearing orange in support of Stellan during surgery. I'm not certain of the significance of orange, and I don't think I own anything orange anyway...
For Jennifer's update on Stellan's surgery, etc, click on the MckMiracle button over on the right or click on the word "orange" above!

~K~

Our Trip East - aka Post About Rachael

2009-04-15T15:25:00.005-06:00

I suppose it's about time for an updated post, eh? I can't say that there's been a lot of exciting things going on lately, hence the lack of posts. Sorry 'bout that. When you're not working and don't have many friends, it's kinda hard to come up with things to write about. Hopefully I'll have a chance to get out on some hikes this summer, though I kind of doubt it; I seem to think I'll be working as much as possible and Duane's pretty busy with weddings. I imagine I'll have time off when he doesn't and he'll have time off when I don't.

We did, however, recently take a trip to Ontario to visit Duane's family for Easter and had a chance to meet our niece, Rachael. She's about 10 weeks old now, and the most darling thing ever! She really only seems to cry when she's hungry or needs her diaper changed. Mike and Carol are pretty lucky first time parents!
The entire time we were around them, either Duane or I was holding her. We had to get our fix, you know!
(this picture is courtesy of Carol)

We live too far away from this little doll...
Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures, and the ones I did take pretty much all included Rachael! So there's not much of an overview of the weekend, just random shots of the precious Miss R.
We had a great trip full of family, fun and food!

Happy Easter!

~K~

Are Your Knees Dirty Yet?

2009-03-29T20:54:00.002-06:00

PLEASE continue to pray for baby Stellan. He turned 5 months old today and had his worst day yet since being admitted to Children's Hospital. My heart goes out to his family, especially his mom (Jennifer), who is exhausted from this roller coaster. You can keep up with the blog, Stellan's condition, or follow Jennifer on Twitter (left side, near the bottom) here:

~K~

SAPPY WARNING!!!

2009-03-26T23:45:00.002-06:00

Because of the fragile sappy state I am in, I went on a YouTube search for the song that I heard the last time I said goodbye to my grandpa just one day before he passed. I found a lovely rendition by 4 young ladies and I just loved how they sounded together...so here it is.
Mom, since you're in a far more fragile state than I am (and I bawled watching this), I'm not certain this is the best idea! However the harmonies are tight and the song is beautiful :)

~K~

Because God Says So

2009-03-24T12:49:00.002-06:00

I don't know how many of you have checked out the MckMama blog link on the right side of my blog, but you should. Read baby Stellan's story. God performed a miracle once for this little guy, and he can do it again. But we need to pray for Stellan as he's been returned to the hospital with SVT (the same condition he was troubled with in utero before being born healthy).

Thanks! And aside from Stellan, MckMama's blog is pretty much awesome and fun to read!

~K~

My New Favorite Worship Leader - Kari Jobe

2009-03-18T10:49:00.002-06:00

Here is one of Kari's amazing worship songs, Revelation Song. She really is great! And Kristal, if you read this..thanks for introducing her!!

~K~

Hilarity...Or Something Funny Anyway

2009-03-16T23:24:00.005-06:00

I stole this from Queasy. It's funny and you should watch it.

Apparently it's so funny I had to post it twice. Oops. Now I can't get rid of it.

~K~

Grandpa's Service

2009-03-16T15:27:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple shots I took last week at the service. I didn't take too many pictures...my mind wasn't really on such things :) I wished I had taken a picture of the neato toolbox that grandpa made WAY back in the day that was displayed at the funeral home, but I forgot.
The service was wonderful, a good mix of happy and sad. And it was musical. Music is always good. My mom and my uncle did a great job of walking us through grandpa's life as a farmboy, farmer, carpenter, contractor and father and grandfather. I even learned a few things I didn't know before!
I'll have good reason to take many, many pictures with family in a few weeks when my dear cousin, Melanie, gets MARRIED!! YAY! I had wanted to get pictures with the cousins last week as well, but didn't. I was able to remember to get a sister picture after the funeral, as well as a picture of the toolbox containing the spray that went on top of the casket. It was wonderfully done, but a lot of the tools were hidden in the back or covered by greenery. Great idea though!

~K~

'Til We Meet Again

2009-03-07T12:25:00.005-07:00

(As I've lost all of my pictures of gramps, this is the only one I was able to retrieve, but I like it)

Today my grandpa went home to be with Jesus. We are so relieved that he is finally free from his pain and discomfort. Grandpa was a good man who lived a long (89 years!), full life, and he was more than ready to go. Along with dementia, grandpa was plagued with other illnesses like congenital heart failure, partial lung collapse, lung cancer (probably from breathing asbestos during his many years as a carpenter), a few bouts of pneumonia along the way and who knows what all else.
I left Calgary yesterday late afternoon after visiting with grandpa for a few days. Fittingly, as I was preparing to leave the song on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD switched to " 'Til We Meet Again". I tried to sing, but couldn't as fat tears streamed down my cheeks. God had a lovely way of confirming for me that it certainly would be the last time I saw him alive, and while I was sad then...I'm certainly okay with his passing and am at peace now.
We've lost a good one, but I know I'll see him again. See you later, gramps. I love you.

~K~

Missing...

2009-03-03T14:31:00.007-07:00

I miss them...

...and her...

...and her...'scuse the jammies. It was Christmas. I'm allowed.

...and them (plus Allan, but I don't have one on my computer of all of them)...I like them lots...
...and them...except now there's 4 of them, and it's about 2 1/2 years later (again, lost newer pics..sorry!)...
...and them...again with the super old picture...
...and these three...lots and lots and lots (not sure where all my pics went of them, 'cause I had about a bazillion!!)...

...and I really miss this...beautiful, eh? Nothin' like the big prairie sky! And hay bales, of course.

...hmm, where'd this little guy come from.... ;)
...and many, many more...but this post would get insanely long if I kept going...

~K~

Airdrie

2009-02-13T11:01:00.001-07:00

Just because I like them.

~K~

Oh, How I Love Soccer

2009-02-03T21:39:00.001-07:00

Convincing? :) I love battle wounds.

~K~

On The Street Where We Live

2009-01-26T16:10:00.003-07:00

I'm quite convinced we live in paradise.

~K~

Hmmmm....

2009-01-18T17:24:00.001-07:00

I should blog, eh? :)

~K~

New Year's Eve 2008

2009-01-05T16:49:00.008-07:00

What an original post title, eh? I know, I'm awesome and very creative. Our party was quite creative, though, thanks to the boys, AKA [6:8] Photography. You should check out their blog..they have pictures that nobody else has...and they're funny.
We had a small crowd, 18 of us when we were all there as opposed to the almost 40 we invited, and we actually were kinda mellow for the most part. I was okay with that though, even though I occasionally like a rowdy, rambunctious party! There were a few games played, snacks eaten, hot tub soaking, and baby passing. We had a young party-goer this year...little Miss R who is 7 months old...she even managed (quite begrudgingly) to stay up until midnight with us old folk! I did a mini photo shoot with her earlier in the day while mom and dad went for a x-country ski jaunt, and I'm happy with the way the photos turned out! I've even had a request to head to Abbotsford in the spring to shoot a friend's new baby! I don't know that that will happen, because it's a rather expensive trip to make for a photo shoot I don't want to charge her for! I might have to hone my skills in baby/child photography one day, and then I might be okay charging someone for my services.
Anyway...we had a crowd out in the hot tub and a crowd chilling inside when the fireworks hit, and then everyone pretty much headed to bed. I felt so old! But seriously, I was exhausted! I think I very well might have been peopled out before people even arrived, but we all survived midnight and rang in the new year together, which was wonderful.

Here are some pics from our mellow evening of partying!
Happy 2009!

Preparing the cold drinks in our outside refrigerator :)
Little Miss R enjoying the view...is she adorable, or what?
Aw, baby face!
Little fingers
Snuggling puppy
Look, I can sit on my own!
Happy baby!
Our snack tray
Playing a game of Balderdash...oh Mark. Leah's giving you the look, you know!
Behind the scenes of [6:8]Photography...Zoe & Quinn
Our rowdy crowd! :)
Nadja, who's here on exchange from Germany, and Miss R
Santa! Can you tell who the highlight of the night was? (at least with us girls)
The hot tub crowd at midnight...less the hot tubbing part for Matt!
The inside crowd watching the fireworks go off...which happened to interrupt a rousing game of Dutch Blitz...

Well, here's to another year gone. Welcome 2009....bring it on!

~K~

Christmas Continued...Abbotsford Chapter

2009-01-01T14:15:00.007-07:00

On the morning of December 23rd, Duane and I packed up our little Mazda and hit the highway for our stay in Abbotsford. I have decided that I love highway 3. Love it. It is nothing more than brilliant. It does, however, take far longer to drive than I'd like it to. I'm not used to more than 9 hours in a car to Abbotsford. Maybe we'll be able to hit that in the summer, but for now the roads are so packed with snow and ice that it would be unsafe and slightly insane to attempt said 9 hours.

Anyhow, we made it safely and slowly-ish to Abbotsford (Duane is most definitely NOT the slowest driver on winter roads...but probably one of the safest and most confident!), and had a wonderful time with my family. I absolutely LOVED that there was so much snow there, as any time in recent years there has not been while we've been home...and we were able to go for a few wonderful night-time snow walks with the dog. Very pleasant!

While we were home we were able to visit with friends which was wonderful...but I didn't take one single picture! Ridiculous. We got to spend an afternoon with Karen and Graham and met their new little guy, Levi, and enjoyed watching Ava open her gifts from us. What personality she has...I really love getting to see her grow up each time I go home; what a big girl she's become, and a great big sister.

After deciding to add another day to our time at my parent's, we got to hang out with Stacey on the afternoon of the 27th...so we went out for lunch at a relatively new pub in town that was SO good! There used to be a really rough nightclub in Abby that, thankfully, has been shut down and levelled. The Duke of Dublin Pub replaced it, and that place has great food and a really nice atmosphere. If you enjoy pub food, it's a yummy choice! Surprisingly, while we were there, Leah's brother Benjamin was also there and ended up joining us for lunch. Good times! After filling up on yummy food, we all ended up sitting around at mom & dad's for awhile just chatting and catching up. We also traipsed out to Andrew and Michelle's place to feed their pets...since we had winter tires and Stacey did not.

On the morning of the 28th we headed for the highway again...and after it had rained all day the day before it was quite interesting driving for awhile, and as soon as we hit the junction to highway 3, it started snowing. Go figure. Again, the drive was beautiful and we were glad to have chosen that route over highway 1. Conditions were probably similar and would have taken us the same amount of time, if not longer. We arrived home safely exactly 12 hours later, after stopping to rescue a couple who had ditched their van around a corner in front of us. We were only about 20 minutes outside of Castlegar, so we were glad to be able to help.

As soon as we returned, organization began for our New Year's party. More on that later!

Here are the Christmas pictures!

We just HAD to stop for shots of this tree along the way

This shed was across the streetAt the highway pull-out in Osoyoos..beautiful!

Christmas Eve day in Abbotsford...and so it beginsChristmas Day

Buddy's portrait :)

The light was beautiful on the trees across the street
Duane carefully following the Lucas "no ripping" rule...good boy!

Christmas Day evening...Nigel NOT carefully following the "no ripping" rule!! And quite enjoying it, I think!Sister shot...missing a sister :(

Duane carving the most delicious turkey ever! Good job mom!The family setting up to play LIFE

Tradition...making cinnamon rolls! Yum!Our gift from mom and dad...made it home to Fernie safely, and is now displayed in our upstairs entryway!
~K~

Merry Late Christmas!

2008-12-29T16:34:00.005-07:00

I'm a little behind, eh?
We've been so busy getting our home organized, registering for college, getting ready for Christmas, and finally welcoming Leah to the house (oh, and babysitting a kitten), that I haven't much thought about my blog! I've kept up on everyone else's of course, but not my own. Figures. Then we drove back to Abbotsford for Christmas! I just realized, too, that we won't ever spend a Christmas morning in this house. As our lease is only a year, we will be out before Christmas next year. Bummer. But heck, living anywhere in Fernie at Christmas can't really be all that bad!
Here are a few shots of our house that we decorated up for the holidays before we took off to my parent's place. I'll update the blog with more pictures and stories once I have the pictures edited! There will also be more pictures after New Year's, as we're having a shindig at our place!

This is Tundra. She's a bobcat. But she's pretty darn cute.
~K~

Pictures! A Hike in the Hills

2008-12-03T09:31:00.005-07:00

Duane and I decided to head out late one afternoon last week, so there wasn't a lot of light for pictures, or for seeing much else by the end for that matter! We really had no idea where the trail went, but we wandered around anyway and still managed to find our way out :) I was sort of hoping we'd end up on a circular trail, but it started getting dark and we found a cat-ski trail and decided it was about time to turn around and head back because there was little hope of finding a different route out.
It was quite a nice hike with a bunch of larch needles fallen on the trails, which was pretty..and there was lots of ground frost and we had lots of fun crunching it! It was rather satisfying, I must say!
Here are my shots!
And these two pictures don't have anything to do with our hike, but I hadn't posted them on here and I thought I should :) The first one was taken when Duane and I went for a walk along the dyke a few weeks ago with Megan and Aaron, and the second was when Sherri came through Calgary on her way to visit mom and dad..we went shopping and then out for a nice dinner. We had a great time!
~K~

Suck It Up, Princess...Duane's Fav. Phrase

2008-11-26T12:40:00.003-07:00

It's been a solid month now since I've been without work, and while it's sorta been nice to just adjust to our new lives in Fernie, I'm starting to feel the pressure.
It's hard when I've sorta been floating through life (or so it seems) for the last 27 years and then all of a sudden I'm in a small town and have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life! I've been resisting getting just any job because I want to find "the" job...the "right" job. If you know me, you know that I absolutely hate the job searching process! It seems to have been accented now that I'm in a small town and there's not all that much out there that I'm interested in! There are lot of "whatever" jobs, but nothing long term, career type, full time jobs that I could be proud of myself for attaining. I'm on EI for the first time in my life (partially because I also hate, despise and resist filling out forms!), and while I haven't even received my first cheque, it's about time for me to be done with EI...though I suppose it isn't such a bad thing...meh.
Anyway...I've decided that all I really want to do is work with kids, and there are definitely kids here in the valley! However, my desire to help special needs kids may not be utilized as much as it would be in Calgary...but I've got to take what I can get, I guess!
In order for me to get into the school system here in Fernie I need a piece of paper to say that I'm "qualified" education-wise...soooo...that means, my friends, I'm going back to school!! This is slightly more than daunting. Like, a lot. This Education Assistant program is demanding and intense. Apparently this program used to be a 2 year program and they've compacted it into TEN MONTHS!! Yeah, I'd say intensive. Yikes. Being that I'm not a huge study-crazy super student, this is pretty freaky for me to wrap my mind around. I didn't even finish Bible college for Pete's sake! It was recommended to me that I extend the 10 months into a year or so in order to have a life outside of school work, but we'll see. At the same time I plan to have my name on the unqualified substitute ed. assistant list at the school board so I can earn some money during the time I'm in school. It seems strange to me that they'd allow uncertified people work in the school system here, but it benefits me at the moment...so all power to them! :) I figure if I'm doing the college program at the same time as I'm working in the schools, I can immediately apply what I've been learning to my job! Convenient, I say!
So here I am scared about returning to school at 27, but excited at the same time because of the opportunity to get into a long term career helping children :)
This next year is going to be CRAZY!! Never mind moving to a new place, finding a new church, making new friends and attempting to integrate myself into the community by joining a soccer team and whatever else might come my way, but how's about I return to school at the same time?? Special. Way to make your life hectic, Karyn. Oh well...what's that phrase...C'est la vie??

That's life..so suck it up, Princess!

~K~

A Few More Pics To Make Friends Jealous...

2008-11-11T15:28:00.005-07:00

Actually, that would be mean...but I do so enjoy posting pictures for all y'all to drool over :)

These were taken last week when Duane and I were about to leave town for Calgary...the sun was rising over the mountains and it was just so pretty!

The 3 Sisters
Mt. HosmerWe arrived in Calgary around lunch time and ran a few errands while we waited for Sherri to be dropped off. After spending a couple hours cleaning and then eating dinner in our very empty house on folding chairs, Sherri arrived and we gladly left our place to head up to Airdrie to stay the night at Kevan and Leah's condo...however, theirs is about as empty as ours...just less echo-y 'cause they have carpet! Sherri and I sat around on the floor and looked at pictures and scrapbooks and chatted. We both recently had our hair cut and it turned out to be a very similar style!!I took this picture last night after we lit a fire in the fireplace. Our living room looks just like a cozy mountain home should look, I think! However, we are still missing photos on the walls...We now have a couple new additions to our cozy home; Kevan and Leah's cats joined us this past weekend. Ivy is on the left and Hermione is on the right. I quite enjoy having pets around again!
I took this picture last week when the first snow fell...and this is essentially all we can see when the snow is falling...the mountains disappear behind the clouds.
I'll continue to post pictures here as I take them! Today Leah and I went for an hour long hike through our backyard up into the trail system...it was kind of surreal to me that this is going to be "the norm" now! No planning hikes in advance and packing a day pack for our hikes...just off into the hills whenever we want! I'm pretty sure I'll be okay with that once the reality sinks in :)

~K~

Our New Home in Fernie, BC!

2008-11-05T18:01:00.006-07:00

I think this post will consist mostly of pictures. The pictures I have were taken when the house was in disarray with boxes all over. I plan on taking more pics of the set up and decorated house once we make it that far. We are lacking in wall hangings as of now but, don't worry, the boys will remedy that as soon as our canvasses make it here from Calgary! We've got tons of pictures framed but, when you live in a house with 2 couples, things need to be kept fairly generic...as opposed to wedding pictures or kissing pictures, or pictures of us with non-mutual friends...stuff like that :) That's not to say that we won't get to put up whatever pictures downstairs or in our room that we'd like, but we should probably keep things minimal.
After this weekend we should have a few more things set up and organized, as we hope to bring the rest of our things from Calgary, excluding our bed...which is still being dealt with thru King Koil. They're kinda dropping the ball with this whole thing, and I'm getting tired of sleeping on the lumpy futon mattress on the floor!
Anywhoo..we now have a phone number, and our internet is being set up on Friday so we can stop stealing it from our neighbours :)

~~~~I interrupt this blog post to head outside to my snowy deck and enjoy the hot tub!!~~~~ ;)

Sorry for the interruption :) That was lovely..my first jaunt to our hot tub since we moved in. The guys have attempted each night, but the first night it was only lukewarm so they didn't stay long, the second night it was scalding hot at 120 or something so they had to wait it out for awhile, and tonight it was holding steady at 104 and I figured it was early enough in the evening that I was awake enough to enjoy it. I've been SO tired lately! I am, however, more motivated to walk to and from town...so that will be good for my energy levels and my health all around! We're looking forward to not driving quite as much here, however the driving to and from Calgary will probably level things off...especially when wedding season hits!
Speaking of driving to Calgary...my sister is coming through Calgary on Friday!! She's heading out to the Lower Mainland to visit my parents for a week and is coming into the city with some friends. We weren't originally going to be moved yet, and now we are! It kind of threw a wrench into those plans a bit, but Leah will just head out to Fernie for the weekend, and now we can use their condo in Airdrie as a base while Sherri is visiting :) I'm excitedly awaiting the weekend so I can hang out with my sister! Yay!
Anyway...enough of that...here are the pictures for now!

Our downstairs bedroom...the window is sorta blown out in this pic, but we can see the mountains from our room each morning!
The basement entryway...it's pretty big, which is good since it's going to be the main entrance for the house since it's off the carport
The guest room downstairsThe downstairs living room, which is pretty dark since the only window looks out under the deck! This is where Duane and I are currently sleeping while we wait for our bed, and for the windows in our room to get new curtainsOur downstairs bathroom. It's a bit small, but it is a full bath and has lot of counter space and storage!The laundry room...obviouslyLooking down into the entryway from the front doorThe main living space upstairs...quite spacious! Kitchen is off to the left, straight ahead is the dining nook, and the living room is on the right. The deck is through the set of doors on the right.
The yummy view from our dining nook! Since this picture, those mountains are snow-capped and so pretty!These next 3 pictures are kind of a set...imagine them together left to right, starting with the top picture.
And last, but most certainly not least, is the amazing view we have from our deck! Mt. Fernie, Three Sisters, and Mt. Procter. We can actually see all the ranges around the valley from our house, but my wee little camera can't see that far :)

We most certainly are beyond blessed and quite spoiled in this lovely home. God has provided, there's no arguing that!

~K~

New Home, New Life, Empty House

2008-10-28T14:20:00.002-06:00

I was going to blog, my faithful readers, but I have very little time these days and haven't had a good chunk of time to sit down and write properly.
So I write now just to tell you I'm still here! We've been doing a whirlwind of packing and driving in the last few days, and it's almost at an end. I have taken lots of pictures, but I happened to be not thinking (surprise!) and left the photo-removing device in Fernie at the new house. You'll all have to wait for photos at a later date.
In the job-hunting department, it's kind of at a standstill right now. The interview was alright..didn't leave there super excited or feeling overly positive, but we'll see what comes of it. I have a few options at hand right now and I have to do some serious pondering in the next couple of days.
I just finished packing the main chunk of the kitchen this morning/afternoon, and have done nothing else. I'm pooped and starved! Lunch is on the stove, and I'm going to sit down and relax for a few minutes before I have to run and do a whole whack of errands for the rest of the afternoon. Not thrilled about that! We're getting rid of a bunch of things and the car will be jam-packed with all our donations!
On a side note...our neighbors on both sides of us are over-decorating for Halloween and I think it's DISGUSTING! Both have put "home wrap" type "bricks" on the fronts of their homes, and their front lawns are littered with tombstones, corpses, and the like. This morning they were dubbed (by us) "the houses of hell". Gross. We're rather glad to be leaving town at the end of the week! We won't have to deal with this next year, thank goodness!
Anyway, my lunch is ready....I'm going to sit...on my bed (the only place left to sit!)...and eat my lunch!

~K~

A Photoless Trip

2008-10-07T06:35:00.003-06:00

I guess the title is somewhat deceiving, but honestly, I only took pictures on the way out of this li'l fella...ok...ginormous creature...

Seriously, this guy was HUGE!! There are almost always elk to be seen going through Field, BC, but not like this one! We stopped to snap a few shots and kept on our way.
Aside from icky weather on the way to Abbotsford, the trip was rather uneventful.
The boys had pretty icky weather on Saturday for the wedding they were shooting as well, but aside from being exhausted at the end of the day, I think they had a great time too! I got a chance to visit with all my favorite people during the day on Saturday, so my visit was also a success :)
Friday night we all sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, which turned out quite well and we had a great time!
Thanks, mom, for all your hard work!
I'd better head off to work now, have a great day!

~K~

Hiking Centennial Ridge, Aug. 30-AKA Duane's Birthday!

2008-09-22T16:30:00.006-06:00

On Duane's birthday we went out to Kananaskis for a ridge walk with Kevan & Leah and their friend Jody. It was a beautiful day for a hike, and while it was long, it was still beautiful! It was pretty amazing how different the weather is from one side of a mountain to another, though. It was mostly warm to start with, but by the time we were reaching the ridge it was getting more and more windy and frigid! There were such strong gusts of wind that I was able to lean back and the wind held me up! Once we summited there was SNOW! Good grief. Most of the walk down the backside was snowy, but once we hit treeline it was gone. Thank goodness, because it was a LONG walk back out.
After the hike we drove into Canmore and tried out a new restaurant for dinner. We have decided it will be our new dinner spot after K-Country hikes :) Once we finished we piled in K&L's car and drove back to pick up our car. We had to start out with a shuttle because of the fact that this wasn't a circular hike, it was one end to another.
Anyway, here are my shots from the day!

~K~

Flathead Valley/Bigfork, Montana

2008-09-14T15:45:00.009-06:00

Duane and I headed down to Montana once again for a long weekend trip. It has become a favorite place for short trips! There's a lot to see and do down there! This time we stayed at a little motel in Bigfork and did a day hike in the Jewel Basin to Birch Lake. It was hot, hot, hot!

As we arrived at our "destination" motel on Friday night, the sun was setting and Duane and I, naturally, decided to take out our cameras and grab a few quick shots.

Like I said, we stayed in a tropical destination motel...our suite was Jamaica! What fun. Jamaica in Montana...interesting :)

Our hike up to the lake was quite nice. We had stunning views of the Flathead Valley pretty much the entire way up! It was probably 32 degrees that day and we were quite low on water, unfortunately, so when we arrived at Birch Lake we both jumped in! It was refreshing, but also way too cold to go in again once I was out! Duane opted for a second swim and I just stood at the edge of the water and kept my feet cool :) We noticed some good-sized lake trout in there as well! After our cooling off, we took a walk around the lake before heading back out. It took a lot longer than expected, but it was quite nice anyways. There were no wild animal encounters, which is good, considering we were told of a bear sighting as well as a couple of mountain goats up at the lake. We were also lucky to have a hike nearly to ourselves. We met up with a few couples on our way in (and they were on their way out), and the lake was empty when we arrived. There were more people on our way out, though, and they were all on their way to camp at the lake, so we were glad to have cleared out before they all got there! We much prefer to hike without massive groups of other hikers.

After we got cleaned up at our motel, we drove into Bigfork to find a place for dinner. Well, the restaurant we ended up at was a lot nicer than we were hoping for! We looked at the menu and wanted to leave! Nothing appealed to us and it was pretty pricey. There didn't seem to be any reason to spend an arm and a leg on food you don't really want to eat! In the end we asked for the lunch menu and there were more items we would actually eat, so we ended up staying and having a nice dinner.

Our drive back to Alberta on Sunday was nice; we took the Going-To-The-Sun Road and it seemed like EVERYONE in Montana was also driving that route that day! There were crazy amounts of people on the highway! Duane didn't particularly enjoy the touristy part of it and didn't feel it was worth the $25 we had to pay to drive it. There were lots of stopping areas along the way where you could get out for pictures or to go on short hikes. I would have been interested in hiking had we had a bit more time to do so, and had there not been so many other people! As I said before, we much prefer hiking without throngs of people around...and that would have been way too much! All of my pictures from this part of the trip were taken from inside the car while we were driving/crawling/stopped along the way. There was also quite a bit of construction, which accounts for the stopping part of our drive :) We also made one last pit-stop once we were just about to meet back up with the highway that would take us back into Alberta...I was in dire need of a coffee!! Then we headed back on our way.

It was a great trip and really nice to get away from the city...oh how I can't wait until I can enjoy small-town life!

~K~

Anniversary #3!

2008-09-12T19:30:00.006-06:00

I say I'm going to post in a couple days, and here I go forgetting! My bad! Thanks, mom, for reminding me!

Duane and I celebrated anniversary number three last week, and while celebrated is probably a strong word, we did manage to get out and do the annual photo shoot! This year we didn't stray far from our own backyard for the photos; we took a couple in our backyard and a few down the alley at our neighbour's cool red garage! As Duane only had the use of one tripod (and had to use that one for the flash) we only took a couple shots of the two of us together, and the rest were just of me. Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of either of the couples shots, but at least they were done, I guess! There's always next year :)

Here are the select few shots! You can click on them to see them bigger.

First, a few shots in our yard

One of the shots of the two of us...we're sitting so far apart! :(Next, we traipsed down the alley to our neighbour's garage Me being edgy?? Riiight...

Well, there you are for another year!

~K~

Finished Editing!

2008-09-08T21:18:00.003-06:00

I have finished editing my pictures from our last trip to Montana...however, it's past my bedtime and I have SO many pictures that I would be falling asleep while I was loading them on here! Hopefully I can get around to blogging tomorrow! I've also finished editing our latest set of anniversary pictures, so those will have to go up as well, and then I can get around to editing our last hike (for Duane's birthday) from Centennial Ridge. Oy! I have a lot to do!

But first...BED.

~K~

Mt. Bourgeau - Banff

2008-08-23T13:20:00.009-06:00

I totally forgot about posting our hike to Mt. Bourgeau!! It was my highest summit yet, and while it wasn't technically exhausting or difficult, I was VERY exhausted because I wasn't feeling well the entire time. My camera ended up in Duane's pack for awhile as well, so I had to miss a few shots I would have liked.
Well, here you go!

It sure was beautiful!!

~K~

Finally

2008-08-22T22:10:00.006-06:00

I'm blogging again! I finally got around to editing my pictures from when mom and dad were here during their holidays in July.
We went for a short walk in Big Hill Springs Park outside of Cochrane. Here are my pictures from the day!

My movie's over and I'm ready for bed! Sweet dreams!

~K~

Pelicans!

2008-08-13T19:48:00.005-06:00

Ok, so these birds are definitely not very attractive, but they're different from the norm (ie. magpies, crows, seagulls) and they only come once a year. I felt a trip to the Bow River was in order for a bit of a photoshoot a couple weeks ago (before the hard drive crash!) I was lucky these photos were still on my camera and not transfered to the computer. I was also able to soak in the sun as it was a beautiful day outside.
Here are 12 pictures of the 150 I took. Yes, I said 150. I was there a long time.

This guy just kept swimming around and posing for the camera I think this is my favoriteCheck out the stretchy beak action! Yikes!So there you have it...the pelicans. None of them ever did catch a fish.

~K~

Series of Unfortunate Events

2008-08-02T16:42:00.003-06:00

Ok, maybe not a series as much as one big, unfortunate event.
My computer died. More specifically, my hard drive died.
What that means is that ALL of my files, and more importantly, my pictures from the last THREE YEARS, are ALL GONE. Forever. To infinity and beyond. I am beyond upset. There were many tears, as those pictures included documentation of some very important events in my life. My honeymoon (though Duane may have some of those), all of our road trips taken to this day, hikes, camping trips, friends, friends' babies (so very sad about those!), baby showers, and my baby sister's wedding and family time this past May. As much as Duane has pictures of our trips and such on his computer, it's not the same as having MY pictures, the ones I took and edited. I suppose it's a good thing I have been blogging, because at least I can look at the pictures on there...but I can't access them to re-edit or play with them in any way, and that sucks. I always look at pictures...I really should have printed more, but the theory was that they'd always be on the computer, so why print them? Anyway. I've learned my lesson. Always back your files up!! I just need to take pictures and start from scratch again. 3 years worth is a lot of pictures to lose! I'll have to play catch-up, as well as try to figure out how this silly computer works :) Oh, and I'll have to spend a few hundred dollars so I can have an editing program again, 'cause this thing doesn't come equipped with Photoshop..or anything, for that matter. Boo that.
I don't know how much blogging I'll have to do until I have pictures to blog with again...and pictures that are edited with an editing program that I don't have :) Soooo....once Duane's crazy busy week is over, I'll have him help me with that stuff and I'll get back on the blogging track!

~K~

Akamina Ridge #2

2008-07-19T22:33:00.009-06:00

It's now 10:30 at night and I'd like to go to sleep...I'm sensing a pattern here...blogging and sleeping. Hmm. Anywhooo...

Here are the rest of the pictures. Once these are up, I'll have to come back once again to label all the shots...but that will be tomorrow or some other day.

Ahh...breathtaking! Early morning (sometime before 6) rest stop on the way up to the ridge
Three uncconcerned deer we saw on our way up...they just continued to eat while we snapped more than a few shots :)This guy had the biggest rack...it was awesome. My first time seeing a deer with antlers!Not a great technical shot, but this is a shot of the beginning of our scramble up to the ridge. I LOVE scrambling :)Halfway up the scramble we had Wall Lake on our right, and Forum Lake on our left...this is Wall.Two of the peaks we crossed along the ridgeMy first time seeing a marmot! It was the cutest thing ever, and I wanted to take it home :) It had the cutest mannerisms!Forum Lake from halfway up the scrambleThe view from our lunch spot...at 8:30 in the morning :)Another view from our lunch rest stopThe lower saddle coming up to the ridge. Leah and I were ahead and hunkered down behind the rocks to get out of the wind while we waitedLeah waiting patiently for the guysUp we go!Leah finding her way up the next scramble sectionA variation of wild crocusesAnother lake seen from the ridge..not sure what it was. I love the different types of mountains in this shotStill going up!Mountain range seen from the ridgeKevan and Leah at one of the peaksI love that red rock!And another type of rock...there was a mountain goat that Kevan saw in there somewhere!All the way down to Wall Lake...after bushwhacking for about 10-15 minutes, which felt like an hour! We lost the trail because of an avalanche. The lake was a welcome sight!Almost back to the car! Crossing the border back into Alberta

Oy! That took longer than I wanted it to. Off to Dreamland I go...

~K~

Waterton National Park - Akamina Ridge

2008-07-19T17:36:00.011-06:00

I don't know HOW I'm going to do this post without simply posting a whole whack of pictures. That's really the only way I think I'm going to be able to do this! I can't choose only a few, so they must all go up, I guess! I wish I knew how to do a slideshow thingy...that might be nicer for the readers than having to scroll down forever.
Be prepared for a really long post. I apologize. If you have Facebook, maybe you should just check out the pictures there...might be less painful. If you don't have Facebook...oh well...you must deal with the post, I guess.

Here goes!

This was on our way into Crandell Lake campsite (the first time, Friday afternoon)...a 2 km walk.

Indian Paintbrush along the way
Not sure what this furry flower is, but it was neat!Self-explanatory This is where we spent a bunch of our time...on the rocks next to the lakeI just love this tree...it was so neat!Small, blue Forget-me-notsAlberta's Wild RoseAnother unknown flowerAn old, gnarled tree next to the cookhouse on the beachAnd again...flowers!Evening light on the lake..and a duck :)Crandell Lake in the eveningThis friendly little deer came to see if he could find food while we were eating dinner.This picture was taken at Forum Falls shortly after 5 in the morning with my point and shoot Canon, hence the terrible light and the dew splatters on my lens...it was still dark! It seemed like too much work to pull out the big camera that early :)Boardwalk crossing a marshy area just before reaching Forum LakeA first glimpse of Akamina Ridge at first lightGetting closer! Yes, that's snow we're walking over in the middle of July!This is what you get when you wake up at 3:30, start hiking out of camp at 4, and start hiking to the ridge at 5. First light is beautiful. A part of me still wanted to be asleep at camp. Needless to say, it was NOT my idea to be up that early.Forum Lake and Akamina RidgeNeato plants!Starting to head up the trail to the ridge

Ok, so at this point I'm about to fall asleep...no, not from boredom...so I think I'm going to run and have a quick nap (or not so quick, as the case usually is with me!), and then I'll come back later to add the rest of the photos. I kinda doubt anyone's going to read this in the meantime, however. If you do...come and check back later...there'll be more! Like I said...there are LOTS of pictures :)

~K~

Don't Worry, it's Not Pictures of my Garden!

2008-07-13T19:41:00.008-06:00

Because of my lack of posting in the last little while, I will apologize in advance for the upcoming posts; they will be picture overload! At least it's not anymore pictures of my garden ;) Two weekends ago, Duane and I took a day and went out to Grotto Canyon for a hike. I may have mentioned this already somewhere else...maybe not...anywho...we thought the hike was going to be fairly easy, and since we hadn't done many hikes this season we were okay with that idea. On the way out there I decided to look in our hiking book and read up on our chosen destination a bit better. I sorta wish we'd have read up BEFORE we left the house. I found out that this hike was voted one of the best short family walks in Kananaskis. We were looking forward to easy, but not THAT easy! Shoot. Since we were already over halfway there, the only option was to continue with the plan. It turned out to be enjoyable and easy...as expected. We got rained on...twice, but hid inside a random cave in a hoodoo along the way and waited it out the first time. The second time we got wet. As the book said, it was supposed to be short but we dragged it out into about 4 hours, stopping along the way to take pictures, check out the pictographs, see the waterfall, and eat lunch. And we saw many families along the way. Go figure.

Wood Lily
I think these are Forget-me-NotsWe saw a lot of water running over rocksDuane along the canyon wallA very typical Duane poseSome neat rock markingsA wild Columbine...in miniatureThe neat pattern along the canyon wallAnd, of course, the typical Duane and Karyn shot!Close-up of the canyon wall One set of pictographs along the way (I've saturated the coloring so it would be more visible)This is what I do when I hike. I nap.Alright, I didn't really...but it WAS comfortable and hammock-like, and when I saw it I just had to climb up there to pretend!And a shot of Duane not pretending to napThere was some really pretty moss up above us in the little forest, so we climbed up for a few shotsI stalked a butterfly moth...and I got pretty close!The waterfall at the "end" of the trail...it was pretty, but quite a sketchy climb along a slippery canyon wall to get to where you can see it properlyDuane climbing...a man after my own heart!As always, being goofyAnd then, at my request, being "normal"Another view of the fallsAfter the "end" of the trail, we continued on for another few minutes and then got rained on...you can see it in the distanceA fern growing out of the rockThe little hoodoo cave we climbed into when it started to rain on usIndian PaintbrushAnyone know what these flowers are? They were everywhere, and I don't have a clueA buttercup

That's all for tonight! Lots more to come from Stampede and our weekend in Waterton!

~K~

Getting the Heck outta Dodge!

2008-07-10T20:36:00.003-06:00

So I never did get around to editing those pictures from Grotto Canyon, and I'm sure most of you are getting tired of looking at my flowers. I'm not, though :) They're even prettier now and there are lots more of them!
Duane and I, along with Kevan and Leah (of course) are heading out of this crazy city tomorrow morning for a 3 day weekend in the glorious mountains! YAY! I can't wait until Stampede is over and this city gets back to some semblance of normal. We're going out to Waterton to hike Akamina Ridge and another short hike along with a couple days of camping. I'm so excited for a few days of strenuous activity and some good nights of solid sleep and fresh air.
Catch ya later!

~K~

Update

2008-07-02T20:38:00.002-06:00

Here are the pictures of the lantana after they changed from yellow (last post) to mostly fuschia. How pretty!

Love it!

~K~

My Garden...Yet Again

2008-07-01T20:39:00.004-06:00

Here are more plants!! I also took a few more pictures of the columbine flower, and when I went back there to snap a few shots, the neighbor's cat was hanging out in the shade. So I took some pictures of him as well; he is quite handsome!

The lantana while it was yellow...now it's fuschia!
White Creeping Thyme...it hasn't creeped anywhere yet, and I'm starting to wonder...Another type of Thyme...just can't remember which oneColumbine...the pink in this one is more pronounced than the other ones The handsome neighbor

And again, I have taken more pictures of my lantana since they changed, but I have yet to load them onto the computer. This is all for now!
Duane and I went hiking (if you can call it that) on Monday to Grotto Canyon, so I'll have a post to do for that in a couple days!

~K~

More Flowers

2008-06-29T15:56:00.005-06:00

I realize it's been more than a couple days, but I finally did take a few pictures of my front garden. It isn't really overly exciting to look at, and definitely not colorful, but here they are anyway! As well, there are a few pictures of the daisies and the lantana from the side garden as they are progressing and my beautiful "weeds" growing along my garage. I absolutely love the Columbine flower, and I tried to transplant our last purple one last year and killed it in the process. Now we only have pink/yellow ones, and I think I'll leave them be and just wish they were in my flower bed :)

Front garden...it's hard to see the groundcover plants I planted because of the position of the sun, but they're there...small, but there!
One of the Thyme groundcoversNot sure what this is...it didn't have a tag, but it was cute and all alone, so I brought it home :)My daisies are open!This was taken the other day, and today some of the buds opened on my lantana!Also taken the other day...today there are more columbine!

I've got to edit the ones taken today, and then I'll post them too! Are you all done with flowers yet?? :) I'm SO not!

~K~