Out like a lion, in like a Lion

I have spent most of this morning scrolling through reflective and celebratory posts of 2019 and some post filled with hope for the new year.

I am coming off an epic year. 2019 in 1 word was a party. It’s was carthadic for my extroverted soul. It felt like a coming out of sorts.

 The past decade and a half my life had felt not totally my own but my resolution of 2019 was to let go of my need for praise, to let go of my need of perfectionism, to let go of self importance, to say no to things I didn’t want. But most importantly, do the things I want to do and not wait or put it off or have it feel less important. 

I end this year perfectly happy and content that I have put most of those to rest. 

Some highlights of my year was my trip to see my sister, camping with a wonderful group of friends, and watching the girls show at synergy but in between those events for me was a plethora of other momentous events like celebrating birthdays with friends, parties, dances, road trips, my sister’s birthday, Christmas, hockey games, basketball games, horse shows etc.

Last year we rang in New Years exactly how we lived 2019.

We booked the curling rink and just let the night play out.

My goals for 2020 

- literally and figuratively clean out my closets

- knit more

-walk more (we have a couple family hikes planned)

- skiing dec 2020

- 

basket ball and trampolines

Oh man! what an awesome weekend!!
Jam-packed as usual but there was some great highlights!

Penny and her little hockey team got to go watch the university team play. They got to be in the dressing room for the pep talk and go out on the bench and watch the team warm up. She hung out with her hockey bestie and came home buzzing. The next day their team won their game and solidified their spot in playoffs.

Lucy was the sheep queen this weekend. She stayed home and hung out with Gramma and Andy and made sure all the new born lambs were up and doing their thing. She also took charge of bottle feeding the bottle lamb and got to have a friend over to play on Saturday.

Ellie was in a basketball tournament and they ended up winning!!! She had a great time hanging out with all her friends and I had a great time watching them play ball.

Andy.... well, his Gramma came and saved him from being toted around all weekend. He had the best time reading books and watching movies.

This week we had a PD day so I took Lucy, Penny, and Andy to the trampoline park and we met Stacey and her mom and the kiddos there and it was an awesome hour and everyone was PLAYED out.
Came home and headed to hockey practise with Penny and she had a surprise pizza party after. It's so much fun to be apart of such a great little team. Her coaches and other players and parents are really great!

This next weekend should be filled with awesomeness too..... 4-H, more basketball, AND the Superbowl!!!!!

Everything and Nothing

Today was one of those days that there was nothing to do so a little bit of everything got done.
The kiddos had no school and Dusty is at work so I attempted to sleep in. Eventually I gave up and go up. We all ate in shifts all day. No meal. Some TV but only while folding laundry. Chores got half done- the first rooms on the list look great and as they went down the list their calibre also slipped!

I have been on and off of the computer all day. I have been desperately trying to catch up on scrapbooks. Sometimes I really wonder if it is worth the time but I keep telling myself in 20 short years as my kids become parents they will want to look through them and remember the foggy memories a bit more clearly.

As I have been looking through the photos I have been scrolling through the blog trying to get a refresh of my own memories. I am so grateful I never gave up on this even though there are years that are scarcely documented.

Today as I have been sitting here and children have been coming and going around me, I would catch a whiff of body shop smell. It made me stop and smile. I must of been about their age (that 10/11 year old age maybe a little older) and I would go to the mall and I would get smelly stuff. Lotions and soaps and my room would stink up like green apple and watermelon and I would have clothes and magazines everywhere. Life is changing in our house. We still have Andy to chase around but I now find myself saying things like, "less in more.... especially with perfume..." or "can you put that (insert any form of technology) down while I am talking to you" or "can you turn down your music".

I loved being young and listening to loud music and smelling of an array of scents and talking to my friends and having secrets and being busy but with nothing important.

Those are the thoughts of the day and  I might just go turn on some ace of base and spray room spray everywhere and dance around and pretend I am 12 again.

Canadian Winters

It finally got cold enough for the rink to freeze! Everyone was ecstatic! But Penny was beyond that. I have had to drag her into the house every night at dark to force her to eat. Hopefully it stays sub zero so we can have a hockey tourny on Christmas!

First day of Freedom

The kids have been dying to go boating and since our CRAZY schedule hasn't let us get to our most favourite boating/camping spot we just loaded up and headed for the nearest water. It was a great way to finish school and start summer!

Ellie still doesn't love the tube but Penny was a little insaine- it makes me scared...

And please notice the sky-

They have been calling for rain- it never comes! 

It came- a lot- with hail.

The kids hid in the front of the boat and dusty and I took cover under the tube. It had a few leaky spots! (Understatement!!)

Andy did not enjoy being trapped or the noise!

We managed to get the boat loaded after it blew over us- but then we followed it all the way home. 

Good things it's hot today so it can dry out!

A day well Spent

There are few things better than a warm sunny day and laying on the trampoline. We are done our chores and the baby is napping.

We look at clouds. We listen to birds. We talk about life.

When I am 80 I hope I can still climb on this bad boy!

Blogging

Sometimes I read some of my old posts and I cringe!

I cringe with embarrassment or I shake my head at my silly thoughts

But 

I also marvel at how much changes

I have more than 500 posts.

I have hundreds of pictures.

I journal too. I journal my deepest thoughts

things that most definitely shouldn't see the light of day

{at least while I am alive}

but

my blog is different.

I can find specific things I have tagged.

I can browse through old photos.

I can cringe at myself.

I love reading other peoples blogs.

ESPECIALLY

the normal ones.

the ones that aren't famous

just normal people doing normal stuff 

They are disappearing in the hustle and bustle of peoples lives

and

that makes me sad.

I wish more people would let people in.

Let people glimpse into their world.

I am 100% positive that my blog isn't amazingly interesting

I am not ego centric enough to believe that I will be whisked away into "stardom" because of my ridiculously incredible monologues...

ha ha

 but

Our life is. ___________?

and that's good enough.

I miss all the people.

and their stories.

so the moral

start a blog

share your life.

I will read it

and

I will probably think it's awesome. 

and I promise 

WHEN 

you get to your 500th post...

you will be amazed at the story you've created.

Mexico- full day #1

I am starting this adventure on the first full day in Mexico.

I am choosing to repress my memories of 

1) the really early morning

2) the REALLLLLLY long flight down

(even though Andy did pretty darn good on the plane)

3) the choas of the airport in Cancun

4) the smelly bus ride to the hotel

5) the arranging of rooms

6) my melt down 

7) late night Pacos Tacos....

So after a good sleep we were all in a much better place to begin our great adventure.

First things first- breakfast and then a short swim and a walking adventure.

This is Lucy and Penny headed back to our room after checking out the "private" pool. This was the first incounter with the lizzards. None of them were huge fans... shocking.

We then took a walk around the resort (Occidental). It was HUGE. They said it was about 40 acres and most of it was jungle. The different areas of the hotel were really spread out. We were staying in the royal club area and it had its own resteraunt and pool. It was gated and had a seperate "beach area". So we wanted to see what the rest of the place looked like.

We found ourselves at the main lobby and they had some macaws. The girls loved them. They were so so so noisy though!

On our way back to the RC we spotted this little creature scurrying across the path.

Apparently they are the equivilant to our racoons....

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and exploring.

The heat was a welcomed relief from the cold and the humidity was lovely.

This is just entering the hot season there and we were kind of worried we would be too hot but all of us were happy to trade our jackets and boots for sandles and shorts.

Big Shoes

I have lots of memories of spending time with my grandma.

My mom and us would often go with my grandma on holidays.

We went to her house for dinner

or hers to ours

Every night my mom would talk to her on the phone

This post is sounding like it is about my grandma 

but

it's about my mom

My mom was a great daughter.

My mom was a really great mom.

I wouldn't say we were ever best friends

but

she was always there

she was usually pretty consistent

and most importantly I knew

(even if I didn't want to)

that she was usually right

and 

she really had my best interests 

in her heart.

I now find myself calling her

and going on holidays with her

We go there for dinner

(not as much as we should)

and she brings me dinner

(more than she should)

I am thankful

for

the example she was/is

I 

have big shoes

(hopefully never to fill)

but to follow.

Happy Birthday Mom.

The much anticipated bestest trip we've had in 6 years photos!

So we started day one bright and early. We were up at 6 and on the road by 730am.

(which for us is freakishly early!)

Ellie had a field trip to Castlegar to release baby Sturgeon into the Columbia River.

Dusty was more excited than anyone...

I think I remember suggesting we could go shopping instead

(I was out voted)

Dusty has never been past Creston so this was a real adventure.

We of course were ridiculously early (even thought we totally got lost)

A wrong turn in Creston took us on an awesome little detour...

good thing we forgot about the time change!

We arrived and there were loads of kids and buses and FISH!

This is Ellie and Lucy but a big holding tank of baby Sturgeon.

They were all about 6-8 inches long.

All the kids took turn going down in groups of 10 or so.

They had someone down at the water that tags the fish so you can keep track of "your" fish.

They also had a person down there that has tons of fish facts about Sturgeon.

This is Lucy holding her sturgeon.

They don't feel like regular old slimy scaly fish.

They feel like skin.

odd.

and much less freaky.

Still wouldn't touch it though.

(I was holding the baby *wink*)

Ellie holding her fish.

She was a little more unsure of this endeavor...

She would of voted to go shopping at this point.

 

Ellie and Lucy with the other kids from the school.

This is how long a mature Sturgeon is.

CRAZY.

They catch them by putting whole chickens on their hooks!

We got done at about 2 and were just going to go back to a hotel in Castlegar and play in the water slides but Dusty still wanted to explore a little.

So much to Lucy's dismay,

we continued.

We ended up in Oosoyos.

Can I just say....

HEAVEN.

Like for real.

plus 16 and no snow!!

I told Dusty he could come get me in July.

It was seriously so so so so so nice.

and because it's on off season we paid 100 bucks and stayed RIGHT on the water. It was lovely. This was the view from the hotel.

We even got a water slide.

I am pretty sure Lucy would of fired us if we hadn't!

We went for a walk around the lake and found a stick for the dog.

Belle was happy.

The girls were happy.

I was happy.

Even Dusty was relaxed.

We walked until dark and went back to the hotel for a swim and some pizza.

After the girls got tucked in and {quickly} fell asleep,

Dusty and i reminisced of the day and lamented about going home!

Dusty looked at a map of BC and we were only 5 hours from the coast so

we (mostly he) decided to just keep going.

I wasn't going to argue.

Hurray!

Eating Crow

As a child I loved going to the dump. In fact, I STILL love going to the dump. I wouldn't say I love it enough to go on a date to it BUT I do love the dump. As a child I loved the dump because I loved loved watching the seagulls eat everything. They were everywhere. Now as an adult I like going to look at all the stuff people throw away BUT I went to the dump a couple of days ago and it was my first time at this particular dump and a flood of fond childhood dump memories came back. We drove into this dump and there was no word of a lie at LEAST 26 crows. And that's at least people. That's just the ones I counted for sure. I find crows kinda creepy. Is it odd I'm creeped out by crows but love the dump? I have not passed on the gene that is creeped out of crows because my own children had the best time watching the crows hop around fighting and squawking and eating. And who doesn't like an eating crow (besides me of course)?