Brrr.... no heat!

Woke up 4:21 am Tues. morning to the familar "click, click, click" sound that usually signals the furnace coming on but it never kicked in ... it was non stop click, click, click". I mentioned it to Andy when his alarm went off at 5:30 - he went to the basement to investigate and pronounced a service call was definitely in order. Of all days, why this one, the big day had arrived! CREW Calgary's AGM for which I had been gearing up for weeks, pouring over & refining my speech, thinking through every possible contingency in the event the special resolution to amend the bylaws (which required 75% approval by the members) didn't fly. I decided to keep warm by working out and once 7:30 rolled around started calling around to get someone in to check the furnace out. No luck ... apparently our home was not the only one without heat! After booking an appointment for Wed. afternoon I headed off to work. Unfortunately, the new furnace will not be installed until Monday (Oct 22) so Andy built a fire tonight to take the chill off. Believe me, without any heat, getting out of bed this morning was particularly unappealling. I was snug as bug in bed, toasty warm with the quilt tucked up under my neck. The only thing cold was my nose! You know, I really couldn't tell any difference between the temperature in the kitchen and the fridge when I opened this morning! Ahh... but we're a hardy family and are taking this in stride!

Happily the AGM went off without a hitch. We had the exact number of proxies needed to augment the number of members in attendance to bring the vote to 75% of the members, all in favor of the amendment. The special resolution was approved! I cannot believe how quickly my presidency year has passed by - a strategic planning meeting is planned for mid November after which I move to "past president" role on the board.

Fall photo - R&T

After enjoying a delicious meal of home-made pasta (tagillate with a lamb) lovingly made by Andy, I took this photo of Rachel and Tyler October 13 (surpisingly, at Rachel's request! she wanted an updated photo to post on the church website). As evident by this photo, these newlyweds (can you believe how quickly the past 10 months have gone?) are happy and enjoying life to the fullest.

CREW Convention - Denver

Once I was reassured by Rachel early Wednesday morning that she was out of the woods and on the road to recovery I booked a 2:30 pm flight to Denver. I arrived at 5:30, grabbed a cab to the hotel and met up with fellow Calgarian, Kendra. We went to the CREW Convention Marketplace (trade show) and joined Kareen for some nibblies, entered the draws (didn't win a thing) and had a chance to chat with other Canadian CREW members. Afterwards, Kendra, Marian and I went for dinner at the hotel and called it a night. My room was "upgraded" to a suite with a murphy bed (because they gave away my king size room I had originally booked for Tuesday night). It was an interesting room - twice the size of a normal room, with a dining room table & 6 chairs, fridge and serving area, couch & 2 chairs!

Following the CREW convention, Marian and I were booked on the same flight home, at 8:55 pm. We had some time to kill before heading to the airport so we headed off to an Outlet Mall nearby the airport. Our first stop was at a juice bar (top photo) where Marian checked her vmails - she was over the moon to hear that she landed her largest deal ever (worth $1 billion)!! Way to go Marian!

We managed to fit in concurrent makeovers at Sephora's (middle photo) and concluded the staff in that store have way too much fun! After checking in at the airport Marian managed to sweet talk the United Airways rep at the gate... she asked him whether it would be possible for us to sit together - he said he would see what he could do. We grabbed a bite to eat returning to the gate 10 min. before boarding and he managed more than just arranging our seats together - he assigned us seats 1A & B - a free upgrade from economy. Needless to say the 2.5 hour flight was very comfortable! (bottom photo taken on the plane just before we landed - 11:30pm). This is the 3rd CREW convention Marian and I have gone to and somehow we always find a way to fit in some quality shopping. (certainly doesn't hurt that the Cdn dollar is at par with the US for the first time in 30 years.) I couldn't imagine going to a CREW convention without her!

Fall Splendor

Took these photos today during my lunch hour - just a mere 5 min. walk from my office. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, but all too often our fall season is much too short lived. It seems to me the trees are holding onto their leaves a little longer than usual. I especially love the red and orange hues which are hard to find on the prairies ... my childhood memories of autumn come from living in Ontario where every year we watched the green leafy leaves of the maple trees turn to rich red. It's hard to find a tree in our fair city whose leaves turn any color other than yellow and various shades of gold but occasionally you'll see bursts of red amongst the shrubbery as seen here which I absolutely love!




I am so thankful for being reminded of God's faithfulness while capturing these images. Today was a particularly difficult day for me. Rachel had not been feeling well since the weekend and I knew that Tyler took her to the hospital last night around 9pm but I was in no way prepared for his call this morning around 9:30 am to advise they were still at the hospital and that Rachel could possibly undergo surgery. The CT scan suggested her appendix may need to be removed but the tests were "inconclusive". Rachel had been given IVs and was not allowed any food or drink (standard pre-op procedure).

I'm sure any mother can relate to the feelings of helplessness I felt - there was nothing I could do to "fix" the problem. Moreover, it was her husband who was at rightfully at her side, not me which was also a new experience for me. I was to fly to Denver today to attend a conference and despite reassurances from Rachel that I should go and that she'd be fine, I just couldn't do it. After taking a walk and thinking it through, I decided to cancel my outbound flight, with approval from my boss who was very understanding and supportive of my decision. Seven long hours after Tyler's first call, he called me with an update to say that the doctor did not feel it necessary to operate and they were letting Rachel go home. My prayer is now that whatever it was that caused her all this pain and grief has run its course and that she'll be back to herself in short order!

Creative Juices are flowing!

We kicked off GBC Scrappers last Sat. night at the church and it definitely got my creative juices flowing.... I never get much done at the church crops - too much visiting with the guests not to mention fulfilling my duties on the team.

I am not sure where this inspiration for wall hangings came from ... I used some of the left over chipboard album covers from the "All about Me" mini album class and went from there. I am happy with the results.

Golf Day

Oh how changeable the weather is in our fair city! Woke up to overcast gloomy skies and a forecast of snow flurries. By 11 am the snow flurries arrived, fast and furious but as my host Liz (pictured here) said so well in her email this morning "A day of golfing in the snow is better than a day in the office" - who can argue with that?! It was definitely a fun time! We practiced our swings with two golf pros and headed off to our first tee where coffee and baileys were served. Just before we teed off on the first the hole, the snow flurries stopped and the sun shone.

Stracci with spicy eggplant, tomato, basil & parmessan

Before & after photos of the dinner Andy made tonight ... he used up the rest of the fresh pasta he made another day & stored in saran wrap in the fridge ... it was simply delicious!

Fig Season is here!

September is a bittersweet month for those of us living in the northern climes; its arrival signals the end of summer while at the same time heralding the arrival of plentiful local grown produce, and sweet juicy figs from California! We picked up this flat of figs from our local grocery store this morning. Suffice it say, they didn't all arrive home intact ... Andy and I could not resist having a sample on the drive home. Juicy and sweet and oozing with goodness. What's not to love?

Today was a brilliant fall day, warm enough to work up a sweat golfing but not too hot to bake! MMMMmmmm... chocolate zucchini cake, made from zucchini from my mother's garden! Our climbing vine turning color on the trellis is a visual reminder to enjoy these last days of summer ... I only wish I had remembered my camera when we went golfing today! :-( The view of the 8th hole was a feast for the eyes with the contrast of the lush greens against the trees lined river turning various shades of gold. I'm golfing in a work related tournament this Wednesday at a much nicer City course so I won't forget my camera then, but sadly the weather is expected to turn cooler and overcast. Just my luck.

Wild Flowers

Andy picked and arranged these wild flowers we planted from seed in July. We put Danny on the plane Thursday night back to England and our life has returned to "normal" ... it's much quieter in the house and not as lively.

We talked to Andy's mom today - Danny arrived safe & sound Friday morning, took a quick nap that afternoon to offset the jet lag which didn't stop him from going to football (soccer) practice Friday evening!

Sept long weekend - Fairmont

The whole family headed out to Fairmont Hot Springs for the Labour Day long weekend. I took Friday off and we got a head start ... Tyler and Rachel arrived around 9:30 p.m.

Hearty breakfasts were prepared and served each day by Rachel & Tyler who came well stocked with everything but the kitchen sink! (they are know exactly what to bring to a rented condo). All 6 of us hit the tennis courts Sat. morning and played for a few hours. Sat. afternoon Andy, Tyler, Lyden and I went golfing on a 3 par golf course just north of Radium. The setting was absolutely beautiful, lush greens set against the majestic Rockies.

There was much fun to be had at the pool where the men enjoyed a very competitive game of pool basketball which Rachel and Danny watched from the sidelines.

Evenings (and some mornings) were spent watching the entire Star War series, yep, 6 episodes in all, played in order. It was a Star Wars Marathon!

Tues. Aug 28 - Andy got a fire going in the BBQ pit and prepared a mixed grill for supper. After supper we taught Danny the fine art of roasting marshmallows and constructing a s'more which he thoroughly enjoyed!

Highland Games in High River

Went to watch Erin at the Highland Games in High River which got off to start with a Paramedic Moment after Danny picked up a plastic tie fastener and cinched it tight on his wrist.

Erin competed in the Premiere Class F dressed in velvet and wool on a warm summer day.

Danny tours the Science Centre

Rachel took Danny to the Science Centre today. They met up with Rachel's friend Christine who works there as an Education Programs Assistant . After touring the science centre, making a paper airplane, lying on the bed of nails amongst other things, he had dinner with Rachel and Tyler before returning home.

Policeman's Rodeo

It was a beautiful day for the rodeo - attended the 25th annual Policeman's Association amateur rodeo in Airdrie. Danny borrowed a cowboy hat from Andy to keep the sun off his eyes. Not exactly the Calgary stampede but it was a fun time.

Golfing with the family

This is a historical event in our family ... we went golfing together!

It was going to be a 4some but then Rachel decided to tag along so she and Danny acted as caddies! It was a gorgeous summer evening - not too hot with a breeze in the air.

Putting practice

Danny claims he has his own set of clubs back home .... what a shame he couldn't beat Andy on this 18 hole course!!

Drumheller

Andy took Danny on a bike ride (after his run) in the morning and then took Danny to Drumheller today, which is famous for its dinosaur remains embedded in the hills surrounding the river valley. They toured the Royal Tyrell Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Tyrrell_Museum_of_Palaeontology , shopped a bit at the gift shop, had lunch at McDonalds & headed for home. He is always happy to see Lyden and I pull up at the end of our work day because that means card games (Wizard, Uno or Phase 10)will most certainly follow dinner, a visit with Erin and even a video game or two!

Way to go Rachel!!

After running 22 km over a ridiculously hilly course, climbing a 1 km long hill between the 8 & 9km point and then experiencing a pulled groin, not to mention blisters on both feet, Rachel crossed the finish line of her first ever 1/2 marathon, coming in at 2 hours & 40 min! Unlike other races she's done this year (two 5Ks and a 10K), she did not have a running buddy. Tyler, Andy, Danny and I stood on the sidelines near the finish line and cheered her on. I don't think there are any moments more cherished and impactful than parents seeing their children achieve the goals they set for themself! Well done Rachel. We're so proud of you!

West Edmonton Mall Water World!

We packed up the car and headed off to Edmonton early Sat. morning. After several games of "eye spy" and the memory game "I like...." to pass time on the 3 hour drive, we finally arrived at West Edmonton Mall. Andy took Danny to Water World while I shopped the mall for 3 hours. The boys had a great time on the slides and in the wave pool. (Believe it or not that's Danny at the top of the red slide on the right in the black swimming shorts)

We would not have gone to Edmonton if it hadn't been to cheer Rachel on in the Edmonton 1/2 Marathon on Sunday. We met up with Rachel and Tyler at the hotel and went out for dinner which proved to be a longer event than we anticipated ... our 25-30 min. wait for a table ended up being 45 min. and Dan found the restaurant too warm for his liking. We headed back to the hotel at 8:30 and got him ready for bed, and after watching about 5 min. of tv he was out like a light.

Danny's first day in Calgary

Danny and Andy took a bike ride down to the river and fished for a couple of hours this morning ... the weather has turned unusually cool especially compared to the record breaking hot July we had, but as far as fishing goes, it was a perfect day.

Rachel popped by the house in the afternoon for a quick visit and dropped Andy and Dan off at the LRT station. They came downtown to meet me at the office after work, after exploring the Devonian Gardens (top photo). The three of us went to "A Taste of Calgary", an annual food event held at Eau Claire. When we got home we played a couple of games of Wizard with Erin and Lyden. Dan promptly disappeared to the basement with Erin & Lyden to play video games. We're off to Edmonton tomorrow - going to cheer Rachel on in the 1/2 marathon she's running on Sunday and take in the world famous West Edmonton Mall.

Danny arrives!

Danny's flight from the UK was delayed 4 hours .... he was to arrive at 4:35 pm - we left our house for the airport at 8:30 pm (3:30 am UK time). We saw the Zoom plane pull into the gate as we approached the airport. Even though Danny said he slept for 3 hours on the plane, he was understandably one very tired boy after a very long day of travel which started at 6am UK time when he and Mark set off from Coventry to drive to Manchester airport (only to arrive & be told that the incoming flight was delayed for 5 hours).

Family Quotes Portfolio

On Aug 2 I took a 2 hour class to make this portfolio; the theme is Family Quotes. The entire class time was spent "building" the portfolio. I added photos and embellishments and finished it off today after Andy, Lyden and I took in 18 holes on the putting course. After receiving an invitation to a networking golf tournament in September, I decided I should at least make an attempt to learn how to hit the ball off the tee so I picked up a left handed driver on sale at Sport Chek and Andy and I went to our local driving range and hit a bucket of balls Sat. morning ... if I practice enough, I'm hoping I won't be a complete embarassment. It's a non-competitive womens only "best ball" tournament so hopefully there won't be too much pressure! The added bonus is my friend Marian was also invited to the same tournament so at very least, I will be spending some quality time with my friend!

BBQ Lamb

Andy decided to roast the Morrocan inspired lamb directly over the fire pit ... it was delicious! With the coals left in the fire pit, we broke out the marshmallows and had S'mores!