Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!

Last night, as things were winding down and I was preparing for school the next day, I finished cleaning the kitchen and started the dishwasher. I set the boys' clothes out and sorted through the mountain of papers that somehow find their way home each day. I pulled out the lunch kits, which smelled of garlic sausage and cheese, and headed for the kitchen and some antibac cleaner.

And stepped in a puddle of water.

I glanced down to find a small pool forming under my dishwasher door. Huh? What did this mean? What would I do? Don't tell me my new-in-April dishwasher was failing! What was to become of me?!

I woke Chad, desperate for answers and reassurance. He looked at it, asked me why I hadn't mopped it up, told me he couldn't deal with it now, and went back to bed.

I got up this morning and hand washed two cereal bowls and spoons - Chad had fed Kolten already. My dishes have been piling up all day and I haven't had the time to deal with them. My plan was to cook the kids an early supper, rush them to piano lessons and from there to Awanas, and then, in the short hour-and-a-half of blissful, child-free time, come home and hand wash a day's worth of dirty dishes.

Welllll, Chad was home for lunch and took a quick look at the dishwasher. We decided to give it a go and see what happens. So far it's running fine and there is no water on the floor...yet. I'm continuing to check on it, but praise the Lord! It looks like it's hands-free dish washing for me!

The Day Stuff Happened

Ten years ago today, at almost exactly this time, I was standing before a preacher, pledging my love and fidelity to the man of my dreams. Since that day, he has become more than a dream. He is my life, my love, my friend, my support, my encourager and my comfort. He is the soft place to land when life knocks me down. He has filled the last decade with love, laughter, fun, excitement and challenge. He is the father of my three sons and a wonderful partner in parenting.

Ten years ago I could never have imagined where this life would take me. It has been a journey on which I have learned much and hopefully grown - not counting the *few* extra pounds I've picked up along the way. I have been abundantly blessed for one so undeserving. God has given me more than my heart's desires.

Chad, I love you more with each passing day, month, year. Thank you for the last, and best, ten years. I can't wait to see where life and love take us from here. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT!

Happy Birthday, BFF

My good friend is turning 30 today. She's one of those very special, unique people that, if you're lucky, you meet once in a lifetime. We've been friends for just over five years and our friendship is one of God's greatest blessings in my life. I count it a privilege to know her and an honour to call her 'friend'.

So, Happy Birthday, T. You are truly "30 and Fabulous!"

The New Additions

I realized I forgot to include our puppy's name in my previous post. His name is Oscar. We got him from a family and they had already named him, but I like it. He's used to living on an acreage, but is doing well adjusting to city life.

He's been with us for three days and has already been to see the vet for his shots. He goes on July 6 to have the snippity-snip, and then back two weeks after that for a booster and rabies shots. In his short time with us, he's also taken his first swim in a pool. He ran straight into our friends' yard and headed for the pool. The cover was on and I guess he thought he could walk on water. Craig managed to fish him out.

I took him yesterday to get him a bigger kennel and also got his face shaved and nails clipped. Here's his new look.

I also had to call a tow truck service to come and let me in my car. I had left it running (didn't want the dog to get too hot) with my purse and spare set of keys inside while I quickly ran into the church. Oscar hopped up to see where I was going...and stepped on the locking button. No amount of encouragement could get him to jump up a second time. He just sat there looking pathetic and innocent with this aren't-you-going-to-let-me-out? look on his face. The towing people had a nice laugh, but made me feel better when they said it's not the first time someone had called with the same predicament.

Since I wrote the above, Oscar has been fixed and is back home with us. They sent him home with a cone around his head to keep him from irritating the incision site. That lasted all of 24 hours. By then I was done with following him around to carry him up the stairs. The cone was too big and him too short. Every time he tried to run up, the cone would hit the back of the next stair and send him tumbling backwards. While comical, probably not the best thing after surgery.

Also, I discovered he didn't fit in his kennel when I tried shoving him in and got him stuck. I had to twist the cone - and his head - to get him back out. Connor was also sick that night and sleeping on the floor in our room. It made for a VERY long night, lying awake, worried that Oscar would sneak out of the room and puke on my new living room carpet - which he's done a few times already - or that Connor would end up kicking the dog, starting a chain reaction of events, or need a middle-of-the-night emergency trip to the hospital. THANKFULLY, neither happened and Connor is now feeling better and the cone is gone.

In other exciting news (a little sarcasm there) we have another family that decided to move in with us. There's six or seven of them altogether.

This family has their nest right under our deck on one of the beams. I was outside with Oscar after it rained, and peeked under to see if the eggs had hatched. I had seen the mom and dad coming back to the nest with worms a few days prior. This is what I saw. I sat on the grass and took a bunch of pictures. After about ten minutes I heard a familiar call and turned around to see the dad returning with supper.

The next day I went out to check on them and both parents had left the nest. I was able to capture these pictures.

The chicks have all since left the nest and we see them around every now and then. Today I saw one hop into the weed bed on the side of our house and shortly after, the mamma bird returned with more worms. We're really hoping they will continue to use the nest year after year.

Finally, Something to Blog

Okay, that title is just a joke. These last few months have been busy with lots of happenings I would love to have shared at the time. BUT I'm just now getting around to it and to spare the two people who check this blog (Hi Ron and Grandma), I'll give the abbreviated versions.

- In February we celebrated three birthdays. Kolten, Connor and Chad. Those are just in my household. We also celebrated my brother's *now* wife's birthday as well. So happy VERY belated to you! March brought three more birthdays for us. Busy months and also a reason why...

- Chad and I took a weekend away at the end of March and headed to the city. We left the children with my parents and spent three days foot-loose and fancy-free. It was bliss. We ended our mini holiday with the annual dinner theatre we do with Chad's parents and brother and sister-in-law. It was FABULOUS! We're planning on making it a yearly tradition to give us a breather after the craziness of previous months.

- Sometime in April I realized that while I had thought my health was improving from the last year, I had in fact stalled and was slipping backwards. I saw my doctor and found out I'm anemic. We're working on finding the reason, but he's put me on extra iron and it has really boosted my energy. It's strange to have all these emotions after months of numbness, but it's good. I feel good.

- I turned 29 in May and that's all I'm going to say about that!

- My good friend got married the last weekend in May and I did the music for her wedding. It had long been planned that she would not force me to wear another bridesmaid dress, and in exchange I would take care of the music for her. She knows I love her and, had she asked, I would have put on a dress and smiled for the camera. She also knows me too well and didn't make me. ;-) (Love ya, Kristen!)

- My older brother got married the very next weekend. YEAH! He married a gem of a girl. Chad was a groomsman, Connor was the ring bearer and I played and sang during the ceremony, along with good friend and worship team member, Ira. That guy has mad skills on the guitar and I accompanied him while he played musical numbers of "The Hallelujah Chorus" by Leonard Cohen, and "This Year's Love" by David Grey. During the signing of the register, we did the Steven Curtis Chapman song "I Will Be Here".

My boys had SO MUCH fun at the wedding and dance. Benen went strong until 1:30 a.m. Connor took a short cat nap around midnight and then was back at it. Kolten lasted until about 11:00 and then crashed on some chairs and slept the rest of the night away. The music was a live band called "Five on the Side." My brother is the bass player of the band and they are AWESOME! We've also gotten to know the lead singer, Sarah, and her husband and drummer, Justin, quite well over the years.

Anyhooo, during rehearsal the night before, they played the song "Ballroom Blitz" and my kids went nuts! This happens to be one of their favorite songs from Rock Band. The were psyched to learn the band would be playing that song at the wedding reception. When it came time, Sarah called Connor and Benen up to the stage to dance. I think she wanted them to dance at the front, but Connor didn't miss a beat. He hopped RIGHT UP ON STAGE and began dancing. Benen wasn't long in joining his brother and the two tore it up! At one point, the lead guitarist got down on one knee and rocked out beside them. Connor also got to end the song singing alongside Sarah to "It's, it's a ballroom blitz. It's it's a ballroom blitz." They LOVED it and so did everyone else. One guy came up to shake Connor's hand at the end and handed him $10! The entire night was a blast!

- So, after the last crazy six months (and the previous year), I finally decided to take the summer off worship. I won't be leading or participating in any way. Chad really encouraged me, and with the support of the pastor, other worship leaders and my friends, I finally took the leap. Or, in this case, giant step back. I haven't had a break in at least seven years and I have never completely stepped away. BUT, I was feeling the need for a summer filled focusing on my kids with no other responsibilities. I can hardly wait. School is officially out at the end of this week and I can't wait to hit the pool, the beach and have lots of water fights. I'm gonna stock up on water balloons and try to enjoy each minute of the next couple of months.

Side note: This is the first week my team is playing without me and it's all I can do NOT to step in and help plan and organize it. I'm finding it harder than I expected. I love everyone on the team and I think that's why it's so hard to step back.

- And now, some pretty big, significant news. WE JUST ADOPTED A CUTE SIX MONTH OLD BOY! I always thought if we adopted, it would be a girl. You know, sorta balance out the testosterone that flows through this house. But what can I say? When it's right, it's right. I think he will be the perfect addition to our home. I mean, just look at that face.

The boys had absolutely NO idea that we were considering getting a puppy. With Chad's and my allergies,we've always told the boys that it just wasn't an option. BUT kids need pets and boys need puppies. This little guy is so sweet and mild tempered. My hubby never had any pets growing up and I had to do some fancy talking to get him to accept the idea of a dog. Notice the dog's collar and tag? Edmonton Oilers. Whose idea do you think that was?

I went early this morning to Camrose, about two hours from where I live, to pick him up. I took him to the school when I went to get the boys and they were SHOCKED. Benen's exact words were.

"No way! Tell me the truth. You're kidding! Have you told Connor yet?"

Anyways, he's not as playful as the boys would like, but I think that will come as he settles in.

And that, in a nutshell, has been my life the last few months.

The Ultimate Reality Show

I have always been a person who sees in black and white, right and wrong. I love to see justice prevail - the good guys win; the bad guys get what's coming to them. My heart goes out to the underdog, the person or persons who are faced with extreme odds, the ones who are picked on and persecuted. Combine that with my love of MMA (mixed martial arts) and I believe you'll understand why I'm so excited about the premiere of this new reality show. My hubby showed it to me. He said it's as if someone custom-made a t.v. show just for me.





Well, I guess you know what I'll be doing this Sunday.

Since there has been a lot of stuff I haven't had the chance to blog about, I figured I'd do a picture blog. It's all the stuff I've wanted to share, but haven't had the time or energy to pull together.

A random day in January...

Chad took the boys tobogganing. We live across the street from a big park with two sledding hills, bike paths and a lake. The biggest hill is directly across the street from my front window.

When you live in Canada...

A convenient way to dry skates.

My son, the artist...

Benen drew this wonderful portrait. Can you guess who it is? Yup, it's yours truly. If you missed the resemblance, check out my profile pic on the sidebar.

Let's rock...

Kolten and his BFF formed a band and put on a show.

The birthdays...

Kolten turned three and Connor turned seven. We held Connor's birthday at the bowling alley and had twelve kids; nine boys and three girls.

Valentine's Day...

Do I have the best BFF or what? Chocolate and coffee - she knows me well.

Wounded little soldier...

Kolten, two days after his accident.

The End