Sunday, December 23, 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween...the daughter and the dog

What a lovely evening. It was cool but not freezing.
Last halloween we had 3 ft of snow and this year there was none. It was wonderful taking Dante and April out and not worrying about frozen fingers or paws. April got a couple of treats, Dante got more.
In TR trick or treating shuts down at 7 and there is a community bonfire that lasts until nine. It is great fun.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Elaine

We never really lose those we love, they continue to live on in our hearts and memories.
Today Elaine left her home here on earth and has gone to her new home in Heaven.
I spoke to her Tuesday and she told me that she was ready to go but even though she was ready, it still came as a shock.
She has given us so many wonderful memories and we will all miss her. I am so thankful for the time we had with Elaine and the love she so freely shared with my Dad and our family.

YC 2007 18,000 vs 1

It's that time of year again when young people's thoughts turn to YC. This year we will be taking 42 from Tumbler Ridge to attend one of the largest youth conferences in Canada. The conference is held in Edmonton, home of the Oilers. Every year 18000 teens from across Western Canada gather to hear speakers, lots of super loud music and to make lots of noise. With that many teens sometimes it feels like you are the only adult in the world...but when you start looking around at YC you realize how many great adults donate their time and energy to put on this event.
Cpl Peats, Colette, JoAnne and myself have been working to get fundraisers going and get teens registered. It is a RUSH.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Talented

Here is a very recent picture of me taken by the fabulous photographer Trent Ernst at Eye For Detail. He made all of the wrinkles disappear...and that is what makes a great photographer.

Garbage and friends

I am taking some flak from my second daughter for not updating more regularly but I really have nothing to report so I'm going to talk a bit about garbage.

Garbage is the stuff we don't need anymore, the junk we think is useless. It's the rejects we don't want to deal with, and the cast-offs from our lives. It comes from our homes, businesses, government agencies, and institutions like schools and hospitals. Garbage is also known as "municipal solid waste."

Every year, in North America well over 300 million tons of garbage are produced.

Throwing out garbage, putting it by the curb, taking it to the dump -- try as we might, we can never really make garbage disappear. When we throw garbage "away," it just goes somewhere else.

And if that isn't enough to curl your toes with excitement...then here once again, is another picture of my special friend.

My friend is not very happy here, can you guess why?

He tries and tries but can't get his bangs to grow. I tell him that they are growing underneath his nose, but he doesn't think that is very humorous.

Well, that is enough for everyone to absorb for now. So, bye for now.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

A Big Bump

For those of you who have been wondering why I haven't posted for awhile....here is a exerpt from Jade's blog, she has entitled it
A Mother's Worst Nightmare
Tegan and Addison had been napping for an hour or so when I walked down the hall to go to the bathroom. I could hear Tegan making little noises from my bedroom like she was waking up, so I opened the door and turned on the light to get her. Instead of a smiling baby I found her with her blanket pulled over her face and when I moved it, she was blue and had spit up all over and couldn't get a breath. It took me a minute to realize what was happening,.At first I thought that if I just washed her face she would be fine, but when she still didn't breathe, I realized it was bad. I must have been in some sort of denial...it's so hard to think that it was actually happening! Frantically, I called 911, but I was sure they weren't going to make it because we are 30 minutes out and she still didn't seem to be breathing. They told me to lay her on her side and rub her back and try to get her to respond to me. I couldn't to CPR because she was breathing a little and her heart was beating, so all I could to was wait. I called the neighbor to go find Daniel and they got here about 15 minutes before the ambulance. When the paramedics came in, they put her right on oxygen and it helped her breathe better right away. For the rest of the night they took tests in the hospital to see if there was an underlying cause. They determined that she had just pulled up her blanket and when she spat up it had nowhere to go, so she inhaled it. They kept her on an IV until today, Saturday, and they figure she should be okay now. We got home this afternoon and are keeping Tegan on antibiotics and keeping a close eye on her, but she should make a full recovery.
We want to thank everyone for their prayers. As everything was happening, we could feel the power of God and see how fast he was working miracles in our angel.

My part in this story is that Jade called me while she was waiting for the ambulance to arrive...she was so distressed. I don't think my heart rate has returned to normal yet. It has always amazed me how quickly our lives can go from being calm, peaceful and "normal", to being crazy, unsettled and changed forever. We can do all the planning in the world but when one of these bumps shakes up our world, I realize how fragile our plans are. I talked with Jade for awhile but when she said Tegan was still having difficulty breathing, I called our local Dr. and he called Jade and stayed on the phone with her....what a blessing! We are so fortunate to live in a community where that is possible. If we were in a larger city it wouldn't happen. The people in our Church and in Jade and Daniel's Church were so supportive with their prayers and phone calls. Thank you to everyone who is in our lives....we are so blessed by each of you.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Be Prepared

Every year people experience emergencies or even disasters. Last year, as many of you know, the town of Tumbler Ridge was evacuated and we were forced to look at our own state of readiness. The following is a simple suggestion for each of you to have prepared in advance so that if something, even a power outage, occurs....you are prepared. You should also have a small kit for your vehicle just in case......
Picture is taken by Trent and is of the Town Hall in the foreground and the billows of smoke from the fire behind.

Basic kit for your home

You may have some of these items already, such as a flashlight, battery-operated radio, food, water and blankets. The key is to make sure they are organized and easy to find. Would you be able to find your flashlight in the dark?

Make sure your kit is easy to carry. Keep it in a backpack, duffel bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front hall closet. Make sure everyone in the household knows where to find the emergency kit.

Basic items you will need to survive for 72 hours:

Water – at least two litres of water per person per day (Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order)

Food that won’t spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (remember to replace the food and water once a year)

Manual can opener

Flashlight and batteries

Candles and matches or lighter (remember to place candles in sturdy containers and to put them out before going to sleep)

Battery-powered or wind-up radio (and extra batteries)

First aid kit

Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula and equipment for people with disabilities

Extra keys for your car and house

Some cash in smaller bills, such as $10 bills (travellers cheques are also useful) and change for payphones

A copy of your emergency plan including contact information

Recommended additional kit supplies

It is always a good idea to have extra supplies on hand. Here are some recommendations:

A change of clothing and footwear for each household member

Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each household member

A whistle (in case you need to attract attention)

Garbage bags for personal sanitation

Toilet paper and other personal care supplies

Safety gloves

Basic tools (hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, fasteners, work gloves)

Small fuel-driven stove and fuel (follow manufacturer’s directions and store properly)

Two additional litres of water per person per day for cooking and cleaning

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Special Needs

As many of you know my background is in Social Work....I won't go any further but this is my "special friend" Dale. Dale has been trying for years to grow his hair like mine, and this is where it has got him.

Monday, January 8, 2007

Jael and Alexa

What can I say about Jael??? Jael has taught me a lot about life, more about love and what being a mom really means. Jael made me constantly evaluate myself. She has taken her own path and I'm so thankful that her path has become straighter and easier to follow.
The little one in her arms has already started to teach Jael about life.
Jael....be ready to love like you have never loved and you will be a great mom for little Alexa.