Birthday Girl

In case you weren't able to join us for Laurel's party today, here are a few videos. (And, here are my confessions: we have been so busy moving that I had her present unwrapped in the backseat of the car yesterday...all of the sudden I heard music playing and realized she had discovered it and was pressing the buttons. AND...I bought her a card...but Jon and I haven't signed it yet. AND...her party was supposed to start at 11:30 and we showed up at 11:50. Okay, that's all of the confessions you get.)

Yay!

Today is a new day! In this video Laurel pretty much sums up how Jon and I are feeling. (And a few minutes after filming this video, Laurel took about 6-7 unassisted steps!)

Can I Come Back Tomorrow?

The other day I had to get a blood test. (Don't worry, I am not dying...and before you jump to conclusions, I am not pregnant. If you really must know, it was just a test to see if I'm immune to chicken pox).

An 11 year old boy also had to get some blood tests done (I don't think he's pregnant, either). When they called his name, they asked him if he would rather do the urine sample first or the blood tests. He opted to pee in a cup.

Then it was time to get his blood tests done. And it soon became very apparent to everyone in the waiting room that he was extremely scared of needles. He cried. He begged. He bargained. Then we all heard him say, "Can I come back tomorrow?" Those of us in the waiting room knew what he hadn't learned yet: tomorrow wouldn't make it any easier.

They called my name, they took my blood, and I left before his saga was over. I don't know if he finally faced the needle or if he convinced his mom to bring him back tomorrow. I hope, for his sake, that he just got it over with.

As much as we all know he'd be better off to face his fears rather than wait another day, I think most of us have moments in life when we respond in similar ways.

Like today, for example, when Jon told me he was going to have a sample of the dry wall tested to see if it contains asbestos. I might have pulled the neck of my shirt up over my head and proclaimed, "NOOOOOO." It was basically the emotional equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and yelling "I can't hear you!"

Please, not one more thing to worry about!

Unlike the boy who wanted to come back tomorrow, though, I would rather come back in a few weeks. I would be happy to go on vacation and come back when the floors are out of our house and the air has been tested and the bathroom is finished. (If any of you would like to send me on said vacation, I am not picky about a location).

But, as with most things in life, this is a battle that can only be won by trudging through it. I trust that things will look better on the other side. And I have to keep holding onto that hope, rather than worrying about what else might happen. In a month or so (maybe less, if I can dare to dream), these headaches will be gone. So, here's to July 23rd (a month from today).

Clapping for Emus...and other stories

We are in the midst of what feels like chaos. Our new house has the bathroom torn apart, some of the flooring torn up, the paneling taken off the walls, and a giant bookshelf removed (which revealed a need for new dry wall behind it). The house we're renting is filled with boxes. We discovered that our floor has asbestos in it, which is going to require some intentional care and caution to remove. And we need to get the electrical upgraded. We can't move in until the floors are done, nor can we move forward with any other projects until they're done. In a little over a week from today, we are supposed to move in. In the meantime, Laurel's first birthday is tomorrow, and Jon's family is all coming into town later this week to celebrate (and help us move). Oh, right, and I am marrying a couple in less than two weeks.

So, needless to say, there is plenty of opportunity to feel overwhelmed. And, believe me, I have had those moments.

But this past weekend we packed and moved boxes in between some family time. On Saturday morning we went to Wild Earth Bakery. This bakery has been a favorite of ours, but we hadn't been since they remodeled. If you live in Edmonton, you need to check out the renovations--it is such a great space (and we even found a place to sit on a Saturday morning, which used to be unheard of). And please, try their white chocolate raspberry scones.

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day by taking a trip to the zoo. Laurel had her first taste of ice cream (she seemed to be a fan) and loved watching the animals. We sat in front the emus for a while. From my perspective, they are not as fun to watch as the monkeys, nor are they as impressive as the tigers. But Laurel loved them. She clapped and clapped for them. And as we were sitting there, watching her clap, I was struck by the goodness of my life. Right there by the emus, I had a moment of gratitude.

Ugh Oh

"Ugh Oh" is Laurel's new word to say. It's ridiculously cute when she says it. She'll drop something on the floor and say "ugh-oh." It seems an appropriate thing for her to say with our current situation. Jon's pink eye is back...ugh oh. We found asbestos in our house...ugh oh. We might have to rewire the house...ugh oh. Somehow when I hear it in her little voice, it makes everything seem a little brighter, especially when I see her shrugging her shoulders. Her "ugh oh"s help me put things in perspective because they aren't "woe is me, the world is ending" ugh ohs. They are "oops...oh well" ugh ohs. Things are what they are and we get to make decisions in how to respond.

So I've decided to approach things the way she does, with sweet little "ugh oh"s.

Here are a few pictures from our trip...just for fun.

Laurel met Ogopogo...

and got her picture taken with a pig...

and a goat.

It was cold in the mountains...

but Kelowna was beautiful.

And Laurel had fun with her cousin Maddie and Uncle O.

Our New House (Part One)

My apologies to Jenn--I promised this video last night, but last night I was too busy obsessing about whether or not we'd just exposed Laurel to asbestos. So, here is the first in our house renovations video series. We took possession yesterday and immediately started ripping things apart...kind of funny when I think back to a few months ago when Jon said, "I don't want a house that we're going to have to do work on before we move in."

We've already had three of our neighbors come over to introduce themselves. I think this is going to be a great neighborhood! Enjoy our first video. I'll post some pictures soon, as well.

Touchdown Jesus

There are so many things I could blog about this morning: more details from our trip, pictures of Laurel, the fact that we get possession of our house in A FEW SHORT HOURS.

But then I saw this, and how could I resist? We have driven by Touchdown Jesus many times on the way to my parents' house. It really was unbelievable--I'll leave it to you to guess whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. But TD Jesus is no more. There are so many potential jokes in this story...but I'll refrain.

Ride Report

So, if you read yesterday's blog, you know that we didn't do a three day, 100 km a day, bike trip. Instead, we camped in Banff and did two shorter rides. The first ride I did with my amazing sister-in-law, Pam (or Bernice, for short). Pam and I rode the Lake Minnewanka loop. It was a gorgeous ride. We met a big horned sheep and his kids, as well as a large elk. We stopped for a power bar at Two Jack Lake. It was a short, but great ride.

The next day, Jon and I biked to Lake Louise together. We rode the Bow Valley Parkway and faced a lot of climbs and a little rain. It was beautiful and had some really fun downhill sections. We stopped along the way for our peanut butter sandwiches. We met Pam and Owen and the kids at Lake Louise, although we didn't do the final climb to the lake--4 km of steep hills--and I was glad for that.

Pam and Owen rode back to Banff, and Jon and I drove the kids and our bikes back. Laurel and I were in our car and decided to take the Bow Valley Parkway home, instead of the highway. Here are a few things we saw on the way...

Backup Plans

It's Sunday morning--make that almost afternoon--and I am lazily snuggled in bed. I've already been up, showered, and made pancakes, but now it's time to rest--it's our recovery day. We got back from our two week trip last night around 10 (and it was still very light out!) after driving for about 12 hours. The car is still crammed full of sleeping bags, suit cases, snacks, a tent, and all sorts of random things that you end up taking with you on long trips. It needs to be unpacked. Clothes need to be washed. Groceries need to be bought. But not right now.

Our trip was not what we had planned, but it was good. I'll write about it and post pictures over the next few days. For now, here is a glimpse into the first part of our trip:

Plan A: Go on a three day bike trip that's a fundraiser for a camp, bike 150 km a day, raise $1500.

Plan B: Go on a three day bike trip with our family, the same weekend, bike 100 km a day, don't raise any money. Get Jon's parents to watch all the kids.

Plan C: Shorten the lengths of the rides a wee bit.

Plan D: Jon's parents can't watch the kids--find this out the day before we are supposed to leave. Go anyway, but rather than the four adults biking together, we'll have to go in pairs. Shorten the lengths of the rides even more.

Plan E: Get a low grade fever and aches.

Plan F: Add some rain.

Plan G: Ride for only two days, with fever and rain, make rides shorter, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

More to come...including Laurel's new tricks!

Sometimes you get the bear...

Sometimes the bear gets you.
We have started our two week trip.
And the parade might be on hold today...because of too much rain.