Week 29 - Wife of the Year :-)

Our journey starts on a Tuesday this week as Monday was 'Family Day' (a public holiday) and I included snaps in the last blog.

Tuesday I awoke earlier than usual as I was helping Daphne at the local school with a sewing day. I could only help her until 1pm as I had work, but the day went well. I enjoyed teaching the beginners how to sew on paper. I loved seeing how confident they got. That confidence changed slightly when they started sewing with fabric. The day went by so quickly. When I got home, I was glad to stop as it had been my first 'full time' day in a while. I found it easier than I expected, but I think I'll down play that with Pete. Hehe.

Wednesday Pete headed off to work with me not too far behind him. I worked my shift (8:30 - 1:15) and then made my way home. I didn't jump straight into the track pants as I normally do though as I had to head back to work at 4 for a meeting. Pete had a hair appointment so we reunited at around 8 to have a later dinner and a movie.

Thursday I awoke after a glorious sleep in. I busied myself around the house and then made my way to work. I am loving my job. I love the kids (well, most of them) and I love being a kid myself. After I get the jobs done on the 'to do' list, I play. My favorite is playing with the play dough. That night, we made our way to connect group. The discussion topic was sharing the 'good news'. A challenging topic which brought up a range of opinions. From it I realized I am entirely too selfish. I seem to worry about only those close to me. But I need to start thinking about others.

With last nights topic on my mind, I began my day (like I normally do) with time with God. I am focusing on who God is at the moment. I am learning a lot and He is speaking to me heaps which is always challenging yet good. My work day was a little different that day as I worked (assisting) from 8:30 - 12:30, had a break and then taught for the afternoon. A colleague had gone away to a wedding so I was covering her classes on Friday and Monday. The class were awesome (all 10 of them) and we had heaps of fun. I think me most of all. It felt so good to be back in the saddle. That night, Pete arrived home late as he put in a couple of hours over time, so we again had a quiet night in.

Saturday was an errand running day. We spent the morning out and then came home to relax before church. I made scones and took great delight in slathering them with jam and cream. We then made our way to church. It was a good message and we again enjoyed talking to those we know and to those we are getting to know. When we arrived home, we Face timed Allen and Tash. It was so nice to talk to them and catch up on what life has been like for them.

Sunday I undertook a task that I believe entitled me to wife of the year. John had shouted Pete and I to a car show. We went and I guess again, I will let the pictures tell the story. I had a good time, but I think I reached my limit after 2 hours. We then made our way to the mall where Pete was again going to look for a snow jacket. On the way we stopped at a coffee shop and blow me down, they had good coffee. We were over the moon.

Pete posing at the Stampede grounds.

First car we saw. Unsure of make and model, only know it was a nice car.

Fancy mirrors under the cars!

Again unsure of make. No surprises there.

Had to get a shot of my mechanic in front of an engine. His eyes lit up when he saw this.

To prove I was actually there. Hehe.

Big versus small. This thing was a monster.

What Pete aspires to own. Well, one of the many.

What I aspire to own.

For Dad!

Me posing in front of the wagon.

Yay, finally one of the both of us.

Coffee, glorious coffee. I had maple in mine.

Oh yeah. Enjoying this!

Once we arrived at the mall, Pete tried on a few jackets and we wandered towards the snowboards with him thinking about which jacket he would like. He found a sales guy to ask advice and I sat myself down to play a game of phase 10 on my phone. Half an hour later I got his attention to say I was leaving and stormed out. Pete was very apologetic and the rest of our time at the mall was fine. We then went into a leather shop as I am on the hunt for a hand bag. The 70% off label got me. Well, we ended up finding a jacket that looked amazing on Pete. After discussions on how we would pay for it (Pete had savings) we splurged and got the leather jacket and the snow jacket. Pete was ecstatic. We then further splurged and went out for dinner before heading to the super market to food shop. As we budget for food, what ever is left over, we divi between ourselves for personal savings. So, now I enjoy food shopping as I get some money to spend at the end of it.

Overall we had a great week. My highlight was having a good coffee and hanging out with Pete. Until next week....

Week 28 - Normal with a Twist

Another week here in Canada. Boy the time seems to be flying. Even though life here is normal now, we are enjoying every minute of it.

Monday was a fairly non-eventful day. We both worked and then equipped with list and cash, made our way to the supermarket. The time there went swiftly and in no time at all we were packed up and heading home. My issues with the supermarket have subsided as I go to God for help. It really helps.

Tuesday was another day of work. Pete arrived home on time so we could hang out before I had to go to sewing. Sewing that night was awesome as I finished my cape jacket. This is a project that I am super proud of. It turned out exactly as I had planned. I got home and felt like a peacock as I proudly strutted my stuff as Pete admired my handiwork. I wont put a photo in here as I want to put one on Facebook and I have to get Pete to take the photo for me.

Wednesday was strangely my last day of work for the week. The reason being that Thursday and Friday were teacher convention days for Calgary. So no work for me then. That day at work we celebrated Valentines Day. They do this in a big way here, and all of the kids brought treats and cards for each other. Even I was lavished with sweet gifts. A perfect way to end the work week. That night was a quiet one as Pete stayed late to work on Jelly.

Thursday was a day off for me. Well, sort of. Daphne (my pastor) has a sewing studio in her basement and teaches kids sewing. As she had bigger numbers that day, I helped her out. So I arrived at 8:30 and left at 3. The day was awesome as I combined my passion of teaching with my passion of sewing. Daphne has been sewing since she was young, so she teaches me heaps as well. There were two kiwi girls in the class and I admit that it was so nice to hear a familiar accent. Once the class finished, I rushed to pick Pete up from work. That night we went to connect group. It was so nice connecting with others again. We had been missed which made us feel good.

Friday I enjoyed the comfort of being able to sleep in. I then pottered around the place until 1pm when I then headed to work for a meeting with a colleague. The meeting was about a summer camp that I am teaching at. To reduce the work load, we are planing together. The meeting went smoothly and it was awesome getting to know my colleague more. Meanwhile, Pete had worked his socks off getting Jelly ready for an out of Province inspection. I know, strange that as we brought the vehicle in BC it needs to be inspected ($180 later) to prove it is safe to have on the Alberta roads. Anyway, the guy inspecting was a mate of John's (Pete's boss) so passed us even though a couple of things need to be done. But that is another big thing off the to do list. I stopped off at the bank on the way home and then settled in for a night in.

Saturday dawned bright. We got ourselves ready for the day and ran a few errands. We visited the local mall as I am on the hunt for a new bag. I had no luck in that area, but it was so nice to hang out with Pete as he has been at work a lot lately. We then went straight from the mall to church. As we got there early, it was cool catching up with people and meeting new people. As it was Valentines Day, we had 5 people speak for 5 minutes on love. It was an awesome service. We then made our way home to Face time friends.

Sunday morning Pete received a text from our pastor Darrin asking if Pete would be keen to have a coffee with him that morning. He was, so headed out to Starbucks while I had a nice quiet time at home. Once he arrived home, we jumped in the car so I could enjoy one of my favorite past times. Thrift shopping! The reason was Pete is looking at investing in snow gear and I suggested we check out the thrift stores. I admit that I may have found a couple of things for myself along the way. Pete was unsuccessful in his hunt, but we had a great time regardless. We also visited Fabricland as I needed a new project to start on at sewing next week. I decided on pants for spring. We then made our way home to relax for a bit before heading out to a going away party for a friend who is leaving Calgary for Toronto. The night was eventful as Pete got into a cream fight with Kirsten (our pastors daughter). I foresaw that it was going to end badly for her as Pete always has to have the last action. After Darrin pinned Pete down for Kirsten to smother him with cream, Pete got her back quickly after by dunking a container of guachmole on her head. We left not long after as I had a Face time date with my sister. Let's just say that cream and a warm heater didn't equate to a pleasant smelling journey home.

And now for the twist. Monday was Family Day (a public holiday), so we decided to head to Drumheller with friends (Peter and Carol). We had the best time. It was so nice getting out of Calgary. It was even better spending the day with friends. We spent a large portion of our time at the museum about Dinosaurs. Apparently Alberta has had huge dinosaur finds where they are still finding dinosaur bones today. I won't elaborate too much on the day, I'll let the photos tell the story.

Peter and Peter.

Yay, a photo with the two of us.

T Rex.

T. Rex skeleton.

My gorgeous hubby.

Pete on the scales. He weighs the same as a deer. I didn't get on. Hehe.

There are dinosaurs all over Drumheller. So we had to pose with it.

Sort of posing.

Hoodos. Natural rock formations.

Pete posing.

Peter and Peter went on an adventure. Meanwhile Carol and I stayed in the car. It was cold!

Week 7 - A Very Uneventful Week I'm Afraid

I have been aiming to take more photos of our time here so the blog isn't simply text and so it can appeal to those who like visuals. However, this week I have not taken one photo. Not one. So sorry folks, there is reason for the lack of photos though. Illness. No, not man flu. But it was pretty close to it.

Monday and Tuesday were standard work days. They were also standard nights in which were nice. Tuesday night was slightly different as I had a Face time date with Hayley. We haven't talked since I have moved to Canada and boy was it good to catch up. She filled me in on the changes at home and I got to see Spence too. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have access to Face time or Skype as it is so nice to see a person while you talk to them. While I was having a good chin wag, marvelous Pete was working late on Jelly. I so admire my husband. He works a full day and then almost the equivalent of another full day on our car.

Wednesday brought a bit of change as we met with Rod, the guy who would tell us how easy/ hard it would be to extend our time here. The meeting was very successful, where we discovered the process isn't likely to be too difficult. It will be similar to what we have already done to get here. The hard part is that financially we are worse off than when we initially applied to come to Canada. So, we are unsure whether our request to stay another year will be granted. Rod advised us to get all the paper work in by the end of March. So, we have some praying to do. About what you say. About staying here. We are not too sure whether we want another year here in Canada. Don't get us wrong. We are loving our time here. We love our work and have made some great friends. We are just both feeling the tug of home upon us. I bet our parents are going to be yelling yahoo at the thought of this. Ultimately though, this is for God to decide. If He wants us here another year, then we are here another year. Simple.

Thursday I spent most of the day in bed as I developed a nasty cough. The time in bed helped as I made it to work and got through my 2 and a half hours of work without a problem. I was exhausted when I got home though, and walking home in negative temperatures didn't help my chesty cough. So we missed connect group again. Pete arrived home after an impromptu staff meeting to take good care of me. Side note: His staff meeting consisted of sitting around having beers asking John (his boss) questions. Through that we discovered that paid sick leave is non existent here. Grrrr with a capital G!

Friday I awoke and felt awful. So I decided to take the day off. After calling around for some time to find a replacement, I finally managed to crawl back into bed for more sleep. My day was highly uneventful as I spent the majority of the day in bed. I did emerge to Facetime Jayden to which he promptly told me I did not look good. Ahhh, don't ya just love real friends. Hehe. As one would assume, I spent the evening in. No, I foolishly did not. I had a hair appointment that I had made a few weeks ago. We went and I coped fine as all I had to do was sit there. We then met with friends at a steakhouse for dinner. It was such a good night hanging out with friends, but I was spent by the end of our time out.

Saturday was such an exciting day. Wait for it. I spent the majority of the day in bed. I asked Pete what he wanted to do that day. He had no plans and I then listed to him all I had in mind. However, as soon as I got up, I knew I was being far too ambitious as I was feeling super faint. So we spent the day at home. Me in bed and Pete relaxing in the lounge. I must admit. Pete takes the best care of me. We decided to give church a miss as I still wasn't quite right.

Sunday Pete arose early to head into work to work on Jelly. I stayed home. Fast forward 12 hours and Pete arrived home. Another Sunday spent inside doing not a whole lot. After Pete got home, we decided to walk to our local Tim Horton's for some dinner. And then promptly decided bed was the best place for us.

And so another highly uneventful week here in Canada. Next weekend is a long one, so I promise more photos as we are heading out and about. Until then faithful readers...

Week 26 - Another normal week with a different weekend

Well, I've done it again. I have left composing the blog til the end. Oh well. I hope I don't miss out anything vital. Here goes.

Monday dawned bright. I made my way to work, happy to be working and able to walk to work. I love that work colleagues were really interested in my weekend. I really enjoy those I work with. I have discovered there are those in life that enjoy nothing more than talking about themselves. I use this to my advantage, and ask questions to get the more reserved talking. I am loving the kids I work with too. As they know me now, they are getting more affectionate. I love that it's okay for the kids to be cuddled if they need it instead of me having to put a wall up and say no.

That night was a quiet one. I made dinner and we spent our time watching a movie.Thrilling stuff.

Tuesday was a day at work and then we set off for a meeting with a guy called Rod. The meetings purpose was to enlighten us as to what we need to do to stay longer in Canada. The meeting was in Downtown (the city). We found free parking and with 20 mins to spare, began the search for Rod and his office. To cut a long story short, after walking up and down 7th Street for over half an hour, we had no idea how to find Rod. I managed to keep my cool, and suggested we leave it. After arriving home, I emailed Rod to apologize to discover he had accidentally given us the wrong address. So our meeting was rescheduled for the next week.

Wednesday was another standard work day. The evening was a repetition of Monday night.

Thursday Pete had to work late, so that meant we had to miss connect group. I was a bit bummed, but as Pete put it, it gave us one last night in together before he embarked on his adventure the next day.

Friday I had the day off. There are two Boards of Education here in Calgary. The Calgary Board of Education and the Catholic Board of Education. When they have days off that coincide, it means that everyone gets a day off (including Pre Schools). So I arose early with Pete as I wanted the car for the day. After managing (just) to work out the manual thing on the other side of the road, I headed home to prepare myself better for my day. Destination - Thrift shopping. I made my way to Value Village in search of pants. I have shamefully been wearing the same pair of comfortable jeans for far too long, and knew it was time to inject some difference into my wardrobe. So 2 hours later, I had purchased 4 pairs of pants and 5 tops. I then made my way home for a bite to eat before heading to Pete's work to pick him up. Once I collected the precious cargo (aka Pete), we made our way to the University of Calgary which is where Pete was hiring snowboarding gear for the weekend and was being picked up by Fred who would take him to his boys weekend getaway. After a smooch goodbye, Pete and Fred embarked on their adventure and I made my way home. Along the way, I couldn't resist stopping in at Good Will where I purchased another pair of pants and top. I then made my way home to a very quiet apartment.

Saturday I had a lazy day at home. Well, sort of. After vacuuming the house, doing copious amounts of laundry and cleaning the kitchen, I then went to visit that place I seem to mention far too often. The bank. After banking Pete's cheque and grabbing a few groceries, I made my way home. As it had snowed overnight, the walk was slightly more strenuous. This, paired with the fact that I think I slept funny and my back was sore did not equate to good things. I was in so much pain as I entered our apartment. So, tearfully, I set myself up on the couch and spent a large remainder of my day watching TV.

Sunday dawned bright and I arose with a determined glint to my eye. Determined to drive on the snowy roads. You may be puzzled as I had driven (fairly successfully) only the other day. Ahh, but it hadn't snowed in forever and the roads were perfect. That day however, the roads were white. I mastered up the courage and got myself ready to head to my beloved Target. The roads were better than expected, but I must admit, I was sweating ever so slightly on the trip to Target. Once inside Target, I was greeted by bikinis. I giggled thinking it was slightly ambitious of Target to sell bikinis when the temperature outside was negative 15. However, after taking a further look around the clothing, I realized this was stock they needed to be rid of. Half of the clothing section was empty, and it made me sad as I realized that Target was leaving a heck of a lot sooner than I thought. After a further wander around the shop, I found workers furiously stocking shelves. After not finding many bargains, I decided to head home. I spent the rest of my day relaxing on the couch watching more TV. After hearing from Pete that he would be home the next day as no one was coming home that night, I decided to get an early night to prepare myself for another week. I normally sleep like a log, and nothing wakes me. But at 1:30am I awoke for some strange reason. Seconds later I heard the door being unlocked. I lay still, unsure of who was entering my house in the dead of night. Then Pete came into the room. I popped out of bed like the guy in the operation game. Glad to be reunited with my cuddle buddy, I bombarded him with questions and then quickly re-entered the land of nod.

Side note: Sorry the blog is so late. I have not been feeling 100% lately so have procrastinated terribly with composing my thoughts. I also was going to get Pete to write about his adventure, but as he has been so busy, it didn't eventuate.