Beauty and Character

The other night, Art and I headed out for a walk.  By ourselves.  After dinner.  Did I mention that we had no children with us?  It was.....surreal!  Anyhow, we walked up the road and nosed around an abandoned homestead.  I took a few pictures, but of course, I can't quite capture the beauty of it.  Here's the original barn....

 

 

An old granary....along with a robin on top of it!

And lastly, an old wagon, with trees growing up through the inside of it.  I would love to transport this to my front yard, and throw a bunch of flowers inside the wagon.

 

I love the beauty and character of the wood that only age can bring.  Kind of like us, growing older, right?  (At least that's what I tell myself, as I grow another year older...)

Fairmont

This past week, we headed down to Fairmont for a week of rest, relaxing, and having some fun.  We met up with my folks at a time share there (the same one we went to last year) to celebrate the end of school. 

 

This year, we went with a bit of a different plan.  We still did some of the same things, like going for walks, looking for golf balls on the golf course, geocaching, getting ice cream, going to the hot springs, and playing on the playground...

 

...but we also tried something new....

 

 

We took the quads!  It involved a lot of extra planning, but it was well worth it!  This was the first time that my Mom had ever been quading, and it was a great place to go.  There were logging roads galore, and we found a couple of different rivers, lakes, and even mountain ranges to visit. 

 

 

Some of the places we trekked were a bit sketchy, but we made our way threw the tough points and were rewarded with wonderful vistas, cold creeks, and spectacular scenery!

We crossed mountains...

...and creeks...

And, like any good family adventure, there were a few harried moments.  After all, what is an adventure without a little bit of scariness, and getting to conquer some of our fears! (at least that's what we told our kids after we had gone down the side of this mountain!)

 

 

 

It was a new kind of holiday, one that we enjoyed very much!  We got to see some places that we wouldn't have been able to experience otherwise (at least without much blood, sweat and tears!).  We saw a bit of wildlife, had many snacks along the way (again, what good is an adventure without good food!), and build some memories with our family.

 

We also had an early celebration of Miss Molly's birthday, together with my parents. 

 

 

Once we left Fairmont, we stopped in at Cross Iron Mills in Airdrie to do some shopping and get a tire fixed (oops!  Sorry about that!), and then spent the night in a wonderful cabin, visiting some friends of ours.

 

 

The cabin worked great for our family, with a loft upstairs with a queen bed, and then on the main floor, a bedroom with bunk beds for the girls.  The views, this time, were of the prairies, and we thoroughly enjoyed spending some extended time with dear friends.  We left them after dinner on Saturday evening, and, after a (relatively) quick stop at our favorite tack store, we made it home late that night. 

 

As much as it's fun to go away, it's always great time come home....especially now that our snow has melted!  

....and Done, some More...!

Since the younger girls finished school a few weeks ago, the older two have been working their little tushies off to get their school work done as well.  I realize it's pretty early for them to be finished, but I also have a hard time "punishing" them by giving them more work if they're finished all the work we set out to do for the year.  So, on Friday, after working hard (especially over the last few weeks), Hannah and Abby officially finished their school year.

I told them that for this year, we're done with "book school", and now we'll move on to "life school".  Life school is WAY more fun than book school, and this year, will include a trip to the mountains to do some quadding, geocaching, hiking, swimming, playing, relaxing, and eating lots of ice cream with Nana and Grandpa.  Life school will also include more time spent at the barn, where Hannah has been working on halter breaking and gentling a new colt that was recently born, as well as riding a few horses for a couple of people.  It'll include gardening, shooting gophers, perhaps some babysitting, and much "creative play"....otherwise known as spending almost every waking minute outside!  Chicks and turkeys will be arriving in a few weeks, so life school learning will occur there, as well as the ever important "sanitation control", which will involve cleaning out the chicken mansion.  Bicycles will soon be brought out, the playhouse will be cleaned, and archery lessons will continue.  Oh, how I LOVE life school!

Done....and Done!

This morning we have cause for a celebration at our house.  After months of working diligently, Ellie Mae finished her school work.  Not bad for kindergarten, I'd say....middle (almost) of April?  Yes.  Definitely!  She is now officially on the "I can read" list!

 

This celebration is a bit bigger for me, because not only am I so proud of Ellie Mae for all her hard work, but it's also the last of my Girls that I've taught to read.  And I'm not gonna lie, I'm fairly proud of myself for that!  When we started on this homeschooling journey 8 years ago, I didn't know how it would look, or if it would work, or if my girls and I would survive.  But, so far, we've survived.  Heck, I'd like to think that we've even thrived...

 

So tonight at dinner, I'm gonna pull out the "I am special today" plate and we'll all clap and cheer and celebrate this little ladies' accomplishment!

A Gift

It's been a full couple of weeks in our household, let me tell ya!  It felt like we just got settled back into a bit of a routine, and then it was Easter, so our schedule went right out the window.  The weather has also been getting nice (and snow has actually been melting...I was beginning to think Spring would never come!), so we've been spending every spare minute outside.  The Girls are scurrying, trying to get school finished up in the next few weeks before our "Yippee!!  School is Done (hopefully!) Getaway!"

In the midst of this all, I received a gift.  Not unusual, you may say.  But let me tell you, this gift has stirred quite a mound of emotions within my heart.

My first feeling concerning this gift is guilt.  I've struggled with feeling "worthy" of receiving this gift.  I've felt very undeserving, and extremely insecure about the whole issue.  I know, crazy right?  A gift is a gift.  I should just be enjoying this gift.... However, with this particular gift, I've also felt very conflicted.  I've been enjoying this gift immensely, but there is a part of me which thinks that this gift, although extremely practical, could also be viewed as frivolous.  I've felt the need to explain to others how this gift came to be in my possession, and for the most part, I haven't....but I still feel the urge.  Because what will people think? 

Normally, I couldn't give a rat's behind what others think, but for some reason....this gift has messed with my mind.  Seriously.

I've been given the same advice by a dear friend...."Don't feel guilty.  Just don't.  Enjoy it!", and I  know that in many cases, it is mind over matter.  So I've been trying.  And slowly, it's-a comin'.

It's been interesting though, that this gift of mine came around the Easter season.  And it got me thinking, "How do I receive the gift of salvation?" Or even...."Do I willingly receive the gift of salvation?"  And I've realized, that when I really sit down and think about it, I feel fairly guilty about that gift as well.

I was thinking, "What if a friend of mine offered up their son as a sacrifice for my sins?  What would my reaction be?"  Oh my.  I couldn't do it!  I couldn't watch a friend send their dearly loved son...to stand in for me.  And yet, that's what God did for us.  He sent Jesus, perfect in every way, to the cross....to death....just for me.  And my sins.  Wow.  Talk about a sacrifice!  Would I do that for one of my loved ones?  For a perfect stranger?  I don't think so... it's not in our nature.  But it is in God's nature.

So I've been contemplating, and thinking, and examining my heart this Easter season.  I've been trying to freely received the gift.  And "THE gift."  And instead of feeling guilty, I've consciously been trying to take hold of that guilt and change it into thankfulness.  Because I am thankful.  So very, very thankful, of the many gifts I have been given.

Funny, isn't it, how God can take some material thing, in my case, this gift, something I would never imagine that has any "spiritual" benefit, and use that to show us what is in our hearts, if we'll let Him?

Random Pictures

Art's aunt sent me a few pictures from the wedding we just attended in Kelowna.  I chuckled as I looked at them. 

 

Here's Art and I, probably being ridiculously inappropriate and having a good time...

 

 

The picture is of Art and his brother, the father of the bride.  Jeepers, if you'd talk to either of those guys on the phone, you wouldn't know who it was, they sound so much alike!

 

How great to be able to celebrate this special day with them!

 

In other news, we survived the crazy snowstorm yesterday.  Thankfully, every commitment that we had was cancelled due to weather so we didn't miss anything, 'cuz there was no way I was going to leave my house!  I think we got over a foot of snow!  Highways were closed, ridiculous accidents all over the place.... Happy Spring!

We're Back!

Last night, we arrived back home after spending a week in Kelowna at my parents.  The trip originally was going to be just a few days for Art's nieces wedding, but then we kept adding another day....and another....and another! 

 

We drove out to BC last Saturday, and then Sunday morning, we headed up to Silver Star for a bit of skiing.  The Girls had never been, so they had lessons in the morning (thank goodness for that patient, wonderful, goddess of an instructor!), and then my Mom and I skied with them for the afternoon on the bunny hill.  I'm not gonna lie, it's a wee bit scary, watching your beloved child hurl themselves down a mountain, through the snow fence and clear outta the bunny hill bounds to be stopped only by running into a complete stranger who happened to be standing at the wrong place at the wrong time (or, as I see it, the right place at the right time!), in order to stop said daughter from going down the "big hill".  A wee bit scary.  Or, watching another daughter from halfway down the hill come barreling towards you, skies straight, legs bent, crouching to go faster, assuming that you'll "catch them" to stop them.  A wee bit scary.  But whatever.  Like I said, thank goodness for patient, wonderful, goddess ski instructors!  Next time, another lesson may be in order before they tackle the "real mountain"....

 

I hadn't skied in probably 15 years, so it took a run or two to get my groove back, but it was a lot of fun!  We even did a black diamond run...just so I could say that I did it!

 

The next day, we spent the day relaxing and hanging out.  We took the Girls for a walk down to the lake, where they loved throwing rocks in the water.  What is it about throwing rocks in the water that is so darn wonderful?  I love it too!

 

 

I think it was close to 15C that day, and then, we woke up the next morning to this...

 

 

 I couldn't believe it!  And truthfully, I felt strangely satisfied that Spring seems confused in Kelowna too.  I'm sick, I know...

 

After lunch with my grandma on Tuesday, Art and I headed out for a 2 night stay at the Sparkling Hill Resort.  It was the first time in I don't know how many years (or really, ever?) that we went and stayed in a hotel by ourselves.  The Sparkling Hill Resort is a European style spa/hotel.  Included in your stay is a wonderful full buffet breakfast, plus access to a variety of saunas, hot tubs, swimming pools and lounge rooms.  It was wonderful!!  We napped, sauna-ed, relaxed, read, ate, went for a walk....basically, we did whatever we wanted.  For 2 days.  With no children (kids under 16 aren't even allowed in the spa area!).  Blissful!  The rooms all have floor to ceiling windows which open, so you get fresh air if you want (which I do!).

 

Back at my parents, we relaxed and visited some more, saw an old friend for an evening, and then on Saturday, were blessed to witness Art's niece get married.  Such a fun time to be able to get together with family and celebrate.  Funny enough, before Art and I headed off to Sparkling Hill, we actually ran into Art's brother and his wife at a bookstore, whom we didn't even know were in town, and got to have lunch with.  That was great, since it was their daughter getting married, and we knew we wouldn't have much of an opportunity to visit at the wedding.

 

Yesterday, we left at around 7 am, and headed on home, back to Alberta.  The roads, except for a short stretch between Valemount and Jasper, weren't bad, which we were thankful for!  Driving through Jasper, we saw a bunch of wildlife, including some on the road, licking the salt.  The Girls thought that was pretty cool!

 

 

We arrived home to 14 inches of snow that had fallen over the last few days, plus another inch overnight!  Needless to say, it feels as though spring like weather is something in my imagination.  But I know, its-a-comin'.  Sooner or later.