Ladies and Gentlemen - Presenting...

Mr. Mason Theodore Stecyk!

I think a new grandson deserves his own post. Mason was born today at 8:22 am and weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Don and I are here helping with Connor and of course to meet Mason. He is a perfect little bundle, and during our visits we have not heard a sound from him. 

We took Connor to meet him and it was a smooth visit. Connor gave Jeremy big hugs, and sat on the bed with Lindsay and Mason and later just Lindsay, sharing cuddles.  When it was time to leave even Mason received a hug.

Another great day in our family!

As Winter Moves On

Well here it is the end of January, and although I really don’t have that much news ( as news should be new stuff I think), I can report on all the activities that led us through this month and how fast it has passed.  A part of me wants to say I’m just waiting for the time to pass so we can leave in the fifth.  For sure we are seeking some warmer temperatures, but ultimately we just love living in the trailer and the lifestyle we enjoy.  We do miss our kids and friends, watching Blake's hockey, impromptu visits with Emerson and Reese (and Tracy and Cal), trips to Fort McMurray to see Connor and his mom and dad, regular dinners out with the Scotts, my 7 am coffees with Sharon, etc. BUT we also love spending time alone, dropping in to visit friends that winter south, and walking, hiking and all the new scenery.  Although I have simplified all belongings and space at home, living in the trailer continues to be enjoyable, cozy and a great choice.

But I dislike wishing time away, and as anyone who is our age can confirm, watching our family grow happens fast enough.  So we enjoy the days we are home as well, and try not to focus on what is ahead.

Don has had a hodgepodge of time up north it seems.  From equipment breakdowns to access approvals going slower than usual, I have been lucky to have him around a bit more than expected.  In an attempt to reach my 10,000 daily steps, and as a thumbs down to the weather, we have become mall walkers.  Don’t laugh until you try it!

Lindsay’s due date/delivery date is fast approaching, and I have been to Fort Mac to visit twice since Christmas.  I am headed up there for February 2, and we are expecting a scheduled C Section on Monday February 3.  I will write more about this new grandson when his arrival is complete:)  I will also stay a week then, as well as one more week later in the month, to ensure that she is behaving and taking care of herself properly.

Lindsay and Jeremy are moving to Edmonton, so my last February visit will be bittersweet.  I love the community of Fort McMurray and will be sad that this piece of connection will be gone.  But I am so happy that I will be able to see them often, drop in for coffee, meet for visits, etc.  And I know on their behalf living closer to family and not needing to make that 5 hour drive will change the dynamics of their family life.  We are thrilled to see this move.

From a social side, as I has said in my last post, we have had some company this month.  Darrell and Shirley arrived for a few days, and although Don was away, we had a great visit.  As always happens with company we enjoyed lots of conversation, shopping, eating, movies, eating, shopping and lack of sleep.  All in all a perfect visit!

This week we had my favourite people visit – my Uncle Michael and Aunt Doreen, along with cousin Diane and her son Rylan.  Although it was a short visit, we had lots of great conversation, food and laughter.  Michael is my mom’s youngest brother, and our 2 families spent a lot of my growing up years together.  Sometimes I feel like Doreen is one of my greatest fans, but I think that’s just because we share the same beliefs about many things.  Having them visit, to me, is like a boost of morale, and I just love it.  It’s a kind of selfish thing:)

Today was lunch with Tracy and kids at Boston Pizza.  It’s nice to do that, and with Blake having every Thursday afternoon off from school, it’s just doable.

So January draws to a close.  I won’t tell you about the horrible weather this month has brought us.  Just typical wind, rain, icy streets and sidewalks, etc.  We are tough Canadians.

I’m looking forward to February and all it offers – a new grandson, 5 family birthdays (cake cake cake), challenging myself at those darn exercises, and enjoying this gift called life!  Then March when the Stecyks move south, and Don and I depart on a new chapter of Driving Miss Donna!

Until then remember…

 

The Joys of January

Fooled you - as you sit there wondering what the joys of January might be?  For us they bring some future visits to look forward to, as well as spending time with our family.

It's always sad to see Lindsay, Jeremy and Connor return to Fort McMurray after Christmas, but I remember too well those days of travelling and just wanting to get back to your own home and beds.  It's particularly tough when you don't spend the whole "vacation" in the same house.  This year holds something extra special to look forward to, as the Stecyks have made the big decision to move closer to their old home area.  Sometime this spring they will be moving to Edmonton!  But first that new grandson has to be born.  We are expecting him the first week of February.

The last few days of 2013 we spent with Don working, trying to get some prep work up north completed, and watching Blake in a hockey tournament.  He had a great showing, and it is hard to believe that little skater, shooter and scoring dynamite is the same boy we watched learn to skate, when making it across the ice for a drink of water was an achievement.

On December 30, after his last game, we brought all the Cameron kids home for a sleepover.  It was Reese's first one with us, and it went well.  Actually incredible.  She had a great time and you couldn't wipe the smile off her face.  We had 2 movie and popcorn days, but our plans of attending Stony Plain's celebrations on New Years Eve were put aside as the weather was horrid, and Blake was exhausted, hence an ear infection and fever set in.  But we still had a great 2 days and made some new memories.  I can't wait for the Stecyks to join us in sleepovers.  I wonder if I should have all 5 at one time, and if Don will stay home for that?!

On January 2 Don headed up north to his job.  He has about 30 days to get in this winter, and hopefully allowing for weather, equipment challenges, etc. he will be completed around February 10.

On January 5 I stayed overnight at the Cameron's (thanks to Em for sharing her bed with me) and then on Monday morning headed up to Fort Mac to spend the week with the Stecyks.  I will miss the long visits when they move closer, but will appreciate seeing them more.  We had a great week, I watched Connor a couple of times while Lindsay took care of some appointments, and they treated me to a visit to my favorite spa, as well as a couple of meals out.  I am going to miss many aspects of Fort McMurray, and I must say this spa is one of them.  Thanks Stecyks for sharing your home with me over the last 7 years.  It seems that I was always bunking there, using a vehicle, or hanging out, and I always loved it.

As expected at some point during his venture in the north, Don had an equipment breakdown, which shortened his first shift and I benefited by being able to ride home with him on Friday, rather than the Red Arrow bus.

We had a fun visit with the Camerons today.  I sure find it hard with Blake in Grade 1 to see him as much, so we took supper to them and the kids had their opportunity to jump on Grandpa for a while!

Don heads back north for 2 weeks on Monday, and I am popping back on the 22nd for a few days, as Lindsay's due date is getting close and Jeremy needs to go out of town for work.

So getting to our upcoming guests - Darrell and Shirley Hueser are coming for a few days for medical appointments, and then my Uncle Michael, Aunt Doreen and cousin Diane are coming the next week for a few more.  I will appreciate the company as Don toils away, although I must say this winter I have been more at peace with being at home than usual.

So our January is passing and we are dealing with the snow, rain and weather changes as Canadians do.  We are planning our southern trip on the maps, and today I started routing our Yellowknife trip too.  We are a bit restless to get going, but also excited for the move and baby coming.  There is no need to rush through these days.

Although I don't share much of my yoga, meditation, exercise life, this is a quote that reminds us not to rush life...

The ultimate challenge in life is to neither allow our fantasies to bring us too much suffering nor to prevent us from living fully.  Earon Davis

Talk to you soon

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to all our readers - family, friends, and those we haven't met in person. We must all admit that through the years we've met surprises that we never expected on January 1st, and this year will be no different I'm sure, but here is a short list of what I believe is going to happen and what we are looking forward to...

Late January or early February a new grandson

March/April a trip to the southern states  and an attempt to get further east thatn we normally do!

In that same time frame our youngest daughter and family moving closer from Fort McMurray to Edmonton

The annual May long weekend camping trip with family and friends

June trip to the north, with a destination of Yellowknife, with our long distance camping buddies the Scotts

July week at Old McDonald's farm with the Camerons ( and maybe some Stecyks)

August godson's wedding

That is far enough ahead!  We know the summer Alberta months will be spent with many camping trips, and hopefully the usual amount of day trips, coffee visits, dinners out and everything else that this great life allows!

So to everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Enjoy the year ahead, meet your challenges head on, appreciate what you have and the joys of the days, and hopefully we will see each and every one of you on we Drive Miss Donna!

A Merry Christmas

I know I just posted, but we had such a great Christmas Day I just wanted to share with you. Lindsay, Jeremy and Connor arrived about 4 pm on Christmas Eve. This year it was the Smith turn to host on actual Christmas Day.  

Lindsay and I got up early with Connor. He heard the reindeer leaving and couldn't sleep any longer!  Around 10:30 am Jeremy and I realized how long the extremely large turkey was going to take to cook and got down to business. Tracy, Cal, Blake, Emerson and Reese arrived  around noon, and it did not take long to start he stockings and presents. Everyone was pleased with their gifts, but for Don and I the best gift was having them all at home and watching everything unfold. We have a small house, and seeing them all gathered was amazing!  I always think back to having family visits at my Baba's house and how 20-30 people would gather and space wasn't a concern, although she lived in a one bedroom house that was almost too small for her. I remember lining up our babies to sleep on her bed. Those times taught me small house regardless, being together makes it okay. 

This was one of those perfect Christmas days. We ate, went to the nearby outdoor rink to skate, and ate an amazing turkey dinner.  Don and I marveled at how our little family has grown, and one more baby will be added soon. Every child has their own amazing personalities, and brings us such pride and love in so many ways. 

We always buy Christmas Jammie's, and this year on a family camping holiday in Jasper, we picked up these moose ones.  Aren't they just so cute, all bathed and ready to call it a day?

So I just wanted to say again what a great day we had and how much we love these kids and their moms and dads. We are truly blessed!

Talk to you next year. 

Christmas Greetings!

Wow, where can I start?  Sometimes I look at my calendar as I'm writing this blog just to see what I've been doing, and I get tired! Other times I think boy how did I fill those days? Probably because it's December this past few weeks leave me at tired.  This post is selfishly mostly about me!  Don was working hard and didn't have a moment to Drive Miss Donna:).  Well maybe except to the mall a few times.

I'm not sure if I've told you about my amazing home office?  I just call it my room now. It's filled with so many uses. First it is my office, with an enormous Ikea desk and all the requisite items like a filing cabinet.  We removed the bed and replaced it with a sofa bed, so I have a place to curl up and read, but still a spare room for company. And the best part is there is more than enough room for my yoga.  A unique curio cabinet works as my bookcase, and this cool wicker trunck for all the important manuals and binders I use, such as our Safety Manual. Of course it is a relaxing Benjamin Moore paint color, called Revered Pewter, for any paint lovers out there. Add a new laminate floor, cuddly shag rug, and of course decor, decor, and you have my little get a way. You can check it out if you follow me on Pinterest. I lost the point of this story but it was that December started with the sofa delivery!

Moving on, this was also the month that I decided I needed to switch up my exercise routine a bit. As always yoga is on the agenda, but I tried pilates and didn't seem to enjoy it the way I thought I should. My friend Anne has been singing the praises of her trainer, and I finally decided to try it out. It's most important that anything I pursue can be done in the trailer, as we spend so much time there. Michelle (my trainer) comes to the house one day a week and I guess you could say the program is a strength training one. Between exercise bands and hand weights, things  are going great. I find the yoga is even more necessary as I challenge my weak little body!  Just going from 5 lb to 10 lb weights has been a feat...

I was lucky this month and received two small work contracts to keep my mind going. I absolute love this type of piece work that fits into our lifestyle so well. The days add up and time goes by, which is really the intent if it all.

Maria, Anne and myself spent three days together doing our Christmas baking. As always it was productive and just wonderful to spend the gift of time together.  We also fit in an afternoon of pedicures and a visit, as well as dinner out with our pal Dana.

I hosted a Christmas dinner for the Co-op Board of Directors,and we had such a great time. The Board work has been heavy theses last few months, and it was refreshing to see each other socially and just vist. In addition to that, I also attended my last FCSS meeting, as my term was up and I did not reapply for a position. That meeting was a potluck Christmas dinner as well!

We had a great vist with Lindsay, Jeremy and Connor this month as well. They were down for the weekend and then an extended couple of days for Jeremy's work, so I got lots of Connor time!  Don and I have been trying our best to attend all of Blake's Sunday hockey games. He has a tournament coming up between Christmas and New Years as well. 

On December 15 I went to watch the kids pageant at church. It was fantastic!  Emerson was such a great shepherd, Blake said his line with a clear voice and smile, and although Reese wasn't up to participating, she watched it and enjoyed. I might attend the Christmas Eve service with them as it is at 5 pm. 

I've also had several shopping and coffee dates with Sharon, and fit in a few vists with Erica, including of course a pedicure. LOVE those pedicures, being a Pisces and all. And can't forget our almost weekly dinners with the Scotts. 

That almost brings us up to date. This past Saturday we hosted the annual DWS Aggregates Consulting Inc Christmas Party. My sister asked why we had a party with 2 staff, but we invite all of Don's business associates and our close friends and family, and it is quite a house full. And I must say quite a party. The type people our age can only do on an annual basis!

So today is Christmas Eve Eve, and our home is ready for the big day. I just love having our whole family home for a day, and this year it is actually Christmas Day, which is kind of perfect!  Between the people, the food and I think this year the weather, it should be pretty good. 

Here's hoping that December and Christmas in your homes is as close to your dreams as possible!  From our home to yours a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!  

All the best

Don and Donna

November??

Today we are on the road, for a small trip only!  We are finally bringing the trailer home form Olds.  Between the highway conditions and a very slow part delivery, it has taken some time to get here.

As predicted October passed in a flurry, and it seems November has as well.  The good part is that vacation is closer, the sad part is sometimes life just speeds on!

Life has been filled with lots of activities these past weeks.  Don has been from Peace River to Grande Prairie to Fort McMurray to Whitecourt.  He’s hard to keep track of sometimes!  I’ve had the pleasure of a couple of jobs myself, and  yet another company Safety Audit to work on.  My Co-op Board work is a bit intense lately, as well as the FCSS Board.  I really need to quit writing policies for free!  Add to that visits with friends, Thanksgiving in Fort McMurray, Don’s niece Dallas’s wedding in Tisdale, and everyday life, and here it is almost the end of November.  One of my contracts was in Fort McMurray as well, so I enjoyed an extra day with Lindsay and family.  Actually Connor was sick while I was there, so he stayed home form daycare with me for a whole day. 

The special family times included Don’s birthday, Tracy’s birthday, Reese’s 3rd Birthday, Tracy and Cal’s anniversary, and Lindsay and Jeremy’s anniversary at the end of November. 

Lindsay and Jeremy went for a 3D Ultrasound and I was so thrilled to see our next grandson.  He looks just like Connor did in utero, and I bet he will when born.  Those 3D ultrasounds are amazing!

We started what we hope is a tradition of buying our grandchildren their first bikes for their 3rd birthdays, and Reese was so much fun to do this for.  Reports have it that she is enjoying sitting on it, etc. so that is good to hear.  When she saw the Dora bike it was love at first sight.  So cute.

Blake is deeply involved with hockey now, both playing and watching on TV.  He can quote more stats than I knew existed!  He is a scoring sensation this year, and we will need to re-think the $1 per goal promise next year.

Emerson is now attending preschool 3 days a week, and loves it.  She also loves her dance, and it’s too bad we can’t watch that, but no adults allowed.

Reese is such a character!  Her expressions and chatter are priceless.  She spent a morning with us recently and we had great Tim Hortons visit.

Connor?  Well he is jus the cutest ever!  I cherish his hugs and kisses, as I know when he gets older they will be harder to procure.  He is at that age where you see new development every time.  Right now the difference to me is his talking.  Not that you know what he is saying, but there is a steady stream.

Well it is getting close to the time to get the Christmas Season going in the house.  Next week my friends and I start out baking days together, and we all know December passes so quickly.  We will need to slow down and enjoy the season.

Watch those waistlines.  LOL