Got Mail :)

Sometimes it's the simply things that make you happy. When we left Williams Lake , I knew that we were leaving things behind, there was a foot of snow in the yard and I had no idea what was under it!
I was so thrilled to receive a box in the mail yesterday from Bev Butcher (our neighbour) . I had talked to her and mentioned that I was worried about the mess in the yard the new owners had to clean up. And I mentioned little special things that the kids have given me over the years.  So Bev went and talked to Trisha and told her about a few things I would like to get back. They found this...to someone else it is worth nothing...it is a ROCK, a white rock.....that was given to me by Logan, when he was little. I was so thrilled to open that box! And so excited to find this special rock inside!
 What a wonderful neighbours Bev and George have been, very special people. Who mails a rock? to another province in a box..Bev does...and I love her for that.
I'm so happy to have this back :) and as soon as I make a flower bed, it is going right back in the dirt where it belongs

Day 2 of the big move

We woke up on day 2 of the big move....to see this! Tractor trailer trucks...as far as the eye could see!
The Rogers Pass was closed because of avalanches....we were very lucky to make it through the day before. SO LUCKY!!
 The time had changed by 2 hours...we had changed to mountain time and it was also daylight savings. We would be paying for this in a couple days.  

 Nothing was moving to the west..but .....we left for Alberta...to the east :)

 Logan drove when we were past Calgary. So I was able to take a few pics through the window. A little flat, but still interesting

 And as we pulled into Lethbridge, High Level Bridge. It is amazing! It is a railway bridge built in the early 1900's . It's 314 ft high and over a kilometer long!! You will be seeing lots of the bridge I'm sure

 And finally!!! We had arrived!  It took us about 5 hours to unload that uhaul!!  That is strange, it took us 2 days to fill it!

Been here 4 weeks...time for an update

Early on the morning of March 10th, after 2 days of packing the Uhaul...we were ready to go. That 26ft Uhaul was packed from floor to ceiling , front to back...STUFFED!! There was no more room, we left some stuff behind, and so far we haven't missed it too much.

  We had some amazing friends who showed up on the last day and helped us with everything!! Roxanne and Steve Beaulieu, were such go getters. They made it happen! Gord and Jay showed up to help too! Auntie Jay brought coffee and goodies at the perfect time. They all helped stuff boxes in the truck , clean up the mess and at the end they took home the stuff we had no room for!

 What would we have done without them!? What amazing friends!!!   This is the UNIT! just before we left Williams Lake...in Nana Shirley's yard.

 So the trip was pretty uneventful....and the pictures make it look worse than it was. The Rogers Pass was the worse part of the drive. The roads were bare and wet, and it was snowing , but it was mild. This is the the highways truck on the side with the flashing lights.....just keep driving before they close the pass!!

 Mike , Corb and Chloe rode in the Uhaul. Logan and I drove the van (which was also stuffed full). All the pictures while we drove, were taking by Logan.

 This is one of my favourites! Look at all the snow!! and Ice. 

 There was so much snow at the top....you've got to love the signs...nothing like scaring the crap out of the average driver!

 And sometimes ...it's a little icy

So for our first day...we went from Williams Lake to Golden, BC. That was the hardest part! But we made it! I followed Mike and put on my hazzard lights on when we went up the hills ....we were going about 40km / hr......SLOW!! That Uhaul was heavy!!

We are MOVING

So much has happened over the past 6 months. About a year ago , we started looking for somewhere else to live. Either in BC or Alberta. It was time for a change. We have spent so much time reno-ing the house, and finally finished it ..the way we have always wanted.....in December. OH BOY.

 We picked a location that we thought would be a great place for the kids and us. Mike had an interview for a new job in September and was contacted as soon as we arrived home.

Mike's new boss said that he understood if we wanted to wait, but the job was there, and they would wait.

So in December, Mike went and saw his brother, we took a trip to Grama and Gramp's (in Terrace) for Christmas , and then we went and saw Jason and Sara...And our new neice PIPER!

And then we put the house on the market! 2 weeks later we had this nice little sign in our front yard!

 It happened much faster than we planned. So Corbin and I hopped on a plane and flew to Calgary...and then drove to Lethbridge Alberta...YEP we are going to the flatland :)
After 4 days of realtors, builders and a bunch of viewings......we purchased a brand new (not even finished yet ) house. It's beautiful , but as you can see we are going to Suburbia! In town...with close neighbours. This will definitely be different. But if we are going to change, I guess we should be able to change everything. And really ....it's a brand new 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom home...I'm not complaining.

so on March 10th we will be driving from Williams Lake to Lethbridge...not all in one day of course.
We are all so excited about this change. Although we will miss all our friends here, we are excited to start something new. In a place that has a thriving economy, tons of opportunities, beautiful schools, and amazing shopping and only 2 hours from Calgary.
The weather will be warmer, the outlook will be brighter and we know that this is the right move for our family.
 I can't wait to landscape that yard and put our own personal touch on it...I may need some of Grampa's help though. Did I mention the 5 bedrooms? extra room for visitors :)

Just a test

I have been trying to figure out a way to make blogging easier, and with some help from Heidi, this might work. So this is a test :) and if it's this easy I will start blogging regularly again. 

Hanna Banana

hanna Banana

just doing a test to see if this works :)

Spent an evening with Hanna taking photos for her mom

It was fun, people were starring and Hanna was mastering

her Queen wave, the people of WalMart will never be the same

Oh this sad little neglected blog

What can I say....I'm lazy...we are busy....and my camera has been away for warranty for over a month. Let's go with LAZY!!

In the last month and a half...hmmmmm, both the boys have cut off their hair. Their choice, time for a change I guess. Corbin just got his cut last week, and Logan had his done when her came back from Europe. They both look so different and so grown up.

neither of them have had short hair, for as long as I can remember

And these pictures were sent to me from Rick J. One of the parents on the trip. I was so happy to receive them I almost cried. I must have thanked him a million times. They are such a great keepsake

and this photo of Corb on his bike, just won a finalist spot on my Better Photo account for April

So now I will tell you what we are up to. Still lots of soccer as the season has just started here. Went to Kamloops for the may long weekend to sit at the soccer field. I'm not managing the team this year, so I think I will really enjoy just sitting and watching Logan play.

We have the house ripped apart, we are redoing the bathroom! We just finished the bootroom which now has the washer and dryer in there...oh how I wish we had done that years ago. We have widened the hallway, and are in the process of finishing the drywall. We live in a mess 24/7

The boys have been getting in a few bike rides , Corb's fav :)

And Logan turned 16 on May 6th...... and got his learners permit.....stay off the sidewalks!! He is driving the car. Actually Logan is doing very well and I'm trying to be a better passenger. That is not easy! haha

I have a bunch of stuff to share but I figure I better get one update done , before my family stops checking in here

Safeway sunflowers

2 for 5 bucks....2 bunches of pretty yellow sunflowers for 5 bucks!! Best money I spent all week. With cloudy skies and more stupid snow...these were just the brightness I needed :)

The weather is a bit better today, it was 12C and melting. If it keeps up , it should be melted my the end of the month.....yikes!

It's Spring break here

For some reason our school district thinks that a 2 week spring break is a good idea. I think it would be a great idea if it was actually spring!! Not snowy, not icy...but spring! Have time off school when the ice covers almost everything, makes it for a dull time....but we fixed that!
We took Corb and went to the local ski hill. I have never seen that much snow up there, it was beautiful. Mike and I haven't skied much in the last 20 years...oh wait, Mike hasn't skied in the last 20 years..haha . We had a great day, and Corbin snowboarded until it was time go.
The weather was great, except for a little fog , but when it cleared you could see for miles. The temperture was mild, just at 0c...very nice! and if you look 1/2 way down the hill that is Corbin.
I didn't take my camera , but took these 2 pictures with my phone.

and during the week , Grama and Gramps were here. Grampa brought Corbin a pump action pellet pistol. So a few shots were in order. My gangster 12 year old :)

Ok I know ....don't point a gun at people!! But I asked Corbin to do this. Not loaded , safety on, it's all good, and it makes for a cool picture.

and a shot of Dad and Corbin...not sure what they were laughin about.

And He's OFF

After 3 months of driving to Vancouver for practice and Camp at EFS. Logan has finally left on the trip of a lifetime. He flew out of Vancouver on March 14th, for a 13 day tour of Holland and Spain, to play soccer. We are so proud of him, and I was a little scared to let him go. Thank God for Facebook (I never thought I would say that ). The trip started in Amsterdam, and then on to Spain (Barcelona, Valencia and now Madrid). They are staying at Hostels , and One hotel. There is 28 players and 13 adult chaparones .
This is the team before they left Vancouver airport

And this is one of the final practices in rainy Vancouver

Logan and Corb at YVR just before they got on the plane, and me and Log....notice that I am not crying!! A little nervous but so thrilled for him!

And the Team of 15 and 16 year olds at the potluck dinner/ meeting the week before they left....have I mentioned that we have been driving to Vancouver ever other weekend.

so now it is Thursday, Logan is in Madrid right now, they have one game left to play. And he will be flying home on Sunday. We get update emails every other day. they have toured 3 pro soccer stadiums, gone to a Barcalona FC game, toured cities and gone to the beach in Valencia. Oh and played some soccer too :)

What an amazing experience for a 15 year old boy. Although we miss him, we know that he is probably having the time of his life...and we can't wait for Sunday at 6pm, when he flies into Williams Lake's little airport.

A little more

More playing with my flash, Logan and Chloe on my bed.
And Corbin in the living room with his new RC chopper...this thing is sooo cool.

Different time of day, and no shades, just trying to get the light right...it's hard but i plan on working really hard to get it right

and this is just a random shot from Chilliwack. We were waiting for Mike in the van. And I was playing with my camera. At least it was only raining down there, not snowing.

While Mike was in class , we went down to the Vedder's river. The kids refused to walk in the pouring rain, but I went anyway. A bunch of fishermen, a lot of rain, clouds and fog...I thought it was perfect...and so quiet.

Now march is almost here.....

I was playing with my flash at Jay's house in early February...this is Callie...the semi- atarded cat. We think she actually might like Chloe (our dog)

Once again we were down in Vancouver :) , but this time Mike had a course in Chilliwack and we decided to tag along ....we skipped soccer camp that weekend. The kids thought it would be fun to hang out at Uncle Jay's just to hang out ....And Uncle Troy was going to be there. That made it better. While there we went bowling....we sucked, but had fun

I need to catch up on my blog...I said I was going to do better..so far not so good

And January is almost over....

On Sunday , the weather was beautiful, the sun was warm. Mike and I went over to Resevoir lake, just down the road. I have a challenge for this month, "In my neighbourhood". This was the perfect spot. The boys didn't want to come , so Mike and went, so nice to be able to go by ourselves now that we know the kids won't kill each other if we leave them alone :)

and some more backyard fun, we have definately had our share of snow this month. The snowmobile has had a good workout. It seems to be more fun in the dark, and the only night we have free is Thursday, so right after dinner we head outside.



On Monday this week, it poured rain, this has been such a weird winter for weather, it has been cold and extremely snowy, and freezing rain! It left some beautiful frost on Mike's truck though. I thought this was so amazing, all the patterns and textures. The weather is still warm, above freezing, and tomorrow we will be back in the sub zero temps. I know what we are doing this weekend..... gravelling the driveway. As soon as it freezes , we will have something new...a skating rink. not looking forward to that

Winter Wonderland Challenge

this picture of C , just says winter wonderland to me....the snow on his hat , the wet hair, and that crazy bandana that he wears to ride the GT :)

An Interesting trip

The morning started out great. I packed the van, had everything ready. The road reports were good, and we were heading to Vancouver for soccer.

And then it all changed! We left at lunchtime, thinking that we would beat any chance of snow. We were sadly mistaken. The snow started, and it was like a blizzard, and it wasn't letting up. For 3 hours we drove in this weather, slowly , carefully. I'm so glad that Mike was driving, I would have turned back. The snow finally stopped at Cache Creek...hurray! The skies started to clear, the roads were wet, not icy. It was getting better, I was happy. The light in the canyon was so pretty reflecting off the snow. Yes I take a lot of pictures while we drive, I'm easily entertained. This was just before Spenses Bridge.... 1/2 way there. Or ... at least that is what we thought.... As we drove into Spenses Bridge the over head sign said "Route 1 CLOSED!!" NNNOOOOO. Really? And there he was , the guy holding the stop sign and telling us there was a slide, at Yale. We were turned around and took the goat trail over to Merritt, by this time it was dark, and my cell phone was ringing. "Yes Mom, we are fine and heading over the Coquihalla ". If you have never been over the Coq , my suggestion is to do it in the Summer time, and in the daylight. It was an interesting drive, I think we hit every possible weather type there is... insane! We arrived at Jason's around 9pm, so much for a quick trip.

At the soccer the next morning, you would never know that the weather was bad Corb went skateboarding at Ambleside park. It was cool in Vancouver, but then it is January The puddles were frozen in the parking lots, so pretty. I think I want these printed for my bedroom. The trip home was much less eventful. The canyon was open, and it cut the time down by at least 3 hours. Still winter conditions, and cars in the ditches, but much better!!