Supper

Nikki and Julie cooked supper for us tonight - without any help from the grown-ups! Pizza (with homemade crust), fettucine, ceasar salad, and oreo cheesecake for dessert. Lucky us!

Creation calls

How could I say there is no God
When all around creation calls
A singing bird, a mighty tree
The vast expanse of open sea
- Brian Doerksen

Sisters

Don't shoot!, originally uploaded by Heather Plett.

One of them has long flowing hair that she brushes a dozen times a day.
The other one got a buzz cut at the beginning of the summer because she doesn’t want to be bothered to comb it.

One of them bought hot pink gladiator sandals for the first day of school and dreams of the day when she can have a closet full of stiletto pumps.
The other one bought funky orange plaid runners that she’ll probably forget to tie most of the time. She dreams of being able to afford multi-colour DCs.

One of them doesn’t do much reading, unless she gets ahold of a People magazine or an interesting biography.
The other one devours fantasy novels faster than we can bring them into the house.

One of them hoarded her travel money until the last day of the trip when she could finally visit her favourite clothing store and buy two pairs of skinny jeans – one purple and one white.
The other one bought candy and ice cream whenever she had the opportunity, and saved only a bit for a couple of pairs of baggy shorts.

One of them wants to be a model or fashion designer when she grows up.
The other one wants to be a veterinarian.

One of them prefers things that are safe and familiar.
The other one lives for adventure and dreams of jumping out of a plane and getting a tattoo.

One of them has a favourite shirt that says "Party like a rock star"

The other one has a favourite shirt that says "Peace. No war. Save the earth."

I delight in them both. I am their mother.

More than you ever wanted to know about our vacation

1. Watch the video



2. View the pictures - LOTS of them!

3. Read the travelogue

Day 1 – Woke up at a ridiculous hour meant only for dreaming. Pulled out of our driveway at 5:01 a.m. Drove, drove, and then drove some more. Fourteen hours later, we arrived in Calgary in time for supper with my brother (known on this blog as bbb).

Day 2 – Drove to Lacombe for some work-related stuff. Had lunch with some lovely long-time supporters, and then visited a corn maze that created this year’s design in honour of CFGB’s 25th anniversary. Back in Calgary for the evening. Went to a movie (Mamma Mia) with bbb.

Day 3 – Left Calgary, and drove through the mountains. Arrived at the home of our friends J&S in Surrey, B.C. Holey moley, these people take hosting to a whole new level! Not only did we have our own private space (with a separate entrance AND a big screen TV that Marcel enjoyed) for the three nights we were there, but we were fed amazing food, there were treats and fresh flowers awaiting us in our “suite”, and our laundry was all clean and folded when we came home from a day of sightseeing!

Day 4 – Spent the day in Vancouver. Visited the Vancouver Aquarium and drove around Stanley Park. Went for a mini-cruise in the harbour, wandered around Granville Island, and had supper in a lovely (though somewhat pricey) seafood restaurant overlooking the water.

Day 5 – The girls and I went shopping in the morning (IKEA!), and then spent the afternoon at the beach at White Rock. Marcel relaxed at J&S’s and then mowed their lawn (small payment for all of the things they did for us). Had a lovely barbecue supper in the backyard (not only are they amazing hosts, but MAN can they cook!) with J&S and their two girls, played a little badminton, and relaxed.

Day 6 – Left early for the ferry to Victoria. Wandered the Victoria harbour for awhile, had lunch at another seaside seafood restaurant (and spent even more money), and then drove to French Beach on the west coast of the island. Set up camp for the night and had s’mores over the campfire.

Day 7 – Spent the day at French Beach. I got up early to wander the shore and left the rest of the family in bed. It was a bit of a grey day, drizzling off and on all day – the only rain we had in two and a half weeks. We still managed to do a fair bit of wandering and playing on the beach, none-the-less. Drove into Sooke for a few things we’d forgotten to bring. Had some very tasty slow-cooked (over the campfire) burgers for supper.

Day 8 – I got up early again, but this time Julie came along. It was an amazing morning. We watched the fog roll in over the ocean, listened to ships’ fog horns, saw a seal frolicking in the waves, took lots of pictures, watched a huge flock of seagulls on the shore, collected seashells, and then watched as the sun peaked over the trees and started to burn away the fog. Packed up our tent, and headed for Chemainus. Grabbed a quick fish and chips lunch that we ate on the ferry on the way to Thetis Island. Arrived at Capernwray Harbour and checked in for “Family Bible Week”. Had supper and waited for B&S&A&B to arrive.

Day 9 – Had tonnes of fun at Capernwray Harbour for the next 5 days. We did various watersports (tubing, kneeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating, etc.), the kids did some really cool stuff like wall climbing, ropes courses, riding a zodiac, etc.; the grown-ups listened to some interesting speakers, and we all had an amazing amount of fun in one of the most beautiful settings I’ve ever been in.

Day 10 – One of the highlights for the week was a bistro night for the adults (a breathtakingly delicious seven course meal that was so beautiful I took pictures of every course), while the kids got to play on a giant slip-and-slide (massive tarps lined up on a hill and a bunch of kids covered in soap – just picture it!), and then a movie under the stars.

Day 11 – B&S and family went on the island boat tour in the afternoon, while our family hung out on the island.

Day 12 – Bbb and I got up at 5:30 for the morning kayaking trip (yes, for those of you who know him, he really DID get up that early!), which was one of my favourite moments of the trip. We got to see seals up close and personal, hunted for sea dollars and sea stars, and watched the sun come up over the island. In the afternoon, Marcel and I tried to go canoeing, but weren’t very successful – we tipped the canoe after only about 15 minutes on it. In the evening, we had “Stillwater Café” where the staff treat the guests to all measure of delicious drinks (steamers, cappuccinos, lattes) and equally delicious appetizers (yum!) under the stars overlooking the ocean.

Day 13 – We enjoyed our last morning at Capernwray Harbour and then packed to leave. Took the ferry back to Chemainus and drove to our campsite at Goldstream Provincial Park. Maddie and her cousin B made a fort among the massive trees. Drove into Victoria to meet B&S&A for supper at The Old Spaghetti Factory.

Day 14 – I got up early once again, and took a short hike to the Goldstream waterfall. (I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the park without seeing the waterfall.) We packed up early and drove to downtown Victoria to catch the ferry to Port Angeles, Washington. Drove to the Puget Sound and took another ferry into Seattle. We were going to have supper at Ivar’s with B&S, but bad traffic and no parking (due to a Seahawks game) made us have second thoughts. Instead, we hung out at the pool in our hotel.

Day 15 – Had breakfast with B&S&A&B and then said good-bye. We started the long trek home. Drove to Missoula, Montana where we stopped for supper. We were going to go further, but we discovered our rear lights weren’t working, so we found a hotel instead.

Day 16 – Drove to Butte, got the car fixed, and carried on. Found a campground in Miles City, Montana. Went out for supper at a lovely local family restaurant. Had a bit of a rough night in the tent, with too much heat and restlessness, and a near emergency when the tent nearly caught fire.

Day 17 – Got up early and packed up our tent. Drove to Fargo where we had a hotel reserved. Nikki and Julie and I went shopping while Marcel and Maddie went to the pool. Went out for supper, and then relaxed in the hotel room.

Day 18 – I took Maddie to the pool for awhile before checking out of the hotel, then we went to Perkin’s for brunch. Did a bit more shopping (new running shoes for Marcel, Nikki, and Julie) and headed for home. Stopped at Grand Forks for a little more shopping and some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Back on the road again. Arrived home around 9:30 p.m.

Home

6400 kilometres later, and we are home. A little bedraggled and road weary, but at least we made it. The girls are eating Kraft dinner for supper (at 10:30 at night), because that's about all we could muster. There is a mountain of laundry to tackle, but that can wait for the morning.

For the first time in two weeks, I'll get to spend the night in the same bed as my husband WITH NO CHILDREN IN THE ROOM. :-) I love hotel rooms and tents, and even the bunkbeds we had at the camp, but my bed sure will feel good tonight!

Re-entry

Tomorrow (barring any more delays involving trailer lights that prevent us from driving in the dark) we will be home. Tonight I'm still fighting for computer time in a hotel room with my computer-deprived family.

For a little preview of part of our vacation, you can check out the lovely slideshow on my sister-in-law's blog. They shared half of our vacation with us (on the west coast, if you haven't figured that out by now), and I contributed a few of the pictures to the show. (Between my brother and I, we have every interesting moment digitally documented.)

I'll try to write more soon, when my index finger heals. (We nearly burned down the tent last night, with our children - and us - inside. In the end, the only casualties were my most-used finger and an air mattress we hoped to spend the rest of the night on. Oh - and the cord connecting the battery to my husband's CPAP machine. It was a little scary.)

I just realized I mentioned the only 2 negatives on this vacation. Trust me, I'd have a hard time coming up with anything else negative.

More soon.

Still wandering... home soon

It has been amazing. We're on our way home.
(Photo taken by budding photographer - and my early morning wandering companion - Julie.)

On the road

Not exactly breaking the bank

I got a cheque in the mail for $50. For a poem that’s about to be published. Guess that makes me a bon-a-fide poet! Unless you count the 75 cents that was my cut when they passed the hat at a poetry reading many years ago, that’s the first time I’ve gotten paid for poetry. I’ve had a few published before, but never for payment.

I don’t write many poems these days, so I don’t really think of myself as a poet. This particular poem was written about 10 years ago. It was accepted for publication about 5 years ago, and since the magazine went on hiatus for a few years (I think they ran out of money – it’s hard to keep literary mags afloat), they only got around to publishing it now.

Clearly, poetry is not a very lucrative business. I won’t quit my day job.

(In case you’re going to ask to see the poem, I can’t show you until it appears in print. It turns out that if something appears on a blog, it is considered “published”. I learned that the hard way when another publication was going to accept a piece I’d written, but they took the time to Google it, found it on my blog, and turned it down because they only accept unpublished work.)

Buzzheads and other beauties

Without knowing the other one was doing it, these two simultaneously got buzz cuts.
My sunglasses are not nearly as cool as my daughter's! But at least I have a cool hat.

Where the wild things aren't

We went camping this past weekend. On every trip to the bathroom or the beach, and every time my young niece wanted to go for a walk or my daughter wanted to go for a bike ride, we would stop along the path to pick plump purple wild saskatoons. They were delicious. (If you’ve never had them, they’re a little like blueberries, but they grow in trees instead of small bushes close to the ground.) Other than an unfortunate encounter with a bee, the girls enjoyed the opportunity to pillage the woods. What was almost second nature to me – to pluck a ripe fruit out of the bush along the path – was rather novel for them.

Though I’m not planning to move out of the city any time soon, some days I lament the fact that my children have so little opportunity to enjoy things in the wild. I spent many of the summers of my childhood looking for wild things. In the Spring, we hunted through last year’s grass to try to spot the first fuzzy purple crocus to poke its way to the surface. A little later in the season, we’d wander the fields looking for wild tiger lilies or bright orange cowslips. Along our driveway, the bush was lavishly dotted with soft pink wild roses. Those were a little more tricky to pick, though, because of the thorns. We felt especially lucky when we’d stumble on wild ladyslippers in the cattle pasture – but we always heeded the warning of my older brother who said that those should NOT be picked because they were becoming endangered.

Then there were the fruits of the wild – chokecherries along the path to the barn, wild raspberries along “raspberry lane” where we’d ride our bikes to the field to bring dad his lunch, wild saskatoons, and occasionally – when we were lucky – wild strawberries.

Wild animals were mostly for looking at (like the wild beaver that inexplicably made its way to our dugout, miles from a stream or river), but occasionally even those were fair game for the capture. I remember standing at the base of a tree where my older brothers had instructed me to guard a raccoon while they went back to the farmyard for a box. I shirked my duties, though, when the raccoon started coming down the tree – I think I beat my brothers to the farmyard.

My kids are completely “citified” (wow – spell check says that’s a word!). Almost everything they come into contact with is domesticated or tame. Fruit only comes from the store (with a few exceptions, like the raspberry bushes at their grandparents’ house); and flowers are either planted in the flower beds, bought at the florist, or mowed over with the lawnmower. And wild creatures? Well, you should see the way they react to bugs that get in the car! Oy veh!

Seasons change

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 3

I’m reading a book called “Leaving Church”. It’s a personal memoir about Barbara Brown Taylor’s experience of giving up the priesthood.

Though I didn’t realize the serendipity at the time, I bought the book with a gift certificate I’d gotten when I ended my tenure as an elder at our church. (No – in case any GNFers are getting worried – I’m not “leaving church”, I’m just stepping away from leadership.)

For everything there is a season. It’s time for me to step away and enter other seasons. Not only am I not an elder anymore (the highly skilled Krista is picking up the mantle), I’ve also given up doing announcements and welcomes. Basically, I’m stepping out of any leadership or public persona role and slipping into an “anonymous churchgoer” role. And that’s the way I want it for now.

It feels like a time for other things. I need a season for focusing on my writing a little more. Maybe a season for taking some art courses – pottery, painting, photography – I’m not sure what yet. Mostly, I’m hoping it will be a season for creativity. And maybe a little rest.

I’m not sure what other changes the coming year will bring. When I started this job, I’d told myself I would give it at least 5 years. After that, Marcel would be finished university and I might be able to consider other options. This is my fifth year. Marcel doesn’t have a full-time job yet, but he makes a pretty decent living as a substitute teacher.

I still love my job, and honestly? I could see myself quite happily spending another 5 years here if it came to that. I’m in no rush to leave. But I’m also ready to open myself up to new possibilities. I’ve done a lot of really amazing things in the 4+ years I’ve been here, and I’m pretty confident I’ve left a positive mark on the organization, so I could walk away if it felt right to do so.

At this point, though, I’m in no rush to move into anything new. I’m going to enjoy the summer, sign up for a class or two in the fall, and maybe find a little more time and space for some writing. And in the meantime, I’m going to say “no” to almost anything anyone asks me to do for church.

She likes me, she really likes me

When I get home from work these days, Maddie likes to talk. And talk. Incessantly. We go for a bike ride – she talks. I do laundry – she talks. I wash the supper dishes – she talks. I try to get her to go to bed – she talks.

Yesterday she was telling me about a show she’d watched with her sisters. I think it’s called Wife Swap? (Where 2 women switch homes for a week.) Apparently one of the families lived a rather chaotic and crazy lifestyle and liked pretending they were pirates. The other family was much more structured and organized and the wife and daughter were more into girlie things.

I asked her “so… if I were to switch with another mom for a week, what kind of woman would you want it to be?”

“Well,” she said, and thought about it for awhile. “Someone kinda organized, but still a lot of fun.” And then she smiled. “Just like you.”

Good answer.

Another year, another Folk Fest

Another great weekend is behind us. We danced, we ate whales' tails, we listened to good music, we tried to hide from the rain, we dreamed about buying funky (but too expensive) clothes from the handmade village, we wandered, we mused, we got muddy, we talked to friends, we people-watched, we pointed out all the old regulars, we reminisced about the over 20 years of history we'd seen in this place, we shared moments with our offspring who've attended every year of their lives... aaahhhh, we had fun. It's always such a let-down to see it end.

Just a few memories to hang onto as we go through withdrawal... (As you can see, we enjoyed a wide variety of weather.)

Music to a mother's ears

Our kids have had to stay at home alone for much of this week, because Marcel is taking some French upgrading and I've been at work. I wasn’t sure how that was going to go. They’ve been alone at home before, but never for a few days in a row like this.

Well, it turns out I needn’t have worried.

Yesterday I phoned home to find out how Maddie was (she’d been sick during the night), and Julie said, rather matter-of-factly “yeah, she puked this morning. But it’s no big deal. I cleaned it up.” When I asked if I should come home, she said “Nah, we’ve got things under control.”

In the afternoon, I phoned home again, and Nikki said “well, we’ve already cleaned the bathroom and the living room and now we’re working on the basement. We sent Maddie upstairs for a nap because she wasn’t helping.”

Today I phoned home and Julie said “I thought we’d like some treats for the Folk Festival this weekend, so I’ve baked some chocolate chip cookies and now I’m going to make some brownies. For the chocolate chip cookies, I split the recipe in half because I wanted to add white chocolate to some.”

How’dya like that? Despite my many parenting doubts and the occasional screw-ups, they’re turning out alright!

Cringe

I’ve put it off as long as possible, but now I must face the inevitable. I grit my teeth, brace myself, and plunge in. I know I will face rocky seas, disgruntled people, awkward conversations, and lots of uncomfortable moments. I know I will have to say some fairly harsh things, and probably hear a few harsh responses. I will try to be gentle, but I have to balance that out with cold, hard honesty.

It’s performance appraisal time.

This is the moment of every year that I would prefer not to be a manager.

Random

1. Maddie learned to ride a two-wheeler bike this week. Based on the less-than-pleasant experiences of teaching her sisters (cringe), I was dreading having to teach her, but she was much more relaxed about it (perhaps it’s a youngest child thing?) and it turned out to be fun and surprisingly easy.

2. I like to think of myself as a fairly tolerant person. I don’t yell at bad drivers (maybe they’re distracted because they just found out a family member died) and I try to give rude salespeople the benefit of the doubt (maybe their mother was never kind to them and they didn’t have a good role model). BUT… there are a few things I just can’t tolerate. Littering is one of them. On Tuesday (Canada Day), I saw three people casually toss garbage on the ground and walk away. COME ON PEOPLE! Let’s not be stupid!

3. Only one week until Folk Festival!

4. Maddie dropped in at the office this morning to donate the bag full of the change she’s been saving for months. She wanted to give it to the poorest country in the world – “because they don’t have enough food and they often have to drink dirty water”. I guess she WAS listening when I came home with stories of the people I’ve met in my travels! Ah, it swells a mother’s heart.

5. A few weeks ago, I went to a blogging workshop at a Christian writers’ conference (without having researched the presenter first). The blogger leading the workshop was shockingly right-wing, and what I’ve seen of her blog since is mostly anti-Muslim (with a little anti-gay thrown in for good measure) rhetoric - some of it frighteningly hateful. She has a large readership and it fills me with uneasiness that there are so many people who sing her praises. It also fills me with uneasiness that she was applauded at a “Christian” writers’ conference. (I could say more about that conference – but I'll save that for another time.)

6. I’ve actually had time to sew this week. What fun! I’m finally putting my lovely Indian fabric to good use. Nikki has a new dress, and Julie has a shirt and capri pants. Maddie’s next. Watch for the family in the funky Indian tie-died clothes at Folk Festival!

Summer time and the livin' is easy

Notice any difference between the months? In June, we had to colour code the calendar because there were so many days that two or three family members had to be in different places at the same time. And July? Well, we flipped the page, and suddenly there is a blank slate ahead of us. Ahhhhh... how I love blank slates!

We started off on the right foot with a trip to the beach yesterday, and a family bike trip to the Forks for Canada Day celebrations today. (That's a 22 kilometre round trip! The longest we've done as a family.)

It's hot, hot, hot, and we're tired, tired, tired (in fact, Marcel is lying on the couch next to me snoring right now), but we're oh so happy that it's summer!

Happy Canada Day and Happy Summer!

Holding Zimbabwe in my heart

Today, as my heart aches for the people of Zimbabwe who are left with so little to hope for in an election that is not really an election, I wrote this note to my friend Pugeni...

Pugeni – my prayers are with you and all of the people of Zimbabwe today. I pray that God will see you through this time, and that your hopeful hearts and loving spirits will continue to shine through the shadows. I pray that peace and justice will come to your country in the months to come.

Every time I hear of Zimbabwe in the news, I think of you and your ready smile and teasing wit. I think of the fun we had when you first walked on snow and learned what a Slurpee is. I think of the way you challenged me to continue to seek justice and equality for people who live with hunger. I think of the way you marvelled at my big North American house and how you made me realize just how much I have to give away.

Peace be with you. I hope to see you again some day.

Gulp

We went out for lunch today to celebrate the birthday of our receptionist, a university student who's working here for her summer job. She just turned 20.

After lunch, it occurred to me that I am wearing a skirt that I got when she was about 2 years old.

Either I'm old, or I keep my clothes too long. Or both.