These last few months have been a very busy time for our family, especially the primary blogger. Posting blogs has been set aside while she works on her other priorities.
The kitchen cabinets are ALMOST done! The project was started in January, so it will be good to have doors on the cabinets. (Although, I must say I didn't miss the slamming of the doors and it was easier to get things from the cupboards.) I did have to tell a few visitors that having no cabinet doors was not our "new look" for the kitchen.
I have taken a new position within Canada Post as a letter carrier. This is a casual position and I am on a list with several other casuals waiting for calls to fill in for the permanent workers. This is how all letter carriers start, so there is no other way to become a letter carrier. I did have 2 1/2 weeks of training, so I am feeling a bit more confident about the job. Some routes have more steps a day in them than climbing to the top of the CN tower. This job will pay more than my other position and I get to be outside. I did not like working in the office every day, even though I enjoyed the customers. Hopefully, I will get enough work to make it worthwhile.
Softball season has started for Julia and me. We will be busy several nights a week with games. Andrew is also playing on a team through our church. He usually plays soccer in the spring/summer, but decided on softball this season. He is still roofing as much as he can after his morning classes. He is also working at Wendy's to supplement his income.
Leah and Julia's show season has also started. Julia was at a show two weeks ago (placed 3rd in combined) and both of them went to a training Dressage show last weekend. The Dressage show was at their coach's barn, so it was very close. The judge was a Grand Prix rider who talked to each of the riders after their test to tell them how they could improve their scores the next show. She was very helpful.
Hannah has been busy working at Anna Mae's and organizing her "Relay for Life" group. This is a group of 10 students who have to raise $1000 for cancer research. They then do a relay for several hours long, even going into the night. Hannah is team captain and has worked hard to bring it all together. The relay falls on her 18th birthday, so we will have to celebrate it on another day. Hannah is also looking forward to her prom and has been out shopping for all the right accessories!
Daniel is coming up to the tail end of his first year in high school. He has done well, but will need to focus on what kind of job he wants for the summer. He is content to just hang out and ride his BMX bike, but that is not an option for the summer. He has been going through a growth spurt and is now taller than me. He really has a talent for fixing electronics and likes the challenge of trying to figure out how it all works. Most of the time when he puts it together again, it works great. Sometimes, it doesn't ever work again! Dropping it in water doesn't do it any good even if you soak it in rice.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Andrew's DR Missions Trip
Andrew recently returned from a missions trip to the Dominican Republic with his SLI class. He had a wonderful trip and thanks all those people who supported him financially and with prayers. Andrew was surprised that these people were soooooo friendly and even with the language barrier, they were always smiling and wanting to play with them. Their team travelled to different schools and ministered to the kids through skits designed to tell them about God's great love for them. The message was translated through a local interpreter and there were over 200 kids that stood up to accept Jesus. There is also a local program to help disciple those same kids in their new life in Christ. One thing he could not get over though was how they drive. He said it was CHAOS everywhere on the roads, especially at the intersections. The vehicle with the loudest horn and craziest driver had the right-away. He said they drove on the wrong side of the road (even at the risk of a head-on crash with an on-coming vehicle) to pass if you weren't going fast enough. No one seemed to obey any traffic laws or lights. Good luck trying to cross the street in town and motorcyclist were "death waiting to happen!"We were very happy to see him return safely and thankful for the wonderful experience he had while down there.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Winter Updates
Just a few of the family updates this winter:
Well, this is the winter that never was. We have enjoyed a nice, mild winter so far and the forecast looks pretty promising for an early, warm spring. (Based on the fact that the groundhog saw his shadow!) That means there was little snow to be shovelled/blown and barn chores were not as demanding as they normally would be. And, using the round bale hay net has saved me a TON of work. Not having to toss several small bales twice a day is great!
Andrew is gearing up to leave for his missions trip to the Dominican Republic very soon. Thank you all so much who have financially helped him make this happen. Please pray for a safe trip and good health. He is also planning on starting back roofing next week. He has been working at Wendy's since January to be able to pay his car insurance and gas bills. He is much happier working outside (takes after his mother!)
Hannah is very happy to have passed her final stage of driving. She now has her full G license, and that means she is legal to drive anywhere at anytime. This is a big accomplishment for her since she has done the whole process in a little over 1 year. For a 17 year old, that is awesome! She continues to enjoy her job at Anna Mae's and is saving up to go back to France next year. She graduates from High School in June, so she is praying about what to do after that.
Leah recently bought her project horse for this year. He is a 7 year old Palomino gelding. He looks like Dixie's twin brother. That is where the similarities end, though. He is a forward moving horse with great jumping skills. He is also a spoiled brat! His previous owner was a young girl who "spoiled" him by letting him totally dominate her. When we were loading him on the trailer to take him home, he dragged Leah across the lawn several times, tried to bite her, kicked at me, and reared several times. She will have her work cut out for her and hopefully she can do it safely. She has now brought Blaze home from the neighbor's place where she was boarding him for the winter. He has progressed in his Dressage quite well. She is looking forward to starting her show season next month.
Daniel is settling into high school routines. He is quickly learning how to do homework every night since this semester he has English, Math, and Science (all lots of homework). It is probably a good thing his job is seasonal so he can focus on learning to manage his time. He is still enjoying his photography and BMX biking. And since winter has been mild, he has had more practice time outside than usual.
Julia is turning into a young lady very quickly. Grade 6 is a transition time for that in school. She has big goals for the summer; find a (paying) job, show her pony, and play softball. She has done a great job being responsible for morning chores and getting herself off to school when I have to leave early for work.
I (Laura) have had a very busy winter. I recently got accepted to a new position, so I am going through a lot of training courses for that in the next two months. I am also taking on the big project of re-doing our kitchen cabinets. This has taken a long time since I am putting on an extra piece of trim around each door/drawer. I do not have enough wood clamps to do more than one door at a time, so each day I glue one more door and wait 24 hours for it to dry. There is a positive side to not having doors on the cabinets. . . it is very easy to get what you need and NO slamming of cupboard doors!
Jim has recently bought a new dirt/road bike. He has been spending many hours getting it ready to go for the nice weather. Since next week's weather forecast looks warm and sunny, he may get to try it out sooner than expected. That will free up one vehicle for the kids to use and since Leah is going for her G2 next week, this will be really useful.
All in all, it has been a great winter and we have been pretty healthy. (Praise be to God!) Leah avoided a serious injury when she fell off Blaze a couple of weeks ago. No one has had to flu this winter. Andrew avoided serious injury to himself and his car when he rear ended an SUV in Feb. Just glad to be able to enjoy all of us at home for a few months longer. Next year could be totally different that way!
Well, this is the winter that never was. We have enjoyed a nice, mild winter so far and the forecast looks pretty promising for an early, warm spring. (Based on the fact that the groundhog saw his shadow!) That means there was little snow to be shovelled/blown and barn chores were not as demanding as they normally would be. And, using the round bale hay net has saved me a TON of work. Not having to toss several small bales twice a day is great!
Andrew is gearing up to leave for his missions trip to the Dominican Republic very soon. Thank you all so much who have financially helped him make this happen. Please pray for a safe trip and good health. He is also planning on starting back roofing next week. He has been working at Wendy's since January to be able to pay his car insurance and gas bills. He is much happier working outside (takes after his mother!)
Hannah is very happy to have passed her final stage of driving. She now has her full G license, and that means she is legal to drive anywhere at anytime. This is a big accomplishment for her since she has done the whole process in a little over 1 year. For a 17 year old, that is awesome! She continues to enjoy her job at Anna Mae's and is saving up to go back to France next year. She graduates from High School in June, so she is praying about what to do after that.
Leah recently bought her project horse for this year. He is a 7 year old Palomino gelding. He looks like Dixie's twin brother. That is where the similarities end, though. He is a forward moving horse with great jumping skills. He is also a spoiled brat! His previous owner was a young girl who "spoiled" him by letting him totally dominate her. When we were loading him on the trailer to take him home, he dragged Leah across the lawn several times, tried to bite her, kicked at me, and reared several times. She will have her work cut out for her and hopefully she can do it safely. She has now brought Blaze home from the neighbor's place where she was boarding him for the winter. He has progressed in his Dressage quite well. She is looking forward to starting her show season next month.
Daniel is settling into high school routines. He is quickly learning how to do homework every night since this semester he has English, Math, and Science (all lots of homework). It is probably a good thing his job is seasonal so he can focus on learning to manage his time. He is still enjoying his photography and BMX biking. And since winter has been mild, he has had more practice time outside than usual.
Julia is turning into a young lady very quickly. Grade 6 is a transition time for that in school. She has big goals for the summer; find a (paying) job, show her pony, and play softball. She has done a great job being responsible for morning chores and getting herself off to school when I have to leave early for work.
I (Laura) have had a very busy winter. I recently got accepted to a new position, so I am going through a lot of training courses for that in the next two months. I am also taking on the big project of re-doing our kitchen cabinets. This has taken a long time since I am putting on an extra piece of trim around each door/drawer. I do not have enough wood clamps to do more than one door at a time, so each day I glue one more door and wait 24 hours for it to dry. There is a positive side to not having doors on the cabinets. . . it is very easy to get what you need and NO slamming of cupboard doors!
Jim has recently bought a new dirt/road bike. He has been spending many hours getting it ready to go for the nice weather. Since next week's weather forecast looks warm and sunny, he may get to try it out sooner than expected. That will free up one vehicle for the kids to use and since Leah is going for her G2 next week, this will be really useful.
All in all, it has been a great winter and we have been pretty healthy. (Praise be to God!) Leah avoided a serious injury when she fell off Blaze a couple of weeks ago. No one has had to flu this winter. Andrew avoided serious injury to himself and his car when he rear ended an SUV in Feb. Just glad to be able to enjoy all of us at home for a few months longer. Next year could be totally different that way!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Birthday Time
Feburary 18 was Andrew's 19th birthday. It is hard to believe that our little pumpkin is all growed up! We had his favorite meal (Nacho Dip and Chips) for lunch since he had to work at Wendy's that evening. Here he is sporting his new haircut that looks a bit like a mohawk. Since he will be leaving in a few weeks for much warmer weather on his mission trip, I am wondering if he may want to go for the buzz cut.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
New Duties
Recently I found out that I have been accepted at the Waterloo Regional Police as an Auxiliary officer. This position is a volunteer position. I will be helping the local police force to keep the community safe during large events with crowd and traffic control. I will also have the opportunity to do "ride along" where I can go along with a constable during a shift and help him/her. I would also love to have the opportunity to help with the mounted division. I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve my community in this way. Next week I go for a uniform fitting and in March I will be taking a week off of work to do intensive training for the position. I will not be carrying a firearm on duty, but will be trained on how to use them in an emergency situation.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ouch!
One slippery, snowy day, Andrew slid into the back of an SUV. While there was absoutely NO damage to the SUV (praise God!) Andrew's Civic did not make it out undamaged. Thankfully, he was going slow and no one got hurt, but our mechanic thought we should scrap the car. It was going to cost too much to repair. This is where my wonderful husband stepped in and unbent the frame enough to access the altenator. He then spliced the cut wire together so that it could once again charge the battery. After that, he re-attached the hood to the frame (so that it wouldn't fly up when a large vehicle passed Andrew). Finally, he re-mounted the review mirror. Oh, and did I mention he duct taped the headlight so the rain/snow would not get in? And he did this one Saturday morning all the while Andrew was sleeping in and surprised him when he woke up. From junk yard bound to "a few more months. . .maybe" in 4 hours.
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