A New Challenge

Things are going to be different for me at work this year. Something has occurred that I certainly did not foresee in my future at all. Due to the resignation of our lead secretary, I have been asked to take up the position of lead.

The title is a bit ominous and I really do not see myself as a 'leader' in any capacity. In all honesty, our office runs like a well-oiled machine and I really won't be directing anyone. I'm just the one that is responsible for the office when all is said and done.

The position is a trial until December (at my request) and then I'll assess it at that point.

I want it to work out but I will need to see how my new responsibilities work with my family life as well. Heather has total confidence in my abilities (so she says...ha ha ha!) which is also most reassuring.

I am strangely calm about the whole thing and that's a real surprise to me. Anyone who knows me, knows what a 'worrier' I am. I feel completely at peace. Could it be that I am actually and finally growing up?

At my age, it's about time!

Gardening

Stink, he's cute!

Here We Go Again!

I enjoyed my 6 weeks off work very much. It was the perfect blend of doing nothing and doing something. A great summer filled with trips, family activities, chumming with my boys and new memories. My last week before starting work was spent up at the family property in Oroville. It was the first summer my grandparents weren't living there. They have decided that they will not be going to Oroville any more which at their age is understandable. We missed their huge garden and their presence there as well. One thing is for sure...Oma certainly kept those spiders and their webs under control. Everyday one of us would have to do spider patrol on the deck, railings, and around the eaves. Ick!

So here I will leave you with some picture. Few words are necessary!

Marmot hunting at Manning Park.

Sliding

Teasing the critters with empty peanut shells found on the ground.

Hanging with my buddy.

Football.

Boating.

Puttering.

Windsurfing.

Posing.

Happy.

Sundown.

Sailor.

Swordsman

Dry land knee boarding. Hopefully my dad has photos on his blog of his skiing in the near future.

Floating

Tickling

Tubing

Smiling

Flying

Eating

Driving

Grilling

Apricot frittering (so glad the trees in the orchard are still there!)

Pouting

Relaxing

Playing

Love 'em

Reeling

Tidying

Sitting

~The End~

Lucky Me

My brother picked me an ice cream bucket full of delicious ripe blackberries today! What a nice guy. Methinks he's hankering after a dinner invitation!

What's in a Name?

Growing up, I called each set of my grandparents by a different name. As my mom's parents were immigrants to Canada they were automatically Oma & Opa with their German heritage. My dad's parents were born in Canada so were called the more generic Grandma and Grandpa. I like that I could differentiate between the two by their unique titles.

When it came time to chose what names I wanted Nathan to called his grandparents I had something a bit unconventional in mind. My parents kindly went along with my suggestion to be called Nana and Grandad. You see, when I in elementary school I had a very close friend named Gillian. She was of English background and was very close to her English grandparents. These were some of the kindest people I had ever met. They were grandparents like no other. My own grandparents were a bit distant and I was not super close to them, nor felt very comfortable in their presence. I don't know why this was...but it was! My friend Gillian had her grandparents wrapped around her little finger and they would indulge her requests with kind smiles and pats on the head. They even had me to their wonderful home in North Vancouver for a weekend where they spoiled us silly and truly treated me as a royal guest. I have the best memories of them. So back to the story...

Gillian called them Nanny and Grandad and so in hopes my children would have that type of relationship with their grandparents I wanted them called the same. Nana was a good compromise as nanny didn't really suit my mom!

Keith's parents are the traditional Grandpa and Grandma which suits them just fine.

So, what do you (or did you) call your grandparents? And is there any special significance to their name?

A Study in Water Conservation

Burnaby Village

I hadn't been to Burnaby Village since my grade 5 field trip in 1985! And to be honest I probably would not have taken my kids to visit yesterday if I hadn't of heard about their free admission this summer. But I like 'free' and it was something to do....so off we went. Oh, and another lovely surprise was free parking. What a rare treat.

We started off in the 1920's tram. The volunteers or hosts are very knowledgeable at this park and very eager to share what they know of their displays. Most of them are in period costumes as well which gives the whole experience more of an authentic air.

After the tram we went for a ride on the antique carousel (1912 I think). This was the only 'fee' in the park. Liam was really keen to go until we actually got in the line up....then he started to seriously freak. I made a deal that we would not sit on a horse but only on the bench and I would hold him very very tight. He reluctantly agreed this might be okay. The look of fear is all over that poor boy's face.

Nana wasn't scared. I couldn't get a picture of the other boys because the horses they chose were too far away from us. I guess the horses close to me were too 'girly'. Whatever!

These horses are carved of wood and almost 100 years old! Amazing.

I didn't mind this little boy clinging to me for dear life. It was sweet. The ride at to stop at one point to let off a screaming toddler so I suppose it wasn't so odd that Liam was frightened. I felt that it did spin quite fast. I felt woozy!

After the ride was over Liam decided that he would be brave enough for a picture on a horse. After the picture, he decided that he was brave enough to ride again, ON a horse this time. I had to pull him off kicking and screaming since I wasn't about to buy him another ticket. He cause a scene to be sure but these things don't bother me at all. I just strapped him in his stroller and ignored him.

Next stop was a beautiful home to tour. Looks very large from the outside but it wasn't as big as you think on the inside. Very nicely done though. I was commenting to my mom about how we think (in BC) that something from the 1920's is old and worth a look when in, say the U.K., they have things to look at from 900+ years ago! We are such a 'baby' of a country still.

The interior of the house was done up like it was a wedding day. So pretty!

Down 'main' street there was some drooling happening over the bakery wares on display. Looked pretty good for 'fake' food.

I'm still not really sure what a 1970's display was doing in one of the buildings. Fun anyhow!

It wasn't very busy and the weather was perfect for traipsing around.

My mom and I packed a picnic lunch and we enjoyed it in the sunshine. There are plenty of picnic tables all over the park.

My mom enjoyed this garden very much...of course!

In the old school house.

Here are the boys waiting not for a train but for our turn on a 1924 Model T car!

This was a fantastic thrill for all of us. How often does one get to do this?! It took us for a spin around the whole park. Very fun. While we were waiting our turn for a ride in the car, a museum volunteer asked if we would take a short survey with her. I agreed and for my troubles she gave us ONE free ticket for a carousel ride. Now how awesome is that?! Liam would get his horse ride after all. He smiled so big at this news! I didn't need a ticket to stand up next to him which was perfect!

He still looks a bit worried but was such a brave boy.

Whee...it was great. I definitely felt 'green' again but to see Liam this tickled with himself was completely worth it.

I could have posted many many more photos of the shops and displays but I should leave something for you to see yourself when you visit! The barber shop was very authentic. As was the drug store, dry goods, general store, optician, music store, movie theatre, tinsmith.....etc.

And our last picture before we left for the day. We probably could have stayed a bit longer but Liam was getting quite sleepy and we wanted to beat rush hour home. It was a lovely day trip and I recommend for families of all ages.