No Room at the Inn

It's rather hard for me to believe but we have another international guest staying at our house.   Every bedroom has a resident now!
Daisy arrived from Thailand last Thursday and will be with us until April 27th.  She is the teacher for a group of 16 students who are at MEI for a cultural visit. 
So far so good!
She is a delightful lady who is interested in getting to know us, further her English (which is already quite good) and be a part of our lives. 
Last night she cooked up a Thai dinner for us.  Sadly, I was all stuffed up with a cold so my taste buds weren't very sharp but it was very well received by all.
She loves Liam and he's enjoying all the attention!
I know we'll miss her when she goes but until then we will enjoy showing her around our beautiful area and learning about her Thai culture.

 Note that Daisy is cooking in her coat.  She is finding it quite cold here as it is 35 degrees in her city right now!

Soup, Thai omelette and pork & veggie stir fry on rice.

Dr. Google

Perhaps you already knew this but I just discovered something for myself that makes this curious girl very happy.
One can get ALL the juicy details of all BioMed lab test results online.  This means that after they take your blood, pee or whatever sort of bodily fluid you can get your results YOURSELF before you do or (usually) do not hear back from your doctor.
I recently went to my doctor for a check up (this took great courage!).  It had been about 6 years so I knew it was time.  She's a new doctor for me and very thorough.  This is good and somewhat disturbing as I don't like medical exams of any sort.
Anyhow she sent me for routine blood work and I was able to see all my results and subsequently diagnose myself (ha ha ha!) before too long.
Actually the doctor's office just called me the other day to have my blood drawn again to do a more specific test and I was able to see those results in less than 24 hours!  I love this.
Anyhow, the good news is that I am quite healthy....minus the fact I seem to have a solid case of anemia. 
I have a follow up appointment next week and I can guess that I'll have to go on iron pills.  Double blech!
This is also a bit sad because I really wanted to start donating blood with the Red Cross but with my numbers this is not likely to ever happen.

Celebrations

Celebrating '16' came bright and early as Nathan was super keen to get his learner's lisence straight away!  He did brilliantly on the test and we were out of there before a blink of an eye.  

 In the evening we had the family over for a gourmet meal (by request) of ribs, scalloped potatoes, salad and garlic bread.  The meal ended with a most decadently delicious Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake!

 Liam does his very hardest to remain the centre of attention...always!

Our growing family.  Next month it's Chad and Keith's turn to get a little older!

 Keith and Murray attempted the birthday bumps.  It's a big awkward with a heavy teen that's over six feet tall!

 The next night we took one of Nate's buddies (actually the only friend left in town that was NOT away on vacation!) and him out to Richmond to satisfy some need for speed at an indoor go kart track.

 I didn't race....someone had to take pictures!

 They had a great time...huge smiles when they were finished!

 Keith did win out for the final results.  I guess having some 'real' driving experience is an asset!

16 Years in a Blink of an Eye

My first born.

The baby that expanded my heart.  

The son that realigned every goal, dream and aspiration.

The child that has made me so very proud!

He is 16 years old today.

My heart hurts...in a good way!  

Private Education - A Personal Perspective

I guarantee you that if you would have asked me five short years ago if I was even remotely interested in sending my children to private school the answer would have been 'no'.

We were happy with our decision to have our kids go through the traditional school model in the public system.  We had no complaints...it was working out very well.

The shift in thinking all got started with a surprise blessing named Liam.

During my maternity leave I grew very restless at the thought of returning to the Credit Union after my one year leave.  In this case absence was NOT making the heart grow fonder and I was increasingly becoming agitated about returning to a job I did not enjoy anymore.  I by chance saw a posting online for a one day a week position at MEI middle school as a secretary and thought it was worth a shot.  I would lose nothing by applying.  I figured this was a way to get my foot in the door to being a secretary in a school (long time dream) by working one day a week there and the other hours at the credit union.  It was positively providential that I was called for an interview and then called back and offered the job....four days a week!  This was a sign it was for me.  Although I didn't want to work so much with a little boy at home I was NOT going to let this opportunity slip by.  I happily took the position and well, let's just say I've never looked back.  It has been a massive blessing in my life.  I love my job, my co-workers, the students and the parents.  It's truly a dream come true.  After working two years at MEI,  I grew to find that my desire to have my children be a part of the MEI community quite strong and we moved Nathan over for grade 8.  Best decision ever!  He absolutely thrived and my momma's heart was about bursting to see him so happy.  Chad followed the next year starting grade six and well, it was a no-brainer to have Liam here for Kindergarten.  I am beyond pleased with their experience.  The holistic approach to education...mind, body and spirit fulfills their every need.  They are sincerely loved, cared about, prayed for and educated in a way that makes every financial sacrifice worth it.  

I'm so glad we gave MEI a chance....it has been so good for us all!

Famoso Pizza

Keith and I have been trying to get out for lunch dates about every 6 weeks or so.  It's nice to meet up in the middle of the day....no babysitting required with Liam at school!  Last week we tried out one of the new eateries at High Street.  It was pretty good.

 I had the soup and small pizza for $10.  The tomato bisque was lovely and fresh tasting.  The Margherita pizza was also quite nice but was lacking in basil.  More please!

 Keith had a personal sized Thai pizza that he really enjoyed.  It was very different he said.  I didn't taste it but it looked good!

It's likely we'll be back to try it again.  It's conveniently located next to the new movie theatre so I'm sure they will get plenty of business.  Truth be told nothing quite beats a Chef's Special pizza from Rendezvous...there is just nothing like it, IMHO of course!