I was going to post this with the "Update" post, but it really does deserve it's own post, even though there are no pictures.
This past weekend, Rod and I spoiled ourselves and took a weekend away, just the two of us. I met Rod's mom midway between our houses on Friday and exchanged a van full of kids for an empty van. Mmmmm. What a treat "quiet" can be!
On Friday evening we just enjoyed a quiet night - we went out for dinner and then rented a video.
Saturday morning, despite the weather warnings, we drove down to NY state to Lake Placid. The weather was Cold. With a capital C. In a sense it limited the activities we could do that day, but we still managed to go for a bit of exploration, watch a bit of a hockey game, go shopping and go out for dinner. By Saturday night, the snow storm came. And came. It was actually quite beautiful, and it did mean that the temperature rose a good ten degrees. It also meant that driving home and picking up the kids was not quite as enjoyable as it otherwise could have been.
BUT...
The time away was So.Very.Good. It is such an important thing to reconnect with each other, and to remember that we were - and are - best friends first! In the midst of the noise, hubbub, and busyness of life's daily grind and daily blessings, I am his, and he is mine. And that is a good thing to celebrate.
Here's to another one...whenever that may be.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Update / "More"
Well...there went November. And half of December.
Time carries on, apparently, with or without me.
I have been still working one day a week at the Christian school, and learning lots. I do love being a part of it and part of such an encouraging and supportive staff. The public school board also got hold of me (apparently I had the wrong phone number on file - oops), and so I have been adding some days of supplying with the public board on top of that. It has made our days - and particularly the evenings - a bit more full. We are very much in the "let's see what this looks like for us" stage. We are not sure if the extra work is or is not too busy for us; we are trying to use our discernment in that.
We have settled into (somewhat) of a routine with regards to G in school; it adds another dimension to life, but it is now the "new normal." He really does enjoy school and is thriving in it. He is learning lots of words, and is figuring out this thing called 'reading' - albeit on a rudimentary scale. It's pretty exciting to watch. His teacher is a beautiful woman who sees and cares for his heart. What a gift it has been to watch him grow and learn and develop in such a healthy place.
N continues to be a spunky, fun, caring three year old. In many ways she reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age; that in itself has elements of 'charming' and 'more-than-frustrating.' She is what my mother used to call me: a rut-tut-tut. That's code for 'slowpoke.' We are working on her listening as well as the tone of voice she uses (there seems to be an awful lot of whine in it). But, she has a very soft heart, and one that likes to please and likes to care for others. She will spend hours playing at cooking, shopping, and caring for her babies.
"I" has really grown up and changed in the last little while. Maybe it's the walking? or the four teeth coming in at once? or that he is starting to have a lot more of an opinion and a personality? He is still a very laid-back personality, and has a lot of smiles, but even the smiles are not nearly the sure-thing that they used to be. He is still very easy to care for and enjoy.
It is probably a good thing that he is so "easy" and starting to grow up a little. His status as baby of the family is about to be usurped.
This was taken almost a month ago, at just over 18 weeks; I think I am at 22 or 23 weeks now. We are due in mid/late April. So far, all is well.
(Apologies to those who don't like the 3-D images; it was actually the only kind they gave us this time.)
Time carries on, apparently, with or without me.
I have been still working one day a week at the Christian school, and learning lots. I do love being a part of it and part of such an encouraging and supportive staff. The public school board also got hold of me (apparently I had the wrong phone number on file - oops), and so I have been adding some days of supplying with the public board on top of that. It has made our days - and particularly the evenings - a bit more full. We are very much in the "let's see what this looks like for us" stage. We are not sure if the extra work is or is not too busy for us; we are trying to use our discernment in that.
We have settled into (somewhat) of a routine with regards to G in school; it adds another dimension to life, but it is now the "new normal." He really does enjoy school and is thriving in it. He is learning lots of words, and is figuring out this thing called 'reading' - albeit on a rudimentary scale. It's pretty exciting to watch. His teacher is a beautiful woman who sees and cares for his heart. What a gift it has been to watch him grow and learn and develop in such a healthy place.
N continues to be a spunky, fun, caring three year old. In many ways she reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age; that in itself has elements of 'charming' and 'more-than-frustrating.' She is what my mother used to call me: a rut-tut-tut. That's code for 'slowpoke.' We are working on her listening as well as the tone of voice she uses (there seems to be an awful lot of whine in it). But, she has a very soft heart, and one that likes to please and likes to care for others. She will spend hours playing at cooking, shopping, and caring for her babies.
"I" has really grown up and changed in the last little while. Maybe it's the walking? or the four teeth coming in at once? or that he is starting to have a lot more of an opinion and a personality? He is still a very laid-back personality, and has a lot of smiles, but even the smiles are not nearly the sure-thing that they used to be. He is still very easy to care for and enjoy.
It is probably a good thing that he is so "easy" and starting to grow up a little. His status as baby of the family is about to be usurped.
This was taken almost a month ago, at just over 18 weeks; I think I am at 22 or 23 weeks now. We are due in mid/late April. So far, all is well.
(Apologies to those who don't like the 3-D images; it was actually the only kind they gave us this time.)
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Jailhouse Walk
As you may or may not know, Canada's oldest correction facility and a maximum security prison, a local landmark known as KP, closed its doors this fall. It is older than Canada itself and has been home to some of Canada's worst and most notorious criminals. Its history has included riots, escapes and attempted escapes, women and children prisoners, and growth in buildings and educational and healthcare programs.
While I know that it is not something that appeals to everybody, so many aspects of the Pen fascinate me and have for years: its history, its prime waterfront location, its size (8.6 hectares), the beauty in its architecture, and underlying it all, the deep mystery of what - and who - happens and lives behind the cold stone walls and barred gates.
A few weeks ago, through the combination of good fortune (thanks Alicia) and much patience, Rod and I were able to get some tickets to tour the facility. For those who are worried, all inmates had been relocated several weeks previously. All ticket proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity, so it was a great cause; truthfully, I would have done it even if it wasn't.
The tour did not disappoint. While I would have liked to have seen even more, what we were able to see was fascinating: the entranceway "It's not a warm and cozy place" one volunteer reminded us; the "phone booths" where visits took place with nothing but a phone and plexiglass and toilet paper (for tears?); the hospital, recreation yard, and the exterior of many buildings.
What interested me the most were the two separate four-winged buildings. The first, of course, housed the cell blocks. Several years ago I had been to the Penitentiary Museum, and had seen a model of a cell. Reality was much worse. Small, cold, dirty, block cell - one after the other after the other. Rod's comment was, "Just a few weeks ago this place would have been filled with so much evil and hate."
The other building - also with four wings - was the shop building. It was this building that housed the metal, canvas, carpentry, and mechanical shops where inmates would work. What surprised me was the beauty in its architecture and stonework; in fact, it was designed by the same man who designed the fine arts building at Queen's U.
All in all, it was an afternoon well-spent - particularly because we were allowed to *leave* when we were done!
It may be the lazy way out, but our pictures are not as clear as some of the others that are out there. Thank you, internet, for your photos.
While I know that it is not something that appeals to everybody, so many aspects of the Pen fascinate me and have for years: its history, its prime waterfront location, its size (8.6 hectares), the beauty in its architecture, and underlying it all, the deep mystery of what - and who - happens and lives behind the cold stone walls and barred gates.
A few weeks ago, through the combination of good fortune (thanks Alicia) and much patience, Rod and I were able to get some tickets to tour the facility. For those who are worried, all inmates had been relocated several weeks previously. All ticket proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity, so it was a great cause; truthfully, I would have done it even if it wasn't.
The tour did not disappoint. While I would have liked to have seen even more, what we were able to see was fascinating: the entranceway "It's not a warm and cozy place" one volunteer reminded us; the "phone booths" where visits took place with nothing but a phone and plexiglass and toilet paper (for tears?); the hospital, recreation yard, and the exterior of many buildings.
What interested me the most were the two separate four-winged buildings. The first, of course, housed the cell blocks. Several years ago I had been to the Penitentiary Museum, and had seen a model of a cell. Reality was much worse. Small, cold, dirty, block cell - one after the other after the other. Rod's comment was, "Just a few weeks ago this place would have been filled with so much evil and hate."
The other building - also with four wings - was the shop building. It was this building that housed the metal, canvas, carpentry, and mechanical shops where inmates would work. What surprised me was the beauty in its architecture and stonework; in fact, it was designed by the same man who designed the fine arts building at Queen's U.
All in all, it was an afternoon well-spent - particularly because we were allowed to *leave* when we were done!
It may be the lazy way out, but our pictures are not as clear as some of the others that are out there. Thank you, internet, for your photos.
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