Princess for a Day

Today was "Book Day" at our school. Though I really wanted to be Willy Wonka, instead I teamed up with another teacher (Ashley) to play as the paper bag princess. Those of you with children have likely read one of the Munsch favorites, the Paper Bag Princess. Dirty, smoldering, smelly and adorned in a paper bag.

Anyway, I was humored by the fact that it took dressing up in a paper bag to lighten me up this week. I've knowingly been consumed in the "busy" mode. I didn't want to feel busy, burdened, but couldn't seem to help it. Of course, agitation follows soon after busy mode takes over. Kids seem more annoying than lovable, and as a friend related- you don't even feel like being around yourself, let alone offer yourself to others. It's hard to take yourself too seriously when you're dressed as a dirty, charred princess in a paper bag.

Highlight of the week so far, minus the paper bag act, has been the start of basketball season. I've been reminded of how much I looooove basketball, and coaching the guys! I think we've got some good potential, so that excites me.

Time for bed...signing off from the land of dragons, princes and princesses....

Classroom Reno

Tagged by the kids as "Our Reading Paradise". :)

For the next two weeks, our school is holding its annual "Read-a-thon". Last year we built a school in Cambodia and this year we're raising money to build them a library. We took some pictures in honor of the special event...

Oh, the joy to be found in a good book!

Hairspray and David Gray were awesome until...

I listened to the Robbie Seay Band. I'm loving the latest album, Give Yourself Away. Very, very good.

Musical Mood

Alright, two brands of music are getting a ton of play time in this gal's ears lately.

I'm still not sick of the Hairspray Soundtrack. This is the ultimate FUN music. I bounce my way to tennis listening to "You Can't Stop the Beat". I recall being laughed at my basketball team for getting pumped up before a game by listening to John Denver...but in the way of pump up music, John's got nothing against the Hairspray gang. This morning I was feeling a tad shaky about a monologue at church....solution? Calm worship music for a Sunday morning ride to church? Not today- I'm dancing to Nikki Blonsky's "Good Morning Baltimore", thank you very much! Highly recommended. Guaranteed to make you smile, and maybe even get those weary feet moving...

On the mellow side, David Gray always seems to be the choice these days. I started listening to his music in university, but rarely on a consistent basis. Whether it's at the end of a long day, over supper or a stroll around town, his smooth blends hit the spot. Some of my favorite songs are "Say Hello Wave Goodbye", "Babylon", "This Year's Love" and "White Ladder".

Last weekend...

Last weekend I traveled with 10 high school students and three co-teachers to a city named Kaiping in the southern province of Guangdong. We traveled only 3 hours by bus to get there. I enjoyed the bus ride, looking out onto water-filled rice paddies and row after row of banana plants. Guangdong has many, many coal factories, and it is a wonder that growth of that kind is still possible.

We spent our time connecting with students at the local schools, as well as leading two youth worship services at the government church in Kaiping. It was very interesting to learn about the Three Self Church. I enjoyed a nice visit with a young pastor at a church in a small village outside of Kaiping. We had the chance to go to his village to enjoy meeting some of the Christians in their homes. Very neat, and despite the language barrier for some of us, I think we were able to be an encouragement to these families. I loved walking through the streets, taking pictures of the European flavored architecture amidst the very traditional Chinese environment. I peeked into open doors and saw groups of old Chinese women playing mah jeong and snapped handfuls of pictures of the sweet kids playing in the streets.

The team of students was exceptional. As the collector of the passports, I was amazed at the diversity in our group- I counted 7 different countries represented out of the 10 I collected. I was impressed with their flexibility and willingness (more so passion) to connect with those we came in contact with. The team debrief sessions at the end of the day were definite highlights. They are a moldable group of students- eager to be changed, and led by God. I was encouraged.

Here a few pictures. You can see more on my flickr site.

Peter is in the purple- he is the pastor of the village church.

Oh, the sweetness of Chinese babies.

Peter's church.

I thought this was interesting.

Some of the students in a sister's home. This is Rainbow and two of her children.

In the village.

Leading worship at the youth service.

The team!

Staff Party 2007

Tonight our staff was kindly treated to an evening at the Hong Kong Golf Club. Ohhhh. It's one of those places you know you don't quite fit, where you can't wear flip flops or t-shirts or jeans and you have to wear a blouse. It was very nice. Poolside buffet meal, and a session on the driving ranges with lessons from the golf pro (this again affirmed I am hopeless at golf). Just as I reported last year, the best part was seeing the families of the all the staff members...particularly the kids!

Tomorrow I'm going to mainland China for the weekend with a group of high school students from our school. It will be a very full, tiring weekend, but I'm sure it will be worth it. I'll let you know more about it when I get back!

Fancy.

The lucky guy in the middle is a colleague named King. I'm going to China with him tomorrow. The gal in the middle is Cindy. She is King's fiancee. The lovely lady on the right is my teaching partner, Marg. She is wonderful.

Oh I love those eyes. Meet Olivia.

And Olivia's big brother, Royce.

Aili.

Daniel.

Hunter.

Small Talk: The Weather

This week there is a noted difference in the feel of the air here. It's moving. It was wonderful to walk home from school on Monday and feel almost cold. Almost. A welcome breeze, and at last some relief from the heat and humidity. And I know, you're thinking- "at last some relief?!!" The temperature now sits between 23-28 degrees- perfect, hey?! The humidity has dropped to between 60-70% (a month ago it was always upwards of 85). Late October and November are great for weather conditions here. The best part of living in a subtropical spot is that I can play tennis year round. :) It's awesome to forget about the existence of sweaters and long pants until mid December....


However, when I look out my window I see mostly shades of gray! A rather dismal landscape, I must say. If I were in Canada, I might see a sweet face like this loving the changing of the seasons. Plus, you just ate turkey and dressing (ohhhh, dressing), and I was at home eating a veggie pizza. So hey- I may have 27 degrees in mid October, but there's nothing like fall in Canada!

Friday's Attitude Check

Sometimes kids can catch you off guard. Sometimes they do it in funny ways, like saying ridiculous or random things. This week I laughed for a long time when one of my kids was trying with all his might to lick his elbow. I found this very very funny. Of course I've been trying to do it all week too. Can you lick your elbow?

The same kid touched my heart the next day. It was Friday morning, and I wasn't feeling exactly pumped to start the day off. Not for any particular reason other than I wanted Friday at 4pm much more than Friday at 8:30am. After the kids were settled into an assignment, he came up to my desk and looked at me with his warm brown eyes and said, "Are you okay?" Oh. His sweet, gentle spirit disarmed me. "Why do you ask that?", I replied. "Well, you seem kind of sad."

I thought about this all day. Though it's my job to care for the kids, he was caring for me. I guess there isn't really anything like feeling you are cared for and loved. And it's especially neat when it comes from one of your students. His simple but sincere question changed my day.

Reasons to be thankful today...

Here is a good start, but there are many more! Happy Thanksgiving! Maybe next year I'll have turkey???

Congrats to Jeff and Daina!!!

One of my best friends' weddings was this weekend! Daina and I have been friends since the first days of Fighting Saints Softball (grade 7?), when her wicked throwing arm caught my eye at tryouts....persuading me of the fact that girls really could throw. I've been lucky to be on her side of the field, or court...I've never had to face her as an opponent! Actually, from high school through university, I spent more time with her than anyone else! We graduated from both high school and university together. I hope we can teach together one day, too.

The D-Train, as I affectionately refer to her as, is determined, talented, fun, and a great friend. Ah yes, she's a special gal- and it was very hard to miss this day....sending a little video along for the reception wasn't much, but here it is. You'll notice a very similar format to the one I made for Matt and Tamara! For three reasons- 1) nobody who was at their wedding was at Jeff and Daina's, and 2) people seemed to enjoy it, and 3) I couldn't think of a better idea! So, here it is- with a new cast of Hong Kong stars!!!

Congrats to Jeff and Daina, once again!!!! Can't wait to see you guys....in China??!

My New Desktop Image

The joy of new life. The joy of a new nephew! Welcome to the family, little Jesse!!!
I am so excited to meet you.
More pictures of Jesse at his Daddy's blog.

The Shanghai Adventure

I'm back from a lovely loooong weekend in Shanghai! I will upload pictures to Flickr as soon as I get the chance- they tell the story best. Until then, the lowdown word-style, with a few pics now and again.

The highlight that stands out most was the reason we went- the Women's World Cup. Let me go off on that experience for a bit...bear with me, non-football fans...

The best part was simply soaking up the incredible performances of female athletes....playing for it all. They were just so, so good. Marta and Cristiane, from Brazil, were plain silly- their speed and ball-handling skills were ridiculous. I loved watching Abby Wambach and Kristine Lilly in the 3rd place game- they are fantastic footballers. The final (German won 2-0 over Brazil) was a really great game- intense from the start. There was a noted difference (as one would anticipate) from the 3rd place game, where the US walked all over Norway. I still cheered for Norway, as it was a lot more fun to cheer against the Americans I found myself sandwiched inbetween! Ha ha! I started out cheering for Brazil in the final, as I felt no strong pull towards either team and the Chinese were definitely on the South American side....but within the first couple minutes, I knew I had painted my face the wrong colors- I loved watching the German team play. Tough, smart, an all around great team. There's a reason they were the defending champs. Plus, the Brazilians, though passionate and flashy, were a bit whiny. And the defense of the Germans was something to behold! Brazil dominated possession, but the Germans had a solid stronghold in the backfield- and their goalie saved the day, stopping Marta from connecting on a free kick. The (small) stadium was at capacity for the final, with 35,000 in attendance. Overall, it was an awesome experience. The only thing that would have been better would have been Canada or China playing. My, that would have been something.

Okay, there was much more than the soccer, though. Here are a few other highlights:

-Mary (my traveling partner, and a fine one at that...a day later we were joined by another great gal, Maria) and I met three random, hilarious, friendly, warm Chinese people on the street...we ended up going with them to a "rare Chinese tea ceremony" for a couple of hours on the first day. We laughed a lot, and learned about how to drink tea the Chinese way, and how I missed my chance at marriage because I didn't wear red underwear last year during the year of the dog. But I didn't know! Ha ha. Anyway, that was quite the experience...oh the brief and unexpected encounters we have along the way- this is what makes traveling all the more grand.

-We went to a Chinese Acrobatics show. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I don't understand how they do what they do...how they bend...how they balance...how they spin...I just don't get it. But is it ever fun to watch!

-Xiao Long Bao Zi. In English: "Little Dragon Buns". Shanghai is famous for these soup dumplings, and FOR GOOD REASON. We enjoyed a couple solid helpings!

-Foot Massage x 2. Need I say more?

-I spent Saturday with one of my best friends from the Shiyan days- Black. It was very special- though too short. We chatted as we wandered around Shanghai, and we also met up with another friend, Laura, whom I worked with in China. We went to the Jinmao Tower, which is fourth tallest in the world and gives a great view of the sprawling metropolis. It was awesome to reconnect.

-We ventured back to the airport on the "Meglev Train". It took 8 minutes to travel 30 km/hr. That works out to 430 km/hr. Freaky. It kind of fit in with the overall feeling I had of Shanghai- like you are part of the Jetsons or something. Some of the buildings have really neat European architecture, and then they toss in a bunch of Batman/Jetson like buildings with a futuristic feel. Interesting.

-Speaking Mandarin again. So much fun!!!

Well, I guess that's plenty for now. I'll get those pics up in the next couple of days. It was a great trip- definitely a fine way to spend a long weekend.

It's Animal Day!

Here's the gang. I'm the Chicken, if you didn't notice.

Triangular Days

Greetings. We're on the far end of the weekend in the far East. How about a newsy update on a rainy Sunday evening?

I'm having a great time in Hong Kong these days. Essentially I live in a triangle for most of the week- the points being home, school, and the tennis court. The tennis court would be my favorite location in the triangle, without a doubt. For the past month I've been there a lot- usually 3 or 4 times a week I end up on the court. I love it- I can't get enough of the tennis, and I love my friends there. They are wonderful.

On the weekends I get to break the routine and find new spots to enjoy in HK. Lately, I've been hitting up various coffee locations around the city. It's been awhile since I've been deep into a book, and recently I've found one that is both hard to pick up, and hard to put down. It's hard to pick up because it is very convicting, and I'm afraid of it. It exposes my selfishness. The stories in the book often stir me to tears. I don't even want to tell you I'm reading this book, because then I'm partially accountable to you for my response to it. But it's powerful, and I want to get to the point where I'm not afraid to accept the dare of living for Jesus with the heart that I see in Shane Claiborne, in his book- The Incredible Revolution. If you haven't read it...I've warned you, now go read it. And if you've read it, tell me- and I'd love to share in some dialogue. When I get through it, I'll try and share some of my thoughts.

Back to the newsy tone...I'm really excited about my trip to Shanghai this week. We have just two days of school, one day of PD, and then on Thursday evening my friend Mary and I will fly north to Shanghai. Another friend will join us on Friday. I can't wait to see my friend, Black- one of my very favorite friends from my days in Shiyan. We'll do some touring around, and then Sunday is the big day- the 3rd place game followed by the final of the Women's World Cup! Yeeesss!!! I'm disappointed that both China and Canada (heartbreaker) lost in the quarterfinals, but it will still be awesome. I'm trying to decide who to cheer for now...

On Tuesday it is Midautumn Festival, which is the big mooncake party here. Good ol' mooncakes. My tennis club is hosting a "Middle Moon" doubles tournament- just for fun. Mooncakes and tennis- what could be better?! :)

Alright, guess that's enough from Hong Kong Harm tonight. I am missing my nieces and nephews, and awaiting a call (call me at ANYTIME) from Steve and Bec about the new squishable one on the way! Good night!

Czech Her Out!

One of my best friends is on a hockey adventure in the Czech Republic this year. The one and only Chelsa Heywood. Have a look at her new blog- Two Minutes for Czeching. Clever, very clever.

Please Hold Your Breath For the Next 4 Days

Morning announcement from the principal:

"Children, the pollution is very bad today. Please avoid playing any games that make you feel tired and you need to breath more heavily."

Maybe that explains my wheezing at tennis lessons last night! It likely doesn't have anything to do with my fitness.

They say the terrible pollution is resulting from a high pressure weather system and little wind moving through. It likely doesn't have anything to do with human irresponsibility.

Anyway (sigh)...here's a visual (and be extra grateful for that crisp, clean fall air you're breathing in at home):

View from my balcony on a (relatively) clear day.

View from my balcony today. It's NOT foggy. :(

The World Cup

I've got the World Cup fever! I'm following CBC's and ESPN's coverage of the Women's World Cup in China, which is two of three games through the group stage. Of course I'm rooting for the Canadian girls, and secondly, for home team China. Canada needs to beat Australia on Wednesday to advance. China needs to beat New Zealand. It's exciting to watch incredible female athletes play for it all.

It's only 11 days until I travel to Shanghai for the Final and the 3rd Place match. I can't wait!!! GO CANADA!

When Miss McMillan Isn't Good Enough

I think my plan backfired. Last week I kicked off my Gr. 5 chemistry unit with an appearance from Dr. Evil, the mad but mostly just goofy scientist with a bad French accent. The kids went, well, a bit crazy. Crazy in a good way. You know, banging their desks, cheering for Dr. Evil, mostly going berserk over science. Very ideal. He even had to return for a second lesson because to his distress, the first experiment failed. The second try proved successful, and then the excitement over Dr. Evil hit an all-time high.

The problem is, Miss McMillan is no longer anywhere near being an exciting and captivating science teacher. Today I was pretty excited to teach them about atoms, and the periodic table. It's neat stuff. But I'll even admit, after Dr. Evil, it felt...lacklustre. So now I'm five science lessons into the year, and either the kids are going to drive me crazy asking about Dr. Evil's life story and whereabouts, or Dr. Evil is going to have to become a regular part of science class. Maybe there could be another science personality. Ideas? Want to come make an appearance and save us from boring old Miss McMillan?!!!

Songs for September

The latest favorites...

-Without Love from the Hairspray Soundtrack (oh man, WHAT A MOVIE!!! :)
-You Can't Stop the Beat from the Hairspray Soundtrack (guaranteed to make you smile)
-Psalm 62 from Pages (Shane and Shane)
-Behold the Throne from Pages (Shane and Shane)
-Love Grows Love from Overdressed (Caedmon's Call)
-Always Been There from Overdressed (Caedmon's Call)
-Stay Beautiful from Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)
-Teardrops on My Guitar from Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)
-Letter to Me from 5th Gear (Brad Paisley)
-Oh Love from 5th Gear (Brad Paisley)
-You Are My Home from Holy God (Brian Doerksen)
-Say It from Say It (Britt Nicole)
-You from Say It (Britt Nicole)
-Unashamed from Beauty in the Broken (Starfield)
-Saviour King from All of the Above (Hillsong United)
-Lead Me to the Cross from All of the Above (Hillsong United)
-Hosanna from All of the Above (Hillsong United)

Old HK Airport

Just to the right of my balcony view is the old HK airport. I've mentioned the crazy landings to a few of you at home and found this clip on Youtube.

Slick Looking Upgrade

My home church in HK has finished up a major facelift on its website. I'd say it's looking pretty slick. To get a peek into my church family here, surf on over to Island ECC.

The possibilities for tomorrow are usually beyond our expectations.
On second thought
The possibilities for today are usually beyond our expectations.

The Djoker

In honor of the US Open, here are some pretty funny impersonations from the Serbian sensation- Novak Djokovic. I must say that the Nadal impression is exceptional! I'm sure my sister will especially appreciate it.

First Two Days

It was great to be back in teaching mode this week. There were a few times when I sat back and just smiled- I love what I do. I have a sweet bunch of kids. This year I have students from HK, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Malaysia, and Canada. I have only 17 in my class so far, and I'm enjoying that. I sense an easier move towards a tighter community. It's fun to observe new students and the dynamics that emerge. Already it is easy to see significant differences from last year's group. For one, the girls outnumber the boys 2 to 1. It will be interesting to see how things unfold.

I'm certain that they will often make me laugh, anyway. Today they started guessing my age. "Well, my parents aren't that old, and they're about 43. You must be 38!" Yikes! I got a good chuckle from that one...the same girl who asked me why my armpits were so sweaty yesterday. Haaaa. People who know me well will appreciate that. She's not the first person who's wondered...

The hardest part of the first two days was seeing my old kids in new classrooms. It kind of caught me off guard- I guess I didn't realize just how attached I was, and apparently still am. At the same time, it's fun to see them in a new role at school, and working with a new teacher. They're in good hands, I'll just miss them.

Family Picture 2007

My family. How I miss you already. It was so much fun to enjoy time together this summer.

My Sister! Isn't she grrrrreat??

This Week

I'm looking forward to this week. For starters, Jason and Shannon are coming on Tuesday! It will be so much fun to have them here, even though I have to work and will only have evenings to tear up the town with them. I'm excited.

Our first day with kids is on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to many things about teaching this year. I'm already appreciating having a year of experience under my belt. At this time last year, I was swamped with a million things to prepare. This year that load seems a lot lighter. The letters are cut, the schedule is made, I know what I'm teaching, and I'm familiar with the school and my classroom. One new thing in my classroom is an LCD projector. Yes! This will open things up for me to use my computer in different ways.

I'm so excited about the students that I will spend the year with. It's fun to start out fresh and start to develop new relationships with kids. It's inspiring to think of the potential- when I'm trying to see things from God's eyes, I ask myself- if this year was ALL that it could be for this group of students, what would that look like...and how can I be an instrument to make that happen?

So, that's where I'm at tonight. Looking at a new year, with hopes and a prayer that Jesus will shine through a broken vessel like me.

It Was A Good Day

It really was.

It started out with a two year old boy named Bobo in the elevator. Though it sparked some heartache as I thought about my favorite two year olds in Canada, he sure made me smile. I hope I run into Bobo again.

Next I made it to the gym before 9am. That's a feat!

I love going to church, but today was especially good. The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda were visiting. What a treat!!! They had some great songs, awesome dancing (I wish I could move like that!), but it was the joy that really made it all come to life. Awesome. The Watoto team sure seems to be making a difference.

After that we had lunch at one of my Sunday favorites- a cafe with a definite warmth and personal touch often lacked in a place like Hong Kong. They even know our names! I like that.

Then it was time for tennis. I joined my tennis pals in a local tournament, and today they held the first two rounds. The other gal didn't show for the first match, so I took a bye to the second, which started very terribly. Fortunately, something came to life when the score was 1-5. I'm still alive in the tournament- the final score was 7-5. Exciting!

I met a new friend in the tennis shop. He sold me the best grip in the world. That's what he says. His name is Uncle Chen and he showed me all of his trophies, and how to hit a forehand like Federer.

And lastly, supper at the Vietnamese restaurant- an old standby. Delicious.

Some of my favorite days in Hong Kong happen when I have the chance, and make the effort, to connect with the people here. So here's to little Bobo, the Watoto kids, the lady at Cafe Zambra who remembers my name, my tennis friends, and my new friend, Uncle Chen, who sold me the best grip in the world. It was a good day.

Jetlaaaaaggggged

Hong Kong Harm is officially back in business, back to work, and feeling the effects of having fastforwarded 14 hours on my clock. Oh the wonders of jetlag! Sometimes a person can jump right back into life and you'd wonder they had crossed even one timezone. I enjoyed that on return to Canada. No such love this time round. It's 4:30am and I'm wide awake. That is NOT a good thing! What's a poor traveler to do? Might as well get back to blogging!

So I'm back. Back to...
-smog
-sticky, humid air
-hot air (really hot air)
-skyscrapers
-people
-people
-people
-converting prices
-the 32nd floor
-public transportation
-Cantonese
-people
-and egg tarts

Summer was sweet, and saying goodbye was hard, as it always always is. With a ton of great memories and wonderful visits with friends and family, it's hard to keep the highlights to a minimum, but I'll aim to write a bit of a review post/novel in the next couple of days.

Perhaps I shall try sleeping again. It's a bit of a far fetch, but it sure would be nice to catch a couple more hours before.....work!!!! As we say in Hong Kong... AI YA!

Along the journey, just a few...

Two Pairs of Sisters, Three Aunties, One Mom, One Sweet Nephew.
Lovely supper together tonight.

Some of the finest friends a girl could find.
A couple days away in Canmore. Memories!

Nice scrunchy face effect.

Sisterly Squish.

Mikey and Me.

Today I flew from Yellowknife to Calgary with a 2 year old on my lap. I'm glad Tara packed a bag full of distractions (hey, I should have used the camera- that would have given me at least 5 minutes and we'd have pictures to show for it!), and one magnificent soother. We made it, Elijah is one mighty cool dude (we're working on that word), and the people beside me were patient with our sloppy Goldfish and apple juice plus floaties spilling and such. My appreciation for parents was, as expected, again stepped up a notch. It's great to be an Aunty!
Tomorrow I will drive down the number one to Regina. The last three weeks sped away, and now we're over halfway through the summer recline...and still loving it.
See you in Regina?

Back in YK

From Cowtown to the Knife...big sun, big sky, trees, rocks, and squishable babies. Yes, I'm back in Yellowknife, enjoying the small-town feel and the great people of the North. It's always an enjoyable place to be in the summer. I am staying at a friend's place, my parents are staying on the next block over, and Tim and Tara are across the street from them. I love that!

In keeping with the summer theme of nieces and nephews, Yellowknife has been no exception. Andrew, Autumn and I have been out riding bikes, playing tennis and going to the beach. Michael is 6 months old and just so sweet (yes, he's very squishy too). I love babies. Although, I can tell I've been spending more time than usual with little ones because last night I had a dream (or was it a nightmare?) that I had quadruplets rolling everywhere and I couldn't stop them from rolling, and I had no husband, and there were no Aunties or Grandmas to be found. It was terrible!

Anyway, being an Aunty is much better. Elijah makes me laugh time and time again. He's so much fun and all-boy. What a cool kid. He really likes cars and wanders up to every car he sees and tries to get in. Again, we're off the charts when it comes to cuteness, folks.

Other than hanging out with family and friends, I was happy to join in the big NWT Open. I think I have a match with Sharapova tomorrow. I've heard she's in town. I guess Nic hasn't, because he's still griping about Northern tennis. Serious though, it's fun that I'm here on the same weekend as the local tournament. It's great experience and tennis is such a good time.

A couple other random things I'm excited about- my friend Mary and I got our tickets for the Women's World Cup in Shanghai in September. I can't wait! I'll definitely be waving my Canadian flag!! And, I just read on Jason's blog that my favorite group, Caedmon's Call, has a new album coming out on August 28. This is fantastic news!

Signing off from the land of the midnight sun...

We Love Photobooth

It's a great babysitter, I tell you! Ha ha. I think Aiden took over 150 shots of himself and the babysitter this afternoon! I'm sure we'll have another hour long photo shoot tomorrow. He enjoyed the headless version the best. Good times on photobooth...we love our Mac!

Birds and Big Skies

Let me say it is great to be home. When you live overseas and travel home, you receive the gift of realizing all over again, that we live in a wonderful country. I wish that it weren't so easy for me, for most of us, to have this kind of fresh love and appreciation fade into something that is very normal, expected, and taken for granted. So what does a traveler notice as she steps back onto Canadian soil?

As a lifelong prairie girl coming from a year in a squishy skyscraper stacked city, I cannot understate the pure goodness of space and sky. One of my favorite things is looking out the window onto the perfect patchwork fields as I fly into the Regina airport. The pent up air starts seeping out, just looking at the open space! And then breathing in the fresh air, what a treat for the lungs! I can breathe again for the first time in 11 months. When I woke up the first day, I heard a strange sound coming from outside. It wasn't seven billion cars zipping down the road 32 floors below me. It was birds. I'm not really a huge bird lover, but did they ever sound lovely. Birds, and quiet. My, is it ever quiet here. The auto-pilot driving experience from Regina to Calgary is one of my favorites. When else do you get to drive through "The Friendly City", the city "Where Life Makes Sense" and "The Gas City"?!

As refreshing as it is to return to Canadian scenery (did I mention sunsets?! They don't really look the same when covered by a layer of smog), of course it is the return to the people you love most that is the best part of home. I've had a great kickstart to my summer of seeing friends and family. My sister came to Regina to hang out for the week and we found ourselves frequenting friend's homes, and, the tennis courts. Yes! It was awesome to be with Autumn, Andrew, Mom and Dad for a couple days. I have missed them so much. We spent time in Kennedy visiting my nearly 70 years married grandparents, driving Grandpa's scooter to town (and pushing it back), playing crokinole (and losing), and also seeing three cousins. It was great. Back in Regina I was glad to stop in on a ball game and connect with my old teammates. It's always so good to be at the diamonds again, though it makes me itch to get out there.

Now I sit in Heather's living room, up too early on a Sunday morning, hoping that Federer will bring home the Wimbledon title. It's wonderful to be in Calgary with the single goal of being with family. I must say that my littlest niece, Mareesa, has an overwhelming load of cuteness. I don't even know what to do with myself, she's off the charts! A week will not be enough, but I'll enjoy every minute! You can be assured that pictures will follow. Of course it is so, so good to see each one of my nieces and nephews. It's amazing how they grow and change in a year.

I will stay here for the week and wrap things up with a camp-out next weekend with some of my best friends from Regina. Then it's on to the next stop- Yellowknife. A fine place to be in the middle of summer. There's a little nephew I have yet to squish, and another I've been waiting to play with! Plus, my parents and A & A are there, too. So I'm looking forward to that. Anyway, that's all for this morning. I thought I'd better check in on the other side of the journey. Go Roger...