On our way!!

Lovely inlaws bought lunch and then Gordon drove us to the airport!!!

It's been smooth check in and security clearance and now we hang out for an hour. 

Isaac blew a lash off my finger in the car on the way down ... He wished for a great trip with his family.  Agreed buds. It's what we are here for. 

This is 39!!!

Such a great day surrounded by people I love, hearing from people I love all day, and ending the day with people I love most!!!

Best decade to date without a doubt. 

He was counting my boyfriends.... Apparently I had a few ... But how could I not?  Did you see that bonfire?!!

Chris and the boys got me all my favorite things: a card that melted my heart from Chris, chocolate, jewellery, cozy socks that are safely packed in my suitcase and new moccasin cozy slippers!!!  They gave it to me at dinner when Chris made the best chicken caesor salad!  So great.  

Lunch with E!!!

I love Facebook birthdays when you hear from all your friends.  I love that it's not even noon and I've heard from all many of my cousins, texted with sister for awhile early this morning, started the day with a hot tub with honey and just have had a good day so far. 

Great lunch with my sweet friend.  Now we are off to her spa for lashes!  "After" picture to come later!!

Libby is off to grandmas house!!!

Almost 39!!!

Mom wrote me an early note for my birthday.... Love her very very much.  

Writing about something that shouldn't be written about .....

Prepping for a long month away from home, and will do my best to stay active and eat really well, I can't help but worry that I won't, you know, stay regular!!

Enter stage right my new friend .... the girl opened the door for the first time those many months ago and my first thought was "oh dang, we would totally be friends if she wasn't doing this procedure on me!!"

But I got over it, and we've become friends ... coffee dates, texting funny stuff to eachother, she's hilarious.

So, I texted her a message yesterday to book an appointment before we leave on holidays...and I laughed at her response;

So here I am this morning waiting for 12:45 and wrapping up lose ends at work .... 

So, we are laughing during the process, and I am thinking, "this is so funny and weird" as we are chatting, and the 'tube' is located between us as we see little brown boats floating down the tube.  We talk about cancers, and homeopathy, our kids, her new boyfriend, and epilepsy, and of course, poo.  

I help her clean up after now (well, keep her company as she cleans up the tubes), and I tell her I want a pic!! So, she throws herself down on the bench .... and puts a face on that I guess she sees on my face ?

Anyways ... after we head out to Starbucks and she buys me a latte for my birthday ... and as Carrie says 'She should have bought you dinner!!' 

Big House Workshop!

While Chris was at home stacking apples..... 

 I was at work being peeked on by my 2 favorites ....

 After work, Mary and I drove to Courtenay to stay at a new hotel so we were close to the Big House for the workshop in the morning.  We had the most amazing dinner and then waterslides/hut tubing and in bed by 10.

 Sweet bruise hey?  Got that while jumping like a gazelle over the wooden auditorium chairs ... yeah, a little lower to the ground than I thought!

 Mary and I on our way to the BIG HOUSE (which we always thought was a term for jail ... we wondered why nobody else would laugh like we would when we would say we are heading to the bighouse for a workshop.)

 This was an amazing workshop.  CLBC now has services that can extend to reserve, so this is part of educating us as employees with the Native history.  It was quite an emotional morning ... the facilitator took us on a journey taking numbers of employees and making them 'children', then we needed parents, then aunties/uncles, then elders, and then on the outer circle hunters and gatherers.

 Everyone took their 'roles'...we imagined how we would feel.  The children felt safe, the parents felt supported, the hunters felt purposeful.  And she spoke in a way that really made us feel that way.  But then she put a red hat on and spoke to us as though she were the colonist, coming in, hired to assimilate them.  At the end, the children were taken away, and we journeyed from there.  It was very emotional and gave just a peak into the experience.  I think it was a good workshop to enable more empathy.  If anything, I don't want to be the one with the red hat coming into the Native bands land to 'help' support them.  I am still processing this workshop 36 hours later.....so I won't write much more as I am tired and am having trouble articulating my thoughts ... but I felt pretty honoured to be allowed in that Big House.

 Time for lunch at the Waverly.....

 We listened to our new CEO for a few hours ... she seems fantastic.  But when she was finished, Mark announces that its my birthday and Troys birthday (I didn't feel the need to correct him that he was a couple days early!!)...so he brought out 2 cakes!!!  And they all sang Happy Birthday....it was pretty sweet.  Nice send off.....

Many hugs and well wishes, a 3 hour ride home with Linda, and I crashed pretty hard when I got home. 

Chris, Elliot and Isaac got home from Victoria around 8 .... they had a great time ... I love how happy these boys are these days ... it makes us just that much more excited about holidays...less work and more fun!!

Tuesday!! Work, piano, pool!

Tuesday at work felt like a race!!  It was my last official day to wrap things up .... so 2:30 arrived so quickly!  Time to grab the kids from school and bring them to piano ... here are Yanin and I waiting for the kids to get out of piano lessons .... got to love skype ... we are such dorks.

 My oldest friend ..... love.

 After I grabbed the kids from piano, I hucked them into the pool and headed upstairs for a TRX class ... I also dragged Randi there too ... got to love becoming friends with your manager.

After the class, I went swimming with the boys ....

I really am making a concerted effort to work out or do something every day ... trying to stay healthy and strong for my boys!! Gotta keep up!!

Monday with Dr. Kendrick....and Camp Christmas Party!!

I was given permission to go see Dr. Kendrick on monday.  I was pretty fortunate ... he is an independent international consultant in human services and community work with people with disabilities.  He has travelled and done this work in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

What was really interesting was listening to a man who really wants to help people with disabilities live good lives in really hard times.  And hard times being not only funding, but peoples perceptions on how to treat people with disabilities, and the 'in the box' thinking by our governments and community programs.  To know that he has been all over the world and seen alot of systems was really cool to listen to.  He gave us so many examples and stories and his humor was so dry and so sarcastic, I loved it!!  He spoke about the systems in place are not the end all be all, but if anything, it really boxes people in.

 I didn't take notes, but I took a few pictures of screens that I loved.  This was specifically so great - and very important to whats happening right now in my job.  Its hard times, with not alot of funding, but its not all about money .. its about instilling values that will always work even when times are hard.

 I feel very convicted that people with disabilities that come to us for funding and programs are NOT looking for just leisure activities.  Everyone wants to have purpose, to develop their creative side and be included in community.

 As interesting as the seminar was, by 3 o'clock, I was totally saturated....so hitting the road by 3:30 and being let out 1/2 an hour was awesome ... BUT, it took me 3 hours to get home!!  Double the time it normally takes ....

 I arrived to my camp family Christmas Party at 6:30pm ... they were waiting for me.  It was so nice to arrive to after such a long day ....

 Andy did a wonderful toast .... we laughed alot tonight.  He toasted that we all got through this year .. with each camp family dealing with something with their children and struggling with various issues, it feels as though we are all on the other side of those struggles.

 Time for gifts .... and quietly celebrating that Kelly brought a date!!!!!!

 Chris led the charge with explaining the game on how to trade and choose for the gift exchange.  His gift was wrapped in his new brochure!!!  15$ worth of lottery tickets!!

And it was finally cake time to celebrate Rachels birthday!

 The two lovely hosts!!!!!

We stayed later and helped clean up a bit.  We've got nice friends.

Just checking and re-checking our passports ...

You know how it goes?  At least now I can confirm that we are all up to date - bit lookie what I found?!  Thanks dad!  The gift that keeps on giving!!!

Just in time as this is our planned dinner location next Sunday night after we land at dinner time in Vegas.  The closest one is only 9 miles away!!!! 

Measuring day.....as Libby looks on.

Last measured in June. 

Both boys are up over an inch.....

New Chapter now ... Zalinkos side is officially done.

A new start begins today as the official ribbon cutting ceremony was on Saturday after the AGM. 

It will be nice for them to start normal life around here.  The house was all ready for camp members to see all the work that's gone into that side of the house over the last 7 months.  'Open House' was their deadline.  I'm sure they are breathing easy today. 

This picture made me laugh of rach trying to cut her ribbon. 

I felt many eyes on us as the ceremony was happening and even more when Andy thanked us for all the meals and support we've given them through this time.  It felt awkward inside because of course we wanted to support them as best we could, but there have definatly been times where we have struggled with the ugly human emotions like lack of grace, jealousy, and envy.  We've had a small supportive group of friends who have known us for years supported US to stay focused on our own road and not to look at others.  Conviction has been strong ... God has given us so much and normally it's not an issue for us, we have a great life, both have great jobs, healthy kids, a great house, I wouldn't trade anything.  But it's done now, we can all find a rhythm again. But in the meantime, while neighbors find their new rhythm, we will give them almost a month to find it on their own!!!

Next week at this time, we will be waking up and hitting a road that we all can't wait to hit !!!  Sunny California!!!!  Can't come soon enough. 

Friday Night .....

15 Auxanos came for dinner tonight. I am trying to clear out our freezer before we leave ... So they were doing us a favor!

We had a great meal of chili and Lisa made garlic biscuits that were awesome. The only downside is I ran out of carbonation!! That soda stream is great but we are going through too many tanks.  Chris says I need to stop sharing.  

After dinner, everyone left for different things and a few stayed to watch "How to dragon 2" ... Elliot helped with clean up ....

After the movie was over, we left the boys to go play a game of pickle ball: 

Emily and I didn't play a long time - she had me running all over the gym!!!  (Sweet girl, but not the best player!)

So we walked and had a long hot tub. That was better!!