Rink life!

We are a few weeks into our 2018/2019 Hockey and Ringette season and this year will look a lot different than previous few years!! 

Blake is playing on the KC Spartans this year, a tier 1 team based out of the St. Matthews hockey club. Due to a new tiering structure that Hockey Alberta rolled out this season, KC rep is no longer housing A teams. Blake's happy to be back on the ice with some of his best buds but we're all a little unsettled at the unexpected changes. Cal is not coaching this year and we're unsure how the move back to St. Matt's will go but we're staying positive and hoping for the best. At the end of the day we just want Blake to enjoy himself and the good thing is, Blake is very resilient and is so awesome at finding the positives in life, he's just the best that way :) He is super excited to be with Brogin and Dante again and so are we! Let's go Spartans!!!

Emerson is super excited to have made a step 3 team! She skated hard in evaluations and is on one of two, top U10 teams! She doesn't know very many players on her team but I know she'll make fast friends with everyone! I'm excited to be assistant coaching this season and very excited to be alongside her head coach, who is a former WAM! player, national team player and champion and currently a coach of the national team! I have a feeling this will be a great season for both Em and I :) 

Reese is happy to be in U10 this year and playing actual league games!! She did awesome in evaluations too and is on a step 1 team. I am co-coaching with the same person I coached Reese with last year and we're going to have a great season! Can't wait to see this teams development over the course of the next few months! There's so much growth at this level!

So we are already full-swing into the rink life and looking forward to league play starting soon. Can't wait to cheer them all on!! See 'ya at the rink :) 

1st Day of School 2018

Here are our grade 6'er, our grade 4'er and our grade 3'er ... man the time flies!! They are so grown up!! Their first day was great, they are happy with their teachers and we are hoping for a great school year! Blake has Mme. Melinda, Emerson has Mme. Amina and Reese has Mme. Knopp. This is the last year they will all be at Ecole Bishop Savaryn. Hard to believe but it's true! Blake will be off to jr. high next year! Hope everyone else had a great '1st day back'! It was also my first day back at work and while I would love a few lazy days at home, by myself, I was happy to be back at work! I love my job and always feel a bit more energy on this first day back! The excitement and possibilities that come with a few school year, always have me happy to be back at work :)

1ST DAY OF GRADE 6

1ST DAY OF GRADE 4

1ST DAY OF GRADE 3

ALL THE KIDS TOGETHER!!

ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL!!

LAST TIME FOR THIS GUYS FIRST DAY AT ECOLE BISHOP SAVARYN ... 

A Day at the Stecyk Cabin

After a stressful weekend with hockey tryouts, I was really looking forward to this day at the Stecyk cabin. And it ended up being a great day! We visited, Quinn LOVED the wide open space and running free in the woods and the kids loved the quad rides!! The weather was gorgeous and we had fun spending time with family and friends :) My parents were camped there for the weekend and Phil was as well. Phil's girlfriend Amanda and her son also visited for the day. Hard to believe school starts tomorrow but what a great way to end summer 2018!! Thanks for having us, Stecyk's :) :)

Other Summer 2018 Highlights

Besides are summer vacation, we had many other great summer days!!

We kicked the summer off with a July long weekend camping trip to Cross Lake Provincial Park with my parents! It was Quinn's first camping trip and she did quite well :) The weather wasn't the greatest but we did get in some tubing, fishing and lots of baseball!! One day Blake caught a jack fish, while out fishing with my Dad. He was so excited when he got back to the trailer! He told me all about it and how they released it and then said, "I'm so happy! I love camping!" It almost made me cry to hear him say that!! There's just nothing better than hearing that from one of your kids :) Thanks Mom and Dad for a great weekend!!

 
On the 5th we got picked up in the Bucci bus and headed to the Legislature grounds to cool off in the fountains :) Great day with one of our favorite families!! Love those Bucci's!!

On the weekend of July 7, Cal headed down south to race in the Sin 7 race and Emerson went to a friends cabin for 2 nights. So it was just Blake, Reese and I at home which was weird but fun! We took Quinn for lots of walks and to the park! Cal had a great time at Sin 7. His team did not get disqualified this year, the weather was better than last year and they rented a house this time instead of camping in a field!! So no ant bites this year, lol! He ran leg 4 again this year and was back in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon, just in time to rescue me as I had locked my keys in the van at the library!! Emerson had fun at her friends cabin but found that 2 nights away felt a bit long.

 

On July 8 we had Colby and Jenna over for a sleepover. The kids had a great time and loved having their cousins over!! We took a long bike ride to the park and enjoyed the sun :)

On the 11th we picked up Blake's friend Gavin and headed to the Summerside beach for a beach day with the Stecyk's! The weather was great, my shoulders burned and we all had fun!! On the way home we stopped in at 7-11 for free slurpee day! A great way to end the day :) Thanks for having us, Stecyk's!! Always a great time!!

 

On the 13th it was off to Calgary for lax provincials!! We had a great weekend with our lax family and even snuck in a visit with the Parenteau's!! We watched a lot of great lax, Blake played so well and the team left Calgary with a silver medal! They were so close to coming back in the gold medal game but should be very proud of themselves for bringing home silver! A great weekend and experience!!

And now it's August and the days of summer are dwindling :( But we still have a few weeks left, so here's to making the most of it!! Our weather has been so good, we've been very lucky! Hope it continues into September!!

Cheers,

Tracy

Summer Vacation

Summer vacay ... 2018 edition!!

We had another wonderful summer road trip!! This year we stayed in Canada but kind of regretted not being able to visit a Target during this road trip ... lol!! We visited some new places this time and loved them all :) Here's a re-cap of our favorites!!

Our first stop was just outside Kananaskis! We parked in a casino parking lot for the night, just to break up the drive to BC! A quick supper and games night in the trailer and we were off to sleep and up early the next morning, ready and excited to hit the road. It's funny how these little 1 nighters in a parking lot can be fun but the kids do seem to get a kick out of them!!

Stop two was Revelstoke, BC. We LOVED the little campground we stayed at, Williamson Lake Campground. Our site was small but right on the playground and the lake was beautiful. The kids enjoyed the water and meeting new friends! The girls met a girl from Vernon who they played with for a few days, until she had to leave and another friend from St. Lucia!! They also played with a girl from Germany and I really enjoyed listening and watching them as they tried to learn a little bit of German and tried to teach their new friend a little bit of English! It was getting late one evening when they were playing but Cal and I decided we'd allow them to stay up later as they were having so much fun and the 'international relations' were fun to watch ;) In Revelstoke we also visited the Giant Cedars Boardwalk and did some walking around town and geocaching. We played a lot of cards and enjoyed the warm weather!! It was a nice, relaxing stop!!

Stop three was one of our faves - Wright's Beach Campground in Penticton, BC. We visited for the first time last year and had to go back this year!! Gerry and Lesley and kids also camped with us again this year. We had a great time! We looooove Penticton!! So much to do and see and the weather is perfect :) Soooo hot but it doesn't matter when you can jump into beautiful Okanogan Lake or Skaha Lake!! We enjoyed beach days, 2 floats down the river, a visit to the Wibit and lots of walking and ice cream!! Oh and tons of hours in the pool!! The kids just love the pool. The adults enjoyed adult beverages and crib games at night while the kids were in bed!! We visited the Penticton sign this year as well and enjoyed a visit from the Parenteau's for 1 night! We all had dinner at Auntie Sharon's again this year and this time Auntie Madeleine joined us as well! It was great to see them. Cal, the kids and I also popped in to visit my Great Aunt Gwen and Great Uncle Frank. They are looking fantastic and have a very nice condo in a great spot in downtown Penticton! We parked there and then walked to the Farmer's Market downtown. We also visited Cannery Brewing this summer and fell in love with it!! The Tyson's had recommended it and we're so glad we went, can't wait to go back! Cal is now on the hunt for a Growler ;) And we let the kids enjoy a treat from the Peach this year ... the milkshakes are like a meal!! So fun! Again we did some geocaching in Penticton and one adventure Cal and Blake went on, had me driving to pick them up as they'd walked many km's from the campground!! We had a lot of fun with Quinn. She loved the water and there was even a dog beach we could take her too and swim with her!! She loved swimming and loved digging in the sand :) She met a few doggy friends as well, who she enjoyed wrestling with!! While we were on vacation she outgrew her kennel and ended up sleeping with us!

The final stop on this summer's journey was Golden. We'd only seen Golden from the highway and were quite surprised by how nice it was!! It's a great little town! The campground was on a river and very nice and the town pool was a short walk away! The kids had a blast at the pool one day and we also took a drive up to Kicking Horse Resort and decided to take a chair lift up to the Grizzly Bear Refuge on the mountain!!! We all loved this experience and learned so much! We actually got to see Boo the bear and the kids thought it was pretty cool!! We'd go back for sure!

It was a fabulous vacation. The weather was amazing and the time together was priceless. I'm so grateful for these camping experiences and memories, there's nothing like them!

We're home now and ready for a fun August!! I'll have to update you on the beginning of July as well :) Talk to you soon!!

Jeepers ... it's June?!

Blake and his Pewee C lax team participated in the Baggataway lax tournament on the weekend of June 8. They played hard and came away with a silver medal! Their coaches are involved with the Miners lax club and they got to use the Miners dressing room all weekend, which is a cool perk ;)

I was lucky enough to take some time off to attend a field trip with Blake and his grade 5 class. We explored Lois Hole Provincial Park and learned all about the Wetlands from Ducks Unlimited Canada. It was an excellent field trip and I can't believe we haven't been to Lois Hole Provincial Park, it's beautiful out there! Lots of walking trails and you really feel as though you're in the country but you're only 5 minutes from the city :) We'll have to take Quinn for a walk there one day soon!!

On the weekend of June 16th Blake and friends participated in the Top Shelf 3 on 3 street hockey tournament! They went undefeated and came home with the gold!! The North side Kings dominated!! It was a fun weekend with friends, watching our boys kick some butt!!

On June 21st the girls had their music recitals. Each at different locations but scheduled so we could make both :) Reese played her piano piece beautifully and then we enjoyed hearing Em on the guitar :) This wraps up their music lessons for the summer. They might start again in the fall!

From June 25-27 I was on jury duty! I could not believe I was selected and quite honestly, this was not the time I wanted to be selected as those are the only dates I had off, all to myself, before the kids were off school!! My last day of work until September 1st was June 22. But it did all work out and I actually enjoyed the process. It was a tough case but I found the entire process to be very interesting and I am glad I had the learning experience. Now next time, I hope it's only work I have to miss and not 3 days of freedom ... lol!!

And suddenly, it was the last day of school!! Oh how the time flies! Our grade 5, 3 and 2 graduates were excited for summer vacation and we kicked it off with our annual spray park play date with friends :) The sun was out and we all had a great time!

We're looking forward to our summer vacation time, can't wait to get back to Penticton!!

Talk to you soon,

Tracy

Introducing .. Quinn Jasper Cameron

We are pawsitively smitten with our new addition!! It felt like it took forever to get her but she is finally home and we love her to death! Quinn was adopted from a local rescue - h.a.r.t. Edmonton. They rescue dogs from reservations around the Edmonton area. Quinn's mom was rescued at the beginning of March and had 9 puppies while in foster care! Quinn's birth date is March 15 and we adopted her officially on May 24th. She began her life as Debbie but after much deliberation, we all agreed on Quinn! Her FULL name is Quinn Jasper Cameron :) Quinn is a border collie/lab cross, with a possibility of other breeds!! I'd love to do a doggie dna test on her one day!! She is adorable, so soft and cute with her white nose, chest, feet and white on the tip of her tail!! She's quite shy right now but attached to me quite quickly! On Victoria Day when Cal and I went to meet the puppies, we had to give the rescue our top 2 choices. They then called us to let us know which puppy they thought would be the best match for our family (prior to this I had submitted an application and then did a phone interview). A volunteer from h.a.r.t then brought Quinn over to spend a day with us. Before she left, she did a home inspection. They are very thorough!! We loved having Quinn and she did wonderful, it was very hard to see her leave that evening, we just wanted to keep her! After some more paperwork and a spay appointment she was finally ours and home to stay :) Her first days with us were a bit hectic, with Blake being in the the Parkland Lacrosse Tournament!! She spent some time at my mom and dad's and hanging outside the arena in Beaumont!! But she did great! She seems to struggle a bit with meeting new people, especially men, but I'm sure as the days pass she will learn to trust more. She sleeps okay at night but her foster mom got all the puppies up at 5:30 am so I'm working on changing her wake up time!! The first night we had her, we weren't sure where she'd sleep so I lifted her up on to our bed and she immediately started chewing on my hair and arms and licking me like crazy!! So I thought, "NOPE!!" lol! And put her in her kennel. She fell fast asleep ... and is sleeping in her kennel! Which is actually very nice! Cal works from home most days and will try to work from home for all of June. Then I am off for the summer, so that will hopefully give us a good head start on training! She has had a few accidents in the house, but we take her out quite often and I think she's picking up on house training! Fingers crossed!!! It's so nice to have a dog in the house again but a lot of work ;) We really want to work hard with Quinn to train her well, especially considering she will be quite a large dog! Here are a few cute photo's to tide you over until the next post ;) Enjoy!! Love you so much Quinn, glad we found you!!

Adoption Photo!!

Quinn (Debbie) and her D litter, litter mates!!