October '20

October brought some volunteering duties for me! I signed up to help with fundraising for Blake's team, helping with social media and also to score keep for home games. Scorekeeping in this league (AEHL) involves a computerized system so there was a course to take! I think I have a handle on it though and it's very cool that a website is updated live during the games! Attendance is limited in the rinks still so people from home will be able to follow along and/or watch the games on Youtube!

On the 9th Cal and I celebrated 16 years of marriage by taking care of sick kids and ordering take out :) Perfect night for us!!

Cal is back to Friday night hockey, which is great! Blake's team had a fun slow-pitch, team builder over the Thanksgiving weekend and we finally had our 'Smith' family photos done on Thanksgiving Monday. Lindsay and I bought this photo package for my parents for their 40th anniversary. Unfortunately, Em was sick over Thanksgiving, so we did not attend family dinner, but my parents prepped a take home dinner for us and we enjoyed it so much :) We are trying our hardest to keep all bugs contained and avoid the isolation possibilities. It's hard because if you're a close contact of a positive case, you're stuck in isolation for 14 days which is very difficult :( 

Cal and I made an overnight trip to Grande Prairie on the 16th to attend Grandpa Alstad's funeral on the 17th :( A very sad and emotional day as we said goodbye to an amazing man. From the first day I met him, he made me feel at home and like one of the family! He was an honorable man, a friend to everyone he met and a hard, hard worker. He was so proud of his family and loved anytime spent with family & friends. A dedicated volunteer, loved to watch hockey and particularly his grandkids participating in sport. A wonderful husband, dad, grandpa and friend, we will miss him dearly. It was nice to spend time with family and share memories. 

Cal and I headed back to Edmonton on the 17th to catch Blake's first AAA hockey game! There was talk of missing it but everyone said Grandpa Alstad would most definitely want you to be there and would be so proud of Blake :) We made it back in time and were sooooo proud to be there!! Thank you to my mom and dad who kept the kids overnight on the 16th. Quinny enjoyed the kennel for the weekend!!

Emerson had her first game on the 18th, all the way in Red Deer! Her & I took a road trip that day and had a blast. She played so well and I was so proud of her!! I missed Reese's 1st game but got to see her 2nd and her 1st debut in net of the season!! So proud of her :) 

On the 24th we celebrated my dad's birthday with a family dinner at the Stecyk's - so glad everyone was feeling well, and we were all able to get together! Thank you, Stecyk's, for always being such great hosts and bringing us all together!

Blake's coach is so great at team building events - they also had a 'Chili cook off' at the end of the month, which produced some delicious (and some not!) chili that the parents got to taste test at the end of the event! Sounds like the boys had a blast :) 

Blake also started 'breakfast club' at KC on the 28th - a morning skate before school! 

Halloween was great this year, Reese trick or treated with Ava and her mom, Em and I headed to the Chorneys and Blake met with friends at Gavin's house while Cal handed out candy. We were all a little worried we'd be restricted but nope! Thank goodness, nice to have a normal 'holiday'! 

xo Hope you're all keeping well!

Back to school 2020/September happenings!

 Here we go ... with masks lol! Although we forgot masks for Blake on his first day on August 31, whoops!!! Praying for a 'normal' school year as Blake heads into grade 8, Emerson grade 6 and Reese grade 5. Reese and Em's first day was September 2. Reese is in a split grade 4/5 class and has her bff Ava in her class this year which she is super excited about!

On September long weekend we headed out to the Stecyk cabin for a long weekend of camping, fishing, quadding and family time. Blake and Cal made a day trip out because they were busy with hockey tryouts in the city. Reese and Em started their ringette seasons mid-September. Em started Ukrainian dance at the beginning of September and Reese's 1st night of Girl Guides was at the end of September and they worked on their garden in the Greisbach community. Blake finished off field lacrosse, which was a fun experience! It was nice to get outside this summer and try something new. They could not play games but just being active outside was great!!

Cal's Aunt Sherry and Uncle Neil who recently moved to Edmonton from Sexsmith, invited us over for dinner on the 13th and it was SO great to see them and catch up!! 

I am in the market for a new van and have been test driving and looking. I feel like we've definitely got our money's worth with the 2010 Dodge Caravan, it's quite literally on its last legs ;) I really would like a Chrysler Pacifica so hoping to find one in our price range!!

On the 26th Blake got the best news and probably the most exciting thing to date in his life, I think he'd say the same if we asked him - he made the U15AAA Squires as a first year!! This is a huge accomplishment, and we are beyond proud of him. He worked his ass off this summer, training by himself and with Cal - hills at Greisbach, running in the river valley, on off ice ATHX program in the basement, eating well and just all around working HARD! His hard work paid off and we are so happy for him and excited and hopeful for the season! COVID still exists so we don't know what it will look like but we pray for a normal season for these kids - hockey & ringette. We weren't able to watch much of the tryout process, but he obviously killed it!! His head coach, Steven Ewaskiw, is highly regarded and respected in the local hockey community and we are so happy he'll be leading Blake & team! LET'S GO SQUIRES!!!

At the rist of sounding like a broken record ... let's all pray for a 'normal' school and sports year (fingers, toes, eyes and everything else crossed ... lol!)

Summer 2020

 We made the best of local restrictions and rules surrounding the pandemic. If you were to ask anyone who knows me well, I have been a stickler for the rules. Likely to the annoyance of some of my friends and family but hey, I am who I am and I feel better for believing I am doing all I can to end this pandemic.

July was spent camping - We had a great trip to Cross Lake Provincial Park with my parents, sister and the boys! Lots of time spent biking, tubing, playing grounders and spending time together! We also ran into some friends who were camping at cross lake and enjoyed catching up with them. After Cross Lake, we spent a night at home to clean up, unpack and repack and headed off to Ol' MacDonald's farm with the Cameron clan! We had a great time in the sun, swimming, tanning, biking and visiting! After Ol' MacDonald's we were home for a few days before Cal pulled the trailer out to Carson Pegasus for the kids and I to spend a few days camping with my besties and their kids! Lindsey, Candace and I had planned to celebrate our 40th birthdays with a fun girls trip but ... COVID. So we did this instead and honestly, it was the best time ever!! 3 moms + 8 kids = 1 great time!! We had some sunny beach weather and some rain. Lots of musical beds as the kids slept in different trailers every night! They all get along so well, it's so nice! 

August kicked off with a trip to Pigeon Lake to spend the long weekend at the McKague's lake lot! We had the best weather and tons of fun, boating, tubing, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, laughing, eating and drinking! Just a blast! 

Emerson took part in a Veeteretz dance camp in mid-August and really enjoyed it! Blake was in a powerskating camp in Sherwood Park in August and KC Conditioning Camp also started.

At the end of August we spent a fun afternoon with my sister and nephews at Lake Summerside. Due to covid we couldn't get on the beach but they have a dock at the end of their path and the kids swimmed and paddle boarded off of the dock and it worked out great! It was a beautiful day and we ended it with ice cream :)

Reese tied up August with a 4 Cats Art camp with her bestie Alexa! They had a blast.

And now, it's back to school. Starting out in person and really hoping for a 'normal' school year for these kiddo's!!

All in all we had a wonderful summer! Different than usual and we missed our Penticton trip but still grateful to be able to camp and enjoy visits with friends and family! 

June 2020

 June brought more weekend ventures in the beautiful river valley! We're very lucky to have this gorgeous option in our city! My hair is turning more grey by the day but at work I'm all covered up with PPE so I am letting it go! One highlight of the month was the Brett Kissel drive-in concert at River Cree. Such a great idea!! We rolled down our windows and enjoyed some live entertainment. It was a great change of scenery and nice to enjoy live country music! Reese and I did more baking as I thought a good way to learn fractions, was to bake! Win-win!! At the middle of the month my co-workers and I had a 'farewell' dinner as we now know the UCP has cut the funding our program operated under. A very, very sad time as this was such a fabulous group of co-workers and I loved working in a rehab role within the school system. I am so sad this is the end of this wonderful chapter, it's hard to think ahead career-wise. I am also sad for the students, teachers and parents who will suffer from these cut-backs. It's all so unfair and also scary for so many families. What lies ahead for me?? I don't know. Because I am unionized, I will go through a lay-off/recall process and see where I land. For now, I will have one last summer off to enjoy as my next role will not be a 10 month position. I'll keep you updated!

At the end of June we all pitched in and painted our deck and fence! It looks soooo much better, it's amazing what some paint can do! Everyone helped and it only took 2 days to do! We celebrated Father's Day with a walk around Lois Hole Provincial Park and a stop for ice cream! June 26th brought the official last day of this crazy school year. Thankful for self-motivated learners, amazing teachers and Cal who answered all the math questions and kept everyone on track while I was at work and he was juggling work at home and home schooling! We're very proud of Blake, Emerson and Reese, they've done amazing and we're so proud of Blake for achieving honors in his first year of jr high! Emerson has officially graduated from grade 6 and is on to jr high next school year! They had a nice online grade 6 celebration and although we couldn't celebrate in person, they made the best of it and it was nice to be included. She has actually had a wonderful school year, she really enjoyed her teacher Mr. Ben and her classmates. She is sad that not many of her classmates are going to ESSMY but happy she has Layla and Bryson who will be joining her! 

End of June also brought braces for Miss Reese! We went with Invisalign and so far so good :) Thank goodness for great employer healthcare benefits!!! And one last highlight for June - the kids and I drove out to Calling Lake on the 30th for a day of fishing with Grandma and Grandpa and holy hanna, you would not believe the fishing!! It was out of this world, monster walleye, we were all hopping with all the "I got one!" "Another one!" calls!! Grandma fried up the limit, it was delicious :) Glad we could spend the day on the lake and the fishing was so good!!

Now, time to bring on the sunshine that July and August will hopefully bring with them!!

April/May 2020

 Going with a combo here as quite honestly, there's not a lot happening around these parts :) We've kind of settled in to the "new normal" which I shudder at that word but it's true. Online school, limited interactions outside our house and lots of free time (but no where to go)! It's all bizarre but truthfully, I feel very rested! We've been forced to slow down and I can say, that's not a bad thing. At the beginning of April Reese received snail mail from her Girl Guides unit and that brought a huge smile to her face! Such a simple thing but it brightened her day. We've taken to daily walks (sometimes twice a day!) and Reese has found a love for rollerblading during these walks :) We celebrated Easter, just the 5 of us but tried to include all our usual traditions minus going to Church and seeing extended family. We made Easter cookies, painted Easter eggs and had a big feast! The Easter bunny brought some goodies, the girls went for many roller blades around the neighborhood and Cal and Blake have started running with Quinn. I am now working at the Butterdome as part of the COVID response team. It's hot and sweaty in the scrubs, mask and face shield and feels so surreal. I told Cal the other night, it kind of feels like a James Bond movie or something. When I'm on a coffee or lunch break, I go upstairs in the Butterdome and can overlook the 'field' where the temporary assessment centre has been set up. It's a very odd scene as everyone is in full PPE and walking around, doing their various duties. Like I said, it reminds me of James Bond looking down over a science lab or something! Bizarre!

We started out May with a drive to Waskahegan Staging Area near Cooking Lake. Parks were re-opened and we had a nice hike with Quinn! The weather was fabulous and it was nice to walk around somewhere other than our neighborhood ;)

The big highlight of the past two months was Blake turning 13!!! 13! An official teenager, my baby boy, how did this happen so fast?! He may be taller than me but he'll always be my baby boy!! We are so proud of the young man he is growing up to be! We could not celebrate in as grand of a style as we would have liked to but we did manage a drive by birthday parade and visits from his friends (from a safe distance of course!)! He seemed to enjoy that and we were so thankful to everyone who drove by and stopped to say hi and take a picture and shower him with gifts! Thank you so, so much!! Grandma and Grandpa got to enjoy dinner with us in the garage as well and we made the best of it :) Love you to the moon and back buddy! Now stop growing up so fast!!

On May 15th I drug the kids out to a local field to watch the snowbirds fly over. I told them it was an educational field trip during their at home learning experience ;) It was cool to see, I'm glad we went! May long weekend was unlike any other, no lacrosse tournament or camping with friends and family. But we had a great weekend working on long overdue house projects and still fit time in around the fire with s'mores and some outdoor adventures! We enjoyed a walk at Louis Hole Provincial Park. And another blessing in these quarantine times has been more time to discover our beautiful river valley! Cal and Blake have been enjoying runs with Quinn, while the girls and I walk! They are up to 12K and the girls and I are at around 4K :)

Thankfully at the end of the month, restrictions allowed us to gather to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately their plans of a large gathering at a local hall had to be cancelled but at least we were able to all get together in person at the Stecyk's. We are grateful for that in these challenging times. We enjoyed a delicious dinner by the Stecyk chef's, a Cameron homemade cake and lots of visiting! Happy 40th anniversary Mom and Dad! xoxo

March 2020

 It's been a hard month. It started off much like most winter months start but it ended differently than we ever could have imagined. It's hard to write this right now to be honest, tears are falling. But I'll try to re-cap it as this is a space I want to be able to re-visit in years to come and I want to get it down. 

Reese and I started the month in Lacombe for the Raptors U10 Step 3 Black Gold League wind-up. We had a blast with the team and they skated away with many memories and smiles! I also enjoyed catching up with a friend from Stony Plain and wife, as their daughter played on the Spruce Grove team. 

On March 12th Blake and the Peewee AA Lancers played their last hockey game of the season. However, they did not know this would be their last game. Prior to the game we found out that due to the ongoing concerns over COVID19, hockey would be cancelled for the remainder of the season. It was actually during warmup that I learned this news. I chose not to tell the coaches or the team but man was it hard to know this was the end of the season. The boys played their hearts out, winning the game vs CAC in 1on1 OT. They all thought this meant they would proceed in playoffs but after the game the coaches broke the news to them - season is over. There were many tears, of course a lot of confusion and anger. This was such a great group of kids, coaches and families, we're sad to not be able to finish the season off as I think they had potential to go all the way.

Now, everything feels like it is falling apart :( The kids are online learning due to the pandemic. My office has been shut down and I am relocated to a health unit in Fort Saskatchewan with just my laptop and cell phone and really, no clear direction. We don't know what is happening with our jobs. Sports and activities are cancelled and the most heart-breaking of all, our Disneyland trip is postponed. We really held out hope that we could still go but this is turning in to a long, drawn out thing and travel is not recommended. I am so unbelievably sad for the kids, we've planned for this and saved for so long, my heart breaks but I know we have to stay safe and we can go again one day. It just sucks. Taking down our "Countdown to Disneyland" sign was a real stab in the heart. 

The last few weeks of March have been spent at home, of course. Quinn turned 2 on the 15th and is loving having us home :) We've watched a lot of movies and played board games. Thank god for Facetime as the kids have been able to keep in touch with their friends. I'm pretty much the only one leaving the house, as I go to work 3 days a week. 

So ending on a sad note but honestly, I am sad and scared and worried. So surreal to go from living our normal lives to this. Stay safe everyone, please just follow the recommendation and restrictions so we can get through this together. 

Birthday Month!

February is birthday month in the Cameron/Stecyk/Smith households! And I'd be lying if I didn't say, the other birthday months may feel slightly ripped off because the February birthday's get a lot of attention ... lol! Kidding but we do have fun celebrating a month of some of our favorite people, including Cal, Emerson, Mom, Jeremy, Connor and Mason! And it's also Gerry's birthday in Feb. :) 

But we started out February with tournaments!! Cal, Blake and I headed up to Grande Prairie with the Lancers via chartered bus. A fun experience for everyone!! We had a fantastic 3 days at the Peewee AA classic and the team brought home bronze after some very hard-fought and close games. A lot of our GP family came out to cheer the team on, Cal's Aunts and Uncles, Mom, Sister, Brother-in-Law, nieces, nephews, cousins and most specially, Grandma and Grandpa Alstad. So special to have Grandpa A watch one of Blake's game - he has been a huge supporter of hockey in Grande Prairie for many, many years. It was a tiring weekend for me but so rewarding as I planned all the travel, meals, activities, etc. This is such a great group of people, I just feel blessed to be able to help them and watch them play the game they love!!

While we were in Grande Prairie, Emerson and Grandma were in Hinton for a ringette tournament! This tournament was a last minute entry, we had all planned on going to GP but Em's coach decided that instead of doing the playdown weekend, they would attend a tournament instead. Luckily Grandma was able to bring Emerson and by all accounts, they had a really great time!! Emerson and Grandma both said they had fun and they enjoyed spending time with the team and even found a new Mexican restaurant to try!! Reese stayed with Grandpa and they drove to Hinton to cheer on the Devils for a day!! 

Cal was away for work in Calgary on his actual birthday so when he was back on the 14th we celebrated with dinner and a delicious apple pie :)

On the 15th Emerson celebrated her upcoming birthday at the trampoline park with a group of friends. They had a blast, running around and jumping and laughing! To see her smiling and having so much fun with her friends, was just heart warming!!! Loved it! She wanted a "sloth" cake so I had a photo of a baby sloth screened onto a DQ ice cream cake for her, it was so cute. Happy 11th birthday to our Em the gem! We love you so much and are so proud of the young lady you are growing up to be - smart, strong, loyal and so committed to everything you do! Love you to the moon and back :) 

On the 22nd we attended Family Fun Night for Veeteretz Ukrainian Dance! It was a great evening raising money for the dance club and having fun together. The kids love the Ukrainian food and the girls love to dance when the DJ comes on :) As parents, we love to watch all the groups perform and have a beverage or two! This year Berlyn and Christa joined us, which was extra fun!!

On the 27th Blake's basketball season ended with a tight game, they lost in OT 47-46! It was the best game we've seen them play all year, so it was nice for them to go out that way!

I haven't been feeling well since the beginning of the month and turns out I have pneumonia. I've missed quite a few days of work, trying to get better and am on medication. Definitely feeling better than I was, I had a rough few days in bed, don't remember ever feeling that sick in my life!! But like I said, feeling better and hopefully March will be even better ... because we have a trip at the end of March!!!! EEK!!! M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E!!!!