My brother and sister-in-law in Iceland had their first little one today at 11:43 AM.  I am so excited for them! 
Harold Paul Peter Nickel has officially arrived in our world and I can’t wait to meet him. 

Eventhough we were all prepared for the phone call, I was overcome with emotion when my brother called at 11:45 AM Canada time… how cool is that?!  There were many tears,  I didn’t know what to say…  I’m not usually at a loss for words but I was truely struck dumb at the time. 

Elisabet is an amazing woman.  I am so happy for you!  You are a blessing in my brother’s life and ours as well.  
I am so happy to hear that everyone is doing well and is happy and healthy. 

Again, I am rambling …. still so emotional.  The sky is bright blue and the sun is out, it really couldn’t get much better than this.  Life is good.

Happy Halloween!  We’ve had more kids out tonight than we have had in a long time, I am guessing that it has to do with Halloween falling on a Saturday night.  It is nice to see students from school and children of close friends stop by.  The pumpkins that we carved at school make up a pumpkin patch in our front yard. 

Have a safe Halloween!

In the June-July 2009 issue of Our Canada magazine, you will find my
first published photograph.  The picture is of Anika Badowski, my friend’s little girl. 
I love taking photographs and am so happy to have one published.

Our Canada  magazine

Thursday evening was the world premiere of I BELIEVE.  The concert was amazing!  Thanks to Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth, teachers  were invited to the concert and 50 of us received teacher training the next day. 

Click here for more information about I BELIEVE
To listen to parts of the concert click here  CBC Music On Demand

Smores

Smores_1

Hotdogs

Loon on Wellman Lake

We had a great weekend at the lake with friends from the Valley.  The weather was cool but that didn’t stop us from exploring pond life, taking walks and hiking the hill.  Smores are always a hit at the lake and we added “dirt cake” to our list of must have items.  Sugar wishes finish off the evening and the kids are off to bed, then the adults get a chance to visit some more around the fire until we’ve told all our stories and solved all the problems.  

May long weekend is always the beginning of cottage season for us and therefore very special.  I love getting up early and reading in the sun room, listen to the birds and relax.  Summer vacation is going to be busy this year, but time at the lake will always be special.

Hope to see you at the lake.

Today was a profound day in my life.  Craig Scott was a student in Columbine High School 10 years ago and survived that horrific day. Craig’s sister, Rachel Joy Scott, was the first person killed at Columbine.   Today, Craig spoke to our school division about that day and more importantly, about his sister and her challenge.  I encourage you to learn more about Rachel’s Challenge and what you can do to make this a better world.

http://rachelschallenge.com/  Rachel’s Challenge Website

We made it to the lake this weekend to open up the cabin for the season.  As you can see, there is still slush on the lake.
This week will be a busy one, which will make the long weekend that much better.  We all need a rest, I hope you all have a great weekend too.

Lake in spring

 

It is now warm enough for me to move my office outside on a more permanent basis.  In the mornings I enjoy taking my coffee outside to the patio to listen to the bird and maybe check on a few emails and twitters, I love the more relaxed mornings.  In the evenings Minou (pictured here) often comes around to check on me to give me a break from marking.  It is crunch time at school, we have 2 months left and a lot of curriculum to cram into the heads of students before they move on to the next grade or next school. 

  I have taken up walking during noon breaks as much as possible.  Soon, I won’t have any students in the lab during noon hours which will allow me a little more free time and a more leisurely lunch break.  I find myself digging out the Cottage Life magazines and gardening books in my spare time and feel distracted.  I have plans to upgrade the gardens this summer and maybe do some planting at the lake as well.  Summer vacation can’t seem to come soon enough.
It is a double edged sword, summer vacation.  Although I say goodbye to this teaching year, I know I will have a lot of prep work ahead during the summer months. 

Golfing will be a welcome distraction for me this summer.  I bought Kevin and I a couples pass to our local club and I am looking forward to getting out with friends more often.  Early mornings will be my preference, I’m not sure how many of my friends will join me for morning coffee and a walk around the course. 

 

 

 

 

Wellman Lake 2008

After a long winter, I am looking forward to going to the cabin at Wellman Lake.  Looking through my pictures from last year just makes the wait seem a little longer.  We will be heading to the lake in May to get things cleaned up and then officially open the cabin on the long weekend.  So much to do before then!

It seems as if time has slipped through my fingers these last few months.  It has been quite cold here -47 with the windchill the other morning.  David and Elisabet are on their way to Manitoba and I hope that the weather will warm up a little while they are here. 

I am trying to do something interesting with all the pictures I took while in Iceland this summer.  This is my first attempt. 

Iceland Video