photo walk

This Saturday Terry and I took part in a photo walk in a partially abandoned parkade in down down Edmonton.

It was really cool, like we were in a different city.

We looked at the grunge of our city through our camera lenses.

I still have allot to learn but it was fun trying different settings to see what comes out the other side.

Meh, I didn't do so well this time around, no real creative or phenomenal shots. I am real glad for the excuse to pick up my camera again. Inspiring to walk with others with the same purposeful intention to stretch our creative muscles.

We saw a rainbow on our drive home. Perfection.

An Idea

We were walking in the park one lunch hour this past week,taking advantage of some rare warm weather.
A woman jogs by us in the opposite direction up the path followed closely behind by a man whom we assumed to be with her.
They were near enough to each other with out looking awkward is how we came up with this theory.
The thing that stood out to us was that they were together but both wearing head phones listening to music. Jogging separately together.

This brought to light an idea...We were walking in a very secluded wooded area. A trail obviously used by many walkers and joggers but also full of hidden areas for creepies to hide. It made me think how easy it would be for some one to stay tucked away waiting for the right moment when a lone female jogger would happen by and BAM-O...attack!
I know, my thoughts were a little dark but it is a reality that happens far to often.
Those 'separately together' joggers gave me the idea of a rental jogger-guard.

An on line company that would screen people, most likely runners between marathons and possibly jobs, do the back ground checks and so forth. People..woman...who are single or just like to jog alone but are well aware of the dangers that exist could contact this company and rent a jogger-guard who would come along with you 'separately together' so that you can jog with out worry of the sneak attack from crazy people hiding in bushes.

Hey! It could work.

Some one can go ahead and run with this idea if you want, it seems like a lot of effort and time commitment to get going. I would only need say...60% of the profits.

Happy happy joy joy it's Friday!!

Auuuughhh...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY CUBICAL?!

You're annoying the crap out of me! Just leave me alone already!!

I tried to be discrete about it, I tried to not make a scene but I am seriously at the end of my rope.

You're in my face and I need you to STOP. Go Away!!!




Stupid fruit flies.

September..the REAL begining of the year

Not much going on in my neck of the woods these days, and by not much I mean running around crazy getting three kids ready for back to school and their various after school activities in order that start up next week.
It seems to have snuck up on us like a rouge title wave we didn't see coming. School on Aug 30th? Seems kind of early if you ask me. Didn't summer just start? Boy it flew by this year. Is it because we are getting older? Maybe because we did so many things separately this summer. I don't know, I'm just not ready yet is all I am saying.

Tayler is in what she calls her last year of ringette...maybe..U19. Can you believe that? 9 years ago my little girl started playing a game that she knew nothing about, they all looked so cute out there....now, they are woman and they are not so cute anymore, they are kind of mean actually. They speak a language down on that ice that I am glad we can't hear in the stands. She says she is having fun and enjoys it still. I really hope that's the case. Tayler also works part time at McDonald's and is very much involved in the musical theatre program in her school. Tayler also has a boyfriend named Rob who is very nice and a very accomplished hockey player who is at this moment in Chilliwak BC at a scouting camp. Tayler heads into grade 11 this year.

Daniel is nearing the final stages of testing for his black belt in Taekwando, he was able to take a month off from it this summer which I was very thankful for. The club goes all year round and Dan has been going every week night training for this as well as Saturdays to keep his sparring up. Its to much, but I don't always get the last say in this. Two parents, two house holds. I voice my concerns in moderation and gently, I don't want him to think I don't support him. When he finally gets his black belt I will speak a little louder and get his time spent at that dojang greatly reduced and his time out experiencing the world and friends increased. Daniel delivers flyers twice a week and is also interested in becoming a life guard, having completed swim levels up to the Red Cross Bronze medallion & star, he has to wait until he turns 13 to continue forward. Daniel will be in grade 8 this year.

Nathan, oh my little Nathan. He was our little soccer star, that boy put it all out there on the field every time he stepped out which was why we were a little surprised to hear him say that he was getting bored with soccer and wanted to learn to tap dance.....huh? Well OK!!! Let's do this thing. We went to an open house at a dance school close to home and found out what we needed to know (how much money) to get this guy tapping his toes. We discovered a world through those doors so foreign to us we will have to learn the language to understand what they are saying as we move forward. Where does one buy tap shoes anyway? What clothes/uniform/equipment do we need?.... we are still searching for those answers. He is pretty darn excited about this though, you can catch him dancing to the beat going on in his head every so often with his new self purchased fedora style hat permanently glued on his head these days. I am VERY proud of him for following his heart and not staying involved in something just because all his friends are doing it (seriously, all his friends are in an advanced level of soccer). That boy is really looking forward to next week, he CRAVES a schedule and structure. Nathan will be dancing into grade 4 this year.

As for Terry and myself, I can sum it up quickly with a couple of words..work, renos and planning.
We are looking forward to a September weekend camping trip alone to Banff the weekend after labour day weekend. A little wind down time to catch our breath, or...because we will be in the mountains in September seeing our breath is more accurate. I am so so so so very much looking forward to that weekend. Banff is my happy place.
Once we come back we will be full steam ahead again into getting our home renos finished (really? is there an end to this?) and looking forward to our much anticipated and long long awaited family trip to Mexico's Mayan Riviera in November.
So much to be thankful for every day.

I will leave you with two links to a couple of short videos Michel found and sent to me.
Depending on your emotional level at this time you may need a tissue. These are worth the 4 minutes each to check out.

Q&A by Story Corps
also by Story Corps
Danny & Annie my favorite.

Moral

The moral around my work place feels to be at an all time low lately.
Working in my little corner of the oil and gas industry in Alberta I can feel the anger oozing out of every communication.

It was only couple of years ago it seems, every time I answered the phone at work the mood on the other end was full of fast talking ~let's git er done~ energy....woo hoo 'we're makin money now'. It was almost fun, exhausting, but fun in an adrenaline rush kind of way.

Now that boom time has long past,lay offs all around us. Promotions and raises are but a small glimmer in the rear view mirror, picking up the phone at work or opening an email makes you cringe with expectation of a disgruntled filled conversation ahead.

I have seen the ads posted in the UK and US warning people to stay away from Alberta, showing the mass destruction to our earth and wild life caused by the oil sand operations up north.
I feel sad and helpless, I am a contributor to it actually, I collect the pay check and reap the benefits.

It's not just the oil sand monstrosity that makes me cringe and bow my head, it's the wonder and fear of what the rest of our country hears on the other end of the receiver when they pick up the phone to talk to Alberta.

I am doing the best I can in my little corner of the oil and gas industry to send a smile to you, either by email or phone. It's not easy when your are surrounded by such negative vibes and piss poor attitudes but by golly I am up for the task. (besides, things are kinda slow around here lately so I have the time)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! :o)

Sweet Sixteen

My baby girl turned sixteen yesterday. She invited some friends over to hang, eat some pizza and roast marshmallows by the fire.

Thanks to some GREAT people the house was decorated with streamers and helium balloons. Video games were ready, the grass mowed, tent set up for the GIRLS ONLY sleep over....

Long night blogged short, the sky opened up and the thunder rolled...no fire. What the rain did do was draw these crazy (smelly) teenagers outside into the streets hopping, skipping and splashing in the rain. Teenagers.

Out come the games...real games, cards, chess and trivia....spoons? I really liked the calmness the rain brought on...why do teenagers smell so much?

Picture time:

Foam sword fight......and.......they broke. Major bummer.

HAAAPPYYYY BIIIRRRTHDAAAAAYY TOOOO YOUUUUUUU....

smelly smelly teenagers.

Especially when their wet!

There is just something about kids driving themselves to your child's birthday party that says....maybe they really are growing up. Maybe.

Folk Fest cont...

So we decided to skip going to FF on Friday.

Michel,Carey and I went all day Saturday and most of Sunday.

We saw some amazing musicians, I can't remember all their names but they were all so great and passionate I simply can't wait until next year. There was a lot to take in for a newbie but I do know that next year I will bring a pen and write some names down then instantly rush over to the merch tent to buy their CD's...I waited waaayyy to long and everything I wanted was sold out or packed up. Rookie mistake.

Bandi Carlile really stood out to me this weekend, I sure liked hearing her voice. She sang a folk'd out version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow that capture the breath of every one around us.

So many memories, so many good times, so few words in my vocab.

Also so few pictures, my camera died instantly on Sunday and Saturday is pretty much a write off for pictures seeing is how we spent waaaay too much time in the beer garden that day.
It was Michel's 34th that day. She and Carey got up at the butt crack of dawn and scored us seats super close to the stage. We were in the 'it' crowd that day. What a blast. We had too much to drink allowing us to dance like fools in the rain that fell down during Sarah Harman.

The pictures got fuzzy as the night went on. We had such a good birthday Saturday. Thank goodness we got it all out of our system Saturday, since we went later in the day Sunday we just packed our little chairs around to all the smaller stages taking in the more intimate shows. By the time we made it to the main stage we were way up on the tippy top of the steep hill watching the world below....sweet.

Drunk night photo dancing. awesome!

This STUPID ball hit me in the head over and over and OVER!! No one else ever...just me. Michel finally took matters into her own hands. Stupid ball.

Folk Fest virgin no more!

I am happy to say I have one warm fuzzy night of Edmonton Folk Festival under my belt....

Since there is no parking for miles and miles around the F/F Terry and I decided to go straight from work to grab a bus from Sherwood Park.

We were so proud of how smart we were pre ordering pizza from Boston Pizza across the street from the bus depot so we could eat something on the bus before we go there.

Armed with our chairs, water and freshly full tummies we were so excited to get to the F/F where Michel and her good friend Carey were waiting with a spot much closer than we would have got coming in so late in the day....They are F/F vets making this first time experience for us stress free..lucky us.

We were so excited, in fact, that we missed our stop!! Not just us but a few other people did as well! As Michel called us bus rookies and told us to hurry our butts up and get there already we had to ride out the whole dang loop of this bus route to get back there again! DOH!

Well we made it in time, the warm up bands were just starting but the line up was MASSIVE when we got there stretching way way down the hill:

Huge line up into the F/F

People have tents here too!!! cool. Looking down the hill at all the people filing in.

The spot Michel and Carey staked out for us. Nice!

There were lots of people behind us.

Lots of interesting people walking by, including chicken head 50/50 ticket guy

My handsome F/F date.

~Me~ ~Michel~~Carey~

Note I have a big floppy hat! Thanks Ladies!!

The sun setting over Edmonton.

Photo taken by Michel WITH my camera :o)

Then Ben Harper hits the stage!

Diamonds on the inside was my fave...

All those little glowing dots are from candles inside cups sold at the event, made for a real magical feel.

What a great night. Warm. Happy. Great music, good friends.

We are skipping going to night so we can rest up for two full days of even more fab music, workshops and chillin...

Stay with us Mr.Golden Sun.

Come back for more........

Add this to my office annoyance list

I am well aware that this could just be me. I know I have crazy idiosyncrasies and that as I age 'gracefully' my tolerance levels seems to be lowering. Perhaps it is just another in the the long list of evidence that I am due for a vacation but.....................
.............why oh why do people clip their nails at their desks?! It seems so...I don't know, dirty. Where are all those out of control little nail pieces flying off too? You simply cannot coral all of them. Blech.
At least go to the bathroom.
It seems like a daily occurrence around here lately...babies and nail clippings..!

hahahahahahahaha...listen to me....I sound like some cranky ol' crank going on about people around me at work. *sigh*

Did I mention it may be time for me to take a vacation? The last time I took one week off in a row was when I married the man of my dreams...it was such a happy time..it will be one year in 18 days.

I think my eye is starting to twitch.

Look how long my nails are getting....I should clip those suckers... WHEN I GET HOME!!

~:o/