I am tired today. We all are. We went to the Zoo yesterday. It was hot out - about 36 degrees. But we were prepared. We had water bottles, melted freezes, a spray bottle to spray us to cool down. And when we got home, us girls including Mary and Elva went to water aerobics in Champion and that cooled us down as well and was a blast! My friends Lindsey and Chelsea came to the zoo and to the pool. Lindsey has been my friend since a year after Chris and I got married. We call her Aunt Lindsey as she is like an Aunt to our kids. We have done a lot for her. She lived with us for a while and we even watched her cats for a while while she was living in China. And I think Chris might be allergic to cats. Chelsea is in our ward and is 18 years old. She is headed off to University in Kelowna in just a week. She has babysat numerous times for us and we all adore her. She is a kindred spirit. I think talking to her in the car brought both Lindsey and I back to our BYUI days. I sure miss it there. It was a highlight of my life and I am so happy that I got to experience it. I hope my children get the same opportunity of having prayers before class starts, Tuesday devotionals, FHE, etc. My testimony was strengthened by going there. I am excited for Chelsea and I am excited for my kids. Life has so much opportunity for learning and growth and it can be wonderful. I hope my kids can always look at life as an adventure.
Right now Chris and I are trying to figure out what learning and growth needs to happen in our lives. I have been working 3-4 shifts a week while Chris has not worked this summer and was only doing 2 subbing shifts a week March to June. It is hard with him not working much but I love him and we will keep plugging away. My biggest issue is that I want to be home to watch the kids. Selman goes to kindergarten 2 times a week this Fall but Lizzy has 2 more years at home. I feel lots of guilt and fear of missing out when I am not around my kids; when I am not at the cross roads in their lives. It is hard to know how much to work but I really feel like 3 days a week is enough for me right now.
Back to the zoo. 3 year old Lizzy's favorite was the Giraffe. She was so excited to see them. Even today she says it was her favorite animal. The kids did so good at walking and taking turns riding in the wagon. We made sure to see the Penguins twice as it is cool in their enclosure. If we still lived in the city, I would have a zoo pass. I loved having my zoo pass when we lived there and I took my children many times when Elva was 3 and Mary was a baby. The 3 things I miss about the city are: being close to grocery stores, the beautiful paths and my zoo pass.
But we are settled here at the farm. We have had a great summer. I worked on my Birthday but the Saturday before, we took the kids on the train to downtown Calgary for the free Rope Square stampede morning activities. Elva and I square danced which is my favorite. we had a free pancake and bacon, went for a walk, listened to music, etc. And in the afternoon we went to Spruce Meadows to watch horse jumping. I love watching horse jumping but I do not like that it is a sport for rich people. We camped a couple nights in Champion as per usual the second week in July while the kids did swimming lessons. I worked alot that week and even shortshifted, spending a night sleeping in the van before starting an early shift at the Center after a evening shift at the hospital.
Chris played a HUGE role in applying for government interest free loans and grants to get new windows for our house as our old windows were falling apart and not energy efficient at all. I mean this house is about 110 years old. The new windows were installed in July, cost us 67000ish dollars (over a 10 year interest free loan) and look beautiful. I wish we could have kept the green windows at the top but we did keep the old window in the kitchen for nostalgia. It was hard living in a mess for a few weeks but the results of the new windows have been fantastic and it is so nice to be able to have windows we can open and get a breeze. I am so grateful for all that Chris did for arranging for these windows to be installed.
I worked 14 shifts in July but have been able to stay home more in August. It has not been a good one for the farmers though. We had a drought this year and the crops are awful around these parts.
We had Chris' parents stay at our place for 5 nights the end of July. It was a very peaceful time. We went swimming a couple of times, talked, watched a movie, watched a thunder shower on the porch of our house and went to church together. I hope they felt the peace and tranquility that I felt when they were around.
Then they went to a Brown family reunion while we went to Drumheller for a couple of nights. The $200 we spent on camping, the museum, food such as hotdogs and tin foil dinners, climbing the big dinosaur, etc was cheaper than the $900 for the reunion. So that is why we chose to do that. But we did stop in for an afternoon visit at the reunion in water valley on the way home and it was good to catch up with the Brown family. We had our niece Olivia camp with us and she fit in perfectly with our family as a 6th kid for a few days. Chris arranged this trip which was very thoughtful of him.
On the way home from the reunion, Wendy and her boys caravanned with us and came to the farm for a couple of nights. I am grateful we live on this farm that anyone is welcome to come and visit. We have space for people to sleep in the house or pitch a tent in the yard, to explore and to just be in a calm, serene place away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It was so good to have them out for a visit and I admire all that Wendy does for her family.
We had chicken killing days last week. Did 8 one Monday and 14 the next Monday. And we still have 8 in the freezer from last year. So we will eat a chicken a month for the first Sunday supper of the month with Mom and Dad.
I took the 3 big kids to the Carston catraige house theater play "The wizard of Oz" last week and it was very well done as like all plays are there.
Caeleb has been working a little this summer at the Champion Library summer reading program in Champion on Monday and Wednesday. He has taken it very seriously and has done well to clean up after. I am proud of him. Him and Elva did a second set of swimming lessons this week and Elva has caught up with Caeleb. She is a strong swimmer. I remember failing my swimming lessons when I was Caelebs age and never continuing on after that.
My garden was a disaster this summer. Maybe it was the cats pooping in it, or the chickens pecking at it or the grasshoppers. Nothing grew except 5 peas and lettuce the size of Lizzys hand. And that is all I have to say about that.
Chris applied for a job at a nearby high school last week and he had an interview a couple of days ago but he did not get the job. We found out yesterday that he did not get the job and it put a bit of a damper on the Zoo day. I really feel for Chris. He was so excited about this job. The guy who told him he did not get the job told him he needs more experience but how can he get more experience if he can not get jobs that give him experience. Sometimes it just does not seem fair. Maybe he will need to find a job in Tim buck two and come home for weekends.
So I will continue to work 3 days a week. Hopefully not more but it will probably be more in the summer. If I can get 1 - 2 days of vacation pay a month plus work 13 shifts a month, we will be ok. But Chris will need to sub 2-3 days a week as well and we will need to be frugal. I know God has blessed us in our lives. He has blessed me to get the nursing jobs that I have got. He has blessed me with the gift of frugality. He has blessed Chris with the brains to figure out how to get the most out of our money when it comes to mortgage, loans, grants, etc. I know Chris wants nothing more than to teach Math. He loves to teach kids and he has a talent with teaching math and science in different ways that kids can understand. I hope and pray he will get the opportunities in his life that he desires.
Our small blue SUV drove its last drive yesterday and quit by Nanton on the way home from Costco after the zoo. Chris and Selman were in it. It will never run again and AMA towed it to the farm today. So we are without a second vehicle. When it rains it storms I guess.
And although we are all tired today and a melancholy feeling hangs over our house, we will keep trying to live life to its fullest. 2 more weeks with the kids at home before school starts. I work this weekend but then get almost 2 weeks off. Let's make the most of then. (And I am smiling now because I hear the kids getting along and playing in the attic - I hope it lasts!). Now to help Chris in the kitchen get supper ready.
