Bonne Fete a moi!

Today is my first birthday in Dawson Creek. And, for the second year in a row, it's actually sunny on my birthday, which doesn't happen very often! I'm cooking a roast, and Mike cleaned the whole house, and I just opened all the birthday cards that arrived today, so that was a lot of fun. Facebook is also fun on birthdays. I have gotten so many presents and flowers and messages. The internet is great for birthdays, so thanks everyone!

In two hours my first dinner guests are coming over for roast and to play a game. I'm making really yummy chocolate angel food cakes with mascarpone whipped cream and berries. Yum.

Also, yesterday Mike took me to Grand Prairie for my birthday present. We went to the mall, then saw Stardust, and finished off with a dinner at a fancy restaurant called the Cherry Lounge, where I had bison canneloni and mini waffle cones with home made ice cream for dessert. You can't beat birthdays for an excuse to eat a lot of good food!

Lovely Sunday

Today was a beautiful sunny blue sky day and it is sooo nice. Not very warm, but still pretty. The fields are beginning to turn yellowish and the air feels like fall. As I ran down the street this morning I was reminded of the way every september of my life has felt. I've always been starting school and a new field hockey season, and the smell of the sunny cold air made me think of it so much that I wished I was going to university all over again. Although, technically, I do get to go back to school, just in another fashion.

Yesterday was a really great sunday. Mike and I went to church together (check that one off my list) and it was awesome. I really love the church we found--it has great music and a lot of people. We've met many new faces already. After church, we were invited for lunch at the home of a young couple who have a two month old daughter. They treated us to elk steaks and it was delicious. They have a lot in common with us, including that they like to play boardgames, which led to a very close match of settlers. Lindsay is a dental hygienist and her husband is actually a teacher as well. We had many similar interests, and it actually was kind of strange because her husband is also a writer and just recently finished a manuscript for a fantasy novel, which is what I want to write. So, we had a lot to talk about and it was really nice to meet some new people. Hopefully they might be able to come over for a birthday dinner for me on friday.

Well, Mike is at work and off for the next four days, so we are heading to Grand Prairie for my birthday present, to go for dinner and a movie. And then it's back to school!

Aargghh

So, today the world decided it would be fun to frustrate me. It was one of those days where you wake up and decide to run a lot of errands, make a lot of phone calls, and stop procrastinating about things you've been meaning to do.

And then, nothing seems to go according to plan. First, I decided to order some photos on line from wal-mart. Then, I was told that I couldn't order them since I live in Canada. And, the canadian website wasn't working. So, I drive all the way out to Wal-mart in DC only to be told that they aren't printing any photos today, for "reasons beyond their control".

So, I decide to go to the library and get my library card, only to find out that I need a reference name and number of someone in Dawson Creek, and I'd forgotten to get one. Not to mention that I don't know anyone yet. So, no to that one.

I also need to find a doctor and was told there weren't any female docs in town. After searching the yellow pages, I discover that there are 2 in town. I call both, and to my intense surprise neither are taking patients. I try to find a chiropractor because I hurt my back and shoulder again, and am told I can't get in till the 5th of september because as a new patient, I need an hour long appointment. Does it matter that I can barely move? No.

So, I decide to go try the physiotherapy clinic, and thankfully I got an appointment there, although it turns out that for some reason Mike is listed as being single by the RCMP and I'm not on his medical coverage. Yipee. So, Mike asks me to bring some papers to the detachment so that he can fax them to MSP and get things straightened out. He says, make sure you come before 4:15, or the office door will be locked. I arrive at 4:05 and the door is locked. Mike doesn't come out, no one will let me in, and then it starts to rain. I, of course, had left my jacket at home and was in a tank and shorts. After standing in the rain for a while, I decide to leave, and just as I was pulling out, saw the secretary leaving, and managed to flag her down and give her the papers for mike.

Now I'm home, and decided to try the wal-mart photo site again, to discover that it is now working, only when I upload the photos from my CD, and go to order them, they look all glitchy and blurry on the order form, although on my camera and on my CD they look great. So, now I'm back to square one. No pictures, no way of sending out the photo of Mike and I at his grad to our friends and family. Although, to be honest, of the 500 photos I had people take of us, not one of them is the photo I wanted. Why is it so hard for people to take a full length photo? I don't know, but I just remember the whole day of his grad, I kept asking people to take a picture of us, and of course the only one I like is the one where he's not wearing his red serge. And to think Mike kept saying we had taken too many pictures and didn't need anymore. Why couldn't I just have gotten that one picture? Arggg...maybe I will go back to good old film cameras. Actually, the problem is that I don't have my own camera anymore, so I have to rely on other people to get me copies, or put them on a disk, and then I never end up getting them developed. Well, no more of that. I'm going to buy my own camera and that's it.

Okay, that's the end of my rant. For now. I'm sure I'll probably stub my toe on my way into the living room once I'm done writing this.

Pumpkin pie + cheese cake = a really yummy dessert

It's late at night, and I should be getting ready for bed so that i can go to church tomorrow morning. But, Mike is at work until 5am and on his night shifts I have taken to baking. I just love making dessert. Eating it is good too, but I really enjoy baking new desserts. And, the reason I can't go to bed yet is that I just finished making pumpkin cream cheese bars and they have to cool in the fridge for another hour, and I REALLY want to try one. And, they are made with all low fat ingredients, so it's okay to eat them. Plus, I went for a run yesterday, and I have decided on a running route. Now, I just have to motivate myself to stick to it.

On the positive side, I now have a list of journals and magazines I am going to submit to, and have done a lot of research into some different writing projects that I want to start. I have already submitted two poems to an online journal called Goblin Fruit that published in the fairy tale genre. So, let's keep our fingers crossed! Bon soir!

Making friends

So, I have almost been in Dawson Creek for one month now, and I still am finding myself quite bored when Mike's working and haven't made any friends. It's kind of frustrating because I'm used to either working or going to school, and it's always been super easy meeting people and making friends in Victoria because there were so many other students my age. I realized the other day that outside of that University student venue, I have no experience meeting new people. I'm also super bored, so I decided I better start thinking of more things to do. I have several ideas:

1) Find a church that has lots of young couples (this worked well in Victoria) and although Mike and I tried one church out in DC, it was very small and old-fashioned and although the elderly couples that spoke with us were very kind, it isn't exactly the right match for us. So, I drove around and the largest Church I saw seems to be the pentecostal church, so I'm going to try it out this sunday. Hopefully this will give us a chance to meet new people, and hopefully they have a large youth group I can volunteer with.

2) I am planning on joining the next session of yoga, which starts late September on thursday nights.

3) I got a calendar for the continuing education classes offered at the Northern Lights College campus, and am planning on either a beginner's spanish class (if there are enough ppl that sign up) or perhaps a pottery class, although it's pretty expensive so I may have to wait until the January session.

4) Volunteer. Not sure where yet, but I am going to try out the library, because it seems like a good place for me. I was hoping to find a book club to join, but after asking at the book store, was told that most of the ones in town are just friends who get together for their own meetings. Maybe once I meet some people I can start my own book club.

5) I am also hoping to find a sports team to join, although they don't seem to have many in Dawson Creek that are for adults. There are plenty of youth teams, but what the heck do the adults do here? Although I have to admit I have seen MANY overweight adults in this town, so maybe that's my answer. I also haven't seen anyone playing sports on the many fields in town, or anyone ever in the walking trails and parks. What's up with that?

Well, that's the plan for now. Maybe by publishing it it will make me stick to it. Or, some of you could just move here, that would solve a lot of problems, and I wouldn't have to make any new friends. Okay, okay, I get it, no one wants to live up north.

Here's to meeting new people who my husband has not previously arrested!

Days off

Well, Mike is now on the third day of his four off. It's so nice to have him home for a nice stretch each week. Sort of like a little holiday each time. Unfortunately, this one started off with his being sick and a rain/thunder storm, which meant that we couldn't go to the rodeo like we had planned on Sunday. However, on monday we were finally able to get our computer desk, microwave hutch and bookshelf! Yeah! I'm so excited about the desk because it is real wood and it has a whole table top that I can write on and put my marking on--it's great! Also, I can finally start unpacking my books. Not all of them, mind you, because I would need a whole library room for that, but at least my favourites, and the ones I'm planning on reading soon. I've read so many books in the last year, it's crazy. Way more than I read throughout my whole University career. Most of them are YA fiction, but those are my favourites, plus it's what I want to write. In fact, I read all 7 Harry Potter books since Christmas. I had never read them before, just watched the movies, but finally decided I should, and then got addicted like the rest of the world. Actually, I've been dying to talk to someone about the last book, but my sister hadn't read it yet, and i don't want to give anything away for others. But, wasn't it soo good!? I even convinced Mike to read the series as I liked them so much. I wonder what she's going to write next?

Well, the sky outside my window is bright blue, so I'm hoping the summer weather is coming back for a little while. I'm planning on doing something outside, but I don't know what yet!

14th century castles and coffee cake

I've been pretty bored this weekend as Mike was working his night shifts, which means that he sleeps all day. So, I'm kind of stuck at home with not too much to do. Yesterday I was determined to find something fun to do so I started to look up cottages in Ireland for sale, because one day I hope to own my own cottage that I can rent out during the year and then use as a writing retreat whenever I want. Well, looking at cottages in Ireland turned into a lot of fun, so I started to look into Scotland, and then France, and before I knew it I was looking at castles for sale...I know I know, I don't even have my own house yet. But, did you know that you can buy a castle in France for like a million dollars? Not that I have a million dollars, but it sure put my desire to live in Victoria in persepective for me. I mean, for the price of a fancy home in the Uplands, you could buy SEVERAL castles in various European countries! So, my new plan is to retire to a French castle and vacation in my Scottish and Irish cottages. And, anyone is free to come and visit. In fact, I would encourage everyone to look into buying cottages in other countries. That way we can share!



This is my castle--14th century! And for the price of a home in Victoria. 370,000 Euros. Crazy, eh? Even Mike likes the idea of living in a castle. Although, I bet the heating bill is extraordinary...

Ahh, dreaming. Too much of that when there is nothing else to do. I did, however, do some baking. I got this great cookbook for making light desserts, and they are really great recipes. I made a raspberry granola coffee cake last night and it is delicious.

Well, Mike is still sleeping, but hopefully he'll wake up soon. He has the next three days off which is nice, so I'm looking forward to buying our desk so that I don't have to sit on the floor and type anymore, and also so that I can put all of my books away and start writing for real. I have so many ideas for stories swimming around in my head, but I'm not sure where to start. And, for that matter, which of them are novels and which are short stories? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Okay, okay

Okay, so I've been putting off blogging for about a week now, because the task of catching up on my trip to Regina for Mike's grad, the moving excursion and my trip and settling in up here in Dawson Creek is pretty daunting. But, alas, I am finally sitting down to do it. So, here is the condensed version of the L'Heureux's exciting summer.

Going waaay back (at least it seems like a year ago), I left for Regina on July 7th. It was sooo awesome to be back with Mike again, and we enjoyed a weekend together, before he began his last week of training and before his family arrived for the celebration. On the saturday, we enjoyed a bbq at the home of one of his facilitators, where I was able to meet the rest of his troop, teachers, and their families. I, however, was the only crazy person who arrived 10 days before the graduation :) While at the bbq, Mike and his troopmates engaged in a East vs. West football game (the west won of course!). Above, you will see the two teams in a huddle. (My computer is only showing the pics as scrambled letters, so hopefully they are there somewhere).



Continuing on....On Sunday, Mike and I had a visit from our friends Kim and Todd from Saskatoon. They met us for brunch and for a tour of the RCMP museum, where we behaved like tourists posing with the bear and dressing up like mounties.





We also got to see Jenn, Matthew and Bronson later on in the day as they too were near Regina for a wedding. It was really neat to get to have the three couples hanging out together again, as this hasn't happened since Jenn and Matt's wedding! It was also nice to get to see Jenn for the third time this summer. Mike hadn't seen our godson since he was 3 weeks old, so it was really exciting for him as well, and I think Bronson liked him since he kept on grabbing his nose!




During the week I was a little bored, as Mike's family was not scheduled to arrive until Wednesday and I had to spend Sunday, monday and tuesday night alone, since Mike was in class still. I attempted to be brave to save money by scheduling 3 nights in the hostel, which was nice and clean, but after spending sunday night there with a strange woman in my room and not feeling safe leaving my humungous suitcase in the room while I went out, I decided to see if I could wrangle the Regina Inn where we were staying later to give me the RCMP rate for a few extra days, which they did thankfully. Unfortunately I still got charged the two nights at the hostel, but it was much more enjoyable to have my own room and the hotel was super nice. So, after my escape from the hostel (where i did meet some really nice french speaking tourists from France and Belgium) I spend monday shopping downtown, took a limo ride (same fare as a taxi), and then went to the Royal Saskatchewan museum on Tuesday, and then for a walk around the park there, where there is a pretty lake, fountain, and view of the parliament buildings. And, I am proud to say that I walked back, with my trusty free map of Regina in hand. I even saw some cute ducks.



Tuesday night was back to Depot to meet Mike for the sunset parade, which is a special drill performance that you can only see on Tuesday nights in July and August. They ahve special troops that train just for it, and it includes a marching band and cannon firing. It was nice to sit and watch with Mike on the lawn, especially nice for him as he was not allowed to touch the grass (or the sidewalk for that matter) for the length of his stay at depot. Mike tried to capture the cannon firing, but it didn't quite work. I did however, get a picture of myself with Safety Bear.






Depot is a really neat place. It has a small beautiful chapel with stained glass windows, that is the oldest building in Regina.



Thankfully, Mike's family had all arrived by Wednesday, so I was able to hang out with them until Friday. We also got to enjoy Mike's troop's passout ceremony on Thursday, which is a drill ceremony they do in the drill hall. On Friday, we picked Mike up from Depot to take him to the hotel, as he had officially completed his classes at Depot. We celebrated by going out to the Keg for a lovely dinner. On Saturday we toured around Regina, going to the Science center and to the Imax. The exhibit at the Science center included replicas of Egyptian art and tombs built entirely out of lego (any guys dream).






On Sunday and Monday, the true grad celebrations began. Sunday was the chapel ceremony, luncheon, family workshop,and another trip to the museum. Monday was a day full of ceremonies, including a morning swearing in ceremony, where the cadets swear three oaths, remove their cadet lapels, and get their diplomas, a final sergeant major's parade (where everyone melted in the heat,) then the official badge presentation ceremony where they put on their full Red Serge. There are many different combos of the mountie uniform, but this is when they wear what you think of when you see a mountie (Stetson, breeches, high browns...). Later in the evening, there is a dinner celebration with the heads of the RCMP and their wives, who all live at Depot, and in this case they wear the Red Serge jackets, but black italian style boots and straight leg pants, without the straps and everything on the jacket. I will post these pics if Mike lets me later on. The dinner was delicious, although quite ironic as it was catered by the chef at our hotel. Also incredible is the fact that the head table, which includes the high up ppl in the RCMP, have to do this dinner twice a week, every wednesday and monday night as a new troop grads each week. No wonder they left right away after we ate. I wonder if the wives get a new dress for each dinner?





This is the best I can do for now for pics of him and his troop, as you can't really make any of their faces out here, but this is Mike marching, and then the whole group is their final Seargeant Major's parade, where they are being inspected one last time, and where you get to hear the new cadets being yelled at for dressing/standing/breathing wrong. I thought I'd feel bad for them but it was really quite funny.

Well, that is the end of the grad story. It was really an amazing trip and so cool to meet his troopmates and see them all fulfilling their dreams. Now we are settling into Dawson Creek, and Mike is at work on his 3rd set of shifts. We can both say, though, that actually being here and working as a police officer, is so much different than what you think and feel when you are at Depot marching in polished boots and Red Serge. His boots are still pretty shiny and he still can't stand having his hair too long, but he's definitely getting to know the area and the "regulars" as I will call them. Tonight we are going to see the fireworks at the Rodeo and Fall Fair which started yesterday, and soon we hope to make a trip in to GRand Prairie, and hopefully in September to Edmonton to do our winter shopping.

The weather here is much warmer than I expected, though, and we have already explored two swimming holes; Swan Lake, and the Kiskatinaw River. The former is full of algae and kind of gross, but the river was fun, although a little too shallow, but I sill enjoyed it as it was a hot day.

I've already picked out my favourite neighbourhoods, and hopefully by next spring we will be able to buy our first house. Rent here is ridiculous (between Victoria and Vancouver prices) but houses for sale aren't too bad, so we don't want to rent for long. Also, can you believe that cereal is 10.77 a box? Anyone who would like to send me a box of Honey Bunches of Oats can feel free! But, for now we are eating puffed wheat. Haha.

More of our Dawson Creek adventures to come.

Finally!

Well, I'm off tomorrow to start my big adventure. Victoria then Regina, then Victoria, Port Alberni, Victoria, Vancouver, then to Dawson Creek! All between tomorrow morning and the 22nd of July!

Needless to say, I won't be blogging for a while, but look forward to lots of it once I'm settled in DC and bored while Mike is off saving the world. Haha.

Well, I can't believe how fast the time has gone now that it's time to see Mike again. I'm really excited and am still in packing/phone calling/cleaning mode to get myself and my car ready for the trip. I sure hope that I can fit everything that I have in my car!

In case anyone needs to get a hold of me, send me an email sabrinalheureux@gmail.com or call me while I am away, you'll have to call my cell number 208-4918.

Off to the prairies....

Going away in 4 days!

Well, I accomplished a lot of stuff today. Went to the bank, the post office, organized two going away parties for when Mike and I come to the island before we move. One is with our family in Port Alberni on the 18th, and the other is in Victoria on the 19th. So, if you happen to be in or around Victoria on the 19th of July (our anniversary) and want to come to a potluck picnic at Beacon Hill Park around 6pm just let me know!

Also, in other good news, I found us a for sure place to live in Dawson Creek. It's a two bedroom apartment and it has in-suite laundry, so I'm really excited about that. We can move in as soon as we get there if we want, on the 22nd. But, I'm hoping to stop in Barkerville for the night on the way there, and stay in a bed and breakfast.

I can't believe how fast the past two months have gone, it's just crazy. I have such a long list of things to do now and only two more days to do them in, and then I go to Victoria, and then to Regina. Hopefully my plane will get there on time--I can't wait to meet Mike in the airport. It's so much more exciting this time, because last time I was by myself and just had to take a cab. But, we're not sure yet if he can pick me up in his serge or not. I dont' know whether I want him to or not, since if he's in his serge I can't hug him or anything. No PDA's while in uniform!

Well, let's hope I can manage to get some sleep in the next few days and not just be so excited I'm up all night!

"The great orange towers of the Golden Gate bridge jutted through the fogbank like carrots from the faces of sleeping conjoined twin snowmen"

(A quote from a very good book I am currently reading)

So, I didn't get the job I applied for, which is too bad, because after subbing elementary today, I was actually getting excited about it. However, they did offer me a very small contract, teaching every friday in a grade one french immersion class. I knew I kept getting called for grade one for a reason! So, I've applied for it and asked to be on the sub list for monday to thursday, so at least I'll be guaranteed one day a week, and who knows, it could turn into more work!

Mike and I also found out that we'll be getting reimbursed for all of our moving expenses, including the move to storage, which I was unsure of. So, yeah for that! Plus, they will pay for us to stay in a hotel until we find a place to live for August first. I love the RCMP! I secretly am considering applying myself.

I'm very tired right now though, but excited for my girls night tomorrow with Jenn, Melissa and Theresa at a hotel! Yeah! But, I'm tired from Friday night, when I did the walk for life relay in Port Alberni. It was a 12 hour walk for cancer. We raised over 119 thousand dollars, and our team "Walking for Udders" in honour of Mike's mom, won the team spirit contest. We all had matching cow costumes and pyjamas for the pj lap. It was a lot of fun, in fact it was the most fun I've had staying up all night, even though it poured rain for a lot of it, and I was absolutely exhausted!

Well, that's all the news for now. I'm heading to Regina in less than 2 weeks now, and then Mike and I will be leaving for Dawson Creek on July 21st! We will have two days to drive there, and I plan on staying in a nice hotel paid for by the RCMP :)

So, that's what's exciting right now...let's hope it gets warm by next week so I can at least have one swim in Sproat Lake before I leave...pleease

Oh, and by the way, I'm reading a book right now called a Dirty Job, which is absolutely hilarious. You must read it--Here's a quote:

"So I am death." Charlie said as he tried to construct a tuna-fish sandwich. "Daddy is Death sweetie." He checked the toast, not trusting the pop-up mechanism because the toaster people sometimes just liked to fuck with you.

You have to read it to understand just how funny and well-written it is. Thanks Dad for the book!

going crazy

I am going crazy with nervousness right now because I was supposed to get a phone call today from the Vice Principal at the Dawson Creek school I applied at and they were supposed to call an hour ago, but never did! I don't know if they forgot, or decided to hire someone else, or what, but I've been sooo nervous about it all day because I was supposed to do it in French and I was afraid I'd make a fool of myself, and then they never called! Argg...I secretly didn't want to talk, but I do want a job, so I knew I had to do it...

So, I'm busying myself with little games. Try typing in "your name" needs on google and then post the first five responses:

They are actually pretty crazy...

1.Sabrina needs her faith more than ever to help her make a decision (wow, weird as I am trying to decide about a job)
2. Sabrina needs someone to embrace her activity level (been going to the gym every day)
3. Sabrina needs 3kg of fresh red meat per day (haha)
4. Sabrina needs work (true)
5. Sabrina needs her beer to golf (not quite true as I hate beer)

Post your own if you get the time...

19 more days...

What's new? Hmm...not much unfortunately. I've been working fairly steadily, got called in to the high school finally for two days last week and taught French for a couple of days. It was fun, i saw a lot of my old teachers and got to hang out with high school kids, which is nice because they aren't putting up their hands to tell you they're tooth is wiggly.

The weekend was uneventful. Had a nice dinner out with my mom and watched a lot of movies. The weather just really sucks. I'm so glad I had that summer holiday in California, because it might be the only hot relaxing by the water week I get all summer. I think I might miss it in Port and then arrive in time for the frost in Dawson Creek.

I've been going to the gym a lot though, which is great. I'm trying to look good for Mike's grad. I actually like lifting weights on the circuit training machines, I just find the treadmill boring, and running on pavement makes my hip and shins too sore. Hopefully I'll find some nice trails in Dawson Creek.

This week is the relay for life, though, so that should be fun on Friday evening. Anyone want to donate some money for me to walk for 12 hours, let me know! I haven't really had time for the fundraising as most of it was done while I was still on my practicum, so I'm feeling like I should actually do something now.

Well, let's hope for some sunshine soon.

Only 19 more days and I'll be in Regina!

Lots of visits and pics of Dawson Creek

Here are some pics of Dawson Creek!

So, I have officially graduated twice now and am a real teacher! (will post the pics once Jessie sends them to me) Yeah! I even have my actual teaching certificate and education degree to prove it! This is good news, because I just applied for a job in Dawson Creek. It's a .60 posting at an elementary school, which means it's only three days a week. One day in an intermediate french class, one teaching technology and one teaching immersion kindergarten. It's not high school, but it would be a good start for me I think, and would guarantee that I have something to do in Dawson Creek, as I know Mike will be super busy. However, he was told that he'd be working 4 days on 4 days off, which will be nice, because even though he'll be very busy while he's working, at least we'll have some time off together every week.

I've just said good-bye to my friend Myana, who was here visiting since Monday. It's so nice to have friends come and visit me, and I'm looking forward to seeing Jenn again in two weeks and to the girls night that we are planning. I'm so excited! And, in only 24 more sleeps, I will be going to Regina to see Mike! I almost can't believe that it's finally time for us to move and start our careers and live in the same place again! I'm really looking forward to it though. I think it's going to be a fun adventure.

I'm also excited because I just saw the new Harry Potter movie preview with Myana, (we went to see Shrek the 3rd) and I also just watched a preview for the movie The Golden Compass, which is based on one of my favourite books by Phillip Pullman. If you haven't read it, you should before December when the movie comes out. The preview looks really good too, they have Nicole Kidman playing Mrs Coulter, the villain, and I think she actually fits the character perfectly. Daniel Craig (007) is also in it. Speaking of books, Myana and I went bookstore shopping while she was here, since there isn't any other type of shopping you can really do. We went to the two usuals on Johnston, but we also discovered two stores that I've never been in that were just lovely. One called Queen Bee and the other is called Literati books. The latter is a cute little second hand shop with very nice used books and the Queen Bee has a lot of fantasy type stuff and fairies hanging from the ceiling, and the lady that works there gives you a tarot card instead of a bookmark.

So, it was a fun few days, although we would have liked to go to the beach for a swim. The weather has been pretty crappy and cold though, so I hope it warms up before I have to leave! i need to have a few swim days in Sproat Lake before I move to the cold north!

If you want to watch a video of Dawson Creek, click on http://www.tourismdawsoncreek.com/videos/

Hope to see many of you before I move away (Keep July 19th open in Victoria for a possible going away/welcome back Mike party! Also, it's our anniversary that day!

Moving to Dawson Creek

This past week has brought a lot of exciting events. On wednesday, I graduated for the second time with my Bed. from Uvic. The ceremony was nice and they said my name right this time! I got some nice pics taken, which I will post as soon as my friend Jessie sends them my way.

The other exciting news I wanted to quickly post is that I just found out that Mike's posting is in Dawson Creek, BC. So, we are very excited and looking forward to starting our new careers there.

I will post some more about Dawson Creek later, but if you don't know where that is, it's in Northern BC, almost on the alberta border. It's a small town of about 11 000, but it has plenty of stuff to do and schools for me to teach at. So, I'm hoping that we will like it there! And, we may even be able to buy a house sooner than we thought!

Music teacher

As I mentioned before, I spent this week subbing for the music teacher at Alberni Elementary. It was fun, although I didn't study music education, so I basically watched singa longs and musicals all week. Unfortunately, I had to watch the same ones over and over again with each class. But, thankfully, tomorrow is the last time I'll have to listen to "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" !

My sister and Billy sent some pictures on a CD of their drive across Canada, and so I was able to see some pictures of my hubby for the first time since January since they stopped in Regina and saw him. He is supposed to be sending me some pictures soon, but I'm still waiting! They aren't the best ( a little blurry) and he'd just shaved his head for cops for cancer, but here they are. There is also a picture of me and Megan before she left.

I can't wait to go to Regina. I just booked my hotel and my hostel while I am there. I leave in 37 more sleeps! And, I've been informed today that Mike should know where he is being posted next week some time. The people from Saskatchewan just found out, so he should be coming up soon. I can't wait. Hopefully it will be soon enough to apply for teaching jobs for next year. I've also become obsessed with looking at houses and condos on mls.ca and choosing random cities, so it would be nice to know which one I should actually be procrastinating on!

Before I go back to being bored, I must share a funny story about my niece Jenna, who just turned four. She's very proud of her uncle Mike becoming a cop in Regina, but unfortunately, sometimes words are easily mixed up, as her daycare lady discovered. A few weeks ago, while Jenna was at daycare, there were some helicopters flying above the house. The boys were all outside shouting "look, copters". Jenna, thinking that copters must mean cops, as in police officers, confidently tells her daycare lady that she knows where copters come from. The lady asks, where?

And, Jenna replies, thinking fondly of uncle mike, "copters come from vagina!"

The lady wasn't sure what she meant by this, but Jenna explained that her Uncle Mike was going to be a cop and he lived in vagina. Melissa told me this on the weekend and I just about peed my pants laughing. Although, I must admit that even my grade ten kids giggled when I said my husband was in Regina. Okay, okay, vagina is a funny word. I'll admit it. But much funnier from a 4 year old proudly bragging about her uncle mike coming from there. Although, of course, he did at one point.

Anyways, that's my story for the day. Back to "Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban". Exciting is the life I lead.

Amanda visits and Kindergarten all in one week

I am now back in Port Alberni again, after visiting my Dad in Vancouver for 2 days last weekend. It was a lot of fun, and I finally found a dress to wear to Mike's grad in Regina. (I'll be there on July 7th). I also had to say good bye to my sister Megan and Billy as they headed off to Ottawa. I am informed that they arrived on Wednesday without having thrown each other into Lake Superior--way to go guys! Hopefully they will find a nice place to live.

This week was nice and relaxing, but busy at the same time. On Monday morning, Amanda (from Ontario) met me at my Dad's house in Vancouver. We went out for breakfast and then took the bus together to the ferry, and then the ferry to Nanaimo. I was lucky enough to be able to hog her for 4 whole days of her 2 week visit, and we had a lot of fun in PA together. On Tuesday, it was a beautiful day so we went to the Harbour Quay for a walk and some donuts from the Donut Shop. Then, we checked out some book stores, and saw that yes indeed, the guy with the really blue eyes still works there. That evening, we had dinner at Batstar, a short walk from my house, and then watched Dreamgirls, which, we decided had way too much singing.

I got asked to teach kindergarten all week, so I taught from 9-12 each morning, and then we hung out afterwards. On Wednesday, the weather wasn't as nice, so we drove up to Parksville to go mini golfing (neither of us are meant to be pro golfers) and then walked the beach, stopped for ice cream at Whiskey Creek, and took a stroll through Cathedral Grove.

Yesterday was the hottest day I've seen since California, so we went to the lake for a picnic. It was hot enough to tan in a bathing suit, but the water was still like ice, so we didn't swim. Then, last night we went to see the Pirates of the Caribbean . I couldn't believe that it actually started on opening night in Port Alberni! Usually we have to wait a few weeks to get the movies here. And, alas, now Amanda is on the bus on her way back to Victoria. We had a goodbye breakfast this morning before I went to work, and then I drove over to the bus stop to say good bye. Amanda, it was lovely having you here and I can't wait for our next visit! Have fun in Victoria with everyone!

I would post some of the dozens of pictures of the week, but I'll have to wait until Amanda sends me them since they are on her camera!

Hope all is well...stay tuned for next week when I get to teach music and a grade 3/4 split class!

Oh, and some recent news from Mike--no word on the city yet but his troupe has finally earned their "blues" today, which means that they get to wear the blue pants with the stripes now, after about 6 or 7 weeks of trying. So, congrats to troupe 46!

Where are we going?

Well, it's not the North west territories, although mike scared me by asking about whether I knew how to build an igloo, did I like husky dogs, and other questions, and then after 10 mionutes of torturing me with questions and making me think we were going to various provinces in Canada, finally told me that we are staying in BC! Yeah! So, now we are sending in a list of 15 possible detachments where we might want to go and hopefully they will actually choose one of them. At the top of our list are areas in the interior, okanagan, and southeast part of BC, as well as some lower mainland detachments like Hope and Chiliwack. We shall soon see!
(well, in about 4 weeks at the most....) So, it's another waiting game for a little while!

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for somewhere not too tiny or up north...

Adventures in Regina and California

Pictures from California...

Here are me and Bronson at Huntington...he liked to play with the locket Mike gave me...

Bronson in his cute new outfit Jenn and I found at Gymboree...plaid just like Dad

And, here we are at Venice Beach...Bronson liked to eat the sand...

I am now in Port Alberni and have some excellent news...I just returned from the school board office and my meeting with my old principal Greg Smyth, who is now doing hiring for the district. He told me that I am definitely on the TOC list and that I could get a full time french position possibly for September. The only unfortunate thing is that I still don't know where Mike is going to be posted and I don't want to accept a position and then let them down.

My trip to California was amazing, it was so nice to relaz and suntan and read a really good book (Inkspell, the sequel to Inkhear--very good books). I also had a lot of fun visiting with Matt and Jenn, playing Niagara finally, and playing with baby Bronson every morning so that Matthew could have a shower and Jenn could get some more sleep.

Pasadena is a beautiful warm place. The university is just gorgeous, I couldn't believe how nice the campus was. Even the water fountain has coloured tiles behind it. There is a turtle pond, and roses and gardens and courtyards to sit in, and the buildings have amazing architecture. We also went to Huntington gardens one day, visited the pool three times at Caltech, which was loveley, nice and cool, with the mountains and palm trees in the background, and went in to Santa Monica to go to Venice Beach on the Thursday. The beach was nice and warm and I even saw some dolphins swimming by. We did some shopping of course in Old Town and some other places and I got a few nice things. We also went for dinner in Little Ethiopia and lunch at Caltech where we got to sit and watch a free concert. It was a lot of fun, and a perfect way to end my 6 years of school. I even saw a celebrity on my plane ride back from Burbank to san Fransisco. I kept looking at this woman that looked just like Jessica Alba, and was trying really hard to hide (big sunglasses, scarf, long sleeves when it was 30 degrees out) and she had a woman following her around carrying her stuff who was obviously her assisstant. Then, I heard a guy talking about how hot she was and how she was on the cover of Mazim, and I figured that I must have been right. Mike was pretty jealous when I told him. Ah, hollywood. Can't wait to go back and go to Disneyland next time!

It's hard to believe that I am no longer a student. I graduated once last year, but I knew that I was going back to school, so this time it feels very strange as I am actually finished this time! No more working for free!

I'm hoping that I get called this week for tocing--it would be great as I really need the money to pay for the move until I get reimbursed from the RCMP.

Well, here are some of my pictures...actually, they are above, because I can't figure out how to move them to the bottom...sometimes I am still blogger challenged...and apparently i can't turn them the right way either...any tips on putting pics on blogs? I usually don't do photos, so I could use a tutor...for instance, how do you move pics around, and delete them once they are there?

Above, you see the turtle pond at Caltech, the auditorium with the mountains in the background, me and bronson at Huntington, the Japanese gardens at Huntington, Bronson in his cute new outfit, and then some pics of us at Venice Beach. There you go!

In other news, Mike is doing well in Regina and will find out on Friday what province he will be posted too...so keep your fingers crossed for BC or PEI! Also, I got a great seat sale and have booked my flight to Regina leaving July 7th and returning to Victoria on july 17th...which means Jenn and Matthew and Bronson, that Mike and I will be able to visit with you that weekend!

Well, off to do something, not sure what though, I'm jobless and not a student...weird feeling, but it's sunny and warm here so maybe I'll go and read!

I'm back

So, I realize that it's been a long time since I've been in the blogger world, but I am now officially finished school for good. No more practicum, no more classes. I have now stopped working for free.

And, I'm on holidays. In california!

A lot has happened since I last posted and here are some higlights:

I went to visit Mike in Regina, after 10 long weeks of missing him. It was an awesome weekend, and it was really cool to see where he lives and goes to school and to meet some of his friends and troupemates. I even got to get fingerprinted. He's doing really well there too, and I can't wait to go back for his graduation in July.

Then, I worked really hard packing and cleaning and marking for a month straight and moved out of my apartment on April 30th, thanks to a lot of help from my mom with the cleaning. I stayed with my friends Sarah and Fraser for the last week of school and then I had an awesome last evening on the 4th, which included a picnic in Beacon hill park with my friends and then dessert and a game at the Medds house, who drove me to the airport at 4 in the morning for my flight. Thanks!

It was hard saying goodbye to everyone, but I know i'll be back to visit. Also, I'm just so excited for this part of my life. I'm done school and mike is nearly done, and I have nothing to worry about for the rest of the summer...I can relax, hopefully toc in PA and read lots of good books!

My students and soul cafe girls were so sweet when I left-thanks for the flowers and cards and presents!

And, now I am enjoying the 30 degree weather here in Pasadena. I'm visiting Jenn and Matthew and baby Bronson, who is a lot of fun. On my first day, we went out to a pottery painting place. Then we went shopping yesterday and I bought a dress and a book. Last nnight we drove in to LA and I saw the hollywood sing for the first time. We then went in to Little ethiopia for dinner. It was my first time eating ethiopian--it was delicious.

Well, today is the pool day....more about my california adventure soon!