Marathon post

Here is Tanner "warming" up. It was a really hot day so there wasn't much we needed to do to warm up.



Getting ready for the gun to go. Tanner is a little sensitive to loud noises so he was covering his ears for this reason


Here we go!

There's my boys!



The proud marathoner with his medal


Matt always makes funny faces when I take his picture eating so Tanner thought it would be funny if he did it. Subway provided ALL who participated (weather they were just parents or marathoners) a 6 inch with an apple and juice box.

We had to hike back to the car (we parked back at the start line) and I took this beautiful picture on the way back.


We had a picnic at Aunty Elaines after the Canada Day parade.


We also attended our first ever Raymond Stampede. It was perfect. Not too long and we actually knew some of the competitors so that was a bonus.

Summer happenings

-We've been swimming A LOT! I gotta work on my tan a bit so any chance we get to go to the pool, we're there.

-we can finally park in our garage! okay well, we're not suppose to be driving over the sidewalk they poured last week, but it's just sidewalk...it's not like i'm parking on the sidewalk. i'm driving over it.

-my cousin, diane, and i had a girls night out. we went to tony romas for appetizers, then to marble slab for ice cream.

-our phone is finally working! matt suspected it was the peg that the sidewalk formers nailed into the ground and sure enough when they pulled the peg/spike out, the phone started working again.

-we had an overnight trip to calgary. tanner had a dentist appointment (no cavities)

-a trip to the zoo in the blazing hot sun

-me back to work and matt on vacation now

-sleepovers...not me, tanner

-reading (secret daughter and now i'm starting 'the help')

-couch looking (not buying yet. i feel like we have to be in love with it not just like it)

we have my mom coming this weekend and then next weekend matt and tanner are going up to calgary while i stay home to help with the triathlon here in town. our town and the office i work in put it together so i feel a small sense of responsibility to help out. i know i don't have to but i was in it participating last year and this year i didn't train (okay let's be honest, i didn't WANT to do it this year) so i am helping by counting peoples laps in the pool (see, again, working on my tan...lol. it's like my version of sitting at the beach).

we have seen 2 movies, 'the Lincoln lawyer' and 'Arthur'. both were good stories but they did have some language in them. we are taking tanner to see cars 2 this week for our family fun day. he's been wanting to see it for a while. he's seen kung fu panda 2 and mr.poppers penguins while he was in calgary on his summer adventures with my mom and sisters.

matt's mom is coming the first week in august. we are determined to finally go to writing on stone.

what else are you doing this summer?

Waterton Park

Last Wednesday we headed out to Waterton for an afternoon picnic and some fun in the water.






Aunty Elaine always has toys for the kids. She brought along these nets that the kids "fished" with.



Emerson was so cool

We got to see this wind sailor do some tricks.


There was also boats for the kids to go boating in.


Jeremy (my cousins boy) was happy to help Ana and Emerson float around in the boat


And of course, who could miss the Falls?



This isn't the greatest picture of me but it's the best out of the 3 of them.

My cousin and her family (her husband wasn't able to come with her...boo)


I just thought this picture was so sweet.



Megan and Emerson (Dean had to go back to work this week...boo)


Such cute boys!

We had to be kinda sneaky about getting this picture but isn't it darling?


And how can you go to Waterton and NOT get ice cream?


L-R:Emerson, Jeremy, David, Ana, and Tanner


Can you see Emerson trying to hold Tanner's hand? He's not a big hand holder anymore so it's a big deal if he does. Seconds after this was taken, Tanner let Emerson hold his hand....ahhhhhh

tidbits

You know what I don't get? When celebrities say inappropriate things and get in trouble and then they 'retract' their statement (or say I regret saying...) and everyone says they apologized. I don't know about you, but the way I grew up, you actually said the words "I'm sorry" and you meant it. This is why I don't believe in forcing children to apologize on the spot. If you tell them they have to say sorry, then how do you know they really mean it or even are trying to understand the process of what it means to be sorry? Being forced to say sorry is just a way of saving face (in my eyes) and it doesn't mean anything when it's forced. Anyways, that's my 2 cents on that.

My bed isn't made today and you know what? That's actually a rarity. Since we moved into our new house I have taken a lot of effort/pride...whatever you want to call it, in keeping our house tidy and neat. I have even (on occasion) cleaned my bathroom twice in a week to keep it looking clean. I didn't realize just how much I could enjoy a tidy house. Now, I don't normally wash my floors and vacuum as often but I do it as I see fit (which has only been 2x for mopping and once a week for vacuuming). I have kind of surprised myself. My family can attest to the fact that since being a teenager I have VERY rarely EVER made my bed. Even as a married woman, I rarely made our bed. Matt doesn't care (or if he does, he never says anything) so since we never cared about having our bed made, why make it? It just feels more satisfying to have it made.


Some people, lately, have been really hypocritical. It really gets under my skin when people (who shall remain nameless and genderless) expect something of me or expect me to DO something and don't do it (by choice, not because they don't' know HOW to do it) themselves. Double standards are kinda annoying lately.


Seeing what's coming up on the Bachelorette actually makes me want to stop watching it. She seems really emotionally immature. Maybe that's just me but she seems to be crying a LOT in the upcoming episodes.

People say that the Duchess of Cambridge's clothes are more accessible (financially)than most other royal family members. Although I agree to a degree, I also disagree. I would never spend, nor could I afford a pair of L.K. Bennett shoes for $285. I don't know if I would even if I had the money to. I guess it's more affordable than some of the clothes like the $4000 dress she wore to the ARK event. I can see where it IS more affordable to upper middle-class people, but for everyday, lower middle class people like a lot of people I know clothes like hers are not in the budget. She doesn't seem to be a flashy, "look how much I spent on this outfit" kind of person. She knows what she likes and what's comfortable and I really like that about her.

We watched some old home movies that we had converted onto a DVD...like 1991 old. Let's see...who was on there....although I'd like to name names, I don't think it would be appropriate on such a public forum...I mean, what if those people don't want others to know they ever associated with me??? LOL! It was such a blast to watch it and I laughed almost the whole 90 minutes of it. I can't wait to see more of them. I am especially looking forward to a certain ALF video and Jennifer Lopez wanna be.

Matt and I watched the movies 'I am Number Four' and 'Red Riding Hood'. Both were excellent movies. Red Riding Hood was clean in language but it had some upper back nudity. I am number four was clean both in language and provocativeness. I don't remember any swears in it. Red Riding hood had us guessing the whole way through.

I am slightly envious that Tanner got to be in Edmonton this week with all my sisters. It makes me remember when we use to go up there every summer for a week or 2 to visit Aunty Carolyn. They all got to be up there and I wasn't there...I shed about 2 tears and then went to sleep ; ) Those were good childhood memories to think about and dream about.

I'm sorry to say but misquitos don't really bother me. I guess I have bad blood or something.

I have some pictures of Tanner at the marathon last week so I'll get those up soon enough. For now, that's all.

Father Day and Pictures

I was fooling around taking some self timed pictures...these are 3 of the results that I liked the best.





Tanner got his shirt today! Matt and I will both be there cheering him on. We are all very excited!

Coming out of the pool after the Biathlon today

Our little fish out of water

I'm sure it was a little colder than anticipated so he's a little more cautious.



Our 'Fancy' Father's day BBQ....steak and potatoes

Tanner attempted to help Matt...all of for 5 seconds

The man of the day. He loves to BBQ and we love eating what he makes.

Such a typical thing.

Tanner searching for 'Cars 2' on the IMDB website on my iPod touch.



Death by Chocolate. Our little town merc doesn't carry Skor so I used Crispy Crunch instead. It was equally delicious.



My little cowboy! Isn't he so cute??? He totally looks like he belongs here in a small little cow poke town.

We made these at enrichment last year. The letter 'O' was originally a vase but I loved the look of this old camera of my Dad's as the 'O'.








Overall, we've had a good weekend. It's a good thing I am not a hand model because I cut my hand up something good this weekend. Twice on thread...yes, it can cut your skin, and then once on a very sharp knife I forgot was in the sink.





We had a multi family garage sale this weekend. It was really good. I sold quite a bit and took the rest to The Salvation Army. The kid consignment store I tried to take the rest of my stuff to said they were full and I didn't know of any other kids consignment store. I was NOT taking the stuff back home so I donated it. Good-bye stroller, bouncy chair, boy clothes, shoes, and car seat cover (and more) that I loved but don't need. There's a small joke going around that now I'm going to get pregnant that I gave/sold 90% of my baby stuff that I had left. I just giggle inside at the thought/rumor/joke. I will not be one of those people...as if I could be so lucky and it could've been that easy.





The Bachelorette tricked us!!! There was no Bentley last night. Now I have to wait until next week! Ahhhh!!! Mean, cruel producers.





My Wen stuff came today!!!! I am going to use it either tonight or tomorrow morning and see if I can tell a difference.





I am hooked on Pinterest. Such a convenient way to find what you're looking for, weather it's something you NEED or you're just wasting time looking for ideas.





Tanner got a haircut yesterday and it took 3 of us 10 minutes to convince him to sit in the chair to attempt to have his hair washed. We got his hair washed but as soon as they told him they were going to wash it, he lept out of the chair and said he was ready for his hair to just be cut! It's like we were torturing him or something. He's never had his hair washed in those sinks. We even showed him how it turns on and everything but he didn't want any part of it. I adore how funny he is. He is very much a boy that needs to have new things he's unsure of explained to him. He is NOT adventurous that way. He needs to know exactly what's going to happen and what to expect. I know that's partly my fault because anytime he's gone to the dr's or is about to have surgery, I always explain everything I possibly can to him so he's not afraid and stressed out. It's a way to get him more relaxed but it doesn't always work...like yesterday. Anyways, he was really good for his haircut and so afterwards I got him a 10 pack of Tim bits (okay, I admit, this was basically his supper because it was 5pm by the time we got there but this is most certainly NOT a sometimes thing. I may give him cereal or pancakes for dinner but I NEVER let him eat junk food for dinner).





Matt is done with having to stay late and he was even rewarded unexpectedly from the Principal by taking him and the other custodian to lunch last week. This job has been such a great blessing and Matt loves working there. I really think it gives him a sense of self worth because he really does work hard and people actually notice and tell him.


That's about all for now. Have a great week!

Randomness

Does anyone know if you can get Gilmore Girls on Net flix? I am seriously considering getting it when our cable is out in August. Who has Net Flix? Is it worth it?

I find it slightly comedic that people talk about famous people...or more specifically The Duchess of Cambridge...wearing the same thing more than once. They call it recycling. Most of us down here in reality recycle our clothes often. Good for her for wearing the same coat dress more than once. Just because a person has access to being able to wear a new outfit every day of their life doesn't mean that if they choose not to, people should be all aghast. I think it makes her more real. Anyways, that's my 2 cents on that issue.

I rarely read the paper or watch the news. There are so many negative things in it that I find it kind of depressing to do so.

I finally feel like our house is ours. Tanner put the first nick/gauge (albeit it's small) in the wall with his light saber. There are a few scrapes and minor chips down the wall down the stairs but now there's a noticeable gauge. Oh well! I'm sure it's not the last one that will ever happen.

I hope the postal strike won't last long.

I LOVE the spring loaded curtain rods. They give me the freedom to change my mind without any permanent damage to the windows. I love that! Plus, we don't have to tack sheets up on the wall over the windows...which we were doing more for privacy. I need choices and this give me choices.

We got new shower heads. The ones that came with the house were terrible for pressure and you couldn't change them. It literally took 5 minutes to rinse my hair when before we moved, it only took me a minute. It was so slow. The new ones are awesome. They also took all of 10 minutes to put them in (we got 2, one for our bathroom and one for Tanner's bathroom).

Speaking of hair...I ordered this new product called "wen". It's suppose to be amazing for your hair. There's a website you can order it from (www.trywen.ca). I'm really excited because I have a really dry scalp and I can't find one product that works consistently to keep it hydrated. I've tried organic (kiss my face and Burt's Bees), I've tried gentle stuff (Dove), I've tried professional stuff (AG), I've even tried hydrating stuff (Aussie). I even have pricey leave in spray conditioner but I still get patches of really dry, itchy scalp. So I hope this new stuff works.

I don't have a mop and I am looking at getting one. I have hand washed my floor (and the floors of the people I clean for) for 4 years. Do any of you have any recommendations? I heard steam mops are really good and I've used one once but not everyone who has a steam mop loves theirs. My Mom has one of those micro-fiber cloth ones. She has hardwood and it works good for her floor but I find that they can leave streaks.

I bought us (Matt, Tanner and I) matching Canada Day shirts and bandannas. I am stoked to wear them. I got them at Old Navy when we were in Calgary. It's not very often you can find matching shirts for adults and kids (well, not that I have found anyways) and I think it's fun every once in a while to match. We have matching Super Mario Brothers shirts but mine shrunk and it's....well, lets just say you can see every roll and lump/bump. It's pretty tight. So I don't wear it anymore.

I am seriously thinking about going on a raw food diet to see what it does for me. I'm worried that I don't have the dedication to do it but I guess it never hurts to try. I would like to think I would allow myself 1 or 2 cheat days a month. I don't think it's good to restrict yourself so much that you NEVER eat 'normal' food every once in a while. It's just a thought.

I would love to get a new bristle mat for our front door. Sharon got us a really super cute snowman one a couple of Christmases ago and it still sits at the front door, but I would love to have a non-Christmas one. Costco had some really cute ones last year. And I saw some really cute ones at Home Outfitters in Calgary that were $30 but I didn't get any of them.

The best facebook status I've seen in the last week was from Bobbi-Jo: "You are what you eat...funny, I don't remember eating any sexy beasts today". This totally cracked me up and I think it's hysterical.


We do not wear all our hats well (this is something only a few of you will get)

Megan and Dean and Emerson came on Thursday and we had a wonderful visit. Emerson is such a cutie pie and he adores Tanner. He was "crying" (fakely) when Tanner didn't want to hold his hand walking home from picking him up from school. He was like 'peas tanner, old my hand' and Tanner said 'no thank you'. At least Tanner was polite about it...lol.

Has anyone gone to a U-Pick farm? Is it worth it? I'd like to go for raspberries. We have one more jar of home made raspberry jam and it makes my heart sad because it's so delicious. It's like if I open that last jar, I might actually cry...

Are any of you watching 'The Bachelorette'? Did you see the promo for next week????? HOLY COW!!!! Seriously! I hope Bentley gets what's coming to him (if it is in fact him at the Hotel).

Well, I guess that's about all for now. Have a great Tuesday!

Who would we think....

I saw this on Christal's blog and it really goes along to what has been on my mind a lot lately.

WHO WOULD WE THINK IS BEAUTIFUL IF SOCIETY DIDN'T TELL US WHO IS BEAUTIFUL

because reality is: the majority of us
have some love handles, maybe some chunky thighs, a bit of cellulite,
a muffin top , some back fat
healthy relief society arms and some of us aren't blessed with super sonic speed metabolic burning bodies... and....
{of course that doesn't mean we can't dream, train and achieve,
a healthy body and image} but...
truth is most of us don't look like the super models splashed everywhere we look and the clothes they wear and we buy....
we'll still never look like them,
fact is photoshop and airbrushing, magazines, plastic surgery, exploitation of women..... makes us feel like we have a standard to live up too that isn't even close to reality,
a very twisted perception on what is beauty
truth is sometimes no matter how much we exercise and eat right we'll always want to be something else...never good enough in our own eyes there will always be I wish I could lose ? lbs or I wish this was and I wish I could be...... on and on whatever it is for each of us.. instead of just being happy .....
If we worked on our inner package of perfection more than concentrating so highly on the outer package and got rid of the judging thoughts on ourself and others..... the self loathing..... the low self confidence and esteem ...........
as much time as we stress over and about our outer package of perfection..which is never attainable to begin with... things might be different if we focused more on what we teach our children.... its whats inside that counts when that starts happening things will change on the outside too.


People get so competitive about things and it really bothers me because you know what? In REALITY, in ETERNITY, none of us are better than anyone else. Nobody's children are or will be cuter than the next persons, no one is prettier than the person next to them, no one is smarter in all ways than the person next to them...we all have different abilitlies/strengths/traits that make us who we are. Just because what we percieve someone is better at doesn't make them better than us. Comparing ourselves to other is, to me, competition in a small sense and who want us to compare ourselves to each other???? It certainly isn't the one being that should matter most.
We are all equal in the eye's of God and that's all that should matter.

And we don't know everyone's circumstance. Just because someone is overweight doesn't mean they are lazy and eat crap all the time. It's possible that they have a very real medical condition. Or what about the person who is super thin...maybe they don't work out at all. We can never be too careful about looking at other people and making judgement calls in our minds about them.

We are all beautiful in our own ways and that's what people should try to look at. Not at what they don't have or wish they have that someone else has. I heard someone say not too long ago that if we could walk in another person's shoes, we would beg for our own shoes back.

Be grateful for what you have now because that's what matters most.

Dear....

Do you watch or have you ever seen "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"? I have been watching it at night and it is hysterical! My favorite are the post cards he pretends to write. They are so funny. This show is like a little slice of SNL every night. So funny and real. Anyways, if you love to laugh, you should check it out.

Dear diary

As I lay here pondering the last 5 days and the events that have taken place, I wonder if I truly know my authentic self (thanks Oprah) and if I don't, what am I doing to become who I have the potential to be? I don't think I am the only one to struggle with this and some days are better than others in knowing but lately I have had some serious doubts (what's his no face is to blame for that). I have been trying to keep busy and productive so I don't get too down on the issue.

We had our first dinner (it was actually lunch) guests over. We BBQ ribs and had salad with it. It was oh so yummy. We are having more guests over on Sunday for dinner. I am excited to be able to finally have the room to entertain people and not feel like it's so crowded. my sister and her husband are hopefully coming down for a visit this weekend. They will be the 3rd people in family to see our house.

2 more weeks until we can park in our garage. We are having a combined garage sale with Amelia. It's going to be great!

I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for but sometimes I feel like I don't always show it. I am trying to work on that because I want to show it more in how I live and how I act.

Anyways, it's a bit of a deep one tonight. Lots going on.

I need to post some pictures soon. Maybe tomorrow.

randomness

-does it bug you as much as it bugs me when people update their status on Facebook like more than 10 times a day??? Or post the same add 3-4 times a day?





-i have a confession...i am royal obsessed. i bought 2 more magazines. i think i have a problem. at least i still don't dream of going to london...ever!





-on another 'royal' note, i think it's kind of silly that women want to have a dress like Catherines engagement and wedding dress...PLUS the knock off ring. can't people be more original? it's one thing if people end up wearing the same skirt or top as you, but if a whole swarm of people WANT to wear the same thing...well, that's kind of silly to me as well as unoriginal.









-my garage is organized finally! i have a pile of stuff to sell or donate so we can't park in our garage quite yet. i have to have a garage sale.









-i still feel like i'm in someone else's house with all our stuff. it doesn't feel totally real to me yet that we live in our own house.









-i have to sit by older people in church otherwise i sit by some chatty cathy and don't get much out of the lesson.








-some guy tried to drive down our alley when it was muddy and got stuck. this is kind of funny to me because our alley has HUGE tire tracks/divets in them and if you drive in them, you can easily get high centered. it's not like you just randomly get stuck in a pot hole or something. i mean, these tracks are deep and very visible. when we drive down the alley, we drive on top of the tracks. clearly some people are a little more adventurous than us.








-matt and i picked out our clothes for the weekend already. normally i don't really put much thought into what i wear. i usually just pack some of my favorite outfits and/or what's most comfy. this weekend is a little different. after my dad died, i never really understood (and still don't) why lots of people wear dark clothes to funerals or memorial services. i think it goes back to old days but i actually asked matt if i should wear a black dress. he suggested another one and so i decided to take his suggestion and am wearing a NON black/dark dress.





-i am mildly worried about tanner during this weekend. i'm not sure why but i am.





-tanner is in swim class this summer. apparently the classes are all sold out and so he's only registered in one class.





-i collect coins. i love to collect quarters and loonies that are for a special occasion. for example, i have almost all of the special quarters from the last olympics. i don't collect old 1800's coins, just recent coins that will get old...ha ha.





that's about all the randomness that i can think up for now. until next time...