TMNT and the Shredder

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  You got it right?  You may be wondering my reference to the early 90's and the evil villain, the shredder!  The school recently purchased a new scanner, a Fujitsu Canosnap S1500.  This sucker screams through paper like you wouldn't believe.  Scans double sided, with a document feeder.  I decided to try it out by taking it home and thinning our our filing cabinet.  Turns out I had old tax forms from when I first started working as well at credit card statements from the 90's, hence my above reference.  So after a quick run through the scanner, the documents were run through our shredder.  It ended up being quite the pile of stuff in the end!  I started inside, but the endeavor eventually needed me to head out to the garage.  Here are a few shots.

From 2010_09 Misc

From 2010_09 Misc

From 2010_09 Misc

From 2010_09 Misc

I think I might have done some serious harm to our shredder!  In the end it could only handle about one page at a time!

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Fall Hiking

While the beginning of a school year is always busy, I was lucky to take a group of students out on a hiking trip as an opening activity for school.  Three days and two nights up at Bovin lake.  It was a great trip and I probably did more hiking in those three days than I did all summer!  It was probably added up to 30ish kilometers over the three days with 4000+ft of gain and loss!  I can't even remember the last time I covered that much ground in so few days.  Perhaps a ski trip into a cabin?  A hellish trip up and down Mount Fable?  Hiking the Chilkoot with Dora?
It was an interesting trip, weather wise as well with snow coming down during the evening.  It didn't stick around, but everyone had ice covering their tents by morning.  Another new development was Denali deciding not to do the day hikes, turning around and hanging out at the camp.  This was a first!  Makes me worry a bit about her age.  The weather during the day was nice warm, a bit windy, but that just makes it feel that much more extreme and really what do you expect for LOMAH?

Regardless, this truly was an enjoyable trip and I can't wait to get the students out again.

Here are a few shots from the trip.

From 2010.09 Bovin Lake Hike

From 2010.09 Bovin Lake Hike

From 2010.09 Bovin Lake Hike

From 2010.09 Bovin Lake Hike

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Because I know....

Well, at least I thought I did. I thought I remembered how exhausting the first few days back at school were. Just how absolutely draining 20 to 30 bodies all looking to you for entertainment, guidance, entertainment, discipline, respect and knowledge was. I was wrong.

For those who don't know, I have taken an extended leave of absence from my teaching position to stay home with our boys and sub occasionally. I feel like the luckiest person ever. Lazy mornings in bed, nursing Evan and reading with Logan; snuggling Evan after a nap while he's all warm and dopey. Even the 4 poopy diapers a day don't get in the way of me enjoying just being home with them, most days. I love being home.

BUT, I love my job too, so I'm subbing. To try different grade levels, different subjects, see how other teachers do it and how other schools do it. A great opportunity for PD. And a little fun money. This week, I was lucky to get 2 days in a row in the same room. That room happened to be grade 2/3 split and Mark and I got to carpool. So, not only did I get to try something that I haven't done for YEARS, I got to see Mark at work. Nice I thought, I can do this. And I did. Not as gracefully as I would've liked sometimes, but the kids and classroom assistants were generous and forgiving. The teacher that I was covering for left AMPLE work to do and had laid everything out very clearly. It was a very positive experience.

What I didn't expect is how it would feel watching Mark at work. He does not sit (not that I did, except during story time - oh blessed story time!). But he really doesn't ever stop. Not that he complains. But it does explain the get home and crash. He is teaching full time, solving tech problems for 30 staff members and all student accounts, and buying and installing a bunch of new exciting stuff. That is a lot to juggle. Good thing he's a super hero fueled on caffeine, pastries and appreciation. So not to say that I will be taking it easier on him here at home, but it was good to be reminded of how hard Septembers can be.

Cheers to you teachers! September is almost over, here comes Thanksgiving!

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Brafra the Conclusion

For those of you who know the Brafra team, we finally made the plunge and tied the knot a little over a week ago.  It was quite a festive event with many of the AB ex-pats returning from the new world, BC.  With some pre-party seasoning at Big T's moms house and a bit too much seasoning at the wedding for a few, or perhaps one, the group enjoyed some memorable times.  I thought I would post some pictures and the log sawing... yup no kidding on that last one!

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

From 2010_11 Brafra

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Boston - Day 4

Not much to report today as it was a travel day home. Both Kev and I were ready to get home and see the family. We didn't have any plans for the morning so we had a leisurely breakfast and then took the subway to the airport. It was so easy to use the mass transport and we were getting a pretty good understanding of the layout. The security in Boston was different, with a small security gate just for Air Canada and not much for amenities on the other side. Luckily we both had things to amuse us before we left.
Arrival in Toronto was a bit hectic when we couldn't find a stupid pen! After clearing customs we had 10min to clear security and get to our gate. Luckily a nice lady put us in the priority line and our plane was 10 min. late on arrival. Why is it you either have less than 30min to catch your connection or 3hrs?
The flight from Toronto was uneventful. I did get to the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan from the plane, but nothing beats seeing those prairie fields on the descent into Calgary.
Dora arrived only a few minutes before we arrived so she didn't have to wait long. After a quick bite to eat we were on our way home. Sure looking forward to sleeping in a bed where my feet don't hang over the edge. Considering the fact that I start work Monday, I'll call this the end of the Summer. Good Times!
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Boston - Day 3

We woke early to say goodbye to Steve as he departed for home around 5AM. After getting some more sleep we headed out to do a couple of tours.
First up was the Samual Adams Brewery. A quick subway ride put us at the brewery where we learned a lot about the consumption of beverage. Not wanting to miss the Fenway tour we headed to the park. We ate lunch across from Fenway and made the tour on time. It was an informative tour where we got to see the press box and sit on the green monster. It's too bad we didn't get to do the tour before the game. Regardless, it was time well spent.
We left Fenway and hit the parks Boston Common and Boston Public Garden. The nice thing about the parks is that they were next to Cheers, the outdoor set for the TV show. I sat at Norms spot and Kevin at Cliffs. Cheers everyone!
With the day running short we jumped on the ferry transit and headed across the river to Charlestown. We did a quick triple play of Bunker hill, the USS constitution and Warrens Tavern, making it back by 8PM. We were getting tired and hungry but had one stop, the site of the Boston Massacre. We were done! With are energy spent, refueling was needed so we found a nice outdoor restaurant by Quincys Market. I decided to have the 2 lobster meal since I was on the East coast. Not the prettiest meal to eat, but tasty.
We couldn't head home yet, since we needed to visit our local pub for the third night, O'Paddys. With the checklist done we headed for the hotel but got sidetracked. Then we got dragged into this MMA gym. Turns out they were having a special promo for a local fight coming up in September. It was definitely a different crowd. We ducked out early and hit the bed. Done.
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Boston - Day 2

Rain, rain, rain. We started the day with quite the downpour as we headed to Fenway. We weren't optimistic about the game being played as the game yesterday was rained out and a double header was planned for today. Since we weren't experts and didn't know how things would play out we were off to see the game.
We arrived about 2.5hr before game, with the gates opening 2hr before the game. So it off to the pub "Game On" at Fenway for a bit. The nachos were so cheesy we couldn't even eat half the plate. Getting weak in my old age!
We headed into Fenway and... it was everything it was suppose to be. An American classic, nostalgic and one big family! What fans. It's hard to put words to the experience, jitters, grins and moments of enthusiasm brought on by the unity of the crowd. I've never experienced a pro sports event quite like it.
The game had a slow start that picked up when Boston had a 4 run inning. Seattle responded with 3 runs and 2 home runs. In the end it was a 5-3 win for the Sox.
After the game we worked our way home, visiting the Prudential Tower. We made it back to the hotel and headed to Regina Pizzeria on a suggestion from a local. I haven't had pizza like that since 2005 and our trip to Italy. The rest of the night involved 5 pitchers of beverage and 3 pubs. It's an odd feeling when your considered a regular in a Boston pub.
We made it home late, with Steve needing to get up for a 7AM flight. I think we will all try and help on that one.
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Boston - Day 1

With a 4AM departure from Lethbridge, I of course slept in! Steve arrived on time and I flew into my clothed. Luckily he went and picked up Kev so I had time to get ready. The drive to Calgary was the norm as we solved all the worlds problems in our eyes. Now all we have to do is convince the spouses to buy property in Kalispell!
The airport went smoothly and we arrived in Ottawa for our connecting flight. Steve was sitting on his own as he booked differently, but the TV system on the new Air Canada planes is pretty good. I think I might have seen him watching Treehouse!
Ottawa airport was a bit confusing but we managed to avoid deportation and made it thru customs. We found the only lounge and sat down for a pint and nachos before the connecting flight. It was a wonderful flight South with some interesting landscape, with the exception being the descent. I've never spent so much time in the clouds wondering how fast and how high we were. We finally descended into a rainy Boston, where the ceiling must have only been a couple of hundred feet, so we didn't catch much of the town.
After landing we pondered how to get to our hotel and decided to try public transit. So it was working great until our last station was closed. We had to get off the subway and find our way to our hotel. Heck it was only drizzling. Well after walking for 5 I was soaked and we decided a cab would be a good idea. Funny thing was it was only a few blocks away. Success we made it to our hotel.
After checking in we headed down to Faneuil Hall Marketplace for supper. We ended up eating in this high end seafood restaurant, having striped bass with a corn lobster butter sauce. YUM! After that a pub crawl. Well if you call 2 pubs a crawl then yes. The second pub had 8 dollar pitchers and golden tee. So 2 pitchers later and 10 bucks in golden tee we called it a night. I think I'd call day one pretty awesome.
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British Invasion

We returned from our 3 week trip across Western USA and BC to find friends from London in town.  They were visiting family and were nice enough to come over for a few "play dates".  They too have a couple of boys that are on either side of Logan and he enjoyed having them around.  Watching the three of them play together without yelling, fighting, hitting or crying was a pleasant surprize and one that I'll take.  We managed to get out for a paddle as well and I rigged a system to attach a smaller kayak to mine.  You can see the results below.
This ends up being a short post as I am getting ready to head for Boston tomorrow and I need to get a few hours sleep before we head up for Calgary around 4AM.  Yikes!

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

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Whitefish - the return

We packed up and started the drive back to the border. Considering it was only a 2hr drive, we were enjoying the shorter distances. We hit Columbia Falls for beverages for home, which reminded me of an earlier incidence. In whitefish I got ID'd at the restaurant. Then the same thing happened in Columbia Falls! What an ego boost!
With a stop in West Glacier for lunch, we headed to East Glacier for the night, with a visit to the property. We hiked to the top while we were there and ran into some more neighbors who were out hiking with their dogs. They even knew of a local guy who could do our excavation. Not a bad day! We camped in town so we could let the kids run around/crawl and so Dora could walk to town to get a Huckleberry Milkshake. We headed to bed to notice the one pitfall of the campground, TRAINS!! So many trains and so loud at times. Both kids were up throughout the night.
We packed up quick and made our run for the border. After our 3 week trip, 3 days was enough this time. Luckily it was only 2hr home rather than 20! I think we all need a good nights sleep...
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Whitefish Again

Well after a week at home with our British Invasion (I'll post later), we decided that this might be our last holiday together before school starts. We packed up in the morning and were on the road by 2. Much like our last trip we were headed to Whitefish for day 1, except this time things went much better.
Rather than puke going over Logans Pass, we decided to acclimatized and hiked the hidden lake viewpoint trail at the summit. Plenty of parking on a Thursday which was nice. Evan did lots of walking with Dora's help and Logan loved jumping down all the stairs on the boardwalk. If you've never hiked it, it's mostly a boardwalk trail to protect the Alpine environment.
We hit Whitefish with no problems and had an enjoyable supper out. Our evening accommodations... A Kabin at the KOA. We decided to try out one of those little cabins you can rent, probably 12 x 12 in dimensions. It was pretty nice, except the mattress that was pathetic and quite noisy when you rolled over. Evan ended up awake in the night and sleeping with us.
Day 2 involved school shopping and picking up things that are cheaper in the States. After that we headed to our regular stop, the park in Whitefish. It really is a nice park and walking distance to the downtown. After that it was back to the cabin for KD and hot dogs. I think it's amazing how that meal always tastes better outside. Might be one of the reasons I like camping so much.
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Day 18

Last Day! Who knew that vacations were part fun, part endurance trial, part stress test and part experiment? Kudos to our parents for doing this with more than 2 kids! With stuff starting to fall out the windows and Evan down to 1 diaper we head to Calgary. Breakfast had the Husky's Restaurant was suprizingly peaceful with Logan demonstrating his prowess at eating. The boy is demonstrating some amazing Iwaasa talents these days. It was nice quick drive to Calgary and straight to the zoo. We bought season passes last time we went so it makes the zoo an affordable short stop and a great way to breakup the drive home. It was a super fun time at the zoo and we went through Dinosaurs Alive, the new robotic exhibit. Logan was a little freaked at first and Evan kept saying "wow". Of course, we hit a snag. Apparently I couldn't count. We had no more diapers and Evan pulled a number 2! Luckily we were at the playground and another mom took pity on us. Then he pooped again! Well we packed up and left for Ikea, the land of meatballs cheap furniture and free diapers. After a quick trip thru the maze Ikea calls an isle we were on the road again. Oh wait... Is it 5:30? Rush hour! As we limp through Calgary we are elated to be so close. 2hr later and we are detoxifying everything. We are home, yet a part of me wants to take a couple of days to relax, start packing and hit the road again. I guess that's why summer is always too short.
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