LOMAH - Land of Milk and Honey

Just living life here in the Promised Land, Southern Alberta. Where the Mountains meet the prairie in a stunning sunset, surrounded in fields of gold

Kayking - S Bend

An old picture, surfing the S Bend on the Red Deer River with Denali keeping a watchful eye. It was a perfect day, surrounded by perfect friends.

Family in Waterton

A summer hike with the family and Grandparents. It was a typical Waterton day with some wind and sun. Logan hiked the whole way in to Bertha Falls

Loves of my Life

The first two loves of my life together in one picture. I remember when they came into my life, making me whole.

Me in the Broken Group

I think this is my favourite picture from last year. We did a sea kayaking trip to the Broken Group and had 4 glorious days of sun. It was a capped off with the company of great friends.

Monday, November 29, 2010

the Top 2

So here are the last 2.... took me a few days.

4. Family, big and small.
Family is always something I feel is important and easy to neglect.  Heck they're family right!  With my family so close it seems to easy to focus on other things and the next thing I know, it's been a week, a month since I've seen them last.  While I know to them it's no big deal, I really do need to make time for them too.  Heck I should even take the time to let them know how important they are to me, but that would be too emotionally exposed for me.  Need to keep that rigid Japanese persona right?
We use to meet up at each others for a dinner every now and them.  I think we need a family dinner about once every two months.  Not a hard expectation, I hope?
5. No Regrets.
This is a hard one.  Mostly a mind game I think.  Everyone knows thinks don't work out right.  In fact I'm pretty sure at this point I expect something to go wrong and it's more of a miracle if things actually work out.  I'd like to think this one is possible, but it isn't.
Even so, I'm not giving up so easily.  Whatever your mantra, glass half full, lemon and lemonade or some other optimistic quote, you simply need to keep moving.  I really do have a talent for wallowing in my own self pity.  I'm so good a sulking!  As Dora, she can confirm.  It's that ability to be stagnant that kills.  I know I can be more positive, let the little things be just that little.
The hard part is getting everyone on the bus with this one.  You can't run this play by yourself, you need the support of those around you.  I don't care how motivated you are, it someone is gonna try and drag you down, they will.
When I look at my list, It's funny how the first item is so easy to achieve as it's mostly independent of others, while the last item is the hardest because it relies on others.  Here's hoping for success.


Well that's the last 2!  I think this will be a regret someday.  At least it's not mine.

Ugly October

October was a rather ugly month as far as school goes and was filled with some unexpected events.

We were suprized with two unexpected deaths on staff, the boyfriend of a new staff member this year and a staff member who I've worked with since coming to Stirling who was quickly diagnosed with cancer and passed away within weeks.  Needless to say, October sucked at school.  I was lucky enough to come home to a loving family who was supportive, which got me thinking of course about life, death and the parts in-between.

I've had some time and have come up with my top 5 things to do so live a happy life.  These aren't those what if dreams or once-in-a-lifetime hopes, rather daily or yearly goals that I will strive for.  I'll post my first 3 now since I need to get back to bed!

1. Good Health - Good Life-Good Husband
Is it just me or has being healthy fallen to the bottom of your list?  I know things like metabolism and youth have it's merits, but I seemed to spend a lot more time/weekends doing stuff.  Now I do cleaning and errands and fixing.  Here's my goal.  Do something.  I've been lifting weights after school fairly regularly this year and it seems to help both my mindset and happiness.  So simply put, I need to keep this a priority.

Also, regular blood work/check ups.  I use to go in every year after 30.  Are you?  My bro is a nurse and he told me they need this base-line data to monitor changes and to see it things are up.  I think over the last 2 years I only made it in for 1 check-up.  So this is also part of my good health priority.

2. Friends are better than Gold
I love my friends.  They are there after years of neglect, still shiny and ready to go.  It's like pulling the dust cover off a treasured car in your garage.  Your always suprized how well it works.  I had the opportunity this year to witness a good friend become a dad, to visit with friends on the coast three times this year and truly enjoy the benefits of a batcave/trailer.

I priced out a trip to Victoria today and it came to $384.  If I were to times that by 3 I come up with a grand, a number that really isn't excessive if I consider the rewards.  I think this is a feasible goal for myself.  So all you west coast LOMAH expatriates, hope you keep a spot in your hearts and house for me!

3.  Date Night - Man Night - Woman Night
Marriage is tough on a relationship.  I honestly think that it's more work than I or most people realize.  I'm not gonna rant about some vision quest that I had, but rather a simple idea that came from another friend who got it from another friend.  3 nights a month.  One for the man, one for the wife and one for the couple.  People need some time for themselves.  I think I could take my time more easily than Dora, but we need to make time for ourselves.  One evening a month we need to get out and stay out doing something for ourselves.  2 or 3 hours a month isn't much to ask for and in fact should be mandatory!

Also date night!  Dora and I have gotten real good that this child rearing thing over the last few years, but if you consider the fact that you still have the same 24hr in a day, things fall off the table when your getting things done.  Date night seems to be one of those.  I'm making it a priority!  One a month, no excuses, we need to get out.  And here is the other kicker.  Not just a movie!  I think the dinner/drinks part is more of a priority.  I want us to talk more, about things we don't know.  We've been together for I don't know how many years and there are a ton of things I still don't know. "What would be your dream trip if money was no obstacle?", "what was your most embarrassing moment?", "what do you like most about me?".  I think each date night we need to ask a question we don't know to each other.  Crazy or Brilliant?  Not sure which, but it's now a priority!


Well that's 3 of my top 5 and it's friggin' late so good nite!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Poop

It's been one of those days... As many of you know, Denali is getting up there in age, 12 I think was her most recent birthday.  Sadly, at times she could use a pair of "Depends" to get her through the day, usually when she eats people food now.  Well for some reason, we came home to a rather disturbing "Event" that required about an hour of my attention.  I'm not sure what to do at this point, but to transition her to an outside dog when Dora and I are both out for the day working.  If any of you out there in LOMAH have any brilliant ideas, I'm all ears!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Belated Birthday

With October being a rather crazy month, I didn't hit my monthly quota and missed an important posting so I thought I would start my November posting with a belated birthday post.

Dora posted her birthday extravaganza, so I figure I should post Logan's.  My big boy turned 4 this year!  The years have screamed by and each year has brought more fun and joy to Fatherhood.  Hard, but fun.  I really can't imagine life without kids now, something you truly can experience through the eyes of an uncle or aunt.  I highly recommend it, not just to drag others into the life-long commitment that cannot be bartered, sold or traded away and is forever yours, but because I'd love to drag others into the cult called "kids".

Dora outdid herself again with a sweet-a$@ cake that was stellar!  Logan has been getting into Lego so we did a clutch powers cake (that's the lego movie character) that looks kinda like han solo, an equally cook cake idea!
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
I've got to also mention that the black icing was also a nice touch and it seemed to go well with everyones' ouftits!
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
The rest of the party was a super hero potpourri of batman, spider-man and superman.  It seems that we've moved beyond the cute Disney phase and onto the land of DC and Marvel!  Time to pull out my comic collection!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Birthday to me...

So I am one year older. It's good. I like it. A bit of a different day though. Both of my young boys picked up a bug this week and so my day started a little earlier than usual (5:00am) with the sound of a young boy getting up to pee in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, he fell asleep in the car ride home from Grandmas last night and still had underwear under his PJ's. So I would imagine in his feverish half asleep state he was quite surprised to find that extra layer of clothing. There was pee all over the bathroom and him, but none in his bed. We had a small celebration before finding some clean clothes and trying to go back to sleep.

We were all up by 7:30, my dreams of sleeping in dashed by the needs of our 2 sickos. Marco was a trooper though and dealt with the poo-bomb diaper. Gross. I washed jammies, sheets, stuffed animals while all three boys snuggled on the couch and watched Diego. Once a safe level of consciousness had been achieved, we made our way upstairs for some breakfast. Marco treated me to a birthday coffee - yum. I opened presents from my boys and then we made birthday cards. We did some Sunday baking together and this time the cookies were light, flaky and DELICIOUS. Thanks Kristen!

Mom and Dad took me out for a quiet lunch (mmm, bellini's) and then mom and I hit the mall. I must say, I do not understand the appeal of "trick or treating" at the mall. Really? Your kids barely have room to breathe never mind walk. Rarely is heard a "trick or treat" or thank you. I see the appeal for small kids/babies. But then I have to ask - who is the candy for? Because if you are giving that sack full of candy to your baby, we got bigger problems than I thought. SO needless to say, it filled up and we got out of there.

Then, we stayed home. Kids were too sick to be interested in going out so we all stayed home to hand out candy. First time we've done that in this house. I liked it. It was fun to see the young faces from our neighborhood all dressed up and how creative some people can still be. We even saw a Wilma Flintstone, on a young girl no less. My favorite was a girl with a black eye and "P"'s all over her - Black eyed Peas! Nice. No costume pics of this crew, couldn't convince anyone that it would be a good idea. We'll have to try again later this week. All my boys look so cute, but my favorite is the guy from engineering.

Thanks to all that went out of their way to help make my birthday more than just another day. Your efforts are appreciated. It's nice to be spoiled!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A final video

Threw this together, thought I would post it.  It's mostly of the kids playing, but it has the girls running the 1/2 marathon too!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Victoria - Follow-up

Well the weekend in Victoria was a nice escape from LOMAH, except everyone in Victoria is from LOMAH!  I guess Saskatchewan is slowing moving west into Alberta and Alberta is moving to BC.  Makes me wonder when the reverse migration will take place?
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
Dora ran a great race, so I thought I would post some pictures of the lovely ladies!  Amazing to see them still smiling after 21km!
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
In addition to the race we spent a great deal of time with the "Wilsons" which was a blast!  We can't wait to get back west and spend time with everyone again.  If things go well we might even do some paddlin'.
Here are a few extra pics of the trip.
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip
From 2010.09 Victoria Trip

Thursday, October 21, 2010

It's been that kind of day...

Dolphin Crashers Gif - Dolphin Crashers
see more Gifs

The kind of day where your dog craps all over the basement.

The kind of day where the dinner takes an extra 45 minutes to get to the table and by the time it's actually done, your kids are full of grapes and water and want no part of all your hard work.

The kind of day where you needed eight arms, but instead find a GINORMOUS freaking spider whilst cleaning dog poo off your basement carpet (and there is no one else home to kill it for you).

The kind of day that finds you spilling the poop water on the clean carpet while trying to carefully carry it to the toilet to dispose of.

The kind of day that you can't help but laugh at all the crap. And thank goodness because if you didn't, then you'd really have troubles. The sunshine felt so good this afternoon walking out of the school to my car. The sleepy boy snuggles and goodnight kisses were extra great. And my bed, when I finally get there is going to absolutely kick ass.

And to top it all off, I might have actually taught some junior high level math today. I KNOW!! Someone needs to tell Miss G that all her hard work paid off! Here is your skill testing question:

6.4 + 120 x 1.25 = _______ (don't forget your order of operations!)


Awesome. Now all I need is a hair cut to get rid of this mullet.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Victoria - The Finale

With the work done on my part, I got out for an afternoon with the boys. Merc., Wilson and myself headed up to Telegraph Cove for some kayaking. While I'm not a bad kayaker, sea kayaking is just different enough to throw me off my game. The paddle out went fine, but with the wind picking up and whitecaps in sight, things got more interesting. To top it off, I misunderstood the hand signals and headed into the worst of it. Wilson said it was the most fun he's had in awhile! Lucky me. We finished the day with Pizza at Wisons and the Merciers joined us followed by some boy time in what's become known as "the drinking trailer"
Our last day had us heading out to Goldstream Park for some fresh air and running around the giant cedars of the coast. We packed up, had lunch with the wilsons and relaxed while Evan slept. The last few hours saw us shopping at Capital Iron and eating at McDonalds with the merciers. We said our goodbyes and sailed through traffic to the airport. Sadly, navigating the airport with 2 kids wasn't as easy. Things are just too narrow, kids too squirmy and not enough hands. 11pm and we're in the truck heading home. Work will make for a relaxing day tomorrow!
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Victoria - Race & Thanksgiving

With a 6:30 wake up I was feeling rested an refreshed! We packed up after a quick breakfast and head out to Dallas road to catch the action. Dora and the girls were on route, us standing at the 17km mark. While I thought Wilson had sent me a text, it turnrd out to be Shane, so we hung out together to watch. While we missed Jenn and her dad, we did catch everyone else. Dora, Dawn, Jaime and Meg were basically together, showing up in a 3min window. With a quick way and some encouragement we raced to the finish line to met up. For running 21km, I never expected to see so many smiling faces! Dora's official time was 2:08, her best pace ever!
It was great to see all the girls so excited about their results and I was impressed with how they ran further than I was willing to drive that day. Everyone cleaned up and headed out for a well deserving meal. Funny thing was we were eating before the mother of all meals, the Nishima Thanksgiving! The meal was amazing as usual with a kaleidoscope of meats and all the side dishes you could dream of. My only complaint is how my stomach failed me again. So much food, so little space!
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Monday, October 11, 2010

Victoria - Race time

We arrived in Vic and headed to bed after a nice chat with the Wilsons. In the morning Dora headed off to a baby shower for Meg Huston and I met Jody at the pool with the boys. It was a pretty sweet facility, with this odd swirling whirlpool. Honestly, Logan only went under for a second! After a quick change into a life jacket, he was ready to go again, gotta jump right back in right?
We then went for lunch at this sweet all you can eat Chinese buffet where it cost 4 bucks to feed both kids! Sweet deal! The rest of the day was uneventful with Dora staying downtown with the "Sisters" for race day and I stayed at Wilsons and put the kids to sleep.
Jenn offered to watch the kid at that point, so I headed out for beverages with the crew. There must have been 9 of us, so good times ensued. Not so smart on my part, I didn't make it home till 4am. My bad. That will make for an early race day. I wonder if the kids are old enough to get ready themselves?
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Friday, October 08, 2010

Victoria - The Departure

Well we hit the road a little late, just in time to catch traffic at 4:30. Nutbar!! Not a fun time (1hr+). To make things even more interesting Logan had to pee. Let's just say seatbelts were optional and it was a good thing I stopped for a coffee!
We left early enough so that we had enough time and the rest of the trip out to Victoria was uneventful. I will say this. Evan has this weird baby tourettes. It's dead quiet as we drive from the airport to Mike's when Evan has this absurdly loud outburst, then nothing. Scared the crap out of me! Good times...
Well we're and off to bed, everyone is pretty tired and I don't feel like arguing.
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