The girls and I had the coolest and most special night on our last evening before returning home yesterday. We sat down at the beach and thanked God for the blessings which we felt so richly this summer. We get it - not many get to experience 8 weeks away from home at a resort where the average temperature was about 29 degrees daily. But on top of that we felt peace, excitement, relaxation, the beauty which is God's creation, exhilaration of scary surprises, and we witnessed God's amazing timing when a black bear popped up out of the ditch alongside our van and stood on its' hind legs while we snapped pictures. Fear not, he was at least 30' away and my vehicle was still in 'drive'.
We got to cheer on our BC Lions as they beat the Stamps at BC Place two weeks ago. We attended church in my home church in Vernon. We visited places and enjoyed foods/drink made/grown right there. Not to mention picking strawberries and cherries, making strawberry and raspberry jams, canning cherry & peach pie fillings, and eating each of these things fresh as well as frozen (blueberries & blackberries). Nothing like 'from the tree to the table'!
The kids went to Bible camp for the first time and it was only the beginning of things that helped them grow this summer - and me too! God sent Jesus to die for ALL. Not just the pretty or the heterosexuals. Not just those who abstain from illegal and addictive substances or those who are sexually pure. It was a summer of the girls being exposed to people and the things that some are 'into'. Being a parent is about preparing your children to deal with things that come their way and I'm so pleased with how they handled knowing someone they befriended was dealing drugs while another friend had spent time on the streets while involved in prostitution.
Love one another. They modeled it, carefully but boldly. They stood up for what they believed to be right but not in a judgemental way, and they were respected for it. I learn much from my girls. What a blessing they are.
I'm thankful for the lessons learned through the good, different and scary events of our summer. Each lesson transforms us and helps us grow. May we be who God intends for us to be.
May He take you by the hand this day and lead you into it.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Another month down :(
We are truly blessed despite some challenges and scares. I've got lots to get caught up on - hope you're comfy cuz here we go.
Eagle Bay Camp was a good experience for the girls. Katie took wakeboard lessons and while she didn't get up she's learned what's necessary to master the skill so when she next gets the opportunity she'll likely have success. She had been nervous about going to camp - typical questions like, what if no one likes me, what if I'm bullied and what if I don't make any friends... Turns out that none of these things were concerns for her. When I picked her up the first thing she said was that she missed me but right after that she asked if she could come back next year... for 2 weeks.
Emily's experience was a little different in that one of the gals in her cabin professed to be a lesbian, wouldn't look Em in the eye when they spoke and she was also caught going through Em's bag. This wasn't the experience I expected at camp but God loves all, and we need to do the same.
Camp was filled with good food, friends, fun, ziplining, tubing, kayaking, rock wall, paint ball (both kids opted out), archery, skits, swimming and chapel time complete with singing and Bible.
Emergency: When I picked up Emily from camp she had a couple extras... crutches. She had a badly sprained right foot and was on crutches for about 10 days. So, where does one get crutches if they don't want to go to a doctor/hospital? I called the IDA in Sorrento and asked that very question. Turns out there's a lending station there - show up, sign some paperwork, take the crutches and return them when you no longer need them. (Everyone here is so accommodating and has such a great customer service attitude. Even at the grocery store right behind our campground it's like almost every employee owns it - they all carry a vested interest in ensuring you found what you needed and you're shopping experience was good.)
Next up - We were at a Red Robin in Kamloops, seated on the patio enjoying our drinks, minus Katie as she'd popped into the washroom. A slight wind came up and our umbrella began to lift. I grabbed it and returned it to the ground - Scott noticed but his eyes got wide when he looked over my shoulder. The same wind had picked up 3 more umbrellas and they were heading our way. One of them rotated 180 degrees and came at Emily like a propeller, striking her on the left side of her mouth. (If Katie had been there she may have gotten hit in the back of the head/neck.) We headed into the store as Emily looked like she was in shock and was holding her mouth. I took her into the into the family washroom and long story short, Scott used a camera to check the inside of Emily's mouth to see where the blood was coming from. Emily was, naturally, startled by the umbrella and opened her mouth which made room for the tip of the umbrella to enter the rear of her mouth, gouging 2 spots into the muscle beside her uvula. Off to the emergency room we go.
Em was assessed by the Emergency Dr. as well as an ENT and with the instruction to stay in Kamloops for the night and watch for complications, we were released. It was at least 10 days later before she stopped regularly taking Advil for her pain and at least a week before she could eat/swallow without wincing. Healing is ongoing and we're thankful for it. If the umbrella had dug just a little deeper it could have cut into an artery and we'd have been dealing with a different adventure.
I should add that when the district manager of Red Robin got a call from Scott he had the umbrella's removed from all the patios if they weren't secured down. That was the best thing - they fixed it so that no one else has to go through it. They also covered all of our meals, hotel and medications while we were in Kamloops, as well as giving us a substantial gift card to come back and try again sometime. Further to that we did just that this past Sunday but this time we were in Vernon. The district manager was there and arranged that our tab be complimentary. Great follow up.
Can't leave Katie out. She had a few battle scars from camp and a 3 stripe scar remains on her knee (kind of look like a big cat did it). She's currently on antibiotics for her ears and after only 2 days is already feeling much better.
At the resort: Nothing but good times! Due to hot weather (I think a high one day actually dipped below 30! Okay maybe twice), we've got a fire ban. Seriously it's too hot out for campfires anyways. We're enjoying the gazebo, anti gravity chairs, pool, dock, neighbors, owners, rec room, beautiful mountains around us, etc.
Fruit: Early July the girls and I picked about 17lbs of strawberries which I canned into jam using only good things: the berries, granny smith apples, honey & fresh lemon juice.
Next we bought 10 lbs of raspberries which I used the same jam recipe for.
Finally we (5 of us including our Calgary neighbor), picked 50lbs of cherries in 30 minutes! Insanity perhaps... but that's cuz you haven't yet tasted our canned cherry pie filling. YUM!
Boat: Yup, we got ourselves a 21' SunRay sundeck boat complete with a double biminy - it's been a great addition to our family! We've enjoyed taking friends/family out whether for a pleasure cruise or a tube or simply to 'go jump in the lake'. The girls and I have all been onto Copper Island where we've then jumped off (Katie and I jumped from about 15' and I think Em did about 5'). We've been out to the Shark Shack and Sea Store - very cool indeed. We enjoyed the beauty of a waterfall. We had one scary ride and that was due to a storm complete with 3-4' waves coming over the bow and side of the boat drenching all in its' way, pouring rain (yay double biminy), lightning and even hail. What should have taken 45 minutes to get back to our dock was more than 90. We came across a capsized sailboat and offered help but another boat had gotten there just before us so with a thumbs up we were on our way again. On board at the time was our family, my sister, brother in law, their daughter and her 3 kids, aged 16 months to 6 years. We were all very glad to dock up and begin the process of drying off and warming up again.
Area Attractions: Gort's Gouda - yum (get the parsley variety!). This working farm is complete with a donkey, dog, kittens, calves and cows. They do a self guided tour and if you're timing is right you can watch the process of milking the cows.
Ovino Winery - I know next to nothing about wine but figured "when in Rome"... we checked out this place. Of note for September - come back and see the vines changing color for fall.
DeMilles' - we've been here many times before but it's that good that we come back. They have a petting zoo and full market with local meats, produce and fruits.
Davison Orchards - in Vernon. The patriarch for this working farm went to church with our family many years ago. Today the farm has become a wonderful tourist venue with it's gift and farmers market, petting zoo, kids play area, restaraunt and playground. I started my Christmas shopping here this year so ladies in the office - you're in for a treat and it's not just cuz you'll get to see my bright and shining face soon.
We've got a couple more locations on our list of things to do - 1) Scotch Creek for their blaster boat, mini golf etc and 2) the zoo formerly known as the Kamloops Wild Animal Park. Unless you include our plans for this weekend: BC Lions vs. Calgary Stampeders, at BC Place. Yup, the girls and I are going! Katie would like to buy a Lulay (BC's QB) jersey so she was doing extra chores for us and now is working for the Resort doing chores so she can afford it.
Scott was here for a month and returned home yesterday. With his departure we pulled the boat out of the lake... sad day indeed. I now have about 9 months to get my boat operators license. Tick tock.
Well I think that will give you an idea of what's been going on around us. Hope you're having a great adventure this summer too.
Eagle Bay Camp was a good experience for the girls. Katie took wakeboard lessons and while she didn't get up she's learned what's necessary to master the skill so when she next gets the opportunity she'll likely have success. She had been nervous about going to camp - typical questions like, what if no one likes me, what if I'm bullied and what if I don't make any friends... Turns out that none of these things were concerns for her. When I picked her up the first thing she said was that she missed me but right after that she asked if she could come back next year... for 2 weeks.
Emily's experience was a little different in that one of the gals in her cabin professed to be a lesbian, wouldn't look Em in the eye when they spoke and she was also caught going through Em's bag. This wasn't the experience I expected at camp but God loves all, and we need to do the same.
Camp was filled with good food, friends, fun, ziplining, tubing, kayaking, rock wall, paint ball (both kids opted out), archery, skits, swimming and chapel time complete with singing and Bible.
Emergency: When I picked up Emily from camp she had a couple extras... crutches. She had a badly sprained right foot and was on crutches for about 10 days. So, where does one get crutches if they don't want to go to a doctor/hospital? I called the IDA in Sorrento and asked that very question. Turns out there's a lending station there - show up, sign some paperwork, take the crutches and return them when you no longer need them. (Everyone here is so accommodating and has such a great customer service attitude. Even at the grocery store right behind our campground it's like almost every employee owns it - they all carry a vested interest in ensuring you found what you needed and you're shopping experience was good.)
Next up - We were at a Red Robin in Kamloops, seated on the patio enjoying our drinks, minus Katie as she'd popped into the washroom. A slight wind came up and our umbrella began to lift. I grabbed it and returned it to the ground - Scott noticed but his eyes got wide when he looked over my shoulder. The same wind had picked up 3 more umbrellas and they were heading our way. One of them rotated 180 degrees and came at Emily like a propeller, striking her on the left side of her mouth. (If Katie had been there she may have gotten hit in the back of the head/neck.) We headed into the store as Emily looked like she was in shock and was holding her mouth. I took her into the into the family washroom and long story short, Scott used a camera to check the inside of Emily's mouth to see where the blood was coming from. Emily was, naturally, startled by the umbrella and opened her mouth which made room for the tip of the umbrella to enter the rear of her mouth, gouging 2 spots into the muscle beside her uvula. Off to the emergency room we go.
Em was assessed by the Emergency Dr. as well as an ENT and with the instruction to stay in Kamloops for the night and watch for complications, we were released. It was at least 10 days later before she stopped regularly taking Advil for her pain and at least a week before she could eat/swallow without wincing. Healing is ongoing and we're thankful for it. If the umbrella had dug just a little deeper it could have cut into an artery and we'd have been dealing with a different adventure.
I should add that when the district manager of Red Robin got a call from Scott he had the umbrella's removed from all the patios if they weren't secured down. That was the best thing - they fixed it so that no one else has to go through it. They also covered all of our meals, hotel and medications while we were in Kamloops, as well as giving us a substantial gift card to come back and try again sometime. Further to that we did just that this past Sunday but this time we were in Vernon. The district manager was there and arranged that our tab be complimentary. Great follow up.
Can't leave Katie out. She had a few battle scars from camp and a 3 stripe scar remains on her knee (kind of look like a big cat did it). She's currently on antibiotics for her ears and after only 2 days is already feeling much better.
At the resort: Nothing but good times! Due to hot weather (I think a high one day actually dipped below 30! Okay maybe twice), we've got a fire ban. Seriously it's too hot out for campfires anyways. We're enjoying the gazebo, anti gravity chairs, pool, dock, neighbors, owners, rec room, beautiful mountains around us, etc.
Fruit: Early July the girls and I picked about 17lbs of strawberries which I canned into jam using only good things: the berries, granny smith apples, honey & fresh lemon juice.
Next we bought 10 lbs of raspberries which I used the same jam recipe for.
Finally we (5 of us including our Calgary neighbor), picked 50lbs of cherries in 30 minutes! Insanity perhaps... but that's cuz you haven't yet tasted our canned cherry pie filling. YUM!
Boat: Yup, we got ourselves a 21' SunRay sundeck boat complete with a double biminy - it's been a great addition to our family! We've enjoyed taking friends/family out whether for a pleasure cruise or a tube or simply to 'go jump in the lake'. The girls and I have all been onto Copper Island where we've then jumped off (Katie and I jumped from about 15' and I think Em did about 5'). We've been out to the Shark Shack and Sea Store - very cool indeed. We enjoyed the beauty of a waterfall. We had one scary ride and that was due to a storm complete with 3-4' waves coming over the bow and side of the boat drenching all in its' way, pouring rain (yay double biminy), lightning and even hail. What should have taken 45 minutes to get back to our dock was more than 90. We came across a capsized sailboat and offered help but another boat had gotten there just before us so with a thumbs up we were on our way again. On board at the time was our family, my sister, brother in law, their daughter and her 3 kids, aged 16 months to 6 years. We were all very glad to dock up and begin the process of drying off and warming up again.
Area Attractions: Gort's Gouda - yum (get the parsley variety!). This working farm is complete with a donkey, dog, kittens, calves and cows. They do a self guided tour and if you're timing is right you can watch the process of milking the cows.
Ovino Winery - I know next to nothing about wine but figured "when in Rome"... we checked out this place. Of note for September - come back and see the vines changing color for fall.
DeMilles' - we've been here many times before but it's that good that we come back. They have a petting zoo and full market with local meats, produce and fruits.
Davison Orchards - in Vernon. The patriarch for this working farm went to church with our family many years ago. Today the farm has become a wonderful tourist venue with it's gift and farmers market, petting zoo, kids play area, restaraunt and playground. I started my Christmas shopping here this year so ladies in the office - you're in for a treat and it's not just cuz you'll get to see my bright and shining face soon.
We've got a couple more locations on our list of things to do - 1) Scotch Creek for their blaster boat, mini golf etc and 2) the zoo formerly known as the Kamloops Wild Animal Park. Unless you include our plans for this weekend: BC Lions vs. Calgary Stampeders, at BC Place. Yup, the girls and I are going! Katie would like to buy a Lulay (BC's QB) jersey so she was doing extra chores for us and now is working for the Resort doing chores so she can afford it.
Scott was here for a month and returned home yesterday. With his departure we pulled the boat out of the lake... sad day indeed. I now have about 9 months to get my boat operators license. Tick tock.
Well I think that will give you an idea of what's been going on around us. Hope you're having a great adventure this summer too.
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