Tuesday 30 August 2011

Transitions

Well, I often have a lot of thoughts rolling around in my brain. Some stay in there, where they ought to be. Some find their way to Cody, poor guy. Some leave my mind when they shouldn't and some just beg to be written down, where I can take a look at them and decide for myself if that's how I actually feel. So this post is a bit of a smattering of all my thoughts as of late.

First. I am looking forward to fall. I love summer, I really do. We have had a great summer. Going to BC, swimming with Ella, reading a few books, playing frisbee, going to my grandparents and picking raspberries, seeing old friends and laughing... for a long time.

But I love fall, and that is a change from when I was a teenager. I used to feel like fall was a time of sadness, or heading into monotony (it never was, but for some reason, it just felt like it might be). But fall means smells of cinnamon and pumpkin, sugar cookies and cool air. It means crisp mornings, and leaves on the ground. It means the start of my own hockey season, and the start of the NHL hockey season, which means the start of hockey pool talk that goes on for ages in my house. It means the start of new seasons of a couple of my favorite TV shows, The Mentalist, Big Bang Theory, and of course my very favorite, Heartland.We are not people that watch a lot of TV, but we do look forward to these new things that happen on a schedule. And even though I am home with a baby, and one would think I would have a schedule all the time, I look forward to fall and how it lends itself to a little bit of predictability week in and out. Now, the greatest joy of my life is to celebrate the birth of our little girl in October. Hard to believe she will already be a year old!

Next order of business. Work. I have to go back. I feel... a bunch of different things about it. Sometimes I feel sad to be leaving Ella. Sometimes I feel excited to think about getting out of the house a couple days a week. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. How is this going to work? Do I wean her? When will I get groceries?

Last thought: stuff. Went to Chinook yesterday. Holy crap. Haven't been there in so long, there are so many stores and sooo much. Being at home and on a mat leave salary this year hasn't left a lot for any extras (maybe a book here and there!). But going to the mall made me feel like I needed things I don't need, and that I am out of date. Which I am. But I care less than I used to.


That's all... for now!

Friday 5 August 2011

Summertime

There is something about summer that measures time differently than any other marker in my life.


We are home from holidays, a camping trip in our new (to us) tent trailer that we bought to share with my parents and a good friend. We went to Shuswap Lake Provincial Campground, which was a hallmark of my growing up years.
I first fell in love with the Shuswap driving to Surrey for a grade 7 band trip. I loved the water (surprise) and I begged my parents to go there the following summer. We made the trek, in our old 1970's camping trailer. We ran across Shuswap Lake Provincial Campground and drove up, hoping to get a spot. We tried to get in, and were waitlisted. We stayed at Frank's across the road, andwe were there for a couple nights. Franks's was a campsite with full power, a few trees, and a lot of dust. But it was what you did, to wait to get into the park. The next years, we phoned ahead.

My brother brought his two best friends, and I brought a good friend of mine, and over the years a few others to share in our time at the lake. I remember playing MASH in the back of my parents old van, and writing notes back and forth so no one could hear us. Talking about boys, of course! We pulled up each year, my parents set up the tent trailer, and we set up our tent, suitcases, journals, magazines and books.

We spent our days getting up and reading, laying in bed, and eating brunch. We usually packed up, and headed to the beach for the day. We blew up our dingy and paddled (or swam, in my case. J used to prefer to paddle, if I remember right!) out to the buoys and tied our dingy there for a day of chatting, and sunbathing. We would meander back to shore for a snack, or at the end of the day, or if we wanted to sit and read for a while.

The time just before supper was often a favorite of mine. J and I would go for a shower, try and see if we were anymore tanned than the day before, blow dry our hair, and put some makeup on. We would leisurely ride our bikes back under the huge cedar trees, balancing our bags on our bikes so we would make it back to our site. Once our bags were deposited back in our tent, we would often either go back to reading, or take another bike or walk around the park. Smoke from fires and the smell of supper filled the campground, and we felt perfectly safe wandering up and down the lanes; seeing all the different camp set ups, and talking about all the important things going on in our lives. I loved that time of day, the sun peeking through the trees, lighting up the smoke from the fires. It was a lazy reflective time.

Night times consisted of supper, dishes, and a walk to the ice cream store. My dad loves to people watch, and we would sit and eat our ice cream, laugh, and try to get away from the wasps! We then made our way back to start a fire, and play some cards. We were often the last ones up, after playing a good game of rummy.

As we got older, we were more independant of our parents. We walked for longer, talked quieter, and distanced ourselves. One year, a couple groups of boys met us on our dingy in the lake, and stayed out to chat with us for a while. I remember our fathers' pacing the lakeshore, wondering if they should come out and rescue us. We went to the park to play frisbee, rented four-wheel two-person bikes, and played uno with our new 'friends', while our parents looked on a bit worried. Looking back, the summer stories and the summer romance seem like a rite of passage.

When Cody and I got married, we packed up our small car, and headed out! Our air mattress got a leak, and our stove broke. We headed back to the trusty Canadian Tire in Salmon Arm to replace these necessities. We stayed up late, played cards, read Harry Potter and had some foundational talks for the beginning of our marriage. We went twice, with friends coming to visit. 

Then came the year of the Storm. The song by Kenny Chesney, Spirit of a Storm was our anthem that year. We ended up at Shuswap on not the greatest terms with Cody's job, and some big decisions to make. It rained the whole few days we were there. It was heavy, and not the same. We were away then, for a year after that. Then last year, we decided to try something new. Look for a new campground. Maybe something that would be just as good, we had left on bad terms after all. I was pregnant, and we made it to Fintry Campground on Okanagan Lake, after trying 5 or 6 other campgrounds.  It was 37 degrees outside, and the campground was terrible. After that, we said we would go back to Shuswap.Nothing else felt the same.

And we did. We booked in for 10 nights, and 3 days before we left picked up a tent trailer. We took Ella on her first camping trip. 

Many things have changed since those first summers. Franks' is gone, an empty field with the front entry booth sits where people used to wait expectantly, hoping to get into Shuswap. The small park store has been replaced with a big Park Store that keeps changing owners. The ice cream shops stays the same, my favorite this year was Birthday Cake, just for the record. The four-wheel bikes are back, although not the same ones.There is a Rona is Scotch Creek, so we don't have to drive all the way to Salmon Arm when our BBQ breaks down, like it did this year.

My days no longer look the same. Late nights have been replaced by very early mornings, and night sleeping has been replaced with multiple nursing sessions. Showers are fit in whenever possible, and leisurely walks through the campground at suppertime have been replaced with making dinner myself, feeding and bathing Ella. Cody and I share nights to go play mini-golf or go for ice cream. Afternoons at the beach are also traded off. It wasn't an easy transition. I didn't get to swim or read on the beach until the very last day. But it was still just as refreshing as ever. I love the feeling of diving into the water, the cold taking your breath away, and the stress of life melting off your back. 

I was in the shower one night, and two teenage girls were charging their phones by the sink. They called a boy, who we could all hear talking back to them. They all laughed everytime the toilet got flushed, and at first I thought it was a bit ridiculous. Come on girls, its a public washroom. Then, a lady around 40 flushed the toilet and came out, offering to wash her hands right in the phones' microphone so the boy would believe that the girls weren't just flushing for fun. She laughed and helped them right along. 

My friend that came with us so many summers said goodbye to her mom 2 years ago, in our year of the Storm. She will never join us there. One of my brothers friends' returned with us, and a couple new friends came to visit. Family, grandmas, aunts and uncles came to see Ella.

And so time has passed. I have grown up, and each day let go of myself, only to cherish the moments with family, a swim in the lake, or an hour lost in a summer novel. At the beginning of last summer, on our quest to find a new campground and new excitement, I wondered if we were in a rut. Should we be more adventureous? Go somewhere new?

But life happens, time passes. Babies are born, people leave us, and things change. Life itself is the adventure. And the smell of those old cedars, the chatter of the squirrels, the campfire smell, and the cool of the night welcome me back each year. And I want to be the lady in the bathroom, laughing with the teenagers, remembering what it is like to be there. I want to love each moment of each age that I am there, and encourage all those around me to do the same. 


I'm thankful for the life we have, deep in my soul. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful country, and I am so blessed with the family and friends I grew up with, and the family I have now.

Tuesday 19 July 2011

The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever is a book that I read two summers ago, in July. Every now and then I find a book that speaks to you, and you feel like it understands you. That is how I felt about this one. I recommend it to lots of people, my mom even, and I reread it, especially in July. Sarah Dessen is a 'teen' author, and it is a bit of a teen romance. But I liked it because the characters in it seemed real to me, not perfect and full of flaws, much like me. And it talks about the loss of a parent. 


At the time I read this book, one of my best friends mom had suddenly passed away. Sometimes a book helps you to think through things and sort them out in your own life, simply by absorbing the story of someone else. And I am a just a little bit of a romantic, so it was the right fit for the time.


Novels stick with me. I remember characters and stories, and I ponder about the authors that have written the books, wondering what their life story is that they would write with the feelings and insight into the lives of their characters. Movies, I forget. My husband jokes that I should have three movies and just keep watching them, as I never remember the endings. He is not far off the mark!


I think of writing a book myself sometimes. But all I could write about is my own experience. Would anyone want to read that?! :)

Sunday 17 July 2011

The Outdoors

Cody and I play frisbee on Wednesday nights. I love it for two reasons; I get to run around and it's outside.

I love being active. I love to swim, skate and run if it is for a game or activity. I love that it works things out in my soul, and I feel better and think clearer when I am done. I caught the winning point for our team this week, and although it was a great feeling, it is was still not the highlight of the night for me.

I love being outside. I like playing on nights that it is sunny and warm, and there are few bugs. Those nights happen once or twice a summer. The rest of the time we play in mosquito infested fields, with a little bit of rain and a lot of wind.
But I still love it. I love the smell of the grass, I love the twilight time of day when the shadows are long, and everything seems slower than in the heat of the day.

The outdoors is a part of my heart, my soul. I grew up camping in Bragg Creek, just outside of Calgary in an old trailer with bunk beds and an out-house toilet. I grew up camping at Pine Lake, in the old cabins that had holes in the walls. I grew up sleeping in tents when there were trailers if we wanted. I love waking up to the crisp fresh air, and the sound of birds (not squirrels!). I love going to sleep in the pitch black, with the smell of campfire smoke clinging to me.

We leave in a week for our camping holiday. I know it will be a lot of work, but I want Ella to love the outdoors, I want her to love creation. I want her to experience the joy of life outside our home, and without the distractions of phones, TV, computer, and whatever else we may find. I hope it becomes a part of the fabric of her life that she always loves and embraces.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

These Days

What is on my mind these days?

Well, as usual I have a few books on the go. I have had The Finkler Question in my pile of 'to-read' books, and I think I will start that when we go on holidays in a couple weeks. I just finished Olive Kitteridge, which was an interesting read for sure. I don't think I have ever read anything else like it. It is a collection of peoples' stories, and what they have in common is that they know Olive. It was a thought provoking read, and caused me to spend time contemplating how my life weaves in and out of other peoples' stories. I also just finished The Thirteenth Tale which I picked up after reading about it on a friends blog. I loved it, and I think I will read it again. Well written, and a great mystery.

Ella got her first tooth this weekend, it was an exciting event. And somewhat sad for her, but it was not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. She is such a joyful little girl, usually waking up from naps happy and smiling, chattering to herself for a few minutes before she starts to wonder why you have not arrived to collect her from her crib yet. She is army crawling around the house, and I have spent some time rearranging things so that things she should play with are in reach for her, and things she shouldn't are out of reach. It has been such a joy to spend these months with her.

I found that once we started solids, our life took on a nice rhythm and routine. I have enjoyed finding new foods to introduce her to, although squash and sweet potatoes, apple sauce and cereal seem to be her favorites still. She does love fruit (just like her Daddy!) and is not crazy about trying new things. I have found this book to be so helpful in finding new recipes to make for her. It has also inspired new ideas for us, and we have eaten so much better these past few months. Weekly trips to the grocery store for fresh fruit and veggies have made us feel (and look, I hope!) a lot better. Babies add such balance to a home. We are so blessed!

Also, I haven't been able to convince Ella to drink from a sippy cup. I have read that teaching them to drink from a regular cup is just as good, and we have been trying that with much more success the past few days. Yesterday we went to the Stampede, and I found the answer to our drinking questions (well, Ella's sippy drinking question)! We stumbled upon the Tupperware booth at the BMO building, and I found these! My mom had a set for us as kids, and so I grabbed a set of 4 to see what Ella thought. They worked better than anything else! She loves to drink water from them, and they are much easier for her to use than the other sippy's with the mouth part in the middle of the cup. I am so pleased.

We are leaving to go camping in just about two weeks. It will be our first camping trip with Ella, to a campground in BC that both mine and Cody's families grew up enjoying. I am slowly getting a couple meals frozen to stick in the cooler, and have lists going of things we need to pack. We are tenting it, although I have been secretly hoping someone might offer to lend us their tent trailer. We still have some time left! Camping with a baby will be much different, I know. But we are so excited. We love the outdoors, and are looking forward to introducing our little girl to our love of camping.


First Time Blogger!


Well, here I am for my first blog post!

I am a mom who is staying at home for a year to look after my beautiful little girl, Ella Joy, born October 16, 2010. I have a lot of thoughts, interests and crazy ideas,and I am hoping this might be a good place to put them down.

So, a little bit about me. I love to read, since I was a little girl it has been my favorite pastime. I love people, hockey, Heartland, the outdoors,camping, crocheting, and my family, not necessarily in that order!

I have always loved words and stories, and I hope this becomes a place that allows me to share mine.

Thanks for reading!