Our first Ski Day in Alberta (well, since we've moved here that is...)

Today we spent a great day on the mountain at Lake Louise: our first ski day in Alberta since we've moved here...The conditions were great: especially considering that it is only November! I tried my best to keep up with the speedy "ski racers": Mel Wrigglesworth, Ryan Strom, Marc Binkley (and friends Nat and Colleen). We're pretty excited to be so close to the mountains, and to be able to snowboard so much: as long as we can afford it that is!
Looking forward to heading out again next weekend perhaps?

Remembering...

Taking a few moments to remember and appreciate...
Grandpa, and all those who fought in the wars...


In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Speed Skating at the Olympic Oval

On Saturday, Dave and I tried out some speed skates at the Olympic Oval at the U of C: I am not a great skater at the best of times (on normal skates!), but we had lots of fun...I don't think I will be trying out for the Olympics any time soon though...Dave on the other hand nearly beat the Olympic record, making it around the rink in one minute (I think the record is 32 or 35 seconds? Pretty close...)

Effie's in town...! (and Duncan too!)

We were lucky enough to have visits this week from our old roommate Andrew Duncan and our Guelph alumni friend Effie Gatsinos. On Thursday nigth, we met up with Duncan at Opus on 8th for a few drinks and some dinner. Friday night, Effie came over for dinner, and a few games of Liar's dice. It's so great to be living in a city that seems to be a common work destination, so that we can visit with people that we don't get to see often enough!! Here are some photos of Effie's visit...Please come back soon!!

Winter Wonderland

Here is another recent snowfall: it's still coming down tonight!!

Our new Camera!!

Hi again...we FINALLY got a digital camera---yeay!!! Here are some photos from tonight, celebrating our new camera, (and the fact that we STILL have snow--since Oct 29th now!)

Visits from the Brewins...and the Ontario crew (again!)

Again, I must apologize for our lack of photos...But here are some updates regardless...with photos to follow ASAP...
We've been spoiled lately with lots of visitors, and are thoroughly enjoying playing host and having some quality time with some of our favourite people!

Mom and Dad Brewin were here from October 18th to the 28th, with a brief hiatus in the middle for a road trip to Barriere, BC. Luckily this time we had much better weather, and had a few wonderful days on the first weekend: Saturday we hiked the Prairie Creek trail in Kananaskis--snowy, but a sunny, beautiful day with no one else for miles! Sunday we did a tour around the Resevoir, and made a brief stop at the Farmer's Market as well. As when the Jacksons were here, we enjoyed many evenings of card games and movies, and visiting over wine and dinner. We did the now-standard trip to Costco too, and Barrie and Sue got to check out the local shopping and did a few trips downtown to see the sights (Fort Calgary, the Calgary Tower--from below, etc.). They are now in Victoria, visiting with Dave's Grandma and his Aunt Jennifer (who also made the trip to Victoria from Salmon Arm BC).

Over the weekend, Karen Thomas stopped in Calgary en route to Las Vegas, and helped us celebrate Harman's birthday with a Hallowe'en "Pimp and Ho" party (see photo below) ! Jer Bodden made the trip for H-man's bday too, as did Rob Budianto--a visit from our Ontario friends is never complete without a "surprise" visit from Budi! Harman was touched that everyone had made such an effort for his big day, and Dave and I were so happy to be able to enjoy time with our "old" friends--nothing compares to spending time with those who's friendships have stood the test of time. Thanks so much guys for making the trip!!

Not slowing down for a second, Tara (Dave's sister) was here for a work trip yesterday and the day before (Tues and Wed): we had a brief but fun visit, as she helped us to hand out Hallowe'en candy and treated us to sushi, followed by a fun girls shopping trip at Southcentre Mall. We're so glad that Calgary is on her list of places to go for "work", so that we can enjoy such frequent visits! She will have to bring Joe one of these days too--we hear so many great things about him!!!

I think we are in for a quieter weekend: trying to get things done around here that didn't get done prior to the first snowfall (we've had snow on the ground since Saturday!!): sealing the windows, putting away patio furniture, etc. : the joys of owning a home!! Next week it looks like we will have a few more Ontario visitors: our old roomie Andrew Duncan is making a work trip, as is Guelph Alumni Effie Gatsinos: we can't wait to catch up with both of them!!!

Hope everyone is doing well: send an email to let us know what's new!!!
:)
D&B

I guess it runs in the family?

Here are some photos from our Hallowe'en celebrations: Dave and I were at a "Pimp and Ho" party celebrating Dave Harman's 30th Birthday, and my parents were trick or treating in Bobcaygeon. Can you tell who is who? :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!

Hallowe'en at Providence

Here are some of my kiddies, trick-or-treating at Providence...pretty cute if I do say so myself...

Out on the town in Calgary...

Just got home from a night at the "Rocky Mountain Wine and Food" festival at the Stampede Grounds, downtown Calgary. I'm not sure if this is "blog" worthy, but I thought you might be interested to see how we are keeping busy with our day to day entertainment: tonight was lots of fun, with tastings from restaurants and wineries all over the region--lots of yummy eats and treats!! Unfortunately, I have to do my first aid/CPR course tomorrow bright and early, so I had to make it an early night (with more "food" than "wine"!)...For details, see:
http://www.rockymountainwine.com/

We also had another fun night out on Wednesday: enjoying Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium" at the Saddledome. We weren't really prepared for the "concert" atmosphere, having seen more "intimate" shows in Toronto, but this was definitely an interesting and entertaining experience: just a lot more singing and dancing, and a lot less acrobatics than we were hoping for. To see a preview of what it's all about, see:
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/delirium/intro/intro_default.htm

That's about it for now!
The countdown is on until Mom and Dad Brewin arrive on Wednesday: we are looking forward to showing them around our city, now that we are getting to know it a bit better. Just hoping that they have better weather than Mom and Dad Jackson did--although the forecast for Wed is -5c and snow? Ugh!! :)

News from J&J!!

It's likely that this is not "news" to most of you-- we were waiting to get the official word from Joel and Janet, now that most of their extended family has been told in person-- but we are SO excited, so I had to make a post to share their news:
Joel and Janet are pregnant, and due in April 2007! This will be the first grandchild for my parents, and the first niece/nephew for Dave and I; and while Amy and Jay are already a proud Aunt and Uncle 3 times over--with Morgan, Madison and baby Dakota, needless to say, we are all so happy and excited about this new addition to the Jackson family!
Janet reports that she is feeling much better now that she is through her first trimester and the nausea and exhaustion have eased a bit. We are looking forward to sharing the next few months with them and of course can't wait to meet this little one in April!!
Congratulations also to our friends Ines and Jamie who are expecting around the same time next spring--looks like there will be lots of reasons to come back to Ontario for a visit!! You will all make absolutely wonderful parents: we are so happy for you!

Updates, and thanks at Thanksgiving

(Unfortunately, without a camera to record our lives in photos, it doesn't seem quite so interesting! We will try to keep you up-to-date nonetheless...until we have a new camera up and running that is!! )

This weekend, Dave played in a hockey tournament in Banff. The boys had a great time, but he is exhausted after lots of activity, lots of beer, and very little sleep or wholesome food!

My weekend was quite the opposite: Claire and I had a quiet night on Friday--stayed in with movies and pizza, then headed out to her family's ranch on Saturday. The "Bar Eleven" ranch is on hwy 22 near Chain Lakes Provincial Park, on the road to Fernie. Saturday was beautiful and sunny, about 24c, but very windy. Most of the leaves are gone already in the valley with all the wind, but it is still so beautiful to be in the foothills with the mountains all around. The drive out there was amazing: it truly is "big sky" country, where you can see for miles and miles! The ranch itself is an old log cabin. The inside reminds me of my Grandpa's old Ancaster house: so many memories and neat old photographs, books and magazines from the 1940-50s. Unfortunately this time of year, there was a thick layer of flies (living and dead!) throughout most of the house: apparently they like to live and breed in the wooden log walls. It didn't take long to sweep and vacuum most of them up, but on a sunny day like yesterday, there was a constant buzzing at the windows! A little disconcerting...

As far as life and work updates go, I spent last week in "IPP" meetings: our Individual Program Plan meetings where we meet with parents to discuss their children's goals for the year. It was an exhausting week: it seems more draining to be answering questions and reassuring parents than to be chasing around after their kids! Things should slow down a bit now that I am more comfortable with my role, and have gotten to know my colleagues and the kids a bit better.
Dave is still busy with the ED (Emergency Department) project, and travels from hospital to hospital through the week. Fortunately, he is still always in the same city, so we are enjoying having more time outside of work to spend together and to enjoy our home and the city. (Dave used to travel a lot more when he was with GE). We continue to go to the Talisman centre to work out and swim at least a few times a week.

Our biggest recent excitement was the purchase of a 42" flat screen LCD TV. Dave has been shopping around for a few months now, and finally made the decision last week when Mom and Dad were here. Next on the list is a new digital camera to replace our old one that seems to have given up working after the Shuswap weekend.

We are looking forward to coming home to Ontario for the holidays, and have booked our flights into Toronto on Thursday December 21st, returning to Calgary on Tuesday January 2nd. Hopefully we will be able to see many of our friends and family when we are back in town!

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend. We will be thinking of all of you, and wishing we could share our "thanks" with you...So in that spirit: thanks to all of you who have supported us over the years in our various adventures. We appreciate the love of our families and the great times shared with our friends, and hope that you realize that we never take this for granted: we are always thinking of you!!
Lots of love...xoxoxo

(this photo is one Mom and Dad took when they were down: it gives a good idea of the "Big Sky" we saw on the way to the ranch, and I thought it was a nice Thanksgiving photo!)

Pictures from my work

When Mom and Dad were here, they made a visit to my work, and took a few photos: here they are in case you're interested--looks like a pretty fun place to work, eh? (this is what it looks like when the kids aren't here--it's a little crazier with a few dozen 2 1/2-5 year olds)...

Our Anniversary!

Dave and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday!! We had a gorgeous day biking in Kananaskis Country (Powderface: sorry--no photos!), then went out for dinner to Matt Binkley's restaurant "Opus on 8th", downtown. Lots of memories of our beautiful day last year with friends and family--and such an amazing year we've had! Thanks for all the cards, calls, and email wishes!

Dan and Joyce visit us in Calgary

Sorry we have not posted much recently: with starting back to work, and our digital camera not working lately, we have not had too much to post! Luckily, my parents were in town for a visit from September 14th until the 24th, and we had a great visit with lots of photos to document our adventures. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate too much, and it rained from the Thursday they arrived almost until they left. We did have a few decent days, allowing us to do a hike in Canmore (in the snow!!), and a little walk in Fish Creek Provincial Park. It was also great to have Mom and Dad share in our daily lives: a few shopping trips to pick out some early Christmas and Birthday gifts, some nice dinners at home, and a bonfire on our last night. Mom and Dad spoiled us rotten with lots of little gifts and treats here and there, and also headed off for a mini-adventure drive through the Rockies from Tuesday until Thursday. They were able to catch up with old friends the Luinstras in Calgary and the Oravecs in Okotoks. We are looking forward to seeing the rest of the family at Christmas, and to hosting the Brewins later on in October.

Grandpa's 96th Birthday!

Unfortunately one of the hard things about living so far away, is that we have to miss out on some of the really special occassions, like my Grandpa's 96th Birthday, this past Monday, September 4th. My parents were down in Ottawa to celebrate with him, along with Aunt Joan, Uncle Fred, Gillian and Warren, and Joel and Janet were able to make a stop on their way home from Montreal as well. I had a nice chat with Grandpa on the phone, and he seems to be doing as well as ever: telling me all about his prosperous gardens, and offering to send some Indian garlic with my parents when they come visit for us to plant in our gardens. I have to say, this was one of the first times I have felt truly homesick: talking to Grandpa, and knowing that each time we come back to Ontario for a visit, there will be so few opportunities and such limited time to see family and friends. It is wonderful to be able to keep in touch with everyone over the phone, but not the same as a face-to-face visit!
Happy Birthday Grandpa!

My first day at Providence

Today was my first day of work--finally--and well worth the wait. So far it seems like a great atmosphere: similar to working at Grandview with lots of women around the same age, and it seems a similarly positive attitude towards the kids and their families. The kids don't actually start pre-school until next week, so this week we have time for prep-work, a few in-services, and for me to read over my files and figure out what I'm supposed to be doing with the kids next week! I will be working with 3 different teachers, in 5 different classes: 2 pre-school/JK classes and 3 kindergarten/SK classes, and I will be involved in all of the day to day activities including gymtime, music, snack, toilet-training (!) with an expectation that I will assessing and "treating" kids on an ongoing basis in the classroom setting. It will certainly be a challenge, but seems like a lot of fun too. I keep thinking how glad I am to have found this profession--it is such a perfect fit for me, incorporating my love of kids with my interest in science/healthcare, creative "arts" and love of teaching! How lucky we are when we can find a job that we are truly passionate about that we can also get paid for! www.providencechildren.com

Vacation in the Okanagan and Shuswap, BC

Dave and I both got back last night from separate vacations in the Okanagan Valley and Shuswap lake, BC. I spent Monday-Thursday in Kelowna with Shandra--took a leisurely drive through the Rockies, stopping in Canmore for a hike, and then staying overnight in Revelstoke on Monday. The forecast called for sun all week, so we pushed on to Kelowna on Tuesday, only to find a warm but cloudy few days, with not a lot to do in the smallish vacation/retirement town. We managed to entertain ourselves: toured some beautiful vineyards/wineries in the area (Summerhill Estates, the Quail and Finch? and Mission Hill), treated ourselves to some great food, and relaxed on the beach (despite the clouds). All in all, it was a very relaxing week, so we really shouldn't complain, but I think both Shandra and I were feeling a little TOO relaxed by the end of the week, and craving some sunshine and activity!
Luckily, our girls weekend began with a gorgeous day on friday and we headed to Sicamous to pick up our houseboat with 9 other girls: 11 of us in total! The boat was comfortable, and the girls were lots of fun. We docked overnight at the "party" beach--Neilson beach-- both nights: felt pretty old since it seemed many of the other boaters were in their early 20's or even late teens, but we had a blast regardless. Saturday we motored out to an island where some of the girls jumped off the cliffs, and we all enjoyed being circled by motorboats asking us if we were the "Budweiser Girls" (we were all wearing matching Budweiser cowboy hats).
Dave met up with a group of 22 guys on friday in Sicamous to head out for a similar weekend: although it seems they enjoyed much more beer and burgers, and much less fruit and yogurt than our boat. Not surprisingly, we found their boat on Neilson beach on Saturday night, so had a fun time dancing on their boat til all hours of the night.
We made it home at a reasonable hour last night, in preparation for my first day of work today. I will post more photos of Kelowna and Sicamous once I get them from Shandra. Here are a few from our camera of the "calm after the storm": ++ boats on the beach the morning after a late night.

Mom and Dad Brewin's Sailing Trip

A few photos sent to us from Mom and Dad/Barrie and Sue: their month-long sailing trip through the North Channel...

Mel and Beth "Tri"ed in Strathmore...

We did it!! Mel and I finished our first Triathlon today in Strathmore, surviving a 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run, and even acheiving respectable times in the process!! For more info about the event, see www.leapingdogracing.com (incl. posted times and results). Here are a few photos snapped by our loyal fans/husbands during the race: