Grandma & Grandpa

Today would have been my maternal grandparents sixtieth wedding anniversary. Unfortunately Grandma passed away just after their 45th and as I mentioned in my last post, Grandpa passed away this last Christmas (December 28th to be specific). They had an incredibly rich life though. They met in Germany where they were both working on a farm after the war. The married on May 18, 1952 at the Lutheran Church in Beedenbostel, Germany which is just outside of Gockenholz where the farm was. In 1953 the emigrated to Canada along with my grandmother's parents, three brothers and sister. The landed at Saint John, New Brunswick and took the train to Raymond, Alberta. There they all worked on a sugar beet farm for a few years to pay back the fees that the Lutheran Church had paid to sponsor them to come to Canada. From there they moved up to just outside of Edmonton and lived on a farm and then in town for the rest of their lives. They had five children. Two boys, two girls and fifteen years later, another boy. My mom was the youngest girl. Because my family moved from Alberta to BC when I was three I didn't have daily contact with my grandparents but we'd visit several times a year and often for a longer stretch during the summer so I did have a good relationship with them. It's hard to believe they're both gone now and that Grandma has been gone for half my life. I still miss her every day. I was given her wedding ring when she passed away. It's just a simple gold band with Grandpa's initials and the date of their wedding engraved inside (HB Mai 52) I wear it every single day and rarely take it off. Today means that it is at least sixty years old as well. It's a reminder of their quiet love and simple endurance. I treasure it more than anything and am honored to wear it.

Attitude of Gratitude V4#23 - Family

Any of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time know that I generally include "Family" as one of my first annual gratitude posts. It's one of the few topics that I allow myself to repeat because I truly am grateful for my family. Well, I have to admit, this past November I wasn't exactly grateful for them. In fact I was kind of happy that I was so busy with school because I could avoid the drama. So, with the benefit of hindsight, let's see if I can catch you all up a little bit. First, we'll start with a recap on my family. L-R in the picture is Brittany and Seth (the oldest boy in our family and his fiance, you may remember back in August when I announced their engagement). Next is myself, then Robert and his wife(!, more on that later) Robbie, Dad, Mom and my "baby" brother, Aaron.

Yes, Wife. So Seth and Brittany got engaged in August 2011 and set their wedding date as August 2012. Then in October Robert and Robbie got engaged and decided "hey, since everyone will be in BC for Christmas, let's just get married then!" Great idea right? Well, it kind of blew up on them. Major, MAJOR drama ensued. The most majorest drama that my family has ever seen. Mostly on the case of Seth's part. To say he was livid and hurt would be an understatement. I spent HOURS on the phone with him, and then Mom, and then Brittany and a bit with Robert (who was WAY up north and out of range most of the time). In time it died down and Seth has (thankfully) mostly come to terms with it but I don't think he'll ever really forgive Robert for leapfrogging him to the altar.

So, back in November when I was supposed to be writing this post, I wasn't particularly grateful for my family. Now that Christmas and the wedding have come and gone, and we're all back on speaking terms and the drama is mostly passed down, I can go back to being grateful for them. Even with the drama they are WAY better than most families and I wouldn't trade them. Plus, I really like my new sister-in-laws which is just a bonus!

I knew it!

A few weeks ago I came out of an evening church service and saw that I had missed calls from both my brother Seth. Not totally weird but I don't talk to either of them all that often so it did make me wonder what was up. I even had the conscious thought that Seth may be calling to give me some good news and wondered if I should wait to speak with him before calling Dad. In the end I got a hold of Dad first and he was calling out about something totally different. I spoke with Seth the next day and while he didn't have any "news", he did talk an awful lot about his long time girlfriend Brittany. Like more than usual. I was suspicious but it was really unfounded. Just a gut feeling.

Last Monday I got a text from Seth at 7am his time saying "are you up". I replied about an hour after receiving the message saying "yes, but I'm at work. Call me after 1pm my time". I went back out onto the floor and told my coworker (who is also named Brittany) "my brother just called to tell me that he's engaged. Maybe. I think so at least. Maybe not. I hope so though!" Again, I didn't have any real reason to feel that way.

Seth did call when I was done work and caught me on the bus on my way home. We chatted about about our days (Me having finished work and him heading up to Fort McMurry, Alberta) and then he said "well, she said yes". I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy so I answered "to what question?" and he admitted that he had proposed the night before and Brittany had said yes. My response? (I was off the bus by this time) "I KNEW IT!" LOL

They've been going out for three years now (or maybe four? I forget.) So it wasn't totally unexpected but none of my family has spoken with him specifically about it. I'm so happy for them. I really, really like Brittany and I'm happy to have her for a sister. Now we just have to hope that Seth won't be a groomzilla :P

(Pictures are Brittany and Seth and Brittany and I last Christmas).

This IS my home now

As the school year draws to a close I find I'm getting lots of enquiries about my summer plans. I wish I could tell people what they are, but that's another post. The big question though is if I'm going "home" to BC. No, this (Ontario) IS my home now. Most people don't realize that the idea of moving came WELL before school. They think I moved here to go to school. It's an easy mistake. The thing is, I didn't. I moved here because I want to live here. I have so many things to see and do in my new province. Now that the weather is getting warmer, and when school is over, I'll be able to get out and see those things. Even if I'm working. At least I won't be stuck at home doing homework and writing papers.

And I don't have a "home" to go to. I know I'd be welcomed at my parents if I really wanted to but I'm not about to make the reverse road trip this soon and I'd go crazy without a car. The home I had (my apartment) is no longer mine. I gave it up when I moved.

Even though BC will always be my "back home", Ontario is my home now, for now. For better or for worse.

Attitude of Gratitude V3#23 - Good Timing

My great uncle Oskar passed away this morning. It may sound like a weird thing to be "thankful" for, but I really am. He's been very, very sick for many years. Last week he had a stroke and was hospitalized. They stabalized him and he's been in a coma ever since. Mom and I talked yesterday and were comparing his situation to his mother's (my great Grandma). She also had a series of strokes but she had a STRONG heart and she "lived" in a nursing home for years. It was so hard on my grandma to see her mother like that and stressful to have to go visit someone who doesn't even recognize you :( The doctors told Aunty Helen that Uncle Oskar (her husband) really has no hope of recovery so the fact that he didn't linger, really is a blessing.

Other things to be thankful for? Mom is there in Alberta right now. She's had this trip booked for months and she's scheduled to be there for all next week as well, which means she can be there to assist with funeral arrangements and doesn't have to make separate travel plans. Oskar and Helen's oldest daughter (Mom's cousin) is there as well. So she got to say "good-bye" to her Dad and again, doesn't have to make a special trip. She can just stay.

Death can be so inconvenient and while it's sad and very final, we really couldn't have asked for better timing or less suffering. And for that, I am grateful.

Attitude of Gratitude V3#20 - My Brothers

I've been waffling about whether or not to try and go home for Christmas. There's lots of reasons on both sides of the "pros vs. cons" list and I just couldn't decide. The pros are pretty obvious. I can get time off work without an issue and it would be nice to see everyone. The cons include the fact that it's so expensive, it's a horrible time of year to travel, my last exam isn't until December 22nd, etc. etc. Well I talked to my brother Robert last week and he and Seth have decided that they really, really want me there so, as an early present, they're paying for my ticket! I fly out on December 23rd and back to Ontario on January 3rd! I'm flying Buffalo to Seattle and I still haven't figured out all get-to-the-airport stuff but the point is, I'm going home for Christmas!

I am thankful for my brothers!!! (and their pocket books :D)

Attitude of GratitudeV3#4 - My Parents

This one is definitely a repeat but it is extra important tonight. I found out earlier today that a friend of mine lost her dad and a cousin, both to suicide within less than 48 hours of each other. :(

I have just moved 3,000 miles away from my parents but they are still a huge part of my life. I text with both of them frequently and in September I spent a combined 500+ minuters on the phone with them. I can't fathom not having them in my life. I miss them terribly but they are super supportive of me being here and being away so it's not as bad as it could be.

I have two of the world's best parents. They're not infalliable. They have faults, but overall, I wouldn't trade them for anything. So tonight, while reflecting on my friend's loss, I am thanking God again for my parents and praying a prayer of blessing and strength over them as well as her family.

Daddy Daughter Bonding Time

I have had a random sound in my car for about two months. Something is rolling back and forth when I accelerate or brake. I looked everywhere I could think of but I couldn't locate the sound. I had identified the area it seemed to be in but I couldn't figure out how to stop it. Last night I finally took my dad for a short drive to see if he had any idea. He identified it as being in the same area that I had suspected and then proceeded to take the interior of my car down to nuts and bolts to find it. It was brutal. We had the whole center console removed, which required loosening the glove compartment and the casing around the steering wheel...and we STILL couldn't find the cause!!! We ended up peeling back the carpet, cutting into the airflow tubes with an exacto knife and shoving a long magnet down the tube. After well over an hour of work where major parts of my car were strewn across the driveway, we finally located the culprit. A double A battery had rolled under the drivers seat and entered the air vent. From there it somehow got up into the tube and was rolling back and forth. The picture is what my car looked like just before we started putting it back together.

I was ready to give up about 30 minutes in but Dad is tenacious and it was driving him crazy too. I am SO thankful that we got that cleared up because my car and I will be spending PLENTY of "quality" time together in the next month so I'd perfer not to have it drive me crazy. Of course after we put everything back together we ended up with four extra screws so I may have some rattling I didn't have before. Let's hope not because Dad's not coming with me to fix my car!!!

Happy 29th Birthday to me

So now I am officially the age that everyone seems to want to "hold" at. I'm interested to see if it's an age I'll pine for. On some level I suspect it will be. It's shaping up to be an interesting year. Full of lots of new starts and adventures. I've had a few people ask "what are you doing to celebrate turning 29?" and my response is "leaving the province!!!"

For my actual birthday-day, it was really low key. A quiet Saturday at home just like I wanted. My last in fact. I only have two more Saturday's in BC and they are both chock full of plans.

I did go out for dinner last night with Deb, Sue and Shannon which was wonderful and tomorrow after church a potluck is planned. Monday is shaping up to be a "family day" with my parents, Robert and Aaron.

So that's it. My deep thoughts on turning 29 :P I doesn't really bother me but I'm pretty sure it's because I have so much going on. If I was just slogging on at work with no end in sight, I'd be going crazy. As it is, I'm ready to embrace my new age and the adventures it brings. I'm ready :)

Welcome New Guy

Congrats on the job. Now call the plumber. Okay, it wasn't quite that bad but there's nothing like a leaky toilet on your first official day of the job to really initiate you :P This guy (my replacement) was actually around last Monday and Tuesday and we got a lot of training done but there's more to do. My parents were over this evening while I was packing and I told them that I didn't realize how exhausting it was to talk all day. Dad got a kick out of that because he thinks I talk too much but I tell you, when you're training and you have to explain every little thing you're doing, it's tiring!

I get the feeling it must be like having a three or four year old. Whatever age it is where they want to be involved in EVERYTHING you do. In my case he HAS to be involved in everything I do because in six work days, he'll be DOING it. There's no point in me keeping control when he has to know what is going on. In fact today we actually gave the word for my computer profile to be absorbed into his. We'll do everything (access emails, files, etc) from within his documents and Outlook. It's kind of crazy but I couldn't come up with a reason not to. The analogy is that I'm "closing a chapter and moving on" well I am SO ready to close this chapter. I mean I like my job and I could continue doing it but I'm getting excited for what ever else is out there and I'm ready to take it on.

On the packing front, it's progressing. I'm sure I could throw out even more than I have already but this is my first major purge since childhood so one step at a time. I started packing clothes today as well. I'm putting my winter stuff in a box and I think I'm going to ship it to Ontario. I was pretty brutally honest about what I actually wear though so a surprising amount of stuff didn't actually make it into the box. I've designated it for garage sale and then whatever doesn't sell goes to goodwill. I can always accumulate more stuff in Ontario.

The last frontier is really going to be my scrapbooking stuff. I was at the SSWA Retreat this weekend which was awesome but it did remind me somewhat of exactly how much stuff I have. I got rid of a bunch in the first garage sale but I have more to do. But, like I told Dad, a little at a time and it will all get done. Slowly but surely...and I can't wait to be done work so I can pack more seriously!

World Cup

I’m not a soccer fan. In high school I’d play defence so I didn’t have to run as much (not goalie, that was too stressful). I know that it’s called “football” everywhere else and I know the World Cup is on right now (you can’t avoid it!) but I had to read the Wikipedia article to understand how it all works.

The first time I remember being conscious of the World Cup was in 1998 when I was at summer camp. One of the other counsellors was getting updates from home and he’d make a point of sharing them with the whole camp. For some reason I seem to remember him cheering for France although I don’t know why.

This year my cousin’s fiancé is in South Africa covering the World Cup for work. It’s been fascinating to watch his updates on Facebook. Definitely the closest I’ve been to the hoopla.

When we were at the family reunion earlier this month, my uncle was wearing his “Netherlands” shirt so my aunt and cousins brought out a South Africa flag. It was fun to see different family members celebrating their heritage.

Good Timing

I have high cholesterol. It’s the “familial” kind which means it’s hereditary. Diet and exercise impacts my levels but it will always be high because my body just doesn’t process fat properly. My dad and his two brothers have it along with at least five or six of my cousins.

It was diagnosed when I was about 12 and I’ve been on medication for the last few years. I was on track to finish up my current prescription while I was on vacation so I went to the doctor to refill it and get my annual test ordered. I’ve been back from vacation for a few weeks and today I finally went for the test. (You have to fast for 10 hours before and I tend to not be good at that).

The funny thing was, after putting it off for that long, guess who was in the blood lab when I arrived? My dad! Talk about “familial” LOL

Oooookay!

I woke up in a great mood this morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping…and then I realized it was five freaking o’clock in the morning! Not cool. Not cool at all, especially since I was late falling asleep last night. I briefly considered just getting up but then I realized if I went back to sleep I could probably get in almost two hours. Of course I didn’t fall asleep right away so it was closer to only one hour but still, better than nothing, even if I wasn’t in as great a mood when I finally did roll out of bed :P

In other news, I’m getting a roommate. Here’s the short version of the story.
February-ish: My brother Robert decided he wanted to look into moving back as his girlfriend is here and he was never meant for Alberta in the first place. I told him he was more than welcome to move in with me if he chose to. The “drop dead date” for letting me know is June 30th because I had to give notice if I was moving out.
March-ish: he decided that the jobs in BC didn’t pay enough so he couldn’t afford to move
April: spring slow down started and he was hardly getting ANY hours.
May: I started mentally preparing myself for clearing out my apartment. I had friends who are furnishing their basement suite for students in and we made a list of things they were planning on taking with them.
June 1st: since it didn’t look like Rob would be moving, and I ran into my landlord in the hallway three days in a row, I gave my formal notice and signed the move out paperwork.
June 1st (that evning): Robert called to say he had an interview.
June 2nd: Called my landlord to say “hold those papers, they may not be valid”
June 7th: Robert interviewed with a local company
June 11th: Robert got the job
June 15th: Called my landlord and cancelled the move out request
June 19th: Robert showed up with his first load of stuff
June 21st: Talked to my landlord about a tenant down the hall that had moved out and left over $3,000 worth of damage to her unit. I mentioned that I had saved them the trouble of finding a new tenant for my unit. My landlord said “yes, and I appreciate it. I don’t ‘owe you’, but I appreciate it” ;)

Actual move in date for Robert is slightly up in the air depending on when he can officially give up his other place. It’s looking like the long weekend but we’ll see. It’s been an interesting ride. The best parts are that a) Rob get’s a nice place at a great rate, b) it comes mostly furnished because I won’t be getting rid of as much stuff now.

The yes/no/yes thing was kind of crazy and his schedule’s still really up in the air, but bottom line is, by the time I’m ready to move, he’ll be fully in. Works for me!

Father's Day

I meant to write this entry yesterday but I was spending time with my dad instead ;)

Friday marked exactly two months until my estimated departure date from this province. Sunday was Father’s Day and as I was reading all the posts in my feed on Facebook about how awesome people’s dads are, how much they appreciate them and, for some who have lost their fathers, how much they miss them, I admit I was struck by a serious case of self doubt. Am I doing the right thing? Why am I moving so far away from family? Am I crazy? Not that I’m about to change my mind now but the emotion that welled up surprised me. I feel like I’ll have more of that as my time gets shorter.

As far as Father’s Day goes, after church I went over to Mom and Dad’s for a light lunch and then sat and visited with them for awhile. Around 3:30 I went home and had a nap (I had planned something more productive but sleep won out) and at 6 I met them, Aaron, Rob, Robbie and her son for dinner at a local restaurant. We were celebrating both Father’s Day and Aaron’s high school graduation. We had a wonderful time.

Afterwards (really from the sublime to the ridiculous because it was a NICE restaurant) we went to McDonald’s for dessert. Rob and Robbie are on a caramel sundae kick and the kid needed a place to run around for awhile :)

It’s times like these that I will definitely miss. I know that, but I’m excited for the adventure available to me in Ontario.

Wavelengths

So I'm sitting here at work filing and thinking "I should call Mom...but why. I don't have anything to say to her. Oh well." Thirty seconds later the phone rings.

"Heidi? It's Mom..."

Thankfully she had something to say, and I got to talk to my Mom. I love being on the same wavelength as her!

Ancestors in the Attic: Journey to Ortona

So almost a year after I received the initial enquiry, the episode of Ancestors in the Attic featuring my great uncle, Melville Madden, aired on History Channel in Canada on January 21, 2010. The whole family was waiting in anxious anticipation to see how it would turn out and exactly what the researchers turned up and we were all very happy with the results. You can view the 23 minute show at http://www.history.ca/video/default.aspx Select "Journey to Ortona" (Episode 44) Let me know what you think! (and be sure to watch for my name in the credits :D)

Christmas 2009

I got home from Leavenworth on Tuesday and worked Wednesday and a half day Thursday. Robert was in town so we had dinner at Mom and Dad's on Wednesday and then visited and played Scrabble. Thursday after work I went shopping. I had bought Seth's present a few weeks ago and ended I up getting most of Mom's in Leavenworth. That still meant that I had to pick up Aaron's, Robert's and Dad's. I knew what I was getting each of them so it was just a matter of going to the right store and fighting the crowds. I had fun.

Christmas Eve is also Dad's birthday. I arrived at their house around 5pm and dinner was basically ready then. Mom prepared a lamb roast as a special treat for Dad. It was fantasic. We had warm blueberry gingerbread cake for dessert. Afterwards we played RISK. Mom won...which was kind of funny because she hadn't actually wanted to play in the first place.
This picture of me was taken just before going to bed. We didn't stay up super late because everyone was pretty tired.

Christmas morning we were all up before 9...really quite early for my family.

We like to take our time with gift opening and this year was no exception. Seth wasn't able to join us but he mailed his gifts and they arrived on Christmas Eve.

He sent me the "Unofficial Guide to Twilight", a mini book on Robert Pattinson and two bars of Body Shop soap. The guide is perfect. I just finished Eclipse (for the second time) and didn't want to take Breaking Dawn on the plane with me because it is still only available in hard cover. The guide is a nice compromise.

Robert also got me a guide...to Ontario. It's a really nice Michelin one and I can't wait to start visiting all the places listed in there. Mom, Aaron and Robert went together and gave me cash so I can finally invest in the Storybook Creator by Creative Memories. I am VERY excited about that! Aaron also gave me a Starbucks card. Mom and dad got me a Starbucks coffee sampler for use in my French press and Dad picked out a fleece scarf and fuzzy mittens for New York. Which is awesome, because I only have leather gloves which are NOT warm. So nothing huge or totally unexpected but all very thoughtful wonderful gifts and that's all I ever ask for at Christmas.

Christmas dinner was all our traditional favourites. Turkey, dressing (not pictured) mashed potatoes, carrots, turnips, cranberry jelly, creamed corn, bean salad, yams and gravy.

After dinner I made my family watch "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" with me. We haven't seen it in years and we laughed like crazy. I can't wait to see the places featured in the movie in real life!!!

We also played a few more games and ate lots of snacks and Christmas baking (including Mom's yummy rum balls). It was a relaxed Christmas, just the way I like it.

Merry Christmas to all my readers, where ever you are :)

Suck up

I was talking to Seth the other night and I asked about whether or not he’d be able to make it down for Christmas. I kind of knew the answer but his response still made me laugh. Because he missed three weeks of work due to H1N1 earlier in the year, because the weather’s such a crapshoot (and flying is so expensive) and because I won’t actually be around all that much, he’s going to stay home. He said “I’d rather come in the spring when you’re around so we can spend some quality time together before you leave for Ontario. I want to see you ‘at least once’ before then and coming now just so I can be ‘home for Christmas’ doesn’t make sense.”

On one hand I’m kind of sad that he won’t be here (although he hasn’t been in three years so it’s not a change in that regard) but on the other I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to worry about not spending time with him…and I have to admit, it was kind of nice to hear him say, in a round about way, that he’s going to miss me. He pretends to be all hard and unfeeling but inside he’s just a big suck :)

Attitude of Gratitude V2#21 - Christmas Shopping

I like Christmas shopping. Yes it's stressful and commercialized but I like having to think of others and determine what they would really like. I went Saturday with my brother Robert and his girl friend Robbie. (yes they have the same name, yes Robbie is her full name, yes my Uncle calls Robert "Robby" all the time, yes it's funny LOL) We just stayed in town and between us we only purchased three gifts but I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting Robert now.

The mall was busy but it wasn't crazy. Granted it is only November so it shouldn't be yet but the hype is building. And I enjoy it. It's more fun to participate than be a grouch and get stressed out about it.

I saw a sign that says "Tis the season to be jolly...so what's you're problem". It sums it up perfectly!

Attitude of Gratitude V2#15 - Polly

So, if you're paying close attention, you may have noticed my new little friend. She's purple and black and she moved in a few weeks ago. Remember my post about my new winter coat? Well the next thing on my list (and probably more important, but way harder to chose) was a laptop.

A few Sunday's ago I finally decided to stop debating and shopping and just buy. I was at my parents and Robert was in town. He brought his new girlfriend over to meet the family (more on that later) and after dinner I sat down at their computer and made them (Dad, Robert and his GF) help me chose the specs for a new laptop. I bought it from Dell Online and the only "non-essential" feature I got was a purple cover for it :D

It arrived on Wednesday, November 4th and it's perfect. Okay. I have a confession to make. I named it. Her. I called her Polly. I do call her Polly. I know it's probably lame and cheesy but I figure if people can name their cars (and guitars apparently) I can name my computer. Plus, it's way better to say "I'm at Starbucks with Polly" than "I'm at Starbucks with my computer". Lame maybe. Deal with it LOL

Anyways, that's another barrier to my move lifted. And it's fun to have a computer at home again! I don't have internet yet but I'm hoping to get it in the next month or so. For now, I just use live writer and then upload my blog posts. I've also downloaded some genealogy software so I'm filling that in.

Yep, I'm thankful for Polly :D