Thibodeaux's Adventures in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

My handsom man, Brock, was in the play April in Paris. He was fabulous !!!!!!!

Ice Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Hello all! I am still in amazement at how beautiful it is here. We went to Lake Louise this past week to see the Ice Castle and ice sculptures. Wow! It was gorgeous. Lake Louise was one of the first places we visited when we first moved here. All we saw then was rements of the ice castle. Sydney wanted to ice skate on the lake so badly, but had no ice skates. So it was important for us to make it back. We brought the ice skates and sleds (which we did not get around to) and headed out. Due to the wonderful knee injury I could not even step onto the ice, but I had a great time watching. It was truely a great day!

As for the knee, I am still waiting to see the specialist in March. My mobility has gotten better, but there are still limitations. There were some really good days last week. Then I had a set back on Tuesday. It just started hurting with every step and increased swelling. I go back to PT tomorrow. Maybe she can help me figure out what went wrong.

As many of you know we are coming to Louisiana this summer. I am very happy to say we will be purchasing our tickets in the very near future. Yeah!!! It is quite nice that air fare has dropped. So now we will only be speding half a fortue to get all 4 of us back home. So look for us in July. We will be the white pasty looking people that will problably fry in the hot Louisiana sun.

love you all

Knee update

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Just to let you all know what is going on with the double knee injuries.

Sally has had an MRI and knows she has torn her MCL and somehow lost her ACL. Its not even there anymore. She will start PT to get rid of the fluid and loosen the knee. On Feb. 19 she will have surgery to definitly repair (or should I say replace) the ACL and possibly repair the Meniscus if needed.

As for me, I would not be able to get an MRI until August (good ole socialized health care). So we have gone straight to PT. The ACL seems fine. MCL and LCL are damaged but intact. Won't know about the Meniscus for a while. PT is working on getting rid of the fluid.

Thanks for all of you thougths and prayers.

Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:50:00 +0000

I would love to tell you all about our Christmas Holidays but I find that in this case pictures speak louder than words. Plus you had to see to entertainment with you own eyes to believe it.

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:19:00 +0000

Just so you know, the sledding was a bad idea. Waaaayyyy to cold. We made two trips down the hill and quit due to painful toes and fingers. Oh well, we tried.

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:52:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Ok, I got totally distracted from my blog by facebook. Then remembered there are many more friends not on facebook. Sorry about that guys. You can all blame Amy for that.

Winter has set in. We are experiencing -23 celcius and lots of snow... as you can see in the video. I just wish you could feel it. It wasn't quite that cold yesterday when the video was taken. But today is and they want to try to go sledding. I will let you know how that turns out.

love you all

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:07:00 +0000

I know it has been a while and i have yet to update you on vacation. For some reason I just haven't made the time to download those pics yet, but it is coming. Now we are settling in to school and preparing for the cold weather. My heart goes out to everyone back home in Louisiana. 90 degree temps with so much humidity and no electricty is aweful. That is easy for me to say I as I sit here in 50 degree weather and my toes are cold.

As some of you already now, we have been visiting chruches again. We are liking Springs Church, but still waiting for God to confirm. Tonight I will go to a Getting Connected class which will tell me more about the church. I am looking forward to it.

I will be dropping my car off at the body shop next week. Please Lord, don't let it take to long. Oh yeah, you don't know about my car, because I haven't told you about my vacation. We hit a deer. Just as we were leaving Montana going into Idaho the darn thing just stood in the middle of the road until we got right up on it and it jetted in front of us. Messed up my front end and blew out my ac. See I do know what it is like to be without ac. Please remember we drove 7 to 8 hours a day for two days to get home. And the sun always seem to be shinging on me. It was hot.

I can tell you about the best part of my vacation. Seeing my wonderful friend Suzanne in Seattle. That was a blessing straight from heaven. We had a fun few days together. I know I have one picture on my computer of us sailing in the Puget Sound. That was a first for me and I think her too. I had a blast. And would have even if we had done nothing but sit in our hotel room and visit. Thanks Suzanne!

For those I haven't heard from in LA. Let me know how you faired.

Jasper

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:56:00 +0000

I just went through all of the umpteenmillion pictures we have from the Jasper trip. Do you know how hard it is to choose which ones to show you? There are so many beautiful ones. The whole drive to Jasper is a picture opportunity and Bryan took full advantage of it. We were completely surrounded by mountains for the 5 hour drive, which actually took about 8 hours with all of our stops. We were tracking our elevation with the gps. Our highest was just under 7000 feet. We could not even count the waterfalls we saw. Some were right on the side of the road, which of course we got out so we could play in them. Well, not really in them because the water was so cold. Just about every time we stopped Brock found something to climb. You can see that in some of the pics. Some waterfalls were off in the distance on the side of a mountain. There were lots of lookouts we stopped at. And then there were a couple of waterfalls where we had to parked and then walk to. Those were the big ones. Water rushing down into large canyons it had created. Wow, it was amazing. Bryan got some on video. You can watch it. Then there were the glaciers. Huge slabs of ice on the mountains. It was pretty cold up there. There farther we went the colder it got. At one point we saw some snow flurries. Not much though.

Well that was our Jasper trip. It was fun and of course it was nice spending some time with Mavis and Louis. It was alot of time in the car. Anytime any of you back home want to come make the trip we would be glad to do it again with you.

Now we are planning our vacation. We will be leaving next weekend for Glacier National Park, in Montaan, for 3 days. Then we will be heading over to Seattle, Washington, which we will get to spend a few days with Suzanne and Clint. I am sooooooo excited about that. Then we will take a few more days to go to Vancouver and back home through the mountains. We might even do some camping along the way. I am a little worried about the bears though. We never had to worry about that back home.

I can't belive the kids will be starting school just two weeks after our vacation. At least we will get to do some of our school shopping in the states. Everything is so expensive here. Can't figure out why either. Oh well, not much I can do about it.

Be blessed my friends!!!!!

Alison

PS Brook G. I am so glad you found me. We need to get in touch with each other. Email me! Rachel says hi.

The Rodeo is Coming to Town

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:15:00 +0000

Bryan's parents, Mavis and Louis, came in for 2 weeks. We had a great time. They got here during Stampede, the big rodeo/carnival/show of the year. The one night we bought tickets for was the one and only night it rained. We wanted to get to the park early so we could play games and ride a few rides before the show. Mavis and Louis were going to wait for Brayn while the kids and I went to play games. Or first game was the water gun game. Were you hit the bulls eye to make the little man go up, first on to the top wins. Well, as soon as the game started to hail started flying. Those little pieces of ice can really hurt. There was no shelter and Sydney started to freak. So of course I became her shelter. We had to make a quick decision to run for it. As I have heard so many times here in Calgary, "if you don't like the weather, just wait 20 minutes." So we walked around one of the many exhibition halls waiting for it to stop raining. Once it stopped it was game on. We played every game available. Brock and Sydney aquired a lot of new stuffed animals. Like they needed more. Brock and Bryan rode a couple of rides. Sydeny did not want anything to do the rides, but my little man rode the mega drop and loved it.

Finally it was show time. We got to see the chuck wagon races. Talk about intense. Each race had 7 chuck wagons and each chuck wagon had 6 horses. Those poor drives where completely covered in mud. Yuk! Then after the races they put on this huge show. Singing, dancing, the works. They even had fire works at the end.

I have a lot more to share with you all but I am going to break it up. Here are some pics from stampede. I will tell you about our trip to Jasper in the next couple of days.

love you all

Alison

PS. yes that is us wearing jackets in July

Oops, sorry so long.

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:48:00 +0000

I know, it has been a long time. Summer has finally made it here. Brock and Sydney finished school last week. They did great and are ready for grade 4 and grade 2. That is how they say it here. Its not 4th grade. Just another one of those wierd things. But for the first week of summer vacation we have been taking it easy. Stampede starts next week and Mavis and Louis will be here in a week and a half. We have tickets to go to Stampede one night. We will get to see the chuckwagon races, a big musical show and fireworks afterward. They also have a fair and exhibitions going on. This is kind of like a 10 day western fling. The funny thing is that for the kick off just about every place in town has a Stempede pancake breakfast. Not just restraunts, but churches, businesses, and kind of organization you can think of. Everything goes western. It should be fun.

We will also be taking another trip into the mountains while Mavis & Louis are here. We are going up to the Ice Glaciers. I am really looking forward to that. The Ice Glaciers are fields of ice. It is suppose to be a beautiful ride up there. About a 3 or 4 hour ride???? I am just glad I am going to have some familiar faces around. I have to admit I have been a little home sick lately, but it will pass I am sure.

We went to Callaway park last weekend. It is alot like Dixie Landing (no Blue Bayou), but a little bigger. It was fun. It was a beautiful day, though I had to wear a sweatshirt. For all the people back in Louisiana, can you imagine going outside in a sweatshirt right now? You would problably pass out from heat exhaustion. It has become a bit warmer now. Yesterday was about 80, and when the wind blows you feel like you are in the desert..... hot and dry. Then it cools off again. Yesterday was wonderful, somewhere around 70- 73.

I do have some very depressing news. Well for us that is. Not only are there mosquitos here, but them come out with a vengence during the DAY. Brock even asked, "I thought mosiquitos were nocturnal!" Both Brock and Sydney have some pretty bad bites on there back from playing at the wading pool at the Tuscany Club. We have to keep bug spray closer than I ever have before. Daytime, who knew.

I have to cut it short today. We are going somewhere. I would tell you where, but I don't really know. Today is Canada Day. Bryan is off of work, so we are going to find something to do. I will be sure to bring the camera and let you all about it. I won't wait so long this time. I promise.

Thanks to all of you who write. I love you all.

talk to you real soon.
ali

Subscribe to me

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:25:00 +0000

I have added the ability to subscribe to my blog. You will see the icon in the top left corner. I just hope it works!

A new church home!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:52:00 +0000

I am so excited. I think we have found our new church home, Friends Church. Don’t you just love the name? What normally happens when we visit a new church is we talk about it on the way home. We ask all the questions like “what did you think of praise and worship” and “what did you think of the teaching”. We ask Brock and Sydney “what did you learn today”, “did you have fun” and of course “do you want to go back”. Inevitably at least one or more of us did not like on part or another. Well, we have been to Friends Church the last two weeks and there has not been one dislike. Not one!
Friends Church is a small church that meets in the gym of Master’s Academy. They serve Starbuck’s coffee before service which is always a plus. It is a very laid back atmosphere. I just thought HPC was casual. Last Sunday Pastor Jeff was in shorts along with most of the congregation. I guess they like to take advantage of the few months of warm weather they have here. I love the praise and worship. It is different from HPC, but very good. It has an alternative flair to it. A lot of the songs are familiar. Not just from church but from singers like Matt Redman as well. I find that when we are there I don’t want it to end. There is a peace there that we haven’t had at any of the other churches we have visited. We had planned on visiting another church, but I don’t think we are going to make it. Not unless the Lord tells us to.

We haven’t really met anyone there yet but I am sure that will change next week. They are having a BBQ after service. And of course it’s free. Sound familiar? It seems like this church has a real heart for the community and it lost. They like to call it “giving water” to the thirsty. A water moment.

This past weekend was the May Long Weekend. Brock and Sydney were out of school Friday and Monday and Bryan was off on Monday. I am still not sure what the holiday was, but it was nice, eh (I don’t think that is supposed to be a question, even though it sounds like it). We went to Drumheller which is a small town to the east of Calgary. It was very different than our trips in the mountains. East of Calgary the land becomes flat farm land. We drove about 1 ½ to 2 hours of flat dry land and all of a sudden you drive down into the huge canyon. I now call this the big hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere. Down there is a small town with a huge dinosaur museum. We walked across the Red Deer River on a suspension bridge. That was a little scary. Especially when you get to the middle and it is swaying back and forth. We had a lot of fun. The kids (Bryan included) really enjoyed the museum.

We got our insurance info in so I started looking for a doctor today. I went to a website that has a list of doctors that are accepting new patients. I got about half way through the list and had to stop. None of them were accepting new patients. I had heard it may be hard to find a doctor. One of the moms at the bus stop suggested I try some doctors in Cochran. Cochran is a small town just west of Calgary. It is about 15-20 minutes from my house. So I did and it worked. I have a meet and greet appointment with a doctor in June. Please pray for favor with the Doctor because now he will interview us. Sounds crazy.

Here are a few things I have found funny about being in Canada…..
· I can’t find Rotel or anything like it
· They don’t sell frozen dinner rolls
· They do sell Louisiana Hot Sauce
· When I asked for corn bread mix they said “what is that?”
· Brock and Sydney are allowed to bring stuffed animals to school and have water bottles at their desk
· They can come home for lunch
I love and miss you all. I hope all is with each and every one of you. You are all in our hearts and in our prayers. I just wish I could talk to all.

Be blessed,
Ali

Yeah! My first mountain hike

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:35:00 +0000

I finally got to do my first mountain hike. It was such a beautiful day. We were some where out in the Kananaskis. That is about all I know. I was thinking we would do hills, then flat and maybe hills again. Boy, was I wrong. It was all hill from the get go. We started at the bottom by the creek and went up until we got to the top. Two hours of hiking to the top. There were a few stopping breaks in there, but it was all up hill. I didn't think I was going to make it, but I pushed through and got to the top. I never would have thought I would be standing on a beautiful summit, completely surrounded mountains. That is like a kiss from heaven. God has truly created a beautiful place. I just stood there in awh. The video I attached at the bottom is a panoramic view. It was very rocky and uneven, that is why the video is so shaky. If you fall , you are going down one way or another. Though it was quite cold on top, yet so nice. Then we headed down. I thought that was going to be the easy part. Actually, going downhill takes a toll on your knees. More than what going up hill does to you thighs. According to my GPS, it was 4.63 miles round trip.

I was hiking with a group of ladies with Fit Frog. This is the same group I do the Urban Hikes with, though there is always different ones that show up. That is Lori in the pic with me. This is her set up. They are all so nice, very talkative and very Canadian. I just love the accents, "eh".

Brock and Bryan went on a bike excursion yesterday. After we bought Bryan a new bike, he and Brock road there bikes downtown then back home. Well, almost home. As I have told you before, we live at the top of the hill. By the time they made it to the neighborhood they did not have enough juice to get them up that last big hill. So I went and got them. They did 30km, which is about 18.75 miles. My two guys were plumb worn out. I was proud of them.

I think we are going to try to go to Grotto Canyon sometime in the next couple of weeks. This is suppose to be a good day hike for the kids. There is a creek in the canyon, so there is a lot of room for playing and climbing over rocks. From what I understand the drive there gets you over the hills, so there isn't a lot of uphill walking. That's a good thing.

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It is good to have some encouraging words from home. I love you all.

Be blessed,

Ali

Still looking for a church to call home

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:16:00 +0000

We did not make it to church today. I guess we just weren't sure were we wanted to go to next. We have visited two chruches that we have seen. Today we were just too pooped to get up early enough to figure out were to next. I did get to do some more research and I have found a few more churches for us to visit, but we are in no hurry. God has been so good to us in this move. We have complete assurance that the Lord will lead us to the perfect church home for us.

There has been a few times when I have been out by myself and have felt lonely. Especailly when you see friends having lunch or a cup of coffee together. Then I began to long for some friendly conversation. Or when I have been out walking and thought "it would be great to have a friend to do this with." I begin to feel a pain from within because I miss all of my wonderful friends back home. But then I am reminded of who my God is and what he has promised me and my family. He has promised us a life-giving community to fit into. He promises to lead us to like-hearted, like-visioned, like-spirited others. His blessing is for us to be part of a family of ministy where we can enjoy our greatest fulfillment as we fit with other people who are finding their fulfillment in God's purpose, just as we are, and each of us is doing what God has designed us to do. I do not want to fill that place with my fleshly desires. So I choose to wait on my Lord and his perfect timing, becuase I know he wants what is best for us. I won't settle for anything less.

We are in our 3rd day of a spring snow storm, with a forcast of 2 more days. We have over a foot of snow outside, with winds that can cut right through anything that is not protected. It really only hurts any exposed skin. You would think people would just stay inside. Wrong! Not here. So we bundled up and headed out to University Hill yesterday to do some sledding. It was a blast. You really don't even fell the cold in the beginning. There is just to much fun to be had. What I like about sledding on fresh snow is that it doesn't matter how fast you go or how hard you crash, it doesn't hurt on the soft snow. What you really have to watch out for is your glove coming off and your hand going in the snow. Now that is painful. Or after a few trips up that hill your legs start hurting. For every 20 second ride down the hill you have a good 10minute walk back up the hill. After and hour of that the 10 minute walks turn into 15 to 20 minute walks because you are just so exhausted.

I was so proud of Sydney. In the beginning she was a bit scared of going too fast. So we did half the hill for a while, which was still pretty big. Then she decided to take on the entire hill all on her own. She carried her sled (normally it was me or Bryan) all the way to the top. Her ride down was well worth her effort. She loved it.I had my first day hike scheduled for last Thursday. I am very sad to say that I got lost on my way there and missed it. I arrived 20 minutes late. You know how much I hate to be late. Once I got over my disappointment I decided to go out on my own for a little while. Why not? I was all packed up for it. I had my lunch, rain gear, water and my gps. I was good to go, just me and God. Yes, I was a little scared beding by myself, so I did not go into the heavily wooded areas and stuck to mostly grasslands. I was at Sandy Cross Conservation Area. The main thing I was scared of was animals. It turned out to be a great day. The weather was beautiful (the day before the snow storm hit), windy but sunny. I was out in the open with a beautiful view of mountains at times. There were rolling hills which give a great workout. I stayed for 2 hours and then headed home.I just hope the next one is not to far away.

I love you all and look forwarded to hearing from you all as well. I would love for you to let me know how you are and what is going on in your life through the comments.

Be blessed my friends!
Ali

Surprise spring snow

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:21:00 +0000

What happened yesterday.......

They keep talking about spring showers and I have yet to see one. Every time they say it will rain it has actually snowed. The kids and I joke by saying they don't know the difference between snow and rain. Weather reports have been forcasting a warm up this weekend. Now I am sure that our warm and their warm up are completely different things...I'm sure? But the really funny thing was yesterday's weather. Not one weather report forcasted yesterdays weather correct. Not one!

Now, before I tell you about the weather I want to explain to you my plans for yesterday. Thursday was my first organized Urban Hike. I was very excited about hiking through a coulee here in Calgary. Well, when I came down the stairs ready to bring the kids to school I caught a glimps through the window. It was snowing. Not just a little, but alot. It was the most we have seen since we have been here. A lot on the ground and still falling. I got Brock and Sydney to school ok, but then had to decide what I would do about my hike. I was a little intimadated by the snow, but then figured why not. It is going to happen sooner or later. I even got lost on my way there because everything look so different in white, and this was in my neighborhood. Oh sorry, it is a community. It turned out to be the most beautiful thing ever. Fresh snow on the groung and covering all the trees. Again it was all breathtaking, except when the snow was hitting me in the eyes and I couldn't see anything (mental note....wear sunglasses).

But that wasn't all. On the radio they talked about the surprise snowfall no one knew was coming and the horrific traffic it caused. They said, " If you don't have to get on the road, then don't. This will wash away with the afternoon rain coming." I heard that all morning. That rain never came. The snow stopped falling around 11:00 and started to look pretty. At 2:30 as I picked up Brock and Sydney from school the clouds moved in. As usual they were playing on the play ground for a bit before we go home. That is when it started to fall...no not rain, no not snow, but ice. Those little bitty pieces of ice can really hurt. We realized that this stuff looked just like dippin dots. We watched dippin dots and snow fall all afternoon AND evening. I don't really have a problem with the snow. What was so fasinating to me is that they had no idea it would happen.

This morning the basic report was "Oops!"

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:39:00 +0000

I thought you would enjoy watching a few videos of us playing in the snow. I chose to only go half way up the hill before sledding down, but is was still fun.

Sydney makes a great snow angel!!!!!!

We are still having a lot of fun, though things are settling down. Bryan is out of town this week, or should I say out of the country. He is in Tulsa and will be home on Friday. Actually it has been kind of nice. Since we still only have one car we have to get up early every morning to bring him to the train station and then pick him up in the evening. Evening time is the hard part. I can't really start dinner until after we get him. We all know how much I hate that (yeah right). The car is scheduled to be picked up on Friday. I am not sure how long that will take.

I went hiking yesterday at Nosehill Environmental Park. Those hills can ware you out. At the same time, it is just so beautiful at an elevation of 4000 feet. You feel like you can reach up and touch the sky. I could see all across the city while there was deer running around less the 100 yards away. I can't believe I didn't bring my camera. I am going to have to bring it next time.

Check ya later!

Ali

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:34:00 +0000

Another week gone by. Again, we have had some fun. During the week we have been running around town ( it is a big city) getting somewhat familar with everything. Didn't seem like we were getting much done around the house. Most of the boxes are unpacked but the pictures are not hung. I know that was driving my mother crazy but I didn't want to have to worry about that yet.

We went skiing again. It was a blast! We had our lessons with all four of us on skies this time. Bryan says the snowboard is an evil thing. He liked skiing much better. Sydney got the hang of it and I couldn't get her off the slopes. Not even for a minute. She wore me out. It was colder this time. At one point I thought I had ice in one of my boots. I couldn't understand how it got there. When I couldn't take it anymore I forced a hot chocolate break on everyone. Turns out there was no ice in my boot, my toes where just frozen. I have now bought me some wool socks.

It is funny all the things you don't think about to keep warm. My mom bought Brock a ski suit for his birthday. It is just 3 weeks away. While we were shopping around we learned a few things. To stay warm you have to layer. Well, just about everyone knows that, right? So when they asked what we were layering with I said "tshirts". "That is a big no no. Cotton is rotten!" so they say. Once you sweat (because you do) cotton gets wet and stays wet, therefore you get cold. Go figure. You have to start with a baselayer of synthetic that wicks away (my new word) moisture and then cover with fleece. I always thought fleece was a useless fabric. Boy, was I wrong. Now it is one of my favorites.

Sunday we decided to make one more trip to the mountains before mom went home. It was even more beautiful than the weekend before. There was a fresh snow fall the day before. It completely changed to look of it. We up to Lake Louise this time. Here is a site where you can see thier pics , just click on thier slide show. http://www.fairmont.com/LakeLouise/?cm_mmc=icppc-_-Branded-CLL%20-%20Chateau%20Lake%20Louise%20-%20Canada-_-google-_-lake+louise+fairmont It is a huge resort hotel with an even bigger lake that is completely surrounded by mountains. Right now that lake is completely frozen. We walked on it. You can ice skate, cross country ski or just go for a stroll on it. Just next to the lake is where we did our sleding. That was is fun. Of corse Bryan, Brock & Sydney had to, no wait, wanted to go off road to get to the top of the hill. I tried to get up there but if you step in the wrong place you are up to you thighs in snow. I decided to watch from the bottom of the hill. Especially since I thought they were going to fly off the hill at the drop off. But I was wrong, they didn't, but I felt safer down there anyway. Brock jumped the bumpes going down. Bryan went about half way down to catch Sydney on her way down, but she was going to fast and he sank in the snow and missed her. I don't think I have ever heard Bryan laugh so hard. I did sled down the snow covered road with the snow bank at the end of it. I never could get my mom on the sled though.

Sydney met some friends and together they dug tunnels through the snow. I never would have thought of that. We slid across the ice with our shoes. I think Sydney has asked me for a pair of ice skates everyday since then. She wants to go back there, bad.

I did miss my first Urban Hike. When I went to get the kids in school on Monday I had to make an appointment with the principle for the same time as the hike. I will just have to wait ftil next week. When we met with Mrs. Witworth she tolds us that she had about ten new students coming in. They did not get to start school until Thurdsay. You should have seen thier faces. They were so sad. All that building up to starting a new school and they had to wait some more. Once they did start it was great. The classes took them in immediatly. As soon as Sydney walked in the door she had some friends come get her to show her what to do. She even came home with a really big note from her class welcoming her. They all signed it. It was so sweet. Brock did great too. He made friends right away. The only thing I am not sure about is how they have 1-2 grade and 3-4 grade. I will let you know when I find out.

My vacation has officially ended. Mom left on Wednsday and the kids started school on Thurday. It is time for me to get settled in . I am sure we will still have lots of fun. I am just amazed at how much there is to do here. We are going to do some day hiking together on the weekends.

We were expecting spring showers this weekend and we woke up to six inches of snow. It will problably be gone by the end of the day. We will visit Dalhousie Community Church this weekend. I was able to listen to some services on iTunes and I am looking forward to it.

I love and miss you all.

We Made It!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:11:00 +0000

OK, so we have been here a week and it has been hard to find time to post. I have been either to busy unpacking, having fun skiing or just to darn tired. It is so beautiful here.

This was our first stop on our way to Banff. This is basically what I see every time I pull out of my neighborhood, just a bit farther away. We had fun in the mountains. It snowed as we shopped along the main street. We drove up the mountain a bit more and was able to get out and play. I felt like we were going to fall off.

We went skiing at Olympic Park over the weekend. We have lessons scheduled for this weekend, but we did not want to wait. Sydney and I got skied while Brock and Bryan tried to snowboard. Brock was a natural on the snowboard.

I am sorry that my pics are not in order. I am sure you can figure out which I am talking about.

We will start our church visiting this weekend. There are a lot around here. I know that we will find the right one in time.

Next week the kids start school and I will go on my first Urban Hike. The city is full of trails and hills. There is a program called Fit Frog that does Urban Hikes and Coffee Hikes a couple of times a week. The Coffee Hike is just when they stop for coffee afterward. That is right up my ally.

It has been cold but bearable, in 20's and 30's. We have seen snow fall twice since we have been here and it is suppose to snow today. We missed the most of it already. I think that is a good thing. Now I can at least get accustomed to my surroundings before I have to drive in it.

I have will have to stop now. I have to go downtown to apply for our Social Insurance Number. I want to get there and back before the snow comes. I love and miss you all. I hope you are all enjoying that warm weather you having. I will try to get back to you soon. I have to let you know how we do on our 2nd ski outing. I would love to here from you all.

Be blessed,

Ali

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:19:00 +0000

Ok, things have been really, really crazy around here. As many of you know we have found a house in Calgary. We will be in the community of Tuscany; and yes I have not actually seen the house except for these pictures you see here. That is real trust.

There is one thing Bryan did not tell me until just last week. There is no A/C in the house. Believe it or not, this is a very common thing. I did my research and it seems as though you don’t really need Air Conditioning in Calgary. Due to the elevation it seems to never really get hot. Look at the bright side of it, no more hot, muggy days for me for a while. I can’t wait for summer up there.

Weather averages for Calgary
Month -Jan -Feb -Mar -Apr -May -Jun -Jul -Aug -Sep -Oct -Nov -Dec
Average high °F 27.0 31.8 39.2 52.3 61.5 68.4 73.2 72.5 63.7 53.8 37.0 29.7
Average low °F 4.8 10.4 18.0 28.2 37.6 45.1 48.9 47.5 39.2 29.5 16.0 7.7

Some of our other news is that we have an offer on our house. Wow, only 7 days. It was kind of funny… while we were buying a new car we got an offer from the first showing. Bryan has even pointed out to me that we are now 3 for 3 on selling houses. God just keeps showing up! He has been so faithful and He is guiding us every step of the way. There is no way we could do this without Him.

Monday was a busy day. We had a home inspector, an appraiser and termite inspector come by. Tuesday the movers came to do a survey. They basically looked around to see how many boxes they need and how long it will take to pack. I got a call on Wednesday to schedule the actual move. We were looking at packing up on the 5th of March, but since Bryan has had an unexpected meeting in Houston scheduled that week, Brock, Sydney and I won't fly out until the 18th. It is offical, the tickets have been purchased. That gives me a couple more weeks of goodbyes. Hey Amy, now I will be here for your birthday! That is what this is all about right? Brock, Sydney and I will stay with Mama or Mavis until l the 18th. Mama is coming with us and staying for a few weeks. Maybe I can get my house decorated in that time.

Oh well, there is plenty to say and do but I am just too exhausted to go any more. Thank you all for your prayers. They mean so much to me. I love you all.

Happy Valentine's Day

Blistering cold in Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

Bryan left for Calgary on Sunday. It seems as though they are having extreme cold weather in Calgary. Bryan was told it hasn't been this cold in years. I guess you are wondering how cold it is. When he walked 4 blocks to work this morning it was only -25. With the wind chill it was -50. I just can't even imagine. His legs were frozen when he got to work. Normally he would be able to walk the +15 but he decided to go to work early and it was not open yet. The +15 is a 2nd story corridor that connects many of the bldg downtown. I bet he won't do that again.

Here is a picture he took outside of his hotel at the beginning of the snow fall.

Well the house is going on the market hopefully tomorrow. I will meet number two of the two Realtors this afternoon. We met with the 1st one last Friday. We get to choose which we want to list the house with. It is kind of neat because I get to watch them sell theirself to me and what they can do.

We are hoping the house sells quickly. Not that I am ready to leave everyone, but I am ready to join my husband. I won't see him for the next 2 weeks. That is a long time. The good side of it is that it may warm up some before I go. Anyway, the sooner the house sells the better. I think the new district lines for school will help. If you know of anyone looking for a home be sure to pass on the word.

It is almost time for me to get in carpool. I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year. Please pray the Lord's favor as we put the house on the market. I believe he already has a buyer picked out for us.

love you all!

My first Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:55:00 +0000

This is it. The first blog I have ever done. Why start now? Only because we are moving and I wanted a way for all of my family and friends to be able to keep up with us and all that is going in the great place of Calgary, Alberta, located in the country of Canada. Here I will post pics and blog about all our experiences in Canada. If you read our blog you will get the good, the bad and the ugly.

We have not yet moved to Calgary. I guess you can say we sit here in Dutchtown in waiting. The move has been confirmed by papers being signed and a job title being changed, but we have to wait on the most important peice of paper. A Canadian Work Visa. We cannot make the move until we have that and we are not even sure how long that will take.

That sounds kind of wierd. Waiting on a work visa to move to another country. We never thought we would need one of those. I have to say it is pretty exciting. We have lived here in the south all of our lives. Moving around a few times, but never more than 3 1/2 hours away from Baton Rouge. No to mention a hole different country. It is only 2,439 miles away. Google maps say you can travel it in 1 day and 18 hours, with traffic. It did not metion sleeping or stopping for food or potty breaks. I guess you'll just have to hold it.

I think the main thing we will have to get used to, besides leaving family and friends, is the cold weather. Here we are in January wearing shorts. That will not be the case in Canada. We are looking at 73 F versus 19 F. Living just outside of the mountains will help some. And the snow! We are looking forward to the snow. It may get old after a while, and it may not. I will worry about that later. For now, I will look forward to seeing my kids, with all of their excitement, play in it. Something we would never get to do here.

That's it for now. I will try to keep this updated with all that is going on in our move. I hope I can do a good enough job. This is very new to me. I am not used to writing a lot. I can talk alot of words, but typing them is much different. Please, much grace is needed.

To all of my family and friends, I love you all and I look forward to hearing your comments and what is going on here once we are up there.