Day 318 - Volunteering At EVIC

After my wonderful sleep in yesterday, I couldn't fall asleep last night. Thus, I was exhausted today! I was quite excited to spend my day with Shauna though! We had such a great time last summer, it wasn't the same this summer as I didn't get as many chances to visit with her. 


I had agreed to volunteer at the centre for today, as they needed help & I was able to give them a hand. It wasn't too busy of a day, even though the weather was quite nice. There was fresh snow at the higher elevations, so perhaps that deterred a few would-be hikers &/or picnickers. 


Shauna helped me re-henna my head, although we didn't get the entire head finished. I look like I'm wearing a little cap on the back of my bald head. Hopefully Jaco will spruce up the rest of my head tomorrow while I'm in treatment. It will never be the same as Larissa's artistic talents, but at least we'll have a little fun in the meantime.


I came home just before 1700 & did my best to get caught up on the blog. Jaco did his exercises & terrorized the dogs for the better part of the evening... I have to finish getting ready for tomorrow's big day, so pardon me while I cut this post short & finish sorting things out... 


Sleep well & see you soon! Wish me luck tomorrow! 
xxxxx
MJV

Shauna helps a visitor

Shauna helps a colleague!

Papa works out with the Big Dogs...

Day 297 - Laundry & Shauna

This morning, after a night of tossing & turning, I woke up to a rather thunderous stomping happening in the kitchen, along with the infectious giggles of a small child. Yup, Rayna was up. Her & Valentina were having the times of their lives. Rayna had donned our T-Rex head & Valentina decided it was a game. Rayna chased & chased & chased Valentina around the living room & kitchen until they were both out of breath! It was quite the sight to see! Valentina absolutely loves children & I think the feeling is mutual, especially in this case!


They were off to Calaway Park for the day. Mom decided to 'go along for the ride'(s). :oP I don't think I've been to Calaway Park since I was about 8 years old when I went with Jamee & her sister, Joleen! Yes, it's been a long time! Mom told me Rayna wasn't too happy when they got there, so Jamee knelt down & looked Rayna in the eye & said, 'Do you remember your choices? You can be miserable or you can be...' Rayna replied enthusiastically, 'HAPPY!' Jamee said, 'That's right. So what will you choose?' Rayna replied even more enthusiastically, 'HAPPY!!!' And away they went...


Jaco & I had a 'happy' day of laundry. I cleaned the kitchen, he vacuumed the floors & then we shaved each other's heads. What? Isn't that part of the domestic duties? :oP  So now we look like twins. I'm just waiting for the next 'Sir' comment! Although Jaco is a bit sad, as I have more hair than he does & mine is falling out! I keep assuring him that soon enough he'll have more than I do! Much more! 


It was a stunner of a day! Thank the Good Lord for sunshine & a little heat! I'll take every summer day I can get! We walked down to EVIC to visit Shauna & see how her course went. She was pretty excited about the entire weekend! Hopefully we can get together once we get settled & have a nice dinner. Today was her 7 year wedding anniversary, although her hubby was away on work. Jaco & I have a lot of years to go to catch up! I will volunteer with Shauna on the 6th of September, so I'm looking forward to working a day with her.


I spoke to Granny today & she seems to be doing well. If all goes well, we'll make a trip to see her in the next few weeks. She's only met Jaco once & we were only there for 1/2 a day, as I had to drive back for work last time. Hopefully this time we can stay a little longer & she can believe that I've made a good choice! She's already told me he better treat me well or he'll have to deal with her! And believe me, you don't want to mess with this 95 year old Granny! She's tough! 


She told me awhile ago about a situation in the Senior's Home where she stays. There was an old man who kept making passes at her. He grabbed her arm one day as they were wheeling past each other & told her he'd like to get to know her better. The next night she woke up & he was sitting on the end of her bed in her room! He said he missed the gentle touch of a woman. (!) She called the Nurse & they took him away. This happened a few more times. Finally, after the 3rd or 4th night, Granny told him he'd better get out & never come back. When he didn't respond, she took her cane & whacked him between the legs & told him 'There's more where that came from!' Even at 95 she's still got it! What a gal! 


Mom made us a stir fry tonight & Jaco had his first taste of Quinoa (keen-wah) tonight. He quite liked it, until he found out it was more carb than protein. It will be the challenge of my life to get that man to eat a healthy, well-rounded, BALANCED diet. In any case, he enjoyed it until he knew otherwise. ;o)


Tomorrow was supposed to be Body Worlds, but I think that we'll hold off another day. My energy is not quite there...yet! Have a great night & see you tomorrow!


xxxxxx
Maria, Jaco & Valentina

Headless T-Rex (Rayna) chases Valentina

Rayna helps Mom make fresh juice

The happy matching couple!

Valentina digs for the ball in Papa's shorts! 

Puddle or no puddle, she'll get the ball!

Day 296 - Volunteering & My Camping Cousins

Today was a pretty quiet day on the Richter scale. (4.0) I volunteered at EVIC while Shauna did an amazing Search & Rescue course. It was limited to 6 participants & when Shauna inquired about taking the course again, it was full. The Instructor offered to let Shauna come along as a 'guest' Instructor. Naturally Shauna was floored! I was more than happy to help out & harass Joe for a day while Jaco got over his jet lag. It was fun to fall back into the swing of things, although I didn't miss my Smoky the Bear girdle pants. (Think standard uniform designed in the 1980's that come up somewhere between my bellybutton & bosom. NOT flattering!)


It was a semi-busy day, seeing as the weather was nice, so we had quite a few visitors in the Centre. The day went well. I only had one fellow call me 'Sir'. Yes, not a word of a lie. I was wearing big earrings & makeup. Perhaps it was the men's size large fleece vest that gave me a 'unisex' look. I don't really know. In any case, it made me laugh. What was even funnier was when he showed up later in the day with all of his buddies who had to come in & see the 'She-Man' or 'Man-She' depending on which side of the fence you're on! :oP


Jaco & Valentina came to visit for a bit. Jaco & Joe gabbed about bears & cougars & things to do in K-Country. Here's hoping we can accomplish a few fun things while he's here! 


After work Jaco & I went for ice cream at the RIGHT place. Scoops & Snacks! We enjoyed our dairy delight & when we arrived home, Mom informed me that my cousin, Jamee, & her daughter, Rayna, were on their way over. They were on a summer holiday around Calgary & they were coming to camp in our yard. 


Mom left to chase some cows out of the pasture that kept crawling through the fence. Shortly after she left, Jamee & Rayna arrived. Rayna is 5 & a barrel of fun. She was pretty pumped to sleep in a tent tonight! She was also excited to see Valentina. By the time I helped them set up their tent, we had decided that Valentina would join them in her mini-tent. Then Mom was joining them, along with Oceana. It was pretty cozy inside the tent by the time they were all settled in with their sleeping bags, blankets & dogs! But I think they had a memorable time! The first thing Rayna said upon waking, was, 'Mom, next time you have meetings, can I come here to be babysat?' Cute. Very cute. 


It was after midnight by the time Jaco & I crawled into bed. We'd stayed up talking about our plans for the time he would be here. It had been a long day & I was happy to hit the hay! Tomorrow is a day of not much activity & I'm glad!


Lekker slaap!
Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xoxoxoxxxoxoxoxooxoxx

EVIC or Elbow Valley Information Centre

 Rayna & Valentina

It's a girls night out!

 Oceana & Valentina are slightly excited to be in the tent too!

Joe & his 'pose' & his directional heading on the desk.

Day 283 - Long Weekend?

I'm sure you'll all disagree with me, but this weekend seemed extra long! Probably because I'm rather bored (not for lack of things to do, just lack of motivation!) & I don't have a job to 'look forward' to after a long weekend! It was quite a rainy weekend, with a lot of thunder. I LOVE listening to the rain fall & the thunder roll. Tonight was quite spectacular. I counted for 40+ seconds of consistent thunder as it rolled on down the valley. Sweet!

I visited Shauna at EVIC & Dave, one of the Conservation Officers, happened to stop in. I haven't seen him since the end of June. He was going to shave his head at the party, but his scheduled was swapped around, so he couldn't make it! :o( In any case, he's a sweetheart & he always brightens my day! Rumour has it he'll be around this fall & I have yet to meet his new girlfriend... Gotta love romance in the East Kan! I'm excited for his happy heart! His girlfriend spotted the dogs & I the other day. She was driving on the highway & said she saw a girl with a shaved head & 2 wiener dogs in matching raincoats. I guess that fits our description! :o) Well spotted!

Valentina was excited to visit Shauna & Dave & her excitement peaked when Shauna picked up the pen/laser pointer. Shauna didn't even turn the laser on, but Valentina knew it could happen at any moment! What a dog!

We walked home & I threw the ball for her. It's a new ball & quite heavy. She kept dropping it out of her mouth, as it was slobbery & wet. She runs so fast by the time I get ready to throw the ball, I nearly hit her on the head! I'm not a great pitcher (yet) & yes, I throw like a girl! I always chuckle how she'll have the ball in her mouth, but pop her tongue out the side after she has ran for awhile.

I managed to jog to EVIC today! I was quite pleased I could actually do it! I haven't done much (any) exercise as of late, so I am quite unfit. Yesterday I fumbled through my yoga/ab video. I'm anxious to get back in shape, but a long ways from it! Sigh. The road to health is long & winding, not to mention challenging. In any case, I'll get there!

Alrighty, tomorrow is my only day in the city to run around. I'll end it here...

Sweet dreams,

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Dave the CO

Tweet Pea & her ball.

Slightly blurry (my bad), but note the tongue out the side of her mouth!

Day 234 - Sunny Sunday!

Wow! What a stunner of a day! A nice sleep-in (I think it will take several weeks to regain lost sleep from last week!) & no an overly exciting day, but that's just the way I like it!


Mom & I had a chat in the morning & then she left for Cook's branding. I took the chance to walk down to EVIC & visit both Joe & Shauna. They are working together on weekends now, so that will be fun to visit them this summer. Joe was just finishing up his shift, but stayed a little longer to chat. He was quick to tell me his new doctor is from South Africa & he had quizzed her about the process of immigrating to Canada. She ONLY had to work 5 (five - FIVE) years at Athabasca before she could move to Calgary. I guess that's close to Sylvia & Laura... but the winters!!!! Where oh where is... AUSTRALIA?!?!? 


Shauna shared with me a crazy story about her neighbour's Rottweiler that attacked the neighbour's roommate. Apparently there was blood everywhere & he had a ridiculous amount of puncture wounds. Sadly, the owner asked the roommate to LIE about the incident so the dog wouldn't be put down. Even worse is the fact that the dog has attacked the owner's wife previously!!! So frustrating!!!! Your dog has a problem & needs to be rehabilitated & SO DO YOU!!!! Shauna knows First Aid to the -enth degree & helped stop the bleeding & luckily she did, as the owner didn't even want the roommate to go to the hospital! CRAZY!!!! 


Joe & Shauna were both excited about their upcoming 'Information Officer Education Day'. Last year we had a bunch of lectures about the park & some issues surrounding it. This year they were having an action packed day full of:
1. Hiking
2. Mountain Biking
3. Horseback Riding
4. Rafting
5. Lunch at the Stoney Nakoda Resort
6. A HELICOPTER RIDE!!!!


Boy, did I pick the wrong summer to do chemo!!! :o) I'll be anxious to hear about Joe's John Wayne experience... I miss working with the both of them. They are absolutely wonderful people & they made my job completely the opposite of work. Be sure to stop in the visitor's centre on your way to Elbow Falls (It's 13.5 kms past the Info Centre) & write them a positive comment card!


On the way home I threw the ball for Valentina. She is becoming slightly obsessed with balls. This one is orange & very bouncy. It is pure entertainment to watch her run her hardest to get the ball. As it was quite hot, her tongue would hang out the side of her mouth, she was panting & of course, the big orange ball stuck in her yap. Man, that dog is so special to me. Can you tell? I'm blogging about throwing a ball. :o) (But I'm getting better at throwing less like a girl!)


I saw an elk strutting through our yard tonight! It's a rare sight to see elk on the meadow, so I stopped & watched him for awhile. In fact, come to think of it, we've had a lot of deer hanging about too. Perhaps they know something I don't. In any case, it's always interesting to see wildlife.


This week is a busy one. I have appointments every day in town, but Friday. Joy. I love driving to the city. Not really. Tomorrow is the Chemotherapy Orientation. Ugh. I feel nauseated just thinking of it. Let the fun & games begin. Wish me luck!


Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I love a good pair of Aviators

Please Mama! Can we go now? Play ball?

Got the ball!

Oh so happy!

Elk!