Fall time

Every year I have one of those fantastic moments with fall. This morning it came again. I had to do an early morning dog walk, something I haven't done in a very long time (talking possibly pre-pregnancy). 

Loaded the car, got the diaper bag ready, snacks, leash and ball. Dressed x 2. And off we went. Quite a feat since I usually like to 'wake up' in the am. 

Well lucky me. There was few people at the park. A lovely fog surrounded the area. And I got to be present when it lifted. Sun breaking through the clouds.  Blue sky. Amazing amount of spider webs lit with dew/frost (which I coincidentally read about and this is the time of year you see them in abbundance). Crisp air. Red, orange and yellow leaves. And the smell of wet leaves (that I actually like). 

I heart fall. 

All the leaves are falling

As I've been watching the leaves change colour and fall to the ground this week I think it is safe to say fall is a coming. Hot apple cider, fall boots, crisp air, pumpkins and harvesting veggies. All the goodness of autumn has come upon us.

But with all the goodness I feel the need to reflect what summer gave us. It was my first summer (in I don't know how long) that I never worked. It will probably one of my last summers as well.

It was full of sun. Water, water and water. Water balloon fights with water guns, much to my daughter's disdain.  Hopefully she gets over that dislike. :) Baby pools, splash parks, outdoor pools, city hall pool, legislature pool, beaches, and the epic "slide in the city" involving us to slide down a humungous water slide down the streets of Edmonton.

Other fun summer events involved good eats. Green onion cakes at Taste of Edmonton and the Fringe. Hot dogs at the legislature and the market. Food trucks. Lemonade. Lots of BBQing, steak, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, shish kabobs, corn, potatoes. Harvesting fresh veggies, eating homemade fries, cooked beets, raw peas, raw carrots and green bean delights. Plus pickling and more pickling. Beets, cucumbers, and green beans (32 jars)!

Visits to the petting zoo, riding the merry go round at K-days, fireworks at symphony in the city (plus Disney music delights).  Seeing Newsies. Going out to dinner with my lovely girlfriends. Hospital visits. Checking out summer movies. Marketing. And of course dog walks with my partner.

Plus my personal favourite, visiting my parents. An incredible trip with loads of visiting, touring, and relaxation.

It was an amazing summer. Farewell high sun and welcome low sun and cool evenings.
xoxo
love

Summer end and fall beginnings

Summer has ended. Actually ended three weeks ago. Although we never made it to a fancy place or a crazy hike we managed to keep busy. I worked quite a bit and between that we went kayaking (more than once!), gardened, lots of dog walks and a little escape to B.C. 

With summer winding down we managed to go to a few events. One was a Disney's Fantasia at Churchill square. So much fun. Listened to the Edmonton symphony live with the cartoon bits in the background. I enjoyed it immensely. 

Also went to our last wedding of the year (that we at least know about). An old co-worker of mine got married. Wonderful service at St. Joseph's Basilica. What a beautiful church. And the reception I got to catch up with another co-worker of mine with her little guy. 

Shopping became huge for me in September. I went with Jeaninne and we completed the 'needs to get' for when the little one decides to arrive. Some things were so complicated like strollers and car seats. It was nice to have a seasoned pro with me to show me the ropes. I don't think Mark and I could have wagered that alone. Especially since there were not a lot of customer service people around to help. 

 

Not all was fun and games. I had an internal and sometimes external war with managing my insulin. The management was relatively okay but other times just plain ol' frustrating. Mainly cause no matter how much you followed the food plan and the exercise you would still not come ahead. There were many times I would come home from my appointments pretty upset, just annoyed about how I was talked to. Overall though I have to say, the physician I dealt with was amazing. And speaking with co-workers that dealt with the same issue made it easier for myself to cope with it. Plus a great resource for me as they gave great advice and knowledge. I have learned a lot. Makes me want to set my competency goal next year to this as I feel it could be a great thing to keep increasing my knowledge on. 
 

With that, Mark and I prepared for baby. The nursery got completed with Mark taking on the installation of shelves, curtain ties, moving furniture up and down and aiding me in the cribbage assembly. I took on the painting, decorating, cleaning and organizing. AND curtain rods installation that ended in hilarity. Really happy with how it turned out. 
 

 

That and prenatal class came and ended. Mark stayed captivated for three out of the five classes. But he learned the power of massage so as long as he got that for delivery I am happy. 

 

Now it's rest and relaxation which is really not in my vocabulary but I'm finding my body yelps a bit more if I don't listen. Grrr. I've managed to enjoy the fall walks with some company. And then other times just me and my dog. Took in probably one of the last best views of fall in the river valley today as I got home and all the leaves on our trees are gone. The seasons are changing.....just like our lives are about too....
 

Love

Part 12: yes truly...what autumn means to me

It's full of surprises!

The snow came for a day and promptly decided it wasn't time and disappeared. 

The sun is shining

The grass is green

The sky is blue

The temperature warm

And the confusion

The Christmas decorations are up in town. 

Christmas movies are playing

Stores are selling green and red goodness

And it's November 7!

This just doesn't happen!

Let's just relish in the warmness and greatness of this day (rumor has it this may be our last). 

Love

Happy Halloween

Fun night of trick or treaters. 

Decorating the house in spider webs. 

Carving three pumpkins. 

Preparing the bat for his halloween debut. 

Getting scared by a gorilla.

And finding a unicorn!

Fun night!

Love

Part 11: autumn means to me

It snowed. 

Making it feel that autumn is over for me. 

Even if it's not officially over, my body can feel it. 

The cold chill of wind across the face. 

The frosted car after an evening shift. 

The mittens warming my hands. 

The thermostat turned up. 

For me it happened on Sunday. 

A nice visit with Mark's grandpa and aunt. 

Warm soup, turkey and buns. 

A quick visit to another neighboring town to see a baby. 

Saw another nursling that I graduated with. 

Back in lougheed headed to get Chinese food. 

Drive back into town in snow. 

White out conditions. 

Yes this is also what autumn means to me.  

Snow. 

Thus ending my fall posts. 

It was a fantastic fall. 

Love

Zombie Invasion

So my husband texted me the other day and told me about a zombie 5km this Saturday. Weird. My husband although in probably the most incredible shape I have ever seen him in, really dislikes running. I should know. 7 years trying to get him to run, I have been successful only twice. What's a girl to think?

Well a girl must go home to get the explanation. Eager to give the rundown, he explained, "it's a zombie invasion, Tracey. You get flags and zombies run after you and take them, symbolic of your life. You can either finish the race as 'dead' or alive."

So, my first initial reaction was probably shock. This, in all honesty is one of my worst fears. I mean running and having people jump out at me screaming. Seriously? It sounded like a recreation of the haunted corn maze where I spent a half an hour shrieking my head off. Plus people that look like zombies kind of freak me out. 

But then my partner looked so excited and his excitement rubbed off on me. I told him I was in. I mean how many silly things have I asked him to do over the years and he never fails to show up and have fun. 

He alerted the facebook network and we got two other people to join in on our zombie adventure.  My lovely friend Melissa and her husband John. Both with incredible outlooks. John: "beautiful day to be outside and have fun."  

Now for the honest truth. I am not and have not been in the greatest shape up to this date. The last run I have done was the colour me rad (I think in June?). Yikes. I have been enjoying my leisure work outs of dog walks, occasional hikes, and cruising on my bike. This is slightly a humbling thing for me to admit as there were times I could beat my partner but with his shape where he is and mine where it is he leaves me in the dust. Hopefully in the coming months I can keep up to his pace. 

The race began. All good except in the beginning my belt was too loose and I lost all my flags. Grr. Luckily we had extras so I ran with one for awhile. Managed to escape the zombies. Melissa and I took a bit of a leisurely run/walk...then the intensity occurred. 

Half way mark, the zombies increased. Melissa spotted cookies and a ribbon on the ground. Saying just that. Then my worst fear occurred as a 'zombie' jumped out from hiding behind a car screaming. There may have been louder ones coming from my mouth, as I ran away in terror. 

Continued on and found a few RN zombies. Tried to talk some sense into them (I mean come on, they were me once)! No takers. But dodged them too. Then it happened I died. Someone took my flag about 3/4 in. It was a sad death. I tried to protect Melissa with her two ribbons but some 'zombie children' caught her 100m to the finish. 

Even though we died it was fun. Our husbands were waiting by the finish line for us and also fell victim to the children. Dang it. We all laughed and reenacted our versions of the race. Add soup and muffins supplied by the race and some dogs to cuddle, it was a great day. 

Love

Happy thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving everyone. 

It's been a windy fall day here. But we managed to sneak in a dog walk in the river valley, rake the leaves, and have a fantastic roast dinner with pumpkin pie. Yum. Really couldn't ask for more. 

Sometimes I think we (people) dwell on the things we don't have rather than focus on all that we do have. So many things to really be thankful for. Opportunities, people, circumstances, etc. It's nice it have a little reminder in a holiday form to give us all a gentle nudge.

Happy thanksgiving.

Love 

Part 10: autumn means to me

Harvesting squash

Preparing and cooking squash

Freezing squash

Gee I sure hope we like squash ;)

Love

Part 9: autumn means to me

Hot apple cider

On a cool day

With blustering winds

Right before work

Love

Part 8: autumn means to me

Frost in the mornings.

Love

Part 7: autumn means to me

Fall clothes come out

Skirts

Long boots

Warm sweaters

Fuzzy mittens

Tights

Hats

Feelings of being cozy

Love

Part 6: autumn means to me

Raking leaves

Cool breezes

Damp air

Cleaning out flower pots

Cleaning out birds nests

All with my partner

Love

Part 5: autumn means to me

Pickling

Beets

Carrots

Cucumbers

From the garden 

Love

Part 4: autumn means to me

It's not always good. 

Autumn also means fruit flies. 

Thus the apple cider vinegar traps are out. 

But....

Autumn also means the fall decorations come out. 

Quilts, pumpkins, candles. 

Oranges, reds, yellows. 

Love

Part 3: autumn means to me

Visiting old co-workers on a road trip to small town Alberta

Seeing a new little one that is only two weeks old

Getting a tour of the town

Having the best pumpkin pie I have ever tried

Looking at the beautiful fall fields, filled with cows, spotting hawks and deer

Meeting baby kitties, even if one was a little crabby spitting at us

Seeing combining up close and personal

Laughing hysterically at road trip shenanigans 

Good fall day overall with friends

Love

Part 2: autumn means to me

Biking in the river valley.

All the pretty leaves crunching against the tires

Enjoying a beautiful day.

Love

This is what autumn means to me

Warm days with leaves bright yellow and orange.

Markets filled with juicy fruits, sunflowers, and final veggies. 

Pumpkins. 

Crisp night air, winds during the day, sun shining. 

And pies. Lots 8 at this moment to be exact. 

Even if they did get a little toasted. 

Love

Beauty

Sometimes it just takes a moment to be present in a situation and marvel at the beauty around us. 

Love

Thanksgiving

I am one lucky lady. Yes I did work all weekend and yes it was evening and yes I realize others had thanksgiving dinner while I was working. But guess what? I still got a celebration. 

On Saturday morning we went over to Wendy and David's for a thanksgiving lunch with Lawrence. I got to watch how to bacon aficionados cook bacon in two very different ways. Be warned to stay away from the kitchen as tongs may be used as weapons. I enjoyed gluten free waffles that tasted fabulous. And I got to have pumpkin pie for dessert. And I love pumpkin pie!

I then attempted to make another pie this weekend, a pumpkin on as I have said before I love it! But on thanksgiving Monday after I finished work I realized I forgot to buy some key ingredients. So off to the store again. Ahh. And pie made.  Even if I forgot again to double the recipe and the pumpkin filling was a little thin. He he. 

Then my long lost brother came for dinner tonight. We facetimed my parents and shared laughs and stories. We vegged on the couch like you would after a big meal (of chicken and potatoes). We joked and watched tv. 

Grateful

Love