Friday, August 19, 2011

Wedding bells!!

We are one week away from my lovely daughter Jordan's wedding!  Tomorrow, bright and early, the 2 youngest kids and I will head to Vancouver Island to help with the last bits and pieces of preparation work and be there in time for her Bridal Shower, which her older sister and Nana are throwing for her.  I will try to post a few times before and of course share pictures afterwards!  Trev joins us in a few days when he will be off for a week.  Lots of excitement and lots of stress!!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Disneyland bound....soon!

So...the kids and I are taking a road trip to California next month.  Of course, the primary reason for the trip is to visit Disneyland, but I am equally excited to drive back on the coast, stopping at all the little shops and stops of interest that we decide we need to investigate.
I've have been surfing the web, looking for the best deals on hotels in Anaheim, tickets and such.  I'm amazed to find that the package deals are not the best deals!  I have found that by just buying the tickets from Disney's site, and searching for close, cheap hotels, I can save over $500!!  The package deal through Disney's Good Neighbour site is lots more!  So much for good neighbours.
We will be heading straight down there from home, tenting it until we get there, staying in an economy class hotel while there, and then tenting it back home.  I'm not a big fan of hotels, and prefer to sleep in my own sleeping bag on an air mattress than in a very well used bed of unknown cleanliness in a hotel.  Ewwww!  This is something we have been planning to do for years, and now, down to only 2 kids at home, I'm finally saying enough is enough!  So, we go!
The kids are excited!  I am too!  But first, we have a wedding to get done!!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Karate Kamp Weekend!

This past weekend took the kids and I to Sorrento, BC by the shores of Shuswap Lake.  This was our 3rd year at Karate Kamp.  The weekend begins on Friday evening with Karate practice out on Shihan's front yard.  Saturday starts off at 10am with more practice, finishing up about noon.   Later in the afternoon another practice and learning session takes place followed by a potluck dinner.  We finish up Sunday morning with another couple of hours of practice and teaching sessions, and then it's goodbye for another year.
Karate Kamp 2011

Zac learning some self defense moves.

Alley practicing with other brown belts.

Brown belts.

Zac practicing his katas.

Alley and her Sensei practise together.

Alley and Zac during a bo class.
Each year, the kids have come away from it with a better understanding of the art, met some other Karate Kids and had a lot of fun!  I've taken tons of pictures and enjoyed relaxing for a time in the Shuswap sun!
The type of karate my kids practice is Shorei Kan.  You can check out the link to find out more about our Dojo.

Need suggestions!

When we moved into the shack almost 4 years ago, we had to deal with a huge pile of stuff left behind by the previous owners.  They were divorcing and instead of hauling away everything, they left us with whatever neither of them wanted.  Amongst the car springs, tent poles and other metal things dumped over a bank there were 4 old metal bedframes, which I think are old hospital beds, (a few of the beds have rails).  I have been hanging onto the head and foot boards because I'm sure there is something amazing I will think of to do with them.  I've thought about 'planting' them in dirt and letting a climber grow up on them....but I have 8!  I also tried standing them up in a row like a fence, but that kinda looked silly.  I love their rustiness and really want to use them in some way.  Any ideas out there?