Hey, Mrs. Wilson!

Other Odes:
My dad
My mom
My brother, Nick
My brother, Brandon

Meet Erica.

Seventeen years and one month ago, I finally got the sister I’d been praying for since I found out my mom was pregnant again. I prayed every day that she would be a girl because I already had two brothers and wanted a little variety in my siblings.

I still remember the day she was born. My grandma was babysitting us, and the phone rang. Nick and I were outside, and we came running in when we heard the phone. My grandma answered it. Once she hung up, she told us that we had a new sister. I was STOKED!

When Erica was little, she was either in a swimming suit or a dress. All day every day. She definitely fit the role of “baby of the family”. With her, the Braam family was complete.

I totally love having a sister. Isn’t she cute?

If you look closely at her feet in the picture above, I’m pretty sure she’s wearing my aunt’s heels. The kid LOVED shoes at a very young age.

Now, Erica is active in Air Cadets and can play almost every instrument under the sun. She’s changed a lot in the last couple years, and has become very outgoing. I totally love the person she’s becoming. AND, she just got her full license, so stay off the sidewalks and out of the ditches.

I had the privilege of having her as my Maid of Honor at my wedding. She was totally gorgeous (as were my sisters-in-law) and I loved having her as a part of that special day.

Erica loves being an auntie, and was completely full of happiness when each of her nieces was born. When Kaylie was born, she was only 10. I have a great picture of her holding Kaylie when I was still in the hospital, but alas, I cannot find it.

When she found out that she was going to be an auntie for a third time, she was so excited that she immediately put it as her MSN status.

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Erica, I’m so glad you’re my sister. I hope you have an amazing year in Grade 12, and I hope that you’re already saving up to come visit me. I love you!

I just got back from a relaxing weekend. By myself. I left my family behind on Saturday afternoon and headed to Saskatoon and had dinner with my in-laws.

On a side note, last night was my first night being away from Liliana. It was my first time not checking on the girls after they’d fallen asleep. It was my first night not being able to kiss the both of them goodnight as they slept like little princesses. Don’t worry, I survived.

This morning, I went to a hotel in Saskatoon and trained for my new career. After this week, I am officially a stay-at-home (and work-at-home) mom. I got the job I’ve always wanted, plus a couple on the side.

A couple months ago, a friend of mine introduced me to BeautiControl®. The first product she introduced me to was the Show of Hands® Instant Manicure. The stuff is like no hand treatment I’d ever had. It made my hands feel like baby skin. I fell in love with the company instantly.

A couple weeks later, a week before I was supposed to move halfway across the country, that same friend told me of all the benefits of joining the company as an Independent BeautiControl® Consultant. After talking to Noah, I jumped on the opportunity.

I was supposed to attend the training, BeautiU™, in Terrace before I left. The only problem was that is was on the last Sunday we were there. I just couldn’t miss my last Sunday at my home church. So, I signed up for the training in Regina, which was supposed to be last weekend. It was canceled. Strike two. So, I signed up for the one in Saskatoon this past weekend and called my in-laws to make sure it was alright that I came to stay with them for a night.

BeautiControl® is the smartest, most organized company I’ve ever been involved with. There are so many amazing benefits of being an Independent BeautiControl® Consultant that I can’t wait to get my business going. I also can’t wait to share the amazing products that BeautiControl® makes.

The other thing I’m going to pursue while staying home during the day is to do childcare myself. I’ve spent two months looking for childcare, and all I found was a couple of teenagers. They are totally amazing babysitters, and the girls love them, but they go to school during the day. I have not been able to find anyone to care for Liliana during the day, thus the sudden change in careers. I was going to use BeautiControl® as a supplemental income, but now it, along with childcare, will be my half of our bread and butter. And, I don’t have to ship my kids off to someone else every day.  So, I’m going to open my home to 1-2 children during the day.  I actually really like other people’s kids, and I look forward to hanging out with them every day.

So there you have it. Another thing crossed off my Things to Come post. I have to work this last week before Noah starts University, and then I’m home, hopefully for good. (Or until my kids are old enough to take care of themselves.)

Watch tomorrow for the next episode in my Ode to my Family series!

We spent the better part of last weekend visiting Noah’s parents and sister in Saskatoon. I’ve been too lazy busy to post pictures until now. And, my camera battery died and I was too lazy busy to charge it.

The in-laws are living in a brand new neighborhood right now, and there’s construction all around. The developer put in a park though, and we all took a walk to let the kids work off a little energy they saved up during the 3-hour drive.

(My editor, aka Noah, just informed me that this post is OLD.  It’s from LAST weekend and it’s almost THIS weekend.  Yes, I know.  I’m just a leeetle behind.  You’ll get over it.)

Liliana thought the park was the greatest thing ever. She loved running through the wood chips.

Sue, Russ, Noah, Lili, and Tali. Tali is now back in BC pursuing higher education. We miss her already.

Hey mom! Take a picture of ME!

*~*

This picture is the reason I moved to Saskatchewan. I LOVE the sunrises and sunsets here. You can’t get them like this in BC. This picture doesn’t even do it justice.

I married a hottie.

*~*

Noah and Russ got a little bored of watching the fun, and wanted to join in. They decided to play catch. With the baby. She LOVED it.

We were sad that our time in Saskatoon was so short, but we were glad we made the trip to say goodbye to Tali and wish her a safe trip. By the time we see her at Christmas, I’m sure her youngest niece will be able to say “Auntie Tali”.

*~*

I know you’re wondering when the things to come posts are coming. Well, they’re coming, that’s all I can say. Life around here is a little chaotic, and the work week kind of flies by in the blink of an eye.

I got to go back-to-school shopping with the girls earlier this evening while Noah was still at work. We were down town for THREE HOURS. The only way I got through it was to buy Liliana a couple oatmeal cookies. She loves those things, and so do I, as they mean that my baby can last a whole lot longer in her stroller. Baby in stroller = a more enjoyable shopping experience.

Kaylie got a new outfit from the Children’s Place (my favorite store ever), some new indoor shoes, everything on her school supply list, and even got an non-dipped ice cream cone from Diary Queen.  Don’t tell Noah.

Other Odes:
My dad
My mom
My brother, Nick

Meet Brandon.

I was already mad at him before he was a week old  He was born 4 days before my fifth birthday, and consequently, my mom missed my birthday. It’s funny, I wasn’t mad at my mom, just my 4-day-old brother.

I soon got over it and loved having him around.

Is it me, or is Nick wearing a dress?

I remember this day. It was at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house. There was a big dirt pit in their back yard that we were not allowed to play in. I’m pretty sure that right after this picture was taken, we were in there like it was cake.

That’s right, we met Mr. Dressup.  (Yes I know the picture is crooked, and no, I’m not going to do anything about it.)

When I remember Brandon as a kid, the thing that comes to my head the most was how he chased the cat around, would dress it up in doll clothes, and then would pull it around in his dump truck. I can’t believe Animal Rights wasn’t called.

Brandon had a love of killer whales and I think that I now have Free Willy (and Free Willy 2 and Free Willy 3) memorized. Word for word.

I remember babysitting Nick and Brandon when I was twelve or thirteen, and that kid would give me a run for my money. He drove me insane, but to look at it objectively, he was the most hilarious little three-year-old there was.

There’s never been a dull moment since Brandon entered the Braam family, and I’m grateful for that.

Now, Brandon is about to make the long trek to Texas for firefighter training. My dad has been a volunteer fireman for longer than I’ve been alive, and Brandon is following in his footsteps, but taking it one step further. I’m very proud of him.

I love you, little brother, and I hope you excel in your training this fall. Remember you’re coming through Regina on your way home, right?

Yesterday afternoon, we decided to take a family walk in Wascana Park. We hadn’t been there yet, and Noah’s sister was visiting us, so we figured it was about time.

It was a perfect, beautiful day.

My gorgeous little 7-year-old. She totally loves to have her photo taken, and never minds when I ask her to show me her grill.

“How about I turn like this, Mommy?” She’s got an eye for photography already. It makes me proud.

I pretty much dislike all pictures that include me, but this one has my hot husband in it, so it had to be posted.

I’m not exactly sure why we dragged the umbrella stroller with us, since Liliana is an independent sort and did not want anything to do with it. She walked the whole way, besides when Noah picked her up kicking and screaming so that she could catch up with the rest of the group.

The parliament building added a lovely touch to the already beautiful background.

Kaylie had a great time chasing the geese/ducks. Don’t worry though, she was gentle.

Auntie Tali!

Another grill shot.

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There was a waterfall fountainish thing around the lake and the kids had a blast trying to run under it without getting wet.

Liliana was enthralled by it …

… until it got her a bit and she took off.

“I’m not getting wet here, Mom!”

Any restraint to the child on the left results in screaming. She wanted to climb up the tower, and Kaylie was more than compliant when we asked her to follow her sister.

This is our attempt at a family picture. I know, we all look AWESOME.

Me and my little baby. She’s not screeching!

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Liliana wanted to jump in the water with the ducks, but let her Daddy hang on to her while she watched them swim around.

Kaylie teased them by throwing sticks into the water. Yes, we stopped her. And promised her that next time we’d bring bread.

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We finished off our long weekend with Auntie Tali with a Wilson Family Holiday Breakfast this morning. Apparently Noah and Tali grew up with having Wilson Family Holiday Breakfasts on every holiday morning, and Noah wanted to carry on the tradition for our children.

What did the rest of you (Canadians) do for your August long weekend?

Today is mostly pictures! And hardly any reading! Woot! (That one was for you, Noah.)

Tali and I did a little photo shoot before leaving Canmore last week and I just finally got the photos off my camera (as I hang my head in shame). I like to call this one “Hey Tali, I’m going to eat your head”.

Kaylie always has fun saying good bye, until she realizes that she’s not going to see the person for a while.

And look at that kid! And her hair!! She’s got more hair than her father and grandfather combined.

When we got home, we jumped right into the pool (well, the next day we did). Noah finally got behind the lens so that I could be in front of it with my weird little girl.

Liliana liked it at first … it lasted about 3 seconds.

Hey mom! I’ve got my goggles, I’ve got my ball, but there is NO WAY you are getting me back in that pool!

We had another birthday cake for Kaylie on Sunday when my in-laws came to visit. She and I decorated it together. We are PROS.

After cake, it was getting sauna-like in our apartment, so we decided to head outside and show Russ, Sue, and Tali the pool.

Just call him GRANDPA.  He likes it.

I didn’t bring Liliana’s swimming gear to the pool, since she did not want to go in the day before. But, she was determined to go in anyway. She wore her diaper for a couple minutes before Noah ran back in for her swimmer diaper.

Again, it lasted about 3 seconds before she was rescued by Miss Sue.

I’m not going to explain this picture, because it would take too much geek speak, I just like it.

Liliana was looking a little red, so I put her bloomers over head to protect her shoulders. I’m all about making my children look hilarious.

***

Tomorrow our friends Mike and Janna and their children are coming for a visit and dinner on their way through town. They did our marriage counseling (before and during our marriage) and are very good friends. We’re excited to see them. I think they’re the only couple that I’m allowed to make plans with without consulting Noah first. And that’s saying a LOT!

Oh yea, and yesterday’s post had a play on “thyming” because I had put thyme in our dinner and I thought it was gross. Good thing Noah liked it. Forgot to explain that.

Okay, so I know that blogging about work is kind of a blogger faux pas, but this is my blog, and I want to write about it. So there.

As I drove to work this morning, on my first day, I started to think of how my job was going to affect my family when school starts. The hours I work are 7 am to 3:30 pm, which means that I will not be there in the mornings for the kids. What? I’m ALWAYS there in the morning! I almost started bawling at the thought that I would not be able to do Kaylie’s hair for school or make sure that her outfit matches. I’m going to have to teach Noah how to braid.

I had an absolutely BORING morning. I sat literally for an hour while they tried to get a computer up for me to do orientation on. Woot. The orientation took an hour, and then I followed someone around for another hour because the morning manager had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. When the person I was shadowing went to ask a manager a question, I sat in the break room for, no kidding, a whole ENTIRE hour. I read the back of a computer building magazine twenty thousand times. And the vending machines. And the customer service signs on the walls. And the expired ads on the bulletin board.

Finally a different manager came out and sent me for lunch, as he probably took pity on me. I picked up bus passes for Noah and me (it’s hard to have TWO jobs and only have ONE vehicle in the city!) and dropped off the application for Kaylie’s school. I then went home to grab something cold (it’s a freakin’ SAUNA here!) and to see my family for five minutes. I left with about 20 minutes left on my lunch break and it was a 10 minute drive. Or so I thought. The power was out in the city (which happened a minute into my drive) and EVERY SINGLE STOP LIGHT was out! That is NOT good. I had to go through 10 or so intersections and they ALL had bazillions of cars in line.  It’s like going through ten 4-way stops during rush hour.

In one of the lines, before I was due back, I called Adam, the agent at the temp agency that found me the job. They are my employers, not the workplace people. Anyway, I told Adam the problem (STUCK! IN TRAFFIC A MILE LONG WITH NO END IN SIGHT!) and he said it was no problem and that he’d call the job site for me. When I finally got there, I was 10 minutes late. Pretty good for a first day, right? I think from now on I won’t leave unless I have to. But today, I had to.

The afternoon was much better, and I actually got trained.  I have to say that I think I’m going to enjoy the job very much.

God gave me peace on my drive home. I can pick out Kaylie’s outfit with her in the evening, and there are some things I can do with her hair that will last the night. I also got her a couple head bands to solve the FRIZZ problem that she has. I don’t like frizz. I’ve had it all my life (and finally learned to control it, somewhat) and I hate it. If I teach Noah to do a ponytail, all she has to do is put the headband on and she’s set.

On the drive home I also realized how blessed I was at my previous job. I knew I was already, but now I REALLY know.  I got to drop Kaylie off at school every day, got to pick her up every day, and got to go to any special school event if it was during the day.  They were very flexible with me, as I was with them.  It was probably the best work environment I’ll ever have.

As I was making Chicken Pot Pie for dinner, my children were hungry. They’re ALWAYS hungry WHILE I’m making dinner. Makes sense. I found the perfect thing to keep Kaylie quiet and Liliana occupied for hours a couple minutes so I could finish up. Frozen peas. They are God’s gift to moms. I think Liliana ate about a cup of them. That’s not an overdose, right?

Also in Liliana news, she’s saying new words. She’s been doing the “mama” and “dada” thing for a while now, but now she calls me “momom”. She’s been saying “uh oh” for a while, and now she’s saying “ba” (ball), “kee” (keys), “bobow” (bottle), and “nononono”. She waves when saying goodbye, and she puts her hands in the “I don’t know” position for saying “all done”. Occasionally, she signs “please”. Also, we might soon be in the market for a potty. Noah read recently on Chelsey’s Facebook profile that Maya had gone pee on the potty (or something to that effect - way to go Maya!!). He said that if other babies Liliana’s age are peeing on the potty, then so should she. I told him that if he wanted to potty train her, he can go right ahead. I’m alright waiting. Potty training is WORK. Maybe at Christmas …

I was going to be nice to you and show you a schwak of pictures for being so patient as to listen to my ramblings, but I have to be up at FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING to catch the bus tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s post.  Sorry.  If you’re up at 5 am, you can think of me having a cold shower to wake myself from my slumber five hours earlier than I usually get up.

Byron and Laura-Mae’s wedding day was Kaylie’s favorite day of our vacation.

She’d been looking forward to wearing her new dress (thanks Shivohn!) and new sweater since she laid eyes on them. She was also a big fan of the mirror.

The FOB (father of the bride) and the bride. Laura-Mae was the calmest bride I have ever seen. She was so laid back on the morning of the wedding that she even took Liliana for a walk while the rest of us got ready for her wedding!

Sue and Laura-Mae. Sue made the entire dinner for the reception (with a lot of help from her mom and a teeny tiny bit of help from me), and we’re still enjoying it as we got to take some leftovers home. Delicious. Like I said before, we’ve really missed Sue food!

Goof balls. I got to stay behind with the bride and her parents so I could capture the last moments of her being a Wilson.

The site of the wedding was absolutely breathtaking. I could not believe how beautiful it was. It was perfect.

Russ and Laura-Mae came in on a carriage. I called it the marriage carriage. I’m witty like that.

For some weird reason, the above photo and the three below were from a series of photos that turned out blue. Apparently I pushed the white balance button in the TOTALLY WRONG direction. Lucky for me, they looked great when I turned them to black and white!

The groom, looking at his beautiful bride walk up the aisle.

Like I said, gorgeous location.

Noah had one line in the whole wedding. He goofed it.

“Who gives this man to be married to this woman?”

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh … um … whoops …

“Okay! Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

That’s better sweetie. Good job. He’d been a bit nervous about it, but Laura-Mae said that it totally lightened the mood and she was glad for it.

Laura-Mae, I give you this ring …

Byron, I give you this ring …

The kiss!

The dirt soil ceremony. Laura-Mae and Byron each took soil from places that had special meaning to them and put them all together in one glass bowl. It’s to represent their pasts coming together as a foundation for their future. I thought it was a really neat idea. They’re going to lay the soil in the back yard of their new home.

Byron’s sister, Catharine, sang a song written by a friend of hers. It was totally beautiful. Cath used to lead worship at my home church in Terrace (before she moved away) and I missed hearing her sing. It was beautiful.

The parents prayed over their children sending them off into married life.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnston!

Kaylie and Liliana were the first to congratulate the new couple. They are huge fans of Auntie Laura-Mae and Uncle Byron.

Before: Byron’s dad, Brian, had to have oral surgery before he left Terrace and didn’t have time to heal before putting in a false tooth. I told him not to worry about it, and to smile away as he normally would.

After: See? No problem!

Oh my WORD I have a cute baby!

The marriage carriage could not have been more perfect. It took the newlywed couple and me and Scott (the official photographers) on a ride around the gorgeous property so we could capture it’s beauty.

Kaylie recently watched Flicka and now has a horse fetish. She ran behind the carriage until I asked her to stop for fear of her getting hurt or getting lost. She was quite disappointed. When I arrived back at the townhouse after all the photo taking was done, she greeted me with, “How was the horsie ride, mom?”

Ouch. Note to self: no more going on horsie rides without Kaylie.

Scott’s camera.  The coolest camera ever (because it’s EXACTLY like mine!)

She looked so SO beautiful that day.  Okay, well she looks beautiful every day, it was just so much more so that day.

This couple was SO easy to photograph.  They made it fun for us.

I guess I’ll have to frame this one for Kaylie!

Back at the Quarry.  Another beautiful Canmore location.

After we finished up at the Quarry, I got dropped off back at the townhouse for some down time before the reception.  I may or may not have had a nap.

I take no responsibility for this.

Aren’t those two of the CUTEST little girls you ever did see?  Everyone but Kaylie was looking at Scott’s camera.  Whoops!

A family photo.  Tali had straightened my hair for the occasion, and I LOVED it.  I had to put it up because it was SO FREAKIN’ HOT and forgot to put it back down for the photos.  I was quite peeved at myself.

Some lady came by with her parrot.  Apparently she’s friends with the owner of the property we used for the wedding and reception.

Kaylie and Liliana each got to hold the parrot.  They both totally loved it!  Kaylie was a bit scared at first until I convinced her that the bird was not going to hurt her.  She loved it.  Liliana giggled while the bird was climbing on her arm, but I did not get a picture since I was holding her.

The three Wilson children.  And Liliana.  I totally love these three (but Noah is my favorite, sorry girls).  I had so much fun on our six-day weekend hanging out with these kids.

Laura-Mae, thanks for inviting me to photograph your wedding day.  I had an amazing time and you made a VERY beautiful bride!

Vacation Day 3: Wedding Planning 101

The morning of Day 3, we went to look at wedding location, Byron, Laura-Mae, Scott (the other photographer) and I checked out the route of carriage ride, and we all decided to meet for lunch.

We went to already-jam-packed Wendy’s with the 20 (ish) of us.

Our little family and Tali took off back to the townhouse after lunch. One problem though, we did not acquire a key. Whoops.

We hung out outside until Russ arrived and let us in.

When Liliana was taking her afternoon nap, Tali and I went downtown to try find a lens hood that Scott recommended for my camera, posted a blog post, found a birthday present for Kaylie, and got some Benadryl for my constant sneezing/runny nose. Apparently I’m allergic to Canmore.

We got a call when we were downtown to meet back to townhouse ASAP to meet up with others from our party. I took off again with Laura-Mae, Byron, Scott and Kaylie to go to the Quarry to see if we could make it another location for wedding photos.

Laura-Mae, having grown up in Canmore, thought she knew the way to the Quarry. Apparently not. But, when we were going down the wrong road, we spotted a couple early-20-ish guys with towels around their necks. We asked them if they knew where the Quarry was, and they said they were on their way there.

Now normally I’m not so irresponsible. But, it was our idea to pick them up, not the other way around. And? Byron and Scott were in the vehicle behind us, so I wasn’t too worried. The guys pointed us in the right way and we got there a couple minutes later.

This hill with the mountain in the background reminds me of The Sound of Music. It was absolutely GORGEOUS.

Kaylie was totally loving the attention that Auntie Laura-Mae and Uncle Byron were giving her.

Scott gave me a whole bunch of tips that were especially helpful since we both have the same camera.

Didn’t God make a BEAUTIFUL earth?

And since I was talking about how I was sad that I wasn’t in a whole lot of pictures with my kids, Scott took over my camera and made me go in front of it instead of behind it. Thanks Scott!

Me and the bride-to-be.

That evening, we had a birthday dinner for Kaylie (July 26th), Grandma (July 12th), and Noah (July 21st). Kaylie got spoiled, Noah got spoiled, and Grandma even spoiled Liliana and me.

After dinner, Noah, Russ, Sue, and Grandma took the kids to the park while Tali and I took off for a walk trying again to find a lens hood. We finally found the store, but it was closed.

We met up with rest of the party, tried unsuccessfully to find other store boasting of camera equipment, and finally went home. I edited photos while Noah played Scrabble and then we broke into one of Noah’s birthday presents, Planet Earth.

Vacation Day 4: Rehearsing

Went to church Sunday morning and got to hear my father-in-law speak at his former church. It was quite refreshing. Remember how I told you that I’ve been sweating since I left BC? Well it was HOT in that church (or maybe it was just me). Liliana was being fussy anyway, so I took her to the nursery in the back. It was cool and there was a speaker so I could still hear the service. It was perfect.

After church we came back to the condo and put Little Miss Grumpy down for a 2½ hour nap during which Tali and I took off and finally found those photography stores. The first one did not have the proper size of lens hood (one too big and one too small), and the second did not even know what a lens hood was. They only sold point-and-shoot digital cameras. I was a little disappointed.

One of Russ’ friends offered to have our children while we went to the rehearsal dinner, and we appreciated it immensely. Normally I’m quite apprehensive about leaving my children, but she’s a good friend of Russ and Sue and she’d been a former employee of Russ’ that he trusted so I was alright leaving Kaylie and Liliana with her. She is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met.

We went for the rehearsal dinner at Giorgio’s Trattoria in Banff.

Noah and Tali were kind enough to post for photos while I tried to figure out how to use the horrid lighting in the restaurant. I like NATURAL lighting, and there was none to be found. I totally love the above photo though. It looks like they’re in a smoky bar drinking tequila, when in actuality, they’re with their extended family drinking water.

I think that after all the photos I made them pose for, they were wishing they were in the smoke-filled bar.

Meet Scott. The guy I go to for every and all technical questions I have.

The groom, my brother-in-law-to-be.

Are you SERIOUSLY taking another picture of me?

Russ and Jessica. Russ thinks it’s hilarious to drive his children’s friends absolutely insane. Jessica, Laura-Mae’s friend, was no exception.

Byron and Laura-Mae. Probably the most photogenic couple I’ve ever met, in my humble opinion. (Besides me and Noah of course! hee hee)

One half of the table.

My dinner. I ordered Seared Salmon; the only problem was that it was not cooked all the way through. Not my style. Apparently that’s how they do it in swanky restaurants. Since I am not the fancy restaurant kind of person (evident by my lack of knowledge of where to put a napkin) I did not know this fact. I asked very politely for them to take it back and cook it. When I got it back, it was still jello-ish inside. So, I didn’t eat it, but got it packed up so I could cook it at home. I did not want to ask them to cook it AGAIN for fear of a spit burger (or spit fish I guess) and I am NOT a sushi kind of person, unless it is California rolls, which really isn’t real sushi anyway.

Noah’s grandma and her yummy looking dessert.

We had such a great time at dinner. Friends of ours from Terrace were there because their son is the one that married Noah’s sister. It was so great to spend time with them again, as we missed them fiercely.

Noah, Tali, and I skipped out early on dinner because we had to pick up the kids by 8:00. They’d had a great time and were sad to leave. On the drive home, Scott called and said that he’d found a lens hood for me in Banff for under $20. I was stoked!

I’m sorry that I’ll have to leave the wedding day until tomorrow. I am exhausted (evident by the choppy post) even though Noah let me have a long nap this afternoon.

Before I take off though, I’ll fill you in on the job situation. I got on with a staffing company. They found a job for me a couple weeks ago, and it fell through a couple days before I was to start. They found another one for me that I was supposed to start this morning, but there was a message on the machine when we got home last night that said that it had fallen through as well. I had just gotten all the details earlier yesterday afternoon, but apparently it was not meant to be.

Don’t worry about us though. God is going to take care of us. He knows what we need and He will provide for us. Maybe He’s got a job already lined up that I will absolutely love. We’re doing our best, and giving God the rest.

We’re back, we had an AMAZING time, I have lots and LOTS (1070 to be exact) of wedding pictures to go through and delete and edit, I do not start my job tomorrow because it fell through (again - but don’t worry, God’s got us covered), I’ve been having two showers per day because of the IMMENSE HOTNESS of Canmore and Regina and every place in between … I think that’s it. Be prepared for a thousand-page (and picture) post tomorrow.

Here’s a teaser.