A wonderful day away

We didn't go far. Only about 10 minutes from campus but it could have been 12 hours. Good friends of ours live just outside Nipawin on an acreage (I think that's what it's called) beautifully situated in the bush. You enter their yard by a winding drive way with trees and shrubbery on every side. It's quiet, peaceful and because it's the Gruchys the company is always awesome! We have been blessed to know this family since we first started attending our church. They have spent a lot of time creating this great spot and Liam, Libby and I were blessed again to be able to go out and visit this last week. We got there just before noon on Thursday and Joanne was packing us a lunch to take on the quads. Now, many of you know that I am a city girl. I have learned a few things since living in a smaller setting but it is hard to get the city "oh, I'll just take the bus" out of me. Last year when we went on a similar quad adventure I ran into a small bush. For some reason steering these things does not come naturally to me. Thankfully Joanne is patient and was willing to let me try again. Oh, by the way, neither the bush or the quad was hurt in that unfortunate bruise on my pride. :) Liam went with Joanne and I had Libby on my back. We drove around their land for a bit and then stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch. What a treat! Back on the quads again after lunch I was feeling much more confident. No bush run ins this time. I'm getting better. Just don't look at the white knuckles. Liam played with toys while Joanne and I had a great visit. I appreciate so many things about Joanne...her listening ear, her honesty and her desire to bring glory to God in all she does. Talking with her always encourages me. Much to Liam's excitement, Jordan came home from school later that afternoon and spent some time playing with Liam. In Liam's mind, all the toys in the world could not substitute for time with Jordan. All the while Libby had a wonderfully long and restful nap. We drove home later that afternoon and I felt so rested. Of course, being a mother of two young children I could have gone and had a nap at the drop of a hat, but I felt rested in my soul. These weeks are very busy for us as Lindsay teaches a module and fall programs start up. It is easy for this task oriented mom to get lost in the to do lists. The escape to the Gruchy's home was again, a blessing. Here's some pics from that day...

Falcon Lake, Manitoba

In July we took off for Manitoba for our first week of holidays. We drove all the way to Winnipeg that first day and spent that night with our dear friends Martin & Darlene and their two little (well, not so little these days) Kepler and Theodore. We enjoyed a fun visit with them. Complete with a great meal, trains and toys for Liam to play with, late night visiting and late night Baked Expectation cheese cake. YUM! Thank you Darlene, my partner in chocolate and sugar crime!



We said goodbye to the Blumrich family the next day and drove about 2 hours to get to Falcon Lake which is just inside Whiteshell Provincial Park. We pulled up to the cabin and had fun reuniting with our friends Dan, Laura & Jaxon and Kyle & Kassy. We then spent the next seven days and six nights in a great spot. While the weather could have been hotter we had a great time reconnecting. There were lots of laughs, great food, theological discussions, fun games, beach time, did I mention food already... Each couple took care of two lunches and two suppers. Let's just say we ate well. It was hard to go back home where I did not have Laura and Kassy helping me come up with great meals. And let's not forget about Dan teaching us how to make bacon on the BBQ! It was a bit tiring as Libby and Jaxon decided they didn't want to keep up their usual schedules for sleeping. So, the living room became the early morning lounge area complete with toys and satellite TV featuring cartoons. The cabin was great. It was comfortable and was very spacious. We would definitely recommend it to others and go back again ourselves. We had a great time and it was very hard to say goodbye. It was a blessing to be with such great people that are usually very far away. Love you guys!

Here are some pictures from our time in Falcon Lake...