THE MISADVENTURES OF OSCAR

I think this is a sign that the porch must be finished soon. We started last weekend and made some great progress. But we changed our mind on part of the design so part of the porch was left without decking while we waited for more materials to arrive from Whitehorse. You can still safely move around the porch, but have to step over the part where there is no decking. Yesterday Brian and I arrived home from school and Oscar was outside to greet us. We walked up the stairs and he was so excited to see us. He was jumping around and his little tail was wagging like it was about to fall off. The next thing I know he slipped off the edge and landed flat on his back. It was about a two foot drop. Dogs are definitely not like cats - apparently they don't land on their feet every time. The poor little guy looked so scared. He was disoriented for a few moments. But he just got up and Naomi picked him up and lifted him back onto the porch. Then Brian says "did you kick him off?" Of course I was outraged! Of course I didn't push him. I just felt helpless because I couldn't react quickly enough to stop him. So, he just stuck close to us for the rest of the day. He must have really scared himself. The good news is that the rest of our materials arrived last night so we can fix the death trap today. The bad news is that after a week of hot weather while we were stuck in school, the forecast for the weekend is rain!

WORKING HARD

We have been so busy this weekend. We get up early and head out to start hammering nails and figuring things out in our confused little minds. Building this deck has been quite an experience. We end up doing most things twice so it's like having twice the experience and adventure. Saturday we spent the day putting in the joists and supports. Thank goodness the day came to an end with only 1 wrong nail hit for me. I have the blood blister to prove it. Today Josh and I worked on laying the decking and Brian figured out how to connect everything to the existing stairs. That is when he wasn't busy blabbing on the phone and entertaining curious by passers. Josh was an invaluable help both days. He has put in long hours with us hammering and helping in numerous ways. After all the work today my injuries are less visible, but nothing a little Advil and some good soap and hand cream can't cure - a very tired hammering arm and extremely dry, dirty hands. The weather has been fairly cooperative - lots of sun, but many cold, cloudy periods too. So, that is what we have been busy with. I will post more pictures as we progress. In the meantime, please forgive my lack of comments on your blogs as time is at a premium right now.

Josh is getting a little ahead of himself - enjoying the deck before it is complete. I guess he deserves a rest.

NEW PICS

O.K. so, this is highly embarrasing, but here goes. My before picture, at my 40th birthday in October:

Here are my pictures from this morning - 31 pounds lighter.
Yesterday I participated in the Walk for the Cure. I walked 4 1/2 km, then since the other women wanted to keep walking and I didn't have the time, I turned around and ran back to town. A grand total of 9 km.

CATCHING UP

Sorry I haven't kept you all updated lately. Life just tends to get a little hectic sometimes. We are on the final countdown to summer holidays. 5 weeks left! Then the fun begins. Yesterday I managed to book us on a smooth water rafting trip at the Grand Canyon. Now I am getting really excited about going. Today my goal is to book campsites in Anaheim and San Diego. Oh yeah, my other goal is to get loads of work done on the deck.Here is Brian getting started on our work yesterday.One last thing - I finally got a picture of Hannah and Tyrone together.

WORK, WORK AND MORE WORK

This week we received our first shipment of wood for our deck. Now the real work begins. Here are the stacks of wood just waiting for our magical touch.Yesterday Brian and I started making the beams for the deck. Actually I see no evidence of Brian actually working. Hmmm!

O.k., I will have to give him some credit - he was finally able to finish the siding and roof trim.

It wasn't all work though.

Meanwhile, the kids are still working on cleaning up the yard - it was a huge mess. They are also working on the benches for the fire pit area.

So much work to be done - so litttle time to do it all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!

Just wanted to wish my wonderful husband, Brian, a very happy 38th birthday. Teacher, famous blogger, fabulous father and loving husband, ambulance attendant extraordinaire, up and coming carpenter. Basically a man of many talents. Hope you have an incredibly wonderful day (with me of course!).

REALITY CHECK

Yesterday a school counsellor and the head of the student residence came to Ross. They were meeting with the grade 10 students and their parents. Naomi signed up for all her courses for grade 11. (Can you believe she is that old? - Look at Sonya's blog from yesterday, that is Naomi as a baby there.) She has to take english, but has signed up for Honours english which is basically enriched english; socials (a basic requirement); math - she is taking principles of math which is the highest level and needed for university entrance; biology. She is also going to be taking spanish and foods. The foods course will give her a food safe certificate. The last course she signed up for is yearbook. Can you believe that working on the yearbook is now a full 4 credit course? She was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the whole prospect yesterday. She is excited about going though, but yesterday it became so real. I know she will do fine there and it will be really good for her, but I am definitely not looking forward to letting my baby go. The man that runs the student residence has been there for years and is highly respected by people. They do a lot of fun things with the kids in residence and give incentives to do well at school. The residence houses 38 kids and everyone I have talked to has had wonderful experiences there. So, reality has come knocking at our door. Some days I am not so sure I want to answer the door.