Journal Entry #15

Journal Entry #15

Feb 25th, 2013

My heart is still so heavy for my friends! I know they are hurting and I’m so powerless to help or encourage in anyway except to love and pray for them! There are many difficult days ahead and I hope that God can be the comfort to them all that He continues to be for me!

The following was a shot of the sunrise as I was driving to work this morning. It’s a little blurry however I am liking the promise of the sunrise on a brand-new day!

I had a meeting at the office this morning and now I’m on my way to Saskatoon for a meeting I have to attend tomorrow morning.

My trip was uneventful and I arrived at some dear friends in time to have supper together and they kindly had constrained me to stay with them tonight! As you can see in the photo attached this was no hardship at all. The following is a picture of the dessert they shared and the room prepared for me!

How I love these folks, what an uplifting evening and time! The heartwarming welcome and spirit in this home is second to none!

Journal Entry #14

Journal Entry #14

Feb 24th, 2013

I awoke to a text from Kelsey the two alarm fire in Calgary last night was Taylor's house! It's where the girls stayed the night before they left for Arizona!

Thank goodness for a comforting meeting this morning! Not sure how things will unfold from here! For now we just standby as the minutes tick by! Sometimes that's the hardest part! We found out just now that they think there was someone in the house! How my heart aches for our friends.

This is definitely pre-occupying the majority of my day! My mind keeps going over every scenario and I'm still no further ahead! Now I have to go on with my own responsibilities and somehow keep focus while all of me struggles with all of the unanswered questions right now!

Finally made Cub the homemade hamburgers he's been asking for! They were good and along with corn on the cob made a very scrumptious supper! Now just time for a quick bath and I'm off to gospel meeting! I'm anxious to go as I know it will help calm the turmoil roiling around inside me right now!

It was a very comforting meeting. I love when I feel God's promise so intensley! "Joy and sorrow interwoven, love in all I see!"

Journal Entry#13

Journal Entry #13

Feb 23rd, 2013

It's 7:30 AM and I could be sleeping! However bodily functions, a geriatric old cat and my foggy old brain all seem to have other ideas! Hence one of the reasons for starting this now!

I do know that to preserve my sanity and keep from getting sucked into a pit of poor me! I'm going to have to get up and get busy with something as the alternative means getting to deal with difficult things later on!

I do hear the dog rustling about now too so with him added to the mix it shouldn't be too long and this day is truly underway!

Another death fairly close to home in our city! A young mother has succumbed to cancer and leaves a young husband and two  little children! I didn't know her personally but know lots of people who did! It also has such a large impact because of her young age!

The girls adventure continues and slowly temperatures in their part of the world are returning to what you would expect desert temperatures would be!

It's 10:11 AM, just had a very nice visit with my mother-in-law on the phone! Managed to get cleaned up from breakfast while we were chatting! Now that the dishes are done and kitchen cleaned its time to focus on the next task!

It's a very good thing I made my bed already as it would certainly be tempting to crawl back in there right now! It's still quite cool in the house and the be is so warm and cozy that its very tempting today!

It's about 1:30 PM on Saturday Aft and I'm currently in a car wash! I did chill for about an hour and then walked Hobbes am now getting ready to head to the barn to walk Leo!

Walked and groomed Leo! He's ready for spring and starting to shed his winter coat! It was super nice and warm out so I really enjoyed my time with the old fellow! At the very end he lunged at me but he missed fortunately!

So I downloaded some food directions my little sister put me on too! Lets see if it works! I am also going to start getting and recording check marks! I think this will help my sleeping! I will of course journal it here!

Glor has decided that Cubber and I should go out for supper so we will likely do that!

For a little while this afternoon it was fun to chill in the living room with Gloria and Liam and of course Tigger and Hobbes!

I did end up going out for supper with Liam! Starting tomorrow I'm going to cut way back on the amount of carbs I eat! So tonight I started this by ordering vegetables as my sides! I tried to give my toast to Cub, but he didn't want it and I ate it instead!

Journal Entry #12

Journal entry #12

Feb 22nd,2013

Today was heavy slogging but got some paperwork sorted! I kinda was glad to get some of this sorted ahead of the busyness of week! I've got to go to Saskatoon for a pre-bid mtg! Thought I would visit friends while I was there! However I haven't heard from them so may or may not get that privilege while there! I loose a day in my week however and possibly two!

The highlight of my week was seeing and talking to my daughter via Skype! I am so proud of her! She was a little homesick that night, however by the end of the conversation she seemed quite a bit better! It is going to be awesome to see her in a few weeks!

Chinooking in this part of Alberta right now so it's been very nice! The downside however is that we do need more snow!

I was really hoping some things that were promised with work this week were going to come to be! However they didn't and even some of the routine things held off putting in an appearance! Guess the upside of this is maybe they will show up next week!

This is a rather weak entry, however it is a entry none the less!

Journal Entry #11

Journal Entry #11

Feb 21st, 2013

Had another rough night in the sleep department last night! This complicates the functions of the next day!

Today due to the forgoing was a bit of a grind! However I'm now headed towards when my head hits the pillow and judging from the weight of my eyelids right now I am fairly certain sleep is not going to be an issue tonight!

Tonight's supper is quarter chicken dinner Home Style! I will probably eat mine later as my kids going to Skype soon and then I have to go to the barn!

I didn't get to eat this last night so it's in the fridge and maybe it will be supper tonight!

Hey Kelsey did Skype and it was totally awesome! It was so good to see my kid! She and her friend were homesick at the start of the conversation however this improved as the conversation went on and it should all be good!

Have you ever heard of Ho’oponopono? A very cool friend of mine shared it with me yesterday! At first I thought she’d lost her marbles! Then I decided to question what she was saying and discovered that this is pretty cool! It can add into so nicely to how I have been trying to live my life and very likely move these efforts to the next level!

Here is my first Ho’oponopono Exercise as I understand it in a very limited way!

I am responsible for the fact that I am over weight! I am sorry for the lifestyle I have chosen, and what I eat that makes me over weight.

I am responsible for the fact that I am selfish and short sighted! I am sorry for the choices that I have made that have complicated the perfect scenario of leaving my life in Gods control and administration.

I am responsible for the fact that I am the world’s best procrastinator! I am sorry for the times when I choose to leave for tomorrow what should be done today.

Please forgive me! Mean it and say it over and over! Remember to forgive means to forget and if you don’t forget its not forgiving!

Thank you: (What if today you woke up and all you had left was what you had thanked God for yesterday!) Here are is the thanks I feel a need to express this morning!

a)      Thanks for today! I promise to use today more wisely than I did yesterday!

b)      Thanks for my children and the choices they have made to have God in their lives.

c)       Thanks for family, friends, friends who are family and family who are friends!

d)      Thanks for co-workers who are friends!

e)      Thanks for new contracts, thanks for the fact that two months into the year I am already at ⅓ of my year’s target! In fact just this week I have received two new contracts!

f)       Thanks for more opportunities than I think I have ever had before!

g)      Thanks for my car! (I know it’s getting old, but it’s been very good to me and so I want to express my gratitude!)

h)      Thanks for the natural abundance I have been blessed with as a result of my situation. (I have a good job for a good employer, I work hard, and my wife works hard! I am glad that this now manifests itself in the comfort of our situation.)

i)        Thanks goodness I was born and raised Canadian in a God fearing home!

Hey that just scratches the surface but it’s all for this journal entry and I will add more to others in the future.

I love my self-enough to make wise and prudent decisions in every aspect of my life! Where I happen to struggle is in learning to Love my God more than myself! If I do this then I will learn to Love myself enough to realize there is nothing better for me than to leave the running of my life in God’s hands! Then the next step is to learn to Love others the way God loves me! “Pure unselfish, thoughtful Love that savours Lord of Thee!”

The following is a cool little motivational thing shared the other day on Facebook and I liked it and wanted to share it here too!

Journal Entry #10

Journal Entry #10

February 20, 2013

I'm talk texting this as I drive south to site meeting at a jobsite in Southern Alberta. I have to keep my sentences very concise and well enuciated for this to work!

I'm very pleased with the fact that I have managed to keep up with my journal! I am tracking the number of views the page gets! I don't get why the page view and posts numbers vary as when ever I go to the blog it takes me directly to the latest post! Oh well interesting to follow non-the-less!

I started the day in a snow storm and then drove into cold, chrisp, brilliant sunshime!

I do love sunshine changes my mood drastically happy that it's sunny this morning!

I just tried to text my kids no response yet probably doing chores it's supposed to be storming there today.  Just checking with my kids and it hasn't started raining yet but they believe it's on its way!

Hey it's SNOW!!! Lol funny that makes me laugh! These are pictures from Donna in Tucson illustrating this cool event! Snow in the desert in February! Just a couple of days ago the temperature was in the mid 20's.

My heart is heavy for some of my lifelong friends today! Their father lies at the doorway to eternity! I empathize with every fibre of my being for what they are feeling! I wrote a blog post a while ago that comes vividly back to mind! (Its my post on 10/11/11) I know that this man too was one who loved His God more than anything else! His welcome home is waiting! I am not going to retype my other post, however as I re-read it I know how apt it is in this instance.

I know that the forgoing is going to have a very poignant affect on our little meeting tonight!

When I awoke this morning Glor my wife showed me a certificate that had arrived in the mail yesterday! She has been a registered nurse in Alberta for thirty years! I'm proud of my wife, I couldn't do what she does! Anyhow I wanted to shout out to her so she knows how much I love and respect her! In fact today on Facebook  a friend shared the following and it very clearly demonstrates what one of the aspects of her work accomplishes and how it's affected us all!

Journal Entry #9

Feb 19th, 2013

Happy Birthday Ila Simpson Rhodey my kid sister has a birthday today and I'm sure it will be a fun one with her little family!

The forgoing is a great picture of her little family!

Today has been busy from the outset! I've a large project and gearing up for it is gonna take a lot of work the next few weeks! This along with additional routine responsibilities shouldn't leave me much time for getting in trouble!

Recently the following was shared on Facebook and I liked it so am going to share it here:

"1. If you never Go after what you want, you'll never have it!"

"2. If you don't Ask, the answer will always be No!"

"3. If you never step forward, you'll always be in the same place!"

Now the next step is to go after what I am supposed too! Ask for what I am supposed too and finally go where I am supposed too! I am learning (albeit a little slowly) that I don't always know what I want!

I have a late meeting tonight and a meeting Onsite tomorrow morning so will be busy! It's supposed to snow tonight so that could make for a very interesting drive tomorrow!

I'm frustrated that I haven't gotten to speak to my kid yet, however texts are the next best thing so I will keep doing that!

Supper was good, I scored two desserts because one of my co-workers gave up sweets for lent! Even dessert however wasn't worthy of a picture tho!

One of the best lessons of tonight is test to cover your butt! Don't assume because someone else tells you it's so that its so!

Some of my co-workers were headed off to play hockey and likely wouldn't be home in bed until 2! I really couldn't pull that off! I'm finding tonight late and I will be in bed by 10!

Journal Entry #8

Journal Entry #8

Feb 18th, 2013

Today is a holiday here and so far I'm making the most of it by moving very slowly! In fact it's already 8:30 and I am only just now getting up! Glor is awake, no sign of life from Cubber yet!

I usually like to have plans for a day like today, however I don't so may have to take it as it comes!

So far I've gotten a grocery list made, had an excellent breakfast and just a little while ago came upstairs to get dressed and my bed hadn't been made so decided to chill here for a few minutes... Yeah well a few minutes has now been the better part of an hour!

So to better keep things rolling in what remains of today I will log the tasks as I set out to accomplish them!

- make my bed. Didn't take a picture as it didn't warrant it! But it is as if now my day can actually start!

- get dressed, just in my barn clothes, however it's surprising what a chore this is sometimes.

- go to the barn to walk Leo, Leo was pretty good today! Not nearly as spunky as he was yesterday! I will try and get out before it gets to busy tomorrow so that I get done in good time.

- get groceries! I love getting groceries and trying to save as much as I can while I am in the store. No I don't clip coupons and I will not trapse all over town, but I do like getting the best deal possible while I am at the store. We have a Safeway in Chestermere and I like that store alot! I got a total of $285 of groceries for $208 last night!

- make supper, I love to cook and once I have something in mind I quite enjoy putting it all together. I don't always like the process of coming up with something however.

Supper tonight was Surf and Turf this consisted of homemade hamburgers and Sushi (I bought it) and homemade brownies and ice cream for dessert! I have posted pictures of the supper below and for the record it was as good as it looks! I don't remember who shared the brownie recipe on Facebook but I tried it and it works! Even Gloria and Cub raved about it! I will post the receipe after the pictures.

This is Supper:

It was super filling! I had a little more Sushi that that pictured here, however there are leftovers for tomorrow!

 

This is dessert:

 

 

The following is the receipe for the brownie pictured above!

Our kids had a bit of a glum day in the desert! They are learning new things and I think we're also a little tired combined with this! Anyhow sounds like they bounced back from it so this is a good thing!

One of my old classmates shared a quote I really appreciated so thought I would include it here.

"People often say that MOTIVATION doesn't last! They are right, neither does bathing - thats why we recommend it daily!" - Zig Ziglar

I thought I was done journaling for today and now after a fun session of texting my kid and a nice hot bath I'm tucked into my cozy bed ready to call it a day! The tv was on in the background but fortunately it's off now so just a tad more here and then I will read a little and sleep will follow shortly if I'm lucky!

Journal Entry #7

Journal Entry #7

Feb 17th, 2013

Woke up early and really enjoyed my cozy warm bed as I drifted between awake and asleep for about an hour! Then due to the fact that I learned a few months ago, Safeway clears out their baked goods on Sunday mornings I went and stocked up on some supplies!

I came home to a very quiet house, so I left everyone sleeping and I proceeded to make myself breakfast (it was delicious but not photogenic) and then I cleaned up and headed off to Sunday morning mtg. (Church)

It was cloudy and cool and I'm afraid my mood matched the day at this point as I was really quite aware of what others weren't doing rather than focusing on more positive things! However shortly I arrived and only part way into the first hymn my mood and spirit had rapidly improved!

This is why once a week I make a effort to separate myself from the cares of life and focus only on getting bread for my soul! Miracles happen here for me and how I need it sometimes! (Who am I kidding I need this all the time!)

Mtg over I came home to change, now I'm going to pop out to the farm to walk Leo! Then if plans carry forward this afternoon we might get to Skype with our eldest kid!

Well the rest of the house Skyped with the kid, I was at the barn walking her horse! There is a strong north wind blowing today and he did not like that at all! Anyhow the report from the rest of the house is that both girls seem to be doing just fine!

While I was at the barn I cleaned Leo's stable sheet and my allergies really don't like that! However I have had a bath and feel much better now! It was really windy today and that had him really antsy! He was determined to walk on his back legs!

I chilled most of the afternoon and then made pasta, meat sauce and Caeser Salad for supper!

After supper I went to gospel mtg, this would be similar to a more traditional church service as its an hour long service where the ministers share the message God has laid on their hearts! Again I so appreciated the chance to learn more of Gods will for my life!

I had really hoped to Skype with my daughter after I got home but that didn't happen so maybe tomorrow!

I did have a wee chat with one of the girls she is travelling with and they are happy so far with how things have transpired!

Journal Entry #6

Journal entry #6

Feb 16,2013

It's about 7:30 Sat morning! The cat was insistent he needed breakfast so finally I got up and got it for him! On a normal week I would be giving Kelsey a ride to work about now, however today I don't have to do that!

I may share some of last nights text conversation with you later today, it was fun!

I'm not sure how late Liam stayed up, however late it was I wasn't awake to find out!

It's currently 6 here and set to warm up slightly before it cools of towards the end of the day! Snow is forecast for tomorrow but currently nice weather is predicted for next week! It's a long weekend so maybe I will think up something to do with Cub on Monday if I can get him away from the computer!

Glor got me a Tim's card along with a very nice valentines day card! I was going to give the Tim's card to her to use but now am thinking I might use it for breakfast this morning! I haven't walked across the lake yet this winter so maybe I will take the pound hound and do that!

Lol haven't done the forgoing yet instead I've crawled back in bed! So the dilemma now is do I go to sleep or get up, get dressed and get on with my day!

Well I did it! Sorta, I lollygagged in bed for actually quite some time and then just before bed sores set in I got up, got dressed and took the pound hound for a long walk! We walked the north end of the lake!

Kelsey texted last night that she rode a $ 100,000 horse and he's for sale! That's sorta like if Liam wanted a BMW... Both just a tad out of my reach! (Awe who am I kidding, way, way out of my reach!)

They are having very full days! Their day starts at 7:30 with chores taking them until 10 or so! Then comes breakfast followed by school work! This is followed by cleaning tack, walking courses and helping with the horses! Then later in the day they may get to do some riding!

Tonight I took Liam (Cub) to a Calgary Hitmen hockey game! It was super fun! We left early enough that we could drive around downtown a little. We arrived in good time and got settled into amazing lower bowl seats. Cub didn't know but the team rep had arranged for him to ride on the Zamboni during intermission!

Cub was too cool for words, however afterwards he said, "That was pretty cool!" Following this he decided he wanted to go to a downtown restaurant for supper! The food was amazing and now extremely full I am rolling into bed!

The following are pictures of the food! (Lol!!! Cub even let me take pictures of his food too!)

This was the appetizer we shared!

 The forgoing was Cub's supper

This was my supper!

Then we capped it off with dessert:

 This was Cub's

This was mine!

We drove home past the "Peace Bridge" and it is pretty cool all lit up at night!

Journal Entry #5

Journal Entry #5

 

Feb 15^th, 2013

I was really missing my kid last night! She was busy so wasn’t texting and I suddenly realized how much I talk to her! Not about anything necessarily earth shattering, but lots of things as the day transpires! Thank goodness for a dear friend who let me ramble and helped me get my ramblings off my chest.

Haven’t heard from my kids yet today! Cubber is sleeping in as he’s on holidays and I expect Kelsey is already hard at work! Horses like to get fed first thing and so generally one must be up and about with the sunrise as the kicking on the stall doors demanding feeding can be harmful if the horses get too carried away!

 Sounds like one of my amazing co-workers is bringing us Starbucks this morning! I wouldn’t go there on my own, however I never say no when someone else is willing to stand in line for us!

Its payday and this always results in reviewing the budgets with my partner in crime! It wouldn’t be near so painful if it wasn’t always accompanied by a recounting of my last twenty two years of missteps. I’m not denying I’ve made missteps I just would rather not revisit them all every two weeks!

Have to meet an installer to review a completed job and make sure all is successfully concluded. Then I have to collect and return some keys, and then deliver some samples for my boss! The end result will be lots of miles and likely a while before I can add more to this!

Had an excellent lunch at Joey Crowfoot and then headed to pick up some keys and deliver some samples. It was an awesome afternoon and the weather was excellent. My mid afternoon meeting was delayed so I spent a bit of time at the office and then went to my mtg.

I then went to the barn and walked Leo, he was really lethargic probably because he’d been out most of the day and it had been really nice so likely was tired by the time I got there! Will go again tomorrow!

Went out for supper with Glor and Cub to Boston Pizza and had an excellent meal! I had a steak sandwich and then the brownie and ice cream pictured here. I then got home and spent the rest of the evening chillaxing waiting for my kid in the states to text me! She did and it was fun to chat and I will journal some of it tomorrow!

 

Im taking Cub to a hockey game tomorrow night! We are going to see the Calgary Hitman and I know about another surprise for my kid! Its going to be super cool, however in the off chance he reads this Im not going to post it here, will post something after the fact!

 

Talk to you all then!

Journal Entry #4

Journal Entry #4

Feb 14^th, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I wish I could afford to make a florist rich and send flowers today to all of the people I would like too! However I’m not in a position to do that, so will send wishes and notes electronically as this is what my pocketbook can afford and the thoughts and wishes are just as genuine!

It once again was a slow start to the morning. I waited for Cub to get going ahead of me but then he took too long and I used up the hot water on the poor little dude! Oh well will have to work harder to coordinate tomorrow or when he goes back to school. He’s off school starting tomorrow for a week and a day so I am sure he will enjoy that. He mentioned the other day that he would really like to see the Peace Bridge in Calgary so I am thinking I will take him for lunch downtown and then we will go see the bridge in person! I haven’t ever stopped to look at it up close; however I have driven by it a number of times!

It’s been interesting, in the last few days I have picked up a contract for installation only in a Mall store and now I’m tendering a little more of them so maybe we will do more of these? Several years ago I got in the groove of doing several American Eagle stores, however the crews complained a lot and I stopped doing them! Now I’m in the position where we have crews anxious for work so I am pricing anything and everything! Today I’ve got three projects to tender on! Happy to report, one down, two more to go!

Funny I am quite enjoying this journaling thing! I am not sure how my kid is doing with hers, however they did arrive at their destination last night and it was cool to sense the excitement in the texts from both Kelsey and Rebecca that the adventure is now really underway! Even if their first activity was shovelling copious amounts of horse poop! Kelsey hates coyotes for some reason, maybe due to some childhood nightmares, anyhow they were also part of the experience last night and she said she wasn’t so thrilled about seeing them! Funny I admire the coyote for its tenacity and adaptability! Not as fond of timber wolves and their howl makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

Gloria’s cousin and her husband live in Tucson, they are super, super people who I’ve grown very, very fond of! Their love for each other and their love for our creator are extremely encouraging for me! I am so glad that they are close and already good friends with Kelsey! Donna has seemed excited about Kelsey’s time in their town and this I know added so much to Kelsey’s excitement for this experience too!

Lol… Divine Hardwood does a lot of builder work, a few years ago one of the home builders in Edmonton built a “mini-gym” for his boys attached to his home! Just got told we are going to do a similar thing for a builder here in Calgary! Attached is a photo of the completed floor for the builder in Edmonton.

The storey behind the “Happy Face” logo is that the kids Grandmother when she was alive she always would put a happy face on anything she baked for the kids and the happy face was a tribute to her! Yes this was long enough ago that I still had hair!

Just received an invitation to tender for the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon in two weeks which has an onsite meeting associated with it Feb 26^th, 2013! I am working on a cost comparison for if I fly or drive! I will in all likelihood be driving; wouldn’t it be cool if I had a company vehicle by then?

The tenders went well, however my phone didn’t ring off the hook so generally speaking that’s not a good sign! Oh well just will keep plugging and wait and see.

I have to run an errand for my boss, and then I am going to head to the barn and give Leo a walk and some grooming attention!

A friend shared the following poem by Dr. Seuss on Facebook the other day and I wrote it down as I liked it.

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own and

You know what you know!

And you are the one who’ll decide where to go!!!!

Taken from, “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”

I walked Leo and then gave him a good grooming! I recorded proof! It’s pictured below! This really set off my allergies so had to take allergy medicine when I got home!

  

Cubber studied like crazy last night for the second night in a row and this time it paid off as he was pleased with how easy the tests he wrote today were. I think I will try and get Hitman Tickets for this weekend!

Well that’s all for tonight!

Journal Entry #3

Journal Entry #3

Feb 13^th, 2013

It was hard to wake up this morning! However I had a meeting at 6:30 so had to get myself going without dillydallying! (Ok if that doesn’t date me then nothing will!)

I got a good morning text from Kelsey first thing and they were in Northern Arizona! This means they should be to the grounds in pretty good time today!

Liam and Glor were still sleeping when I left the house so other than a text back and forth with Glor regarding Kelsey we have yet to communicate this morning.

I have completed my meeting and am going to run and collect a check first thing! It’s a bit of a hike, however the check is large so it all works out!

I have to research a new sport flooring product and get my head around it. I will see what I can find out and pass this information on to the powers that be! Funny it’s tough for my old brain to learn something new! Oh well I will work at getting my head around it and see what happens next!

I also have to work at the start-up of a new contract for NAIT in Edmonton! We bid on this a few weeks ago and received our letter of award yesterday! This is exciting and will make it busy!

Just got a text they are passing Phoenix and so the end destination is in sight! New excitement is building! Lol… part of me so would like to be there! They are getting so close now and I get regular texts ticking off the last few milestones!

It’s no wonder my kid struggles with focus! The last couple of days have been a struggle as I find far too often my mind wants to wander south when I should be focusing on the task at hand!

A friend asked me about this adventure of Kelsey’s and what it means and while I’ve explained it to a number of people in person I haven’t put it down on paper! So today I am going to try and type this out here in an analogy that might help make it clear!

Kelsey and Rebecca have been diligently training as show jumpers very determinedly these past few years. This to the point where we were at the barn generally five times a week and sometimes six and seven times a week. I alluded to earlier that I should have been journaling the stories and experiences of these years and some of it can be pieced together by reading over my Facebook timelines etc. However I didn’t really make an effort to journal, but now I am due to helping support Kelsey by doing what she’s doing! If you ever get the chance you can watch a movie that tells in part the storey of Rebecca and Kelsey! It’s called a Knights Tale… lots of similarities between that fantasy storey and the storey of our girls! Is this adventure a big deal, well yes it is! First the girls get to work and share with two of their mentors and hero’s whom they’ve looked up to since they started riding. They are essentially apprenticing for their chosen vocation in the truest old school sense possible! They are living and working for the next two months immersed in the world of show jumping at the most elite levels. The coach for the girls they are with is a former coach of a nation’s Olympic team! He himself competed at the highest levels with notable success! They will learn for sure if this is where they can go and what they can do! Kelsey will ride and learn lessons that I as the loving and supportive father could never on my own afford to give her! How much it will mean is something that only time will truly tell! It is I suppose to use a hockey comparison like making it to the WHL or NHL farm team! They aren’t competing at the top levels yet but they are now being trained for it!

Well I flew home, changed and went and walked the old boy! He wasn’t nearly as happy as usual tonight and while he was grumpy wasn’t as prone to make an issue. Seemed to mostly want to stand still and even his roll wasn’t as enthusiastic as last nights!

Cub did an awesome job of getting the cleaning started at home; I helped a little when I got back here, ate a quick supper of leftovers and then washed the floor and had to stay in my barn clothes for meeting. I don’t think it really made any difference for anyone else and it certainly didn’t affect me! What a comforting feeling to have the cares of the day set aside for a little while!

Journal Entry #2

Journal Entry #2

Feb 12^th, 2013

So far my intention of going in the morning to walk Leo hasn’t worked. Everyone myself included slept in a little too long this morning for this to be a reality. I then drove Cubber to school and headed downtown for a meeting with a lawyer to collect a long outstanding debt! This was a huge relief as the account was paid in full.

I then have worked at my desk since then! I received the award on a small contract for a mall store in Edmonton. I will have to do some work to get it in the system and scheduled.

I also received numerous invitations to tender that require a response so must get these reviewed and scheduled as soon as possible! I do need to of course keep working and making progress.

I emailed my holiday request today! I am going to go visit my kid in Tucson with Jay and Paula (Rebecca’s Dad and Mom) we leave on the 7^th of March and return on the 14^th! It promises to be an interesting trip! We are intending to drive it straight through so we get as much time as possible with the girls. I broached this subject when I finally made it home to some mixed reviews!

I was in a meeting until 7:30 and then quickly drove home, changed and headed to the barn to walk Leo. He seemed to enjoy his walk and loved his roll! In fact he rolled and rolled. It of course revved him right up to the point where he seriously considered walking the rest of the time on his back legs! I will get out to give him a quick walk tomorrow evening and then it is my intention to spend a little more time Thursday giving him a groom and such!

I have a meeting tomorrow morning at six in the morning so will not get out until after work. Then it is Wednesday so this means a little more rushing around at home as well!

I was thrilled that Liam was actually studying for an exam tonight when I got home! I hope it goes well for him!

Last word from my travelling kid was that they were in the middle of nowhere Utah! Funny we have places like that here too!

Journal Entry 1

March 11^th, 2013

Journal Entry Number 1

Woke up to a text at 4:24 AM this morning, my daughter was enroute to St. Georges stable to help load horses for the three day trip to Tucson, Arizona. I was at a good friends just shy of the foot of the Rockies and while I didn’t get out of bed I was still conscious of the text that then followed two hours later to inform me that the journey had begun!

Three hours later the text came that they had crossed the border and were now south bound through Montana.

I am journaling to support Kelsey from afar on this amazing experience! Kelsey is now seventeen, if you look a little lower in this blog you can find a summary of Kelsey’s journey and storey! I sorta wish now that I had done this over the past two years as many things of significance have happened however due to my foggy brain they are now obscured in memory banks I seldom access specifically.

Kelsey has set out on a life changing adventure. A few months ago two professional show jumpers, JJ Atkinson and Taylor Boyd invited the girls (Kelsey and Rebecca) to come to Arizona for two months to ride and work with them at a spring Horse Show for two months. The girls had briefly helped in the past at Spruce Meadows so this was an extension of that experience and will be a really big deal in helping the girls determine that their future is to advance their careers as professional show jumpers and everything that goes with this. Both Kelsey and Rebecca have looked up too and admired JJ and Taylor since their own bums first hit a saddle so the privilege and opportunity that now presents itself is the thing dreams are made of!

I spent a bit of time visiting a jobsite south of town today and likely this was a good thing as the drive allowed me to think about my kid and the adventure that awaits! Also I was tracking her progress all day on the map on my phone!

I loved one of her texts in response to my question was she still smiling and did she sleep? She responded, “I was sleeping and smiling!” I really liked that!

For the first time I got home changed and went to the barn on my own to walk Leo! Leo was Kelsey’s first horse and due to an injury she has been unable to jump him for over a year. This is a little heart rending as prior to this they had been often training over 3’9” and even 4’ jumps on occasion. That being said however the experiences that have unfolded as a result and Kelsey’s attitude that I will ride whatever I can whenever I can has helped her riding advance and develop even though she hasn’t had her “Own Jumper” to ride. I definitely take my hat off to her coach and her continued work and support!

Well for today that’s gotten long enough. I will journal some more tomorrow. Kelsey just texted they are in Idaho Falls tonight some pretty tired girls all of them! (Kelseys story is http://timmbits-justme.blogspot.ca/2011/04/kelseys-storey.html)