Othello Tunnels & A Picnic

 ***I thought I would combine two posts in one. Sorry for the random (no connection) post***

I have wanted to stop and see the Othello Tunnels for a few years, but we just kept forgetting about them, or it was yucky weather, or we were in a hurry, etc. Well, I asked Anker if we could stop on the way home from Vancouver, and said that would be a good idea. I asked Vienna if she wanted to go, and she was all for it. Since the weather was good, she wasn't too tired, and we weren't in a huge hurry, we decided to stop on our way home.

OT (as I will refer to them from now on) are about two hours' east of Vancouver, and well worth the drive. You can pack a lunch (or dinner), and have a picnic in the park, at the base of the tunnels. Or you can camp, as there is a campground very close, which is great, especially if you want to make a weekend out of it. The walk through the tunnels is about 20 minutes. There are five tunnels in all, but you can bike or walk beyond them if you chose to. The walk itself is easy. A two year old child could do it. The kids (or adults) can take their bikes, but I would suggest that they don't ride them over the bridges (there are two that we saw). Have your camera ready. I took a million pics. We could have easily have spent another half hour there, but we did want to get back before ***this next part was written Jun 18/15***the evening got away from us.

OT are five tunnels that are essentially cut out from rock on the side of a hill to make way or the trains. This all happened in the 1880's. It's cool, but sad at the same time, cause I know that they used immigrant workers, who worked for no pay, and a lot of people died while they were being built. It is a part of our history that I am proud and also partly no-so-proud of. At any rate, they are great to see, and a great place to let kids and dogs run of some energy, and it's free!!!

Here are some pictures...

The history of the tunnels...

The start of the trail.

 The first tunnel.

 The second tunnel (I think).

 I loved the trails.

 Anker and Vienna went through the crack/cave in the rock.

 There's is light at the end of the tunnel.

The water was beautiful!

 Anker and I.

Vienna and I. Yes, I realize that our B's are touching...lol.

I did take more pictures, but they are pretty much the same as these, so I won't bore you anymore with similar ones.

Now, on to the picnic.

Every year my family has a picnic after Lambing and Shearing are over, to thank everyone for their help. They asked A and K, and A and I to come, but since A and K were busy, and A wasn't feeling well, I went alone. Mom called and asked if I wanted to take H along, I said sure! H was all over that, so I picked him up on the way out of town. I think that is the longest that I have had him in the car, and he did awesome. It ended up being a bit of a birthday party for me, too, and I was ALL OVER that!!!

I picked up this little Ninja :)

 While we waited for everyone to congregate...Aunty Valerie showed me part of my birthday gift...

This is where we buried our kitties last year (ours and Val and John's), and Aunty Valerie ended up making a bit of a memorial garden. Isn't it pretty?

 Flower-child H.

  H making faces, or something.

 The food was yummy.

 The cupcakes were good..Mom put sea salt on some of them...SOOO good! Oh, and she made homemade chocolate ice cream. Yum!

 Some of my gifts.

 My aunt got me People's Collectors' edition of Princess Charlotte!!

 Cadence gave me these lovely gifts!!!

I ended up staying the night...I love staying at my parents' B&B, for free, of course!!

 Mom had it decorated so nice!!!

We left at around 11:30, and H fell asleep on the way home...

A few Friday Fives

Five on Friday: Legacy Edition

There are a few things that I have noticed since Matt died that I thought required a "Friday Five" post. Here are a few (mainly from the Funeral last Friday).

1. He is with Jesus.

I don't know on how anyone deals with a death if they don't have Jesus in their life. I am SO comforted knowing that He is with Jesus. He is in a better place. We will see him again.

2. The church was FULL.

The church held 500 (so ppl said). There were 600 (I am sure of it). Which is a testament on how many people Matt influenced. As well as HOW he influenced them. No one did life like Matt. He didn't have any bad days. He was always happy and smiling. 

3. It Wasn't All Sad.

Yes, there were tears (clearly, not from me-read my other post), but there was laughter too. Lots of laughter. They also had a lovely worship time, lead by his team that he lead worship with. It was beautiful. Again, a testament to who Matt was.

4. They have Lots of Family.

Jill has been surrounded by family since they found Matt. So have his siblings and his parents. The kids will not want for good male role models in their lives. Jill won't be left alone. She has lots of friends and family in town, which is such a blessing.

5. The Funeral Home provides this great Service...

The Funeral home that they used provides to ANYONE who attended the service (or to close family) free counselling for up to three months from the date of the funeral. Isn't that neat? I wish more funeral homes did that. Maybe they do. I don't know.


.....and now for some general Five on Friday Greatness...including some birthday ones!

When I posted about Matt dying, I had mentioned that there were some things that I was loving, despite my not doing a Friday link up. Well, I cannot remember what it was that I was loving....I even looked at my pictures....so, I thought I would start from..well, today, or at least last week...

1. My Birthday Gifts 'n Parties.

Yah, my actual birthday kind of sucked, but the Saturday before hand (well, last Saturday), I had planned to have a garden-yard party/potluck at my house with some of my coffee/church friends. Un-beknowst to me, one of them had talked to Anker to/and let him know that she wanted to turn it into a birthday party! They were able to pull it off :) It was SO fun. Four of them got together and got me/us a lovely back yard swing. Plus, we had some yummy food, including this lovely torte from a local bakery. I had had it before, and I half jokingly requested to my friend who was bringing dessert to bring the torte, which she said she wasn't going to bring. Well, she brought it, which made me happy.

Here are some other gits, and happenings..

The day before my birthday, Adam and Krystle had me (Anker didn't feel like coming over) over for sort my birthday strawberry shortcake. It was very good.

Did I mention that we had it 35C last Monday? It was VERY hot!

On my actual birthday, I took myself out to lunch, and had my free chiro appt. And I got myself my birthday drink from Starbucks. I got a Venti White Chocolate Mocha.

Here are some birthday gifts that I received...

2. A lot of Rain.

Last week, Kamloops got over 50 cm of rain over three days.

Yes, there is a lake in our parking lot. Fun times. At least our garden got some water.

3. Free Starbucks Drinks.

My prayer sister at church gave me a "reveal" gift the other day. A Starbucks card. I got myself a frapiccino and an oat bar.

I also had two (well, now only one) free drinks on my card. I enjoyed one on my birthday. I plan to enjoy another one today.

3. Sandals.

They weren't my birthday gift, nor were they bought with birthday money, but I bought them on my birthday week, so they are sort of like my birthday gift. I bought them at Payless, and they really cute. Not over comfy, but cute

4. Vancouver Trip/Sister Reunion.

Yes, I am combining them in one post. I have already talked about this, but here are the pictures (well, some of them)...

Our trip started with rain and fog. Awesome. Thankfully it cleared up about 2/3's of the way through.

We stayed at The Windsor House Bed and Breakfast, where we usually always stay. We love it. I took more picture of the room, but they didn't turn out very well.

Vietnamese food from the local mall. It was good.

We picked up V from/at the airport. It was SO fun getting to see her!!!

And yes, we each had a Starbucks :)

5. Yummy Food.

I could go on and on about this...but I will only share a few pictures....

 Brunch last Saturday with A and K. Waffles, strawberries, yogurt, maple syrup, and icing sugar. I may have had three of these

 Vietnamese food in Vancouver. I wouldn't say that I LOVED it, but it was nice b/c it was different. I have only had Pho, and those roll-things once. The rest I had never had before.

 Strawberry and peanut butter toast. So good.

 Salmon Spinach Salad. Thanks to the White Spot. So yummy.

I had New York Fries last Monday. They are always so good. And yes, I could drink the gravy. It's that good.

...and a few extras...

Our garden is growing!!!

 We are eating spinach out of our garden...and more things will follow...:)

Aren't these little guys simply adorbs? The escaped while I was going through one of the gates, and promptly began eating the leaves from the tree. I had to lure them with an empty milk bottle.

..and last but not least...

My mom got a new fridge, y'all. And new counter. AND BACK SPLASH!! Back Splash, people!! She knows how to live!!

Now all of her appliances are stainless steel. I LOVE the new counter top and back splash. Now she just needs to pain her cupboards. She has had the same counter top for nearly 23 years, and the cupboards are 40 years old. Well, that's all for this week..I think I have done a big enough post to last for a couple of weeks, right?

This post took me nearly all day (with breaks) to write.

Bits and Bites, and 2 Confessions

Yes, I am still around :)

Things have been going pretty well. We got up to 35C the other day. Yes, you heard that right. The hottest day yet this year. It was so hot, but I wasn\t complaning (much).

I can't believe that this week is nearly over! Now, comes my busiest part of my (normal) rotation. Work 12 hours EACH Sat and Sun, and then Monday afternoon/evening. Thankfully, I get tomorrow off. Yay!

Here are some tidbits (with pictures to follow)..

I had 11 days' vacation (including my normal days off), which start May 29, and finished on Tuesday at 3:30. The whole week was pretty busy...Sat, I went to a little friends' bday party, then my other friend and I made a bunch of dinner for our friend who's hubby had died. Sunday, was church, then there was a retirement dinner for our good friend who used to the the Office Admin there. Monday, and Tuesday, we just hung out here, and cleaned up our spare room, and I ran errands on Tuesday. Weds, and Thursday, we went to Vancouver for my annual specialist appt. It went really well, and he said that my lung capacity has increased 11 percent, which is in due part of my losing wt, and of course, my sleep machine. We spent the night at our regular B&B, and we had a lovely time. Thursday, after my apptointment, went to pick up my sister at the airport. That was fun, b/c I have only been to YVR once years ago. We were really early, so we wandered around, and go Starbucks, and then waited. What a fun reunion that was!!! Then we left the big old city, and drove home. Neither of us were hungry, so we skipped lunch, and had snacks in the car (I took a lot of snacks). We stopped in at Othello Tunnels on the way home. I had never been, but wanted to. I will do a separate post on them, but suffice it to say, it was a great 45 minutes well spent. We got home around 8 or so, and dropped V off at K and A's, and then Anker and I just relaxed and I grabbed Subway for supper. V stayed with us, which was fun. We just relaxed and visited.

Friday was the funeral, which was very sad. The place was packed, which says a lot on how many people Matt made an impression on. Some of us went to the graveside, which was the saddest sight I have ever seen. Quickly downed some snacks (cause, let's face it...isn't that why we all go to funerals?), and went home (took us an hour due to the bridge construction). Dad took us all out to White Spot for supper, and then Luke came over to stay over night. Luke and I had a lovely visit over coffee, then we went to  A and K's for brunch. Took L to the airport, then I relaxed for the rest of the day. I had planned on having some of my coffee friends (from church) over for a garden party/potluck. Well, un-beknownst to me, one of the ladies had told Anker that she wanted to turn it into a birthday party. They brought gifts, and four of them went together and bought us a garden/back yard swing. We love it!!! They left at 8, and Anker finished putting it together, and I swung on it for an hour. Fun times. Sunday, I just chilled. We didn't go to church, b/c I was too peopled out, and I felt that Friday was like a church service. We sat at home, and relaxed, and I read magazines.

Monday, I ran errands, and spent too much money. I got some new sandals, which I love, but they are a little hard on my feet. Oh well....I will post a picture of them later. Tuesday was my birthday, and in all honesty, it kind of sucked...hubby didn't do much for me (well, he didn't do anything for me). I ended up running errands, and took myself out to lunch, and relaxed. I had my free birthday chiropractor appointment, and grabbed my free birthday drink from Starbucks, and a bottle of wine for when I got back from work, then I went to work. Wednesday, I went to the ranch, as they were having their annual spring picnic. They also turned into a birthday celebration. Anker didn`t go bc he is back was super sore, so I took H with me instead. He had SO MUCH fun at the picnic, and spending time with his aunts and uncles. I ended up staying over night at/in the B&B. I just relaxed, and played on my phone and read magazines. I came home this morning, and then went to work. Hopefully, we will do something tomorrow evening to celebrate my birthday.

So, that's it...a bit of an update of what we've been up to ...now for two confessions (that I am willing to share!!)

Hi..I am April, and I am always late...

I have always been on time....when I took the bus everywhere, I was early...and then some....even up until a couple of years ago, I was on time...it's only been the last couple of years that I am late. For everything. Meeting up for friends for coffee/dinner. Church. Appointments. Except for work. I blame Facebook. Or doing something else. Or talking with Anker at the door before I leave. Today, I was actually pretty good..I said I would leave the ranch at 11 (actually, I had a few departure times), and I left at 11:30. Or was it 11:15. I can't remember. I hate that I am late all the time. I don't know why. It does bother me. It really does. I think in part it happens because I don't like being early for things. I have better things to do at home. I will say that I did leave earlier on Monday to run errands than I originally was going to, so that was good. But, I will try to be better. Maybe.

The One where April Can't Cry....

If you love or have watched FRIENDS, you will probably have watched the episode where "The One where Chandler can't Cry". That is so me. I don't cry in/at movies/tv shows. I don't cry at news stories. I don't cThe only time I cry is when I am sad/stressed about something in MY life...if I have messed up at work, etc...or anything pertaining to me. I haven't even cried (much) regarding our infertility. Angry? Hurt? Sad? Check. Check. Check. Case in point Matt's funeral last Friday. Everyone was in tears. Not me. Oh, I was sad...I was shocked. But I didn't cry. It bugged me. A lot. I don't understand. Why didn't I cry? Is there something wrong with me? I have thought about getting counselling for this. Like maybe there's something wrong with me. I did cry the day Matt died, but that was all. Does anyone else have this problem? Please comment if you do.

What will YOU be Remembered For?

..or a better question maybe..HOW do you want to be remembered (and'or for what?)?

I have decided not do a a Friday link up (though are there plenty things that I have been loving). It doesn't seem to be appropriate for/in the light of the news I received last Tuesday.

Tuesday afternoon (while I was at work, no less), I missed a call from my mom, and since she doesn't call my cell very often (well, not a huge amount), I decided to call her back, you know..in case there was a family emergency. Well, everyone in our family was fine, but I got news that one of my very good friends (who lives in town), lost her husband suddenly. He was also my friends, and we all grew up together. I call us the (name of small town) Gang. We may not see each other that often (even though a lot of us live in the same city), but whenever do, we talk as if we have never been apart. Anyway....when I found out, needless to say, I was shocked. I started to shake...I almost cried right then and there. (Normally, I wouldn't have been at work that early, but I had agreed to work a few extra hours before my "real shift" started). He leaves behind his wife and two young children. I ended up leaving around 3:30, b/c I was having a rough time of it. I came home, called Mom, and laid on the couch for an hour. I was in shock. I cried for awhile. Then, I HAD to go and see her. I spent maybe a few minutes there, and came home. All Tuesday evening my anxiety was high. I was upset, and unsettled. I just sat on the couch, and flipped through Facebook. Even hubby was shocked. It doesn't seem real. Even when I went to see her, I swear I could hear his voice when I went inside. Everyone in the Valley is shocked. The funeral is going to be this Friday. Needless to say I am SO glad that I took this last wknd, and this week off as/for my vacation, so I could have time to mourn, and help out wherever/whenever I could. Wednesday, and Thursday I was ok (I went to work Thursday), but Friday, and even over this past wknd I was unsettled.

***this part of this post was written June 3, 2015***

He leaves behind a family, a church, and three communities with insurmountable grief....which brings me to the question, and the title of this post...what will YOU be remembered for? and How do you want to be remembered?

He was a wonderful guy, happy and full of life. He loved his family, wife, kids, but ultimately, he loved Jesus. He always made us laugh. We would be laughing within a few minutes of saying hello. That's just the type of guy he was. He made a stranger feel like a friend in just a few minutes. He made you feel important. Yes, he had a  good job (that he was good at, and that he loved), and yes, he was involved in his church, but I doubt that that will be what he will be remembered for. He probably won't be remembered for the type of gifts that he gave (though I am sure gave many nice gifts), or the car that he drove, or even that holidays that they took. He will be remembered for his passion; for Jesus; for his family; for whatever he set out to do. He will be remembered for his laughter, and jokes. He will be remembered as a wonderful son, brother, friend, husband, and father.

So many of us spent time, effort and well, money getting rich, climbing the ladder, and buying the next big thing; or going on expensive vacations. When they die, what do they leave in their wake? Probably a lot of sad and lonely people, not just because they died, but because they didn't spend TIME with the people they loved. They didn't make their kids' soccer game or piano recital (I say DIDN'T, not COULDN'T; there's a difference), b/c they "just had to" finish up a project, or go to a meeting. They put off their family vacation (or didn't go with them, or didn't show up to family reunions), b/c they "had to" get finish up a report before the deadline. They couldn't attend a friends wedding or their cousins bar mitvah (ok, i am one to talk, since I have only made two three or four of my cousins weddings, and I have never been to a bar mitzvah, but I want to go, they sound like fun!!), b/c of some other prior commitment that really wasn't that important to begin with. The list goes on, and yes, I have been guilty of doing these things myself. I am not saying to KILL YOURSELF to try to get a wedding, or family reunion, but if you can go, take every opportunity! These types of things make us realize (and take stock of) what is important, and what is not. They make us take things a little less seriously, and to take our family, Jesus, and loved ones a little more seriously.

So...my question to you is...How do you want to be remembered? Or what will YOU be remembered for? What will your headstone say?

RIP, Bro and friend! You will be missed!!!

Canadian Infertility Week/We're the 1 in 6

Well, I thought I had better write something about infertility since a) we are infertile, b) it's infertility week, and c) b/c since we are infertile, and this is partly what my blog is is about!

So, yes...it's Canadian Infertility Week May 19-28 (it was US's Infert week last month, and I had planned on writing something during that week, but I never got around to it, so, US friends, this is partly for that week as well).

First off....here's a little factoid for ya..

I blogged this part earlier in the week, but I had to abandon to go to work, or whatever it was I was doing at the time. I do realize that it's now the 29th, but I still wanted to write what has been on my heart (or what I have thought about to write in the last 30 minutes..lol) about this...

So..back to my post....we are the one in 6. I actually am surprised that the number is so high. I would have thought that the number would have been less.
 Here are few infertility facts:

Infertility can be traced to either the man or woman, or a combination of both:

• 3 times out of 10, the cause is in men.
• 4 times out of 10, the cause is in women.
• 2 times out of 10, the cause is a mix of factors from both male and female.
• 1 time out of 10, at first, no specific cause can be found.

Causes of infertility in women may include:

• age (fertility decreases after age 35)
• problems producing eggs (which shows up when she has no period/menstrual cycle, or no regular one)
• having a sexually transmitted infection (STI), like Chlamydia (which can cause blockages in the fallopian tubes)
• problems in the uterus (like fibroids or polyps)
• problems with the fallopian tubes (like missing tubes or blockages)
• endometriosis (excess of tissue that gathers around the reproductive organs)
• hormonal imbalances
• early menopause (before age 40)
• • 91% of women can get pregnant at age 30
  • 77% by age 35
  • 53% by age 40
   Causes of infertility in men may include:
  
• poor sperm quality (their rate of movement and shape)
• low sperm count, or lack of sperm
• a history of sexually transmitted infection (STI), like Chlamydia
• hormonal imbalances

Other causes of infertility in both men and women may include:

• past treatments for cancer (like chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery)
• some chronic illnesses (like diabetes), as well as their treatments
• tobacco and alcohol use
• being under weight or over weight.

...oh and only QUEBEC has funding for infertility treatments!!!

Infertility has become a dirty little secret. A taboo subject. Something NO ONE talks about. People feel uncomfortable about talking about, about being around people who are infertile. Heck **I** am uncomfortable with it. I think what bugs me most about is that the world thinks that adoption, IVF, and fostering are solutions to the problem. Guess what? They're not. They cost money. They have their own emotional ups and downs. Oh, and maybe the couple don't want to do it. Maybe they just can't. I consider Anker and I "truly infertile", meaning that we will never have kids...no way, no how.


People think that we have given up...that we don't want kids, b/c we are letting the fact that we don't have money stop us from adopting...or at least fostering. Sadly, there are more issues than money. If that were the problem, then we would have started saving (or at least campaigning) long ago. We have health issues..I can't carry a baby (ok, this comes under the IVF, etc route), hubby feels that he is too old to have kids...he doesn't think his patience can handle it....he doesn't think that he can give the child what they need, and he just is plain too tired. Am I upset? Yes. Angry? Yes. And not just on how he feels, either...I am sad and angry that I can't have a baby. But that's our life. If we were to get pregnant tomorrow, we would both be shocked and excited, and be on board with it, but sadly, that will probably never happen. It is what it is.

So, where am I going with all this? Mainly, to make everyone aware that infertility is ALL around us. Sitting next to you at/in church; in line at the grocery store; your co-worker. It's as prevalent as cancer, or ALS, or diabetes. It's not an obscure disease (and yes, I consider it a disease). I wish Canada understood this. I wish our medical system covered IVF (or at least some of it). It covers abortions and sterilizations, so why can't it cover a round or two of IUI, IVF, etc? Canadian government needs to be more aware that this is becoming an issue for MANY of us. There needs to me more research done, and more funding in this area of medicine. There needs to be walks, fundraisers, news reports on this. There needs to be more support groups in more cities. I am hoping to start one up here this summer. I am glad that more there are groups (and celebrities) that are taking a stand and talking more about this , but there needs to be more. I love Resolve and Infertility Awareness of Canada. They are awesome about spreading the news on/about this. They hold conferences, and are very vocal; they have a big internet presence. Some politicians (and big names in the medical community) are speaking about this...trying to make legislation to make funding more accessable.

So...what do I suggest? Yes, it is easy to do nothing (which, sadly, I am guilty of doing), but you can write an email to your premiere, Health Minister of your province, and of course, to our PM. American friends...email your congressmen, senator, and governor, and the president. Other countries, you can do the same. A lot of websites will have a template of a letter that you can send (which I may or may not have just discovered until now). Speak about in your church. If you are able to do a talk in your Bible study or care group, bring this up. Have everyone sign the letter. Ask your pastor to do a sermon (or, better yet, a series) on infertility. Are they doing a series on Family? Ask them to do a sermon on infertility (ok, this is more a spiritual, personal part about it here, but you get the jist).

Are you struggling with infertlity? Do you know someone who is? Here are some tips....

For those of use who are struggling...

Be kind to yourself.

Don't go to Baby showers if you don't want to.

Let yourself grieve.

Don't isolate yourself...

...but allow yourself to stay home if needed.

Don't feel the need to explain your thoughts and feelings.

...There are so many more I can post...but you get the idea...

For those who know someone who is struggling...

Let them grieve.

Don't pressure them to go to baby showers, etc...

..but don't presume they don't want to go, either. Invite them...they will go, or not go.

Don't ignore them (as in don't not invite them out, etc).

Don't automatically ask about adoption or fostering. It's not for everyone.

Don't spend all the time talking about your kids, and "mommy" things.

..again, there are so many more I could write, but those are a few .

So, there you have, folks! Just a few things that are going around in my head about this very sensitive and personal subject.