Summer Summary
Before we get too far into the Fall season, I thought I'd share a few events from this past summer.
Our summer started on a sad note. My mom passed away at the end of June after a 2 year battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy. A terrible disease with no medical cure. There are many things that I've wanted to share about this time, but I found it difficult to write the words down. I couldn't bare to see the words mentioning my mom's passing and I would delete them as soon as I wrote them. Words could not express the sorrow I felt. But, I'm ready now and I plan to share a few things over the next few months.
July started with a bang...literally. On the way home from the funeral visitation a deer ran in front of our car and we hit it going 95km an hour. We are very thankful for God's protection as the deer was flung over the car instead of coming through the windshield. There was enough damage to the car that the insurance company wrote it off...which at first was not the result we wanted. We liked our 99 Jetta...it was diesel, we had roof racks, extra tires, and it was paid for. But we soon realized that in a way, it was a God send (not that God sent the deer) as there were a lot of things that didn't work on the car...power windows, keyless entry, and speedometer to name a few...let alone the floor rusting and the gears grinding. The insurance settlement amount exceeded by far what we would have been able to sell the car for because they don't factor in the things that don't work. The Jetta was laid to rest at the scrap yard and the newest member of our family is a 2006 Toyota Corolla SE.
C turned 6 on July 5th. This year we held her birthday party in mid June so that her friends would be able to come (and not be on vacation). She wanted a "mixed-up" party so we made a Candy Land cake, bear pinata, Winnie-the-Pooh game, Strawberry Shortcake decorations and Princess grab bags.
C's swimming skills have dramatically improved over the summer. She can now swim with no water wings. She's not a strong swimmer and we have to watch her at all times, but she's able to jump off the diving board and swim over to the edge of the pool all by herself. And...she's learning to dive. We were pretty proud parents watching her practice....seeing her strong determination channelled in a positive direction with great results.
We did a number of day trips this year...which was quite fun. One day trip was to a local water/fun park and it was here that I saw just how much of an adventure seeker C is. She wanted to do everything...it didn't matter how hard or scary it looked...and she tried everything that she was permitted to (height requirement). At the rock wall when asked which course she wanted to try she said..."the hardest". She didn't do the hardest (the instructor directed her to an easier one) but she climbed to the top...3 times. At the trampoline, she master double flips and keep trying to do triples flips. And she loved the water slide and wanted to do it over, and over, and over again. I can't wait to go back next year when she should be tall enough to do more attractions.
Another day trip we took was to Niagara Falls. I haven't been there for probably close to 25 years and I was shocked to see how touristy it was. We had a beautiful, hot day and the cool mist off the falls was refreshing. We went on Maid of the Mist, Journey behind the Falls and of course...the Sky Wheel. A 175' + Ferris wheel which from the moment our adventure seeker laid her eyes on it kept asking..."When can we go on it?"
Our summer started on a sad note. My mom passed away at the end of June after a 2 year battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy. A terrible disease with no medical cure. There are many things that I've wanted to share about this time, but I found it difficult to write the words down. I couldn't bare to see the words mentioning my mom's passing and I would delete them as soon as I wrote them. Words could not express the sorrow I felt. But, I'm ready now and I plan to share a few things over the next few months.
July started with a bang...literally. On the way home from the funeral visitation a deer ran in front of our car and we hit it going 95km an hour. We are very thankful for God's protection as the deer was flung over the car instead of coming through the windshield. There was enough damage to the car that the insurance company wrote it off...which at first was not the result we wanted. We liked our 99 Jetta...it was diesel, we had roof racks, extra tires, and it was paid for. But we soon realized that in a way, it was a God send (not that God sent the deer) as there were a lot of things that didn't work on the car...power windows, keyless entry, and speedometer to name a few...let alone the floor rusting and the gears grinding. The insurance settlement amount exceeded by far what we would have been able to sell the car for because they don't factor in the things that don't work. The Jetta was laid to rest at the scrap yard and the newest member of our family is a 2006 Toyota Corolla SE.
C turned 6 on July 5th. This year we held her birthday party in mid June so that her friends would be able to come (and not be on vacation). She wanted a "mixed-up" party so we made a Candy Land cake, bear pinata, Winnie-the-Pooh game, Strawberry Shortcake decorations and Princess grab bags.
C's swimming skills have dramatically improved over the summer. She can now swim with no water wings. She's not a strong swimmer and we have to watch her at all times, but she's able to jump off the diving board and swim over to the edge of the pool all by herself. And...she's learning to dive. We were pretty proud parents watching her practice....seeing her strong determination channelled in a positive direction with great results.
We did a number of day trips this year...which was quite fun. One day trip was to a local water/fun park and it was here that I saw just how much of an adventure seeker C is. She wanted to do everything...it didn't matter how hard or scary it looked...and she tried everything that she was permitted to (height requirement). At the rock wall when asked which course she wanted to try she said..."the hardest". She didn't do the hardest (the instructor directed her to an easier one) but she climbed to the top...3 times. At the trampoline, she master double flips and keep trying to do triples flips. And she loved the water slide and wanted to do it over, and over, and over again. I can't wait to go back next year when she should be tall enough to do more attractions.
Another day trip we took was to Niagara Falls. I haven't been there for probably close to 25 years and I was shocked to see how touristy it was. We had a beautiful, hot day and the cool mist off the falls was refreshing. We went on Maid of the Mist, Journey behind the Falls and of course...the Sky Wheel. A 175' + Ferris wheel which from the moment our adventure seeker laid her eyes on it kept asking..."When can we go on it?"
