Summer

I can't believe that it has been almost 2 months since I have updated this thing. We have been super busy this summer with family and friends. Here is a brief rundown of the events:

July
- Dinner with our friends Dave and Alessandra
- Coffee with Cathy
- Co-workers over for dinner
- Brian and Sandra's wedding
- Dinner with James and his girlfriend
- Dinner with Rami and Andrea, Garth and Mary (Guitar Hero and Rockstar singing were involved)
- my friend Leslie took me to see the Dancing with the Stars live show and it was amazing
- Paul and I celebrated 9 years of marriage on July 25th
- Paul headed up to Camp Artaban without me for 4 days

We also had the usual events such as working, dinner with our mom's and camp meetings

August
- I went up to Camp Artaban and joined everyone for the last 5 days of camp
- Mary, Jen (Mary's neice) and I went to the Abbotsford Air Show
- Paul played at the Vibe service and I went for dinner with a friend before
- Hot Fuzz movie night with camp friends at Zorions
- Our work did a Canadians Baseball night for us so we attended with Garth and Mary, Jen and our cousin Margaret
- Margaret came in and stayed with P & I for a week while she was over working
- I attended a family reunion on Pender Island
- We were supposed to go to a BBQ at the Buxtons but I was sick (sorry Leslie:()
- We are hoping to go to the PNE later this month with Paul's mom
- We have an evening planned with our friends the Gorins - looking forward to that as it has been too long between visits
- P and I are going up to Horne Lake to spend the long weekend up there with my dad and Heather and I think the girls are going as well.

All in all it has been a very busy but enjoyable summer. We are looking forward to life slowing down a bit...oh who am I trying to kid when does life ever slow down - it seems like it only keeps getting busier and busier and I don't even have kids yet!!!

June

June was a busy month as well. Lets see....Paul and Mary planned a "surprise" birthday party for my 30th - that was a fun night of hanging out, eating playing board games and with Mary's Wii video game - the bunch of us were sore the next day!! We did a family dinner and met my mom's new boyfriend on the actual night of my birthday.

I have reconnected with an old friend of mine from school and we are hanging out a bit more often which is nice - she was living in Langley and has recently moved to Kits in Vancouver and I now see her more often. She is kind of in a tough situation as her and her husband have recently decided to divorce after 4 years of marriage - they are/have remained quite good friends so for that I am happy. I am excited as she is going to be coming up to camp this summer as well.

Aside from work that is pretty much it for June - Pauls band continues to practice every week and they have played at 2 BBQ's now. Work has been really good for both Paul and myself.

I think I also forgot to mention that we broke down and bought me a new car in May. It is a 2002 Saturn SL Sport Sedan, white and it is a standard. It was all good except when we bought it I couldn't drive it - I have to give Paul lots of credit as he tought me to drive it, with no fights and I can drive it well!

Mexico

During the 3rd week of May we FINALLY got to go on our vacation to Mexico. The whole trip started out a little rocky for Paul and I. Let me start from the beginning. We were at our staff retreat all day and we received a phone call from his mom saying that she was at the hospital for some tests, she was fine and not to leave or worry she would keep us posted. (she had been treated for a bladder infection that never went away....she ended up being misdiagnosed) We then went home got packed, visited with G & M for a while and then headed out to the hospital to see Paul's mom, the tests had been run and it was determined that she needed to have surgery. She told us to go and have a good time and that she would keep us posted, so we went.

We got to the hotel to meet Dad, Heather, Stacy & Nicki (Heather's kids) and Matt (Niki's boyfriend) and then we headed to the airport at around 2:00am. We checked in and met up with Misti and Jordan (friends of Matt & Nicki's) who were also coming with us. We boarded our flight to Edmonton were we had a 1 hour layover and then we flew to Cancun. We finally arrived at our hotel in Playa Del Carmen at around 5ish. We had dinner at the buffet and a couple of drinks poolside and then all went up to bed around 11:00pm. (keep in mind that Paul and I have been awake since 7:00am Thursday and it is now 11:00pm Friday night) neither of us were able to sleep on the plane so we were pretty much the walking dead by the time we finally crashed.

Day 1 - we were up early (8:30ish) and had breakfast and were on the beach by 9:30 or so..stayed on the beach until 1:00 then had lunch...another hour on the beach and then siesta time until about 5ish. Wander grab a few more drinks and wander down to someones room, have a few more drinks and then go for dinner around 7 or 8ish, few more drinks at dinner wander back, catch the show at the hotel and bed around midnight.

Days 2 - 5 - Same as above!!! Maybe a walk in there or something to change it up a bit!!

Day 6 - We did a day trip to Xel-Ha it was beautiful... a water paridise. We floated down the river on innertubes and you could swim and snorkle if you wanted. When you get to the bottom of the river you ditch the tubes and then snorkle. We did this for hours... there was a cave you go into and get your photo taken... it was such a great day - the only downside was that we were in the water all day which intensified the sun. We were wearing a 45 waterproof but I still got fried on my arms and the back of 1 leg. That was the first time all week I had burned.

Our last day we spent mostly on the beach and then we did shopping that night and bought some jewllery.

It was a wonderful vacation and really nice to spend the time to get to know Heathers kids and time with my Dad and Heather. Paul and I enjoyed it so much that we will definatly go back at some point in our lives!

Family Trip up North

Wow, i can't believe how long it has been since I updated this thing....darn Facebook!

In early May we had to go up to Prince Rupert and Terrace as "surprise" guests for Paul's Aunt's 70th birthday. On Friday Paul, myself and his sister headed out and caught our small plane up there. His mom headed up the day before. We arrived early enough that we were able to have the whole day to just hang out with some friends, wander around Prince Rupert (that took about 10 minutes!!) and relax with family. We stayed with his aunt Sandra and his cousin from Alberta also stayed there. We had a big crab feast for dinner - I think there were 21 crabs that we attempted to eat (only 15 actually got eaten but that is still impressive). On Saturday morning we headed down to Terrace to help get the hall set up and visit some more family.

The party was great - Amy walked into the room and was totally surprised and the party lasted until the wee hours of the morning - wow can that family ever party!!! Paul and I (the sober) ones had to drive everyone to the campground (which flooded out during the flood in June) I think Paul and I were able to go to bed around 4:30am and then we were up and out again at around 10:00. We headed back to the campground for more visiting before we had to head back home.

All in all it was a very quick but wonderful weekend and it was nice to see the family and get away for a couple of days.

Time for an update

I am here to update on the extremely boring lives of P & T: Not to much has happened in the last month but here goes non the less!!!

- Paul being diagnosed with Diabetes was in fact a really good thing. He has lost 50 lbs to day and is still losing - he looks amazing and feels really good as well. When he was first diagnosed he was taking medications 3x per day and now he is on 1 pill a day and they figure he will be able to go off medication and control the disease with diet and exercise alone. I am so proud of him. I have lost a bit of weight as well but nothing to write about!!!

- We spend Easter on Salt Spring Island with my mom and grandparents. It was really nice to get away for even just a couple of days. I had not been on the island for over a year. I am a really bad granddaughter.

- Canucks are in the playoffs (P told me I have to write that one in!!)

- I went up to a work party at Camp in early March. It was great to be back up there even if it did rain the entire time. I think I will be going back up in the next week or two as well.

- Found out that we are getting a 4% wage increase at work - that will come in handy to help pay off some debt!

- T went to see Spirit of the West on St. Patricks day with a friend from work - it was a fantastic concert and ran into some old friends who were there as well.

- Saw a friend play in a concert with the Delta Police Pipe Band - what a great show

- P and I have done 2 days of Diabetes Daycare to learn more about the disease and how it affects a person and some of the complications of it

That is about for now :)

Catching up...

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I have updated this. Alot has been happening in the last month or so. We have been to a few Vancouver Giants hockey games and had family over for dinner found out that we are going up to Vernon in October for a friends wedding that we are really looking forward to. I also hosted a girls sleep over at my house with a bunch of people from work - that was a lot of fun.

I also went back to see the Barenaked Ladies (no meet & greet or photo op this time!) it was a great concert and we had really awesome seats. Every time I see them perform I love them even more and they really do put on a great show. We also attended a 30th birthday party for one of my friends from high school. (Yes I am turning 30 this year and am not happy about it)

The season for Camp Artaban has started - we our first Program Committee meeting of the year in February and we have our first work party coming up this weekend. I am looking forward to it as I have not been up to camp since August.

J also started a 6 week residential treatment program and finishes that on March 30. She went into the program 5 weeks sober and has finished 2 weeks of it. She called on Monday night and says that she is learning a lot about her alcoholism and about herself as well. I truly hope that she stays sober after the program.

Mary and I went to see the Jars of Clay concert, there was a couple of opening bands who were really good, one of the bands was Burlap to Cashmere and they were amazing! Mary bought the CD and it is just as good.

I have also started tanning in preparation for our trip to Mexico so I don't burn to death while we are there. I know it sounds funny that I am doing tanning 2 months in advance but that is how long it will take me to get a base tan!

I also hosted a PartyLite Candle party in early march and was able to get a bunch of wonderful items that I love. Thanks to anyone who reads this that ordered items.

Work is now calling but I will write again soon.

The Sky is Falling

The sky is falling, the sky is falling...okay well maybe it's not but it sure feels like it at work right now. We had a leak in the roof before Christmas and we thought that the landlord fixed it. Well, he didn't. We have had 7 more leaks pop up in the ceiling and we are living with white garbage bags hanging from the roof draining into garbage cans and recycle bins all over our office. I came this morning to find that one of the bins had overflowed all over the carpet and it has now leaked through our floor and into the space below.

Management is going to re-assess the situation at the end of the day today to determine if the space is safe for us to be in as the carpets are starting to really smell and we found water in a light fixture yesterday.

Oh well, I keep hoping that water will drip on my computer at work so that they will have to replace it!!! I believe it is wishful thinking on my part! LOL :)

Ready for May

I hate the Winter!!!!!!!! I am sick and tired of the wind, rain and snow. We are currently having our 3rd snow strom of the winter and I have lost count of the amout of wind storms that we have had and the rain, well that I can deal with. It took me 2 hours to get to work this morning because the roads were so bad. There were covered with ice and I don't thing the sand/salt trucks had been out at all on the main roads and it started snowing at 6:30 last night! You know it is bad when the side roads are easier and better to drive on than the main roads. I just needed to rant and get that off my chest - now I feel better.

This year has started pretty good for me - work is going well and my Manager is keeping my busy helping out with Proposal Development and negotions for proposals currently under review. It is very interesting and a bit stressful at the same time. I am enjoying it though. Pauls work has been interesting as well as they just recently let go a staff member who has been with the program for quite a while. He was pretty good friends with her as well.

I have started doing Weight Watchers as well. I have not signed up for the program but I have all the information at home and am doing pretty well with it so far. I don't have scales at home but can tell that the clothes are fitting a bit looser. I hope to lose a bit before we go to Mexico so I will feel comfortable wearing a bathing suit on the beach. I am going to be looking into getting a tanning package soon as well so that I don't burn to a crisp on the beach!! That is the last thing that I want is to get a bad sunburn on the first day and then have to spend the other 6 days in the shade or the hotel room.

Christmas Update

Well I survived my very first Christmas. I have to give alot of credit to my both of my grandmothers and my mom and mother-in-law who all made it look very easy to do!!! It is alot of stress planning, shopping, cleaning and cooking.

We went to dinner and to church with our friends Jamie and Karim and their kids and had a great visit with them. After church I went home and finished the cleaning and prepared the stuffing and got some of the appies made for the next day. Everyone arrived for breakfast at 9:00am and then we opened presents. We told everyone that we did not need or want anything as we could not afford to buy gifts this year but not one person listened. We received money (as we have a couple of vacations for next year), gift certificates, CD's, some stuff for the house, some really nice coffee mugs and an electric knife. There were 9 people over for dinner on Christmas day and then my grandmother (dad's mom) stayed over night.

On boxing day we hit the stores and I bought myself a new jacket with some of my money. Paul attempted to go into Best Buy but the line up was out the door. We then had to go over to my Aunt's in North Vancouver for an open house.

I spent a couple of days over on Vancouver Island with my dad and Heather and we had a great time. They were really bad and in addition to taking us to Mexico in May for our Christmas gift they also got us a BBQ which we were in need of. Now Paul has to learn how to cook. We had a very quiet New Years and spent it with our friends G & M and Breanne.

I hope that everyone's Christmas and New Years was good and that everyone is well!

Not tons and tons has happened since the last update. Mostly all weather related. We have had a couple of really good wind and rain storms and a big snowfall. We ended up with about a foot and a half when the snow stopped falling. My car stayed in the garage for a couple of days and I took the bus to and from work.

We have been busy trying to plan Christmas as we are hosting it this year. Mary and I got to do the annual Christmas Movie Marathon last weekend which helped get me into the Christmas spirit a little bit more. I bought the turkey yesterday and finialized the presents. We decided that we really can't afford much this year so we are doing the dinner and just little gifts for everyone.

J has still been struggling with her addiction and has "fallen off the wagon" a couple of times. It is very frustrating but at least she is not trying to hide it from us anymore and is really quite open to discussing it and does reach out to me when she needs help. I have lost count of the number of times that she will phone me at work and just say the words - I need to have a drink. I usually just listen to her and then meet her after work and don't leave her alone until I know that her boyfriend is home. I have been spending a lot of time and money at Starbucks lately!!

My dad called last weekend to tell us that he has booked our trip to Mexico in May. It sounds like the place that we are going to be staying at is really nice. We are going to be leaving the 3rd week in May. Now I just have to find someone to look after the cats! We are also going to be going up to Prince Rupert in May as well for Paul's Aunts 70th birthday. It will be really nice to see all of the family up there and we are going to be the big surprise for her as she thinks that we can't make it.

Well that is all I can think of right now - I will wright again when I have a spare second. Hopefully before the end of the year!

Newest Addition to the Family

This is a picture of the newest addition to the household. We have decided on the name of Tigger because he won't stop bouncing around. This picture was taken during a rare moment of calmness!!!!!

Dixie Chicks

I got to to go to the Dixie Chicks Concert last night at GM Place. This was my 3rd time seeing them live in concert and they just get better and better each time! I was taken to the show by my friend Margaret for my bithday present. It was a great show and the crowd was really good as well and really into it. Two of the girls that I work with were also in attendance last night and we all sat within 3 sections of each other and me up for a drink before the show began. I also ran into another friend from high school at the concert as well and she was sitting in the same section as us.

Margaret came back and spent the night at our place and then we went out for breakfast with another friend of hers who she is going to spend the day with.

Women of Faith Conference

Mary and I attended the Women of Faith conference this past weekend. It was kind of a last minute decision to go but we went and had a great time. We decided to stay in a hotel downtown on the Friday night as it was just easier than driving home and back again less than 12 hours later. Avalon performed and so did a Canadian group called Carried Away. They were both amazing and the worship singers were great as well. It is always so inspiring to be in an arena with 7000 women listening to amazing speakers and wonderful music.

On the Friday night we ran into some friends Tanya and Skye. I know that there were other friends there but we did not see them. Mary and I also bought a couple of books and t-shirts. I have started reading my book by Sheila Walsh (I am not Wonder Woman but God made me Wonderful) and I can't put it down.

Jenni Update

Well I am glad to report that Jenni is doing well. She is 1 month sober at this point and is attending meetings and is even connected with her old A & D counsellor. I have gone to 1 meeting with her and it was really good and I am glad that I went. Paul has driven her to a couple of appointments now and she seem to really be taking everything seriously and is making a true effort to help herself and she knows that she has the family support. Thanks for the prayers.

Prayers Please

Hello all,

I am writing this to ask for prayer for our family over the next while. We found out some pretty shocking, disgusting and scary news about Paul's sister last night from her boyfriend. As most of you know J has a problem with alcohol and P & I thought that things were under control. Well we found out last night just how out of control the situation really is. I think I felt every emotion under the sun last night and am pretty much just numb and in shock today over what we heard. We later found out that Paul's mom knew most of what had happened but apparently know one thought that P & I should know, until J's boyfriend decided that he could no longer deal with things on his own. We held an intervention last night at our place with J and her boyfriend, Paul's mom, P & I and our friend Trevor (who is an Aux RCMP officer who was involved in an incident with J on Saturday night) he is also a counsellor who mediated last night for us.

J has agreed to get into a treatment centre to deal with her problems and we are looking to go to family counselling as well as there are many more issues that need to be resolved and needed to be resolved years ago but never were.

I am asking for prayer for strength for J as she begins to deal with everything and that she will follow through with the treatment. I am also asking for Communication between P and his mom and I and J as there were trust issues that came up last night. I am also asking for strength for P and I to survive this as we have been dealing with this for 10 years with his family and he and I don't always handle this well togethor. It sounds as though he is more open to talking about it with me and he knows that he has the support of our friends as well.

Please keep us in your prayers as this will be an extremely difficult time for all of us and we know that with all your support and the love of God we will get through this and hopefully for good. J knows that this will be a lifetime struggle for her and I have so much respect for her boyfriend for sticking by her side for the last 4 years and for having the courage to call her family togethor and divulge all the information we heard even though she has taken him to hell and back more than once but as he said last night "I love the sober J unconditionally" as we all do.
Thanks.

Updates

Well it has been a while since I have updated this so I thought I would fill everyone in on what has been happening in the lives of Paul and Tammi for the past few weeks or so!

We had a wonderful visit with Paul's Aunt and Uncle and the time seemed to fly past on us. I did a lot of cooking and found I really enjoyed it which surprised me (and it was all really good or everyone was being REALLY polite!!). We took them up to Whistler for a day and had lunch, a picnic at Crescent Beach, Vancouver Art Gallery, the Cranberry Festival and to a Vancouver Giants game and had Garth and Mary over for dinner as well. We had a lot of down time and spent much of it just talking and laughing. It was wonderful to spend the time with them and they want to fly us over again next year for as much time as we can spare - about 2 weeks with the other holiday we already have planned. There were many tears shed at the airport when we dropped them off and we miss them like crazy.

We also have a new addition to our family - we have a new kitten (we really are planning on having real children one day in case anyone is wondering and no we are not going to become crazy cat people!!!) Paul was the one that really pushed for this cat just so that everyone is aware of that!! The kitten is 12 weeks old and is a holy terror, I don't think it stops running around - only to eat and poop! It is really cute, orange in color with big blue eyes and in comparison to Lucky is tiny. She is not too impressed with it so far and we are hoping that it will work out so that we can keep both. We have an arrangement with the person we got it from that if it does not work out we can give him back to her. We also need help naming it as right now it is just being called "little cat" and neither of us want that name to stick! So if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

This past weekend was spent again with more family, this time it was Paul's mom's family that was down for 5 days. It was really great to see them and hopefully we will see them in May of next year. It is his aunt's 70th birthday on May 11th and they are planning on doing a surpise party for her and another of Paul's aunts is going to use her airmiles to fly Paul and I up to Terrace for the weekend as there is no way we could afford to do so on our own right now and they really want us both to be there for it. I hope that the time works out as Dad and Heather are looking at May for our trip to Mexico.

Work is busy for both Paul and myself and shows no signs of slowing down which is good but I am starting to have to take work home in the evenings as I am so busy during the days.