by Heather Plett | Aug 6, 2005 | Uncategorized
Well, after whining about everyone going on trips except me, it’s finally our turn to pack up the car and head off on the road. I LOVE road trips. I like miles and miles of prairie. I like picnics at the little road-side picnic areas. I hope the girls are little troupers and don’t get too bored in the back of the car, ’cause I DON’T love the sound of fighting children.
Our first stop is Weyburn, Saskatchewan. I’ll be making a presentation there tomorrow morning at an ecumenical service for their Wheat Fest. From there we’re heading to Alberta to visit family and hopefully some friends. There’s a good chance we’ll also end up camping in the mountains. Yay!
I may or may not be on a computer at some point, but in the meantime, if you’re bored and looking for more distractions to help you kill time while you should be doing something else (eg. laundry, work, packing, washing the floor – you know what I mean), feel free to read some of my favourite posts – most of them are from the days when the only person reading this blog was my sister…
The God of my Understanding
Truth
100 things about me
Savour
It’s good to know
And if you’re REALLY bored, I put my whole journal from my trip to Africa online – it starts around February 8.
Bye for now!
by Heather Plett | Aug 5, 2005 | Uncategorized
(Our anniversary is on Sunday, but since we’ll be far from a computer then, I thought I’d post this today.)
Hard to believe it’s been twelve years already, Buddy. Twelve years of sharing a bed, taking turns cooking meals, helping each other through the rough spots, raising children together, wondering whether we’ll be able to pay the bills, going camping… and all those little moments where even the silence was comfortable.
We’ve been through a lot in twelve years.
– We’ve lived in 3 homes and owned 2 of them.
– We’ve conceived 5 children, given birth to 4, and got to raise 3. And aren’t they the three most beautiful girls you’ve ever seen?
– We’ve travelled to Mexico, Alberta (lots of times), B.C., Denver (remember all that snow?), San Fransisco, Quebec City (oooh baby, wasn’t that fun?), the Black Hills (a couple of times), and lots of places in between.
– We’ve done a lot of camping, even when the girls were really little. Julie’s first night in a tent was at 2 weeks old.
– We spent two summers at White Lake in our camper. We had lots of campfires, ate lots of s’mores and camper breakfasts, and walked to Rainbow Falls lots of times.
– We’ve survived several job transitions for both of us.
– You went back to school and got your GED.
– You surprised your family and friends and even YOURSELF when you took the greatest risk of your life, quit work and went to University. So glad you did. And I’m not the least bit surprised you’re pulling off A’s and B’s. You’re one of the smartest people I know.
– We lost our son Matthew, and through it all, our marriage and faith got stronger.
– We found a great church where our whole family feels loved and supported.
– We watched our siblings get married, have babies, adopt babies, get divorced and re-married, move in with us and move out again… and we still get along with ALL of them.
– You finally got diagnosed with sleep apnea, and after years of living with your snoring, I’m so happy to fall asleep to the gentle hum of your CPAP machine. And you’re happy to wake up without a headache.
– You supported me through quitting a good job with the government and following my heart to a new, exciting (though lower-paying) opportunity.
– You patiently watched the kids alone while I jumped on so many planes to travel to work commitments (including a three week trip to Africa).
– We made it through the deep dark days of your depression. When you decided life wasn’t worth it and tried to check out, I didn’t know how our marriage would survive. But we patched together the pieces and struggled through. Now we’re stronger than we were.
– You cheered me on whenever I tried to be a writer. You’ve always been my biggest fan club.
– Two years ago, the day after we celebrated our tenth anniversary, we lost Dad. I remember how you held me up when the phone call came and my legs crumpled beneath me. I think it was almost as hard on you as it was on me. He’d come to mean a lot to you and I know you miss those political discussions over Time magazine and instant coffee.
– We’ve had to play nurse-maid for each other on several occasions. You’ve had to pick me up off the floor numerous times when I’ve passed out from vomiting. Something in my crazy brain makes my body shut down when I throw up – I know you were rather surprised the first time you saw it happen, but now you calmly stand behind me to catch me when I fall. Bless you for that.
– Your brother married my sister and now they’re having a baby with the same genes as ours. Who’d have thought, twelve years ago, when they stood at our sides and signed our marriage license, that we’d be at their sides doing the same for them 11 years later?
– We watched our oldest 2 girls start school. Hard to believe how much they’ve grown.
– We went to several funerals for grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and cousins. And of course our son and dad.
– We lost my grandma and your mémère. I know you still miss mémère – she was an amazing woman.
– We’ve owned 4 vehicles – the Blazer, 2 vans, and now the car.
– We’ve shared a bed approximately 4300 nights (give or take a few when you snored too much or I was travelling).
– We’ve eaten a lot of meals together, usually taking turns cooking and cleaning up afterwards. Now that you’re home more than I am, you cook more, and I’m grateful for that.
– We’ve had a lot of good discussions, about politics, kids, world affairs, you name it.
I love you, buddy. You’re so good to me. Twelve years ago, we promised to love, honour, and support each other through all kinds of ups and downs. It hasn’t always been easy – sometimes the road gets bumpier than we could have imagined – but it’s been worth it.
Happy Anniversary and may we see many more of these. I want to grow old with you. I want the journey to stretch out in front of us for many years to come.
by Heather Plett | Aug 5, 2005 | Uncategorized
Because I’m bored and am looking for yet another way of avoiding work, I’m accepting CCAP’s tag.
What I was doing 10 years ago today:
I was pregnant with Nikki – my first. I was working at Veterans Affairs Canada for one of the worst bosses I’ve EVER had. I would come home in tears sometimes, and Marcel would threaten to go and punch her in the nose for me. She’d never had kids (or any meaningful relationship, so far as I could tell) so had no way of relating to my pregnancy. She called it “my condition”, because that’s the closest she could come to making reference to the fact that I was going to have a baby. Right around this time, 10 years ago, I ended up in the hospital because I started bleeding profusely. It was a rather stressful time, but it ended well.
What I was doing 5 years ago:
Pregnant again. My third pregnancy. This time with Matthew. I was doing well, at a job I enjoyed. Back at Veterans Affairs after leaving for awhile (mostly to escape “boss from hell”), and this time with a boss that I loved. Little did I know that within weeks, I would end up flat on my back in a hospital bed, hoping my child would survive. This one didn’t end as well.
What I was doing 1 year ago:
Not pregnant this time. Been there, done that. I’d just started a new job – the one I’m in now, which is the best job I’ve ever had. Even though I’d just started in June, they still let me take my holidays in August, which were mostly spent hanging out at White Lake where we had our camper parked for the summer. Right around this time, we had our church campout, but it was a sad disappointment because the weather was horrible and everyone went home early.
What I was doing Yesterday:
Working. With only 2 days to go before holidays, so obviously not in a very productive mode. In the evening, Nikki and I went on a mommy-daughter date – I took her to a book reading for a friend of mine who’s had a novel published (wish I could be HER!).
What I will be doing Tomorrow:
HOLIDAYS! The beginning of 2 weeks away. We’ll be driving to Weyburn, Saskatchewan where I’ll be speaking at an ecumenical service at their Wheat Fest on Sunday morning. It’s just a short presentation about Canadian Foodgrains Bank (the place I work), and then it’s off to Calgary for a visit with bbb and h8s2cln and the kids.
5 Snacks I enjoy:
Almost anything. I’m a bit of a snack-oholic. Sour cream and onion chips (yeah, CCAP, I STILL like them after all these years). Popcorn, Twizzlers, taco chips with salsa and sour cream, CCAP’s corn dip on taco chips.
5 Adult Beverages:
If by “Adult” beverages you mean alcoholic, well, I don’t drink much so my selection is limited. An occasional cooler in the summer, and once in awhile a ceasar or glass of wine. Other than that, I like milk (boring, I know, but I happen to like it! Sometimes I add a little kahlua to spice it up a bit), coke, iced tea, and Slurpees (yes, my kids and I contribute to the fact that Winnipeg is the Slurpee capital of the WORLD).
5 bands I know the lyrics to:
The Waifs, The Wailin’ Jennys, U2, Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan
5 Things I would do with $100,000.00:
Pay off debts, go on a trip, buy some new living room furniture (can you believe the last stuff we bought fell apart after only FIVE years!), buy my kids each something special, buy a digital SLR camera
5 Locations I would run away to:
Somewhere close to water – preferably a warm ocean. Brazil, Tanzania, Korfu, New Zealand.
5 Bad habits I have:
Too many to name, but here are a few…slothfulness (sometimes I’m such a lazy slob I can barely stand myself!), eating too much, not flossing, not putting the laundry away, wasting too much time at work (gulp). 5 Things I love doing:Traveling, cycling, reading, writing, eating
5 Things I would never wear:
Anything that’s too tight (not very fond of my more-than-generous curves), stilleto heels (ouch – I’m more into comfort), excessive frills or flowers (as my daughter Julie says “I’m not much of a girlie-girl”), cropped t-shirts that show off my belly, string bikini (unless I get a boob reduction, and even then, I doubt it)
5 TV shows I like:
Not that I’m trying to be self-righteous, but I really don’t watch much TV. There have been times in my life when I’ve watched more, but nowadays, by the time the kids are in bed, I usually prefer a quiet book to a noisy TV. Some of the shows I watch occasionally are more by default – because Marcel likes them – so if I’m around I watch them too. CSI, Law and Order, Without a Trace.
5 Movies I like:
I have a lousy memory so there are lots of movies I’ve seen and really liked, but then forgot about them before too long. Let’s see if I can come up with 5… The Music Box, Dead Poets Society, Whale Rider, Finding Neverland, Crash.
5 Famous People I would like to meet:
Really not that interested in famous people. I’ve been trying to convince my kids lately that Hillary Duff and Lindsay Lohan are no more interesting than they are, but they’re not quite buying it. I suppose if I had to pick “famous people” it would be people I respect for their writing or thinking. People I feel like I could have an interesting conversation with, not just a stammering trip-over-your-tongue “duh, hello, I LOVE your movies” kind of thing. Like maybe Anne Lamott, Brian McLaren, Sue Monk Kidd, Julia Cameron, Philip Yancey.
5 Biggest joys at the moment:
Riding my bike – especially with Marcel and the girls, walking to 7-11 for Slurpees, looking at the moon with Julie through her new telescope, goofing around with Maddie, making hemp bracelets with Nikki.
5 Favourite toys:
I don’t have much that I would call “toys”. Some of my greatest posessions are books, but I really wouldn’t call them toys. My camera and my bike rank pretty high up there as some of my favourite posessions. To round it off, I guess the computer and the car. Mostly the car is functional, but I do love an occasional “just for fun” ride.
5 people I tag:
Let’s see… who hasn’t done this one yet… ah, what the heck – whoever wants it, just go ahead and tag yourself.
by Heather Plett | Aug 4, 2005 | Uncategorized
Dale over at Mimico tagged me with 10 songs I’m enjoying these days. Here they are. Feel free to tag yourself if you want to join.
World’s on Fire – Sarah McLachlan (one of the greatest videos I’ve ever seen – look for it on her website – but the song stands on its own without the video)
One Voice – Wailin’ Jennys (yes, AC, you really should get the album! Worth every penny!)
Dad’s Yard – Catie Curtis (just heard this one at the Folk Festival and haven’t bought the cd yet, but I will)
One Step Closer to Knowing – U2 (that’s how I feel most of the time – if nothing else – if “truth” remains elusive, at least I’m getting one step closer to knowing)
Where No One Knows Me – Jann Arden (yeah, I’m a BIG Jann Arden fan, and can hardly wait for her concert in October – here’s hoping CCAP doesn’t go into labour that day!)
London Still – The Waifs (gives me the chills – in a good way. Wish I could see them in concert again, but they’re busy having babies)
Anniversary Song – Cowboy Junkies (haven’t listened to it in awhile, but it’s a long-time favourite)
Blessed are the Poor – Steve Bell (I’ve listened to this song about 100 times lately ‘cause I was using it for a multi-media presentation. I’d say it’s worth mentioning if I still like it after that many listens.)
Kings of Summer Street – Bob Bennett (and I can’t mention Kings of Summer Street without mentioning the partner song, We Were the Kings – the first one is about childhood, the second is about adulthood and the loss of a childhood friend. Get the kleenex out before you turn this one on.)
Fields of Gold – Sting (ya can’t go wrong with a Sting song thrown into the mix)
I just realized that, with the exception of U2, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing all of the above play live. Lucky me. Just for fun, and not because it is part of the meme, here are some of my memories of the concerts…
Sting – went to that one when Marcel and I were dating, probably 14 years ago. Would you believe it – HE FELL ASLEEP! That was back in the days of long days driving truck and living with sleep apnea before he knew he had sleep apnea. Thankfully, I don’t think he’d fall asleep at a concert now.
Jann Arden – LOVE her concerts. She has such an incredible mix of powerful lyrics and bust your gut humour. Her stories crack you up and her songs can make you cry.
Cowboy Junkies – for some reason I don’t understand, they’d removed all the seats in the Westend Cultural Centre for this concert. Perhaps they oversold the tickets. Whatever the case, we had to sit on the floor, with no back support for the whole concert. I’d just spent the whole day moving (we were moving into our current house at the time), so my back could barely stand it. It was a good concert, but the strongest memory I have of it was my sore back.
Katie Curtis – I just saw her at the Folk Festival and loved her! My favourite new discovery. I saw her at a group stage, and then, because I liked her so much, staked out a spot near the stage for her solo concert. Amazing!
Steve Bell – (this isn’t so much about his concerts, though I do enjoy those) I’ve gotten to know Steve personally in the last few months, and the more I know him the more I respect him. Down to earth, humble, deep thinker, compassionate, and downright classy guy.
by Heather Plett | Aug 3, 2005 | Uncategorized
I’m back from an extra-long weekend. We went away for the long weekend (Monday was a holiday in Canada) and then I took Tuesday off too, so it felt like a mini-holiday. It was a lovely weekend, all in all. It was our first camping trip of the summer. For some reason (partly because we didn’t have much nice weather until a few weeks ago) we haven’t done much camping this summer. Hopefully we’ll get a little more in before the fall.
We started the weekend off with a visit to the Austin Thresherman’s Reunion, an old family tradition that we haven’t done very regularly as adults (only twice, I think) but used to enjoy when we were kids. My whole family was there (9 adults, 7 kids), with the exception of my Mom’s husband. And Marcel’s Dad came along too. It was a real treat to have everyone there, hanging out together in a place with a lot of memories.
After a day at the Reunion/Rodeo, we went camping at Spruce Woods with some members of the family. We were going to visit Spirit Sands, but with the temperature hovering around 32 degrees none of us was too eager to exert any energy in a desert. So, instead, we mostly hung out at the beach.
Here are a few highlights of the weekend. Mostly good, but some a little sad.
1. Sharing a picnic with the family in the parking lot before the parade. My family (especially my sister) knows how to throw a kick-ass picnic, even in a parking lot! There were 4 or 5 kinds of salads, several kinds of sandwich fixings, cinnamon buns, rhubarb dessert, watermelon, grapes… ummm… my mouth is watering from the memories
2. Watching Marcel’s dad – like a kid in a candy shop – surrounded by old tractors and machinery.
3. Watching the stooking contest and knowing my Dad could have kicked any of their butts! The delightful, and oh so right, conclusion of this year’s contest was that the 2 gentlemen in their eighties were victorious over all the young up-starts, including the politician who was there for a photo-op (Gina, I’ll try to post a picture once I get them developed). In a grand victory moment, one of the old codgers picked the other one up and held him over his shoulders.
4. One of the moments that made me chuckle was when Mr. Photo-Op Politician bent down to say hello to Maddie. You know the moment – the kissing-baby thing that all politicians think will win them votes. Well, Maddie, one of the friendliest kids on the planet – who happily tells strangers the names of all her sisters, the colour of our new car, her favourite toy, and whether or not she had a bath that morning – basically ignored him. Guess she recognizes when someone’s a competitor for all the attention!
5. Watching the barrel racing in the rodeo. When I was a kid, I dreamed of riding in the barrel race. I loved riding horses, and barrel racing was about as close to glamour, speed, and excitement as I could imagine in my sheltered rural life. The thrill of the race, the speed of the horses, the long hair flowing out from under the cowboy hats – it was magical – both then and now.
6. Ice cream. And MORE ice cream. It was a hot weekend – just the kind of weekend for ice cream. We had some at the Thresherman’s Reunion, some after camping, and then we ended the whole long weekend with one final round of ice cream last night at Banana Boat. My favourite, though, was the visit to Agassiz Drive-In in Neepawa – an old haunt from my youth. A summer growing up wasn’t complete without at least one trip to Agassiz Drive-In. The only down-side to all that ice cream is that it means your three-year-old is ALWAYS sticky.
7. Making s’mores around the campfire. Again, a rather sticky mess with 5 children around, but still worth it.
8. Sleeping in a tent. I love camping and I usually sleep quite well in a tent. We haven’t tented much since we bought a camper, but I do enjoy getting back to the “simple” way. The only problem this time around was that our air mattress had a leak, so by the morning, Marcel and I were sleeping on the ground. We thought we found the leak the next day, but that night we ended up on the ground again. Oh well – it’s all part of the fun.
9. Hangin’ around at the beach. Sunday was mostly a lazy day. It was too hot to do much else, so we found a bit of shade, followed it around the tree – moving our chairs as the shade moved – and spent the day there. The kids had fun, and Maddie made lots of new friends on the beach. (By the end of the day, we thought she’d adopted a new mother, but thankfully, she still came home with me.)
10. Camper breakfast. Usually, when we go camping, Marcel makes at least one “pull-out-all-the-stops” breakfast, with sausages, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. The girls have taken to calling it “camper breakfast”. Yummy.
11. A visit to my Dad’s grave. Dad is buried in my hometown, which is nearly 2 hours away from where we live now, so we don’t visit often. This was the first time I saw his grave with the headstone. It was a little strange to see his name engraved in concrete – made the whole thing seem so permanent. Even though you KNOW it’s permanent when they die, you don’t really want to be reminded of it, ‘cause then, occasionally, your mind can still trick you into believing it’s temporary.
12. A few moments alone at the site where Dad died. He was killed in a farming accident along the highway, so we erected a cross and planted a few flowers there. We got there a little earlier than the others, so I got a few moments alone, sitting on the rocks, with my Dad. For me, the emotions surrounding the loss of my dad are more pure when I experience them alone. As soon as my Mom (and others, but mostly my Mom) arrives, it feels different. I clam up a bit, because I don’t know how to be real in the face of her emotions. Those moments alone were just what I needed.
13. Having lunch with my sister and sister-in-law and then driving to Selkirk with my sister-in-law. It was nice, for a brief moment, being the “ladies who lunch”. Nice to sneak away from the kids for awhile. Nice to have a few moments with 2 of my favourite women. Nice to drive home from Selkirk with no-one but me in the car.
14. Going to a late-night movie with my brother. Batman Begins. Better than I would have expected – some good summer fun with a few good lines thrown in to satisfy the literary part of my brain. And it was fun hangin’ out with BBB (who reads this blog all the time but NEVER comments – hint, hint!)
There were other things – some of which I may blog about some other time – but that’s enough for now. I’m all full of warm fuzzies now, remembering.
by Heather Plett | Jul 29, 2005 | Uncategorized
As I’ve said before, riding my bike home from work has become my favourite part of the day. So I thought I’d share it with you. Hop on the back of my bike (if you’re nice and small, you should be able to fit in the panier bags) and I’ll take you along…
The Trek awaits departure (look at it – sitting there basking in the sun!) – and there are the panier bags where you can join the ride.
The happy biker sets off (believe me, it’s not easy taking a picture of yourself WHILE riding your bike!)
My bike may not be as cool as Brother Bear’s but it works for me! (This is one of the 62 concrete “Bears on Broadway”, a unique fundraiser for the Cancer Society)
I have to take a little detour to ride past this, but it’s worth it. This morning there was a little bunny hopping past it. Made me smile.
Now THAT’s what you call a log-jam! After a fairly lengthy rainy period, the river was quite flooded. As it went down, it deposited all these old logs on the shore – including the bike path leading to the Forks (fortunately, it doesn’t affect my route at all).
Nature’s way of obliterating graffiti…
Ah… work behind me, home ahead of me, and a peaceful river path in between… what a nice transition!
One of my favourite spots, especially in the morning when the sun peaks through the trees and I can often watch rowing teams out for an early morning practice on the river.
Are ya gettin’ the picture WHY I enjoy this ride so much? Wildflowers, river, blue skies…
Some enterprising campers found a convenient, secluded, but illegal spot to pitch a tent. This morning when I rode past, the tent was dismantled (perhaps someone had told them to take it down) but I was rather surprised to see a woman sleeping under the folded tent.
The rear view (again – a little tricky to take this pic WHILE riding! Surprisingly, I managed to get the auto-focus to adjust to the mirror and not the ground – not all of them turned out that way.)
The view from the bridge… the Mighty Red. Still pretty high in its banks. It’s been a WET year.
Another nice spot along the journey – riding beside the golf course. Fortunately, there’s a fence between me and any stray balls that might come my way.
This was a wonderful discovery – a tunnel that helps me avoid a couple of very busy streets and a rather suicidal intersection.
Quiet please – you never know who might be sleeping in the tunnel!
Getting close to home now… I like the evergreens beside this trail.
True to form, Julie runs out to greet me when I arrive. Can’t imagine a better home-coming!
Home! And there’s Maddie peaking out the window.
Hope you enjoyed the ride! Of course, I only included the good spots. There are a few busy streets I have to navigate, but it was a little tricky getting those shots without risking my life.
