Lynsey off to U of A, some fun date nights, and some ferry drama to end the summer:-/

Well, the title of this post pretty much sums up the last few weeks! Brian and I had tickets to see the Counting Crows at Chateau Ste Michelle on Sunday the 17th and had a really nice evening with Philip and Yelena. The weather was perfect, the concert was entertaining, always a good time at Chateau Ste Michelle concerts! 

That week we did our best to spend as much time with Lynsey as we could knowing her departure to Edmonton for university was imminent:-(. She was very organized as she did her packing, she had this very detailed list of everything she wanted to bring and managed to fit everything into the two big suitcases we allotted her. We had bought tickets to see Steve Martin and Martin Short on Saturday the 23rd well before we knew Lynsey and Brian would be leaving on the 24th so we didn't get to spend the last Saturday night with her, but she got to hang out with her brothers. The show was really fun! They were as expected quite entertaining (I prefer Steve Martin's comedy to Martin Short's but they were both really good) and we had a delicious dinner at Mamnoon before the show. So glad we went there one last time as we just learned they are closing soon, too bad! Always a good meal there.

Sunday we went to church together and then went over to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We all shared a piece of cheesecake for dessert, delicious and so full of calories:-/. We went back home and Lynsey finished up her packing and off her and Brian went to the airport for their 9pm flight! It was really sad to say good bye, hard to believe this time is here already. She is totally ready and we know she will do amazing, still a hard transition though. The boys are missing her already as are Brian and I of course, but it won't be long before Thanksgiving is here and we will see her again in Calgary. We have talked to her quite a bit in the last week and she is settling in really well! Meeting people, getting involved in activities on Campus, I'm confident she will be able to handle university life - and thrive at that:-).

Yesterday we decided to do a day trip to Friday Harbor as a last hurrah before school starts! We were all set with our ferry reservations and off we went to Anacortes to catch the noon ferry over to the island. We were even allowed to take Jasper into the ferry cabin because of a rule change they just implemented a few weeks ago, he behaved like a perfect gentlemen:-).

Once we got off the ferry we drove to this beach at the south end of the island and hung out there for a while. Jasper went a little crazy when I let him off leash, I really didn't think he would get wet but he did go in the water a little:-l. He only got his bottom half wet and by the time it was time to go he was pretty much dry thank goodness!

We headed into town and thought we would see about just parking our car in the ferry holding area early since it was right there downtown. When we went to do that, we found out that the 6:35 ferry that we had a reservation for had been cancelled! What! The guy said they were trying to get another ferry to cover but he didn't seem too optimistic. This ferry is the only way off the island, unless you are rich and can take a float plane but even then, what are you going to do with your car?? There was a 9:50 ferry that was still running but that was over three hours later and we really hadn't planned to stay that long. It was suggested that we try and call the Washington State Ferry customer service line and give our feedback as there was this ferry that was coming at 5:50 that COULD be repurposed into a ferry going to Anacortes. It was only scheduled to go between the other islands, but desperate times call for schedules to be moved around! Brian and I both called - the lady I talked to had absolutely no idea what was going on, and the guy Brian talked to told him that they WERE in fact going to repurpose that inter-island ferry into a ferry going to Anacortes, so yay! We were saved! 

We had some time before that ferry arrived so we went to this fish n chips type place right downtown while we waited. It was delicious and our spirits were high - crisis averted! As we are finishing up, the ferry arrives. We are waiting in our car as the cars come off, waiting for them to start loading our lanes. Well, as it turned out, the guy Brian talked to was misinformed and they had NOT in fact changed this ferry at all - still just going to the small islands and not back to Anacortes:-(. At that point there was an announcement that the next ferry to Anacortes was not coming until 9:50, so basically settle in. Sigh.

We went for a walk to a park and killed some time there, Adam quite enjoyed the swing. He actually did really well with all the uncertainty, there was a time this would have been quite the disaster! We were comforted to know that we were definitely making the 9:50 ferry as there was a whole other holding area with cars that had reservations to the 9:50 ferry that would now not be making it because the 6:35 people were taking their spots! And that was the last scheduled ferry of the night - with no hotel rooms to be had on the island. Yeah, the ferry attendants were telling people to prepare to sleep in their cars. Crazy! There was some vague possibility of some ferry coming at 11 for the 9:50 people but there were no guarantees, it all had to do with staff shortages and people working too much overtime or something. 

9:50 rolls around and we get on the ferry, finally! The kicker to this whole thing is that the 6:35 ferry was a direct ferry with no inter island stops so only would have taken an hour and 10 minutes. This 9:50 ferry? Stopped at all three islands - 2 hours and 15 minutes. And it actually took longer, we pulled into Anacortes at 12:15am and then still had a 90 minute drive to go until we got home. Yep, definitely not how we planned it! But we got home safely and now it's a good story, right??

As a side note, I was watching the cameras of the holding area just to see if those poor 9:50 people ever got their 11pm ferry. They finally got their ferry at 1:30am! I wrote a strongly worded complaint to WSDOT ferries over this debacle. I get that people get sick and sometimes there are staff shortages, but they actually had a ferry they could have used - it could have stopped at all the islands and THEN gone on to Anacortes so at least some of the 6:35 people could have gotten back close to on time. But they chose to prioritize inter-island traffic only for some unknown reason. I felt bad for those 9:50 people - hope none of them had to work today and they got some extra rest! I probably should have a nap myself as I didn't get a lot of sleep last night but I can probably make it with an early night.

All in all, even with the ferry drama, we had a really nice day and Friday Harbor is a great spot! Adam really surprised us with how well he coped with everything, you could tell it was hard for him at the end. He is used to being able to look out the window on the ferry which of course he couldn't do at that time of the night as it was dark outside. He is learning how to cope the best way he knows how and it's always nice to see growth in him.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for all three kids! I have told Lynsey multiple times she has to take a first day of school picture so hopefully I get one for all three kids:-). Summer is coming to a close, bring on the Fall!

 

Tate McRae Concert fun in Vancouver, clock ticking down to Lynsey leaving:-(

We are just over a week away from launching Lynsey, how is this possible! We are trying to cherish the rest of the time we have with her at home this summer, not much time left:-(. Last week on Tuesday I took Lynsey to Vancouver to the Tate McRae concert. It was a fun evening! We had a bit of drama trying to get to the venue from the hotel, apparently we are not too savvy when it comes to the Vancouver transit system:-S. It all worked out in the end. We had a nice dinner before the concert and walked over to Rogers Arena. I was a bit offended by all the Canucks paraphernalia but I suppose it's to be expected at their arena. The concert was pretty good, even the opener was pretty talented (Zara Larsson). We got a Lyft back to the hotel but that was a bit of a drama, I hate that drivers can just drop your ride whenever they want. We waited so long for someone to actually take and then keep our ride, it's really not a good system after a concert. Anyway, we got back to the hotel around 11:30, and I was glad that I had decided not to just drive home after the concert. I had waffled about that but having a hotel room was the best option.

The next morning we got some Tim Horton's for breakfast and made our way back to Seattle. It was a nice drive, good conversation and we made it back around noon. On Thursday Lynsey got her wisdom teeth out. It was pretty drama free, she hasn't had much pain at all - the worst of it for her was eating those first few days. She struggled with her mouth being frozen and and not being able to chew. She seems to have recovered just fine and even played volleyball for our rec team on Monday which was fun:-). 

Yesterday I had a colonoscopy. Not something people generally look forward to, but I was anxious to get one done to just make sure everything was okay in there. The worst part of it is the prep, the procedure itself was rather painless. I had to adjust my diet starting on Sunday, and then start fasting at bedtime Wednesday night. I ate nothing solid all day Thursday (they do let you have Jello but it really doesn't feel like much) and had to start drinking the prep late afternoon. It was so much liquid, and not very tasty liquid:-/. And then I had to get up at 5:30am yesterday and drink another whole litre of the stuff, yuck. I was so glad when that cup was finally empty, it really felt like an accomplishment haha. The procedure was quick and painless as I said, they found one small polyp that they clipped and sent to the lab, apparently very common and nothing to worry about but they do test it to make sure. I'm relieved that it's over and that in all likelihood I do not have any kind of colon cancer. It sounds like they might recommend another colonoscopy in 5 years because of my family history, but five years sounds like a long ways away at this point!

Brian and I have a Counting Crows concert at Chateau St. Michelle tomorrow that I'm looking forward to! Hopefully the rain holds off!

Turning 46, and Back from Alberta!

Well a lot has happened since my last post, should have posted before we went on our trip to Alberta:-/. Oh well, here goes! Way back earlier in July, Nathan did a band camp with Greg his piano teacher and I went to the final performance on Friday. It was pretty good! Nathan is a good musician, it was fun to hear him play with other kids. Also, it was my birthday, yay me! On the Friday before our family went out for dinner to an Italian place here in Redmond to celebrate and then Brian and I went out on our own on Saturday. It was a Persian place that was actually pretty good - service wasn't great, but the food seemed very authentic. I am now officially in the back half of my 40's, yikes! All good, getting older is a privilege as they say:-D.

Andy came to stay with us again the next Sunday while he was here for work so we got to hang out with him a bit that week. I was also quite busy getting things ready for Lynsey's dorm room since we were taking her things up to Alberta with us on this trip. I'm sure I forgot something but there are stores in Edmonton, Brian just won't have a lot of time for shopping with her when he brings her up. They are flying up on the Sunday before move in day, getting to Calgary quite late. The next morning, they will drive the rental car with all her stuff up to Edmonton and get her settled in to the dorm. Brian will stay in the hotel room right there at the dorm for that night (such a great discovery, convenient and pretty cheap!) and then fly home out of Edmonton around noon. Quick drop off! Apparently they have activities all week for dorm students so hopefully it's a fun time for Lynsey to get to meet some other students in the dorm. I don't think it has sunk in that this is happening! Excited and nervous and all the things! 

We left for Alberta on Sunday the 20th bright and early and drove the whole way to Calgary. Thankfully the trip was without any drama, no long stoppages on highway 1 or anything. We got to Calgary around 8:45 MST and had a late supper, got to visit with Brian's brother Steve and his son Alex who had been in Calgary just for the weekend (they left first thing Monday morning). 

On Monday we went to see Duke, Brian's cousin who unfortunately has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is currently staying at Terry and Marilyn's house after his tumor removal surgery has resulted in the left side of his body becoming paralyzed. It was nice to catch up with him, and Zane as well. Zane has been in Australia for the last several years so we haven't seen him in ages. We hung out with Mike and Annie at Mark and Frances' house, did a lot of visiting. On Tuesday morning Brian, Lynsey and I did a workout at the Y which felt really good - always tough to take so much time off of working out! Wednesday morning I met up with Larissa at Edworthy Park for a walk, had a great catch up with her. That evening Brian and I went out for dinner with Bobbi and Jer and had a great catch up with them as well! Lots of catching up on this trip! 

Thursday morning we were off to La Crete. Pretty good trip, although we came across some pretty big pockets of heavy rain north of Slave Lake. Thankfully it didn't turn into hail. We did get a giant rock in our windshield which is always lovely, thankfully in the corner so doesn't affect visibility. We stayed at Tina and Danny's where we had an amazing space in their basement, a full two bedroom suite. Friday we went to Mom's for lunch where Gert and her partner Rick were also visiting. Several sisters stopped in throughout the day while we were there. Brian took the boys back to Tina's early because Nathan wanted to make homemade noodles with Tina (she even let us take them home! Amazing!). We were at Tina and Danny's for supper and then Brian and I went to Patti and Trent's for the evening. I forgot to mention that Jasper was staying at Patti's because Tina doesn't allow dogs inside, he was a bit confused by us coming to visit him there at Patti's and then leaving him there again haha. He did really well overall so that was nice:-). We had a great visit in any case! Love my old friends from La Crete, bonds that never die!

Saturday was Cassidy's wedding! It was a lovely ceremony and the weather almost turned, but then the sprinkles never turned to anything more thank goodness. We went back to Tina's after the ceremony and I dialed into a coaches meeting that was going on. Glad I got to listen in and give some feedback, looks like I will be coaching a 14s team instead of 16s. I really don't want to do a travel tournament to Utah in June and it seems this is non-negotiable for the 15s, 16s and 17s. I really wish they would consider entering a tournament during the season but it is what it is. I actually think 14s will be a better fit for me anyways, I just know I will miss the higher level of play! I guess I will find out what I think of it this season!

The reception was fun and then Brian, Lynsey and I went to the dance afterwards as well for a bit. It was pretty fun, although most of the music was country. Pretty standard for a dance in La Crete! I'm glad we went, it was a fun time. 

The campout on Sunday was a lot of fun, although it was a bit cold for my taste:-/. The sun did come out sometimes and then it would feel warm for a few minutes, and then the second it went back behind a cloud it was cold again! It was still really fun. We played some volleyball which was fun as always, so great that Lynsey could play this year. So glad we were able to go and enjoy so much family time!

On Monday we waited until after lunch to head out to Grande Prairie because Melanie was working until 7. Unfortunately we ended up with a long wait at the ferry which I hadn't anticipated - an hour and twenty minutes! Ugh. We only got to Jake and Mel's around 8:40pm, but we still got in some really good visiting time. They were so much fun to stay with, and Ellie was so welcoming to Lynsey and they ended up having a good time as well:-). Adam got some pool time at like 10pm since they keep their pool super warm so he was happy. She made us a wonderful breakfast the next morning and off we went on our long leg to Kamloops! We got to Kamloops around 7:30, picked up some pasta at BP's and off we went to our hotel to find out if paying half the price to stay at the Travelodge over the Hampton was going to be a mistake:-l. I was pretty relieved with I opened the door and discovered that it was actually a two bedroom suite with a full fridge/freezer for my farmer sausage lol! It was old with the felt blankets but overall I thought it was just fine. Nothing luxurious but I was happy we saved the money. Brian I think would have paid more to stay somewhere nicer, we are different this way. 

The next morning we were finally off on our final leg back home! All was smooth and we got home around 3pm. I got as organized as possible, got supper on the go, then headed over to Willows Prep to help with the 16s tryouts that were happening. Even though we had decided I wouldn't be coaching the 16s I still helped pick the team. I hope they find a good coach for them! There were some strong players there, I hope they all sign (probably won't all sign but there were a few in particular that would be a great get if they do). Yesterday I went to the gym (so good to be back!) and washed the van, went grocery shopping. Almost caught up on life! This blog post is another big thing off my to-do list:-D. I also went to the 15s tryouts yesterday and helped pick that team as well, even though I won't be coaching them. My tryouts for my team won't be until the end of October. It was fun to be back in the gym again, I'm looking forward to coaching again.