Holiday Christmas Parties

Katie had her company Christmas party last weekend -- I'm sorry I was out East and missed the fun!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...I'm not sure 1,000 words is enough for this one! xo

Our Annual Tree Trimming Party is this coming weekend -- look for some photos and update on all the fun!

Washington, DC

Today was a half day @ work in Washington, DC and the only time I'll get to really see the 'tourist' type things...so I made the most of the afternoon and got to see everything I wanted. First of all, I really like Washington -- definitely have to come back with Katie, it would be a fun City to be in together.

Of the highlights -- I really liked the Lincoln Memorial. It is massive. Lincoln's statue is 20 feet high, and seems very large, but the massive chamber he is in still really dwarfs it. The White House was very cool too -- they are in the process already of constructing the stage area, etc. for Obama's inauguration ceremony. Really it all is remarkable as you easily wander the area and see the iconic structures of America and their history -- Washington Monument, all the war memorials (WWII is a favorite, and the Korean War a close second), Oh - actually the Pentagon has a fantastic 9/11 memorial - very cool at night.

Washington Monument and the Reflection Pool -- Lincoln Memorial

OK - As you can see, I took in tons today and I'm ready to come home. (xo) But if you get a chance to come here, you won't be disappointed!

ps - Grant, you would very much be in your element here - I'm sure you'd love it!

East Meets West

Scott was out in BC last week to see his folks and help out a little while his dad is recovering from his surgery -- he is doing amazingly well and Scott had a great visit with his family and got a few days of play in with Grant, Heather & the boys!

This week Katie is in BC for work and Scott is out East in Ottawa and Washington, DC for work. The snow came to Calgary last night and the ground was covered as we went for our flights -- it's dry in BC this week for Katie but the snow followed Scott to Ottawa.

So as we live out of our hotel rooms this week and dream of our garage being finished - we both hope things slow down a little! Have a great week.

What's Under the Orange Tarp?

It's the our garage!!! Well, it's the forms for the pad, which our garage will be built on...but you get the idea.

Scott and I have been talking about building a garage for quite some time, but only recently decided to take the plunge and commit to building one. The construction guys should be back tomorrow or Thursday to pour the pad and then in early January we'll probably move forward with the structure itself.

We were hoping to have the pad in already, but we came up against a bit of a setback when we found out the gas line runs right underneath where the pad was to go and had to be sheathed. Sheathing of the gas line requires ATCO to come out, shut off your gas and dig up your lawn...and then put it all back together of course! If I would have know this, I would have insisted we get the pad put in during the summer...when heat isn't required in the house...cause I sat in the house last night freezing my buns off waiting for ATCO to come a turn the gas back on (lucky for me we aren't short of blankets or hot water bottles!)!!! Oh, hindsight is 20/20!

P.S. When I was talking with the contractor this morning the first thing he asked me was if I could get in touch with my husband! I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he said this because he had been dealing with Scott up until now, but I'm pretty sure he though there was no way I was going to be able to make any technical decisions. I almost challenged him to a differential equation battle - but thought better of it since they still have a long way to go!

Get Your Child Busy on Sundays!

Back on May 30, 2008 we posted a similar picture of a lawnmower for adults.

Fortunately for all you parents out there who have husbands who objected to our previous suggestion, we now have a version that will get your kids out mowing the lawn...likely without complaint!!! What kid doesn't like riding their bike! And now, with the tricycle version, even your youngest kids can get in on the fun!

Since you will likely have to wait until next summer to see this options full potential, I'll get working on a suggestion for snow removal for you!