Lost

Today was a day that I felt lost.  All I did was search the web, stalk a few people on face book I have not seen for awhile and just stop to read the blog of my cousin.  That was when it happened, ... I felt that feeling of being lost.  Lives that I was a huge part of are no longer on my radar, people whom I talked or hung out with are moving on (which they are allowed to do) but being a bystander in Alberta was really hard today.

I look at the joys that my cousin, his wife and two kids are having and part of me wants to whine I was once apart of that process...yes I have a super husband and my life is good but lately the call of BC is strong.  I miss my lattes, walks on the beach with friends, having a gym really close by etc.  Now instead I play with long drives, a trailer and sunny, winter days.  Yup definitely a pity party for me.  So I decided to change my day to a salute to all the people who are still important to me and whom  I love even though we may not have seen or been in contact for awhile.

My family whom I miss tons, my cousin Brian and his wife Yvette who together created the vandopoly with me long time ago (special membership only!) and whom have a special piece of my heart always!.  To my sisters who get to hear me rant way to much for their own good (sorry ladies), to my friends Kara, Maria and Renay, whose lives are busy but still who find time for me.  To my friends in Alberta who also put up with much.  To my cousin Carolyn, who is the bestest ever no matter what!  To my brother who can make me laugh in an instant, love ya man!

Finally to God who through everything keeps blessing me with excellent people everywhere.  So thanks for listening to the lost talk. hugs everyone!

The Range

Home, home on the range where the deer and the antelope roam...seriously they do. Not only that my lovely little trailer on the prairie is now being threatened by water from the river found about 100 m away. I just watched a pool form about 80 yards from my trailer and car in the space of an hour. Interestingly it brought with it another river that now flows 50 yards behind my trailer as well. We live on a camp property so we were stuck canoeing to the camp kitchen to go and save the stoves...quite romantic really...all 5 of us squashed in a canoe floating through icy water without a flashlight..who knew I would get a gondola ride in Alberta wearing rubber boots and praying the coat would not flip. Sexy but true! Being someone who loves water that sound of it rushing can be very soothing...unless it is trying to invade your property. But not to worry it has slowed down and we are just playing a waiting game of will the ice melt on the river allowing it to flow instead of staying as a jam. Will the snow ever stop coming down..enough is enough its almost the end of April...the bunnies need to come out to play. Seriously the last week was spent on flood watch...and watching the canucks kick the black hawks butt...one can never be too happy when watching that! GO Cannucks GO! I even got to wear my new Canucks t-shirt (yup you guessed I am a band wagoner but I do it with gusto lol). So this has not been a very eventful week in my life other than a good hockey game and one lovely yet tippy canoe ride but what more can you want from life right?

Wow the antler hunt begins

Sooo I was blessed to be included in a typical shed hunting day with my husband. He was super sweetie and bought me really expensive hiking shoes with the idea we would be spending some quality time looking for sheds or antlers for all you none shed hunting folk out there.

It was Saturday, the sun was shining, the world was at peace, he had just left to pick up our new BBQ (yahoo a nice one to grace our front yard not the old timer version falling apart in our meat). I was sitting quite nicely on my couch reading a book supposedly getting ready for said trip outdoors. I luckily managed to get dressed just before he got home or we know what I would have heard lol. So off we went to hunt antlers, we stopped at one farmhouse to ask permission...quite a fun practice of driving up someones driveway and praying their home, to beg the opportunity to hunt for antlers on their back forty (supposedly that is polite and keeps you from getting shot). Felt weird but my husband is a pro so no worries there, the person's land we were on had many other parcels of land and was happy to let us trespass as long as we picked the dang things up.

Then off we went to some field on the side of the road...just park your car off the road and jump the barbed wire fence to the utopia of grass and bush on the other side. Scan that ground as if your life depends on it and look for little things pointing out of the snow or ground. I would have been more excited if I did not keep getting my jeans stuck on said fences always in the crotch area...yes officially I have one pair of jeans now dedicated to the sport as they are not pretty to look at anymore. Well after a little looking at different trails we had found nothing so with the sun still shining we headed farther away to look at a field that had the potential to house many antlers.

Now this field, like all fields in Alberta,was experiencing the snow melt so was a little wet (good thing for those boots I tell ya)..we traipsed around there for about an hour. I was hot, getting super sweaty and cursing all deer in the area as the herd that was avoiding us had not shed a stupid antler...where was my prize for being super girl and antler hunting. I did manage to scare a coyote gnawing on some bones but still no antlers...hubbie was also not too happy but the day was not done.

Away we went to another area...now the road to said area looked as though wagon travel from the 1800s was happening on it as it was so muddy and yucky I feared we were not going to get out even in 4 wheel drive. When we arrived at the potential area, we ended up climbing over 4 barbed wire fences (have I told you how much I hate them) and away we jaunted up and down some hills. Scared a moose but still no antlers...by this time I needed a bathroom but was petrified to pee in the woods as I have no talent and always manage to hit myself instead of the ground (sad but true much to my Aunty Betty's shame who truly did try to teach me long time ago). So without any extra clothes in the truck I was determined to hold it...something that I was being tested on by my husband who had decided to make this part of our trek the longest.

So through snow up to our knees ( how do moose do it they weigh more but stay on top) and over a lovely swamp area into another lovely climb. Was I feeling the romance and joy of the outdoors...nope had to pee and that was becoming a real concern. But I must admit I finally gave in and did the deed without any problem...YAY for me...Wilderness trekkers everywhere watch out!!!

Unfortunately after 2 hours we were no where nearer the goal of an antler...I was becoming the cranky wife from hell with blisters. We headed back and just as were reaching field filled with cow pies I really started thinking maybe I did not like nature as this day was becoming a futile effort of hiking with no end. But here we were traipsing through the cow patty field of love when D pointed out something in the distance...I looked and saw...well nothing, what the heck was I supposed to be seeing dammit...he pointed again and I seriously was going to have him commited when in the distance a flash of white caught my eye on the ground ( I had been looking at the sky oops) and there she was a five point antler for my love. YAY the day was not a waste. Unfortunately now he needed the other side so off he went to look for it and I began to trudge down the hill with thoughts of murder in my mind...as I slowly turned around to let him know I spied with my little eye the pair. yahoo my first antler. So my perseverance paid off, my hike ended with the goal attained and I got a bag of chips as a reward...what more could you want in a day!

New beginnings

Life has truly changed for the blogger in me...once again I find myself in the sea of nothing to do but wait...BLOG! Sigh I am now married and my last name should just be bun but actually has changed to Kaiser. I now live in the wilds of Alberta and am currently trying to find my way in those wilds towards a new me that teaches (hopefully), learns to really like snow (not!) and one that does not throw all forms of stuffed wildlife that is hanging on my/our walls out the door...ok not all I do have warm feelings for the grey owl on the post but beyond that a few too many deer have lost their heads for my trailer and its walls. So a little re-cap on the adventures of me...met a boy (from Alberta), got engaged, got married and then moved to Alberta. Now this little moving story is filled with family...a day after our wedding we were relaxing in my parents house and preparing to write thank you cards. Yes people I am a nerd and need to write thank you cards right away as it bothers me when they hang over my head. So dutifully I pulled them all out, made my husband sit in bondage with me by making him write addresses and away we went for about 3 hours. Nothing says love like writing thank you cards. The next day we packed a truck, car and uhaul trailer for the trip to go to the snowy province of Alberta...did my marriage almost end ofter only 2 days...well yes it did when it looked like my books were going to stay behind...I tell ya if the books were staying so was I...silly husband! Not to worry we compromised and all was well. Now I was not going to drive the pass in my car...I mentioned to D (my husband) in a very sweet voice that someone else needed to drive as I probably was going to be crying... and driving, last time I heard, needed you to see the road..something quite impossible for me. He quite kindly arranged for his father to drive the old granny car to Alberta and again love saved the day. Well we left the next day to the scene of my mother crying on the road, me trying to hold it together and with a big ass uhaul behind the truck. About 10 minutes later, emotions under control we were off to Abbotsford to see my brother and start this new journey in our lives (well new for me a little more crowded for him). We visited and then left to have our amazing truck decide to lose its transmission 2 km from my brothers house and while crossing a busy intersection...FUN! Yup you are jealous as you must realize we are now stuck in Abbotsford. My brother rescued us and we were back to his house to share in one more day in BC. My brother laughingly gave us what he termed the honeymoon suite...which consisted of his basement room in the process of renovation - no carpet, just drywall and no door. Beside us was my father in law...oh yeah baby we were bonding! Nothing like family on a trip of your life! Needless to say one long night and half a day later we were on the road again heading to Alberta. The sun was sort of shining and we were off. Well all I can say is we reached Golden and the road was closed due to an avalanche. So you know what that means, we were in a hotel room altogether to pass the night away. I think I got more action before my wedding than after for that week and a part of me really wanted to cry. Luckily we arrived the next day to the trailer, unloaded and away the day went. I know now I can laugh about this but seriously not a week that I can call a honeymoon in anyway. SOOO now we unpacked a very full house of boxes to create a wilderness Ikea motif as my furniture is Ikea and his walls are wilderness..about 28 creature mounts of wilderness. When I can I will post pics of the place I call home so you too can enjoy my house which is comfy but at times a little scary when beady eyes stare at you across the room...but hey the owl is cute! Till next time

Learning to Blog

Funny thing about school it will stick you in a situation where you learn to blog. Funny thing is I do know how, so here I am wasting time and doing what I haven't been doing in that past year blogging. Now for those of you who do not know here is what the past year has led to:

• A new job as a science teacher at Panorama Ridge Secondary. Yup scary I have the educational lives a quite a few students in my hands
• I met someone from Alberta and now we are engaged. Talk about crazy and fun.
• I wrecked m beautiful cavalier and now drive a mazda protege from 1997...good bye batmobile, hello granny car, my beige 4 dorr sedan without a side mirror. I am one sexy beast on the road.
• I am a bionic woman who isnow hooked up to an insulin pump. I even beep and don't worry if you see me reaching down my shirt I am grabbing my pump and not other things (lol)
• I am coaching a cricket team. Nope you guessed it, I know nothing about cricket but stick out like a sore thumb on the field of brown boys running between sticks and playing the game. But I must have done something right as they are going in to the finals (Ok I didi nothing its just in their blood :))

Well thats all I can give you. Other things have happened but you might actually want to talk to me. See you all.

What is going on now

Yay school is out!!! It is almost anti climatic after such a long and hard school year. Big things to celebrate as I have been hired by three districts to be Teacher on Call.

Yet it seems life still has some interesting surprises in store for me:

1. my specialist is out to get me on the insulin pump. yes the needle chicken has finally caved and bought one yesterday. Do you have any idea how expensive those little suckers are? On sale they are $6800 talk about buying half a car! The upside is they come in different colors (whatever) I could get a pink one (can you imagine?) well anyway that is one ride I am not too excited about but hopefully it will keep me around in better health.
2. I am currently talking a person on eharmony soooo who knows. sorry girls not going to give any info as we just started talking.
3. I have the whole month of August to house sit my life away and if I really wanted to spend forever outdoors at green lake (Yahoo!). Luckily I finally started charging people for me to sit in their house and babysit their cats, dogs, plants and building.

Not much interesting but who knows maybe I will get in to some trouble in the next month, have a better picture than my I punched myself in the face picture (never realized how much of a sad sack I looked like...sorry!lol) and maybe I will have a permanent position in the wonderful world of teacher hood.

Where can I find a good picture?

Seriously, you do not think about good pictures until you really need one. I mean you have pictures, but they are all the ones you hope no one in society ever needs to see and they are the ones that will definitely haunt you on your wedding day as some kind soul decides to create a lovely montage of laughter for those around you. Sooo again I ask where are all the good pictures.

Recently I decided (after much long and hard thought) to join eHarmony. What have I got to lose right? Well they need a picture, so far I have just added one and it is from almost ten years ago (feel like I am lying to folks out there, (not that I have changed much) so sorry folks). If I ask my relatives (especially my brother) they all have those nasty pictures of when you really should not have been out in public. So what do I do?

So far suggestions have ranged from:

• Photo shoot at Walmart
• Sister in law photo shoot (as she is sick of photographing her toddler that keeps running away). Might still get the same reaction from me, kind of camera shy.
• Using pictures sent to me by kind individuals I have asked (please answer me soon!!!)
• Using the pictures no sane person with half a mind would use as they are a crime to society

Do you think the motor vehicle branch will give me my picture as I have to say I look pretty good on my drivers license? (kidding...really I am)

Well that is my dilemma for the week but more to come on the adventures of eHarmony, stay tuned.