HOLIDAYS

At Ledene's in Brooks, AB

After a two week holiday, I arrived home on Monday evening.  I took the midnight bus on Sat. from Edmonton and was surprised how much I slept on the ride to Saskatoon.  There was just a 20 minute stop there and I was in Regina by 11:00 a.m.  Marilyn and Ray were there to meet me and I spent a very relaxing day at their home after Marilyn and I enjoyed brunch at Earl's.  Marilyn's sister Doreen came over for a visit in the afternoon and her daughter Lynda joined us for supper.

Laurel came and picked me up in the morning as I had to have blood work done before my appointment with the neurologist at 1:45.  We enjoyed shopping at Jones New York and both of us came out with some great bargains.  Many items were 70% off plus another 40% that day!  We also stopped at the Bulk Barn for some Valentine treats.

I got in early at the Stoke Clinic and we were heading back to Milestone by 2:00.  I had a good report there and am so glad to be back driving!!  Two things need watching - my kidney function and high cholesterol. 

I decided to head home from Laurel's as my Ruby was there waiting for me.  Todd's drove it from the farm to Brooks on Dec. 24th and Greg and Laurel's neighbour drove it back to Milestone on their way home from Calgary.  Thanks so much, Randy and Donna!  

My two farm cats, plants and house were very well taken care of in my absence.  Thanks so much Krista Lamb!

I got a lot of visiting done in those two weeks.  On New Years Day Alan and I had tea with Ardis in her new apartment.  It is spacious, light and cheery with large windows to the south.  It is within walking distance of Kris and Stacy's so her two grandkids can walk over to Grandmas place.  We had a delicious salmon supper at Kris and Stacy's. I hadn't been there for a few years so it was time for a visit and a chance to get to know Sam and Ava better.

On Jan. 3 we went to Calgary and watched Alan's 15 year old grandson Bram play in a soccer tournament.  I also met 13 year old  Holly and Alan's daughter Nancy.  When Nancy was a little girl living in Frontier one of her playmates was my nephew Tommy, Alan and Judy's son.  We enjoyed visiting over a meal at Boston Pizza.

Then we were off to visit Alan's son, Derek and Jackie Lutz. After tea, we went to the rink to watch their boys, JJ and Ben, at hockey practice.

On Sunday we saw another of Bram's soccer games (their team won the tournament later that day!) After the game we headed to Brooks so Alan could meet Todd, Kristy and Nora before they flew back to Norway the next day.  We had a lovely supper with the Ledene's that included prime rib and lutefisk.  The lutefisk was my favourite but Alan preferred the prime rib!  Thanks for that great meal, Dan and Helga.  It was hard to say good-bye to Todd, Kristy and little Nora.  Here's a picture of us with Nora.

The rest of the time went by quickly with watching the Continental Cup of curling on TV for several days, doing some shopping, and taking in the new "Annie" movie.  I was spoiled as Alan did all the cooking, with help from M&M meats. I did the clean up and the dishes so we made a good team. Soon we'll be counting the days until his next visit to Torquay in February!

It was good to be back at the library on Thursday morning.  I read a story to the play school group that meets in the next room and help them check out their books.  This week I read "The Mitten" by Jan Brett with its delightful art work.

 In closing I will add some pictures from our days together at Christmas.  Nora is the youngest of the eight Johnson grandchildren but when she goes to the Ledenes she is the oldest of five grandchildren.  She is such a "people person" and knows the names of all the cousins, aunts and uncles, quite a feat for a two year old who doesn't see these special people very often.  Facetime helps as we enjoy visits with her that way too.

Helga and Dan Ledene with their five grandchildren

A special birthday for Laurel on Dec. 16
with guests from Norway!

Nora and Abbey, who share the same birthday-
September 7

Nora's doll with clothes knit by "Grandma" Gunn in Kristiansund

Nora's tunic, knit by Norsk "Grandma" Gunn

Ashley and Nora's ready to eat

After a two week break, I will try to get back to a once a week blog post so look for a new one on Sunday evening or Monday morning.  Now that I have written it, I'll have to live up to it!