CANADA DAY!

Updated with pictures and info on July 15.

On Canada Day we celebrated 151 years of the Dominion of Canada.  We attended worship services at Trinity Torquay in the morning.  Special visitors included the new pastor who is joining Pastor Danny in serving Faith Lutheran Brethren Church in Estevan and Trinity Torquay - Nick Laven, Britanny, and their four children  Toby, Lucy, Hadley and Molly.  We were pleased to meet his parents, in-laws and Britanny's Grandma Joyce who came up from Minnesota to help move the family from Fergus Falls to Estevan. Welcome to Saskatchewan! We look forward to getting to know each of you.

In the afternoon we went to Oungre to the annual July 1 celebration  that included many musical groups in a gospel jamboree. The sound was better since they put up curtains all around the main area. Our favourite group is always The Daae Family with roots in Torquay.  Check out their website by clicking here: www.thedaaefamily.com   They have a new album just out this month called Open Book.

Another attraction of that evening was Eric and Darlene Olson's triplets, the first time I had seen them.  Darlene and the four girls are spending some time with grandparents Carolyn and Bob Cranna, waiting for their house in Okotoks AB to be ready to move into the end of July.  Their home in Calgary is somewhat small after adding three babies to the family instead of one!  Big sister Zoe, three years old, has seen quite a change going from the only child to one of four.  I like it that the three girls are not dressed alike but as individuals.  They were five months old on Canada Day and all three slept through the night at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Each one had a caregiver - Mom, Grandma and Grandpa!

School is over for another year so holidays have begun.  Kirk's and Clare's are camping at Kenosee.  Kirk can go to work at Precision Ag in Carlyle from there so they will have their camper at Kenosee for most of the summer.  Here's a picture of their girls enjoying camping days together. 

Johnson girsl - Jamie, Lindsay and Abbey

 Laurel's headed for a holiday in the Black Hills on June 30.  They  returned on July 4 as Dawson and Eric were registered for a football camp in Lumsden on July 5.  Abbey has a curling camp in Nipawin so Clare's have moved their camper up there and will be coming home this week  

Todd's just came back from a two week holiday.  They returned to Kristiansund and visited friends they had made during the twelve years that they lived in that city.  Then they went to visit friends in Lillehammer and on to do some camping in Sweden.  The girls enjoyed lots of swimming!

The end of school was marked with award days.  Laurel hadn't planned to attend the one in Milestone but then changed her mind and went.  She was so glad she did as Dawson got awards  including male athlete of the year, made the honour roll and was most improved student in grade eleven. That award was presented by the local RCMP and happens to be Jim Bjorklund who grew up in Bromhead, just west of Torquay!  Eric moves on to grade ten and Ashley to grade five.  The dance class she takes part in awarded her two solos in next years recital so she's excited about that.

Dawson receiving Success in Learning award
from principal, Mrs. Gorske

RCMP award for most improved grade 11 student

Lampman had their awards day earlier. Carter was on the honour roll and moves on to grade 12.  Lindsay moves on to grade 9, was outstanding SRC member, Junior Female Athlete, and was awarded Junior Leadership Award as well as Spirit of Youth Award.  Jamie moves on to grade 6 and was given a Yearbook award.

Carter on the honour roll in grade 11

Jamie with Yearbook award

Lindsay, outstanding SRC,Junior Female athlete,
Junior Leadership and Spirit of Youth awards

Abbey moves on to grade 12.  She took part in the "Beauty and the Beast" musical this year at Weyburn Comprehensive School.  We were amazed at the quality performance that these high school students showed.  Even the musical score was done by a school orchestra with the talented teacher directing as she played along.  Abbey is also on the girl's curling team. They took part in many bonspiels and Sask Winter Games.

Nora will be in grade one in Førde, Norway.  They begin school the middle of August.  Starting in grade three they will have an English class so she will have a head start with that as they speak English at home.  Elly Clara will be at Barnehage which is all Norwegian.

This year there were two grade twelve graduates in the Erickson family, Megan from Lacombe AB and Reese from Shaunavon, SK

Megan Helene Conrad
daughter of Marena and Gavin
granddaughter of Sandra and Merle Sanford

Reese Devan Erickson
son of Devan and Michelle
grandson of Alan and Judy Erickson

On July 6, Elly Clara celebrated her second birthday at home in Førde.  Last year we were able to be with her in Kenosee when she turned one.  Here are some pictures of her wearing her birthday crown from Barnehage.

Opening "Lucy" the talking dog
(but she only responds to Norwegian!)

The birthday girl is two!

It's holiday time, my excuse for being rather late with this blog and now I have another one to get at so I will close this one and hope to have the next one out later this week.  It will feature our July 6 - 8 weekend with visitors from Oslo Norway, Lacombe AB, Frontier SK  and Milestone SK.  So special!