New Baby

My brother and sister-in-law became the proud parents of a baby girl yesterday. Little Kajsa is healthy, strong and will be exploring the world and creating glorious havoc with her older brother in no time. We're thankful for the gift of family and can't wait to meet her next week. As for her parents... with two little ones under sixteen months old, we suspect they will be singing this tune for a while.

Proud

Our cousin-nephew Spencer made a short film for a competition within the local school board. This is what "success for all" means to him.

Cake and Candles

March 5 is a double day of birthdays in our family. In honor of this, here is Venezuelan improvisational pianist extraordinaire Gabriela Montero with  "Happy Birthday" (and yes- she's making the whole thing up off the top of her head!).

More Bonding

As I mentioned yesterday, Jeff and I made a quick trip to "the mainland" for the weekend. It was great to have a change of scenery, take a break from the bathroom project, see some friends and do a bit of shopping. Since we last saw him in June, our nephew T has grown not only in physical stature, but in personality, curiosity, potential for mischief and overall sweetness. It was a great fun to spend some time together and get to know him a little more.

At the MCC Relief Sale (click on the arrow to start the video)

                                                                                       Video by T's Mom J

Waiting in the car at Costco 

You're right, Uncle Jeff. Looking forward is WAY more fun. 

Mastering the one-arm-on-the-wheel backing up technique

And just hanging out with Uncle Jeff at home

Photo by T's Mom J

Newest family member

Last weekend, Jeff and I went to the mainland for a few days. It was the first time in over two years that we've driven across on the ferry, and we had a great weekend visiting relatives, including this guy:

Our newest nephew T was just 3 weeks old when we last saw him at Christmas. He's now a busy, bright, happy, curious and very social little fellow who is even sweeter in person than in these photos... if such a thing is possible.   

Jeff's Birthday

Happy Birthday to the patient, supportive and incredibly loving guy who has completely driven the ship (and  done everything to keep it going) while I've been locked in my office for the past 6 weeks.... well, make that the past two years. I'm so looking forward to having a "normal" life with you again, soon.

Captain Jeff on the Mediterranean 

Warning: Cuteness overdose

Introducing our new nephew, Tobias. I think he looks a lot like his dad did at birth (although my memory as a three year old may not be entirely reliable). Either way- we think he's quite delicious.

 

The obedient child of a pastor learns early to ask a blessing before each meal

Happy expansion

 I'm so pleased to let you all know that 

our family has grown by two feet.

We are so happy to welcome our new nephew!

A big hug of congratulations goes to my brother and sister-in-law. We can't wait to meet Tobias at Christmas.

Uncle Ben's chair

One of my favourite pieces of furniture in our home is an antique Mission chair. Jeff received it before we were married from his sister, who received it from his parents, who received it his grandparents, who received it from their good friend Ben, who was a family member of the original craftsman. Because the chair entered the family as a gift from this Ben, it has always been known as "Uncle Ben's chair".  I love this piece not just because it is beautiful and comfortable, but because it carries a story. My mum-in-law told me today that this chair was built from old oak brought from England- my fond memories of past visits to the English countryside (along with a slight obsession with British historical dramas, Jane Austen, and just about everyone related to the Queen) makes me love this chair even more.

One of the chair's more visible stories is one told through textile.  It seems that each time it passed to another member of Jeff's family, the seat was recovered- sometimes, more than once. For a long time, I have had fabric waiting to add our layer on top of  pink chintz, beige jacquard, orange fuzz and who knows what else. A breather from school and other work this weekend finally presented a chance to tackle this project. After an hour of fussing about with staples and corner folds, it was all done.

My fabric choice is not traditional and certainly will not be to everyone's liking. However, for our chapter in this story, it feels just right. 

Tradition

While spending a month with my parents this summer, my mom commented one day about how she and I are very different cooks.  While I prefer to incorporate lots of fresh herbs and love international flavours, she leans toward the more classic meat-and-potatoes kind of cooking.  It's something we have learned to appreciate about each other; when we're together, my mom requests that I make hummus and souvlaki while I go weak in the knees for her Yummy Chicken, roasted turkey or fresh buns.

Those of you who know my Mom know that her fresh buns are infamous. They really are velvety soft pillows of carbohydrate perfection. In my early 20s, I tried making buns a few times and each time was a colossal failure (yeast dough and I simply do not work well together).  After Jeff and I got married, I eyed his bread machine suspiciously for a year before learning that this amazing contraption could turn out perfect dough, no matter my lack of talent for kneading.  Between the machine and some very old but fantastically seasoned bread pans, I think I've come up with buns that even my Mom would be impressed with.

Risen buns about to be baked

Yield: 1 dozen hamburger buns or 2 dozen dinner rolls

1 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 Tbsp margerine or shortening

3 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp yeast

Measure ingredients into dough machine in order recommended by manufacturer (I do it in the order listed above). Select dough setting, push start, then sit back & relax. When cycle is complete, turn onto floured surface. Divide into buns; 12 hamburger size or 18-24 roll size. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, place in pan and cover with a light towel. Let rise in a warm and happy place until nearly double- about 40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Time yourself to see how long you can wait before devouring the first one. Enjoy!

Saturday was a chilly day here on the Wet West Coast- a day that called for soup and buns. Growing up, I never really took a shine to my mom's borscht and ate it as infrequently as I could get away with. While living in Eastern Europe, I learned to make and love true Russian Borscht- with beets, beef, and lots of fresh dill. And the most important part- a dollop of sour cream. Jeff joked that in spending an afternoon baking buns and making borscht, my Mennonite-ness was unquestionably and strongly intact! No doubt, there is something really comforting about eating food that within my heritage, is tradition. It just feels like home. 

Saying thanks

In the last update on my dad's health following his surgery, I mentioned how my parents gave permission to use my dad's medical case for training in the First Responder program; this ultimately resulted in their town receiving the donation of another AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

For those of you who know my parents, you won't be surprised at all to hear that they helped turn the donation of this AED into a community-wide recognition of the volunteer First Responder program (in addition to the individuals that responded to my mom's 911 call).  The event not only made the provincial news (click here and forward to the 5:40 mark) but more importantly, recruited 11 new volunteers (at last count) to the First Responder program in Waldheim where my parents live. The Saskatoon Health Authority released a 25 minute video of the evening's presentation- this includes a synopsis of the emergency response (2:15), remarks by my parents (12:12), words from the  First Responders who attended my dad (6:15) and a presentation of the new AED (19:50).   As you can imagine, this brings an amazing finale to the story of my dad's heart attack. For our family, it really is an unexpected and incredible gift.

Day at the Beach

There is a hearty group of Jeff's family members here on Vancouver Island who are always up for a party... or an excuse to have a party.  Between major holidays and family birthdays, we usually find ourselves enjoying each other's great company (and filling our faces) every month or so. We have so much fun and it's so good to have each other.

Since my birthday in early July was lost in the rush for me to get to Saskatchewan, my return home has been quickly followed with plans for a party. We spent a glorious Saturday afternoon at Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville barbequeing salmon and walking on the beach. At low tide, the ocean recedes almost a kilometre at Rathtrevor Beach and it's the perfect place to take a walk or build a sand castle. It's the BEST place to spend a summer afternoon.

birthday cupcakes

homage to my home province

evidence of a romantic walk on the beach

the best ever beach Sherpa

Quick update

I haven't posted for a few days as I wanted to focus the last few days of my visit on my parents (Sorry for those of you who have been waiting for updates!). It was really good to take time for conversations and begin processing the enormity of what has happened in the past 30 days.  Now that we are out of the "danger zone", that processing can begin; I think it was helpful to start doing this together before I returned home.

My dad continues to do really well. I have used the phrase "really well" so many times in the past month that it feels a little trite, but it's the best I can come up with! At this point in recovery, "really well" means:

• continuing to build strength and momentum each day
• remaining relatively free of pain
• keeping his incisions infection-free
• managing his physical limitations (with gentle reminders!) 
• keeping an absolutely consistent positive attitude

There is still a lot of healing to do and after a busy day, my dad seems to need a quiet day to catch up on rest. We are assured that his recuperation has been textbook perfect and for this we are just very thankful. In the coming months, my dad will continue to work with a cardiac specialist and undergo tests to explore the full extent of the arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) that was detected after his heart attack.  For me, it is just so reassuring to know that he is in very good hands. While there is lots more healing to be done and the normal risks following heart surgery are still present, it really does seem that the worst is over. 

For those of you who know my parents, you will not be surprised to hear that they released the story of my dad's "cardiac incident" for teaching and review within the local emergency response team. It was their way to thank the volunteer First Responders who saved my dad's life and stabilized him until the paramedics arrived. In releasing this story, the company that makes the portable defibrillator (that restarted my dad's heart) heard about what happened and decided to donate another machine, in my dad's name, to the town of Waldheim where they live. So, the final chapter of this story for our family is that my dad's experience will, we hope, somehow help save the life of someone else. It certainly draws things here to a pretty amazing close. When this occurs, I'll try and post information here.

For now, however, I'll stop with daily updates on my dad and encourage those of you who know him, to email him directly.  During my last week in Saskatchewan, he began checking email again. I know that he and my mom were encouraged beyond words by the notes of support we received and are so thankful.  Feel free to drop him a note- I know he is energized by the contact and I think it's a good way to keep him away from the temptation of driving combine this harvest!

Together, my parents, Lyndon & Jenn, and Jeff and I want to thank you all from the very bottom of our hearts for your love, support, encouragement, love and prayers. I can not begin to articulate what this meant to all of us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

While I've just arrived home to BC now, I leave this post with a few parting images from the past week in Saskatchewan. 

Fresh rhubarb and saskatoon berry platz

one of the more interesting dragon flies

Farmer Unger inspecting this year's crop

wonderful cloud formations looking of my parent's front porch

day 6 of raspberry picking

our compromise to my dad's insistence that he get to pick, too!

loving fresh lettuce every day

dealing with the fifth major power outage of my visit (thanks to some crazy electrical storms)

prairie sunset

Celebration from afar

Today was a quiet and restful day. We celebrated the removal of the last of my dad's staples (in his leg) and started arranging appointments for next week with cardiac therapists, dieticians, nurses and other care team members.  After receiving a warning from his home care nurse (AKA my aunt!) to stop picking raspberries (something he did yesterday for about 15 minutes), my dad appeared to be a little more compliant today!

The beautiful lilies shown here were a gift last summer from my Uncle H and Aunt N. They are are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend and we send them our congratulations and warmest wishes. We wish we could celebrate with you!

Heat Reprieve

The heat wave finally broke yesterday, in a spectacular thunder and lightening show that blew out the power for more than nine hours (to the entire town where my parent's live). We had our morning coffee on the front porch, enjoying the cool breeze, blooming flowers, butterflies and steady rain.

After being stuck in indoor air conditioning for a few days, my dad was particularly happy to be allowed outside! He continues to do very well, and make slow but steady improvements. This morning, while sorting Saskatoon berries, he was a little off balance and it was a good reminder that while he feels better, he's still not as steady or as strong as he might expect, or like to be. Thankfully, he's not ignoring his limitations, even though they must be frustrating.

During this week's heat wave, the raspberries and Saskatoon berries happily ripened... and not so happily, needed to be picked.  So far, my mom has picked and frozen four ice cream buckets of Saskatoon berries (with more scheduled for tomorrow) along with countless trays of local strawberries. Over the next few days, I think there will be more raspberries to pick (and devour) as well. After a morning of rain yesterday, my parent's garden is a major mud pit, but things should be dried out enough by tomorrow to pick a second round of raspberries. They are so deliciously sweet, it's worth trudging through mud to enjoy them!

Sizzle

It's 9:30AM and the thermometer (which sits in the shade) measures 34 degrees. The Environment Canada website tells me that humidity (unusual for this part of the world) makes it feel more like 38 degrees... and the mercury is rising. My dad continues to do well, but is looking forward to a break in this heat wave so he can actually go outdoors for more than a few minutes of exercise. I think that climbing stairs and walking laps around the house are getting a little boring.

We had a good weekend- after surviving enjoying(!) B&B guests, my Mom had a much needed break on Saturday when she and I attended a family wedding and my dad enjoyed visits with family and friends. He still tires very easily but is really buoyed by social activity. So, if you want to call or visit, please do! Just call before you drop by to make sure he's awake. 

Inkeeping

When I moved to Nanaimo, I was not certain if I would continue work in my field or do something completely different. Jeff and I entertained all sorts of ideas, one of which was renovating an ocean front (or at least, ocean view!) house and running a Bed and Breakfast. Today, I got a taste of the B&B  inkeeper's life and it's a little less glamorous than I imagined!  After cleaning bathrooms and ironing sheets, I made the mistake of telling my Mom that the only part of B&B hosting that appeals to me is having a captive audience to try out new culinary experiments.... so guess who is signed up to cook breakfast tomorrow morning?!

My Dad is doing better today. He enjoyed a field trip to Rosthern this morning for a hair cut and a doctor's appointment, and the change of scenery put some pep back in his step.  All seems to be going well from a medical recovery perspective, and one small drainage tube incision that has been troublesome is now aided by antibiotics to avoid possible infection. The doctor reminded Dad that he is an incredibly fortunate to still be here.... and while this is still very humbling, we are simply grateful and thankful. I know there is an incredible network of friends, family, faith and prayer still surrounding us- my Dad really does feel this.

The gratuitous garden shots today are of my parent's acre (almost) of lettuce, and some blooming Sweet William. I do feel a little guilty- while Jeff is braving out cold temperatures and rain at home, the thermometer is set to hit 30+ again tomorrow with lots of glorious sunshine.