Snowed In!

Yesterday it snowed and melted and kept snowing and freezing and now the roads in Calgary are a mess. Apparently between 6 pm and 6 am last night there were over 200 accidents. Yikes! I'm glad I got home early. But now the question is, can we even leave our house?
Well, we did and we survived. On Saturday we went to Mal and Gin's for Kelsey's Birthday Extravaganza. Mom and Dad and Corey came too. It was an excellent evening. Sunday we went to the Farmer's Market for some baby food supplies. Tonight is game 6. I am nervous, yet also tired. Now that you are up to date you may resume your life. Here's a more interesting picture:

less unbelievable

Well....the series isn't over yet.

So Evie has started trying carrots now. She seemed pretty confused at first, but seems to have taken to them. Or so I'm told. I tend to be at work when Evie is eating. Stupid work. Today is her 6 month birthday! Also, Happy Birthday Kelsey! Friday is 6 month vaccinations. I get a tetanus booster shot. Hooray!?

UN-BE-LIEVABLE!

We had guests over so I didn't start watching the game until the first period was already over. You can imagine my dismay to have a first image of Kipper being pulled and the Flames down 3-0 in the first 5 minutes. I was not overly confident in their ability to come back, but they really proved me wrong. Some people might have said not to get too excited when they made it 3-2, but the way they were playing, I had to believe. ;) From the 2nd period on, it was a very exciting game to watch. I couldn't believe that Tanguay missed the open net in the final 20 seconds. He is so snakebitten.

Dealing with Conflict

Welcome to todays lesson, "How to Deal With Conflict". Step 1, don't do what Jeremy does. Thank You.
(That's Menno Simons).

Yes, I do not deal well with conflict. My solution is to avoid it at all costs and if it does happen, then bury it and pretend it didn't happen. Unfortunately I think this response can lead to more broken relationships than the initial conflict. I don't know if this was just my temperament or has something to do with growing up in a Mennonite church where non-violence is important. However I don't think they actually ever taught us to avoid conflict, I just somehow picked it up. Whenever I heard "Blessed be the Peacemakers." I always wanted that to apply to me. Unfortunately the way I tried to be a peacemaker was to avoid getting into any conflict in the first place. It's not so hard to make peace if nobody breaks it. So I ended up a conflict-avoider instead. I think peacemaking is a calling in my life, but I haven't found out how yet.
Anyway I think it is time to do what I can to make peace in the conflicts I've tried to bury.

Better now

Don't worry; yesterday was just one of those days. But I'm feeling much better now.
The playoffs are now officially under way. Hooray for the Flames on winning Game 1!

Some pictures

Do you ever feel like there are so many problems in the world that you are sick and tired of it?

Here's some pictures from Easter that I was supposed to post a long time ago.
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/8390475732-1207109406-40091/83904

Here I go again on my own

It was a fun Easter weekend. Very nice to get 4 days off. Although days off are less "off" now than they used to be, but that's just become normal. On Friday we attended the Duchess Good Friday service. It was really nice to see many people I hadn't seen in a long time. I also found out more people read my blog than I thought. I know you're out there!
Saturday my family went out to Dinosaur Park. I hadn't been there in several years. It's much the same, but it was cool being there with Evie. She came hiking with us in her snugglie and seemed to enjoy it. I'm glad she likes walking. We got some sweet video of Evie and Kate together that I will have to post. She also got to try out Kate's jolly jumper and seemed to enjoy it.
Sunday we went to church again. Whaaat?! That's right, we do Easter proper. ;) Then there were two family dinner's to attend. Through all this Evie was pretty good. She is really showing her shyness. When people start milling around after a service and she feels her space invaded she gets quite upset. She seems a little more comfortable around Kristin's family than mine. I'm not quite sure what it is. Mostly I think she just needs to get familiar with my family.
Sunday night I got a chance to play some hockey. I was pretty slow but that was expected as it was the first time out this season. It was just pickup hockey with little equipment so that helped. I was also using borrowed skates so I can blame them too. ;) I missed hockey this year. Hopefully next year I can play.
On Monday we finally got a chance to rest. I took Evie to visit Grandma Wipf in the afternoon. Evie was quite good for her and even consented to be held a little.
Kris decided she wanted to stay in Duchess for the week so I headed home alone. I listened to a very frustrating Flames game on the way. They blew a big chance to take first place. However, as I wrote this entry they came from behind to beat Vancouver! Yay! So they have first in the NW for the time being. I love this time of year. All the games are important and exciting. I've been quite impressed by the push the Oilers are making. I actually hope they do make the playoffs, only for the chance of possibly having a Flames-Oilers playoff series. It has been a long time since one of those happened. The Flames-Oilers game on Saturday should be a gooder. A must-watch, I am thinking.
Of course those who follow my license plate ticker will notice the most exciting thing of all. I am one plate away from 100! Oh boy!
Well, I should take advantage of my bachelorhood to sleep.

Into The Wild

I've only watched half but it looks like a really good movie.
Fortunately this week is a short week. We get Easter Monday off too. Four days off will be very nice. We'll be in the Duchess area so there should be lots of family time. We can even see Corey and Wendy for the first time since before Christmas. Yay!
I've been car-pooling to work the past two weeks which has been good. Plus Kris can use the car during the day.
Evie has really been enjoying her exersaucer. She plays in it quite often. We've been trying to read to her, but she is more interested in eating the book than reading. She can almost sit up on her own too.
I'm tired. Next post will be more entertaining. Maybe.

Coach Z, how come you don't blog no more?

I really should be blogging more. I always think of great things to say, and then don't have time to write them down until I forget them. Lets see...
Oh yeah. Last week Evie and I went out in the evening to run some errands and do some grocery shopping. We went to the bank and she was fine. We went to the library and she barely complained. We went through all of superstore and she seemed quite content. I was thinking, "This is pretty easy." Then when we got to the checkout Evie decided to throw a fit. She wouldn't calm down until I took her out of her car seat and held her. I could feel the eyes of all the people in line on me as I held here with one arm and did self-checkout with the other. Once Evie was satisfied I had learned my lesson, she consented to go back into her seat. Her eyes said, "Just remember, I'm in charge."
I had to work on Sunday. Booo. But I got off a little early and we went to Kris' Dad's for supper. It was a great time as usual, with excellent food and excellent baby-minding services :)
So Kris and I have been chatting again about the possibility of working overseas for 6 months. I wonder what kind of opportunities are available? I'm thinking Engineers Without Borders or the UN or some kind of Aid agency. Or maybe just Ireland. They have lots of high-tech there. Possibilities...

Okay Okay

Well last week my plan was to have several updates, what with Kris being in Duchess and me having some free time. But Future Shop took back the laptop so I didn't spend much time on the internet. Again. You'd think I didn't like computers.
I was going to do some commentary on the Alberta Election. It was a little surprising that the PCs gained seats. I tend to fall left of centre on the spectrum, but I can't stand Kevin Taft, so I was somewhat glad they did poorly. Probably out of all the leaders Stelmach is the best choice. Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a political blog. Not that I have the greatest insight anyway.
It was strange how Evie appeared to have changed after only a week. Her hair is starting to turn quite blond. I'm afraid I have slipped down to her third favorite, after Kris' mom. How does she do that?
Here's Evie singing for her supper.

Back In the Saddle, er, Kitchen

Hooray, the laptop is back. We finally have internet access where it belongs, in the living area. However, I am not too impressed with Future Shop. They sent the laptop to Mexico to be repaired. The speakers appear to still be broken. Also, they didn't put most of the screws back in so the casing is coming off. Lame.I have noticed a theme with blogs I've read lately so I thought it was timely to add that Evie had her 4 month vaccinations today. Things went quite well considering she had long metal spikes stuck in her legs. She cried, but not a lot more than when she is angry about going to bed. Kris held her because Evie feels the most comfortable with her. She has started becoming very shy
around other people. She just loves her mommy. I'm still 2nd favourite.
This past weekend we inherited an exersaucer for Evie to play in. She has really strong neck muscles so she does very well in there.
Evie and Kris have been going swimming at Cardel Place (or at least trying to go when they are not full). Evie swims pretty well. She kicks her legs hard as we carry her around the pool. She obviously didn't get my swimming genes. Evie is working on her poses.
More Evie pictures can be found at
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/8390487383-1204170226-42170/
Did you see the lunar eclipse last week? We saw some of it before we fell asleep. We even took a picture, but that moon gets pretty small.
If you haven't looked at Kris's blog lately she has decided to start posting again. There's a link on the side.
Doing taxes this year is less fun. No more tuition protection, so the return is much smaller. Oh well, now we are real adults.
This might be the funniest thing I have ever seen. Garfield minus Garfield. Enjoy.

OK, pictures

Now that I've calmed down (see previous post) I have some pictures.
Evie's Christmas

Evie Extravaganza

An Update?

The laptop is still not back, so I will blame that for the lack of updates. Plus work is starting to get quite busy with some new projects happening so I have little time for contributing to internets.
Kristin was sick this past week so I got to stay home and take care of Evie. Let me tell you, that is not an easy job. I think it was good for me to see what Kris has to do all day. And she manages to do housework too, which I didn't accomplish.

Well, I tired to upload some new pictures but I was thwarted by Linux incompatibility. It makes no sense! It's in Java! I am angry.

Where did I go?

It may appear to the reader that I have broken up with the internet. Well, we were only on hiatus. The laptop was acting up so it's at Future Shop trying to work out its issues. So that means the only computer at home is in the basement and that is too far to travel for blogging. I'm usually too busy at work to blog there.
Now that my excuses are done, what has been happening over the last several weeks? Well, there were two birthdays in Kristin's family these past two weekends so she spent the past week in Duchess. So I was living the life of a bachelor. It was quite nice. I went to a Flames game (we won!) and went on a man-date and ate lasagna that I made at the beginning of the week for a whole week. I also got some extra sleep which was quite nice. Kristin was quite a bit busier so I'll have to take care of Evie for a few weekends to try to make it up.
I was amazed at how different Evie looked after not seeing her for a week. It's crazy how fast she grows. I'll get some new pictures up soon.

Go Canada Go

Kristin is going out to do some shopping today so Evie and I are hanging out and watching the World Juniors Gold Medal game. Canada vs Sweden. Canada's going for their 4th Gold in a row.

Well, overall this Christmas was an enjoyable one. It was certainly much busier. One good thing is taking care of a baby is that it keeps you from eating too much. Of course we had plenty of offers to take care of Evie while we ate but she was a little bit shy. When we went to places other than Kristin's parents she got quite upset if someone other than Kris or I held her. I think she has gotten to know us quite well and doesn't like to be apart. She also got a bit of a cold so she was grumpy. Unfortunately she ended up being upset the most around my Mom and Dad. It's hard for Grandma when she can't hold her.
It was good to see family, though always moving to different places made all the visits so short. On New Years Kris's Mom took care of Evie so we got to hang out with friends. Of course we weren't able to stay up much past midnight. After New Years it was back to work. I got a bit of a cold. On Friday morning my throat was pretty hoarse. When I talked I sounded like John Wayne. It made me laugh.
It's amazing. Evie seems to have grown so much over Christmas. She no longer seems to be a newborn. She feels very substantial when we hold her. She is even more aware and smiles a lot. She is starting to make a lot of cooing sounds.
Hockey Update: We are going to overtime!

Canada wins in OT!! Evie and I danced!

On the internets

The things you find....

The last pre-christmas post

Since Christmas will be really busy I thought I should post the pictures we have. There's some nice baby shower ones with 5 Grandmas!
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/8390453346-1198042080-63213/

Last Friday we were at Mal and Gin's hanging out with Dave and Steph and family. It was a fun time. A little different now, but things being different has become pretty normal. Monday night was my company Christmas party. Yeah a party on a Monday night. Strange no? It was the first time both Kris and I had been away from Evie for an evening. It was a really weird feeling to be driving away and thinking that was our baby we were leaving. Fortunately Grandpa and Grandma Fleury are excellent baby sitters. Evie had a good evening being doted on. Kris and I had fun too. Sometimes I can be uncomfortable at company parties, but I enjoyed this one a lot.
Friday I'll be attending the Flames game with my brothers and uncles and cousins and such. It should be good. Go for a perfect 7! Then it's on to the Christmas craziness.

What just happened?

Last weekend there was a baby shower for Kris in Duchess. Evie recieved some much appreciated presents. Getting new clothes is excellent right now as Evie is grow so quickly. It is so amazing that clothes that were so big before are now tight.
The past couple of weeks has basically been a blur. Sorry for no pictures. Next time there should be some.

Have you seen in your dreams?

This week Evie has started to smile in response to people. Mostly when Kris talks to her but I have gotten a few smiles too.The latest photo album is available at
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/8390471921-1196626537-60125/
On Tuesday Calgary had its first winter storm so of course traffic was crazy and accidents abounded. I still managed t meet some friends from my last job for lunch, which was very nice. Lunches with them were always great. Probably what I miss most.
On Wednesday I took transit to work and on the way home I had to wait outside downtown for 40 minutes. 2 buses went by that were so full no one could get on. I barely manged to squeeze on. The lack of good transit really makes me hate Calgary. Most of the time I like it, but traffic and transit get me down.
Evie had her 6 week checkup on Thursday. It went very well. Her hip click is gone so we can stop double diapering! She now weighs 9 1/2 pounds. For the past few days she was not sleeping very much. Seems she will sleep for 20-30 mins and then wake herself up. I think she now has an addiction to her swing as that is the only place she will sleep. She is starting to sleep better now though. Seems to be trying to recover form not sleeping.
Mom and Dad and Kelsey came over on Friday night and we had Indian food. mmmmm. Evie was a little grumpy from her lack of sleeping. Mom and Dad stayed over night and even took Evie for her midnight feeding, which allowed Kris and I to have a nice nights sleep. It was excellent.
The rest of the weekend has been pretty relaxing. Evie and I watched the Flames game. I can't understand them. I don't want to be a naysayer, but I'm concerned they won't even make the playoffs. Here's more smiling to make up for it.

4 things

It is official. I received a letter from APEGGA informing me that my application to become a Professional Engineer was approved. I am a Peng! I am quite relieved to finally have that process completed. Including all my schooling it took me 9 years to get it. That is almost a decade. Crazy. Now I finally have the following powers:
- sign passports
- ownership of a notarized stamp or seal
- get sued for bad advice

Evie keeps on growing and changing. She was officially one month last Saturday. We got her a new chair for her birthday. It's very similar to her cousins chair. Here's some more pictures:
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/8390497519-1195696142-41643/83904

We went shopping the other night and in the produce section I found Grapples. They are advertised as looking like an apple but tasting like a grape. I thought that would be a pretty cool genetically modified experience so I bought a package. Five bucks for 4 Grapples?! It better be worth it. Well, it turned out a Grapple looks like an apple, feels like an apple, smells like cheap grape juice, and tastes like...an apple. Worst. Produce. Ever.

And I'll leave you with a sample of the Ramer weekend.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Ramer, P.Eng.