Sym’s City 2.0

Negligent Ninny

2011-04-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

That's me. Negligent Ninny. Not at everything but certainly at some things! The blog being one...

I'll keep it brief, but all is well here in the Junction. Life continues to tick along at a pace that, although less "city-fied", is still brisk for my short, stubby physical legs as well as my "soul" legs. You know what I mean, don't you? The fitness your soul has that can carry you just so far and just so fast without it starting to gasp for air, for space, for "soul rest"?

Well, we have been on a bit of a marathon around here, and either I'm getting better at handling it, or you caught me on a good day...

Spring Break has come and gone - two weeks! I LOVED IT! Not the part about the kids being home. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids - but two weeks of sibling crap makes me feel like bungee jumping without a rope. But what I do LOVE is the break from routine! Oh, the glory of all of us waking when we're ready and having nothing to get to by a certain time. Mmm Mmm Mmmm. Of course, there was the little detail about the fact that I was on my own with the kids the entire time...

A couple weeks before the break we found out that Mom Symanski was scheduled for a major surgery. And with Mom being 81 years old, surgery of any kind poses all kinds of risks. It wasn't a hard decision to make - Ken needed to be there. Thankfully it was during spring break and he could go for more than a few days to help out and spend time with her and the rest of the family (he was gone three weeks). She was doing well and to make a very long, convoluted story, short, they cancelled the surgery altogether after they looked at more of the results of further testing they did. She has an aoertic anuerism in her abdomen that is just too risky to operate on. Overall the best decision, although difficult. And overall the BEST decision to have Ken go there to be with everyone. Not only was it valuable time spent with his mom, I know he was a huge source of encouragement and laughs for his siblings.

And we survived Daddy being gone (and no, I did not do mind-altering drugs). We laid low for a bit, went to Whitehorse for a bit, and then took a fantastic (albeit brief) trip to Skagway, Alaska where we hopped on the Alaska State Ferry to Haines, Alaska. Breathtaking. We spent the night there and then went beachcombing the next day. Haines is a lovely place and only 2 1/2 hours from the Junction. It's on the coast and when your heart laments that maybe spring will never come, it is just the medicine. No jackets needed, sunny blue skies and very little snow. And scenery that makes your heart stop. Stunning really. But, just in case I've lulled you into thinking it was picture perfect - remember I was travelling with three kids infected with that serious and troubling illness, "Sibling Intolerance Syndrome" (S.I.S. for short) and three dogs. One of which gets carsick. Need I say more...

When we left Haines we met up with friends in "the Summit" which is way up in the mountains on the way home and is a snow machiners/tobagganners paradise. We had a hoot! The kids sledded down these massive hills and then our friend Dave would go down and pick them up with the skidoo (they are the little specks at the bottom of the hill in the pic on the left) They loved it! They dug and played in the snow for hours! And then as the sun was setting we made our way home. A good time was had by all.

The "marathon" includes more but I said I would keep this brief. For my sake. I need to go get some of that "soul rest" that I need in order to keep from becoming the hideous, grouchy bear that takes over my being when I start to tire out. It's not a pretty sight. It's the kind of thing epic horror flicks are made of.

Jesus,

You sustain me, intrigue me, calm me. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

A Simple Task

2011-02-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have the dearest friend. I mean the DEAREST. I have never known anyone to not absolutely LOVE this lady. Just spending time with her makes your heart happy. Her eyes disappear when she smiles but NOTHING can hide the gleam in them. I remember her saying to me once in our teens that when she got old she wanted to be the kind of old lady that winked at people. And I bet she will. She'll be this irresistable old dear in the nursing home that all the nurses dote on and adore while they push me in the corner for time out because I'm such an old crank!

Now when this person asks me to post a pic of our new pup everything in me wants to do it. You just don't have the heart to say no. It's like kicking, well, a puppy! And so here is my dilemma.

This is what goes into a "simple" task like downloading a picture.

"Where the hell is that camera anyways...",
"Ken, where's the camera?"
"Okay, then who had it last? Fine, I'll just have to find it..."

Rummage, rummage, cuss, rummage
(find camera)

"Okay, now where the hell is that cord?"

Rummage, rummage, cuss, rummage
(find cord)

Turn on camera....

"oh crap, that's right Brenna dropped it and now the lens is all screwed up. Rats. That's okay, maybe I can download pics anyway."

Camera turns off...

"Crap. Batteries are dead. &*%$ ! Where the hell are those batteries?"

Rummage, rummage, cuss, rummage
(find batteries)

Hook up camera - it says "establishing connection"
Hope begins to rise - it says "unable to connect to computer"
Hope is dashed

Wipe tears, try new pluggy innie place (techno gargon - sorry)

Beep! -"Welcome to Scanner and Camera" pops up on the screen. There is a God!

Sort through 534 pictures because I don't know how to delete pictures once and for all

Find a few, "where the hell are the rest of them? These will have to do. Grrr." Although he is pretty cute.

Mindy and her new little one

Charlie Chub Chubs - our little HavaShitz

And now, only now, can I go to bed because I have done what any decent person could do when they are asked to do something by THE NICEST PERSON IN THE WORLD.

And yes, I know, it wasn't that hard. It's just that the above scenerio seems to happen only about a gazillion times a day as I try to keep track of myself (no easy task) and four other people and all their stuff (permission forms, bills, emails, volunteer requests, paycheques). No word of a lie, I have lost three paycheques in the last three months. I always end up finding them but not before having a break down of some sort. And I know I'm whining but I swear sometimes there's a little gnome that follows me around moving stuff just to watch me look for it and admire the fireworks as my brain cells explode in frustration. I would banish thee little gnome... if I could find you.

So there it is. Pictures for my dear friend and a mini rant on the side. Good night.

Jesus,

I suck at keeping track of stuff and things. Seriously. I could use a little divine help here. (At least banish the gnome). I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

on and on and on and...

2011-02-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

February is a crazy month around here. Here’s the rundown!

First, the puppy has arrived! My goodness it was so exciting! I arrived home from work on Thursday, Feb. 10 to our Mindy who was obviously in labour. The only problem was that Brenna and Will were in Whitehorse at a Hockey Day in Canada event and we wanted so badly for them to be there for the birth! Ken and I flew into action and set up the video camera and the waiting began…

But Mindy was a dear and seemed to know how important it was for our whole family to be present when she gave birth so she waited until Brenna and Will were home and within 10 minutes the pup had arrived! Our buddy Travis from across the street was there as well (our “adopted” son) and softie that he is, cried at the miracle of seeing this little life emerge. It was pure Travie and Jay followed with some tears of his own. Everyone was quite enthralled with the whole process although Will kept darting away and then back. I think it was all a bit much and easier for him to take in small doses.

Only one pup arrived and he’s a little boy we’ve dubbed “Charlie” after his charcoal colouring. His nickname is Charlie Chub Chubs because he’s a voracious eater and is growing exponentially fast! Mindy is a wonderful little mother and is her happy little self in spite of her new responsibilities. Wags, the new dad, has been great. Very concerned about Mindy throughout the whole labour and delivery, even sneaking in to lick her whole face afterwards. He’s fairly disinterested in the pup at this point in spite of Ken coaching him to NOT be a “dead beat dad”. We’ll see how that goes when the pup starts playing with him! For now everything is fairly easy but once Charlie opens his eyes and starts to explore his world more our home will shift into puppy training gear and all that entails…

On the heels of all this we had the pleasure of having James Hill here in the Junction. Now this fellow is absolutely amazing and if you don’t know who this is, you just have to get to know what this guy’s about. For our family it was like having a rock star walk into our living room! He is a Ukulele GURU! Simply mesmerizing and inspiring to watch. Ukuele has become a big thing for the Symanskis and deserves a whole post to describe the “Birth of Uke” into our family. Suffice to say we are captured by it and to have someone of James’ caliber come and do workshops and a concert was a gift and a thrill. Will was even a part of the concert, chording for James while James played a song. Will floated off the stage! Please, if you ever get a chance to see James Hill in concert RUN, don’t WALK and get yourself there. You won’t regret it and you’ll never look at a ukulele the same way…

And then to keep things at a fevered pace there was the Atom’s Hockey Tournament (Will’s) this past weekend here. Meanwhile Jay was in the NorthwesTel Soccer Championships in Whitehorse. So after making a huge pot of spaghetti sauce for the Atoms banquet and a few dozen cookies for the concession, Jay, Brenna and I were off to Whitehorse for soccer while Ken stayed to be with Will. Will played HARD in his tournament (4 or 5 games) and Ken worked at the concession, Jay played 4 games on Saturday and 2 on Sunday and came away with a Bronze medal. I played chauffeur and crazy soccer mom, cheering on our kids til my throat was hoarse!

Also this weekend, Jay and I had the pleasure of helping out some friends from the Junction who ended up having their baby in Whitehorse on Saturday. Jay and I watched their two-year-old girl while they went in for a c-section and then had the pleasure of seeing the new addition to their family! It was so exciting and such a treat that we were able to help out. And to top it all off their new little girl was born on the big sister’s birthday! How neat.

Now we’re into another week of school and gearing up for this coming weekend. Jay plays at the Novice Hockey Championship in Teslin so we’ll all be going there. It’s 4 hours away (approx.) and should be lots of fun. The weekend after that Brenna and I are heading up to Fairbanks, Alaska to take part in a festival there. Brenna is part of the First Nations Dance Group here called Dakwakada Dancers and they will be performing and I’m going to go along as a chaperone. I’ve never been to Fairbanks so I’m looking forward to discovering a new city.

Needless to say that in addition to doing more subbing than usual, attending all these great events and taking care of our new puppy, blogging has fallen by the wayside. I’ll try to get something thoughtful down soon. I have quite a bit rumbling around in me especially regarding church and what that looks like here in the Junction for us. I’d love to mooch some wisdom from you about your thoughts so keep posted for my wonderings!

Jesus,

In the midst of it all, you are with us and I’m glad. I’m still looking to you about this whole “church” thing. Let me know what you think. I love you!

‘til next time,

Dianna

Teachers...

2011-02-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

I work as a sub in the local school here in the Junction. We have one K-12 school, all the students harmoniously mixed together in a great facility. I enjoy the fact that I'm not tied down to a full time job.  I can better manage a healthy balance between family and work but I get lots of time in the school getting to know and having fun with the students and enjoying the camaraderie of being a part of a staff with some really fantastic educators.

And last week I was reminded of a teacher I worked with occasionally in Winnipeg. She was very creative, had wonderful routines and affectionately called her grade one/two kids her "little ducks". Every Friday they shared a pancake meal together and practiced their manners and talked about their week together. And as she would wind up her Friday with her kids they would join hands and sing the chorus to Bob Marley's song
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright". She knew that some of those kids were going home and things wouldn't always be alright for them over the weekend. But at least in her classroom she could give them stability and structure and lots of care.   She was quite inspiring.

And then she had one or two of those students who valiantly struggled through even the simplest tasks required of them. They had a hard time just getting in the door and putting their stuff in their cubbies never mind the 3 R's! These dear ones were often on modified programs and needed lots of coaching and support. They had a special place in their teachers heart.  To her they were her "wobbly ducks".

"Wobbly ducks". Something goes to mush in me when I think of it. It's just so darn cute on one hand but on another I have to confess it strikes a deeper chord in me. I think it's because ultimately I'm a wobbly duck.

I'm wobbly in all kinds of ways. But I don't want to focus on that. What really captures my attention as I think about my "wobbliness" is how grateful I am for the kindnesses I've received from the "teachers" in my life. People who, along the way, have shared a meal with me, teaching me valuable life lessons. People who have held my hand and have sang "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" to me in countless ways through their hugs, their listening ears, their words of encouragement, their laughter, their prayer. People who, knowing that at times everything was NOT alright, sang it to me anyway because they knew one day it would be. And like the teacher I described, they are really quite inspiring.

And maybe, just maybe, as I wobble along I can inspire too.

Jesus,

I'm glad you have a special place in your heart for us "wobbly ducks". In you I feel the safety to wobble through. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

A Twelve Year Old

2011-02-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

My daughter is now twelve. I remember twelve. It was tumultuous. I was tumultuous. Hormones flip flopping everywhere. And so it seems it may be so for my dear girl. Oh dear, better fasten our seat belts!

And so Ken and I chat. Chat about what is coming down the road for us. Our little girl beginning the journey to womanhood. He grimaces to hear me talk about his "little Boo" becoming a woman. Reluctantly nods when I say we need to bless this process in her and not let on that we are doing so under some duress. I look at him and say,

"We are not mature enough to deal with what's about to happen. So we'll just have to fake it."

He doesn't miss a beat,

"As long as we have a plan."

And so we will continue to pretend to know what to do, lean heavily on each other and on other parents that have gone before us and have lived to tell the tale. And we will trust this little one blossoming before us into the Father's hands. At least He knows what He's doing.

Jesus,

She's really great. But I guess you know that. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Breathe, Exhale, Breathe

2011-01-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

hoar frost hugs brittle branches
mountains stand at awesome attention
sky blue yawns and stretches its beauty
blanketing the world with hope,
promise, gladness

nature smiles a broad grin
abandoning her hiding places
sunshine highlighting
her gentle splendor

a hush falls
hearts are quieted
peace reigns

Jesus,

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. You are delicious. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

"The Talk"

2011-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't read yesterday's post you may want to so that you have the background for this post. If you don't (fine, be that way) - suffice it to say our dogs, Wags and Mindy, are now awaiting the arrival of pups in February. And our kids, who of course are thrilled, saw the whole mating process which as you can imagine raised some questions!

Now, I am not terribly prudish or shy.  Talking about our bodies with my kids (11, 9 and 7 years old) hasn't freaked me out. We've taught them the anatomically correct names of their body parts - "head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes, head and shoulders, knees and toes, eyes, ears, penis and vagina". We've talked about the need for privacy and personal safety around our sexual body parts and we've tried to instill in our kids that our bodies, no matter who we are, are beautiful and to be celebrated.

Then there is that moment that I've been keeping my eyes open for when they need more information. They need "the talk". I really truly want to beat their classmates to the punch line.  Brenna and I have had "the talk" when she was in grade four in a multi-age classroom of grades 4,5 & 6 and it became clear that she might hear more in that context then in a regular grade four classroom. Now that just left Will and Jay to have "the talk" with. And our dogs getting caught in the act provided just that opportunity! When Will asked me what was going on with Wags and Mindy I asked, "Do you really want to know?" His response was typical Will, "Sure, I'm in the mood for a story!"

And then it was time to explain the nitty gritty of sex and it was Jay who helped us put it into words. But not the 7 year old Jay. The 3 year old Jay. Just a week before the dogs had their little trist(s) we were reminising about some of the funny things our kids have said as wee ones. And this story is one our favorites...

All three of my children have been willing to go toe to toe with me from the time they realized we both had toes. This particular day with my 3 year old Jay was no different as he was determined to convince me that Brenna had a penis.   It started out funny and I remember assuring him that "no sweetie, Brenna is a girl. She has a vagina."

"Nooo. She has a penis." End of story.

"Jay, she has a vagina. She's different then you and Will. She's a girl."

"Noooo! She has a penis!" now he's ticked off and ready to rumble.

"Jay! I am her mother. I did her diapers. She has a VAGINA." It's not funny anymore and I'm sucked in and legitimately arguing with a three year as if my sanity depends on it.

"MOOOOM! She DOES have a PENIS! It's just an INNIE!" And I am silenced. I am put in my place. It makes all the sense in the world. There are innie belly buttons. Why not innie penises? Can you speak?!?

And so when it came time to tell our boys what on earth was going on with Mindy and Wags it was easy. We had the lingo!

"Wags is trying to get Mindy pregnant" we explain.

"But how?"

"Well... he puts his 'outie' in her 'innie'."

Will is immediately grossed out because he's nine and he makes the intellectual leap to what that means about human puppies and...ewwww....how he came to be.

Dear Jay just looks at us and says "OOOO-K". And that's it. No leaping in that kid's mind. It's still just what the dogs do. And that's okay with me. There's plenty of time to talk about it another time.

Jesus,

Oh, how you must laugh too! I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Tying One On

2011-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

We have two dogs. Our shitzu/papillion, Wags, who will be 6 this summer and Mindy, our havanese, who will be 2 this spring. Not having a dog or dogs was never an option for us because my mom is, well, she is THE CRAZY DOG LADY. I often kid that in our home growing up, the condiments on our table always included dog hair. If there wasn't dog hair in our food, it was like it was missing salt and pepper.

Long ago my mom decided that dogs would replace us of the human variety to fill her need to nurture as we all left home. I don't think it's a coincidence that she always has three dogs in her home at any given time as growing up in our home she attempted valiantly to raise two sets of three kids (as one set moved out, another set moved in - long story). As she dealt with the inevitable "empty nest syndrome" as we all finally moved out, the dogs filled the void with their crazy antics, their undying adoration of her and their need to be cared for.

And so it goes that in our family, if you don't have a dog she feels compelled to bestow one upon you. I don't even think my last kid was hatched before she laid claim to the right to be the one to provide HER grandchildren with a puppy. I held her off as long as I could with my convincing act of being wildly overwhelmed with the diapering/breastfeeding/toilettraining/tryingtogetthe
darnthingstosleep routine. But 6 years ago, two days before our bi-yearly visit from Grandma, the phone rang and she accomplished one of her purposes for living. She had just seen the CUTEST litter of small breed puppies with a little fellow that would fit perfectly into our home, our yard and our hearts and as our youngest was now over two, IT WAS TIME. I hastily called Ken at work expecting him to buoy up my resolve to say no,no,no! but we were both sucked into her enthusiasm and hopelessly committed to whatever little fluffball she managed to smuggle onto the flight to Winnipeg from Whitehorse.

And when Grandma put this little one into our then 6 year old Brenna's arms and he wagged his tail as if his life depended on it, he was aptly christened Wags by her and officially made a new member of the Symanski clan. And truly I get why my mom is THE CRAZY DOG LADY. Wags has been a great addition to the family and has given us much to laugh about. And when it was time to move to the Yukon it's as if he knew he was back where he was born. It helps that when we go to visit at Grandma's and Grandpa's he gets to see his cousins, Koda (a beautiful and extremely large German Shepherd), Maggie (a fourteen year old Border Collie who is the matriarch of the clan) and Foxy (a rescue dog, who came to live with my parents when they fostered her and her gazillion pups from the animal shelter. The pups all got successfully adopted out and Foxy found her forever home with Mom and Dad). Wags loves this crew so much that upon entering the city limits seeing the signs welcoming us to Whitehorse (he reads "Grandma and Grandpa's House"), he begins to launch himself through the windshield. He seems convinced that the 100 km/hr that we are driving is too slow and surely he can get there faster if only he was given the chance.

But I should have known we were not complete as a dog loving family. I thought we were done. But Grandma knows best and so now we have little Mindy. I heard about her months and months before meeting her. Mom knew about this dear little havanese pup that needed a home and every so often tried to convince me that she would be PERFECT for our family now that we had a larger yard and "look how much Wags loves having other dogs around..." I should've known I was done for. This spring, through a series of crazy events, Mindy became a Symanski. And I have to say, she is a piece of work. Havanese are a sweet breed known for getting very attached to one person. Well, I am her person. She adores me. And now that I've entered that lovely stage were my darling, little children can eloquently, passionately, convincingly form the words, "I HATE YOU" and "YOU ARE THE WORST MOTHER IN THE WHOLE WORLD!", Mindy is my solace. I am perfect in her sight. When I enter the room I swear you hear the Hallelujah Chorus singing in her little heart. I, Dianna Symanski, can do no wrong.

Now, why you ask, is this long rambling post called "Tying One On"? Well because they did. Wags and Mindy. They did the wild thing, made the beast with two backs, they tied one on! In the dog world that doesn't mean they got drunk. And although I had heard the term "tying" in relation to dogs mating from my wise, German Shepherd breeding sister, I had no idea what it looked like.

Don't get me wrong I didn't think it was moonlight and roses and wooing or even "Paradise By The Dashboard Light". Having never actually seen dogs "do the deed", how was I to know that when they "tie" they actually get stuck together! Colour me surprised when I walked in on these two little lovebirds and found them looking up at me (a little embarrassed I think!) completely unable to disengage from their little rendezvous. Both Ken and I flew into action while our children looked on with amazement and bewilderment. I did what anyone would do. I panicked and called my sister and my brother-in-law and they talked me off the ledge explaining that this was normal and that they would go their separate ways when they, well, could. Ken, however had a very different response and immediately dimmed the lights and put on Marvin Gaye. That's my guy!

So now we are faced with the reality that in February we will have puppies in our home. February 14 is Mindy's due date! Of course we're having all kinds of discussions with the kids about this (tomorrow's post) and we get a real kick out of the fact that our puppies will be HavaShitz. Our kids giggle their butts off because we rarely swear around them (Ken - never, me - no comment) but we're just having too much fun asking people if they want a HavaShitz!

By the way... do YOU want a HavaShitz? giggle, giggle, hee, hee

Jesus,

Oh my, what has my mother gotten us into!? I admit that once again she was right when it came to adding Wags and Mindy to our family. But please, please, please don't let the mantle of THE CRAZY DOG LADY fall on me. I love you!

'til next time,

Dianna

A Little Gem

2011-01-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

People are very kind. I've had a number of people tell me how much they enjoy reading this blog (really?!?). And I've had threats of physical violence if I don't write more (you know who you are!). And in so many ways that is quite motivating...

but... (and there is a but!)

What to write? I'm not clever or insightful or original everyday. Who are we kidding. I'm lucky when it happens at all! Now if I thought you'd all like to read a steady stream of me lamenting whatever area of my life I'm struggling with then I would be set. I could go on for days, weeks, years! But then, I would be bored. Because even in my struggles I'm not original. Round and round I go on the same old merry-go-round of character flaws. My struggle with my weight, my struggle with selfishness, my struggle with my lack of discipline. Ugh. How tedious...

Thankfully being clever or inspired or original doesn't have to start with me. If I open myself up to the wonder of the world around me I don't have to wait for long until a little gem falls into my lap. Like yesterday...

Part of my life here in the Junction is that I am a substitute teacher. And maybe someday I'll write a whole post about how much I LOVE being a substitute teacher but for now just know that it fits me like a glove. I sub in classes from kindergarten to grade 12 and I think I'm just about the luckiest person. It cracks me up that I so thoroughly enjoy a job most people would avoid. And yesterday's little vignette will explain just one of the reasons I think I'm so darn fortunate.

I was in an elementary class yesterday when I noticed one of the little girls starting to orbit me by recess. Not in an intrusive way - a little star in the night sky, always in the periphery, but always there. Apparently she doesn't always make it to school, and rarely returns after lunch if she makes it there in the morning. But there she was after lunch and she made her move, breaking into my atmosphere.

"Mrs. Smnaski (Symanski is a hard word for little kids!)... I love you."

WHAT? She loves me? But I didn't do anything but be a little bit kind and a little bit silly! I had no make-up on, a zit on the side of my face and I probably looked tired too. Not to mention all these character flaws I have. But, she loves me! And not only that, then she looked up at me with these adoring little eyes that convinced me she meant it. She really does. I remained composed but I felt a little like the Grinch whose heart grew three times when he heard the Whos in Whoville singing. And then not half an hour later...

"Mrs. Smnaski, do you want to be my BEST friend?" Can you breathe? Needless to say Ken is no longer my best friend. He has been replaced by a six year old.

And of course I'm inspired. By the generosity of her words. By her honesty, her warmth. Her transparency and her need. And whenever I'm in the school (which is quite a bit), I will try to check in on my new "best friend" because she is this lovely little mite who knows what she wants, what she needs, and isn't too shy too ask for it. And who can resist that? Not me.

Jesus,

You know all that I need and yet you love to hear me put it into words. Well, I love you and thank you for being my best friend...

'til next time,

Dianna

Newsy bits after my hissy fit!

2011-01-11T23:53:00.000-08:00

Now that I had that thoroughly fulfilling hissy fit yesterday, I'm going to try and piece together something a little more, I don't know, mature. Don't get your hopes up though, it might not last long...

I just returned from visiting beautiful B.C. with Brenna, our 11 - soon to be 12 - year old. In November when she heard Ken and I talking about the fact that I would be leaving after Christmas for a week to be in Tsawwassen for my dad's 70th birthday she flew into action! She promptly tore up her Christmas list and wrote a new one which sounded very much like this...

Dear Santa,
Can you please persuade (yes, she used the word persuade!) my Mom and Dad to allow me to go to B.C. for my Magic Grandpa's 70th birthday? I really want to go to see him and my Magic Grandma and my Great Grandma who is 100 years old. I'm dying to see her! Brenna

And the campaign was on. Daily Brenna talked about going to B.C. She drove a hard bargain! When we told her that it was more than we spend on Christmas for one child, she quickly assured us that we could go together with Santa on it AND it would be her birthday gift as well. (Her birthday is in January). Every so often I would see her looking a little blue and when I inquired about the long face she would reply, "Mom, if I don't get to go to B.C. for Christmas I will cry on Christmas day and spend all my Christmas break depressed in my room." We did what we could to prepare her for the disappointment of not getting to go, encouraging her to be grateful for whatever came her way, all the while knowing her ticket had already been purchased. Christmas morning she was elated to open a box holding her itinerary neatly folded into a paper airplane from Mom, Dad, Santa and Yukon Grandpa and Grandma.

And so we took off together with my sister Janette on New Year's Eve to surprise Magic Grandpa (my dad is a magician thus the moniker "Magic Grandpa"). My dad and step mom celebrate their anniversary on New Year's so we would be there to celebrate with them as well as for Dad's birthday the next day. Magic Grandma knew I was coming but had no idea about Brenna, and Dad didn't have a clue about either of us! Well it couldn't have turned out better! Dad was stunned and delighted to see me but a little perplexed by my insisting on opening my suitcase in the foyer to give them their Christmas gifts right away. They were both beside themselves when Brenna jumped out at them! What a fantastic memory for all of us!

Our days were full from the moment we landed in B.C. to the moment we left. Highlights for me include...

Visiting with Charles and Phyllis McBeth. These family friends have known me for a looong time. Phyllis used to be one of my Brownie leaders! These folks are pure gold and it's always such a treat when I get to be with them. They're like a big cozy, well worn quilt you can wrap yourself in and feel safe and warm and loved.
Magic Grandpa's Pork Roast and Roast Potatoes with Magic Grandma's Homemade Applesauce - simply unbeatable and legendary. I'm not sure what we love more though. The meal itself or the pork sandwiches you get for the plane ride home. Mmmmmm.... Dad and Mom are the most amazing hosts. They tend to your every need. Fresh coffee in the morning, herbal tea in the evening, G & T's at 4 pm. Lots of hugs and laughs and teasing. Lots of teasing. Poor Dad, but he makes it sooo easy!
Heading down to the outlet mall between Bellingham and Seattle. Janette and her partner, Clint dropped us off at Tulalip where Brenna and I shopped 'til we dropped and then spent the night in a hotel. Meanwhile Janette and Clint went on to Seattle to watch the Seahawks and then picked us up on their return trip the next day.
Time spent with dear friends who are living in Burnaby for a year. These are not ordinary folks. These are those friends that you can pick up where you left off as if you were just out of the room for a bathroom break. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! Mike is solid and gentle and true. Karla is all the colours in the Crayola Crayon Box of 64 colours. She is hopelessly creative, incurably sincere, and in a past life I think she was an interrogator from some crime agency. She is rapid fire with her questions and before you know it she knows your most deviant thoughts and deepest secrets. She's that good. And I can't even begin to tell you how much their three girls mean to us. They are these beautiful wildflowers that are being tended in the most wonderful ways and you can't help but fawn over them. Their oldest is one of Brenna's dearest friends and so it was pretty darn exciting for her to surprise Hannah at the school doors when we went to pick up the girls after school!
A visit with Great Grandma. She'll be 101 in April, Lord willing, and lights up whenever she sees Brenna. They've always had a sweet friendship. We call this our Pink and Fluffy Grandma because she has this wonderfully white hair and she always wears soft and baby pink clothes. She is simply darling and is a gift to all who know her.

And of course time spent with my daughter. It was a gift. Brenna is lovely and funny and dear. I love that what she wanted for Christmas was people. Ever since she was wee I have had a hard time buying Christmas gifts for her. I've often said that if I could just wrap up a person for her and put that under the tree - then she would be really happy. And so this year that's what she got. Time with people she loves. Magic Grandpa & Grandma, Auntie Janette, Uncle Clint, Auntie Karla, Uncle Mike, Hannah, Ellie, Sasha, Great Grandma. It was the right gift at the right time.

Jesus,

Can she really be turning twelve? That little one I was afraid to carry out those hospital doors? Hmmm... Twelve? Funny, I met you when I was twelve. I was never the same. May this year be that for Brenna. A year of meeting with you in unexpected and life altering ways.
And by the way, thanks. Thanks for carrying Brenna and Ken and I out those hospital doors that day and thanks for carrying us still. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

One, Two, Three... RANT!

2011-01-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

A rant, you ask? Yes. A rant.

I had one of these a little while ago and it felt so good I thought I'd have another one...

I want to be a child. At some point in my life I wanted to grow up and be an adult and do adult things like stay up late and eat cookies whenever I wanted and drive a car and do what I wanted, when I wanted. But I recant. I take it back. I was wrong.

I am choosing this day to regress. I'm hanging up my big girl panties and donning a nice, warm, cozy diaper. Sucking my thumb in a corner with my blankie is too terribly inviting. Heck, being a fetus floating around in my own urine (that's what amniotic fluid is - baby urine) sounds good to me right now. For the length of time that it takes me to peck out this blog post I'm completely committed to being the biggest 43 year old cry baby you've encountered possibly ever. And if you don't like it....blpssssst. It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to...

Who the hell did I think I was thinking I could handle this whole "being a grown up" gig? What a joke! And for those of you who let me - how could you!?! It must have been clear from an early age that I wasn't cut out for this. And yet, did you stop me? Nooooo! You left me to careen pell-mell towards this insurmountable task of being a grown up.

And then you all attended my wedding like you thought I could handle being a wife! I couldn't do the dishes with my sister without it turning into an all out war. Who thought I could handle being in a close, cooperative relationship like MARRIAGE?!? And worse. I was permitted to have children! What on earth led all of you, including God, to I believe I was a remote candidate for this role? Are you kidding me! There were plenty of signs that I shouldn't be allowed such high levels of responsibility! I have yet to keep a plant alive! Seriously. What made anyone think I should be allowed to carry little human beings out of the hospital like I did? They really should screen people better before they allow that to happen. And I know sterilization is a controversial topic but in my case, I think I was a good candidate.

*breath*

And another thing... the books are wrong. The parenting ones. They are wildly deficient. Even the ones that contradict each other have that in common! (And don't get me started on how many differing opinions there are about how to parent! Tell me please how we are expected to wade through all the info and settle on one method?!? I propose we just rotate through them on a weekly basis to cover all the bases. Barbara Coloroso on Monday, What My Parents Did on Tuesday, Dr. Phil on Wednesday, Dr. Dobson on Thursday, Whatever The Hell Feels Right on Friday and then Saturday and Sunday let the Wolves have them!)

But I digress... the books are deficient because they haven't addressed one fundamental problem in this whole parenting dilemma. MY INSANITY! The fact that there are more times than I care to admit that my own ability to grow up, be mature, be unselfish, be patient, calm and loving and perceive the right way to parent is TOTALLY @#$%* UP! (excuse my language...). The books (at least the ones I've picked up) give lots of great advice on what to do with and for my kids but I need great advice on how to survive when I feel like my head is going to pop off if I hear "MOOOOM!" one more time.

And another thing... that saying "more is caught than taught" (the idea that kids learn and pick up more from watching us than what we verbally teach them). I hate it. I despise it. That means that all the squabbling and fighting and whining and the generally annoying things my children do IS MY FAULT! Who can live with that knowledge?

Now before you all rush to your keyboards to reassure me that my marriage of twenty years is an inspiration, my children are wonderful, I'm doing a fine job and I shouldn't be so hard on myself - don't. Don't bother. This is a rant and I will simply put my fingers in my ears, hum loudly and not listen to anything you have to say. Because today I choose to regress, hug my blankie tight, shit in my diaper if I want to, moan, complain, and generally be annoying because at 3:15 my pity party ends.

And like every other screwed up wife and mom like me, I'll pull up my big girl panties, put away my blankie, stop whining and get on with this undoable job. I'll pretend I know what I'm doing. I'll try to solve the world's woes for one child, keep the other two from killing each other, talk about kindness and loving one another. I'll make dinner, help with homework, monitor screen time, make them eat their vegetables, take them to hockey, get them to bed at a reasonable hour and meanwhile be a loving, devoted wife.

But for now... WAAAAAAA......

Jesus,

Good thing you have a knack for the "impossible" because me and this whole wife and mother thing is right up your alley then. Have at it. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Seeing Winnipeg....

2010-11-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

We were "in town" this past weekend. "In town" means Whitehorse. I've taken quite a generous amount of ribbing because I tend to say I'm going to "the city" when I'm heading into our territory's capital. They snicker at me! Intially I was a bit baffled as technically it is a city but eventually was set straight and was informed that going to "the city" around here means Vancouver or Edmonton. Who knew?!

Going to Whitehorse isn't a big deal, only an hour and a half away and the road between us is in great condition. A very scenic drive as I've mentioned in the past and even the kids don't mind it if we can catch "The Debaters" on CBC (as long as the topic is appropriate) or they can "plug in" into a DVD player. The kids enjoy watching T.V. at the grandparents while we are there (we haven't got cable or satelite in the Junction by choice), playing with their cat and three dogs, going to the Canada Games Centre with the aunties and cousins for a swim and/or a skate. Ken enjoys going to the music store and the high he gets from the smell of new musical instruments and all the paraphenilia that goes with it and I, well, I do the practical icky stuff like groceryshopping/clothesshopping/dogfoodshopping/blah,blah,blahshopping. I do however reward myself with a ventisugarfreevanillalatte at Starbucks. Mmmmmm.

And this time while dragging myself up to the jail like doors of Superzoo (aka Superstore) that promises to punish me with it's too narrow aisles and too wide carts and line ups that stretch into eternity and florescent lights that shine into my very soul and whisper "you'll never get out of here, you'll never be done, and the thing you most need you will forget to pick up... until the moment you've paid your bill!", well this time I saw someone who looked remarkably like someone I know in Winnipeg. And as I continued through my shopping over and over I saw people who reminded me of folks in Winnipeg. I don't know if it's that all Superstores are basically the same and so it evoked all this crazy familiarity but I must admit that by the time I left I was seeing Winnipeg everywhere and I was homesick! No, not homesick, peoplesick. I was missing faces that I've loved and appreciated for many years, I was missing the sweetness of community I experienced in Winnipeg. It was truly bittersweet. Bitter because I'm not there and sweet because I have such wonderful memories of the 'Peg.

Fast forward to this morning. We're back in the Junction and getting up (after a lovely extra hour of sleep) to head over to the school for our version of "church". This morning we're in the home ec room to make up two huge pots of soup for a fundraiser we're having for Haiti (don't get me started on the sorrow I feel for that nation!) this week at school. Two of my dear friends here in the Junction are with us with their boys as well as a couple of other good friends of the kids. We talk about Haiti for a bit altogether and then the work starts. Some of the kids are having a hoot with the "slap chop" dicing up celery, some are crying as they peel onions, one is slicing his finger as he opens up tin cans, others are peeling garlic clove after garlic clove. The moms are bustling here and there administering first aid, doing dishes, and generally trying to keep track of the mayhem. And then we hit a lull where the jobs are done for the kids, and we stop, pray together for Haiti and for the soup to turn out PLEASE and then Ken takes the kids out to play while the moms finish up. We chat and laugh and just enjoy each others company.

And then I'm reminded of my previous day in Whitehorse and the feelings swirling around in me. And I'm grateful. Grateful because as I looked around at the kids as we were discussing Haiti, I could see that we already have community here. People we can play, work and pray together with. And as we women had time together to finish up the soup and visit, I marvelled at these families who love my children and love us and feel like "family" already.

And I am oh so thankful.

Jesus,

Although I so appreciate and need the community you have provided - ultimately the community I crave is communion with you. Thank you that in you I am never alone. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

2010-10-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you still checking to see if I've finally posted... ta da! Pathetic I know, but I'm finally here none the less.

And here. In Haines Junction. Still. And if you look at the title of the blog it's changed slightly from "the one year northern adventure of the Symanski family" to "the ongoing northern adventure of the Symanski family". Long story but to make it a short one, we're here because by last spring it became plain that we were supposed to stay and make the Junction "home".

That's the short version. Maybe sometime I'll want to spend some time giving you a peek in on the long version but not today. It's a great tale, full of angst (should we? shouldn't we?), horror (leave our people in Winnipeg? NOOOoooo....), pathos (oh, the agony of goodbyes), comedy (we ARE the Symanskis and so comedy is inevitable), adrenaline (wow, we're really doing this!) and honest to goodness heartbreak (words fail me...).

But also peace. The deep knowing in the pit of our very flawed selves that this was what we were meant for. That it was and is a God thing. And that both Ken and I felt that deep sense of "yes" together with the same intensity not only confirmed that we were heading in the right direction but also held us together in the days this past summer when we were packing up our life in Winnipeg and saying goodbye to some of THE GREATEST PEOPLE ON EARTH. Thanks be to God that He carried us through it all...

And now we're are here. No longer one year visitors but residents. And life is good. And God is good. But I am still the same person here that I was in Winnipeg which means all my character flaws came with me. I tried to leave them behind. I tip toed away from them when they weren't looking. But they are tenacious little turds and the first time my kids and husband started to annoy me on our drive back to the Yukon from Manitoba they were right there, egging me on and I started to holler. Of course they didn't have far to go, I think they found me around Portage la Prairie...

And so it goes, living life in this fascinating little village, trying to find out what I'm to put my hand to. What will I contribute to this community? There are so many things I could do, so many opportunities. But I have this fairly clean plate/slate before me and I want to be mindful of what I put on it. Ken and the kids and managing our home already has a big chunk of it, I want to be careful not to crowd them out. I know what it feels like to live a crowded life. I don't do well with it. I holler. I get cranky. I withdraw. I eat food I don't need and spend money I don't have. So whatever I add to my plate/slate I want to do it thoughtfully and resist the urge to impulsively add all the good things I see around me (this committee, that project, this idea, that activity) to my schedule. I want to be mindful and deliberate rather than rash and over zealous. (there's those sneaky character flaws again... I guess if I can't run away from them I'll have to contend with them.)

I'll try to keep you posted about what's going on as we live life in our new home. Like I said, life is good and God is good so I'll try to share the goodness with you more frequently...

Jesus,
I am grateful. I'm so deeply aware of my "messiness" inside and out. And yet you don't hold it against me and you pour out your goodness all over my family and I. It's quite delicious and yummy and sustaining. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

To The Extraordinary, Astonishing Ken Symanski

2010-05-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Apparently I have no discretion, but that's another post altogether.

We celebrated 20 years married last week (WOW!) and I wrote the following for Ken. Thought you might enjoy it!

20 YEARS MARRIED, 20 REASONS TO LOVE YOU STILL...

You wrote the song that you sang when I walked down the aisle on our wedding day. I was so happy to be marrying you!

You make me laugh everyday. Some days it's a snicker but often it's a belly laugh.

I love that you work hard but you play harder.

You were willing to go on an adventure to the Yukon for a year and fall in love with it.

You love my family, every crazy one of us.

You are affectionate, loving and passionate.

I love your green eyes and the smiling lines around them!

You are faithful and true. You cultivate an atmosphere of relational safety in our lives.

You dance.

You care more about people than things.

You are generous. You rub my feet with lotion even though I know you hate it.

You speak a blessing over our children every night.

You sing to and with our children. You wrote a song for them when they were born.

You are rarely grumpy.

You are great at accents. My favourites are Jimmy Stewart and Jim from Taxi. Your Robert DeNiro is good too!

You'll go toe to toe with me even when I'm being dogmatic and pigheaded.

You are humble. You can admit when you're wrong and you stop everything with a heartfelt apology.

You don't rub it in when you are right.

You are utterly unique. You have orange feet and a Star Trek Insignia and hands that move simultaneously.

You love God and you love people. You inspire me.

I do not deserve you but I greedily accept and love you!

Jesus,

Thank you for the man I married. He's one of a kind!

'til next time,

Dianna

4:30 a.m.

2010-05-17T04:48:00.000-07:00

4:30 a.m. and I'm awake. Sun is starting to light the sky already. I haven't written in oh-so-long which by now you know means I'm too busy, slightly overwhelmed or avoiding something. I admit I'm not too busy (a little busy but not too busy) but the slightly overwhelmed/avoiding something is right up my alley.

All is good here and by the end of this week I'll try to sort out my thoughts enough to get it down in the blog. But for know can I just say that I have an amazing God, family and friends (all over the place)! I am hugely grateful and humbled and and a wee bit nervous...

That's all. Stay posted...

Jesus,

I'm tucking into you right now. You are are warm and strong and wonderfully present. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Beach Day?

2010-04-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm on day 57 of this nasty cold (OK, so not 57, but I'm sure it's at least 27... that's how it feels) and I have a few questions...

- Did I ever have a voice that wasn't so deep and sexy?

- Why can't I get $ for the amount of snot I produce? I think we should develop a vehicle that runs on snot. I'll supply the fuel, if you supply the research.

- Why does my sneeze scare small children (and Ken) and send them running for cover? I used to be able to suppress my sneeze into a nice lady like squeak. Now I sound like Shrek. Is it an over 40 thing? And why didn't someone warn me?

I think that's all for now. I am getting better little by little. The loud whining you hear from a northerly direction will subside soon I'm sure.

Onto brighter topics, last weekend we went on an adventure (I was sick of being inside with my you-know-what) out to Kluane Lake. It is farther along the Alaska Highway from the Junction (about 40 min.) and the views once again were stunning. There is no end to the beautiful sights around here. Brenna was off snowmobiling in the mountains for the day with her buddies Travis and Michael and Travis' dad so she wasn't along with us.

I have to say part of the beauty and fun of the day was going with friends we've made here in the Junction. We have felt overwhelmed at their kindness since the first week we arrived here! Dave and Cindi and their children have been here three years now (from Tofino, B.C.) and are warm and generous folk who are downright fascinating. They have both spent many years as wilderness guides and on the spectrum of outdoorsy - we couldn't be farther away from each other! But they graciously put up with how "citified" we are and have already taught us so much. And not in that condescending way that makes you keenly aware of all you don't know but rather in the arm in arm kinda way that makes you feel like an equal (although I'm really as dumb as a sack of hammers when it comes to the outdoors!).

They have two boys, one in grade one with Jay and one in grade three with Will. Terrific boys (I adore them) and great pals to our boys. Brenna loves Cindi and has ditched me on occasion to spend time with her. I'm glad. Brenna is well loved by her surrogate aunties in Winnipeg and has missed their attention. Cindi fills that gap in a wonderful way. Cindi and I have wonderful chats together and I am often inspired by her commitment to making this world a better place. Dave and I love to give each other a hard time and we too have great conversations. He is a committed environmentalist who lives a lifestyle that I find challenges me to be a better steward of our earth. Oh I could go on...

But back to last weekend and some pics of our day. These pics are from our time on the beach at Kluane Lake. There's still ice on the lake but the sand was mostly clear and made for lots of fun. We had a fire, roasted bison smokies for lunch (yum) and enjoyed the amazing vistas! Cindi helped the boys fly a stunt kite...

The boys enjoyed beach combing and building!

Our good friends and one of their Bernese

Mountain dogs (what wonderful dogs!)

... and then time to head home after a full day of sunshine, fresh air and good company.

Can you believe the views? I was in awe the whole time I was there. What a gift of a day.

Jesus,

I think you must smile when you see my reaction to your creation. You knock my socks off. And I really love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

(There's another family here that we've also connected with that I'll brag about another time. Another neat family that we feel richer for having met.)

I've got a cowd...

2010-04-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's true... I've got one of those nasty cowds. "Cowd" because I can't pronounce my "l's". I thought of writing (cough, cough) an entire post with no "l's" and with inserted sound effects (sniff, sniff). But I won't (hoooonk). It's just too gross.

The kids and Ken are fantastic. They've all pitched in so that I can rest and get better. I usually drive them back to school after they walk home at lunch but today they all marched off willingly so that I wouldn't have to. Ten minutes later however, they were back.

Jay got sucked into a muddy spot (I'm sure it jumped out at him and attacked him.) Oh, the power of mud! Brenna had to go in to rescue him (as you can see by the pink laced shoes in the pic). We'll laugh about it someday soon but today Jay was bawling, Brenna was fit to be tied and Will, well he just look relieved to be a spectator for this one!

The snow is melting in earnest and the ditches are full and running. Ken is looking forward to floating some boats down them with the kids this evening. I'll try to get pics! Living here has Ken getting in touch with his childhood growing up in Cook's Creek, MB. He's loving doing some things with our kids that he did growing up in the country. I'm very thankful for our time here.

I've slept most of the day but had a chance to try a little craft I've been wanting to. Started with a few old records I had picked up at the Sally Ann (where else).

Then I followed the instructions on http://www.homemademamas.net/ and made these.

I'm not sure yet what I'll use them for (planters or chip and dip bowls) and if I'll paint them or not, but what an easy way to reuse old albums! I'd like to try making more but this time outside on a barbeque as I'm not crazy about the fumes it gives off.

'nuff said. I feel the need to (sniff, sniff) go drink some hot lemon and honey (honk, honk). If I was in Winnipeg right now, our dear neighbour, Mr. Miner, would be at my door with a hot toddy for me to drink to knock this cold on it's ass! Oh, I do miss Mr. Miner!

Jesus,

Thank you for the fun of spring and puddles and the comfort of memories and hot toddys. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

stories

2010-04-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

So you and I both know that my kids are amazing. Amazingly wonderful and sometimes even amazingly horrible. But all in all the tally works in their favour and they get the privilege of living another day with the crazy, off beat lady they call "Mom".

Many times they pull themselves back from the edge of doom with a stunning act of redemption that leaves them not fearing the edge for at least a while. My Will has done just that today. Of all my kids, Will fears the edge the least, tightrope walks along it, and bungee jumps off it once in a while. He is outstanding in his defiance but spectacular in his redemptive qualities.

Today he walks in at lunch time with a sweet grin on his face, eager to show me what he's done. His teacher has given him a new scribbler. He loves getting a new notebook. The fresh, clean page lays before him with endless possibilities. And this is the poem he wrote... (remember, this kid is eight years old)

And if you can't make it out... here it is...

It all starts with the increasing of friendship, the patterns

of love, and the care people have for

each other.

REMEMBER

THIS

W. Symanski

Am I the only one impressed? I don't think so! I must admit that I read the "REMEMBER THIS" a couple ways. First, I think it means that we're supposed to remember the truth of what he's written. Absolutely. But then I think it may just be a message to me to remember this little poem and what a wonderful writer he is when I am threatening to wring his scrawny little neck! Either way I think it's just brilliant.

And then there is our Jay. Remember the one who refused to go over the alphabet with me last summer as we were trying to prepare him for Grade One? I just received my first love note from him. Delicious!

So both boys obviously know how to work their Momma.

And Brenna is right in there, being amazing and wonderful. Last night she made me a wonderful cup of hot lemon and honey to sooth my sore throat (I have a cold). She is a wonderful mix of sweet and funny. She loves to play a good practical joke and so April Fool's Day was right up her alley! And it lasted for three days! For example

- corn syrup in the shampoo bottle

- taping the kitchen sprayer down so that when I turned the faucet on I got soaked (she got both Ken and I with that one!)

- swapped out the sugar in the sugar bowl for salt so when Jay put a teaspoon of it on his rice krispies he got a big surprise!

I know I've forgotten some but the best one of all is one some of you male readers might not want to read so feel free to skip the part between the asterisks!

After school Brenna called frantically from the bathroom for me. When I entered she looked stricken and showed me her underwear. There were the tell-tale signs of a girl's first period. I didn't believe her of course, it being April Fool's and all. But she was REALLY convincing. REALLY. I was totally on the fence and had to do what I least wanted to do. I asked for her underwear to examine more closely and thankfully figured out quite quickly that it was ketchup! Oh my! The best part is when she did it to Ken later on that evening. Poor Ken. He kept calling me to deal with it. Rather panicked I must say. She could have kept him going for a while but I am obviously not as good an actor! The gig was up and a good laugh was had by all!

There. Stories done. Hope you all had a grin.

Jesus,

How clever you make each one of us. So unique and fresh and complex. You are a wonder.

'til next time,

Dianna

Smiling...

2010-04-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Things that make me smile in the morning...

Ken - "Bye, I'm going!" (He's walking to work a bit earlier)

Kids - "Wait, Daddy, wait!" (kids run to smother him with hugs and kisses)

Mom - "Okay, guys, it's not like you're not going to see him soon - you all go to the same school!" (ever the pragmatic one)

Brenna (the oldest child, and even more pragmatic than me, responds dryly) - "yah, but he might get trampled by a moose."

Will and Jay - "Yah!"

Hmmm. Too funny. Life in Haines Junction, Yukon.

Like the time a friend and I were stepping out for a few minutes, leaving the kids on their own, and she looks at them and asks them what they need to remember while we're gone. I know the answer of course and quickly remind them not to open the door to strangers. My girlfriend looks at me quizzically and snickers. "No, don't run with food in your mouth." Me, city girl, afraid of strangers - her, town girl, knows everyone around here and is more afraid of them choking!

On another tangent... I finished another piece of art. I like the flowers and pot but am undecided about the background. It looks more mosiac than I was going for. I'm happiest with the pot. It's made out of a page from out of an old hymn book I picked up at the, you guessed it, Sally Ann. It's the hymn "In the Garden" and if you look closely enough you can see the words of the chorus are arranged in a way that you can still read it.

Most of my ideas and my freedom to try to do art come from a wonderful friend named Karla. The tree in the last post was inspired by her, as well as this piece. Her use of collage and mod podge made me want to try my hand at it. She's also a great encourager! Someday she'll have a blog of her own and you'll just LOVE it. In lots of ways although I'm a Jesus "wannabe", I'm also a Karla "wannabe".

Jesus,

Thank you for the gift of playing with paper, mod podge, and fanciful ideas and thank you for people who inspire others by their gift of playing with paper, mod podge, and fanciful ideas. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

2010-04-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

gasp... must blog... can't go any further... gasp...

ahhhh.... much better. That was a close one!

Okay, enough drama. On with the show/post.

Easter has come and gone. They have a four day weekend here as the school gets Easter Monday off too. This followed two weeks of school after a two week spring break so we are seriously relaxed people!

We had the privilege of hosting Easter Dinner here for the fam' which turned out fine as everyone pitched in. It's a real treat to be with my sisters and their families for holidays (my parents are away on vacation for a month). I did panic, however, the days before they arrived as the walls of our home were bare, white and BORING! I always have art ideas that I never get to, but this gave me the motivation!

Here's what I came up with... keep in mind I didn't want to spend any money so I used whatever I had on hand here.

First I spray painted black an old frame that I had from the Sally Ann. Then I messed about with some Mod Podge, newspaper, magazines and pipe cleaners and came up with a tree...

The little tag says "HOME". I like how it fills the wall and has dimension. I've had some nice comments on it so I'm encouraged (I'm a little insecure about my atrt ability). But then there's my other wall...

I get such a kick out of this piece! I love the way it looks and it makes me smile when I think of how easy it was and what it is made out of. Any guesses? Toilet paper rolls. Really! Flattened and cut toilet paper rolls, glued together (held with paper clips until the glue dried) and then put up on the wall just a few hours later. Cost - $0.00! Impact - priceless! (not a original idea - I got it from a blog called "homemade mamas")

So now I'm motivated to do some more stuff. I'll post whatever I come up with as they get done.

On a different note... the hours of daylight here now are crazy! I feel like a different person. It's so energizing when you wake up and it's light and you go to bed and it's still light. I checked today to see how many hours of daylight we were getting compared to Winnipeg and we are ahead by 1hr and 5min. minutes. So although I know we'll get about another three to four weeks of winter than Winnipeg, all the glorious light makes up for it. By the last day of school (June 11) we'll have 24 hours daylight! We're going to have to put up something on the kids windows if I'm ever going to get them to sleep.

Jesus,

You are a poem. I love you even when I don't understand you all the time.

'til next time,

Dianna

The Smelly Me

2010-03-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Great quote...

"Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship." Anne Lamott (italics mine)

I wholeheartedly agree. And as I've been impacted by the honest and earthy writings of folks like Anne Lamott and Donald Miller it has provoked me to not just write but also to live more honestly and authentically than I have in the past. I certainly haven't arrived and lots of times I'm a chicken shit and like to hide "the me that stinks". But I feel enough gratitude to these other honest/authentic truth tellers who have made me say, "Whew, I'm not the only one!" that most of the time I want to join them on the limb they've climbed out on. I want to maybe, in a small way, help other people know they are not alone and restore some buoyancy to the lives they live.

Here's the catch. That takes a whole lot of courage! With a capital C! Because you run the risk of being judged. Who are we kidding? You will be judged. We live in a time and place where "success" is often defined by the shiny magazines that show off perfect bodies, perfect houses that are perfectly decorated, perfect vacation spots, even perfect blogs... you get the idea. Living with authenticity would be easy if my life looked like that but it doesn't! My life is more like a ratty old magazine that you find in a thrift store. It's a little out of date, pages are missing and it smells a bit off.

Most days I'm okay with that. (Great line from the Veggie Tale movie, Jonah, "I am a caterpillar. Well, that's not entirely true. My mother was a caterpillar, my father was a worm, but I'm okay with that now.") Then there are the "green eyed monster days" where I'm not. My heart is fearful and petty and small and jealous and downright stinky. And so I do stupid things like hide. Hide from others, hide from myself, and from Jesus.

I commit myself to living a quasi-life. Not really living, just existing. Ken often says the quote, "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." And it's funny, here we are on this glorious adventure that many might say, "Wow, look at them, those wild and crazy Symanskis!", but when you get into the guts of the adventure it's more normal than you ever realized it would be. The setting is different but the actors haven't changed. I'm still me, my family is still my family, and our challenge with figuring out our way through family life without losing the plot is still our challenge.

So hooray for adventures of all kinds but today I'm faced with whether I'm willing to live the adventure of living outside of the fears and insecurities of the realities of my less than perfect, somewhat "thrift store", life. Am I willing to come out of hiding and let myself be known wherever and whoever I am? Am I willing to let Jesus open up places inside me that need His help? Am I willing to stop hiding from myself and beating myself up with forced isolation? Hmmm.... deep thoughts....

I love and am inspired by this true little anecdote.

Never having embraced thrift store shopping as a child, it took me a while to warm up to the idea as I moved into adulthood. Generally my generation snubbed second hand clothes as "beneath" us. And personally I hated the smell. You know, that musty smell of used clothes and furniture that hangs in the air like the stores all had the same brand of aerosol, "Second Hand Smells". However, in the last ten to fifteen years I've noticed that not only has it become acceptable to shop at "Value Village" and the "Sally Ann", but the items found there are often worn like badges of honour! And I have been converted. I have my favourite thrift shops in Winnipeg and rarely does a trip into Whitehorse go by without a stop at the Sally Ann there.

And Brenna LOVES it. If I come home with a second hand piece of clothing she is thrilled and the lower the price the better! Last week while we were in Whitehorse we stopped at the Sally Ann and as we walked in the door she looked up at me with grin on her face and said, "I just love the smell of this place." I inwardly clicked my heels.

And here's the lesson and inspiration in that for me. Just as I've been making the effort to living authentically, honestly and out of hiding, can I get to the place that I love the smell of it? Can I get to the place where I value the scent of my own life with its own "Second Hand Smells" like Brenna does the smell of the thrift store? Can I get to the place where I wear my own life not necessarily as a badge of honour but as an example of a life that like a perfectly fine old pair of jeans rescued from the landfill, is redeemed and worthy of celebrating? Oh, that sounds just yummy and true and right. I want that.

Jesus,

Thanks for rescuing me, redeeming me. I celebrate you and the life you've given me. You smell good.

'til next time,

Dianna

Lotsa Fun!

2010-03-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I can't believe it's already been twelve days since I last posted! I could come up with all kinds of excuses and some of them might even be true but really who wants to hear a bunch of excuses!

Spring Break ROCKED! Okay, yes, there were pockets of time that I longed for their teachers and wanted to run screaming into sunset where I am sure they keep all the patience I run out of, but all in all I really enjoyed being with Ken and the kids.

Highlights...

... skiing a second time at Mt. Sima with family and friends
... tobogganning, tobogganning and more tobogganning
... going out 2x on a date with Ken, once to a house concert here in the Junction featuring Bill Bourne (great musician!), and another time out for supper with a gift certificate I won in a raffle
... enjoying the amazing weather with lots of bright blue skies, mild temperatures and beautiful sights

Super Highlight...

... day at Kathleen Lake planned and run by Parks Canada, Junction Arts and Music and Haines Junction Minor Hockey. What a fantastic day! We were outside from 10:30 to 4:30 and it was absolutely glorious.
The pictures tell the story better than I can...

The kids played Pond Hockey with an unbelievable backdrop.

No Zamboni but who cares in a setting like this!

And then front row seats...

Ken and the boys (as well as others) jammed with some Whitehorse musicians that had been brought out to do a concert. Will is playing the ukulele and I mean playing! He's learned a number of chords already and plays Izzy's version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" really well. In fact during the jam session he was yelling out the chords to the others so they could follow along. Jay's playing uke too (also really well!) but was playing djembe that day and the musicians had a blast backing him up with his groovy beat!

Jay and his fiddle with his banjo playing bud, Remy...

But for me the best part of the day was when everyone got to go DOG SLEDDING! A wonderful couple here in the Junction that has sledding dogs was out there to give people rides. Sean and Heather are "oh-so-nice" and tirelessly took person after person out.

What a blast! Each of the kids got to go as well as Ken. I was happy as a clam to watch and to be very honest wasn't going to inflict myself on those dogs! But Heather (an angel with a hearty laugh and a winsome manner) looked over at me and let me know that I WOULD be going and assured me the dogs would be FINE. And so I went...

Can you see the stupid grin on my face?!? And then my favorite photo...

Simply can't tell you how thrilling it was. So serene, so quiet, so beautiful. Magical.

And I'm so grateful. So grateful for Heather who saw my insecurity without me saying a thing and reassured me and gave me the gift of a new and wonderful experience. A precious gift she has and gave.

Jesus,

I continue to be astounded by the beauty of your creation around me. In nature and in people. You are brilliant!

'til next time,

Dianna

Newsy Bits and Pics

2010-03-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

We're home in the Junction after being in Whitehorse with the fam for four nights. So grateful for my family. They are generous, warm and wonderful people. On the way home we made a bit of a detour so that the kids and Ken could swim at Takhini Hot Springs (my psoriasis is going crazy so chlorine is not my friend). I have great memories of swimming there in the winter and so it was fun to see the kids and Ken enjoying it so much. It's always a blast to run into the snow and then jump into the hot water!

The Hot Springs...

Just For Karla... Ken in all his glory! (Ken thinks he looks like the Red Baron swimming... or a hairy woman from 1923!)

And a good time was had by all...

We spent yesterday hanging around home, the kids learning to finger weave and then making bread with me. As it is Lent we used some of the dough to make three braided crowns and added toothpicks for the thorns. Jay (6 years old) asked, "What does this represent again, Mom?" I reminded him that it was to help us remember the crown of thorns that they made Jesus wear before he was crucified. Later Jay stuck his on his head and gained a new appreciation for how much that would've hurt! As each kid does acts of kindness for the rest of Lent they pull out one of the "thorns" for each kind act (an idea I got from the 'net). They were really excited about it and I so hope that it's another building block in connecting them with the story and person of Jesus...

Later on in the day the kids made some stuff out of salt dough and Will made the cross shown in the next pic.

All in all a day to enjoy my kids. Maybe they're not so bad after all :)

Some more tidbits... Brenna has made a great bag out of a mini skirt she found at the thrift store. She's got all kinds of plans to start a business...

In her left hand is some of her finger weaving that she'll use as the handle for her next bag.

And then I have to add a pic of her and her bud Travis. Travie lives across the street and they are thick as thieves. I call them Thing 1 and Thing 2.

They are also Drama King and Queen and keep us quite entertained!

I'll post more pics later of some of the other things that kids have been making. They've all had quite a burst of creativity since coming here.

Must close. The sun is shining, the kids are all at friends' places so Ken and I are going to go for a bit of a ski. How cool is that!

Jesus,

Your creativity inspires us and flows through us. If we let it. Thanks for helping me dial down enough to let it.

'til next time,

Dianna

Spring Break Begins...

2010-03-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Not only did I survive cleaning up my kitchen and laundry room but we have entered that glorious time of year..SPRING BREAK. And if I hadn't mentioned it before (and I think I have), we get TWO WEEKS!

Two weeks of no pressing schedule...
Two weeks of building memories as a family...
Two weeks of exploring a little bit more of Yukon and Alaska...
Two weeks of uuummm...I don't know but it's TWO WEEKS!

Now before anyone out there sends me hate mail because of my blatant bragging remember this...

Two weeks of squabbling siblings...
Two weeks of potentially hearing, "I'm bored" x3...
Two weeks of very little alone time...

Need I say more?

However, I am looking forward to it. And we started off by taking the kids downhill skiing! What a hoot! They had 90 minutes of lessons and then the entire day to ski. They were amazing! Due to the ol' girl (my foot) I didn't go (Ken did) but I happily cheered everyone on. There's just something really wonderful about doing something with your kids that you remember enjoying as a kid yourself.

My sis' Laura and nephew Tyler joined us as well as my niece Abby and her dad Steve (my ex brother in law - a great guy!). Lolo (my favorite name for my sis) and I chatted through the day and ohhhed and ahhhed over all the kids. And Ken. Of course I ohhhed and ahhhed over Ken!

They were happy and exhausted at the end of the day and I felt determined that we definitely need to do that again! Mt. Sima won't be open that much longer (closes in April sometime) but I'd love to try getting in another day there.

And today we're sitting around the dining room table at my mom's, the kids sewing all kinds of wonderful creations. Yesterday we were telling the kids about our plans next week to drive up to Haines, Alaska from the Junction, take the Alaska State Ferry to Skagway, Alaska and then back to Whitehorse for a couple days and then home to the Junction. Everyone was excited except... you guessed it - Will. But today as we've sat around the table sewing, Will declares, "Now this is what I call fun! A family sewing together!" Who knew?!? I have such interesting kids!

Must go, we're going to go skating and maybe head out to the Takhini Hot Springs for a couple hours (20 minutes outside of Whitehorse).

Jesus,

Thank you all the different personalities in our family! I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Report Cards...

2010-03-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

So I'm out of the blogging dog house for now. I want to try and keep it that way...

I chatted with the kids' teachers this week at parent/teacher conferences. All is well. Jay, who refused to learn the alphabet last summer, is now reading like a mad man and is asked to read one on one with some of the other students that are lagging a bit. What?!? Brenna is socially responsible and empathetic and gave up the chance to be the Prime Minister of her group last week because the voters had told her opponent that they would be voting for Brenna because they didn't like the opponent. That's a big move for a girl who generally likes to lead! ... And Will. Well his writing continues to entertain and amaze his teacher (and us!). He definitely has already found his "voice" and often addresses his readers in his writing. "So, I bet you can't guess what I'm going to write about today! Well if you said wolves you are wrong. But if you guessed coyotes you are right!". Apparently some his fellow students are inspired to write just like him and it sounds like his teacher is having a hoot with this grade 2/3 class full of motivated writers. So educationally they're holding it together... whew.

Ken got a report card too! He received his copy of his evaluation and I must say I'm proud of the ol' boy! In the face of a very challenging first semester in a school that has lost a much beloved teacher, he has handled himself with aplomb! (aplomb - great coolness and composure under strain. That's one of the words used to describe him. I had to look it up!) He is LOVING this job as each day he gets to go to work and teach kids music through the medium of rock. How cool is that!

Thank God I didn't get a report card! I know we're all our own worst critics but really I would fear the results might look a little like this...

aplomb in parenting (gotta use my new word!)     D
raising of the voice                                                   B+
patience                                                                    D-
avoiding the mundane tasks of running a home   B
correspondance with friends and family                D
laughing at family members when they get hurt    A+

You get the gist... How would you grade yourself?  It's a good thing that if I was receiving a report card from my Maker I think it would be lot kinder. He's like that.

I'm gonna keep this post short. But I did want to post some pics to give you an idea of some of our fun out here in the Junction!

Cross Crountry Skiing with the fam. What a beautiful day, what amazing scenery.

Our hockey players.

Our boys and their crazy matching teeth!

The new ones keep growing in before the baby teeth want to leave!

Brenna with two of her best buds at this fall's Barn Dance. Great kids and tons of fun!

Must go. A bomb has gone off in my kitchen and laundry room and they require some attention if there is ever going to be any semblance of order. Call for reinforcements if you don't hear from me in a couple days...

Jesus,

Thank you for your report card for me. Redeemed - A+, Work in Progress - A+, Lovable - A+. You get A+ for kindness, mercy giving and awe inspiring. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

For Brock and Lucretia... with love

2010-03-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

So let's get this first part over with... I haven't blogged in like... forever. I know. Blogging fell off my plate and just like the meatball in "On Top Of Spaghetti" it rolled off the table, out the door and under a bush where it was on the verge of becoming mush until...

Brock and Lucretia. They, in effect, have gone out, picked up the damn meatball and have put it back on my plate and Lucretia has basically threatened to force feed me if I don't start working on it! Brock nags me through his mom, my sister Dawn. Whenever I see her she reminds me that Brock is waiting for me to write. And not complying with a request from my eldest nephew is like kicking a really, really sweet and endearing puppy. I may be a hard hearted bag from time to time, but come on, a puppy!?!

And Lucretia? Well she's a dear friend of my sister Janette who I totally love. She's beautiful, inside and out, pee your pants funny and well, frankly, I'm scared of her. So when she likes reading my blog and lets me know in no uncertain terms to get my ass in gear I feel a little like a mob boss is leaning forward and in a low menacing voice is saying, "I like your blog, if you know what I mean..." My life hangs in the balance folks!

So here I am. And kidding aside, glad to be here. I do enjoy the process of writing and it is a great way to keep ya'll updated.

After I last wrote in ummm... December... we packed up house and moved into a place just a few streets over from where we were. The teacher's housing came open and we just couldn't pass it up. Fenced yard for Wags (our dog), big basement the kids can play soccer in and potentially cheaper to heat (don't get me started on how much it costs to stay warm up here if you're not using wood!). And yes this move happened over Christmas! Overall it worked out and we're happily settled in. One of Brenna's good buddies lives across the street and so that's been a nice bonus.

Hockey has kept the kids busy. It's hard to believe that the boys only started skating when we came here. They are doing sooo well. We were in Whitehorse this weekend and spent some time at the Canada Games Centre with my sister Laura, my nephew Tyler and my niece Abby. Laura and I sipped good coffee and watched the kids on the leisure ice, what fun to watch them! Will's been inspired by the Olympics and so as he went speeding around the corners trying for his best time he would put his hand down on the inside curve just like the speed skaters do. Jay of course spent most of his time entertaining us with his crazy antics and Brenna was doing some pretty amazing spins and dance choreography. So we decided that Will may end up in the Olympics speed skating, Brenna doing ice dancing and Jay, well, he may be Elmo in the Ice Capades!

Other highlights of the last few months...

Christmas in the Junction
- The Christmas Concert went well which was a big deal for Ken as he had a big role in it. His bands played throughout the evening and was really the first time people heard them. It was a great evening!
- Santa visited! At one point as the holidays approached Will looked at me and asked where we were going to see Santa because, "Mom, they don't have malls here!" The kids were not disappointed. Santa flew in and landed right on the highway in front of Madley's General Store! We had sooo much fun! Apparently last year he arrived on dogsled. How cool is that.

Watson Lake
- Will had a tournament there so we went with his buddy Joah, and his mom (my buddy) for the weekend. It was a HOOT! I finally learned what "off side" and "icing" is and I lost my voice from cheering so much. The kids did really well and brought home bronze which was the first medal they'd had in the Junction for quite awhile. AND WILL SCORED TWO GOALS! Needless to say I'm a little proud...
- And I had some much needed girlfriend time with Linda on the drive to and fro (Haines Junction to Watson Lake is 7 hrs). Of all the things I miss most about Winnipeg it's my girlfriends...

Wednesday in Whitehorse
- every second Wed. I head into "town" to get groceries. I used to say to folks out here that I was running into the "city" but they laughed their asses off at me and taught me the lingo. Whitehorse is going into "town". Going to the "city" means you're heading out to Vancouver or Edmonton. Anyway, I hop in the car, enjoy 1 1/2 hours of driving through beautiful scenery listening to CBC Radio, go to the good ol' Super Zoo, do my banking and then I have lunch with MY MOM AND MY SISTERS! I love that! It's such a treat for me to have that on a consistent basis.

Cross Country Skiing
- is pretty big here. As am I. So when Ken suggested we borrow some skis and go out as a family on some of the great trails around here I didn't say much but thought, "how the hell..." But we did it! All of us. Even me. The kids were off and away like they were born with skis on, Ken pretended to struggle for my sake but is doing really well and me... well I look hilarious I think. I didn't know how "the ol' girl" (my ankle) would do and I HATE falling (try carrying an extra hundred pounds around and then fall down!) so I was a little nervous. I felt like a fat, little hobbit shuffling along (I probably walk faster) and I'm going to make little hairy covers to put over my ski boots to finish the look but I did it and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to going more!

Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous
- the annual celebration in Whitehorse of the 1898 Gold Rush. And my sister Janette and her partner Clint from Victoria made it up here to celebrate with us! A fun time was had by all. It's a little different from when I was here as a teen but fun none the less. Dogsled races, flour packing contests, the Sugar Shack (where they pour hot maple syrup in the snow and roll it up on a stick for a sugary maple lolly), Rendezvous Queen competition, ice sculptures, musical entertainment, fireworks, the list goes on. We didn't see it all but we loved what we did.
- We saw Lana Rae! She's a musician that as well as singing Country also does children's music. She's from here and the kids have grown up with her music courtesy of Yukon Grandma. Clever lyrics, catchy tunes! She performed and we got to hear all our favorite tunes! "I've Been Looking at Bums" (written from the perspective of a little one who wanders around at bum level), "Cows Want to be Pretty Too", and "The Trikers Song" (the tricycles version of the Hell's Angels).
- the time spent with Janette and Clint was great. We always laugh lots and drink good wine. Although Janette was hellbent on spilling most of it... Carolans in Mom's car, red wine in Dad's truck. Janette and Clint went dog sledding just out of town while they were here and after seeing some of the video they took we just have to do it! Maybe this spring break... (spring break starts next week and we have TWO weeks).

Enough newsy bits...

On the spiritual, gutsy, deep in the recesses of my contorted soul side of things... I'm doing o.k. I have my days and even weeks that I've come face to face with the big ol' bogey man of winter blues. By the way, he plays dirty. Just when you think you've got a good perspective on yourself and life in general he throws a curve ball that can knock you on your ass if you're not careful. Most of those curve balls for me have to do with parenting and my health. I can let myself get pretty knocked down. I'll spare you the gory details. Let's just say I've been sucking air at the bottom of the HOPE'O'METER.

Three weeks ago I sat down and did some journalling and basically gave myself a good kick in the ass. Basically I reminded myself that if the same power that ROSE Jesus FROM THE DEAD is living in me (and it does) THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. Even for me. No one is a lost cause. Nothing is too difficult... It's a kick in the ass that I needed and so I've had the strength/motivation to take some positive steps out of the funk that I've been in. One has been getting back into O.A. (Overeaters Anonymous). There is no group here but there are meetings online all the time. Dealing with my addiction to food with God's help has always been better than a diet for me. I feel hopeful and I have more clarity than I've had in a while. Thanks be to God.

As for the parenting... I get glimpses that my kids will survive my parenting. I'm not perfect but I apologize when I need to and genuinely love them and think they're pretty neat. The sibling crap sends me to the funny farm some days but then once in a while they have these sweet moments of togetherness that pulls me (and them) back from the brink of solitary confinement.

All in all life is good and I am an incredibly blessed woman. But enough of my blabbing.

Lucretia, can I stop looking over my shoulder now?

Jesus,

You are at every turn. Thank you that when I feel lost you remind me that you have me tattooed on the palm of your hand. You don't forget about me and I can't forget about you. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Not again!

2009-12-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Brace yourself, I know it's a shock, but yes, I'm blogging two days in a row. Crazy! But apparently there are people who do it all the time (fanatics!). I thought I'd try it for a change... Since I'm getting off my drug of choice (sugar) I have room for another addiction... oops! I mean hobby.

It's -27 here this morning and I returned about a half hour ago from driving the kids and Ken to school in my pajamas. It was still dark of course and is only now starting to brighten up. Sunrise or sunset here is so pretty as the mountains seem to make the most of whatever sunbeam they catch. I find it fascinating that I lived only an hour and a half away from here for 10 years or so during my teens and really had no idea about it other than the name! It's quite a vibrant little community. It is an undiscovered (by many) jewel of the Yukon.

One of the things that fell by the wayside while I was going through the "Plight of the Crappy Foot" is updating all of you about some of the neat things we've experienced here so ...

Halloween was a ton of fun here but I must confess I was really missing our Syndey Ave. home leading up to the date because of the fun it always is there. For the past five years we've served hot chocolate out front of our house and it's become a great tradition for our family as well as the neighbourhood. We'd become "The Hot Chocolate House" and people had begun to plan their trick or treating routes accordingly. They knew we'd have a fire going in the outdoor firepit to warm their outsides if it was particularly cold and some hot chocolate to warm their insides. And for those we knew and were our "special" friends, there was "special" hot chocolate that was particularly warming to the insides!

Here it's a different set up as everyone trick or treats til just before 8 pm and then everyone shuts up their houses and heads down to the BONFIRE. Capital letter BONFIRE because it's big enough to warm the whole town. It's made of thirty foot trees so it's big! And there's hot chocolate and hot dogs served by the Lion's Club and then the fireworks start! This year they had enough fireworks to last a full hour and they were stunning. Who would've thought?!? Smart people here to have fireworks at Halloween. When I lived in Whitehorse they insisted on doing the fireworks on Canada Day. That's fine in most places but here we have the midnight sun so fireworks really just look like puffs of smoke. Ohhh, ahhh. Look at that pretty puff!

A highlight for me was having my sister Laura and my nephew Tyler here for the night. I'm really enjoying Laura's company and getting to know my nephew. He's Will's age and is a big, sweet teddy bear. Laura and I never had the opportunity to live together as I had gone to college before she moved in with my mom and her dad (blended family), so it's been a real treat to get to know her better. She's a wonderful blend of tender and strong. I have a lot of respect for her.

Pictures of the kids in their costumes...

Brenna as a "Anne of Green Gables" kind of character.

Jay was a clone as were 4 other kids in his class (there's only 9 kids in the class!) He really looks happier than that usually!

And Will. Ever my Anakin Skywalker. My girlfriend Kate helped me make this costume three years ago and it is well loved. The last two years Will has come up with different costume ideas but when it comes down to it, he can't resist being Anakin again.

Okay that's enough. I'll tell you about the Community Potluck and Barn Dance we had last month another time. I just realized I've got to get my ass in gear and get ready to get over to the school. They're having a community potlatch in the gym at the lunch hour to say thanks to the elders for imparting aspects of the Southern Tutchone culture to the students in the school this fall. Each of the kids has to bring along a potlatch bag (bowl, plate, cutlery, cup) and a food item to share. I made a big pasta salad that I've got to run over there.

Jesus,

Thanks for knowing me and loving me anyway. You are my hero.

'til next time,

Dianna

Remember?

2009-12-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday driving home from Whitehorse (after grocery and Christmas shopping) I had the most glorious time! It's hard to even put into words for fear of cheapening how wonderful it was.
So many of you have responded SO kindly to my "Plight of the Crappy Foot". Thank you all! It has been doing remarkably well. I'm sleeping great, walking around and I noticed this morning that the swelling has gone down quite a bit! Whatever that "CRACK!" was (see previous post) obviously helped in the long run. Really helped. It's what I needed to get me going in regards to looking at my health and dropping the weight I'm carrying around. I like to think of the "CRACK" moment now as a little "God ChiroCRACKtic". Whatever needed to be shifted in my foot so that I could sleep again got shifted, and whatever needed to be shifted in my soul so that I could find the strength to get healthy again got shifted.

That sets the stage for my time driving home from Whitehorse yesterday. I was listening enjoying the beautiful terrain, with the setting sun in the blue sky. Absolutely gorgeous. I'd gotten lots done in the "city", had a great visit with my Mom over coffee, was wonderfully surprised by the arrival of my nephew, Brock (he flew in from Salmon Arm to surprise the family), got help from my step Dad with all my groceries (it's a huge job!), hit the thrift store and got some fun craft supplies for CHEAP. And now I had a wonderful one and half hour drive all to myself, no kids bickering in the backseat, no dog whining at me to lower his window so he can stick his head out, and no Ken to snicker at me when I sing at the top of my lungs, off key no doubt, to whatever C.D. I want to listen to! Pure heaven!

And the C.D. of my choosing you ask? Steve Bell's Romantic and Mystics and sing I did! And then I wept. And sang. And blubbered some more. All because of this song, "Remember Me".

Remember Me - Music and Lyric by Steve Bell
adapted from Psalm 25

To You oh Lord do I lift up my soul
You are the only recourse that I know
When shame denies me a place in Your fold
In Your love remember me

Show me a road with respect to the truth
Hold not against me the sins of my youth
There’s no one to turn to if You don’t come through
In Your love remember me

In Your love remember me
In Your love remember me
All because of Your goodness Lord
In Your love remember me

Yahweh confides in the ones who have faith
And shares from the secrets of old so they say
Dare I presume He would treat me this way
In Your love remember me

Show me Your favour Yahweh
Let it never be said that I’ve trusted in vain
It is Your reputation that makes me outrageously brave
Hold out Your mercy to me
Go ahead and correct me for the sake of Your name
It’s not much of a thread but my hoping is keeping me sane

In Your love remember me
In Your love remember me
All because of Your goodness Lord
In Your love remember me

Oh, how that song met me and how He met me. Because ultimately that is my cry and the answer to my cry. He is "the only recourse that I know". And "there's no one to turn to if (He doesn't) come through". If He doesn't remember me I'm sunk. Finished. Shipwrecked. I need his mercy, his willingness to share "the secrets of old" with me. I need to be in a relationship with my God where I can be outrageously brave because of his reputation of goodness. I need his correction, I need the sanity that hoping in him provides.

And the weeping? Because He has. He has remembered me. And He still remembers me. He remembered me 24 years ago and saved my butt in that crazy accident and He remembers me now when my ankle (broken in that accident) is bothering me. He remembers me whether I live in Winnipeg or in Haines Junction. He remembers me when I feel so full of shame about gaining back 80 lbs that I hide from people, and He remembers me when I need the strength to lose it again. My trusting in Him has not been in vain because, although I wander and stumble and struggle - He remembers me. I could go on and on in the ways I have felt "remembered" by God. But posts need to end somewhere...

Needless to say I'm in a grateful place. Grateful to all of you for your prayers and kind thoughts, grateful to Steve for the worship time he led for me in our Taurus stationwagon, and grateful to God for meeting me, loving me and mostly for remembering me.

Jesus,

Words fail me. You amaze me.

'til next time,
Dianna

An important aside...

It's been an absolute hoot and privilege for Ken and I to get know Steve and Nancy Bell over the last number of years. So when I listen to Steve's music now it impacts me differently than before. I know that these are real people, down to earth (oh so down to earth!) and sincere, and my heart opens up to the message in the songs that much more. I have loved Steve's music for many years and can't urge you enough to get your hands on some if you don't have some already! As well as being musically fantastic, it feeds you in the deep places of your soul. Check out the website at http://stevebell.com/. There's a great Christmas sale on right now. And if you ever can get to one of his concerts I swear I'll slap you upside the head if you miss it! He's a marvellous storyteller and you simply have to go. Tell him the Symanskis sent you!
Cheers, Dianna

And so it goes...

2009-11-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

I follow a blog or two from time to time (I do nothing consistently, except inconsistency). I absolutely marvel at the way some people can post practically daily! Hats off to you, I am not that person! As soon as I hit a rough patch, I clam up, hunker down, and get through it and then can do a little writing. Maybe as time goes on I'll get better at writing in the midst of the bumpy places, but that may take a while and a lot of ALCOHOL! (kidding)

Through a gnarly few weeks I am and here I am to tell you about it! But to set the mood for today's saga let me properly introduce it with this fine title...

PAIN SUCKS!

And now I can begin... Have you ever stepped on a pin? And not just a little one but a big honking huge church lady's hat pin? No? Okay, what about stuck your finger in an electrical outlet and it took a while to pull it out? No? Okay, then use your imagination and try to imagine going to bed each night and drifting off to sleep when all of a sudden it feels like someone has attached jumper cables to your foot and started the engine.

That's me. Hat pin, electrial outlet or jumper cables. In my foot. Every night for the last four weeks, almost every hour, sometimes every half hour. I jolt out of sleep, look at my foot and say, "Okay, I'm awake. Now what?" Sometimes I have to get up and walk around for a few minutes. Sometimes longer. I've never had my dishes clean and sink empty so consistently in almost twenty years of marriage! What else am I going to do after walking around my place two or three times a night? I also play musical beds. I've been known to kick one of my kids out of their bed just on the off chance that the magic sleeping foot fairy has alighted there and she'll sprinkled some of her damn dust on my foot.

Last week I celebrated 24 years that I've been alive since I was in a head on collision in November of '85. Long and amazing story that I'll tell another time maybe. Alive but broken up a bit. Two broken arms, whip lash, bashed out teeth, and an ankle broken in two places requiring surgery. Two screws put in. Had them taken out after a couple of years. And happily went on to live a rich and wonderful life which included a mobility that I've totally taken for granted...

And so after many nights of this ongoing drama between me and my foot these past weeks (which refused to respond to painkillers, stubborn thing!) I finally went to the health centre here to say, "HELP!" The nurse was wonderful, compassionate and thorough and took an x-ray of said appendage. Hmmm. Doesn't look good. You better go into Whitehorse and see a doctor and get xrays done there. Here's some T3's to help wth the pain. (They didn't).

Doc's apointment coming up on Wednesday. No problem, it doesn't hurt during the day and who really needs sleep anyway? And so it goes... until WHAM!

Tuesday morning I'm finally asleep (on the couch) when suddenly I'm awoken by the most awful CRACK! And the worst part is that the sound came from my foot! When I finally caught my breath (those pre-natal breathing exercises I took all those years ago came in handy!) I called Ken to come look (I was too afraid, I didn't want to see the bone sticking out!). No bone but lots of swelling and PAIN! No more walking for me! I looked at Ken and told him to call my step dad in Whitehorse (an hour and a half away) to come get me and take me to the hospital in Whitehorse NOW! Ken did and so did my step dad, bless his heart!

Long, depressing story made short: x-rays show that my dear old troubled foot is done, caput, finished. Plan the pedi-funeral. I guess I've been hobbling around with no cartilage for a while now and it's bone on bone in there. The nerves in there are putting up a fuss and let me know it at night. And the CRACK I heard was just the bones rubbing the wrong way against each other. The doc was great but didn't offer ANY hope. "Your foot's a mess." The best they can do is book an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon that I might be able to see in Feb. but probably Sept. What?! And the best an orthopedic surgeon can probably offer is that maybe they would fuse my ankle (no bendy, bendy) at some time and that would take care of the pain. (Also would take care of any activity that requires a flexed foot). In the meantime, here's stronger pain pills, stay off your foot, and that's all folks! Oh, and lose weight while your sitting around too!

Needless to say I was a little devastated! But here I am on Thursday and I'm okay. The foot's still swollen but it let me sleep last night and I didn't even bring in the big guns (painkillers). Today I was able to hobble around with very little pain and I'm thinkin' it may have a few more miles in it than the docs think. Now don't get me wrong. I've had a huge slap upside the head. I know every day I'm on borrowed time with this old girl. I need to make some major changes if I'm going to preserve the little time I have left with her! That means I've got to lighten the load that I've required both my feet to carry around. It scares me to even write that down because this is such a vulnerable area in my life and I feel like such a failure. But vulnerability be damned - I gotta do it. I've done it before, with God's help I can do it again.

And so I joke about the "magic sleeping foot fairy" and I'd like to joke about the "lose a helluva lot of weight fairy" but ultimately I need God. Desperately, achingly. I need Him and I need you. All your prayers and if you don't pray, all your good thoughts (I think he listens in to those too). Thanks...

And so that's why I haven't been writing lately. Throw in there that all five of us had the pukin' poopin' flu two weekends ago (and it wasn't just 24 hours!) and I think you get the picture! I'll try to update more often...

Jesus,

HELP!

I love you.

'til next time,
Dianna

Inspiration from Faro, Yukon!

2009-11-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've been totally shocked, surprised and dumbfounded! But I jump ahead...

We have a bit of a routine forming here which makes life seem quite normal and lulls me into forgetting from time to time that we're "living an ADVENTURE!". I could write a whole post just about that, about how in the mundane of the everyday I trudge around like a robot and I forget that LIFE is a pretty flippin' miraculous thing. But I digress..

Our routine so far looks a little like this...

Monday - Friday everyone is in school except me (unless I sub). Ken stays at school til 5:30 most days, joins us for supper and then gets back to work for a couple of hours. Mondays Brenna and Jay go to Pioneer Club after school while Will and I hang out together. There's a few faithful saints here that do a great job running the club and Jay and Brenna really enjoy it! (Will's not a joiner and needs more "down" time than the other two). Wednesdays the kids and I go to Craft Time at the library which has been wonderful! Marty does a fantastic job coming up with activities for the kids and I must admit I'm always looking forward to seeing what she has planned.

Now this the challenge... Mondays & Wednesdays Brenna pays hockey from 6:30 - 7:30, Tuesdays & Thursdays Jay plays from 6:00 - 6:30 and Will plays from 6:30 - 7:30. The challenge is making sure we all sit down to a meal together, get homework done and leave enough time to get their hockey gear on. It's not as crazy as it sounds. Remember, we live around the corner from everything in this town. Commuting to anything is never an issue. The kids and I joke about how horrible the traffic is if we see another car! It seems we're doing more here than in Winnipeg with less effort.

Fridays are family movie night and Saturday mornings are hockey games for Will and Brenna (optional - at least that's how we see them). Every second Saturday we head into Whitehorse for visiting with Grandma, Grandpa, their dogs, the aunties, the uncle and the cousins and for getting our shopping done. While in Whitehorse we always visit the Canada Games Centre to either skate or swim. It is an amazing facility! We all love it!!! I must confess however, the highlight for me in Whitehorse is definitely seeing my family. After living away from them for twenty years I can't seem to get enough of them. I am very blessed to have these people in my life.

Sundays have so far been family days whether we're in the Junction or in Whitehorse. We haven't really figured out what we're doing for church yet which is another post completely. I'm trusting we'll get more clarity about that as I keep asking God, "Well?!?".

There, a little glimpse into our daily life. Now if only I could paint the picture with all it's colours! And add the smells and textures and sounds and tastes! It all seems rather ordinary until you add all that! I'd spray in the smell of the smoke in the air from woodstoves chugging away keeping so many families cozy, I'd paint in the mountains of course, but with the pinks that shine along them at sun up. I'd record the ravens calling, the snow crunching and the happy sounds of kids on skates. I'd add the feel off pulling so hard tying up hockey laces that you think your fingers are going to fall off or the feel of a friendly bernese mountain dog's fur that insists on being petted. I'd throw in the taste of bison and my mom's pork chops and mushroom sauce and then and only then would you begin to get a sense of what life is like here.

But back to the "I've been totally shocked, surprised and dumbfounded!" that I started this post with!

Today was one of those days we were at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse. My sister and nephew and my kids and I were hanging out at the play structure and making a little conversation with the parents around us (I do LOVE meeting people!), when a lady walked in with two little bitty ones, a baby and and toddler. Having only recently survived having little bitty ones and the delight and trauma that it is, I find myself drawn to them like a moth to a flame. As we were leaving I couldn't resist stopping to coo over these little poppets (I LOVE that word!) and a surprising conversation ensued...

Me: They are gorgeous/amazing/beautiful/edible! How old?
Her: Thanks! 6 months and this one is two(?) We've just come in from Faro (small town in the Yukon).
Me: Oh, we're in from Haines Junction.
Jay: We're from Winnipeg!
Her: Do you have a blog? Sym's City?
Me: WHAT!

No kidding! I about fell over! Can you speak! Turns out she likes to follow northern blogs and was familiar with ours. What are the chances is this great big world, in this great big territory that we would meet? What are the chances that anyone other than those who know and love us (and who feel obligated to read this out of fear that I'll ask if they've been reading it) would read it?! I was flabbergasted. We went on to chat for a little bit and of course we will now be connecting on line and no doubt we'll end up in Faro sometime to visit because now we know someone there! I LOVE surprises!

And so I guess in a way this has ended up being that post about "how in the mundane of the everyday I trudge around like a robot and I forget that LIFE is a pretty flippin' miraculous thing." Because today, in the midst of my routine, as I met someone "by accident", I was reminded again that life is pretty miraculous.

Jesus,

You love to surprise me don't you?! I think you got a kick out of watching Kara and I meet today! Thanks for that. Bless them as they live their adventure. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Something to brag about...

2009-11-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

Can I brag for a moment? Thanks. I knew you wouldn't mind. It's about Ken. You know, the man I married almost twenty years ago? I just have to say a few words about him. I have to get it off my chest. I will warn you though that this could get downright shmaltzy. Reader beware.

He's a marvel. I don't know how I won the marriage lottery but I won big time! It's overwhelming somedays when I think about how rich I am because I have him in my life. Of course there have been times we've both gone through when we were tempted to trade each other in for the price of a good cup of coffee or bottle of coke. But, overall, when I look at this man I get to be with for the rest of my life...I'm VERY pleased.

What brings on all this mushy, gushy stuff you ask? Well, because he is working his ass off here in Haines Junction! And all for us. So we could have this most excellent adventure. After 16 years of teaching, of establishing courses, getting into a fairly comfortable groove, he was willing to shake it all up and work like a first year teacher again, starting from scratch, in a strange place, in a difficult situation, with a number of challenging students. He's waded into fist fights, been told to "F#$@ off" and has worked an amazing number of hours. There's a ton of stress and a ton of work but he still looks at me very consistently and says, "It's worth it. I'm glad we're here." He often takes a few moments to gaze out at the mountains and it seems to restore him.

And then there's the fact that he willingly lives with me day in, day out. I'm not the easiest to live with. I know that's a shock for those who know and love me...but I can be YUCKY. I can be a self absorbed, spoiled baby some days and he comes along and instead of getting pissy back at me...he rubs my feet. Or helps out with this and that even tho' his "to do" list rivals some of the mountains here. He is gracious and warm and loving and just a really nice guy. Some people don't like the word "nice". They consider it a blah word. But when you've lived side by side with one person for such a long time and you still think they are "nice" I think it actually says a lot! And another thing...he makes me laugh EVERY day. Somedays it's a chuckle, somedays I almost pass out I'm laughing so hard (which usually means Ken has hurt himself).

He's not perfect (close, but I know too much) but I am so impressed. He's a gift I never deserved but I greedily accept. Today I am thankful, oh so thankful, for this man who I get to be with through it all.

Jesus,

Thanks again for the gift you gave me in Ken. Help him to know how much you love him and how much I love him. He's wonderful.

'til next time,

Dianna

Smokies and the Bear and Big Shoes

2009-10-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! Time truly flies when you're having fun. And we are. Not every day and not always uproariously but very consistently and many times enough to get a big, raucous laugh out of me.

Like last week when I went to put some smokies on the BBQ and we were out of propane so I cooked them in the microwave instead. I guess I cooked them a little too long. Watching my family try to bite through the leathery smokies skin was hilarious. Especially Will with his two front teeth missing! But Ken stole the show of course with his Epic Wrestle. It was something like "Ultimate Fighting" only more violent.

Or when Ken worked late one night at the school and forgot that he had to walk home. In the dark. In the Yukon. In the same town that a bear recently had been spotted. I think he probably broke a land speed record if anyone had been out there to time him. All the while trying to look at ease and comfortable to any folks that might see him and not like the scared Cheechako (newcomer) he was (it probably resembled Monty Python's "Ministry Of Silly Walks"). Needless to say, I laughed my butt off at him and he takes the car back to work in the evenings with him now.

In the midst of the giggles and snickers (mostly at Ken), we've also had a few challenges. Brenna has been struggling with stomach troubles which has resulted in us becoming aquainted with the nursing centre here. The doctor only comes in once a month so the nursing staff take care of things and advise people whether it's necessary to go the hour and a half into Whitehorse to see a doctor. The nurses we saw were wonderful and so far we're thinking it's a virus that should resolve soon.

The other challenge has been the passing of Richard Godson. Richard passed away during the first week of school and the ripple effect through the community was tsunami strength. He was an extremely well loved man in this community. He was the vice principal and taught at the school and was a driving force in the music scene here in the Junction. Richard was only 51 years old and had a wife and three children (teens and twenties). He had taken a leave of absence (that Ken was filling) to get treatment for cancer. Unfortunately it got the better of him. On Sept. 26 there was a Celebration of Life for him which was heart wrenching and heart warming. The Celebration had two parts - the memorial and then a gathering of musicians who played in honor of Richard. It was a powerful display of affection. Ken had the school band that Richard began working with last year play the song "Drift Away". They did a great job - very moving as Richard's daughter was on keyboard and did the vocals.

Thanks for the joy you've given me I want you to know I believe in your song and rhthym and rhyme and harmony. You helped me along, you're makin' me strong.

Wow. What a courageous girl.

Ken played drums for the first time in his life publically which was disconcerting for him as it was the first time he played in front of anyone here (not to mention a lot of amazing Yukon musicians!). He did well. All in all it was a very full and emotional weekend.

It was also the kind of weekend that encouraged me to look at my life and ask some hard questions. You know the kind. The "what will my legacy be?" or "how will I be remembered?" questions. The trick is to let those questions motivate and propel me into honestly being myself with all that I am, and not let them drive me into trying to be someone I'm not. I think when I am fully me I am most fully freed up to be a memorable person who is a blessing wherever I go.

It's interesting. I told Ken about a conversation I had the other day with someone here. When this person found out that my husband was the new music teacher she said, "Wow, he has big shoes to fill." Before really thinking about it I replied, "Actually he's not going to try. It would be impossible. We're going to bronze those shoes and show honor to the man who filled those shoes and Ken's just going to fill his own shoes." She and I agreed that that was probably best.

And so I too am going to work at filling my own shoes this year. All size 10 of them on a 5'3" body. They're big enough without me trying to fill anyone elses shoes! And hopefully my legacy will be more than, "Wow, did she ever have BIG feet!"

Jesus,

Thank you for what Richard meant to this community. Be with his family and friends. Please be their comfort. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Are You?

2009-09-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

I find people's stories so interesting. Fascinating really. I'm sure I must come off as nosy because I ask so many questions when I meet people. But truly, I can hardly help myself. I'm like the person who marvels at the cosmos in all it's glory and wonder - only for me it's people. When I start to learn the bare facts and if I'm lucky - the juicy bits -of a person's life story I find myself in a state of wonder and awe. People are just so damn resilient, so enchanting, so complex!

I love the moment when I meet someone and I wonder, "Are you my people?" (remember Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman about the baby bird who, in search of his mother, meets all sorts of creatures and things in his quest?). Sometimes the people I meet are a kitten that just looks at me (perplexed by me perhaps), or a hen that says no, or a dog who says "I'm a dog" or a cow who says, "How could I be?" (the sub text being "Are you kidding me?!?") or an old car that just couldn't be or a boat that just motors right by, or a plane that flies overhead or a big thing that says "Snort" and scares the hell out of me! And then there's that fabulous juncture when I meet someone who asks me in their own secret way, "Do you know who I am?" And my soul says happily,

Yes, I know who you are.

You are not a kitten.

You are not a hen.

You are not a dog.

You are not a cow.

You are not a car or a boat or a plane or a Snort!

You are you and you are my people.

It's a gift and it's wonderful. I have many people who are "my people". And before you get thinking I'm being elitest or something by leaving out the kittenhendogcowcarboatplaneSnort the only thing that a person really needs to be one of my people is that they can put up with me and hopefully enjoy me! If you can do that - you're in.

And when it comes to having these kinds of people in my life I AM A ROCKSTAR! I am rich beyond my wildest dreams. My life is full of such marvelous people, up close and far away. I feel overwhelmed by quality and quantity! And now I'm here in Haines Junction and I'm curious to see, "Are you my people?". I'm sure there will be some and I'm interested to see who they'll be. I'm not in a huge hurry tho' because I'm lucky enough to live with four of "my people" (Ken, Brenna, Will, Jay) with whom I find myself in a state of wonder and awe. They're just so damn resilient, so enchanting, so complex!

I'm curious. For you, what determines who "your people" are?

Jesus,

Thank you that you call me "your people". You enjoy me and I enjoy you. Just like the baby bird said, "You are a bird, and you are my mother", I say to you, "You are God, and you are my God." I love you.

til' next time,
Dianna

The View This Morning...

2009-09-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is what I see today...

And then as I took the kids to school I saw this...

Beautiful I know, but nothing is as beautiful as a boy with his lego creation!

Karla mentioned his smile in the comments, he's got a great one! He's also lost his two front teeth this summer which made my little "Alex Keaton" happy! I was afraid he was going to try and stay awake to roll the Tooth Fairy to get a little more cash!

Have a great day all and console yourself with the fact that although I am living in a little piece of heaven - I did have to scrape my windshield this morning!

Jesus,

Thank you for your gift to me in Will. He is fascinating. I love you.

'til next time,

Dianna

Ta Da!

2009-09-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ta Da!!! (Loud cheering and whistles are appropriate here!) I set up a computer all by myself! I know that for many of you Tech Gods out there that is laughable. However for me to do it is pretty darn amazing. AND I also figured out how to set up the printer, the speakers and drum roll please... I found the cord to our camera and downloaded the pictures from there to the computer and then choose some to show you here!!! So what if the laundry isn't done, the dishes are piling up and I have less hair on my head from pulling it out. I am a TECH GODDESS IN TRAINING! It's the price I'm willing to pay...

Now, enough of my bragging (although do you get how monumental this was?!?) and on with the update of the wild and crazy Symanskis. Another week in paradise. Except for the black flies that threaten to eat our dog Wags and carry him off. This week we are settled in that much more and I'm starting to see the end of the "set up" chores that come with moving. We have a phone, internet, insurance for our car, regular deliveries set up for heating fuel (oil heat here), I've made my first delivery to the dump (no garbage truck!), collected cash for our refundables (all pop and juice containers), gone to the library/liquor store/drivers licencing and got out books, wine and a drivers licence. And every morning I still look out to see if the view is still breathtaking and IT IS!

These were taken from our little front deck

Can you speak? I live in a frikkin' postcard!

Monday after school Will wanted a friend over after school but instead Dave (the dad) offered to take the kids fishing! What! On a school night? YES! I tagged along on the grounds that he might need a little help with all the kids - his two, my three - but I was the biggest kid out there. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. We were at a little lake about 2 kms out of town called Pine Lake. It's right at the base of Paint Mountain - so pretty.

Dave was pretty sure we would be doing more casting practice than catching when lo and behold his son got one! And Will would want you to know that it was on HIS rod! It was a pike and just as we were pulling it out of the water the line broke.

Too much fun! I'll post more pictures once I get them emailed to me from our laptop. There's some from the Terry Fox Run they did last week. 5 K down the Haines Road! Kindergarten to Grade 12. Some of the secondary students do 10 K and even Remy, Jay's little friend from grade 1 did the 10 K with her mom! Yikes! I didn't go because I couldn't bear to listen to the whimpers, whines and wails of my soft little city kids. I warned Ken not to walk with them but he went with the boys and listened to all their woes the whole time. Brenna just went for it and had a great time. Today her class is out on a field trip picking wild berries and cranberries. The permission letter reassured us that the teacher would be taking bear spray with him. Hmmm...I don't know why but that totally amuses me! That and the fact that they had another announcement at school yesterday that there was a bear seen in the area. Hee, hee.

So that's it for this newsy little blog entry... I'll try to be more insightful and full of angst tomorrow (it makes a blog interesting doesn't it?!)

Messy beauty

Clean garbage

Tidy chaos

Disheveled joy

Cookie cut out living

creative abiding

beauty, joy, abiding

rest

Jesus,

You are my peace. My rest is in you. I love you.

'til next time ,

Dianna

Kidnapped

2009-09-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I do every morning, I walked out onto our little front deck and gazed at some of the mountains that make up the St. Elias Mountain range in the Kluane National Park (a World Heritage site). They're not in the distance but "reach out and practically touch" close. There were clouds set into some of the nooks and crannies but you could see the glorious peaks. Awe inspiring and breathtaking. Now a couple hours later the clouds have come down even further and the peaks are hidden for the time being, playing hide and seek but always reappearing to capture my attention.

The leaves are turning here and rather than in the ground you find gold in the trees. It's a magnificent display of the richest color you can imagine. It's as if the landscape is saying, "You may have come here for gold but my beauty will keep you here." I feel kidnapped by my surroundings and and I'm a willing prisoner. Peace has wrapped itself around me and contentment has rested itself on my lap. Creator God has a pleased and playful grin as he sees me revel in His handiwork. This was in his heart long ago and He delights in my response.

Life in Haines Junction, Yukon. We're here and we're loving it. Just 5 short months ago Ken and I started to dream a little dream and now we're here. Those of you who know us best know how miraculous that is. We are fantastic at dreaming and lousy at following through. In an earlier post I shared all my anxiety about whether we were doing the right thing. We are. The anxiety has lifted like the clouds lift from the mountains.

We are well. We ended up getting into our place the day before school started (they started on the 31st of August) and are all set up now. It's amazing how it all came together. The house is a double wide mobile home and has an addition. It's very comfortable with lots of windows - the better to appreciated the scenery with! The kids bedrooms look like they were painted for them. Brenna's lime green room perfectly suits her and the boys' blue and red room perfectly match the new Star Wars duvet covers Auntie Kate made them. It's a little thing maybe but all the little details add up to the adjustment in being here going so smoothly.

The kids seem happy. They are enjoying having a stay at home mommy. She's a newer version and some of the bugs have been worked out of her. She's calmer and more relaxed (she does crosswords now!). She still has the occasional glitch when bedtime goes on too long and her head threatens to spin around like in a horror flick but overall she cooks yummy stuff and there is no mountain of laundry to scale in the house.

They're enthusiastic about school, they all like their teachers. The school is a great facility and proof that the territory pours a lot of money into the outlying communities. Today there was a bear spotted outside the playground a couple hours before school let out. The announcements encouraged the kids that walk home to keep their heads up and to walk in groups. Hmmm. Really?!? Yikes!

Brenna is learning Southern Tutchone (the local language) as well as French this year and has already had a friend over three times. Will is doing better than we could've imagined which is great as he's historically been the one that's expressed the most anxiety about this northern endeavour. He's going on his first play date tomorrow with his buddy Dawson. I'll get him to blog again soon - he's such an interesting writer. Jay already has a girlfriend of course - a little spark plug named Remy that he danced the night away with at a local concert we went to on Sunday night. They have a great venue here that they have musicians at twice a month. This time it was the Sophisticated Cavemen - a total hoot.

And last but not least my oldest kid - Ken. He was sooo nervous before school started. But now that we're in the second week he's having a great time, enjoying the kids and staff. Each morning he gets to sit in the music room with his students working out classic rock songs. Talk about a great fit! And as always he's making people laugh - he's a gift to the staff and students. I can see God's kindness in him being here this year as Richard Godson, the man who was on leave and that Ken was filling in for, passed away as a result of cancer this last Thursday. I didn't even know the man and I was in tears. He was obviously an amazing man who has had an incredible impact on the community. Brenna came home and said she'd seen high school boys crying in the halls. That says something about the kind of man he was.

Life is good. There's so much more to tell but supper has to be made. Now that we have internet I'll be able to blog more frequently.

Jesus,

You are my delight. In the midst of all this beauty I sing, "How Lovely You Are". I love you.

The clouds have lifted and the mountains show off their new coats of white. They look so proud of their new outfits. They definitely believe that it's okay to wear white after Labour Day! The air has a bit of a chill but I'm cozy and warm and grateful... oh so grateful.

'til next time,

Dianna

We're here!

2009-08-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

We're here. I've tried to write for the last couple days but have been so muddled that I couldn't find words to describe the magnitude of the things I was feeling. Even now I feel ill equipped. I feel like I've entered the the Twilight Zone (insert theme music here).

The last month has been a glorious long holiday full of fun, family and friends. We loved Calgary with the Brandts, Tsawwassen with the grandparents (my dad and stepmom) and Victoria with Auntie Janette and Cousin Brody. We made wonderful new friends in Clint (my sisters beau) and his boys Douglas and Easton - an absolute hoot! And we visited with timeless friends Karen (KP) and the de Lestards and Becky and her family. Amazing people all and I could write endlessly about how each one has impacted me either recently or in our pasts. I'm reminded again that my greatest riches have always been found in friends and family.

But now the next part of our story has begun as well as the out of body feelings! I arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon on Wednesday the 19th after 4 days of travelling with my mom and the kids. Ken left on the 15th to get to Whitehorse in time to be a part of an orientation that he had to attend as a new teacher to the Yukon and my mom (bless her crazy heart!) graciously agreed to help me drive the Symanski clan north. We made it in spite of the moose that tried to play chicken with our car! By the time I got here I was played out from the driving, the kids fighting, the driving, the kids whining, the driving, the kids breathing. I think the first couple days here, actually I know, my mom thought I was going to crack up on her. But then she seems to think I live fairly close to the edge of insanity all the time...

Ultimately I think the glazed over look in my eye and the nervous twitching (okay, no nervous twitching, just a glum, long face as if my favorite dark roast coffee had just spilled with no hope for more) was because I was starting to wrestle with the reality of this crazy ride we're on as a family. For those of you who know me, you know that I am a woman of grandiose ideas and pitiful follow through. How on earth did our little thought of "wouldn't it be neat to spend a year in the Yukon some time?" actually come to be?!? I'm flabbergasted, overwhelmed, terrified, excited, stunned and 'wowed' that it's really happening! Can we really pull this off and maintain our fragile grip on sanity? Thankfully my family was wonderful as I stumbled through those first few days here and I eventually came to my senses. (As much as is possible for me!) Now I feel flabbergasted, overwhelmed, terrified, excited, stunned and 'wowed' as well as at peace. Whew.

Now the good part... we took a drive out to Haines Junction where we'll be living this next year. It's just what I needed. And even though it was a dreary overcast day, I loved it! What a wonderful place to spend a year. We met a few people and they didn't point at me and laugh because I have adult onset acne (what a drag!), they just seemed like genuine town folk who could have a good laugh. And I have to be honest that both Ken and I perked up even more when we visited the little local bakery. Me, because they serve a great Americano coffee and Ken because they have wireless. More first impressions? I didn't get to see the mountain peaks with the cloud cover but it is still a very lovely place. Lots of new and old mixed together, the run down places as well as the prettied up places of every small town. It's quite spread out but everything is still in walking distance. The school is very nice and proof that the government here pours a lot of money into the outlying communities. (Something Ken learned from the folks he met in the orientation he was at.) The kids were thrilled with the play structure and the gym (it's full size as it is a K to 12 school). The boys were convinced that they would never find their way around and Brenna seemed quiet as she took it all in. They're all doing remarkably considering all the new things being thrown at them. We'll be staying in Whitehorse for another week and then we'll head out to Haines Junction to start life there. We have my parents very comfortable R.V. until we get into our place on the 1st of Sept. School starts on Aug. 31 so it should be fun getting everyone off to school from a R.V.!

Today we're having church together for the first time since we left Winnipeg. Although there has been many "God moments" along the way, the kids are excited about having church here at Grandma's and Grandpa's. When I suggested it to the kids last night they dove right in suggesting all the things they wanted to do. Jay wants to provide the singing, Brenna and Will want to lead a lesson. It seems that after three years of being in a home church they really get the fact that it is a joint endeavour and everyone has something to contribute. It's neat to see.

It's time for me to wrap this up... I have more to say but I'll save it for another post. I've got to get better at finishing posts - with our busy days it's been difficult to sit down to write and I don't like dragging them out.

Jesus,
Thank you. For your nearness in the midst of change. I love you.

until next time,
Dianna

2009-08-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last night while falling asleep I was pondering this blog and trying to figure out how vulnerable I'm willing to be this next year. Ken's worried that I'm too thoughtful and that it'll made him look dumb. Hardly.

If I want this blog to reflect this year accurately I know that the internal journey is just as important as this external one that we're on. But to reveal the places my thinking goes, the struggles, the victories (but especially the struggles) is scary! I'm conscious that once posted, an entry is out there and I can't really take it back and you all suddenly have more power in my life. (Not that any of you will use it for harm!)

However frightening, there's also a part of me that loves honesty, loves vulnerablity, loves a true story. Because ultimately as we tell our story in all it's colours it gives others freedom to tell their stories in all it's colours and true community is born. Not community built on what we think we "ought" to be but built on who we really are in the here and now. The past, present and future us rolled up in an excuisite, beautiful, messy knot.

The stage is set and the story begins...

This journey has partially been born out of a restlessness in me this last winter. As Ken and I explored the possibilities of going elsewhere for a year things quickly fell into place and started to ressemble a "holy set up" and that we'd in fact stumbled into something that was in God's heart for us. Stumbled is a good word I think because I rarely feel very spiritual, I'm not some great woman of prayer, and the Bible (although an amazing book) hasn't been a part of my daily life for a while. (I wish it was).

Now here we are only 14 or so days from arriving in Yukon to start our "year of living adventurously" and I am excited, anxious, and nervous. What if we were wrong? What if this was just me wanting to add crisis to my life and not a"holy set up"? I wonder if this is just a premature midlife crisis and instead of God saying "GO!", I've missed Him saying, "NO!".

Why the self/God doubt? I think for too long I've looked to people who I perceive as spiritual to get my direction from. My fault, not theirs. And really, although we've had all kinds of positive feedback from people we love and respect about this trek, this has been a decision Ken and I have made on our own. I think I'm in a long season of learning to trust in my friendship with God and that ultimately I can trust Him to direct us not because of our great spirituality but because of His great love for us. I find that very comforting and freeing. Comforting because HE's the net under the tight rope we're walking, and freeing because HEY! We're walking on a tightrope! We can take risks and if we fall He is there. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz oh what a relief it is!

Now that the God and me anxiety issue is settled, what about the other things I'm nervous about? What about the fact that I'm going back to live by my Mom and step Dad and a couple of my sisters (and their families) for the first time in 20 years? Will our relationships grow stronger or does absence really make the heart grow fonder? What if we all drive each other crazy? I doubt it, but what if? And how about living in a town of 800 people? How do you do that? I have to admit I like my anonymity. But being the new people in town won't afford me much of that! And here's another tangled knot I have to work at undoing - I'm FAT! All of you who know me love me anyway but what about the new people I'm about to meet? Will they see that my weight is not the sum total of who I am? And frankly I'm tired of having to "tap dance" to impress people with my personality because I'm afraid they can't see past the weight issue. (That's a whole other blog entry!)

There, how's that for honesty? But at the end of the day although these things nag at me they aren't stopping me from moving forward. If I spend too much time dwelling on the things that scare the hell out of me I lose the ability to enjoy the moments we're having right now. And besides, with three kids (ages 6-10), and a husband (forever young!) I'm too busy helping the kids with their anxieties and parenting with Ken to spend much time on my worries. In a post coming up I'll let you know how the kids are doing with all of this (although our Will has done a better job than either of us could telling you how he feels!). It's been interesting to see how they are handling all the change.

Jesus,

Thank you that I can throw all my anxieties at you and you can take it. Thank you that you throw peace my way. I can take that! I love you.

until next time...

Dianna

2009-08-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here I am with little time on my hands and not a clever or insightful thought in my head. I've been looking forward to having this blog as a place to record what we've been doing as a family and a place for me to process what happens this next year but I can see it's going to take me a while to get into the swing of it.

We're in Victoria now. One of my all time favorite places to be. My sister Janette has lived here for a long time and is kindly having us at her place. She is a gracious hostess and just a hoot to be with. Although my younger sister, I look up to her in all kinds of ways - she inspires me to embrace beauty, invest in friendships, and believe in the best. I'm richer having spent time with her.

Being in Tsawwassen with my Dad and step Mom was brilliant. We beachcombed lots, went swimming a couple times (my kids passion), visited Great Grandma (99 years and a beauty!), went to Fort Langley where I lived as a kid and visited with dear friends, Charles and Phyllis MacBeth. We had numerous nerf gun fights - my entire family gangs up on me! And we survived the heat wave they were having without air conditioning.

My Dad is a piece of work. He outdoes himself as a grandpa. You can see him absorb his grandchildren as if his life depended on it. It strikes a deep cord in me when I watch him with my kids. I feel very grateful for who he is and what he brings into our lives. If people want to get a good idea who I am, you need to meet him. He has a big hearty laugh and loves to entertain people. He's also more sensitive than people realize although he can take a lot of ribbing too. He and Ken are simply hilarious together and they obviously really enjoy one another. Seriously I know my dad loves me but if he had to make a choice between keeping Ken or I, Ken may just win!

And my Dad is THE BEST COOK! He absolutely spoiled us with his cooking while were there! There is something magical about the way he puts a dinner together. Eating out is offensive to him and I know why. Nothing compares to a meal made by my dad. Healthy, hearty and mouth watering. You all can't imagine.

And my step Mom. Capitalized Mom, because I hate the connotations of the word "step mom". Too many stories have an evil one. And that couldn't be farther than the truth with mine. She is an amazing lady. She is always warm and generous. There are all kinds of things about her that I love. Like no one sets a prettier table than she does. Every meal is a celebration. She loves to gather people around a meal and it's always beautiful. She also has routines that I find very settling. Each night an hour or so after supper tea was put on and enjoyed together (as together as possible with our rambunctious kids!). Every evening before bed the table is set for morning.

I love the way she enjoys the natural world around her! She sees the humming birds in the tree by their deck, she knows where to look for ocean creatures, she loves to help us see the beauty of the world around us. She was an environmentalist before I'd ever heard the word. But most of all I so appreciate how she has embraced my sister and I and our children and we know she loves us deeply and sweetly.

Now we're here in Vic having arrived just before the August long weekend. Janette and her beau (Clint) are away this weekend at a previously planned event so we're at her place on our own until Monday afternoon. We've been gone two weeks now so having some time to ourselves comes at good time. Just around the corner is Commonwealth Place, a great facility that houses a fantastic pool (wave pool, lazy river, etc.) as well as a library so the kids and Ken are at the pool and then the library - giving me some "Dianna" time. I had a glorious nap and time to blog. Tomorrow I'll take the kids a give Ken some time to himself. We both do better with the kids having had some time to ourselves.

Jesus,

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the people in my life. The people I've been able to see this last little while, the people I will be seeing and for people back home in Winnipeg. Thank you for richness of relationship with you and with others. You are good.

until next time,

Dianna

Will's Post

2009-07-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a post from Will. He's the writer and artist of the family. He has had lots of mixed feelings about this trip but he'll probably tell you all about it...

Hi my name is William but you can call me Will. My age is seven but I'll be eight in August (26th). I'm going into grade three. My forte is climbing, building, sketching and writing.

When I was in grade one me and my good pals Jacob and Justin had a student teacher named Miss Marquinson who named us three the GEORGES. The next year our friend Harrison came into our class and he became a GEORGE too. Miss Marquinson went out of the class and became a teacher. Our enemies are the GEORGIAS. They are girls (boys vs. girls)! However Jacob became King of the GEORGES. Now grief spreads through the GEORGES since I'm going to Haines Junction for a year. Email, skype, phone calls - they will help. Since I'm the only kid in our family who disagrees with this appointment in the Yukon every night I have gotten sadder. I've agreed with myself that I will shed my tears at night. I will try to go - but I've said this one time and I am willing to say it again - I will go to the Yukon but NOT for a year. I just don't feel right about going.

We have gone to Calgary. We have gone to Banff. We have gone to Lake Louise. We have gone to Salmon Arm and Kamloops. We have gone to Tsawwassen. We have gone to British Columbia. And I still don't feel right. We have stayed in millions of motels, hotels and houses.

In Banff I got my very own pocket knife with my name on it "William". I liked travelling and watching movies in the car and playing Sega. It's a really big trip. I think going from Winnipeg to Whitehorse is a very big trip and we'll spend lots of money on gas. My mom and dad say it's supposed to be a big adventure, I think it's too big. One of the cool and good things about our car is the seats fold back into a big huge bed. There are two seats in the front (Mom and Dad) and the rest is a big bunk where we slept one night. We have a bike rack, a trailer and a roof top carrier. It's looks like we're ready for an adventure!

In B.C. is a big ocean. Every living thing in the ocean scares me out of my wits. We caught a little squishy, ishy sea eel in the eel grass. "BOY THAT FREAKED ME OUT!" (That's when we went beach combing).

Our Magic Grandpa and Grandma who we're staying with in B.C. have a neighbour who has huge bike jumps. They made us one and we went off of it. I wiped out. The first time I fell off my bike my leg got torn up, my shoulder and my elbow got cut. The second time I went too fast and my bike spun ahead of me into a curb and it fell on its side. I landed with the handle stabbed into my stomach. The third time I fell, my feet went too fast on the pedal, they slipped off and the pedal went fast and kicked my leg and I lost control and fell.

Today I phoned my friend JACOB! (The King). We had a nice long talk an ended with goodbye.

P.S. Brenna got a new diary with a secret code. We'll never get past that! Maybe my nerf guns will come in handy.

Talk to you - no wait! - write to you later!

- Will

2009-07-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

And so it begins for me... thanks to Ken we have a place to jot down the often questionable antics of the Symanski family this next year. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at blogging - hopefully giving you something of an update of how we are doing as well as giving myself a way to process all that God has in his heart for me and my family this next year.

So here I am in Kamloops, B.C. and after I don't know how many days I have a few minutes to myself to get down a few of my thoughts. Here goes...

Observations so far...

1. Mothers always win. At least my mom does. There is just no arguing with her when you've decided to drive through the night to get to Calgary after packing all day. Ultimately it comes down to, "You are NOT driving through the night with my grandchildren!" They say never get in the way of a mother bear, well don't get in the way of a grandma bear. So laugh all you want when you read that we spent the first night in Portage la Prairie. It was a matter of life and death!

2. I think the people that God grafts into your life are simply astounding. While on our journey we were warmly received in Airdrie, AB by dear friends who recently relocated from Winnipeg. What a soft place to land after all the frenzy of packing for the year and finally getting on the road. Kate is the warmest woman with a gift for making people feel valued and loved and... well fed! Her spicy chicken pizza and her Thai wraps are to drive for! And Big Jay was amazing with our kids, teaching them to fish, and helping Will and Jay reel in their first catch! What a thrill! Brenna took to their little guy, Jude (almost 1 year old), like a real pro - they fell in love with each other. Brenna will be a wonderful babysitter someday. And their son Brodie was the best bud to our boys - introducing them to his excavation site (who needs a sandbox!) - a fun time was had by all. They will be missed...

3. Zoos are to be conquered not to be wandered through. I go through a zoo like the animals are chasing me while my dear husband is making himself one with the animal kingdom. Needless to say the Calgary Zoo, although very good, was a bit of a trial of my chronically limited patience and is a good example of one of the things you do "for the kids".

4. The mountains always amaze me. Always.

5. Children crave family. Today they saw their cousins Brock and Megan in Salmon Arm, B.C. and right away you could see they were enthralled with them. They are amazing people and I'm glad my kids get to look up to them. I'm excited that my kids will be getting know some of their family this next year.

Tomorrow will be the end of our first week on our journey. I expect some of my posts will be newsy ones like this, and some will be telling stories of what is rumbling around in my soul. And some will be my prayers... and that's how I'll close for today.

Jesus,

I love you. I'm so thankful for all you've done in my life. I feel overwhelmed by your goodness and not just because things are going well, but because I feel like you really are involved in all this. This isn't just a lark birthed in a premature mid life crisis, it's something you seem to have in your heart for us. Thank you for your closeness. Thank you for what a BIG God you are. I love you.

'til next time...

Dianna

Day One: You are here...

2009-07-18T14:06:00.001-07:00

...but you should be here:

So...the plan was originally to leave early on the 15th and make it to Calgary, or possibly to drive through the night and let the kidlets sleep through the boring (sorry Saskatchewan) part of the trip. Neither happened.

Final packing - despite the amazing PACKING SKILLZ of Dianna, took longer, the house needed to be put in order for the new renters, last minute errands like police checks for Ken's new job, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line, after buying some portable DVD players, a bike rack and picking up the kids' bikes we set out for Calgary....at midnight.

About one half hour outside of Winnipeg, Di's mom tracked us down on our cell. (By the way, we're keeping our cell account, so you can reach us at (204) 981-7211. We're on a decent plan, so don't be afraid to call). Once dear mom found out that we were planning to drive through the night while the kids slept, she put an end to that nonsense and had a motel already booked for us when we reached Portage la Prairie. Oh well. I think Brenna put it most succinctly as we pulled up to the motel when she said, "Are we at least out of Winnipeg?".

The weather in Portage was balmy and pleasant, not like the weather we left so far behind us...

Fast forward, and the pictures will help tell the story, we arrived in Airdrie, AB and stayed with our dear friends Jay and Katherine Brandt who just moved there from Winnipeg. The kids all got their own fishing rods at the coolest sporting goods store in the world (Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World. Matt Klassen, if you're reading this, you would have sold your house and moved into this store).

The kids got to go fishing at a little stocked pond in Airdrie and Will got a nice sized rainbow trout on his first time fishing, on his first cast. He's ruined for life. Jay, not to be outdone, caught his own, slightly smaller, rainbow trout. Brenna added her two cents by naming the fish Fred and Ted. Fred and Ted were to be barbecued the next day, but we never quite got around to it. They now lanquish in the deep dark recesses of a freezer in Alberta. Oh, the humanity.

We had a day at the Calgary Zoo (outstanding) and drove through and toured Banff and Lake Louise. Will, when asked what he thought about the view at Lake Louise, said he couldn't tell me because there weren't any words for it. I think he gets it. Jay has by far been most taken with the mountain panoramas as we snaked through the Rockies. Every few minutes you heard "HOLY!!! Look out starboard!" (We got tired of left and right). We overnighted in Golden, B.C., then in Kamloops and yesterday we arrived at Magic Grandpa and Grandma's in Tsawwassen outside of Vancouver. "Magic" because Di's dad is a professional magician. He's tried to turn me into someone more suitable for his daughter a number of times, but he hasn't managed it yet - I've read too many Harry Potter books.

Today we went to the ocean and beachcombed for seashells and sand dollars. Jay of course, came back with a sea snake and a jellyfish. He simply has to outdo everyone. We just set up Jay's tent (a birthday present from Magic Grandpa and Grandma) in the backyard. Poor kid had his birthday on July 2, and got presents that we immediately packed up and mailed before he could even use them. He'll have the last laugh when we get to the Yukon though - Dianna and I bought him a drum kit. Yikes.

So, that pretty much brings everyone up to date, should you choose to follow this ongoing saga of our (mis)adventures. Feel free to add comments if you'd like - it'd be nice to open up some two way communication with friends and family.

Here's some pics of the journey so far. Check out Ken's oh-so-sexy new hat in the Lake Louise pictures. I'm reinventing myself. The old me was so....Manitoban.

Cheers for now.

Ken (on behalf of the Syms.)

First fish

Hooked on fishing

One with nature

"Been fishin' long?"

The family caravan

"HOLY!!"

The last spike

Really....this is our country!

Beachcombers at the ocean:

"Magic" Grandpa and Grandma: