Labour Day Weekend

So, now we're all caught up on my work situation, time to move on to the long weekend. It was a busy one!

We actually got a head start on the weekend because we had a wedding to go to on Friday; and, the wedding was three hours away, in Orillia, so Curt and I both had the day off. We left around 11am and planned on getting to Orillia early so we could do some sight seeing; however, we drove through a crazy rain storm that seriously slowed us down, so we weren't as early as we thought. We're talking torrential rains, the kind where you can't really see that far in front of you, so people end up pulling off the road! We didn't actually have to pull over, but I think there were times where Curt was only going about 30 km/hr. Not the kind of weather you want when you're on your way to an outdoor wedding :) But, having said that, when we pulled up to the wedding site, the sun came out and people went to work setting things up for the ceremony.

The groom, Frank, is Curt's cousin...and our dentist. He married Tracy, his girlfriend of 10 years! Yes, she's patient, and yes, that was an ongoing joke throughout the day!

We don't see a lot of Frank and Tracy, actually, we really only see Frank when we have a dentist appointment. But, they are a great couple, and it was great to be part of their special day...their long awaited, perfect, special day.


Frank and Tracy being introduced as Dr. and Mrs. Vreugdenhil for the first time!

The reception was at a golf course, and I know I'm a little biased, but it was beautiful! It made me think about our reception at the Blue Springs Golf Course, and I realized how thankful I am that we were able to have it there! The meal was great, and we were seated at a table with Curt's cousins and their spouses, so we had a great time throughout dinner, too. To get Frank and Tracy to kiss, people were invited to share some marriage advice or to give a little story about Frank and/or Tracy...so, all the cousins were busy reminiscing, and it was fun to hear new stories from Curt's childhood!

We left the reception somewhat early, around 10pm, to make the drive home. It would have been nice to stay in the area, but we had booked a campsite months ago, and we wanted to fit camping in too. We had the site Friday to Sunday night, and we weren't able to be there Friday obviously, so we had to be there by 8am on Saturday morning so the park wouldn't give our site away.

We were up bright and early on Saturday morning, made it to our site, set up the trailer and immediately took a nap :) It actually wasn't a very nice day - it was cloudy, windy and rained off and on. So, it's not like we missed out on any beach time by taking a nap.

The weather the whole weekend was pretty brutal, so we spent a good part of our time in the trailer playing cards. Luckily, on Sunday afternoon some friends came out to visit, so that forced us to leave the trailer (it's not big enough for more then two people!).

Kevin, Susannah and their daughter, Stella were our first visitors, and Maria also joined us later in the afternoon. Despite the WINDY/COLD day, Kevin, Maria and Curt were all brave enough to go for a swim. Susannah (and I) had to look after Stella, so we couldn't go in...darn ;) There were not a lot of people in the water, in fact, other then a few kids, I think the only people 'in the water' were kite surfing (note - they wear wet suits). I suppose it was a perfect day for that.


Maria heading in the water, Curt and Kevin looking cold and a kite surfer, the only one that belongs in the water!


Susannah making sure Stella doesn't get too far into the water.


Stella, waiting patiently for dinner...


...and, Stella enjoying her corn on the cob!

Stella was a great during the visit - she played away happily, enjoyed our walk around the park, and fell asleep in her stroller so her parents could enjoy a few hours of card games before heading home!

Monday morning was cold and rainy again, so we pretty much just packed up and came home. We were home just long enough to unpack and get organized at home, and then the Robertson's arrived! Tom, Krystle, Nolan and Abby are on holidays, so they came east for a visit. More on that in the next post!

Work - Moving On

So, I have been MIA (Missing in Action) from the blog world for two weeks! I've tried to post a few times, but it have just been too busy! The last two weeks have been consumed with work, skating/coaching, a wedding, camping, family visiting, and meetings.

The whole work part has probably been the most eventful part of the last two weeks. After a long and trying season at the golf course, I finally realized it wasn't worth it...and I QUIT!

I had an incident with a co-worker, he lost his temper and flipped out on me, and no one in management saw a problem with the way he acted. Now, I don't want to go on and on about it, but a brief little explanation...this guy has 5 months experience working at a golf course, and prior to that he probably didn't even know the difference between a putter and a driver. I have 8 YEARS experience working at a golf course, 5 YEARS at the course I'm at now. And, the guy is a starter and I'm a Pro Shop Assistant. So, you'd think he would realize that I have some authority over him, but, he thinks he should tell me what to do?!? Sorry, maybe this sounds horrible, but I'm not going to let this guy tell me how to do my job. Anyway, I wasn't going to go on and on about it.

So, after the incident, I had a meeting with the GM and he informed me about some decisions they have made for next year...mainly, that all the current management would be returning for another season. Well, the current management has been brutal and I was just trying to get through the season because back in June, I was told that they would be making some changes. So, when I realized they had changed their minds, and next season will probably be a repeat of this brutal season, I realized I should get out now.

So, I met with the GM on a Monday afternoon, when we finished I left the course and went straight to another course in the area...I met with one of the managers at that course, and was hired on the spot! I started at the new course yesterday, and the first day went well. It looks like I'll be working in Food & Beverage for the rest of the season (which is really only about 2 more months), and I think it will be a great change. I don't think Food & Beverage is the right fit for me for anything long term, but it will be nice for a few months.

I think one of the best parts of the new job is that even though it's a new environment, I know a lot of the golfers, so there are still some familiar faces. Bay of Quinte (the course I just left) has lost a number of members to Trillium Wood (the course I just started at) over the last few years, and I saw some of those guys yesterday. They were all really chatty, asking why I had made the switch, and then very encouraging when I told them that I just felt like it was time for a change. And, Bay of Quinte had public play as well, and some of those people play at Trillium, so I'll get to see them, too. It kinda makes the whole transition easier.

So, I'm hoping the next two months will be enjoyable, but ultimately, I'm ready for the golf season to be OVER for another year!

Curt's Surgery

Curt had surgery today...all went well and he has gone about his afternoon/evening as if nothing out of the ordinary happened this morning.

He's had an overactive nose for almost a year now...it just kinda happened, out of the blue, his nose was always runny?!? He was always blowing his nose - first thing in the morning, throughout the day and often having to get up in the middle of the night, too. He couldn't go far without having tissues nearby; in fact, on our trip to California/Arizona, the first stop outside the airport was a Target...to buy Kleenex :)

His family doctor referred him to a specialist in Peterborough, who he saw a few times. After trying nose sprays and medications, and having no change, the specialist decided to do this surgery.

I don't know if this type of operation has an official name...the nasal lining of Curt's nose was removed. Sorry if that is too much information! Apparently it will just grow back/replace itself, and hopefully, the new one will not be overactive?!?

It's 'real' surgery - hospital gowns, anesthetic, recovery room, the whole nine yards.

We were at the Peterborough hospital for 10am this morning; Curt went in for surgery at 12pm and I got to see Curt in recovery around 2:30pm, so it was a long day. But, everything seems to have gone well, and Curt is feeling great. We won't know for a few weeks whether or not it will make a big difference...he's going to be really stuffed up while everything inside his nose heals, once that passes, he'll know if he's a new man.

We have been making light of the surgery ever since it was booked...but, the reality of it hit me when we got to the hospital this morning. Even if it is only nose surgery, having your husband go 'under the knife' is a little scary. I did a lot of praying to get through the hours I was alone in the waiting room!

And, like I said, everything seems to have gone very well. So well in fact, that as I sit at home writing this, Curt is out playing golf. And, when he's done playing golf, he's off to the church for a meeting about the upcoming hockey season. Nothing stops that guy!

Abby's Baptism

Wow, I can't believe how fast this week is going...it's already Wednesday and I'm just getting time to post about our weekend in Acton. Actually, the whole month of August has just flown by! But I'm OK with that, actually, I'm quite glad it's going fast. September means more skating AND it means we're getting closer to the end of the golf season, which makes me happy.

Anyway, back on topic...

This past weekend we were in Acton for Abby's baptism, and as always, it was a great weekend at 'home' (yes, although I've had my own home for five years, I still refer to Acton as 'home').

The baptism was on Saturday and was done during a private little service; there were about 30 of Tom and Krystle's family and close friends there.


Everyone who attended the service.

Abby was beautiful in her baptismal gown - the same one that Krystle wore for her baptism. It was amazing to see how much the two of them look alike when looking at Abby in her gown and at pictures of Krystle from her special day.


Abby and I, ready to head to the church.

Nolan was also looking pretty special for the big day - he got to wear his kilt, which is always a hit. The kilt, which is the Robertson tartan, is actually the same one my brother wore at Nolan's age, and the similarities between father and son at that age are also quite amazing!


Nolan, wearing his kilt and checking out his sporran.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, Tom and Krystle asked me to be Abby's Godmother, so that made the day extra special for me, too.


Jeff (Krystle's brother and Abby's Godfather), Krystle, Tom, me, Abby and Father Bob.


A special picture of the multiple generations at the baptism. Nana, sitting in the chair, holding Abby. My mom, me and Krystle standing behind.

Following the service, Tom and Krystle had a BBQ for everyone back at their place, so we had lots of time to visit with family.

On Sunday morning, Tom and I took Nolan to his swimming lessons. That kid loves his lessons - as we pulled up to the pool, he was cheering 'yes, yes, yes' and pumping his little fists! So cute! Nolan was excited to show me all his tricks...putting his face in the water, blowing bubbles, jumping in off the side and his favourite, going down the slide!


Not the best picture, but this an action shot of Nolan going down the slide. Those are Tom's arms reaching out to catch him :)

Sunday afternoon, during Nolan and Abby's nap, Curt and I snuck away and picked up my mom for a quick little shopping trip. We just went to the mall in Guelph, but it was nice to spend some time with my mom like that. Mom and I are both a little, or A LOT, distracted by Nolan when he is around :)

After a great roast chicken dinner at my parents on Sunday evening (my mom is an awesome cook, and always makes at least one special meal for us when we're in town - Curt and I love it!), it was back to Belleville for Curt and I.



I didn't really know how to fit this in the post, so I'm going to throw in a random paragraph here. Favourite moment outside of the baptism, Saturday night we're sitting down to dinner and Nolan reminds us that we have to say grace. Krystle says a standard grace and then we go around the table saying something we're thankful for...so, the adults thank God for family, getting to spend time together, etc. And what does Nolan thank God for? Hydro trucks!!! He just loves trucks...all kinds of trucks...tractors and construction equipment, too. Once we stopped laughing, I told my mom that I figure those are God's favourite prayers :)

It's About Time

I finally got a new cell phone! I've had the same phone for about three years, and it was pretty basic...it was an old school flip phone. I could make phone calls and text, that was it.

It was similar to this phone...


And, this is what I upgraded to...


I LOVE it! And I totally understand why people call it a 'Crackberry' instead of a 'Blackberry'...I am already addicted.

I still have so much to learn - I know there are so many things I can do with this phone, and so many apps I can add, I'm just getting started. One of the main reasons I went with a Blackberry is because of the FREE Blackberry Messaging to/from anyone else with a Blackberry. My brother and sister-in-law both have Blackberry's so it's going to be nice to be able to send/receive random little messages to each other (most of them will probably be about Nolan, and Abby as she gets older). My brother and I were already taking advantage of this feature over the weekend.

Luckily, one of my co-workers has the exact same Blackberry, so I've been able to ask him a lot of questions over the last few days. I'm sure that I'll have it all figured out by the time our three year contract is up :)

A Lot of Nothing

So, prepare yourself for a boring post. It's a slow night at work, and I have had a bunch of stuff I have meaning to blog about, so I'm going to roll it all into one here.

- Before Curt and I went on vacation, my brother and sister-in-law asked me to be Abby's Godmother! I was obviously very honoured by that, and happily said 'yes'. Her Christening is next weekend, so we'll be going to visit and to be there for that.

- I think I already mentioned this, but the new skating season has already started. It's the Quinte summer program, and although I've been trying for a few years, this is the first year I've had skaters interested...I say skaters, but really I only have one skater - she's from Tweed. I know some of the other girls were interested, but it either didn't work financially, or they couldn't arrange rides to the arena during the day. I'm really glad to have the early start to the season, and although it's weird going into the cold arena when it's so nice outside, it's awesome to be back on the ice.

- Earlier this week I finished reading the book 'Redeeming Love: A Novel' by Francine Rivers. I've picked this book up more then once in bookstores, and always thought it sounded good. Then, I saw it mentioned on a lot of the blogs I read, so I decided it was time to read it. I loaded it on my Kobo for our trip, but didn't actually get to it until we got home. Anyway, it was AMAZING! The summary on the back of the book includes the following line 'A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.' That says it all...life-changing and such a great portrayal of God's love. It also states that over 1 million copies have been sold, and I can see why. If you haven't read it, you SHOULD!

- Curt rode his motorcycle to work for the first time earlier this week. Yup, he finally got it working. He says it still needs some 'fine tuning'...not that I know much about it, but given it's age, I think it will always need 'fine tuning' :) I saw him come in the driveway at the end of the day though, and I had to admit to him, he kinda suits the thing.

Now, if you're still reading this, you're a trooper. I just went back and re-read what I wrote and it's random! But, it helped pass the time on this very slow evening at the golf course, so that was good.

A Typical Weekend...Until...

We're back to our normal routines here, and we had a pretty typical weekend...a little bit of work with a little bit of fun.

I had to work Saturday morning, and while I was away at work, Curt was working on his 'new' motorcycle. It's actually quite old, but new to him...he got it before we went away, but it needs work, and he's just getting a chance to work on it now. The week before we went away, I went to a motorcycle junkyard/graveyard and picked up a new motor for him, and yesterday he put that in the bike. It still doesn't work, but I don't know the details on it?!?

Saturday evening we went to hang out with Ike and Jeanette, which we haven't done in awhile, so it was great to catch up! We taught them how to play Rummoli and then played Canasta, lots of fun!

Today, after church, we went to Curt's parents for lunch to celebrate my MIL's birthday (her birthday was last Wednesday). Curt's brother Dave, his wife Sarah and their four kids were also there for the celebration. Lunch was good, and it was nice to visit with everyone and hear what they've been up to over the last few weeks.

And then...on our way out, Dave and Sarah told us that they had something to tell us. You've probably guessed it...they're expecting again! Baby Number #5 is due to arrive on March 2nd. Dave and Sarah both said they're expecting a boy, and don't care if they have a girl...but, I'm sure after four boys, a little girl would be a nice addition. They'll be finding out in a few weeks, and I'll be very excited to hear the news when they get it.