tamiupnorth

2010-02-09T22:56:00.002-07:00

365 Days of 40 - Day 1

Today is my first day as a 40 year old. Age has never been a big deal for me.... but the number 40 had a big impact on me. 40. seriously, I can't be 40. Do I look 40? What does that even mean? Anyway, I'm going to document daily the life of a 40 year old, because I think 40 is a lifechanging age.

So, Day 1 as a 40 year old.... I forgot to eat breakfast, ingested beef jerky and cake for lunch, but had a fabulous beef dip dinner made by one of my very best friends. Lesson - eat breakfast, plan for lunch and marry Joanne as she always makes amazing dinners! And she's an amazing mom!

What have I learned on Day 1.... if you are trying to feel younger by hanging with your older friends... they will run circles around you. If you hang with your younger friends, they remind you that you could be their mother (yikes), but seriously, if you just hang with your FRIENDS and nobody is thinking about age, YOU FEEL YOUNG. I seriously love my friends, old, young and in between!!!

2009-05-01T08:07:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd throw some pictures up here from our girls weekend in Edmonton.

What better combination than friends, food, shopping and cocktails to unwind from life - and throw in a rented Hummer and we're good to go!

2009-04-22T22:06:00.000-06:00

Please see my new blog... http://dot2dotconnections.blogspot.com/

2009-04-21T21:13:00.003-06:00

The reason I started my blog was to connect with family and friends across this tiny planet. It worked perfectly in the beginning... then work got busy, facebook became popular among all my circles, and it became too hard to keep up. BUT, I follow some great blogs and have been very inspired and am creating a new blog focusing on Northern artists of all type. My blogging course has homework.. and oh boy... the homework is pushing me to get this blog done. I have the graphics done, the plan done... what's stopping me???? Just tonight, I was talking to artist, Janet Pacey and said "I'm going to post a new artist every week' and she translated that to 'oh, you are going to do an artist a month'. So sad, she knows me so well. She knows my type so well - best of intentions, so hard to follow through with the schedule I keep - but I'll try!!!!

Keep posted... and the new blog will be revealed soon.... sooner than even I thought!

ps - we had our Skills Canada competiton for Graphic Design today - thank you to Canadian North for the day off!!!! - and the kids from Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Inuvik all did amazingly well. that might be my first post in my new blog.... those high school kids have such amazing potential! wow! I had tears in my eyes at the awards ceremony, as usual. Amazing!

I want to thank one of my very best friends for our partnership in the Skills competition, our girls' road trips, our runs and just being able to be ourselves with each other and enjoy the friendship! I admire you and thank God for our friendship!

2009-04-05T17:25:00.003-06:00

Welcome to my much neglected blog. I am newly inspired to continue posting and will be launching a new blog after I take my course from Decor8 blogger Holly Becker. Stay tuned...

I am so thankful for spring - the sun makes such a difference for renewed energy!

2007-04-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Easter!

Once again, we had a wonderful Easter dinner with family and friends. We still miss having Johnson's here for every holiday dinner!!! One reason could be that me and turkey just don't get along. Don't get me wrong, I love turkey, I can eat turkey - I just have issues when it comes to cooking turkey, or in this case, buying turkey.

Sunday morning, I wake up leisurely and figure I better get out my 'cook from frozen pre-stuffed bird' and find out how long to cook it for. I begin to read the instructions "Thaw for 4-5 days in the fridge". OK - I grabbed the wrong turkey! I'm still not in panic mode yet - I'll just go to Co-op and exchange it. As I enter the deserted parking lot, closed for Easter Sunday, I get a twinge of panic - but that's OK - there's still Extra Foods. I get there, and they do not carry "cook from frozen, pre-stuffed" turkeys, but they do sell 'turkey in a box'. hmmmm, nope- can't do it. Get home with my frozen 20lb bird determined to thaw and cook it by 5pm. After half an hour on-line learning that there is absolutely no way I will cook that turkey today, I opt for two turkeys in a box (for twice the price to begin with) and away we go. It was turkey. It was stuffed. What more can you ask for - Oh and it came with gravy already made - another recipe I've yet to conquer.

My last turkey story had me flipping the bird in the pot because I had accidentally cooked it upside down - little did I know that people do that on purpose!

All in all, Easter was great. So thankful for family and friends!

2007-04-09T11:59:00.000-06:00

Canadian Idol- here they come!

Taylor and Morgan sang their tunes (and even danced a little) in front of a packed house. They both did amazingly well - I was so proud of them and equally impressed with their bravery!

2007-04-08T12:12:00.000-06:00

Welcome Baby Rhea!

Laurie and Andrew had a beautiful baby girl. Holly is a great big sister and despite wanting her to be named "Poopy-pants Morton", they named her Rhea Wynn Morton. Adorable. Melissa hosted a baby shower and we all got to hold the sweetheart while indulging in yummy food and drink!

I am so thankful for all our amazing children! Each of them a little miracle and answered prayer!

2007-03-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

What a Game!

Diana, Trevor, Rob and I had planned a get-away to Edmonton and our greatest plans were to find a bar somewhere near the Battle of Alberta game and get the whole 'vibe' from the game and the crazed fans. Well, a business associate came through with the most amazing gift - box seats!

Igloo Building Supply (who is doing our new kitchen by the way) welcomed us into their lovely seats and we can't tell you how much we enjoyed the whole evening.

Now, Trevor is a die-hard Flames fan and we had told him to 'cool' his enthusiasm - we were in Edmonton afterall. But after an eight year old entered the box sporting a huge Flames jersey, we thought it was OK to cheer for whoever you truly loved. And in the end, Calgary did win - I'm sure it had something to do with Trevor being there - just look at how happy this fan is!

Today, I'm so thankful for the opportunities we have in life!

2007-02-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

I love my job!

Do you recognize that guy next to me? Well, what fun to have Leslie Nielsen to our office for lunch. We were all a bit silly by the end.

His father was an RCMP officer in Tulita when Leslie was young, and he was asked to attend a signing of the Tulita Unity Accord, an event sponsored by Canadian North. On his stop through Yellowknife, he took in a tour of the Diavik mine site, attended the Legislative Assembly and had lunch with us!
If you can imagine the character he plays in Airplane or the Naked Gun series, you pretty much have him pegged. He was witty, kind and a pleasure to be around – even when he brought out the good ol' farting machine for our group picture.

I am thankful today for laughter - it truly helps stress! Just ask my husband...

2007-02-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Birthday Fun!

What a great weekend! It all began on Thursday with a lovely surprise lunch with my co-workers out at Old Town Landing and dinner at Bullock's with the Calgary Opera Emerging Artists that were visiting. (It's always about the food - isn't it!)

Then on my birthday, I attened the Opera performance (that was wonderful) and their after party. If you've never had Happy Birthday sung to you by professionals, let me tell you - you are missing out!

Then Saturday evening was a triple birthday party for Alana, Sheri and myself at Holly's house. We had amazing food, cakes and of course - the best company! We were all in our comfies and had a great relaxing evening. Thanks again girls! Alana is leaving us for Alberta, but we'll cross paths many more times in our lifetime!

Sunday, one of the Opera singers, Michelle Minke, came to lunch with us and gave Morgan a voice lesson. Morgan loved it! and I really appreciated it - they were all such an amazing group, with such amazing talent!

Well, my goal of writing in this blog once a week has not been kept, but maybe once a month is more like it!

Today, I am thankful for my friends. We have such an amazing group of girls, some near, some far, and we can count on each other for anything. I can't imagine my life without them.

2007-01-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

We are happy to be home safe and sound and relaxing today.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - I know we did. Christmas dinner at mom's was amazing, Boxing day at Meagan and Wayne's was fun, and our trip home was adventurous - we must remember that flying out of Castlegar is always interesting. It all worked out and we got to visit with Johnsons in Edmonton before they left for their cruise and we'll see Dale when he gets back home.

Today, I'm very grateful for my mom. She's always there for me, supported me and my family and is always someone I can go to for anything. She shows the kids so much love and takes care of us so well when we visit - we are very spoiled I must say. Love you mom.

2006-12-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

We all had a great year – hope you did, too.

My newsletter is going to be on-line this year due to way too much going on and not enough time to get it all done.

Morgan – aka Little Miss Performer – entered a Junior Idol Competition and sang Nelly Fertado, she also sand ‘Oh Canada’ at a school assembly and a duet at the Christmas concert – she really has no fear. She has an amazing voice and makes us cry when we hear her. She danced at the Snow King Castle (a frozen ice house on the middle of the lake http://www.snowkingcastle.ca/) a year-end performance for Bella Dance and a huge NACC performance of Jeanne d’Arc http://www.crazylegscontempory.com/

Morgan has entered the pre-teen realm in full force. The phone is always busy and there is giggling and boy-talk at every turn. She has a nice group of friends, very loud, but nice nonetheless.

Mitchell – short on stature, huge on personality, Mitchell has a distinct laughter that is even recognizable in a darkened theatre. We’ve finally put him in gymnastics after months of a makeshift obstacle course with our elliptical machine, mini-trampoline and couch. He’s also part fish (like his dad – no webbed toes though) and still likes swimming lessons, and this year we are trying soccer. Our nickname for him on the field is ‘pilon’. Enough said.

Mitchell had the best report card of his school career. OK, so he's only in Grade 2, but man, if you could've been in our shoes the last two years, you'd know why we are ecstatic. He's 'focused' and 'diligent' this year. Wow, eh? And good in Math. We know he's leaning more toward me now. ha.

Rob
Rob and Doug are together again! Once again, Rob can introduce Doug as his ‘partner’ and raise people’s eyebrows. Doug joined Nexum not too long ago, and they are busy busy busy.

Little League
Well, Rob's at it again. Baseball - his #1 love, has taken over. Our kitchen looked like a sports warehouse for the summer, Rob was gone coaching or organizing most nights and he couldn't have been happier. He took a team to the Western Prairie Championships in Regina and had the time of his life. They got invited to the Regina Red Sox game, got to warm up with the team and were introduced to the sold out crowd. As coach, he is sure in his element! We're already planning our lives around the next ball season - I sure hope Mitchell wants to play ball when he's old enough for little league!

Tami – I AM CANADIAN. No, really, I am.
Finally Morgan and I are dual citizens and can cross the border freely. I had to take a test – which my friends helped me study for on our girls camping weekend. I fretted and stressed and took on-line questionnaires and finally I walked in to the exam to the welcome of the coordinator “Tami, didn’t you pick up these papers 10 years ago” “Why yes” I replied, “It sometimes take me a while to get around to things.” But I aced the 20 question test –with 150 other people – and took the oath, and it’s all done.

I also made a huge job change this year. I left the government and am marketing coordinator for Canadian North – a Northern airline. I LOVE my job! I work with amazing people on challenging and creative projects. I needed a change to boost my creativity and motivation, and that is exactly what I got.

I'm still involved with Skills Canada - this year I got to travel to Saskatoon and meet up with Heather Peterson for a night. We are hoping to hook up when I get back in May. My new job fully supports the volunteer work I do with Skills and the Arctic Winter Games committee I'm co-chairing as well.

Late with the letter this year!

I'm finishing up this newsletter at my parents place in Castlegar. We've been hanging out with Meagan, Wayne, Connor and Teague - it is so good to see our kids playing together. Teague is so funny, he's almost two and he calls his sister 'honey', so in the morning he pats her back and says 'Good morning honey' and when he's looking for her, you can hear him bellowing 'Honey, honey!' This summer, my parents bought a new motor home. Their plan is to take a trip to Alaska this coming year to see my aunt Mary - they made it to Yellowknife last summer. I don't think they know the definition of 'snow birds' - they seem to be going in the wrong direction.

Last Christmas, we ventured to Rob's parents in Grande Cache - barely making the last ferry. Rob's brother Dale was following us, up until Ft. Providence, five minutes from the ferry. We pull up and are informed that we are the last vehicle on the ferry and the driver is even nervous to make this trip (that doesn't scare me at all!). Meanwhile, Dale stopped for some beef jerky and to stretch his legs, not knowing his sister-in-law was freaking out! Once he got back on the road, they actually stopped him half way and told him he would have to turn around and go back - he begged and got through in the nick of time. Phew! We hot-tubbed and had a great relaxing Christmas. Dennis' mom lives in GC now, so we got to spend Christmas day with her, opening gifts and playing cards. This year, we are meeting them in Edmonton on the way home for a day of catching up before they hop on another cruise.

Dale has started his own company in Yellowknife - Territory Construction. So, look for the mini Mike Holmes to be building something near you! He put in our new front door this year (with Rob's help, Rob tells me). Dale still comes over every Monday, with our friends Joanne and Adam, for our weekly dinner. We take turns cooking - Dale brings chinese or pizza, and Adam made us the best homemade French onion soup last month - he's ruined me for anyone elses!

Circle of Life

Joanne is an auntie as of a couple days ago - little Christopher David made his way into the world only a couple days after Joanne's grandma passed away. We pray that the love of a new baby can fill their sad hearts and help them through a sad time. Joanne got to go home to be with her family at this time!

Kitchen Renos

Rob and I dream of a new kitchen. Well, I dream - he goes along with it. One day, that dream came true, but at first I thought it was a small nightmare. It started out with water in our kitchen and a heaving bathroom floor. Rob ventured down to the crawl space to find a completely FROZEN wall. Water damage - ugh. Doug and Rob found the leak after ripping through walls - it was between the kitchen and the bathroom - a pinhole leak that could have been going for a year. So, the weekend we have my friend Holly's boys over, we have no hot water, no bathroom, half a kitchen and I'm thinking $$$. I tried to be thankful for the heat Doug had restored to our house that weekend, tried to be thankful we had a house and lo and behold Monday when I got home from work, there was a nice insurance adjuster there listing off all the things they are going to do to our kitchen and bathroom. So, we are picking out new flooring, counters and paint for our new January project. I will not complain about paying house insurance again!

Journey to the Past

Last December, I googled a name - a name I had googled many times before - Joe Waterman. Joe is a name I've known since I was young - a name my mom told me about - a name I wondered about for years. This name belonged to my biological father. On this fateful December day, a hit on 'classmates.com' led me to Joe's site and this bio "Joe is married with 3 kids and lives in Eagle, Idaho." Wow - I thought - I have 3 siblings I don't know. I was feeling spontaneous and hit the 'email Joe' button and wrote something like "Merry Christmas - not sure if you will know the name, but I would like you to have a great Christmas". Anyway, when I hit 'next', it said "become a gold member, blah blah blah' so I hit 'cancel' and thought it wasn't meant to be and called it a day. Two days later, at Johnson's for Christmas, I checked my hotmail and received a "your email has been sent to Joe" message Ok - now it was out of my control. I received an email from Joe shortly after telling me about his 3 kids - It started with his first, a girl named Tami - it was me. And two boys - Ty and Scott. Joe's wife Bryn is an amazing woman and we hit it off right away. It took me a couple months to get up the nerve to call - thank God for email, eh! But a few months later, we got to meet. What a reunion! This summer we are heading to the Waterman's family reunion in Bend to meet the rest of the 'clan' My grandma Faith, Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bill, Cousin Kerry and her boys and her brother Keith, his wife Jessica and their three kids and my brothers and my little nephew Kenny. They have shown so much love fore me - it's been amazing. They've always known about me and have pictures of me up in their houses when I was a baby. And in case you are wondering if we look alike - check out the flickr site for the resemblance - slap a beard on me and you could call me Joe

Friends, friends, friends

This summer was full of visiting with friends! Rob's '20 year reunion' weekend was great fun. It's so nice seeing the old gang. Also, Patricia and Anthony met us for a few days in Idaho for some fun at Stoneridge and Silverwood. Patricia and I stood in line f-o-r-e-v-e-r for a roller coaster ride with Morgan and Anthony and once we got to the first peak of the wooden ride, we were both like "What were we thinking?" and proceeded to scream like crazy women. Well, then we were so scared that we started laughing hysterically. And I mean hysterically. When the ride finally stopped, tears were streaming out of our eyes and we were doubled over - not making eye contact with any of the new riders. Morgan and Anthony pretended they weren't with us as we stumbled down the stairs. Oh my goodness! Later, we got to shoot Patrica, Anthony and Morgan in water bumper boats - my gun was stuck right on Patricia's face - which made me double over in laughter once again. Good thing, we were on our way to the water park after that. We look forward to next summer and their 5th visit!

The Night of Diana

'Diana Curtis Design' small company with Big Ideas won small business of the year - but that's not all! She also won the $7000 diamond at the end of the night. It was truly her night to shine!

Pam Jo-veeee Leaves the Knife

Pam Muir (aka Mrs. Bon Jovi - or Joveeee, as her New Zealand accents pronounces it) left for the bright lights, big city, Calgary. We all miss her terribly. She was the glue to our ball team - the hostess with the mostest and continually spoiled us all rotten. I got to meet up with her in October when I was in Calgary for meetings - it was so much fun. She met me at Kim (Lees) Loupelle's house with Tammy (Audet) Gallant and Tana (Robinson) Dermody. What a great weekend!

We are Godparents!

Last New Year's we attended Zachary Chung's baptism and became Godparents! Zach is Melissa and Steve's youngest boy - what a sweety! They also have Jordan (mini-Steve) and Carissa, who is a lovely teenage (I know - two words that don't normally go together), but she is nice, hard-working, drop dead gorgeous (watch out mom and dad) and very thoughtful.

2007

Well, Rob and I have been traveling so much this year and 2007 looks to be much of the same. We hope to see everyone in the coming year on one of our trips for meetings, training, volunteering, baseball or just plain fun! Living in Yellowknife is truly wonderful, and the distance between family and friends is less and less with the traveling we have been able to do.

2006-11-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

Christmas is right around the corner and I have nothing done. No newsletter, no gifts, no nothing. The newsletter is being replaced by my blog this year. Hopefully I'll have it done by the time my Christmas postcards make it to your door!

In my busy daily routine, I've found that thanking God daily for my blessings helps me put things in perspective - too many little things get to me and stress me out. Meanwhile, I have the most amazing family and friends and we have our health, a warm comfortable home and plenty of food. Absolutely nothing to complain about.

So today I thank God for Rob - for his zany sense of humour that sometimes drives me nuts and that he's passed on to Mitchell, for his faithful love that brought us back together and keeps our family grounded and lastly for his giving heart that thinks of others in need before himself (I know - it surprises me too - hee hee). Oh, and for his ability to always be the brunt of everyone's jokes - funny how in every situation, with every group of friends, Rob is always at the centre of ridicule - but he's OK with it.