www.aNormalWeek.com

 ** More pictures may be found on my facebook in several albums!

Once I get going you'll realize this wasn't Normal week in the sense of my everyday life as we know it today, but Normal as in the first 22 years of my life.

Saturday, June 29th I was at the airport at 4:30am (awake at 3:20am) for a flight home with a layover in Nashville, TN. My daddy picked me up at the airport with a Tim Hortons Boston Cream Donut and an XL Iced Cappuccino waiting for me.

After locating the "too-tall-for-the-parking-garage" motor home he drives so mom and Michael can have the other vehicles, we headed in the opposite direction of home to meet up with the Pollak family at a park I have been to many times when we lived in Michigan. (Instead of driving the 1.5 hours to their home, we met in the middle so I wouldn't have as long of a drive home after flying all day). As excited as I was to see Nich, Jennie and ALL the Kiddo's I was really excited to take a Pregnancy Announcement picture for them! I really wanted to find something that was unique and something I'd never seen done before!

The bugs were bad out at the lake but we got some great family pictures, as well as 2 really cute pregnancy announcements and  had a blast hanging out with the family!  Check out the announcement pictures over here on my Photography Blog!

The rain didn't quite hold out on us as much as we'd like but we were still able to walk the boardwalks around Ford Lake.

We met in the parks parking lot and decided to wait out the rain at the McDonald's across the street. Hailey moved her car seat to the motor home and road with us! The kids shared a smoothie and my daddy got lunch since it was like 2:30 and he hadn't eaten (I had Annie's Pretzel sticks at the airport in Nashville!). Brooklyn's idea of "sharing" cracks me up!


My dad was so incredibly impressed with their parenting skills! If you ever want advice, these 2 should be the first to consult and should probably be teaching seminars! 

This is what teaching discipline should look like!

Hailey had called me a month ago and asked her if I could teach her how to play the violin! So I carried on my violin on the plane, and spent a whole 5-10 minutes teaching her to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! She LOVED it! (p.s. it was raining so we played in the motor home!)

Dad and I picked up 3 Jet's Pizza's (1 small one for dinner, 1 large one to take home and 1 dessert one!), stopped in at the Michigan grocery store; Meijer, shopped at Kohls for new Jeans for Dad and crossed town to get to the local-to-the-midwest; Biggby's Coffee to get some Michigan Cherry Coffee and I got some Creme Brulee flavoured coffee! I was impressed with how much I thought I'd forgotten but really remembered about driving the streets of AA and Ypsi.

It was wonderful to drive across the bridge and see a new huge flag attached to the bridge and to be welcomed home by a sign in the Tim Horton's front window. (I have a picture of that on my phone to hopefully add here later).

I'm so proud of Canada!
The 100s of windmills amuse me.

Google's Homepage on Canada Day

As soon as I got home I jumped right into Party Host,

 as the next day I had 40 people (mostly Austins/Fosters and some friends) coming over for a Canada D'eh party that I organized. I had brought home several decorations that just needed to be assembled and put up! I got up at 7am (which is 5am Denver time) to make a dessert for the party!

Sunday morning at church, I was caught off guard by how quickly they went into singing Oh Canada for Canada day and was sobbing within 3 seconds of the song starting! I knew I would. It was also fun to surprise Earl towards the end of the worship time!  Following the service Carrie came home with me and helped me string up Canadian Flags and red and white streamers! Guests arrived on time and though it rained in the morning the skies opened up and we had a beautiful afternoon! Bobbing for Apples was a hit! We had red buns and white buns and maple leaf shaped cheese! Michael BBQ'd the burgers and dogs. He put Soya Sauce on the burgers - made them moist and delicious.

Murray and Bea Coleman and their daughter Sharon were the province for a wedding and came to the party. Murray and my Grandpa have been best friends since they were 8. Murray and Bea were missionaries in Ethiopia and their son John and his wife Phyllis continue there. They have 3 grown kids and adopted 2 Ethiopian twin girls who were born premature. Murray and Bea retired to Three Hills, Alberta. Sharon and her husband Tim have been missionaries in Chile -my parents and Markie went there when I was 16!

Carrie stayed over until Tuesday early afternoon! LOVE IT! We stayed up way tooo late both nights! Monday was a holiday so we were all home and had a very relaxing day of sleeping in and watching movies! Canada got RedBox finally so that was great to rent a movie instead of having to buy it.

 We watched Monster-in-Law and RED while Carrie was over. Carrie and I went to the grocery store and sat by a fireplace at Timmy's and talked for a bit too!

Tuesday, mom called and asked if I wanted to take her hair appointment since she's getting her hair cut really short again in 2 weeks before she goes to Mexico. So I only had about 30 minutes to decide how to cut my hair and went with the same-slightly-shorter-cut I got at Christmas when I was home. Jane from Gospel Text was the one getting her hair cut when we got there so that was a great surprise because I knew she wasn't going to be at work that week and wasn't sure when/if I was going to see her. Then mama dropped me off and I waited for Michael to get home from work so I could take his vehicle out around town. I started at BulkBarn picking up far too much candy and snacks that we can only get in Canada at Bulkbarn, and then stopped in a Shoppers Drugmart - didn't buy anything but love that place so I had to go in. Ran into Sandy, one of mama's co-workers. Then I went to Gospel Text! Love that place and those people! I can't come home without going in to see them all! I even bought 3 things! Gotta love that lifetime discount for being a past employee! Dad and I went to the Real Canadian Superstore to rent a movie from Red Box, but that Red Box wasn't quite up and running yet but it was by Thursday. We popped over next door to the Wal-mart only to be surprised that there was one there too and so we rented Safe Haven. While there we ran into a couple from church. I went back the next day to return the movie and ran into Sue - a family friend. (I LOVE how I always run into people I know! I know soo many people in Chatham!)

Wednesday I went to Colasanti's with Aunt Steph. As a child Grandma took us kids there probably every summer! I have so many wonderful memories! It was so great to go back and experience it with the next best thing to Grandma - her other daughter! It was also a wonderful way to spend time with Steph who so graciously paid my way home and more! We shared a poutine and I had a butter tart (Canadian treat!). She wanted to see me, and since her equalibrium won't allow her to come see me - she took it into her own hands. I appreciate her so much! As cool as it was to see an alligator and a kangaroo, we were infatuated with the huge fish! haha! There is quite the petting zoo there, I pet a deer!

On the way home we stopped in to pick up a chocolate shake at McD's for dad and then took it to him at work! Seeing my face at work, I'm pretty sure influenced his employers to let him leave early since they wouldn't allow him any time off to spend with me (we had talked about going to Niagra Falls for a day together). Nick's parents were supposed to come to visit me that day, but complications at the border didn't allow it to all of our disappointment. I'll see them soon though! So dad took a nap, and we invited Steph and Bessie over to help us eat the Turkey Parmasean Michael had made for us to eat. Ron showed up looking for Bessie and stayed far to long, changing the atmosphere of the evening. 

Thursday, I slept til 12! I needed it! I had been staying up way too late reading and talking to Nick on the phone every other night. I worked on pictures the following afternoon as I had taken 100's (close to 1000 by the end of the week) of pictures already in the 4 days I'd been home! Thursday night, after making arrangements for the food for a dear man from our church's funeral, mom dad and I headed out to Sombra/Port Lampton area in search of an adventure. 

Dad really wanted to take some pictures of me in a park that mom has done some photo shoots in and they turned out great! 

We ate at a Harvey's/Swiss Chalet (2 Canadian-only restaurants I love) where I had an amazingly melt-in-your-mouth burger and poutine again! 

Friday the story shifts to friends instead of family. Jaspreet had asked Carrie and I to pencil her in for all of Friday, months ago. She took the day off work and we were going to go to the beach and have a friends hangout day! When more and more people said they were going to be in town on Friday she planned an extravagant day for us all to hang out together. We were all told to be at her house by 10:30 and if we were late the Crazy Indian would come out of her! We joked about all showing up a minute late, but I actually was a minute late accidentally because as I was walking to her house, I couldn't get out my back gate because there is now a lock on it and I didn't have a key, so I had to go around the front and into the park from the side! 

 She prepared a HUGE brunch for us, survival kits for the day (sugar, chap-stick, hair elastics, etc.) 

We made bracelet's - beautiful grown up ones that you would pay $15-$20's for in a store,

as well as we all decorated a name plate which we took turns writing nice things about the others on all day long. At the end of the day each girl got to take home a very flattering "plaque" with how her friends felt about her acknowledging the gifts God has given her. 

 She made Cookie Dough Dip too. 

We loved sitting out on the porch just chatting, and painted our nails:

 had a dance party:

and we also played the card came we called Skid in high school- more commonly known as President or Bum. 

We also had a mosquito infested campfire and smor's. 

 

 

 At 10:30am these are the people who were there: myself, Melissa, Carrie, Amy, Karen and her 2 kids (Ada and Jude) and Patience (a friend of Jaspreet's). Karen took her kids home to Grandma halfway though the day but came back within 15 mins, she left again to bath them and put them to bed and then came back again. Amy and Patience both went to work around 1, Amy came back for her dinner break. Melissa left around 4:15 for the wedding rehearsal we were all going to the next day and came back afterwards! We all left around 10:30-11ish.

Saturday was a BUSY day. I was up before 7 and out at the Habitat house with my mom before the days volunteers got there. It was wonderful to get to see the thing that my mom has devoted SOOO much time to over the last year or so and even more so - this whole summer! It'll be move-in ready in a month! 

 She also showed me the new double decker bus that is becoming a food stand restaurant thing in downtown Chatham:

Then she dropped me off for my yearly birthday date with Earl, you gotta do it whenever you can - who says it has to be even in the month of your birthday! We went to Tim Horton's instead of DQ like we've done for the last 20 years because I have DQ regularly here in Denver, but can't have Timmy's! He dropped me off back at home just in time to sit with my parents and watch a live streamed wedding of a Generational Friend of our Family. Jenni - the daughter of John and Phyllis who I was talking about earlier was marrying a boy from Australia. It was a bit frustrating because the live feed wasn't working well, but eventually they got it working and we sang along with the hymns and I sobbed like a baby again! It was soo touching to me, that this couple had so many people watching from around the world. On the website you could chat and people we chatting from ALL over the globe, some where it would be the middle of the night for them yet they wanted to support them. The wedding party and family were from all over the globe too. It was soo cool! 

After the wedding, I whipped up some dessert for mom

and Dad I took off to the store to get a few things for the Fundraiser my parents were hosting at their house that evening for my mama's mission trip to Mexico. We ran into Carrie/Karen and the Kids as well as separately - Karen's Uncle who used to go to our church but I haven't seen in years. (again small town?!) Terry & Peyten had come over to set up the sound system for the outdoor coffee house, Peyten and I climbed the oak tree at the back of our property 

 and then I had to go get ready for Bethany's wedding!

I had been asked to play a CD at the end of their ceremony since I have mad soundboard skills and us girls were also asked to hand out the programs so we got their early. I also turned into a runner - taking peoples gifts into the gym where the reception was. I also met the groom for the first time when he showed where they wanted the CD to start etc. Another fun responsibility that was entrusted to me was getting the silver pens for the guest book and the rings from the bride. I totally managed to do it without even seeing her! 
The wedding was simple and Bethany was gorgeous!

The girls went back to Karen's house inbetween the wedding and reception and took group pictures. It was great to get the extra time with Mandy!! She didn't bring her kids though so I was sad about that.

The reception was a blast! We had a table to ourselves with one extra girl named Ashley. When Melissa told me her name I was sure I knew her, but had no idea how. When she saw me, she said I looked familiar. When I learned she was from Toronto and never went to camp at Fair Haven's, neither of us can figure out if we actually know each other, or if we know each other from the future. Maybe she becomes my future sister-in-law? Anyways she fit right in at our crazy table. When the wedding was over and we were helping clean up - she told us this was her first wedding! I can't even comprehend that! I go to like 10 a year! I hope we didn't ruin her first experience, or set the standard to high for good clean fun! Anyways by the end of the night we were such good friends she gave me a ride home in her convertible smart car! 

Sunday, my last day at home, I specifically booked by flight so I could go to church, yet still be back to work for Monday morning. I went to church and while I didn't sob this time, noticing the word Parlour on the VBC Set-up would bring a tear to my eye as did thinking of how cool it was that I got to spend so much time with the girls and the family and how much I love them all! Thanks God for bringing us all back together like normal! We went out to eat at the Chatham Breakfast Grill where the head chef there is the guy who made my amazing wedding meal! I had Eggs Florentine. I invited Bessie and Steph too! Bessie cried when we separated of course.

We left the restaurant and headed straight to the Funeral Home for Don Bellinger. Don was one of the founding fathers of our church, the oldest living member of our church - leaving my dad in the running for "longest attender of EBC", he was father to Anne who was our youth leader, Grandpa to Mandy's husband. It is definitely sad to loose someone so important to our community, but he lived a great, full life full of amazing family and a great church family. His last couple years were full of Alzheimers so he didn't know anyone anyways. It was WONDERFUL to see Mark and Anne, and meet Mandy's newest baby! I grabbed her as soon as I could. She was sweet. I think she thought that my freckles were dirt because she kept trying to scratch them off! Mark asked me where I was living and when I told him Denver, he asked me for more information, I told him Colorado and he was shocked! Mandy lives in Wyoming Ontario so it's understandable!

Like Father Like Daughter!!
I've been taking pictures of my thumb so I can watch it grow out and this weeks I took with my daddies!

We came home for a bit before they had to take me back to the airport and watched a bit of a newer Gaither video we hadn't seen yet, stopped at Timmy's (last's days a charm - finally found a Timmy's with the new Carmel Timbits!) on the way and then I was on my way back home.... 

On the Flight home we flew past a really cool lightening storm above the clouds - the girl I was sitting next to e-mailed her video of it to me, but I can't get the file to work... will have to look into that more. 

It was sooo great to be home, and have a normal (busy was the norm) week with friends and family!!!!