News!

Okay there really isn't any news. I was sitting here looking at everyone's blogs with their cute kids and I was feeling kinda jealous! I know it isn't all fun and games... but being a family looks pretty darn good from the outside.

The first picture was the beginnings of a very scandalous Halloween costume that I wore to a YSA event. Bad idea, but oh so funny. The looks I got from the people who didn't know me were classic. I completed my Gothic look with all black, excluding a pink mini skirt that I wore over top of black tights with fish net stockings (I was fully covered and wearing my G's so don't freak). I also had some nice Avril Lavigne arm sock things (what are they called?!?). Ha ha ha, oh the good times. I loved to start a good scandal.



My friend Carey Ekelund (now Evanson) and I took turns with the tummy. It was even funnier with her cause she looked like she was 12 years old. Oh Ian and I were dating at the time (it had only been a month). He came up this weekend from Calgary to see me. I don't think he was very impressed. In fact I am surprised he didn't dump me that weekend!!!!!



(Man I hope I don't regret putting these pictures up)



The picture is from a baby shower I went to (dang was I tanned!). I had so many people fooled that I was pregnant (friends of mine that hadn't seen me in long enough for the whole thing to be a possibility). It was so awesome how they reacted to an assumed "unmarried pregnant woman". Oh it still makes me laugh!

All of it must be credited to my friend Amy Olsen who worked at Old Navy in Edmonton and "borrowed" the velcro stomach for those trying on maternity wear. It looked so real and I was seriously contemplating sewing my own so that I could wear it shopping and park in those "expectant mothers with children" stalls nice and close to the entrances.

Someday I will join the crew of mommy's and I will be just as thrilled to put pictures of them on my blog!

Is it summer yet?!?

I am so ready for the school year to be over. Ian has one week left of exams and then he is on his summer break... well I guess he doesn't really have a break anymore because now he is finished university and will be working. Nonetheless, I still wish I was done with him. I don't want to be left behind as Ian moves to Lloydminster without me. It makes me sad thinking of the lonely weeks ahead.

I feel like I am out of steam and I don't feel like I can deal with 21 teenagers everyday anymore. The students have started to turn into junior high-ers already. They don't confide in me as much and don't seem to like me as much. I miss hearing "Mrs. Isackson, you are the coolest teacher ever!". They are currently unaware of the fact that I am moving and will not be their teacher next year (at my school the teacher stays with her class from gr 1-9). I am breaking the news to them next week. I don't think they will be too upset though (at least not many of them).

41 Days of school left and in these next 41 days I have to do the following:

• Arrange probably 2 parent meetings about field trips, events, new teacher, ect.
• Field trip to Lloyd's Roller Rink
• Plan and arrange a Medieval Feast
• Attend a grade 6/7 overnight trip (3 days)
• Carry out 4 more pizza days
• Attend 9 more staff meetings
• Interview potential new students/families
• Plan, prepare and teach Government, Trees and Forests, Evidence and Investigation. Review Ancient Greece, prepare the student for provincial exams, write the 6 exams, finish a novel study, teach how to write a business letter and a newspaper article. Complete fractions with operations, teach statistics and probability, number theory, coordinates and motion geometry, and integers.
• Mark everything associated with teaching these topics and complete report cards

Now that is just my teacher life. I also have to:

• Pack and move my husband
• Travel most weekends to see Ian
• Celebrate our first anniversary
• Deal with all things Young Womens
• Celebrate Ian's Graduation with family coming
• and move everything to Lloydminster

... I am thinking now I shouldn't have written this all down because now it seems so much more overwhelming. I do not ask for pitty though. I chose my career. This is a warning to all you pre-teachers out there... you will never be more busy in your entire life than your first years of teaching. It will remain that busy too if you are switching grades each year. So here is the future plan... find a nice, quiet public school where no one expects too much from you... teach grade 4 (not a provincial exam year -TRUST ME)... and keep teaching grade four until you retire. Good luck to you all!

Our Lloyd Apartment

Talk about the WORST weekend to go traveling! Ian and I left Calgary on Friday afternoon just as the snow storm was getting started. Luckily we only had 40 min of bad road conditions then it was smooth sailing to Edmonton.

Saturday morning we set off early to Lloydminster to look at apartments and decide where we were going to live. The first two apartments we looked at were a little scary. I admit that it caused me anxiety thinking about having to live there for any amount of time (no matter how short). If no other option was available I am sure I would have survived and would have felt a lot more comfortable once our stuff was moved in.... but of course I can easily say that now cause our last appointment brought us to a newly renovated building that was perfect. It is in really good shape and most importantly the bathroom wasn't disgusting. So right then and there we signed a lease and gave our damage deposit and rent. It was a great relief to know that we have somewhere to move to.

The weather was still okay as we left Lloydminster but once we got close to Edmonton it started to get bad. We stopped just outside of Elk Island park to get some gas where I foolishly put in the expensive stuff instead of the regular. Man was I ticked off. The labels were very unclear about what I was actually putting into it. I didn't feel it was right for the company to trick people into paying 1.27/L so I went in to tell them just that. After I explained that they needed to change the labels on the pumps so that you could tell what type of gas you were putting in your car I went back and filled the rest of the tank with the good ol' "cheap" stuff (1.15/L is now cheap?) After that ordeal we braved the nasty weather to get back to my parents house.

This morning we woke to the continued nasty weather that put a bit of a damper on Ian's 28th Birthday! We had the privilege of attending the YSA ward where my father is the Bishop and enjoyed the quiet meeting. After celebrating Ian's birthday with my family we grudgingly began our trek home. That was a terrible drive, over what seemed at times, a skating rink. I thank Ian for doing so much driving this weekend as I don't do well with icy roads. We survived past the stupid drivers who continually pressed their breaks on the ice, the crazy semi trucks that sped past in the left lane and the numerous cars in the ditch. We even saw one car right in front of us spin out and go into the ditch (no injuries). I thank the Lord for keeping us safe on our journey.

It is back now to the work week and exams for Ian. In just a couple weeks we have to pack up Ian and take him to Lloyd. I hope there is no snow on the ground then!!!!!!



Hallway leading to large room, bathroom and storage room



Larger bedroom (oh look, it has a fan)



The bathroom looks brand new (thankfully)



Part of the kitchen. It has older appliances and the cupboards are a little old school but the floors are nice, walls painted and is in great shape.



The rest of the kitchen space which also has a fan

I accidentally erased the pictures of the 2nd bedroom and the living room. The whole place is probably not much bigger than our current place just with 2 bedrooms. We love it though and are excited that we don't have to live in a dump until we buy a home next year.

Thank Heaven for long weekends!

This is the first official posting on my blog. I was planning to wait until summer when I will actually have more time but there are some big events coming up shortly that I want to write about.

The first being my husbands completion of his Engineering degree. Ian, in less than 3 weeks, will finally be finished with school. I cannot be more proud of the hard work and dedication he has shown throughout these last 4 semesters that I have known him. I am sure that Ian cannot be more excited either.

Along with the excitement of graduation comes the acceptance of job offers that, sadly, will take us away from Calgary to the lovely city of Lloydminster (it borders AB and SK if you didn't know its location). I am not sure yet how to feel about this move. Know that I have only ever lived in Edmonton and Calgary so the "small town" life is entirely unknown.

We went to visit Lloyd last month. I was okay with living there... it seemed like a safe place, comfortable, close to the family (2.5 hr) with the important necessities. I was even starting to get a little excited about it until we went to "the mall". We walked in and started walking around... let's just say it took less than 2 minutes to walk from one end to the other. I cried! My dear Mother, who came along on the journey, offered comfort saying that I can do all my clothes shopping in Edmonton. So I guess I will survive. I know that she would love to have me come to the city to shop and see her.

We are off to Lloyd again this weekend to set in place our housing arrangements and to get Ian's employment details worked out. Then in a couple weeks I say goodbye to my husband who is moving ahead to start work as I am stuck in Calgary teaching until the end of the school year. I am sure I will be blogging a lot during those sad weeks of loneliness.

Well... there is more info, but I have apparently written an essay. I should stop now if I really do want people to read this. Happy Weekend!