The Baby Shower

It is very hard to believe that in the next 2 weeks or so, I will be a grandma to a beautiful (no doubt!) baby granddaughter. I've been practicing being nice to babies and small children over the past few months so I should be all set.

While Lisa was here for Tim's surgery, we were able to hold a baby shower for her. I was surprised she was so willing to let us do it because like me, she is a very introverted type of person (in a good way) and feels uncomfortable in groups of people, especially people who she doesn't know all that well and hasn't seen for a few years.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended: Linda, Heather, Gail, Nella, Rini, Theresa, Mike, Myrna, Bill, Ashley, Lorrie, Glenda, Sue and Val.

From left to right: Lisa, me (or should that be I?), Linda, Gail, Heather, Nella, Bill

Left to right: Heather, Nella, Bill, Rini, Theresa, Myrna, Ashley and Glenda.

Left to right: Lorrie, Sue, Ashley, Val, Lisa and me

Left to right: Lorrie, Sue, Michael and Tim (a week and a half post surgery - looking pretty good!)

I always worry about events such as these because I'm afraid people will have a boring time. I even put on the invitations that it was Tim's mom that was holding the shower. That way if it was a bust, I could just blame her. (I really wouldn't have done that, I would have taken full responsibility.) However, it was so much fun. Everyone enjoyed themselves but most importantly, Lisa really enjoyed it and I think she was a little overwhelmed by how much all these people truly care for her.

We weren't going to have any silly baby games but I got to thinking about what were we going to do if we didn't have any games. I got Lisa's okay and I went to the dollar store and got a package of baby shower games. There was a name the baby animal. The adult name was in one column and you had to write the name of the baby in the other. (Example: Goat - kid, Dog - puppy). The other game was a word scramble. You were given a bunch of mixed up letters and you had to guess the name of the baby item (Example: tltobe - bottle) It was hilarious listening to everyone try to figure them out. Some of the them, I didn't have a clue. I had no idea these 2 little games could result in so much laughter. We also had a craft. I had bought some plain white onesies (like baby body suits) and some fabric markers and everyone got to decorate one. Lisa is going to have lots of onesies to use. It's a good job I got them in varying sizes.

Heather and Lisa. Heather told me later that she had a great time. In her words - "Some games, a craft and food, what more could she want in a party."

Gail and Lisa

The food was incredible. Linda brought some veggies and dip, I had put out some crackers, fruit and dip and Tim's mom had made the cake (which looked and tasted delicious.) But for Lisa and I, the most special thing on that table were cookies that were made by our very good friend Lorrie and she is probably one of the most caring people I have ever met. The cookies were in the shape of baby buggies, onesies (like baby body suits) and they were decorated beautifully.

The gifts were incredible and too numerous to mention. I know for sure that Lisa was very overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. I can honestly say that I haven't laughed as hard and as much in a long time as I did while Lisa was opening her gifts. Her "helper" Linda kept us all in stitches. I had tears running down my cheeks and I know I wasn't the only one.

Glenda and Lisa holding the wonderful quilt made by Theresa.

The beautiful Winnie the Pooh picture hooked by Oma.

Grandma (that would be me!) found the tiniest hockey skates. I hope to spend many hours on the ice with my granddaughter. They are now hanging in a shadow box on the wall in the nursery. There will come a time when I will be taking them off the wall and putting them on her feet. I figure if she can walk, she can learn to skate!







The following 2 pictures are my favourite from the evening. I'm sure Lisa won't like this one but for some reason I really like it. I think it is because she looks happy and relaxed. Linda made her wear the bow on her head. Lisa wasn't too happy about that in the beginning but I think it looks cute.





I think Linda has something about people wearing things on their heads! Notice the tears in Lisa's eyes. It was nice to see her laugh and have a good time.







Now we wait for the big arrival....

Cathedral Lakes - Hiking the Rim

I have wanted to hike the Rim Trail in Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park for quite a number of years but never thought it would be something that would be even possible for me to do but this past weekend, I can strike hiking the Rim Trail off my to-do list.

No hiking trip would be complete without our hiking companions Glenda and Eric (Bugaboos and Heather Trail) and I was very glad that we all did this together. Originally we had a different trip planned which involved carrying heavy packs for long periods of time but with Tim's surgery, that trip wasn't possible.

There are a couple of ways to get up the campgrounds in the core area of the park. You can hike up. There are a few trails that will take you up (16 km, 20 km or 28 km with elevation changes ranging from 1300 metres to 1740 metres) or you can take a shuttle The shuttle is expensive expensive, takes about an hour and is quite the journey up the mountain. It was a good thing we couldn't do a trip involving carrying heaving packs for long periods of time!

The shuttle up was a unimog (picture taken from Cathedral Lakes Lodge website) and we got jostled around pretty good on the way up. (I think Tim's abdomen took a beating!) We got dropped off at the lodge and from there it was a short hike to Lake of the Woods campground. Between the 4 of us we were able to take most of the gear in one trip but Glenda and I did have to make an extra trip back for Tim's pack while the guys set up the tent.

Glenda and I loaded down with gear.

Our campsite and first use of our new MSR Hoop Tent. You will notice that I am looking a little miserable (yes I know, Laurie miserable...) I had developed one wicked headache and had it for most of the weekend and only packed 2 Tylenol with me. Not sure what I was thinking there. I usually have a whole array of pharmaceuticals with me. I noticed in quite a few of our pictures that I look quite grumpy (and I am being kind here) and I sure hope my foul mood didn't spoil Glenda and Eric's pictures (or their weekend either!)

We decided to stretch our legs and go on a nice easy hike to Lady Slipper Lake (3.9 km with a change in elevation of 220m). For some reason, this was not a nice easy hike for me and I found it very hard. I had a hard time catching my breath and it felt like I was wearing cement hiking boots. I was more than a little concerned that I would not be physically able to do the Rim trail the next day.

When we got back to camp Tim had to take his nap and Eric got out his fishing rod. I can't remember how long it took but I'm sure it was no more than 30 minutes and he had 4 nice sized cutthroat trout for dinner. He caught quite a few more but didn't keep them. I got a lesson in how to clean a fish and Eric made it look like a piece of cake but I am sure I would have lost a finger if I had tried doing it. After Tim got up he tried his luck and was able to catch just one. Eric had brought along his fry pan, some butter, salt and pepper and we had ourselves an amazing appetizer. I don't think I have ever tasted fish this good. I'm still thinking about it a week later! Supper of course was boil in a bag Indian dinner (what else do we eat camping?) and we didn't stay up too late because the mosquitoes were out in full force. I think I had my best night sleep in a long time that night. I normally don't sleep well the first night camping. Honestly, I don't sleep well any night no matter where I am but once I got all toasty in my new sleeping bag on my Neo-Air thermarest, I was gone. I cannot remember the last time I went camping where I didn't wake up cold during the night and it was wonderful to get through the night without shivering. However, the warm good sleep did nothing to alleviate my headache.

I was quite anxious to start the next morning for fear I wouldn't be able to keep up on the Rim trail or that I would hold everyone up. The description for the Rim trail from the City of Penticton Community Centre brochure:

"The Cathedral Rim Trail follows a high alpine ridge 8500 feet above sea level. This day hike leads to the unusual geological formations that this area is best known for. The Devil’s Woodpile, Stone City, Smokey the Bear, and The Giant Cleft are all located on the rim. The 360‐degree view from the rim enables hikers to see the North Cascade Mountains, The Coast Range, The Thompson Plateau, and the Kootenays. This is our Saturday hosted trek for very fit hikers." I wore my trusty Garmin and the total distance covered was 13.8 km with an elevation gain of 772m) I uploaded the data to Google Earth and got the following picture of our hike.

We accessed the Rim Trail through Lady Slipper Lake and this time going up wasn't as much as a grind as the day before. It was still a challenge but it was a little easier the second time. However, I'm sure I was still wearing my grumpy face. Lady Slipper Lake was still mostly covered in ice and we had to travel through snow around part of the lake to reach the trail that would take us to the Rim. I was a little nervous about the snow and the possibility of slipping into the cold water of the lake.

We still had quite a climb ahead of us after Lady Slipper Lake but it was at a more gentle grade (except for the very end.) The scenery was spectacular.

The push to the top!

At the top was Stone City, where we huddled behind some rocks to stay out of the wind and eat our well-deserved lunch.

From Stone City we went to see Smokey the Bear and the Giant Cleft. I have seen numerous pictures of Smokey and have always wanted to see the rock formation in real life. And yes I know the hat looks dorky but it was windy.

We hiked to the Giant Cleft at the top and although it was impressive, I think it would have been spectacular to see from a lower vantage point.

What we saw

What we could have seen (next time!)

We headed back to Stone City, past the Devil's Woodpile which is a large outcropping of columnar basalt which looks like a pile of logs. It is hard to see in the picture so I found a picture that showed it better.

We decided to head back to camp through Glacier Lake and looking at the way down got my legs shaking and my heart quivering. First we had to go across the long ridge of snow that got to be quite steep near the end. I could just picture myself slipping and let me tell you, the bottom was a very long way down. After that we had to go down through some large rocks which was very tricky because the rocks were very uneven and not stable.

This picture really shows the ridge of snow we had to travel across. We started from the far left and went across the ridge near the top, getting onto the rocks at the far right where it looks like the snow ends in a point. You can see how steep the hill is as it gets close to the rocks and how far a fall it would be if one of us had slipped. As well, those rocks would not have made for a very soft landing.

One bonus of coming down this way was seeing a momma mountain goat and her kid.

The trail from Glacier Lake back to the campground was longer than I had thought it would be and I was very glad to be able to make it back to the campsite, slip on my booties and start cooking dinner. Notice I am smiling in this picture. I must have just been so darn happy to have made it back in one piece. Seriously, a big thanks to Glenda for all her support and encouragement.

Unfortunately I did not sleep well (although I was toasty warm, at times I felt down right baked!) and morning came far too soon. It also came with thunder, lightening and a downpour. Eric and Tim rigged up some tarps and we moved all our gear underneath and cooked our breakfast. There was a break in the rain for a short time and Tim and Eric broke out the fishing rods and Eric proved once again to be the superior fisherman (sorry Tim.) However Tim did provide one of the 4 fish we for lunch. Again, I can still smell and taste that fish. What a treat that was.

After lunch we packed up, humped all our gear back to the lodge, took the shuttle (this time a Suburban) back down to base camp and headed home. Another successful hiking trip.

Surgery Update

It has been almost 9 weeks since Tim's surgery (which I find very hard to believe) and his recovery has been remarkable. I would say he is pretty much back to normal except that he still isn't able to lift anything heavy. He still takes naps during the day (oh wait a minute, he did that before surgery!) and he doesn't have the strength and stamina he did before but I am sure that in time, he will back to his old self (which I hope because I am getting tired of hauling those heavy loads!) I'm only kidding there, I have been more than okay with having to carry the weight while he hasn't been able to.

But I haven't been carrying it alone. So many people have helped out and we owe a huge thank you to so many.

• Lorrie for driving Lisa to the hospital that afternoon so I could spend more time with Tim.
  
  
• Harald, David, Glenn, Lorrie, Linda, Glenda and Eric for their hospital visits. Your visits meant a lot and really helped get him through the long hospital days.
  
  
• Glenda for picking up Tim's parents at the airport. That was a huge help to me.
  
  
• David for keeping Tim company while I was with Glenda picking up Tim's mom and dad.
  
  
• Glenn for cutting all our grass (and doing a way better job than Tim!)
  
  
• Tavis, Glory and Cam for all the time spent helping with the bees. I think the bees were Tim's biggest concern and you have certainly taken very good care of them. A thank you also goes to Jeremy for his bee help.
  
  
• Eric, Glenda, Sue, Keith, Steve, Angela, Noah, Glory and the tree-fruit project for picking and pitting cherries (especially Eric who spent an entire day out in the hot sun picking bucket after bucket after bucket of cherries.)
  
  
• Mom and Dad, Mark, Tammy and Jade. All the things you did are too numerous to mention and I don't know how to put in words what your being here meant to us. Mark and Jade, without you Tim would have not been able to go on his annual GST trip and I think that trip made a huge difference in his recovery. I couldn't believe how much he had progressed in just those 5 days away. A special thank you to Tammy for keeping me company during that week (and cooking my delicious suppers and cleaning my house.) You are one amazing woman and I am very glad you are my sister-in-law.
  
  
• Frank - For being such a support for Lisa. Both Tim and I are very glad you are a part of our family. A special thanks for the Canucks water bottles!
  
  
• Thank you to my family and friends (everyone at work, Val, Glenda, Lorrie, Sue) for their love and support. Your phone calls and e-mails were such a boost in my day.

But my biggest thank you goes to my daughter Lisa who was absolutely amazing through all of this. At times I was a complete wreck and she was there with a hug and just the right thing to say. Her presence and all her help was invaluable to us and this experience has shown me what a beautiful strong woman she is and I have no doubt that she will be an excellent mom. If we had to live through this situation again, the only thing I would change is I would buy the Glee CDs on the first day of driving to Kelowna, not the last. We could have had hours more listening pleasure!

(I am sure I have forgotten others and I apologize if I have missed someone.)