Happiness

I have some wonderful news to share with you! Zac has been doing an immense amount of growing over the past few months. He went out to Winnipeg, and has settled into life on the base. On his weekends, he has been traveling South to visit our Friends the Kelleys, who moved to Glenboro a year and a half ago. He has been doing a lot of pondering, and spends a lot of time talking to Dave. Zac has come to the conclusion that he really does want the gospel in his life, and all that it brings. It took him some time to come to this conclusion, but he has made the first steps. He went to church this Sunday, and met with the bishop. He is determined to come back to full activity, and set his life in order. We are so happy, and amazed at the change in his desires. Already we notice a difference in him, and look forward to seeing the great things the gospel will bring into his life. We only ask that you keep him in your prayers, as he travels the somewhat difficult road back.

Happy Turkey Day!! (minus the turkey)

Hey family! Happy Thanksgiving! We just finished having the family over today. We did not have turkey though. On Wednesday I got a call from an old acquaintance, and he had two geese for us. I went to pick them up, but there was a catch. I had to clean the geese myself. (I actually knew this from when he gave us a couple ducks years ago). I had never cooked a goose before, and wild geese are another story altogether. We weren't certain it would turn out, or that anyone would like it, so we had a ham, too. The geese did turn out, so needless to say, we had a lot of food. It was great to get together, but I look forward to getting together with family out there again. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Highway of Heroes

I heard this song on the radio the other day, and it just brought me to tears. The first thing it brought to mind was the powerpoint I got in my email, I think from dad. (It was a year or so ago)



I don't know if it would have affected me so much a year ago, but now I understand it. Earlier this year we were heading to Kitchener to spend time with family, and to go to the temple. Car trouble caused us to have to pull off and get repairs. When we finally did get back on the road, we had the privilege of getting caught at the end of the traffic delay of one of our heroes coming home. Had it not been for that email, we might not have known exactly what it was. It was amazing to see the fire trucks, police cars, and thankful people lining every overpass from Trenton to Downtown Toronto. It is so humbling to witness. For those who don't know what I am referring to, let me explain what the Highway of Heroes is.

When one of our soldiers is killed while serving over seas, they are flown into Trenton. They are driven from there to the Coroners office in Toronto. Their remains are sent on to their families from there. The Stretch of the 401 Highway from Trenton to that exit in Toronto was renamed The Highway of Heroes. As the video showed the people line the overpasses, and the lights on the fire trucks and police cars flashing. This is true of every overpass on that stretch of road.

John heard this song a couple days after I did, and he found that it affects him stronger now with a son in the Air Force. All I know is that I find it sad that we do not always see as much support for our troops while they are still alive. I am so thankful for the sacrifice they make, and the families who sacrifice to allow them to serve.

Nostalgia

This past weekend has been one of remembering. Hubby had his 25 year high school reunion. It was interesting to watch as some of the old groups formed again, almost immediately. Then there were those who have drifted from their old friends, and looked for new relationships. There were those who had kept in touch, and those who were reunited with the group after so many years. There was even time taken to remember those who had passed on since high school. It was an interesting experience as old feelings of hurt were put to rest by some, and rekindled by others. New bonds were formed, as life had taken them all down its various paths. We never know how our connections made now will change in the future.

Military Family?

It has been awhile since I wrote, I know. I have been busy sewing like a crazy woman, and still have a lot to do. The sewing is good, as long as I take breaks and sew something different, I don't get tired of it (yet). It also helps to bring in some extra money, to help pay down some debts.
We have found though that we may be turning into a military family. The girl informed us a couple of weeks ago, that she is going to enlist. She is not absolutely certain which branch she will join, but she knows which bases she would prefer. We have a recruiting officer in our reenactment group, and he is working with her to determine what to do. It looks like we will have two military kids, and the third thinks he wants to join when he grows up, too. Do you count as a military family when the parents are the ones not enlisted?
We have also had some stress here. Around the time mom went to Calgary, our instructor car died. We managed to get a new one, and it is wonderful. We thought things were going to settle down, but now we have to find a new classroom. This came as quite a surprise to us, but our landlord has decided not to renew our lease. This might not be too big an issue, if we were in another industry, but driving schools have to be inspected by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, to change locations. That can take awhile, and really is the stressful part of this change. I guess we will just keep going and see how they work out, it can be hard though.

ZAC

Here is an update on Zac. He left boot camp and went to Borden. After waiting around for a couple of weeks, his next round of training finally began. He has been learning to drive all the different types of vehicles, and getting the various licenses. When this part of his course is finished, he will have the equivalent of a class 1 in Alberta. He will also have extra licenses for other equipment, too. He just found out where he is going from there. When his course is finished in mid to end of July, Zac will then be posted to Winnipeg. If I recall what he said previously, he will have three postings during his service (if he does not reenlist). There you have it. That is what is happening in his life.

Special boy!

Today I deal with many emotions. I find myself weepy this evening. My thoughts are on a very special boy who crossed our paths for just a few short days 13 years ago. I sit here with my bunny, so glad that I was able to help him find the family the Lord wanted him to go to. I do not regret my decision, I know it was best, but there are some days he is more strongly on my mind.

I thought it was fitting that the Relief Society had planned a district service project. We spent the day making baby bundles for the Humanitarian Center to send to places like Haiti. Our goal was to complete 100. I think we actually finished 70, with various branches taking parts of projects home to finish. It was wonderful to feel the love pouring out from the women in that room.

Success!

So I have spent the last week and a half trying to create my own patterns for kids coats for 1812. I had adult patterns, and a coat that fits Parker. I traced Parker's coat to make a small pattern, and scaled down my smallest adult pattern to make an XL. From there, I had to create medium and large patterns. I have to fit kids from grades 4 thru 8. Today I sewed mock ups of each pattern size. I was so pleased to see that they all went together on the first try, with only one minor adjustment on the smallest size. The collar was too long, but a small adjustment at the back, cleared that right up. I think I am getting the hang of this whole pattern altering and creation (scaling?). It gives me confidence for a project I hope to tackle later toward the end of summer. I found an 1812 dress I want to make in a book. The pattern is shown on a grid, and now I think I might actually be able to bring it to full size. Then I just have to make it my size. I have learned so much about sewing, that I think I might actually one day figure out how to make my own patterns from scratch. Wouldn't that be something.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

So, or should I say Sew? It seems that word has gotten out that I sew, and sew well. I have been working for awhile on two regimental uniforms for a couple of guys in our group. (Actually, they have mostly just been sitting waiting for me to get yellow wool so I can finish them.) I finally got the yellow wool that we have waited for months for, so they will be finished soon. Before Christmas I made some double breasted coats and some vests for hubby and a friend of ours, that they both showcased in February at the Battle of Ogdensburg (see earlier picture of John). From there the work has started rolling in. A local lady asked me to make her a gown for the bicentennial celebration this summer, and the Mayor asked me to make a Regimental Uniform for the guy who is a direct descendant of the founder of Prescott. I will be making him a pair of breeches, a shirt, a waistcoat and a jacket. I also was just contacted by the 1812 Alliance bicentennial committee, and asked to make 24 children's tunics. They changed their order to 32 yesterday. It is a good thing I like sewing! It is crazy that it is all happening at once, but it will certainly help us clear some debts. I am actually pretty excited, because I am learning so much. I have learned how to resize patterns, and even how to alter them to what I want. I could do minor alterations before, but to take a single breasted jacket pattern and make it into a double breasted pattern was a little scary for me. I am so glad that my mom taught me how to do mock ups with old bed sheets, when we made my wedding dress. Well, I should go get back to work, because I have some personal sewing I want to do eventually, too.

Lookin' Good

Hey family! Here are the promised pictures. The group picture is of Zac's platoon. You can sort of see a little purple flag it the back row. That is the Commandants flag. They got it, because they were the best in rehearsals with their drill. The faint picture was in a slide show they were showing before the ceremony. As it was playing for the who knows how many dozenth time, we decided to try to take a picture of the screen. He cleans up pretty good. We will let you know when we order pics from the grad, and get some out to everyone.