Knit Happens

I have been working a lot of night shifts lately and have, therefore, had plenty of time to knit. My patient slept through the night on 3 of those nights (hallelujah!) so those provided some prime-time knitting. I was worried about knitting in the hospital, especially baby items, but I talked to a nurse who knits and she said that she dry-cleans everything when it's done. While at work, she grabs some clean linen and knits with it on her lap so the knitting has a clean surface and she obviously washes her hands frequently. This was comforting.
I've been keeping my projects simple. Things most knitters could do with their eyes closed, but it is helping me learn to keep my tension even etc. etc. All good practice. I thought I'd share some of the things I've been working on.

On the Needles.

1. This right here is going to be a baby blanket. I hope. It's the most complicated thing I have done. The first thing I made after dish clothes. It's only complicated because I knit the blanket and then I had to pick up the stitches all the way around it and knit on the border. It is almost finished! Almost. I really have no idea how it will look. I don't even know if it will be square. I don't even know if all the sides will have the same number of stitches because I had no idea what "pick up stitches" meant. Everything looked the same to me so I made that part up. I also didn't know how to increase stitches, so I made that up too. I also "learned" how to add another ball of yarn when I ran out of the previous one. I watched a confusing online video and then, you guessed it, made that up too. I think it will look ok though... maybe I'm just hopeful. Anyway, here it is.
2. This is a scarf that I have been working on. It's made out of beautiful yarn that I got on sale!!! I love getting things on sale. You can hardly see it, but the yarn weaves in orange, pruple, red, green, yellow, and different tones of blue. It is just lovely.
3. Another baby blanket that I just started. I couldn't get the picture to turn sideways. I am practicing a different stitch. This is called the moss stitch. It is a knit, purl, knit, purl pattern. That may mean nothing to you, but to me it means that I have to switch the yarn from the front of my needle to the back of my needle on one stitch and then back to the front of my needle on the next stitch. Repeat. Repeat 110 times for each row. Very time consuming, but pretty and I'm told it doesn't stretch out as much.
4. And of course, dish clothes. They are a nice little project that only takes a couple hours and can be done while watching TV. Perfect.

Future Project.

• I have the perfect little project for this yarn here. You will..... well you might have to wait until next summer as school is starting soon... but I will keep you updated.

Date

Erik and I had Wednesday off so we decided to have an anniversary date. We went to D-Dutch for breakfast and then biked the Kettle Valley Railroad. The weather was perfect for it as it wasn't too hot. It's a perfect bike-ride for two out of shape individuals as it is 24 km of flatness. I enjoy hanging out with Erik. I find it is so easy to just stay at home together rather than plan dates... especially cheap dates. This was a great activity to do together.

Our First Anniversary

I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by. Honestly. I went camping with our church this weekend without Erik because he had to work. He made his way out to Mara Lake yesterday though so we stayed an extra night with some friends of ours. This morning we sat on the dock and reminisced about this past year. It felt a little cheesy, but it was really actually quite nice. I love Erik and I love who I am because of him. He has taught me so much this year - which is great because I have much to learn. I think we balance each other out quite well. I love living life together and enjoying each others company.
I've heard the first year together is the most difficult. I would say ours went rather smoothly and that we've settled into married life quite well. I am so blessed to have Erik in my life. He truly is an amazing man.

Here ya go.

I am finally able to show you the cross stitch projects I have been working on! They have been done for almost 2 months now, but I haven't been able to show anything because they are Christmas gifts for my SIL. I was able to "give" them to her when we were in Stanwood for Erik's brother's wedding, but I took them home with me because I want to get them framed for her... or at least do something with them. They are so immensely creased because they have been folded up in a little bag since I bought the materials three months ago. I will have them dry-cleaned and framed and then they will look great!

DKDS and TJPS are our nephews initials. I really wish I could wait until they were officially framed and everything because these photos are awful, but that could take months so you'll just have to use your imagination!

Diego Kinder Dune

Truen Jules Pumpkin

Do Yourself a Favor...

Buy a bra that fits!

I went to a grandma store to get properly sized. I have been giving in to ill-fitting bras for my entire life and Erik finally convinced me to take care of the ladies. I ended up having to cough up more money than I would have liked because of my unusual size, but let me tell you how wonderful it is! It is bliss! Do yourselves a favor and go to the specialists. They know what they are doing.

I wasn't sure I believed the grandma's so I went to Victoria's Secret when I was in the states. Let me tell you, they did not know what they were talking about! They sized me up four cup sizes smaller and the bra did NOT fit at all. They were trying to sell me a bra they had rather than a bra that fit. It was ridiculous.

Since I've been wearing my new bra my shoulders and back hurt less because it fits properly around my ribcage and gives me support. Think of it as a pack. You want the pack cinched around your waist rather than hanging off your shoulders. Same goes with a bra, my friends. Support those ladies.

Furthermore,

• My boobs look better (that's what Erik tells me)
• I don't have muffin tops
• I have lost my uni-boob

Erik is now forcing me to admit the fact that I have never bought myself a bra. Ever. I have only worn my sister's old bras.... after she wore them for years prior. And, I still wear my very first sports bras. They are 100% cotton and 100% stretched out. I have resorted to wearing all four of them when I do anything active.

Wearing these bras was fine before my breasts developed sag-ability*, which has been roughly the past six years. It became especially awful when the bras themselves were forced to function above maximum capacity.

Moral of the story: Go get properly sized and buy a bra that fits. It will change your life.

* Sag-ability: adjective;
a. The recognition that previous youthful structural integrity has been compromised
b. When careful observance tells you that gravity is not only winning the battle but is also laughing at you.
c. When the normal migratory pattern is disrupted causing a consistent southerly passage

Justin

While in Stanwood, I received a call from my sister in Kelowna. She started the conversation by saying, "Are you alone and sitting down?" followed by "Before I tell you this, I want you to know that everything is OK." Neither helped. I was in tears before she even finished the statement "Justin was in a motorcycle accident."

Justin was in a motorcycle accident in Langley on August 5. I don't really know what happened, because he doesn't remember anything, but he couldn't have been going too fast because

1. he was in a basketball jersey with a backpack on and he has hardly any road rash.
2. he's not dead

He was combative at the scene so the paramedics suspected a brain injury. Because of this he was airlifted to the #1 trauma unit at Royal Columbian in New Westminster. My parents were at the Royal Columbian being prepared for the worst. When Justin's CT Scan came back it showed only a minor bleed in his brain. My family visited Justin in ICU and he was kept there overnight. They extubated him in the wee hours of the morning as he was breathing fine on his own - it is my understanding that the intubation was mainly to keep his airway open.

He had surgery on the 6th for a broken left arm. He broke both his radius and his ulna clean in half, but aside from that he just hurt his foot. His whole body is obviously sore, but he is doing very well. Justin was transfered to a surgical floor post-operatively. He stayed in the hospital until Saturday and then Erik, Mom and I took him home.

(sorry for the massive amount of photos)

This was an article in some paper.

What my parents saw when they entered ICU. I have seen many people in this position, but they have always been strangers. It is much different when it is your family. This was almost deja vu of Jonathan's accident five years ago.

This broke my heart. Gentle Ben was very worried about Justin.

The x-ray of his left arm. Ouch. He doesn't even have a cast. It is just wrapped in a very thin gauze. Amazing.

Justin's transportation to the hospital. He likes to brag about his $5000 ride. What a turd.

Pumped to have peed.

Just hanging out. I had to try hard to keep it together when I walked into his room. I didn't see him until two days after the accident when his surgery was done and he was fine (he has nothing but a broken arm!), but it was still very emotional for me. As much as I hate that this happened, as a nursing student I think it is a valuable experience for me. It is good to be on the other side of things - the uncertain side that has no control. The side that has a history, a relationship and an immense amount of love. I hope I can be a more compassionate nurse because of it.

a little history

August 11, 1952 - My father immigrated to Canada with his family.

August 11, 2009 - Erik became a permanent resident of Canada.


Coincidence? I think so, but it's a pretty fun coincidence.

Couldn't Resist

I'm currently writing a paper for my philosophy class, but I couldn't resist posting this picture. I chuckle every time I look at it. This is Erik with his siblings.

Birthday Party

In Stanwood we got to celebrate Diego and Kyla's birthdays. We had a potluck with the aunts and uncles and, of course, had cake!

Diego with his train cake.

Diego and Kyla blowing out the candles.

Wrestling with Uncle Brent and Joey.

Truen.

My father-in-law playing with little T.

Having fun in the pool on the deck. Truen loved "jumping" over the side. He would wind up for a giant leap and then gently step over one foot at a time. It was pretty cute.

Diego enjoying himself.

Just being sweet.

Andrenda's Wedding - August 1, 2009

Erik's brother, Andrew, married Brenda on August 1. It was a beautiful wedding in Erik's parent's backyard. The weather was just splendid! It was cloudy and cool early in the morning, but the clouds burned just in time for their 11:ooam ceremony. It was a wonderful day!

T-baby ready for the day.

Diego snapping a picture of his Grandpa and Uncle Andrew just before Brenda walks down the aisle.

The Happy Couple.

Andrew and Brenda with G+G O.

The Olson's getting organized.

A nice family picture.

BLS, SKOS, DKDS, TJPS. The Solderholms.

Somebody trusted Erik to man the barbecue.

And sweet little Truen.

This was the first time I had ever been with Erik's entire immediate family as neither Blaine nor Brent were able to make it to our wedding. It was a lot of fun to be with the entire crew.

That Stupid Car

The past week and a half has been crazy. I'll dedicate a couple different posts to different events so this doesn't get too lengthy.

Thursday night Erik and I left for Stanwood. We were actually going to Sedro Wooley to stay at Erik's brothers house for the night. As usual, I fell asleep pretty much as soon as we crossed the bridge leaving Kelowna. My little nap was interrupted about an hour and a half later when Erik said, "Hey Ash, I think you'd better wake up."

Uh oh.

Car troubles. Typical. We can't seem to go anywhere without something happening to our car. I used to pray that our car wouldn't break down on road trips. I now pray that when our car does break down, it won't cost too much to fix it.

We were through merrit and now sat sitting on the road because our car overheated. A kind tow-truck driver pulled over and asked if we needed help. We did. He hooked us up and we were towed to hope for free (thank you BCAA). The truck driver turned out to be the previous mayor of Hope and he knew some people that we knew from CBC which at least gave us something to talk about on the long drive to Hope.

Here Erik is trying to figure out what is wrong.

In Hope, we refilled our anti-freeze and then continued on our way. Within five minutes we overheated again. Thus began the long drive to Surrey. We would drive for five minutes and then stop for 5-10 minutes so our car could cool down... All the way to Surrey.

Waiting for the car to cool down.

In Surrey, my parents lent us their car so we could make it to Sedro Wooley that night. They were going to bring our car home to be fixed.

Fast forward a week.

Erik and I were back in Surrey only to find that the mechanic didn't in fact fix our car. He replaced some tubing and thought he had fixed the problem when he hadn't. So we had to bring our car back and had a new radiator put in. AND we found out that there is over $2000 in parts that need to be replaced in the next little while. And that just covers the cost of the parts.

We bought our car for $2000 and have now put over $2500 into it in the past 10 months. I don't feel like "investing" any more into it. Needless to say, Erik and I are in the market for a new car.

Unprepared

I'm going on holiday tomorrow and I am entirely unprepared. I have so much to do before we leave.

Shucks.

Summer School

I'm just going to come right out and say it,

Summer School Sucks.

I am taking a philosophy course called Biomedical Ethics. It is an interesting course, but let's be honest, sitting in a classroom when it is 35 degrees out is not fun. Not only do I have to sit in class, but I have to do homework too! Although 35 degree weather is lovely, it isn't conducive to reading articles and trying to understand them. In my experience, the beach and homework don't work well together.

I am not philosophically minded! That part of my brain has been sapped out of me due to the years I have spent in empirical study. It is a very challenging course for that very reason.

I only have 4 classes left thankfully. And 80% of my grade to hand in. In my last three classes I have two exams and a paper due. This will be the week I get back from the wedding in Stanwood. It will be a week of H-E-double hockey stick.

What is up

• Erik and I scored at a garage sale last weekend! We got a bike, a flour sifter, an applesauce maker thingy, a fisher price farm set, and some other little doodads. So great. We also found a little farm that we like and can buy produce from.

• I'd never had fresh beets until yesterday. I've had pickled beets, but never fresh ones. They are delicious! We made them in our oven with Olive Oil and salt and pepper and they were certainly tasty. I could see them becoming a favorite.

• My friends, Ali and Joel had a beautiful baby boy, Caden Theodore. I am so excited to see Ali in her role as a mother. She will do a wonderful job. I only wish I lived closer so I could make her meals and play with her sweet little babe. I cannot wait to meet him in a couple weeks!
  

• The fires are raging here in and around Kelowna. There are 2000 people evacuated and something like 22,000 who have evacuation warnings. One fire is 4000 hectares large. A smokey cloud is currently covering the entire city. I'm off to volunteer and provide meals for evacuees this afternoon.

• I hate going to school in the summer. I am taking a philosophy course and it is so hard to be motivated. I hope I am thankful I took it when all my classmates have an extra course in first semester. We'll see.

• I love having Erik home. It is great.

• Erik and I are going to his brother's wedding in Stanwood over the long weekend. Only immediately family are going to be at the ceremony. I am very excited for it. I still don't know what I'm going to wear, but that hardly matters. I can't wait to see the family again. Everyone will be there! Two of Erik's brother's (one's an in-law) were missing from our wedding last summer so it will be nice to see everyone all together again.

• I'm learning how to crochet. Trying to at least. Self-teaching isn't going so well. I'm going to have to call in recruits.
  

Loving it.

I love being married. I honestly just love it.

I didn't miss Erik too much while he was gone. I think it's because I intentionally kept myself busy so that the time would pass quicker. As soon as he came home I missed him incredibly! I was sad that we missed out on a month together. It made me wish he had never left. I know, I know. I sound ridiculous. It is so great having him home though - I forgot how great it was.

As I said, I love being married. Love it. Erik is a wonderful husband and I feel so blessed each and every day to have him in my life. I never pictured myself marrying anyone like Erik, but I am so glad I did. He is the best.

Full of Friends

The past couple days have been full of friends! It has been wonderful. I only wish Erik had been here to enjoy them with me.

First, Stewart and Charisa Reimer stopped by for lunch on their way to a cousin's wedding here in Kelowna. It was great to catch up with them even if it was only briefly. I was called in for a night shift the day before so I woke up about 30 minutes before they arrived at 1:00pm. I felt a bit out of sorts, but my sister had gone grocery shopping for me which was sweet of her. At least I had food to offer them.

Later that afternoon friends from church came for dinner. We ended up going to the beach to play bocce and then returned home for a great game of cranium. We were laughing so hard we were all crying. And it wasn't a little bit of crying, it was uncontrollable!

This is Trevor, Sam and Milena waiting for Jen to pick up the scruples game that she dropped all over the driveway. The fading light added an interesting twist to bocce.

And this, this is Sam laughing uncontrollably.

Finally, I hung out with my friend Kate yesterday. We went to a tea store in the afternoon and saw this tea called Tarry Lapsang Souchong. It smelled like a campfire and I could not imagine drinking it. The lady said that chefs regularly buy it to season their meat with. So, we bought a little sample size and that is exactly what we did. We made kabobs that were absolutely delicious!

Kate working on the mango.

We got to enjoy our meal out on the deck at Kate's house. It was a beautiful day! The wind was blowing and a thunderstorm was threatening to roll in but it was such a pleasant evening. We sat on the deck late into the night curled up in blankets and sipping on delicious tea. I loved it.

Back to this tea store we went to. It was called Teaberry's Fine Teas. I absolutely LOVED it. It was beautiful and relaxed. We sat and smelled many different teas while the owner explained what was in them. She made us tea and chatted for a while. It was just wonderful to be able to spend an entire hour hanging out and learning about the tea industry. I can't wait to take Erik there when he gets home.

Speaking of Erik. He comes home tomorrow at midnight! Hip hip hoooray! I haven't seen him in just under a month. We got to talk this morning which was wonderful. I have certainly missed him. It is strange to think that we have so much catching up to do. I was thinking of what I have done since he left and there is quite a list. He said his little crew caught over 150,000 lbs of sockeye salmon though. That is great! Do you know what that means??? Paid tuition!

James Bond

I was at the post office yesterday mailing something to my parents. The young man helping me noticed I was wearing a wedding ring. The following conversation ensued:
"You married?"
"Yes, I am."
"If I were Bond, you'd be my kind of woman."

Knitting, Aprons, and Mice

Knitting
I mentioned that I learned how to knit a little while ago. This was my first little project. I made a "knitted dishcloth". It is supposed to be a square, and I stretched it out to look pretty good I think.Since making that first cloth I have been attempting to make more. I was five rows from finishing another one when I dropped two stitches accidentally and had no idea how to get them back. I tried to figure it out, but could not so I ended up dropping some more. I unraveled the entire dishcloth and started over. This is the one I am currently working on. Apron
And this beautiful thing is an apron I found for 50 cents at a garage sale. I think it is just beautiful! I love aprons and I now wear this one all the time! Love it.
Mice
There are mice downstairs at the recovery house I work at. I was writing in the office when this little mouse came scuttling along. One of the girls was sitting on the couch behind me and I was like, "umm... do we know there are mice running around this place?"
She looked at me and replied, "why do you think we have so many cats?"
I hate cats, but I think I will put up with them now that I know they have a purpose in the house. Even if they are sissy city cats... They are intimidating sissies.
Back to the mouse in the office.
The girl on the couch jumps up and starts chasing the mouse around. She ran around for a good 5 minutes before chasing the little guy in my direction. As I was asking her politely to make it go in the other direction, she stopped moving. She looked up at me and said, "You don't have to worry about that thing no more." ... "I don't?" With that she lifted her foot and there was a little convulsing mouse with the better part of it insides strewn across the floor.
I looked up in disgust, "Honestly?? You just chased a mouse and stepped on it? That is sick."
She laughed and said "You'll get used to it."
I think I'll take one of those dreadful cats with me whenever I go downstairs.

...

Erik called today.

From a boat.

From Alaska.

Three separate times.

And I missed them all.

I was just starting a new job at a recovery house. He wasn't supposed to call at all; he told me he wouldn't. I am now so disappointed that I missed his calls. I would love to be able to talk to him. I work a dayshift tomorrow at the hospital and then a night shift on Friday. Then I am back at the recovery house 6 hours after I get home from there. I am pumped to be working, but I am going to be exhausted. I start school on Monday too. At least time will fly by until Erik comes home.