wedding

The wedding was at Mom's cottage. It recently got some huge upgrades. For example we are all gathered here for a fire pit on this recently made patio where the wedding party will stand for the ceremony. The grass area where guests will sit had a few truck loads of dirt brought in to raise the ground level and all new sod. The inside of the cottage recived a face lift too and it looks GREAT!!

The grandkids sitting watching a few fireworks being set off on the cottage beach.
Bridesmaid Nicole did an INCREADABLE job at the wedding ceremony performing the short reinactment of Princess Bride Movie ceremony.

The dance....

Summer adventures 2009

Our summer adventure started out in Cannon Hot Springs. We had a great evening of swiming and relaxing in the hot tub. We had only driven a few hours just to get the trip started and knew we had a long 12 hour drive ahead of us in the morning.

Our 2nd night we had a great visit with Uncle Doug and Auntie Grace in Redcliff. The last time we had visited was when Kyla was a baby. Oh how times have changed. Thankgoodness for facebook that we have kept in touch that way. Personal visits are so much more valuable though. The kids loved the hidden playroom off the pantry and talk about what amazing toys they found up there. Mark created and shocked us all with his clay ballet figurine. We had a great time playing at the playground nearby and streched our legs on a walk around the neighbourhood. Thank you for the great time Doug and Grace. We continue to keep Doug in our prayers for health, and lookforward to seeing you again sooner then later this time.

The next day we arrived and were excited to see family and cousins. We barely made it to see mom before she was back to work due to the increadably pot hole infested highway that makes you slow down unless you prefer to watch your tent trailer got bucked off.

The week was not as "scheduled" as most but we did have alot planned for fun and things to do/ to get done before the wedding.

Things like; skateboard park fun for the boys, and a day trip to the Tinker Town with lots and lots of spining rides to make us adults feel dizzy. The kids really had a great time.

and us girls went to a bead store and tried our hands at making beaded neclaces. It was actually not as hard as I had thought. I might even do it again sometime. It took some effort not to drop the beads but once we got going it was pretty fun. We also went for pedicures to make our toe nails all match for the BIG DAY. that was fun too...Kyla still talks about the place where she watches us soak our feet in the blue water...she is such a Girl and can't wait until she can do that!!

more on the wedding in the next blog....

happy 8th anniversary

We had a great anniversary. Celebrated 8 years.

Ray planned the whole night! I was very impressed!!

Dinner, Shakespere in the Vineyard "Midsummer's Night Dream",

and a late night walk to Tims....

I love you Ray!!

our backyard

picking apriots

flowers, strawberries

squash, pumpkin, pototato's.

dresses for kyla

great job grandma on the sewing of this dress. she'll match perfect. she really loves the daisy flowers...she said "look mom they're your favorite flowers"... she'll be perfect. thanks

Marianne, these are dresses that I think she could wear...one purchased one borrowed dress #1 with the coat on...prefer without

dress #1 without the coat on

dress #2 simple with oldschool lace shoulders. It's at MEXX if you want to see it. This is more what I was thinking but replace the white tie around the middle with the red of my dress...

I can bring both and we can decide there what do you think?

mark's wild side

recently discovered the bmx trax. a true pro the first time on the trax...loved it so much he's been back already to show off to dad and his 2nd cousin that's visiting this week.

spiderman is here

The kids at the lavender Farm

The Lavender Farm poem

I had a picture in my head that this related to. It's beauty so hard to describe in words...

A place I met God this last week.

A field of forget-me-nots in my picture, but this lavender was close enough to remember.

I sat, crouched down as she does, only my arms are wrapped around my legs.

It is peaceful all around me, yet out of my peripheral view a war is raging, one we cannot see.

I am little in this huge, huge field.

I wanted to met you in a tree God, but you met me here...

What if I stay sitting? What if I stand?

I sit. I sit in peace. I sit in the quiet. I sit with tiny blue flowers all around me.

Forget-me-not.

The lavender dries hanging in my closet to be enjoyed for days to come...

Book Club

The Peters book club has met a few times now...

The fact that I am now a reader has been recorded in this blog before. I not saying that 'cause I'm ashamed, more shocked if anything. I really appreciate that family here can have something like reading that brings us together on a different level. The more interesting part of the club, even more interesting than the discussion (at least for me) is the variety of books that are recommended each time.

This time around I have read a few books off the list before I have even got the book of choice. This time it is "Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels.

I just broke the 5,500 pages mark of my reading this year which is hard to believe for me. I love it. I love the stories, I love the quiet time, I love zoning out from life for a time to dream and imagine. Actually, there have been a few books this year that I didn't want to dream as real. I wanted the historical fiction book; "The book of Negroes" to be "not historical" at all. The idea that people might have/could have been that awful made me even feel sick. Also, "The Glass Castle", made me wonder if people really don't have common sense sometimes. Could you actually drive in the back of a U-Haul van without seat belts? Then there was, "tuesdays with Morrie", that I absolutely loved. I love the thought provoking questions, the things that make you think about life and who has impacted you...or who you yourself have impacted...and there was this crazy series I read that I won't mention. I can't believe I read it and yet loved the writing and totally got hooked into what was coming next...crazy books with far fetching ideas...yet the story line can make you not want to put it down...

Amazing how stories come alive.

So to all you readers out there, enjoy your books

Our lists: (Some are repeated as people brought them back to the next meeting again)

List One:

1. The Book of Negroes, by Lawerence Hill

2. What is the What, by Dave Eggers

3. The book of the Dun Cow, by Walter Wangerin Jr.

4. Becoming Human, by Jean Vanier

5. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

6. Peace Shall Distroy Many, by Rudy Wiebe

7. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

8. A Thousand Splendid Sun, by Khaled Housseni

List Two:

1. The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

2. Exile, by Richard North Patterson

3. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides

4. Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels

5. Becoming Human, by Jean Vanier

6. tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Album

7. Little, Big, by John Crowley's

8. What is the What, by Dave Eggers

9. Sword at Sunset, by Rosemary Stutcliff

10. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

11. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

12. The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls

13. Son of Laughter, by Fredrick Buechner

father's day

This year for father's day we went camping again. It was meant to be a family camping trip but only us and Ray's parents camped but his brother joined us for the last night. In the morning we took our immediate family (and Dad) to a different hiking trail than we have done the last 3 father day weekends. It was 395 stairs each way but the view was beautiful. There was many different look out points along the way. The stairs this time seemed to go up a bit then over then up again. For the last few years the hike we have done is 184 total stairs which seem more straight upward. The kids did great.

We went for a bit of a trip off the beaten path to see the some of the old remains of a water system. (as seen below). The pinoneer who built this and lived here was pretty smart for his time.

This is the pinoneers home... after the hike we wandered around

and walked through the garden and the labrinth...sort of felt silly since it's flat, but if you follow the path you will walk a mile.

As extended Peters family members joined us we played at the beach for most of the afternoon. It was a great get together and send off for Uncle Levi and Auntie Shelley, and Avery as they leave this month. We cherish the weekend with everyone together. (I guess we were missing 6 from the total of Kelowna Peters). In total I counted 37 people at the picnic.Aunt Louise got the kids playing a great game of "Duck, Duck, Goose". The fun part of watching was that there were a few that haven't quite learned how to play yet.

moving / renos again

Some people think we are crazy to start all over again but here we are. Exactly one year after moving into our newly renoed home we signed the papers to put it up for sale(march1st) move day approaching (may7th) we sold and prepared for it all over again. It was not our intention to do this one year later. We had actually aplied for a building permit to make an addition on the back under the deck but we were denied.

Before Pictures:

green stained old carpet going up the stairs...

The kitchen to be taken out...The YELLOW bathroom that will be taken out...YUCK!!

This time we doubled our square footage and now have room to do respite and give the kids a playroom. The plan is to stay here for awhile...unless God has other plans. Can someone keep us accountable??

This time around was a lot harder. We were living in the mess unstead of next door. We were offered rooms at Gramma and Grampas and took them up on it for the first weekend...thinking we could handle it we moved back home (in heinsight we should of stayed longer!).

My Dad came to help again and Dad Peters was here too. We had many hands the first demo day and periodically friends and Ray's brother poped in and helped too. very apprecated!!

This time we also didn't want to kill anyone's body. After Ray being in the hosiptial earlier in that week due to stress we really wanted to take breaks and take our time. The problem is, once you are in reno mode it takes a lot of convincing to get these guys to slow down and take the naps they need and the family time here and there.

Ceilings and walls painted, electrical updated, kitchen torn out & put in, flooring layed upstairs, dishwasher put in, wall paper removed upstairs, light fixtures updated in kitchen/dinning room and hired the carpets to be layed. I'm sure there was more but that was the major stuff...

And the kids love the new playroom...

oh, and I planted the garden.

Thanks for helping everyone!!