• Temporary Life/Travel

    The Family That Skis Together

    Like all families, mine is not always at our best. All it takes is for one of us to show up a little grumpy and we all suffer. It could be due to stress at work, lack of sleep or simply hunger. I’ve learned not to set myself up for disappointment by attaching expectations to big events – just in case. You know how that goes. But, get us in the right setting, doing the right activity, at the right time and we are golden. A couple of weeks ago we experienced one of those times. Attitudes and conditions lined up for the making of a most memorable weekend. It…

  • Family Legacy

    Family Echoes

    I am one of four sisters and our names all begin with “K”. Growing up we were called the 4K’s. I’m K3 in the birth order. So far, a great deal of my focus for 2016 has been on my sisters. K4 had knee surgery last month. I wish we lived closer so I could help her. K2 and K4 are in my online Journal Your Legacy course. K1 had a milestone birthday this month – 60. K2 and I stole her away from her busy life for a whole afternoon – such a treat to have her all to ourselves. We were the decoys for the big party in…

  • Writing/Journal Writing

    Starting The New Year Off “Write”

    “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”  – Alex Haley    Today, I’d like to share my plans for 2016. I hope you’ll share in my excitement as I launch my journal writing workshop business, Writing Life Matters. My first pilot class – Journal Your Legacy – is coming up fast. I’ve realized that the time has come for many of our children to leave the nest — or maybe they already have. Although you’ve done all you can for your kids – taught them how to be their best possible selves, given them an education, and more importantly unlimited love –…

  • Family Legacy

    Christmas, With Love

    Christmas is coming quickly and we are wracking our brains for those perfect gift ideas. In Canada, we have so much. Add our tough economy this year and we’re asking, “What do we buy for someone who has everything they need, within a smaller budget?” I know of an inexpensive, yet valuable gift idea for all those difficult-to-buy-for people on your list – the love letter.   A love letter is a true gift of the heart. Gifts of the heart are often creative and well received. You feel good knowing you are giving the greatest gift of all, a piece of yourself, expressed in your handwriting. The receiver feels…

  • Family Legacy

    When Your Kids See You, Who do They See?

    Remember what it was like when we saw our parents as perfect? They were strong and never got sick. They were smart and had all the answers. They were there to encourage us during the day and calm our fears at night. I believed mine were on this earth solely for me. That’s the way it should be when you are a little person, right? But at some point, we begin to see our parents for who they really are. I started knowing Mom and Dad as people when I was 14 and they were around 40. They announced they were divorcing and that was enough for me to realize…

  • Family Legacy

    G-Pa Turns Ninety

    There’s a pretty special man in my life turning 90 years young today. When I was calling to invite my father-in-law’s friends to his celebration dinner, they were surprised. Ninety? Already? Yes, it’s hard to believe this young-at-heart grandpa to my kids is hitting this milestone. Buddy and Princess call him “G-Pa.” They’ve grown up close to him mostly due to time together at the family cabin. When they were young, he’d load them and his dog into the aluminum boat and putt along the lakeshore from the cabin to the village so they could play with some of the other kids. Over the years, he’s handed them paper and…

  • Temporary Life/Travel

    Distracted By Beauty III (Always Look Up)

    This summer, I spent a lot of time looking up. Before I left for Slave Lake, I’d seen a painting while out for lunch with two of my sisters and my niece. It was hanging there, on a large partition that divides two sections at Van Gogh Grill and Bar. When my niece arrived she remarked that she found it kind of weird because all except about 1/10th of the scene was sky. That’s what I liked about it. It really caught my eye. I think the painter probably thought the sky was particularly beautiful that day and was inspired. It also reminded me of the previous two seasons I’d…

  • Empty Nest,  Family Legacy

    Back to My Accidental Dream Home

    In a few days, season three of our temporary life in Slave Lake will come to an end and we’ll be heading south – home to the starter house we bought 30 years ago. It’s nothing fancy. My 1,050 square foot, ‘50s bungalow was never meant to be my dream home. We bought it because it was affordable and in a good neighbourhood. It was always our intention to pay this house off quickly, keep it as an income property and move on up. But, priorities changed when two kids came along. Neither The Consultant nor I had anticipated the emotional impact starting a family would have on us. Our…

  • Temporary Life/Travel

    Around Here (Slave Lake Edition)

    Around here – Fog rests on the lake I see each morning, a late sunrise brightens only the treetops and bleaches the waves of Lesser Slave Lake to a glow, the caw of a lone crow echoes, and the humming bird feeder swings idle. When the sun shines on the tree out front it turns shocking yellow. Our sun umbrella is wrapped up tight, yet we hope for enough warmth to play golf one more time.   A can of bear deterrent sits beside the vitamin D on the table beside the window, a healthy, young coyote trots along the edge of the tree stand and carries straight on to…

  • Family Legacy

    My Family Defined

    I’m so excited about my guest blogger today. Buddy, has written his perspective of our family and I’m more than happy to share –    What does it mean to be in our Family? I’ve reflected on the question of what it means to be a member of this family for quite a while and realize that my perception of family has evolved and changed with time. I was probably around 7 when I started to have an abstract understanding of day-to-day family life and family ideals – religious beliefs, political views, socioeconomics, and what motivates my family as a whole. Once I hit my teens, the abstract understanding started…