The Seibel's

The week that was....

2011-06-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say...last week was one for the ages...I ventured down to Vancouver to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final...the excitement and anticipation before the game was unreal...a real carnival like atmosphere...it was amazing to be apart of...all that changed though once the Canucks had lost...the evil side of somepeople came out in full force....we were disappointed and angry that some people had to resort to the rioting that took place...a complete and total lack of respect. Hopefully the culprits are caught and held accountable...

This one's for you Bill!

2011-06-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

After being politely reminded how long its been since I last posted something to this blog, I have decided to resurrect its usefulness and attempt to post things more regularly. Hopefully this will be of interest as to the happenings of our family....

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

From our Family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Update from the Seibel's...

2009-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

We are finally starting to get settled back here in the Okanagan...Tanya and the kids stayed in Tumbler Ridge until June 12th when I came back up to drive them down to Coldstream.

It was an emotional weekend as we said goodbye to some very good friends!! The Grade 2 and 3 classes at Tumbler Ridge elementary held going away parties for the girls...it was an emotional day to say the least! Our new house is a 15 minute walk from the girls new school and my new work...that is great that we are so close to both of these facilities...the girls are looking forward to starting school...Coldstream Elementary is being replaced with a brand new school (on the same site) set to open in the fall of 2010...Austin will be starting kindergarten then so all three kids will be in the same school at the same time...that is good as well...

Now that we are more settled, I will endeavour to post more regularly.

God Bless!

Long Time No Talk!!

2009-05-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

There have been a multitude of changes since our last posting...let me get you up to speed...I started back with BDO Dunwoody in Grande Prairie in early November...unfortunately things did not work out as well as possible...one day at work I received a call from a colleague who asked me "I saw a job posting in Coldstream and was wondering if you had applied?" I replied "No" and didn't think anything of it. However, the following day I recieved a call from a different colleague and this person asked me the same question. It was at this point where I began to wonder if there was a greater power at work. I proceeded to look up the job posting...Tanya and I talked about it and we decided that I would throw my hat into the ring.

Our house had been on the market since the beginning of October and initially we had lots of viewings but those dried up shortly thereafter...when the job posting closed in March we hadn't had a viewing of our Tumbler Ridge house since the beginning of December (3 months). Coldstream contacted me for an interview...a couple days later we had a viewing of our house...I flew down for the interview and within a few days we had an accepted offer on our house...everything had happened so quickly we knew that the good Lord was directing us where he wanted us to be not where WE thought we should be. Shortly thereafter I was offered the position of Director of Financial Administration for the District of Coldstream. Our house sale closed on April 30th and I moved all our belongings into storage in Vernon. Tanya and the kids have stayed in Tumbler Ridge so that the girls can finish school...I will be going up in a couple of weeks to get them and bring them back to Coldstream so that we can get on with life!!

Too often in this life we rely too heavily on ourselves for direction and either don't allow or think we know what God has in store for us...God will continually open doors for us and as long as we conitune to have faith in Him, he will direct us where we need to go...at first we though Grande Prairie was where we needed to go but when you look at how quickly everything came together (job offer, house sale, etc...) it is clear to us the God has directed us where we need to be!! We are extremely excited to be moving back to the Vernon area.

Christmas in the Cold North

2008-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone, this is the first time in many months that we have done this. I am writing this with Trevor as the Author, because I can't remember my password. Oh well, we had a great Christmas this year although it is verry cold..... we have stayed in alot. Trevor will have been home for just about 2 weeks once he heads out to go back to work in Grande Prairie. As most of you know he resigned from his job with the District of Tumbler Ridge, as the Chief Financial Officer ( although they have kept him working when he comes home to visit us- he usually works a full day every Friday because they cannot find a replacement) and he has taken a position in GP back at BDO Dunwoody Chartered Accountants. He is a senior manager, with the opportunity to be a partner in a couple years. As for us, we are still in Tumbler waiting ever so patiently for our house to sell. We are greatful for our friends here who keep us occupied and help make the wait easier. Trevor usually leave to GP on Sunday afternoons and will work long days Mon-Thurs, then come home Thurs nite, Work Friday here, spend time with our family and then back again Sunday. Each weekend is a whirlwind and at times can be very emotional. It's not fun having dad gone most of the time. We truly would appreciate prayers for our home to sell so that we can be together all the time.

This Christmas has been fun. We have been sledding and cooking, baking, making gingerbread houses for Olivia's 7 birthday. We have been decorating and going to Christmas concerts, Christmas Eve service and now already it is New Years Eve tomorrow. It is also Olivia's True Birthday, She can't wait... She reduced her invite list this year to 12 including her brother and sister. It is so much easier doing gingerbread houses with 12 than last year in which she invited her whole class. 20+. We had a lot of fun. She thinks we are having a party for her tomorrow because we are having a bunch of people over for games and to play the Wii, but really it is a New Years Eve Party.

She is a beautiful little girl, I can't believe she is 7. This is her and her friends decorating their houses. Their houses were their goody bags. Some of them ate all their candy by morning. All of the Girls slept over. Only 3 boys were invited they wanted to spend the nite and promised they would sleep under the Christmas tree. Ha Ha very funny.... now Go Home.

Here is Olivia and her "Horse Cake" She is horse crazy. She recieved birthday money and she bought a new purple halter and Rainbow lead for her horse.

This is Jackson our Golden Retriever Puppy and Yes he is named after Jackson, Hannah Montana's brother. He is the best dog and we love him to bits. He loves to cuddle and rough house. He can give the biggest hip checks and send Livy and Austin flying to the couch. He is pretty strong and loves to pull. The kids love him lots.

Here are some Christmas photo's we took Christmas day.....

Emma with her Hannah Montana Mp3 player and Olivia with her Hannah Montana watch and Austing with his John Deere Money Bank - everytime you put money in it Rev's like a Tractor and the lights flash. I caught him in my purse and said how much did you take he quickly put money in and showed me a penny... Ha Ha.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful and Blessed New Year. From our House to Yours Happy New Year! Trevor, Tanya, Emma, Olivia and Austin

Spring Time in Tumbler

2008-05-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

With the May long weekend now upon us, and Alvan and Trish visiting from Vernon, it was a great opportunity to explore some of the outdooor recreational activities we have in Tumbler Ridge....On Sunday afternoon we ventured out to Bear Hole Lake...the Lake is only 23 km's from town, most of it on gravel road...We had never been out there so it was a nbew experience for us all...we ran into some friends who had been camping at the lake...we found a campsite and the girls went to play....I starting setting up for our weiner roast and a little fishing...before I had even got the fire started and the truck unloaded, Alvan is yelling "I got one!" I shrugged it off and laughed but he wasn't joking! First cast into the lake and he lands one! He got it to shore before the fish managed to wiggle its self off the hook but it got everyone excited...Emma, Olivia and Austin all wanted their fishing rods now! A few minutes later Alvan landed another one...it was his first northern pike....we had to keep this one because the fish basically swallowed the hook hole! On a side note,we brought him home and I made fillets...I used a lemon pepper cracker coating to cook them pike and it was actually quite delicious....

Now it was my turn to land a northern pike...he was slightly larger than the one Alvan caught but I lost my grip on him after we got the hook out...Tanya did manage to snap a picture of him...notice how he has sunk his teeth into the gloves Alvan is wearing...they have sharp teeth and very strong jaws...Alvan managed to catch 2 more after mine but we let them both go...the kids were pretty excited to see the fish being caught and it was a great afternoon on the lake with the sun shining.

This morning we borrowed a couple of 4 wheelers from some friends from Church (God Bless their generosity) and went on a little drive...Alvan had his motorbike and Tanya and I drove the quads...the kids all got their turns and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The Lord is Good!!!!

Skateboard Park

2008-05-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight the kids wanted to go to the skate board park...the park was completely just prior to our arrival in Tumbler Ridge and this is the first time the kids have wanted to go there...we arrived and no one was there...the kids thought it was great to have the whole place to themselves.

Renovations Complete!

2008-04-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

We finally got our kitchen back this past weekend...nearly 5 weeks without it was a little much but now that is finished (other than the baseboards) it is great to have it completed.

All the new cupboard space and the dishwasher are certainly the highlights of it all.

We also got a new puppy today...his name is Jackson...he is a golden retriever...here is a picture of the kids playing with him.

Better Late than Never...

2008-04-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well it has been some time since we last posted on here...I guess we better get you caught up to date...the past couple of months have just flown by..I have been busy with work, distance education classes, hockey, refereeing and trips to Grande Prairie...Tanya and the kids were able to spend 2 weeks over spring break in Vernon...they all enjoyed themselves quite a bit and especially enjoyed seeing Grandpa and Grandma...I on the other hand spent the 2 weeks ripping apart the kitchen...we had a little accident that necesitated the kitchen to be renovated...new floors, cupboards, paint, etc... it is getting a complete make over....the best part of it is that we will soon have a dishwasher...its amazing how something as simple as a dishwasher can change the way you do things....washing dishes by hand for the last year and a half certainly had its moments! The cold weather over the winter cracked the linolium in the trailer...there are over 280 claims that have been put forth already into the dealership we bought it from...it will be a while before we get it fixed!

The past couple of weeks have been busy for me from a hockey perspective...3 weekends ago I was able to particiapte as a linesmen in the BC Senior AAA Provincial championships held in Fort St. John...FSJ hosted the Powell River Regals in a best of five series...after geoing down 2 games to none, FSJ rattled off 3 straight wins to claim the provincial title ( i worked games 2 and 5)...then this past weekend they hosted the Bentley Generals (Alberta Champion) for the right to represent the Pacific region at teh Allan Cup in Ontario later this month...FSJ lost eh series 3 games to 1 ( i worked games 3 and 4)...it was some fast hockey and was certainly fun to be apart of...2 weekends ago i played in what was supposed to be a men's rec tournament...we have a good group of guys here in Tumbler..some played junior hockey when they were younger but most of them are past their prime...anyway, he headed up to Chetwynd for the weekend...we played 3 games on teh Saturday and 1 on Sunday morning...we finished with a record of 1-3 but we did manage to have the second lowest goals against average in the tournament..this minor little stat is actually quite impressive for our guys when you consider that most of the other teams had several junior players from this past season on their rosters...we certainly got a good workout!

We feel extremely blessed with what the Lord has blessed us with...it is amazing what the Lord can do when you let him guide your life! May God Bless you!

Trevor

Winter Time Fun

2008-01-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

The girls were so excited the other day when they found out that their friends up the street got quads for Christmas...Austin wanted to go and see them as well....Once he got there he didn't want to leave....Looks like Daddy might have to be "coerced" into buying a quad soon! haha

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a good morning so far...Here are some of the highlights thus far.

Here are a couple of other pictures of this morning.

Happy 6th Birthday!!!!

2007-12-02T19:31:00.001-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Olivia's 6th Birthday...her birthday is actually Dec. 31 but there isn't a free weekend between now and her birthday to celebrate with her friends so we did it early

Tanya and Olivia decided on a gingerbread house decorating party....Tanya prepared 15 gingerbread houses and the kids each got to decorate one....there were 13 kids that came to the party...what a crazy afternoon!!

Earlier this week, Tanya took teh kidsskating...they really enjoy it, especially Austin...as soon as i get home from work, he is waiting for me at the door and asking to play hockey....we have a plastic puck and little hockey sticks and play on the floor....he runs around and dives on the floor trying to stop the puck.

Well We Tried...

2007-11-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

This morning the girls wanted Daddy to take them sledding at a hill just around the corner from our house...the weather was nice (+2) and so it seemed like a great idea....we packed up two crazy saucers and 1 GT snow racer and headed off to the hill...Austin stayed home as he is a little under the weather...Once at the top of the hill, Emma and I got on the saucers and Olivia on the GT snow racer....by the time we got to the bottom of the hill, all three of us had crahsed and fallen off the sleds....Emma hit the ground hard and winded herself, Olivia had the GT snow racer land on her and got a bloody nose...I managed to escape injury but spent the next few minutes picking up the pieces of what was supposed to be a fun morning of sledding...needless to say we went home and packed it in for the morning!

You Gotta Love Kids....

2007-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday night we packed up the family and headed to Dawson Creek...I had to ref a junior B hockey game between the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks and the Sexsmith Vipers...Everybody came up to watch the game Friday night and then we continued on to Grande Prairie after the game...The kids were quite excited to see Dad skating around the ice with the other hockey players...I removed my helmet and skated out to centre ice just as the announcer came over the loud speaker and asked everybody to remove their hats and rise for the singing of our national anthem (by this point I was starting at the Canadian Flag up on the wall)....there was a 5-10 second period of dead silence right after everybody stood and when the anthem started...during this period of silence you could hear this little voice from across the rink yell..."Hi Dad!"....I did everything in my power not to start laughing...it was Austin trying to get my attention....I guess he figured it was a good moment as it was quiet in the arena....It was quite hilarious!!

Time to Remember

2007-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we attended the remembrance day ceremony at the high school...Too often in this life we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our daily goings on...between work, kids, extracuricular activities and so on and so on, it is very easy to lose sight of where we have been and where we are going...November 11th is one day where we are able to slow down and reflect on the many men and women that gave their life so that we can have many of the freedoms that we enjoy today...Their willingess to serve can not be forgotten, just like the many men and women today who willingly serve our country to protect the freedoms we hold so dear... I am grateful that we live in a country where we have the countless freedoms that we do...And I am also grateful that we have a saviour in Christ Jesus who came to this world and died in order that we may be saved.

It has been a busy couple of weeks...we had our first real snow fall (and it is snowing today)...this one will likely stick around for the duration...it is hard to believe that Christmas is knocking on the door again...seems like just yesterday we celebrated...oh well, we are heading south for a few days this year....lots of family going to be in Vernon...the kids are certainly looking forward to seeing their cousins again....I have been making my regular trips to Grande Prairie.....I try to line up officiating a junior or senior game along the way (Dawson Creek or Fort St. John)...gives me some exerrcise....Tanya's runs of 6 consecutive weeks of babysitting 2 year olds ends this week...she is looking forward to Friday!!! I can't imagine how some people deal with triplets or quadruplets...The girls have been doing well in school...they usually have some reading or brief exercises to do at nights so we spend 30-60 minutes working through that with them before bed...they seem to be grasping onto new concepts quite well.

I hope everyone is doing well. God Bless!

We Will Always Remember....

2007-10-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it is my long anticipated debut on our Blog...I know it says Trevor Seibel, but it is me...Tanya! It has been awhile since Trevor last posted so I will fill you in on what's new and exciting in Tumbler Ridge...I have been babysitting 3 - 2 year olds and find it to be quite challenging...there are times when it feels like I can't catch my breath...the kids certainly keep me busy! Olivia and Emma are doing quite well in school...Olivia won an award at the month end assembly for September...She was named "Most Enthusiastic Learner" for her class...she was quite excited (as were we!)...she has always been an out going person and it is showing in grade 1 this year. Emma is loving 2nd Grade. She is reading very well and loves to do it. She has also initiated a book club where the kids once a month come to our house and staple paper to look like a book...they write and illustrate a story and at the end they each read it to each other. It was very cute. My Mom, Dad, Travis, Mel and Ava were here when she planned it, so the kids read to them.

Austin is loving that mommy is looking after his little girlfriend Jesse...He calls her Jesse Babee. She told me last week in the car " Auntie, Autin wuvs me." So sweet it made me melt. He also loves that he as a little boy to play with...his name is Ronan and last week each of them made an apple pie to give to their mom's and dad's for supper. On the top of the pie we cut out their 1st initial out of dough and placed it on top. Very Fun.

On a sad note, this last weekend we had to put down our little shetland pony "Shadow"... It was soo hard. It was truly like losing a member of your family. I don't think I 've ever cried so much. The kids kept asking if I was done yet...Shadow was the most amazing pony ever...He was very gentle with the kids if they ever fell off he would stop and wait till they got up...He would follow you around the paddock like a lost puppy...He loved children...The kids would invite friends daily to the barn to play horses....I don't know how many times Shadow was sold to their friends and bought back in a game they would play...The kids have been really sad about it and they cried...They don't totally understand the whole death process...They just know he has gone to Horse Heaven where he can eat whatever he wants and not get sick...he can run and not hurt...That made them happy.

Shadow suffered from Chronic Founder...he had it before he was given to us and just seemed after a while he couldn't rid it no matter what extremes we went to...It got to the point where he could barely stand up let alone walk! We are so happy he is pain free, but extremely sad for our loss. On shadow's last day, we took pictures of the each of the kids having a special moment with Shadow, then we cut some of his mane and we went to Dawson Creek and bought a Shadow Box/Picture Frame to place it all in as a memory. He will never be forgotten and I don't think the kids will ever forget the memories they had with him. We love you Shadow and we thankyou for being so good to our children.

Love Tanya

Newest Addition

2007-09-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a few weeks since we last posted so I need to update you on what has been going on! After we returned from our summer vacation, we spent approx. 3 weeks getting adjusted before we took off back south again. I had a conference in Victoria so we drove down to Vernon, dropped Tanya and the kids at her mom's and I flew onto Victoria. I was there for 4 days before I flew back to Kelowna and then drove home. Needless to say it was a long trip! The kids have since started school...all seems to be going well. Emma is in Grade 2 and Olivia in Grade 1....Austin wishes he could just be at school! Tanya has started to babysit (part time) for a couple of families...the one family has a little guy named Ronan...he is just about 2...he is very small compared to Austin but they get along great...His parents are teachers here in town.

The other big news is the recent addition to our family...Tess. She is 25 years old but very well natured....the girls were both riding without difficulty only days after she arrived....they have been able to ride her in a gymkhana event we had last weekend....Tanya also rode Tess in the event....all three of the girls got ribbons for their effort and Tess won the best dressed horse in the event (mainly due to the fancy pony tails the girls put on her!).

In other news, I attended the "Above Minor" clinic for officiating...this clinic allows me to officiate both the senior and junior hockey leagues in the region... Fort St. John is hosting the Savage Cup (Provincial 'AAA' Mens Hockey Championships) this year so it would be nice to be able to participate at that event...Other than that work has been keeping me busy...budget season is almost upon us again....always lots of fun.

We're Back!!!

2007-08-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

We have just returned home from a wonderful 4 week vacation. We spent most of the summer in Vernon & Salmon Arm but Tanya and I ended the vacation with a 7 day Alaskan Cruise...we sailed the Norwegian Sun out of Vancouver. We highly recommend it! It was wonderful....Freestyle Cruising is the way to go. If you want more information about this concept, let us know!

We left Vancouver on Sunday July 29, sailed the inside passage on Monday, stopped in Ketchikan on Tuesday, Juneau on Wednesday, Skagway on Thursday, were at sea on Friday, sailed the inside passage Saturday and arrived back in Vancouver on Sunday August 5th. We ran into Murray and Cheryl Ogilvie on the ship (Cheryl is Uncle Leo's daughter)...it was a surprise but very nice at the same time...we were able to enjoy each others company throughout the cruise!

We quickly found out that Jewelry is a major part of the shopping experience on this cruise and in Alaska. Each of the ports we stopped in had many stores. Almost every other store had jewelry in it!!! When we boarded the ship in Ketchikan, they informed us that they had picked up a $3 million dollar diamond. They offered to sell it to any takers for $2 million noting that it would fetch $3 million at auction. There were no takers to my knowledge!

While in Juneau we had the chance to go whale watching (saw some very large humpback whales) as well as the Mendenhall Glacier. Wow, was that ever a sight to see. One of the shore excursions that we could have taken was to fly, via helicopter, to the top of the glacier and get out and walk around on it. Maybe next time!!

After leaving Juneau, we sailed up the Tracy Arm Fjord to the Sawyer Glacier....it is 30 miles up this narrow passage...but what we saw along the way was absolutely awe inspiring! After seeing the Glacier, and spinning that big boat on a dime 180 degrees, we headed towards Skagway.

My mom was able to come down from Whitehorse and take us back there for the day...the last time Tanya and I were in Whitehorse was 1994...It has undergone some major changes since that time....On the way back, we came across a Grizzly Bear right on the side of the road. There were people standing out on the road with this bear less than 50 feet away from them...absolutely nuts!!

The friday night of the cruise, they had a Chocolate buffet...every and anything chocolate...cheesecake, strawberries, bananas...you name...it was awesome...they had ice and chocolate sculptures...the chocolate sculptures included whales, dinosaurs, fish and a bear.

We had a long trip back home left Vancouver Sunday arrived back in Tumbler on Tuesday but it was certainly a great summer vacation....first time ever that I have had that much time off at once...it was wonderful!

We are now trying to get back to "normal"....I have started back to work and have lots to get caught up on...Tanya has been trying to get the trailer and house organized since our return...no easy task...the kids are just happy to play in the back yard with their friends!!

We hope you are having a good summer! Hope to hear from you all soon!

The Results are in....

2007-06-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

I went to the Doctor today to get the results of my tests from last Friday. The news was good as everything turned out to be fine. There were no apparent problems with my liver, pancreas or gall bladder. The blood work did identify evidence of a parvo-type virus....the Doctor believes that this has something to do with the Fifths disease that our whole family had...he noted that the blood work indicated that my body had begun producing the necessary antibodies to protect my system from any further complications and that the chest pains were likely caused by this disease.

Fifths disease is a full body, highly contagious rash...in children it pretty much covers them and passes along like nothing...however, in adults, it can be more serious...Tanya still has swollen and sore hands and feet from her bout of the virus...in my case it caused the shortness of breath and chest pain....the good news here is that once you have had it your system becomes immune to it.

So it was good news all around. For that I am truly thankful.

Perspective on Life....

2007-06-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt completely helpless? Did it put things into perspective? Did you get a "wake up" call? Well, for me this occured this past Friday.

At 1:15 Friday morning (June 22) I awoke from a dead sleep short of breath and with massive chest pains...I managed to get up stairs to the living room where Tanya happened to be sitting on the couch (she couldn't sleep)...I sat down on the couch but immediately began to shake...my breathing did not get any better and the pain was still very intense...I thought I was having a heart attack...Tanya called 911 and the ambulance came and picked me up and took me to the health centre...I immediately went through a battery of tests (ECG, blood work, etc..) and they quickly ruled out any cardiac problems...their attention immediately shifted to my gastro-intestinal system...they gave me some "acid reducer" drinks in an attempt to reduce the acid levels in my system...that did not work and the pain persisted....they then hooked me up to an IV and did more blood work....once the IV was hooked up and the blood work completed the pain started to subside...I still had chest pain but not nearly the same intensity...the blood work came back and almost everything was "normal"...the only "abnormal" results were some elevated blood counts for my liver, pancreas and gall bladder...nothing off the charts, but concerning still the same...I managed to get into the Radiology department in Dawson Creek that afternoon where they conducted a series of other tests....we are awaiting the results...I am on some medicine right now that seems to be helping but I know there is something wrong and am now hoping to find out what it is.

The only thing that kept running through my mind as I was hunched over in pain is"Lord, I am not ready to go yet!!" But the funny thing is that we just never know when our time will be! God has a plan for us and when he is ready to call us home it will be on his terms and not ours. My eyes were quickly opened to the fact that we need to live each day like it will be our last...committed to the Lord...loving our family...and being the example that we are called to be as Christians! I make a concentrated effort every day to let my wife and kids know that I love them...You just never know when your life might change and you won't have an opportunity to say or do things that you had always wanted to do.

Gone but never forgotten....

2007-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I still remember that early morning of June 14, 1991 like it was yesterday....I was summoned from the cafeteria at Western where I had opened up for breakfast...that phone call is one that I will never forget...being told that your grandpa passed away was one of the hardest days in my life...losing a loved one is never easy...It is even harder when the one who passes is your mentor and spiritual example.

You see when I was younger there were really only two things in my life that were important...hockey and my grandpa....at the time of his passing, he was only 59 years old and there were so many things left in life to enjoy...he wasn't only my Grandpa, he was my father..he treated me like a son more than a grandson...there were many special moments that I was able to share with my Grandpa including going to Regina to watch the Roughriders play, watching hockey of any level, driving in the truck or something simple as a game of crokonol (sp) at christmas time.

In the days and weeks after the funeral people would tell me their story of how my Grandpa influenced their life and what a wonderful person he was....the more people I talked to the more I realized the impact he had on others. If it had not been for the influence and example of my Grandpa on my life, I don't know where I would be today...through his committment to the Lord, he led by example.

Grandpa, the love you exhibited for your family, for me but most importantly for the Lord, has been forever engrained on my heart. You are a big part of who I am today and I wish that you were here to see how things have worked out thus far...I can't wait until the day we meet again.

I am truly blessed that I had 15 years to learn from and love the greatest father in the world...so on this day I remember and reflect on the life he lived and the example he was...Gone but NEVER forgotten!!

Trevor

Fishing time!

2007-05-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

How does that old saying go..."A bad day fishing is still better than a good day's work!" Well, today wasn't a work day but it was still good to get out....Moose Lake is about 30 kms north of town...the kids were able to test their fishing endurance for the first time...a couple casts into it they were pretty much bored!! No sooner, after the first cast hit the water, did Olivia ask "Did you catch one yet?" haha It was sunny with cloudy periods but was quite windy for most of the time so that made it difficult at times.

The drive out to the lake was absolutely beautiful...the trees, the colour of the leaves, etc...it is a testament to the work of our creator each time I see the beautiful surroundings that

we live in!!

The other exciting thing this weekend was the year end finale for Beavers...Olivia was an active participant this year and she quite enjoyed it....On Saturday afternoon the beavers, cubs and scouts had a chance to blast off the rockets they built....Olivia was excited at first but after hearing the first one blast off, spent the rest of the time in the van peaking out the window...she doesn't like loud noises very much.

Spring is finally here....

2007-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since our last post so I will fill you in on what has happened over the past few weeks. Alvan and Trish were here for 5 days...the kids were very excited to see them and spend time with them. They were able to go for walks, ride their bikes and Grandpa and Grandma watched them play soccer.

Austin was especially happy to see his "papa"...Austin followed Alvan around wanting to help or be invovled where ever he went...for those of you who knew me as a child, doesn't that sounds familiar!...Austin showed up at my work on Monday while Alvan was servicing our chairs...he plunked himself down on the floor beside Alvan and asked if he could help!! haha too funny!.... It is hard to believe that it will be 16 years this June 14 since my Grandpa (Walter) passed away....When I saw Austin with Alvan it reminded me of when I was little and all the wonderful memories I had spending time with my Grandpa!!

Alvan brought his motorbike up this trip and the kids thoroughly enjoyed going for rides....Austin kept asking to go faster, faster....The girls both enjoyed it as well. There are so many trails right close to our house...they were able to ride to the stables to see Shadow.

I am up to my eye balls in paper at work right now (literally)....Tax season has taken on a whole new meaning for me....Property tax Notices will be in the mail by the end of the week providing some relief for a few weeks...then comes collection! Yikes! We have been making regular trips to Grande Prairie...too much work and not enough time...oh well, I do what I can....they, like everyone else in this area, are having a difficult finding qualified staff....Lots of junior staff in the system but they are a ways off yet from making a real big impact...I have conducted some training sessions, when necessary, to help their students progress up the system.

Tanya keeps busy with the kids and the home front...what with soccer, piano lessons, Shawdow and helping out at School there is never a dull moment. It truly is a blessing to see the kids involved in all sorts of activities as they explore new things and new adventures. The Lord is good to all of us!

Hope all is well with you and yours!!

Trevor

Spring is almost here.....

2007-04-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely spring is arriving....the temperatures have been getting warmer and almost all of the snow is now gone...it has been a long time...October 28, 2006 to be exact, since the last time we saw the front lawn....it is a little brown right now but it is nice to see all the same. The kids are certainly enjoying the better weather...Austin with his tractors in the dirt and the girls with Shadow.

It has been a very busy few weeks in our household...trips to Grande Prairie have been a regular occurence....it has been a nice break to get away though...Work in Tumbler has been very busy lately as well...this will only get worse with the on set of property tax season very soon.

On a daily basis Tanya and I are reminded how truly blessed we are...from our children to work to our home...God is surely good! We do miss our family and friends from Salmon Arm but are enjoying the challenges and adventures that come our way here in Tumbler Ridge.

It has been great to see posts from so many friends and family and we look forward to hearing from you in the future.

God Bless!

Trevor

Ridge Report....

2007-03-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a quick couple of weeks....Tanya and the kids will be coming home on Saturday from a 2 week vacation in Vernon....the first couple of days were nice and quite for me but that quickly changed to extreme quiteness....I am anxiously waiting for their return!!

It has been a busy couple of weeks....carpeting the stairs was the big project....after Olivia's accident it was necessary to make some changes....It looks much better now.

The other exciting news from our little community is the announcement of a 99 room hotel, conevntion centre and restaurant!! There hasn't been an investment/construction of this nature in over 20 years! They started logging the trees to clear the lot earlier this week...not sure when construction will start but it is an exciting time in town!

I hope all is well with everyone. God Bless!

Update from the Ridge!!!

2007-03-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings all....well, I guess the biggest news to come from this way, for those of you who haven't heard, is that Olivia had to have her four front teeth pulled (across the top!!)...she was climbing the stairs from our bedroom to the living room and somehow lost her balance (or fell) face first into teh edge of the step....now, we have laminant flooring on our stairs with a metal bar covering the edge....somehow she managed not to cut her lip or gums but drove her front teeth back towards her throat!! The most interesting thing was that only one of them was loose and the others were still solid as a rock! Thankfully she had all her baby teeth still....Dentist took one look at her and said "pull em"!!

Crazy things is not two days after Olivia's incident, we had some friends over and they have a little girl the same age as Austin...anyway, she was heading down the stairs and somehow lost her balance and went end over end down the stairs...she put her teeth through her bottom lip...there was blood everywhere! So...we haven't had a whole lot of luck with our stairs in the past few days!! Kids are so resilient though...other than the increase in wind when she talks, Olivia is doing fine!!

Greetings from the Ridge...

2007-02-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hello all, it has been a busy couple of weeks here in Tumbler Ridge...Austin turned 2 years old this past week (Feb. 4)...everytime the girls and I go skating he always says "Me! Me!" indicating that he wants to come along...well this time I thought we would take him along...We tried his skates on at home first and to my utter amazement he simply stood up and started walking around the living room floor...a little wobbly yes, but walking still the same....We got him out on the ice and he was quite excited to be able to go skating with his big sisters....I thought for sure he would need my assistance from the time i put him down but I put him on the ice and he just stood there...once he tried to move he fell but I thought it was pretty good that he could even stand....oh, and yes that is Olivia in the background even though she is a little hard to see....She gets so determined to do things...once she learned how to skate she didn't need Dad's help anymore!!

I hope and pray all is well with you and yours.

Greetings from the Ridge....

2007-01-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it is hard to believe that January is almost over...it seems like yesterday that we were opening our gifts at Christmas!! It has been a busy month...the girls were excited to get back to school (as was Tanya!!)...they are now back on schedule which helps make life a little easier. Over the past couple weeks everyone has had their turn at being sick...I was first but the kids and then Tanya followed suit...Austin is the only one lingering yet...hopefully he will be feeling better soon. We are still making our regular trips into Grande Prairie...I have made a couple extra trips this month due to some additional work they needed to push through...Tanya has been enjoying her quilting class on Monday nights as it gives her some time to herself and something constructive to do...she has made several projects already and is quite enjoying it! I still play hockey once (sometimes twice) a week...it has been good excercise...still reffing a little bit in the Junior B league up here as well...their season is winding down though so that will end soon!

Until next time....

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2006-12-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

It has been some time since we have been able to post here....Work has been keeping me busy with year end and budget...the kids have been keeping Tanya busy with various class activites, christmas concerts, etc...

We were able to spend some time with Tanya's Mom, Dad, Grandma and aunt Cathy this past week...it was great to have them here and I know the kids enjoyed having them visit us...they have since headed home...we are now awaiting the arrival of my Mom and Mike who are bringing us our newest addition...a puppy! The kids are quite excited!!

Here's wishing you all the best of the holiday season and a very prosperous and happy 2007!!

May God Bless each of you!!

Trevor

Halloween Fun

2006-11-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

We finally got around to downloading the pictures from the digital camera....As you can see, the kids had a common theme for Halloween. Tanya and I were slo dressed up...Tanya as a Molly Ringwald look alike and I as an Accountant...Didn't even have to change clothes when I left work! haha.

Austin picked up on the whole "Trick or Treat" thing pretty quick. He would follow the girls to the door...one of the girls would ring the door bell and Austin would start kicking the door...Once the homeowner arrived, he figured out how to say "Trick Treat" and then would start shaking his bag as if to say "Hurry up and put some candy in here would ya!" Everybody got a kick out of his antics and as a result Austin usually ended up getting an extra piece of candy, or two, at most houses. He came home with more candy than the girls!!

It has been a busy week here on the home front. We were in Grande Prairie again this last weekend...I get a couple weeks break now before the next scheduled trip. Austin and I are flying to Kelowna this Saturday and then heading to Salmon Arm where we are picking up the truck we just bought. We will be doing the paperwork, a short stop for some food (and hopefully some visiting) and then off we go...another busy weekend coming up!!

Mother Nature at it again.....

2006-11-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

We returned home this afternoon to be greeted by at least another foot of snow in our driveway. So in the last 7 days, that is ~4.5 feet of snow I have had to remove from the driveway...But, the sun was a shining today and that in itself is a blessing!

Mother Nature Has Left the Building....

2006-10-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

or at least she left the snow!! We were in Grande Prairie this past weekend and returned home to this! The official reading for Tumbler Ridge was 1.3 meters (~3.5 feet) and that fell between 5:00pm Friday and Saturday morning! Some people have said that we have got more snow on Friday than they got all last year!! Yikes, what more could we be in for! haha

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2006-10-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from teh Tumbler Ridge area. The two on the right are of Kinuseo Falls, approx. 60 kms south of town. The top left picture is on the road north of town and the bottom left is at Flatbed Creek 2 km's south of Tumbler Ridge

2006-10-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent picture of our family during our trip to Vernon on the Thanksgiving weekend in October. All three kids are growing so quickly...where does the time go?

Hello All.....

2006-10-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is a new venture for us so bear with us as we work on getting this thing up and running. We look forward to sharing with you the growth of our family and keeping in touch with many of you that we may not have done otherwise.