Move In Day!

Today we move into the new house. I won't be updating the blog much over the next couple weeks but if you want to see pictures....I am sure my mom will update hers.

www.just4uandme.blogspot.com

Talk to you soon!

Crunch Time!

One week from today I will be picking up the moving truck. Though I feel like I am ahead of the game I am starting to feel stressed. I am worried about many things and I will be happy when Adam is home and we are "settled."

Because things are getting crazy....I don't feel like blogging much.

Natasha had her last day of school today and fun day is tomorrow. Ashley has a follow up appointment with her urologist on the same day so my mom is coming to help me out. She is bringing in the truck and taking ANOTHER load out to Camrose.

I am tired daily but my mind is racing so sleep is not coming easily. When it does finally come...it is very restless and interuppted.

ARG....1 week left!

I KNOW it will be worth it and I keep reminding myself. I can't wait to sit on the balcony with a drink as I watch the sun set and the stars come out.

Secret Excitement

I will say no more than the title. And don't ask because I have been sworn to double secrecy!

Happy Fathers' Day

Happy Fathers' Day to some important men in my life!! I hope you have a wonderful day full of selfishness....

Beauty!?!

Sometimes it amazes me the conversations that arise with a 3 year old.

Lately Natasha has been asking a lot if she looks beautiful. I had not given it a lot of thought until today. Today, as the girls were dressing for the party, Natasha stated Ashley was not beautiful. She went on to say that she wanted to be the most beautiful. Well I took the opportunity to open the doors of conversation around beauty. I tried to explain to her that Ashley is beautiful in her own way. Just like she was beautiful in her own way. She then asked me if I was beautiful in a mommy way. I thought "PERFECT" she kind of gets it.

Then we were doing her hair. She decided she wanted it curly. I was curling it, and she said Ashley couldn't have beautiful curly hair like her. I told her Ashleys' hair was not long enough but she could be beautiful with straight hair.

Anyway the conversation continued as I tried to tell her that every person is beautiful in their own way. I told her it is important to find beauty in everyone. I also tried to explain that a person can be beautiful on the inside. If a person is nice, friendly, has good manners, etc that is beautiful too.

Day to day I think of ways to be a better mom. I am sure their are people that watch me as a parent and critize what I do. I know I am not perfect but I sure hope I am doing good. I just want to mold them into smart, accepting, well rounded children. I pray I am doing someone proud, and doing something right with them.

How do you feel about beauty?

How do YOU perceive yourself?

After reading another blog, this question came to me. How do YOU perceive yourself?
Is what others think of you and what you think of yourself similar or different?

Is it possible for someone to think of you as self-involved yet another person thinks of you as giving beyond the norm? Can you be both?

Another question I guess is....does it matter what others think of you if you are comfortable in your own skin? If you think you are a good person?

Is it to much to ask/expect people to change or do we have to be more accepting?

Are preceptions of people fueled by love or clouded by love?

I have to sit on these questions before I post what I think.

ETA: I hope this post doesn't bite me in the ass.

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday

All of these days seem like a blurr as I was feeling quite under the weather. Things are slowly coming together (or apart) in this house. I cannot believe we will be waking up in our new home two weeks from today....CRAZY. I find myself worrying more about our pets adjusting than my kids. I am pretty fortunate to have pretty easily adaptable children. I also think I am pretty good at preparing them and taking the steps for a smooth transition. Anyway I am worried about our animals wandering away and getting lost. I think we will keep Koda (cat) inside for a week or so before letting him out to explore. I have read that cats take a longer time to adapt than dogs, as they feel the need to find "home." I think for the first week I will also tie the dogs up. I was thinking I will move the location of the tieouts throughout the property so they gather some sense of their new surroundings. I was also thinking about walking them around the perimeter of the property a couple times. I don't know?? Does any of this make sense or sound reasonable? I went yesterday and bought 3 huge bags of food. I have to keep reminding myself that it will not be as easy as jumping in the car if I run out of something. Their food is not something you can pick up at walmart. Anyway in the pet food department we are good to go for months.

I took a night off from packing and played guitar. I taught myself two songs. I have not figured out if I like to learn by song or working through my beginner guitar book. I guess only time will tell. I went an bought new strings for the guitar so now I have to retune it...so the guitar sits for the time being.

Natasha has her last week of school next week. I can't believe her first year of preschool is done. I won't put her in preschool next year so I have been searching the net for preschool ideas to do at home. I actually found one sight that seems awesome and will try and follow some themes come fall.

Today I finally feel like I am coming out of my cold. We are heading to a birthday party this evening which should be fun. It is at my aunts house and I have yet to see it. There will be lots of kids so I know it will be loud, but I also know my girls will love it.

The house is coming apart. I took my bed apart and now have my mattress on the floor. This is not a big deal to me. With my dad having a bad knee, and being a key part in the packing, I am trying to load everything into the main room (off the front entrance, no stairs). If almost everything is there I figure the loading is just out the door, onto the truck. My living room is stuffed but the kids are liking the hiding spots, and forts they are creating.

I am getting a little tired of "things" everywhere. I am really trying not to throw things into boxes just to get it packed. I am trying to go through things I have had put away, organize, etc. I hoping that if I take the time now...a lot of things can just stayed boxed without worrying about what I might need from them.

I just feel like I am constant state of mess, which is more bothersome than boxes everywhere.

Mom

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Can YOU read this??

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid, too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

I know this has been around but I always find it interesting.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning I slept in until about 9am. I woke up to everyone else awake and a little Birdie calling "mama". I went upstairs and my mom and grandma were getting ready to go. Natasha was very upset about this so we made a plan to meet at Costco later that morning. We came downstairs and the girls played while I loaded pictures and brought my blog up to date. We left here, for Costco, around 11am. I really didn't have many purchases to make but I did find a couple of things. I bought my frozen berries for my protein shake in the morning, cherrios, harvest crunch, and some things for my dad to use on his new bbq. My mom bought us some corn, apricots, and the girls and I a book. We headed from Costco straight to Natashas' preschool. Dropped her off and headed home so Ashley could take a nap. I sat downstairs during naptime and played guitar while catching glances of the tv. Picked up Natasha at 3pm and ran to M&M meats for some soup and canniloni. Stopped at Hallmark to pick up some Fathers Day cards to sent to Adam and my dad. Natasha has a Fathers Day gift from preschool so we will mail that as well. We had a lazy evening and the girls went to bed early but didn't fall asleep until after 9pm. I was getting frustrated but had to smile when I saw the two of them walking to my room together. Usually Natasha is the bad girl at bed time but this time Ashley was not cooperating. Once the girls were asleep I was really motivated and moved a lot of things from the basement upstairs. I have under 2 weeks to get ready for the move.





I told Natasha before she went to bed that I would make her a fort. I figured with everything being packed up and busy I could make it a little fun for the girls. I promised her that when she woke up in the morning she would have a fort. I called it a night at 12:15am. Ashley had a rough night and I tried for about 1/2 hour to get her back to sleep. Natasha finally got mad and I said she could go to my bed. Tired, I changed Ashley's diaper, and brought her to my bed for a girls night sleepover. Only Ashley did not go back to sleep. She stayed a wake for at least an hour. Looking around, shredding kleenex. Finally I took her back to her bed, she cried for about 2 minutes until falling back asleep.

Monday

Monday we knew we were getting some company. First my dad was coming early afternoon to take a load of stuff back to Camrose, and then my mom and grandma were coming to spend the night. As I had things to do we got up and started our day rather quickly (compared to most days). Natasha decided she wanted to get some pictures taken (weird as she normally does not) so I said ok. First stop was Staples as I needed some paper, toner and legal sized envelopes for the preschool. Next we stopped at Future Shop to picked a disc holder for Adam. After Future Shop we headed to WEM where I had the girls pictures taken in the Antique Boutique (just by the water park). Everything went quite well for the first five minutes and then Ashley quickly decided she was done. We mananged to get one decent shot, which we printed and framed for a Fathers Day gift. After the pictures we went to the Childrens' Place and bought Ashley some new jeans. Then we headed to Mr. Entertainment and I bought myself a guitar book for beginners. After that stopped we made our way back to the car. Once we got home, not two minutes later my dad pulled up. We loaded the truck with my deep freeze, Adams' night stand/dresser, and the boxed trampoline. He says he will come back on the weekend and take one more load. The house is starting to empty and it looks weird. My dad left and I put Ashley down for a nap. I did some tidying up as my mom and grandma were planning on spending the night. They called and we were going to meet up at Southgate in the food court. Ashley woked up, I changed her clothes/diaper and we were off again. We met them at the food court, enjoyed some New York Fries and just did some visiting. I went and mailed a package to Adam and somethings for the preschool. After that we headed to McBain camera where Grandma bought herself a digital camera. She got the simpliest one to operate but I think once she gets used to it...she will love it. I took the girls to the sciene store and bought them a couple of animals.

I can't believe how the time flies. We went outside and it was nearly 4:30. Anyway my uncle has a new toy, his Harley Davidson. Well in the mall Natasha did not want a ride but she quickly changed her mind. Once outside Uncle D gave a couple of rides before heading for home.







We headed home, threw some supper in the oven and then we were off to soccer. Because the girls had the late snack at the mall we were going to have supper after soccer.




After soccer we headed home and had some supper. The girls stayed up later than usual but were well behaved so I didn't mind. The girls slept in their rooms, mom and grandma took my bed and I slept on the couch downstairs.

Natasha and her buddy, Great Grandma Grace!


Everyone headed to bed at around 10:30 but I made myself a cold/flu drink and went downstairs to play guitar for a bit. I crashed out around 12:00 and slept like a log until morning.

Sunday

Ok let me get up-to-date here before it really drives me crazy. Sunday I invited Adams' family over to have a little celebration for my FIL. We dashed to Sobeys in the morning to grab some paper plates, plastic cups, ice cream, and icing for the cake. We came home and made the cake, had a small lunch and then put Ashley down for a nap. Well Ashley decided she did not want to nap to I got her up and changed the girls into some party dresses, and quickly put their hair into pony tails. Well when the company arrived we visited at home for a bit before packing up and heading to Fort Edmonton Park for a birthday picnic.


After the picnic we came home and had some cake and cards for Grandad. We visited briefly before it was time for everyone to head home. I invited Nana and Grandad to come back up and watch Natasha in her Tim Hortons Timbits Soccer Tournament at the end of the month. The girls had a pretty early night and I did some light packing.

Grandad and His Girls

Since Natasha was quite small she had a special affection for her Grandad. When she sees him, hugs have been known to last minutes. It is always Grandad this, grandad that. She really adores him. Anyway today was his birthday so I invited them up for a little celebration.

Saturday

Saturday we woke up early at my parents. Actually I woke up early with Ashley and we let Natasha sleep for a little bit. While Natasha slept I got our things together and packed the Envoy. I woke up Natasha, got her dressed and pretty much headed out the door. My dad was going golfing and my mom had a scrapbook thing. We had to be back in Edmonton for a birthday party which was to meet at noon. Anyway we drove back to Edmonton and as I was driving I had conflicting feelings about our move. I am terribly excited to move and so happy with the place that it brought tears to my eyes. I also had tears thinking about leaving our current house. Though it doesn't feel like "home" it was our first house and it is where I brought my girls home from the hospital. Anyway the feelings come and leave rather quickly. It is exciting to think that soon I will be driving out to Camrose and won't have to drive back to Edmonton. We got into Edmonton and headed straight for Toys R Us and picked up a present for the party. We quickly darted home to unload the animals and shovel down some lunch. We packed up again to drop Natasha off at Silver City for her birthday party. The family was taking kids to Shrek 3. I could have stayed but Ashley needed a nap and I didn't feel right for the mom to pay for another person (though she invited me more than once). I knew a couple moms from preschool so I was not worried about leaving Natasha. I was a little worried about her sitting through the movie but she did just fine. I came back and they were in the party room, finished with cake, and opening gifts. Of course Natasha wanted to open the toys and play with them but I had to explain they would stay packaged until S got home. She was a little disappointed but quickly got over it. The only report I got about the movie was that Shrek had 3 babies and one burp a lot. She said it was funny...but that is about all she said. We came home and just sat around the house. The girls went to bed early and I enjoyed some quiet just to myself.

Thursday/Friday

Thursday morning we woke up and did some more tidying around the house in preparation for our "trip" to Camrose. A big pet peeve of mine is leaving a messy house, so I normally have my house pretty spotless before I head anywhere. With that being said Thursday morning was spent packing overnight bags, animal supplies, and general clean up. I dropped Natasha off at preschool and then headed to RBC to do some banking. After RBC we headed home to finish packing bags, gather up the dogs, and pack up some boxes to store in my parents garage. We got back in the Envoy, filled up with gas, closed my safety deposit box at a different bank, and then stopped at Starbucks for a frappacino before picking up Natasha. We picked up Natasha and headed out to Camrose. We got to Camrose at about 4:15. I dropped off the dogs and kids and then headed to Coldwell Banker to drop off our last deposit cheque and finalize the deal on the acreage. When I got back to my parents everyone was home and we cooked some burgers on the bbq. The girls stayed up later than normal but went to bed rather "well".

Friday morning the girls slept in quite late which is always welcome when they go to bed later. Friday was another uneventful day. My dad headed into the city to pick up a piece for the envoy and he also picked up his new "birthday" bbq. The part for the envoy proved useless as it did nothing for the problem I have. It will be returned just have to find a day to meet up with my Uncle Mechanic! We walked to Staples to pick Daylan up an MP3 player. This is his 3rd one however the new one holds 2000 plus songs, plays videos and radio. We stopped at Lammles and Natasha tried on some cowgirl boots.....so CUTE. Adam is determined the girls get cowboy boots which is fine by me but seems strange coming from him. Anyway we did not make any purchases as I thought it would be nice for Adam to be with us as it is his idea. We did some playing outside and watering of plants. When Daylan got home from school, and my dad returned from the city, mom and I darted off to a local flooring company to get some ideas for the new house. I did not decide on anything but did book us in for the floors the first week of August. We need to have our floors picked out the beginning of July which should be fine. I got extra books to browse which I will send up to Adam in a care package. It is exciting but I can't believe the amount of selection!!! Anyway we got home and started to help Dad set up his bbq but his long time buddy showed up and took over. We started a fire and roasted smokies....mmmm! The girls went to bed early and mom and I watched breaking news on Paris Hilton :-/ I fiddled with moms computer for a bit but got tired and called it quits just after midnight.

Wednesday

Well I am not proud that my Wednesday/Thursday/Friday posts are happening on Saturday but I guess better late than never.

Wednesday I woke up to a lovely friend waiting for me on the stairs. Koda our cat, finally proved himself as a cat and caught our lurking mouse. About a week prior they had a entertaining dance until the mouse disappeared. Obviously Koda was proud of his "kill" as he left the mouse right in the middle of the bottom step. Anyway I let the dogs out, disposed of the mouse and went for my run on my parents treadmill. It was great to get on there. I went for 40 minutes and did walk/running intervals. I always feel so wonderful after working out!! When I shared the news with Natasha about the mouse she wanted to see the victim. She was very VERY proud of her cat and told him so. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I did some slight tidying, laundry, and packing. I took down Ashleys' crib and Natashas' bed and moved the girls into the same room (matresses on floor). I am going to use Ashleys' old room as storage as I get things packed up. Natasha had soccer in the evening. We walked out just as my cousin was walking by so we walked together. Being 3, Natasha seems to get distracted easey. She really likes soccer but some days she wants to play, and others not. Wednesday was one of the days she could have taken it or left it. When she was called to the field she didn't want to go, when the game was over she wanted to play. Anyway we walked by with my cousin and his boy and sat outside and enjoyed a beer. We chatted about packing and how much room I would need. He offered the use of his flatbed trailer should I need more room. Anyway the girls went and had a shower and then got ready for bed. It was the first night the girls slept together so I knew getting them so sleep would take a little longer than normal. Overall it was successful. They goofed around for a little bit, giggled which I joined in, and then peetered out. Natasha crawled into bed with me somewhere througout the night. I heard Ashley and found her still sleeping but on the other side of the room, on the floor. I moved her back to bed and she slept soundly until morning.

Calgary Flooding

Two years ago we went to Lethbridge for a birthday party. We drove back through Calgary and saw the flooding that took place then. Apparently they are saying this could be the worse flooding in Calgary history. Hoping everyone is safe!

Thanks Jane

I have to say thanks to JANE of Escaping the City Blog. She updates her blog several times a day which as a reader I love. Anyway her blog is somewhat inspiration to me which is why I am trying to do daily posts about our day to day life.

Thanks Jane you are a GREAT BLOGGER!!!

Monday/Tuesday

Monday
Adam left back for Fort McMurray. He is gone for a 24 day shift so this will be a long one. After Adam left we just puttered around until my preschool meeting at 1:00. It is nice that I can bring the kids because I really like volunteering for activities my kids enjoy. Anyway I had to submit my resignation as chairperson due to our moving. I will finish out the rest of the year and do what I can throughout the summer over email until they can fill the position. Shouldn't amount to much work as everything winds down by the end of June. After the meeting we came home and put Ashley down for her nap. She didn't sleep to long but enough to take away the grumpiness that settles in. We had an easy and quick supper before heading off to soccer practice. My cousins in the area have soccer on the same night in the same field so we usually chat during and after practice/game. After practice we walked back to our place with all the kids and my cousins. The kids played in the back yard and checked out Farley. Once they left I took the kids upstairs and through them in the shower. I am starting to like this shower business they have started. I don't end up with nearly as much water on the floor, it is easier to wash hair, takes less water, etc. The showers are nice compared to baths in the hot weather we have been having. Once the girls were in bed I packed 3 or 4 boxes of clothes. Mostly they belonged to Adam since he has clothes with him and he won't be back until we are in the new house. I crawled into bed late...maybe 12:15 but fell right asleep.

Tuesday
I have been waking up to my alarm at 6:30 yet I am having trouble getting my arse out of bed to hit the treadmill. I am not sure if it is lack of motivation or thinking I have other more pressing issues (like Moving). I am determined to make exercise I priority over the next month as I know it will help with stress/sanity/mom time. Anyway I got up at 7:30 and let the dogs out and ran a sink full of hot water to wash dishes. I got watching tv and then heard laughing/giggling from upstairs. I went up to see what was going on and there was Natasha in Ashley's crib. They were having a good ol time being nice sisters. Anyway we headed downstairs and the girls enjoyed carrot muffins for breakfast and a fruit smoothie. I explained to Natasha that I will be packing lots of things into boxes for our upcoming move. When the day comes we will back up our house now into a big truck and take everything to our new house. She thought this was a wonderful idea. After breakfast we came downstairs briefly. We then went upstairs and packed away A LOT of the girls clothes. I really don't know why I keep so much out when they only where a handful or so. Anyway Natasha was really good helping as I let her pick which shirts she wanted to keep out and which ones she would be ok putting into the box. She was really good and cooperative. I left the room and I hear her asking Ashley "Do you want to keep it out or put it in the box.?" She was doing the same process with Ashley. Unfortantely Ashley says "NO" to almost everything and all her clothes ended up in the box. I went through them when the girls were distracted doing something else. We had pancakes for lunch and then took Natasha to preschool. After the dropoff Ashley and I stopped at a moving company to buy some used boxes and then headed home. Ashley went to nap and I relaxed and watched TV for half and hour. I went upstairs and packed away a box of dishes that I will not used. I woke up Ashley and off we were to get Natasha. We picked up Natasha and headed to Sobeys for a couple of groceries. When we got home the storm was rolling our way and a little boy was walking home from school. I could tell he was upset and I was worried he got beat up or something. Anyway I asked him if he was ok and he said no. He saw the storm coming and he was very afraid of lightening and thunder. I asked him if he had far to walk and responded yes so I then asked him if he wanted a ride home. I quicly unloaded the groceries and reloaded the girls in. I drove him home, which ended up being pretty close. Anyway I wanted to talk to his parents and let them know that I wasn't a "weirdo" picking up strange kids but no one ended up being home. We came home and made supper, had another shower and then just played until bedtime. I packed up 6 boxes of glassware/china/crystal/ornaments tonight. I know some people will think I am starting to early but I would rather be able to have it done early than panic at the end.

Now I am tired and I am going to head to bed and veg for half and hour before lights out. Goodnight everyone!

Tornados

A Tornado touched down just west of Edmonton. With our summer months starting I thought I would post some facts/myths and pictures about tornados.

TORNADO FACTS
-A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm base to the ground with concentrated, whirling debris or a dust cloud. (A funnel cloud rotates, but has no contact with the ground, no debris and is not doing any damage).
-Tornadoes usually are preceded by very heavy rain and, possibly, hail. If hail falls from a thunderstorm, it is an indication that the storm has large amounts of energy and may be severe. In general, the larger the hailstones, the more potential for damaging thunderstorm winds and/or tornadoes.
-The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction, with wind speeds of 250 m.p.h. or more.
-An average tornado damage path is one-to-two miles long, but can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.
-Widths vary considerably during a single tornado, from less than ten yards to more than a mile, but typically are about 50 yards wide.
-The average tornado moves from southwest to northeast, though tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
-The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 m.p.h. but may vary from nearly stationary to 70 m.p.h.
-Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. but have been known to occur at all hours of the day or night.
-The National Weather Service uses Doppler weather radar to sense the air movement within thunderstorms. Early detection of increasing rotation aloft within a thunderstorm can allow time for lifesaving warnings before the tornado forms.

TORANDO MYTHS
1. Overpasses are ideal places to seek shelter from tornadoes if you are caught outside.

Busted! Highway overpasses are deadly. When a tornado approaches an overpass the wind speed is actually increases as the wind is “compressed” to go through the overpass. This increase in wind speed can carry debris that is picked up by the tornado under the overpass and greatly injure or kill any persons taking shelter there. This also creates a problem during the aftermath of a tornado because the tornado is likely to damage any cars that the motorist had abandoned and therefore cutting off highway access of emergency vehicles that may need to get through the overpass.

2. Hills and Rivers will protect areas from tornadoes by deflecting them.

Busted! Tornadoes can happen at any place and any time. Tornadoes have been observed crossing the Appalachian Mountains and more than 30 significant tornadoes (a lot more 'not so' significant tornadoes) have crossed the Mississippi River. When a tornado cross a hill or a mountain the vorticity tube is “stretched” and in effect the tornado will spin faster. This is much like if you were spinning a rubber band between your hands and you stretched the rubber band – it spins faster, it is simply a matter of physics. As per rivers protecting towns and areas, this is completely false. Emporia, KS is surrounded by three rivers and it took a devastating tornado hit in 1969 by a tornado that crossed at least one river to get into the city. Storm chasers have also reported tornadoes crossing rivers and even large lakes. In fact, a Water Spout is a type of tornado that forms over a body of water!

3. Tornadoes will change direction and even reverse their direction.

Busted! A tornado is a spinning column of air in contact from the cloud base to the ground. The clouds that it is connected to are storm clouds (most commonly rotating thunderstorms called “Supercells”). These storms are being steered by upper-level winds and generally move in a west to east or southwest to northeast direction and therefore since the tornado is connected to the clouds they would also move in this same direction. While a tornado can “wobble” a bit beneath the storm, they do not reverse their direction.

4. Tornadoes never strike the same place twice.

Busted! The first successful tornado forecast was made at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City on March 25th, 1968 when a tornado crossed the air force base. Oddly enough a tornado had taken nearly the exact same path across the air force base on March 20, 1968 (just 5 days apart!). In fact, Oklahoma City has been hit by tornadoes numerous times in recent years alone. On May 3rd, 1999 an F5 tornado devastated the southern portion of Oklahoma City.

5. Storm chasing is exactly as portrayed in the movie, “Twister.”

Busted! Twister is a Hollywood creation. And the truth of Twister is about as far from actual storm chasing as Hollywood is from Tornado Alley! While the main plot of twister (“Dorothy”) was based on a real-life experiment called “TOTO,” just about every other portion of the movie pertaining to tornadoes displays a false representation of real-life storm chasing, storm chasers and actual tornadoes. In the movie Dorothy was a success, while in real-life TOTO was a failure. Not every chase ends with a Hollywood conclusion!

6. Storm chasers have been able to launch probes into tornadoes.

Partly true. A few storm chasers have been successful as putting a probe on the ground that took a close, or direct hit from a tornado. These probes have not been designed (as of the time of this writing) to “fly” into the tornado. In fact, they are designed to stay on the ground and record pressure and other sensitive measurements from a near-tornado pass (or direct hit). Some other probes have been designed for just recording images. The most notable of these chasers is Tim Samarus, who is an electrical engineer by trade and an expert storm chaser.

7. The pressure changes from a tornado will blow out the windows of a home.

Busted! Research has shown that the drop in pressure from a tornado has no effect on glass windows in a home. This is an old myth that got started in the late 1800s when a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer named J.P. Finely traveled to the central plains to record eye witness testimonials about a series of tornado events that had occurred. In recent years scientific research has proved that the destruction of glass windows is a result of flying debris impacting the window. Further, after the window is broken shads of glass are also thrown through the air and add to the debris field. This is why it is important to stay away from windows during a tornado. Glass flies into the house, not outside!

8. If a tornado is approaching you should open your windows.

Busted! See item number 7 above. If a tornado is approaching your house it is NOT going to make a difference whether your windows are open or closed. A direct impact will likely damage your house and windows no matter what position they are in. By opening the windows you are wasting valuable time that you will need to take shelter. The best thing to do once a tornado is spotted, heard or observed is to take immediate shelter. The best place to take shelter is in the center-most part of your home, away from windows and exterior walls and to cover your head. Bathtubs that are not located near glass windows make exceptionally good tornado shelters if nothing else is available. You can also you a twin size mattress (if readily available) to protect yourself from things such as a roof caving in.

9. Mobile homes are more likely to be hit than other types of homes.

Busted! Mobile homes are not more likely to be hit than any other type of structures. However a mobile home is not built to withstand the strong winds that are associated with weak tornadoes, while most other types of structures can withstand (but will still be damaged) by weaker tornadoes. In fact, some mobile homes have been completely destroyed by tornadoes without even taking a direct hit, while some homes have only experienced minor roof damage from weak tornadoes (F0, F1) after sustaining a direct hit. If you are caught inside a mobile home while a tornado is approaching, get out! It doesn’t matter if your mobile home is “tied down” and “secured” or not. Grab your pets as quickly as possible and find shelter outside of the mobile home, even if you have to let your pets go once you are outside, chances are they will be much better off “on their own outside” than they are inside of a mobile home. As for human life, if there are not any storm cellars or sturdy structures nearby – find the lowest area possible, such as a ditch and stay low. The idea is to keep the violent wind speeds above you by lying in a lower area. It is best to have a plan in-place for these situations and to practice that plan at least once a year. You might look dumb running out of your mobile home on a sunny day and jumping into a nearby ditch, but it will help you think clearly about the situation when you are under pressure in a situation like this, and it may save your life!

10. The southwest corner of a house or basement is the safest place to go during a tornado.

Busted! Again from the eyewitness accounts taken by J.P. Finely in the late 1880s, he concluded that some structures were more intact on the southwest side and therefore that was the safest place to take shelter from a tornado. However, research and past tornado events have shown time and time again that this is not the case. You should avoid any exterior walls, especially if they are made out of a natural stone (such as a brick fireplace) as they might fall on top of your after being hit by a tornado. The current best advice is to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of the building, away from glass windows and cover your head. If you don’t have a basement or storm cellar, you may consider purchasing a “safe room,” which can double as a closet when you’re not using it to stay alive during a tornado.

11. Storm chasing looks like fun and from the movies I have seen safe enough to try.

Busted! Tornadoes have the most violent wind speeds on Earth and that is not anything for an inexperienced person to try and chase down. Aside from the tornado itself there are many other dangers to be considered such as hail that can be as big as softballs, debris flying through the air, flooded roads, etc… It is understood that some people are completely fascinated by the thought of seeing a tornado and if this describes you, then we suggest you participate in a guided storm chasing tour that is led by experienced storm chasers who have the knowledge and technology to not only find tornadoes, but to also stay alive while viewing them. If you need a good source, this website is sponsored by the largest company that offers storm chasing tours and they are highly recommended, you can find their website at: http://www.violentskies.com

A VERY Lazy Sunday!

Today we spent the day at home, just our family, lazing outside. We were trying to decide what to do...picnic, spray park, etc. All of us were feeling pretty lazy so it ended up being another at home day. We all went to Safeway and got groceries. I scored with some boxes for moving! We came home the girls played outside yet again! Ashley had a nap and we sat outside enjoying each others company. We had a spectacular bbq outside and just chatted about our new home and our plans for it.

Adam then went and rented a movie for Natasha and two for us. We watched the Sopranos and then settled down for Hannibal Rising. It was ok but I found the actor annoying. He was trying to hard to be Anthony Hopkins and did a very poor job of it. Anyway it was bad but it wasn't great.

My Camera

I bought my camera at Christmas 2005. I never really sat down and read what my camera is capable of. On Friday night, I crawled into bed with my manual and did some reading. I found it amazing what my little "point and shot (PNS)" is capable of. Though, after playing with my moms camera, I would love an SLR, I think I am going to master my little PNS before making my next big camera purchase. Here are some photos I took playing with the several different settings.








The pictures of Adam were taken with a "drive" setting. Basically I hold down the button and it takes continuous snaps. Cool I thought and perfect for outside with the kids!



These flower pictures were taken with a different focus setting and aperature.

Saturday

My days are all mixed up with Adam home. Yesterday we spent most of the day doing nothing but enjoying the sun. The girls and I headed out in the morning, letting Adam sleep in, to Walmart. We went for some fans for the girls rooms but the selection was really disapointing. Instead we bought some sun screen, pop for Adams' room in Fort Mac, sidewalk chalk, dish soap, and milk. I am sure I bought something else, but it isn't registering. We then stopped at Linens N Things and found some fans for the girls. We headed home and met Adam outside. Adam was motivated and weedwacked and mowed the front and back yards for me....YAY!!! Obviously I will have to do this again before we move but it was nice to have a break in between. Ashley went for a nap and the rest of us stayed outside enjoying each other and the weather.

Our neighbours (two doors down) invited us over for drinks and a bbq. It was nice but kind of sad. After almost 6 years this is the first time that we have done this. Why is it we wait until someone is moving? Anyway we had burgers and salad and just chatted. I left at about 7:15 to bathe the girls and put them to bed. Adams' buddy, Dave stopped by for a beer, and a Playstation Hockey game. I watched nip/tuck with the fan blowing full blast on me. It looked like we were going to get quite a storm, but it quickly passed by. We had lightning and thunder for a bit...but nothing materialized.

I had quite a good sleep last night but it took me a while to get going this morning. I hope everyone is enjoying the weather. It looks like the next couple of days is going to bring us much needed rain!

Feeling at Home ALREADY!!!

More than anything, these pictures make me excited and at ease with our choice to move out of Edmonton. As I watched the girls walk and explore their surroundings, it made me happy! It is not quite home yet but the girls just fell right into place. I cannot wait until we are there permanently!

Our New Home!!

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day. I woke up and spoke with our real estate agent to find out if we could go and visit the acreage. The last time I was out there I took pictures from the vehicle and did not get to walk around. She called back and said it would be ok if we went. So we pack a snack for the kids, grabbed the camera, packed some boxes in and headed out. We stopped at my parents and unloaded our boxes and then headed to the acreage. It was beautiful and we still love it. Though I am unhappy with my pictures (camera was on the wrong setting) you get a better idea of what we are getting.
This is our driveway.

When you drive in the second house and the quonset are on your right.
These twelve grain bins are to the left of the quonset. The big question within my family is whether or not to keep these and rent them out or sell them. Personally I would like to keep about 3 and sell the rest...but only time will tell.
This is the field behind the grain bins. The realtor suggested a controlled burn as there is tons of dead grass under the green stuff. I am not sure I want to look at black burn all summer so I am wondering if it could be done in the fall before snow falls?
The garden to the left side of the house (if you are looking at the front of the house)
The front of the house.
The back of the house.
An old tractor wheel. We are hoping they leave this on the property as we would love to use it as a fire pit!
Another shot of the field.
A little pond. We are not sure yet if this is going to dry up or not. I think there is pair of ducks that call it home...maybe ducklings??

After we looked at the acreage we drove to Bawlf, which would be our nearest town and where the girls would go to school. I went and got a PO BOX so I can start changing over my mail. We drove around and saw the school, and the rest of the town. Not much to it, but I imagine everyone looks out for everyone! We stopped in at Camrose on our way back home and grabbed a bite to eat and looked briefly at some trucks. My envoy is making some awful noise...actually it sounds like it is dying. I am planning to make a trip to Camrose again next week so my dad can take a peak at it and maybe needed repairs.

Thats it. I will update our Saturday in a couple of hours.

Thursday

Yesterday we had a nice day. I got up early to let Farley out. Shortly after Ashley woke up. Her and I jumped into the Envoy and went and grabbed coffee and deposited a cheque into the bank. We came home and Adam was up and shortly after Natasha walked down the stairs butt naked (a normal happening in this house).

Once everyone was alert and the coffee was gone we went out. We took two vehicles and Natasha rode with dad. First we went and washed our vehicles at Hughes. Then we stopped at Toys R Us to take back a HUGE teddy bear and pick up a couple of things. After that I darted into PetSmart because Farley does not like his current dog food. He will eat the cats, then Johnnys before he will touch his. After PetSmart Adam was starving so we went to McDs for lunch. The girls played in the play park and ate like little horses. There was a couple from the states with no Canadian money. The cashier did not know how to do an exchange so Adam paid for their lunch with Canadian cash he had. Nice gesture I thought!! After that we quickly went home to pick up some papers for our mortgage meeting, fill up our little pool, and then went and dropped Natasha off at preschool. We met with our mortgage specialist, signed papers and then went to the mall for some quick shopping. Adam bought himself a pair of pants, and some shirts. I bought 2 tank tops for this gorgeous weather. I also bought Natasha some clothes. She had no tank tops, no shorts and jeans that were almost 2 inches to short. She love her clothes and changed outfits all evening. We spent the rest of the day outside enjoying the sun. Uncle Neil came over for a visit and stayed for supper. Then Adam went to visit some buddies as this will be his last weekend in Edmonton. When comes back after his next shift we will be moving.

Today should be quiet. I would like to drive out and see the acreage with Adam home but we will see. We found out yesterday that the sellers will accomodate us with the change in possession. We will be moving into our new home June 29!

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

SNL Clips

These are for you, MOM. I really tried to find the skit of Jim Carrey as the cheerleader but was unsuccessful.





These are for you, DAD.