The Time Has Finally Come...

While, the time has finally come. Greg and I have decided to expand our family. We are getting a dog!!!!

We have discussed getting a dog before but the time just never seemed to be right. While up north this year and while getting to know Amanda's dog Dexter it became clearer and clearer that we wanted to get a dog. Greg and I have always wanted a basset hound. At first we thought if we got a basset hound it would be to big to travel on the planes and would just be a hassle (Amanda's dog Dexter just rides on her lap on all the planes and it seems fairly easy). We began looking at little dogs but Greg said he wanted a dog that he wouldn't be ashamed to walk.

After much discussion we decided we wouldn't settle and we would just go ahead and get our basset hound anyway and have him ride in the back of the plane.

Today we went to St.Mary's to look at some baby basset hounds. Of course once you see them you fall in love and we picked one out. Below are some pictures of our basset hound and its family.
The babies mother "Bella". She liked having lots of attention and love.

All the puppies. There were 11 in the litter but only 10 made it. They are about 5 weeks old here. We will get our puppy at 8 weeks!

Our puppy! He is yet to be named. Any suggestions? He is the runt of the family!

Greg and the puppy!
The puppy and I! I just can't wait to get him. He is so cute.

T.O.

Our time in Toronto is quickly happening. Each day brings new activities and timeless memories. In the last two days we have gone to the Science Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame, and CN Tower. The students are having fun, but not really at those events. They do not really do well in museums and tours. They are enjoying the out of rez atmosphere and opportunities. The boys have been pulled toward any store that sells video games, while the girls are sucked into, well, any store. Money is quickly becoming an issue with the students because they are spending it so fast. Today was payday back home, so a number of them were being linked money from worried grand/parents back home.

We have noticed some interesting things this week. It was remarkable for Claire and I to accompany our kids on the bus coming into Toronto. Once we hit Canada's Wonderland, their eyes became dialated, mouths open, and shrieks of excitement. Admist this though, several comments (at least three) were immediately made by some overwhelmed students. Their comments reflect something like, "I want to go home." The tall buildings, thousands of walking pedestrians, and constant noise made a number of our kids quickly wish for the solace of Deer Lake. It probably did not help that we were attempting to drive up Bay St. from the Lakeshore at 4:30 pm.


Amanda, Claire, and I often discuss the troubles in relating our lives in Deer Lake. When we returned at Christmas and March Break we are asked about our experiences. Our stories provide some background information, and our blog provides a somewhat consistent story and pictorial representation of Deer Lake. To truly experience Deer Lake you need to spend a substantial amount of time with the people. As an example an interesting situation took place one night while we were trying to fall asleep this trip. The lights were out, but the kids were talking. One of them asked, "What would you do if you won the lottery?" I provided a variety of things: house, debt, investments, and material things. After a few seconds of silence I returned the question. They responded together by saying, "paved roads." With all that there is in the world, the kids could only dream of having their own paved roads. A place to skateboard, play basketball without the ball hitting random rocks, a path to bike, and something most of us have always taken for granted.



We apologize for the lack of regular blogs, but our hotel at the Delta Chelsea did not have free internet. As well, we were always busy throughout the week to take the time and blog. The rest of our week is now over with the kids having fun at our final events. Unfortunately the bus was having problems and we weren't able to go to paintball. We used the money instead to take everyone to the Hard Rock Cafe. Wonderland on Monday was bitter cold at times, as a rain made everyone damp and chilled. We left the park at 6:00 pm and stopped for dinner at the closest service center. Back on the road by 7:00 we drove straight through to Thunder Bay. The bus driver stopped twice to pick up a coffee for himself. The students were pretty good with almost all falling alseep for some time. We arrived in Thunder Bay at 1:00 pm and are enjoying our final afternoon out. Tomorrow is a bright and early with another 9 and a half hours on a school bus to Red Lake.

PS> Tristan has bought another two sets of clothing. Although we are not sure if that includes all articles of clothing!

Toronto Trip-Day One and Two

We started our grade 8 and 9 class trip Toronto and for Greg and I it started at 9:00 am when our plane left Deer Lake. Altogether there were 5 planes with the last one finally coming in at 2:30. Once the students arrived in Red Lake via the plane we all had to wait in the world’s second smallest airport. Our plane arrived at 10:30. The six students, along with another chaperone, were pretty excited to be somewhere new. That feeling lasted for six minutes, as the reality hit home that they would be stuck for another 4 hours. It wasn’t all bad as the airport has a small t..v., which included the Men’s French Open championship game and then was conveniently switched by some random man to the Jay’s game. Have to love when it works out like that. At some point later, another plane arrived dropping of more passengers. Tristan, one of our grade nines came walking to the airport with only the clothes on his back. He decided he did not need to bring clothes or a bag because he was just going to buy everything he needed. We’re thinking about tomorrow’s pair of boxers.

While we were waiting for the last plane to arrive with the final 9 passengers, our Bus pulled up. It was a school bus that had 48 seats. Our group has 45 people with bags. We didn’t think it was going to fit, but everyone was able to nestle in somewhere. We finally left a little after 2:30 pm for a drive to Thunder Bay. With no bathroom on the bus, we made a few too many stops, causing us to fall a little behind schedule. Apparently it is supposed to be a 6 hour drive, but we didn’t pull into our hotel until midnight. The kids were pretty wired, and who wouldn’t blame them after being squished together for over 9 hours. Many groups quickly ordered pizza, while others walked to either the Shopper’s Drug Mart or Metro. Claire’s group decided for the former, while mine went for the latter. It was pretty cool to be back in a grocery store. Growing up I always loved going with my mom on Saturday mornings and helping pick that week’s menu (the $0.49 chocolate bar had nothing to do with it). Anyways, when my grouped walked in they went directly for the……….prepaid card tower. You read that right. Not the candy or junk food aisle, but the station where they could buy prepaid phone cards and itunes cards. Some were already missing home.

Along the way we saw/experienced some pretty cool things. Quickly off to the side of the road we passed a moose grazing. My reaction was, “Oh wow, a moose!” The students’ reaction was, “What! It’s just a moose.” Later, we passed by a farm that had cattle grazing. The students’ reaction was, “Oh wow, a cow!” Our reaction was, “What! It’s just a cow.” In all we passed by 8 moose and another one dead on the side of the road. At first, and in the daylight, they were pretty cool to see, but as the sun started going down, we were all feeling a little more nervous when someone yelled “Moose!” I couldn’t imagine anyone surviving an accident with one of those.

Last night we ended up in Sudbury. We drove on the bus from 7am -8pm. It was a long ride but the students were excellent. They slept a lot, watched movies and played cards.

Yesterday was our anniversary, and although spending our anniversary with 43 other people isn't the ideal, it was alright. Everyone said "Happy Anniversary" and they even pitched in to get us so gifts. A few boys bought us a pie, we also received two really nice pillows. It was very sweet of everyone and altogether a good day.

Today we are finally reaching our Toronto destination.