An update of September.

Ethan decided to sleep like a cat. He said his legs were comfy, but not his head!

What a beautiful girl!

Evelyn Starts School

The cousins together: Evelyn, Ethan and Tyson.

Sarah comes for a short visit.

Ryan Turns 32!

New house!

2489 Nadely Crescent
Nanaimo BC
V9T 5T1

(250) 729-7176 is the new home #
(250) 802-0556 is the cell.

We moved in a week ago with the help of Richard and Ruth, Steve (Dad) and Maralee, Dawne and Carl and little Tyson. Thank you everyone who came up to help haul our stuff. We really appreciate you taking time from your life to help us.

We are close to being unpacked! It's amazing how our stuff has just melted into the house. The kids love their new rooms, and like how their toys are all upstairs. The garden is so beautiful to look at, and we've had a couple picnics in the yard to enjoy the garden. I know that it is going to need a lot of work, but it will have to wait until we are settled in the house first.

Ryan got a year long position at the Nanaimo Christian School. He'll be teaching grade 4/5 ALL BOYS for the mornings only. This is a new position and he will be done work every day by 12:30 pm!!! (It's a 0.5 PT position) This will change the dynamics of our family life, but I think it will be a great way for us to have a nice balance.

We tried to enroll Evelyn in grade one lat week and were told that was not possible. She is born in 2005, so MUST be enrolled in Kindergarten. They don't bend any rules here! The school, however, is full and she is on a wait list for a spot. If she gets in, and performs well, they may chose to advance her to grade 1. We have not figured out a contingency plan yet. We are just having faith that she will get a spot in the school and it will all work out.

I am starting to settle into work and can actually pull my head out of my assignment now and then to offer others a hand. I felt very tunnel visioned for a while, and I can see that I will often be that way as the unit is busy and heavy and our assignments have a lot to do. I am impressed by my co-workers commitment to provide very high levels of care. Considering that many are fairly new grads, this is even more impressive. They do a great job in a difficult environment. I am counting down the days until our health insurance kicks in. I really need to go to a Chiropractor!

We are really liking Nanaimo. WAY more than we anticipated. It's a great little city!  Almost everything is within a 10 min drive of the house and we are close to the highway bypass, so that's a very convenient way for us to get around too.

Today, we are heading to a church that meets in a movie theatre. A couple friends go there and it sounds like it has a strong home group component. Bit odd to do church in a movie theatre, but we'll give it a go!

Later today, Sarah Addey is coming through for a visit on her way to Victoria. I'm looking forward to seeing her. She always inspires me and makes me see the world from a totally different set of eyes. She is going to be our first guest to try out our new sofa bed. It's actually pretty comfy! (YOU should come up and give it a try too!) I think Ryan is going to make his amazing Dutch Potatoes and delicious Roast beef for dinner. Mmmmm....

Beachcomber Park

Following a tip from a new co-worker, we headed toward Nanoose Bay this afternoon in search of a beach with tidal pools and rocks. We discovered Beachcomber Park and enjoyed exploring the shore. The water was surprisingly warm, so the kids even had a little dip! It was a beautiful day and I loved experiencing the sounds, smells, and sights of the coast. Ethan and Ryan tossed bits of wood into the water, then watched their 'boats' float back to shore. Evelyn took every opportunity to be in the water. We saw and touched crabs, snails, starfish and (dead) jellyfish and even found some fossils of shells in the rock.

My new job so far...

The photos are unrelated, but I haven't posted any pics in a while...

My first day on floor 6 was a bit odd. I started getting a headache and nausea around 11 am and by 1 pm I was ready to head home. I left early and by the time I got home, I was photo phobic and had a splitting headache. I took some advil and tylenol and slept and felt much better. Not the best first impression!

Day 2 was split up. I started on the unit, but went to "Pre-Hab" to learn what they teach the hip and knee replacement patients before they get their surgeries. It was very informative. Following that, I headed back up to the unit to finish the shift.

Night 3 was a crazy day in general. I started onto nights, but before work, we had our house inspection, and needed to go to the bank to sign papers, and to the notary to sign papers. The night shift was fine. There is a lot of paperwork there. VERY inefficient system. The inefficiencies are driving me bonkers, but I'll have to get used to it! The morale is very low. There is a big sense of powerlessness and attitude of defeat amongst the staff. I find that very concerning. It was funny to listen to them gripe about their heavy loads...3 patients a piece on days and evenings and 6 patients on nights!!!! At the end of the shift, I could not help but essentially tell them to stop complaining. They have no idea how sweet they have it. (I was very diplomatic and did not make anyone feel bad ;-)  ) The patients are mostly old people. A lot have broken hips, others are joint replacements, some are other bad breaks that needed surgery. The other half of the unit is mixed medical. So, basically anything. The rooms are mixed gender - that's a first for my career! And they have a mix of 4, 3, 2 and 1 bed rooms. The physical unit is old and the bathrooms are too small for any but the most ambulatory of patients, and there is only a sink in the room with the toilet. Not ideal - especially for infection control. 

Night 4 was much the same as the previous one. I took 3 patients for the night. None of them were a joint replacement! It was nice to have the variety. The demographic of the staff is different from all other places I have worked. There are almost no senior nurses on staff. The average age of the RN's is probably about 28. Most are in their first position and have less than 5 years experience. The unit is a revolving door where people start out and then move on to better pastures. The LPN's, however, have been there forever. Their average age is closer to 40 and most have almost 20 years experience. The scope for LPN's is much smaller here than in AB, but they are expanding it. I  have been viewed as a Junior RN for my entire career, now I have more experience than most of my peers! Yikes! I think I'm going to have to consciously praise the younger staff when they do well and work to keep my mouth shut more often and not sound like a 'Know-it-all".  ( I am aware that this is something I need to be conscious of! )

I am really missing my last job in Boyle. I loved the sense of family among the staff. I loved hearing all the cool stories. I loved the outpatients and all that variety. I loved the independence. I appreciate the sense of control that I felt about the inpatients. We all knew them, what they needed, they were people to us. We were all on a similar page about how they should be managed. We would answer any call bell and not only our assigned rooms bells! I miss being known and being a person to my co-workers. It's amazing how the tone of a unit is so much colder when no one says "Hi" to you in the morning, or looks you in the eye!

I understand that during times of change, it is normal to grieve a bit. I think that's sort of what I'm going through right now (at least where work is concerned!) As far as moving is concerned, we are very happy with Nanaimo. We love being able to head to the beach and explore the coast. We love the rain, and the smells of the ocean. We're having a good time exploring our new city.

We are planning to move into the new house on the last Saturday of this month (the 28th?). So, clear your calendar and come on up to help us move our stuff! The new house needs a post replaced in the front, and some new vents installed from the bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to the roof. There is also one exterior door that needs the jamb replaced, and the railings on the deck will need replacing in the next year or so also. Any takers to help with those projects? The rest of our jobs will take place over time. I don't think I'm even going to paint for a while yet. Aside from the exhaust fans, installation of a humidistat, and the post replacement, we are not doing much this year. We will now have 2 living spaces. This is a first for us. So, we will need some furniture for that second living area! We're also looking for a nice queen size sofa bed for the guest room. If you (dear reader) plan to spend any amount of time visiting us, it may be in your best interest to keep your eyes out for a sofa bed YOU would like to sleep in! We have a frame for a twin size cot, and plan to pick up a foam mattress for it after we move so, this will also be available for guest accommodation.

New phone #

(250) 802-0556 This is our new cell phone. We decided to get a plan, rather than pay as you go. So, calls to this number will cost us less $. The other # still works, and can also be used 250 668 3422.

We are settling in well. We went and visited Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. They are both doing better, though Grandma is still in some pain.

While heading through Langford, we saw a twin bed frame on the road with a 'free' sign on it. Sweet! We were looking for a frame for Ethan's bed! It's solid wood and was at one time the top of a bunk. I think it will work out very well (once we move)...and... you can't beat that price!!!!

We went to the beach and had a hot dog picnic on Friday evening. What a treat! - And it was just a bit down the road!

Today, we visited First Baptist Church. We'll try another church each week for a little while and then go back to the ones we liked best until we decide on a new 'home'. It was nice to be in a church again. It was odd to think that Ethan is essentially 'un-churched'. Evelyn went to sunday school with the school aged kids. Ethan chickened out and refused to stay with the preschoolers. He did AMAZINGLY well staying in the service with us.

Ethan's feet have grown a full 2 sizes over the spring/ summer. We looked for some runner for him today, but couldn't find any that were flexible, nice looking, in our budget, and did not have any characters on them. We shall continue to look... He's in size 11-12!

Evelyn got her first pair of special big girl dress up shoes today. They are white, glossy sandals with little wedge heels and she LOVES them. They were only $7!

Ryan went to see a movie this afternoon, and the kids helped me vacuum and clean the inside of the car. We scrubbed everything! Now, the exterior needs a wash...They sprayed off the floor mats, and helped load everything into the house that was in the back of the car (including Ethan's new bed) and then got to the work of imagining. The kids pretended they were a cat and dog and were in a cage in the back of the car. It kept them occupied!

They accepted our offer!

Whoo Hoo! Conditions will be removed Aug 6th. This is 6 days before our house in Caslan completes, which sucks, but we've decided to take the (hopefully minimal) risk.

In other news, Ryan's Grandpa has received 4 units of blood to boost his hemoglobin. It seems he got a bleeding ulcer and lost a good amount of blood. Having had an knee replacement a few days ago, he already had depleted reserves.

Ryan's Grandma, who tripped in the parking lot at the Jubilee while going to visit Grandpa after his surgery, has had her surgery. She dislocated and shattered her left shoulder. They were able to pin it together again.

So, she is now a patient at the Jubilee, and Grandpa is at the VGH.

I start tomorrow with orientation. I need to figure out parking, where everything is, and ...everything! It'll be an adventure!

We have placed an offer!

http://www.robgrey.com/listing?id=10126&v=p

We saw it yesterday and liked it a lot, but it does need some more updating. It has been very, very well maintained over the years. We could see our family functioning in the space. The elementary school is literally about 200m away (K-7). The gardens, while more than we would have done on our own, are gorgeous! We crunched some numbers last night and found that if we could get it for 335 G at the most, we could make it work. That would mean the owners would need to drop their price by about 14 G. Last night, the owners dropped the asking price by 10 G!

We went and saw it again today and felt such peace there. It's not perfect, it is not completely to our taste, but we can see how it can easily, over time be made to suit us. It's totally livable in the meantime, and, as I mentioned before, immaculately maintained.

The owners should get back to us by 10 pm. Hopefully, they will counter under 335 G and we will accept.

I'll keep you posted.

We're here!

3809 Morris Place, Nanaimo BC V9T 3W2 (250) 668 3422.

We are settled, surrounded by boxes, but with a livable home. The kids are sharing a room, the 'Master' is a storage room, and we are in the 3rd bedroom (which fits our queen nicely).

We looked at some houses yesterday, and liked 2 of them a lot. We're heading out shortly to look at a few more.

Conditions were removed on our Caslan house and the inspection went well. The buyers are still trying to up the possession date, but it is the Lawyers and bureaucracy that is delaying that from happening.

I start orientation for work on Tuesday. I found a pair of REALLY comfortable nursing shoes. I'm very excited to wear them!

What else?...

Ryan's Mom and Step Dad (Nana and Papa) took the kids for 2 days while we moved in. That was a massive help. THANK YOU! They took them to a water park in Ladysmith that sounds really nice.

Our neighborhood is overrun by deer! They are all over the place! Why live in the country to see wildlife when you can live in a city and see more?? We had a fawn and it's Mom almost enter our house while we were moving in! The kids and Ryan saw a buck and another fawn on their walk, and there have been several others that have jumped out of the trees at other times.

The house we are renting is totally adequate. The rooms are quite large, so we don't feel cramped.

Hope

Hope, the place we are, and the state we are in right now. We hope the car's fuel pump can be fixed in time to catch a ferry tomorrow, we hope the movers will be okay with yet another delay in delivery, we hope we can find some more things to fill the time and keep the kids occupied.

Today, we checked out the thrift store, looked in the toy store, and walked around. Now we're having a quiet time before taking the kids to the playground, then supper, swimming, and bed.

Tomorrow will likely look similar, but there is a free story time at the park at 11 am, and we need to check out of the motel by 11 am too. Then, we wait and wait for the car to be fixed. Then we drive to the ferries. I am not sure if we will be going to Victoria or Nanaimo. That will depend on if the movers deliver tomorrow or Wednesday.

Yesterday, we went to the Demolition Derby or "Summer Slam". That was WAY more fun than I expected it to be. Then, we went to the park, where there was live music and the kids played on the playground. As I was watching them, a man came up to me. I thought "He's familiar" then realized it was Hugo! The group from Central headed to the Gleaners was stopping off on their trip. That was an unexpected surprise!

The kids are doing surprisingly well with all this. We are looking at it as a chance to rest before moving in and getting temporarily settled, then moving again.

There are 8 houses I would like to see in Nanaimo. If you're interested, I can e-mail you the listings. 3 in particular look really good. The house with the rock wall in the yard just sold. :-( I'm very happy for the owners though.

So, what's up with you?

Counting blessings

Our movers loaded our house on July 14th, not the 13th as planned. This was not a planned delay. The moving truck broke down and spent a day in Kamloops being repaired.

We're in Hope BC right now....

This was not a planned stop.

We'll be in Hope tomorrow too. And most of Monday... Our car lost momentum on the Coquahalla. Maybe the fuel pump?

We hope that our car can be on the road again for Monday afternoon.

To count our blessings:

• The flat bed tow truck was available and could seat all 4 of us (the other option was calling a taxi to get the kids and Ryan) and was only 45 min away, instead of 90 min.

• We managed to limp the car to a rest stop with a bathroom. This made me feel much safer, and gave us a place to 'go'!

• The mechanic shop is literally next door to the motel we found - so it's very convenient.

• The motel had a vacancy and the room is pretty decent. It even has a kitchen! The rate was good too.

• Our AMA/BCAA membership paid for itself! The entire tow charge was covered!

• When I called the movers to see if they could delay delivery, they said Tuesday was no problem.

So, overall, our blessings outweigh the problems.

In other news, Ryan's sister Dawne had her baby boy yesterday! They named him Tyson Grey and he weighed almost 9 lbs. Ethan is already excitedly looking forward to meeting Tyson.

Some BIG NEWS!

We have accepted an offer on our house, so it is conditionally sold! The conditions will be removed on July 22 and possession (for the new owners) is Aug 12th. So, a very happy 10th anniversary to us! (I can't wait to look at our account on the 12th and see that beautiful bump in the balance!)

We will be renting in Nanaimo until we find a house that will suit us perfectly. We are hopeful that we could move again (our final move) by September!

Our address for the interim is:

3809 Morris Place
Nanaimo BC
V9T 3W2

We are renting the upper floor of a home (3 bedroom, 1100 sqft, recently renovated).

We will be using our cell phones, and the numbers have not been changed yet. So they will remain:

780 404 4957
780 404 9527

You will have a 50/50 chance of getting either of us. We use the phones interchangeably.

We will leave Caslan on July 13th, and our stuff (and we) should arrive July 16th.

So, we will need to re-name the Blog! We won't be the "Cracknell's of Caslan" any more, nor will we be the 'Displaced Westcoasters'!

Any suggestions???

Some group photos.

This year's staff held a 'Biggest Loser' competition during the last 9 months. On total, they lost 196 lbs!!! The winner at Christmas time was Dave (in the blue) and at Spring Break the winner was Amy (in the white shirt). The goal was percent of body weight lost - not actual lbs. This made the playing field as fair as possible. Ryan lost about 7% of his body weight and has kept it off! This campaign was wonderful and the competition kept everyone on track and motivated.
From a nurses 'health promotion and prevention' point of view: WOW! YOU GUYS ROCKED!!!!

L-R: Megan Devereaux, Yvonne Lassard, Gloria Gladue, Melissa Woods, Amy Ocher, Alaina Farmer, Rachelle Best, Denise Parranto, Ryan Cracknell ;-), David Skoglund.

Evelyn's entire class was there for the Track and Field day. I can't recall that happening before, so I had to get a picture!
L-R: Front row: Ruscetta, Megan, Savannah, Shanay, Evelyn, Blair, Chassidy.
Back row: Trevor, Cohen, Koby, Isaiah, Isaiah, Hayden, Caleb, Mikey.






In their caps and gowns...












Hanging around...I asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. Some of their answers were a Ninja, a cowboy, an army man (x2), a cop (x2 girls), a nurse, a care aid, an animal helper...I think that's all. The goal of a Ninja may be a bit far-fetched, but the rest are totally achievable! I hope they remember their goals and continue to work toward them!





One last photo with Miss. Megan Devereaux and Mrs. Irene Gautier.

Caslan School ECS class of 2010.

Track and Field

Ethan was able to join the girls of Evelyn's class for Track and Field day. He did very well, and fit right in. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm day. At the end, as the ribbons were passed out for each event, I found it very humorous that the girls were trading ribbons to collect all the colours. One girl was lamenting that she didn't have any burgundy or white ribbons (participation and 3rd place). I tried explaining that that was because she always placed 1st 2nd or 4th but that didn't matter to her!

When we got home, Ethan and Evelyn went through a very similar scene where they traded each other so they'd get the colours they liked best. Ethan happily traded away his 2nd place ribbon for a 3rd place (because he liked the white ribbon best) and Evelyn was happy to give him a 4th place ribbon in return for a participant ribbon.

I just chuckled and found the whole thing very amusing.

Western Day Penny Carnival

The highlight of this years carnival for Ethan was throwing wet sponges at his Daddy. I'm not sure which of them got more wet, Ryan from the thrown sponges, or Ethan's back from the dripping water falling on him when he reached back to throw!

Evelyn loved having her face painted and she enjoyed doing her own thing as she went from game to game and redeemed her tickets for a prize.

Grad Photos

Here's a sampling of photos of Evelyn in a grad cap and tassel. The B&W is from Ryan's second convocation in 2005 when he completed his Education degree.

The photos of her in Red are from this year. She has completed ECS (kindergarten). This was a full day, 4 day a week program. She has learned to read, (grade 1 level) write, and 'make stuff' (as she says). The highlights of the year were being a mermaid in Peter Pan, meeting a de-musked skunk, going on a swimming field trip, and seeing a magician.

The photo of her in a blue cap and gown is from last year when she finished pre-school.

Runaway, Playground, Poses, Sticks, and a Cat

Today was a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny when I got off work, and even nicer after I got up after lunch. So, I decided to take the kids to the park.

Ethan got a massive burst of energy at the idea of being outside and being allowed to be noisy and boisterous and he took off down the road. If you click on this picture to make it bigger, you can just see him in the distance. I sent Evelyn running after him. Despite repeated (hoarse) commands to "Stop", he kept going. Eventually, he stopped just before the main road and waited for us to catch up. He must have sprinted about 400 m! Now, in my house the command "Stop" is serious. The kids know they need to obey that one right away and I only use it when they are in an unsafe situation. Lets just say that when I caught up with my little runaway and discussed this with him, he readily accepted his discipline without any fuss. He knew he had done very wrong. (I was very impressed with his speed and endurance though!)














We enjoyed our time at the playground and I got some good photos of the kids. This one of them on the Teeter-totter made me think about how much they have grown since we've lived here. The first pics I have of them on the playground are from when Evelyn was 10 months old, and Ethan was 5 months old. (LOL! They look the same size!)

They both climbed up one of the structures and I got this photo.

I LOVE IT!









Evelyn wanted to do some modeling, so we took several photos. These were my favorites. She also sang a song and wanted me to record a 'trailer plug' for the new tinkerbell movie. I'll post those later.

Ethan found this branch that had been trimmed off a tree and wanted to take it home. He lugged that stick for almost a kilometer - then tossed it aside because he wanted to run!

For full effect of the ferocity of his face, click on the wide pic to enlarge it.




Finally, we stopped in to visit a neighbors cat. This is a very friendly and gentle little feline. The kids had it batting at the dandelions like they were a ball of yarn.

After we got home, Evelyn and I had a 'Princess makeover Tea Party'. I put eyeshadow on Evelyn and we both dressed up in dresses and had raspberry tea, cookies, and Smarties while we watched 'Enchanted'. Ethan got to participate in the tea and goodies and movie too.

Finally, Miss. Alaina came over for supper and she treated both kids to bedtime stories. Ethan was so excited and engaged in the books, and then he fell right asleep! Evelyn followed him a few minutes later. They were both totally out by 8 pm. So Ryan and I watched a chick flick he was sent to review (When in Rome) which had funny moments, times of awkward writing and iffy acting, and other solidly good scenes. On the plus side, it had no swearing, and nothing more than kissing. I'm not quite sure whether to say it was good, or sucked. It was very inconsistent in it's quality, but overall, I liked it.

So here I sit at 11:30 pm, still very awake. In the last 24 hrs, I've logged 8 hrs of work, 3.5 hrs of sleep, and a full day with lots of memories. Aside from hacking up my lungs on a frequent basis, I feel pretty good! It's been a full, and enjoyable day!

Peter Pan

This was the first theatrical production in the schools memory. The kids did well, considering. It was obvious that they enjoyed being in costume and found the experience fun. Some of the items they found for the lost boys to wear were amazing!







Shortly before the play was to happen, the student that was going to play 'Nana' the dog was not able to continue. Ryan stepped in, squeezed himself into a cut up dog costume, and assumed the role with comedic results.

Evelyn made a beautiful mermaid her name was 'Moonglow'. She remembered to speak clearly and loudly - in fact, I think she was the loudest one up there! She said she was not scared at all and loved to 'act'. Again, I think we have a budding actress in our midst.

life and activities outside

I just love those harmonious moments in life when the kids get along, and agree to pose for a picture!

In the first one, they are giving their 'Build-A-Bears' a swing ride. I think 'Rainbow bear' and 'Race Car' enjoyed the ride!





Some random photos from the last week. We have all been sick this week with sinus congestion, sore throats, coughs and headaches. I kept Evelyn home today because her cough is getting more congested. Ryan and I are pretty miserable, as is Evelyn, and Ethan has only a mild form so far. I've totally lost my voice intermittently today, so, lots of salt water gargles and honey lemon tea for me!






The purple bows Evelyn is wearing were made by a former co-worker of mine from Calgary. Evelyn loves them and she received several compliments when she wore them.

In other news, Ryan did not get the position at that private school that he really wanted. This has been a pretty big disappointment for him. The only jobs posted in Nanaimo for teachers are either Kindergarten or French immersion. Now, if he was a french speaking kindergarten teacher - we'd be set! It is very nerve wracking to know we will be going from a 1.4 FTE between us to a 0.77 FTE and our living cost will only rise with the move.

The people who saw the house a while back seem very serious. They are pursuing info about the land and want to come and dig a hole to see what the soil is like (is it suitable to build a massive garage on). All this will take a couple more weeks before we can even begin to talk money.

Rainy Day Walk

This past weekend was dreary and drizzling. In other words - it was great! We took the kids for a walk in the rain and we taught them the art of splashing in puddles for maximum splash effect. Think of it as training for future puddle battles! The end of the driveway for the school has a MASSIVE puddle that was at least a foot deep. Evelyn, of course, wanted to walk through it. So she flooded her boots and had the pleasure of dumping them out. She did not wine much on the way home, but wanted a warm bath as soon as we got in. I also did some training with them on how to hold their umbrellas so they won't be caught by the wind, and will shield the largest area of their body. These lessons will continue in earnest after we move as well. :-)

We did our Walk-a-Thon today. It was beautiful, sunny, and a bit windy. We had 6 Moms and about 10 kids participate, which is pretty good! Actually, if I count the babies, it was 12 kids. We stopped in at the villa and said "Hi" to the seniors. It was nice to see many familiar faces, and looking healthy too!

The group raised a total of $586, with a couple pledges outstanding. This covers our deficit, and will allow the group to replace a few worn out toys and buy a couple new things. Thank-you to everyone who contributed.