Jun
2016

Officially… It is summer!

IMG_1593We had our year-end BBQ picnic for gymnastics and I got a medal!

IMG_1534He said

This week’s adventures called for a return the regular schedule which mostly meant work… and of course planning for the next outing in Wolfie. Which essentially means sorting out the recurring problems we have had with the signal and break lights on the back end. The solution I have arrived at is that it is finally time to replace thirty-six year old, incandescent bulb taillights with much more efficient and fully submersible LED solution from Princess Auto. And the great news is through combing one of our favourite website resources, the forums at Fiberglass RV, we have found that the lights can be actually mounted inside the original housings and that will allow us to be able to keep the original look. Now, we just have to wait and hope the lights go on sale before the next trip arrives.

IMG_1547This job won’t be as easy is just installing the lights into the housings, and then attaching those to the back of the trailer. There will be a wiring component too, that may force me to also have to replace the 7-Way harness cable that attaches the electrical to the truck and what makes the safety lights functional. That’s not going to be the tricky part – it’s going to be snaking the wiring from the taillights at the back end of the trailer through to the front and into where the harness cable comes in. Hopefully I am able to sort that out with little frustration or few deposits to the swear jar. The biggest step in all of this will be tomorrow on my day off, emptying some of the stuff out of the trailer enough that I can get in to the access areas to see how plausible this repair will be. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be relatively straightforward and that we won’t need to pay someone money to do it.

IMG_1563This weekend was Emelia’s last session with her Pre-Elites team at gymnastics. Thankfully, I was off yesterday and able to go and see some of her last session which was great because it was also the last session with her coach Cait who is moving on to bigger and better things. Emelia had formed a pretty great bond with her in the last year at the gym and as expected was a little sad to see her go—as were we. But, while Cait is moving on to other things, so is Emelia and the reality is she would have moved on to new coaches too. Today while I was at work, Emelia and Danielle attended the year-end BBQ at Gibbons Park which by all counts was a great time. Emelia got a medal and that really made her day to be able to show it off to me when I got home from work.

IMG_1573Yesterday, after gymnastics was done, and with us having completed the grocery run freeing up the rest of our day, as expected the moment we were done gymnastics and lunch, Emelia inherently asked her, “what are we doing today?”  as though all that we had already done wasn’t enough. Or that if we didn’t have something mapped into every hour of the rest of the day, that the total day was a waste of time… Thankfully I had a couple of ideas in the back of my mind. First: with it being such swelteringly hot day, and that we have an amazing public pool a mere five minute drive from our house, I had option number one taken care of. Second: with Finding Dory opening recently in movie theatres, and knowing that it was showing at the Mustang Drive-In, I easily had our option number two, locked down. And with that plans were hatched and we were off to enjoy our day.

IMG_1585The hour at the pool was wonderful—the temperature of the water was the perfect remedy to the heat on the day and we enjoyed the cool down a lot more than we anticipated. So-much-so that when we got back into the Mini to return home for supper Emelia got very close to showing us any swearwords she might know, in direct response to the correlation of summer heat and having black, leather seats in sunlight. We got home, had supper and got the Pilot packed up for a night at the drive-in. In short order, we were heading to the outskirts of London to The Mustang to see Finding Dory.

IMG_1590We got situated in a pretty great spot to see the movie and then while I set up the car, Emelia and Danielle got to explore the playground in front of the movie screen that was populated with what can be best described as a cross of a school playground at recess on the last day of school before summer break and the cast of Lord of the Flies on barbiturates. Shortly thereafter we all reconvened at the truck and settled in for a movie we were all excited to see under a perfectly clear, summer, starlit sky. It was the perfect kind of night and the movie was great. Despite wanting to see the second feature Alice Through the Looking Glass, we decided that 11:30pm was far too late to start a second movie—especially since I had to work today.

IMG_1594And in the end it was the perfect decision and the perfect way to end another great week around here. And I fully expect, now that Drive-In movies are in Emelia’s vernacular, something we’ll soon get requests to do again.

I know I will…

 

 

IMG_1596She said

The week flew by in a flash, and before we knew it the weekend was here and it was a very full one. John was so busy with work this week that we were really looking forward to Saturday together as a family.

Saturday started early, Emelia had an appointment with the eye doctor to see if she could try out contacts, she has been wanting to get them for a year but has still not mastered getting them in solo. She patiently tries over and over but its a really hard thing for a child and she is still working on it. Once we finished the appointment we had to come home and get ready for the day.

IMG_1597Saturday was a big and sad day for Emelia and us. It was her last day in the pre-eliete gymnastics. Not only was it her last day with her beloved coach Cait it was also her last full training day with her gymnastics bestie after a full year together. I cannot say enough amazing things about the group of girls she is with, they are all there for each other, all cheering each other on, and helping their friends who are struggling. This gym is really where Emelia comes alive, she is treated by these girls with love and respect and she adores each and every one of them. And the parents who are all there looking out for each other have all created these amazing friendships as well. I am really going to miss our group and we have all promised the girls will get together over the summer to stay connected. Thankfully Emelia will be with one of the girls from her group in her training group for next year and will have some cross over with her closest friend from the gym.

IMG_3319Once we left the gym the summer heat was really kicking in and we knew we had to cool off. Plans were quickly hatched to get to the Thames Pool to spend the rest of the afternoon playing in the water and having a solid break from the heat. Once we left the gym we came home, had dinner and finalized plans for our family movie night at the drive-in. We have not been in years, we have only brought Emelia once and that was when she was a baby so that John and I could take her with us and still have a movie date night together. We got home close to midnight and got a tired girl in her bed and we followed suit a few minutes later.

IMG_3321Today, John unfortunately had to work but Emelia and I had a very full day planned. Once we had a few things done around the house we made our way down to Gibbons Park for the year end Gymworld Elites BBQ. The weather was insanely hot but that didn’t stop us from having an absolutely amazing afternoon. The group of families from the combined training groups all gathered together to chat while the girls were off having an a blast. The girls were all attached at the hip and it was so great to just sit and relax with these families who have become so important to us and these friends who have really brought out the best in Emelia. We also had to say our sad good-byes to Cait who is not only done coaching Emelia but is also moving on from Gymworld as a coach so it really was a sad good-bye. The afternoon went by so fast and before we knew it the families were saying good-bye and going on with their days. Thankfully Emelia’s gymnastics BFF Mackenzie and her family were staying to go to the splash pad so we joined them and the girls had another few hours to play while the moms chatted away.

IMG_3326All in all it was an absolutely perfect weekend for us but mostly for Emelia. Emelia spent the weekend in her happy place, a place where she is surrounded by amazing and supportive friends in a gym that encourages the girls to be each others champions. And next season we are on to even bigger and better things, Emelia will be going to the elite program and going to competitions. We could not be prouder of her.

And with that that is the week that was, next week Emelia has a short week and then she is officially done grade 3. She is excited to be home with me and to have a break from school, and I am pretty excited too!

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