Just like his Daddy...

Well the title again says it all. I was watching a Canucks game and looked over at Oliver and noticed that apparently he is as big of a fan as I am. He has always seemed to like tv and especially hockey. He can often be seen sitting on the floor watching the screen for a few seconds. This time however, he made himself comfortable.

Part 2

Living Room

The Couches Are Here, The Couches Are Here!

Well the title says it all...here are some pictures.

Mike & Mel

Our Baby

Mike and I just wanted to post a few pictures of our kitten and some of the apartment.
We will post more once we get our couches on Tuesday. Enjoy!

Love Mike and Mel.






Hello,

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well we had our first Thanksgiving in our own place! It was a little sad because family couldn't be here with us, but it was nice to start something new. We made a glazed ham, potatoes and gravy, sauerkraut, dressing and carrots AND we had pumpkin pie and apple caramel torte for dessert. Mike and Brady had lots of room to play the Wii since we have no couches yet...one more week!

Anyways, here are some pictures. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Love Mike and Mel

Oliver...

So we found it a little lonely in the new apartment this morning and ended up getting a kitten from the humane society. We're pretty busy playin with him right now so this will be short but I'm adding a couple pictures of our new best friend...OLIVER

Mike & Mel

Moving Out/In

Well the big day is finally here and we are very excited. We will be moving into the new apartment tonight at 6. We have pretty much everything we need, kitchen table and chairs will be put together tonight and the tv stand shortly thereafter (thank you IKEA) Hopefully the couches and tables will arrive early but that is extremely wishful thinking. Anyways better get back to work, pictures will follow as the place gets set up.

Mike & Mel

It's Finally Here...

Well, it's been about a month, (for those of you who didn't know) since we got engaged. Mel has been getting pretty sick of telling people the story of the delay on the ring and she can finally stop telling it because we picked it up today. We're both very excited as it is now technically official that we are committed to spending the rest of our lives together. We were not completely sure how the ring was going to turn out because we used Mel's grandmother's ring to make her's, but she absolutely loves it. Here are a few pictures.

Mike & Mel

PS...if anyone wants to see the Cuba pix send me a message or comment and I will send you the link.

One More Week...

Well looking at the calendar I see that my flight back to Thunder Bay is in just one week. I am looking forward to seeing Mel again, and of course seeing everyone who has undoubtedly been missing me like crazy. I can barely wait to see how much Brandyn has grown. And I can barely wait to see Mom, and especially Dad since he is now close to the goal. I hope everyone is ready for some serious golfing since I will have next to nothing to do for a couple weeks. Anyways I guess that's about it for now but here's a sneek peek at what will be coming with me...

Mike

And Then There Were Two...

So the girls have left us here all by ourselves as they flew back to Thunder Bay last night to prep for the wedding and visit with family. I will be heading home in just a few weeks and am looking forward to seeing everyone. For now me and Dale will keep working and trying to keep the apartment relatively clean. (shouldn't be too tough) Since Dad got a new cell phone I figured I had better keep up with the old man and get an update myself, should be here Monday, Well I guess that's pretty much it for now, I'll try to keep this blog going, it's hard when all you do is sleep and work. I know, waah waah waah, but I'm working my butt off and can't wait to come home.

Mike

...Here's the phone...

Oh Yeah...We Have a Blog?!?

Well It's been a while since the last post so we figured we had beter get our butts in gear and put something on to let everyone know how things are going out west. Here's a quick breakdown of the last few weeks...

1. We got arrested!
2. We bought a Nintendo Wii
3. Mike has his OWN vehicle (95 Pathfinder) which he pays his own insurance on and the inspection repairs!!!
4. Mel is almost done work for the year and will be heading back home in a couple weeks
5. Mike got new Sunglasses (Mel thinks there hot ;)
6. Condo idea is currently on the backburner as we're starting to lean towards a house...ps...if anyone has $20,000 for a "gift" let us know.
7. Mike got a new pillow (came with the car) that is good for the neck and reduces snoring!
8 Mike sure gets a lot!
9. Passport information is moving along. (We left the store when they took our pictures and they told us about 20 minutes...so we walk away and mel FLIPS OUT..."How are they going to know it's us...our names aren't on the receipt" DUH they're giving us pictures of ourselves!!! lol SPAZ
10. We had "Marble Slab Creamery" Ice Cream, they mix whatever ice cream you want with whatever toppings right in front of you on a big frozen slab.
11. Worked downtown, right beside the Calgary Tower, from 7 PM until 7 AM, a night that involvd a transport getting stuck under a bridge, a friend's stolen bike turning up beneath a druggie, and a random guy getting stabbed and bleeding all over a pipe, all in all a pretty memorable night.

And the funniest thing...I (Mike) have learned a great way to make Mel sick to her stomach...The fan by our window which I sleep beside blows cold air in the night so we can sleep in this sauna of a room...one night I "accidentally" passed some gas and the fan carried it right to mel's side HAHAHAHAHA, it was so funny I do it whenever I can.

Well hopefully that catches everyone up, if we think of anything else we'll blog right away, and if we get around to it we will do this again soon, what can we say, we don't do much!

Mike N Mel

Wish Upon A Star...

So we have made the decision to go with a Condo. We looked at a few this afternoon and found a couple that peaked our interest. Next weekend we will be meeting with a "Mortgage Officer" to see if our hole is shallow enough for them to give us some money. If all goes well at the bank's end and the Condo is still available, we will be moving in after Christmas. If this is for any reason impossible, the next set of Condos in that complex would not go on sale until August and we could not move in until August '08. We are keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well and that we can get the place we really want. Here are some pix for you to see...let us know what you think.

SOOOO Excited!!!!!!

Today we booked a trip to Cuba!!!! Our first big trip together. We leave August 18th and are spending a week at Riu Turquesa in Varadero. We can't wait! Also, we have gotten ourselves a real estate agent. It just sort of happened and we really like her. We are looking to buy something this fall. So the next couple months are going to be crazy. We really need to decide what we are looking for and how much we can afford. We thought it would be best to get into the market now because the cost of a house raises about $20,000 every six months here. We may have an empty house, but that's okay...at least we will have a place to call our own.

Bye for now,

Mike and Mel.

Money...Money...Money...

So I got my first cheque from Caliber Systems, let's just say I was pretty stoked. For just one week's worth of work I cleared a Grand. Sure it was a lot of fairly tough work but come payday ot was all worth it. Just think...in 2 weeks time the cheque has potential to double...WOW...shopping here I come...just kidding mom...well I guess that's about it for now...I'll write again soon but til then I'm just looking forward to the long weekend off.

A Typical Day...

Well since Mike and Dale started work yesterday Jen and I are back to finding other ways to occupy our time. After my extremely boring drive home from work Jen and I clean up the apartment and then think of what we could possibly make for dinner...well what Jen can make...I usually do the setting of the table and the clean up. I also crowd around Jen while she is cooking so I feel like I'm doing something...and she makes me come to the grocery store with her too...hehehe...just kidding I love it Jen! Then Jen and I get the exciting task of making their lunches for work. In the meantime we are our usual goofy selves. We just love the picture program on Mike's computer. In about 10 minutes we took over 100 pictures. Here is our favourite...enjoy! Oh ya...and I get to rub aloe on Mike's awful sunburn...and sometimes I just happen to rub it a little too hard...oopsie...hehehe.

Mel

No More Lounging Around...

So Dale and I have finally got off our lazy butts and went to work this morning. Dale having worked for Caliber Systems for the past 2 Summers, had an in for us. We are doing construction for Pipe Laying. The money sure beats Starbucks, but it is a lot of work as well. With our rent cut into 1/4s and not having to pay for a vehicle, $17 an hour plus OT EVERY DAY (including Saturday) I should be able to bank some serious cash very quickly. The only thing that put a damper on the day was the wicked sunburn, picures to follow, as soon as I feel comfortable enough that the flash will not melt my forearms any further.

Mike

Cochrane

Today Dale and Jen took us to Cochrane. It was about a 40 minute drive from Calgary. It is a small town with a population of 12,000. We had lunch at a restaurant called 'Prairie Smoke' and then walked around downtown. We looked in a few of the stores and then made our way to a coffee shop called 'Cochrane Coffee Traders'. The drive is beautiful. There is a great view of the Rocky Mountains the whole way. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Well we are off to run some errands before the beginning of our hectic work week.

Bye for now,
Mike and Mel.

Another First...

Well it's been a week and I had another first last night...we went to the casino! We went to a pub to watch the fight (in which Oscar got ripped off) and then Dale decided it would be a good idea to stop by the Deerfoot Casino right next door. Mel ended up taking out 40 dollars from the ATM, 20 of which she blew on slots, while I turned the other 20 into 70 at a Blackjack table where the dealer's name happened to be...Nelson. I didn't notice this however, Mel did and said it would be good luck, well it was. In his first two deals I got 2 Blackjacks. All around it was a fun night and I'm beginning to like this city more and more each day, though I miss everyone back at home. Well I guess that's it for now, miss everyone and I'll write again soon.

Mike

One Week Later...

Mike has been here for one week already. Wow time flies. It has been a hectic week and it is taking a bit of adjusting to get used to the whole situation. I am not used to someone snoring in my ear every night...hahahaha, but it sure is nice to come home to Mike. I am also having a hard time getting to sleep as early as I would like. Mike calls me an old lady because I like to be in bed by 9:30. I definitely need the rest after a day with my crazy kids. I will update again in the middle of the week...and don't forget my birthday is on May 13th...so buy me a good present...hahahahahahaha!

Mel

It's Official...

Well, I guess we can call it official. I now have my ticket and my luggage. There is nothing in any one of the three but at least I have them, thanks again mom. The countdown is now less than a week and I’m very excited to move to Alberta and live with Mel. Well there’s lots to do before I go, so I should probably wrap this up, even though it is very unlikely I will do anything for the rest of the day.

Mike

One Week to Go...

Mike is coming down in one week! I can’t believe how fast the time went by…he is going to kill me for that. I have been very busy with work. I have cleaned out my room and have managed to save a single drawer for Mike…hahaha. It is going to be a bit of an adjustment when he moves here. Jen and I will be watching the ‘Full House’ episodes every night this week because I know Mike and Dale won’t put up with it…lol. We will also have to get ready for the huge task of cleaning up after them…ah! But it will be great! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time

Mel