Dr. Justin Snell

This is an old picture, I mean Justin has been working for 3 and a half months now- but still a picture that is worthy of the blog.  Justin is now a full fledged Optometrist with his name in neon letters.  What gets better than that?  We are proud of him and grateful for all he does for our family.  Not only is he a great dad and husband but he is a great Optometrist to boot!  So if you are ever in need of eye care- you know who to come to!!!

Proud To Be

Sometimes my friends here in Ohio forget that I am Canadian.  I mean, let's face it, I'm awesome enough (in their eyes) to be American.  (I don't tell them that all Canadians are awesome- I want them to think I am special...)  But there is the odd moment in the day that I remind them of how very not American and very definitely- Canadian that I am.

For instance....

I say washroom instead of restroom
I say I wrote a test instead of I took a test
I call these candies rockets instead of smarties

Just so you don't feel bad- we still have smarties.  They just look like this, taste way better, and are filled with chocolate!.

I call balls of cooked bread dough buns instead of rolls
Target is still new to me- and the novelty hasn't worn off- (it NEVER will)
I say supper instead of dinner
I say grade one instead of first grade
I say koopon (coupon) instead of Q-pon.
I will be talking about the weather and say something like- it is supposed to be in the high 20's all week- and my friends will be shocked and horrified at how cold it is going to be.  In other words I speak in Celcius instead of Fahrenheit.  (I barely know how to spell Fahrenheit- let alone know how to switch between the two.)
My holidays are named differently- Family Day vs. President's Day, Victoria Day vs. Memorial Day, Veteran's Day vs Remembrance Day,  Black Friday vs. Boxing Day.
I celebrate Thanksgiving in October instead of November.
I say homo milk when I am referring to Whole Milk.  It can get a little awkward in a store when I say- 'we need some homo.' or 'don't forget the homo' or 'do you have any homo?'

I guess what I am saying is I am Canadian at heart, and I love it.  I wouldn't change all my querks for anything.  I like my differences.  I'm proud of them!  And it looks like we will be heading back to Alberta soon!  Justin got a job!  I'll fill you in on details when we have them all- we are excited though!

3-2

Who has 2 thumbs, is awesome and has a birthday today?
This guy.

Who makes me laugh every day, is my favorite person and works so hard to make sure life is good?
This guy.

Who is the best dad to my children, loves them with all his heart, and is loved beyond measure?
This guy.

Who gets better with age, is super hot, and always knows how to put a smile on my face?
This guy.

He really is incredible and wonderful and super funny- I'm not just saying that.  I don't think that there is a single person on this earth that has met him and hasn't liked him.  He is just that genuine and nice and funny and kind.  He teaches me how to be better.  He makes our lives awesome and he loves us lots (I can just tell).  I don't think there is a way, through the internet, to convey just how awesome he is.  You will just have to come and see him in action.  I am glad for every day that I get to spend with him and am grateful that we will have eternity together.  I look forward to the unlimited amount of time ahead of us.  I admire the man that he is and the father that he is.  He is constantly teaching me lessons of kindness, and service, and generosity through his example.  He makes me feel good about myself and he is very selfless.  This man loves adventure and together we have had many, and I can't wait to have more.  I live for adventure AND this guy.  I love this man.  Happy birthday Mr. Snelldog...  if you couldn't tell- you are loved.

And just because I am sure you were wondering-  Who is super corny, super dorky and likes to use the word awesome a lot to describe her husband?
This girl.

And I meant every word.

Princess Ruby and Her Knight in Shining Armor

Princess Ruby and her knight in shining armor headed off to the princess ball (put on by the Youngstown Stake - every girl 18mths- 18yrs was invited) earlier this month and loved every second of it.

Ruby requested a new dress- so I had to comply of course.  She loved it.  She also loved spending time just her and her daddy.  Justin made sure he came home with flowers for her princess and he donned his matching tie for the event.  Here they are before they left.  I'll be darned if I could get Ruby to have a real smile in any photo.  

Myers and I weren't invited- so we stayed home and ate icecream and watched UP.  We had a good memorable night too.

Here the girls are waiting for their names to be announced so they can walk down the red carpet (Ruby is on the far left)...

Dancing the night away!

Stopping for a little refreshment...  Being a princess is hard work.

There is all the dancing, and eating and curtsying, and of course keeping up your appearance.  She insisted on wearing these gloves and did not take them off the whole night!

I wasn't there but from what I heard it was a great night- the girls learned how to be princesses and the dad's learned about how to treat their princesses correctly.  Then they spent the rest of the night dancing and eating.  It sounds like a blast and it is just nice to see daughters hanging out with their dads and having a good time building memories.  I am all about the memories...  And, if I do say so myself- that dress is the perfect princess dress... I mean seriously- who made that? 

HEAD

In Justin's adult life I have only known him to be truly afraid of one thing.

Styrofoam heads.

I can only blame his sisters for the lack of Styrofoam head decoration in our home.

(Everyone has Styrofoam heads adorning their halls right?  I feel totally left out of the Styrofoam head craze...)

On All Hallows Eve we received a 'guest' in the mail.

In the form of a Styrofoam head.

It looked like this:

And it creeped us all out.

I did not expect the amount of creepage that I felt.  

I thought it was all just a simple joke that would be funny and then the styrofoam head would go away and we would all laugh and that would be it.

But that head has a way of haunting a person and finding its way back into your life.

The creepiest part is the fact that it has 'I FOUND YOU' written on its head. 

That creeps everyone else out too, right?

I will admit I am a bonified 'scaredy'.  There is no other way to describe it.

Justin showed a little bit of fear whether fake or real suppressed 'I was terrorized with this head by my sisters in my youth' fear it doesn't matter.  I jumped right on that band wagon.

We quickly threw it down the stairs (into the basement that we NEVER enter, not under ANY circumstances- because of said fear) and quickly close the door.

We discussed what we would do with it- I wanted to get rid of it so Justin said he would run down and get it and then we could get rid of it. So he opened the door- and about 4 steps down- there was the head.

It had landed right side up on its neck and was looking at us through those opaque white eyes- just willing us to come closer.

SO.... we shut the door again.

And laughed nervously....  (the kids were around and we don't want them to have unnecessary fear of the head)

We did eventually get the head and now it has a dwelling in our garage.

We just can't seem to let it go.

Where do you find a styrofoam head anyway?  What if we needed it some day?

I know you are laughing at us right now- but beware!!!

Maybe one day the head will find you.

Yes I am mostly speaking to you Aymie DAVIS!!!!

East West Conference.

Justin's poster for the East West Conference.  A lot of work and we are super proud of him!

Crazy Eyes

I know you were all missing him-
Probably as much as me, if not more.
So for your pure enjoyment
I reintroduce you to my very own- Crazy Eyes McGee.

I have the pleasure of seeing this around 5:30pm every few days.

Doesn't it just bring butterflies to your stomach?
It creeps me out.
And in case this post wasn't enough for you- check out the last time Crazy Eyes McGee made it onto the blog....

And Reality Sets In...

Ok, reality is setting in.
We really are moving to Ohio.
And soon!
Justin left this morning.  He is on the road to Ohio right now.
Which, of course, means that I am here taking care of the kids by myself.
You know?  Like a real stay at home mom....
I have been a little spoiled lately, what with Justin being home all the time for the past few months.
Now reality is setting in.
He will be working again soon and our few months of bliss will be over.  FOR.E.VER.
Anyway- reality has set in.  Like I said.
We are flying out to Waterloo on Tuesday.
I am so excited!
Justin will graduate for the final time- never to return to University again.
Real life begins.
It has been a long and really enjoyable road.  (minus the studying and lack of funds)
Really- it has been enjoyable and a large part of me feels sad to see it coming to an end.
But a brand new adventure awaits and I am ready for it.
But Waterloo first.
My second home.
I can't wait to be in that familiar place.  To see the places and people I love.
I have always said that Waterloo is the perfect place to live.
If I could transplant it closer to family I would.
Or transplant family closer to it.
Hmmm.  What do you say family?  Everyone up for a move?  It's a beautiful place.... You'll love it...

Ain't Nothin' But Sunshine and Tea Pots....

While it has been snowing and storming in Calgary we 'Medicine Hatters' (which I am allowed to call myself while we are homeless drifters...wherever we reside at the moment we become.) have really been enjoying the sunshine.
Now, it isn't quite like the bahamas but there is no snow- and let's face it- I'll take that any day.
Remember when I said that Justin was done school- and then I amended it and said that he had to write the last of the boards.  Well he went and did that this weekend, now it seems a little anticlimactic to say- HE IS DONE!  Because I already said that- but HE IS NOW DONE!
He came back from a three day trip which included 38 hours of car time, one ear infection (not his), a snow storm, about 100 deer (his estimation), a board exam, some target shopping (a little jealous) and did I mention a lot of driving in a very short amount of time?
He left at 5am on friday and was back by 7 am on Monday- and they went all the way to PORTLAND.  At least he had Clark to keep him company....
He came back looking a little tired, a little haggard, and a little stressed.  (The relief and joy will come soon)
But now all we have lined up is a bunch of visiting (family and friend), relaxation, travelling, and fun times.
We are still working on Visas but hopefully everything will be worked out soon and we can start planning our move to Ohio....
Ahhhh- let the good times begin.

While Justin was gone we did our best to have fun and enjoy ourselves.  We took a little trip to the downtown core of Medicine Hat and enjoyed some easter egg hunting and some easter bunny spotting.  It was fun!  In fact- everyone should come to the Hat and I can show you all the great sites!  I am sure the Hat was on your list anyway- I mean we do have to World's Largest Tepee....
And to conclude our weekend we painted a teapot.  Grammy's house is full of fun and excitement and cousins (most of the time) and one thing we love about grammy's house are the hot chocolate parties.  Ruby has been asking for a hot chocolate teapot of her own for a while and when I found a white one at winners for $2 I picked it up.  My mom had these porcelain writers that she has kept from when I graduated (10 years ago) and we had made everyone a personalized a mug with school colors- and they were perfect!  Ruby preferred the purple and we have a perfectly personalized tea pot of her very own...



The cousins are headed over today for a sleep over for a few days so we will get our chance to try it out...

A Day To Remember

Today is a day to remember.
A day for all to rejoice- yes that includes you.
Rejoice I Say!
Today was Justin's last day of school.
Dare I say- EVER!!!
All he has is the last set of boards in a week and we are home free.
Nothing but opportunity and student loans lay in front of us....
I must say I am really proud of Justin and all the hard work he has put in.  He works hard both at school and at home.  He is amazing and we really love him......

Burnt To A Crisp...

We have been sick in our house lately.
Too sick to go outside, too sick to visit anyone, too sick to blog, and too sick to do anything inside.  It is terrible.
Justin even had a few days off and really we have had nothing to show for it.
Just a lot of sleeping, and pj lounging.
Oh- I suppose we do have one thing to show for it.
This beauty.

Isn't she a gem?
Ruby was getting antsy and really wanted to be doing something so we took out the clay and sculpted our favorite princess- you guessed it- Ariel.
I know you could tell from the picture- there was no reason to spell it out for you.
In fact she reminded me a little of this Ariel.
The large eyes and nose are courtesy of Ruby- she really has a nack for eyes.
After sculpting, it was time for bed so we said goodnight to Ariel and told her we would cook her in the morning when we had more time.

So the next morning Justin let little sick ol' me sleep in while he fed and entertained the kids.
And that is when Ariel met her fate.
He thought for sure that he had seen me cook clay enough times that that knowledge had surely rubbed off on him.
He was sure that it needed to be cooked at 400F for 30 mins....
And once he put Ariel in the oven there was no looking back- and definitely no checking in on her no matter what smell was coming from that oven- until the timer buzzed.
Burned to a crisp Ariel is the result of that.
I was pretty forgiving and honestly burnt Ariel grew on me- Ruby on the other hand does not hand out her forgiveness so freely.  There were some definite tears and some 'I don't like burned to a crisp Ariel' statements.
So Justin did what any father would do in that situation.
He apologized (had a laugh or two) and re-sculpted Ariel- for his little princess, Ruby.
So this is now the Ariel Masterpiece.  He stayed true to the large eyes and nose as per Ruby's request.

What a great dad.......

There's a Daboo In My Pocket

The other night Justin got up from the couch, where he had been cuddling with Ruby, reached into his pocket and pulled out a yogurt tube (aka daboo- Ruby's old name for them) wrapper.
He immediately asked who put a yogurt tube in his pocket.
To which I replied- 'you did. Who else would do that?'  No one.
To which Justin replied 'Ruby would- Ruby puts things in my pocket all the time.'
To which Ruby replied. 'I did.  I did.  I did that.'
To which I replied 'Oh, I guess Ruby did it.'
I laugh everytime I think about this.  I can just see her eating her yogurt tube and when she finished it promptly slipping the remains in Justin's pocket.  How would you not notice that?  And what would possess Ruby to put her garbage in Justin's pocket?  I love it.  I LOVE IT.
Later he pulls out his phone which happened to be in the daboo pocket and sees that it is covered in yogurt.
Ruby never really finishes her yogurt tubes to the last drop...
And that is when he notices that the charger hole is FULL of yogurt.
'How do you get yogurt out of a charger hole?' He asks.
To which I reply 'You suck it out'
He was a little skeptical but thought he would try it anyway- and of course it worked.
Daboo crisis averted.  Phew.
Now if only we could teach Ruby to put her garbage where it rightfully belongs.
Or better yet- maybe she should put her skills to better use- a 3 year old pick pocket.  Nothing wrong with that right?

Crazy Eyes McGee

Before I continue any further in this blogging I feel the duty to fill you in on a few important tidbits of information about the man that I love.

My sweet Justipoo Snell.

First of all- he is a soon to be optometrist.  He will one day be Dr. Justipoo Snell.  He works hard and he is going to be an awesome optometrist.  The best even.  If I do say so myself- which I do of course.
Being an Optometry Student's wife has its perks.  Like cheap glasses and contacts.
But can I tell you my favorite part about being an Optometry Students wife?

The days he comes home looking like this.

I like to call him- crazy eyes McGee.
You would not believe the things optometry students do to each other's eyes to practice.  He will one day be able to give his eyes a rest (you know, when he is doing all sorts of crazy things to YOUR eyes)- but until then he will enjoy freaking us all out when he comes home like this.

(A close up for you to enjoy the full beauty of it)


Oh crazy eyes McGee- how we love you.


Second of all- he is super smart.  He passed the first installment of the US board exams- and not only did he pass but he did AMAZING.  It does seem a little bit anti-climactic since he still has 2 more parts to write and one is coming up in just over a month...  Oh the long hours of studying- how I hate you.  I probably don't hate them as much as Justin does- but pretty close.  At least he is super smart though, right?  They should be a breeze.

And lastly- Justin is a winner.  He wins everything.  He is always winning cool things- anything he really wants to win- he does.  Once he won an ipod mini (back when those were cool), he has also won a trial lens kit from school (worth about 600+ dollars).
And today Justin won a Blackberry Torch.
Yes- old crazy eyes McGee- did it again.
It was a competition on twitter- they asked you to tweet about what you would do with a blackberry torch if you won one.
Justin's response- 'I would build a giant replica of it using dinosaur fossils and chicken wire.  Then I would give it to my mom.'
And he won.
He doesn't have those smarts and those crazy eyes for nothin.

Now- just so it is out in the public and so I have some witnesses- early this morning when Justin was entering to win and he ran his answer by me- and I told him it was brilliant- we started discussing the Madsen Bike contest that I entered and did not win.  (I never win anything)  I had asked for some help with my entry (because I knew that with his help I would win)- but sadly I did not get any- and therefore I did not win.  So after we had discussed this, and I told him that he was going to win, he said that if he did he would sell it and buy me a Madsen Bike.  So I am holding him accountable.  He is, however, going to have to figure out how to win another Blackberry torch or two to cover the full price of my bike...  So we will give him until Christmas to be true to his word....

He is going to be pretty busy- since he has to study for the boards, raise the money for the other half of the Madsen bike, AND build a giant working replica of the blackberry torch out of Dinosaur fossils and chicken wire....

But I am sure that Old crazy eyes Mcgee can do it.
I will keep you updated on the status of the giant working replica AND my Madsen bike.  I'm thinking orange, or maybe baby blue....
Either way I can't wait to lug around the Rubes and the Noni in the back....

My Prince

Seeing Justin through Ruby's eyes:


Ruby thinks Prince Eric looks just like her daddy- it must be the rugged good looks.... I think Justin is flattered even if Prince Eric is a cartoon...

Recent Email

For those of you who received this earlier today- I apologize. But it was funny enough that I thought everyone would enjoy it again. Plus it means a guest blogger! Even though I just copied and pasted this from my email against Justins will- one day he will thank me.....

This is my talented husband and his recent writings....

Oh yes, it's that time again.  Please update your rolodex's with our new digits.  But you can put an expiry date on those numbers as we will have new ones again in September.  Some might say "why should I go to the trouble of entering these numbers in my cell phone if they're just going to change again in 3 short months?"  Well let me paint a little picture for you... you are driving to Edmonton to take a ride on Blue Thunder, or some other waterslide at West Ed that may or may not exist (note, doesn't apply to you Dave, as you already live there.  you can pretend you're driving to Calgary to spend some time in a city that isn't crappy).  Anywho, you're driving along, listening to Bryan Adams' summer of '69, passing under the Crossfield overpass when the Alberta winds combine against you and your nose-holes are simultaneously assaulted by the pungent odors of the sour gas plant, the mushroom factory, and the pig farm.  You sharply veer left in a foolish attempt to avoid the offensive odors that are laying siege to your smeller, and you plunge headlong into a June snowdrift on the side of the road.  As you sit there somewhat dazed, trying to see through your tears caused by the nasty smelly-ness that is Crossfield, you notice - and this is where it gets wierd - tiny little buggies crawling on your windshield!!  As you look closer, you notice that they are slowly eating through your windshield!  Whaza whaza?  "what kind of bugs can eat through windshieds?"  Then you remember reading an article in the 'Daily Entomolgist' talking about a rare glass-eating bug that only emerges when warm and cold conditions are combined, such as in the case of an Alberta June snowstorm.  Now as the little glass eaters get closer and closer to finishing off your windshield, you remember the second, and much more disturbing, part of the article you read "The name 'glass eater' is a bit of a misnomer, as these terrifying insects also prey on humans.  They should really be called 'insects that eat glass and also prey on humans' (name change currently under review by the bug board).  The glass eater enters the ear of its prey and travels down to the stomach where it causes any undigested watermelon seeds to grow into full sized watermelons in a matter of seconds."  Now you think back to the last time you ate a watermelon... was it Friday at the BBQ?  Was it seedless?  What about those soft, white seeds?  Do they count?  Too many questions, and no time!!!!  You have to think fast, those angry watermelon-growth-inducing meanies are about to break through and then it may all be over.  So you reach for your trusty cell phone to call for help.  But who do you call?  Even if the police make it in time, their firearms are useless against them!  (note the Tommy Boy reference).  Then you remember that Justin & Cheryl live in Crossfield for the summer and you just programmed their numbers into your cell phone that morning.  You call them up and ask for help.  Justin & Cheryl, in their nearly infinite wisdom, know exactly what to do.  They run down limit ave to fire up the air raid siren in the middle of town.  They have dealt with watermelon growth bugs before and they know from experience that this is the only way to .  The air raid siren has a 4 mile radius - just far enough to kill off the bugs that are about to invade your ear-holes.  You are saved!!!!  All because you took the time to read this email and program their numbers into your phones!!!

No thanks needed.  We just did what any mild mannered couple would have done in a similar situation.

Have a great day.  Stay tuned for September when the new and even more exciting Ontario phone numbers reach your inboxes...and your hearts.

Lots of Love,

Justin, Cheryl, and Rubletts..... and the other one!               

(I deleted the numbers for privacy purposes- but if you do need them then email me!!!!)

Oh Yah- and thats the other good news---- we are expecting another little one in JANUARY!!

See you in the movies

Justin is upstairs singing to Ruby right now (her favorites include snowman, insy-winsy spider, eieio, and twinkle star) trying to get her to sleep and as I listen to him through the baby monitor it reminded me of my dad- every night after family prayer as we were saying good night he always said (and still does when we are home) 'See you in the movies' (meaning see you in your dreams)
I like it
Its a good memory
I say it to Ruby now
I hope that one day she will say it to her kids too....

Tetris Wars on hold...

You read it right- unfortunately Tetris Wars is on hold until further notice.
MY PHONE WAS SATURATED WITH MILK AND WILL NOT TURN ON NOW...
We are doing all we can to rectify the situation.
And in the mean time Justin is kind enough to let me hone my skills on his phone.
What a worthy opponent...