Decisions, Decisions

It is that time again-

Time to get a new pair of glasses!!!

WHAT WHAT!!

Oh the life of a soon-to-be Optometrists wife whose husband is working at an optometry clinic so I can get glasses for cost

Can I get another WHAT WHAT!!!

Oh and we have a little bit of coverage with the UofW so that helps too!!

WHAT WHAT again

So now I have decisions again-

HELP

Here is the first pair I really like

The only think that is stopping me is the color- they are pink- and I mean REALLY pink...

Now the whole point of this blog was that I was supposed to put both pairs that I was looking at up but the other picture SUCKS - it just doesnt do the other pair justice-

So it wouldn't be fair....

BUT

Then I guess it wouldn't be fair to leave you hanging either....

So here you go no matter how bad it is.....

(Oh to have a professional photographer following me around all day....)

How can you tell I took this one myself?

Strong

There is snow outside-
Ok not right now but there was snow outside a few days ago-
(I am a little bit behind in my blogging- if you hadn't noticed- and I found that my first line loses a little bit of its lustre if I say- there WAS snow outside instead of there IS snow outside)
Anyway-
There is snow outside right now- in the middle of June- in Alberta
Not a big surprise.
This is the point in a blog where the complaining begins- but not in this blog
I am going to look at this snow as an interesting event that helped to shape us Albertans into who we are- and if you like you may change Albertans to Canadians- though I am not entirely convinced that you all experience it like we do.
( Now don't go sending me hate-blogs- I don't mean anything by it I just think SOME of you not ALL of you have it pretty nice)
Anyway snow in June
On the radio as Justin was driving to work they said something along the lines of- 'Well it is pretty normal to have snow in June since it is a transition month from winter to spring'
WHAT!?
June 21 is summer solstice- that would indicate that we are nearing summer from spring- which means spring is almost OVER>>>>
Silly radio personalities
Anyway I don't think people should be trying to explain the snow away- I say embrace it- enjoy the forced day inside. Its not like the snow even lasts a full day anyway!
I think this snow in spring almost summer- makes us Albertans STRONG- Bring it on...
We can do anything if we can endure snow anytime of the year
Anyway- now that that snowfall is out of the way I am going to enjoy the rest of my sunny hot weather!!

On another note- I am not dead, I still have fingers, and my brain is somewhat alert= I just have no energy so my blog has suffered. I am going to do better- I swear.
I have had a few emails from concerned readers- snelldogs will live on- I will try to force some creativity out of me.....

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!!

SNELLESSONS LEARNED

We recently were in New York visiting the beloved Hughes- If you knew them you would call them beloved too. Because that is what they are once you get to know them- to the untrained eye they seem merely 'lov-ed'.
Just wait until you spend 2 weeks in close quarters with them- Oh the lessons you will learn...
For the unfortunate few of you that do not know them or for those of you who may never have the opportunity to spend 2 weeks with them I have compiled a list of SNELLESSONS Learned (I did leave the extra L out for a reason)

SNELLESSONS LEARNED
1. It is awesome to live 2 minutes from the ocean
2. You can make any house a home
3. NEVER and I mean never make the mistake of leaving your facebook open on their computer- unless you want the whole world to know that you presumably have a lazy eye and BO
4. You can never have too much real housewives
5. I've been there
6. Nicknacks are nice when displayed tastefully
7. It is easy to get lost
8. It is never too late for a good viewing of Jeopardy or Wheel of fortune.
9. The announcer on David Letterman has red hair
10. Its not that hard to get on TV
11. Ciabatta can be delicious and can used for a variety of meals- but beware it dries out after a few days
12. All GPS is created equal- despite some opinions
13. Its nice to have friends who live in NY
14. Mark has an uncanny ability to spot famous people in a crowd
15. When in doubt tie up your garbage (just to keep the raccoons and the slugs out)
16. A girl with a diaper on her head is a milk maiden but a boy with a diaper on their head is a judge

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY!!

For my oldest sister who turned 27 Today
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I know it is a little late in the day to write this but I have strep so I think that you understand.
That is one thing I like about you- you are understanding
You are an amazing mother and I can't believe that you have FIVE kids already!!!
You have accomplished alot in your 27 years and I am in awe.
You are very creative as well and I love to see all of your creations!
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL- and seem to get more and more so every year- I love your red shoes!
I love your eyes too- they are huge and round and I see them in different variations in all of your children...
You are very strong woman- and I see you become stronger and stronger every day.
I love spending time with you and I wish that we lived closer- but one day I am sure that we will.
I miss all the late night chats that we used to have when we were teenagers- I learned alot about you during that time and I really enjoyed them.... Oh to be 16 again....
I love who you are and I look forward to many more years of being your little sister....
LOVE YOU!!
If you want to learn more about Kathy you can go to her blog

Back Like A Heart Attack

I Am back like a heart attack.
I know that isn't the best parrallel but whenever I say I am back a little voice inside my mind says 'like a heart attack'...
So I am back
Back to blogging
Back to ALBERTA
Back to family
JUST PLAIN BACK

AND EXCITED!!!!
I dont have a ton of time right now but stay tuned for my- What we learned from the Hughes while we were there post!! It should be a good one.....

Peace

We have been truly blessed in the celebrity department lately
We saw Jimmy Fallon today in our many Snughes adventures-
He flashed me the TWO finger wave-
In everyday lingo this would be interpreted as the peace sign- but he is a celebrity-
What could this mean in celebrity speak?
My thoughts include:
Can you and two of your friends come to my next show?
You are two times prettier than any celebrity I have ever come in contact with.
I will be back in 2 minutes to chat with you and your friends.
I will give you 2 million dollars for free
I can't stay I have to go number two
Your child looks to be about 2 minutes old
2 is the only even prime
You have 2 seconds to get away from me
I have seen your friends 2 times now and they are getting on my nerves
Their baby isn't as cute the second time
This is my gang symbol
He was really hungry and going to get the 2 cheeseburger meal
He could have been pulling out the scissors to cut my paper- (If he got confused and thought that I was playing rock-paper-scissors) unfortunately 30 Rock kills scissors everytime....
I guess we will never know what was going on in Jimmy's mind-

until tomorrow of course when we wait outside thirty rock again to stop him and clear up this issue.....

Other celebrity sitings include- Jennifer garner and Martha Stewart....

Scranton

We are at the resting point of our trip
And what better place to rest then in the home of Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Dwight and the rest of the gang?
It just Justin, Ruby, me, the office, and thirty thousand pounds of bananas
its a song
One that my dad played for us on many long road trips
A song about scranton and thirty thousand pounds of bananas
when our laptop starts working again I will link it for you
-don't ask-

And don't ask about the undercover cop and his mannequin passenger
- I have already said too much-

Next stop- MARTHA STEWART- wish us luck!!!

Old Friend FOUND

The following lyrics need to be sung to the tune of 'Red and Black' From Les Miserables

The time is near
So near it's stirring the blood in my veins!
And yet beware
Don't let the packing go to your brains!
For the army I fight is a dangerous foe
With the shoes and the socks that we never can match
It is easy to sit here and swat only flies
But the mo-ove out date will be harder to match.
I need a sign
To rally the people
To bring me their arms
To bring them in line!
Red - the blood (and sweat and tears) of angry me!
Black - the dark of ages now!
Red - a world I hope will dawn!
Black - the night that never ends!

Ok I hope that you all know the tune and could sing that- it sounds way better when you sing it...
I admit that I am wasting my time. I have been packing for about 3 weeks now and we are at the tail end. Unfortunately I am not where I would have hoped that I would be by now- but as you know Ruby has been sick
and now the new development-
JUSTIN IS SICK
I mean puking, fever and the runs.
And this time a cracker isn't going to help...
So here I am trying to keep Ruby contained in one room at a time while I pack. Not an easy feat. And I can't get anyone to come and help (except Shandelle) because some would classify us as a bio hazard. I'm going to need infection control soon.

Somehow I envisioned our packing days being a little different than this.

As for the old friend that has been found-
I found Justin's esprit hoodie.
YES I DID.
In his drawer of all places.....

Ruby want a cracker?

Ruby has been excruciatingly sick these past couple of days.
I mean fever in the 40's puking, 16 times in a 12 hour period, not sleeping, not eating, not doing anything but laying, taking tylenol, and drinking plenty of fluids (well whatever we could force her to drink).
Justin and I have been worried and last night was no different.
We were woken up around 3AM by Ruby's crying- nothing would calm her. She didn't want water, juice, gingerale, milk, tylenol, a mama nuggle or even her favorite- a dada nuggle. Nothing- we were out of ideas.
Until inspiration came to me- she must be hungry- maybe she wants a cracker- and surprisingly that is what calmed her.
A cracker....
I know it seems minor and not a big deal but all I can say is that it was at the time.
Call it what you may but I say-
YEAH for mother's intuition.
I think woman are amazing and we are blessed with many gifts- I am especially grateful for mother's intuition- I am grateful for MY mother and her intuition- she continues to amaze me.
I think I am finally getting the hang of it... even if it is only to know that Ruby may want a cracker!
Now I am not going to mention the millions of crumbs that are covering our bed... I just try to ignore them as I sleep...
I also want to mention that I am grateful for the priesthood which Justin holds- it too is an amazing gift for our family.