Well, with just a few days of "summer" left, I thought I better give a report. Much has happened, which explains why I have not written hardly anything on it. I thought I would take some time today to recap what has been one of the most memorable, exciting, busy, and positive summers of my life.
In June I went to Vulcan Days in Vulcan Alberta. I know, many of you are a bit shocked because I am such a Trekkie that I haven't gone yet, but I did. It was much fun. I enjoyed the small town feel and the visit back to my old Trekkie days when I wouldn't miss a convention for anything. We met Tim Russ of Voyager fame (Tuvok) and I got a signed photo of him. He was a very gracious guest and very talented. I commented to Heather recently that while I enjoyed that day, I couldn't help but feel that I had in many ways outgrown my obsession with Star Trek. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a geek, I just don't feel that I am as much of an Uber-Geek as I used to be. I have outgrown much of it. I still watch the DVDs every week and look forward to new stuff, but I feel that it has taken its rightful place on my priority list. Maybe it has always been there, but I finally recognize it now.
One week before classes ended, Heather and I received the clearances from Salt Lake that we were hoping for that allowed us to get married in the temple. We decided on a date, July 27th, and a place, Cardston, and we got started on the plans. It's amazing how much can get done so quickly.
School ended with June, and July became a very hectic time. While the first couple weeks had nothing really planned, I spent a good part of it moving my stuff out of Tara's and into my new house. It was a strange feeling moving most of my past two years, and while I was excited about where I was heading, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad about leaving what had been a good home for Annie and I. One thing that is for certain is that I am grateful and blessed to have Tara, Bryan, Amy, Connor, Kaleigh, and Liam as a part of my family.
On the 15th I went to Orlando for a teachers conference to learn about a new style of teaching involving cooperative learning from the Kagan Institute. I was there for ten days. Being close to Disney World I was able to visit Sea World for a day, as well as Epcott Centre. It was a lot of fun. I gave me some great ideas for what to do with the family this Christmas. I was able to see some great sights that I had never seen before. I was particularly impressed with Sea World. I really enjoyed the shows and the animals. I think the "Believe" show featuring the killer whales was my favourite. Epcott was great as well. My hotel was right next to Downtown Disney so I was able to do some good shopping and eat at some nice restaurants. I found this beautiful crystal of Cinderella and Prince Charming that I had engraved for the wedding. My only complaint about Orlando was the excessive heat and humidity. Temperatures of 90+ degrees Farenheight (I think that is in the mid-30s in Celsius) was excrutiating. I was at least able to avoid any sunburns.
My trip home was a real trial. I missed my connecting flight in Houston because some snobby Air Canada gate person wouldn't let me on the plane because I was at the gate 9 minutes before departure instead of 10. Worse than that he wouldn't book me on a connecting flight to Toronto that would have gotten me home that evening and instead expected me to spend the night in the terminal until 7am the next day. Suffice it to say, I am no longer a fan of Air Canada. There were some helpful people, but too many of them need a lesson in customer service.
Back home, it was a quick couple days until the 27th. That's right, the wedding day was finally here. Heather was amazing at planning and preparing everything while I was gone. While I helped out as much as I could before I left, most of the work was hers. Dan Oler was my best man, with Matt Harker and Ricardo Perez as the other groomsmen. Heather's sister, Melodie, was her maid of honor. Since her other choices for bridesmaids had just had babies and couldn't be there, so Amy and Ella (Melodie's daughter) filled in. In addition to the wedding party we had a full sealing room. All of our parents plus Shelly were my side of the family. Heather's Aunt Connie and Uncle Darryl, her cousins Christina and Jennifer, as well as her brother Barrett and his wife Kari made up Heather's side. Mindy was able to come with Dan, and Matt's parents were also there. Clark and Elayne Lybert came, as did Alex and Carol Schwarzer. While the room was full with our friends and loved ones, it felt like there were so many more from beyond the veil. It was the most spiritual experience I have ever had in the temple. We had a great lunch at the Cobblestone Manor for all who came, and then after a lengthy photo shoot Heather and I went to the Harker family cabin outside of Magrath for a couple of days. That Friday we had a wonderful reception in Calgary. So many wonderful people came, and so many other people helped. It was a great experience, and very special.
August 4 saw us fly out to New York City where we spent a few days before our Bermuda cruise. I must admit that NYC surprised me. I really enjoyed that city. It is so vibrant and wonderful. The people there are extremely polite and helpful. We went to the Bronx Zoo, Times Square, Chinatown and Little Italy. We saw the Lion King on Broadway, went to the Temple (although we did not go in because I forgot my temple reccomend), and ate at some great restaurants. We had a blast, and we would love to go again. On the Sunday we went to church then caught a cab to the cruise line. The crusie was an absolute blast. We met some great people who were so warm and friendly. The food was wonderful (except for my putting on a few extra pounds), the service impecable, and the entertainment was fabulous. Bermuda was also very lovely. We went to some nice beaches, saw the zoo and aquarium there, and just enjoyed ourselves immensely. When it was finally over, we were more than ready to get home.
After a few days at home, we went to Edmonton. We visited the Edmonton Zoo with Heather's brother Adam and his daughter Alexia, did some sealings at the temple, and attended some great plays at the Fringe Festival. We spent some great time with Matt and Sharon Harker and their kids. It was a great time, but again, we had to get home. I started school the day after we got back where I had received some training to become a coach for other teachers at my school.
The long weekend of September was the Muscular Dystrophy walk. It has been a year since we lost TJ, and I was grateful to be able to do something for him. After all this time I still miss that guy, but I know that he is in a better place and that thanks to the blessings of the temple, we are brothers forever.
Well, this has been too long of an entry and I cannot make anymore sense of what I write, so here is my Top 10 List
Top 10 Best Things About This Past Summer
10. Meeting Tim Russ at Vulcan Days
9. Making pancakes at CISN
8. Cruise food
7. Horseshoe Bay at Hamilton, Bermuda
6. The Pretenors at the Fringe
5. Lion King on Broadway
4. Weird Al Yankovic concert in Orlando
3. Sea World in Orlando
2. Seeing an okapi, indian rhinos, manatees, malaysian tapirs, gallapagous tortoises, small clawed asian otters, sea turtles, Pere's David deer, and killer whales for the first time at various zoos and aquariums
1. Getting sealed to my soulmate, sweetheart, and true love for time and eternity.
