Meet Lavender

So after years of Emmi's begging, we relented and got a dog. As someone who has never had a dog, I am so grateful to the people who helped me. And I am so happy that I got connected to the shelter that I did through a friend. It even turned out that I had a personal connection with the trainer who had our dog. It was all like it was meant to be. 

Anyway, we are now getting used to life with a dog in the house. I am not going to lie, it has been a tough week. Lavender is a rescue dog from the streets of California and has a fair bit of anxiety. She is lovely with us in the house, but does not like visitors or other dogs. It is proving to be more challenging than I expected....Some days I am overwhelmed and wonder whether things will ever get better. I watch dog training videos and wonder what the right approach is. Having never had a dog, it's hard to know who's advice to follow. I feel out of my depth. But, we love her and we want to help her feel safe and secure. Surely, she will eventually sense that and settle down...?

But that is not to say that there have not been lovely snuggles. Morning walks in the sunshine. Play. Emmi's joy. We press on.

July

July was lovely. It felt really long and I spent lots of time relaxing on my deck, chilling at home, decluttering and sleeping in. But, I also found time for lots of other things. It's funny how much time there is in a month when you aren't working...I tried to pick one highlight, but I couldn't decide, so here are my favourites:

I met with six other women for Bible study every Tuesday morning. We finished with a potluck on my deck and it was perfect. It is not easy to find women who would commit to studying the Bible in the middle of summer. I mean really, who does that? But my friends were dedicated and I couldn't believe that they continued showing up week after week. 

I spent five days in Hope. Going to the cabin is always relaxing and lovely. I have blogged about it many times. 

I spent quite a few afternoons on my friend Lesley's deck (or she came over to mine). 

My friend and I went to a jazz hymn swing. We had zero expectations and really no idea what it would entail. It was part hymn singalong and part jazz concert. It was amazing. We even got to sing one of my favourite hymns: Abide with me.

Emmi took an art class with her friends and loved it. On her birthday, we took a mother daughter art class with two of her best friends and their mothers. She said it was her best birthday ever.

There were quite a few birthday celebrations and we're not even done yet. Emmi and I both have July birthdays and the celebrations are continuing into August...

One of my very favourite things was the July birthday celebration with my two choir friends. We could not believe how amazing they were at Joey's on Lougheed. The food was delicious. There was free dessert and flowers and free champagne. I was blown away.

It's still early days of August and I am grateful for that, but this summer has already been amazing. And August is shaping up to be even better, Stay tuned....

next yr

I was talking to a friend of mine about next year's classes. It's August already which means that anyone who works in a school is thinking about September. They say that August is one long "Sunday night" for teachers and it's true. Anyway, I am staying at grade two, so I will not be keeping any of my students. But, if I were rolling into grade three, there is only one kid I would like to keep. He is funny and off the wall. He doesn't really listen. He comes in full of energy and never stops. He is likeable and quirky. And he is never boring.  I am ready to pass on the rest of my students, the challenging, the goody two shoes, the quiet ones; they can be "enjoyed" by their next teacher. But R, him I will miss. And if you read my previous post about Joonas, you will understand why.