December 23rd, 2011...our second Christmas in St. Albert, AB. We still have a basement full of unpacked boxes but are hoping to remedy that by completing the rec room and bedroom downstairs so we can have an office on the main floor and find a home for everything. I've spent a couple of days painting walls this week and maybe over the holidays we'll be able to make some significant headway.

There is a lot to keep us busy. Ethan is always on the move and in grade 4. He's taking piano lessons, playing basketball, building lego, goes to a boy's club at our church and also helps out with the music team on the maracas. He's my constant companion and a very caring boy. The photo above was taken at a lake just outside Rocky Mountain House, AB where we spent a week this August. On a side note, it was near the town of Caroline where my grandparents bought their first farm after immigrating from Holland in the 1950's.

Lucas is now just a hair shorter than his mother! He's 14 this year and in grade 9...next year is high school. He played on the school senior volleyball team this Fall which just wrapped up and now basketball season is upon us. It's been a lot of fun to watch his games and cheer them on and Lucas is a hard working asset to any team. He applies the same work ethic to anything he does and that will do him well in the years to come. He's also been working, when he can, with Walt and that has kept him busy on many a Saturday. This summer he spent a week or two building a large deck with Walt...mutually beneficial since working alone can be a bit challenging sometimes.

Spencer also works for Walt during the summer and Saturdays and that has been an unexpected blessing from owning your own business....you can employ your kids! He's in grade 11 and also working hard at school. Recently he auditioned for a part in the school play, Peter Pan, and was selected to play Cecco, the pirate! Talk about a perfect part :) This year he's feeling the pressure of the "what are you going to do when you graduate" question, and while we are quite sure he will continue a post-secondary education, he hasn't made any decisions. History has always been his first love so we wouldn't be surprised if he investigates careers in that area. Stay posted!

And thankfully, Walt and I are able to keep this boat afloat and are rarely bored :) We are enjoying the new community that we have found here and the friends we have made. Reconnecting with our family has been a real blessing and having my Mom and Dad around the corner gives us the opportunity to see them quite a bit. Yet our hearts are still torn for our dear Nova Scotia and the boys do not hesitate to remind everyone that they are Bluenosers! We miss our lovely friends and please know that you are thought of often. We've enjoyed the visits this year and would love to see you anytime!

And on that note...a blessed Christmas and New Year to you and stay in touch :)

Love,

Leona, Walt, Spencer, Lucas, Ethan and Ella

Christmas 2010

It's Christmas morning in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Quite a contrast to the setting we were in last year, but on the other hand, it has all the essential elements to make it a cozy morning...each other. We know that this is a difficult time of year for some of our dear friends, and we hold you in our hearts and prayers.

This year has been such a NUTTY year for all of us and challenged us to stretch ourselves in places we didn't know we could stretch! After settling into our new home at 27 Pineridge Crescent in St. Albert, AB, we continued the work of finding a new doctor, dentist, hairdresser etc. and getting to know some of our neighbours, school and church community. It has been a welcoming experience and we feel blessed by all the support we received from our family and friends...on both ends of the country. They nudged us when we were weary and celebrated with us when things were good.

Walt has been busy with his One Handy Guy Improvements and Renovations business, almost since his feet hit the ground. Much to the boys delight, he bought a big truck and this Christmas he strung lights on the rack. I know, really classy, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously :) Leona has been doing her usual HR job with her family and once the boys started school in September, painted the entire main floor. It has been a slow process to unpack and get things organized and hang pictures on the walls and we spend a fair amount of time out and about, involved in one thing or another.


Spencer is in grade 10 and enjoying the more independent structure at the high school. The school is very active in community service and the students participate with Boys and Girls Club of Canada and also have to contribute 75 hours of community service over each year. Spencer is volunteering some extracurricular service hours at a wonderful organization in Edmonton called, Dogs with Wings. They train dogs, almost from birth, to become service dogs for people with mild to severe disabilities and Spencer is a "puppy cuddler". His role is to help socialize the puppies, play with them and take them out for their potty time and walk. It is a perfect fit!

Lucas is in grade 8 and having a good year. He tried out for the Volleyball team and made the team so we have been busy driving him to and from events and cheering on the sidelines as their Jr team won the City Championships....a gold medal for the boys. He just made the Sr basketball team before Christmas and we hope a recent snowboarding wrist injury doesn't make too much of a dent for him in the season. Lucas is ready for a part time job to save up for a Mac Book, but in the meantime we're just telling him to enjoy his childhood :)

Ethan is in grade 3 and his recent report card reflects a very curious, engaged student that does well and gets along with his peers. We just discovered that he needs glasses, so he's just getting used to that experience. The highlight of the year so far has been a trip to an Oilers hockey game where he got a chance to see the warm up and talk to some of the players. Don't ask me who...Taylor Hall??? Anybody know him??? He's also involved in basketball on Saturdays and taking piano lessons to keep him well-rounded.


And the year has slipped by...almost an entire year since we moved...we shake our heads in disbelief. But, no regrets, just some waves of homesickness for our dear friends in NS and the beautiful Maritimes. It has been a real joy to be re-discovering our family here and also the beauty of the praires and mountains. The cold weather has been a little bit of a shock and Spencer wore his winter coat, inside and out, for an entire week during our first "cold snap". That takes a bit of getting used to!

And the greatest gift, which prompts me to write this greeting, is what God gave us with birth of his Son, the grace to make mistakes and experience the unconditional acceptance and love of our Creator. May you all have a Blessed Christmas and New Year and we hope to see some of you during the course of 2011.


Walt, Leona, Spencer, Lucas, Ethan and Ella, she misses Fletcher :(

By the way...

We did sell our house to a lovely couple from Oakville, ON a week after we left Nova Scotia! Go figure. I guess it was waiting for them since it all went very smoothly and the closing date was February 15th. Thank you to everyone for all their prayers and good wishes over the past year as we waited for the house to sell. We would have gone crazy without everyone's upbeat support!

the long, slow departure

So.......after the decision to move in January, things started moving very fast. We had a very cozy Christmas and made the most of enjoying the calm before the storm and spending time with our friends. Once the new year was upon us we really had to ramp it up and get things moving...literally.

With the help of friends and family from afar we managed to get everything we owned loaded in a very large truck, suitcases packed, and the house ready to show for potential buyers. Walt and Lucas packed up the van with provisions for their cross country tour...5400kms in mid winter.

It was very tough on us to leave and I don't wish that on anyone...we just put one foot in front of the other. Thank goodness for the support from our family when we arrived who understood just how much all our friends in Nova Scotia mean to us and how much we love the Maritimes. And special mention goes to our dear friend Nancy who took care of us the night before we left and bravely sent us on our way.

Walt and Lucas had a fun, safe trip across the country with an overnight stop in Quebec City at the Chateau Frontenac and another overnight in Toronto to view the CN tower and city and spend some time with Karl, Hetty and family. Other than some weather around the lakes near Thunder Bay, ON, they were very fortunate with clear, albeit cold, weather.

lounging at
the Chateau after a tour of the old Quebec...what a cool experience (in more ways than one...it was -20 degrees)




Meanwhile, back in Edmonton, Spencer, Ethan and myself were settling in at my parent's place and trying to get our bearings. The boys started school together on February 1st and, of course, it was a big day with a HUGE change for all of them. I was nervous too. It was very strange to drive down the street where the house I grew up in sits...next to our old neighbors who still live there...on the way to school. Ethan's school has a small assembly every morning and he was greeted by a collective hello!! He is settling in well and likes his teacher and classmates. He told me the other night that he misses Ms. Leslie's evil eye though...it sent the class into giggles :) apparently. Ethan is very outgoing and I wasn't too worried about him fitting into his new school. His classroom is in a building that houses the Kindergarten-Gr 2 classes (see pics). He missed 10 days of school after only being there for 3 days because he had a very nasty virus that took a very long time to recover from and get back on his feet.

Ethan's school's front entrance

Lucas and Spencer are in another building, just next door, that accommodates the grade 3-6 students in one wing and the Junior High students in the other. The school population and building is much smaller than in Fall River so that was the initial adjustment and then, of course, trying to pick up with school work mid year and the most difficult, finding some kids to hang out with at lunch. We have had our good days and bad days but, for the most part, Lucas and Spencer have been working hard and digging deep some days to face the challenges that this move has presented. I am very proud of them. Last night the school had exclusive use of the West Edmonton Mall water park and the kids went with their Uncle Henry and cousins for 3 hours of water park fun! Everyone, except Lucas since he broke his wrist at the beginning of the month during a ski day with the junior high classes....yup, just to make it all a little more exciting.

Below is the entrance to Spencer and Lucas' school which houses the gr 3-6 students in one wing and the junior high grades, 7-9, in the other.

Walt, meanwhile, was in Fall River finishing his work there and staying with our neighbors across the street from 66 High Road. Paul and Celeste were gracious hosts and we are very grateful for their support over the last few weeks while things were so crazy. We hope we can have them over to our new home whenever we are settled over here :)...who knows??? With Walt here just last Wednesday we jumped right into looking at a few houses that were just listed and, on Friday, found our new home! It isn't finalized yet, but barring any major issues that come from a home inspection....things look good. We'll post some pics when we get possession on April 16th.

So...the odyssey is nearly coming to an end. What a year so far. We are slowly feeling like things aren't upside down and are really looking forward to settling into a new home and having Ella back! She has been staying with Walt's brother and being spoiled. Our family here have been a lifesaver and have held us up during some dark days. We have felt the Lord's hand in our lives throughout this too and that gives us peace.

We hope this finds you all well and we hope to be in touch again very soon.

Love,

Walter, Leona, Spencer, Lucas and Ethan

God bless.

Christmas 2009

Our warmest greetings from Fall River, Nova Scotia to you as Christmas Day approaches at an alarming rate!

The boys are now officially on Christmas break and with a lot of the busy-ness of getting things ready for the holidays finished, we are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior and counting our blessings with our dear friends.

Our big news of the year is the weighty decision of moving to Edmonton...lock, stock and barrel! Well, that's not completely accurate since Leona and the boys will be living with her parents in St. Albert for a short time and Walt will be coming back to Nova Scotia to facilitate the house selling and finishing a project. Our "stuff" will be in storage until we find a place to live. Ella, our dog, will be vacationing at Walt's brother's place in Edmonton in the interim, of which we are eternally grateful.

After Walt's retirement from the military in 2007, a "final" move was part of the retirement package from DND. Nova Scotia has been a very gracious home for all of us and our boys are all born and raised as Maritimers....this place will always be a part of us regardless of where we live. The friends that we have made along the way we consider as our extended family; they have been a strong support and we have shared many, many laughs and tears. We aren't looking forward to leaving, but we are looking forward to the opportunities and adventures that await us. We will be leaving on January 21st, 2010.

In the meantime, life continues at a fast pace with three boys to keep us busy. Spencer is 15 years old now and has no trouble keeping himself busy with his voracious reading, fencing and social life. Lego is still his passion and music. He still plays the alto saxophone and this semester started working on the process of song composition. Keep those little ones in piano!

Lucas is in grade 7 and also involved in band. He is in the percussion section, which suits him, and I think he is humoring his mother :) His passion is basketball and he is busy with practices and games during the season and also goes to the gym after school twice a week to practice. His other interest is his ipod touch, which he purchased with his own earnings from working with his Dad this summer. We are kept busy ensuring that he doesn't become addicted to checking his email.

Ethan is 7 years old and in grade 2. He keeps us on our toes and is a sponge for information of which he is continually soliciting answers for all day long. Recently he informed us that, "milk is his staple"....yup, that's what we're up against! He enjoys sports and music and gave a great performance at his school's Christmas Concert that made us very proud.

A lot of changes for us in the coming year...we hope to see some of you along the way, and pray for you to have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Love, Walt, Leona, Spencer, Lucas and Ethan

Golf, anyone?

Ella has taken a liking to an old golf ball that rolled out of the cupboard. She doesn't chew on it or, even play with it; she just puts it in her mouth and brings it to wherever she decides to lie down. It's quite funny. Anyway, I figure it's the Veldkamp side that's influencing her behavior!

A trip to the local Falconer

The boys and I were thrilled to visit the Halifax airport a couple of weeks ago and meet the falconer who is in charge of bird control on the runways. His name is Derek Forrest and he has a red-tailed hawk that Ethan is doing a project on at school. He was very kind to have us come by during his work day and he spent an half hour telling us all kinds of interesting things about hawks and falcons. Did you know that the falcon hunts in the air and the hawk hunts off the ground? And, the falcon humanely kills it's prey with a small puncture from the tip of his beak and the hawk tends to "play" with his food before consuming. Hmmmmmm.....who knew? Anyway, the picture speaks for itself.