She's Country...

"from her cowboy boots to her down home roots. She's country, from the song she plays to the prayer she prays.  That's the way she was born and raised, she ain't afraid to stay country... brother she's country!"

So I'm pretty sure the girls in Jason Aldean's video for that song didn't have dragonflies painted on their faces, but what the heck, I'm sure they aren't moms either!  The weekend of Saturday, July 17th was a busy one for me personally.  A little event called The Calgary Stampede was taking place locally.  If you have never gone you should definitely make a trip of it!!  It's not called the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth for nothing! Chuck wagon races, rodeo, fireworks, mini donuts, and the midway and vendors, it's all very exciting. I was blessed to go this year because Grandma won some free concert tickets and invited me to go with her!  I was very excited (to say the least) to see Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean both perform!

Before I could enjoy the afternoon at the fair and concert I had some work duties to attend to first.  I was up bright and early at 4:00 am so that I could leave for south Calgary by 5:00 am to serve coffee at a Stampede Pankcake Breakfast for one of the Coffee Traders wholesale clients.  I arrived in Calgary at 5:25 in time to start brewing 600 cups of coffee at a time!!  The event was held at Community Natural Foods, and I must say it was one of the best pancake breakfasts I've ever been too.  The crowd was a little overly organic even for me, but I still had a great time!  We served over 1200 people breakfast ranging from the homeless, to seniors and lots of families.  Even the cutlery was compostable!  By the time my duties were done it was 12:30 and I was on my way home to meet Grandma in Cochrane so we could carpool back into Calgary for the Stampede festivities.  As you can see above, I didn't leave before I could get my face painted though.

Grandma and I headed into Calgary to ride the C-train down to the Stampede grounds because parking is expensive and it is also a  bit of a nightmare.  Taking the train is so much easier.  The only glitch is that I get very motion sick, even in the car, so I had to make sure not to gawk around too much.  I love people watching and the train and Stampede are both excellent venues to see a lot of interesting people.  Our train ride was uneventful [thankfully] and we proceeded onto the fairground so we could look around before the concert, as well as grab a bite to eat.  We headed to the Indian Village where the winners of the Pow Wow competition were being crowned.  We toured some tipis too.  Unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside the tipi, but I took a few outside to share with you.

This is the winner of the male 70+ category, I missed his name though.

Here's Grandma outside a tipi from the Siksika Nation.

After being outside for a couple hours we decided to try to catch the Superdogs show, since they are inside.  We made a beeline for the pavilion so that we could be early enough to get seats.  We did just that and were enjoying the coolness of the building as the place started to fill up for the 5:00 pm show.  We talked back and forth and commented on how the pavilion floor looked a little wet, and joked about having to clean up after the dogs with a Zamboni.  The lights started to dim and we realized that we were in the ice skating show instead!! We were treated to an hour long ice show with Cirque du Soleil type acrobatics [above the ice] with athletes Elvis Stojko, and Olympic Gold Medal skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and others.  It was a wonderful surprise and it was hard to be disappointed that we missed out on the Superdogs!

Next we were off to the concert! It's been so long since I've been to a concert, I was really, REALLY, excited to see both these artists.  They are both similar in style, although Miranda Lambert has an old country twang with a twist of new to more of her songs and Jason Aldean is very new country with down home values.  It was a great time!  I sang my little heart out with all the songs I knew, so much that I nearly lost my voice.  That's a good time! I also love it when the artists sound just a good [or better] live as they do on the radio!

Grandma and I enjoying the concert

My pictures didn't really turn out because we were pretty far away, but here's a few shots & a video of the "live" experience! I had a great time and can't wait to see who is coming to town next year for Stampede!

Miranda Lambert on the big screen with her pink guitar

Jason Aldean!

Jason Aldean performing Big Green Tractor

"...And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor.  We can go slow or make it go faster. Down through the woods and out to the pasture, 'Long as I'm with you it really don't matter. 

Climb up in my lap and drive if you want to. Girl, you know you got me to hold on to. We can go to town, but baby if you'd rather, I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor..."

Happy Canada Day and 4th of July!!

Yes, I haven't blogged for that long! Since Canada Day (July 1) fell on a Thursday this week I was blessed by my boss to find out that I would be able to have Friday off as well and make it into and EXTRA long weekend.  Time to plan a family trip!

We decided what better way to spend the national holiday than by going to the majestic Rocky Mountains and to Banff National Park for Canada Day.  Admission to the park was free which would have normally cost us about $26 for our family and that was great! Traffic was a bit of a nightmare, but that was to be expected with free admission.

On our way into Banff we drove around the Lake Minnewanka loop which is where I'll be doing my triathlon in September.  Mike was able to catch his first glimpse of a live big horn sheep and elk up close (see photo below).  Harrison and I were brave enough to dip our toes into the mountain lake... CHILLY!!  We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Banff town site, being entertained by musicians and street entertainers, etc.  They had tons for kids to do, bounce houses and face painting, but we skipped those activities because the lines were about an hour long (too long for a 2 year old!)  We stopped to snap a pic with the Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) in their dress uniform, too.

Harrison & Mommy with the Mounties

Two elk with gorgeous velvet antlers

Friday we packed up our bags and our tent trailer and headed to Jill's ranch to camp out for a few days.  Let's just say we had a fantastic time with Jill but Mike and I may need to rethink camping with the kiddos for a few years to come!  Harrison loved the idea of camping and being outside running around like a wild man, but when it came time to sleep he was very adamant that we were "all done" and he wanted to "go home, bed".  He did NOT want to sleep in the trailer!  The first night he was awake until 11 pm, even after I laid down with him for an hour.  Saturday night Jill (who is going through cancer treatment) had a party to shave her head, in prep for chemo.  Again, we all had a wonderful time but I came down with a stomach bug and did not want to wait for my fever to break, so we headed home early.  Needless to say we all slept better in our own beds that night!  Sunday we spent relaxing and catching up on stuff around the house.  It was a fun weekend all around, so glad we gave camping a try!

Harrison and Heidi

Heidi Jo

Heidi with my old Strawberry Shortcake

This picture really makes me laugh!! I love how they are both

leaning over and their eyes are identical! Too cute!

There's Something About 30...

I can't seem to put my finger on it, but there is something about turning thirty this year that has put the pressure on me.  Things I have yet to conquer or master in my life I am finally overcoming.  I have struggled for years with eating and now suddenly I have the discipline? Or I have always wanted to maintain my athleticism and this is the year I will train for and complete 2 triathlons?  I want to be more organized and I'm making huge strides towards it.  Wow.  What "magic" is held in the number thirty.  I think for me it symbolizes the passing of time. Where did my 20s go? I swear I remember just turning 21 yesterday.  Now I'm 30... really? REALLY.  And I'm loving it!  I am stable, I am responsible, and I am content.  The challenges I have taken on are not easy ones and I am succeeding.  I dare say I am accomplished.  It feels really good and I am definitely looking forward to the next 30 years!

There has been so much happening, I don't even know where to start.  Sadly there are people who we deeply valued as friends that have practically stabbed us in the back and left us for dead.  Gladly, we have met new friends who more than make up for the bad ones with their graciousness and unconditional love towards us, who give freely of their time and we do the same.  It is so wonderful! I am SO glad that David, Lauren and Zoe have come into our lives! David and Lauren are from Louisiana and have now moved to downtown Calgary to eventually plant a new church downtown!  They are such an awesome couple, and I have learned so much from them in the short time that we've gotten to know them.  Zoe is their daughter who is about 19 months now and will soon be the big sister to her new brother!  It's been such a blessing to finally have a baby boy to whom we can pass along all of Harrison's clothes to.  So much fun!  I hope that our friendship with the Miller Family will continue, no matter what the distance!

My dearest friend Jill started her chemo treatments in Calgary about 2 weeks ago and God has really answered so many prayers for her!  She has been tired but not sick for a moment, definitely without the nausea that most often accompanies chemo treatments.  PRAISE GOD!  Bless her heart, she has even been well enough stay with our children a couple of time while Mike was away getting some stuff sorted out for a new work opportunity.  She is such a beautiful person and I love her to pieces! I will not say much at this point because we are not totally sure how things will work out, but praise God that I will be back at home with the children is and Mike will be returning to work! God is so good!

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of Jill's husband Jaco to Canada.  He is a doctor and he is from South Africa.  They met and fell in love while both working on the cruise ship. Ironically enough, he was the first doctor to diagnose her with Hodgkin's.  They were married in Namibia, in the middle of no where, on a sand dune, and she is the most stunning bride I have ever seen! Her pictures take my breath away.  We are excited for him to spend some time in Alberta so we can get to know him better, and I am secretly hoping that he will officially apply to come and work here.  Lord knows we need more good doctors!

Harrison and Heidi continue to grow and change daily.  Their curiosity and outlook on life make me smile.  Harrison is such a doting brother, he truly loves his sister.  I pray I can still say that in 2 years time!  Heidi is developing a bubbly personality all her own and will be crawling soon.  They seem to develop so much faster with a sibling to try to keep up to!  She is eating baby food and is very happy, healthy, and strong.  Her hair is still blond with a red tint and her eyes are still sparkling blue.  Absolutely adorable!

I suppose that is enough of an update tonight.  It's been so long since I've made time for blogging. I definitely miss it, and will do my best to get caught back up!

Lots of love,

The Burnett Bunch

Bad Weather, Good Books!

Where is spring??  Since the weather has literally kept us inside for a couple weeks now, raining and snowing on and off, I’ve decided to make the most of it by working out at the gym (indoors) and picking up a few good books to read. For triathlon training I have decided to focus on my weakest portion, the run. I picked up a used copy of “Running Start to Finish” by John Stanton, founder of the Running Room, and “No Need For Speed; a beginner’s guide to the joy of running” by Runner’s World columnist John Bingham. I’ve started with Running Start to Finish, and even though I have just barely started it has really encouraged to make running a daily part of my lifestyle and to set some new goals for myself in the running department. I’ve been very discouraged lately as my weight loss had stalled out for a couple weeks (a plateau, I think), and my training partners have been dropping like flies, for various reasons. I really needed a positive lift and this book seems to set me back on track! I plan on reporting more good news about this soon!

I also picked up some parenting books. I truly believe in parenting with a purpose or “on purpose”, not with the goal of just making it through the day (or hour!) I really wanted a used copy of “Have a New Kid by Friday” since I’ve heard such fantastic reviews about it, but our local bookstore didn’t have it in. Actually, our church in San Angelo held parenting classes based on that particular book so I look forward to having the opportunity to read it one day. I did however pick-up a couple books by Dr. James Dobson “Dare to Discipline” and “Bringing Up Boys”, of course, both biblically based.

I also purchased “Boundaries with Kids”, which is the book I decided to start with. It is also biblically based and very good so far. I didn’t think that any parenting book would be a page turner but I haven’t wanted to put it down since I started it yesterday! It really puts into perspective that our goal as parents should be to help our children develop the character to make their futures go well. I especially agreed with the philosophy of denying your child some privileges now (by setting boundaries, and consequences) so that they can have successful marriages and careers of their own one day. It seems so simple, like all parents should think that way, but I must admit that I don’t always have that perspective. That is all changing though!

Since visiting Edmonton Harrison, Heidi and I have all come down with another cold. I sure hope we see consistent sunshine soon so we can all get and stay healthy!!

Friday was exciting for us because we purchased a tent trailer! This will mean many warm weekends of camping for us this summer, with friends, with family, and hopefully a few trips with just the Burnett Bunch. You'll have to wait for some pictures because we aren't bringing it home for a couple of weeks yet.  It is old (1974), and very retro with bright yellow counter tops but it has a sink, stove and fridge. I think it’s perfect for us!

Not much else new to report. We are counting down the days until Mike goes to Texas to bring our belongings home. I am also counting down the days until my first triathlon… only 70 more training days to go! Time to literally step it up!  Happy trails!

Josh, Cole & Harrison enjoying tub time

Time with Daddy

Shopping at West Edmonton Mall

Heidi Jo, 5 months old

I'd like a dry, skinny, single-shot cappuccino, please :)

I find it so crazy how the coffee culture has it's own language.  I am slowly learning but every now and then someone who (seemingly) knows their stuff will throw me a curve ball!  Keeps me on my toes!  I want to thank all of you out there who generously tip your local Barista.  I generally make anywhere from $5-$10  in tips per day, which I really didn't expect.  This has become my triathlon savings fund! So thank you from one very grateful Barista!

All has been fairly quiet on the triathlon training front lately and I am having a hard time getting going again.  Taking a week off to heal my thumb and to deal with our birthday marathon have really knocked my motivation off track.  I am also on the verge of achieving a large weight loss goal (the first large step of many to come) and I just can't seem to get past it.  It makes me wonder and think if it is a mental/emotional block in my life?  I desperately want to shed all the extra pounds that I have carried around for so many years! Why is my body holding on to them?  I pray that the Lord will give me the strength and dedication to blow through this hurdle and move onto better things in my life!

For the long weekend Mike, the kids and I travelled to Edmonton to spend some great time with Jim, Paula, Josh and Cole Tetz.  Paula is my Aunt and is my mothers youngest sister (of 8), so we are more like sisters than anything.  I love their family! Josh is 4 and a very sweet boy. Overall he is gentle and caring but as Paula says "he's upper management material".  When you ask him to do something (like get up and get something) he'll very casually say "Cole will do it"!! HAHA! And Cole does.  Josh is the boss and Cole is the happy worker. It is so interesting to observe their family dynamic.  Jim and Paula have done such an awesome job parenting. The boys are generally calm and very obedient which nothing short of a miracle.  I always thought a family of just boy would be wild and crazy, but Paula has definitely proven that line of thinking wrong!  I hope that Mike and I can get on the same page sooner rather than later and become more consistent with how we are raising our family. There's always something to work towards!

The weather in Edmonton was rainy (like most of the province) but the boys enjoyed themselves anyway.  You can tell Harrison doesn't have his own yard to play in because Josh and Cole lasted only a little while in the colder weather but we practically had to drag Harrison inside (literally kicking and screaming) because he just wanted to keep playing.  I hope when the good weather is here to stay that we can get him to the park on a daily basis.  The Tetz's gave him a sand toy kit for his birthday and I'm thinking he'll use it everyday once the weather improves! Later that evening I had fun getting all the boys in the tub for a final scrub before bed!

On Sunday we visited the West Edmonton Mall, did some sightseeing, window shopping and took the kids on a few rides in Galaxy Land. Harrison loved the train and riding on the cars. When Harrison rode the motorcycle and I rode with him it definitely made me motion sick. I just can't handle rides like I used to be able to!  Mike took Harrison on the train while Heidi and I watched and waved. Overall we had a lot of fun!

I was able to get some real shopping done while Mike took the kids back to the Tetz's to nap. The Gap and Banana Republic are outlet stores in the South Edmonton Common shopping center and they were both 40% off the entire store on Sunday.  I was able to buy men's GAP jeans for $13.00 a pair! What a bargain! I bought clothes for Heidi, Mike and Harrison at great deals.  I didn't spend anything on myself since I am between sizes anyway. That evening we prepared for our drive home on Monday, and hung out with Paula, Jim, Wes and Susan (another of my moms sisters). We had a great time learning new card games Up the River and Golf.

Monday morning we packed and drove out to Sue and Wes's for brunch. The boys played a little more, we enjoyed delicious sausage and omlettes, and then we were escorted to view Jim & Paula's new acreage.  They are building a new home in an acreage community called The Highlands. It is a very classy neighborhood with lots of young kids and I think that their family will be very happy there!  Congrats to The Tetz's!!

That about sums up our weekend. We had a fantastic time but we are also glad to be home and sleeping in our own beds again.  I am contemplating when to transition Harrison to a toddler bed. I am thinking of waiting for a couple more months, until is is completely used to sharing his bedroom with Heidi (and she hopefully stops teething).  Thanks for following us, keep reading and posting!

Love,
The Burnett Bunch

Cafe-isms

The life and culture that you see working at a coffee shop is unique and defferent from anywhere I've ever worked before.  There truely are coffee conosours, officinados, or as my boss would say "coffee snobs" out there who certainly know their stuff.  Before joining the Cochrane Coffee Traders team I didn't know that coffee tasting is a lot like wine tasting.  A hint of chocolate, or caramel, or nuttiness.  To be honest, I enjoy serving the average Joe who hasn't a clue the difference between a light roast or a dark roast. He just knows that his coffee tastes good to him and helps him get through his work day.  These are the most grateful customers by far.
I generally don't go anywhere after work except home to shower because by the end of my shift I am saturated with the smell of coffee.  The other day I had to run to the bank before going home and when it was my turn, as I approached the wicket the male teller's ears perked up and his eyes glowed as he asked me "Is it your perfume that smells like COOKIES?"  I really didn't want to disappoint him, but I told him no, that infact I work with coffee beans all day long and that day I had been bagging many flavored coffees.  I think he was a little sad, but if you ever thought that the saying "A way to a mans heart is through his stomache" was cliche, here's definite proof that it's not!

Other news in the lives of the Burnett Bunch... we have officially survived Birthday Week 2010.  Harrison's birthday is May 5th, Mike's is May 8th, mine is May 12th and always somewhere in there falls Mother's Day, as well! And this year, to complicate things, I managed to gash my left thumb open (to the bone). It was not a pretty sight.  This happened on Harrison's birthday, and I couldn't do much for a couple days, including training.  It was a bit of a crazy week, sort of how Christmas will now work out for us, too.  Of course there's Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day but now we have Heidi's birthday on December 28th before New Years.  Twice a year our lives will be psychotically insane for the rest of our lives. Lord help us if we decide to have another child!!  I think we'd try to plan for a June, July, August birth, next time!

Speaking of June births, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new niece Isla at the end of June! Kimbra and Zach are expecting and we couldn't be happier for them! Our extended family is growing by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to find out the day that my brother Blair and his wife Danielle are expecting, it will be really special! I can't wait to spoil my nieces and nephews! Lots of their friends are having babies, so I hope it won't be too much longer!

Other news, Mike and I have decided that taking the kids to Texas to gather our belongings isn't the very best idea for this year, simply because they are so little and it is such a long trip (2100 miles, one way!)  It wouldn't be fair to haul them that far just to turn around 2 days later and come home.  This way I won't have to take time off work (our only income right now), and Mike will be able to do it much quicker without having to stop for a million different reasons. 

Ever since Mike and I have been married all of our belongings have never been all in the same place, at the same time, or unpacked all at once.  This is something that we truly are looking forward to.  It has been a long 3 years of "making due" and it is past due in both our opinions.  June 8th he will fly into Abilene, and drive to Brownwood to start loading the moving truck that he will drive across the country to meet Blair, Danielle, and I in Great Falls, Montana.  I will drive the moving truck across the border to avoid any complications, and then we will carry on to Cochrane.  Our goal is to have everything unpacked so that we can contribute items to a family garage sale with our good friends Paul & Cindy the following weekend.  I know that we have been storing items that we don't or won't need so it will be great to pare everything down, hopefully make some extra cash, and finally feel like we are HOME. It will be so nice, this is something I am looking forward to very, very much!

I hope that all my readers (there are some of you, right??) haven't dropped like flies. I am sorry that my posts come very inconsistently but I hope you keep reading nonetheless.

Blessings from The Burnett Bunch!

Falling Behind While Getting Ahead

I have created so many new and good habits lately; blogging regularly just isn't one of them! I realize I only posted 3 times in April even though so much has happened in our family life and my life personally. Where to start?
I have been blessed with what seems like the perfect job. Low stress, independence, casual & laid back, fun, fairly straightforward and easy, wonderful hours and the list could go on and on. Monday through Friday I work from 6:45 am to 1:30 pm and then I have each afternoon off to spend with my family. It works so well because the kids are still asleep when I leave so there is no separation anxiety, the kids will each nap while I'm at work so it gives Mike a little break and then Harrison is still napping when I get home and ready to go out for the afternoon! It is such a wonderful schedule for our family. It certainly doesn't hurt either that my boss is also a triathlete at the Ironman level and is full of race experience and general training wisdom (not to mention used gear galore!)  We continue to be so blessed!


You may be wondering how we spend our afternoons in this wonderful little mountain town... parks, walking trails, swimming pool, library and gymnastics are just a few activities that keep us and our kids busy. We have made Friday our family date afternoon and evening Mommy/Daddy date night. Our regular activity is to take the kids swimming at 3:30pm and then enjoy a simple meal out. By the time we get home they are worn out from swimming that they have a very peaceful night sleep, and we can either have a babysitter come over and go out or curl up on the couch and watch a movie and snuggle.


We are still waiting for Mike's permanent residency paperwork to be approved. I am so proud of the way he has stepped up into the role of being Mr. Mom. He keeps the kids on their schedules and they are equally content and happy with him as they are with Mommy and that says a lot! Gratefully the weather is improving daily so they will be able to get out of the house more often and get some fresh air and exercise. Sadly I heard on the radio that Canada receives an F for children’s fitness and health. Kids need 90 minutes a day of physical activity and on average Canadian children are not meeting the minimum requirements. Mike and I both have a passionate desire to make sure our children learn healthy living habits from us, so they never have to struggle with weight issues, so we are determined to make sure Harrison and Heidi both get the amount of exercise they need. No fat camp for this family!!  We are creating a NEW legacy in the name of Jesus!


My triathlon training is going really great for me. I have achieved some mini-milestones for myself lately that I am so proud to have accomplished. Since starting training I have lost 17.4 lbs and 51lbs from my highest pregnancy weight. That is a lot of extra weight to carry around! I still have a LONG way to go but to see such steady progress is really encouraging!


Today I set two new personal best times on the bike (15.5km in 37:30 and a 5km run in 37:45). This is very exciting for me too; I am seeing drastic improvements in my strength and endurance. The top female finisher in my age category for the Lake Chaparral tri completed the course in 1:07:52 (swim 11:46, bike 31:40, run 24:28). Not that I am aiming for first place my very first time out, but I am competitive by nature and want to do my very best, each and every time.   Currently I am 11+ minutes more on the swim, only 7+ minutes more on the bike, but 14+ minutes more on the run.  Thankfully I still have 3 months of training left and a lot more weight to shed!  It gives me an awesome goal to shoot towards and I find it very motivating.  My new road bike still hasn’t come in yet but can’t wait for it to arrive so I can get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather.


May is literally birthday month for our family. Harrison, Mike and I celebrate our birthdays on the 5th, 8th and 12th, plus Mike’s dad and brother, and my cousin Kali. We are going down to Lethbridge to celebrate Harrison’s 2nd birthday with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Blair, Aunty Danielle, and possibly Jim, Paula, Josh and Cole. We are having a farm/cowboy birthday party; riding horses, tractors, the golf cart. It should be a great party!


This past weekend we went to about 5 garage sales where I bought some random trinkets that I really didn’t need, but isn’t that the point of browsing garage sales?!? I actually bought a large mirror for $5, and an old fashioned beater, framed picture of some grain elevators, and a metal scoop for $8. We also found a tent trailer that hasn’t officially hit the market yet because the family wants to use it one last time for the May long-weekend. It is a pop-up tent trailer with 3 beds, a sink, fridge, stove and electric power. I am so excited to go camping with my family this summer! Alberta has such great weather in the summer; it would be such a shame to waste any beautiful weekends.
Since all of our earthly possessions are in Texas we are planning a trip down to have a quick visit and to pick it all up, likely in June. We’d like to meet with all our family while we’re there but it is proving to be a little difficult to get 4 siblings and their families together for a visit and/or a family picture. Mike’s middle sister, Kimbra and her husband Zach are expecting their first child at the end of June and we’d like to be able to pass some baby items along to them that they might be able to use before the baby arrives. This will be the third baby girl born into our extended family this year, Jayden, Heidi and baby Tharp. We have only seen Jayden once so to visit again will be wonderful! It would be nice to see Kimbra and Zach’s baby too, but the timeline just isn’t in our favour. I pray it all comes together since I don’t think we’ll be able to afford another trip down for a couple years.


Last but certainly not least, I am anxiously awaiting the return of one of my best friends, Jill Callitz. Jill, if you remember, has been seeking alternative treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with a doctor in Mexico. Sadly the treatments are not working and the cancer is not going into remission and so Jill has been faced with the decision to proceed with chemotherapy and radiation treatments at home in Alberta. She is currently spending some much needed time with her husband in the Caribbean islands before she starts her new treatments mid-May. Jill is absolutely my hero and an inspiration to me! She is so brave and positive. She has started stock piling different wigs to off-set her hair loss and is actually going to shave her head and donate her hair before she loses it. I think that takes an enormous amount of courage! I can’t wait to see her sporting purple hair and Afro hair. I think it will really suit her!

Please pray for Jill and Jaco as they are having to make some very difficult decisions because of the possible side effects of the chemo. Jill may become infertile and unable to bare children and so they are considering whether to harvest eggs, how many, etc. I can’t imagine having to make these types of decisions, let alone within such a short timeline. I firmly believe that my God is so much bigger than cancer and can completely spare Jill from any and all negative side effects, but I also understand that they want to feel prepared in case that is not what God has in store. Please lift them up in your prayers, I love Jill so much and can’t wait for her to live out her life in full freedom and victory!!


Wow! This is a lengthy update. I really, really need to be more consistent about writing so my posts are more manageable to read. Thank you for reading, see you back again soon!

Sorry, these are not in order.  This the 5 km run course map for Lake Chaparral (August 7).

15.5 km Bike Course

750m open water swim course

Banff International course map (September 11)