May Archives Import

May 24, 2009 I’m so happy to introduce LOUISE … the newest addition to our little family. She arrived yesterday (May 23rd). Just like Fargo she’s a Golden Doodle (Golden Retriever-Poodle cross). Unlike Fargo, who is a black medium doodle, Louise is a blond standard doodle. Fargo is smaller than a Golden Retriever; Louise will be the same size as Golden Retriever. She came from friends of ours who have been breeding their doodle for the past 2 years. We didn’t really plan on getting a 2nd dog, though it occasionally came up in passing … but I’ve always liked having 2 dogs instead of one and she was just there and I was there and Harry was indulgent of me and … well, you get the picture!! She’s only been with us for 24 hours, but she’s already figured out how to get our attention to go outside and where the door to "outside" is. We had a pretty quiet first night. She didn’t really whine or cry, but she did have to go out at 2:30 a.m. and again at 5:30. Her little bladder is actually quite tiny at this stage so getting up at night is to be expected. UNLIKE 2-legged babies, it will only take 2-3 weeks to get her sleeping all through the night. She has a delicate, sweet, small face and LOVES Fargo. Though she’s also confused because Fargo looks exactly like her mother so why isn’t nursing an option! Fortunately Fargo loves being around other dogs and so he’s quite content to have Louise join the household. May 8, 2009 WELCOME NORAH RUTH KOLE! We’re all so happy to have you here and wish we could meet you right away! Some interesting facts about Norah:  Norah is the 58th descendant of George and Katie Meyer  Norah is the 26th descendant of Jacobus and Tena Kole.  Norah is the first great-grandchild to bear the Kole name.  Norah is the 8th great-grandchild of Mom, but only the second girl! I just love seeing new additions to this family, whether it be spouses added or babies born. Last fall, Linda and I were batting around the idea of organizing and all-family reunion. Dallas once said weddings and funerals are the occasions that families all get together. Wouldn’t it be nice to do it just for the sake of doing it? Our family isn’t very big, so it would be nice for us all to get to know each other better. The reunion should be somewhere central to all of us. We were thinking Minneapolis because it’s easy for everyone to fly or drive to and is centrally located. It would be a long weekend affair (Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday). But something like that takes quite a while to organize and save for, so it would be maybe in 2010, maybe in 2011. If there’s enough interest, Linda and I are willing to get plans underway. Talk amongst yourselves and let us know what you think and what ideas you might have! May 4, 2009 1. I’ll play "catch up": Happy Birthday, Marcus!! (May 1st) 2. I’ll be on time: Happy 5th Anniversary, Dayna & Elliott!! (May 5th) 3. Spring has finally arrived in Calgary …I think … We usually get one last dump of snow in May, so I’m reserving the actual announcement of spring, if necessary. 4. I’ve re-discovered playing in a sandbox. Why do we think we grow out of that? 5. I’ve realized I love reading recipes and recipe books, but don’t really care to cook. Now that’s a dilemma! 6. I can’t wait until Jay and Jody join the rest of us as grandparents! (It’s so much fun!!) -K

March Archivez Import

March 30, 2009 Living in Calgary in the spring is a test of endurance. That's the story of our existence for the last two weeks. Last Sunday (March 22) we woke to over a foot of snow. Our Senior Pastor phoned me at 8:00 to see if we should cancel church because the roads were slightly impassible. We didn't cancel church, but we did do a lot of pushing out cars that were stuck! Then, throughout the week it turned very warm and a lot of the snow melted and it was puddles and mud and slush everywhere. But the weekend came and so did the rotation of weather. Sunday (March 29) we woke to another 10" of snow! (Check out the "news" page for photos and video.) At some point we just have to laugh and enjoy whatever we can about the snow and remind ourselves that "it's good for the farmers" since we live in such a dry area. I think the latest dump of snow I can remember was in 1982, when Linda was born. Her baptism was on May 9th and we had around 10" of heavy wet snow. Harry spends the better part of March and April trying to convince me that we should be living on the coast where it warms up much faster. I spend the better part of March and April reminding him that while it may be warmer, it's also a lot grayer because it rains all the time. I prefer Calgary's sunny, though schizophrenic, weather to grey and rainy for weeks on end. But the coast is a great place to visit! I hope your weather, wherever you are, is good. March 19, 2009 Blogging ... it's more work than I thought! Have you ever wondered how your life can be so busy, yet so uninteresting to anyone but yourself? I've found lately that I work from morning 'til night on all variety of things that are very interesting to me. Yet to tell someone about my day? Hmmm. I worked on some Council reports, updated some account records, checked emails, did a couple loads of laundry, worked on website lessons, took Fargo for a walk, etc., etc., etc.. Nothing too interesting. Well that is exactly what Justin does in his blog everyday. He chronicles the usual and unusual events of each day of his life. He occasionally inserts an opinion on something, but for the most part he simply accounts for his day. So simple, yet oddly addictive to read!! (I'm curious, Justin. How long have you been writing this blog?) And it actually requires a fair amount of discipline to keep it up. I don't know that I would have that kind of persistence. If you haven't had a look at his blog, go to the "pages" page and click on the link to his blog. (of note: he designed the header himself and I think it's very creative. I like it!) Oh yeah ... again ... lots of changes here at iowanorth.ca :-) March 15, 2009 Happy 24th Birthday, Sarah! Happy 2nd Birthday, Anthony! I want to say thank you to those who have sent suggestions and comments for the site. Every bit of encouragement, constructive advice and items for addition are helpful to my learning process. Rochelle sent in a new recipe and I love it. I wanted to call it "Rochelle's 3 Ingredient Super Easy Super Quick Cookies". She tells me they're called "Oh No! Company's Coming". It's one for the emergency section of your recipe box. And now, I'm wondering if you could send some pics of your families. Specifically, I have almost no pictures of Lucas (and Jessica), Marcus and Amy, Marshall and Sarah, Grace, Ryan and Genny & Noah, Justin and not ONE picture of Carrie. Help me out, please! .jpegs are the format of preference. March 12, 2008 - For Renee All of us face difficult times in the course of our lives -- some very publicly and others more privately. No matter what our trials may be, we can find comfort in being a part of this family. Most of us have this hanging in our homes and should re-read it from time to time to remind us what our family -- the extended Koles -- are all about: Our family is a circle of strength and love; With every birth and every union the circle grows. Every joy shared adds more love. Every crisis, faced together, makes the circle stronger. Today, the circle is strongly wrapped around Renee. We will not let it be broken. Instead, we have linked our arms around her so she can lean on us and find her own strength again. When we are facing trials and tribulations, we are always told about the virtues of patience, and how we are to endure. But one of the things that we don’t usually hear is that in the midst of our struggles, we should still be rejoicing and celebrating all of God’s goodness. As His servants, we must remember to give Him all the honor, the glory, and the praise! "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor .... (1 Peter 1:5-7) March 04, 2009 Happy 28th Birthday, John !! March 02, 2009 A whirlwind trip to Toronto then back to Calgary and a busy week. Toronto was a lot of fun. Dayna's show was a success and we were so impressed with it! Lots of people came out for the opening. Dayna and Elliott got to spend some time getting to know their nephews. Dayna did a painting session with Anthony which was highly entertaining for those of us watching! And Linda got to see where her sister lives. All in all, a good trip. The pictures tell it best …. A big THANK YOU goes out to Cary who sent some contributions for the website: some photos and a recipe for the Recipe Box. Also thank you for her helpful comments and encouragement for this website. I may not "blog" often, but there will continue to be additions and changes as I learn new things and as any of you contribute things. I'm really open to almost anything ... pictures, recipes, patterns, book reviews, a "blog" to the family, puzzles, jokes, .......... you get the idea!