Seeing as it has (already!) been 10 or so years since I went to the Academy, I've been coming up on some neat anniversaries. Well, here's one that is pretty significant: Becca and I first met ten years ago today.

There we were, in the basement of the Academy. By the fireplace. I was hanging out with some people and then, behold! Her eyes... Her hair... Her smile... Her hair... Love at first sight! She looked at me. Eye to eye. I fought off the urge to drop to my knee right there to propose. Barely. Then, she stuck out her hand to me, shook mine and said: "Hi, I'm Rebecca."

And that was it. I came up with a quick mnemonics... "Re..d hair. Re..becca." And I haven't forgotten her name since.

How could I ever forget such a mystical and profound moment? The rest is history.

Except for Becca, who doesn't remember any of this.

Summer Photo Dump

We're almost at the end of summer. The weather feels like it and Dan's looming return to work spells out sadness. We live for those 2 months off! Although our blogging took a hit in production this summer and we didn't diligently document everything, we still had a lot of fun as a family and with family and friends. 

Shirtless. They love it. And when the three men of our household are shirtless, I'll occasionally hear from Joseph, "Why don't you take off your shirt, Mom?" Modesty - we're still working on understanding it. 

"Watch out, bro! I got your gun."

My little workerman. He gets me to *call* him on the phone all the time to come to my house. Lately, since we don't have any projects on the go, he'll ask, "Do you need me to check out your house or is it just for a visit?" Dan told him that he's not allowed to look for mould in our house anymore.

Camping at Greenwater Lake. Can you spot John Paul? For some reason Joseph decided they should keep their eyes shut for this picture.



We took a couple trips out to Greenwater this summer, one our overnight camping trip and another just for the day. The boys loved hanging out hitting trees with sticks, picking wild Saskatoons, and spying on a little chipmunk who decided to visit out camp site.

During our camping trip, we painted some fishing lures at a Provincial Parks kids event and took a hike down a mosquito infested trail. Here Dan exhibited his balancing skills for the boys.

We spent a lot of time at our outdoor pool on warms days. It started with me trying to give Joseph some swimming lessons, but he didn't take too warmly to them, so we just hit up the pool to try to get him more comfortable. I'm trying to mend the damage I did to him in the bathtub a few months ago. Meanwhile, John Paul is a water baby!

Our one and only grocery store is good for something. Co-op and the Credit Union put on a joint birthday party for their respective mascots last week. Huge bouncy castles, crafts, free BBQ and cake, and photo-ops with Fat Cat! The boys (and their parents!) loved it.

While on our annual Saskatoon fun trip to a hotel and various attractions, we hung out with the boys' Rogal cousins at the new Kinsman Park. I forgot the camera, but thankfully Elaine was more prepared than us. These kids have so much fun together!  

The boys and I enjoy the ferris wheel, while Daddy stays below lest he get sick. 
Now they're ready to start school. Yeah, right. But they're pretty thrilled with a Salvation Army find table. And if we can get it through their heads NOT to stand on the chairs or table, there will be less casualties and more fun!

Theolego

Lately every time we want to eat a meal we've had to clean up all the lego at the table. I finally got around to repairing Joseph's sets and, somehow, we've just played lego instead of putting it all away. It's too educational to put away. By educational I mean theologically educational, of course.

Undoubtedly lego teaches us much about theology. Take Joseph's playing with his sets. He receives sets, just like we receive grace from God. Now sometimes he takes these sets and does great things with them. Other times, sometimes too frequently, he breaks them. Minor repairs are manageable (venial sins), though slow down the playing process. Major breaks are serious (mortal), and halt the game all together. Well back in May he had a series of mortal sins in the lego department. He severely maimed nearly half of his sets. Bad Joseph. They were then put away. Dare I say he even forgot about them for a while. No doubt he was living a dissolute life in the meantime. Probably too busy playing outside of the house(/Church).

I'm God in this whole analogy. It's nice to play God. Now Joseph needed me to rebuild his sets. Yet, even his desire to want them rebuilt was induced by me (taking them out, eventually). Together Joseph and I patiently worked on mending the sets. Some of the sets were missing parts, and we had to do our best (sin has consequences). Others I repaired them even stronger than they were before (O happy fault). Through this whole process Joseph unknowingly learned the deeper truths of human nature, forgiveness, and God's mercy.

Sadly life is more complicated than this. We need to throw the devil into the equation. Enter John Paul. Joseph somewhat manages to handle his lego sets, and enjoy them, on his own. But when John Paul comes around, who is bent on the sets' destruction, complications arise. At first John Paul enters very jovially. He even gives the hope of being a worthy companion to play with. But once he gets his hands on one set, it's lights out. We are left with a broken set and Joseph despairing in anger. Only when he calms down and seeks God (me again!) are things made right. Sometimes Joseph tries to avoid John Paul/devil all together, and locks himself in his room. But me/God, in his omniscient ways, sees it wiser to permit John Paul to roam somewhat constrained around Joseph. It's nice to see Joseph handle John Paul properly. Again, there is deep theology here.

However, considering August 15th, the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady, is upon us, we have one final character. Recourse to Mary. Enter Becca. Now when Joseph breaks a lego set it makes me upset. How could he do this? Why? He takes things for granted! Mary (Becca) soothes the situation. She checks in on the mending of the sets. She helps find missing pieces. Through her the re-construction takes place fruitfully. When Joseph is smart enough to involve her, in any way, in the rebuilding of the sets then things always go better. Isn't this always the case. When we say "Mary", Mary says "Jesus." 

This little analogy is not to be taken lightly. In it Joseph is learning about God. As he grows older and we explain sin, forgiveness, and mercy to him, it will connect with him better. It will just make sense. The whole process is already being engraved in him. May the faith and love of God be built up in Joseph, brick by brick. 

Or is it block by block?

Beach Bums

Pretty sweet view, don't you think?

As a young kid, the allure of sitting on a beach blanket or chair for hours on end -- sun-tanning or even napping, leisurely reading a novel, gazing out at the beautiful water -- was never my thing. I didn't understand the allure of the beach bum life at all. Me, I had to be moving and changing activities all the time: a few minutes sitting, take a swim, play some pickle (a tag-type beach game), pick some berries, discover standing stones way out from shore, build a castle. 

But never just sit there, like my boring older cousins and all the adults. 

The extent of our beach life growing up included spending days every summer on a beautiful little beach just a short walk from my cousins' house in New Hampshire or during out week at the lake Madonna House's Cana Colony family camp was situated on outside Combermere, ON. Both are gorgeous little lakes with, thankfully, lots to keep kids busy. As I got older, I would always take on a distance swim to test my strengths: swim with Dad around to the beach around a large peninsula from my cousins' small beach; swim to The Rock at Cana where we could jump from the cliffs of the Canadian Shield jutting out from the water. The life that included a sandy bathing-suit bottom was a good life.

Fast forward ten to fifteen years (!) and I'm taking my own two kids to the beach. We have spent two glorious days hanging out at a little lake, Greenwater by name (and true to its name), about an hour's drive from our house. It is a provincial park and the camping/cabin/day-trip destination for the Tisdale resident. 

Our first day there, part of our 24 hr (I'm not even joking!) camping trip found Dan and I slightly bored, wondering how people did this every day, all summer. Time stood still. But our second trip, which we just came back from this evening, found us enjoying ourselves immensely. Perfect weather, sand-castles, a fire-roasting picnic lunch and loads of snacks... it was glorious!

And for the first time, I understood the allure of just sitting on the beach, doing nothing.

Maybe it was nothing more than a little parental sleep-deprivation I needed to appreciate such a life. The joy of having no responsibilities, nothing to do, except make sure my kids don't drown and throw them a snack every 10 min. because they're starving. On the other hand, it's a joy to relax while watching my own kids play in the sun. 

Joseph was happy to sit on his floaty for pretty well our entire beach time on our first trip, bobbing around and watching the motor boats. This second trip, we made a sand-castles surrounding a "lake" with a stream out to sea, we buried Joseph up to his chin (at his request), we watched John Paul fully dunk himself trying to wash his hands (then laughed and saved his life!), and returned sand toys he stole from other beachers. I also took a couple of very small (like, 75m small) swim strength tests that proved it's been (quite) a few years since my lifeguard days. Once again, I discovered that the life that includes a sandy bathing-suit bottom (and hair and swim diaper and towels and blankets) is a good life. 

I have no funny quips or words of wisdom to conclude this revere of a blog, just sand to rinse out of my washing-machine and clean towels to pull from the dyer. And, of course, beach bums to wash in the tub.

Mommy Blog: What's on My Mind... Really...

Given that Becca has not blogged in a gazillion days, it is necessary for me to write a blog for her. This is the Millette Family Blog, after all. Whatever is written here is, more or less, I'm sure exactly what she would say if she were to blog.


I was thinking the other day of just how blessed I am. Here I am, married to the most wonderful, humble, strong, handsome, and possessing all things virtuous man. And I further reflected on how incredible it has been that he swept me away, like a knight in shining armour, and took me to this breathtakingly spectacular land of Saskatchewan. Deep down I think I always desired, even when a little girl, to live in Saskatchewan. I always wanted to experience 40 below weather, for weeks on end. There was something about the ring of the name, how it rolled off the tongue. Here I am. And my boys! Each and everyday I see more and more of their father in them! How exciting! When Joseph talks back to me it reminds me of the wonderful authority displayed by his father. When John Paul cries for food I think of how meaningful it is for me to spend my days making food so that my husband can be served at 5:00pm on the dot every evening, except for on days where it is necessary to read his mind that he wants supper earlier. Yes, these thoughts swept me away as I thought of them.

Yet another thought entered my mind, one that brought me great distress: what if I had never met my tremendous husband! Oh dear! I never would have had the privilege of living in his parent's basement for a year! I never would have experienced the passion of being a football fan for a team that has won 3, er now 4, Grey Cups in just over 100 years.I never would have been challenged to be the best person I can be, since being told my pies aren't as good as his mother's and that I should step up my baking game, makes me desire to be the best person I can be. Dare I say I never would've experienced the joy of worshiping in his home province! To be asked to hold hands with total strangers during the Our Father, or to be invited, out of respect of unity, to never kneel again. Would I even be able to say I have lived? Perish theses thoughts!

When it's all said in done, I must say that these past five years have been as close as it gets to heaven. In heaven we see God clearly as He is. In marriage we see our husbands clearly as they are. Such a similar concept! Yes, this definitely has been like heaven.

Anyway, I should probably go. The pies are ready to be taken out of the oven. Till next time.

- Blessed Becca

Points to Ponder: The Road of Life

1. Out with the Old

We sold our van. Yep, it's gone. The A/C went (again) and the van was feeling a little tired. So we put it on the old Tisdale Buy and Sell facebook page and we sold it within a couple of days. Who bought it? Let's just say if you go to Nipawin on a Friday afternoon you might see it (only a few of you will get that reference).

Becca was a little sad to see it go. She was giving me lines like: "we brought our kids home from the hospital in it..." or "we went on our honeymoon in it..." But deep down I think she's pleased. Why? Because...

2. In with the New

 Our "new" van. A 2011 Grand Caravan. Blessed Lady Blue. It was owned by an older couple, and only has 23,000km. The best part is that the A/C works!


3. Anniversary Special

We celebrated my parent's 40th anniversary over the long weekend. It wasn't actually their anniversary date, we postponed it a month because it worked better for everyone. Anyway, it was a fun weekend of golf, music, food, fire, and Mass. That's a Papal Blessing my mom is holding. Who knew you could still buy indulgences? Actually, according to those JWs who stopped by our house again recently, apparently they believe Catholics still do sell indulgences. One could try reasoning with them, but it's hard to reason with people who think that the bible has the prophet Daniel predicting World War One. But I'm off topic. It was a great weekend.

4. Divine Comedy

You know how people say that God has a great sense of humour? Sort of like: "I found $10 this morning, and then I lost my job! God sure has a sense of humour! He probably figured I would need the money!" Oh the humour of the Good Lord. I'm being slightly facetious, of course. I do believe that God has a sense of humour, though like Dante's Divine Comedy, there can be more serious undertones to it. In regards to my parent's anniversary celebration that had to be moved to the August long weekend, it just so happened to coincide with a pseudo-wedding one of my cousins was having, just a few miles away... at a golf course. No word yet if the father drove the bride down the fairway in a cart to the groom waiting patiently on the green. Or how the caddy made out carrying the rings around. Needless to say (for our blog readers, anyway), a Catholic getting married outside of the Church (not just church, but Church...) is actually not a wedding at all. In other words, we didn't attend his "wedding." And I'm sure we aren't the most popular relatives at the moment. But I do think the Good Lord wouldn't have a problem having a slight chuckle over the whole thing. While some are celebrating a non-wedding over at a golf course, there we were celebrating 40 years of true marriage, with Masses, Papal Blessings, grandkids, and all. This is not to brag. But it is to say, point blank, that God is necessary in order to make it. I don't mind being hated for not attending that relative's wedding. In fact, I laugh, in a danse macabre sort of way, to think of how God was not invited to that wedding, yet that His grace is necessary for it to work. Hilarious. Right? 

5. Riders in the Storm

My beloved Riders. Sigh. That's about it. Before I go on and on about the ridiculous amount of injuries suffered, I am reminded by every non-Rider fan that injuries are not an excuse. But, golly gee, when I saw Darian Durant leave the game against Winnipeg last September I knew the season was done. And when I found out that he was done for this year, way back in week one, I knew we were done for the season. He is the leader of our team. His shoulders have carried the weight of an entire province for many years now. When he isn't there, the team is lost. The season is lost. And I'm lost...

Sigh.

6. Let's Roll

Two words: Benjamin Moore. Yes, the paint company. In other words, Becca has been putting me to work doing painting. I just completed putting new paint on both Joseph's and our room (sounds weird saying that, since I sleep in Joseph's room). In one room the paint was chipping like crazy (Co-op paint). In both rooms the painting job was horrible. So I painted from the ceiling down.

So here we are now: I put the kids on the bed while took the pictures so that you would not wonder why the beds weren't made.

7. Conclusion

That's all I've got. That and Justin's just not ready.

Nice hair though.