Hello Ladies.. (in the old spice guy voice)

Hello ladies,

I thought I should post an update since a hole bunch of stuff has been happening in the last month. So where to begin.. well in May I graduated from BCIT with an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems.. which is basically I make maps and find stuff using some crazy software on the computer. It was a difficult 8 months filled with 8-9 classes in a semester plus labs. Holy!

I survived and entered the month of June with optimism of a job right a way. well that did not happen. I must of applied to 30+ companies within southern BC and received only 1 interview. I wasn't alone in this endeavour either most of my classmates where in the same boat. So I started applying outside of BC and at the beginning of August I had a phone interview with Polar Geomatic Solutions in Red Deer. The next day I got the job! yay! They wanted me there as soon as possible so within the week I had travelled up to PG to pick up a truck that my dad is loaning me, pack up my stuff in Vancouver and drove to Airdrie.

I arrived here Friday night and had some places to look at saturday. These places were move in ready all i had to do was take a peak and say ill take it. but that did not work out so well. On my way into Red Deer 2 places called and said they were already rented but they had some available on the 1st if I wanted to check them out. So I thought might as well just in case I cannot find something sooner. So I get into Red Deer and arrive at an apartment building that had a suite available now, I get in and OMG gross! blarg! it was so small and the cheap flooring was peeling. The kitchen was probably the smallest kitchen I have ever seen in an apartment. Needless to say I was not taking this one. So now I was left with finding new apartments that were available immediately. Here is a warning for you ladies... do not use craigslist! lol well you can but be wary about it. A lot of the places that were listed said available now yet when I called they were available September 15th... definitely not going to work. So after spending most of my day trying to find a place that was now available I ended up at one of the original buildings I was looking at that had a 2 bedroom available for the 1st. Went in and the suite is so nice! It gets the morning sun and overlooks a park. So I decided I wasnt going to find anything else since they keep getting snatched up or are total dives. So Im moving in to my new place on the 1st! Right now I will be staying in Airdrie with a friends parents (to which no words can express my gratitude for their generosity) and I will commute to work until I can move in.

So this means I shall be joining the Alberta chapter! I will contact the girls once I am no longer living out of a suitcase.. which by the way I have to find my shoes for work... hmm anyhoo thats what is new with me, hope all is well with you all.

~Andrea D

Update

Well ladies it's been a while since I've posted and wow has a lot changed in my life. The last time I posted I believe I had just moved down to the lower mainland and had just started working for Peter Kiewit. Since then I have switched work locations to North Burnaby and moved around positions a little bit. Now I'm about to embark on a new work adventure! I have just taken a camp position in Mayo, Yukon! To give you an idea of where that is, I take a 2 hours flight to Whitehorse, then it's a 4 and half hour van ride from the airport to camp. So it's north.... waaaay north.... I'm a little nervous and very excited to go. They say that there is pretty much no night time up there right now and that the sun shines for 20 hours or so a day. It's all very crazy exciting and it should be a good adventure. Overall the post is a really good move for my career and I'm super lucky that Ian is also excited about the change in work as well. Ironically it means we'll probably get to see more of each other as we currently work opposite shifts and our days off are not the same.

In other news, Ian and I recently purchased a townhouse in Surrey and I am in love with our new place. Our new home is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 3 level house and it is about 1,200 square ft. The lower level is a 2 car tandem garage, the main level has the yard off the kitchen and the living/dinning area and then the upstairs has the bedrooms and bathrooms. We also managed to drag Andrea along with us which must mean she's still able to put up with us...lol! The complex that we live in also has a huge clubhouse with crazy amenities. There is a pool, hot tub, movie theatre room, gym , and even an indoor floor hockey rink! It's super fun and the hot tub is awesome after a long day. The area that we live in is also quite the regular barn yard it seems, I have seen rabbits, squirrels, peacocks, and the other day a chicken. I will miss the townhouse for sure when I am up north but it will make coming home just that much sweeter.

Well those are the major changes in my life recently. I had planned on coming to retreat this year I even had my flights booked and everything but sadly with the new job change there is just no way I can make it this year. I hope you ladies have an absolute ton of fun and trust me I would way rather be there then stuck in the Yukon. Unfortunately, sometimes life throws you curve balls and you have to just roll with it. Anyways I miss you all and I'm sure I will miss you even more in the months to come.

Love,

Robyn

What a year!

Wow, it's been so long where do I start! I won't take you back to the beginning but I'll take you to December of 2009... Last year (Jan 2009) I started school again, this time to become a teacher. It was truly the best choice in a long time, and one that seemed to set off a long line of great choices and happy endings :) In December of 2009 I was granted permission to do my final teaching practicum in Nanaimo. At this time I moved in with my fiance Micheal, and boy what a change it was to go from me living on the mainland and him living on the island and us seeing eachother only on weekends and holidays! Everything takes time and adjustment and those of you who know me know I was pretty set in my ways and had been single a looong time! In March of 2009 I graduated from SFU with a Bachelor of Education degree and a minor in Learning and Developmental Disabilities. Not so great for me however was that there were NO teaching jobs on the island at that time. And even less fortunate for me there remains to be NO teaching jobs on the island! Nanaimo didn't even open their TOC list due to the 700 teachers on lay off recall this year.. Oy Vey! Well let's look at this in the positive... it sure gave me a lot of time to plan my wedding! lol. On October 8th, 2010 Micheal and I were married! I am truly the happiest women around, he is the rest of my life and truly gets me... yup he gets me (and he puts up with me!). We went to the Dominican for two weeks on our honeymoon, it was sunny, hot and sandy! I could go back there now! When we came back I was hoping that maybe something for teaching on the island would open up, however it still refused to budge so I started to apply to districts in the North (more short term positions because then I could always go home!). In the morning on January 6th 2011 I recieved a call from the cariboo-chilcotin School District (#27 Wiliams Lake) saying they wanted to interview me for a position in Big Lake. That afternoon they did a telephone interview and on Friday the 7th they offered me the position and asked me to be in Big Lake by Sunday the 16th to start Monday the 17th! Well what a shock this has been! I am currently/temporarily living in Williams Lake. Lisa Walker was so great and she hooked me up with a place to stay (Thank goodness for Lisa!) I am currently in my third week of teaching a multi grade class. I teach primarily K-3 however 75 min a day or more I teach K-7!! It sure has been something to get used to and no teacher training prepared me for this! It has been a great experience so far, the school, staff, parents and students are super great and they have all been so welcoming. It has sure made this move easier seeing as I have left my husband of 3 months in Nanaimo! This opportunity is going to be the best for me however because I have so much going for me when I apply for teaching jobs in Nanaimo after this. Not only can I put that I have taught K-7 (in my first year teaching)but I am also the Teacher in Charge when the principal is away and I get special all day K training. Pretty fortunate experience coming here to Williams Lake/Big Lake! And to top off all the great fortune that has happened in the last year.. On January 21st 2011 at 8:06 am Micheal and I found out we're Pregnant! 2011 is definitly going to be the year of the deRuiters! We are thrilled and over joyed (now if I can just get my husband up here for a few months it would all be ok!). I go for an early ultrasound Feb 18th to pinpoint my due date (I'm not on a 28 day cycle so they need to make sure), however as of now they predict my estimated due date is Sept 30th. Yippee Yay! Well thats all my fun and exciting news for now, I promise to try and keep everyone better updated. Love and miss you all

Mellie

Belated Blog Posts for Gamma Chapter

I think my fellow Gamma chapter members will fire me from doing the blog post soon. I'm a few behind. In any case, here's what we've been up to for the past few months.

October Corn Maze

Sandra came over from Gibsons with her husband Walter and their dog Bear. My husband Shane and our two dogs Quito and Cuenca also came out. Robyn dragged Andrea away from her studying. We all enjoyed wading in the mud on a beautiful sunny day in the Corn Maze of Cloverdale. It was especially nice hanging out with Walter & Sandra afterwards at my house for a BBQ.

November - Operation Christmas Child

We collected 5 Boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year! I hope the children receiving them had a wonderful Christmas with new toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. The photo includes the ones from my church too as I collected those too. And yes, Cuenca had to make her appearance! I hope the PG ladies do their post too as we had a "charity challenge" I hope we're able to do more in the future!

Christmas Party

Catherine graciously hosted the Christmas party this year. Thank you Catherine! We loved seeing your beautiful, new condo and watching Levo's tricks. Our annual pot-luck Christmas party was every bit of delicious as usual! Thanks for bringing your best ladies! We had a great time hanging out as we had an early dinner allowing lots of time to catch up with each other. Good food, good conversation, and good wine. A definite successful APB event!

Christmas Lights

Despite our lack of planning, we had a wonderful evening out together. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory was super yummy and Adam was an amazingly well-behaved 3 year old! Can't say the same for Susan though ... ;) Then it was off to Stanley Park to enjoy the lights display and some roasted chestnuts. We'll have to save the train for another year when we plan ahead to get tickets.

2010 Has been an awesome year with friendships strengthened and good times had by all involved. Thanks Robyn for leading this awesome group of Gamma women! I always feel so proud of everyone whenever we get together. Such a diverse group, each woman with her own strengths. I gain so much from being a part of this group. Here's looking forward to 2011!

APB Runs for Boobies!

On October 3rd, APB took to the streets, and ran in the CIBC Run for the Cure. Chiara M, Cheryl G., Rachel H. and Pam M. donned festive red sashes (Ok, so I'm not really artistic, and they sort of looked...well...home-made) and raised over $700 for breast cancer (I'm not sure of the exact number). Cheryl and Pam, running with a stroller, both ran like champs, while Chiara and I ambled along at a sedate and relaxed pace.

We even got our picture in the Citizen, doing the turkey-walk!

Obviously not my most flattering face...But Chiara is representin' the cute-factor for us both. Hopefully more pictures of us will surface, as a friend took photos of us.

Hope to see everyone out there next year. Let's try for runners from all our chapters!

Hey Everyone.
So finally an update from me. I'm not much of a blogger hence the long delay. Therefore I will give you an update on what I have been up to for the past year.

In September 2009 I moved onto a boat with my boyfriend Justin. Justin is a personal trainer (anyone needing to get in shape? give him a shout) and is going to SFU for Kinesiology in September 2010.

In April I finally graduated (again) from BCIT with my medical radiography diploma, I am now a certified xray tech at Lions Gate Hospital. Since graduation Justin and I have traveled across Canada to Ontario to visit his family as well as some as my own.

In July we went surfing in Tofino and came home with a puppy! Her name is Rain Shine, and she is a Staffordshire Terrier x Wolf Husky. She somehow has managed to fit perfectly onto our boat, but for how long is the question as she is suppose to be 50-70lbs. But we love her lots and she a smart girl. Just a few days ago Rain, Justin and I hiked the Stawamus Chief first and second peak for the first time. It was tons of fun and I think Rain is going to become a professional mountain climber as she had no problem with walking up the steep rocks. Also in July I became an Aunty for the first time to my nephew Jayden.



Well I think thats about it. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Hi Everyone,

I would to introduce you all to Chloe... She is our new rescue dog. We just got her last week, but we are totally on love with her already. Her last house was not a very nice place. The man was very mean to Chloe and the the rest of the family. So they all ran away and ended up living in their car. But the wife and kids are now in a safe social house. However, they could not take a pet with them so Chloe ended up in a Rescue and is now with us.

She is great she is a 3 year old Dachshund (Wiener Dog). She is very small, but that is perfect because we have a small house & a small year.

We took her camping wiht us last week and it was wonderful, she love sleeping in a tent, going for trail walks and sitting in Scott's lap nest to the fire. We even took her out in a Canoe and she really enjoyed that. Anyway, if you are ever in the area, feel free to stop in and meet her. She is the sweetest little bundle of love ever!

Smiles & hugs, Suzy

We made the newspaper!

We made it into the local newspaper for our Amazing Race during the retreat! I'll try to get my hands on a few copies if anyone wants them for historical purposes. How great is it that we have a picture of the alumnae and active doing an event together?

Amanda

What a Weekend!

Well another Alumnae Retreat has come and gone! The 2010 event was held in Prince George this year with Carrie, Suzy, Ashlyn, Robyn and Catherine coming from out of town.

We started out with the traditional Wine and Cheese night on Friday with much gabbing and catching up to do. Pink bags were decorated to be used for the scavenger hunt prizes. Saturday morning we all met up at UNBC for our group pictures and a tour of the continually changing campus. As fate would have it, our tour guide, Sufey, was a member of the active group! She had no idea who she was giving a tour to and when she saw our letters she exclaimed "I know those letters, who are you guys?!" Susan convinced her to spend the rest of the day with us... I hope we convinced her to take an active role in the group and eventually become an alumnae.In the afternoon, we split up into 3 teams to run the "Amazing PG Race". The teams had to complete challenges and collect clues to lead them through 8 PG locations. We started with a clue on the highest diving platform of the Aquatic Centre, and from there went all around PG fromriding the mini-railway at the Railway Museum, to creating an art piece at the Two River's Gallery, to bowling a strike at Strike Zone (which I am proud to say I'm the only one who did that on her own merits!) and finally meeting up for dinner to laugh about the events of the day.

On Sunday, we went to Lonnie's house for tasty brunch and created a small flip scrapbook to commemorate the weekend. Ask a member who attended to show their's off... they turned out great! Later that evening we had a BBQ and played Pictionary Man - which is a family game even though the clues involved everything from "seduction" to "penetrate"!! It was hilarious, though you probably had to be there!

Monday was very laid back with out of town members splitting up to visit with various local girls before heading back home. All in all it was a nice mix of activity and relaxing. Thanks again to everyone for making this a weekend to remember. I know I speak for us all when I say that we're looking forward to the 2011 Calgary Retreat... woohoo Stampede!

Amanda

Our big move!!!

Hello girls!!!

It has been a long time since I have posted on here. I haven't had any new news to share until now, so never knew what to write on here. For those of you who haven't heard, Clarence and I have decided to make a major move up to the Northwest Territories!!! At Christmas time I applied for a job up there and then our phone lines went down so they couldn't contact me and so when another job opened up a fellow social worker told me to apply. That was in February and I just received the job offer 2 weeks ago. We are very excited...however a little scared. Neither of us have ever lived outside BC and to move so far away from family was a big decision. And to top it all off we are leaving next week!!! So this is going to be a very busy week for us with packing and getting things in order at my current job for the next person to take over.

I will be a Community Social Worker in Fort Providence, which is on the Mackenzie River just at the west side of the Great Slave Lake. The pay is good, twice what I am currently making for doing almost the same type of work. Also there are more job opportunities for Clarence up there as he is hoping to get a job with the diamond mines up there. All in all, I think this is the right move for us (and I have an aunt and uncle only 2 hours away in Hay River).

We both love to travel so I am sure we will be making lots of trips back to BC or Alberta so I will see you all again. Unfortunately because I will just be starting my new job, I won't be able to make it to the retreat this year, but definitely will keep in it in my plans for next year. Also, if anyone wants to come and visit us, we will have a very nice brand new 2 bedroom townhouse so we can host guests. Our townhouse is right on the river, so there will be plenty of fishing up there!!!

We are both very excited as we also have a 'new' used vehicle. I sold my Dodge Durango and bought ourselves a Cadillac Escalade!!! It is a bit older than my vehicle but the km's were low and the owner's kept it in good shape. So this is a bit of a new beginnings for us...new job, new town, new house, and 'new' SUV. I would post pictures, but technology and I don't get along, and I have never figured out how to post pictures.

I also want to say thank-you to my sisters in the sorority who have encouraged me to make this step and who have supported me along the way. I will miss you all and hope everyone has a good time at the retreat. I will see you all next year!

My new address will be: General Delivery
Fort Providence, NT
X0E 0L0

I will update you all when I get a new phone number, but in the meantime I will still have my old cell phone number (250) 981-0808. I won't have cell service up there after May but I can check my messages and call you back. Or you can email me at blackjackqueen@hotmail.com . Stay in touch and best wishes to you all....

Almost a mommy!

HI Girls!

Well, I am getting closer. I am officially 36 weeks now and feel and look huge! It could literally be any day. For those who don't know, Corey and I are expecting our first little girl in the next 4 weeks. We have named her Gemma Lily Mitchell. Super excited and just a little bit terrified too.

If you want to see our maternity photo shoot, you can go to www.babyart.ca or http://www.bowesphotography.ca/index2.php and go to the "clients" tab on the tool bar in the main website. Enter our password "nm10" and you can view the proofs from our session last week. The online link will only be available until May 5, so have a peek before then!

Hope all is well with you guys! Lots of love, Natalie

This mommy thing is working out well for me....

....so I thought I go for it one more time! LOL

Yup, Baby Watts #3 is due Sept 21, 2010!! Big sister Robyn is really excited and wants this one to be a baby sister (who apparantly is "going to sleep in her bed, because she has two pillows and she only uses one of them!" lol, aahh 3 year olds!)
Big brother Ollie has no idea what's going on, but he's such a loveable guy and loves to give hugs and kisses, I know he'll be a great big bro!
We are really excited and also a little scared - they are going to outnumber us now! Ack!

Hope everyone is doing well, you all deserve a better update post from me and I hope to get to that soon!

-Sarah

It's been a long time.

Hey Sisters,

So I just wanted to say Hi, I miss you guys so much and wanted to let you know how things are going.

Life is busy as usual, it just dawned on me last month that I have officially been attending post-secondary for 11 years now. When this current program is over, it still won't be over for me. I am almost done (May 28th) the medical lab assistant program at VCC, which I am loving. However, I have also applied for the Practical Nursing program as the MLA program was really only to see if I could handle full-time school and Taryn. So since we are hoping to have another baby or two in the future I decided RN is a little too much to commit to right now but an LPN can always be built on. Yay! I'm finally going into nursing, only 9 years after I initially wanted to. School is amazing, I am loving doing ECG's and poking people with needles it is much easier and less scarier than I thought it would ever be.

Taryn and Chris are great. Chris is amazing and so supportive with school and Taryn. He makes it so easy for me to relax when I come home from school. Having my parents in the suite downstairs is nice as they usually have dinner ready for us when we get home and leaving Taryn with them puts me at ease.

I can't believe how quickly Taryn is growing. We went for a walk yesterday to the park and watching her run around on her own is such a shock. When did that happen?

So I have decided to challenge myself this spring and will be partaking in the 'Climb the Wall' event for BC Lung Assoc. I will be climbing 48 flights of stairs (739 steps). So I started my training this week and hope to god to just make it to the top without wanting to quite. I'm not up for a race to the top just to actually complete it, next year I can worry about time.

This November we will be going to Australia for a month as a family to celebrate Chris's sisters wedding and see as much as possible with a 2 year old at that time. It will be amazing as Chris's mom will be there for a bit to help with Taryn, Chris's sister Coral has offered to watch Taryn for a couple days when we are in Sydney with her friend (who is going to come babysit Taryn while we are at the reception). His sister Hannieh, who lives in Australia is going to take us to Queensland and show us all around. I can't wait to meet my new brother-in-law and niece (i've never met her due to the distance). To make this trip even more amazing the money that we

were going to be spending on flights can now be used as spending money and for traveling to Alice Springs and a week in Hong Kong as Chris's dad gave us the flights to Australia as a Christmas gift.

So overall, this year has started off with a bang, it is moving so fast and I am loving every minute of it. I love watching Taryn grow, I love developing and growing more myself with my new skills and I love watching my family grow together and closer every day.

I wish you all a good year and hope that you find enjoyment in your lives.

Love Trish

Just a Little Update!

Hi ladies.

Sorry, I have not been very active in the sorority since I became alumnae but I am hoping to change that in the near future (maybe May-ish as I have no time till then). I graduated with my Bachelor of Education in May 2009 but was never able to find work at the school district here. However, after 8 months of being unemployed, a job just seemed to fall into my lap. I am currently an English Instructor at the College of New Caledonia here in Prince George. I work for the College and Career Preparation program which is adult upgrading. I am full-time (contract), teaching 3 English courses (2 at grade 10 level and 1 at the grade 12 level). It is not what I expected to do with my life as I am trained to work with primary children. I almost did not take the job as the thought of teaching adults terrified me. However, I am sooooo happy I took the job because I am loving it. I pretty much work 6 days a week and 11 hours a day during the week just trying to plan and prep everything (not to mention the stack of marking I have yet to do). It is crazy, busy and time consuming but I am really enjoying myself. I am hoping they like me and will hire me back on again in September. Anyway, that is about it for new and exciting stuff going on in my life. Hope everyone else is doing well and I can't wait to meet everyone in May.

Shannon Perlstrom

Finally a Blog!

Hello Ladies and Happy Holidays! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. For those of you I haven't met, I'm Sam. I joined the sorority in 2000. I had just moved up to Prince George and knew hardly anyone. I met up with a few friends of a friend who were in the sorority and they convinced me to sign up. I almost didn't because I was so scared of what would happen at initiations!

Anyways, I am now living in Victoria. My family has lived here since I was 11 but before moving home I had lived away from Victoria for almost seven years, five spent in PG and two spent in Japan.

My past year has been filled with lots of adventures. All of which I have really enjoyed! I started my post degree program in education in September of 2008. I did my practicum at a high school in town. I spent 4 amazing months working with some pretty amazing kids and having the support of some fantastic teachers. My practicum was a sucess but after I was finished I was left wondering what to do! Being a Social Studies teacher there wasn't much work here on the lower island and so I decided to do some professional developement. I have been working towards a French diploma and a diploma from the Special Education program from Vancouver Island University. I have also been working for my brother's IT company as their administrative assistant. When I am not doing school and working I have been volunteering. As many of you know I work for a fair trade company ordering crafts from cooperatives in Africa. I also volunteer for the Intercultural Association teaching newcomer Canadians English.

Other than the crazy amounts of pro-d and the volunteering....I also have been blessed with a very supportive Aunt and Uncle. Lucky for me they decided to buy me a car over the summer. YAY! I was really excited and really have felt really lukcy to have her. Driving just makes things so much easier when I am so busy!

Anyways! Finally a blog! I hope everyone is well!

Merry Christmas!

Hi Ladies,

I am terrible with sending out Christmas cards so this year again I am doing a little online x-mas card for my sorority sisters! I hope that all of you have an amazing Christmas and a very happy New Year and that 2010 brings you all the happiness, health and success you could ask for. This year we are staying in Grande Prairie for Christmas and my parents and my youngest two siblings will be coming to spend it with us. This will be the first time that we have ever hosted Christmas and Marshall is extremely excited that Santa is coming to his house this year for the first time, Lainey is still too little to really understand Christmas but I think it will be nice for her to be in her own home as well. I think that it is going to be a very quiet and peaceful holiday which will be a nice change from the hectic travelling/running around that we normally do. I hope everything is great for all of you and that it's a perfect holiday for you all. I love you lots and miss you girls, I can't wait until May for the retreat. Big Hugs and lots of love

Gina

Update on me!

So since after tonights potluck dinner with the Vancouver chapter my secret will be out, I thought I had better drop a line on here to let the rest of you ladies know that in May our family of three will be growing to four. We are super excited for the new little one to join us and complete our family, even Adam seems to be on board with the baby in mommy's tummy. Our little addition is due May 24/10 (same day as Nat B ) but after talking to the doctors who took care of me with Adam and will monitor me through this one we have decided to go will the repeat c-section, not what I would have ideally liked but it is the right choice and also means we will meet this little one likely 10-12 days before my actual due date. We have our big u/s on Jan 9 and are hoping to find out if we are having a boy or girl at that time so in the meantime I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season!

Update since my last post this summer

Hello ladies :o)

It is really great to see all the big changes that have happened for everyone. I figured I should update since my last post as it has been a crazy 5 months for me.

At the end of June I started to get these weird hives all over for no reason. It came with joint pain and major swelling, itching and a lack to be alert or have the ability to remember things or concentrate. I had the hives for a total of 3.5 months with no break of the symptoms and no treatment that worked.

I had to take 5 weeks off work b/c it was affecting my memory and my concentration. It was a really hard decision for me, but I was probably at risk of making a serious mistake at work; In my job that can be disastrous. So while off I had a lot of time to think about a lot of stuff, which I think I needed to do. I also went through a TON of tests and medications to see if anything would work. Eventually, Aerius was prescribed and it worked!! I was taking double the dose, but it was helping with things. In the end, I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Chronic Urticaria. Which in our normal people talk, Chronic hives that are occurring b/c your body is attacking itself for an unknown reason. This kinda freaked me out, but they were able to guarantee me that whatever this was wasn't killing me or hurting my organs.

I hope I didn't gross anyone out with the pics, but it is the only way to really explain the situation.

Things in that area have improved :o) I have been hive free (with the exception of about 6 hives a day) for about 3 weeks and I haven't had to take an aerius for about 3 days. All of the other symptoms have also gone away, which has significantly increased my quality of life. In the summer this issue caused me to be unable to ride my brand new bike :o( The last time I road it pretty much all summer was the bike trip i posted about in the last blog. I got one late trip in October to Whistler, but dumped my bike b/c I got mentally fatigued on the way down and made a stupid move. Me and the bike are fine.. except for my dignity and my ankle :o)

The biggest and most exciting news is that Aaron and I just bought a town home in Langley! We decided at the end of September that for our 2nd anniversary we would be making a deal on a house. It was the first place I saw and the last place he saw, b/c I went out before without him. He loved it, and I was already in love with it, but didn't tell him that. So we picked the same place :o) We move all our stuff in over the next four days. We are going to buy all new furniture... not sure how to do that money wise.... but we can make cuts in our budget for it somewhere :o) I posted the 'before' pics here, the after are to come :o)

New Alumnae Baby On The Way!!

I would like to introduce Baby Mitchell to the world! I am 3 months and 3 days pregnant and freaking right out! Yes, for those that are doing the mental math, I did just get married 3.5 months ago and yes, this is a honeymoon baby! I guess Corey is just that good! I just never thought it would happen quite so fast. Did I mention that I am still getting used to the idea? Thank god my best friend Amanda is a wiz at parenting and will have a fresh memory to share! So, here is a pic of our alien for your viewing pleasure!

By the way I will be in PG Nov 25-29 if anyone wants to visit. Hope all is well! Love you all, Natalie (Borys) Mitchell

Fall 2009 Gamma Chapter Event

For our Fall 2009 Gamma Chapter Event we organized the same thing as last year because the event last year was such a success. We all went to the Maple Meadows Corn Maze. We had absolutely the best weather possible, Sun, Sun, Sun. And we even welcomed the guys to join us for our day of events at the Corn Maze. The turn out was great, Mel, Catherine, Aaron, Susan, Robyn, Ian & Carrie all participated and we had a great time. Thanks to our fearless leader, Ian we were actually able to complete the enter maze and get all 12 stamps. Ian was our Gamma G.P.S and navigated us through most of the maze, as we dodged loud families and unsupervised children. The day was a total success and a personal highlight for me was getting to shot the Corn Gun. The corn gun is very similar to a potato gun, but you use corn. And they have several targets set up for you to aim at. I was not able to hit any of the targets, but I had a great time shooting the gun.

The best part of the day was being able to visit and catch up with each other as we all walked around trying to find the Corn stamping stations. Some updated that were shared during our walk were… Catherine & Aaron have found a lovely home that they will be buying… Carrie is scheduled to move into her new home on Nov 20th… Mel is trying to do her final practicum (starting in Jan) in Nanaimo so that she could be closer to her man… Robyn still loves her job with Kiewit and so going to be participating in the UNBC career fair representing her company this month. I think we are all now really looking forward to our Gamma Winter event, which is going to be our 5th Annual Gamma Christmas Potluck. It is yet to be determined who will hosting our Potluck this year. But I am sure it will be great as always.