Stampede 2007

Stampede 2007 is well underway. We have not had a chance to go to many events, but we are definately try to get there sometime this week. Calgary turns into a crazy city during Stampede, with over 140,000 people visiting the grounds in the first 3 days. There has been some great preformances, and lots of good concerts yet to come.

Congratulations to Matt's Mom and Dad for retiring on June 29th! Matt's dad Jim retired after 38 years with the Government of Alberta and his mom, Norah from the Calgary Board of Education after 20 plus years! We attended a celebration at Jim's office and then a family dinner at Teatro's. The food was amazing as we sampled several dishes from there menu with Matt's family!

Peter, Shelley and the kids arrived in Calgary last Wednesday night. It was definately nice to see them again, and they finally got to meet Matt! Matt did not have to work on Thursday, and I got the afternoon off, so we went for a little tour of Calgary, and then off to the zoo. It was really nice to spend some time with everybody. They are in Canmore exploring the Rocky Mountains until Tuesday, then back to the city to hit up Stampede before going home. We will hopefully be able to see them again before they leave.

Matt recently started pick up some shifts at Foothills Hospital. He really enjoys working at Rockyview, but it is so far away from our new house and the university. Foothills is much closer, and they are the trauma centre for Calgary, so the exposure he has been getting is much different. They have several different departments that are not offered at Rocky, and provide different surguries. This additional exposure will be great for his career, but it is always hard to leave a workplace that you enjoy and have many friends at.

Angie had her shower and her stagette this weekend. I feel really bad that I couldn't make it, but maybe we'll have a girls night out next time we're in town! Matt and I will not be in Saskatoon again until the week of their wedding. I cannot wait for some well deserved time off to spend with family and friends!

The July long weekend found Matt and I at the infamous Stillwater Spa! We went there on Monday for dual pedicures and got to spend some time in the 'Spa Lounge'. This was easily the best spa I've ever been to. It was a really nice morning. After Matt and I left the spa, he took me for a walk along 17th Ave, and then to lunch at Melrose. It has been a very long time since we've done that. After lunch, we went to a vintage store to find some clothes for Stampede. What a great way to spend a day away from the office! We definately need to do that more often.

Matt and I are still working on renovating the house. I replaced the floor in the main floor bathroom this weekend, while Matt changed the light fixtures upstairs. We also hung a fan in our bedroom. We bought the baseboards for the basement, and painted them, but we have not even attempted to get them onto the walls! Also, we got a new dishwasher this weekend!!! Our old one was so bad, both of the racks were broken and it didn't clean very well either. Matt had it installed right away, which is very impressive! Molly and I tried to help, but I don't think either of us did much good! We are nearing the end of the renovations, but I've heard that they never really stop, you just keep taking on new projects. I would at least like a little time to enjoy what we have accomplished this far!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer,

J&M&M