More than coincidence

1. When Abra knew that she was going to be offered the promotion in her company that would necessitate her move to High River, she began to pack and clean her apartment, even though she knew she was going to be living in the hotel for a month, and even though she did not know when she would be moving out. She and Piper moved most of the packed boxes to the long upstairs hallway in their apartment.
2. Bruce and I looked at all the possible dates for us to go up to Alberta, and decided that August 13 through 17 would work the best for us. It would be awkward, because Abra had no home for us to visit in, but those seemed like the best dates, so we went.
3. It happened that, even before she knew we were coming, Abra scheduled herself and Deklan to have the same two days off, Tuesday the 16th and Wednesday the 17th. This in itself was unusual, and she only realized in retrospect that she had done it. She only left it that way because the schedule was posted and she didn't want to inconvenience others. Normally, she would not have tried to give them the same days off.
4. When she got the text from the landlady that if she moved today (Tuesday the 16th) she would get half her rent returned as well as her deposit, it was about 9:30 AM. (The manager had found someone to take over the lease, but he needed to move in that day.) Abra was in High River; she could not imagine how moving out was possible; but she called her kids to get up and get dressed NOW.
5. Bruce and I got back from doing business in Calgary and visiting Dixie at 10:30. As we were driving back to HR, Bruce said, "What are we going to do today?" Because we had already taken the kids over for an evening of food and conversation with Jim and Donna (Sunday night); we had already gone for a walk in George Lane Park; Piper and I had already done the outdoor fitness park and the museum; we had already taken them out to dinner at Boston Pizza (Monday night) and we had already seen the only movie playing in town (also Monday night), Ghost Busters.  With no house to visit in and just play games or whatever, how were we going to spend the time?
6. Abra told me about the text--had me read it. I said, "Tell her we are on our way."
7. Abra texted and called Eric--he had already been texting with her on Monday to volunteer help with the move when the time came.  He said he would find some people.
8. The T's had a machine break down on Monday, so not everyone was needed on the farm. Michael said that was probably the only day they would have free in the next couple of weeks, was Tuesday.
9. We drove to Taber to rent a U-Haul, because Abra knew they had a U-haul place. However, a small town truck rental agency is not like a city one. There was literally one truck there. It was the size we needed, already hitched up to a boat trailer thing.  BUT--it was ready to go for Thursday, and this was Tuesday! So the kind man fiddled with the computer to convince it to let him rent it to Abra for Tuesday, and though it took some time, we had the one U-haul truck in town at our disposal.
10. The Torries and Bro. Sugden, Abra's home teacher, were there to help us load. Also Abra's friend Chaylene; even her property manager, Maureen, helped.
10. In two hours, we were on our way--Bruce and I to Raymond, to get ready to return home; Abra and her kids to HR where they would need to rent a storage unit and get some help to unload the truck.
Here are some of the working warriors; I did not get everyone into the pictures:

Craig, Michael, Abra, Piper who hates her hair and so hid it, Deklan

Michael, Bruce, Piper showing her face but not her hair and still unhappy about the whole thing, Abra, Deklan and Craig

Family Times

Lots of opportunity to get together with family this week.

Monday night: the extended family met at Aunt Judy's house, so that people could meet Amy and Scarlett. The surprise of the day (well--the one for the family) was that Eric and Jocelyn were in town. It was great that we already had a get-together planned, and that they were able to come. People also had not met Jocelyn before, so it was good to get together!

The other surprise of the day for me, that I did not have the opportunity to share with anyone else, was when I was surprised by Donna Thompson, who asked me to meet her at Campus Plaza and then walk around campus a bit, and meet up with Mark.  Donna and Josie both lived in Campus Plaza. And the building where Josie now lives (which sits on about the spot where a house Colleen used to live in once sat, and where Nancy also once lived) is very close to the spot where Donna once lived forty years ago. I did text Josie, but she was out with friends. We met Mark at Brick Oven after our walk. Donna's last chemo treatment was on the Tuesday before, so this was six days after it, and she had excellent stamina, and I think she looked great. She said she should take her wig off and show me her little short hairs growing back, but she wasn't seriously considering doing that!

Tuesday, Amy and Scarlett and I went shopping. We started out at the Ross store, and Rosie was working, so that was fun to see her! Scarlett and I got pretty tired of shopping, but Amy was finding some good buys.  I thought...where can I take them for (a late) lunch? Because I didn't want to take them to a chain that is everywhere--so I thought of the Iceberg. Grandpa and Grandma Layton used to go to the original iceberg in SLC when they were teenagers; that is where Bruce took me on our first date. (He got a peanut butter shake; I got peach. I thought, "Peanut butter?" But it was SO GOOD. He traded me and let me eat it all!) I was blown away by the onion rings! Look at the size! (Also, they were good!)

Scarlett loved playing at Kangaroo Zoo. It is a bit pricey, at about $10 per child, but with only one child going, it was a bargain. She had a great time! It was so hot outside that going to a park was not so very appealing, so the air conditioned play space was very nice. It is hard to take great pictures of Scarlett because she moves so fast, and me and my camera move slowly.

Scarlett also enjoyed playing at home with the ball room/pit. After Nancy and her kids were here in the summer, I put the ball room away, and I thought I knew where. But on Monday night, when I went to get it out and set it up so it would be there when Scarlett got up in the morning, I could only find the balls, but not the room. I went to bed wondering about where it could be, and waking up thinking about it. Because of recently rearranging many things to make room for David's stuff, I totally knew where it WASN'T--so on Monday morning, I looked one last place and found it! So that was a lot of fun for Scarlett on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

By the way--Scarlett's hair is so short because she decided to cut it herself, so had to have a rescue hair cut.  This is a pretty normal thing to have happen in our family, am I right, girls? (I am.)

Wednesday Scarlett and I played and played. With the balls, with the Hot Wheels race track, with the Connect Four game, and puzzles.

Rosie came over, and we took advantage of a photo opportunity with Bruce, who had missed being in any pictures with Amy and Scarlett until then.

Then Rosie and Amy went off to the mall, and Scarlett and I went off to play.  We went to the Bean Museum (which seriously--as they keep making it "better" I like it less. What is up with that?), the Museum of Palentology (which I have not been to for almost 30 years), the Duck Pond, and finally the playplace at Carls Junior. Which Scarlett loved despite the fact that there was no air conditioning in there, so it was like Hot Yoga to play in there!

The lion is Scarlett's favourite animal. Or at least, it was on this particular day. She likes animals a lot, so I am sure she actually has many favourites.

 She didn't mind that the lion was attacking the zebras, but she didn't want a picture with one of the other lion-attack exhibits because it was too scary.

 Outside, she was enjoying pretending to be the wolf statue.

 Scarlett with the ankylosaurus, which she says is her dad's favourite dinosaur.

 And enjoying the ducks and turtles at the duck pond. No pictures of ducks, but here are some turtles.

Today, Josie and I went to the Duggar Reunion at Uncle Tom's. I didn't even know it was today--Bruce had told me there was one in August, but I didn't realize it was so soon. So Josie and I went because Missy had texted Josie and said, "Are you coming!! Please come!!" So we had a lovely visit with all the Hopes. Now that 3/4 of the kids are married, they are all going to reunions again--which hasn't happened so much the last few years.  Uncle Bob and Lisa were also there, but no one else from the Layton branch of the family tree.  When I was visiting with David Duggar and Annie, catching him up on the doings of our David, and hearing about his daughter Liz (who is good friends with our David), I heard one of Uncle Tom's daughters asking Joleen, "Did any of the Laytons come?"  Joleen said, "Oh, just Bob and Lisa." And her mom, Aunt Joyce, who was looking at me --we had just waved to each other--said "What about Myrna and Josie?"  And Joleen said, "Oh, I wasn't counting Myrna! She is part of OUR family!"  Which Josie and I both thought was pretty funny, and kind of true--because they are the family we hang with at reunions!