Love, Michelle

Happy

These are the things that are making me happy these days. It's a beautiful, sunny fall day here and I'm busy getting ready for our Council meeting tomorrow. Back to work!

To excited to speak

Journaling reads: "This was her first trip on a speedboat and she was so excited that she almost couldn't speak".

I jinxed it

How many times have I complained that I want a new vehicle but that old subaru just keeps going and going?

Well it's not going anymore.

We left it on the side of the road, between Kluane and Whitehorse, after a beautiful weekend away. We were lucky that our friends Bill and Dana were right behind us and we could get a ride to town with them when it broke down.

The problem with wanting the car to stop working so that we could get a different car is that we need money for another car, right?

Happy Sunday.

Aubrey is playing guitar.

Aubrey had his first guitar lesson tonight. And he came right home and showed me what he learned. We will admit that the fast moving fingers was staged.

Thank you old Singer

This is my old sewing machine. It was passed down to me after my grandmother died. And for a few years it sat in my closet. I pulled it out one halloween to make costumes. And that same year I used it to make a Christmas gift for Paula and Trevor. But really it didn't get much use.

About three years + nine months ago, Paula told us she was pregnant with Hannah. My first thought was "I need to make a baby quilt!" (I swear that really was my first thought). And with some encouragement from Aubrey, I pulled the old machine out and taught myself to quilt.

I spent two years quilting on this machine. It was a painful process. The tension was always wrong. And that horrible clunking noise. But I kept going. And although I didn't always love this machine, I loved learning to quilt.

Fast forward to the spring of 2003. I was at a quilt retreat and my sewing machine stopped working. Even with 20 quilters to help, we could not get the thing going. After talking with the Singer dealership in Edmonton, I was convinced that my machine had made it's last stitch. It couldn't be fixed in Whitehorse. And it wasn't worth the money to ship it south to have it repaired. With some advice from my friends I bought a fancy new Phaff. A beautiful machine that sews like a dream.

I have spent the past week cleaning out the loft. Parting ways with all the things I just don't use. And I decided it was time to get rid of my old sewing machine.

This is a big deal for me. I discovered quilting - something I am so passionate about - through this machine. But to make space for the quilts and scrapbooks to come, other things have to go. So good bye old Singer.

And today while I was hanging out at home, Aubrey was out hiking with Bill, and he saw this. Fall in the Yukon.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah turned three today! We are sad that we couldn't be there, but we did get to have a fun "Hannah turns 3 and Aubrey turns 30" birthday party last Friday. We started with a picnic, cupcakes and presents at the duck pond. Then on to her very first trip to the movie theatre! She was wide awake and excited on the way in, and fast asleep on the way out. We're so glad we got to spend that day together!

Catching Up

I love Tuktoyaktuk. It is always so difficult summing up an experience like this in just a few short lines. I met some wonderful new friends. I had some great new ideas for my work. I saw an amazing landscape. I was inspired by the participants, both young and old. I learned more about the way of life in the Arctic. I slept on a barge. I danced with the Tuktoyaktuk Drummers and Dancers. I stayed up very late square dancing. I went 30 ft underground into the permafrost to see a traditional ice house. I was reminded why I love working with communities, and why I left science behind. And, as always, I took lots of pictures.

Home

After 11 hours of travel yesterday, we are finally home. We picked up Padfoot from Mandy and Darren's last night. The poor guy is very tired from two weeks playing with his buddies, Meeka and Ember. My list of things to do today includes:

1. Unpack.
2. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.
3. Try to find the floor in the loft.
4. Upload my favorite photos from Tuktoyaktuk.
5. Take my 12 rolls of film in for developing.
6. Nice long walk with Padfoot.
7. Birthday party for Sacha.
8. Get ready for work tomorrow.