Introducing Baby!

Nawwwww, I'm not a proud Auntie at ALL!!

Isn't he adorable?!

What a sweet family

Precious little lips

Definitely going to be a chick-magnet

SOOOOOOOO CUTE!

Amazing and Cool Stuff!!

This morning at 6:02 am (BC time) at the MSA Hospital in Abbotsford, a child was born. A precious, 7 lb 11 oz, bald, and as yet unnamed, baby boy made his grand entrance into the Lanigan clan!!!

Basically I'm trying to tell you that my big brother Brent and sister-in-law Nikki have officially begun the journey of parenting!!! Brent called to tell me this morning just as I was pulling into the parking lot at work, and he sent me into such an hysteria of crying and laughing that it took about 45 minutes to compose myself enough to deal with people :) Seriously. Tears streaming down my cheeks and everything! The thing that's brutal is that I live too far away to see them, but we're going out for a holiday in a month so Auntie can bond with her nephew then. Brent is supposed to send some pictures tomorrow so you gotta know that they'll be posted pretty quick.

You know, the coolest thing happened on my birthday in May...aside from my drag racing debut :) My friend Shelley called, and we haven't talked in WAY too long! We had an awesome talk and I hopefully get to see her when we visit BC in the summer. I can't wait!!

Recovery is slow...

OK, so I've been putting a new blog post on the backburner of my life because I've been wallowing in the sadness that is hockey to me. I was so excited, then to be SO very sad is too extreme for a quick return to reality. Did I mention that I hate the Ducks? Oh and Danna, I was never hiding in the woodwork - anyone who knows me is well aware of my die-hard, obsessive allegiance to my Canucks!! Now into the season of football, so GO LIONS!!

Moving on to other things, for my birthday Lee bought me the most unique gift I have ever received...a motorcycle helmet for the purpose of racing our Camaro?! I can now say that I have officially been to a legal drag race and it was really fun! Hmmm, does my lead foot really need to me encouraged? It's debatable :) I beat 2 mustangs, put an overconfident orange Neon in its place, and was beat by this blue Charger (but it was still exiciting). Oh, and did I mention that I beat Lee and his dad? That's right baby, my first time racing and I got the fastest time in the family of experienced drivers!!! I think Lee might come to regret his decision...Yeah, I'd say I had a little bit of fun :)

Just a side note, Bon Jovi is coming to Calgary in July during the Stampede week, and I didn't find out until over a month after tickets went on sale so HOW frustrated was I? Of all the times I wish I could hear Calgary radio stations! Anyway, last week a concert in Edmonton was announced and that's all I could think about for the rest of the day...but I didn't have tickets...yet...and now I do!!!!! WHO'S so totally going to Bon Jovi - ME!!! Oh wow am I excited much? Anyway, I can't wait for July 12 and then that's probably all anyone will hear about from me for awhile.

You know, I guess if I made more regular updates, they wouldn't have to be such novels, eh?

I'm in Canuck Heaven!!!

Dudes! YAY for my SO awesome Canucks!! I nearly had a meltdown this morning that CBC wasn't showing the game in Alberta, but thank goodness for the internet I got to watch online :) Oh, and did I mention that my Trevor scored the winning goal???!!! SO totally exciting. Now if only they can win game 5 in Vancouver on Thursday...

You know what's funny? I've been at this job since last May, but most people have just started to figure out that I'm a hockey fan! I'm a pretty lonely Canuck out here, but I'm slowly meeting more migrants from BC. So far at work I know of 4 die-hards besides myself. I know this whole post is turning out to be centred on hockey, but hey it's the playoffs and I love my team!! Can you guess how tempted I am to buy a ticket to a game and fly out to Vancouver?

Anyway, this really wasn't meant to be a hockey rave, but I was so wired after the game that I just had to write to people who understand me (for the most part!)

Have a great night and Believe in Blue :)

My Graveyard of Buried Hopes

That's a phrase I read once and I say it over to comfort myself in these times that try the soul. Let me start from the beginning...

I knew that correspondence would be hard, but MAN! I really missed instruction and having a pace to keep to. It turns out that there was not to be an LPN program starting this winter so I'd be waiting until September, IF there's even a start date in then. Hmmm, did you catch the big IF!! I'm so mad, frustrated, let down and discouraged. The school tells me now that there are not always enough students or instructors to run the evening part-time classes, so my only options are full-time or the whole thing by correspondence. Over the last few months, I have gotten the biggest run-around by this school that I want nothing to do with it, so I applied to Grant MacEwan to start the full-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing next January. That, of course, didn't work out because they've gotten so competitive and receive a bazillion applications. So now I'm back at square one with no idea what to do with my life while I'm not getting any younger and the realities of starting a family loom on an ever-nearing horizon.

So I've been looking into other options, not particularly things I'm excited about but maybe something that would be flexible and fill my career void. I could stay at the engineering firm I work for now and move into a different role that might allow for part-time working hours when the need arises in future. My father-in-law sold his business (AMEN!!) that Lee was managing, so he'll be looking for work in a month, so that brings dynamics all of its own. We could end up in some small, remote town doing church ministry, for all I know right now. I've looked into medical laboratory careers too, which could be kinda cool. We'll see. I can't really do much about that right now 'cause I need to see what happens with Lee's work over the summer. How many times have I wished that my life had turned out the way I'd planned in high school and that I'd never met a stupid boy at Briercrest to mess it all up? (note of clarification - NOT Lee)

Anyway, to prevent this update from becoming an epic novel, I'm going to stop now, besides, I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on. Now that I have a lot more time on my hands you should be hearing from me a lot more often - if you haven't already deleted me from your list of blogs to read!!

Did I mention that I got 98% on my final exam?? *sigh* If only it mattered.
Oh, and GO Canucks GO!!!

Happy Birthday Kristal!!

I hope you have a wonderful day, plus it's your first birthday as a mommy!! Maybe Natalie even has something special planned for you?

Hi There!! Remember Me??

Okay, so I just read an comment from Danna reminding me that it's been over a month since my last post, so I feel that the time has come for me to join a bad-bloggers anonymous group! Blogging is about as efficient as when I first moved to Alberta and told all my friends in BC that I was going to write them all and keep in touch...what a joke... Sorry guys, but I hope you believe that I miss you and think about you lots.

SO, on with the update:

1. I have started my Anantomy & Physiology II class by correspondence.
2. I have discovered that it's really different not being in class, and I don't really like it, but oh well.
3. I am totally ecstatic that my BC Lions are first in the CFL Western division.
4. I LOVE that the Edmonton Eskimos are eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 34 years, and maybe now I can stop hearing about it - well, not likely, but I can hope. (sorry Brent!)
5. I LOVE HOCKEY, and oh, how I've missed it since the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.
6. I GET TO GO TO A CANUCK GAME TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going with my Father-in-law, so one of us will be really happy and one will not. I'm just excited to see my boys play for the first time in 8 years!!!!! Oh my...that is a long time...
7. Despite devoting my life to studying, I am making time to get a weekly dose of humour watching Corner Gas, for no other reason than that it makes me laugh!!
8. Lee and I went to the booming metropolis of Lloydminster to visit some friends...PARTY!!!
9. We also went to my parent's house in Three Hills for Thanksgiving, so that was very special.
10. I am depressed because it was snowing this morning when I went to my car and 0ºC. I actually had to SWEEP off my car. Ok, so it wasn't a lot, but the point is, it was snow. It is too darn early and I am so NOT ready to drive in 3-foot snowdrifts!!

But then again, did I mention I get to go see Trevor Linden and my Canucks play the Oilers tomorrow night???!!!!! Did I mention that I am excited? Just a little... I know Lana and Kristal will understand :)

Tumultuous Week

Guess what??! Last night fulfilled one of my dreams - I got to go see The Phantom of the Opera!!!!

I'll have to explain why this is such a big deal to me.

I have wanted to go see it for years, and it played in Seattle for a long time, but I was never able to go. Then I moved to Alberta and figured that it would never play here, but tickets went on sale in May! I didn't buy any because I was going to school and thought I should be financially responsible (I don't always like conviction). Last Tuesday I received a phone call from my school informing me that due to low enrolment, the Anatomy & Physiology II class was cancelled. This both disappointed and discouraged me, since I didn't want to have a whole wasted semester - I want to get these classes rolling, already! THEN I got totally sad because I realized that if I'm not going to have a class, I could have gone to Phantom!! So I've been moping and depressed, especially since Brent & Nikki got to go in Vancouver because they were given tickets and I've had to hear about how wonderful it was. Lovely, really great.

Anyway, I was talking to Roslyn (we worked together at Beulah) and she said she was going with a couple of youth from church, and said she'd pick up an extra ticket for me, and I said YES!!! I am there! So last night we went, quite spontaneously, and it was glorious! The hopeless romantic in me actually cried (just a little) at the end. I'm not too sure if it's because it was really sad or just that it was over :) It was everything I ever hoped it would be, and every moment was pure bliss! The music, the costumes, the cast, the dancing, the singing - it was all incredible! Christine's voice was exactly what I expected her to sound like, and the Phantom was amazing! But OH! The music was phenomenal! The Music of the Night, The Phantom of the Opera, All I Ask of You, Think of Me...it was heavenly... Next up: Les Misérables? If I could see Les Mis, my Broadway aspirations would be complete, and anything else an added bonus :)

As for school, I did manage to enroll in a correspondence/home study class which starts on October 1st, so at least I can still get the course done. It's no different than the last one except that I don't have a weekly lecture, and if I have trouble with anything I can still call the school, so I think I should be fine. Oh me of little faith, I have to remember that God still guides every thing and I need to trust Him. How old am I? Will I ever learn?

Happy Birthday Pixie!!

I hope you have a fabulous day, and get spoiled lots :)

I miss you, my friend

Course Results

Ok, here's the final verdict:

Midterm Exam: 94%
Midterm Assignment: 91%

Final Exam: 88%
Final Assignment: 91%

Course Grade: 91% = A-

Personally, I'm a little miffed that my final exam mark didn't hit 90, but oh well. I start Part II on September 7th, so hopefully I can do as well!

Some of you already know about the program I'm in, but to appease Darla (who has reminded me of her curiosity twice!) I'll give the short version.

The program I'm in is going to be frustratingly long, which is why I struggled for so long whether I was making the right decision in registering. I'm in a part-time evenings format, so in 3 years I will be an LPN. Then I can at least start working in a field that I love, and can upgrade to an RN at Grant MacEwan. Eventually I'll be able to finish my BSc in Nursing at U of A. The whole issue with this is the length of time it will take, but due to our situation in life with expenses and a mortgage, may only option right now is part-time classes. Ideally I would have liked to go straight to MacEwan and done my RN, but they only offer full-time.

Darla, I hope this clarifies my schooling stuff, but feel free to ask any question not answered!

My nephew, Brady, turned 8 on Sunday!! Do you know how crazy that is? Well, I know Lana does, but do you realize we had just graduated from high school before he was born??! That means that we've been out of MEI for 8 years and are 2 years away from our 10 year reunion!! Does that not seem freaky to anyone else? Maybe it's just me...

My parents will be married for 40 years in September, so my whole family got together for the long weekend to have an early celebration. Brent and Nikki were out from Abby, Lee and I drove down, and Scott, Carla, Brady, Megan and Caedyn drove in from Calgary. It was really fun and Monday was spoil Mom and Dad day, so they did nothing and we pampered them. At the end of the day we had planned a game of 20 questions, where using techniques of Charades, Catchphrase, Tribond and Pictionary, we got them to guess various family memories. VERY entertaining, and my mom did really well! Anyway, I think we accomplished our goal of making them feel spoiled and had some really special family time!!

I think that's all for now...

Missing in Action??

S'up y'all! I promise, I am still here and reading blogs, just not taking the time to write any! I write my final exam on Wednesday night so I've been totally consumed with school stuff, but when it's over I'll have free time to write updates again. I can't wait!!

Stay tuned...but don't expect much until Thursday...

A Birthday Novel to a Wonderful Friend

On this 10th day of July, in the year 2006, I feel inspired to write a blog for my friend Lana. We have been through an insane amount of experiences together, and today on her 26th birthday I'm going to reminisce a little, as my sentimental nature is prone to do!! This is going to be a little long...

Lan, we went through high school together, which in itself holds too many stories to mention, although Mr. Matwichuk's grade 8 Bible class will always be a treasure :) I was called 'Lana' more times than I could count on 100 hands... Have I ever mentioned that my massage therapist's name is Lana??... Spending a summer going through your dad's old dental patient files and determining that we will NEVER become dental hygenists... Going to White Rock in the summer with your mom and letting her fend off the creepy, drunk men (and incidentally, as I'm writing this I am laughing so hard I can barely type properly!)... Hockey games, oh such sweet hockey games, with your dad yelling at the refs, offering them his glasses (again, more laughter!)... Studying for Provincial exams and other important stuff that we don't remember anyway... Basketball games watching our teams win and lose and the rivalry between us and Abby Sr... Wasn't Jeff Burkinhshaw in the Eagle costume when the Abby guy pulled the head off?!... Crazy Hal, ah yes, Crazy Hal... The favorite ritual of McDonald's french fries and chocolate ice cream after basketball (and hockey?) games... Grad outing to Grizzlies vs. LA Clippers NBA game... Surprise visits to Trinity from Briercrest... Escaping from Alberta to visit you in Abby... My notorious good timing when you were working at Fraserway RV... My history of Murphy's Law experiences at your house!!... Coming to visit for the year 2000 New Year's party at Leon's... Being able to be at your dad's funeral... Having you to go through break-ups with me... Making time for a quick visit when you came out for Breakforth... Always having you to keep me "in the loop" of Abbotsford news... You meeting Lee... Meeting David... Being your Maid of Honor... Having you as my Matron of Honor... Being phoned the day Noelle was born and flying out to meet her... And that's only our friendship so far!!

In honor of this day that is yours, here is a short summary of our friendship in pictures. I could have picked more, but I didn't want to make an enemy, so I had to be choosy!!

Happy Birthday, my dearest Lana!!

Midterm Results

Well, well, well, as usual...who's the worst blogger you know?? Me! My friend Lindsey commented on my few and far between blogs, so here's why:

I have been studying my behind off for this Anatomy and Physiology class, so I am overjoyed to report that my obsessiveness seems to be paying off! I wrote my midterm last Wednesday and when I called for my grade, was informed that my 94% exam was top in my class, and actually in the program!!!!!!! Now I ask you -- How stoked am I??!? My midterm assignment that I handed in a couple of weeks ago came out at 91%, which was near the top, but I can't remember exactly. So there is half of my course mark, and now I prepare for the next 4 weeks of class before I write my Final exam at the beginning of August. Cruising right along...

Anyway, I need to get to bed so I can get up for work at 5:30 in the morning, so see ya for now!

This is LONG overdue!

I have only one comment for this BEAUTIFUL morning in Edmonton, and I feel the need to dramatically break my silence of the last month...


YAY!!!!! Carolina Won, the Oilers LOST!!!!!!! WOOHOO!

Well, I feel sheepish!

Hi. My name is Jana. Remember me??! Ummm, ok, so I haven't posted a blog in, like what, a month? Oh brother! There's really not a whole lot to write about, but here goes...

My job is going really well! I'm excited about it because I was soooooo nervous about starting. It's been hard in the sense of not knowing people and not having the relationships I had at Beulah, but the workload hasn't been too much to adjust to. They went easy on me for the first couple of weeks and didn't pile too many details on me so I could get used to the general job, but they've been training me for more projects lately. It definitely keeps me busy and has been crazy trying to remember all the staff, but there are some lulls here-and-there to catch my breath :) They have a staff social committee that plans lunch bbq's sometimes, so that's kept things interesting, and people are really nice, but it's going to be awhile until I really feel that I fit. This is my fourth week there, so I'll give it time.

School has been a HUGE adjustment! There really are no words to describe how exciting it is, but it's been a lot of work. It's about what I expected, but there's one lady in my class who is married with at least one young-ish child at home, and I don't know quite how she manages the studying on top of being a mom! There's one girl who has a couple young kids and one of them has had a number of health troubles since he was born. She has been taking care of him at home since he was a baby, so she kind of thinks that she's has already done everything that we'll be doing in clinicals. It makes me roll my eyes because clinicals will involve a lot more than what her one-case experience has. Anyways, I am LOVING it, and although it is a lot of information, my instructor has been really great and I can't wait to get more involved!!

Incidentally, my midterm is 2 weeks from tonight, so yeah, I feel no stress right now... AS IF!! I am starting to feel the pressure, but I've been spending a lot of time with my textbook, basically every moment between work and sleep, so that's why I haven't been posting anything. I am around, and have been reading your comments, so maybe now I'll be able to find more time to update you.

Until next time...

Comment Replies

OK, well, I figure that the easiest way to respond to comments is a quick, dedicated post!

Sarah, I'm so glad you been checking my blog for updates! I've been checking yours too and I love seeing pics of your family! Thanks for you encouraging thoughts on school. It's been a lot of work so far, but I expected that, and it's going to be so well worth it! If you go back when Eva is older, it will be great and I'm sure you will love it to :) If you are ever coming through Alberta, I would love, love, LOVE it if you would call me! It would be great to see you too, so just let me know and I'll email you my phone number 'n stuff.

Kris, you are very welcome for the Mother's Day wish! I wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you! I am glad that you're getting settled. I will post more class stuff as I go, but I'm sure you'll hear more work stuff in the middle of next week...

Shawnie, I like to play with colors...what can I say! It's fun :) Yes, I am glad that I have been well prepared for school and that it is not more overwhelming than I expected. Expect the worst and you don't get as disappointed, right? I'm glad that your Mother's Day was nice and that you were able to get a little break from the kiddies, however precious they are!

And Lana, yes, I am bitter about hockey right now. When they won on Wednesday night, I had to drive home from class right through Whyte Ave, aka party central. Fun, or actually, rather not :( Ah well, if I can manage to restrain myself enough from tearing that stupid flag off someone's car window, it will be a playoff miracle!

Love you guys! You are fabulous friends, or have I already mentioned that?!

I'm Embarking on an Adventure!

Wow, there is way too much going on for me to keep up with myself! Tomorrow is my last day of work at Beulah Alliance Church, and I am a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The prospect of starting a new job is cool, but I'm worried about not meeting their expectations, dealing with the new learning curve, and a bit of fear of all the "unknown" factors. I am looking forward to this transition time, but it will be hard to leave a staff after 2 years.

School is intense and a little overwhelming, but going well! I have had 2 classes so far, and there is a lot of information to absorb in 3 1/2 hours... It has definitely been an adjustment after being out of school for so long, but hopefully I'll get in the swing of things before too long.

Congratulations to Kristal & Shaun on their move to Arizona! I hope you are able to settle in to your home and new surroundings easily & quickly, that Shaun's job will go well, and that Natalie will adjust to the different climate!

Oh, and I know it's a little late, but I've been reading my textbook too much to blog! Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends who are now mommies themselves! The rookies: Lana, Kristal, Sarah and Danna. The Veterans: My Mama, Carla, Kay, Shannon and Erin. And of course, the Soon-To-Be: Aimee! You guys are great moms, and I know if you all can do it, one day I can do it too! Just not yet... :)

Your Eyes Should Be Gray

Your eyes reflect: Intensity and drive What's hidden behind your eyes: A sensitive soul

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Does Life Ever Surprise You?

Didn't I just say in my last blog that I have to stop with epic novels? I guess you can't teach a procrastinator to update more frequently!

First things first, I start my class in LESS than a week! Wow, I am so totally nervous but also completely excited. Anatomy and Physiology, here I come :)

Second, in the course of 3 days in the last week, I was offered and have accepted a new job offer! Talk about unexpected, but I really feel that it's a God-thing. I was told of an opening at an engineering firm in Edmonton, but I put off applying because I thought, "I'm starting school, I can't possibly start a new job at the same time!!!" Then I tried to think objectively and realized that it's better to start both at the same time than to start a new job in the middle of my program, around all the work and exams and stuff.

I would never have heard about this any other way, and it all went so fast, that I really felt God was leading me to this. I emailed my resume last Friday, they called me for an interview this past Monday, I was interviewed on Tuesday over lunch, and they called me to offer the position on Wednesday morning! It will be a great experience and the pay will be a lot better, which will really help with school expenses...you know how that is :)

Last night I went with Lee and his dad to a car-thing in NE Edmonton. Then on the way home, we went "cruising" down Whyte Ave, which was fun, and I got to drive with my dad-in-law in his '65 Shelby Mustang convertible! It was SO fun, and it was a surprisingly nice night so we could have the top down the whole time. It is warming up in chilly Alberta...finally!

Overdue Update...Novel #2

I'm feeling the need to write something new, but do you ever feel that you don't know where to start?

Lee and I went to my parent's house in Three Hills for Easter weekend, and it was SO nice to spend some time with them. We drove into Calgary on the Saturday afternoon to visit with Scott, Carla, Brady, Megan and Caedyn, and that was especially wonderful! I love that the moment I walk into their house Brady and Megs yell, "Yay, Auntie Jana's here!" Man, they are awfully good for my self-esteem :)

Then it was back to work for yet another Monday, yippee (note the sarcasm?!) Anyway, my Mama had a birthday on Tuesday, so that was worthy of 2 emails and 4 phone calls! The week progressed until Friday...

The Oilers LOST!!!!! Yeah, baby! Ahem, excuse the rejoicing, but I do live in Oiler-ville, and as IF I could write an entire blog entry without mentioning hockey.

We had 2 of our neighbors over for dinner on Saturday night, and thanks to my mom's instructions, I think my chicken turned out pretty good! My sweet potato pie was yummy and my chocolate cake was rich and decadent, if I do say so myself. Chris & Allison are expecting their first baby in June, so it was really nice to have them over before they have "other" priorities. Then the Oilers won, so bah...GO RED WINGS!!

There's my last week, but I'm starting to realize that if I blogged more often, I wouldn't have to write novels!

One last thing, Shannon has been asking me for a picture, so I'll post one now, but it will have to be a wedding pic. Sorry, but it's hard to take pictures together when there's only 2 of us! I'll try to find a more recent one for you sometime soon.

It's been nice to have sunshine lately, but I'm waiting for my first spring rainstorm...soon, I hope. I want green grass! I also want mountains within view and an ocean nearby, but I guess I'll have to manage without :(