Minimalism Quotes

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupe

"The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less." - Socrates

"Less is more." - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

"One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in." - Francis Jourdain

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris

"We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." - Hans Hofmann

"We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it." - Donald Horban

Grown-up Stuff

I feel a lot like a kid playing grown-up lately: a degree, a salaried job, a baby, and now possibly a house. Matt and I put an offer in tomorrow morning. I have been rebelling against the idea of a cookie-cutter house with a small yard but the allure of a new home has been too compelling. If the offer goes through (I fully anticipate a counter offer first, so it is definitely a maybe) then Matt and I will still have enough time to choose the colors and materials. We're envisioning charcoal maple cabinetry, pale grey countertops, modern hardware, glossy black appliances, bright white walls and dark hardwood floors throughout (my mom's brows are furrowing with concern right now because she is not envisioning it) which are unconventional choices in Lloydminster so the home will at least be an unconventional cookie cutter.

The After

This is how the Harker boys celebrate a wedding- with moustaches.

Handsome Harker

Snowboarding Makes Me Laugh

When I am on the hill with my brothers and friends I just can't stop smiling and laughing. Click on the link to watch our latest adventure to Sunshine Village.

Sunshine

Another Hurdle

I've just jumped another hurdle in my teaching- the dreaded four part meeting/observation with the LPSD division Human Resources Personnel. I have been working like mad to beautify my unit plans, while trying to stay on top of my planning and get ready for the Christmas concert (seriously, why not just have kids dress up in their best Christmas outfit and sing carols, but no it has to be a production and my class being the oldest in the school have all the speaking parts, the complicated songs, and I have to track down or make 22 various animal costumes, BAH!)

Yesterday was the official observation and it went very well, in fact the man who hires teachers for our division said he would find me a place when I come back to teaching (he probably thinks I plan to come back to teaching in a year and he could easily be in a different position by the time I actually do come back but at least there is a killer review and two very beautiful unit plans that make it appear that I am a meticulous planner on file at division). So now only three weeks of teaching left! I feel ready to have a holiday but I also know I will feel ready to go back to teaching after it. So for now I'm just enjoying it while it lasts. Yesterday I did a science experiment (a lot of baking soda + a balloon + 2L pop bottle) that made my kids go wild and made even my hard to impress Mr. Moody exclaim "That was the best thing ever Mrs. Harker!" And there was a quiet peaceful moment in my busy classroom at the end of the day where we were all softly singing Christmas songs and coloring paper ornament when I looked up and surveyed all those funny and lovable little faces that almost made me tear up. I'm predicting that pregnancy hormones may contribute to a colossal cry session on my last day.

Ultrasound Pictures

And yes it has taken me four and a half years of marriage to change the last name on my health card. Bad timing I know.

Willy Wonka Party

I've been reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to the students in my class during their snack-time. They got really into the story (they actually erupted into cheers when Charlie found the golden ticket) so I thought it would be fun to have a class Willy Wonka party. They had to earn their golden ticket by setting a goal and meeting it at least six out of ten school days. We did a Willy Wonka activity each day building up to our party and on Friday the students came into the classroom to find a Wonka bar containing a golden ticket on their desk (everyone that is except for my Mr. Chatterbox and Little Miss Lazy who didn't earn a golden ticket to the movie part of the party, but I suspect it might have a good lesson for them). Now I only have four weeks of teaching left! That's only one more classroom party to plan! Here are some pictures from the week:

Perception

In the midst of my report card marking I got some brief humorous relief today in the form of my students' perceptions of me on September 17, when they made brainstorm webs about school. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

"She loves her kids." I'm sure I would love my kids... if I had them at present.

"She teaches Grade Three." This from my very literally minded Mr. Moody.

"She is really good at gym." Hey if this is what the best athlete in my class has to say I think I have represented myself well.

"She is nice because she never hurts us." Apparently the only criterion for being a nice teacher is to restrain oneself from inflicting physical pain?

"She has nice hair." This from a little boy in my class who likes to say "Good-bye most bootifullest teacher" at the end of some school days. You can't help but love a kid who can pay compliments like that.

"She rings a bell a lot." Fact: I only ring that bell about twice a week to get the class's attention when they are doing group work or workstations.

"My teacher is about 28 years old." Hey she was a lot closer than the kid who guessed that I was turning 42 on my birthday.

I love teaching these funny kids.

Opening day = Powder day?

I finally picked up my new snowboard! It took about 20 phone calls to DHL and I admit some of them got a little heated. I got it just in time for Sunshine's opening day on Nov.11, where I was able to meet up with my brother Bri and my cousin Dal. We knew we were in for a good day when there was alot of snow at the highway since there is usually 3 times as much at sunshine village. The first run of the day was amazing and I haven't been in powder like that since before my mission. Usually on opening day there are rocks everywhere and there is only a tiny bit of snow but it was the opposite. We had a great time and I can't wait until my next powder day. You never know when the next one will be.

Matty

Update

I just had another ultrasound at the Perinatal Center on Tuesday and the doctor told me the baby looks perfectly healthy. He is 24 weeks and weighs 1 pound 4 ounces right now. He looked so cute and relaxed laying on his back with his arms and legs stretched out. He's not always so mellow though, I could swear that little monkey was jumping in my tummy the other day. The ultrasound technician also showed me how much room there is left in the womb. She said it like it was a lot but let me tell you it doesn't feel like there is a whole lot of room for the baby to grow. This tummy is getting big. Sometimes at school the belt with my headset will spontaneously burst and the equipment will go flying. I thought it was funny the first few times but it gets increasingly less funny each time it happens, which is quite regularly now. I'll post ultrasound pictures as soon as the Royal Alexandra mails them to us.

Exploitative Practices

Matt and I were faced with a critical decision when contemplating our couples costume. We knew we wanted to exploit one of our new physical acquisitions, but which one- the baby bump or the beard? In the end we decided it would be more politically correct for me to adopt a beard rather than Matt a pregnant tummy. So lumberjacks it was...

Queen of Hearts

This year I decided to re-visit my Alice in Wonderland past (I was Alice when I was about six years old, but unfortunately there is no photo evidence) and be the Queen of Hearts. Amy and I planned to make our costumes together- but between shopping, laser tag, and stuffing ourselves with chinese food in Calgary last weekend we didn't have any time to buy fabric to make the tutus. Instead I waited until a couple days before Friday to tie tulle, and cut and glue felt hearts. My crafting skills could use some work (I couldn't even sew my costume) but at least it was enough to impress my grade threes: "How did you make that?!"


Amy did an awesome job with her makeup, she was even dedicated enough to glue her eyebrows down with a glue-stick to make them invisible.


My kingdom.


My loyal subjects paid tribute to me during lunch hour when they thought it would be hilarious to bow down to me whenever I entered the classroom for lunch supervision. Okay, it was entertaining for me as well. And don't worry- I didn't my abuse my power and make them work too hard on Friday.

Freedom

Parent teacher interviews are completed, the pain in my side is gone, my IV is out, and I can finally go back to getting my regular, blissful 8.5 hours of sleep a night. This was kind of a rough week but I have survived with nothing worse to show than bags under my eyes and a sore throat. The kids in my class were really relieved to see that the IV was out. When I came back to school at the end of the school day after an afternoon doctors appointment, they all rushed over to give me a hug and the girls to give my stomach a pat (I guess I should start getting used to the stomach touching because my stomach is starting to grow quickly and people are starting to tell me that I finally look pregnant). Everyday they would ask if the baby was okay, if my hand was hurting (whenever I was writing, typing, or generally moving at all) and look really concerned when they saw blood filling the tubes in my hand. They were really sweet, but it worried me that they were so worried despite my reassurances that I was feeling okay, and I was scared to take more than an afternoon off this week because I thought they might imagine the worst. Now hopefully I can avoid seeing medical professionals for a while, I think I have spent more time in a hospital these last two months than the rest of my life combined!

I'm a Regular

Lately I feel as regular as ol' Dennis at the Lloydminster hospital. All the nurses and receptionists know who I am. My 8 a.m., 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. daily visits go a little something like this:

"Here for another IV?" A receptionist smiles at me in recognition.

ME: "Yep."

"Still have your wristband?"

ME: "Yep."

I head back to the emergency waiting area where a nurse smiles at me in recognition and calls dibs on the teacher she gave an IV to that morning.

NURSE: "How was your class today?" and other small talk as me connects me to my meds. Then, "You know what to do."

The IV-on-wheels clatters noisily and sways precariously as I slowly wander to the reception area to sit next to Matt. I wait 10 minutes for the antibiotics to drain. And begin the familiar trek back to the emergency room chair.

The nurse quickly unhooks me and inserts a saline rinse into the plastic tube which has called my vein home these past 48 hours.

NURSE: "There you go sunshine/hun/dear (depending on the nurse). I'll see you on my next shift."

ME: "Yep."

It's a boy!

I had my ultrasound today and it looks like Matt and I are having a little baby Jonas (our favorite boy name) before a little baby Drew (our favorite girl name)! All we know besides his gender is that he likes to kick his legs and that he is shaping up to be a cute little guy! We can't wait to meet him in 20 more weeks!

Field Trip Time!

Yesterday Matt and I decided it was field trip time. So we recruited my brothers Jordan and Colton and headed to the Telus World of Science in Edmonton for an afternoon of educational fun. 

The day was off to a rocky start when we drove to probably the only restaurant in Edmonton that is not open on a Saturday- thanks a lot Tokyo Express on 112 St. I really needed some sakana (fish) to fuel my brain for some serious learning.

At the center we explored the exhibits, watched a movie about space exploration in the Science Dome and tested our physical prowess. We each had our moment to shine.

I won the basketball shootout (Matt says this is debatable but Colton will attest to the fact that the computer gave Matt two points for two missed shots).

Matt ran faster than a grizzly bear (1.96 seconds), balanced the longest on a skateboard, had the best reflex times to sound, light, and touch stimulus, and won the wheel chair race championship (and the contest for biggest showoff).

Colton displayed the most left hand strength in the circus games

and Jordan climbed a climbing wall without even touching it.

The highlight I'm sure we would all agree however was learning to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen and then of course eating the ice cream. Oh and the kids who thought they were going to die when they imagined that a bit of nitrogen splashed on their heads added to the entertainment as well.

Lets go Riders Lets go!

Yesterday Edmonton was crawling with Riders fans. The closer it came to game time, the more crazy riders fans you would see getting ready for the big game. It's not hard to spot one on the street with a huge Roughriders flag or a watermelon helmet. The fans were flocking to Edmonton for revenge. The eskimos had stolen a win from them in the final minute of the game the weekend before and they weren't going to let them get away with it that easy. Revenge must be a strong motivator since it brought a record breaking crowd of 62,517 fans. The most Edmonton has seen this season is around 35,000. 62,517 is a new regular season record for the commonwealth stadium, and it just goes to show you how many Riders fans came to the game.

The Hunspergers jumped on the Rider wagon for a game and Marks horn blowing skills added some more decibels to the riders cheering efforts. We definitely didn't feel out of place cheering for the Riders with a huge fan base at the game. It was nice and close the whole game with the Riders coming out on top.

Royall and I have a soft spot for Saskatchewan and cheering for the riders lets us show our Saskatchewan pride. Yes Yes I know I live in Alberta now.... but living in Lloydminster has it's advantages. If I want some nice clean Saskatchewan air its only a few blocks away, and cheering for the Riders is totally legal!

Matty

TOUCHDOWN RIDERS!!

I Survived Parent Night

Making a presentation to a class of kids...easy! (and fun!)
Making a presentation to their parents...hard! (and terrifying!)

Everything went smoothly and I got some really positive feedback from parents whose kids are looking forward to coming to school every morning (music to my ears!) All the same I am cheerfully looking forward to another eight weeks before I have to conduct parent teacher interviews.

School is Cool

School is back in session and I am seriously loving it. Being in a classroom with kids is really me in my element, thats where I come alive. I am always super busy and I have felt like crashing on the couch for a nap when I get home at 5 or 6 a couple days this week, but I am always excited to go at back to school at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. My kids are a bunch of busy, eager learners and they have been really good for me. Despite what people think, being a kid is just not simple when you are a kid. Each kid is so complex with their own set of insecurities, network of relationships, and interests. I love getting to know each kid and hearing their thoughts and opinions. They can be hilarious. Today one boy asked me if he could share jokes with another friend during class time, and I told him that instead he could write a joke on the board for the class the next morning. His face completely brightened and he looked at me like I was Santa Claus giving the best present ever. I love witnessing all those little moments. Teaching completes me.

It's That Time

My classroom is officially ready for school to begin on Monday. The first assignment and a freshly sharpened pencil are laid out on each of the twenty-three desks. Each desk, mailbox, and locker has a student name tag, and all the papers that need to go home the first day are neatly organized on the front desk. My bulletin board backgrounds and borders are waiting to be decorated with student pictures and projects, and I have my first day planned almost to the minute. A few rounds of hangman were played just to ensure that the SmartBoard was in good working order.


I have a terrific teacher aide and I met three girls who are in my Grade Three class on Friday who were really sweet (although I have been informed by reliable sources that it was act on the part of one girl, and that her parent, who is famous for being found at the teacher's desk eating her breakfast early in the morning, is crazy). But crazy parents aside, I am really looking forward to the school year and having my very own class. I just can't believe that the start of school came so fast!

4 YEARS

August 26 was Matt and I's fourth wedding anniversary. I feel like we were just married and that we have been together our entire lives, all at the same time. I love being married to my best friend. He is such a strong and steadying influence in my life. Five years after we first met, he is still the kindest person I have known. I can't wait for the adventures we'll get to have together in year five of our marriage!

It's Official...

the Harker family is set to expand in Spring 2010. Matt and I went into the medical clinic to see a prenatal specialist for my first appointment. Just 3 months ago we felt that it was the right time to prepare for a new baby to come into our family and now here I am 12 weeks pregnant! We got to listen to the baby's heart beating today. Hearing rapid little heart beats inside my body makes it all seem so much more real. We can hardly wait for all the exciting new changes a baby will bring! My due date is March 2.

Amy Bean

I smuggled my sister Amy from Calgary to spend the last couple days with me. We had a lot of fun swimming, watching movies, hanging out, baking and decorating cupcakes, picking raspberries and making jam. She left this morning and now I have nothing to distract me from the rapidly approaching end of my summer. I officially begin work on Monday!

The End of the Adventure

After the West Coast Trail Dad and I hitched a ride into Bamfield, the closest town where we looked for a place to stay for the night. I love camping in a tent but the stench of my clothes and self convinced me I needed someplace with laundry and a shower. After hunting around Dad finally located a B&B with a single vacancy. The place would probably have only rated half a star but given the temporarily low expectations I had briefly developed, it was wonderful.

A few showers and loads of laundry (the smell still lingers on some of my clothes despite multiple washings) later we went down to the dock to meet Brian, the Juan De Fuca water taxi driver, who we booked to drive us back to Port Renfrew in his boat. True to the forecaster's words it was raining and we were informed that a third of Brian's passengers that morning had gotten sick because the water was really choppy. Only four of us passengers decided to head back on the boat. Brian said a ways into the ride that if he had known the extent of the storm he wouldn't have drove us, the weather, he said was normally only that bad in the winter time. Personally I think I enjoyed the ride more because of the storm. It was more exciting to ride through the crashing waves and rain. I'm convinced I would have been cut out to be a sailor in a different life. I love the salt water on my face and the wind in my hair.

Dad and I hung out behind the cabin for a couple hours of the trip so we could see the coastline and sea lions better. Brian kept the boat close to the coastline the entire time so we could spot various landmarks we had hiked past on the beach. He also took us up close to sea lions and a california grey whale (probably the same one we watched from Chez Monique's). I wish I could have taken pictures but Brian had the number of cameras lost on his ship carved into the dash and I didn't want to add to the casualties.

A few hours drive and a ferry ride later we settled into a campground and then checked out Vancouver the next day and a half. We walked and shopped around downtown, ate Japanese food, and trolleyed around Stanley Park. We also hiked the "Grouse Grind", a nearly vertical 3-km trail leading up to the top of Grouse Mountain where we got a great view of Vancouver. All that walking meant the soles of my feet still felt like they might blister. After the Grouse Grind, Dad drove us all the way home until we arrived in Calgary at 6:30 am the next morning. Thanks for the adventures Dad!

West Coast Trail Day 5

August 9

This morning Dad and I took it easy. We actually didn't end up leaving camp until 11:30 am, when we talked to another group carrying a radio. They had been following the weather forecasts and the latest forecasts were all calling for rain to begin that night. We weren't very anxious to spend another night in the rain so we decided if we could, we would finish the trail that night. As Dad put it we are both people who can put our heads down and accomplish something if we set our mind to it. We had about 23 kilometers to cover, almost a third of the trail, but we had the toughest parts behind us (though in truth I hate when people talk about the south end of the trail being tough and the north end easy, a more accurate description is that the trail gets less difficult as you progress north but you have built up so much fatique in your muscles that in actuality it doesn't feel easier, you can just travel more kilometers in a shorter period of time).



We paid the price for our late morning on the beach. The tide was in and we were forced to walk on the soft sand where one step feels the same as ten. There is no resistance to push off against so our leg muscles had to work a lot harder. We passed by the ship ruins of the Uzbekistan along the beach. The West Coast Trail is known as the "graveyard of the Pacific" because many ships met their doom near or on its shores. Ship passengers often died in the harsh environment before they could reach safety and the government was finally forced to carve out a rough trail to provide a lifeline for future shipwrecked men and women. Over the years improvements were gradually made until we have the West Coast Trail at present.



The last ten kilometers from the Pachena lighthouse to the Pachena Bay trailhead were a mental and physical challenge. Dad and I had new aches and pains in various parts of our body, in addition to the ones we had previously accumulated and it literally felt like my body might fall apart at times. As we walked Dad reflected that he was so tired that he hadn't even thought to take our pictures at the lighthouse. Instead when he saw another hiker taking pictures with her camera all he thought was "that looks heavy". Dad and I made fun of our enthusiasm on the first day when we would say "whoa this is really hard" with huge grins on our faces. And I joked that we didn't make very convincing poster children for the newcomers just starting out from Pachena Bay that day. The last two kilometers really almost "done me in". At every kilometer along the trail there was a sign stating how many kilometers we had left to go, except the 1 km sign was missing. Not knowing whether I had already started hiking that last kilometer really played tricks with my head, as did the big fat series of ladders at the end of the trail.

But then we were there at the trailhead and our mission was accomplished. I guess I can check the West Coast Trail off my life list but I would like to do it again sometime. The beauty of the west coast is absolutely spectacular and it was special that Dad and I got to share those great and sometimes painful experiences together!

West Coast Trail Day 4

August 8


Today it finally rained. Dad and I had a laugh on the first day because a hiker we talked to, told us that all the talk about it raining lots on the trail was a load of crap. The week he had hiked it had stayed dry the entire time. When I stepped outside my tent that morning I was actually happy it was raining, it seemed an essential part of an authentic West Coast Trail hike and after all it was only a light, albeit steady, drizzle.



Dad and I made great time on the beach and we were at the ferry dock on Nitinat Narrows by noon, perfect timing for lunch. On the menu- BBQ salmon with a baked potato or a world famous whole cooked crab. Nitinat Narrows is one of only three intertidal lakes in the world, being the only one with indigenous crab so we opted to have the crab. One of the aboriginal men entertained us with stories about people who had tackled the trail again just to have some of the "best crab they had ever tasted" again. One story was that the previous summer a sister had decided to hike from one trailhead to Nitinat Narrows just to have crab again before flying out. Her brother flew his helicopter above her to make sure she was safe and would stop by the dock for lunch and supper everyday. I, and I suspect Dad as well, were a bit skeptical that the crab could be that good. But it was in fact the best crab we had ever tasted and I suppose if I was wealthy and had a hankering for crab I just might fly out there again. After we stuffed ourselves, we threw the remains to the swarms of fish, and watched the jellyfish for a while before loading on the ferry to continue on to Tsusiat Falls.



Well if pictures don't tell lies, then I suppose I must have been a little weary during this stretch of the trail. Dad liked to snap an unsuspecting picture once in a while, which I guess is fair because the big smile pictures don't quite tell the whole story.



Dad and I watched the sea lions through a pair of binoculars for an hour. One huge white sea lion cracked me up. He looked like a bleached whale with his great belly resting a rock, when the tides would come in he would flap his flippers in the air while remaining stationary. The sea lions turned out to be just as curious about us and some swam quite close to us.



This picture was taken at Hole in the Wall and the one below at Tsusiat Falls. Most groups we played tag with on the trail camped at Tsusiat Falls for the night, but it had continued raining all day and we decided we would rather hike the extra two kilometers to Klanawa, the next campground, then wait around in the rain. By this point the insides of our rain jackets and pants were soaked with sweat and our body temperatures would drop rapidly when we stopped to rest.



Right before Klanawa we encountered the first cable car we would have to take (the river being too deep to cross on foot) and the last one on the trail. And what a memorable experience it made. Dad pulled the cable car across to the platform but we couldn't find a way to lock it in place (but there must have been one because other groups crossed in a much more dignified fashion). With one hand holding the back of the cable car and the other arm clenched on the platform railing I grunted in pain as my muscles strained to hold the cable car for Dad to load his heavy pack. Dad took my place and we made a split second decision, Dad wouldn't be able to jump in fast enough once he let go of the cart so I would go alone with the packs and have to unload them and myself as quickly as possible. I laughed hysterically at how silly we must look to the campers watching from the comfort of their sites, the cable cart moved quickly and when I reached land on the other side I frantically threw the packs and myself from the cart. Then Dad and I had a shouting match from opposite platforms as I tried to determine which way to hold the ropes so Dad could load himself into the cart, and then pull him across.

Evenings at the campsites were usually a relaxing time but this evening was the exception. The rain picked up harder as we pitched the tent and it was difficult to build a substantial fire, most of the wood being soaked. I was wet, hungry, exhausted, and so cold I couldn't stop shivering as I sat as close to the dwindling fire as I could without burning myself. I have a childish tendency to get very surly when I am hungry, cold, or tired and unfortunately, as I had all three I am afraid I wasn't the best of company. I wanted to eat a granola bar and curl up in sleeping bag, but Dad insisted that we needed a hot meal. When I had finally changed into a dry set of clothes and had eaten a hot meal I did feel better but I was still glad to get out of the rain and go to sleep that night.