Sunday, October 08, 2006
Life in "Boom-Town"
Fri. 5:30 a.m. I wake to the alarm. Time to get ready for prayer meeting this morning.
6:10 a.m. I have breakfast with a half-dozen men at a restaurant close to Grande Prairie. We have a good time of sharing concerns and praying for things from housing needs in Clairmont (the community where our church is) to Canadian and allied soldiers in Afganistan.
7:50 a.m. I arrive at work almost an hour later than "normal" but that's O.K. Almost immediately a shipment of suplies arrive for me. About time! I've been waiting two months for this stuff so I can finish building a number of doors. Oh! Oh! It's the wrong stuff and won't help me much.
On the radio I learn that our growing city could reach 100,000 in twenty years. Today its at 45,000.
5:15 p.m. I quickly change and leave work for the bank across town. It's payday and therefore also morgage payment day. Traffic is extra busy but when I get to the bank there's an much bigger surprize. Some fourty people are lined up ahead of me, waiting to get to a teller. The young oil worker next to me says he's going to take out $500.00 and spend it at three bars that night.
6:10 p.m. I finally emerge from the bank and head toward Wal-Mart, only three blocks away, where Colleen is off work and waiting for me. I'm sure she's wondering what happened to me. Thankfully what could have happened didn't! You see, I had to make a left turn at the busiest intersection in town. The vehicle ahead of me turns left on the amber light and I start to follow him before the light turns red. But I notice that a loaded logging truck is coming through the light. Fortunately I stop in time for him to make it through without hitting me. Praise the Lord!
6:20 p.m.Colleen and I drive past the theater to see what's playing and notice a very long line-up of people trying to get in. Later we learn that the first showing of "Open Season" (opening night) sold out.
6:45 p.m. We attempt to go to Boston Pizza but its close for renovations. Instead we go to "Mr. Mikes" and are told we'll have to wait 20 minutes for a table. Fortunately, because there are only two of us, we get in sooner. But the place is packed and much noiser than normal. It's still an enjoyable supper.
8:15 p.m. We are heading out of town when I suddenly realize: "The truck's still at Wal-Mart." Change of plans!
9:20 p.m. We take in the second showing of "Open Season." It's a hoot. Colleen especially enjoys the young boy beside her who gets quite a kick out of her laughing at the show.
Sat. 8:00 a.m. Another overtime day begins.
3:30 p.m. I leave work to go shopping for vegitables. (We are taking a salad to a pot-luck at church the next day.) At the "Real Canadian Superstore" (Yes, that's the official name!),I discover they are totally out of lettuce. I pick up what I can and zip back to I.G.A. for lettuce and cucumber. Success! (I had been reminissing about Uranium City. When one store was out of something, the other soon would be too.)
6:00 p.m. We arrive early at the Communicy Centre down the street from our house. The wedding starts half an hour later than we thought. So we drive around our little town and view the progress being made on some 80 homes under construction.
6:50 p.m. The Wedding begins (a litle late, naturally). The bride is a co-worker of mine and (surprize, surprize) Colleen knows the groom and several guests from Wal-Mart! The vows the couple wrote for each other contained some very powerful and emotional words. The Bride is handed a tissue to wipe her eyes, but before the ceremony is over, they pass the same tissue back and fourth several times. Colleen and I dance a couple of dances. She looked great in her cowboy blouse and long black skirt. Our dancing? It was almost as good as the rest of the people there!
Sunday 9:30 a.m. Colleen and I make the salad for pot-luck.
10:40 a.m. We head off to church. One of the shared prayer requests is for people needing housing. Our new Pastor gives great expository messages. He's going through Philippians.
12:00 p.m. Pot Luck! Ours is the only lettuce and veggi salad there. All of it is taken. It was a great meal. Afterwards we have the church annual meeting. It is short and sweet, for an annual meeting. Colleen and I are both impressed.
After pot-luck is the annual meeting which is rather brief as far as annual meetings go. Now we can go home and relax for a while.
Mon. 6:15 a.m. The alarm beeps the beginning of another busy week. Little did I know, it would be my busiest week since I left the harvest field several years ago!
9:00 a.m. I learn that a major customer (they build new homes) is upset because they are waiting for doors for some 20 houses. I go at preping some pre-made doors that have been ordered in. In order to get caught up I work to 9:30 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday. Each day Colleen worked 2:30 to 11:00 so we took supper breaks together, at Subway. Arn't I a big spender?
Friday 9:30 p.m. I arrive home from another extra long day (including another trip to Subway.)It'll be an hour and a half before Colleen arrives home.
Saturday 6:20 a.m. We are on the road to work again. By the end of the day I will have worked over 60 hours!
4:30 p.m. We are home again. I install a timer on our ourside lights and Colleen packs for our trip to Camrose (Suzanne Brian, and Thomas) the next day.
Sunday 6:20 a.m. We are on the road to work again. A second early shift for Colleen. And another Sunday work day for her too. This time though I come back home and start getting ready for church and for our trip. On the way I notice that several pieces of heavy equipment are at work (yes on Sunday Morning!) preparing to widen the highway past Sexsmith, where we live.
9:25 a.m. Off to Sunday School and church. On the way I see a hot air balloon lifting off. "Oh yeah, this week-end is the national balloon races here in Grande Prairie." At church, we can look out the windows and see several balloons lift off and drift past the church toward their intended destination.
2:00 p.m. I arrive home from church. I had taken some time, after church and coffee, to install a set of drawers in the sound booth. (I had made them in my "spare time" over the past two weeks.)
3:15 p.m. I'm packed and back on the road, running a little late to pick up Colleen from work. We will be heading directly to Camrose (a 6 hour drive). Our Thanksgiving weekend has finally begun.
6:10 a.m. I have breakfast with a half-dozen men at a restaurant close to Grande Prairie. We have a good time of sharing concerns and praying for things from housing needs in Clairmont (the community where our church is) to Canadian and allied soldiers in Afganistan.
7:50 a.m. I arrive at work almost an hour later than "normal" but that's O.K. Almost immediately a shipment of suplies arrive for me. About time! I've been waiting two months for this stuff so I can finish building a number of doors. Oh! Oh! It's the wrong stuff and won't help me much.
On the radio I learn that our growing city could reach 100,000 in twenty years. Today its at 45,000.
5:15 p.m. I quickly change and leave work for the bank across town. It's payday and therefore also morgage payment day. Traffic is extra busy but when I get to the bank there's an much bigger surprize. Some fourty people are lined up ahead of me, waiting to get to a teller. The young oil worker next to me says he's going to take out $500.00 and spend it at three bars that night.
6:10 p.m. I finally emerge from the bank and head toward Wal-Mart, only three blocks away, where Colleen is off work and waiting for me. I'm sure she's wondering what happened to me. Thankfully what could have happened didn't! You see, I had to make a left turn at the busiest intersection in town. The vehicle ahead of me turns left on the amber light and I start to follow him before the light turns red. But I notice that a loaded logging truck is coming through the light. Fortunately I stop in time for him to make it through without hitting me. Praise the Lord!
6:20 p.m.Colleen and I drive past the theater to see what's playing and notice a very long line-up of people trying to get in. Later we learn that the first showing of "Open Season" (opening night) sold out.
6:45 p.m. We attempt to go to Boston Pizza but its close for renovations. Instead we go to "Mr. Mikes" and are told we'll have to wait 20 minutes for a table. Fortunately, because there are only two of us, we get in sooner. But the place is packed and much noiser than normal. It's still an enjoyable supper.
8:15 p.m. We are heading out of town when I suddenly realize: "The truck's still at Wal-Mart." Change of plans!
9:20 p.m. We take in the second showing of "Open Season." It's a hoot. Colleen especially enjoys the young boy beside her who gets quite a kick out of her laughing at the show.
Sat. 8:00 a.m. Another overtime day begins.
3:30 p.m. I leave work to go shopping for vegitables. (We are taking a salad to a pot-luck at church the next day.) At the "Real Canadian Superstore" (Yes, that's the official name!),I discover they are totally out of lettuce. I pick up what I can and zip back to I.G.A. for lettuce and cucumber. Success! (I had been reminissing about Uranium City. When one store was out of something, the other soon would be too.)
6:00 p.m. We arrive early at the Communicy Centre down the street from our house. The wedding starts half an hour later than we thought. So we drive around our little town and view the progress being made on some 80 homes under construction.
6:50 p.m. The Wedding begins (a litle late, naturally). The bride is a co-worker of mine and (surprize, surprize) Colleen knows the groom and several guests from Wal-Mart! The vows the couple wrote for each other contained some very powerful and emotional words. The Bride is handed a tissue to wipe her eyes, but before the ceremony is over, they pass the same tissue back and fourth several times. Colleen and I dance a couple of dances. She looked great in her cowboy blouse and long black skirt. Our dancing? It was almost as good as the rest of the people there!
Sunday 9:30 a.m. Colleen and I make the salad for pot-luck.
10:40 a.m. We head off to church. One of the shared prayer requests is for people needing housing. Our new Pastor gives great expository messages. He's going through Philippians.
12:00 p.m. Pot Luck! Ours is the only lettuce and veggi salad there. All of it is taken. It was a great meal. Afterwards we have the church annual meeting. It is short and sweet, for an annual meeting. Colleen and I are both impressed.
After pot-luck is the annual meeting which is rather brief as far as annual meetings go. Now we can go home and relax for a while.
Mon. 6:15 a.m. The alarm beeps the beginning of another busy week. Little did I know, it would be my busiest week since I left the harvest field several years ago!
9:00 a.m. I learn that a major customer (they build new homes) is upset because they are waiting for doors for some 20 houses. I go at preping some pre-made doors that have been ordered in. In order to get caught up I work to 9:30 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday. Each day Colleen worked 2:30 to 11:00 so we took supper breaks together, at Subway. Arn't I a big spender?
Friday 9:30 p.m. I arrive home from another extra long day (including another trip to Subway.)It'll be an hour and a half before Colleen arrives home.
Saturday 6:20 a.m. We are on the road to work again. By the end of the day I will have worked over 60 hours!
4:30 p.m. We are home again. I install a timer on our ourside lights and Colleen packs for our trip to Camrose (Suzanne Brian, and Thomas) the next day.
Sunday 6:20 a.m. We are on the road to work again. A second early shift for Colleen. And another Sunday work day for her too. This time though I come back home and start getting ready for church and for our trip. On the way I notice that several pieces of heavy equipment are at work (yes on Sunday Morning!) preparing to widen the highway past Sexsmith, where we live.
9:25 a.m. Off to Sunday School and church. On the way I see a hot air balloon lifting off. "Oh yeah, this week-end is the national balloon races here in Grande Prairie." At church, we can look out the windows and see several balloons lift off and drift past the church toward their intended destination.
2:00 p.m. I arrive home from church. I had taken some time, after church and coffee, to install a set of drawers in the sound booth. (I had made them in my "spare time" over the past two weeks.)
3:15 p.m. I'm packed and back on the road, running a little late to pick up Colleen from work. We will be heading directly to Camrose (a 6 hour drive). Our Thanksgiving weekend has finally begun.
# posted by Mister Ed T @ 8:16 AM 
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Wow! I sure enjoyed sitting here reading your new story of how your daily events take sprout for you and Colleen.Loved it!When both of you have outside jobs like you do it sure makes your days that much busier and interesting.I was so glad to hear you and Colleen at least had a salad at your potluck.Once again Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.Its so nice that you and Colleen could spend it in Camrose with Suzzie,Brian,Mckayla and Thomas.Love to all of you.When those hot air balloons took off into the sky it must have been beautiful to watch and oops I wonder how much of the message was missed.Quite some time ago in one of the parks near us they had hot air balloons go up and I was clicking my camera shutter lots capturing lots of good pics.
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