My 2013

As I sit here reflecting on my 2013, I am remembering all the exciting and huge events that occurred this past year and would love to share them!

First was January 20th, After 1 year of dating and 5 months of anticipation the love of my life proposed.

 

Then sadly in June we experienced the flood, which affected many of our friends and family.

 

 

In late July I competed in my final 4h horse show, leaving behind many great friends and memories made over the years.

 

 

August 10th was the day Mark & I were married, Many of our friends and family were there to celebrate with us which made the day as perfect as could be. 

 

 

 

Mark & I welcomed Andy 'the Nard dog' Chipman into our family, and we have been having such fun with him!

 

 

 

 

August 25th brought a very special baby Remy into our family, Heather and Justin you sure make adorable babies!!

 

 

September brought a very busy schedule for Mark and I both. I started the Medical Office Assistant and Unit clerk program at SAIT which was from 8-12 every day during the week. After that I would go from downtown Calgary to DeWinton to work as a caregiver for my Dad. THEN... As soon as I got home every day, Mark would be off to his business program at the UofL Calgary campus from 6-10 mon-fri. We unfortunately were not able to spend very much time together but luckily I am finished my program and things have calmed down!!!

 

November brought a bunch of excitement for the Chipman clan with the engagement & marriage of my sister in law Laura to her man Miles. Their wedding was really beautiful and I had the pleasure of being a bridesmaid.

 

 

December, my side said goodbye to someone very important, Carolyn Mary Clark. My Grandma was there for me cheering me on at EVERY event. Band, Graduation, Horse shows, public Speaking, She had a HUGE part in my wedding, making my cake, all my favours, decorations ect. It was very difficult to say goodbye to her, and it will continue to be difficult. But I am so grateful for my testimony and to know that I will be with her again.

 

last but not least, December 10th Mark and I purchased our first home. We cannot wait to move in January 10th!!

 

So as you can see, Lots of excitement for us this year, Cannot wait to see all the excitement that the new year will bring.

 

Grandma

My Grandma was a feisty woman, right till the very end.

Friday November 29th I got a phone call from my mom informing me that my grandma had a heart attack on the Wednesday prior. We didn't think it was too severe because she hadn't gone to the doctor until the Friday. So Saturday she was in the foothills hospital for a very regular angioplasty. What happened during the angioplasty, basically when they went into her arteries to clear a blockage, they knocked the blockage into her brain and caused her to have a splatter of small strokes.

ultimately the doctor was preparing us to let go, the next Tuesday the doctor came into the waiting room where we had all been living since Saturday night. What he said was that her kidneys were failing, and they were looking into doing dialysis. That day we all went into her room and said our goodbyes to my sleeping Grandma. The doctor had made me feel like that would be her last day.

That night (Tuesday) My Auntie Julia and I stayed in the hospital waiting room, neither of us wanted to be away from her just in case.

Wednesday morning, as soon as we woke up we went into her room to check in... and something miraculous happened! We were standing beside her bed as the doctor was checking her vitals. The doctor leaned down and started saying her name rather loudly. After 4 days of her being asleep we expected no response but that is not what we received. As the doctor was saying her name, she opened her eyes and looked directly at the doctor. The doctor said, Hi Carolyn, can you blink? She did. Carolyn can you please squeeze my hand? She did. Can you wiggle your toes? She did. The doctor then proceeded to ask her a few more questions which my grandma answered with a nod of either yes or no. As soon as the doctor was finished asking questions, my grandma wanted her intubation out. So about a half hour later the respiratory therapist came and removed the uncomfortable tube from her throat, allowing my grandma to speak again. Despite the extreme pain she experienced in her throat one of the first things she said was 'Lindsay, How are you'.

That day was so special, we all got the chance to laugh and reminisce with her, and most importantly make sure she knew how much we all loved her. That night the only one who stayed with her was my grandpa. Which was truly incredible, The next morning everyone went about their regular lives, me at school, Uncle back to work and even grandma and grandpa enjoyed their tea together.

Everything from then on went very much on my Grandmas terms. She was fading fast and was told she needed to once again be intubated to which she replied absolutely not. With her husband by her side she went peacefully to sleep.

My Grandma was many things to me, horse trainer, cake maker, cheer leader. But most of all she was just plain special. I am so grateful to have had such a strong woman as a role model growing up.

Love you Grandma, Until we meet again.

Recently

Christmas is here!!

It wasn't until recently that I have started to adore Christmas season, egg nog, Christmas baking, music and family. I absolutely love it!
The last couple of weeks has been stuff hitting the fan. Wedding, emergency move in, family emergency, mortgage issues... needless to say its been difficult for us to get in the Christmas mood.
Something magical has happened in my life though! For the last few year I have been teaching beginner riding lessons to my friends and family and some acquaintances who are looking to learn the art of equestrianism. Of course being as horse crazy as I am I have always wanted to do this as a long term career but to be honest there are a lot of things working against the idea. If you don't have your own facility, especially indoor it is very hard to teach proper lessons.
Despite all that my great friend Lena Blain gave me a pep talk about pursuing my dream. That following week, I sat down and designed an ad on Kijiji for Western and English Riding lessons in DeWinton. I was very upfront in the ad explaining that my lessons were outdoors, in a paddock on a smaller horse only suitable for children and women. I wasn't feeling to good about myself and wasn't expecting many responses. However, much to my surprise not only have I had so many responses I've had to turn people away, But I have 4 new students!! It has been so amazing expanding the business and sharing my passion for horses with others. I've even been keeping my eyes open for another horse so I can start group lessons!!

That's basically all the good news I have to report for the last couple of weeks, hopefully when everything settles back down I will have more to post!