Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Survived Year 3

April 27th was a day of celebration in our home … not until the afternoon … but regardless it was a day to celebrate.  Rob wrote his last exam that morning and could sigh with relief that Year 3 was behind him.  By that point in the “game” it’s not so much a question of whether he passed but simply that he survived to the end of the year … the marks will arrive in a few weeks to confirm if Year 3 is truly completed.

Year 3 has by far been the most stressful year in our house.  In reality this was not all because of the school work, but it was school related.  Rob knew that this would be a difficult year due to the courses he had to take this year, so as far as the work load goes this was no surprise.  As far as some of the other stresses that arose this was not expected and certainly caused a rollercoaster of stress throughout the year.  Rob also seemed to always have all his major large papers due at the same time making it just a little more stressful.  But in the end it all got done and the year is behind him now.  He left early Monday morning for a truck run to Calgary … while I don’t appreciate it when he’s gone for long periods, I do know that this is exactly what he needs at this time.  He loves the truck and it’s a good place for him to unwind and work through his thoughts which at this stage in the “game” are very mixed up and need some processing.

The tradition is that after the last exam pictures are taken of the student from the year and then they proceed to have a potluck lunch the the professors, professors wives and staff.  This year it did not work for us to make it to the Potluck due to an already extremely busy week and the fact that we were hosting the annual Year-End BBQ that evening.

Due to the change in the school year structure school is finished earlier now then it used to be.  This poses a problem when the tradition is to have an outdoor BBQ, picnic and fire and it’s still April.  The weather was not looking very promises as far as temperature goes, but at least there was no rain in the forecast. 

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Since most of the student live in the city they did not expect the extra wind that we get out in the country which further reduces the temperature and made for a very chilly evening.  We found a corner beside the house that was in the sun and out of the wind, but even there it was still chilly.

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Moving around is a better way to keep warm then just sitting in one spot.

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The BBQ is potluck style, as pretty much all student functions are, with everyone bring something.  Burgers, sausages and hotdogs were served along with salad and lots of hot chocolate. 

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After supper in the shop we were all chilled to the bones and decided to move indoors for dessert to thaw out.

Johan brought dessert … the first cake he’s ever baked.  Everyone survived so it must have been okay! :)

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We all piled into the living room for some chatting, joking, general good times.

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Thankfully the wind died down a little later on and we were able to get a fire roaring and spend some time outdoors around the fire, something that many are not able to do since they live in the city.  We had our chance to roast marshmellows and chat around the fire … and surprisingly even though the weather wasn’t that warm our backs weren’t even that cold sitting out there. 

There you have it … the end of the 2011/2012 school year.  The students now have four months to kick back, relax and do nothing … haha … if only!

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