The Good Old Days

I thought I would go back to the good old days, when all you had to worry about is: "What's in my lunch today?" So I'm starting with my education, Grade 1 with Mrs Pitts,1968-1969. Can you find me? I'm the cute one, distracted for some reason!!

Grade 2 with Mrs Lucher, 1969-1970. Westside Elementary. That school does not exist anymore. Hummmm. I remembering telling Mrs Lucher the truth and she wouldn't believe me, so I lied to her, told her what she wanted, and she said "Now doesn't that feel better to tell the truth?" I remember thinking, "Hmmm, odd, nope it doesn't feel better, but you are off my back, what else can I do?" Funny the things we remember, I have no clue what the lie was about, a book or something.

Now this is my class at Robert Rundle Elementary School in St. Albert, AB. 1996-1997. Its Grade 4 and I'm the teacher!  This was the last year I taught school.  I only taught elementary one year out of the 12 yrs I did teach. Really I'm a High School French Teacher.
(I wonder what those kids are doing now?)

Dixie Dee at 9 yrs of age 1971

Dixie Dee at 10 yrs of age 1972

13 years later and a graduate of the University of Lethbridge

Bachelor of Education with a Major in French, 1985

I'm turning very old in the next few days so I'm trying to remember the good old days before I can't. I haven't been blogging and I'm trying to put things together so that I have a bit of history/journaling to go along with my blogs.

"40 is the old age of youth, and 50 is the youth of old age."

Odds & Ends

Time for a bit of an update on the farm. I call this the Kitty Choir.
It's fun to open the barn door and see these guys all snuggled up.

Lily on guard. It is fun to watch her stalk the cats. She knows better than to do anything more than stalk them.

It's calving time and this cute little calf has imprinted on me for the moment. I'm trying to bring the cow and calf into the barn for some TLC, it's a bit chilly yet. It was fun having the calf follow me, and then of course the cow had to follow the calf. (That didn't make momma so happy, she wanted to go somewhere else.) Of my new herd of 20 cows I have 15 good healthy calves. Only 5 left to go. Oh I like these cows. I'm lucky Dad takes such good care of me.

I was lucky enough to sell my nice 3 yr old Wrangler mare to my Aunt Shirley. I'm so happy to have her at a nice home and Shirley is going to have lots of fun with "Willow!"

A random photo from my little trip to Babb, Mt today for the mail.

March is working out to be a good month so far: healthy calves, great cows, a sale of a horse to help pay the bills, and warmer, longer days on the horizon! Oh and the gophers are waking up, so some fun days with the rifle coming up!

Hey, just "shooting gophers", another sign that spring is on it's way. (Really, I can't wait to see green, feel warm, and wear T'shirts!)

Five Decades of Family

This time I'm focusing on the "Family". I thought I would go back in time. This was taken in January 2012 the day of Grandpa Vadnais funeral. (in my 40's)

 The family,including spouses, as of about 1996.(in my 30's)

This was taken in 1980, the year I graduated from High School. (close to my 20's)

Christmas 1971 at the Leavitt house. Oh we are stylin'!

And my favorite picture of all! The Denver and Joy Bevans family taken around 1966.

Once April comes around I'll hopefully be over the Memory Lane thing and blog about "Adventures", but I'm working on getting some of these fun pictures digital and blogging is my motivator at the moment. Thanks for coming on the ride!

Dixie, Rod, Kelly

I guess I'm still in the Memory Lane mode. I was lucky enough to have siblings growing up and here are a few pictures of "US".

This is Dixie communicating something or another to Rodney Kent Bevans born 17 May 1963. I'm guessing this was taken in '64 or '65.

"When is it my turn?"

You know, Rod still pulls faces like that when he rides Broncs.

Kelly Marie Bevans (on the right) born 21 April 1963.

Here we are to the west of our house in Leavitt, 1965ish??

A school picture taken when I was in Grade 1(1968). Oh you know we were cute! (Too bad we had to grow up!) Which one is me? Dixie that is? So we were 6,5 and 4. (So did you pick the cutie on the right?) (Rod and Kelly are cute too, but it is my blog and I can say I'm cute if I want to!! :)

The three rag-a-muffins. I think we are in the back of the pick-up going to or from feeding cattle. Guessing again, sometime late 60's early 70's.

Another school picture when we were in elementary school. Early 1970's (grade 5 or 6 for me). Notice the use of color pictures, coming into the modern age some.

Summer of 1972, our first vacation as kids. We are at a campsite in Great Falls Montana! We were lucky enough to have a mother who thought her kids were the best thing going. So thankful for a mother who loved us and sacrificed so much for us!

Christmas 1972 or 1973, at the pink house in Cardston. Mom made our stockings and they are the only ones I remember and still have to this day. I love my christmas stocking!!!

Kelly, Rod, and Dixie as adults. (I know, I know, not quite as sweet as when we were in grade school, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.) This picture was taken 1998 or so. I guess that means I'm 36 yrs old there. Man that seems like yesterday.

Memory Lane

 I'm turning 50 this year. (Ahhh).

So a walk through Memory Lane might be fun.
This is where it starts for me.
Denver Forest Bevans and Anna Joy Vadnais on their wedding day.
18 Oct 1961

Ahhh, look at the bundle of "joy" home from the hospital.
Dixie Deanna Bevans (8lbs of joy)
born about 4am 17 April 1962
Yes that is all my black hair!
Handsome couple with adorable baby, don'tcha think????
Mom is 18 and Dad is 21yrs old.
(For those interested the photo is looking east with Cahoon Hill just off to the left, in Leavitt,AB)

I'll let this one speak for it's self, and I think we still have those saddle bags.

Happy Birthday to me!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

What can I say?

A couple of "Dolls"!

H-a-a-a-a-a!!

Can't you just hear that little kid laugh that makes you laugh and laugh too???

Just some fun pic's, Oh to be so cute and carefree again!!!!!

 

Are you taking pictures of me?? Ok, I'll pose for you!

Oh, and for the record, I do have sibblings, but that will be for another post!

Dixie & Blondie in the barn yard. I guess I came by my love of horses at a rather early age!

That horse was great, he was a palamino that would roll with us kids if we let him get into water. I remember walking home crying because I couldn't get back on him once he rolled. (I'm going to say I couldn't get back on because I was "too little" rather than "too short"! )

Laurier Joseph Vadnais 1920 - 2012

January 5, 2012 at 5:15am my Grandfather Laurier Joseph Vadnais passed away, 14 days shy his 92nd birthday. He was buried in the Cardston Cemetery on the 7th of January 2012.

I thought he had a nice casket and I loved the flowers with the roses, daisies, and wheat.  Grandpa did all the important things in his life in January. He was born in January (-20C, snowy), got married in January (-20C,snowy), and died in January (not so snowy, but blowy and cold).

Laurier and Laura Vadnais in 2001

So lucky to have such great grandparents! Loved having a "Grandma's house" to go to anytime day or night! I would go there for food, change clothes on the way to somewhere, (oh should I say it?) I even skipped school a time or two and went to "Grandma's house". They had a cookie jar they kept filled for the grandkids!!

Grandpa loved fishing, I was lucky enough to go to Payne Lake with him, can't say I caught any fish, but I had a great time and loved every minute on the lake with Grandpa!

Found this picture today, I'm guessing it was taken in the early 70's at the house I grew up in, in Leavitt. I'm also guessing it was Grandpa's birthday, as I couldn't have "earned" quite so many candles at that point in my life. (Just in case you don't know, that's me on the left and Kelly on the right.)

LJV sold me my first herd of cattle and provided many happy memories when we got to spend the summer in Boundary Creek doing what ranchers do. It was always fun to take him to see the calves in the spring. He was/is a rancher through and through.

I'm grateful for the fact that Grandpa was an honest good man that served his family and fellowman with love and devotion. He was my Grandpa and I love him. I will miss him, but at the same time I am happy that he is in a better place.

Some fun facts:
Married in 1943, & as of the end of 2011 (68yrs, I'll do the math)
Laurier & Laura have:
6 children
28 grandchildren
71 great-grandchildren
3 great-great-grandchildren

Part of the Abundant Life, being the oldest grandchild of Laurier Joseph Vadnais!

Christmas 2011

Not such a "White Christmas" this year (rather warm, windy and brown) but a nice Christmas none the less. Some of the Christmas activities this year include:

Hanna's Christmas Concert with the Girls Choir. I loved this, puts one in the Christmas Spirit for sure. (Hanna is in the middle on the second row from the bottom)

Mom is primary president in Leavitt and she had the kids put on a little play for the ward Christmas party. We had a busy fun time preparing for "The Great Manger Mystery"

Mom at one of the practices, it really was a lot of fun and I think the kids will have good, fun memories of the whole process. Mom really does have alot of energy, more than most!!

I spent Christmas in Lacombe. This if Tiffany and Markus. Do you like his mustache?

Kassie with James and Markus.

Susan and Andy



Jord-man!!

Ashley, Kassie, Tiffany and Tashina. They are playing a game on their iphones with Each Other!!! Oh man! Oh Man!!

Christmas morning. Tiff & Kassie got fun PJ's with a flap and all!

Tiffany sketched this picture of Tommy Jr for Nathan & Rachelle. I love it!! Can't wait to see it framed.

Tommy Jr in Dad's boots, "If he can wear them, I can wear them!"

"Hey Great Grandma Bevans, How do you like my new shirt eh?"

"I can't get out of this box! Help!!"

My friend/cousin Daneca is home for the Christmas vacation. She is working in Iran right now and we've all decided that this is what she should wear to cover her head while working over there. ( Umm I wonder if it would cause any grief?)

Dancea and I had some good times as room-mates in Lethbridge back in the day. Thus concludes Christmas 2011.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!