Debut

-Baby Olson's debut.-
(legs and umbilical chord on the left, head on right side)

We went for our first ultrasound on September 25th at which point I was informed that I was 22 weeks and 3 days along. A bit late for a first ultrasound but as far as we know everything looked fine and our baby is healthy.

With the help of modern technology we looked on as our baby squirmed and kicked. We were amazed at just how much detail you can see with an ultrasound! With our inside view and could see the smallest details from the heart beating (140 beats per minute!), to the stomach and even a full little bladder.

But the most amazing part of the whole experience was when our ultrasound technician told us that our baby's feet were already 3 1/2cm long! I'm still stumped as to how all 28cm of this baby fits inside me!! Amazing!

North of 60°

-The Northern Lights as seen from the Ingram Trail (the beginning of the ice road).-

-Aurora Borealis light up the northern sky.-

Wild Wood Bison

-Wild Wood Bison.-

Trevor had always told me that wild buffalo exist. As I grew up on the prairies buffalo were a part of a legend that I never really thought that terribly hard about. To me the fact that these huge wild beasts could exist alongside modern man was preposterous. Well, okay... so these herds don't exist alongside man... but here are the pictures to prove that on our trip to and from Yellowknife, we came across many wild Wood Bison.

-Swamp, swamp and more swamp. The view on the way to Yellowknife.-

Wood Bison Facts:

• The Wood Bison the largest terrestrial animal in North America.
  
• It is heavier than it's cousin from the plains weighing in at a whopping 900 kg or 2,000 lbs!
• They were believed extinct in the early 1900's until a herd of 200 was found in Alberta in 1957. That herd today is up to over 3,000 bison.
  
• Wood Bison appear on both the endangered species of Canada list, as well as the threatened animals list.

-Grazing Buffalo.-

The Northwest Territories

-Fireweed over looking the Great Slave Lake.-

Here is a summary of the whirlwind excursion:

• Drove 34 hours round trip (17 of these hours in one stretch... with 3 breaks of 15 min. each)
• Replaced an alternator in one of the most isolated cities in Canada.
• Repaired a flat.
• Paid $1.30 for a litre of gas and $12.00 for a plain burger that had been sitting under a heating lamp for no less than a week.
• Saw two wild bears, a lone wolf, three friendly foxes, and herds of wild Wood Bison.
• Camped 400 kilometres south of the arctic circle and saw our breath in August.
• Ate peanut butter sandwiches for almost every meal.
• Spent a very COLD night on a hilltop watching the Aurora Borealis dance.
  
• And, learned not to flinch with more than 500 misquotes buzzing around your head at any given time.
  

-Lady Evelyn falls.-

-Typical Canadian shield topography surrounding the city of Yellowknife.-

We never thought that our spur of the moment getaway would leave us so tired, so broke or so cold. Don't get us wrong, the trip was educational in and of itself. We both ventured farther north than we'd previously been. As Trev grew up in the north his 'territory gained' was substantially less than mine.

We were awed by the wildlife (although there are no pictures to prove our sightings of bears, fox, elk or wolves), astounded by the natural beauty of the Canadian shield, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Great Slave Lake (the deepest lake in North America and the ninth largest lake in the world) and blown away by the dancing northern lights.

-A day of fishing... beautiful cold clear waters, amazingly deserted surroundings, unforgiving rocky landscape, hours of haunting loon calls but no fish.-

-Lophocampa Maculata or common caterpillar. Much more cooperative than the bears, fox, elk, wolf or wild buffalo that we encountered.-

Dragonfly

• It's been just over 6 years since Trev and I started dating.
• Just over 5 of those years we've been married.
• We've spent more than half of our married life as non-residents of our homeland, claiming residency in another country... or no country at all for that matter.
• And now, it'll be only 3 short months till we become responsible for another life.

So what does this have to do with the dragonfly?

During all of this time together we've changed identities, roles and residency often but one thing we've been firm on since the beginning was the importance of our relationship together. More important than schooling, money, fun, friends and yes, our beloved families. Second only to (and strengthened by) our personal relationships with our Saviour, Jesus.
It has been because of this importance, we've set aside Trevor-Rachel time every week to work on 'us'. And, it was on one of these precious date nights that Trev snapped this shot of a dragonfly. I can't tell you exactly why this picture drums up memories of our relationship but I can tell you that reminiscing only makes me more thankful for my time with Trev, more thankful for the holy institution of marriage and more thankful for where God is leading.