Loss of a Friend

On Monday, while watching the morning news as i got ready for work, a news story caught my attention. The headline read "couple killed in head on collision outside of Calgary, seven week old baby miraculously survives." Normally i don't pay much attention to these stories, the local news tends to focus heavily on death and the more negative aspects of what is going on in the world today, but thins one held a personal connection and i guess that's all you need to become interested.

Michael Melnyk and his wife were killed Friday evening on their way home from a family wedding. I worked with Mike for two summers, 2006 - 2006, at the Glenrose in between university. He was a really great guy and we got along really well. When i met him he has just returned from Costa Rica doing missionary work (he was Mormon - from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and was looking to become a heavy duty mechanic. Over the time i knew him he had gotten engaged but then his, then, fiance left him. He has obviously moved on from that relationship and found love after all.

I then moved away to South Africa after that last summer and we lost touch. Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago and i had been thinking of trying to reconnect with him, see what he was up to and see if he was still living in the city. Sadly i never acted on that thought.

Its just a terrible thing to happen to such a young family.

For the full news story and further information you can check it out here.

Witty, wistful, wonderful writer? Maybe, but not today.

This afternoon i was browsing my Twitter feed and came across a tweet from Scott Jones, a TV host for Electric Playground. He tweeted the address to his blog The Jones Report. In a desperate move to take a break from subdivision applications, i had a read. Now it may not be the most intellectual of content, but i found it amusing nonetheless.

It, however, did get me thinking, how can i write as witty and entertaining as he does?
I tend to just report the facts as they happen in my life, or at least i did when i updated this blog with any regularity.

Anyways, not that i aspire to become a videogame blogger, i hardly have time to dust off my Wii, let alone play it, cause i don't. I do, however aspire to write about my life, find adventure in the everyday and convey my own personal view of said adventures within the confines of this blog...as a hobby. Just to clarify.

Cheers

May 11th!!!

It has been a very long time since i last updated this, and with any kind of regularity. I'm hoping to change that, not because i have a huge following or anything, but because i like having a bit of a chronological diary that i can go back to (now at anytime thanks to the iPhone) and savour the memories.

I ran into Jarret's parents last Saturday at Costco and we made a little bit of small talk as you do. It was an interesting conversation. Mrs. Dyrbye kept rattling off certain accomplishments that Erin and I had made to congratulate us:
Mrs. Dyrbye: "i hear you bought a house! Congratulations."
Rob: "Thank you."
Mrs. Dyrbye: "And got engaged!"
Rob: "Yep!"
Mrs. Dyrbye: "And got a puppy!!"
Rob: "Sure did!"
And then they ran off to go and buy a rain barrel and potting plants.
It made me think, hell ya a lot has happened in mine and Erin's life. And you know what, i am really really happy.

So for those of you who do read this blog, or may stumble across it, i hope to keep you a little more updated on what is going on in my life, our life and any other topics that i find interesting along the way.

And for those of you who are wondering, it is less than 4 months until the wedding!!! :)
Rob.

12:22am on a friday morning

This is one of the first times, in a long time, where i haven't been able to sleep. So i decided to grab myself a glass of cold milk and hit the old laptop to do some facebook surfing. I started that at 11:30pm.

It's good though, i was looking up a bunch of people i hadn't heard from in a long while and i'm glad i had this time to myself. I hope to contribute to this more, but life (and/or procrastination) has a way of keeping me from getting things done. As i'm sure Erin can attest to.

If anyone out there still checks in on this thing, here is a brief snippet of what is going on in the life of Rob these days.

I am now living in Edmonton, Alberta. I currently work for an Engineering firm, in the planning department. My job title is "Junior Planner." I just celebrated my two year anniversary with my girlfriend Erin. My parents are going away on a cruise tomorrow and i get to drive them to the airport.

I think i am going to go to bed now, it is late and i have to be up at 6am tomorrow.

Erin has taken over Rob's Blog!

So, Rob has really been slacking at keeping everyone in the loop about what is going on in his life. Either that or Facebook has become his new modem. All that being said, I have decided to do a mini update to anyone that still reads this.

Maybe he just doesn't feel like his life is an adventure anymore. That could not be further from the truth. For starters, he lives with me! Yes, that is definitely an adventure! We have also been living in two different places around Canada for the last two year. Last year we moved to Kelowna, BC to be together and to get more work experience. I thought it would be easy for Rob to find a great job too... but I was wrong.

So after a rewarding but challenging year, several wine tastings, and making a couple really cool friends, we are back in Edmonton. Our apartment is really cute. Rob had to find it while I was still in Kelowna. I must admit, he did a great job! (with a little help from my sister)

Rob is now working at an engineering firm here in Edmonton as a "junior planner". He really likes it. Sadly, he hates the fact that I take the car while he takes the bus... due to me working just east of Edmonton.

Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully Rob will start updating this more... who knows but if now you can always get in touch with him on facebook or in person!

Cheers,
Rob's super cool GF

I want a house like this

Go here to see the rest of the videos.

Countdown to Mexico is on

Only 14 more days until i get to hop a plane to Edmonton to rendez-vous with my family before we jet-set off to sunny, sunny Mexico! I didn't think i would be this excited about going but now that it is closer to departure date, i'm getting really excited!

I think i just need a bit of a change of pace. Things here in the Okanagan are puttering along as per usual, i'm busy searching for work at home while Erin travels between her 3 Katimavik communities. I need something to break up the everyday and get me not thinking about the pressing matter of job search.

I don't mean to make it as negative as that previous paragraph sounds, in actuality i've been quite busy this week re-establishing contacts with individuals and organizations in Kelowna, applying for several jobs, and i did manage to get some great networking done at the Downtown after 5 networking event last wednesday.

Also, i finally have managed to save up enough money to purchase myself a new video camera. I'm really excited about this because i will have it just in time for Mexico and in addition i can start to work on editing the Christmas footage i took in December!!!

Well i'd better get back to the job search. I'm going to find the perfect job for me, right now!