Nathalieland Update - Awards/Braces/Art/Football

High Achiever. Emily impresses us all with her work ethic and school accomplishments. She makes flashcards for all her classes, studies them regularly, and thrives on organization and preparation. Her teachers praise her enthusiasm and participation in class, and her report cards show the results of all that hard work (she currently has 100% in two classes and 99% in the other two). School really is her thing! Two weeks ago we went to Frontenac's Honour Awards Night, where Emily scored four Grade 9 Subject Awards (for the highest grade in Math, English, French, and Geography) and the Grade 9 Silver Award (for the second-highest standing in 8 courses). Rock on, Emily!

Grade 10

6 Weeks of Braces. Tomorrow marks my 6th week with braces! It's neat how quickly you can get used to the new look, feel, and routines of orthodontics. While there are a few discomforts, like sensitivity while eating, food getting stuck in the brackets, and some drooling at night, for the most part it's been a fun adventure. I've already noticed some shifting of my teeth, particularly with the upper left snaggle tooth and the crowded lower front teeth. My first tightening is in two weeks -- I hope it goes well!

Progress after 6 weeks

Art Time. Since I got back from Saskatoon, where I did some painting and drawing with Sarah's mom, I've been inspired to make art! I bought some watercolour painting supplies on Amazon and have been enjoying near-daily art time. Jessi even joined me last weekend and we had so much fun that we plan to make watercolour Christmas ornaments this year.

Vanier Cup. It's no secret that Steve and Jessi love football! They have a weekly daddy-daughter Football Night to watch NFL games until the Super Bowl. So when we found out that the Vanier Cup (Canada's university football championship) was being hosted in Kingston this month, we got some front-row tickets to see the game. We were rooting for Laurier since it's right next door to the University of Waterloo (our alma mater), but sadly Laval triumphed over them. It was still a fun game to watch, with great seats that gave us an up-close view of the Laval team's kicker practicing throughout the game (he scored all their points!). Steve and Jessi's only complaint was that it got pretty cold for the second half of the game. I was the only person in the crowd wearing snow pants, but was toasty-warm with no regrets. Ha!

Episode 48: The Vanier Cup

This player's last name was Thibaudeau!!
(Almost my maiden name)

Book List #23

Here's a list of the 30 books I've read since May. Lots of great reads here, especially in the nonfiction genre. I've also re-read a few fiction novels, either to Jessi at bedtime or to gauge their appropriateness for the girls. Emily and Jessi have really gotten into YA and even adult books, like Me Before You and The Glass Castle, for their depth and relatability. Here's to books broadening the mind!

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22

15 (+1) Final Seasons of Survivor

We did it! We gained access to the first 11 seasons of Survivor, which means we've now seen every single season of the show. That's 46 seasons in less than 3 years -- so much time spent watching and enjoying the show as a family. Here we polished off the last few (poorly-rated) seasons in the 20's and 30's, plus the most recent seasons 45 and 46. Then we went in order from 1 to 11, watching history in the making.

31. Season 39: Island of the Idols

This season is at the bottom of many lists, due to one contestant acting inappropriately and getting kicked out of the game. The "Island of the Idols" gimmick is a bit silly too, but overall we enjoyed the season and are are glad we watched it. The awkward parts just opened the door for conversations with our kids, which is always worthwhile.

32. Season 45

It took us a while to warm up to this recent season of Survivor as the contestants were often 'over the top' with excitement. We also had to stop watching partway through because new episodes were not yet available. We ended up finishing this season after 19 and 21 (below). It was a strong finish though!

33. Season 19: Samoa

We had seen Russell Hantz's other two seasons, but this was his original one and it blew us away. He was true to his villainous character, but also a very fierce competitor and definitely a game changer. By the end we were rooting for him! Also, going back to older seasons always gives us a good laugh. The challenges are much harsher and the contestants much meaner.

34. Season 21: Nicaragua

Aside from a couple of exceptions, this was a weird bunch of contestants. We're not surprised this season is rated so poorly.

35. Season 1: Borneo

It was great fun watching the very first season of Survivor! Everything was so new and low budget -- it made us laugh so many times. The contestants were just trying to figure out the game, though focusing more on survival than strategy. We enjoyed watching Jeff Probst stumble with his words and grow in his role as the season went on.

36. Season 2: The Australian Outback

What a memorable season! This was a great group, several of which we knew from later seasons. They went through so many hardships and entertained us in each episode.

37. Season 3: Africa

One tribe had it all figured out, the other tribe was a mess, and it was fun to watch it all play out (thankfully in the right direction). Africa was an interesting setting for the show.

38. Season 4: Marquesas

Boston Rob's first season! He definitely stood out as an entertaining speaker and a strong player. The season was fine overall, with a few funny and memorable moments. 

39. Season 5: Thailand

From the beginning this season was booooring. There were plenty of unlikable or forgettable cast members and it didn't get any better as the season progressed. This is our least favourite season so far!

40. Season 6: The Amazon

A solid season with some funny contestants, interesting living conditions, and good strategic moves. A refreshing change after Season 5!

41. Season 46

This was a great season throughout, probably due to the likeability of the cast. In these newer seasons Jeff Probst loves to tug at the audience's heartstrings with sad backstories and emotional growth. Season 46 is no exception, but at least we're used to it now.

42. Season 7: Pearl Islands

An entertaining season with a handful of contestants we know from later seasons. The only downside is that we didn't have access to the first episode -- an unfortunate one to miss!

43. Season 8: All-Stars

This was the show's first season with returning players, all of whom were very strong competitors in their earlier seasons. We thoroughly enjoyed this one, especially getting to finally see Boston Rob and Amber's relationship develop and lead to the famous finale.

44. Season 9: Vanuatu

Our expectations were pretty low for this season based on its ranking and the fact that we hadn't heard much about it. We were pleasantly surprised though, especially with the episodes after the merge. There were some good strategic moves and an unpredictable ending. It was also fun to finally see the season with Julie Berry, because we'd heard that she ended up dating Jeff Probst after her season!

45. Season 10: Palau

A solid season with one of the most likeable contestants to ever play the game. There were a lot of 'firsts' in this season too (up to that point), which made it pretty unique and interesting to watch.

46: Season 11: Guatemala

A fine and entertaining season filmed in an interesting location. Not much to complain about! It was also the first one to introduce the Hidden Immunity Idol -- a staple in later seasons.

And that's it! I'm sure we'll keep up with new seasons as they come (we just started Season 47!), but I guess it's time to find a new show? 

For reference, here are my other two posts listing the order in which we watched seasons of Survivor:

15 Seasons of Survivor
15 More Seasons of Survivor

Thanks for the memories, Survivor!

You will always have a special place in our hearts.

Source: All Survivor logos and cast pictures are from Survivor Wiki.