Eye Spy Another Update

Well, we won’t mention how long it’s been since the last update, so we’ll jump right in…

The first big news is that Ben now has proper eyes! Yes, he had laser eye surgery! On April 15th, we traveled down to Halifax for the big event. Nerves were on edge (mine even more so than Ben’s), but everything went well. The surgery itself took no longer than 10 minutes, and I actually got to watch it being done via a TV screen (I apologise to the squeamish for that detail). Ben had to administer lots of eyes drops for a while, but now his eyesight is perfect, and even better than mine.

Ben sans glasses!

In case you didn’t know, the reason Ben had this done was because he needed to have a good level of uncorrected vision in order to be a police officer. Since then, Ben has traveled to Ottawa to take the standardised testing that allows him to apply to a variety of forces in Ontario. Of course, Ben nailed the tests, and has been applying to a number of places. Now we just have to wait to hear back.

In other related news, Ben has been working as a security guard at Regent Mall for a little while now, and has also been continuing his volunteer shifts as an auxiliary police officer. Although at different ends of the spectrum, both have been giving him some great experience for his new calling.

Back in March, I started my second period as a volunteer mentor for the Kids.Now organization. I had a lot of fun again and was lucky enough to get to hang out with some great kids. Every week they made me laugh and blew my mind with their insights. I’ll definitely consider doing it again in the fall.

I’ve also expanded on my volunteering at the Fredericton SPCA. I still take photos every week for the website, but now I’m also helping out with a wonderful new cat socialization program. Basically, I get to play with kitties every week, but the importance of the program should never be underestimated. A team of us go in when we can and make sure as many cats as possible get to spend time out of their cages (one at a time) and interacting with humans. This really helps to calm any of the scared or stressed cats, and also makes sure they get used to people as much as possible. The cats become happier and more adoptable as a result, and are also less likely to fall down with illness due to reduced stress levels. I’m very proud of the many amazing things that the Fredericton SPCA does, and I’m happy to be able to help in any way I can.

It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it.

I’m not the only volunteer in this household, however. Ben has been helping the Fredericton Meals on Wheels organization, by delivering meals as often as he can. He’s doing a great service!

In June, we drove down to Boston for a vacation and met up with Ben’s parents, his sister Rachael, and her boyfriend, also called Ben, who flew in for the week (although we were there for just 5 days). We had a fairly long list of things we all wanted to see and do, and managed to accomplish a lot without getting too tired.

The New England Aquarium was a hit!

Quincy Market

Suffolk Downs horse racing

Having fun at the Science Museum

View from the Prudential Tower

On the Historic Boston Sightseeing Cruise

Pure delight at the Cheesecake Factory

Harvard Museum of Natural History gets two thumbs up

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox

Ben teaching Jill how to play pool

The wonderful Lenox Hotel

Whew, we really did a lot in 5 days!

Back in Fredericton, Ben has been playing lots of soccer, and his team have been doing well in the new McCain New Brunswick Premier Soccer League. They have done a great job at involving the community and have really become the city’s team. A recent game against their rivals, Fredericton Picaroons Reds, was televised on the local Rogers TV station, and had in excess of 300 people attending. Unfortunately Ben’s team lost, but they played well in a high standard game. The best part was being able to PVR the game and watching it back!

Lastly, I’d like to mention the weekend I recently spent in Nova Scotia, cycling 100kms in two days with a bunch of friends to raise money for the MS Society of Canada. It was a weekend full of fun, and a lot of money was raised (over $340,000 in total). We were the Neon Riders, and certainly lived up to our name…

Neon Riders at the start line

Neon power!

100kms later & still smiling

So, that’s about it for now. I hope you enjoyed it, and don’t have to wait so long for the next update!

Take care,
Helen & Ben

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