Cheryl & I have a Surprise.

And it will be revealed soon.
In the meantime, feel free to guess.

(I know, I know, you paid for the whole seat but you're only using the edge.)

She Laughs.

How about this (apparently) actual letter to the big kahuna of Proctor & Gamble

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm) absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favourite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from "Aunt Flo". Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behaviour. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps.

Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period." Are you freakingkidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong", or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for have I chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep...

Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons

Austin, TX

Hullabaloo at The Store

Today, over the course of one hour, we had the following people walk through the doors of the store...

1) Tara, in tow with her was...
2) One Justin, husband of Tara, home on a last minute leave from Iraq -- so good to lay eyes on this nice guy, (who patiently hung around the store for an hour while the rest of the events unfolded.)

followed by...
3) Heather
4) Kelli and
5) One irresistable golden retriever, Kelli's "Linus". Did that dog smell good and it was the softest, sweetest thing ever.

and then in walked...
6) Audrey with
7) Cutie Carson and
8) One "ROXY"... Audrey's new baby girl boxer puppy...what a lot of character! Her eyes are so huge and boxer-esc... she looked like those greeting cards with the distorted, over sized eyes... extremely cute!

and then in walked
9) Yolanda
10) Abigail
11) Lily

OH! And I forgot to mention that Andrea & her crew plus Tamara & Jaxson were already in the store with Me, Cheryl & Gina. And Min arrived before the gathering was over.

2 puppies, 7 kids, 1 poor guy, about a dozen women... it was loud in there.

You take those 20 friends, and add a couple of customers... it was quite a gathering!

Sure made for a fast day at the office! Good to see you all!

If I'd have known you were coming I'd have baked a cake, for goodness sake!

p.s. Harley waited in the car the whole time. So technically, 3 dogs on site.

Witnesses at the Scene Say...

"The other team was hiding in the back yard, and they wouldn't open the gate, so we were trying to get in, and then Matthew put his helmet on and ran into it to try to get it open, and we told Matthew he shouldn't do that, but he did it anyway..."

Mother of one witness has a feeling the conversation went more like this...
"We've got to get that gate open. I know! Matthew--you have your helmet on--try running into it head first!"

Ah well... one day when they're older they'll reminisce about the time Matthew ran through the K's gate head first with a helmet on.

How Stella got her Geek back

If you're ever wondering what a wild and crazy party at our house is like, this is it.

14 people, three game boards, plenty of food & drinks, a great mix of friends, one cute baby, four little boys locked in the basement with video games & chips, one couple in matching t-shirts that had "Catan, Ya feel it?" printed on the back, 7 prizes, some good healthy competition, little bit of strategy & a lot of luck, 5 hours and plenty of laughs.

We like to do this a couple of times a year, have a big tournament with this game we are all a little addicted to, Settlers of Catan. It's a fun game and at the tournament you get to play with almost everyone throughout the evening. Last time it was a 3-way tie for 1st place between Me, Julie & Mindy.
The guys all talk big but they didn't perform.
This time, there was but one winner.

So, if you're ever at a party with the cool kids and are wondering what the nerds are doing, this is it. If you like board games, this is a great way to get your geek on.

And, to my "Settlin'" friends, if you're ready for a rematch...
BRING IT, NERDS!

Your sincerely,
the Queen of Catan

They're Dangerously Delicious

Here's a recipe from my friend Patti...
I'd never made gingersnaps before... they were so easy and SOOOO good... too good... they're almost gone.

GINGERSNAP CRINKLES

With an electric mixer, cream together...
3/4 c margarine
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c molasses
1 egg

Combine the following then add to above...
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp EACH of cloves, cinnamon, ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 c flour

Chill dough overnight or for a few hours.
Shape into balls & roll in sugar.
Place on pan, (don't press down)
Bake @ 350' for about 10-12 minutes (a little longer in my oven)

She said she usually doubles the recipe... I will next time!! It make over 2 dozen but 4 dozen would have been waaaayyy better!

Street Hockey Violence - A Photographic Essay

It all started with a friendly little game of Joel vs. every kid on the street.
That led to a friendly little check from Brodie to Daddy.
Which led to this.

Moral of the story: You can't always be mad when your husband isn't cleaning the basement like he's supposed to be doing.

Also, sometimes it's a good idea to stop what you're doing, grab your camera, and sneak outside.

Things I have Accidentally Stolen

January 2002 - Expedia never did charge me for a hotel I booked & stayed at in Puerto Rico

September 2006 - IKEA only charged me for one of the two woven mats I took through the cashier... they were rolled up together and I didn't notice.

Today - I was at Office Depot and they had SUCH A GOOD DEAL on those 12 x 12 plastic envelope file things for keeping your scrapbooking stuff... a package of 5 envelopes for $2.50!!! I went to open them up and now see that there is a sticker on the back of the package that reads "REMOVE WRAP BEFORE PLACING ON STORE SHELF"... I think they were supposed to be sold individually, but whoever stocked the shelves failed to remove the packaging.

Question: Will I drive back to Office Depot & return them... hmmmm probably not.
Fact: I know several of you are thinking "Can I get to Office Depot first thing tomorrow?"

Enjoy your moral dilemna.

TODAY...

TODAY...
This was a layout challenge for the store, creating a layout answering the following questions the day you read them... I've never done any "cutting out" but it was kind of a fun way to cover up the deadspace in the photo and not lose the gorgeous detail of this BOHEMIA paper... oh my goodness do I love that paper line.

Currently In My CD Player: The FRAY, John Mayer, Dave Mathews

Last Movies Watched: OPEN SEASON (funny, animated, great use of potty humour)Half Nelson (great movie about a sad story) Little Miss Sunshine (Loved it!)

What I’m Wearing: my “after hours uniform” Brown & teal Drawstring pajama pants, white ankle socks, brown tank top & brown hoodie

Favorite TV Shows: Studio 60, 30 Rock, The Office,

Last Time At a Restaurant & What I Ordered: Hectors’ Casa, Chicken & Beef Chimichanga

Books I’m Reading: Turning Angel, by Greg Isle The Book of James, by James from the bible

My Favorite Indulgence: Grande, non-fat, no-water, tazo chai, extra-hot, Soft Pitas from the greek house and their tzaziki

Latest Thing{s} That Made Me Happy: Sitting in the hot tub with any or all of my three boys

Latest Thing That Made Me Not-So-Happy: Relationships gone wrong, whether I’m in them or near them.

What I Am Looking Forward To Most This year: Figuring out if/where our family will go on our big adventure

self portraits

needed a picture of myself for a layout... I liked this one because it's a pretty decent shot when it's cropped but when it's not you can see that it's laundry day :-)

I wonder what the fish were thinking...

... when they saw this guy (with those teeth) snorkeling towards them.

Big Love

So, I had a Friday night to myself and wasn't feeling super great so I thought I'd just pick up a chick-flick and hope to heck I could figure out how to turn on our new TV. (I had yet to successfully do that without the assistance of my 10-year-old.)

I walk into blockbuster and what do I see???? BIG LOVE SEASON 1!!
There were only 2 episodes on it, but I'm quite intrigued and am thankful Joel is going to be out of town for a week (more on that later) so I'll be able to watch it without a whole lot of eye-rolling from my own Big Love. (He doesn't always get me and my choice of entertainment... then again you'll never catch me spending hours in front of the TV watching tennis.)

Speaking of my Big Loves... here are a couple more pics from our trip... I'll stick to the Disney/Knottsberry Farm leg today.

And, on another note, I've found a new binge. It's not good.
I have been craving Cannelloni for about a week, intended to make some, couldn't find the pasta at Extra foods so I bought a package from M & M meats. Then I stopped at Valarosa foods yesterday and what a neat store! They have every kind of pasta you can imagine, a deli, loads of canned goods, all kinds of interesting imported food and some frozen foods as well, including, you guessed it, CANNELLONI!

I poured a little rose sauce over it and baked up a couple for myself to enjoy in front of BIG LOVE and was it AMAZING!!!! I got the cheese one... but I also bought the pasta tubes to try to make a chicken/spinach/cheese batch. Anyway, there you go if you're on a special dinner idea hunt!

where to begin...

I have been wanting to post some pics from our trip but I just now FINALLY loaded all 677 onto our computer and went through deleting the really bad ones. I'm not sure about this camera... I got some nice clear daytime/outdoor shots, but the indoor ones are iffy and we could not figure out how to get a good night shot. I know we need to play with it more, but now that I'm looking at them on a screen bigger than the LCD, I'm not sure I'm as happy with the camera as I thought I was... hmmmm...

anyway, here are some bad pics, but they are of the surprise when we got to Mexico and the boys discovered that their cousins were at the restaurant! Despite the quality of the photo, you can still get a feel for the moment...

I'll post a couple more later.. I need to step away from this machine for a while!

Just 6, right?

I guess it's my turn to answer the "6 weird things about you" tag...

1. I can't touch foam. Styrofoam is ok, it's the kind of foam that condenses that I can't touch. It makes me nauseous.

2. I am FASCINATED with anything that has to do with the Polygamist culture. If there's a movie or a documentary or a Dateline episode on it, I have to watch it. I am trying to figure out how I can get a copy of "BIG LOVE", the tv series on HBO??

3. I generally am not intersted in learning how do to new things. Especially if it's anything to do with technology.

4. I have a half of a Cultural Anthropology degree.

5. I think Jeff Goldblum is hot.

6. I have a very hard time falling asleep without the sweet sound of David Letterman's voice in the background.

So, there you go!

Back to Reality!

We're BAAAaack!

14 days of relaxation, fun, sun, friends & family... it was a great trip.

The surpises went off without a hitch! The kids were THRILLED of course, and very appreciative, which was nice!

I had to buy a new camera the day before we left because I noticed that the "hinge" holding our battery into our camera was kind of dangling... so we had to make a quick decision on a camera we were hoping to wait to buy for another 6 months. I didn't like making an important decision like that with no time to really research, but I think we're happy with what we got (Olympus something I can't remember right now) and I bought it from Costco so that we could return it without any hassle, just incase. I still haven't loaded up the software for it, so for now, here are just 2 pics from the Kelowna airport... taken on our old camera while we used the video on the new one.

Our first leg in LA was great, although the weather was cool. California Adventure and Disneyland were the first 2 days... the guys broke their record on the California Screamer rollercoaster and rode it 17 times! We stayed at the Park vue Inn, which is right across the street from the main entrance (a lot of hotels tell you they are "across the street" from Disney, but this was LITERALLY right there.)

Then we did Knottsberry Farm, which the kids LOVED... they have become real rollercoaster freaks. I am good for about half a day with some Dramamine in me, and then my brain starts to hurt. I enjoyed playing with my camera and trying to get good rollercoaster shots... quite a challenge, but fun!

Saturday we headed back to LAX to "go home"... when I got the kids to look at the itinerary with me we read leaving LAX at 8:30, arriving in Cancun at 4:00... I said, "cancun... where's Cancun??" and Adam got these big eyes and said, "I think it's in MExico!!!!" So there was surprise #2, which they were pretty pumped about.

When we arrived in Cancun and made the 1 hour drive to "Puerto Aventuras" to find our Condo and cousins (still a surprise to the boys) we could not find the place and had a huge fiasco because I didn't have anything written down. I knew the name of the resort and the unit number, but when we got there we looked through the window beside the front door, there was clearly the wrong family inside! I did not know what we were going to do becasue we had no phone number, no information, no nothing. We decided to find an internet cafe to look up the condo info again on the rental website and see if i had the totally wrong info in my head. Thankfully, as I was looking for the cafe, I happen to see Joel's twin brother and the rest of the crew eating dinner at a restaurant! WHEW!! (It ended up we did have the right unit, but the window right beside the door belongs to the unit next door.)
So, I walked back to the car and said, "You know what, let's just eat here and then we'll figure it all out afterwards"... so they had a delightful reunion with their cousins and the 12 of us had a great week together! The weather was gorgeous, we did one outing to XCARET, which was really fun, and the rest of the time we hung out, they guys did a ton of snorkeling, and we enjoyed many a blender drink! The condo was huge and perfect for us to share. We were also there with another of Joel's cousins and his family, who we're also good friends with and their little guy. They found out the day before they left that they are expecting a surprise second child, so they spent most of the week sitting on the beach with a stunned look on their faces. (You know, gave up on having a second kid, got rid of all their stuff, moved on with their lives, and now are getting used to this new turn in the road!)

On our way back from Mexico we had 2 more days in LA... the guys went to 6 Flags for a day while I shopped and relaxed on my own and then we did Universal Studios on Monday and had a great time. We ended our trip with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on monday and after an early start to the day, we were home by 3pm yesterday. Now we have Bella in tow (Cheryl's sweet dog) so the kids are delightfully preoccupied with Bella-sitting for the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, I had to pick Brodie up from school at 11am... he's got a bad headache and sick to his stomach. Apparently he told his teacher it was "from all that recycled air on the plane". They also have a pro-day on Friday, so if he's sick tomorrow he'll have missed 3 weeks of school. I guess you can still get away with that in grade 3!

Looking forward to catching up with you all...
I see I've been tagged to do a "6 weird things about you"... I'll get to it soon... first need to narrow the list down to 6... it's a looooonnnnggggg list. It would be funny to get your spouse to do that list for you!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS!
LOVE,
dawn

The Con is On

48 hours from now we will be boarding the plane! My kids think we're taking my parents to the airport for their trip to Mexico. Their Uncle Mark & Auntie Cara will be there too, of course, to send off Grandma & Grandpa. The plan is that my mom will get the kids to look at her ticket with her to figure out where to check-in. She'll point out that their names aren't even on the tickets... it says Dawn, Joel, Adam & Brodie. I've attached this note to the ticket for her to flip to.
Oh, can't wait. This is the best.

Joel & I will be on AV duty capturing the moment.
48 more hours of keeping up the lie.

(Hopefully I won't be in as much trouble as Cheryl is --for telling her kids that the King & Queen of Kelowna live a few blocks away from them-- for my dishonesty!)

Andrea Wanna-be

Many of you know Andrea, our friend and fellow(is there a female word for "fellow"?? Fran?? You work in the library, you know this kind of thing... if not we should make one... but we'll save that for another time), scrapbooker.

She is an amazing person, honest, funny, real, sweet, and even though busy homeschooling 3 great kids, she is fiercely committed to putting her heart down on paper, almost every day. I so respect that in her, and am inspired by her.

So, today was the day I decided to experiment with what I think of as "worship on paper". I took a verse that has been stirring in my soul lately from Hebrews and added one from Ephesians that the boys and I were reading together over cereal this morning. I don't think that what I ended up with is that great looking, but the experience of putting those words down on paper, honoring the truth behind them with time and care and creativity, that process was really fun and meaningful for me. I hope I can make a bit of a habit of that.

Thank you Andrea, for sharing your heart through your art journal. I love that heart. And I do believe that when the Great Designer looks on your pages, He feels celebrated and honored and proud of what and how you have expressed yourself. Thanks for inspiring me to express my heart too.

Retraction

Fact: BCAA's tickets are NOT infact as amazing of a deal as I was lead to believe. I was apparently mis-quoted over the phone.

Question: Don't you just hate it when you think you found an amazing deal but it turned out to be "too good to be true"?

c'est la vie!

Still waiting to see if my e-bay plan will come through... a much greater savings... boy, I sound cheap!

Happy Feet

Just got home from treating myself to a pedicure so that my toes are "beachy" for next week. If you're looking for a really good place on the Westside, with decent prices, check out "De Terre Studios". Colette Seward is the owner and has a very nice, very professional studio in her home. I've had nothing but great experiences with Colette and highly recommend her. Her number is 768-0515 and her e-mail is deterre@simalex.com.

With "5 sleeps" to go, the kids are still completely in the dark, (or very good at playing dumb). I am bidding on Disney passes on Ebay, auction ending tomorrow, and if I don't win them, BCAA has exceptional prices on disney passes. Basically, we can get 3-day parkhopper passes from BCAA for our family for $100 LESS than 2-day hopper passes would be at the gate. We weren't going to buy 3-day passes, but since we fly in at 2pm, we would have a couple of hours in the evening so if it's a better deal to get 3-day we might as well, right?

Went bathingsuit shopping yesterday... uuggghh. I think I'll just stick with what I have. Maybe I'll have a little time in LA to shop before we go to Mexico. I did luck out and find a great pair of O'Neil board shorts at winners for $26 and another pair of cool khaki-green, flat front, cargo-ish, not-too-short walking shorts there for $16. I really only had 1 other pair of board shorts and one denim pair. How I got through this summer with 2 pairs of short I don't know.

Must check the California weather... hopefully it's warming up there.

Sorry I'm a little one-track-minded these days!
I hear boys coming through the front door... must go attend to my charade of "nothing exciting going on"... driving me nuts because I want to get excited with them so badly!

Super Hero Sighting in Westbank

I couldn't help but stare just a little.
You just don't see this kind of thing every day.
She walked through the door of Quality Greens just like any ordinary Jane. Purse over her shoulder, her blonde hair in a clean bob, her make-up perfectly appropriate for her 50-something face. If it wasn't for one thing, one dead give-away, I never would have suspected her true status.

It was the bright blue spandex tights.

Now, don't be confused, these were not spandex yoga style pants. These were tights. I immediately knew where I'd seen them before. It was in the late 80's and there was a chain of women's gyms... help me out if you know, but i think they were called "Lady Fit" or something like that--- "SPA LADY"!! I think that was it. Anyway, the staff there wore the same tights. Sometimes with a suspendered pair of ?panties? over top.

QUESTION: How do I know she was a superhero?

FACT: Only a superhero would have the courage and bravery to wear such tights post 1992.

Needless to say, I stood in awe.

Mowhawk or FROZHAWK?

This is the kind of fun you can have with your child when it's dreadfully cold outside but you're in the hot tub.

No need for expensive styling products... his hair was frozen.

A Good Weekend

I had to proudly post the project I just made at Andrea's class...
This is something I would never attempt on my own as I am a lazy scrabooker and this project uses more "fussy" elements, but I always admire Andrea's stuff (and Andrea herself, of course) so I was SO happy I took this class! I learned some new techniques, made a great gift to give to someone next Christmas, and got that JUMP START I've been needing to get to work again! I'd love to make more of these notebooks!

I just finished washing the Kitchen floor (Cinderella style -- it needed a good "hands & knees & scrub-brushing") which was the last thing on my kitchen deep clean list. I'm working my way through the house kinda one room at a time doing a deep clean/de-clutter/re-organize of the whole joint. This was week three (the kitchen) and it feel soooo good! I've got a nice pile for big brothers when I'm done the whole house (2 more weeks!) Next week is this office, which has become the dumping ground for everything during the basement reno. Now that the shelves are up in the storage room I can start putting things back where they belong again.

If you're ever looking for a good strategy for keeping ontop of the housework, check out this website: http://flylady.com/
I've followed it or elements of it for a few years and I'm a big believer in a lot of her approaches. As with everything along these lines, try it out, take what works for you, throw out the rest!

Tonight we're off to friends' for dinner. They are amazing cooks and I think we're having salmon... yuuummm! Last night we went to Zia's stonehouse in Summerland with Jason & Cheryl... the guys shared the Seafood Platter (Or the "Lover's Platter of Seafood" as I like to call it)... all our food was generous & excellent and we followed that up with a DQ Blizzard (because we were all so hungry)and a viewing of "Talledega Nights"... a deep and contemplative film.

4 MORE WEEKS OF SLEEPS!!

Four weeks from today we leave on our vacation!
We booked it in May and our kids have NO CLUE!

They think we are taking my parents to the airport, but when we get there they will realize it is their suitcases in the back.

We had enough airmiles to get all 4 of us to LA, where we will spend 2 days at Disney/California Adventure and the third at Knotts Berry Farm.

Then we will head back to the airport, where they will think we are gettin on a plane to come home. WRONG!

We are then flying to Cancun! Once we make the 1 hour drive to "Puerto Aventuras"... we will check into our resort and SURPRISE! their cousins will be there! We have one week together there in an awesome condo with two master bedrooms and a third bedroom full of bunkbeds for the kids to sleep. On our way back we have 2 full days in LA so we'll shop and do the Universal Studios thing.

I AM GETTING SO EXCITED!!!
I can't believe we haven't blown the secret yet, though there have been a few close calls. Even our neice and nephews know all about it and didn't give it away all summer or last week when we were together with them in Spokane.

My 4-year-old niece said to Patti, "Adam & Brodie still don't know about Mexico, right?"
Right.
"Do their grown-ups know?"

Things I've learned (and been reminded of) in 2006

In no particular order...

1) The freedom of admitting I don't know everything & am not always right
2) The joy of a job that is the "right fit"
3) My kids are pretty darn amazing
4) I married an outstanding man and if I had it all to do over again I'd still choose him.
5) When people you love screw up, and I mean REALLY screw up -- like to the point where no one would blame you for walking away, love them "irregardless", to whatever extent you can. There is a difference between approving of someone's behavior and extending love, grace & care.
6) For the most part, I am not interested in learning new skill sets
7) That I have social, relational & emotional limits
8) To reserve judgement
9) To consider another point of view
10) Self Discipline matters in all areas of life
11) The importance of honesty

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS... May 2007 be an ADVENTURE OF LOVE for all!

What 100-Year-Olds Are Wearing This Season

We just got home from 3 days in Spokane, WA, visiting with Joel's Grandma, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on January 29th!

This young lady is the sweetest, smartest, most thoughtful, positive, funny gal. She has given us a legacy of love and faithfulness and we are so glad we made the trip to visit with her. Since we'll be on vacation at the end of the month, we needed to go now so we met up with Joel's twin brother and his family, spend 2 nights at a hotel together and had a great visit with Great Grandma, Joel's mom and aunt & uncle.

Patti, (my awesome sister-in-law) and I decided we would do a little "personal shopping" for Grandma, so she could have something new to wear to her birthday party. We found 4 outfits for her, brought them home, and she did a fashion show and picked her favorite. She chose this beautiful suit in a nice wine color with really sweet ribbon detailing on the cuffs & pockets. (She's wearing a t-shirt in this pic but will get a nice little lacy shell for under the jacket).

She was so thrilled over this little gift. "My friends are not going to believe my grandaughters got me this pretty dress!" She just loved being treated to something new... we were afraid she'd say not to fuss over her, but instead she offered this line, my favorite of the weekend... "I was going to wear a blouse and skirt, but then I'd just look like the other lady who's turning 100."

Fresh Bread - HOPE

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
Hebrews 6:19

Christmas is a happy time for most of us. But I know that for many it is a difficult season because the things that should be "right" in families & friends and circumstances are not always healthy and something to celebrate. Right now I have some friends in the biggest mess of their lives, and this Christmas will be complicated and painful. This verse is all I can think about for them. I think it's words are worth savoring in the good and the difficult seasons of life.

We often see words like JOY, PEACE, LOVE at Christmas time. I think HOPE should be added to that list too. When everything else around you is unsure, when the rug has been pulled out from under you, when your world is turned upside down, you need an anchor. Your soul needs something to place it's confidence in. When we fail ourselves or have been failed by the people around us, we need something steadfast, something we can count on.

An Anchor for the Soul.

My wish for all of us this Christmas, is that we would see the "Christmas Story" as just one part of an eternal story, one that had no beginning and is not over. God's love has always been in existance, He's been involved and powerful in His creation since the beginning of it, this GIFT of Jesus, from His humble beginning on earth to His humiliating final moment, was the most amazing demonstration of His love for us. And the story is not over... our Creator is still working and loving and dreaming for us. He is holding out HOPE in His love & power, at Christmas and always. Today I'm reminded to grab onto that hope & to let it be the anchor for my soul.

Wishing you an incredibly meaningful Christmas!
love,
Dawn

Christmas Eve... without the organ music

Just got home from the Christmas Eve Service Rehearsal... the band sounds really, really great... there are a great mix of fun and meaningful moments.

If you're looking for a place to relax & reflect on Christmas eve, please know how welcome you are to come to SunRidge Community Church, (Stevens Road & Westlake Road)... two service times: 3:30 & 5:30

Also, there is a cute boy singing a Cold Play song. MY cute boy.

Have yourself a groovy little christmas....

This is our Christmas Card picture this year.

I Miss Running !

Now there are 3 words I never thought would leave my mouth!
It has been weeks and weeks since I've met with my running friends... I've been too busy, too sick and too cold to run. I thought I'd get out there today but "too icy" won that game.

I can't tell you what these girls have come to mean to me over the last year. Our original group is fairly intact, plus another 10 or so girls who have joined us this fall. I refered to these women last month when I spoke at a women's retreat... here's a snippet... honoring these fine and fabulous women...

"...the thing I enjoy most about running and that thing I owe all my success to are the girls I run with.

Some of us are brand new, some of us are dedicated runners, and some of us are starting to run again after years of not running.

My running girls keep me motivated, they keep me in pace, they are my accountability, my cheering squad, and my butt kickers, cause sometimes I need that too…

I could not do it without them. Because, when you are a lazy person like me, with 1000 excuses and no “mental game” …you need someone. You need someone who’s going to make sure you’re going to meet to train. You need someone who’s going ask how the training is going. You need someone who’s going to encourage you and when all you see in front of you is kilometers, break down that down for you… just make it to the next street sign. And when someone is standing at the finish line cheering you on, hugging your sweaty body and telling you what a great job you did… well, you just want someone there to celebrate your success.

My running girlfriends do that for me. And I know they would say I do the same for them. And we LOVE being a part of one another’s success. We super love it.
We motivate each other, we inspire each other and we are one of the biggest keys to the miracle that is us running 10 kilometres, in a row.

I am thankful for them, I am incredibly proud of them, and they have taken a very special place in my heart because of the hours of talking we have done as we’ve trained and run together."

So there you have it, a little tribute to you, my running friends... until we run again! Merry Christmas!!

Paintology

Lessons I've learned (again) in the last week:

1) Paint looks very VERY different in different lights.
2) Carpet samples look very VERY different in different lights.
3) Paint and Carpet that match at the store don't match in the home
4) Paint and Carpet that don't match in the store can look BEAUTIOUS in the home.

I have been on the hunt for paint to match the carpet we have already ordered for our almost completed basement!! It was been BRUTAL! This was supposed to be the fun part. Finally after 5 tries, we've found a winner.... Benjamin Moore's "Hiking Trail"
It's rich and chocolatey. Some people will hate it. We love it!

(If anyone is going to paint and is considering one of these colors, you are welcome to have the paint pots that I bought.... it's totally worth it to see how it looks on your walls!!

HC - 82 Bennington Gray

CC - 470 Rocky Road

CC-250 Seaspray

CC-514 Hiking Trail

HC - 45 Shaker Beige)

We have also finally ordered the bar cabinetry, got ahold of the matching stain for the wood beam that runs through the main room, decided to go with white doors and trim (since the walls are so dark it will be a nice contrast)... have bought light fixtures, have the ceilings painted (thanks to my dad who is my super-painting-hero.... again, his need for a job well done overrides his hate for painting so he's trying to get as much done as he can before Joel and I really screw it up. Love that about him!)

In two weeks it will be pretty much a done deal!! Painting finished, tile down, carpet, drop ceiling & trim! The sad thing is that the bathroom vanity will take several weeks so proabbly won't be here for Christmas which means that if Joel's mom comes we probably won't be able to put her in the guest room b/c she'd have to go up the stairs to use the washroom.... since it will have everything but a sink! I suppose we could leave the cover off the toilet tank and she could just wash her hands in there.... or have a full shower after using the bathroom.

Oh... I can't wait until it's done.... we're going to have to send my dad on a big vacation so he can get a break from our house...he's more than earned it!

We also bought a hot-tub (2nd hand from our friend who owns the WetZone)... that will need to get delivered and set up in the next week or so aswell so we can relax in there after this HUGE and consuming project is finished! I still have to go furniture shopping... now there's something to look forward to! If Joel can get his 50" TV in there, you'd better believe I'm getting some great furniture to go with it!!

Friday night and I'm home alone... Joel is playing guitar at the dinner SunRidge hosts every year for the patrons of the Westbank Foodbank, Adam is at a youth thing with the neighborhood kids and Brodie ended up at a sleepover, (he and I were supposed to have a special date tonight---even my 8 year old has stood me up. :-) I ran into one of my favorite friends, Lenore at Save-On so I got to go for a date with SOMEONE after all :-) So great to see her... I love my friends who are in the "next season" of life.... I've got a couple of amazing ones in my life.

Well, this house isnt' cleaning itself and we've got the Reinelts coming for a belated birthday dinner for my Brother tomorrow night so I'd better get this place in order since I'm going to be at work for our Customer Appreciation Day all day tomorrow! Can't wait!

Have a great friday night everyone!

The 8 Pound Challenge

I want to lose 8 lbs in 8 weeks.
Who's with me?

If you are serious and would like to join me and do a daily check-on by e-mail confession what you have eaten and how much you have moved, I'll show you mine (numbers) if you show me yours.

Together, we can do it! Even in DECEMBER!!!!!!

Scissors, Tears and If Looks could Kill

So, after much "warming up to the idea", today was "H" day... time for Adam (10) to get a hair cut. I have no idea why I think I can do this myself, but I had it in my head that I would take a stab at it and if it was a total disaster we could go to FirstChoice and get it "fixed".

We had the big conversation about cutting the back off (it was long enough to be in a ponytail with almost 3 inches dangling. It was aweful.

He decided he wanted it cut shorter in the back and longer over one eye... very "skateboard-esc".... I thought I could pull that off. I mentioned my plan to Cheryl today and she said "just cut it like yours... short in the back, long in the front--hahaha"

And that, my friends, is exactly what happened. I gave my son a woman's hair cut. My haircut, to be more specific. No wonder I had so much confidence in my ability to cut his hair. I'd seen my hairdresser cut my hair the same way for years!

He was a little upset that I'd cut so much off the back(even though he agreed to it before the first snip) There were a few tears. There was a certain glare.

I had to keep doing double takes of him for a few hours afterwards because I thought I was looking at myself (before I started growing my hair out). He's got these wavy spots exactly where I do... it's wierd. Depending on how i look at him it's either as close as he's going to get to a very cool skater cut, or it's mini-me. (or, Maybe, I'm so cool I have skater hair?????)

Update:
He just walked in the room.
"How's the hair?" I asked
"Awesome!"
"Really??????????"
"Yeah, it was way too long before"
"I'm really glad you like it now buddy"
he leaves, and I do a big "Whew!"

We'll see how it looks tomorrow... and if he gets teased for having a girl's haircut... funny how that could be a possibility after getting about 4 inches cut off.


PS. The before picture was taken a month ago (I forgot to take one before the cut).... it was much longer
PSS. Brodie was also planning for a little trim. After witnessing Adam's fate, he gracefully declined my offer.

Chocolate Cake Confessions

I really want a piece.
There is a half a cake in the fridge.
I am not hungry.
I just want some.


Everyone else is sleeping, I am playing Settlers of Catan online and all I can think about it having a piece and a glass of milk.

Will I or won't I?

More fun than a pants-off dance-off

That's my new favorite saying. Who knows if I will ever find an occasion to speak it.


On a completely unrelated note...
I LOVE MY CROCK POT

Now that I am a modern woman trying to have it all, cooking dinner requires a bit more planning and short-cuts. Enter, the crock pot. (I even treated myself to a brand new, larger, stainless steel one.)

A few super simple recipies...

CHICKEN ROSA...
Skinless chicken (bone in or boneless thighs, breast pieces, whatever)
R is for Russian Salad dressing (about 1 small bottle)
O S is for Onion Soup Mix (About 1/2 an envelope)
A is for Apricot Jam (about 1/3 cup)
(all measurements are general and too taste.. you can't screw this up)

Dump it all in the crockpot for a bunch of hours, you can add chopped cilantro at the end if you like it, a bit of grated orange peel is good too... serve with rice & corn... it's like a sweet & sour sauce.


Honey Garlic Pork
Take one frozen (or not) pork tenderloin
Pour one jar of No Name Honey Garlic sauce (from Extra foods, often $1.78)
cook all day on low.
Voila

Salsa Chicken (Kelli had a post that reminded me of this)
Skinless chicken (bone in or boneless thighs, breast pieces, whatever)
Put chicken in Crock pot
Pour enough salsa over to cover
cook all day
about 1 hour before you want to eat, throw in a bunch of cubed cream cheese.. .mix it occasionally and you end up with this creamy salsa sauce.

There you go... I'd love any other simple ideas your family enjoys!!

happy dinner tonight! I think it's Tuna Melts over here... feel free to pop over!

Good Company

FACT: I love having company over.

I love that because I've friends over 3 times this week, my house has stayed clean all week. But you know what, that's just a bonus.

I hope that people feel relaxed when they come to my house... that they feel like & know how special they are to me because I'm ready and happy to have them. I want them to come in and put their feet up and enjoy themselves.

I'm not aiming for "impressive" in what I serve (usually do one of two stand-by's... greek chicken which takes literally 60 seconds to prepare the marinade the day before and then you just bake it as is, or else Taco salad -- super simple and tasty...)

I just want people to sit back and relax in a comfortable spot, flickering candle light, with some simple but good food and feel cozy and cared for. That's what hospitality is to me...

so suck it, Martha!

p.s. If I ever invite you over, please inform me if you have an aversion to greek chicken or taco salad :-)

It occurred to me the other day...

as I was taking the "Made in China" sticker off the stuff I bought for the Operation Christmas Child boxes...

What if the child who gets my giftbox opens it and pulls out a toy and says, "wait a minute! I made this!"

Question: Will the underpriviledged children who work in factories that produce products for the dollar store be punished by the factory owners who think they have stolen from the factory when infact they have received it from North Americans trying to brighten their day?

Hello Again!

After a lengthy hiatus from blogging, I am BACK BABY!
Where have I been all these weeks?

I had the awesome priviledge and humbling honor of speaking at Willow Park Church's Women's Retreat at Gardom Lake Camp last weekend. There were 110 women, all of them beautiful and amazing. I have done a fair bit of public speaking but never a retreat before (so that meant 4 x 30 minute talks in one weekend). The preparation was a HUGE challenge for me and it was really time consuming so that has been my focus for the last while. When people ask, "So how did it go" it's really hard for me to know how to answer. All I can go on is the response and feedback from the women who were there and they were incredibly affirming... so, I guess it went well :-)

The women at WPC are a great group.. I really appreciated the time to hang out with them. I know a few and met a few more this weekend, as well as met up with some old friends who I had not seen for a long time.

Now that that is out of the way, I am faced with a few other "To Do's" that have been neglected over the last month or so...
1) my house... like some detailed cleaning.
2) my house... as in, the fact that my basement is nearing the end of being finished and I have to make decisions on things like Carpet (yesterday) Paint (today) Trim (tomorrow) Tile (Yesterday) Doorknobs, cabinets, furniture, lighting, towel bars, blah, blah ,blah....
3) my house... as in painting that basement. I went down there yesterday to help my dad who was cutting in the priming. I rolled primer for an hour or two and mentioned that I didn't mind painting, I jsut wasn't very good at it. My dad then inspected my work and politely offered to finish up (as he gently took the roller out of my hands and tried to fix what i had done) Poor guy hates painting, but his desire for a job-well-done seems to override that. So, I think I might be off painting duty... pays to not do things well in some situations :-)
4) SunRidge for Women Dinner tomorrow night... we have 25 girls who are going house to house for several courses of dinner... I'm hosting the salad stop... really looking forward to that but have a little work to do there yet
5) FoodBank Dinner... every December our church puts on a nice dinner for the patrons of the westbank foodbank... this is our 4th year I think. WE also do gift bags for every child and every adult. Some friends and I are responsible for putting the adult gift bags together so that all needs to get finished this weekend. These friends are coming for dinner on Sunday and then we'll pack the bags after that. The bags have things like good quality coffe, chocolates, Christmas napkins, beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments, and a Tim Hortons gift certificate. The generous people at SunRidge have been donating all the items and our job is just to pack them up pretty! If you ever need a good place to buy funky giftbags or boxes... Interior Retail Supply on Kirschner is excellent.
6) Memories & More... we have 3 special days coming up in the next 4 weeks so I have a little coordinating yet to do there as well. I love special events days... and I think we've got some pretty great stuff lined up, thanks to the uber talented staff at M & M!
7) Christmas Details... (ok, now this is just becoming an on-line to-do list for myself!) We need to figure out if we're heading to Spokane between Christmas and new years or not... Joel's Grandma is turning 100 in January but we won't be able to go for her party so we might head down over the holiday with Joel's Brother from Edmonton who are contemplating the same visit. Neither of our families will be able to go at the end of January when everyone else is going for her party because....
8) Vacation stuff!! We are heading to LA and then MEXICO to meet up with Patti & Nathan and Brad & Carmen (brothers & cousins) for a little vacation! Our kids have no idea about any of it!! I have booked almost everything.. .just need to figure out the car rental situation and the park tickets and then it's all done!

SO, if you've been wondering where I"ve been or where I'm going... there you have it!!

Loooking foward to keeping in better touch with you guys again!
love,
Dawn

I'm an OP with OCD -- just keep it on the DL

My name is Dawn and I am an organized procrastinator.
I have set aside this day to get a whole bunch of work done for something coming up in 3 weeks (I have 4 x 1/2 hour of talks to prepare for a retreat I'm speaking at the November long weekend.) I have not spent one second doing it thus far today.
Instead I have played 4 games of Settlers, sorted and started the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, printed some brochures off for a graphics client, and am going to look at a house that is for sale.

Oh, and am posting this picture of my guys... love it... love that it captures the bond they have. Someone please bookmark this for me so that in a few years when they are beating the tar out of each other I will remember that they were once best friends.

have a great day... hope yours is more productive than mine!!

Weekend Statistics

63 - hours she was here
29 - minutes before we visited our first restaurant (Take-out from DaWett :-)
11 - episodes of "The Office" watched
5 - Kilometres run
5 - pastry goods enjoyed
6 - Chai lattes
1 - evening of "Must See TV"
5 - restaurants we attempted to buy a 3pm lunch at before we found one that was open and still had food-- a nice way to tour downtown Kelowna though!
2 - Enzyme Wraps & Massages from the O Spa (THANK YOU JOEL!!!!)
1 - game of Settlers of Catan (Brodie kicked our butts, 2nd wins in a row)
0 - showhomes we sucessfully viewed on Saturday afternoon
1 - greek dinner at home with all the boys
2 - inches until Adam is taller than she is
13 - approximate number of my friends she met (Cheryl plus the running girls)
2 - Keg Teriaki Classic Dinners ordered
6 - Pina Coladas consumed
1 - trip to liquor store to buy coconut rum for above mentioned pina coladas
1- trip to grocery store for chips and dip
82 - leaves we cut out of felt for Joel's halloween costume (our "Scissor work")
50 - estimated hours of talking and laughing
157 - estimated topics of conversation
13 - months until we see each other again
infinite - reasons why I love this chick!

Countdown to Cupcake

Today my best girlfriend Marcie is coming to visit me for the weekend from Kitchener,ON. We haven't seen each other since Jan '04!! That's just wrong.

She flies in around 1pm, I will spirit her away to my new favorite cafe -- "The Bread Company" -- (thanks Tara! Cheryl & I accidentally parked infront of it yesterday and after one visit we were in love. I'm a total junkie now! -- hey! a replacement BINGE!)

After a few hours of yaking, our jaws will need a break so it's chips, dip & a 2 litre of Diet Coke infront of Must See TV! Deep, I know.

Friday afternoon we are off to the O SPA!! Aromatherapy wraps all around!
Then we will uphold our little tradition of going to the Keg for dinner whenever we get together. Mmmmmmm..... steak..... I'm hoping she hasn't seen "The Break-Up" yet... I think it's just out on DVD and I'd love to see it with her. Saturday we are joining my running group for a run in peachland, followed by more coffee (which neither of us drink)at Bliss Bakery and then will spend with all the boys. She is going to FREAK when she sees Adam, who is probably eye-to-eye with my petite friend by now.

Marcie and I met in grade 9 (1984) in the Library at Westgate Highschool in Thunder Bay. Her home quickly became my 2nd home and I've always appreciated the way her families door was open to any and all kids (there were usually at least 6 kids under their roof at any given time.)

When I moved to Kelowna in 1986 we kept in touch for a few years and then lost each other for about 5 years. One day in September 1992 she called me at my house in Edmonton. She had made a split decision to move to Edmonton to go to school, heard that I had moved there and was on her way over. That was a great day. We picked up where we'd left off 5 years before and even though our lives are very different on paper (she's a single, professional women who loves sports and gives the impression of being on the quiet side until you get to know her) we are forever connected across the miles and life circumstances.

On April 25th, 1998 she was visiting us in Grand Cayman so she could be there for Brodie's birth. WE were watching "Donnie Brasco" and there was a long screen kiss. 2-year old Adam turned to Marcie, took her face in his hands and reinacted the Hollywood Kiss so long and passionately, that I laughed so hard my water broke and 5 hours later, there was Brodie.

We've been friends for 22 years, she has held my hand during the birth of both my boys, she and Joel became fast friends and the three of us have had countless good times with about 10,000 inside jokes as a result. Including the fact that we've called each other "cupcake" for the last 2 decades... (we got it from a soap opera... anyone else remember "Patch" from another world -- I think... anyway, he called his love interest Cupcake and we thought it was too good to let go.)

2 years and 9 months is just too darn long. I can not wait to spend the weekend with her!

A Day of Mourning.

binger n.
Synonyms: binge, fling, jag, orgy, spree
These nouns denote a period of uncontrolled self-indulgence: a gambling binge; had one last fling before beginning a new job; a crying jag; an eating orgy; a shopping spree.

I am a binger. (Not a purger, just a binger -- well, when it comes to food.)
I get totally into something and consume it much too regularly for weeks or months and then switch to something else.

My binges over the years include...
Cinnamon Buns (1997)
BBQ Chicken Pizza with pineapple (1998)
Greek Pasta Salad (2005)
Steamed Milk (2005)
Peanut butter on toast (2004)
Wise Crackers with FF creme cheese (2006)
Natchos (intermittently through the 90's and 2000's)

and most recently (and most intensely) CHAI TEA.

I stared drinking them at Starbucks about 6 months ago, which was racking up quite a bill at $3.95 a pop for a grande-non-fat-no-water-tazo-chai-extra-hot.
Then I discovered that I could buy a 3 pack of the Oregon Chai Concentrate for under $10 at Costco, which would make like dozens of cups! (Of course I justified this purchase as a money saver because I wouldn't be buying Starbucks any longer.... in actual fact, I just 2-3 "at-home-chai" per day to my 2-3 starbucks per week!! I think the most I had was 4 in one day. But I digress...

Yesterday, on our field trip to Costco, I was given the bad news.
Costco no longer carries my sweet and creamy treat.

Is it too much to ask to have ONE little vice? I don't smoke, I have about 6 drinks a year, and I've almost completely cut out the crystal meth.

Now I will be forced to pay about $8 per tetra-pack at Extrafoods. Where is the fun in that? It just layers on further guilt.

I wandered around Costco depressed for another 20 minutes. Cheryl tried to distract me with cute sweaters and running wear. It worked for a brief moment.

So anyway, just a word to all you fellow Oregon Chai Junkies... I'm so sorry for our loss. Your black armbands are in the mail.

It's happening... they're becoming smarter than us. (Well, me.)

Last night I could not help Adam with his grade 5 math homework. I didn't get it.
Smarty pants (Joel) tried patiently to explain it to me for 5 minutes (ok, it was only 30 seconds before I just walked away). He was probably just showing off his 7 years of post-secondary education at smarty-pants school.
I still didn't get it.

But I can organize the heck out of anything -- so I do have my redeeming qualities.
And I can kick his butt at Sudoku. (We have races and the score was like 65 to 17.)
And that's where my superiority ends.

Just two modern women trying to have it all...

First of all... I LOVE MY JOB.
This thought occurred to me last week: "I'm happiest when I'm organizing."

We had our Creative Retreat this weekend and I am so happy with how it went! The hotel was set up beautifully, there were just the right number of guest, it was a wonderful group of ladies, every single instructor did an outstanding job of their classes and make & takes (Thank you to Cheryl, Yolanda, Gen, Min, Andrea and Karen & Dianne from TinBox Creations!

The feedback was excellent and we got some great constructive criticism for next time.

This was the second event that I've been involved in coordinating for the store, and much bigger than the fist one. I love that I get to do what I do best and get recognition (and a paycheque) for it! I could not work with a better group of ladies and I'm so happy to have this opportunity to be a right hand to Gina, give leadership to special events, learn a TON about this industry (I have so far to go!), work with incredible women (both staff team and clients) and have the flexibility to still keep some of the other prioreties and commitments in my life too. I couldn't ask for a better situation at this point in my life.

Personal highlights...
- Talking until 3am with Cheryl & Audrey in out hotel room
- Finally eating at the Aggean Grill with Cher
- Sewing my first "Andrea Wiebe" Flower
- learning to sand (not manicure) my paper -- thanks GEN!!
- Meeting women that I would LOVE to spend more time with - Charm, Sharron especially (They've been friends for 39 years and it was amazing to be near them and absorb what they have in each other!)
- Seeing women have a much needed, well earn, fully deserved "GET AWAY" to just create!
- Falling in love clear stamps and Van Dyke brown ink
- Creating these 3 boxes!

Can't wait to do it again! Thank you for the opportunity to work with you, and be a part of giving you an awesome weekend!

I made it all by myself

This is what I picked away at over the weekend at the crop using the new techniques and tools I learned!!

I think I'm going to make another set that says...
"THIS"
"THAT"
"THE OTHER"

and then another that says
"CRAP"

2:13am

There he was, puking his guts out. Poor Adam.
Why is it that kids always start puking in the middle of the night? I can't remember a day-time onset of vomiting.

He's doing a lot better now... lying around, drinking gingerale, watching TV. I sure hope Brodie doesn't get it... or me!! This weekend is our big CREATIVE RETREAT at the store and I'm so looking forward to it! I can not get sick.

I was so glad it was Adam and not Brod who was sick... at least I could run into work for a couple of hours and leave him at home... not that I wanted to leave him, but I really needed to see a couple of things through today. It is SO nice to have him at that stage where he can be left alone for a few hours.

I think he's going to be able to stomach a bowl of homemade turkey soup right away here... (my favorite! -- isn't it pretty?) and I'll be downing a bowl or two myself! There is nothing like homemade soup :-) I hope that whole theory about chicken soup is right... and that turkey counts too!

Fresh Bread

You know that smell?
Doesn't it make you want some, just thinking about it?

I've been considering my quiet time with God in the mornings "Fresh Bread"... here's what I savored the morning from by bible.... (Ephesians 4)

Be completely humble and gentle,
be patient,
bearing with one another in love....
because to each one of us grace has been given by Christ

I think of grace as giving room, excusing, bearing with, letting go of the bad, not holding against someone, being patient, not writing off, sticking by a person despite...

I need this from the people around me every day, every hour, and from God too, of course.

I want to be a person who is on guard to give grace to the people around me--it's not my natural reaction too much of the time. I don't think this means be a doormat... it means speak the truth in love, with grace.

And the grace we get from Jesus is more than what I tend to think it is... when God gives it to us, it's about allowing us joy -- his favor. I hope I can learn to bring the grace I give to that level... where joy is a by-product of my relating to people, no matter what the situation.

I'm so thankful to God for the GRACE poured over me.
I'll be trying to keep the words Humble, Gentle, Patient, Love & Grace at the front of my mind today.

JUST RUN WITH IT

Rank: 284/508 runners
Pace/KM 6:22
Time 1:02:45
Gender Rank: 153/323
Division Rank: 63/112


This was my 3rd race this year and my 2nd 10K. It was a gorgeous day and I was able to start the race with my sweetie on his 37th birthday! We've never done anything in the realm of "athletic events" together -- even though he's a life-long super-jock. Running is the first sport that has caught my attention and it's only been 9 months since I started. Just very cool to be at the start line together -- though it didn't last long! Joel had a friend to run with (at their pace) and I had Cathy to run with so that was all good. I felt great for the first 40 minutes and then I felt like my legs were 100 lbs each. If it wasn't for Cathy helping me with my mental game (of which I have none!) I would still be out there somewhere! My time was a little slower than my last race, but that's ok with me.

We quickly went to the gym in Joel's building and showered and got pretty for our brunch at the Grand with my family (Joel's B-day, Mom & Dad's anniversary, Thanksgiving -- all rolled into one big pig out at the Grand's Thanksgiving Brunch!) Then we headed back to City Park so we could see my friend Patti cross the finish line on her HALF MARATHON!!! She did so well!

I have no idea why, but I get choked up watching people cross the finish line. You watch their eyes as they push through the last seconds of their race and you can't help but feel their sense of accomplishment and pride. Watching people finish a race is really moving... no pun intended.

It was so fun for Joel and I to do something together like this... even if we didn't run together.
To have him high-five me on my way to the finish line (his time was 55:27), just a cool, NEW thing for us... not a lot of NEW things come up after 17 years together :-)

Will I do this again? Absolutely!
Am I inspired to do better? Yes!
Will I consider training for a half-marathon? Not today, but possibly, maybe, one day in the distant future. Potentially.

Congrats to my running group friends Patti, Cathy, Kari & Linda -- great job!!

Thankful

Thanksgiving weekend is here and I get to do all my favorite things... sleep in, relax with my guys, have an awesome meal with my larger family, hang out with favorite friends and who knows what other good things will come in the next 3 days.

In the grander scheme, I am so thankful.
That I have the kids and husband I do and no one ever has to question for a minute any given day if they are loved to the ends of the earth.
That I am surrounded by amazing friends who keep me laughing, give me perspective, bring out the best in me, encourage me, challenge me, care for me and that I (hopefully) get to do the same for them.
That even though I am still 13 years old inside sometimes, I am growing in confidence and feeling solid in who I am, what I want from life, what I can give my inner circle and the greater world and that what I have to give is good.
That even though there is some uncertainty with some things in my life, I have 100% confidence in the Love of God, His unfathomable power, and his perfect view of the big picture. I am thankful that I can rest in that, and that alone is enough in an uncertain season or situation.

I am incredibly thankful for all this and more.

It's a great weekend... enjoy all that you are thankful for!

The Talk

I just had "the talk" with my kids.

We had just been looking at Brodie's baby album before the three of us sat down for dinner (Joel must have known what was coming and decided to work late!)

The question that started it all: "What's that black thing hanging out of my belly button"... which led to a crude drawing (mine) of the mom's body... and things just kind of rolled on from there. I knew this conversation had to happen soon and was kind of hoping that some vaguely related question would be the opportunity to inform these guys before they heard a bunch of bad information on the playground. Grade 5/6 kids are pretty knowledgeable sometimes and Joel and I had had the "he'd better hear it from us first" conversation in the summer. No progress had been made yet so I jumped on this opportunity tonight.

Ammbilical cord led to uterus, which led to the Vagina monlogue.

"You know how boys have a penis... girls don't -- instead they have an opening called a vagina."
(This no-penis business was apparently news to Brodie.)
"The vagina kind of has two holes... one tiny one for pee and one for babies to come out of."
Dramatic pause...
Adam: "So kind of like a Super Penis?"

I lost it. All three of us were rolling on the floor laughing at that point... which made the rest of the conversation much more tolerable for all of us. There was only one point (during the actual "and that's what sex is" part) where Adam was trying to plug one ear with his shoulder while he ate his corn and muttered "it is so hard to eat right now"... he was a little uncomfortable.

All in all, I think it went well. My kids now have a basic knowledge of the facts, they know I'm/we're the ones to go to if they have a question at some point (and not their ill-informed friends). They know it's something special for people who are married (I only said that about 16 times) and that it's pretty cool how God made our bodies, how babies are such a miracle, and that this isn't topic for conversation amongst their friends, but that it's important they know the true scoop. I want to have boys who know enough about a woman's body so they can be respectful of them. I hope this first conversation planted that seed (no pun intended.)

I am however afraid that everytime I hear the word vagina I will think "super penis".
I hope I don't blurt it out at my next gyny appointment.

Road Trip

After years of talking about it and months of planning it, I finally made a trip to Vancouver for a girls shopping weekend! 6 girls, one mini-van, two rooms at the Hilton, 11 hours of non-stop shopping at Metrotown, 2 more hours at Ikea, two tanks of gas and countless shopping bags! Collectivly, I think we bought; 6 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 8 copies of the same Old Navy sweater in 3 different colors, 7 hoodies, 4 watches, a few belts/hats/jewellery items, 2 down vests, about 67 assorted t-shirts and kids items, and an assortment of Ikea items including three massive bundles of twigs which had to ride between passengers on the way home.

It was so great to get a whole weekend to spend with some of my favorite friends, including Christine whom I hadn't seen in person for a few years. It made me so thankful for the awesome women I get to call friends -- new friends and long-time ones. Loads of laughs, good talks, taking care of each other (well, them taking care of me and my near-migrane)... a relaxing, carefree, productive, exciting little get-away... a real treat, well deserved by all. I am a lucky girl to get to do this. Now for some unpacking!

My love to the 5 of you!
Thanks for being my "shopping ho's... fo' sho'"!

A few favorite quotes from the weekend:
"It looks like a curling iron" - re Joolz' burn on her forehead... poor Patch!
"I used to put paper-clips on my teeth" -- re Michelle N's memories of wanting braces as a kid
"and he told the neighbors they could help themselves to the blackberries when they became bountiful.... but he tended his blackberry bush a little too vigorously..." Cher on Jay
"Oh yeah, well I just send the kids in to get my liquor" -- Christine's contribution to the "isn't it great that we don't have to spend 20 minutes buckling our kids into their carseats anymore -- and you can just leave them in the car while you run into the liquor store" conversation
"I tried on a pair that barely covered my genitals... I draw the line at genital exposure" -- Christine on ultra-low-rise jeans

... and although a written description won't do it justice... Cheryl's glasses slowly becoming more and more crooked as the night wore on.