Monday, March 5, 2012

Right now, I am enjoying the music of Downhere - especially this song -

It's funny how life goes - the two main guys, Jason Germaine and Marc Martel were at Briercrest the same time as M and I, though they were a few years behind us, so we didn't really know them. Jason's now wife Heather was on my hall though and a cuter young woman you couldn't have met. She was so adorable and sweet, I just loved her.
Enjoy the video and go to YouTube.com and listen to some of their other stuff. On a side note, Marc Martel is touring with the Queen tribute band as Freddy Mercury this year.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

525,600 minutes or in the case of this year...527,040

I started my photo a day blog. It is private, so if I know you and you would like to be invited, leave a comment and I will send you an email invite. Cheers!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Looney Bean, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

My DH and the boy just got home from visiting M's parents for a week. Lucky men, the in-laws live in Matazlan, Sinaloa, Mexico for the winter months. They have a two bedroom apartment condo and figured that 7 people plus their dog would be a little much for that space so the boys went this year and the girls and I will go next.
They had a wonderful time. I think a little more down time than M was expecting at the outset, as he is one who wants to be doing things and exploring, but a certain little boy loved the pool and the beach so they spent hours there every day. My little man came home looking a little exhausted from all the sun and fun he got. I am very happy that he enjoyed himself so much.

DH brought home presents - of course! :) - and along with the gorgeous Australian opal and silver bracelet, necklace and earrings I got, he brought me a pound of coffee from a coffee shop they would go to.

After reading the back, I had to look up the website. I have only had an opportunity to read just a little bit about it - going to read more later, but wow! These people are doing an amazing thing. I would love to do something like that. Wish there was something like this when I was younger and single. Because I would never wish I was younger and single because that would be wishing my family away and I love them far too much to wish them away. I am at a different place in my journey, but know of a few young people I would love to send this information to. I will definitely be going to that coffee shop when we girls go next year.
...Just read through the website and it doesn't look like it has been updated in a year. Not sure if they still run either of these missions opportunities anymore. I sent them an email to see, because I am curious. Who knows, maybe we will become friends and next year it'll be like going to visit friends. :)
And in case you were wondering... the coffee is oh, so yummy!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Facebook and Blogging

I gave up Facebook for Lent. And it is funny - I am one of quite a few people I know who has. There may be more people, but alas, I have not been on Facebook to see who has. :)
I thought it was important for me to do so because the time I have been wasting on that site is too much. I used to blog once upon a time :), but haven't really since Facebook became a part of my life. So much easier to read other people's updates and see what they are doing and not connect in any way myself. I don't update my status a lot, unless I would like someone to give me recommendations since we moved, or when life is a little rough so I can have someone commiserate with me. I used to love blogging, I felt more real and heartfelt on here than I ever felt on Facebook.
So, yesterday I actually read some people's blogs. And looked at some photo blogs. I love photo blogs - all those creative people out there with interesting ways and ideas for capturing others lives and memories. One blog I spent a lot of time on was my friend's photo-a-day blog. She captures and captions a photo each day of her family. Then when the year is over, she has it printed into a book. What a great way to keep focussed on the little moments. And to pay attention to what is interesting your children, to remember the little things that they are into, because those things seem to change week by week.
I have decided to do this myself. I don't know if I will blog the photos, or share them if I do, but I am going to take a picture daily of my family. I am so thankful for them and want to be more expressive about that. Hopefully I will so grow and stretch as a photographer in the process. I seem to have forgotten everything I learnt so long ago and rely on my settings far too often.
I always think I should have some sort of pithy thing to say at the end of a post. Much like how I feel like a status update I put on Facebook should be witty or significant. But I don't find myself pithy or witty, which is probably why I don't post that often. Hopefully it doesn't stop my blogging again too.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Worth

I saw this yesterday on a blog I haven't read in a very long time.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

God is good

"God is good, all the time,
He put a song of praise in this heart of mine,
God is good, all the time,
He put a song of praise in this heart of mine,
God is good, God is good, all the time!"
This was a song I learned in my childhood - not sure if it was a praise chorus or a gospel song that someone like the Gaithers sang, but this morning it is running through my head again and again and I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed because for one of the very first times in my life, this simple phrase "God is good" is so real, so impacting to me that I cannot help but praise Him. Again and again and again for everything He is doing in my life. And it is not an emotional I-feel-like-this-is-what-I-should-be-feeling kind of thing, or fake in any way, it is a focus on all the ways that He is blessing me, is blessing my family. It is a awareness of the ways His hand is working in our lives - in the small things and the big things. He is working, He is moving, He is blessing. So much, in fact, that I cannot help but "shout it from the rooftops" - or in this case, blog it. :) I have not had the desire in over a year to write on this blog, but this morning I could not help but write. My children are getting themselves out of bed and starting to move around as I type, so I most likely will not be writing much longer, but I definitely needed to write this this morning. Get it out there and share. Maybe someone else needs it, I don't know, but if it is you reading this who needs to hear, God is good, all the time. He works situations and circumstances so that you can know Him better. He wants to bless you, He wants to hear from you, He loved you before the world began, before man fell, before He did everything He could to save us, before Jesus came to the earth as a baby that we will be celebrating this next month - it's always been my favorite time of year, but I think I am getting to the point that Easter, Easter is going to be my favorite, because before He died on that cross, He thought of me. My name was on His lips when He asked God to forgive them. YOUR name was on His lips. He loves you and He wants to hear from you! Isn't that cool? The God of the universe, the Creator of all things, wants to hear, from ME! He wants to hear from YOU. He loves me, He loves YOU. Now, before this starts sounding like a kid's book or Dr. Suess, just know that His love for us is incredible. And what this awesome Person wants most of all is to be in a relationship with me and with you. Amazing!
In my journal this morning all I could write about was thank you. Thank you, God, for all the things you have given me. And there are so many that I just scratched the surface. It was like He opened my eyes to all the many things, from little tiny things to deeper ways that He was working in my life and my family's life.
Thank you, God! You ARE good, all the time!