A very small Christmas party

So Saturday was to be our 4th Annual Girls' Christmas Party with my book club and all our gal pals. This year I had asked R & A from my Mom's Group to come too, and we were all looking forward to it!
Turns out Saturday in Calgary - not so fine of a day weather wise. We got a blizzard on Friday and the community that my friend C who was hosting the party lives in, the only access road to the community was closed down. So... party was postponed, much to the dismay and regret of R & A and myself. So, we decided to have a party anyway, bring our goodies to share, our gifts to exchange and just have a nice evening visiting and eating and relaxing without the kids. My hubby was out for the evening being designated drivers with A's hubby for a Christmas party that their former neighbour's car dealership had so we already had a babysitter. A had cancelled hers as it had been last minute and their family doing them a favor, so R and I went to A's house. The fun part was that R's car was blocked into their back carport because quite a few neighbours had parked their cars haphazardly in the alley. So... M went and picked her up and I drove her home. It was an extra hour and a half of driving for us, but it was well worth it! It was funny, because when she called me to tell me that she couldn't drive and would need a ride, I had to call her back as we needed to figure out logistics. It took me a little while to phone her, and in the meantime her husband was telling here that it wasn't likely that we would come pick her up and to be prepared for that. I was so thankful for my own DH and how he knew that this was really important to me and made a way for us all to be together. We had such a good time, if we hadn't of gotten together, I would've really missed out.
I just love spending time with these ladies. They look like fun, hey? :) Good friends - a blessing from God!

Me, and the beautiful ladies R and A

(I don't normally have a double chin, but we were in a hurry to get going - you start gabbing and lose all track of time and my babysitters were waiting. Still had to take R home after this.)

Memories and songs

Yeah, another post about songs. Though music has always been a big part of my life, it seems like it is taking on new, more significant meaning in the past month or so. You know how you go through phases where you listen to different songs, then move on and don't have so much time, or totally forget to even put any on at other times. I tend to like having some sort of background noise and music is awesome for that.
Anyways, different songs remind me of things... like where I was, like people I was with when I listened to it the most or even some what I was reading when I first heard it. There is a CD that I have by a group called Truth from the 90's that every time I listen to it, I think of Stephen R. Lawhead's book Taliesin, because I was reading it while we drove to BC to DH's parents. (By the way, we first thought to name our son R from reading Lawhead's books. There was a character in his Pendragon cycle named that. Just a piece of trivia there for you. Oh, and DH and Mark, the next book in the King Raven series, Scarlet, is coming out in September. Enough about books though, this post is supposed to be about songs.) Oh, a piece of trivia about Truth at the time of the album I had, "One", is that both Jody McBrayer and Jana Long of Avalon were a part of the group.
There are many songs that remind people or situations that we shared. Especially the missions trip that we went on in 2002 with another couple and six teenage girls. We had quite a soundtrack on that trip and any time I hear any of them, I think of the trip and the girls. Songs like "Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman, "God of Wonders" and "Voulez-vous" by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim and Maya (I know, I know, not exactly missions trip or church approved, but DH would turn the volume off and we would sing "Will you eat some Shreddies with me" instead of the real line at the top of our voices. Yeah, it was fun. :)
The song that most reminds me of that trip and for the longest time after we moved to Calgary neither DH or I could listen to it because it would make us miss Brandon and being in youth ministry SO BADLY was "Shackles" by Mary Mary. Now when I hear it I still think of all this, but it is sweet memories. Interestingly enough, all the girls that we took on that trip have been in ministry in one way or another. N is involved as a volunteer with the youth at GVCC, while K and her new hubby, D, will be running the student ministries there (he started on August 15th). E was involved in Outtatown, a program where they travel and do ministry and have studies all at the same time (very cool) and she went to South Africa in January for 3 months as well as travelling in western Canada for 3 months and doing ministry here too. K and V both ministered at Pioneer Camp for multiple years, as well as V going to Ethiopa on a short term mission for 3 months. K went to Thetis Island for Capenwray with N for a year. N will be returning in fall for a second year, and she has also been a counsellor and served at a Bible camp for various years. And the couple that we took with us now has a ministry to people from South America who have moved to Brandon. That trip changed all of our lives. We ended up in Calgary as a result. And I am not going to go into all the things that happened to us as a result, because this is a positive, thankful, praise to God post. (You can read about it here if you really want to.) I am so proud of all of these people and love them all so much. They will always have a special place in our lives. And the memories are fun. I have a DVD that DH made which I wanted the other day and laughed and cried. We all look so much younger and it's a little funny all the things you forget but come rushing back.
So, for your listening pleasure here is "Shackles" by Mary Mary - courtesy of YouTube.

If you are having difficulty viewing, you can watch it here.

A jumble of thoughts...sorry if it doesn't flow smoothly or make a lot of sense

It has been awhile since I last posted something. This is for a few reasons. First, I have barely been on the computer in the past little while – the upstairs one that holds our pictures, so I cannot add pictures to the posts that I wanted to write. I am a little frustrated with this computer as every time I am on it, this “autoplay” window keeps popping up – so annoying as it stops whatever I am doing and I have to clock on the window or page to get back to typing. Anyone know what that is about, let me know!
Secondly, I am getting out and getting exercise, which I am loving! R and I have been taking a walk most days. It has been so beautiful here, and I love the smells of summer and the cool breeze in the morning. While R sleeps I have been doing housework, and catching a nap every once in a while.
Last night I had an awful sleep. I have also been watching “Roswell” on DVD from www.zip.ca which we are a part of. I am a little hooked on this series… I know, I am a sci-fi geek!... I had previously watched the first season and the third, but never the second, so now I am on the second and was up a little later last night watching it. I found my mind wouldn't shut off, and then it was hot in our room and my allergies (hay fever) have started acting up in the past week, so that was bugging me too. It was not a pretty night. DH and I were both up from 4-5, then he just got up, I fell asleep finally.
It seems as though I have been thinking non-stop for the past two weeks. There are a lot of things on my mind. I went to the Girlfriends retreat with our church 2 weeks ago, the theme of our session (yes, only one session on the weekend... it was good) was Self-Worth. I realised once again that mine is not very high. I tend to put a little too much stock in what others think, or should I say, what I perceive others think. And I started thinking about this and talked with both K and A from my mom's group on Saturday about it. I feel so blessed by these ladies, and am thankful to God for them. I never feel like they are judging me and I have told both of them that.
Here are some photos from the weekend. I didn't get too many, but hey...Here is the group of ladies that I was sitting with for our "spa evening". We were walked through doing manicures on ourselves. From Left to Right we have B, A, K and myself.
This is my feet after my pedicure. It was a good one, though I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I would've liked as I got a migraine an hour before it. (Gotta love the sandal tan, hey! My legs won't tan, but my feet sure do, how fair is that! :)
That was all the pictures I got, well, I actually got a really funny one of K, but I thought she wouldn't appreciate my putting it on here. :)
So, after I got home from my weekend away, I had a little bit to think about and I have been, but I haven't felt at all about blogging about it. I have been going back and forth about it, because I told myself that I would always be open and honest here and would use it as kind of a journal, but how open do you want to be with anyone who could read this? I do not mind about my family or close friends, but people rarely comment on my blog, so I have no idea who actually reads it. I am curious as to who I am all opening my life to and sharing it with. The purpose originally was to chronicle my journey and to also connect with other people and I am wondering if I am doing either. I guess it is time for some reflection and renewal of the vision, and purpose (ha, DH, just had to throw that in there - seemed appropriate! :) of this blog.
I have seen on other people's blogs a request that anyone who is reading the blog please leave a comment. I would like to do this, so please, leave a comment for me. I would like to know 4 things:
1. your name or online nickname
2. how you got to the blog
3. where approximately you are from
4. how long you have been reading
Please, even those of you who I know read it comment. You can post under anonymous if you do not have a gmail or blogger account.
Thank you everyone. This will help me figure some things out.

Girlfriends Retreat

So I went away this weekend to a Girlfriends Retreat with our church, Friends Church, hence the name. It was a lot of fun. I am planning to post some more with pictures and a bit about what I learnt and appreciated about it and all that, but now I just feel like relaxing a bit. So I am going to watch a movie with my hubby, eat chocolate chip Eggos with ice cream in the middle and enjoy the evening.
I must say though, that one of the best parts was coming home and having my son squeeze me tight for almost a minute! :) I love that little guy and missed him so much while I was gone. It was the longest I'd ever been a part from him!

Virgin Experiences

The mom of one of our youth once turned to me at a child dedication in our church and said that she had never been to a dedication before, so this was a V.E. for her. I asked her what that meant and she told me "Virgin Experience". Since then, every new experience that happens to me, whether it is good or bad, I think of the term "virgin experience".

I am presently washing every single piece of clothing that went to Manitoba with us this past week. Whether it had been worn, worn and washed while we were there, or was fresh from the washer before I packed on Mother's Day to go there, everything is getting washed. Not because Manitoba is particularly dirty or that the airline did something to our luggage. Not because I am a waster of detergent and water, though I do feel a little bad about that. It is all because I had a BIG V.E. on Monday.

I was sitting at my friend M's kitchen table, visiting with her and her cousin L, when I felt a little something in my hair at the hairline. I reached up my hand and felt a lump in there and lost it, so tried again and pulled out whatever it was in my hand. Once I realised that there was a TICK!!!! in my hand I let out a squeal and dropped it on the table. Now, you have to understand - I hadn't been outside that day... at all! I had gone into the porch a couple of times to get our shoes and coats to pack up, but that is all. I was just sitting there visiting for maybe going on an hour, when this "thing" decided to attach itself to me in a most rude way! I have barely had a tick crawling on my clothes, let alone in me. And he, she, whatever, had gotten a little piece of my skin, but I never got any bumps or itchiness from it, so none of my blood was sucked. I did immediately have a shower - actually the shower was after I freaked out for a little bit and almost started crying. I felt so violated! M was having a hard time not laughing at me, actually she did laugh at me, so she called DH over to comfort me. It was traumatic! In all the years I lived in Brandon and all the times I have visited, I have never, ever gotten a tick! Yeah, I don't think I needed to say that, seen as I did say this was a virgin experience and even titled the post such. But I am still feeling a little traumatized.
And this is why I am washing everything. Every time I think about that tick I feel itchy and creepy crawly and I will always wonder if there was any more ticks in our clothes that went to Brandon with us, so just to put my mind at ease, I am washing everything.
I hope I never get another tick. :(

Shoestring Memories

This last week while I was away, my cousin Jen and I went and got a chick flick (Catch & Release - not that great... wouldn't recommend it... Jen and I talked about all the things we would have done differently if we had written the movie. But that is beside the point. :) and got junk food - candy, chocolate. I found some of that shoelace licorice on sale - you know the green ones, I think they are mint, though I'm not sure. And memories came back. We both agreed that you cannot eat them without putting knots of some sort in them and I immediately began to "crochet" one when we got back in the car. This is something that Kim and I used to do when we were about 11 years old, I remember sitting in her room in their trailer and getting taught how to do it and them eating them all down. It is a little insane that you would play with something that you are going to eat like that, but somehow it seemed like the thing to do then and it still does now. I couldn't not do it. So Kim, do you still crochet your licorice shoestrings? :)
What are memories that unexpectedly have come flooding back to you of things you did when you were young?

Visiting

So we just got back from visiting Manitoba yesterday. R and I were there since the previous Monday - the 14th - and DH came late in the evening on the 16th. R and I went to the Steinbach area (Ste. Anne and Blumenort included). Some of my family on my dad's side live there. My cousins, L and J and their kids, used to live in Brandon at the same time as us and then here in Calgary at the same time, before they moved back to MB last year. R and I stayed with them for 3 days and nights before they delivered us to Winnipeg where my friend M picked us up to take us to Brandon. DH stayed with Mark and Jobina overnight Wednesday and I got to visit a bit on Thursday with them. From Thursday to Monday we were in Brandon and stayed overnight on Monday with our friends B and A. It was a very busy time, full of visiting with family and friends. It's very neat how we have kept up with everyone who was close to us in Manitoba, in spite of being gone for 4 years now. I love going and showing off R, :) as well as catching up with people and being a part of their lives in spite of time and distance. At times it feels as if we never left.
Unfortunately R got another ear infection while we were in Ste. Anne, so that was a wee bit stressful and he got off in his routine, between that and being up late visiting and early mornings with R we arrived home quite a bit more tired then we left. Other than that and him being around other little people constantly and not being used to it, he did wonderfully!
We went to a wedding on Saturday, our friend K got married. She was formerly in our youth group and it is quite interesting to go to a wedding of someone that you knew as a 10 year old. Makes me feel ancient! :) DH was the M.C. for the reception and we did the toast to the bride. He did so well. It was a wonderful wedding - the gentleman who married them was a mentor to them at the Capenwray that they went to and met at. He did an interesting thing during the wedding where he had all the men for D, then ladies for K, who would be a part of their lives stand up and he gave us to be a charge to support them in any way we could, etc. and then had the couple look at the people who they could go to when they were needed help and/or support. It was really cool! M (my friend, not the DH) and I both had tears in our eyes, in fact I did for a lot of the ceremony! :) What can I say, I am emotional when it comes to "my girls." At the reception they were brave enough to have an open mike, and it was pretty good. Only a couple of ones that were iffy, the rest were great and a lot of people shared. They are going to be working with the youth at the church we used to be at. It's neat to see the students that we used to minister to now ministering to others. I am so thankful that K found a man to share her life with who obviously loves her and God and wants to serve God together with her.
It is funny, on the way to the wedding I said to M that I was ready to go and get lots of hugs. That's one of the things I love most about Brandon - tons of hugs! I love hugs and most of the girls that were in our youth hug me all the time. It's so great!
Well, I should go for now and will write more later - R is pushing on the laptop top to get my attention.

Girls Night Out!

Rosemary, Amber, Karla and I - what a gorgeous bunch of ladies out for an evening on the town!

Last night, the ladies from my mom's group went out for an evening, just us. No children to keep track of while we are visiting and having coffee. Adult conversation, though we still talked about the kids somewhat. We enjoyed amzing food at Milestone's downtown, appetizers, fish for main course and a wonderful ganache torte with coffee for dessert. We laughed, shared and hushed each other as we got speaking loud or laughing so hard the other patrons of the restaurant were looking (actually this never happened that I saw, as I didn't really care what other people thought, we were having way too much fun!) Oh, FYI Mark - the server never really flirted, though he was solicitous. Rose, on the other hand, did! (Just teasing Rose! :)

We were able to talk about things that we had never talked about, personal stuff that we'd never gotten to as our focus is on the children when we meet. The thing I love most about these women is that I feel totally comfortable with all of them. I can be myself and I don't feel as though any of them is judging or that I do not measure up. They just accept me as I am. And we learn from each other, about being women, wives and moms. We talk about our spiritual walks and what we are thinking about. It is good... I am so thankful that God brought them into my life.

Rosemary and Amber doing what they do best - laughing! It's funny, we laugh at mom's group and scare Karla's son on a regular basis. Poor child doesn't like loud noises and he covers his years with a very pained expression on his face. It's sooo cute!

Karla looking great, and me, well I guess I look good too. Never really noticed that I have a bit a crooked smile until the last month or so. What is up with that? :)

Catching up with old friends

Tonight we had friends come and visit that we knew from Bible School days. They just had their 10th anniversary... we are having ours in August. Both of us had boys in 2005, and they had another in 2006. We didn't. (Good thing! Couldn't imagine another little person at our house right now.) I put some pics on R-a-Roo of the boys for anyone who wants to have a look. It is funny, I never thought until now that I should have gotten a picture of us adults as well. Funny how everything is about the kids once you have them. And even funnier, you don't really mind at all.
It is so nice to get together with friends and spend a little while catching up, and then the rest of the evening talking about what you are thinking and feeling and what is going on in your life. We talked a lot about the North American church and emergent topics, what Christianity looks like for us. DH and M talked a lot about it, and I think it was so nice for both of them to talk with someone like-minded and not worry about what the other person would think of their thoughts. (For M more than DH as many of those thoughts are ones we hear about in church.) K and I talked about the kids, developmental stuff with the boys and joined into the conversation the men were having.
It was a very nice evening. I enjoy being able to just slip right into some friendships that though you may not see each other often, you are comfortable and can be yourself totally with them. Thanks for coming to visit guys!

What beautiful things!

Our friends were down in Quito, Ecuador for just over a week and they brought me back some amazing roses. It was so nice of them and the roses are so gorgeous, I just love them. It is so nice when friends think of you, even when they are away!

Busy days, busy days

I cannot believe that it has almost been a week since I last posted on this blog. I do not even have the excuse that I was gone on vacation. We were gone for the weekend though, so I can use that! :)
We have had a busy week. I have been trying to be a better homemaker and actually get things done around the house and remember to do the things that I need to do. This has always been a bit of a struggle for me and something that I want to work on. It has been good, I feel like I have accomplished something by the end of the day, though at times I am extremely exhausted. Catch 22, eh? I have told enough people about this new promise that I feel OK about putting it into writing. :)
Speaking of my other promise, it has been going a lot better! I am quite aware of the fact that I want to love more and have been speaking a lot sweeter with DH and loving him more - or should I say showing him that the love that has always been there is still burning strong.
It's tough when kids enter the picture and your world turns from revolving around each other to revolving around that child. We are actually starting a book in our small group called "Childproofing Your Marriage" by Dr. Debbie Cherry. It is all about making your marriage a priority and the first important relationship so that your relationships with your children flow out of that and your marriage is strong when the children leave home. We just started it yesterday, but I am looking forward to it.
Back to what we've been doing....
Jobina, Riker and Trinity came to visit us on their Alberta trip on Friday. It was so good to see them and catch up. Wow, have the kids ever grown! And Jobina is looking amazing if I do say so. It was a short visit but a good one.
On Friday, R and I (DH was gone on a retreat) headed down to my sister and brother-in-law's. We actually went to my parents, but spent the nights at my sister's. It was so good to be able to spend time with my sister - I love her so much and appreciate her and the amount that our relationship has grown and matured over the past 4 years that we have lived in the same city as adults especially. It is so nice to be friends with the person who has known you the longest and still loves you so much! My grandma and aunt were here to visit, hence the weekend down there. They adored R - who wouldn't!?! - and kept commenting on how he was a good child. He had so much fun playing and spending time with Grandpa and took an extra shine to his Uncle M this weekend - sitting on his lap and wanting to be picked up. Luther as always was a favorite, though I do not think that is a mutual thing! :)
That is about all for now, I'll maybe put some pics in later if I have time.

R's Little Friend

R is lucky to have friends already at the age of 14.5 months. In fact, he was born into friendships... in our small group there was a little girl born 4 months before him and a little boy 10 weeks after. Needless to say, R and J play together regularly, small group night if not other times. (C moved to Okotoks in July so we don't get as much of a chance to play with him. :(

J and her Mommy and Daddy were over today for lunch and R and J were playing, here are some pictures...

The two friends playing together. They always want the same toys, why is that!?!

R loved the softness of this scarf and just buried his face into it!

J grinning at me from over the gate!

Reading books while getting bum changes...lol

Friends

Friends...they are what makes life on this crazy world we live on worth it. They are the ones who keep you sane, the ones who hold you up when you need it, who pray for you, who love you through the good times and the bad. They are the ones who make you laugh, who hold your hand when you cry (and cry with you). They say and do things to encourage you when you need it. They do inane things with you because you need to get them done, but you still want their company. Friends are awesome.
Just a little tribute to friends.... because those of you reading who are my friends... I cannot say enough - thank you. I love you all.

V's visit

So my friend V was here for 5 days (hence no blogs from me). She is formerly a youth of ours who is definitely now my friend more than anything... actually she is the little sister that I never had, though she does still call me "mom" sometimes. (The thing you are when you are the youth pastor's wife and spend so much time with the kids and tend to lean towards the mothering thing anyway.) Anyway, it was such a good time. Catching up, hearing about her trip around Europe, wishing I went there too. Someday...
The great thing about V is how easygoing is. She just goes along with whatever we do - she went with us to J and L's for L to take photos of R and us as a family. She went with me to the Girlfriends Christmas Brunch at our new church, she even went with me to a shower for my neighbour C's new little girl. And she baked my exchange cookies with me on Monday. (Thank you again V, it would've been a little overwhelming without you.)
The other great thing was her relationship with R- which she does have, even with only having seen him 4 times in his life. He adores her! He crawled and then walked (Did I say yet anywhere that he has started to walk yet? He has. He's been doing laps the last 2 days, just practicing.) up to her and wanted her to pick him up and play with him all the time. And she changes him without thinking about it. It's great, I love it!
Anyway... I should get going, but I just wanted to explain my absence.
Thanks for coming to visit us! I love you, V!