2008 Reflections

A new year is literally just around the corner. In just over 6 hours we will all yell "Happy New Year" and begin our journey into the coming year.

2008 has had its ups and downs just like any year, but I think that there were definitely more ups then downs. Lots has happened in 2008. Some highlights include the following:

• The birth of Norah - that held many ups and downs in itself
• Graduating from Massage Therapy
• Glorious weekends spent at the cabin
• Girls weekends - both at Kristy's cabin and in Grand Forks
• Anticipating the birth of Andrew & Aimee's baby
• Wonderful coffee dates with friends

I'm not one big on New Year's resolutions as I have a tendency of not sticking to them. I do, however, have some hopes for 2009.

This past year I have grown a great deal with Jesus. It has been nothing short of incredible. I have experienced the presence of Jesus in ways that I did not know I was capable of. My prayer is that 2009 would be another year of living in the presence of Jesus - to live life abundantly. I desire to crave the presence of Jesus and experience more of Him in the year ahead. I suppose I could make a list of all the things I desire to accomplish and cross off my list for 2009, but I am trying to live less in the future. I don't want to live in a constant state of longing. Instead, I am choosing to take each day one at a time; to intentionally seek Jesus. I have no doubts in my mind that 2009 will bring some wonderful things along with it, but by taking each day for what it is, I am focusing on the little God moments of the day.

Tonight have its festivities of course. Today also happens to be Graham's birthday, so we have the privilege of not only ringing in the New Year, but also celebrating his birthday and another year of life for him. I believe dessert and poker are on the agenda for tonight.

To end off on a bit of a fun note, Dominika and myself had a fun afternoon of absolute silliness. I know we are in our twenties, but every once in awhile it's fun to pretend you are in high school/junior high again. While I was out shopping today, I found these spectacular skirts for the low low price of $3 in the final clearance bin. It's shocking that these skirts didn't sell out at regular price :)

I believe the title of this picture is "Be a Tiger"

A slightly more normal picture of us to end off. I hope those pictures didn't scar anyone :)

I wish you all a Happy New Year. Bring on 2009. I'm ready!

The Festivities

Despite much disappointment this Christmas about not being in Hawaii, I must admit that this year was a wonderful Christmas. It didn't have the adventure, the warm weather or the tans but we did have a few small gifts, lots of game playing and movie watching, dinners with family and relaxing. In previous years we go from one family gathering to the next. We cram 3-4 gatherings into a 2 day time period - we are busy. This year, we only had 1 day with 2 gatherings, but both were so low key. I quite enjoyed it.

Christmas Eve was quiet - much more then usual. There was me and my parents. That's it. Both my brothers have girlfriends who also had family stuff that night, so they headed over there to do gifts and their family Christmases. My parents and I ordered Chinese food (which was cold by the time it was delivered) and watched "It's a Wonderful Life". At the end of the evening we laughed at our very simple Christmas. The other night I was out for coffee with my wonderful friend, Sabrina. She pointed out to me that it was a very neat Christmas Eve that I had because 3 years ago, I would have never predicted that I would one day be home by myself with my parents, enjoying time spent with them on Christmas. She's right. It was a neat little "a-ha" moment. I am blessed that my relationship with my parents has grown into something that all 3 of us can appreciate. Talk about a wonderful Christmas gift.

Christmas morning, we opened some little gifts my mom has compiled for us - most of our stocking's content contained munchies, headbands and hair elastics that were intended for the airplane and for being in Hawaii, but you can never have too many hair elastics! Plus, a Starbucks card at the bottom of the stocking can cheer anyone up.

After a quiet Christmas morning, we all got ready and headed down to the Holiday Inn for Christmas brunch. For the past 30 years, my mom's extended family has been getting together for Christmas brunch at a hotel. For some, it's the only time we see these relatives all year and it's neat to find out what has happened in the last year. I have so many fond memories from time spent with this side of the family growing up and it's neat that we continue to keep these traditions 30 years later.

Following brunch, we made our way to my Grandma's for yet another quiet Christmas. There was no doubt that there was a sadness/disappointment in the room as we all gathered around to play a game, but it didn't take long for the moods to pick up and laughter to fill the room again. Due to the change in plans this Christmas, my Grandma didn't have a turkey for dinner, so we had what is in my opinion one of the greatest meals: Appetizers!!! We had everything from spicy wings to mozza sticks to fruit platters. It was perfect!
Dominika is a not a coffee drinker by any means - she hates it. I was making a pot of coffee at my Grandma's (as there are a few people who cannot live with out it) when Dominika approached me and asked if she could have a cup. I think my jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief. When the pot was ready, I poured Dom a cup.
She then proceeded to dump out half of the coffee into the sink, fill the rest of the cup up with milk, add 6 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. She was so proud she was drinking coffee and liking it. I felt I needed to inform her that what she was drinking was not coffee by any standards, but rather sugar and milk.
I
As the Christmas season approaches, you may notice that there are TONS of movies that hit theaters on Christmas day. I've always wondered who goes to movies on Christmas? Well....this year, it was me. My cousins and brothers and I all went to see "Four Christmases" together at 10pm on Christmas day. It was a lot of fun to do something all together and laugh out loud. It was a very funny movie - not sure if I would say that's it's worth the $10 to see it in theaters, but it's definitely rental worthy. Very funny.

Boxing Day. Yes, I hit the malls running at 8am on Friday morning. I waited in a 20 minute line to get my caffeine fix and then was on a mission. I found a couple good finds but overall the sales weren't that spectacular. I have been boxing day shopping for years and years and I needed to keep up the tradition this year as well. Plus, since I had been saving a large sum of money for Hawaii, I had a little extra cash to spend this year, which makes shopping much more enjoyable when you have the means to do it.

Later that evening, my parents took us kids out for dinner at the Keg as our Christmas dinner. We ate until we could eat no more. It was all so delicious. I must admit that I am enjoying spending time with my family very much. Never in a million years did I think those words would come out of my mouth, but it's true. God has done some awesome things in the lives of my family.



After dinner, I met up with Sabrina for coffee. It was a delightful way to end off the day. Sabrina, I enjoy our conversations so much. Thanks for challenging me, for listening to my heart and for all the laughs we can share together. I am blessed to have you as a friend. Love you lots!

All in all, it was a fabulous Christmas. This Christmas will definitely be one to remember - not only for the cancellation of flights, but also one of growth. I met with Jesus in a very simple way and I have discovered the joy that comes when Jesus works within the unexpected.

So This is Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and the day has shaped up to be very different then years past. There is only 3 of us at home, there is Chinese food on the coffee table and we're watching old Christmas movies. It's an odd scene for my mind to grasp. I cannot remember if there was ever a time where I was sitting in an empty house on Christmas Eve. For as long as I can remember this night has been spent at my Grandma's - church services, playing games, eating delicious meals and opening gifts. That will still all happen tomorrow, but today is just a different sort of day.
As I was sitting in church this evening, listening to a very familiar Christmas hymn, "O Holy Night", I had an epiphany sort of moment. This whole month of December I thought that I was very much ready for the birth of Christ. I thought my heart was prepared and that I was entering this Christmas season with all of the right intentions - and maybe I was. But as we were singing those familiar lyrics it dawned on me that I hadn't prepared my heart. Not really. Only now, when I am essentially left with not much of a Christmas, it is sinking in that I have made this Christmas season about the "stuff" and the traditions. Don't get me wrong, I think that those things are wonderful and make Christmas enjoyable, but I once again lost sight of that Holy Night. The day Jesus came to this earth, he was not born into an extravagant setting of Christmas trees, decorations, presents, etc. Instead he came in the simplest way possible. He was born in a manger, a grungy old stable with what I can imagine to be an awful smelling and noisy place. It was the exact opposite of what a King was expected to be born into. I've always liked that aspect of Jesus' story - he liked to stir up the pot and do the unexpected.

This Christmas I have experienced the unexpected. My pot has been stirred. Our plans of being in a paradise on earth have changed. So here I sit, on Christmas Eve, no Christmas tree or decorations to be had of, no presents under the tree. What I do have is my family - all healthy and well, friends who love me and I love them, a warm house, food to eat. I am blessed far beyond what I deserve. I feel kinda silly for feeling so sad and upset about not being on a beach in Hawaii this Christmas, but I get a very neat gift this year - I am learning what experiencing Christmas in a simple way looks and feels like and even my simple idea of Christmas is much more then so many other people in this world can imagine. I get the privilege of being able to experience the presence of Jesus with little distraction and that is a pretty neat gift. So tonight I am not going to set up the tree. Instead, I am going to spend some time reflecting with Jesus on this past year, the year ahead and the coming of Christ's birth. Maybe it's a little late to prepare my heart for the birth of Christ, but better late then never, I always say. So THIS is Christmas - in its most simplest way.

Merry Christmas!

And the Journey Ends

Our journey to Hawaii has come to a screeching halt. There will be no Hawaii trip in any foreseeable future for this family. Air Canada essentially screwed us over and are unwilling to compensate anything for us. We are all very sad and disappointed, but trying to remain somewhat positive that we are at least all together over the holidays rather then split up on various airlines by ourselves or in groups of 2 (which was what Air Canada wanted us to do - not an option for us). Had we chosen to take them up on their suggestion of us all flying out at various times, some people would have only had 4-5 days in Hawaii in the end. Definitely not worth $30,000 dollars for 5 days of vacation (which is what my Grandma paid).

I went back to the airport with my parents a second time to sort things out. The manager at Air Canada was an asshole in my opinion - he really could have cared less and actually walked away from us as I was talking/crying to him. I didn't even try to hold back my tears as I was hoping that they might score us some sympathy and free vouchers or something. Just for your info, Air Canada does not offer vouchers for cancelled flights due to weather. In fact, their customer service in general is appalling.

On a more positive note, at least our family is all together this Christmas - we could be a lot worse off. There were people at the airport who's flight had also been cancelled who were going to be alone this Christmas. I would have been heart broken had that been me. So in the big picture, it's not the end of the world, just VERY VERY disappointing. Currently my dad and I are checking out to see if we can work out a little mini trip to Minneapolis. Nothing like a shopping spree to soothe one's sorrows.

I think tonight might be spent with a few rum and cokes along with perhaps setting up the Christmas tree. Now that we are going to be spending Christmas here, we just might need that Christmas tree. At least one prayer got answered :)

The Journey Begins

So it's been a whirlwind of activity around the house today ever since I stepped out of bed. I figured something was weird since my parents were not home when I woke up at 7:30. I made a call to their cell phones and they informed me that they were at the airport trying to get us on a flight to Vancouver. I knew the news wasn't going to be good. This morning, our flight to Vancouver was canceled due to weather - which by the way, is not really an issue because while my parents were at the Air Canada desk at the airport, the PA system announced numerous final boarding calls to Vancouver. So after 5 hours at the airport, trying to get 16 of us on flights the news is sad. It looks like we aren't going to be going to Hawaii today - we are currently on stand-by. We've split up our rather large party into smaller groups in hopes of getting us there sooner, but chances of us getting out today or even tomorrow are slim. We are sticking close to home in case our travel agent calls to tell us to get our butts over to the airport. It looks like we will end up in Hawaii this Christmas, the only uncertainty is when we will get there.

I will keep you posted!

The Week in a Glance

It's been a full, busy and delightful week. Where to even begin. Work was very busy, which is always a nice thing, especially when you are about to go on vacation and need that little bit of extra spending money. The week was jam packed full of Christmas concerts, family gatherings and time with friends. I am truly blessed.

I had the privilege of watching Cole's first ever Christmas concert on Thursday evening - it was terribly cute. It was just too bad that Cole neither sang nor did any of the actions. Instead he stood with his hands in his pockets and his head looking to the floor. The stage is not a comfortable place for him! He sure was cute in his white button up shirt and dress pants though. Tonight at church we had a Christmas coffee house, where all the kids are able to sing and perform - Cole redeemed himself and got into the actions and the singing towards the end of the song. Better then nothing at all.

Cuddles with Auntie Kara

It is a rare occassion where all 3 of us Friesen ladies are dressed up and feeling "put together", so a new Friesen girl photo was in order. What a bunch of hotties!

A beautiful Friesen family photo. I enjoy these people an awful lot.

Auntie Steph and Norah

Friday night, a group of wonderful friends gathered together at Ken and Sabrina's for a Christmas potluck. We decided earlier on in the year that we were going to fore-go buying each other Christmas gifts and instead just have a Christmas potluck. The theme was appetizer night - the best meal in my books. Mmmmm mozza sticks.

Norah was very much liking this bat - nothing beats a soft, chewy bat with a hard center when one is teething.

We enjoyed an evening of great conversation, many tear inducing laughs and fun games. We played Scattegories as a group. One particular memorable moment was when the letter "n" was rolled. If you take a look at the picture below, you will notice that 1 description/word does not belong with the rest. Check out number 3.


The subject was "a car part", I confidently wrote down, "defrost button". As we went around the group sharing our answers, I proudly stated my answer to number 3, pleased that no one had said it. The room quickly filled with a roaring laughter. It took me a second to realize that the I had written something down that was clearly not beginning with the letter "n". Oops. We all had a good laugh, unfortunately at my expense.

This afternoon we had 1 family gathering with my dad's side of the family. Gatherings on that side of the family tend to be exhausting and quite long in more ways then one. Thankfully the hours passed by somewhat quickly. The highlight was by far getting my own draw gift back - a beautiful Starbucks mug filled with a $10 gift card. The perfect gift in my opinion.

My cousin's daughter, Sophia had no hesitations about diving right into the pile of gifts.

In exactly 12 hours I will be hopefully leaving the Winnipeg Airport on a plane bound for Hawaii. I'm bursting with excitement and anticipation of enjoying 2 weeks in heaven. I'm hoping and praying that the weather in Vancouver does not affect our getting to Hawaii in any significant way. Smooth sailing/flying would be much appreciated. This Christmas season will be a different one as it will not be surrounded by family gatherings and our typical traditions, however in its place will be exciting adventures and sun bathing (well as much as I can possibly tan - which isn't very much). Despite the change in scenery I will be praying that the cheesy line "the reason for the season" be very real and evident this year. May this next week in particular be one of delight, wonderful memories and awestruck holiness as we anticipate and welcome the birth of Christ.

Blogging will be scarce in next 2 weeks, but I will update if possible. See you in the New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Reunion of Sorts

I woke up Saturday morning to a VERY cold outside. As I lay in bed I could feel the draft of the wind blowing through the walls. I debated for many minutes whether it was really important that I actually get out of bed and face the day. It didn't take long for me to remember that Saturday morning at 9am = breakfast at Cora's with some school friends. Getting out of bed was not longer a question. After all, who can turn down the April 89 crepe at Cora's??? Not me!!!

Just over a year ago, my friend from school Marni, had to quit the program due to some hand soreness that prevented her from massaging. It was a very sad goodbye for us group of friends. There were 5 of us that called ourselves the "Dream Team" and we lost a member. The ending of Marni's massage career, despite its sadness, allowed Marni to move to Kingston with her boyfriend to begin her nursing career. It's been over a year since we had all seen Marni and this past weekend happened to be the weekend she was back in town, so breakfast with the Dream Team (minus Jenn) was in definite order.

I HEART Cora's. I think if I could eat breakfast there everyday, there would be no possible way of a day starting off wrong. A waffle with custard and a mountain of fruit just has no bad side to it - not in my books anyway. The 4 of us, Adam, Crystal, Marni and myself enjoyed wonderful conversation and catching up on each other's lives. It's funny how you go from seeing these people almost every day for 2 years straight to all of a sudden nothing. We decided that breakfasts or get togethers of other sorts are in order more often, especially for those of us who still are living in Winnipeg. We have no excuse for not seeing each other more often. 3 hours at Cora's passed quickly. It was finally when our waitress started walking by our table giving us a glare that we concluded that it might be time to give our table to some other eager breakfast goers.

Thanks friends for a very yummy breakfast. Let's not wait another 6 months to a year before we see each other again!

This frosty-ness that is occurring outside the walls of my warm house are not appreciated these days. My car makes a very sad noise when I go to start it - it makes me want to run back inside and curl back underneath the warm covers of my bed. If only life were so simple and flexible that I could actually do that! I am thankful that today I was able to stay inside all day baking cookies, finishing a puzzle I have been working on this weekend and doing a little bit of packing for Hawaii. Yes, in 7 very short days I will find myself on a glorious beach in Waikiki. It still seems somewhat surreal that we are leaving for 2 weeks, as this trip has been in the works for over a year, but it's finally coming!

On the agenda for this week:

• dates with some friends who are in town for Christmas - aka - Deanna and Jess
• a Christmas party Friday night with some very delightful friends
• a spa afternoon on Wednesday at Spa Lifestyle
• a Christmas gathering and our church Christmas coffee house on Saturday
• and lots and lots of packing in any spare moment between now and next Sunday morning!

The Return of the Headaches

Actually, they never really went away, but today my head feels like it hasn't in a long time - loss of vision, dizziness, numbness and a sharp piercing pain through the center of my head. The pain at times appears unbearable. I had to cancel my appointments today at work, which was too bad but there weren't a whole lot of options. 

It is days like today that make me very thankful for codeine to take the edge off and the hope that in less then 2 weeks a change in scenery, barometric pressure and temperature may also help decrease some of the discomfort inside of my head.

Awhile ago, a friend and I sat down on a Thursday morning and prayed about my head, for healing, for strength, for the presence of God to be around me. I was given a picture of being by the shoreline with Jesus, knee deep in the water. Jesus placed his hands upon my head and let me just be in his presence. To be wrapped up in the arms of Jesus as he held my head was exactly what I needed. 

I have gone back to revisit the shoreline on numerous occasions since that initial visit and have brought others with me to those healing waters. I can't say that I have been healed or those I have brought with me have been healed, but the presence of Jesus definitely takes the edge off.

So, today, as a friend prayed with me over the phone for my head, I was able to connect with Jesus and fall asleep in his healing arms - the codeine may have helped a little too:)

December Already???

Every time I have gone to write the date in the past 3 days, I have been in awe that it is already December. Where did the time go? December is shaping up to be a pretty busy and exciting month. On the agenda are the following: Christmas parties, times with friends and most importantly, Hawaii!!!

I am still in the same place I was in November on the Christmas decoration front - Absolutely nowhere. Apparently all of the Christmas decorations are conveniently stowed away in the attic and not worth the effort to get down. Bah humbug I say. In order to fill my Christmas preparation desires, I have Steve Bell's "The Feast" playing in my car, I have bought some Christmas decorations for myself and for friends (despite the lack of tree to hang them on) and I spent the day today with Kristy and Norah baking Christmas cookies. I think I can finally confidently say that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas preparations on the decoration scene may be minimal this year, but my heart's preparation is attempting to be in full swing. Advent readings have never really been on the forefront of my mind during Christmas. I am definitely one of those people that tends to get caught up in all of the hustle and bustle that Christmas time offers. However, I want to change some habits this year by introducing some discipline in Advent readings/prayers. I came across a prayer by Henri Nouwen that caught my attention and have been using it as a focus for my prayer time.

"Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness,

send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have much so much to do, seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy, seek the joy of your presence.

We are you people, walking in darkness, yet seeking light.

To you we say, Come Lord Jesus...

Amen"

I think somedays my mind is so wrapped up in the holiday festivities or at least wanting to be wrapped up in the season, that I have lost sight of the manger scene. Despite the change of scenery and focus that Christmas will hold this year, I don't want to lose sight of the presence of Jesus in all of it. I have been growing and learning what living in the presence of Jesus looks and feels like in the past few months and the journey thus far has been nothing short of incredible. I don't want to be disconnected now. May this month in particular be a time of truly living and waiting for the presence of Jesus.

I'm off to bake some more cookies.

Birthday Party Fun

Friday night, a few of us celebrated a special little boy's birthday. It was a wonderful evening filled with yummy cake, good conversation and amazing people. I had no idea that watching a kid eat their first piece of cake could be entertaining - oh the things I have to look forward to when I have kids of my own :)

The Party Guests

Gavin wasn't too stoked with the party hats!

"Mommy is this cake for me????"

"mmmm...this tastes good, but a fork is just not going to work for me."

"My fingers work much better"

"Yummy, Yummy in my tummy!"

Going....

Going....

Going....

Gone!

Yeah! I am One!!!!!

Partied out.