Christmas Festivities

Christmas is officially over. It seems the season has ended just as quickly as it approached. Instead of stores neatly aligned with product, everything appearing to be "perfect", it now is a scene of chaos and disarray as people scramble for the last minute deals. Such a sudden shift.

It was a good Christmas. It was low key, relaxing and exactly what I needed. My family is learning to create new traditions and schedules as we welcome significant others into the mix. Christmas has become a lot quieter than I remember it, but I'm finding that refreshing.

Christmas morning family picture.

This was some of my loot - both from Christmas and Grand Forks. I got some great deals on clothes in the States. It was a very successful shopping trip in that regard. For Christmas I got some great puzzles (yes I am a dork and I love to do puzzles), awesome monkey mitts, an Ingrid Michealson Cd, Starbucks gift cards, an awesome purse, and this great bath scrub that Dominika made for me, my mom and Courtney. It smells amazing. I was very much spoiled this Christmas.

Our Christmas trip down to Minneapolis got slightly altered this year due to the unfortunate bad weather. On the 27th we left the house at 4am, still hoping that by the time we got to Grand Forks, the roads would be opened up. Unfortunately that was not the case. We decided that we were going to make the best of our time in Grand Forks (even though the caliber of shopping does not rank close to that of Minneapolis).
The Canad Inns had rooms available and even let us check in at 7:30am so that we could all get some much needed rest before hitting the stores. Let me just say that if you have not stayed at this particular hotel before in Grand Forks, it is definitely worth it. The beds were to die for - none of us has ever fallen asleep so quickly and the water park is spectacular.


This tube ride was the awesome to say the least. We had so much fun. It looks like it could be kind of boring when you initially examine it, but when you go down it is sooooo much better. It involves an initial deep drop in an enclosed tunnel so you can't see a thing, followed by getting shot out of the tunnel into a whirl pool at a pretty decent speed. Like I said, it rocked.

I made a new friend while out for dinner one night. He was rather charming.

The girls indulged at Coldstone Creamery. I had the Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream. It was divine.

So, that was Christmas and our trip in a nutshell. I hope everyone had a great Christmas season!

What kind of luck is this???

Christmas was wonderful. It was a low key 2 days of lots of eating and spending time with my family. Part of our family Christmas tradition is driving down to Minneapolis on boxing day for a few days to do some shopping and also just to spend time together as a family. I packed my bags on Christmas Eve, eagerly anticipating walking through the Mall of America perusing the mall, a Starbucks in hand, of course.

I don't know if there is something about my family and travelling together, but it never seems to go as planned. My dad kindly informed us on Christmas morning that the I-29 from the border to Fargo was closed due to blizzard conditions and slippery roads. As the day progressed, highways being closed due to the bad weather stretched farther and farther south. Currently highways are closed from the border to South Dakota. Seriously???? The plan was to leave early this morning at 5:30am, but as it stands right now, the earliest we can possibly leave is the 27th first thing (only if the highways open).

I'm not sure what it is with our luck, but we can't seem to travel together. Christmas Day brought many people bringing to our attention that this was a repeat of our failed trip to Hawaii from last year. Let me tell you, no one had to bring that to the front of our minds.

So, today is a waiting kind of day. Hopefully we'll play some games and watch some good movies. I'm really hoping that we eventually make it out of this country so we can venture on down south of the border for some good times shopping. People wanted snow for Christmas, but this seems a tad excessive. But I guess this is Manitoba after all.

Stay tuned....

MRI Update

My Christmas holidays began today, promptly at 12 noon. I am on holidays for 12 days in a row and I couldn't be more in need of some time to relax and nourish me. The first thing on my holiday agenda was to meet with the neurologist regarding my MRI results from a few weeks ago. Nothing screams good times like going to see my neurologist.

I have been trying to prepare myself over the past few weeks to go into this appointment with low expectations. I needed to prepare myself that I most likely will hear that there is nothing wrong with me. And that was exactly what I heard. As much as I thought I was prepared to hear that there would be nothing wrong with me, I think deep down I really thought there would be. Something would show up on my MRI. Every brain scan I have had, every test that has been done (with the exception of 1) has returned normal. You may be thinking, but isn't that good news?? The answer is yes and no.

I am thrilled and relieved that there is no tumor growing in my brain, that there is no auto-immune disorder attacking my body. However, there is still no explanation for my intense headaches. It's a frustrating place to be as I crave to be free of these headaches. But as my neurologist very unsympathetically pointed out to me today, there is nothing else that can be done for me - there are no more exploratory tests to be conducted. This is the end of the line so to speak. So what's next?? Not much. The neurologist gave me some more medication (just in case I didn't have enough already) and told me that there was no need to come back and see him. The meds can be monitored through my GP. Fabulous (please note the sarcasm). I'm exploring alternative medicine options such as a chiropractor, who also is not totally convinced he can help me, but we'll see what happens when I meet with him again in the new year. It is a possible reality that these headaches are something I will have to live with for years to come.

The Christmas holidays have begun. The results of today's appointment were not what I was hoping for, but it's not the end of the world. I am relatively healthy and I am thankful for that. These holidays are going to be focused on living incarnationlly with Christ and using the time to doing things to nourish me such as drinking lovely coffees, wandering the Mall of America, exploring Ikea, spending time with some favorite little friends (ie-Gavin and Norah) and did I mention wandering the Mall of America???

Thank you to all of you who prayed for my appointment today. Your prayers have been so appreciated. It means an awful lot.

Well, I'm headed to bed. It's been a long day and I get to sleep for as long as my heart desires tomorrow, so I am anxious to put my head on that pillow.

Sharks and T-Rexes, Oh My!

Yesterday Cole and I went glo-in-the-dark mini golfing. It was pretty cool if I do say so myself. We explored underwater worlds filled with sharks and awesome looking fish and wandered the jungles of extinct dinosaurs all while trying to golf. It was quite the challenge, but we managed to make it through.

Unfortunately, the day ended with us both being eaten by a T-Rex. It was worth it though, because I got to spend the afternoon with Cole and nothing beats that!

Just a thought

"We are forever sorting out our sense of God. Jesus took a big gamble when he called God our father. God is beyond gender, beyond our imagination, and if we have bad associations or memories of either father or mother, we risk contaminating our idea of God with them. Those who have known a father as a tyrant or drunk, will have strange overtones to ‘Our father in heaven.' It takes many years of reflection to see what mother and father did to us, for better or worse.

Yet if we look for the North Star of Jesus' heart, the point to which he returned with joy and longing, we find it in one recurring word: ‘my father', meaning God. Philosophers and theologians speak abstract words about God, the First Mover, Creator, Transcendent and everlasting. Jesus' picture is different: it is the father in the story of the Prodigal Son. His clearest picture of the Father shows God coming out to meet us as soon as we turn God-wards."

~Sacred Space

Good Times.

Last night (or should I say this morning) I had the delightful privilege of spending a few hours in the ER. I had an unfortunate mishap with my nose ring - haha. As a lot of you know, tomorrow I am getting my MRI after a very long wait. Well, in order to get the MRI I need to remove all piercings and metal from my body. So, last night, I attempt to take out my nose ring to replace it with the plastic one they gave me (just so my hole doesn't close up). Much to my dismay, the nose ring is not simply twisting out as it should. After a few tries, my nose starts to swell up and bleed and I figure this has to be taken to the next level.

My dad is awake downstairs. Keep in mind this is all going on between the hours of midnight and 1am - yes I pick fabulous times to try things like this. So, I head downstairs to see if my dad can help me. I figure maybe another pair of hands can do the trick. My dad has another thought though. He heads to his tool box and brings out the biggest pair of pliers I have ever seen. He figures that if he snaps off the end of the ring, the other half will just fall out the inside of my nose. I initially thought that was a great idea. It makes complete sense.

So, my dad cuts off the tip of my nose ring. The other end does not fall out of my nose. Hmmm. We are both a little confused. The next attempt includes a pair of tweezers and me trying to twist it through. Nothing is working. My dad then suggests the unpleasant... that maybe I need to go to the ER and get them to do it. At this point it's 12:55am.

I head over to the hospital and go through the quickest triage and registration ever. It's gotta be good that I picked a Monday night to do this - it was dead. I got a few laughs from the nurses and the doctors as I explained my scenario to them. I was glad I could make them laugh on a slow night. The doctor took no mercy on my poor nose and gave it a good twist and pull. He managed to get it out with minimal pain.

Two hours later I walked out of the ER with an earring free and swollen nose. My nose is not looking its best this morning - red and swollen, but nothing make-up can't fix. I guess it's these moments that make life interesting. If everything were predictable, life would be pretty mundane.

Merry December

December is officially upon us - advent has begun and the hoopla surrounding Christmas has commenced, and yet there is little to no snow on the ground. Somehow it just seems wrong, but I'm not going to complain as I know we will be plagued long enough with snow over the winter months.
As of this weekend my Christmas baking will officially be finished. When all is said and done I will have 450 cookies, 124 biscotti and a pan of nanaimo bar. It has been a very successful baking season and I have enjoyed every moment of it (Can't say that my family feels the same way because I not only denied them from doing any tasting of my baking, but I also blasted the Christmas music - but how can you not listen to Amy Grant Christmas while baking????).
This is just a small sample of some of the goodies.



My tree is up and beautifully decorated (if I do say so myself) and as per tradition, my mom gave me a beautiful new ornament this year. She has given each of us kids a new ornament on first advent for every year of our lives - I love the story the ornaments tell. It's a good tradition.

The countdown to the end of my coaching season is on. There are 5 days remaining until I have a substantial amount of time added to my week. I LOVE coaching. I have actually grown quite fond of grade 9 girls (an age I thought I would never want to repeat). And I just love the game, so to be a part of it on a daily basis is quite awesome. That being said, it's been a long season and I am looking forward to having some time to spend with me. We have provincials this coming weekend and I'm hoping the team finishes a great season well!

Oh and this I thought was just too cute not post. I like my animals. They are terribly sweet and they are extremely fond of each other. The other night this is how I found them. How can you not like them??? (Kristy and Sabrina - you cannot comment on that :)

I still have a substantial amount of Christmas shopping to do, but I am excited to spend an evening the mall, a latte in hand, listening to Christmas music while I peruse the stores. It actually sounds quite serene to me. Despite the amount of gifts I have yet to buy, I am attempting to experience Christmas simply this year. I had my first taste of a really simple Christmas last year (for those who need a reminder check back in my archives). It was in many ways a disappointing Christmas, but at the same time I was able to experience the incarnate Christ in simple ways that were extremely life giving. So, I am hoping that even though this Christmas will be a little fuller with gatherings and gifts, that the simplicity of time with family and low key days will not escape me.

Blessings to you this Advent season as you prepare for the Incarnate Christ to live and dwell among you!

A Birthday Extravaganza!

I can't believe this little dude is 2! It's incredible how fast these kids have grown up. Where did the time go?

Words cannot sum up the joy this boy brings to my life. I can't imagine life without him. He has melted my heart right from day 1. The excitement he has for me when I walk into the room is beyond sweet. What a joy it is to know that you are loved that much by a child!


Today we celebrated Gavin - the joy and delight that he is. We partied hard to say the least over a yummy brunch.

We wore digger-dozer party hats.
We devoured cupcakes.

We opened presents.
And we enjoyed good conversation and company.
G you are one awesome boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

You & I

Last week Kristy reminded me of an artist that I had forgotten about and I have been listening to her album ever since.

Tis the Season

This is a good time of year - one my favorites actually. Due to my overwhelmingly busy schedule with work and volleyball, I have had few moments to soak in the beauty outdoors. This morning, I changed that. I don't start work until 3:30, so I decided to take some time for ME. Yup, that's right, I said ME! I got dressed, put on some warm clothes, and headed outside with the dog.

We made our way over to Starbucks to take advantage of the launch of the Christmas drinks. It seemed so cozy inside there - it made me wish I had brought a book and my ipod so that I could sit in one of the comfy chairs, sip a yummy drink and read. The dog would not have appreciated that option very much.


With a grande, extra hot, white peppermint mocha in hand, Bailey and I made our way down to the park. It had been a long while since her and I have had time to play and run in the park.


The air was not too cool, but just crisp enough and the sun was finally shining (my head appreciated that). Bailey and I ran and chased each other, sat on a bench and enjoyed our surroundings, and I sipped goodness out of a delightful red cup.


This is the time of year where I begin to make my Christmas shopping lists. I'm anxious to peruse the mall to find the perfect gifts. However, I can't do that until there is at least some snow on the ground and I can be sure Christmas music will be playing over the sound system. It just seems wrong to do Christmas shopping without those things.



I've made my lists of baking that I need to do. I'm anxious to start. On my baking list this year are the following:

• Gingerbread cookies
• Sugar cookies
• Nanaimo bar
• Sour Cream cookies
• Cream Wafers
• Peanut Butter Balls

Unfortunately the actually baking will have to wait until volleyball has come to an end. There is just too much on my plate these days. Every part of me is giddy with excitement as I begin to prepare for the Christmas season. I feel like a 5-year old kid again - It's actually a lot of fun.


I'm thankful for mornings like today where I can have time to nourish my soul and experience some simple goodness. And, today is Wednesday. The weekend is almost here. Cheers to that!