Botox: Round 2

This afternoon I had another round of botox treatments for my head. I can definitely say that it is equally or slightly more painful then the last time. I'm in the stage where I am incredibly uncomfortable, but can't seem to find the right position to sit/lay in (this will not be a lengthy post).
I'm excited about what these treatments are doing for me. In the last month I have certainly not been painfree, but I have experienced anywhere from 2 - 4 days per week days with no headaches. I was beginning to think that wasn't possible after 2 years of constant, daily headaches. Praise God.

Thanks for all prayers. I have appreciated them greatly.

Be a Millionaire Day

According to the website, HolidayInsights.com, today is "Be A Millionaire Day". That's a holiday I would love to take part in. I love weird and obscure holidays, so I thought I would share today's with you cuz I thought it was kind of fun. I'm definitely curious who comes up with such holidays. Here is what they say about May 20th, Millionaire Day:

"Be a Millionaire Day is a day everyone wants to enjoy. Everyone wants to enjoy today as a member of the millionaire club.

Okay, so a million bucks ain't what it used to be. But, it is still a lot of money. I have no doubt everyone reading this would like to join the Millionaire's Club. Then, after reaching it, you can work on your qualifications for the Billionaire's Club.

If you are a millionaire, savor and enjoy the day. If not, we offer a number of ways to participate in Be a Millionaire Day:

• Review your investments. Look for ways to improve them.
• Review your investment portfolio with a trusted investment or financial planner.
• Increase your deposits to your savings accounts.
• Start or add to your 401K. This is always a good starting point.
• Review your spending. Many Millionaires get there by a combination hard work, sound investment, and frugal spending.
• Go to a casino.
• When all else fails ,buy a lottery ticket....just one."

Growing up, I was always told that "money does not buy happiness". I was taught to give my tithes to the church and that success in life does not mean you will have lots of money. I still value each of those statements and when the time comes when I have kids, I will probably teach them something fairly similar. However, as I got older and started accumulating some debt and had bills to pay, I always thought that the people who truly believed that money does not buy happiness never really needed money or struggled with finances. How nice it would be to not have to worry about money and bills. But until then, here's to the possibility of being a Millionaire.

Introducing...

Hayley Sienna Bergmann
4 lbs 14 oz
18 inches long
born at 9:13am on May 18, 2009

Despite the cold weather that seemed to loom over Winnipeg this long weekend, it ended off a pretty sunny note for me. I got a call late morning today from Andrew letting me know that I was an auntie again. I knew that as soon as I saw his name pop up on my phone what the call was going to be about.

Here's a sneak peak at little Hayley:

Simply put, Hayley is beautiful and absolutely perfect. Kristy, Graham and I were able to stop by the hospital and meet little Hayley this evening and give a big congratulations to the proud parents. Due to her size and being a little premature, we weren't able to hold her yet, but hopefully later on in the week some aunties can get some serious snuggle time in.

Dear Hayley,

I am so pumped that you have arrived safe and sound. We have waited what has seemed like forever for your arrival into this world. I am anticipating with great joy watching you grow up, spoiling you like crazy and getting into all sorts of trouble with you :) I have been praying for you for a long time already and that will never stop. I have a hunch that we will have many snuggle times ahead of us. I love you lots and lots.
Love Auntie Kara

May Long Weekend???

I can't believe today marks May long weekend. It doesn't seem possible. There is travel advisory for the highway up to the cabin due to SNOW AND ICE!!!! That's just pure craziness. From what I can recall, previous May long weekends have consisted of shorts (or at least capris), flip flops, the occasional very very very quick swim in the lake (the lake is still frozen), soaking up the sun on the deck and bonfires. Well, this year might turn into something completely different. I have a hunch that there will be no flip flops (although I am trying to remain optimistic and I have brought them along), bonfires in the fireplace inside and lots of movie watching to pass the rainy forecast.

Despite the poor weather that is coming Winnipeg way, there is still something peaceful and relaxing about getting out of the city and staying cozy inside the cabin. I have brought along some good books, lots of movies, crosswords and puzzles. I have a hunch that it will still be a wonderful weekend and there is a good possibility that I will get lots of sleep in (I have lots to catch up on it feels like).

I hope that this weekend is for you is filled with lots of relaxation, times of good conversations and good company in whatever your weekend activities hold.

Mothering Day

"God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers."

~Jewish Proverb

I am a huge fan of Mothering Day. Yes, Hallmark has declared this day Mother's Day, but I think it's so much more then just Mother's Day. This is a day where I feel I can celebrate the women in my life who have influenced me, encouraged me, loved me, wept with me, spoke sternly with me and taught me. These women, along with my mom deserve to be celebrated.

I love the quote above. I love its truth. The women in my life who have taken on various aspects of a mother's role have been a presence of God in my life. These women were able to speak the truth and love of God to me that I probably would not have heard otherwise.

I am blessed. Very blessed. I have some phenomenal women in my life who I am proud to say play some "mother" roles in my life. To these fine ladies, I say thank you for all that you have given to and shared with me. I am who I am today because of the love these women have shared with me.

A Most Excellent Day

Today was a most excellent day. It marked 3 1/2 months since Cole and I last hung out together and today was our "date day". We call them Kara/Cole days and we are both quite fond of them. We had hoped to spend more time outside, but considering the breezy temperatures, we were somewhat limited to mostly indoor activities.

I let Cole pick our activities today (with some boundaries). His choice was to go and see a movie and although it maybe wasn't the best activity to facilitate conversation, it was what he wanted to do and that was important to me. We saw Monsters vs. Aliens 3D and he LOVED it. It was a bit costly ($26 to be exact for 2 tickets - 1 Adult & 1 child) but we just opted for no snacks. I was impressed with the quality of the 3D - there were moments when Cole jumped in his seat because he thought a meteorite was going to hit him. It was quite humorous.

Check out our awesome 3D shades!

After the movie we needed to grab something to eat before we headed off to church for 6pm, so his pick was McDonalds with a play land. I had a book in my purse, so while he befriended some other boys at the restaurant and played tag, I caught up on some reading.


It didn't take long before Cole was ready to do something else, so we walked across the parking lot to Dollarama, where we picked up a Frisbee and headed to a nearby park to run off some energy. It was a beautiful park and an awesome playground - we had a lot of fun playing tag and frisbee throughout the play structure.

I love the intensity in his face when he plays sports.

I Love my man Cole. I wish we could hang out more often, but we just need to make the most out of the time we do get to spend with each other. Thanks for a most excellent day bud!

BC 2009

Last week Thursday my Grandma and I embarked upon an adventure to BC for a 50th Wedding Anniversary. My Grandma who was a little reluctant about going by herself asked if I would accompany her. I, of course could not refuse, so off we went. The plane ride west was quite uncomfortable as my neck was still hurting quite a bit from the botox injections earlier in the week. That, combined with nausea made for an unpleasant departure. Thankfully once in Abbotsford I felt a much better. I only had 1 day of being out of commission, so I was quite pleased with that. Perhaps this botox thing will work after all.

The 50th Anniversary was on the Saturday and it was a very simple and low key affair. There was way too much food and it was great to see all of my cousins and their families (my aunt and uncle have 12 kids, plus spouses and kids, so there were lots of people to mingle with).


What I love about BC is the scenery. My aunt and uncle live close by to many rivers, walking trails and parks. Most of my days consisted of walking to Starbucks and then slowly making my way home venturing through parks and enjoying the beautiful view.

Me & Grandma

On Monday we drove out to Harrison Hot Springs to walk around. Now, the thing with old people is that they get a little "funny" as they age. At 2pm they decide that they want to make the drive out to Harrison (just over an hour away). We have people coming for supper at 5pm. If you do the math, that leaves just under an hour to spend at the hot springs. Apparentely older people just like to go for the drive. I personally thought it was a waste of time to only spend 40 minutes walking around and not even go into the hot springs despite the gorgeous scenery. Oh well.


My aunt and uncle primarily speak German. I have failed my Grandmother in this regard, so at the airport, while waiting for our plane to take off, she came across a German Handbook so that I could learn on the short plane ride to Abbotsford. I sadly disappointed her. I can sometimes catch the gist of what people are saying, but my speaking skills are extremely poor. Perhaps in my next life I can improve upon this skill. Because we were there over the course of numerous weekdays, I saw very little of my cousins due to their work schedules, so weekdays were very quiet for the most part - especially quiet for me because of my lack of German speaking as it seemed like everyone who came over to say hi and visit only spoke German.


Wednesday two of my cousins took the day off of work and took me to Vancouver to do some shopping. Serious damage was done. Let's just say I made a nice dent in my bank account :) We spent the day in Metrotown and scored some great finds followed by numerous Starbucks visits in search of the Botanical PaperWorks posters for my friend Heidi (Sorry Heidi, I didn't come across any of them). Of course we could not just walk in to a Starbucks and not order anything, so needless to say we drank A LOT of latte's that day :)


Thursday night we arrived safe and sound back in Winnipeg. It was nice to get away but there is something very enjoyable about coming home too! Although, I must say the weather in BC was A LOT nicer then the weather Winnipeg is currently experiencing. Snow. Seriously, why do we live here???

It's been a rough week in the lives of some of my girls and I was quite sad to be so far away. I was beyond excited to step off the plane in Winnipeg and know that I could go and spend time with them. I am anticipating an upcoming week of many friend visits. Sabrina & Gavin - hugs coming your way very soon!!!