Shopped till we dropped

To sum up this past weekend in one word would be SPECTACULAR. There was not one moment that was bad (ok, maybe the rainy and cloudy weather sucked hey Kristen). I'm pretty sure that if you looked up spectacular in the dictionary, it would read as the following:

Spectacular (spec·tac·u·lar): To spend a weekend with wonderful girlfriends shopping, drinking Starbucks, finding great deals and meaningful conversation.

This particular weekend of goodness began promptly at 6pm when I walked out of work to pick up Aimee & Hayley and Kristen. We made a brief pit stop at McDonalds for some supper before heading out to Rosenort for the night. And just as a little side note, in case you think a large drink and fries is the one you get with a meal, it's not. In fact, it's the medium fries and drink you get. I learned that the hard way and ended up having A LOT of coke to finish - not entirely a bad thing, but nonetheless not what I was expecting.

Now, one might be thinking, why stay in Rosenort for the night??? The first reason was that's where we needed to drop some children off and secondly, there are some mighty fine people in that town. Rather then spending money on a hotel that none of us could really afford, we shacked up with some parents instead. I had the wonderful privilege of getting to meet Sabrina's mom and dad-in-law. They were absolutely delightful right from the moment I walked in their door. It felt as though I had known them forever. What warm and inviting people. They kindly let me spend the night with Sabrina and Gavin at their place and we had a great time chatting, playing cards and eating their yummy snacks. Plus, they got up extra early just to make us pancakes, bacon and strong coffee. It really doesn't get much better than that (and apparently Sabrina and I aren't hard to please :).

At 8:10am, Kristen rolled up in the van her parent's graciously allowed us to borrow and we began our day trip to Grand Forks.

Once we got to Grand Forks, we hit the ground running. Target, Gordmans, Old Navy, Kohl's and the mall provided us with great deals and fun new clothes.

Now this is the way coffee was intended to be drunk.

Hayley was such a little trooper. At only 6 weeks old she proved to be quite the little shopper (we like to train them early). And even when she did get a little tired or hungry, how can you be annoyed with a face like hers??


The purpose of this trip was to celebrate Kristen's birthday. Her wish was to go shopping and we thought Polo Park or St. Vital just wasn't good enough. Grand Forks would be much better. For supper, we let the birthday girl pick and she picked good. We hit up Space Aliens. Don't let the name deceive you because their fries are awesome. The best part was definitely all the dipping sauces you could get with your fries. We definitely indulged.

This was a common sight throughout the day. We tend to laugh an awful lot with each other. Just think happy thoughts, right guys!

As the rain started to come down hard we made our trek home. When we got to the border, the guard sent us inside to pay our duty. However, once we got in, the kind man (who also happened to be good looking) let all of us off the hook without having to pay, except Kristen. Kristen spent by far the most money, but he only made her pay taxes rather than the duty. That made my day! I think that having a baby sleeping in the van, 5 good looking girls walking into the building, a 30th birthday girl and crossing at 10:30 pm definitely helped in his decision to let us all go without paying. We literally shopped until we dropped. I fell into bed at 1:15am, exhausted, yet overjoyed after a most wonderful day.

Thanks ladies for the fun time. Kristen, thanks for having a birthday and giving us a reason to go shop for a day.

Randomness

HAVE YOU:
1. Travelled → I have seen a lot of the U.S. and Western Canada and some caribbean places but I have a passion and a desire to see the world. 
2. What is your weakness → Shopping. I can unfortunately justify buying a new outfit, however I am trying to change my ways. I must admit though that there is nothing like some retail therapy to make your day a little better.
3. Laughed until you cried → yes. Just put Kristy, Kristen, Sabrina, Aimee and I together and that is bound to happen.
4. Met someone who changed you →I have had some pretty amazing people come into my life: Sandra, Carolyn, Mary, My girls (Sabrina, Kristy, Kristen & Aimee). Those are just to name a few. Telling you how these women changed my life would take a very long time, so just trust me when I say that these women are absolutely wonderful.
5. Found out who your true friends were → there is no doubt in my mind.
6. How many kids do you want to have → 3 or 4
7. Do you have any pets → my puppy Bailey and my cat Kitty
8. Do you want to change your name → growing up I always wanted to change it to something that could be shortened. I always wanted to be Mackenzie so that people could call me Mack. Now I really don't care.
9. What did you do for your last birthday → on the actual day I didn't do anything significant, but a few weeks later my wonderful friends threw me a Mexican themed party. It was delightful.
10. What time did you wake up today → 10ish
11. What were you doing at midnight last night → laying in bed watching Sex & the City desperately wanting to fall asleep.

12.Name something you CANNOT wait for → Summer drinks on a patio and to find the love of my life. 
13. Last time you saw your father→ this morning 
14. What is one thing you wish you could change about yourr life → I sometimes wish I could be more content at where I am at in life so that I can enjoy the good things around me.
15. What are you listening to right now → the TV - Ellen Degeneres - oh I love her.
16. What's getting on your nerves right now? → my aching head, neck and jaw. I wonder what it would be like to be completely pain free.
17. Most visited webpage → facebook and mls.ca (I love to look at houses and see how people decorate and dream about the house I could one day buy).

THE BASICS:
18. Nicknames → Missy, Care (only my friend Jenn calls me that). Kara really isn't a good shortening name, so I am basically Kara 
19. Relationship Status → single 
20. High school you attended → MBCI
21. Hair color → blonde - although it is getting darker as I get older.
22. Long or short → on the shorter side - between my ear and shoulder
23. Height → 5'10
24. Do you have a crush on someone? → Nope, but I am pretty fond of my little man G.
25: What do you like about yourself? → I know who I am and I know what I want in life. Whether those "plans" always work out the way I want is another story.
26. Piercings → nose. I have one ear pierced from when I was 2 but the other ear gets infected so it's closed up. 
27. Tattoos → yup. My low back. I am getting ready for another one soon.
28. Righty or lefty → righty 

FIRSTS :
22. First surgery → havent had surgery
23. First piercing → ears
24. First best friends → Amy or Leanne.
25. First sport → Soccer. I am proud to say that I was not one of those kids who picked dandelions on the field. I was and still am far too competitive for that.
26. First vacation→ We  have always gone to Minneapolis at least once a year since I was very little. My first big vacation was to the Dominican Republic when I was in grade 12.
27. First concert → Backstreet Boys in Grade 7. It was the Backstreet's Back tour. I died and went to Heaven that night.
28. First crush - I have no idea.

29. First Love - I have never been in love (at least not with a boy).

RIGHT NOW:
30. Eating → a fresh baked blueberry muffin. Thanks mom!
31. Drinking → a Latte with 2 raw sugars from Mountain Bean. Thanks again mom!
32. I'm about to → I have parked my butt on the couch for the afternoon. I am hoping that I will doze off soon for a much needed nap.
33. Listening to → Ellen on Tv.
34. Waiting for → my head and neck to relax a bit so that I can get comfortable.

YOUR FUTURE :
35. Want kids? → definitely.
36. Want to get married? → yes
37. Careers in mind? → I already have an awesome job as a Massage Therapist. If I could do anything though I would love to be a personal shopper.

HAVE YOU:

38. Lost someone special? → yes - my Grandpa
39. Been depressed? → yes since grade 9 
40. Been drunk and threw up? → unfortunately yes. 18th birthday and teaching sunday school the next morning is not a good mix and not one of my proudest moments.

41. Broken someone's heart → i hope not 
42. Had your own heart broken → sure, but not due to a relationship with a boy.
43. Cried when someone died → Oh yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
44. Yourself → At times. 

45. Miracles → yes. I think you have to otherwise life can seem pretty grim at times.
46. Heaven → Yes. I am hoping to meet a couple of people when I get there. 
47. Santa Claus → no although it's kind of a fun idea.
48. God or a Higher Power? → God. No question about it.

FAVORITES:

49. Drink - Latte's and almost anything in the form of coffee.

50. Food - Vereneki with white sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

51. Movie - Sex & the City

52. Band - Backstreet Boys

53. Memory - summers at the lake with my grandparents - just the 3 of us. A close second are some of the times spent with my girls laughing until we are crying. 

54. TV Show - There are a bunch of them: Gilmore Girls, Alias, Ellen, Grey's Anatomy, Sex & the City, What Not To Wear, Criminal Minds, Numb3rs

55. Hobbies - I love to take pictures. I would love to take a photography course sometime. Cake decorating. Drinking coffee and having good conversation with friends. Puzzles.

56. Subject - I loved english in high school but since graduating from Massage Therapy I have a new respect for science - specifically anatomy. The human body is an incredible and intricate thing. I don't know how people can say there is no God. 

I had a Aimee and Hayley fix last week and it was delightful!

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation"
~ Psalm 139:13-14

A Special Birthday Day

Today is a special day. Today is my lovely friend Kristen's birthday. Let me tell you a little about this very special birthday girl. If I could think of one word that would describe Kristen, it would be the word Joy.


Kristen's spirit, her smile and her laughter is infectious. There have been many occasions where she has made us laugh so hard that it brings us to tears. I Love that about her.
Kristen is my drinking buddy (no, we are not crazy drinkers and alcoholics, but we do love our wine). With friends being pregnant and nursing, she has been my alibi.
Kristen lives her life authentically. She is incredibly beautiful (if you happened to be at church last night you can agree that she was absolutely stunning up there playing piano). She is daring and adventurous and always game for a good time.


This is Kristen in a nutshell and I am so incredibly blessed to have her as one of my closest friends. Today I am celebrating this beautiful woman in my life and wishing her a very very happy birthday. Kristen, may this day be filled with joy and celebration. Enjoy every sweet moment of this day! Love you!

A Birthday Shout Out

Happy 19th Birthday Courtney!

May this day be full of great things for you. I hope that this next year ahead of you is full of lots of laughter, tons of wonderful memories and copious amounts of joy. Enjoy every sweet moment of this day.

The Mother of All Parties

par·ty (pärt)n.
pl. par·ties

a. A social gathering especially for pleasure or amusement: a cocktail party.

b. A group of people who have gathered to participate in an activity.

It had been in the works since November. It was the party of all parties. On Friday, June 5, 2009 almost 100 people stood on a front lawn near Lorette eagerly waiting and intently listening for a special guest to arrive. A band was waiting on stage (ie - the front porch), decorations were posted all over the yard and the food was all ready. A car approached and honked it's horn. Those 100 guests all yelled "SURPRISE".

The guest of honour was shocked to say the least. The surprise worked - completely unexpected. Her face was priceless.


The weather was a tad brisk (ok, that was an understatement. We froze our asses off!!), but we didn't let that stop us from having fun.

Friesen gang all decked out in party wear and ready to let loose :)

Too cool for words

I forgot to take pictures of the band, but one of Kristen's favorite singers, Jodi King and her band came out and put on a fabulous show for everyone.

Gareth asked me to make the cake for the party - something small for her to blow out the candles. As I pondered what I should create for this birthday, I tried to think of themes that were Kristenesque. What I came up with was:

• Martinis
• Shoes
• Purses
• Zebra Print

The vision I had for this cake didn't entirely turn out the way that I had hoped, but it ended up being ok in the end. I tried so many different ways to have purses and shoes (made out of fondant) sticking out of the cake in all sorts of direction, but I failed miserably. In the end I had to settle for little ornament shoes placed on top of the cake. I think Kristen liked it.

This was Kristen's 30th Birthday Party!

It's Been Awhile

June is this you??? The weather this province is currently experiencing makes me think that this can't possibly be June already. In 2 short weeks, it will officially be the beginning of summer and wearing jackets and mitts are not acceptable. What is acceptable are the following:

• flip flops
• skirts
• warm evening walks
• swimming
• drinks on a patios
• bonfires
• weekends at the cabin

If June 21st roles around and the above items are not being experienced I think I just might pack my bags and wander over to a different part of the world where these things are happening because I want summer!!!!

It feels as if its been forever since I blogged last. To be honest, I just haven't felt like there has been much to blog about. I have no spiritual revelations or exciting events to share. In many ways, life feels as though it's somewhat at a standstill. Kind of mundane. There have been wonderful and delightful moments that have filled time in my days, but nothing that makes me want to shout from the rooftops.
So in a nutshell, here is what I have been up to as of late.

1. Botox. I can sum up my feelings toward botox in one word: AMAZING. I am sooo thankful that I have found something that works for my headaches. I am not yet headache free, but being able to have anywhere from 2-4 days in a week with little to no headache is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. I am praying that with time and continued treatments, the painfree days increase. Currently I am scheduled to go routinely for botox once a month, but I am hoping that perhaps in a few months I will only have to go once every other month, then every 3 months and so on. The recovery process is and will continue to remain a painful one. I have learned that I must take the next day off of work and remain at home and in bed. After my last treatment, my beautiful ladies brought poutine and themselves over to help me recover. It really doesn't get much better then that. Thanks ladies.

2. Work. I'm finding myself at a steady pace at work, which is a great thing. Making money is nice. My clientele is becoming more regular, so it's been neat getting to know some of these people better. I have some very interesting and wonderful folk come on my table and it's a pleasure to spend an hour or so finding out what goes on in their lives, what makes them tick and what struggles they face. I am thankful for this job that I have a neat and unique opportunity to touch the lives of complete strangers. To be able to offer healing to someone else is a blessing and one that I do not say thanks for often enough.

3. Solitude. Cabin season has begun, which means that most of my weekends I have to myself. What a treat! My parents have been taking off to the cabin every weekend, my brothers are fairly unpredictable with their schedules and very rarely home, which means I get to bask in the silence and the freedom that accompanies an empty house. Maybe it's the new found joy of having an entire house to myself or perhaps its being exhausted after a long day at work, but whatever the reason, I am discovering that I am much more of an introvert than I initially thought. That's not to say that I don't enjoy spending time with people, because I happen to love my friends an awful lot. I think the difference is that I no longer need to thrive off of other people. I feel energized and at peace after a night alone.

4. Jesus. Along with the rest of my life, unfortunately Jesus and me have been in somewhat in a mundane relationship. There's nothing "bad" that is between us, but there is also nothing incredible. Some days I feel guilty for not feeling the "fire" for Jesus, but that's life. Our "How to Read the Bible" bible study group is still trucking away. We started in February with reading Genesis and we are currently up to 1 & 2 Samuel. If you're having trouble doing the math that's 8 completed books (soon to be 10). It's been a wonderful, life giving experience walking through these books with this group. Prior to beginning this study, I had never read an entire book of the old testament (with the exception of Ruth). I knew the basic stories, but I missed out on getting the feel for the bigger picture - the meta narrative. I failed to see these individual stories as part of God's story.
Last week on the church calender marked Pentecost. I recall in grade 9 at MBCI, studying the book of Acts in bible class. From what I remember it wasn't the most enriching spiritual experience. I learned the stories, completed assignments and wrote the tests, but beyond that, nothing really stuck. While out for coffee with a dear and spectacular woman last week, she encouraged me to think a little on the meaning of Pentecost in my life. What does it mean to life a spirit filled life? I think if I were to be honest with myself, I would have to admit that there is something about being filled with the Spirit that presents itself as scary. The image of tongues of fire blazing down from the heavens, filling believers below is both dramatic and yet terrifying. Once the spirit takes hold of your life, incredible and scary things can happen. You put yourself in a vulnerable place and that sometimes means going to places and doing things that are maybe out of your comfort zone. Soooo, this past week I have been spending time in prayer, specifically asking for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I'm not entirely sure what that will or is looking like, but I am asking that I would also be able to recognize and accept what the Spirit does. I desire fresh eyes and ears to hear what God wants to do in my life. I'm taking my friend up on the challenge and I am anticipating some brilliant experiences to present themselves. Lately it seems that I have had my blinders on. I've become so focused on what I want and what I think my life should look like or what my friends life should look like, that I have failed to see the work of God in my life. Reading about the Israelites, I have found myself often identifying with them - I am seeing things through my own eyes rather than with God's. I think this will be a long journey with Jesus, but I am hoping that like the Israelites, God doesn't give up on me. I desire his constant pursuit of me as part of his people.