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.

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.