Thoughtfulness From India to Canada to Cali....

Yesterday we got a package! It's pretty exciting even just getting a package, and then you get to unwrap it, and while the box was to hold a set of drinking glasses (very nice by the way mom and dad) what was inside was even more intriguing. Dad who had gone to India work related for 6 whole weeks was already incredibly sweet and thoughtful to have hand-picked a postcard specifically for each of the kids with their 'special' topic of interest. The kids brought them to school to show their teachers and friends and were really happy about those. You could tell they felt extra-special that their Opa did that for them. Though they were sent the same day I think it added to the 'specialness' that they each got their own piece of mail each on a separate day.
When the kids got home from school yesterday I couldn't wait to show them their special gift from Opa. They were squealing with delight! I really should've video taped it, I just never remember til' after the fact. (a new years resolution already for 2008?) Anyways, Dad had picked out this colourful drum for Christian which is perfect for him. Though he didn't send me any headache medicine to go with it, just seeing Chrish play on that drum (even while watching the world series) was pretty precious. Hannahbear knew right away which package she wanted. Hers was a pink beaded purse. She just gasped and hugged it when she saw it! It also came along with many beautiful bracelets and a gorgeous ring too! Emma reached for the purple beaded purse with multi coloured bracelets of purple, blue and gold. Caley wasn't here when we opened the package but when she got home she absolutely loved her green (a favourite colour of hers lately) purse, red and gold beautiful bracelets and a multi-coloured ring that she loves! I heard her in her excitement telling one of her friends that "my Opa gave me these and they're all the way from India!". Larry was given a black t-shirt which he likes with a pretty cool symbol or picture on it. Now assuming that I handed things out to their intended owner : { ..... I was given a gorgeous, beautifully embroidered tunic I think you call it. I believe I also got this very feminine, delicate jewellery set with lavender jewels. One of my favourite colours too! (plus, purple reminds me of royalty and you know.....I AM a princess!) Along with these gold bracelets with bright coloured gems on them and they make that ding-a-ling sound when you where them on your wrist. Don't ask me why, I just have always loved that sound.
So, there you have it! My Dad spoiled us rotten and we like it! It was so very sweet and thoughtful of him to think of us on his trip. Plus it's a great reminder of him and his love for us. Even though we're separated 3000 miles apart we think of him often and love him beyond words! He is such a rich blessing in our lives, a gift from God!
If you're reading this.....I love you Dad and thanks you tons and tons!

Your Thang

Yesterday I ventured out and went for a run on the trails by my house. I'm not exactly sure how far I ended up going but ran for an hour. I met, well waved hi I guess you could say to all kinds of people. Some would just smile, while others gave a 'head nod' and yet others would say "hi" and I in turn not wanting to shout (sometimes with my headphones on I don't realize my actual volume and I tend to yell) would wave "hi" instead. It was such a beautiful day out and as I planned, I enjoyed all kinds of plantlife, playful birds, fragrant and NOT so fragrant smells. Saw more rural parts of this town than I'd ever seen before. At one point I even saw a donkey just munching on some straw.

I really soaked in the warm sunshine and was grateful for the cool breeze too. At times I would make a landmark as I tend to do to encourage myself to go 'just a bit further' and when I'd make it to that certain landmark it was like God was high fiving me for crossing that next line. I certainly enjoyed myself while trying to balance pushing myself a bit and not too much so that I would'nt be too sore. I'm still getting used to more regular exercise these days. I've always enjoyed it but haven't really made it a priority as I'm trying to do now. While some people have their 'thing', their outlet in some way or other I'm learning that running and exercising is 'my' thing! Some people just have to paint, or design, or sing or play an instrument....I notice that if I don't have me time, it's NOT pretty! I'm a much better, nicer, more calm person if I just get even a little bit of me time. Part of the running for me is also a sense of accomplishment I think which I think everyone needs too.

I think I'm going to change things up a bit though from time to time. Like working out in the gym, going for a bike ride, running in the neighbourhood, or at a park, and I'm especially looking forward to running along the beach. That'll be a fun one! Well, whatever is your 'thing' make time for it and, enjoy it to the fullest!

Full of Possibilities!

Today is full of possibilities! It's already 845am and I've got the dishes done, counters wiped down, breakfast made, kids ready and out the door, bathroom cleaned up, and I'm dressed and ready to go. Thought I'd sit here and check my email while my food digests but other than that I'm ready for all the possibilities for today! On the agenda for today are the must do's which include attending Chrish's soccer game which I'm looking forward to seeing my boy play his big heart out. Then later this afternoon is babysitting for my sister n' law so she can go to a wedding. That's from 345pm til' late tonight and will be fun and tiring I'm sure :D
Now on to......the possibilities! Maybe I could go running with the wind blowing against my face, my heart beating to a favourite song I like, being in the sunshine surrounded by the birds and such fascinating, detailed creation like the trees, plants and flowers. Besides great exersice I think it's also incredibly healthy for the mind and spirit too.
What else? Let me see, there's the unlikely possibility of reading a few chapters of a good book. I'm trying to dig into the one called "Eat, Pray, Love". I've heard good things about it but seem to get laughably interrupted every time I begin to crack open the book. Hhmm? Maybe the timing is just not right. Or, maybe that's just life. In any case I'm determined to get started on that book.
There's amazing possibilities with food everyday. I told you I enjoy food! There's the tasty veggies with some garlic and a dallop of butter which I always enjoy. Some flavourful chicken or a nice juicy steak.....oh, wait I actually prefer mine dry. I didn't say I was a great cook. Just that I really enjoy food. Some yummy hazelnut coffee with a bit of carmel creamer which is highly likely especially around 6pm tonight after chasing my two neices around a bit. Oh, I also think I'll make some scones. I've had this new recipe I've been wanting to try for the last few days and why not today. Though I'm full my tongue can almost taste the jasmine green tea accompanying a tasty fluffy scone. Okay enough of the food my mouth is craving a few too many things.
Well, we'll see what actually happens today. Possibilities are really quite endless most everyday and hopefully today will be a productive, yet relaxing (atleast for a little bit) fun enjoyable day! I hope yours is all you want it to be today too!

Thou Shalt Add miniMarshmellows!

Goodmorning! So after getting to bed after 2a.m hanging out with some girlfriends (that's VERY late for me!) I woke up at 7a.m (which is sleeping in for me) to do dishes, laundry...okay not really it just sounded better...I had to go pee SO bad! So then I also wanted to see if it was still raining and find out if Chrish's game was cancelled. Yes his game is cancelled because the fields are too wet - he's NOT happy about that (even went to sleep in his shin guards and uniform) When I opened the curtains to see that it was still raining I got almost giddy. Actually as I speak, my kids are outside all bundled up (sweatshirts, hats, mitts {good} and flip flops? EMMA!?) playing outside in the rain. The kids have always been excited when it rains. Almost as much as I was about it snowing when I lived back in Canada. We also have a rule in our house, that when it rains it's just an unspoken rule that THOU SHALT MAKE HOT COCO! With mini marshmellows atop of coarse!!!
I absolutely LOVE these kinds of days. These are the stay in your jammy days, snuggle up, play games and cuddle days. You can never get too much snuggle time in! Amamzingly the kids are all getting along! Going back outside for round number 2. They just helped brother get bundled up and I made Emmers change into more suitable shoes. I'm curious to see how many minutes it will take from the next time they come in for them to ask for their naturally expected hot cocoa. Now THIS is Autumn. Unlike our 80 degree weather in October. THIS is refreshing :D
I just went outside with the kids for a minute to take a photo. (Emma wasn't quite happy about that) It has already stopped raining : (
No sooner did I turn around to come back in and I hear "Hey mom, can we have our hot coco?" with each adding his/her own idea ....."oh yeah, and smores, and cookies and ...." OKAY 9am let's pass on the smores atleast til' after lunch. Hot cocoa okay but smores? Not quite yet! Better go start on the coco.

Seat LOCK!

Ok too funny not to share. You know how when someone wants to sit in the front seat of the car they yell out "shotgun!"? Well, the girls had finished their homework and were both being couch potatoey. Well, I'm not sure which one but one of the girls had to get up for something and shouted out "seat lock!" Hadn't heard that one before. We just laughed ;D
I don't know why they think they can claim their spot on the couch but they sure do try. Sometimes they'll go off even for an hour or twenty minutes or so thinking that when they get back that they are actually entitled to "their" spot again. I mean if they have to go to the washroom or get a drink and want to return back to their seat I understand but more than a few minutes I don't think so. They've even resorted to leaving "reserved" signs on their spot.
Now of coarse being a parent.....well, we've earned the right to sit wherever we'd like whenever we'd like! I remember as a kid hearing that. "You're younger than me. Get up!, or Out of my chair!" Now I'm the adult and I get the luxuries that come with it. They don't tell you when you're a kid though that with the benefits comes all the stresses and responsibilities too! Probably a good thing.
Emma today brought home a colourful picture of the world. She was asking Lar and I "how do you spell Columno?". "What do you mean honey?" come to find out she meant Columbus. Too cute I tell ya!
I love the cute not quite right things they say. I'm hearing less and less the older they get but have written a few of them down over the years.
There's the typical almost expected ones like "panpakes, pagetti, tomatoe meaning potatoe..." and then some famous ones like "front bum, who took a bite out of the moon?...." many more I've sadly forgotten and can't quite place where I put that special book with more of their cute sayings.
Now with them pretty much knowing how to talk properly it's the things they write that are pretty funny and cute. Emma sounded out the words "I LOVE you" all on her own and writes "ILFU". How adorable! Chrish got his spelling test back today and the spelling word was "crutches". You can probably already guess what he wrote.....yep, "crotches". I told him and I knew he'd get a kick out of that which he did! One time Hannah didn't want to do dishes so she automatically started to write lines. She knew that I'd discipline her for not doing what she was told so she thought she'd get a head start I guess. This was when she was probably around five or six. It's amazing how kids can melt your heart unlike any other.

Catchin' My Breath

Well, in a little bit here I have to go pick up our oldest, Caley from her first dance. Yes, that's right! She went to a community dance that I'm told and trusting is well chaperoned and basically more like a party then an actual dance. She was extremely excited which I can understand why. I am excited to hear what she thought of it though. In her excitement, she couldn't get there soon enough. A half hour before the dance she had my keys and was insisting that we go. I told her that the doors wouldn't even open til' 7pm......when we got there 10 minutes early there was already a large crowd of a couple hundred kids. Ooops, next time we will leave a half hour early. While dropping her off she insisted that I NOT walk her in cause her friends were right there and she knows me. I could barely hold back the tears long enough to pull the car away from spectating eyes. I wasn't bawling, just crying a bit both happy and sad. Happy that my baby is growing up and sad that ......she's just growing up way too fast! I know it's all part of life, part of this 'journey' that we're on. I'm trying to really live in the moment and savour as much as possible. I think I do for the most part.
It's pretty hard to savour the moment when you're not feeling well as I am tonight. More than anything I'm tired and my throat is getting more and more sore by the second. Do you ever just have those days where you just WANT TO complain, and be a big baby and be pampered? That's how I feel today. But I'm sure all the things I have to do tomorrow will overshadow my 'not feeling well' and it will probably be good to distract myself from how bad I feel.
Well, gotta go pick Caley up. I guess I dozed off for a few.
I just went and picked up my girl. She DID have a great time as I expected! I got there about 15 minutes early (for parking) and was rather encouraged by all the security guards around and all the other 'eager to pick their kids up' parents that parked and were only inches from the doors. Most of them had this certain look of anticipation on their faces (probably all the 6th grade parents.) Then you could tell that ones that had been there done this a bunch of times already. They didn't seem to have that excited, nervous look on their faces. It cracked me up seeing the kids pouring out through the doors and most of them on their cell phones not even waiting to see if their parents were out the door. It was quite comical!
I'm So glad she had a great time! She hung out with a bunch of friends both old and new. The music selection was great apparently and though I'm told at first the 6th graders were a little shy (compared to the 7th and 8th) it didn't take long for them to start bustin' moves. So they DO dance at these parties! One of my friends has chaperoned before and said that the chaperones walk around putting their arms in between people if there is any couple dancing. There is a certain distance one must maintain at these dances. Well, she's already counting down til' the next dance in November. Caley was horrified when we told her that her dad and I would be chaperoning and were going to busta move and teach these young people to REALLY dance! We only said it for a reaction and got the one we thought we'd get.

I LIKE TO EAT!!!!!

Okay so after months of NOT going to the gym, I finally broke down and MADE myself go this morning! I'm so tired of hearing myself complain about this not fitting anymore "oh this must of shrunk too!" and "I'm SO exhausted.....". I'm sorry but I just can't eat only salad. I LIKE to eat! I enjoy food, and am VERY thankful God made it and pray we even get it in heaven (especially ice cream, and chocolate, well that's a given). I think the last time I went to the gym was in um (gulp) March, or maybe even April. Well.....it's October first today! Oh gosh, especially with the holidays coming up. Yikes!

I actually enjoy excersicing and working out, playing sports etc....I am just not one for doing it by myself. I had a work out partner and she just got so discouraged that she just quit. I think that's why I ended up quitting was because I didn't have anyone to go into that HUGE, overwhelming, stinky, sweaty pick up joint with. Well, it's hard to find someone who has a similar schedule as you, or even goes to the same gym as you (kind of expensive......I almost considered paying my friends way) I don't like going after the kids are in school because by the time I get into the gym it's mid-morning, then work-out, come home and shower and oh, it's lunchtime and the kids will be coming home soon. Where's the day gone then?

Last night I made sure to get to bed at a descent time, and asleep by 10pm. Not too bad! I woke up to see if it was near 5am and when I looked at the clock feeling pretty rested it was only 1am. Then I kept waking up off and on because I didn't want the alarm to wake everyone up that early. I ended getting out of bed 15 minutes before my alarm went off at 5am. Got dressed, even did some stretching. I'm big on that! I remember how sore and stiff you get when you don't stretch enough. Had my work out outfit, running shoes, sweat cloth, and ipod all ready and charged last night ready to go. I sat on the couch for about 10 minutes this morning going back and forth on "should I start today or not?" I knew if I didn't go today that it would be even harder tomorrow.

Got to the gym, where with the money that has been accumulating from all the months we didn't go.....we could have bought a peice of equiptment for our home which I'd still really like to do. I skipped the overwhelmingly complicated weights (you shouldn't have to re-assemble the weights yourself I'm sorry it's just too early for that!) with all the scatterd body builders and headed straight upstairs to do some cardio. The layout of this gym is really quite stupid to me. Instead of having privacy and facing outward like most gyms do, it has everyone looking inward where you can't help but people watch which is why I DON'T do the weights or atleast a lot cause I don't need people watching me fumble around and making that slamming noise every once in a while. I did the bike for a while and then went on this stair climber/eliptical machine. I got myself all situated, keys, water and sweat cloth placed just so. Picked my program and level and of coarse out of a dozen available machines I had to pick the one that made this really loud thumping noise. I kept waiting for a worker to come and tell me to get off it was too loud! I didn't want to make a scene so I just tried to do my time and remember NOT to go on the 4th machine from the wall again!

I was pretty winded but caught my breath on my way home whlie enjoying the beatiful sun rays peaking through the mountains. What a sight! Then I got home and started our morning wake up and get the kids ready for school routine. So now I'm off to have a hopefully very productive day. Then to bed early for me to get back at the gym again tomorrow ;D