Why blog? Part 2.

 “I’m a musician. I write songs. I just hope that when the day is done, I’ve been able to tear a little corner off the darkness.” Bono

Last summer, I wrote this post about why I blog.

Lately I've been thinking about that post and I have a few more thoughts to add...

Have I mentioned that I love words? I love reading, writing and all forms of putting words together. I assumed this was the case with everyone until recently. 

Writing is my favourite way to communicate and the best way for me to figure out what I think and feel. I'm realizing it's how God wired me.

I want my life to be about being on the lookout for beauty and then celebrating it. 

In all forms - in creation, in people, in myself, in truth ... and so on.  

I'm realizing that's what I want my life to be about in a nutshell.

Writing and blogging is a way for me to be on the lookout for beauty.

Not only do I want to be on the lookout for beauty, but I want to celebrate it and call it forth in others. I want to tear a little corner off the darkness.

I'm asking myself what that looks like practically. Perhaps it means:

• Loving with intention.
• And gratitude.
• Connecting rather than comparing.
• Choosing to be looking for good. Celebrating it.  Sharing it.
• Not only looking for good, but doing good. Living a life of action and goodness and inviting others into the journey. 

Also, for me, writing is a cliff. I feel both completely alive and completely terrified at the same time. 

I'm not going to lie. It's scary.

But feeling alive is a pretty huge value for me.

So here's my challenge for you and for me: Do something creative every day. 

Find what makes you come alive and do more of it.

Back to school.

Summer was awesome.

And as much as I loved it and really tried to savour it, yesterday I realized that I'm okay if I don't have another burger or hot dog for a long long time.

Yesterday we were swimming and roasting hot dogs and today we were doing this. Crazy.

Grade Two, Eight and Ten.

I like new beginnings. I'm a fan of fresh starts - new journals, fresh calendars, new year at school. 

Here's my obligatory "kid are back to school" selfie. This is how I celebrated, I mean coped :)

This morning my house was SO quiet. I had forgotten what silence sounded like. I'm not going to lie, I wasted all kinds of time. Like lots. I hardly knew what to do with myself. Not to worry, I'll figure it out:)

Here's some back to school reading if you're in the mood...

asking your kids how their day was,
limiting screen time,
changing someones story,
menu planning.

Have a great week!

C.

Summer in photos (so far)

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." 
- Albert Camus

As always, the first week of summer holidays was an adjustment for the girls and I. We loved the loose structure and no lunches to make, but there was the "I'm bored", the whining and the fighting to get out of our system...

Now that we're a month in, we are in a good groove. So good that I want to press pause. I don't know about you, but from where I stand, summer is going by waaaay to fast. And, can August please be HOT?!

These days bedtimes are getting later and later, mornings are lazy, afternoons are often poolside and evenings are by the soccer field or baseball diamond.



Throw in there some berry picking, jumbo freezies, bike rides, girls off to camp, campfires, BBQ and homemade ice cream and all is good;) 

Our dear friends, the Thompsons arrived home from a year in Australia. All is right in the world again. To say that my girls were excited about their arrival would be the understatement of the year! Here are some photos of them getting ready to welcome home the Thompsons.

    I love Fridays because it means CSA.

   This girl received a bike seat for her doll, Bridget and now they ride around town like this. LOVE.

    Once and a while I remember that I live close to water and I feel the pull to drive my car down to the lake. There I breathe deeply, take a sigh of relief and remind myself that I'm not God and He is.

I went to a wedding and had the cutest date.

I love the structure of the school year with appointments and school and such, but there is something free and even necessary about breaking from all of that for the summer. It's good for my soul and yours to embrace each season.

Lastly I came across this recipe and they are amazing :)

All the reasons I loved spring. And there are many.

It's no secret that spring is my favourite season. It's true - I'm a spring girl through and through. 

Here's the thing, I was so busy loving spring that I've completely neglected blogging. You can't really blame me seeing that this past winter was the LONGEST WINTER EVER.

I have a few blog posts in the works, but before I can post them I really should recap spring before I move on to summer, right?

Anyways, here are a few highlights from this spring (in random order) and some stuff that I loved :)

1. My brother (who happens to be a chef) moved in with us in April and now I have days where I am eating scallops and risotto as a bedtime snack and homemade focaccia bread in the afternoon. Don't even get me started about the homemade sorbet and chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Life is good. I've told him that he can never ever leave us.



2. A friend took a photo of us which is kinda fun since it's very rare that this happens (and Steve is actually showing teeth, which is equally as rare). Steve's also lost over thirty pounds through a huge commitment to running. I'm so proud of him. I don't think he's ever looked better!

3. Lavender oil. I'm using this essential oil every night before bed and sleeping great. I just add a few drops to my face moisturizer. I love the smell of lavender and the scent is so calming.

4. I loved this podcast because I could talk about (and learn about) the Enneagram ALL DAY LONG.

5. I'm participated in an online 21 day Pilate's challenge and loved it! You can still totally join, it's not too late! You can check it out here.

6. Blossoms.



7. Socks away - sandals and flip flops out :)

8. Windows open.

9. Our CSA began!

10. Lilacs.



11. We celebrated our 17th anniversary. Here we were 17 years ago.


And now.






12. We spent the month of May spring cleaning our house and getting rid of clutter. Clutter removal felt great. I feel much lighter and freer. It's so true that less is more. 

13. This poem. Makes me want to be about dropping keys.

The small woman
builds cages for everyone

She knows.

While the sage,

who has to duck her headwhile the moon is low,

keeps dropping keys

all night long

for the beautiful rowdy prisoners.

-Hafiz

14. A family picnic on Mothers' Day which included these two new nephews. LOVE.

15. Taking this girl to Pee Wee Camp and cabin leading her cabin group. So fun. It was a total highlight for me. Beth is at an age so full of wonder, curiosity and love of life. It is refreshing to spend time with her (and her peeps). At the same time, she is becoming super independent and lives life with tons of guts and fervor. She's spunky and I love it! She has more confidence at 7 than I had at 30. This girl even planned her entire 7th birthday party. Wowzers. I'm loving her Independence.

 


16. This spring was packed full. And guess what?  I've learned that I'm capable of way more than I thought possible. It felt good to be stretched and challenged. I'm learning that stress in and of itself is not bad - rather it's how we think about and respond to stress that can be unhealthy. Through taking an Emotional Intelligence Assessment with my friend Laurie, who is a Life Coach and through participating in Next Level Leadership (Module 3), I'm learning healthier ways to respond to times of stress and challenge. Ways like: 

• breaking huge tasks into small bite size pieces and then celebrating and acknowledging the victory of each step accomplished. 
• letting people in - asking for help. 
• placing myself in environments where I can be transpart and share my journey.

This TED talk on making stress your friend is fascinating. Quite a game changer. 

Also, these days I'm feeling scared to death and fully alive at the same time. I'm leaning into some pretty big fears. And choosing courage. I'm feeling very much in the arena and thinking about these wise words:


I love this quote by Brene Brown.


So that was spring in a nutshell - jam packed full of wonder, growth, challenge, new life and all around goodness.

Guiding words for 2014.

So, it's already March 24th and while I have been thinking about my guiding words for 2014, it's taken me a while to come to some clarity. 

Of course I can't pick just one. That would be way too easy and I'm far too complicated and contemplative for that :)

So without further delay, here are my guiding words for 2014...

My overarching theme for 2014 is to be ruled by love. I want love to rule my heart, mind, decisions and of course, my relationships. I've been realizing that more often that not, fear is my default. In 2014, I'm committed to changing that - committed to making love my default. I'm longing to to be ruled by love and not fear, judgement, shame or condemnation.

What do I mean by being ruled by fear? I'm talking about when I am tempted toward perfectionism and image control. People pleasing. Making decisions because I feel obligated to do something instead of being drawn to make a decision or commitment. The need to be in control. Being afraid of conflict or suppressing my feelings. Insecurity. Lack of trust. Beating myself up over past mistakes. I'm learning and coming to terms with the reality that all of these are rooted in fear. 

I want to be ruled by love. I want to live light and carefree, to learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I want to open my hands wider and unclench my fists. To show mercy and compassion toward myself and others. To learn what it means to walk in step with the Spirit. To live with surrender. And forgiveness. To love deeply and with abandon. To trust like a little child. To embrace uncertainty and imperfection. To share my heart. I want love to become my default.
I choose love and so I'm giving up fear - not just for lent, but for all of 2014. I'm asking God to write LOVE on the tablet of my heart (Proverbs 3:3). I'm desiring it to mark me and define me.

Love is my true identity. Now I just need to walk in it.

Under that umbrella of the rule of love comes a few more guiding theme words...

1. Listen. 

The idea behind this is speaking less and listening more. 

It's about being quick to listen, slow to speak.  

Slow to interrupt.  Slow to argue.  Slow to be defensive.  Slow to become offended.  Slow to have the last word. 

It's about asking better questions and being more others oriented. It's about having the discipline to only give my opinions when asked.

It's about really listening. And not just thinking about what I'm about to say next. It's about developing the discernment to know when to speak and when to be quiet. Tricky indeed.

2. Clarity. 

Along with this goes the idea of letting my 'yes be yes and my no being no'. Saying what I mean. Not allowing feelings to build up or become repressed (especially since I'm learning that as an Enneagram 1, my vice is resentment - I want to be aware and careful).

Clarity means truth telling. It means no games.

The nice thing about a spouse (well there are lots, really) is that Steve is helping me see how sometimes I lack clarity when communicating and I don't always come right out and say what I mean. I'd love that to change in 2014.

In summary, listen - clarity - the rule of LOVE. Those are my guiding words for 2014.

So, there you have it. A few months late, but no biggie. Here we go...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 1 Corinthians 13:3

Just for fun.

This post is pure fun. So if you're in the mood for something deeper and more thought provoking, you might want to take a pass on this one.

In the spirit of celebrating what is good and beautiful, I was inspired by a recent conversation with some friends about my favourite spots to eat in Niagara.

Ribs from Memphis Fire

Dinner at Lake House

With some help from Steve, here's what I came up with:

Favourite coffee shop: Conversations Cafe. Hands down best lattes. Plus my friend Deb owns the place and she rocks.

Favourite bakery: De La Terre. The brownies are to die for. For real.

Favourite breakfast spots: Super hard to narrow it down. So - I created some categories :)

Best location and atmosphere - Butterballs in the Jordan hollow.
Best food and ambiance - On the Twenty in Jordan Village.

Best (and only that I've ever tried!) breakfast poutine - Cosmos in Thorold on Front St.
Best new spot (with great home fries) - Bistro 41 in Vineland on Victoria Ave.

Favourite chip wagon: MJ's Own Munchies. They even give you free fries on your birthday!

Favourite spots for dinner: The Lake House and The Old Winery.

Favourite atmosphere: The Keg.

Favourite Fish and Chips: The Irish Harp Pub.

Best value: Cats Caboose. You can't beat the $8 lunch menu.

Favourite BBQ: Memphis Fire. Worth the drive. So fun. Reasonable too. Kid-friendly. Amazing food! Try a milkshake too :)

Favourite ice cream spot: Avondale Dairy Bar. I always get soft yogurt ice cream with whatever fresh fruit is in season. Delish.

Favourite food truck: El Gastronomo. Love the fish tacos.

I gotta brag for a second and say that I'm also dying to check out Ravine Vineyard restaurant in St. David's as my brother, Drew (a.k.a. "the chef" to us) just got hired.

All this talk about food is making me super hungry!

Irish Coffee anyone?

Just for fun and because it's St. Patrick's day, I thought I would share some tips on how to make an amazing Irish coffee.

Last fall I was in Bush Mills, Northern Ireland for an unforgettable weekend with my Auntie Tish and my cousin Thomas and his most lovely wife, Barbara. On that weekend Thomas was determined to make me an Irish coffee. My sister, Leah and her husband, Craig had experienced one of his creations the year prior and raved about it. The only problem was that there was a festival of sorts on that particular weekend and the Distillery shop closed early for the day. I'm not even kidding when I tell you that Thomas asked them to open up the distillery for the Canadians (who was really just me - that's right one Canadian) who happened to be visiting and in need of a highly anticipated and previously promised Irish coffee. If you've ever been to Ireland, you'll know that of course they opened up the shop to sell him some whiskey.

So....I'll let you in on some family secrets...:)

You must use the Single Malt Irish Whiskey made at the Bush Mills Distillery.

It's extremely important to steam the glass first - using boiling water. I'm told that this step is crucial :)

First goes in the whiskey and then the coffee.

Top it off with whipped cream that you prepared ahead of time. Let the heat of the coffee cause it to glide off the spoon.

The Finished Product.

Cheers!

This and that. March Break 2014.

Yesterday felt like spring. Our windows were open. Birds were singing. The girls were playing with sidewalk chalk and bikes were out...

Today on the other hand is a snow storm. Plans are cancelled. It's a hot chocolate-and-tea-drinking kind of day... 

Crazy weather for March Break.

March came in like a lion, which means it should go out like a lamb, right? Here's to hoping!

Here's what I'm listening to on repeat these days:

Let it Go (from Frozen)

Oceans (Hillsong United)

Here are a few things I'm meditating on these days:

Matthew 11:28-30  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message)

1 Peter 5: 6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. (The Message)

Here's what I'm reading as of late:

I met this author - Rachel Macy Stafford - at her book signing last week at Indigo in Burlington and instantly connected with her.  I'm in the early part of her book and LOVING it.

Eva and I are in a Mother-Daughter book club and our latest book is none other than Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Here we are reading it together (although you can barely see her). It's quite possible that I am enjoying the book more than her :)

And lastly, here's what I'm grateful for:

longer days and more sunlight (although you can't see the sun today!)
pussy willows in my vase

sleeping in and no school lunches to make for the week

Because I'm starting to run again and currently training for a 5 km (again), I couldn't resist sharing this post: http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2010/06/9-lessons-on-parenting-im-learning-from-running.html

     

Hope you're having a great week! Let's choose thankfulness and be on the lookout for beauty...because so often when we are on the lookout for beauty, we find it...

February can be a hard month. Take two.

Last year I wrote this post.

Once again it's February and I'm feeling all of the same things.

It's been an especially LONG and COLD winter. 

In seasons like this, it requires extra intentionality and discipline to practice gratitude and to choose thankfulness.

Within me the anticipation and longing for spring is rapidly increasing with each cold February day.

The kids at the school where I work and the kids in my own house are going a but squirrely. It's too cold to play outside and they're going a bit crazy inside. Maybe I am too...

I'm grateful to live in a part of the world where we have four seasons. Granted, winter would be my least favourite of the seasons - but what I do love about winter in that it paves the way for spring - makes me long for, crave and dream about it. A cold winter like this makes me appreciate the most subtle signs of spring in a way that only a long and cold winter can.

Winter also has a way of slowing me down. Bringing things to a halt. School closures. Cancelled coffee dates. Staying home. Drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate and craving all sorts of comfort foods.

Don't get me wrong - there is something beautiful, fresh and even magical about fresh now falling. 

But these days I'm dreaming about open windows and fresh air. About birds singing and the warmth of the sun on my exposed face.

I know that just when I've given up hope and spring seems impossible, it appears. The night is always darkest right before the morning sun appears, right? And so it is with spring. Just when we think it will never come, it appears in all of its glory and splendour. I can't help but think that this image would be lost on me if I didn't live in a part of the world with four distinct climates. Perhaps that is another reason spring is my favourite season. It represents hope and new life.

So, for now I'll drink hot tea and bask in the warmth of the mid-to-late afternoon sun shining on my worn chair at the front window - all the while wearing layer upon layer of comfy clothes.

Before I know it, I'll be picking up my CSA, running 5 km outside (hopefully), windows will be open, flip flops will be on and cold February days will be a distant memory.  At least that's what I'm telling myself today :)

p.s.  While I was making breakfast this morning, I heard the chatter of birds outside my kitchen window.  And this week it's suddenly noticeable that the days are getting longer.  Makes me so happy!

p.s.s. These days I'm thinking lots about the idea of coldness and warmth and how you and I are drawn to warmth - to hot chocolate and fire places, to seat warmers and cozy sweaters. I find myself thinking that the same is true when it comes to personalities. I'm drawn to warmth - you know, people who are humble, merciful, inclusive and inviting. People who are warm.  All this talk about cold and about warmth is causing me to ask hard questions and think about what it means to be a person of warmth. I want to be known as a person of warmth. I love the sound of that word, everything about it.

Shine.

Have you ever noticed that as women, we sometimes feel the need to play small?

What's with that?

At times, it shouts out in the way that we speak, the dreams and hopes we repress, it can even come across in how we dress.  It's almost as if we fear drawing attention to ourselves and thus we play small?

Maybe it's just me but why is it that I downplay my achievements and the second someone compliments me about anything, I brush it off.  "Oh it's no big deal" or I conveniently change the topic.  Even when someone compliments me on something as simple as my hair my response can be, " really?  I haven't washed it for days" or "it only took me like two minutes to do this" or on an article of clothing, "oh, this old thing? - I bought it on sale for like $6.99."  Why is it so hard for us to say thank you.  What is it I that you and I are afraid of?

Maybe men feel this too, but from what I hear women struggle with it in a much deeper way.

For most of my life I think I have played small.  Some of my role models did too.  Growing up, it was the subtle cultural message I internalized.  The underlying cultural message I received was that it was not only expected of me but also esteemed.

Are we afraid that we are being proud if we receive a compliment?  Or arrogant if we shine a little?

Why does it seem like our default is so often toward insecurity and to compete with other women rather than to connect with them?  What would it look like, if we, as women stopped being so hard on ourselves and one another?  

Maybe you are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about.  If so, that's fantastic and you can stop reading.

But for the rest of us.....

Let's have this conversation...

In case it hasn't been obvious let me just declare that this is an area of holy discontent for me.  Bill
Hybels, lead pastor of Willow Creek Community Church and founder of the Global Leadership Summit speaks from time to time about this concept of holy discontent.  Basically you will know your area of HD because it is something that gets you really fired up and angry.  You may even see it in yourself and hate it.  You feel a sense of injustice about it. You begin recognizing that it doesn't have to be this way and you in turn channel your frustrated energy into doing something about it.  You become the change.

It's taken me a while to put my finger on it, but over the past 12 months it has become clear to me that this idea of women playing small is indeed my area of holy discontent.

This idea of over apologizing, fear of saying no, worrying about what others think of me, neglecting
self care, putting others first to a fault, repressing dreams, feelings and desires is all part of what it means to play small.  Playing small is rooted in fear.

This is a passionate topic for me because, I am a female and I am raising 3 females and I love and spend a lot of time with females and so on...

If we are really going to change the world and use our one and only lives to make a difference, maybe,
just maybe it's time we stopped playing small.  Let's cheer each other on to do great things for the Kingdom of God (simply put- bringing heaven to earth) and invest our energy into that - rather than into jealousy and competition and trying to appear humble.  Maybe if we realized what is at stake we would say enough. You and I have a role to play in the greater story God is writing.  Our voices, our strengths, our passions and abilities are needed.  This is not the time to play small.  Our lives matter.  Our voices matter.

I love this quote by Marianne Williamson:

 "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Who's in?  I don't know about you, but I've had enough with playing small.  I've done it for way too long.  The stakes are high.  Really high.  There's too much good waiting to be done and young girls with their eyes on us.  It's time to shine.

 P.S. As I was in the midst of writing this blog post, I read a timely tweet on twitter by @lynnehybels: "Women are the greatest untapped resource in the world. We need to cheer each other on. We need to show up with the fullness of who we are." Yes!

Then, just as I was about to publish this post, I read this.  So affirming to the journey that I am already on.  I just had to share it:)

Moms are brave.

This past weekend I spent some time with my niece and nephew so that my sister and brother-in-law could have some much needed time alone.  It was so great and those little ones are beyond adorable (and hilarious too).  We had all hands on deck, which was fantastic.  A five to two ratio sure helps!

I couldn't help but realize that although our youngest us six, for the most part we are in a very different stage of parenting these days.  I had forgotten what it feels like to eat your dinner after everyone else had eaten and to have your shoulder covered in a mixture of slobber and tears.  I had forgotten how you have to constantly be on the lookout for danger - stairs, choking and so on.  I even found myself feeling unnatural as I was changing a diaper.  It's funny how you completely transition out of a parenting stage not even aware that you are doing so. One day you wake up and realize that all of your kids are independent and you're pretty much caught up on sleep.  Bizarre.

I was made freshly aware that parenting toddlers and babies is hard work!  Saturday night gave me a fresh reminder of just that.   It made me want to gather my friends who have little ones and hug them.  I wanted to tell them what a great job they are doing and rally around them.  I wanted to encourage them to take time for themselves and be especially kind to themselves, because they are doing hard work.

For those of us that don't have babies and toddlers, let's do just that- let's not just be spectators, let's come alongside moms with young ones.  Let's pray for them, encourage them and not judge their choices or roll our eyes when their kids throw a tantrum in the grocery store.  Those of us with older kids have been there (and in many ways still are).  Let's show them tenderness and support and cheer them on. They are so brave.

They're in the trenches -and your words, your note, your prayers, your visit, your offer to babysit or drop by with a coffee might just make all the difference.  It takes a village to raise children.  I know I'd be lost without my village, especially in those early years when I was sleep deprived, desperate for a shower and dying for five minutes to myself.  

Who can you be a support to today?  Who can you and I show some tenderness to?

A few things I'm loving these days...

A big part of the reason that I have chosen to blog is because of my commitment to intentionality.  I want to be intentional about many things and one things I want to be especially intentional about is looking for and celebrating beauty and goodness.  More and more I want to be on the lookout for that which is good and true and lovely and so on.

Along those lines (and somewhat random and fun), here are a few things I am absolutely loving on these frigidly COLD January days...

Punjammies.  Steve bought me a pair for my birthday and we bought Grace and Eva a pair for Christmas and we all love them.  Comfy.  Unique.  Amazing cause.  Love, love, love.  Can't say enough.

Coconut oil.  It's my new best friend.  Check out this post.  Can you say amazing?  Steve is tired of me talking about it!

Mid-rise skinny jeans.  Typically they carry them at Old Navy, but I found them at the Gap Outlet across the border for $19.99.  I had heard rave reviews about these and they are all true.  I'm not a big fan of jeans, but I gotta say these are so comfy, flattering and feel great.

Flannel sheets.  I bought a set at Target after Christmas and Steve and I can't believe we have been living without them.  Now we don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

My girls playing school, carving out time for art and playing Scattegories :)

Stay warm, friends!

Looking back on 2013...

This time of year, this week between Christmas and New Years is a favourite for me.  I love the opportunity to be reflective.  To ponder.

I look back on the year 2013 with gratitude.   With a full heart.  Through all the ups and downs, God's grace and goodness abound.

Highlights include:
Our sponsor child (for over 12 years) from Bangladesh was accepted into university.
My nephew, Easton was born.
Family vacations - Disney in March and camping in August.
Rich friendships.
Church in our community.
Grace's baptism on Easter weekend.
Beth learned to ride a 2 wheeler (without training wheels) on the first weekend in May.
Steve's 40th birthday party in our backyard.
My Mom turned 65 and my sisters and I took her out for a day of celebrating.
Beth went to Pee-Wee Camp on the May Long Weekend and I cabin led.
Grace's grade 8 graduation.
2013 was the year of concerts for us - Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley.  So fun.
All three of our girls are loving life in their new schools.
Friendships among cousins.
Health.
Next LEVEL Leadership Module 1 and 2.
New relationships with our migrant worker friends.
Global Leadership Summit
A part time job that I love.
Steve and I have both started running again - as iron sharpens iron, he is inspiring and pushing me.
Trip to Ireland - total dream come true.

Song that will always remind me of 2013 - I Will See You Again by Carrie Underwood.

Favourite movie from 2013 - Les Mis

Favourite Book of 2013 - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

As I look back on 2013 the greatest lessons I learned were:

Don't suppress feelings.

Clarity matters.  

Embrace vulnerability.

Resist urge to fit a mold.  Let my true self and true voice rise up.

Let go of perfectionism and embrace spontaneity.  Practice gratitude.

Others have much to teach me.

Be merciful and gracious toward myself.  

This blog post.  


Well, that pretty much sums up 2013.  Bring on the New Year!

Christmas 2013 in photos.

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Message from Beth on our blackboard :)

Tastes like Christmas.

Making the Gingerbread House - without the Thompson's :(

Watch out T-Swift.

Nontraditional Christmas - we made spaghetti and meatballs on Christmas Day!

Rolling of the meatballs.  Serious Stuff.

Spoiled.

Surprise call from our friend Elvis in Jamaica!

Jammies.

The mantel at my parents house - COVERED in chocolate.

Crazy about him.

My brother making the Irish Coffee.

Delish.

Finished product.

Beth is so happy she received a pair of sparkly TOMS.