weekend for the ladies

We had a weekend for the ladies and it was awesome! As I mentioned before, the kiddies joined us the second day, but we did have 24 hours free of interruptions. I love those kids with all my heart, but those 24 hours were wonderful. They were absolutely wonderful.

I had no idea what to expect as we haven't actually spent any time alone together, but it was excellent. I make it sound like I was worried, but I wasn't... just curious to see how things would go.

We all brought books and projects to work on, but we ended up talking for 12 hours straight. We tried to watch a show, but it didn't work so we just ended up chatting the night away. We talked about everything... marriage, parenting (and auntie-ing), family, pregnancy, birth, books, movies, and life in general. We laughed, we cried, we talked, we ate, we read (a wee bit), we played a game and we just enjoyed each others company. It was refreshing.

These girls. These girls are just too much sometimes. All weekend I couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with love and appreciation for these two fabulous women. They challenge me, encourage me, pray for me, laugh with me, and they make life more lovely. They are wonderful.

Milena Mai is eccentric. She's a little bit crazy and 100% lovable. She is so full of knowledge and is more than willing to research a topic if it will benefit her health or her family (or her friends even). She is a devoted mother, a committed wife, and so full of love and energy. She's the first person to laugh at herself and she manages to find "the positive" in each and every situation. She constantly reminds me to pray about everything and is always ready with open arms.

Ms. Mandi is the most patient person I know in the entire world. She is the calm, steady force in our trio. She is selfless, serving, and sweet. Mandi is the first to jump up when you need a hand and the first to throw a party in your honour. She's a hard worker, a thoughtful friend, and a perceptive and gracious mother. Mandi may be the most consistent person I have ever met and I love that about her!
She is consistent, but she is also spontaneous and up for anything. She is adventurous and so sweet.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am a better person because of these girls. I'm a better wife and a better friend because of them. If I am half the mother they are then my children will be so lucky.

It was nice to have the kids join us even though I relished our time alone. Those little ones are so full of love and energy and they bring joy and life everywhere they go. I also enjoy seeing my friends as mothers -- it gives me something to aspire to.

So, to make a long story short, we had an awesome weekend and we should definitely do it again sometime.

Quail Ridge Bed & Breakfast

You may or may not remember me saying that my parent's moved to Kelowna and bought a B&B. Well, they did and their website is finally up and running. Take a look and come for a visit!

http://www.quailridgebb.com/

Some OT

I'm going in for some overtime tonight. I was hoping to catch up on some blogging, but work has been a bit ridiculous lately and we've had quite a few sick calls. There's a strong cold going around and people are having a tough time shaking it. I'm praying I don't get sick as we leave for Mexico on Friday and having a cold would negatively affect the experience. I got off my regular set this morning and was awake all day. I succumbed to sleep at 2:45pm and was offered OT at 5:30pm and in my half sleepy state I accepted. Let's hope it is a wonderful night and that I don't regret this decision.

Erik and I talked Scotland this afternoon. We skyped with our friends who are living in Scotland and who we plan on visiting and it made me so very excited to see the country. I wish we had six months to travel around Scotland alone, but 10-12 days will have to suffice. We're trying to just hit the main highlights in the North and then hoping to spend ample time exploring Edinburgh and the Isle of Arran with K+E. That is really the only part of the entire 6 month trip that we will have the day to day planned of. I think it would be overwhelming if we didn't have it planned as there is so much to see!

Well, I should be on my way. I hope you all sleep warm and cozy in your own beds tonight. I'll be eating apples until I have diarrhea and drinking tea tea tea.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

*** *** *** 

steam rollin'

I feel as though we are just steam rollin' forward. Well, to be more precise, I feel as though time is steam rollin' ahead and I am being dragged behind. I can feel myself digging my heals in wishing it would slow down ever-so-slightly so I can breathe a little bit. That's not the way it ever goes though. When you want it to go fast, time crawls on by, but when you're begging it to slow down it seems to pick up speed and zip away from you.

I'm not ready for our trip yet.

I know... poor me. About to gallivant around the world and stressing because my vacation is coming too quickly. But it is! I'm not ready! I have things to do, people to see, and my life to organize.

And I only have 10 shifts left at work. Ten. Four shifts until Mexico and only six shifts between Mexico and Peru. Eleven shifts. That is 121 hours of work left. Yippee skippy. And... guuuullllppp.

To break it down even further...

We leave in 35 days. Well our flight leaves in 35 days, but we are catching our flight out of Vancouver so we will actually be leaving a day or two before that.

So of those 35 days...

10 will be spent at work.
9 will be spent mexico-ing (traveling there, back and being there).
15 will be spent not working (though three of those are sleep days and Milena will be having a baby with roughly 10 of those left).
2 will be spent heading to and being in the Lower Mainland.

Wowza. 

the girls in their emma's.

I had the Abba and Bronco's tunics knit up months ago, but it took until last week to actually finish them. I know... typical me. The important thing is that I actually finished them! Yippee!!! It's been a while, but do you remember them?? Abba's Emma and Bronco's Emma??

They're little Emma Tunic's knit in size 6-12 months, but they fit right now as little dresses. Don't Peyton and Avery look sweet in them?? Don't they look sweet anyway? Oh this auntie just love love loves them.

And I'm not the only one. Everyone I know adores these two... and how could they not? I keep saying that the only thing better than one smiling, cooing, and giggling baby is two smiling, cooing and giggling babies. And that is their usual state, despite what these photos show.

Sawyer wouldn't leave their side when we were at my parent's. She was rubbing their faces, holding their hands, petting their heads, and asking to hold them. Peyt even gave Sawy a few smiles which she seemed to enjoy.

But I digress. Back to the little tunics, though I suppose I have nothing more to say about them expect that I wanted them to be similar, but not the same. So I used the same colours, but made different patterned tunics and I was happy with the way they turned out. Maybe even more than happy... thrilled even.

But I'm even more thrilled about the wee ones wearing said tunics. They're something special.

Music Monday

Hola! Yo escribo una carta. El nino come pan. Nosotros somos hombres porque bebemos leche.

I'm learning Spanish, slowly.

Have I ever told you about Radiohead? About how they are my absolute favorite band? No? Okay then; Radiohead is my absolute favorite band.

Moving on here is a song from my absolute favorite band. A song called Feral



One of my most favorite things about Radiohead is how much they have changed through the years. They started as melancholy heavy pop rockers and steadily went crazy from there. You never know what you are going to get with them. By their second album they had started experimenting with sounds, instruments, rhythms, etc to make very interesting music. Each album is very different and I am always interested to see what they do next.

That being said they do have a few signature maneuvers that are fairly common in their songs. The first is layering. They have multiple layers of instruments, vocals, and sounds that they use masterfully. I have listened to the same album from them almost every night for 8 years and I still hear new things in their songs. The second thing to watch out for from them is that they build songs right in front of your ears. One has to listen to an entire song before you hear all it has to offer which is completely opposite from pop songs that give everything catchy all at once and that's it for the rest of the song.

It may also be important to give an idea of how important Radiohead has been for the music industry. Everything from innovations in recording technology to marketing strategies they have left their mark on the music industry. I like them.

Until next time, keep yourself domesticated.

EDO

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

*** *** ***

spew

I babysit the neighbour twins once a week. They are three years old and they make me laugh all day long. Today Lo cradled my face in her little hands and said, "I love you so much, Ashley. I really love you, but your face is funny looking."

Finally done my work week. This week it was enough to just get to the end of it. I made it! Phew. I slept for only an hour and a half between my night shifts -- uh oh. And then I babysat today at noon after getting off work at seven. It may have been a lets-play-playdoh-all-afternoon kind of day. The kind where I sat on the couch and asked them to make various things for me. It was wonderful.

It's snowing here. Nothing is sticking thankfully. I'm not ready for winter.

We are slowly slowly packing up out house. We don't know if our niece will live here with a roomie while we are gone or if we will be giving up our place and putting everything into storage (aka Lindsey's crawl space) while we are gone so we've decided to start packing the non-essentials. It is a bit stressful and I feel like our house is in complete disarray (what's new?), but I'll be glad I started this early. 

I'm looking forward to a weekend with the girls. Mandi, Milena and I are having a bit of a staycation at my parent's B&B (did you know my parent's have a B&B here in Kelowna??) and I am so excited. I wish it wasn't at my parent's place as it is "mom and dad's" to me and not really a holiday, but we are accommodating for the kiddies who will be joining us on the second night. You heard me correctly, the kiddies aren't coming until day 2. That means I get my girlfriends to myself for a night. I don't think it has ever been just the three of us and I can't tell you how excited I am. I love their children, but I can't wait to spend time with just the ladies.

With this trip coming up (in six weeks!) I feel a bit of desperation and panic. I want to capitalize on the time I have left here as I am acutely aware of how much I will be missing while I am gone. My nieces and nephews (both bio and pseudo) are going to grow and change so much and I won't be there to see it. My sister and friends (not just the mama's) are going to go through so much and they too will grow and change and I won't be there to physically support or spend time with them. I love being there to help out in practical (and sometimes impractical) ways. 

Milena will have a new baby. She will be adjusting to life as a mama-of-two and I won't be there to help with meals, or housework, or snuggling. I know she doesn't need me, but I love being there to help out. The new baby will be over six months before he/she knows just how much I love him/her.
Peyton and Avery will be almost a year old when I come home. They will learn to sit, crawl and maybe even walk all before I get home. I find the 6-12 month stage so.much.fun. And I'm going to miss out on that too.
Sawyer and Maelle are going to be little three-year-old ladies when I get back. And little Gus will be one and a half. Ugh! They're going to be so big!
I know there are many adults I won't see for six months too, but those relationships are easier to maintain at a distance. It's those six little ones that I am most sad to leave... ugh I need some kids of my own.

But I will also be changing and growing and experiencing and it will be awesome. It will be different, but it will be awesome. And I have absolutely no regrets about being gone so long. Erik an I are going on an awesome adventure -- a grand adventure -- and we are going to love every minute of it!

I'll still miss home.

within

what lies behind us 

and what lies before us

are small matters

compared to what lies within us.

-ralph waldo emerson-

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

Today a short post as our home has been invaded by window installation men. In honor of that this is The Cinematic Orchestra with "To Build A Home"



Patrick Watson does the vocals. If you've never heard of him then you should check him out. Great musician.

Until next time, keep your windows up to date.

EO

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a bright weekend!  

*** *** ***

the strangest thing.

The strangest thing happened last night.

I woke up in the middle of the night and it took me a moment to realize I was feeling nauseous. I was violently nauseous. I scrambled out of bed in a panic thinking I was going to hurl on my feather duvet or on the mattress and I did not want to have to clean up that mess. I thought vomit was coming so quickly that I actually considered bringing the sheets or even my pillow to my face to catch the puke or, ugh, to stop it from coming out of my mouth all together.

I made it to the bathroom just in time to spit the saliva that comes pouring into your mouth pre-puke into the tub (I really had to pee as well). Then I just sat there waiting to vomit. Instead of puking or even dry-heaving I just continued to spit out that gross out-pouring of saliva and then I felt fine. Well, not entirely fine. My stomach felt a bit sensitive like it does after you ralph your guts out, but my nausea was gone.

That was at 0330.

I brought a bowl into bed with me so I wouldn't have the panicked scramble to the bathroom in case it happened again.

And it did happen again. At 0430. Same thing -- violently nauseous and saliva pouring out of my mouth. I did gag and have one little dry heave, but then it just stopped as it did before.

Same story at 0530. I didn't have the panicked feeling this time as I wasn't anticipating vomit (I hate puking! Hate it. Hate it. Hate it!) but it was still horribly unpleasant.

Has this ever happened to you???

Happy Halloween

The girls know their Auntie is about to tromp around the globe and they are acutely aware of my sorrow over not being able to see Africa on this excursion. They decided to bring Africa to me instead and came over dressed as a itty bitty elephant and a wittle zebra. They were deliciously adorable and it took everything in me to not squeeze them to bits.

Typical -- Avery pissed off and Peyton just hanging out. 

The cutest little elephant I have ever seen. 

Pretty Peyt.  

These girls are just too much some times. Most times. 

Gah! I just love them.

I know there are too many pictures here, but I just couldn't resist!  

Aren't they sweet?

...

I love my husband. I love him for many reasons, but this little note I found on the computer when I came home from work this morning shows just one of them. The note was absolutely necessary and I got frustrated even with the warning. Oh, he knows me so well that husband of mine. 

Eshlas,

This is the new operating system OSX Mountain Lion. It will run slower for a little while; especially when opening programs that haven't been open yet. Plan for it to take longer. If you find you are feeling frustrated then count backwards from ten and go from there. Please refrain from throwing or stomping the macbook. I would imagine that iPhoto will take the longest due to the thirty thousand pictures you have on it. Please be patient and don't say that this machine sucks.

Thank you,

Irk

A few things not to panic about.
-The scrolling has changed direction. Move your two fingers on the track pad up to scroll down and vice versa
-Microsoft word no longer is support by this operating system but documents can be opened with "pages"
-We will have to download Skype again

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

I have to admit, sometimes it gets to me. If you have never heard of or read the book "I Heard the Owl Call My Name" I highly recommend it. I remember my father reading it to me as a child. I didn't remember what it was about but I did remember that it was sad. I read it this past year and I very much connected by its insight, pace, and descriptive qualities. The most powerful description that I remember is the narrator talking about a "depth of sadness" that could be scene in a certain people group's eyes. As soon as I heard that term I knew it. I knew it in the sense that I had always known it but now it had been identified; the best kind of learning.

I see the depth of sadness every day. I see it in the eyes and actions of the people I serve. I hear it when I speak with their family members. I watch it take hold of others who endeavor to serve those in need. I feel it within. Pain is complicated and it does not wait to be introduced.

Some days it gets to me more than others. It is always present but most of the time I understand that I can only provide opportunity and I cannot control other people's decisions. This thought keeps me in line and gives me the desire to continue. I provide opportunity.

This is Neil Young and these are his songs Needle and the damage done and No more performed on Saturday Night Live.


Neil Young-The Needle And The Damage Done-No... by f838349870

Until next time...

EO

P.S. If you like I Heard The Owl Call My Name then I suggest your read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. These three books are almost like a trilogy written by different people in three different cultures. They each compliment each other brilliantly. A little warning though I heard the owl call my name is the most hopeful of the three, the other two are downright depressing.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

Music Monday

Hello,

Today is a follow up day. I said a while ago that I would find out more about the genre of dubstep as I have been interested in it for a while. I did some research. Apparently:

Dubstep started in the UK club scene back in the mid to late 90's. It is dance or electronica music characterized by it's use of low frequency bass "wobble" and repetitive drum beats. When it started it was mainly just instrumental remixes but gained popularity in the UK throughout the 2000's finally becoming very popular in the late 2000's and in the past two years in the US. Dubstep is also known as Grime but there are a couple distinct sub-genres. The one that most of us in North America would know first is called "brostep" this is bass and drum fused with heavy metal such as heard from Skrillex and others. Another popular variant is "chillstep" which usually features a much more mellow sound and usually a female voice.

Dubstep's influence is widespread today being incorporated into many different genres from pop to dance to heavy metal.

Here are a few artists who are credited with starting or developing the dubstep scene:

Benga-  One of the first artists credited with developing the dubstep sound. This song is a hit from the mid 2000's.

Plastician- An artist credited with the development of dubstep in the mid 2000's.

Skream- Now a dubsted producer. This song definitely gives you the distinct bass wobble of dubstep.

Now the piece for resistance. This is Flux Pavilion with Bass Cannon.

On second thought I need to provide two warnings:

1) If you happen to be my mother you probably will want to opt out of listening to this as you will only ask "why would anyone want to listen to that" after it is done.

2) If you do not have a speaker system with a sub-woofer you will not understand. If you do have such a device, crank it up to eleven and let the soothing sounds of dubstep concuss you.



That's all for now. Until next time keep your steps dubbed.

EDO

a little project

Knitting inspiration has been lacking so I decided to try my hand at sewing. I've had my eye on a pattern from Anna Maria Horner's Homemade Beginnings and have decided that it is time to make it.

I started by cutting strips of various widths. It was tough cutting up such beautiful fabric... I have been saving some of it for something wonderful. I passed up a few of the fat quarters, but came back to them deciding that there is never a time like the present to make them into something beautiful.

After cutting for days and weeks (you know, a few strips here and there) it finally came time to sew the strips together. I did this today before work and I must say, it is always fun to see things come together. My quilt will look nothing like the one in the book aside from the fact that it is predominantly blue. Mine will have much less variety -- I have fewer fabrics than the original. But I'm excited to see how it turns out none-the-less.

After sewing my strips into even longer strips I rolled them all up so they can wait until I have time to work on the next portion of the project.

I'm a little worried that I don't have enough strips cut... or that I have too many. I can't be sure how many are required until I have actually tried to assemble to quilt.  I can always cut more and I guess I can always make a pillow if I have too many.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

TMI

This will probably be too much information for many of you so feel free to stop reading now. Consider this a fair warning.

When I turned 25 (in January) I started noticing my body changing. These changes were gradual, or at least they started that way, and I didn't really notice anything until June.

I've never really cared about body hair. Anyone I ever played sports with can attest to the fact that I did not (and still don't) mind living life on the hairy side. I'm not bothered by body hair (and Erik doesn't mind too much either... double bonus!) so I just leave it if I'm feeling lazy. Take the current state of my legs, for example, I think the last time I had them waxed was in August. (I can almost hear some of you vomiting, but I'll press on anyway.)  I've had my legs and armpits waxed many many times since grade 11 and that helped reduce the amount of hair I produced. My hair became finer and lesser and it was wonderful.

Then came my 25th birthday and a slew of what I can only imagine are hormonal changes. My body hair has started growing thicker and more coarse than ever before! As I said before, I didn't really notice any changes until June when the weather warmed up and I started paying attention to such things as grooming and presentability. Ugh! That was unwelcome. So I turned 25 and got extra hairy. Big woop.

That wasn't the only thing that changed.

I only have two "normal" bras (bras not of the sport variety) as I tossed all my others when I decided to purchase brassieres that actually fit. My two over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders (haven't heard that one in while) are identical but for the size of the cups -- one is a bit bigger than the other. The reason for this is simple, when I went to purchase my second brassiere I necessitated a slightly different size than I had previously. No biggie.

I didn't realize it at first, but since that blessed day in January when my body decided to play tricks on me I have been gravitating towards one particular bra. At first I attributed it to the annoying clasp that I keep needing to re-bend into place on the one. This was a nuisance so I assumed I was just avoiding that bra. It wasn't until June that I realized I liked the smaller bra because it actually fit better. A lot better. It went from being "yeah, I can still squeeze into this" to "yeah the ladies feel better in here".

The ladies are shrinking. 

In the four weeks Erik was gone for fishing the change was outrageous. So outrageous, in fact, that it was the first thing Erik commented on when he saw me again.

I've started fitting into clothing I haven't fit in years. The dress I wore to Joel's wedding, for example, wouldn't even zip up at the chest in the years between Zac's wedding and Joel's wedding. At the time of Joel's wedding it was a tad loose (I wore the same dress to each of their weddings... five years apart). 

I am back to the size I was in high school! I know that may not sound like a huge size difference, but it is incredible actually. The seem tiny even though I know they aren't. I can't even wear my one bra because the girls don't even fill half of it. Interestingly, my overall weight hasn't changed in this time. It has just been distributed differently and the bulk of it now sits lovingly around my midsection.

At first I was worried -- I thought something may be wrong with me because my chest was shrinking so incredibly fast, but I have been diligent and have been checking for lumps and bumps and there are none to speak of. I'm chalking it up to hormones... or age... or something. If it is hormonal, it hasn't effected me in any way other than physically, I don't think. I haven't had any emotional lability that I know of.

Have any of you experienced anything similar? Ever?

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a cozy weekend!  

*** *** ***

0410

What am I doing up at 4:10 AM? I have no idea. After tossing and turning in bed for the past two hours I decided to have pity on my poor husband and to vacate the premises. So, I am now sitting in our freezing cold living room (why didn't I remember to grab my slippers?) staring out the window.

This may be the only time I ever say this but I wish it was snowing right now. There is nothing more cozy than staring out the window watching the snow fall. Though I guess this is most true when there is a fire crackling away, a cup of tea steeping, and some knitting clacking on the needles. Or a baby to snuggle.

For now, the stillness of the early morning hour is lovely enough for me.

not-so-happy

Lindsey and Adrian took the girls to Edmonton for two weeks. They just came home on Sunday and I got to spend a little time with the babes while Mama went for an oil change and something or other. I don't think the girls were too happy to be left with their now stranger-of-an-auntie.

I hate to admit it, but they were both crying within 15 minutes of Lindsey being gone -- they realized their Ma had abandoned them and left them with me, someone who looked and sounded a bit like her, but didn't smell right.

What do you do when you have two tiny screaming children?

Well, if you're me, the first thing you do is snap a quick picture. They were a bit comical really, they have completely distinct wails. Avery's lungs are definitely more powerful and she was just giving 'er. Peyton seemed to be screaming in solidarity to her sister.

L'il P quit crying as soon as I snapped the first photo. The clicking of the camera seemed more interesting than whatever her younger sister was screeching about. Aves just kept on hollering.

How do you actually calm two upset little ones? Well, I piled them on top of each other and rocked/bounced them until they both seemed content. Poor Avery is bigger so she had to support her sister's weight. She didn't seem to mind though -- they're close like that. I eventually had the two of them suspiciously inspecting me.

And they went back to loving me and smiling. Phewf!

Aren't they just darling?

Locks of Love - Part Two.

In January of 2007 I cut my hair and donated it to locks of love. Well, just yesterday I did the same thing.

I decided that my hair was too long for traveling. How often will I really be showering?? And that long raggedy mess would surely irritate me to no end. So, I decided to cut it to a more manageable length. I didn't want it too short, but my desired length would have meant I was cutting 8 inches off -- just 2 inches shy of the minimum for donation. With that in mind, I decided to chop off a few extra inches because if you're that close then why not donate it??

11.5 inches later (just to be safe).

I liked it better yesterday. After the hair dresser did it for me.

I liked it less this morning. After my shower I tried my usual hairstyle... letting my hair air dry. And let me tell you, it did not look good. Frizzy and awkwardly kinked/wavy. It thankfully fits in a ponytail so that is how I am currently sporting it. Maybe I will be adventurous and try "do my hair" tomorrow. 

Music Monday!

Hello Mondains,

Here we are again another Monday. As I sit here I have been listening (or trying not to listen) to a car alarm that seems to have been possessed by an evil spirit. It has been going off for about two hours now. Sometimes it sounds like a real alarm but for the most part it sounds as if someone gave a giant toddler a giant penny whistle and a 500cc injection of caffeine at the same time. I just stepped outside and found out that it's my neighbors Chrysler making all the noise and it could also resemble a remote key-less entry double beep noise streamed rapidly together with a fluctuating pitch. Strange but true.

Now to the music! This is a song called My body is a cage by Arcade Fire. I like the song but what really catches me is the video that I have posted with it. It is a fan made video that takes clips from the movie "Once upon a time in the west" and patches it together. I am struck by how well the song and video correlate. In fact it was so much so that I had to watch the movie and I am thankful that I did because it was also fascinating and well done. Though the artists don't know that they did, I am happy for this collaboration between mediums.

My Body is a Cage from JT Helms on Vimeo.

Coincidentally the main theme of the song that of the body being a cage is not a new idea. It has been around for centuries and is repeated in many different religions and philosophies. Most notably the Christian gnostics of the second century. Gnosticism is based on the idea that matter is evil and the way of salvation is through knowledge ("gnosis" is an ancient Greek word which translates into the english "knowledge"). It is interesting to me that this idea would spring up in such away again. Interesting.

Until next time, keep the one you love on the dance floor.

EO

Here is ye ol' wiki link for Gnosticism

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a peaceful weekend! 

*** *** ***

:: right now ::

I don't know if you like SouleMama, but if you do, you will probably recognize this.

 Right now, I am...

:: watching the leaves on the tree across the street change colour. It is happening so fast I think I actually saw another one turn yellow (ok brown) just now. 

:: staring at a pile of laundry that needs to be folded, a pile of fabric scraps that need to be sewn, a pile of buttons that need to be put on almost-done-knitting projects, and at a pile of cards that I meant to send last year. 

:: thinking I should really follow through with my ideas a bit better. 

:: hoping to find some inspiration so I can get those needles clacking again. 

:: hearing the hum of the dishwasher. I love having a dishwasher. 

:: wondering where we will be a year from now. In Kelowna, I'm sure, but where will we live, what Erik will be doing, what our lives will look like? 

:: feeling grateful for a weekend full of family, friends and food. 

:: wishing that the sun I see streaming into my neighbours windows would shine in mine. Sadly we have no direct sunlight. 

:: planning a weekend away with my girlfriends. 

:: waiting for some lovely fabric I ordered from Hawthorne Threads to arrive. 

:: anticipating making some of these. I think it's time for Mama and me to have a craft date. And wouldn't my nieces look darling in those?

:: deleting photos from the computer. Maybe it will be a little less overwhelming to put them into photobooks now. Or when I'm done purging my massive excess of photos... I think it's going to be a long process. 

:: smelling the beeswax candle burning on the table beside me. 

:: feeling irritated by the hair that has been shed all over my floor. We are adding to it quicker than I can rid my house of it!!

:: sipping on some tea. 

:: wishing my dear niece a happy birthday. I cannot believe she is nineteen! 

:: begging time to slow down just a little bit -- I'm not ready to leave yet. 

:: stressing just a wee bit about planning our trip. 

:: getting very excited about traveling all the same. 

:: wishing you a lovely Thursday afternoon where you are!

text message

My husband received this text message from my niece this morning.

Hey so I locked the bathroom door somehow... My morning has been full of stuff like this... But I can't get it unlocked. And I need to leave for school. Is it ok if I leave it locked? Maybe you can try get it unlocked.

Oh Jessica, what are we going to do with you?

<><><>

My mind is far too busy to form complete and articulate thoughts. I feel as though our trip is sneaking up on us -- there is still so much planning to do! We are keeping our itinerary bare, but there are still so many decisions we need to make and things we need to book. Scotland needs to be booked in full before we go. I need to have a chat with Lynnagin about Australia (or many chats rather). I have a couple friends who have traveled around South East Asia that I am hoping to meet up with. I have to make an appointment at the travel clinic to see if we need any vaccinations. We need to decide what to pack and what we still need to buy (which seems like so many things).

We are leaving in 10 weeks.

My dear friend, Milena, is due in 8 weeks so I am essentially a write off after that. I plan on spending as much time as possible with her and that little baby.

My family is taking a trip to Mexico in 6.5 weeks so I really only have 6.5 weeks to finish up our planning and most of our decision making. Oh boy. 

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

I'm back, at least for the next couple of months before we leave for our grand adventure.

I've got some good music in store and hopefully some enjoyable useless knowledge you'resofondof.

For today, this hour, this very minute, I think that you should enjoy this:



Beggar in the morning by the Barr Brothers. An excellent track. In fact I had this in my head the entire six hours it took me to ride my motorcycle to Spokane, WA from Kelowna. No joke, the e-n-t-i-r-e time.

Until next time keep your belts loose and your triggers tight.

EeyOh!

it's official.

Flights are booked. Semi-world Tour -- here we come!

Want a rough outline? If not, stop reading here.

We have decided to see South America and South East Asia. Well, parts of both as it would be impossible to see everything. We are also doing a little stop over in Scotland to visit some dear friends of ours and then, when my loving husband comes home, I will be making my way to Australia to visit Lynn and to travel around a bit (money depending).

Oh! Before I continue I feel it important to announce that I received a Leave of Absence from work!!! I applied for it thinking it would never (and I do mean never) happen. But, this means that at least half of our family will have work when we return to Kelowna. I am so relieved! It takes a weight off my shoulders and gives us a guaranteed income for when we get home (Erik is leaving his job before we go). My manager approved it yesterday and since then I have been doubly excited for this trip.

Back to the rough outline.

South America
- Nine Weeks.
- Fly in and out of Lima, Peru.
- Hoping to see Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Columbia.
- We are predicting that most of our time will be spent between Peru and Ecuador.

Scotland
- Two Weeks.
- At a bit of an added cost we decided to fly through Europe rather than Asia.
- You see, we have good friends in Scotland and we would love to see them.
- Flying into Amsterdam and taking a ferry (probably) to Scotland.
- Maybe a few days in Amsterdam before heading to Kurt and Erin's.
- Maybe a road trip to Ireland. 

South East Asia
- Thirteen Weeks.
- We haven't thought about this one much. I'm hoping to meet with a co-worker who lived there for a while.

*At this point, Erik will return home to go fishing in Alaska and I will continue on solo. 

Australia
- Three weeks.
- That's a long time.
- Stay at Lynn's.
- Maybe travel alone a bit.
- Maybe convince Lynn to travel a bit with me.


As I have said before, and I'm sure I will say again, any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Doesn't it sound exciting? I can't believe it is actually happening -- we are actually leaving on this grand adventure. It is surreal and, like my trip to Africa, it probably won't hit me until part way through the actual trip. I am so excited though!

Leaving December 20, 2012. 

Many more updates to come.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!  

*** *** *** 

Picture us buying tickets for our grand adventure. 

True Story. 

Erik's Baby

Erik's "moe-moe-bike", as Sawyer affectionately calls it.
Erik's baby, as I much less affectionately call it.
Erik's pride and joy, as he would probably call it.

His Honda Shadow.
His motorcycle.  

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. It is obviously so much fun to ride on, but there a couple things I am not too pumped about.

First of all, it is so unsafe! I trust Erik implicitly, but it's the other yahoos on the road that I'm not so sure of. And not just the yahoos, but unexpected road conditions (gravel, an unseen bump, etc etc). You have a lot less time to recover a mistake on a bike than you do in a car. And the implications of an accident are much more serious if said accident happens on a bike rather than in a car. Yes, you can ride as safe as can be and can take every precaution to remain that way, but there are so many elements out of your control and so much less grace when on a motorcycle.

Secondly, let's be honest for a moment, the motorcycle is a toy. A very expensive and, as previously mentioned, very dangerous toy. But we already talked a bit about the danger so let's move on to the expense. Wowza is that thing expensive. I knew it would be, but Erik had some blinders on when he made the decision to purchase the bike. There is insurance, gear, maintenance, licensing, etc. And all for a toy.

I have made some rules in light of the dangers associated with motorcycles. Erik can only ride it if he is wearing no less than jeans, his riding jacket, close-toed shoes, and his helmet (obviously). This has come down from his riding pants, riding jacket, riding boots, and a full-face helmet. I do not ride it unless I have close-toed shoes, jeans, a leather jacket, and the full-face helmet. When it is 40+ degrees out this can get quite hot. My stomach turns when I see people riding motorcycles in shorts and tank tops though! It is so irresponsible. 

All of that being said, I love riding with Erik. I'm never scared, but I'm always aware of what could happen.

We took the bike to my family reunion in August. I wouldn't recommend six hours on a seat that is 8 inches by 12 inches and hard as wood, but it was fun none-the-less. Erik has gone on a couple trips to Washington with it as well, but we have mainly stuck close to home. We have had a few couple-hour cruises around the Okanagan. The insurance has expired so the bike will be wintering at my parent's house, but we did go on one last cruise with Kevin and Mandi on Saturday. I think it would be fun to go on an actual road trip with them next summer. Mandi has her own bike so I will have the freedom to jump from Erik's bike to Kevin's more comfortable cruiser throughout the trip to give my derriere a bit of a break.

I am surprised I didn't tell you about the bike sooner. It is Erik's pride and joy. He's quite disappointed that he won't get to ride it for another 9 months, but I think he will be a little bit preoccupied for most of that time. Traveling the world has that affect on you.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

kisses

My niece kisses me every night when she goes to bed (ok, when I go to bed) and every morning when she heads off to school.

I love it.

comedy.

I took this photo of Sawyer

 and immediately thought of this.

And I laughed. Out loud. For a long time.

keepin it real

I often want to share every detail of my day. This is especially true when there are tiny people involved in those days. In keeping with my current desire for simplicity, I will keep my words few(er than normal).

My days off have been so full. Full of children. Full of laughter. Full of joy. Full of family. Full.

I babysat the neighbour twins while I had Maelle and Sawyer over. The four little ones played wonderfully all afternoon. Sawy and Maelle spent the night.

My mother, sister, littlest nieces and I ventured to the coast for 24 hours to celebrate my Oma's 86th birthday. Oma didn't know we were coming and when we brought the babies in she got down on her hands and knees so she could see them in their little car seats. She had tears in her eyes as she marveled at them. It was pretty special.

My sweet Little Miss slept over again last night. She slept for 13 hours and it was awesome. She even let me put her hair into french braids in the morning.

  And now it's back to work.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

keeping it simple

I have been thinking a lot about simplicity. Simplicity of the home, the heart, and the mind. I feel as though I go through phases where this take priority -- at least in thought.

Since my parent's moved here and brought all my childhood goods with them I have been sorting, reminiscing and ultimately throwing away. Purging has done wonders for my soul. It was difficult at first (I am a sentimental lass), but, as with most things, it got easier and began to relieve stress rather than cause it.

Letting go.

Purging started with childhood memorabilia, but trickled into my other areas of my house -- my clothing, my desk, my books, my cupboards. And it has made its way beyond my house and into my life. Into my being.

I have let out a sigh of relief.

Many times.

It is freeing.
And I can already feel myself slowing down.
Taking it all in.
Breathing.

"Be still, and know that I am God". Psalm 46:10

I can feel myself becoming still. Can feel myself calming.
Breathing.
Knowing.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

Chemistry 11A Motto

I will only accept my best in chemistry

I will take Chemistry to have and to hold

Even though we struggle, we will still try to get smart.

Chemistry is beautiful from sea to shining "y"

We will listen to everything given to us.

We will use our workbooks with pride and honor

W will learn chemistry from the "H" to the "Nv"

We will learn chemistry to the best of our ability

I will be the best I can be,

Sciences at our school are three, 

But it is clear for all to see

The best of all is Chemistry. 

I am a little bit sad to say that I was able to recite this from memory with very few prompts from Erik. This was the motto our class wrote on one of the first days of chemistry (eight years ago!). We recited it at the beginning of class every day thus burning it into my mind. Oh Chemistry.

...

My niece moved in so I have been busy cleaning and organizing. The room she moved into happened to be my junk room -- a place where boxes of things that needed to be organized would go to die. My dear husband and my lovely niece have patiently tolerated said boxes being left in the living room thus giving me a bit of pressure and allowing me time to go through each of them. To make matters worse (or to add to the stuff), my parents have just moved to Kelowna and brought with them 12 boxes of my stuff from infancy to young adulthood. I have sorted through almost everything and have purged more than I could have imagined. It has been therapeutic, exhausting, and wonderful.

It has been fun to go through all of my high school notes (I was a bit of a hoarder). It has been more embarrassing than fun actually, but it is what it is. Erik and I have had many good laughs as I have read each note again before tossing them.

I even found my Grade 11 Chemistry motto along with Haiku's we wrote about Chemistry.
Some of the haikus:

Chemistry is great
It involves moles and volume
Smile for Chemistry
- Lauren H.

I do not like moles
They are very confusing
Moles are not my friends
- Ashley J.

Dan, Stewart, Joel sit
Thirsting for knowledge in chem.
Kim brings us a well
- Stewart R.

Chemistry is great
It has moles and molar mass
I love eyebrows... yay!
- Daniel B.

Moles are helping me
Calculate molarity
And make good haikus
- Elly B.

Mister Kim chem. Teach
Mister Kim no eyebrows him
(something that is hole punched out) is fun again
- Joel B.

circa 2005

Hey Lynn,

I hope you're home right now because otherwise I'd look like a fool. It is currently 11:00am on Sunday. I have been at your house since 9:10am trying to wake you up, but you are either in a very deep slumber or you aren't home. I'm hoping your having a wonderful sleep because your neighbors think I'm crazy! It won't be too embarrassing if you end up letting me in, but leaving defeated would be pretty crappy. I need to think of some new tactics that may arouse. By arouse I mean rouse as in "wake you up"... nothing sexual. The volleyball has hit your window on numerous occasions and I think I've run your doorbell more times today than it has ever been rung in its entire existence, I've banged on the back door of the kitchen and called your name, but all to no avail! You really must be in hibernation... or dead. Now that would be terrible! I don't think there's any way to break into your house though! There's always a way to get into mine... Alright so this situation is looking kind of hopeless. the only good thing that could happen would be if your neighbor came out and asked if I needed help... or a date... or a swim or maybe even marriage. The probability of any of those occurring is... well I'd say 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000 give or take a few. At least I get to enjoy your beautiful backyard... too bad I don't have access to a camera. It is very picturesque. Ok, I'm giving you until 11:45 to wake up or show up. I will laugh so hard when you aren't actually home... that'll be terrible, but hilarious all at the same time. Oh well. At least you're getting a note out of all of this, even if it is less than entertaining.

I'm hungry now. You're MIA and I want to take pictures. Crappy. I'm leaving the house in 40 minutes.

Alright I just had a 20 minute nap and it's hot out!! I'm even in the shade! 15 minutes my dear and I think I'll head out.

Ok, I'm dying (not literally) of thirst. I'm going to head home. Email me about hanging out tomorrow... make sure you have tons of sunscreen :) I've been in a freezer every day!!

I love you, Lynn. Have a wonderful day.

Love Ashley

remember this?? where were you???

:)

I got to see all my babies today!! I worked all weekend (got off this morning) which was disappointing as our church had its annual camp out. Erik and I obviously couldn't attend, but we made it out this morning for the worship service. I have worked or been out of town every Sunday all summer so I haven't seen many people from our church family this summer.

It was SO nice to be able to catch up with some of them this morning and early afternoon. Seeing Little Miss, Sawybean, and Gus Gus were an added bonus.

After hanging out at the camp Erik and I went to my sisters house to visit the littlest babies. They aren't so little anymore as Peyton is 7lb 15 oz and Avery's weighing in at 9lb 2 oz. Those little girlies are well over their birth weight and contently thriving. I just have to say that my sister is amazing! Two little babies cannot be easy and I think she is doing a fabulous job caring for her daughters. Two babies. I still can't believe it.

I have been up since yesterday so I should really be getting to bed. I feel like I have much to share, but nothing really to say. Seems as though that's often the case.

Goodnight!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

never posted

I didn't realize I never posted this. These pictures, taken when the girls were less than 24 hours old, make me laugh. I love doing this to babies.

 Super Squishy Avery.

Not so Squishy Peyton.

the six of 'em

These are my six adorable nieces. I can't believe there are six of 'em and that three are actually smiling for the photo. The two boy-ohs were off gallivanting so we just took a picture of the girl cousins.

My little auntie heart just bursts with pride and love for these four little tots and these two beautiful ladies -- I am so very blessed.

Is it really September?

Is it really September???

I don't think I would have realized it if I wasn't at work last night. I had to call a doctor for orders at 0130 and was a little bit sad when it was brought to my attention that it was September 1st.

I kind of wish it was August 32nd because I love love love Summer, but I must admit that Fall isn't so shabby and we still have a bit of summer left.

September though. Wow.

That means we're going traveling in four months. I keep saying we're going traveling next year, but next year is actually only four months away. Gah!

We haven't even looked into flights yet because, as I said, we aren't going traveling until next year. But next year is fast approaching and I'd better get on it! We are going to be looking into world tickets as we're going to South America, Scotland, and South East Asia (at least that's the loose plan... we are planning on doing a lot of it by the seat of our pants. We're cool like that). But it may be cheaper to just look for cheap flights to each place individually. Lots of research to do... it may be cheapest to go through a travel agency. It will definitely be easiest and will save us a lot of time.

I've never had to book overseas flights. Any suggestions?

I'm not going to lie, I did just get a little bit stressed out writing this. Four months!!

Really, suggestions re: flights would be much appreciated. And, if any of you have traveled to any of the places mentioned then let me know what your favourite places were.