Colton.

We spent 16 hours visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and the newest member of their (and our) family. It was a last minute decision, but the 3.5 hour drive was well worth it.

I am a crier. I always have been and I suspect I always will be. I am most easily reduced to tears when I am feeling particularly happy, love-full, and/or proud. It came as no surprise that I met my nephew with salty discharge impairing my vision.

I was struck by how tiny Colton was as I approached him. His general size was really all I could make out due to lack of visibility, but it seemed shocking none-the-less. I was eventually able to make out the features of his tiny face -- he is cute! So very very sweet.

I snapped a few photos (who could resist) and enjoyed his perfect babyness. The way he smelled. His perfect little pouty lips. His tiny squeaks. And his post swaddle stretch. And his unbelievably soft skin. Mmmmmm, I love babies.

{this moment}

{this moment} - 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!

*** *** *** ***

Meeting the Mister.

Erik and I made a last minute trip to the coast to meet Colton Garrit -- our newest nephew. We will be away from Kelowna for less than 24 hours, but the trip has already been well worth it. I got off work at 07:00 yesterday so I haven't slept in over 36 hours, but these midnight cuddles make everything ok. Mama is off to bed while I settle the boy. We leave for home in six hours so I plan on savouring each moment with the fella. He is pretty perfect, this nephew of mine. I love him oh so much. Oh so very very much.

Scotch Creek

We went camping last weekend and it was absolutely wonderful! I forgot how much I enjoyed spending every moment outdoors.

We didn't bring a stove so we camped over the fire. I cannot remember the last time I did that -- if I ever have. Not every single meal, at least.

The trip was too short, but then it always is. I can't wait until we are real grown ups who take a week of holidays at a time... or two. Being at the bottom of the pecking order means I have time of at the beginning of November -- woohoo!

I'm not complaining that we don't have holidays (I am aware that we just returned from a very long trip) but I am excited for time to camp in our own country. And to do so at a leisurely pace rather than feeling as though we are always blitzing through the weekend.

Back to our actual weekend.

We ate yummy eats. Swam in the lake (everyone but myself). Did cartwheels in the park. Shared an entire tub of ice cream (or it would have melted!!). Sat by the fire. Talked. Laughed. And generally enjoyed each other's company. It was lovely. Just lovely.

Sawyer adores Erik. They are always being silly and giggling about something or other. It makes me a tiny bit jealous because I know I'm not nearly as fun as him. I can't compete though! The kiddies just love love love him!

Gus is always resourceful. Here he is using his teeth to support himself while he climbs onto the cooler. What a little Kade buddy.

The young'ns in the morning. They slept until 08:00, thankyouverymuch! It was awesome.

Cooking breakfast -- yummy breakfast wraps that Mandi made. They were delicious!

The boy. Passed right out. I even put that t-shirt on him without so much as a single stir. He was zonked. It felt so nice to snuggle with the little mister while he slept. I forgot how much I love the stinky, sweaty-ness of a toddler.

Just before passing out. Not a happy camper.

I love this guy. I really really do. He is a much better spouse than I am, but he is patient as I continue learning and growing. I can't believe I get him all to myself.

Sawyer came to play in the morning. Here the two buds are counting fingers. 

It was a good weekend to be sure. 

Colton Garrit

Colton Garrit

Born July 21, 2013 at 21:56

Weight: 7lbs 14oz.

Height: 21 inches

Yes, there is another sweet little man in the Jansen clan.

Zachary and Heather welcomed Colton Garrit into the world just a few days ago. 

Everyone is happy, healthy, and now home.

Colton Garrit, we cannot wait to meet you in nine days.

We love you something fierce!

Welcome to the world and into our hearts. 

rambling

Erik comes home today! I cannot wait. It has been far too long since I saw him last.

We are going camping this weekend, which I am incredibly excited for. I can't say I am looking forward to locating all our camping gear under my sister's house, but we can't really leave without it.

I baked yesterday in preparation for the weekend. It was the first time I have baked in over seven months. I made four different recipes -- blueberry muffins, banana muffins, boterkoek, and lemon loaf. I hope they turned out ok.

My set at work went... well it went. It wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated, but there are many protocols that I have forgotten. I thankfully knew what I didn't know -- I knew that I didn't know it -- so I asked. I probably asked at least 100 questions. At least. Thankfully there were many ears to share the load so I wasn't continually bothering the same person.

It as nice to see the people at work. None of my colleagues are particularly good friends (it is difficult to get together outside of work) but there were many faces I was delighted to see. Many hugs were shared. Few stories were told (too busy with work). But I realized how much I care for and appreciate the girls I work with.

It felt good to be a part of something again.

I haven't taken a photo in a week. It feels strange to not lug my camera around. I constantly find myself wishing I had it on me, but it isn't convenient to carry around.

That's all. 

be silent.

Be Silent.

Be still.

Alone, Empty

Before your God.

Say nothing, Ask nothing.

Let your God look upon you.

That is all.

He knows.

He understands.

He loves you with an enormous love.

He only wants to look upon you with His love.

Quiet.

Be still.

Let your God love you…

(author unknown)

Photo Recap.

Too much has happened since Erik and I parted ways at the beginning of June. Well not too much, but more than I have the desire to recount here. Instead of using words I am going to post a few photos to summarize a bit of what I have been up to. So here we go.

Lynn was working the first week I was in Australia so I had plenty of time to walk and enjoy the nearby seaside. It was blissful.

Above is a photo of my favourite place in Port Stephens. We whale watched here and I grew incredibly fond of the area. 

Train ride en route to Kuranda. 

A cute Kangaroo. 

We attended the Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney. Hello Chef Stone!

Of course, the Opera House. 

Cuddles on my return home. 

Miss Avery Sharlene. Such a sweet face. 

Camping in Clearwater. We went for my nephew's baseball tournament. 

And I still have many photos on my camera to upload. My time home has been spent with family and friends and I have been perfectly busy.

I Survived!

I have officially survived my first day back at work. There were only a few minutes of terror in the middle-ish where I second guessed five things at once, but I made it!

It was nice to be welcomed back by some loved colleagues -- I thankfully knew most of the girls working today. I was given many hugs and all of my questions were answered no matter how silly they were.

It felt good to contribute to something again. To be a part of a team. To help someone else. To think critically. I won't say that I am particularly glad to be back -- I rather enjoy my life outside of work -- but I do enjoy aspects of my job.

Sleep was difficult to come by last night, but I felt ok when my alarm finally went off this morning. And the day went mostly smoothly. My partner today was exceptionally helpful, which I always appreciate (doesn't everyone??).

It was a good day and I am less anxious to return tomorrow night as the first day is usually the most intimidating.

so this happened while i was gone.

December 2012

July 2013

still in bed.

I am lying in bed still. I am desperately trying to savour this moment -- the one where I still have little responsibility for one day more.

I start work tomorrow. Eek! It is back to reality I feel as though nausea is barely being held at bay. I am so thankful that I had 12 days of peaceful bliss since returning. It was absolutely necessary -- ok, it may not have been necessary, but it was absolutely wonderful.

I have a long list of things to accomplish today most of which is preparation for tomorrow. I have been stressing about silly things like what to pack for lunch. It is funny how much you forget while you're away.

I dropped by work earlier this week just to ease my mind a bit. Seeing two names I recognized currently manning the floor did nothing to abate my fear. There has apparently been plenty of change since I last donned my uniform and a slew of nurses have both come and gone (mainly gone).

I am thankfully starting on a Sunday which means things are typically a bit slower as there are no elective surgeries performed. Praise the Lord for that little mercy.

The sunshine is beckoning me despite the comfort of my bed. Today is entirely beautiful and I am going to enjoy every moment of it.

being home.

I am snuggled in bed in the beautiful home of some even more beautiful friends. They are more than generous and are allowing me to stay with them for a while.

I feel overwhelmed at the thought of trying to catch up on this here blog. I think two months of my life will just be skipped as it is too much to try to recall the happenings. Maybe an update entirely of photos is in order.

I am home. It has been ten days and it feels as though I never left. The only strange thing about coming home was how natural it felt. It was uneventful (aside from reuniting with the people I know and love). Life just continued on while I was gone. I spent 200 days traveling the world, but my friends and family spent 200 days continuing their normal lives and I just melted right back in. It is both comforting and disconcerting.

I remember when Lindsey had her twins... I went to the grocery store the morning after meeting my beautiful nieces and picked up a few things. I distinctly remember watching everyone else going about their every day and felt an intense urge to loudly announce that my sister had just delivered two babies from her nether regions. The people I was watching looked bored and uninspired and I wanted them to know that a miracle had taken place. But that day was just another ordinary day for most people.

And it is similar being home. I got to experience all these incredible things, but they mean nothing to anyone else.

I locked my keys in the car the first time I drove to the grocery store and felt the need to announce that I hadn't driven in seven months because I was busy hiking in Colca Canyon, or seeing Machu Picchu, or strolling through the hills in Scotland, or riding a dirt bike to the equator, or eating larva, or snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, or visiting Angkor Wat. I had an excuse for being so silly -- I hadn't driven a car in seven months because I off gallivanting. I felt that it was important for people to know as I saw a few customers roll their eyes at me. I sheepishly had to ask to use a phone to call my Dad to come help me. Now that I have written this I'm not entirely sure how it ties in...

I'm not expecting people to be amazed at my trip or anything -- it isn't that at all -- but life went on while I was off on my adventure. And that is awesome.

It feels like a dream, our trip. I have looked through a few pictures of our travels and it is surreal to think of the miles we covered over the last seven months. I feel as though it should have more of an impact on my life. I feel as though it should have changed me. I should be more compassionate, more thoughtful, more thankful, more intentional, more educated, more empathetic, more generous, and more inspired. And maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. I guess we will have to wait and see.

I am tangenting off so far I have no idea where I am going with this thing.

I am curious to see the impact this last chapter in our lives has on us. I wonder if it has changed us and how. Was it just a vacation? What did we learn? How will we be inspired? How will it affect our daily life? Will it be an isolated event that we experienced with no lasting effects?

I cannot wait for Erik to come home from Alaska so we can sit with these questions and the many others that have been rolling around in our minds. I am interested to debrief with him and to see what we learned.

For now, it is nice to be home. It is comforting that life just went on for everyone else. It is easy to pick up where we left off. It's true, there is no place like home.

{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!

*** *** *** ***

{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!

*** *** *** ***

I'm home!!

Just a quick update.

Australia was wonderful.
Lindsey wasn't at the airport when I arrived.
I keep driving on the wrong side of the road.
I locked my keys in the car.
Maelle didn't recognize me.  She didn't believe us (her ma and me) when we told her who I was.
My nieces are giants.

And much much more. 

Our Last Hurrah!

Erik and I have come to our final 24 hours together. How did that happen? We have just arrived back in Bangkok and we fly out tomorrow -- him 5 hours after me. 

What do you do at the end of a trip? We are planning on eating, showering, walking, and just enjoying each other's company one last time. After this we won't see each other until July 19. That seems like an incredibly long time as we have spent every single moment together for almost six months. 

Aside from it taking me over a month to recover from whatever illness I began our travels with, we have come out relatively unscathed. A few days of diarrhea (one bout), one leg gash, two skin infections, one case of vomiting induced by motion sickness, and... I think that is all! I would say that is pretty good especially when compare it to the evident injuries of other travellers. 

I don't remember what I have written about and I am composing this offline, but I will briefly recap the last couple weeks. We spent some time in Kuala Lumpur, which was awesome! KL had incredible thunder storms, an unbelievable amount of twins, beautiful buildings, a lovely central park, free transit (holla), cheap movie theatres (we went twice), and delicious food. 

After Kuala Lumpur we went to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. We ate some more incredible food, explored a few trails that ended up going nowhere, and went on an adventure (mossy forest, tea plantation, butterfly and reptile farm, and a strawberry farm). 

And we spent the last few days in Koh Tao. Yes, we were there earlier with our friends. We thought about going to the west coast of Thailand (ko lanta or railey beach), but decided to end somewhere we knew. We loved Koh Tao equally on both occasions. It was nice to finish off with something familiar instead of expending all the extra energy to explore a new location. 

And now we are in Bangkok. 

I was looking through some of the photos from the beginning of our trip. Peru feels like a vague and distant memory. I think I took as many photos in our first two weeks in Peru as I have in all of South East Asia. Believe it or not, I have 3650 photos... A far cry from the 16,000 I was expecting. I have been very diligent about going through and deleting. I was at least, but that has become more relaxed as I have taken way less photos. 

But I digress. It is time to go enjoy the last bit of our trip. 

Eliah Len

We had two nephews born in the same week! The second finally named five days after making his way into the world. Here is the boy himself. 

Eliah Len

Born May 31, 2013 at 02:13.

Weight: 8lbs 3oz.

Height: 22 inches.

Mr. Eliah, you are absolutely precious! 

We were so excited to hear about your arrival 

and now we can't wait to meet you.

We love you.

Welcome to the world!

A Letter

To the Individual Who Stole My Sandals,

I really hope you were in desperate need of new ones. You see, I loved my Berkenstocks -- I really did. They have been around the world with me and have proved to be the most comfortable piece of footwear I have ever owned. 

I was baffled when I realized they weren't where I left them at the entrance to the beach side restaurant. I did not see any sandals similar to mine so I know they weren't taken accidentally. I quickly experienced frustration over being robbed and sadness over it being one of my favourite possessions.

Allow me to share some of the grief I have experienced in the hour since you took said sandals. I had to walk back to my hostel in bare feet. I suppose this doesn't sound too terrible, but my hostel is over two kilometres from the beach we were relaxing at. As you know, 2pm is one of the hottest times of day, the sun is high in the sky and there is no shade making the pavement incredibly hot. My poor feet were subject to this intense heat. My husband was kind enough to spell me off by giving me his sandals, but those gave me blisters on the tops of my feet. We traded on and off most of the way home. So now the bottoms of both of our feet are burnt and the top of mine are blistered.

And we have you to thank. 

We only have five days left of our vacation together so I suppose you could have taken them at a much worse time. I plan on wearing my runners for the rest of the holiday which isn't terrible, but made slightly less comfortable due to the blisters. 

I hope they serve you as well as they served me. They are wonderful little sandals so treat them well. 

Sincerely,

Ashley

Nourishing Traditions

I have always been wary of food and diet fads. I find them incredibly intimidating and counter-intuitive. I have been interested in "eating healthy" for years, but failed to do any research because I had an invisible barrier between me and knowledge: fear.

I was afraid of what I might find.
Of what it would require of me.
Of how much work it would be.
And of how expensive and time consuming it would be.

This trip has given me an overwhelming amount of time to leisurely think about whatever I please. It has been wonderful! For the first while I just thought amazing thoughts. Made amazing life plans. Did plenty of self reflection. Talked with my husband about anything and everything.

And thirsted for knowledge.

I have read things on the internet. About birth, doula-ing, parenting, relationships, eating, and current events around the world. And all this has been interesting, but internet is often hard to come by and who wants to sit staring at an iPad? That requires low-light and seclusion.

When our friends came to join us last month I asked them to bring me a book. I took some time to think about what precious book I was interested in and decided on a big, heavy book.

Nourishing Traditions. By Sally Fallon.

I decided it was high time to face the giant and learn more about this thing called nutrition.

And you know what, it has been wonderful.

This book has made me fearless. It has shown me that our family really does an excellent job of eating healthy and nutritious foods. It has validated my fears about various food fads and shed light on benefits of a balanced and inclusive diet.

Everything I have read has revealed how intuitive healthy living really is. And how easy.

Yes, there are a few changes we need to make, and even more that I would like to make. For example, I want to start soaking grains, nuts and seeds. I want to add more fermented foods to our diet (more sauerkraut please) and make some of those foods myself. I want to purchase better butter, better salt, and raw dairy products. I want to make bone broths.

But I feel affirmed. We have a firm foundation to continue building on and I feel excited and empowered to continue on this journey. Inspiration has replaced fear.

Nourshing Traditions. Read it.

More thoughts 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.

Ok, I am definitely cheating by adding words but this week was extra special as we wecomed two new babies into our family! My brother, Jonathan, and Erik's sister, Shawna, both welcomed little boys to their families this week. Seth was born on the 25th and Shawna's new baby was born just this morning. 

In honour of our two new nephews, the two best things to happen this week, you get two photos today. An extra special treat!

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!

*** *** ***

Mr. Seth. Taking his Pa for a walk outside.

The newest. Passing his older brother's inspection.