well worth the wait.

I traveled down to the coast this weekend to see my husband who returned from fishing in Alaska and (more importantly??) to attend Joel and Rachael's wedding. After 11.9 years they have finally made it down the aisle!! And we couldn't be happier for them. I can assure you there will be more pictures to come, but for now I will leave you with these few. 

Most of the Jansen ladies. Lindsey is 35 weeks pregnant with twins so she stayed home. Jen was caring for her little ones. And Rachael was busy being a bride.

Erik rocked a braid at the wedding, compliments of my niece. He kept it all night... and I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Two of my brothers were M.C.'s for the night. I thought they were hilarious, but I have always thought they were funny. You would have to ask someone not related to me for an honest opinion.

And, of course, the bride and groom sharing their first dance as husband and wife. I must say that it was a pretty perfect wedding, which is exactly what they deserved. It was well worth the wait.

{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!
 

*** *** ***

be a traveler

source: revelment

Five Sleeps

I get to see my beloved husband in five sleeps! Well, it will actually only four sleeps because I'll be working two of the nights and I'll be missing at least one period of sleep because of that. And I get to talk to him on Monday because he'll be at his parent's house in Washington. I'll be joining him on Thursday as my brother is getting married next Saturday.

As I mentioned before, I have had a difficult time with Erik being gone this time around. I was feeling nostalgic and decided to look at a few of the photos I have of him. 

I like my husband. I love him dearly and I truly enjoy his company. I'm so glad he convinced me to date him. I can't say there was ever a moment when I knew that Erik was the one for me, but there were many little things along the way that convinced me that he was a wonderful man.

I distinctly remember the moment above -- Erik reading my nephews a bedtime story. My heart swelled as I sat listening to him and watching them stare at him adoringly.

I really do love this man. My Mama loves him too.

I mean, how could I not?? He cuddles babies while I warm up their bottles.

He dances with my niece in my parent's kitchen.

He makes gingerbread baby pancakes just to humour me. 

He will do anything to make someone laugh -- especially little ones. This sometimes backfires and he actually ends up scaring them...

He's thoughtful and he puts flowers in the girls' hair.

He's got a cute butt.  He is so so so so so good with kids. 

And I think he is adorable.

Five sleeps.

it's finally here

Summer  has finally arrived and I couldn't be happier about it! The temperature (as far as I know) has reached 41 degrees celcius and I'm loving it. I have taken up having a "sweat rag" with me. It's something I picked up when I was in Ghana and it has made my life that much more wonderful. I hate touching my face a thousand times a day wiping away my sweat-stache and brushing away the sweat that is dripping into my eyes (attractive, I know) so I carry around a bandana that I use to wipe away that sweat. I find it much more effective than using my already-sweaty-hand to attempt the same feat. That sweat rag is life-changing. Seriously.

In other news, one of the bathing suits I purchased didn't fit. Apparently I underestimated my size so I have to return it. I may keep the bottom and order another top, but I'm afraid the size up may be too big and then I'm stuck with the bottoms. It's a dilemma! I'm still waiting on the other bathing suit, but I'm not holding my breath. I may just need to have a bathing suit that is a tiny bit too big. Or I just need to lose some more weight in the chest region. Have I ever mentioned that I hate bathing suit shopping??

Mandi's husband was out of town this week too so I spent most of my days off with her and the kiddos. We went to the water park, the community garden, and hung out poolside at her aunt and uncle's house. It was lovely. Can I just say that two-year-olds are so much fun!

The little ones. Aren't they sweet??

{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!

*** *** ***

ugh.

I have a really ugly vein. I probably have many ugly veins, but this particular one is my least favourite.

See there on my forehead?? Yup, right there in the middle. That vein is the bane of my existence (dramatic much??). It isn't actually, but it does annoy me.

Do any of you have giant veins smack dab in the middle of your foreheads?

{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 work-less weekend!  

*** *** ***

 

anything but glamorous

I used to think Nursing would be a glamorous career. The reality is, it is anything but. I learned this sad fact in my first year of school and it is something that I am daily reminded of.

My very first experience in the clinical setting was at a care home. It was 0630 and a client was ringing in the bathroom as I stepped off the elevator -- a literal thirty seconds after I entered the building. Did I mention it was my very first day in any clinical setting??

Being an aspiring nurse (and a naive individual) I walked up to see what said client needed. I opened the bathroom door to find stool seeping towards me. My memory tells me it was gushing towards me, but I like to think I'm wrong. Some of the facts are blurry, but these things stand out clearly in my mind:

1. there was poop up the walls behind the toilet.

2. there was poop all over the client. All. Over. The. Client. 

3. there was poop seeping under the door.

4. there was poop everywhere.

5. I gagged for an hour straight while I cleaned up the lady.

I decided right then and there that I was not cut out for this job.

When I say I gagged for an hour straight I do not mean discreet little gags. I'm talking full on disgustingly embarrassing gagging. Gagging so hard your eyes are watering, you can taste bile in your mouth, your stomach is in knots, your throat is on fire, you can't breathe, and nurses are coming from down the hall because you are so outrageously loud. That kind of obnoxious gagging. And imagine a stool-storm that takes an entire hour to clean up. Seriously -- an entire hour. I was so overwhelmed that I had no idea where to start. I had to chant "clean to dirty, clean to dirty, clean to dirty, clean to dirty" in my head over and over and over again so I would keep working rather than melting into a gagging mess. It was awful.

It doesn't help that the helpless old lady kept trying to touch me with her stool-covered fingers.

I remember calling Erik when I got home and crying on the phone. I was ready to quit nursing then and there. I could still taste poop even hours later.  I can taste poop now just thinking about it. I gagged when I had a bowel movement of my own that evening because I was so traumatized by that experience (tmi??). I gag thinking about it. It was disgusting.

And nursing hasn't gotten much better since then. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my job, but it really is anything but glamorous. I still gag every time I help clean someone up. Still. After doing it for five years. It's not as embarrassing anymore because I have learned to tame the beast that is my gag reflex, but it still happens every single time.

Oh nursing. What did I get myself into??

my hands (and my heart) were full.

These three little rascals sure kept me busy. They were all in bed by 8, but by that time I didn't want to do the dishes... or anything else for that matter. I just wanted to sit on the front steps drinking my tea. Props to all you mama's out there who manage to keep a clean house. I think that mine will be a pig sty when I eventually have babies of my own.

I may have caught Sawyer climbing into Maelle's play pen this morning. I heard her softly calling, "Auntie, help pease" so I went into their room to find her straddling the play pens. She got herself stuck and needed my help to get down. I took her out so as not to disturb Maelle who was still fast asleep. What a goof ball.

 Grunty Gus is less grunty, but still exiled to the living room. The boy can roll!! It's hilarious to come into a room and not know where the baby is. I found him in a couple strange places -- under the couch and stuck between the dresser and the seat.

 And Little Miss probably said my name 500 times while she was here. "Ok Auntie Ashley" "Auntie Ashley" "Hi Auntie Ashley" "Auntie Ashley, ok." Constant and cute. I love it and find it absolutely adorable.

I'm off to bed because I have to work in the morning. I haven't been asleep before midnight on any of my days off so I am in trouble -- 0530 comes early.

blessed

I am so incredibly blessed to have friends who let me borrow their children. I currently have these three little one's sleeping over. And yes, Sawyer is smothering Kaden.

A few of my favourite moments...

When I put the girls in their room to nap Maelle quickly fell asleep, but Sawyer just kept singing "Auntie, Auntie, Auntie". After a while I came in to put her in my room for some quiet time (it seems she doesn't always need to nap). When I opened the door to transport her she said "Shhhhhhhh, Maelle sleeping".

Kaden fell asleep at 7:30 so I went to lay him down. When I came out of my room the girls were jumping on the couch chanting "I'm hungry! I'm hungry! I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" They ate so much food today! They ate as much as I did at supper AND they had about four snacks afterwards. You go girls!

The girls played hide-and-seek in my little pantry cupboard for about an hour today. Sawy just danced in the cupboard and Maelle ran from the living room to the kitchen over and over giggling like crazy.

I had to go shush the girls after I put them to bed tonight. Sawyer was calling for me, but when I opened the door she pretended to be sleeping (what a brat). The girls fell asleep after about 30 minutes -- not too shabby for little buddies whose play pens are pushed up against each other.

And, of course, the spontaneous affection. Sawyer and Maelle both randomly came up to me and kissed me, held my hand, hugged me or just hollered "Auntie!!!!!!"

Man, I love these kids. 

just what i needed

a little reading. a few peas (fresh from the garden). 

and a little boy (his mama, and his big sister).

planning on more of the same tomorrow.

up to date

I may have purchased a couple bathing suits online yesterday. After four years of trying to squeeze into tops that don't fit (and consequently having a few revealing moments) I decided enough was enough and bit the bullet. Both suits are from England and both look slightly grandma-y, but I don't care. I needed specialty suits so I found specialty suits. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm only going to keep one, but thought I would buy both right away to see which fit better. And I think I may need to get a bigger size in the one, but forgot to order two tops so I will just wait and see. I was measured at Fashion Foundations (the local specialty store) and I seem to be between sizes. My finger's are crossed and I'm hoping one fits beautifully.

The winds we have been having lately have tried to destroy my peas. They have fallen over too many times to count. I secured them with yarn, but they've snapped in half so many times I'm not sure how well they will survive. I've eaten a few handfuls of delicious peas so it was worth it anyway.

I work tonight. Barf.

Then I have four glorious days off. Praying for sun.

I made pizza last night and decided to put pickles on it. Yum. Probably one of my new favourite toppings... who would have thought? Olives. Sun-dried Tomatoes. Goat Cheese. Spinach. Cherry Tomatoes. And now Pickles. A few of my favourite things.

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but my niece is coming to Kelowna in September to start her BSN. So I get my parents and my niece in town! It will be so nice.

I just started reading The Time Traveler's Wife. So far I'm confused, but I'm only a few pages in. I started reading it at work last night and kept needing to answer call bells because.... well because I was at work. I think I will enjoy it though. I haven't seen the movie and haven't actually heard anything about either the book or the movie so I probably shouldn't have high hopes for it, but I do.

No July knitting project picked out yet. I'll make my decision on my days off I guess. Thinking about knitting something for myself (probably a sweater or cardigan) but can't find an un-frumpy pattern. I'll have to look a little harder.

Erik called yesterday. He wanted to remind me to pay rent and the rest of the bills. It was nice to hear his voice (don't tell him I didn't recognize it right away), but I hope he doesn't call again. It makes me remember how much I miss him. I prefer pretending he doesn't exist for a month. Survival 101. Few pounds caught thus far, but he hopes for more in the near future. 

And it's time to go make supper before heading back to work. Have a lovely long weekend.

no moment

No moment this week. I have been sulky and lazy. It's only been a week, but I've not liked Erik being gone. I never like it when Erik is gone, but I find it especially hard this time and I have no idea why. I have lacked energy and have avoided hanging out with friends since coming home from the coast (I have conveniently been working so that makes it easy to do). I've had no desire to knit or even go outside. I'm not depressed, but I have had a difficult time adjusting to my solo lifestyle. Blah. I think I'm going to have to convince the girls to force me out with them. Or to bring my babies a-knockin' on my door (preferably after I have cleaned my house).

I have four days off starting Sunday at 0700 and I'm hoping to make the best of it. I think some hikes/bike rides/walks/dates are in order. And a sleepover at auntie's.

yup, i did.

There may be some bulges that weren't there on my wedding day, but I actually managed to squeeze myself into my wedding dress when I was home this weekend. I may be 20+ pounds heavier than I was the day of my wedding, but the dress still zips up.

And I like it more now than I did then. Strange, eh. I probably like it more now because it is sentimentally significant. And let's be honest, it's actually quite lovely.

on the move.

Yes Friends, that is a "For Sale" sign you see in front of my parent's house. The house on 156th has been my "home" my entire life; my family moved in when my mom was seven months pregnant with me. But it is time for a change so the Jansen homestead is being packed up.

How do I feel about this? Well, my parent's are moving to Kelowna so I feel great about that. I'm excited for them (and for me) -- so excited -- but when I drove up to the house this weekend and saw the "For Sale" sign in the yard my eyes welled up with tears. That house has always been my home. I mean, Erik and I have a home of our own, but my family home has always been a constant in my life. Yes, it's just a house, but it's our house. The Jansen house. Our family's home. The thought of my parent's moving is wonderful, but the thought of someone else living in my house isn't.

There's something about climbing into a freshly made bed. It's amazing how quickly the frustration I feel about putting new sheets on seems to fade away when I am cozily tucked in. Drifting off to sleep in a freshly made bed is even more wonderful. Doing so without your husband at your side isn't so easy though.

I regularly sleep without Erik in bed with me. That's the nature of shift work -- I drift off to sleep as he goes to work.

Having him in Alaska makes a difference. A completely psychological difference, but a difference none-the-less. Only for tonight. Erik has been gone since Friday morning, but tonight is my first night alone in our bed -- always the most difficult night.  It just takes a little getting used to. (I spent the night at my parent's house).

It seems I've been awful at blogging lately, but that's just the way it goes sometimes, eh? I'd best make an honest attempt at sleeping. G'night.

{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 sunny weekend!  

*** *** ***

Music Monday

Hello for the last time in a month or so. Today as it has been suggested we will be playing a game which someone else invented. That game is called, wait for it, "That Makes Me Think Of". The gist of it is to say what a certain thing makes you think of. It starts with one subject but then keeps rolling until you're thinking of things you didn't even know were there.

I'll start:



That was "Walk, don't run" by The Ventures.

That makes me think of family road trips to Minnesota. We had a tape of the top rock and roll hits from 1960 and this particular song was one of them. We must have listened to that tape at least eight times a day for the three-day trip. Between that, Bill Cosby's "Himself" comedy tape, and an occasional bend in the road in Montana it was the only entertainment we had. Oh yeah, and counting motorcycles. One year I got to ten thousand and then stopped.

That makes me think of one particular road trip when we were complaining about the heat. We were told by a certain paterfamilial member of our trip that it was "probably only eighty degrees" Fahrenheit. When we reached the nearest town to gas the car up we noticed a bank sign reading the temperature at one hundred and eight degrees Fahrenheit. Apparently that family member still hasn't heard the end of that one.

That makes me think of a time when I was in Alaska that it was eighty degrees but there was no wind and I was in my rain gear that made me feel like I was wrapped in tin foil. It's the only real summer heat I've ever experienced up there and it was great except for a few of things: 1) The bugs apparently love the heat and it also apparently makes mosquitoes extra hungry. 2) Quality control was hindered due to some of the fish baking in the holds. It smells much, much worse when the fish blood gets caked on the boat instead of being washed away by a nice rain. 3) The skipper of the boat next to us decided it was his crew's duty to make sure that he was well lathered in sunscreen. He would stand on the flying bridge with his arms held out to each side in his boxers while one poor soul made sure of that. We still tell that story and warn our skipper that we will not take those duties on.

That makes me think of... nah, your turn.

Until next month, no running by the pool!

EDO

P.S. Last week was supposed to be my big Father's day post a day late. As it turned out it was a week early. Oh yeah, I'm on the ball.

A Case of Croup

Little Miss was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a bad case of Croup. Her parent's took her to emergency early in the morning on Saturday because she was having trouble breathing and they admitted her for observation.

I went to visit a couple times during the day and she was a tired version of her usually chipper self, but croup flares up at night so the doc wanted to keep her to make sure she was alright. I have yet to find out how the night went, but trust that it was ok. They have her on some steroids, advil, and oral antibiotics.

We're hoping she gets to come home today -- trying to contain an almost-two-year-old in a single room isn't easy. And being stuck in a room with your almost-two-year-old can't be easy either. And it's Father's Day.

On that note, I'm off to the hospital for a morning visit. Then we're going for brunch because my brother and his wife are in town.

Happy Father's Day to all you papa's -- especially mine. Love you Daddy!

{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 relaxing weekend!   

*** *** ***

 

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

This one goes out to my pops.



Favorite 3 things about this video:
1. Bald seizuring lead singer with the voice of a gremlin.
2. I love seeing the video editing. I am positive that the editors put a lot of work into it but I am also sure that the same vieo would probably take a couple hours to put together with computers now-a-days.
3. How many different locations did they film this in?

Its a good tune and a special request from my father.

Next up, because this is a twofer deal, a song not requested by my father but just like me, wouldn't be here without him. This is Lamb with Shuvee.



I have played guitar for almost ten years now and I still can't keep up with these guys.

Until next time, make your beds with fire retardant material.

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 sun-filled weekend!  

*** *** ***

Bronco's Emma.

Yup, I finished Bronco's Emma too. Knitting it at least. I am hoping to actually finish both tonight. Bronco's Emma Tunic is a bit different than Abba's. I'm not a huge fan of matchy matching twins -- a little matchy match is ok, but not too much. I decided to use the same colours for the tunics, but to change them up a bit.

This dress was just as fun to knit the second time around. Now that's something that doesn't happen every day. doesn't happen every day. It's simple enough to be easy, but quick enough that the pattern changes when you're about to get bored. You know?

And I love this second one just as much as the first. I can't decide if I want to do my own Emma Tunic striped like the first or more solid like this one. Care to weigh in?

I can't wait to see my little nieces rockin' these tunics. The only trouble is that I'll be in South America and/or South East Asia when they actually fit them. That was poor planning on my part. Lindsey will have to take plenty of pictures to appease me.

Now I need to recommence house cleaning. Have a wonderful evening.

Abba's Emma.

I am so excited for Abba and Bronco to make their appearance in 10 short weeks. In anticipation of their arrival I have been getting my knit on and decided to make this month's knitting project all about them. I present, the nearly completed Emma Tunic.

I have decided this one is for Abba for no reason in particular other than A comes before B and I knit this one first. I probably should have designated it for poor Bronco because she'll always be second, but I didn't and it's set in my mind that this is Abba's.

I was hoping to surprise Lindsey with these little numbers, but I went to the yarn store a literal 17 times to pick out yarn and always came out empty handed. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to settle on colours and textures and softness. Lindsey pashawwed me when I asked her to come help a sister out, but she came and she struggled too. I eventually picked a few things and she yessed the things she liked and this is what we came up with.

And I love it. The picture doesn't do it justice. I'm going to blame it on the poor lighting -- taking photos at 8pm on a rainy evening isn't always best. The colours are lovely (calligraphy, water lily, and logwood). The yarn is my all-time favourite (madelinetosh). And the tunic is simple and sweet.

It's still raining and my house is a tad chilly so I am cuddled up on the couch knitting again today (and cleaning house, doing laundry, baking, and possibly watching a little bit of Dawson's Creek Season 1... didn't watch it as a kid, but I got curious). I am almost done knitting Bronco's Emma and then all I have to do is weave in the ends and sew on the buttons. Then I may pick up one extra skein of the purple to make an Emma Tunic for my own stash. I hope the Lord has some daughters in store for me because I have an ever-growing stash of adorable girly things.

Hope your day is as cozy as mine.

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

Here I am, on a Monday, playing music, on a blog. Yo.

Haven't heard from these guys in a while. They have some Dy-no-mite songs, this one is no exception.

This is The Wind Up Bird from Tunng



I'll be going away in a couple weeks for my annual month of punishment. I shall not be posting while I am gone. You will suffer I know but as my boss says in Alaska "Erik, you're just going to have to suffer."

Until next time, don't suffer in silence.

EDO

that's all folks.

Isn't this little girl gorgeous?? It's my niece Hailey Jade. Look at those cheeks. And those eyes.

And her little sister Jordyn is pretty adorable too. Don't ya think? They don't look much alike to me. Hailey is a little Jansen and Jordyn looks like her Mama.

And doesn't this look wonderful? We spent Mother's Day at my parent's house with some of my siblings. It was lovely.

Speaking of lovely, I got to sneak in a little visit with these three (my Oma and two aunties) on the way home from said Mother's Day celebration. Aren't they cute?

And doesn't this look delightful? The water was fr-rrr-rrr-eeezing, but Sawy loves it.

We've only had a handful of gorgeous days and we try make the most of them, but I keep being disappointed with the clouds that continue to roll on in and rain on my parade. Look at this little gaffer loving the beach. This picture makes me laugh. 

And this gorgeous mama (Maelle's mommy) is amazing and a constant blessing. She rocks my socks. 

I've been missing my African Weave. My hair is still recovering. Ugh. It was awesome while it lasted and I would probably do it again given the chance, but it destroyed my hair!

Aren't we cute? Papi and I in the year nineteen-eighty-something. I look less than three years old, right??? I love me dad. Always have and always will. He's pretty neat.

Well, that's all for now folks. Good day.

{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!  

*** *** ***