I was really struggling this last little while with not knowing what the next step would be in our adventure when I read this on http://www.thewiegands.com/2011/08/faith.html. Just what I needed...

Faith is risking what is

for what is yet to be.

It is taking small steps

knowing they lead to bigger ones.

Faith is holding on when you want to let go.

It is letting go when you want to hold on.

Faith is hearing God’s yes

when everything else says no.

It is believing all things are possible

in the midst of impossibilities.

Faith is looking beyond what is

for what is yet to be.

It is seeing the Light in darkness,

the presence of God in all.

~ Ellen M. Cuomo

Family Day

Here are some pics of the Family Day event that Glenn's training class put on. It was a beautiful night and really neat to see the guys showing off! I was able to snap a few pics so ENJOY!

Also, today is the first day of the Life Challenge. So I will be attempting two things:
buying flowers- which might actually just be a plant because I have a hard time buying things that you know are going to die in a few days
AND
putting new life into something- I have a great ikat skirt from JOE that needs a new zipper. I have never put in a zipper, but I might try today!
Have a great day and take the time to count five things that you are happy for. Mine are: my husband (who is working so hard to give us a new life), my friends (who have been letting us rent their basement while we are in limbo), the local Value Village (because a girl on a severe budget still needs to shop), Porter going back to sleep with his dad so I can have a little break first thing this morning and my family (who are my sanity).

I was checking out this blog (http://tonyaleigh.com/2011/07/the-life-seduction-challenge/) and found this great idea. Because I have been feeling blue lately I figured this would be the perfect thing to get me out of the slump. Who wants to try it with me??

1.  Buy fresh flowers for your home
2.  Take 15 minutes to eat a delicious, artisan dark truffle
3.  Go skinny dipping (or at least go swimming)
4.  Visit the farmer’s market and inquire about the life of one farmer.  Get into his/her world.
5.  Tell someone exactly what you desire without shame
6.  Walk barefoot in the grass
7.  Make love in an unusual place
8.  Spend a day doing nothing except relax
9.  Throw a dinner party
10.  Dress up to go to the grocery store (I’m talking make-the-butcher-turn-his-head dressing up)
11.  Send a surprise I-think-you’re-fabulous handwritten note to someone (my P.O. box is P.O. Box 7836, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 in case you can’t think of someone.  Hint. Hint.)
12.  Go technology free for one full day
13.  Get a massage
14.  Flirt with a stranger (for beginners:  brief eye contact with a little smile, then look away)
15.  Get a makeover at a makeup counter
16.  Go for a stroll after dinner (I said stroll, not power walk)
17.  Bring up an intoxicating topic with friends (anything around love or travel is always a good choice)
18.  Have Champagne for no reason at all except to celebrate life
19.  Set a timer and say a gratitude on the hour
20.  Choose a feeling you desire to experience and think/do/be whatever it takes to create it
21.  Wear your most bold, bright lipstick; reapply as needed
22.  Serve your dinner in courses and spend at least twenty minutes with each.  End with a bite of something delicious.
23.  Remove 5 things from your environment that don’t make you feel beautiful
24.  Do something completely out of character (for example, if you’re shy, force yourself to say hello to a stranger)
25.  Write a love note to yourself
26.  Invite someone you desire to know to lunch
27.  Put a trip on your calendar that you desire to take within the next 6 months
28.  Buy yourself a lovely fragrance (Bond No. 9 makes my favs:  Chinatown and Nuit de Noho)
29.  Spend a day writing out your desires in a beautiful journal
30.  Learn 5 new words in a foreign language and actually use them
31.  Kiss someone (even if it’s your dog)
32.  Try an exotic food you’ve never tasted
33.  Pretend that everyone loves you and wants you to be a huge success
34.  Light candles
35.  Ask more questions and talk less
36.  Read a poem to someone you love
37.  Teach a kid something they’ll never forget (e.g. card trick, secret handshake or a funny word like gardyloo)
38.  Take one small step that frightens you
39.  Wear a flower in your hair
40.  Pretend for one day that you don’t know your age
41.  Watch a foreign film
42.  Throw a slumber party
43.  Turn a common dish into a delicacy (e.g. truffled popcorn, carmelized onion burgers, grilled brie and pear sandwiches)
44.  Buy yourself a silk pillowcase. It feels good and is better for the skin
45.  Brag on yourself at least 5 times
46.  Pay extra special attention to your posture
47.  Wear an apron when you cook
48.  Listen to romantic, sexy music all day
49.  Speak love to every animal you see, including insects
50.  Send your worst enemy flowers anonymously (it really does feel good)
51.  Catch moments of negativity and charge them with laughter
52.  Donate $10 to your favorite charity.  Every little thing matters
53.  Smile a lot.  Best beauty tip on the market

Another list I found at this blog (http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2011/08/the-charmed-life-challenge/).

Give something broken a new life (a skirt, a squeaky wheel, scuffed shoes).

Put something beautiful on a bit of blank wall you see every day.

Wear something you love that you think “just isn’t you.”

Send a thank you note, for anything.

Spend an afternoon reading.

Cook in a vintage apron.

Have luncheon: a slow midday meal with cloth napkins and wine.

Go out of your way to do something kind for a stranger (offer a seat, hold the door, leave your copy of Us Weekly on the elliptical).

Donate five items from your closet that don’t make you feel unstoppably gorgeous.

Take care of a nagging life admin item (a trip to the post office, filing an insurance claim, making a doctor’s appointment).

Buy an utterly frivolous piece of lingerie.

Invite friends over for cocktails, dinner, or brunch.

Wake up an hour early to have a leisurely morning.

Try something that looks like pure fun (accordion, crochet, burlesque).

Dance. In public, in the living room, with a partner, with yourself.

Flirt with a stranger. (Smiling counts.)

Get rid of five things in your home that don’t bring you pleasure.

Go to a parfumerie or department store in search of a signature scent.

Buy flowers for your home or office.

Make a recipe from a fruit, vegetable, meat or fish you’ve never cooked before.

Walk barefoot in the grass or on the sand.

Have a media-free day.

Write down everything you feel grateful for.

Hold a baby.

Pet a puppy.

Ask someone to tell you their life story.

Read a biography of your favorite glamorous screen star, or the bravest, most badass real life heroine.

Eat fresh berries, straight from the green paper pint.

Create an occasion to wear your most impractical pair of shoes.

Write down your wildest dreams.

Take one itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy step to make one real.

Have a proper weekday coffee break: ceramic cup, idle gossip, and staring out a window.

Visit a playground and swing.

Make lemonade. (Literally or figuratively.)

Go to a junk or antique story; consider what your favorite object has seen in its life.

Jump in a body of water. Float.

Give someone a hug; let them let go first.

Look at the stars.

Replace one utilitarian item you use every day––a measuring spoon, a file folder, a key chain––with something really, really beautiful.

Pamper your body with a massage, an overdue haircut, a trip to the sauna, or a soak in the tub.

Research something that sparks your curiosity (Arthurian legend, photosynthesis, investing). If you’re still curious after a 15-minute google session, dive deeper.

Make a collage of beautiful images that resonate with you.

Read aloud to someone you love.

Forgive yourself.

Forgive someone else.

Spend an hour in silent reflection.

Dine by candlelight on a weeknight.

Take a walk after dinner.

Wear your no-fail, cheer-me-up lipstick.

Give a genuine compliment to an acquaintance.

Have a glass of champagne, just because.

Spend one day taking pictures of everything you find beautiful.

Describe your perfect day in writing.

Block out an afternoon (or day) on the calendar to make some (or all) of it real.

Select one drawer or surface and organize it.

Write a love letter.

Do something you loved as a child.

Upgrade your sleep wear, or go Marilyn-style.

Do the one thing you were relieved/sad wasn’t on this list.

Pretend for one day that you are as confident and amazing as you want to be.

I think that I might take a little from both to create my own list... I'll keep you posted!

For the Grammas!

Porter, 6 months

Enough said!!

Instead of 1000 words... here are some photos!

Hello Again,

It has been forever since I updated my blog. There has been so much that has happened that I don't know how to start. Soooo... to make a long story short, our community was devastated by wildfires and flooding and although our home was safe from both my life is still in chaos. In the past 6 months we have experienced a little of everything including: a baby, medical leave for both my husband and I, a switch from full-time work to parental leave, a puppy, a career change, a devastating wildfire in our community, an evacuation, living out of a garbage bag while at a friends parents house, a flood, a move, home renovations, listing our house for sale, having Prince William and Kate visit our community, living with friends like gypsies and anything else that comes with all of this. We still feel like we are the lucky ones...

Right now, we are concentrating on Glenn finishing his training and then trying to sell our house so we can buy here. We dream of being settled again soon, but know that God's timing is perfect and that if we continue to trust he will be able to work his perfect plan.

On that note, here are some pictures of some of the things that have happened the last year! Enjoy!

The fire that eventually took all of these homes and more

This is the view as we evacuated... fires surrounding us

Nana, Papa and a very happy Porter

Great Uncle Donn and Porter

Uncle Joel... or Porter's chew toy

Great Grandma meeting her 1st Great Grandbaby for the first time

Slave Lake Fire Department ready to greet the Prince and Princess

All lined up

Ha! The Prince and Princess are in there... I swear... I saw them and lost my cool!

 I also spent alot of time cleaning, staging and moving out of our home in Canyon Creek that is now for sale... check it out here...http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=10839710&PidKey=-1611019200.

Hopefully I will be better at updating this as my mom calls me every week and tells me that people want to see more pics of Porter!

Have a great week and focus on what you have not what you don't!

Happy Belated Mother's Day

This is my mom's first Grandmother's Day and what would be better than a photo of her with her favorite little guy. Enjoy Nana... and just know that I thank God for his wisdom in giving me a mom like you. One who allowed me to make mistakes and still know that you loved me, unconditionally. Your love and support have given me the good things in my life. If I can be a little more like you everyday then I will definately be a better person. To my mom, my best friend, I LOVE YOU!!

A little of this... A little of that!

 Hi Everyone!!
This year for Easter we were incredibly excited to be invited to go to Canmore with our friend, Tessa! We picked Ashley up and started the road trip. It was so nice to get away from our house (that is in mid-renovation stage), our town (which has no mountains) and take the drive to the Rockies! Woot! Here are some photos that I took there. I have obviously edited them... let me know what you think. Once again, thank you Tessa for your hospitality and generosity. It was so nice to be able to move right into your gorgeous house and eat and relax!!

This is what I stared at for most of the trip

Our family picture

The view from the Dogs Off-Leash Park

My boys!

My other boys

Ashley and Tessa

The good old Back-to-Back

Tessa and Freddie

Tessa and Freddie the Ferocious

Our Home Away From Home