Random Fall Thoughts

Today is a beautiful fall day... sunshine and crisp air (no humidity!). The leaves are turning, creating a wonderful colour scheme. Another week or so, and those brilliant reds, oranges and golds will be turning heads! :) I love fall.

We're planning to take a few days vacation around the Thanksgiving long weekend... Where are we going? Well, we don't know yet. There are a lot of options!! High on our list is a scenic drive through the fall foliage... So, NY State, Vermont, Michigan... ? We'll see where we end up! I'm looking forward to it.

The only downside is ... we'll miss our Thanksgiving dinner... our Unionville family always includes us in their holiday activities, and it's a fun time with good food. We are beyond thankful for this family, since we live so far away from our own. God has blessed me with "adopted families" everywhere I've lived! :)

I've started another bible study on Tuesday nights. We're doing Beth Moore's study called "A Woman's Heart - God's Dwelling Place."  It's a study on the Tabernacle, and though we're only in week 2, I'm fascinated! If you have an opportunity to do this - I definitely recommend it.

Are you running out of things to pray for? (ha) I suggest you take a look at my friend's blog ... She and her husband are Christian missionaries working in South Africa, and they have lots going on right now. They definitely need our prayers!

Exciting news! After three years and 2+ months - we have finally received our wedding album! To clarify - this is not the fault of our fantastic photographers (Alex MacAulay Photographers), but the laziness of their subjects... :) Anyway, it is beautiful and we are thrilled to have it - partly to look at and reminisce; partly to finally not have it hanging over our heads! We are the world's best procrastinators... I mean, we are really GOOD at procrastinating!

So after those random disjointed thoughts, tell me, what exciting things do you have planned for your fall season? What is your favorite thing about fall?

Just a few pictures

Good morning friends :)

Since I am at a loss for anything to write, I thought I would post a few random photos from the Saturday we spent with Dad and Mom.

It started off a cloudy day...

But turned out much nicer as we drove south to walk the boardwalk at "The Beaches"...  lots of people out enjoying the fresh air. We saw a tiny little dog trotting along in a jogging suit - oh how I wish I had a picture! It may sound cute, but on this dog (with its pigtails), it was hilarious looking! :)

And it wouldn't be a a post without a shot of my handsome man :)

Next we raced the clouds that were coming in, and ended up at the

Shops at Don Mills for a visit at our favorite restaurant... Joey's. mmmm

An iPhone shot ... before we had food on our plates. :)

I hope you all have a great day! Thanks for stopping by.

Like a Vapour...

Sorry for the misleading title... there is no "spiritual snack" in the post... that's just how fast the visit with my parents went!

They arrived Thursday evening and left this morning. Unfortunately I had to work Friday and Monday, so the time seemed even shorter. Friday evening Evan and I came home to a deliciously prepared roast dinner and pumpkin pie. Talk about spoiled! We went for a walk and enjoyed a quiet evening. Saturday we had a great day together - breakfast at home, a little shopping, walking the boardwalk at "The Beaches", wandering through the Shops at Don Mills, supper at Joey's (YUMM!!!!!) and then a relaxing few hours at home before bedtime. Sunday was busy but we managed to squeeze in our Sunday afternoon naps between meetings! ;) Well, everyone but mom... she chose to make an apple pie. Poor her - lucky us!

Monday we came home to one of the best chicken recipes I've had in a long time... then again, anything with cream cheese is the best! :)  The recipe seems simple and Mom claims it's a "cinch to make"... check it out here if you're looking for a new chicken recipe. Delish.  Then another nice quiet evening just hanging out together.

I'm so thankful for the visit... but I hate goodbyes.

Bucket List

Do you have a bucket list? I didn't... but thought I'd try my hand at starting one. I guess it has never really felt like a realistic thing to do, because "who knows what tomorrow may bring?" But that doesn't mean we can't and shouldn't plan... dream... and set goals... so that's what I'm taking a stab at here.

Not all of these are "pie-in-the-sky" dreams (though some are!!), but are goals I should be actively moving toward... I think you'll be able to pick those few out... :)

It feels selfish to continually start a sentence with "I want"... so I'll just do it here at the top! ;)

I would love to...

• live with a water view. Again. The ocean preferred, but I'm not fussy! ;)
• take piano lessons - again.
• play in a piano quintet (chamber musical ensemble)
• buy a rocking chair
• have a cozy sunlit corner to read in
• make memorizing verses a habit. a discipline.
• follow a reading plan and get through the bible in one year. I always give up 1/2 through the OT.
• travel to Europe... top of my list: Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France...but I'm not that picky. ;)
• complete my Breaking Free study
• travel to Nicaragua, and South Africa
• be published. I don't have aspirations to write a book, but would love to write articles and speeches on social justice issues, ethical issues, hot health topics and feel-good community stories. I had a few articles published when I was a PR student, but would love to have it happen again.
• run a 1/2 marathon... have done a 10k, but am currently not running. I want to get back into it, and go past my previous goal
• so, in light of the above point, I want to run/exercise regularly!
• go zip-lining 
• visit a ranch and go riding... (too bad I'm allergic to horses! I love them...)
• commit to clean eating (I am SO far from this goal, you can't even imagine! haha)
• visit Cape Cod, Boston, NYC, Connecticut, Rhode Island... maybe in the fall - I think it would be a pretty driving trip!
• visit CJ in Iowa.
• have coffee with Beth Moore. :P
• go on a "mission trip" with my man. Maybe this could tie in Nicaragua or South Africa??
• become an early riser. and be productive in that extra time.
• attend a symphony performance at Carnegie Hall
• go back to the Okanagan, where we honeymooned... it was absolutely wonderful. 
• cook/prepare a turkey dinner. (Because my Man really wants this...)
• go sailing... in a real sailboat
• learn how to wakeboard
• get my motorcycle license
• re-do the master bedroom and closet. And make it a cozy escape for us
• have one 'red' wall in the house
• take salsa dancing lessons with my Man
• host a Christmas open house
• travel to Îles de la Madeleine - otherwise known as "the Maggies"... we watched the ferry leave Souris daily every summer filled with tourists for that destination... and we always said we'd go! 30 years old, and have never been...
• not find it stressful to entertain at home

hmm.. at least that's a start...  what's on your bucket list?

Excited!

Today is a day to celebrate... despite the rainy grey depressing weather outside, and... the fact that I'm at work. :)

My Dad and Mom are arriving this evening! I got a text Monday night asking me if we'd be willing to have company for a few days...  my answer? Yes Please! 

Texting has become a favorite for our family... each of us hates to pick up the phone and use it, so this 'new' way of communicating, while brief, has allowed us to touch base much more frequently! You may think this is sad... but, it works for us! :)  Don't worry - we still use the phone sometimes.

But I digress...

Dad has to come up to visit someone, and mom wasn't really given a choice about whether she wanted to come...Dad and I both said she had to! haha  She's a homebody, but with my brother in Halifax now, she doesn't have many excuses to stay home... so we push.

I won't even pull out my list of "to-do's" for her this trip... we'll just prep her for the next time. Tantalize her with walls that need to be painted, pictures that need to be hung... she can join me in imagining what colours belong where, and how to dress up our walls. The fun stuff! :)

Maybe she can bake cinnamon rolls or something. Yes, I think we'd all enjoy that.

Loving fall...

Saturday was the perfect fall day. Absolutely perfect. And we had our ESL planning session booked... inside... we started off with brunch at Jersey Girl's home, and then cracked open the books and laptops to work on lessons for the coming weeks... but by 2pm, the sunshine beckoned us and we headed out for a break. We found this great trail within walking distance of Jersey Girl's home and enjoyed a lovely nature walk on varying terrain...  It's exciting when you find a new place to explore close to home!

This was the end of the walk...

when we left the "bush" and went through an adjacent park.

Everyone needs a little support every now and then... even trees... can you feel the love here? :)

Can you see her cute little belly???? January is going to be an exciting month!

I apologize for the quality of the pictures - I was using my iPhone. :)

After doing a bit more work on our ESL lessons, we headed down to the Shops at Don Mills for a little retail therapy (only window shopping) and supper at Joey's... we *love* Joey's!  Totally worth the drive.  mmm

... now I'm craving Joey's... great.

So yes, a fun, yet productive Saturday!

The baby moves out...

My little brother is all grown up... tonight he will sleep in his first apartment in a new city - away from home. If my heart is being pulled the way it is, I can't even imagine the pain my parents are in... sure there is pride and thankfulness that he has become such a great young man and is being diligent about his education, etc... but he has always been home. He's the last one to leave... my parents' life has now, once again, changed forever.... yes - all part of the cycle of life. But it still hurts. :)

Here are a few pictures as I'm feeling lonesome for my little brother tonight...  and praying for him as he moves on from UPEI to Dal tomorrow...On his way to an Industrial Engineer...! :)

Look how young he is... 

Not impressed with the camera following him around...

Lest I take any credit for the cool board - it's his... I was on skiis.... but we had fun! :)

Quite a few years ago...

 I was living in Halifax and they were over around Christmas time... 

and I may or may not have been a little clingy. ;)

Home for Christmas... a family game of Crokinole... 

I love this one!! so so much.

Having fun jumping PEI dunes... (yes, I *know* you're not supposed to climb on them...)

Poor kid... I went home for a week before starting University and he had to deal with me every day... and I wanted pictures... and poses... and stuff like this... this didn't happen frequently. :P

Cute, isn't he? :)

In his own world with his music... (self-taught)

More talent...

And... last one - eating at our family favorite place, Canton in Ch'town... the best eggrolls ever. 

Great. Now I'm craving Canton eggrolls and it will be Christmas before I get any!