i know you're strong

i know i have referenced the band "the weakerthans" before..
my mind often drifts to them when it's a rainy day
or a chilly day
or any day that makes you want to snuggle up in blankets of memories, reminiscing and coziness

the weakerthans have a song titled 'plea from a cat named virtue'
it's a song written from the perspective of a cat, speaking to it's owner
calling the owner on it's behavior & self talk

i wonder if my cats have wondered what has been up with me over the past few months
(and i say this knowing fully well that it could make me sound totally crazy! i do think that my cats are indeed CATS, not my actual friends or beings with thoughts & perspectives. but it's food for thought)
did they notice the shift in my personality?
did they notice when i spent more time crying than i did laughing?
do they notice the laughter coming back? and the tears decreasing??

we never let the cats sleep in our room over night. frankly, they are far too annoying at night. BUT i have noticed that on days when i'm home alone, or feeling down, or spending time curled up just trying to REST.. they want to be there. they curl up against you & will sleep there for hours. do they wonder why somedays it seems like that's all i have done??

i wonder if they would call me on my negative self talk, or words of frustration & bitterness. again, would they notice a change these days? as i make future plans and excitedly talk about life?

i really like this song. always have. it's catchy & poetic, and a mixture of silly & serious.
the last lines are a favorite of mine. the cat basically saying that he wants you to believe you are strong.

i think that through the healing process it's important to: rely on others for help & encouragement. take time to rest, and not feel guilty for it. simplify life so there are less unrealistic expectations & you can enjoy the simple things. have faith. AND... continually tell yourself that you believe you are strong.

here are the lyrics
plea from a cat named virtue
the weakerthans

why don't you ever want to play?
i'm tired of this piece of string
you sleep as much as i do now, and you don't eat much of anything
i don't know who you're talking to, i made a search through every room
but all i found was dust that moved
and shadows of the afternoon

and listen, about those bitter songs you sing - they're not helping anything
they won't make you strong

so we should open up the house
invite the tabby two doors down
you could ask your sister if she doesn't bring her basset hound
ask for things you shouldn't miss
tape-hiss and the modern man
cold water and card catalogues
to join us if they can
for girly drinks and parlour games
we'll pass around the easy lie
of absolutely no regrets
and later maybe you could try
to let your losses dangle off
the sharp edge of a century
talk about the weather or how the weather used to be

lie down, lick the sorrow from your skin
scratch the terror and begin
to believe you're strong

all you ever want to do is drink & watch tv
frankly that thing doesn't really interest me
i swear i'm going to bite you hard and taste your tinny blood
if you don't stop the self defeating lies you've been repeating since the day you brought me home

i know you're strong.

my 26th birthday in pictures

here are some pictures from my "birthday week" - yes i took a birthday week, and as my dad would say i sure was "milking it" :) do it if you can right??

the birthday celebrations begin! cupcakes from c-cups... michael picked them up for us, and i warned him that it was a girly store but didn't warn him about the "questionable" names for each cupcake... he said he had a hard time keeping a straight face while ordering them.

birthday morning. my sister phoebe left me balloons on my mailbox & my inlaws left me a starbucks coffee on my doorstep.

sleepover central! i asked michael if we could have a "sleepover" for my birthday. it's fun to live in the living room for awhile!

my hubby & moi

this is how i found chips in the morning. silly cat.

my mums from audrey :)

this picture makes me laugh because chandler is so ticked off that i was making him pose for a picture.

2 crazy blue-eyed babes.

LOVE this boy.

he was holding my lens cap in his mouth & it looked like a mustache.

presents - even a fresh pineapple from my bro

a delicious steak dinner mmmmm

a gift from my fellow old navy lover (does that sound weird) thanks asha! 

a lovely gift & card from a lovely friend, lisa

french toast breakie with the thiessens.

an oreo cupcake

a few games of take-4 with phoebz

i thought this picture was cute. at one point i was sitting at the table alone and 3 cameras were taking pictures of me. talk about paparazzi. so here phoebe & dad are keeping me company.

mmm smartie blizzard icecream cake

my gift from phoebe. "get on your snuggieeeeeeee!"

chips found another use for the snuggie box

all in all, it was a great birthday! i'm sure you can tell that from the pictures!!

the lorica

i bind unto myself today
the gift to call on the trinity
the saving faith where I can say
"come three in one, oh one in three"

be above me as high as the noon-day sun
be below me, the rock i set my feet upon
be beside me, the wind on my left & right
be behind me & circle me with your truth & light

i bind unto myself today
the love of angels & seraphim
the prayers & prophesies of saints
the words & deeds of righteous men

God's ear to hear me
God's hand to guide me
God's might to uphold me
God's shield to hide me
against all powers deceiving
against my own unbelieving
whether near or far

i bind unto myself today
the hope to rise from the dust of earth
the songs of nature giving praise
to Father, Spirit, Living Word

be above me as high as the noon-day sun

be below me, the rock i set my feet upon

be beside me, the wind on my left & right

be behind me & circle me with your truth & light

i bind unto myself today
the gift to call on the trinity

steve bell sings this song on his cd "devotion" - i know he didn't write it, but i don't have the name infront of me right now. either way, you should buy the cd & listen to it

i find this song empowering
i often listen to it on repeat
or sing it to myself
i wish i could play the guitar like steve bell
but for now i'll settle with just listening to him

when my grandma went into the hospital i wrote the words of the chorus on a card & brought it to her. i remember sitting on her bed & i asked her if i could read her what i had written. she of course said yes! i told her it was a prayer of hope for both her & i. "that God will be above us, as high as the noon-day sun. that he'll be below us. and be the rock that we set our feet upon. we can claim in truth that he will be beside us, like the wind on the left & right. he'll be behind us, and circle us with his truth & light"

we have the privilege & the choice each day to "bind unto myself today" the gift to call on the trinity. to call on God. to claim his promises. not only to thank him for another day of grace but to live in it like you really truly know it & believe it that his grace is for ME. and you :)

why do i find it so much easier to live in my own guilt & frustrations? forgetting to call out? there is the saying "you always want what you can't have" but in this case.. i can have it!

come three in one. one in three.
lets try to live through the words of the lorica.

twenty six

i'm 26.
officially, as of 4:20pm yesterday.
26 is kind of a funny age
nothing really to get worked up about
or stressed out over
i joked with my brother that at least i wasn't turning 29 like he did ;)
26
has a nice ring to it
i was married on the 26th day of september
26
i'm very different than i was at 6. and 16. even than i was at 20 or 23. infact, i feel like a very different person than i was at this point last year.

i'm going to post some of my favorite pictures from my 'birthday week' once it's over (we're celebrating with mike's family on saturday) but for now, i thought i'd reflect on 26 things about the past year & who i am becoming!

1. i have officially spent a full year loving, snuggling & smooching my 2nd nephew everett. if you want to learn how deeply you can love, become an auntie! he is really my favorite person in the world!
2. last year at this time i had my emergency gall bladder removal surgery. happy to not have to worry about any more attacks, but sadly, it's made me enjoy coffee (and acid reflux) much less (not like i ever liked acid reflux... i think you know what i mean)
3. i had 3 different jobs within the last year. as a customer service rep at a book publisher, a recreation therapist at a care home & a secretary at a baptist church.
4. i have found a job that i LOVE. today i came to work an hour & a half early (we are down to 1 car this week.. so it's taken some adjusting... and michael could only drop me off at 7:30am) and i didn't even mind! i was actually quite proud of the progress i had made by my regular start time of 9. being a church secretary is wonderful.
5. i have started to write more (especially on here) and i find that writing really helps me put my thoughts together. sometimes i start typing, with no idea where i'm going with it, and suddenly my thoughts have magically been put into words.
6. i finally admitted that i need help. i spent a large part of the last year in a haze, having forgotten who i was, and really just falling apart. this has been humbling. and healing.
7. to go with the last point, i took the first anti-depressants in my life. i have found what life is like when the dose is too high & i become numb. but thankfully i have found what life is like when the right dose can level out the chemicals in my body & i can be ME.
8. in the last year i travelled to ontario & bc to see 2 dear friends of mine marry 2 wonderful men. 
9. i have learned how to communicate better with michael. in this last year we have laughed more than all the years before combined. we have found a wonderful rhythm in our marriage and i am SO thankful for him every day.
10. i bought my first ever BRAND NEW car. 'tucker' our 2010 hyundai tucson. he suckered me in with his dual sunroofs...
11. we made the tough choice this year to start pursuing a new church home. we have really been loving the open arms of the church we have started attending. and we're thankful for a fresh start.
12. this year i spent many hours singing to my grandma. chatting with her. teasing her. doing "mind exercises" with her (aka word find puzzles). praying with her. and missing her.
13. i took over 2000 pictures of my dear everett. a little much?? nah.
14. this year i camped with mike's family on probably the coldest weekend ever. i am a 'cabin' girl, but i do love a good weekend or two roughing it in a tent. it is always wonderful to camp with the thiessens!
15. this year we were able to take another wonderful trip away to warmer lands with my family. nothing beats sipping pina coladas with your feet dangling in an infinity pool, with the ocean on the horizon and the sun spilling over your shoulders.. and robbie doing "sexy poses" in the background... ok, maybe robbie was a bit much. 
16. is anyone still reading this?
17. this year i tried many new recipes. both sweet & savory. i love to bake & cook, especially if i can share it with people i love!
18. this year i officially quit facebook, and officially committed to pursuing deeper relationships with my handful of wonderful friends (including my family of course!)
19. this year i received MUCH support from my family. and feel like i have been getting to know my siblings in a much deeper and personal way. not sure where i'd be without them.
20. i got my nose pierced!
21. i have felt challenged in my faith. realizing it is a daily choice to live for christ & that "being a christian" needs to actual be a verb, not just a statement. realizing that i hate apathy, but am often guilty of it.
22. this year i have washed the dishes, cooked, baked & watched tv in my own home, naked. much to the shock of my sister leah ;)
23. i have embraced the fact that i LOVE taking baths. and i take one every other day. and normally watch an episode of either the office or gilmore girls. thanks to my hubby who sets up the laptop on a bench in the bathroom for me.
24. i have become even more of a crazy cat person. and i tell way to many stories where they are the main character. sorry about that.
25. i have been really embracing our house as our home. it was strange to me for awhile because i had been in our house when it belonged to friends of ours. so, slowly but surely i have been painting & doing some changes to help it feel more like OUR house. we are very fortunate for such a lovely place to live.
26. i finally got my piano tuned. after 25+ years of no tuning. and have spent many hours playing on it, and singing to my hearts content.

26. a good sounding number.

a good year ahead.

here is a sneak peek of my favorite birthday pictures:

melon-y springtime.

its another grey day
sometimes i think that the sun actual shines brighter on grey days
the sky may be dull looking, but my living room is bright with day light

and a fresh coat of paint!

i decided that my living room was probably jealous of my kitchen's fresh new look. so i picked a paint chip & had michael bring me home a can of paint called "springtime" - or as I call it, a wonderful shade of melon-y honeydew. a week later, everything is back in place and the day light is spilling through the window onto my wonderfully green living room.

it's been a full monday already. coffee & banana bread with my sis - phoebe. laundry & sister-wives watching with carmyn. lunch & birthday cake with audrey & carmyn. and now i have some beautiful new earrings, and some beautiful pink mums. love it. hopefully i'll have a visit from shauna & joel this afternoon & my goal is to make salted caramels. however, i may just lounge - sipping tea & soaking up the comfort of a grey day.

the before picture - michael wanted me to keep the furniture like this, because it was fun to lay on the couch when they were pushed together like a mega couch!

after!

and this last picture is to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my bestests. my dear EM. i can't wait to celebrate together in May!!

enjoy.

does anyone else love rain?
dreary grey days?

i love it.
i love the way the air feels when you step outside.
the way the sky blends into one color.
the sound of the rain drops hitting the window.
driving through puddles.
wearing rubber boots.

something about rain is comforting & refreshing to me.
i really do think i could live somewhere that it rained more than it was sunny. (don't get me wrong, i do love the sun, but there isn't the same comfort for me as there is in rain... except if i'm on holidays at the beach, then bring on the sun!)

it is a calm refreshing day.
i am feeling more myself these days.
not fully together, or "back to normal"
but definitely seeing glimpses of myself again.
increased energy & ambition.

i painted my living room. a beautiful green.
it reminds me of honeydew. and the color is called "springtime"
it may be a bit too bright.. but it's refreshing to me.

i'm planning on going back to cmu.
not for much.. just 4 more classes.
i am going to "redeem" my unfinished degree.
2 music history classes. 1 biology class. 1 integrative studies course.
and voila! a 4 year bachelor of arts with a major in music (and mini minors in spanish, bible, psychology & biology, ha! hows that for well rounded??)

i'm realizing i need to be careful not to over compensate.
feeling more myself does not mean jump at every opportunity & take on a million things.
i still need to rest. (thanks christine for your latest blog post.. it was a GOOD reminder for me)
to sit at the feet of Jesus.
to be silent.
to pause & enjoy.

i have the word ENJOY as big wooden letters. it was up in my living room & hasn't gone up yet since i painted, but the room looks incomplete without it. it is such a good reminder.

ENJOY.
relax.
pause.
rest.
& watch the rain!

**on another note of resting & enjoying - we are officially going to BC! michael & phoebe & i are going for a visit. i am so excited!

truth.

the bravest thing

my dear sister leah gave me this card that i have in my wallet
i put it in the see through slot that normally contains your id
or a picture

i think it is a beautiful quote
and definitely an encouragement for me as i continue on this journey of trying to fully figure out who i am, who i want to be, where i've been & where i'm going. and trying to own it as best i can!

hopefully it can encourage you as well. xo

when the man comes around

And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder: One of the four beasts saying: "Come and see." And I saw. And behold, a white horse. 
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names. An' he decides who to free and who to blame. Everybody won't be treated all the same. There'll be a golden ladder reaching down. When the man comes around. 
The hairs on your arm will stand up. At the terror in each sip and in each sup. Will you partake of that last offered cup, Or disappear into the potter's ground. When the man comes around. 
Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come. 
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree. The virgins are all trimming their wicks. The whirlwind is in the thorn tree. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 
Till Armageddon, no Shalam, no Shalom. Then the father hen will call his chickens home. The wise men will bow down before the throne. And at his feet they'll cast their golden crown. When the man comes around. 
Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still. Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still. Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still. Listen to the words long written down, When the man comes around. 
Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come. 
the man comes around : johnny cash


today is the 1st birthday of a special little boy, the first son of friends of ours. we're going to celebrate his birthday on saturday, and he is truly sweet.


maybe a strange transition from the song lyrics above? maybe. or maybe not.


my heart is really missing another special little boy today. a special little boy that God took to be with him before i could ever drench him in my "auntie" love. something about this morning reminds me of the morning of jay's funeral. the crispness of the air. the peace in my heart - peace that was intermingled with despair. i don't think you can ever understand how those things can co-exist until you feel it for yourself. 
i remember people asking me about Jay and telling me just how beautiful they thought he was. i could still remember what he felt like in my arms & how his skin was so perfect and had that wonderful baby smell. each curl of his hair. his tiny shoulders. i remember realizing how amazing it was to have a family that is as close as ours. i realize this isn't the case for everyone, and i am so grateful for what we have. i remember walking to the graveside as a family, listening to the above song by Johnny Cash. 


the man came around. the father hen called his special little Jay home.  the hairs on my arms stood up. there was a whirlwind in my heart. 
and i could picture jay in heaven. singing his hallelujahs & playing. 
hear the trumpets
hear the pipers
one hundred million angels singing...

dark chocolate?

do you ever find yourself doing something and then stop & think to yourself "ummm when did i start doing this?"

that happened to me today when i finished sending a picture of one of my cats to michael's blackberry. i thought to myself "when did i become a crazy cat person?" then it occurred to me.. i've always been a crazy cat lady, i just never let it out! ha!

another one: the other day i came home from shopper's drug mart and realized that i had bought dark chocolate. "when did i start liking dark chocolate?" i am definitely more of a milk chocolate kind of girl, but there is this dark chocolate that michael's mom introduced me too and mmm so delish.

is dark chocolate tasty? yes. is this picture attractive? no!

new discoveries & old discoveries. it's fun being surprised by yourself!

today i decided to open a new chapter & do something i've never done before. i visited my mom at work (no, that's not the first!) and gave blood! when i got there my pulse was too high so i had to wait a little longer, also my african born hubby almost got me in trouble when i had to answer  yes to the questions that they expect you to say no to! but once i finally started to give my blood away it was over fairly quickly. apparently i'm quite the natural - probably another thing i inherited from my grandpa klassen :)

i have also been doing some thinking lately... about re-opening up a chapter of my life that i considered finished.. and re-writing the ending.  i made a couple of phone calls & emails.. so we'll see where that goes. i realize this is cryptic, but its just in the beginning stages of an idea.. so we'll see...

i'm also itching to paint again. i brought home an arm full of paint chips & magazines... so we'll see if my living room gets a makeover sooner than later ;)

my favorite chords

march is my favorite month
even though it is often blustery & unpredictable
it means the end of winter & the start of spring
also, my birthday is in march! (when i deleted my facebook the other day, i wondered how many of my friends would remember my birthday... oh well)

sometimes it is fun to just sit and think about things that are your favorite
favorites are things that you love to have around
things that don't always fit into the "norm" of what you normally like
but they are extra special
sometimes for no reason something becomes a favorite.

i have 2 favorite sweaters/hoodies that i wear around the house
one is white with a design in a baby pink color. it has monkeys on it, and some weird "beach" catch phrase or something. the sleeves are too short, the letters are falling off, it's kind of ugly quite frankly, but i love it. it's my favorite.
it reminds me of being in florida with my family.
on that trip, i was determined to buy a white hoodie, because "i needed it"
so my dad & i started hunting through the stores until voila!
we stumbled upon this white hoodie. with an ugly design. and it wasn't the right size (hence the sleeves that are too short) but we had hunted everywhere, and there was something strangely endearing about it. so my dad bought it for me. and i love wearing it. normally i put it on as soon as i get home from work.
my other favorite is this turquoise "sweater" (like a hoodie with no hood) with 3 reindeer on the front, in christmas stockings, holding a banner that says "seasons greetings" and they are that plasticy, bubbly kind of substance.. very 90's. i got it at a thrift store & it is soooo soft. it is definitely a favorite, and when i'm not wearing the white hoodie, i'm wearing the turquoise one.

another favorite. electronic sudoku. for whatever reason, i can play that for hours.

tv shows about designers & fashion. when quite honestly, i can NOT design, i don't really care that much about fashion, AND often i disagree with the judges. regardless, i love watching those shows, much to the dismay of my hubby.

another favorite (that actually got me thinking about this topic) is the band "the weakerthans"
they are a winnipeg band, and I have liked them since i was introduced to them in grade 10. i have seen them play live about 5 times, and one time was this special "extra" show that they put on. there were only 50 of us in the venue (which felt like sitting in a big living room) and my friends & i snuggled up on a blanket on the floor & soaked up the poetic lyrics, soothing guitar & unique voices of the band. whenever i listen to them i feel like i'm on a roadtrip, driving in the car with all of my favorite people sleeping peacefully while i hum along. or i feel like cozying up on a couch with a big fleecy blanket, watching the snow fall & sipping peppermint mochas. it stirs up memories of highschool & sod. it gets me thinking about what exactly the lyrics mean (they are poetic & often mysterious). and almost always inspires me to write poetry again. (or continue writing i suppose)

favorites. wonderful favorites. what are yours?

here are the lyrics of one of my favorite weakerthans songs. fittingly titled "my favorite chords"

they're tearing up streets again, they're building a new hotel
the mayors out killing kids to keep taxes down
me & my anger sit, folding a paper bird
letting the curtains turn to beating wings
wish i had a socket set to dismantle this morning
just one pair of clean socks, & a photo of you.


when you get off work tonight, meet me at the construction site
we'll write some notes to tape to the heavy machines
like "we hope they treat you well" "hope you don't work too hard"
"we hope you get to be happy sometimes"
bring your swiss army knife & a bottle of something
i'll bring some spraypaint & a new deck of cards


hey i found the safest place, to keep all our tenderness
keep all those bad ideas, keep all our hope
it's here in the smallest bones, the feet & the inner ear
it's such an enormous thing, to walk & to listen
and i'd like to fall asleep to the beat of you breathing
in a room near a truckstop on a highway somewhere


you are a radio, you are an open door
i am a faulty string of blue christmas lights
you swim through frequencies, you let that stranger in
as i'm blinking off & on, and off again
we've got a lot of time. or maybe we don't.
i'd like to think so... so let me pretend.


these are my favorite chords, i know you like them too
when i get a new guitar, you can have this one
sing me a lullaby, sing me the alphabet
sing me a story I haven't heard yet.

face free

i have officially deleted my facebook
(so did michael)

during my facebook fast, i realized that not many people contacted me on facebook, and i ended up having more time to do other things, both on the internet & not on the internet. i realized how much time i would spend going through people's photo albums, or creeping on their conversations.

i think facebook is a cool thing - watching the social network movie showed how smart the creator of it was - but it's sad to me that it has cheapened some of my relationships, made me frustrated with other relationships, and felt further away from other people - meaning that i would read something about them that they posted publically on facebook that was semi-private and they had never told me that before.

with where i am at in life right now, i feel too fragile for facebook. like i don't know how to use it in a healthy way. i spent too much time comparing relationships, and that never made me feel good! so, i'm not placing judgement on anyone for still using it, because i really do think that at it's core, it's a really fun tool & it helps connect you with people that may otherwise have fallen off your radar.

but i miss the days when my friends would come over to see my photo albums, instead of quickly browsing through my pictures on fb. i miss getting a good, old fashioned invitation in the mail to a party, rather than seeing an "event page". i miss those 'old fashioned' things.

one of the hard things is.. i think that i may get missed on invite lists. or miss hearing about certain details of people's lives that they'll think i know, assuming i'm on facebook! i guess this is a good challenge for me to make sure i take the time to spend with people i care about, asking them about things & showing them my photos in person :)

so - i hope that no one just thinks i "unfriended" them. i am just completely 100% off of it.

my friend audrey sent me these pictures that she made of me yesterday (she was productively working from home, hehehe) - and we joked that since i didn't have a facebook, i couldn't "make it my profile picture" SO i'm posting them on here instead.

from myself & my cartoon self - have a wonderful thursday!!

weeping

heal my heart & make it clean

open up my eyes to the things unseen

show me how to love like You have loved me

break my heart for what breaks Yours

everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause

as I walk from earth into eternity

hosanna - hillsong united

this song has been in my head all morning, and it came to my head last night as i was falling asleep. last night before i finally went to bed, michael & i spent a lot of time talking about things that make our hearts hurt. pain in our own lives, pain in the lives of friends & family around us, pain in the world. i spent a lot of time just laying on our bed & crying, with puffy red eyes & red blotches around my eyes, cheeks & lips (when i really cry hard, it looks like i was punched all over my face! so attractive...)

my heart hurts for broken relationships. abandoned dreams. strongholds. sinful natures. evil forces over our minds & actions. miscommunication. judgement. arrogance. pride. shame. hurt. and as i was naming some of those things michael asked the good question about which traits we see in our own lives & struggle with. if we sit at home complaining about things going on around us, how are we any different??

over the past 2, almost 3 years, my heart has grown more cynical, and that is NOT an endearing trait about me! there are times when michael & i drive away from places & i say, "when did i become so unkind??" that is so not who i want to be.

last night as i was journaling after we talked, i was struck by the idea that these are truly the things that break God's heart. how often do i cry over the hurts & situations in the lives of myself & those around me... and it is that much more hard for God, who is PERFECT. i cry for these things knowing that i am just as sinful, just as broken. but God, he knows perfect peace. how his heart must ache.

the first night after Jay died, I remember trying to sleep, but i felt like my heart was physically aching. like i could feel it break.

God really does want our hearts to break over the things that break his heart. to not shy away from conflict or pain, but to pray for those situations, to cry with people & for people.

to provide love not judgement.
patience not pride.
compassion, not arrogance.
care, not a cold shoulder.

but again, it's a fine line. allowing my heart to break, but still walking strong in faith & trust. how do you walk forward when the hurt feels so hopeless & debilitating?

praying for perfect peace.

pizza & painting

we had a full & wonderful weekend
filled with pizza & painting

i love to paint
i love that it changes the look of a room
and you can feel like you made huge improvements in a few hours!

on saturday we went over to the home of our dear friends, russ & lisa. my job was to paint their eldest sons room with lisa, michael's job was to spend the day hanging out with russ & the boys. so, off lisa & i went, first to starbucks and then to rona. soon after, we were painting his room a beautiful silvery grey color.  marcus came by within 30 minutes asking us if we were done yet! wouldn't that have been lovely? lisa & i spent the day painting in that room, talking about everything & anything. it was good to be able to visit for so long. russ, michael & the boys played computer games, mini sticks & eventually went to the golf dome for mini golf.  when we were done our 2 coats of paint, lisa & i braved the cold for a walk to tim hortons for "roll up the rim" mochas. we sat there watching the sky turn from light to dark. then we went back to the house to spend time around the table enjoying some delicious pizza. marcus & simon continued to make us  laugh, and it was just so good to spend the day with them. simon even took the time to explain to me "how his brain works" - that kid can always make me laugh. next was mini cupcakes, wipeout, bed time & then some parks & recreation watching. it is always so relaxing at their home and i love that. i hope my home can always be somewhere that friends can come & feel relaxed and at home.

the next day we had the opportunity to paint with 2 of our other favorite people - josh & leah. we are SO excited that soon they will be living just minutes from our house. how perfect! it is so nice to paint with multiple people. each of us had a job, and within a couple of hours the downstairs rec room had transformed. we had good conversations, good music, good pizza & good beer. we love to be with our family, and their new home already feels relaxed & homey to me.

to top off a wonderful weekend, i got to spend a couple hours with the sweetest boy around, my nephew Everett! Leah dropped him off to hang out with me at my house. it was so fun to have him over! we found a million different things to do, but by far my favorite moments were playing at the piano with him, and snuggling with him on the couch as he was getting sleepy. i simply love that boy.

pizza, painting & people. how wonderful.