day 30: you, then

this is me
in all my pink loving glory
one halloween many years ago
this picture just makes me laugh


that's it - 30 days of september
30 pictures
more work than it sounds like it would be
hope you enjoyed it! :)

day 29: errand

clearing snow 

i suppose it is more of a "chore" than an errand

(or for michael - who owns a snow clearing business, I guess it's just work)

and this picture is very old

BUT I thought it would be a cute one to represent us doing the "errand" of snow clearing

this picture is from the first winter that we were dating

and now we've been married 4 years

and I'm glad there is no snow on the ground.. yet.

day 28: a good thing

a sister in law that is just a sister (who needs the "in law" title?)

a sister who is a best friend

having two of these sisters

a good thing!

day 27: love/hate

love/hate

i LOVE this picture

it makes me laugh

my dad wanted us (him, myself & my cousin Amanda) to do our "facebook pose"

he was convinced that this is how everyone poses on facebook

this picture also brings me back to my wedding rehearsal

since that's where it was taken

such a fun and wonderful day

so.. hate?

well, i hate that my cousin amanda lives far away!

she moved to Toronto

and I'm happy for her and everything

but really.. it's not here!

4 years and many more to come

us and our 4 sweet ring bearers - kieran, simon, jackson and marcus - and simon is holding a little stuffed animal blue jay since we had Jay as our honorary ring bearer)

 today is my 4th wedding anniversary
4 years ago I married my best friend
and every day since then I have fallen more in love with him
enjoyed his friendship more
found out new things about him
learned how to become a better wife
and have been loving life with him beside me!
this is our last anniversary as a family of 2
next year we will have a baby with us on our annivesary!
we were talking about it when we went out for breakfast today and it is surreal
we are very blessed and very thankful for all that we have
here are some pictures from our wedding & our honeymoon

this is when we went quading in a mexican jungle

hanging out on our balcony on our cruise ship

our rings!

me and my beautiful bridesmaids

here we are- newly married!

our cake toppers - made by Carolyn Fuchs - I still day dream about having another piece of this cake...

happy anniversary Michael. I love you more every day!

day 26: near

near

i love this picture

it is NEAR to my heart

auntie ashley & uncle mikey looking on to the sweetest little christmas present

the christmas of 2009

sweet little Everett John

but the other meaning of NEAR with this picture

is that Christmas is near (whether or not you like counting down this early - i do!)

and the other thing that is near - soon we will be gazing on a cute little baby again

like we are in this picture

but it will be OUR BABY.

6 weeks to go (or more, or less..)

but it is getting NEAR!

day 25: frame

frame

for todays picture I'm picking one that I think is "frame-worthy"

this is my family - the one I married into, but feel like I was always part of

2 Christmases ago I bought us some party crackers

complete with these crowns

and we decided to take family pictures

my dear hubby likes to always be different

so for the "serious" picture, he was crazy

and for this "crazy" one, he was normal.

he certainly is the baby of the family - can get away with anything!

day 24: 3 things

3 things

well, in this picture there are 3 of my favorite people

they aren't 'things' but there are 3 of them

hanging out the 4 of us is one of my favorite things to do

i love having siblings that are friends as well as family

3 things - leah, josh & michael

the best!

day 23: before bedtime

before bedtime -
we brush our teeth
we wash our faces
we watch an episode of one of our favorite shows
we hug and kiss 3 times (one for me, one for mike, one for the baby)
and we fall asleep.

day 22: up

so, these 2 photos are something that never fails to cheer me UP. and that is how it qualifies to fit under the title "up".
my friend audrey & I used to work together and we were at a work conference when we took these pictures and the day had been a bit.. long.
hope they cheer you UP too

day 21: sometimes

sometimes

sometimes i take pictures of myself

sometimes i find really good lighting

sometimes my eyes are big and extra blue

sometimes i take the time to curl my hair

and sometimes, just sometimes I am not a blonde

this picture was one of those sometimes

day 20: man made

one of my favorite man made things - my piano. I am so grateful that my Grandparents saw how much I loved music and gifted me with this piano. I think of them everytime I play it. It is one of my favorite places to be. By myself or with family or friends. Playing worship songs or just random songs. Writing music and playing music written by my friends. 

I'm not the greatest piano player, but I play with a real love for music, and I am so thankful to have this "man-made" item in my possession. 

day 19: underneath

underneath that belly of mine is a place that I am seeing less and less of. my toes are not something that I can see easily and I may or may not have become a bit out of breath taking this picture (it didn't help that I attempted to paint my toenails prior!)

soon I'll be able to see them again, but I'll be too busy staring at a cute little baby!

day 18: price

price - well these days I'm spending most of my money on adorable baby clothes and baby "gear" - it is the funnest kind of mail to get when you have ordered something online! since it's online it doesn't list the actual price on these tags, but they are still price tags right? :)

If only I could show you the clothes that belong to these tags...

day 17: in my fridge

These days I'm trying to fill my fridge with healthy foods, trying to feed my baby the right things, but hey.. it's autumn and autumn means pumpkin, so... if you look into my fridge you will see the tastiest treat - pumpkin spice latte cupcakes. want one? come on over!!

day 16: strange

strange - well, what is strange to me might not be strange to you, and vice versa. For this picture I decided to let you in on one of my favorite thing - which some people may find strange, but I find wonderful :)

I call every other day "bath day" - where I fill up my tub to the brim with wonderfully warm water (I've had to make it a bit cooler since being pregnant), set up my little table with my laptop and some DVDs (currently the first season of Parenthood), getting an ice cold glass of water, and settling in for a good 30-45 minutes :) Best part of my day!!

day 15: first thing you see

the first thing I see every morning is this - my alarm clock showing the magic number: 7:53 - the perfect time so that I can hit my snooze (7 minutes) at not actually have to get up till after 8!

day 14: favorite

todays picture is one of my most favorite pictures

I first saw it when we were going through old pictures of my Grandma, trying to put together a slide show for her funeral.

I love it because it is old and I love seeing her kitchen from years ago.
I love it because it shows her at her finest - hosting and fussing over everyone.
I love it because it isn't posed or staged.

I love it because it seems to transport me into that moment.
I love it because in a weird way, looking at it makes me miss her less. But also more.

It is one of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite people ever.

on a random side note - the date puts this picture at August 1958, so my Dad would have just been born 6 months before this picture. 

day 13: table

here is a little confession - michael and I almost never sit at our table.

we decided that until we had kids (and had to pretend to be more proper for their sakes.. ha!) we would eat wherever we felt like it. So we normally sit in the living room on the couches. I know some people wouldn't agree with that, but hey.. it's how we roll and it works for us :)

Plus, our kitchen is also our dining room and there is really no room to pull our table out from against the wall (although we make it work when we have people over)... and... I tend to store way too many things on the table anyway.

But, when I think of a table I think of all kinds of things - doing homework, having company over, rolling out dough, planning our house plans.. etc. But my favorite thing is, time around the table with our families. It is fun to sit around the table and share a meal, to sit for hours and have coffee and conversation. to celebrate birthdays and open gifts. to make announcements. etc The table is a place for fellowship and that is a good thing.

This picture is from my brother's 30th birthday - I took on his meal, and made him bbq chicken with rice and fruit salsa (a "drunk" version - with rum - and a normal fruit version for those who do not eat rum with their meal - like everett). This picture reminds me of a very fun evening being with my family and sharing a meal. plus, Josh & Leah have grandma & grandpa's old dining room table, and that table reminds me of many family dinners and conversations. memories!

day 12: together

when I think of the word together I think of my favorite person in the world - my hubby Michael.
when I want to be with no one at all, I still want to be with him
and when I think of my favorite times, they are when I am together with him.

4 years ago we started our official married life together
and we will spend the rest of our lives together
learning new things together
working through our struggles together
celebrating together
growing our family together

together!

This picture is from the day of one of our favorite days together - the morning of our ultrasound!

day 11: hero

todays picture is of someone who I would call one of my "heros"
my dear mom - joy esther klassen

my mom is one of my heros for a number of reasons
she has taught me to always have time for family, and she models this
she has taught me not to take life too seriously, but to take my faith very seriously
she has taught me to be flexible and to look for the fun in life
she has taught me to use my gifts and abilities, and how to encourage that in others as well

she has started her own business (sugar-n-spice daycare with poppa) and also showed wisdom in knowing when to leave that career (not an easy choice after 25+ years somewhere!)
she worked and served as a pastor, and was an example of a pastor who leads by example and values relationship and encouragement, as well as a firm understanding in the bible and a solid relationship with Jesus.

she makes time and space to listen for God on a daily basis and isn't afraid to share that with others
she is bold in her faith but gentle in her approach

she has taught me how to host a good get together and how to make a home feel cozy and inviting

she has shown me what it is like to really follow God's leading - selling their family home, leaving a job, using all their finances toward what they feel God is calling them (and our family) to

she has shown me how to be real with my emotions - laughing and crying freely
she is a mentor, a friend, a faith partner, a mom, a granny, a sister, a daughter and much more!

she has shown me how to still show your husband that you love him, even after being married for 34 years.

she has taught me how to forgive and how to continually work at being gracious.

she is my mom and I want to be like her and love her so much!!

day 10: black & white

todays picture was an easy choice. yesterday I went to sunnyside with josh & leah and their boys to take some family pictures of them, and today I had time to go through them all and "edit" them as much as needed (not much, they are such an easy family to photograph!!)

this picture is one of my favorites, josh & roger. I love seeing my brother as a dad, he is a natural. and roger is probably the worlds happiest baby, and it is always wonderful to be around him!

here is a link to my photography blog if you want to see any others from yesterday.

also - happy birthday to my wonderful friend Jo! I hope Luke & Jameson are spoiling you with love!

day 9: what I do most weekends

What do I do most weekends? Well, in the summer we try to get to the cabin as often as we can, so.. most weekends! this summer has been a bit more full that other ones, but whenever we have had the chance, we make the short drive out to the lake and settle in for a relaxing weekend. 

we love going to the lake to spend time with family, to relax, to read, to go for walks and to go on the water! Michael loves being in the water, swimming, boating and especially wake boarding. I'm not a huge fan of wakeboarding (i can get up, get in and out of the wake - most times - but I would never be one to do "jumps" or "tricks" and in all honesty, I'd much rather sit in the boat and watch!) I love taking pictures of Michael and seeing him accomplish new tricks on the water. 

So most weekends in the summer, we try to get out to the lake for moments like these!

day 8: at night

i wish i had a really nice night time picture
a picture of a summer bonfire
a sky full of stars
a walk around our neighbourhood
something like that!
but, apparently I'm too busy enjoying those things to stop and take a picture (and I'm really ok with that!)

so here is a picture of what its like around here most evenings.
we have 2 of the snuggliest cats, and when michael & I are in for the evening, relaxing, chatting, watching tv or whatever, the cats love to hunker down with us and fall asleep. they like to be where we are, and often they get very comfortable, and fall asleep in some funny positions! but quite typically, most nights the cats are just sprawled out as much as possible.

so.. here is what the nights around here look like.

day 7: natural

todays picture is "natural"
and what is natural for me? well, a few things come to mind!

I have always been a natural baker. I find it relaxing and fun to create in the kitchen (both baking and cooking, but baking it always tastier in my opinion). The mess doesn't bother me, and I love seeing all these random ingredients turn into a warm & delicious product.
another thing that is natural for me - being an auntie!! I love being an auntie to 3 sweet boys - jay, everett & roger. I love hanging out with the boys and hearing ev say things like, "oh auntie, you want to cuddle?" and i love watching rogie laugh and learning new skills.
so, what else could be the perfect picture today than these two -
spending some time with one of my favorite nephews - everett, while the two of us bake up some tasty concoction.

This is natural!

day 6: every day

so todays picture is supposed to be about something I do every day..
well, there aren't a ton of things I do EVERY day... I wake up every day, I eat every day, I hang out with Michael every day etc. so I'm making a bit of a stretch with these pictures, as they are something I do most days.

picture 1:
my office - this is the view I have 4 days of the week. I love my office, it is cute and cozy and personal. plus I have two computers, a mac and a pc, so I get the best of both computer worlds. plus it makes me feel like I work somewhere cool that I have to have 2 screens at all times..

picture 2:

This one is more of an every day occurrence. As the weeks are winding down to the end of this pregnancy (9 weeks left till my due date, notice that the number of weeks is down to single digits!) I`m starting to read more and more about labor, delivery, infant care and breastfeeding. with most of my reading time going to the labor and breastfeeding parts. I like to be prepared and informed and I`ve found a couple of books that I enjoy, and I`m trying not to go looking for other things to read. So, every day I read a little bit. The other thing in this picture that is an every day occurrence is the fact that my cat, Chandler, has to be with me at ALL TIMES. More specifically, he has to be on my belly at all times. I think he`s trying to make sure I remember he was there before any baby ever was. He`s a wee bit territorial.. but I kinda love it.

day 5: bright

so todays photo title is "bright"
I found myself looking for bright things all day. And to me, bright normally means some type of neon color. but then I thought, it could also be bright as in smart... or a really bright light or something else.
in the end, I went for color :)

I couldn't decide between 2 photos, so i am using both.
I must say, it does hurt my 'photographic eye' (if I have earned the right to call it that) when I use my blackberry camera, because the photos are grainier and just not as good. however, I am not sure where the cord is for my actual camera, and I'm a bit too zonked this late in the evening (when did 8pm become late?! somewhere in the 5th month of pregnancy I think...) to look for it, so, we are all stuck with these grainy blackberry pictures. one more reason to purchase an iphone eventually I suppose (or just be a bit more organized and know where i put the cord..)

enough chatter. here are the 2 pictures.

bright #1
my favorite thing as of late - smoothies. I buy the big bags of frozen fruit from costco, throw it all in the bullet with some OJ and water, and 30 seconds later - voila - delightful bliss.

bright #2
the view at my front door. I have these bright fake flowers that I keep on the dresser at our entrance way. they are obviously fake, but wonderful nonetheless. I may even keep them up year round... nah, I'll probably swap them out for something christmasy because while bright things are a sign of happiness, so is some christmas bliss. in the picture is also a picture my brother gave me from new york,  some cards from friends (some people still send snail mail and I am always so thankful to receive it), and my chalkboard where I write verses and other things.

hope you are having a bright day :)

a photo a day

I have been feeling like I am not using my camera enough these days..
I love taking photos, so I figured why not do a "photo a day" post for the month of september?
I realize that I'm behind, since it's September 4th today, but I'll just catch up now, and then post once a day for the rest of the month.

Here is the list that I'm going to do:
1. You, now
2. Father
3. Far away
4. In my mailbox/postbox
5. Bright
6. Every day
7. Natural
8. At night
9. Something you do most weekends
10. Black & White
11. Hero
12. Together
13. Table
14. Favorite
15. First thing you see
16. Strange
17. In my fridge
18. Price
19. Underneath
20. Man-made
21. Sometimes
22. Up
23. Before bedtime
24. 3 Things
25. Frame
26. Near
27. Love/Hate
28. A good thing
29. Errand
30. You, then

So... here we go!

Day 1: You, now
 just shopping at old navy, one of my favorite past times.

Day 2: Father

The "soon to be" father - just less than 2 months till our due date! This was us on a little cruise to the lake in Josh & Leah's convertible. 

Day 3: Far away

two of our favorite people - tom & em - are much too far away since they live in BC! This picture also makes me crave ethiopian food... 

Day 4: In my mailbox/postbox

This one is a bit of a stretch... but those 2 cute little stuffed animals that are sitting in the nursery are one of the many things that I have ordered online and received in my mailbox! online baby shopping is too much fun. Last week I got my monitor in the mail, this week I'm waiting for some sleep sacks and a few other fun things!

happy september!!