Life Lately

My 3rd pie...key lime this time! The reason for this pie was that Jon and I went to my parents' for the Super Bowl last Sunday, and they were serving Taco Salad. In consideration of the Mexican theme (more like, my labelling of a Mexican theme), I thought a key lime pie would fit in nicely. And it did. I'm not really sure when or if I'll stop updating on the pie making...only time will tell.

Here are some happenings from the last couple weeks:
- Ayla (Alissa) and Gavin's (Sabrina) baby shower. Wow those babies are cute! It was fun propping them up beside one another and taking pictures of them, and holding them of course.
- Roger, (then pregnant) Kelly, and Cadance's visit --they now have another baby girl, Addyson Lee
- Movie watching with Jon: we saw a now favourite, "Born into Brothels." A must see documentary. Click here if you want to know more about it!
- Liam turned 9 (holy crap!) ... I started respite with him when he was 3.
- I marked 73 papers for a prof
- Handed in my application for a school division in Winnipeg (worked my butt off on my resume and cover letter!) ...and also finished my teaching portfolio
- Went shopping with Janessa
- Have been using the U of W insurance coverage for massages
- Had a mock interview with the principal at my practicum school (so helpful!)
- The beginnings of Alicia and Rob's wedding social are in place...everyone come! It's on April 4th.
- Went salsa dancing (and tango dancing) with Steph and Kara which was super fun! The tragedy of the evening, however was the loss of my interview turtleneck--boo hoo! I got really hot dancing so I took my turtleneck off...someone else had a similar one, and must have accidentally taken it...hopefully I can track it down before my Winnipeg 1 School Division interview on Friday!)

And that's a bit of my life lately.

latest updates

It's been busy this last couple of weeks...and it doesn't look as though it will die down for a while. Although there has been a lot of fun stuff happening, it is also a time of schoolwork and applications (for school divisions etc.). It'll be so nice to graduate and move on! Thank goodness for the fun.

Jon and I had the pleasure of hosting a good friend of ours from Kitchener last week, from Sunday morning till Wednesday evening--Wes (many of you may remember him as the crazy dancer at our wedding!) He and his wife, Kora, are expecting a baby in April, and so he came out to visit before being an official dad. We managed to cozily fit him into our living room, and all was well. Here are a couple pictures of his time with us, one where you can see up all our noses...oh, and I made my 2nd pie while he was here..on Monday! It was awesome. Notice the pretty flower-like edges and the heart..I am so proud.

Exciting times continued as we left for Altona on Friday night, to hang out with family and to go to Denver and Janet's wedding (our last one till May!). It was a beautiful winter wedding! It was really cute, too, because Halle stood up there with Janet and Denver as they were married. Here are some pics from the night, including the hot couple themselves (as in D&J)

A productive day

Today was a wonderful day! Here are some of the reasons why:

- I got a massage (and it was a free massage because the massage therapist was 15 minutes late)
- Jon and I paid for our final semesters at the U of W
- I switched a course (my only elective) with another that I think I'll enjoy more
- Went out for lunch with Jon
- Had a nap
- Made my first "by-myself" pie! It's cherry, and it turned out to be quite the tasty pie--I think I have the knack for pies like my mom (which, if any of you have not tried her pies, are sensational). I have been wanting to bake one for a long time--now that I've made my first, I may be making many.
- Jon and I made home made pizza..and then ate it (guess what was for dessert?)

On another self-congratulatory note, I have been doing great with one of my 'resolutions' for the year, which involves swift and thorough clean ups after cooking/baking/eating/drinking. Ah.

Tomorrow will not be as leisurely as today. I'll be at school from 8:30 am to 6:10 pm. I do have a 2 hr break in the middle (where I would normally go home) but I have an appointment tomorrow and so I can't. I'm thinking that going to bed by 10 tonight would be nice.

Buenas noches.

Into the new year we go...

A new year has begun, and it's going to be a year full of change.

Jon and I both graduate this year, me with my Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education, and Jon with his Honours History Degree. No more university (for now) for me after April...but school will not be a foreign place--it will be my workplace! I am almost a certified teacher, which is very exciting! Nine weeks left of classes for me with one day/week of practicum, then 5 weeks of full practicum, and I'll be a "real" teacher!
Jon will continue with university as we move to Ontario (Hamilton or Toronto) this August, for him to complete his 1 year Master's degree in Social Canadian History. It will be an adventure to live in a new place and start working there!

We also look forward to more weddings; Jon's brother Denver and his wife-to-be, Janet, are getting married on January 19th, our friends Trev and Lacey Dawn are getting married May 10th in BC, and Alicia and Rob are getting married on July 24th.

On another note, I have seen a few movies lately, all of which I have loved. The first was the magical Enchanted. I love fairy tale type things, and this movie was basically a bunch of happy on film--what could be better? Loved it.
Tonight, Jon and I rented 2 movies as we had a 2 for 1 deal. The first one we watched is called Once, which was recommended to us by my parents. It's a musical of sorts, where two strangers find a relationship through the music they write/play together. Great movie. We also watched Ratatouille, and it was so cute! Strangely, the little rat reminded me at times of little Capo (the cuteness, of course). Anyways, I have a strangely varying taste when it comes to movies, but all three are gooders if you're ever indecisive.

Weddings, Pictures, & Things

It is official--my holidays have begun! I had a little "break" between my last two days of practicum, which were spent with my mom and sister in Fargo for some shopping. We had a great time together, and I was able to get a lot of Christmas gifts for people, as well as spend some (ok, all) of the birthday money I had received in November on myself. On our way back to Winnipeg, the trees were so frosty and lovely, that we stopped to take some pictures. The snow was super deep, and our pants/socks were at tad wet afterwards, but it was well worth it! A little adventure here and there is always fun!

Of our winter weddings, we have attended 2 and there is 1 to go before Spring! I guess this was bound to happen seeing as there were no weddings for us to attend this summer. Here is Jon and I at Matt and Karin's wedding last Sunday.

Last night was Kyle and Tiffany's wedding, and it was so beautiful! It was evident the whole evening how much love and joy was present. They have been dating for over 7 years, and now they are married! They are such a beautiful couple! Here are some pictures from their wedding...one of which includes me fulfilling my desire to one day be a guest book attendant.

As Christmas quickly approaches, my prayer is that I can keep focused and to take care of myself (I need rest!!!) and those around me. Tonight it begins. Jon and I are staying home by our tree, and plan to get a nice early sleep!




ps. Capo turned 1 year old yesterday--he is so cute!

A Break

It's been a long month! Yesterday was my last day teaching for my practicum. I will be going back this coming Thursday and Friday to make up my sick days, but I do have a nice little break in between.

Last night Jon, myself, my parents, and Jon's parents went out to see Steve Bell's "Holiday Express" with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. It was outstanding. I had the best time there, absorbing the beautiful music, allowing all my stresses to lift off. I enjoyed it so much that I cried a couple times! It was part of Jon and my Christmas gift to one another. I was/am so thrilled that we were able to go--it was such a great time! The music was fabulous and the stories entertaining.

This morning (why do I do this to myself) I had a hair appointment for 9 am. It is a lot shorter now! After longs weeks of hard work, 9 doesn't seem like the ideal time for an appointment on a Saturday...but I made up for that by napping from 1:30 to 4 this afternoon. Clearly, I am wiped! It's crazy how much a person can do, just because they have to. As soon as I realized I was able to rest, my body just crashed.

Tomorrow Jon and I are going to a friend's wedding (Matt & Karen)...and then off I go to Fargo with Janessa and my mom! I'm really looking forward to spending time with them, and also to start (yes, start) my Christmas shopping.

This year I really don't have much I want for Christmas...and I feel comfortable with that. I didn't even give either side of the family a list. It seems trivial to me this year...not that I disagree with gifts--I think it's a fun tradition!
In some of the books I've been reading, and from different Advent readings, I am finding a lot more meaning this Christmas. I am enjoying just being in the presence of God, and focusing on the gift of Jesus. It's cool, too, because whether a person comes from a faith perspective or not, (this is coming from the mouth of Steve Bell and I think it is great) the concepts of what Jesus is and represents and is brought to us through Christmas; peace, love, joy, hope... These are all things that everyone can long for.

December already

It is now December--wow. And with this new month, comes a fresh start for me. I have been feeling overwhelmed and as though a dark cloud was hanging over me the last couple weeks, but this week has been wonderful! Advent started this week, and this week is the week of hope. The last couple weeks were weeks of (not exaggerating) despair, but not anymore. I have found and am experiencing hope and grace. I am so thankful! Wow I love Jesus.

Not much time to write, but here are some happy updates (some overdue!)

On another important note... my dear friend Alicia is engaged to Rob! They'll be married two days after Jon and my anniversary-- on July 26th! I'm super excited for them, and I'm also a first time bridesmaid! Here they are...in all their cuteness.

So that's that for now. I'm going to prepare for tomorrow and get to bed!