Two Things

We saw this rainbow on the way home the other day, it was amazing!  If you look carefully, you can see the beginnings of a second rainbow above it too!  My photography isn't the highest quality, especially when driving in a car, and trying to capture the perfect shot of a rainbow between trees, but I wanted to share it with you anyways. :)

And I found this when I went to check on Ian this morning.  No joke. I didn't pose him or anything, he was just dramatically lying on the pile of shoes he had created! :)  It was so funny, he's such a character!

Glimpses of Autumn

Autumn is finally here!  I was completely thrilled yesterday when I opened the curtains of the big picture window in our living room and found myself looking out a tree whose leaves were just beginning to be tipped with red!  I think I could very happily live with autumn all year round. :)  There are so many wonderful things about this time of year!  The colors of orange, gold and red leaves, crisp fresh air, pumpkins, scarves and sweaters, apples fresh from the tree.....
I couldn't resist running out with Ian to the aforementioned tree and picking a few leaf bouquets to decorate my windowsill and table.  Then, I remembered an apple tree I had discovered a few months ago that was behind our yard, so I made my way over to it, through tall grass, with bare feet (I hadn't bothered to put shoes on in my spontaneity :), and found to my delight that there were apples, fully grown on it!  I picked as many as I could juggle between Ian and my leaf bouquets, and brought them back to the house.  

A few days ago, I was feeling extremely impatient that I was still pregnant.  I had been given reason to believe that this baby will probably come early, so I was living through each day like it could be The Day, and I was getting discouraged and a little frustrated when nothing seemed to be happening.
Then I made a decision.  Instead of just waiting for this baby to come, I figured I would just go on with my life, get as much done as I could, and let the baby come whenever.  I know, it's so brilliant. :P  But seriously, it made such a difference!  Instead of over-analyzing every little twinge my body did, and not really making plans to get things done, I started planning beyond just one day again, and really getting excited about some of the projects I wanted to get done. (One of them being finding a good way to preserve beautiful leaves - I'm pretty stoked about that one!)
I hope you're all having a lovely autumn, and preparing to enjoy it as much as I am! :)

Leaves, Glorious Leaves!

I love leaves! I love the smell of them. I love the way they turn colors in the fall. I love the way they crunch under your feet when you walk on them. I love seeing them floating to the ground from the trees.

Today was a perfect day for a tree lover! I keep thinking that winter is here, that the leaves will soon be gone, and we'll be left with the mere skeletons of the trees, but every time I go outside, I'm still delighted with the brilliant fall colors, slightly faded though they may be. November is usually a more grey month, although I've always loved it, (my birthday is in November, hence making it one of my favorite months :P) but this November hasn't been too grey at all!

We were at a park today to take pictures. Not of me though. This one was just snapped by my brother in law while other pictures were being taken.

I was taking pictures of my husband and his brothers for their CD that they are making. They're making it, and I'm helping them. :) They've been talking about making a CD for years and years, and I decided it was high time it happened! (They sort of asked me to help get it going, so I did. :P)

It's actually a rather ridiculous project. Not that their singing isn't good - it is! But we're doing the whole CD in two weeks. And when I saw whole, I mean it. Choosing the songs, practicing the songs, recording the songs, taking pictures, designing the cover, getting copies printed......all within two weeks. Yep, it's insane. And not usually how I roll, although I like challenges. :P Next time, I'm hoping for at least two months.

We spent a little while waiting for Stephen's brothers to show up so we brought Ian up front with us to explore the car. He was much happier where he could see us. :)

Ramblings from my Life

(Taken on our honeymoon, on PEI)

Today's one of those lazy days where you don't have to do anything, and it's okay to just sleep in, relax, get things done, or not. Stephen's home today, which means I got to make a nice breakfast for the two of us, and we got to enjoy Ian more together.

I love weekends, especially weekends in fall!

I went for a walk with Ian during the afternoon. We have a little mountain right across the road from us, it rises above Vernon, and provides an amazing panoramic view of the entire city! I love going up there and thinking, talking aloud as I mull through things. It feels like everything's more clear when I go up there, looking down on the city, and all the busyness, but not really a part of it.

On the way back, I collected some of the amazing fall leaves that are on so many trees around here. I'm having fun collecting leaves and pressing them, getting them ready for who knows what! Cards, wall decor, table decor, and anything else I can think of.

I simply adore autumn! I love the colors, the weather, having jars filled with canning, harvest from the garden, fresh apples....

Stephen, Ian, and I just got back from a trip to Alberta, Ian's very first big road trip! It was such a good time! Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures the whole time we were gone, but the memories are still there.

The drive out to Alberta was like driving in a post card for 6 hours! The trip through the Rockies was amazing! The dark green of the trees that carpeted the mountains were brightened by the golden orange of trees turning to their autumn colour. The blue sky was laced with gauzy, white clouds, and when we stopped the car, a slightly cool breeze was just enough to cool and refresh. It was one of those trips that felt almost like something out of a story book, I hardly wanted it to end, except that I knew at the end of the journey were friends, family, and an amazing weekend!

I wasn't disappointed. The saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," really is true! It was so good to see my family again, and my "extended family" of the fellowship that I was part of when I lived in Southern Alberta. The weekend was such a good one! Although I missed most of the teaching (for some reason, Critical Thinking didn't intrigue Ian enough that he would quietly sit through the sessions! :P), I was able to take some of it in, and the visiting I got in with friends was so satisfying, along with the games of volleyball I got to play! :P

Our trip back was so good too! After the weekend, it felt so good to have some alone time to just talk and enjoy each other's company. Ian was such a good traveller, and slept most of the way home.

Not having a camera handy, I tried to take mental snapshots of the scenery. I got to drive for a few hours in the Rockies, and as Stephen and Ian slept, it was like time slowed down and I just revelled in the beauty that surrounded me. The sun was beginning to go down, but it hadn't quite started to get dark yet. Everything around me was touched with golden sunlight, and with the mountains towering on either side, trees surrounding me with beautiful colors, the sky a pale blue with clouds floating across it....it was one of those moments that you almost wish could last forever because it's so beautiful.

But such moments do come to an end. And life does move on. And now we're back to ordinary life....for a little bit, until we start preparing in earnest for our next big adventure...only this one takes us to Texas for the San Antonio Christian Film Festival!

So that's a little snapshot of my life right now. One thing I love about writing is that sometimes it's so easy to be discouraged about things, or feel like things are nowhere close to where they should be, but when I write, I sometimes realize just how much I have to be thankful for! I've been struggling with ungratefulness lately, feeling so discontent with the way things are, and yet I have so much! It's so good to sometimes have a quiet time to just take a step back and re- focus on the way things really are.

So I think I shall sign off, enjoy a delicious cup of tea, and get some things done around my little home while Ian is still sleeping. :)

Thankfulness

This morning I woke up before six. I do that quite often these days, with Ian, but today it was different because instead of going back to bed like I usually do, I decided to just stay up. Ian slept nearly the entire evening last night, so he was up quite a bit during the night, and this morning, I decided that instead of trying to sleep with a baby who simply was not tired, I might as well get up and take advantage of the situation.

Stephen got up early too. He's spending the day in Alberta on a shoot for work, and he'll be back tonight - thanks to a private jet owned by the client he's shooting for. :)

It's been so long since I've gotten up this early to stay, it's actually quite refreshing. There's nothing quite like an early morning. Everything is so fresh! I love looking out over the city and seeing the street lights still on, the pink glow of the sun beginning to rise, the light, misty fog that hovers over the ground, the gradual brightening of the sky as the sun comes up. Everything is so quiet and peaceful. It's so easy to think of all the things I'm grateful for when I have a morning like this.

Things I like about today.......

* Getting up early with Stephen

* Enjoying a hot cup of tea and toasted bagel outside

* Drinking in the fresh, early morning air

* The gift of baby "stations" that keep Ian happy and busy

* The anticipation of a whole day ahead of me, and the energy to get things done

* The gift of salvation from my Heavenly Father

* The absolute knowledge that I can't do anything good in my own strength, and the total confidence that I don't need to

* The fact that Stephen is only gone for the day, and will be back at night

* My sweet baby sleeping once again, not crying, not fussing, just sleeping, pure bliss. :)

Our Houseboat Trip....

A couple months ago, Stephen came in and asked me how I would like to go on a houseboat trip. Of course I said I'd totally love it, but knowing that such trips are rather on the pricey end of things, and people such as ourselves probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

He then told me about how his boss had arranged for a houseboat trip for all the people at Beacon Studios (the place where he works)….and that I was also invited, along with our baby! I was soooooo stoked! I've wanted to go on a houseboat for years, and to finally have the opportunity was thrilling!

As the time grew closer, and Ian was born, I began having a few doubts, wondering if I was totally stupid to even consider bringing a tiny, month old baby onto a boat that wasn't that big. Ian was beginning to cry more and louder, and I was afraid of everyone finding him annoying, and myself just being cooped up in our little bedroom the entire trip.

But, I decided we could do it, and I knew Stephen was always there when I needed him with Ian.

Definitely a good decision. :)

Our houseboat trip was so amazing, so relaxing, so much fun! It almost felt like a second honeymoon….a second honeymoon on a boat with 10 other people. And one that included our baby. But you get the idea. :)

The scenery along the way was so beautiful! I've always been a BC girl at heart, even when we were living in Alberta, but a trip like this just adds to my love for this beautiful province! The trees, the clouds, the mountains, the rocks, the water.....it was soooooo gorgeous!

In spite of all my fears, this little guy did sooooo well on the boat! He wasn't too fussy, he slept well, and since he's just getting to the point where he loves just looking around and exploring the world with his eyes, he definitely got a feast to look at! We had one special evening together, standing on the back of the boat in the moonlight, and I was talking away to him about everything, he was so happy and content just resting in my arms. It was such a priceless moment to share with him!

He definitely had his times of crying, screaming and fussing, but I was so blessed by the other three ladies on the trip, they all helped hold him at different times, so that Stephen and I could spend time together, and do fun stuff. It made the trip even better!

This was definitely one of my favorite places on the boat! :) There's nothing like sitting in a nice hot tub as the houseboat slowly moves through the lake, feeling the cold (sometimes very cold) wind on your face, enjoying the mountains as you drift by them, talking and laughing with friends, cuddling up with Stephen....too much fun!

Another highlight was watching a movie with Stephen (and Linda, Beacon's secretary/administrator) one of the nights. I think the rest of the guys were out on the beach with a campfire, and I had gotten Ian to sleep, and didn't really feel like going anywhere. So we put on a movie that Stephen had brought and watched it together. In spite of there being twelve people on the boat, we definitely got some really nice "alone time" which made it all the more special.

Stephen and I were so blessed to have a little cabin to ourselves, especially because it came with a private bathroom and shower! It was all very small, but definitely big enough! I found myself thinking about all the immigrants that came over to North America on ships, all the ladies that had little babies like I did, and how the living conditions were so much worse for them! We are so blessed with all that we have!

The whole crew! It was really neat to get to know everyone at Beacon a little better. You really see a different side of someone when you're playing Dutch Blitz with them, or joking together in the hot tub. I really enjoyed being able to relax and have fun with these people!