A Lovely Birthday.......

As I sit here, sipping my coffee, munching on crackers with my favorite spinach dip, contemplating my life over the past few days, I feel a sense of deep satisfaction, contentment and real happiness settle over me.

I love it when things exceed my expectations, when everything is just beautiful and good, when I can rejoice in the good, and quickly forget the bad.

It started on my birthday, November 17. We planned to come down to the coast for a few days with Stephen's family, for a few singing engagements they (we) had. So last Monday, we got packed up (I'm getting really good at packing for trips the night before! :P) and got ready for our start on Tuesday.

We had such a lovely trip! Stephen bought me a peppermint mocha from Starbucks as the first way to celebrate my day. :) Driving in the mountains was so beautiful! At the beginning, the weather was mild and the last traces of colorful fall leaves were still hanging. As we got higher, we began to see traces of snow on the trees, and by the time we crested the summit, huge snow flakes were falling, and everything was beginning to look like a winter wonderland! I was so glad Stephen was driving at that point, he did such a good job of staying in control, and it left me free to just enjoy the beauty of the snow. Which I did. Immensely. I've always loved it when it snowed on my birthday!

We even got to visit my Nana, and Uncle Crawf, Auntie Joyce and cousin Lindsey on the way to White Rock (our original destination!) That was so special!

I've discovered that I love navigating. I love reading maps and figuring out the best way to get from A to B. I've also discovered that I do not like navigating without a map, when I'm relying mostly on memories from ten years before, or at best, just a vague sense of where to go. (yes, there is a story there. :)

The next exciting thing to happen was picking up the CDs we had just finished recording five days before. Having never done anything like this before, it was really exciting to see the fruit of our labor! (and yes, they're now available and for sale. :P)

Finally, we made it to our hotel. Although we couldn't see it, our hotel is right across the road from the ocean!

We had such a lovely time, just the two of us, before Stephen's family arrived a few hours later. We were in a suite that we would share with some of Stephen's brothers. It had a fireplace, a huge private bedroom for us, three bathrooms, tvs, a little patio......once Ian was asleep, we curled up on the couch and ended a lovely day by watching The Fellowship of the Ring, and eating hot cinnamon rolls, drinking coffee......I think that will become my new birthday tradition. :)

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. :)