Wednesday, August 13, 2014

don't do it!

I know it's been a little bit. (june! yeesh.)

I just had to pop in because I added a book to the book list that I do not recommend.

Everything's Perfect when You're a Liar.

I thought it would be funny. I think it was supposed to be funny?

It was more like a weird story of growing up with a lot of pot smoking and swearing.

So... if you like that kind of thing, maybe this is the book you've been waiting for?

I didn't want anyone to think that my list of books is all books I've read and loved.

Most are. This one was not!!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Thankful Thursday!

we had a really busy week!
it was also a very very fun week :)

this week i am thankful for:

-the "big mess run" with great work friends and miss Meggie!
(we actually did the Run or Dye)

-small crafty art projects inspired by a Hallmark bag

-Annie! who helped me shuffle our upper cabinets around for a more open feel
(even the ridiculously gigantic square shaped hole made me laugh when we found it!)

-funny "to do" lists

-dinner with faraway friends



Thursday, June 19, 2014

Thankful Thursday


this week i am thankful for:

-camping with friends who love our kids (and our kids lu-urve!)

-watching my uber-cautious daughter becoming more brave than i was at her age

-s'mores and this girl (even when she wakes up at 4:45 am!!)

-this dad and his small girls

-sunny summer days and sunsuits

-early morning time spent with Isla and in the Word

-love this girl so so much!!

today we also had a goodbye party for my friend Kerry.
she is a lovely co-worker/co-nurse of mine who initially replaced me on my first mat-leave.
she is moving to the states in a few weeks and we are all very sad.

i am so thankful to know her and to have worked with her.
i am also thankful that we were able to bless her with a lovely surprise present.
a little Pandora bracelet with some meaningful charms.


it has been a lovely week indeed.

and i am super thankful to be off to the spa with my girl Becky tomorrow!
woop!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

-being back at blogging :)

-Isla attending a morning of Junior Kindergarten (how did that happen?!?!)

-voting with these ladies

-these lovely Toms from a thrift store! Holla!



-morning runs in sunshine


-and cutie cute tiny boots

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

National Running Day!

(let's pretend we celebrate this nationally here in Canada too, shall we?)

i recently watched this little gem:


i've been reflecting on my running journey since i started last July.

less than 9 months ago, i couldn't run back to my car in a parking lot without losing my breath.
fast forward to a week and a half ago:
i just finished my first 10k!

i signed up in the fall to do the Ottawa Race Weekend 10k.
i trained in the fall, (and then took a little break due to the ridiculousness that was the Ottawa winter),
and then picked up my training in April.

i am so proud of what i have accomplished.

my sister caught this picture of me in the sea of 12,000(!) runners.

{can you spot me?}

i was able to finish in 1:05:41.
a personal best!

then, this past weekend, i did a mud hero with 9 other co-workers.

so so so so fun!




the mud hero was definitely the more fun of the two (to be expected i suppose),
but the sense of accomplishment i felt when i crossed the finish line of that 10k?

amazing.

i have become addicted:
.to running.
.to the running community in ottawa.
.to racing.

it's wonderful and exciting and inspiring.


i am a runner and an athlete.



and i am a proud big sister!!
my sister ran the marathon the day after me.
some words to describe what it looked like to see those marathoners come around the 38km mark:

crazy . alarming . emotional . disturbing . inspiring . motivational . frightening

{here she is pre-race}


{i have medal envy!}

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Thankful Thursday

this week:

-watching Isla fall in love with puzzles!! girl after my own heart!

{all by herself!}

-having my mom visit this past weekend

-talking to Auntie Rozzy on speakerphone and having Megan shouting "HI! HI! HI! HI! HI!"
       (we love our Auntie Rozzy!)

-family day pyjama day dance parties!

-my job

-having my lovely friend and co-worker Becky babysit last night... and i totally forgot to leave any kind of putting Isla to bed instructions... whoops! she feels like such an old friend that somehow i just assumed she knew the bedtime routine... even though it was her first time at our house! Sorry Becky!

-date night that turned into free meal date night because they forgot our order in the kitchen! i have no problem spending an hour chatting with my husband and get a free meal for it!!!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Thankful Thursday

this week I am thankful for:

-these lovely lasses. sigh.



-a 30th Birthday weekend away (for my bestie!) with 6 ladies and a baby: 
time to sleep in, eat good food, laugh, shop and reconnect

-Olympics!!!! Yay!!

-My mom coming in on the train today

-Isla. Here are some things she has said this week:
           "look, my breathing is dusty"  (in the cold)
           "Mommy? When I'm a woman, can I drive your car?"
           "You know everything don't you?" (to her Gramma Kiki)
           "Uncle Ryan is silly, huh?... And Uncle Noah... And Mike"
           "You came back!" (to me after I was away for the weekend)
         

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for:

-friends celebrating Thom turning 30 this past week :)

-Sunday mornings with rowdy worship and dancing and fun fun fun!

-seeing Isla run over and sit with Isaac and Auntie Mary on Sunday morning

-cuddles on the couch later in the day with my girlies


-getting out running after an almost 3 month hiatus! 


-also thankful for no longer blistering frostbiting-ly cold temperatures! sheesh!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:


-a great retreat with the young adults last weekend--Megan and I joined them and had an amazing time, we laughed, we cried, we ate some good food!

-Megan doing awesome on the drive! Our first trip with someone other than Thom... Thanks to Uncle Noah for braving the drive with us!

-the school we chose for Isla to attend in the fall-- and the way God confirms decisions by having pt's rave about the school... total divine appointment!

-Breakfast date with Isla before going to check out her school


-New friends

-dinner out with my co-RNs-- love working with those ladies!

-and last but certainly not least! that my nephew is awesome.


yup, that's an 18 month old on skis.
no big deal.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Books read in 2013

So... my goal of reading 40 books this past year was apparently *ahem* a little ambitious.

I think it actually wasn't that unattainable but Thom put a Sudoku book in my stocking last Christmas, and while I breezed through through the first three quarters of the book, the last section, the diabolical section, had me stumped and I would pick it up and put it down and then pick it up and then threaten to throw it out and then pick it up again.

Finally in the second week of December, I tossed it. Unfinished, but no regrets on that one!


I think getting wrapped up in the Hunger Games trilogy really helped push me to stick to reading and let the Sudoku go for good.

Here is the completed reading list of 2013:

1-Loving Your Kids on Purpose
2-Animal Stories
3-This Will Be Difficult to Explain: And Other Stories
4-The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
5-Her Fearful Symmetry
6-"Who Could That Be at This Hour?"
7-Almost Amish
8-That Scatterbrain Booky
9-With Love From Booky
10-As Ever, Booky
11-The Help
12-The Power of Three
13-The Real James Herriott: A Memoir of My Father
14-Half Magic
15-The No. 1 Ladies Detective Angency
16-Castle in the Air
17-The House at the End of Hope Street
18-The Dog of the South
19-An Irish Country Doctor
20-The Hunger Games
21-Catching Fire
22-Mocking Jay


just over half of my goal.  Wop wop.

feels a bit lacking.  

I'm going to basically keep the same goal, but up it to 41--basically just so it feels like a new resolution.

My faves from this past year:
Fiction: The Hunger Games Trilogy 
Non-Fiction: Loving Your Kids on Purpose

I honestly thought I had read a lot more non-fiction, but I think I did some major starting and not finishing!!

On the list to read this year:
-A Wrinkle in Time Quintet
-A Million Little Ways
-Finding Ultra
-The Harem Midwife


Any more suggestions? 

Also, I am loving my new Kobo and love love love that I can download books from the library to read on it!


Thursday, January 09, 2014

Thankful Thursday

i am thankful.

thankful for the people i work with.

thankful for new Church in the 'Hood beginnings.

thankful for a day that google helped troubleshoot small person sleep troubles (instead of those days that all the most unhelpful info is at the top of the search results!)

thankful for vaccines that keep people healthy. 

thankful for the OSC seed catalogue coming in the mail!

thankful for downloading library books onto my Kobo.

thankful for small people cuddles and smiles and love.

thankful for life.




Thursday, January 02, 2014

Thankful Thursday

ahem.

excuse my little absence. no real reasons. just life ;)

thankful this day for family, a lovely Christmas, a new year and good friends.


thankful for this past year:

-old friends with renewed friendships (or first "real" friendships)
-watching Meggie and Isla become closer and enjoy their sisterhood and friendship
-growing closer to Thom, seeing our friendship and love get stronger and tackle more
-my wonderful job and co-workers
-new friendship with a "destined-to-be-friends" friend
-becoming a runner
-losing 30 lbs (say what!?!)


life is grand!