Awesome Weekend - Part II

Okay, so we went to a hotel with Derek and Laura and the kids and had a blast.  Swimming in the pool, playing in the ball pit, eating out and just spending time together.  They were originally having a work retreat/meetings and we thought we'd join them in the city.  A highlight for me was going to Walmart with Laura at 10 p.m., strolling through the aisle and picking up ice cream that we didn't have to share with anybody!  Oh what a lovely treat, our mini-retreat.  And it worked out quite well for us to stay in the city because,

The next day was Key Day.....

Awesome Weekend - Part I

It was a full but beautiful weekend.  It started with brunch to celebrate my Grandma's birthday with my  mom and aunts.  She was surprised (success!) and we spent 3 hours visiting with each other.  Oh, how heavenly.

Then my mom and I headed off to the city for our girls day.  It was my Christmas present from my mom; an awesome gift idea.  I didn't take any pictures but just imagine this.....

Getting to the city mall and strolling around in the stores.  Trying on some outfits in our favourite store and my mom buying a lovely top for a banquet.  Kathy resisting the urge to buy yet another item, so she relished and smiled at the successful find by her mother.  Heading to the nail place and sitting in those massaging chairs for a relaxing pedicure.  Our toes looked amazing!  Then sitting by the fireplace near the bookstore, enjoying a smoothie and sandwiches and having a long uninterrupted visit.  I think we might have even gotten teary eyed.

Sigh.....this is one of the reasons I am thankful that we live so close.  To be able to spend time with the beautiful women in my life.

After, my mom dropped me off ________ to continue my awesome weekend.  Curious where we went?

Glimpse of Family Gathering

Some shots from my family gathering....sorry I didn't take out the camera for the others.  But between the candy, the table of delicious food with family, my dad sleeping, and all the matching vans, the pictures are pretty reflective of our weekend.

Easter Pictures with Tights

As promised, here are some of the shots from Easter in front of church.  It was a little chilly, a bit more windy and definitely blindingly sunny.  Since the family gathering pictures are pretty stellar, I'll include those too.....in a later post.

Easter Thoughts

Easter came in a bit of flurry this year, and though I spent time preparing during Lent, it felt like it whizzed by too quickly.  School was busy right up until Good Friday and Carl and I had the opportunity to participate in the church drama, which added practices to our weekly schedule.

I had this pull to retreat into a quiet place to contemplate Easter and then on the other end to fully engage in the busyness of the gatherings and the church services.  So I found myself crying more over the weekend because of that, not to mention that it already is an emotional time.

It was so moving to be part of the drama.  We each had a powerful monologue that touched something deep inside of me.  To have the perspective of Jesus from those that loved him in his life.  I remembered my line, "Nothing can prepare a mother to watch her son die," and "And in the face of it all, he forgave us all".   That deep ache in your heart when you realize how much He loves us.

I thought about our last Easter and then again, crying.  Oh how I miss Yuneth and Ramiro.  Oh how I still ache to be in Bolivia.  And yet being at our family gatherings was so wonderful.  Of course I ate too much, but I relished those weird gelatin eggs that my cousin Lori makes every Easter.  I don't know why they mean so much to me, maybe because they are uniquely Easter for that side of the family.

I wish I could have put things into slow motion to enjoy the season a bit more.  Maybe because the gatherings and church services happen within a few hours of each other and I'm still not accustomed to that.   

Well, such is life.  Processing and reflecting.  Just because Easter is over doesn't mean that I have to move on to pondering other things.

I'll post some Easter pictures when I have a moment.  Though the weather wasn't awesome, it was nice enough to briefly take off the sweaters, but leave on the tights.

Samers

p.s. Baby Dolly didn't give me permission to publish her face and is a little camera shy....  :)

Keep Swimmin'

Joel and Kezia had the opportunity to take swimming lessons for the winter session.  Both of them really enjoyed the classes, built onto the skills they acquired in Bolivia, and passed their class.  We wondered if adding another Saturday activity would make our weekends really hectic, but it actually turned out quite well.  One parent stayed home with Elena while the other parent dropped Asha off at gymnastics and then accompanied the older two to their swimming lessons.  Once they were done, Asha was ready to be picked up and off for home we went where the stay at home parent had lunch ready. I could almost say it was relaxing for either parent.  Either you stayed home with Elena (and then she most likely napped half the morning) or sat and watched swimming lessons all morning.

Joel and Kezia really like to swim and with living in a province where you are a stones throw from a lake, gully, pond or really deep ditch, it's a necessary skill to have.