Musical sheets and family reunions

Do you ever feel as though your social circle has reached maximum capacity?

 

Lately, I feel as though I am having a hard time staying in touch with all the great people who have become my friends over the course of the past year, not to mention all long-distance friends who have been in my life for a long time. Face book certainly helps, but it isn't nearly as intimate has a handwritten card or phone call.

 

This summer has felt particularly rich with family and longtime friends, and my heart is full to the point of bursting. 

We have had guests stay with us nearly every weekend this summer, which is a HUGE change for Nathaniel and I. When we lived in Maple Ridge we rarely saw his family and my family lived only a few blocks away. Our social circle was small, and overnight guests were a rarity. In the Chilcotin, some brave family members took on anywhere from nine to twelve hours of travel to visit us in the sticks. Fast forward a couple of years and I regularly count up to twelve people under our roof at a time. Our home has become the hub for holidays meals and get-togethers and  stop over for friends' traveling across the island or on the way to the mainland. This weekend my parents drove their bike on the ferry and spent two nights with us.

On Saturday we gathered at my Opa's old farmstead in Port Alberni for our annual family reunion, as well as a surprise wedding. My dad's family is incredible large ( he had 18 siblings) so I was thankful that everyone wore name tags.


 

I enjoyed reconnecting with my cousins and inhaling the most delicious lasagna and chocolate zucchini cake. And I got to catch up with my brother and his wife and their sweet baby girl. My cousin's husband snagged my camera at one point and took some of these photos. Thank you Peter! 

Claire and her cousin Kai.

My little brother and his baby girl

 

Aunty Gloria's sparkly toms

 

 

 Looking for creatures.... as always

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running on the North Island

Last weekend we were in Port Hardy for a wedding. Initially I was apprehensive about the finding time to fit in my long training run, but Nathaniel assured me that he would get up with the girls and helped me plot out a route. We drove 13 km and then I hoped out of the car and tied a ribbon around a shrub on the side of the road.

 

 

 

 I know that some people hate "out and backs" but I REALLY like them. When I hit that halfway point I experience a tremendous sense of relief. Plus, I like running a negative split ( which essentially means that you have a faster time in the second half then you did in the first). 

 

Afterwards we indulged in a little ice cream with the girls and a walk on the pier.

 

 

 

 

The next morning I left the house at 7:00am on the dot after a quarter cup of coffee, and a bowl of yogurt. I was armed with fuel belt full of water and electrolytes as well as my favorite cliff bar. The air was cool and the streets were quiet. I found a happy pace quickly and spent the next two hours and  forty min basking in early morning rays of light and the sound of the forest waking up. It was thoroughly enjoyable. At one point I stopped for a pee in the sahlal bushes and managed to misplace one of my water bottles. It took me about three minutes to fish it out of the thicket, which effected my overall time, but I still managed to have a negative split of almost ten minutes. More than anything, I my body felt great afterwards and I had loads of energy for the wedding festivities that afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, there isn't any photographic evidence that I actually attended the wedding but I rocked a beautiful black and white striped dress with killer high heels. We danced, ate heaps of smoked salmon, and went to bed at a decent hour.

 

 

 

 

Painting, brainstorming...

 

Do you know the difference between antique, vintage and retro? I have been curious about the definition of each for some time and today I finally took the time to Google it. This website "The littlest Polly" cleared up any misconceptions I may have had. This is a "vintage" turquoise  dresser I recently finished. I just love its "beachy" vibe and I am reluctant to sell it.

 

 

Here is another piece I have been working on. It still needs some distressing and some pretty hardware. I also have to upholster and paint the chair that goes with it.

 

I am having a lot of fun with this dresser. I painted the frame with Annie Sloan's "French linen" and then sanded the drawer fronts and top until I thought I would die! now I just need to stain them and stencil on some numbers. This project has been a bit of an experiment and I am excited to see how it turns out. I got the idea for this one from the blog "A Golden Sycamore". So many great ideas!

 

I have so many things on the go right now, but  I REALLY need to focusing on  finding one more client so that I can fulfill my requirements for becoming DONA certified Doula. My goal is to be certified by early fall and start earning some money. I have been brainstorming ideas for business cards and so far this is my favorite. I love the image, the font and the message.

 

 

 

Blogger Pam Garrison got my creative juices flowing. She makes the most amazing "project life" pages I have EVER seen. They are so yummy, colorful and full of life. If you are curious about project life, you can read about it HERE. Basically, is it a simple method of recording everyday life each week for an entire year. It sounds a bit daunting, but it could also be pretty awesome! Doing something like this has been on my bucket list for awhile now.

 

 

 

 

 

Update

A few things....

We have been camping A LOT. In fact, for awhile, it felt like we were camping nearly every weekend. I am ready to take a break for a little while.

 I caved and decided to get an iPhone. It may seem hard to believe in our technology obsessed culture, but I haven't owned a cellphone in over seven years. I texted for the first time yesterday, and I must admit, it was fun! I am also looking forward to being able to snap photos without having to haul my massive digital SLR around.

 I missed an entire week of training after coming down with a nasty fever and flu. I am mostly back on track  and scheduled to run 26km this Saturday. Ack! We will be in the North Island for a wedding so I'm planning on download an app that will help me keep track of my mileage. Usually, I just plot out a route on Google earth or follow my training partner. Should be interesting, if not a change of scenery.

I have been painting and stripping furniture like a mad woman since my guests have gone home . There are cans of Annie Sloan paint everywhere. At the moment I am tackling a desk and a dresser. They are going to be fabulous!

 

My girls have been staying up incredibly late and sleeping in. I think I slept until 9am yesterday morning. Pure and utter *bliss*. My girls have almost always been up at the crack of dawn, so I am going to milk this for all that it is worth :0) 

 

Well, I'm sure that I could ramble on and on but it is nearly 11pm and I still have to pack, shower, and get my happy self to bed.

New kicks

Today I FINALLY retired my old runners and favorite socks. They have been through a lot with me..... namely my first race (10km), my first half marathon (22km), my first sprint triathlon (25), half iron man (113), and finally the past two months of training for a marathon. After a training run of 22km this morning and continuing knee issues, I decided it was time to bid them farewell

 

 

These are my new kicks and they feel like a dream. It took me a long time to choose the right shoe, but these took the cake for comfort and durability. I can't wait to take them for a test run.

I decided it was also time for a new pair of socks, since my old favorite had matching holes in the heels. They don't look so new in this picture because they accompanies me on my sweaty 22km this morning. They sure make a difference though. I think it is funny that something as simple as a new pair of "fancy" socks makes me SO happy!

 

Norwex Baby!!!!!!

Check out this fun video my friend Nicole made. It is a fun little short film about some of the cleaning products she sells. A couple of months ago I ditched all the nasty, chemical laden cleaning products clogging up my laundry room and replaced them with some enviro cloths, cleaning paste and a mop.  I am a changed women. Let's just say that I actually enjoy cleaning my bathroom now.  I don't have to open all the windows when I clean the floors, and I only use  plain water. It is pretty awesome! If you want to check out the website, you can find it here. If you want to order something from my beautiful friend, you can contact her through her Norwex face book page.

 

Reminded....

 

 

 

The other day I was doing the dishes and inwardly grumbling that I rarely have time to pursue my creative pursuits...... feeling bitter that my children consume so much of my time and energy when I felt the Lord whisper to me " they are your creativity". My heart ignited. Of course they are my creativity! What a powerful realization. They are my DNA and heart expressed in the most intimate and tangible way. They are little sponges, eager to learn, clay for the molding, bright, living, learning creativity on the loose. God has given me the privilege of guiding these sweet, rumbustious creatures, and while it may be frustrating and downright exhausting, it is a blessing.