Day 1 with my family!

Last Saturday my mom, Brandon and Trevor all flew into Victoria to spend a few days with us over Easter. We picked them up from the airport, dropped off their stuff, and hit the town! We walked all around downtown, and spent time on the harbour. It was so good to finally meet Trevor, and just to spend time with my family. My brother constantly cracks me up, and having them all around just made me smile so happily! This was one of the best days spent with my family, and Mr. Sunshine even decided to grace us with his presence!

Me and my mom

Down in the harbour - oh how I love these two!!
"It's hard to believe after all these years I still need you this badly"

My two favorite boys in the whole world! Look how silly they are - any wonder why I love them?! haha. And in case you can't figure out what Jon is pointing to, it's the scar on my brother's lip where his tooth was buried a few months ago when his tooth broke in a hockey game. Sick.

Jon's new shoes! His awesome birthday present from my mom! They make me laugh because they are very "west coast", but they are great, and he loves them!

Brandon and I spent some qualitytime with the camera, and the results were pretty funny. These were my two favorite ones out of about 50

I love you baby brother, so much!

It's funny walking downtown with my mom because she is so shocked by all the "yuppies". But it was just as funny watching the boys be all silly over this bear. The poor bear...

Life doesn't really get much better than awesome days spent with those that you love the most, laughing constantly.

April Showers Brings May Flowers

April has been dreeeeeary!! Just in the past few days the sun is really starting to shine and that makes me happy and MUCH more inclined to document life! Things with Wild Side are actually coming together so well - I feel as though everyday I am looking more and more forward to summer really being here, and us being able to run this program. But our numbers are still lower than what we would like. So in order to change that, we came up with a plan to make a short video, outlining what Wild Side is. For the video, Jon and I did all the activities and Chris filmed it. The best part was what the pictures show below - Jon going tubing down the river! It was FREEZING cold, but he braved it!

About to go in!

Doesn't look that cold, does it?!
Well it is. Here I am all bundled up, trying to get out of the rain, while Jon is running around in a bathing suit, about to go swimming in the river!

Pretty cold after his first attempt!

There he goes!

I was holding a rope that was tied to the tube, just for extra "safety". Well I let Jon go down too far, and he got caught up in the rapids, and I nearly got pulled right in to! He jumped off the tube, and Chris jumped in, helping me pull! I was laughing so hard as Jon is now over his head in water, jumping onto the side, and the tube is pulling Chris and I towards the water. But we overpowered the water, and managed to stay dry, and it was a great take, so Jon didn't even have to go back in the water! It was a fun day and we have a funny video to show for it. Check out our Wild Side video if you haven't yet - we are movie stars! - at www.imadene.com

Happy Birthday Mommabear!

Today is my wonderful mom's birthday! When we were young, she somehow convinved my brother to tell people she was "21 and beautiful" when they asked him how old his mom was. He was quite old before he realized he had been tricked! But it sure was cute and super funny to see my little toddler brother running around telling people his mom was 21 and beautiful. Mom, you may not be 21 (close to it though!!) but you are the most beautiful woman that I know!

When I was young, I wanted to be just like her - people always noticed when she walked in a room, because she lit the whole place up. She is more full of life in her baby finger than most people are in their entire bodies, and she can make you laugh even when all you want to do is scowl. When I got older, all I wanted was to be my own person, but it became a source of great pride when people would tell me I remind them of my mom. We are very different people, and we don't look much alike, beside our startling similiar eyes, but I nonetheless inherited some of her traits. We both have a VERY small tolerance for annoying people, and we both are quick to laugh at pretty much anything. She taught me how to be strong, and gave me a sense of adventure! People say that I am stubborn "just like your mother!" but they also say "wow you talk exactly like your mom" (Which I am going to take as a good thing!). It always made me laugh when I lived at home and my friends would call and start talking to her, thinking it was me, or vise versa and her friends would talk to me, because we sounded the exact same. Here are some reasons why I love and adore my mom so much:

All dressed up, but still being silly. The night before my wedding, we got sick of "fluffing up" the car decorations, so we did what we do best: turn the music up really loud and had a massive dance party! She is just so fun, and always makes me laugh.

She is ALWAYS my biggest fan. She is the one that I remember being there at every soccer game, every parent teacher interview, every graduation. She always told me that I could be and do whatever I wanted to, and she truly believed I always had the smarts to go anywhere. Knowing that she is always cheering for me makes my accomplishments that much better. Mom, all I ever wanted to do was make you proud, and pictures like this make me so happy, because anyone can see the pride in your eyes! Family comes first, period. Me, her and my brother have been through a lot together, and we love each other more because of it. She welcomed Jon fully and entirely into our family, simply because I loved him (and because he's a good cook, and she likes that haha!). The four of us are a strong house, and we always have each other's back. This picture is one of my all-time favorites. She gave me her eyes. Looking at someone's eyes can tell you so much about that person, and every single day I am grateful that mine say "I am my mother's daughter".

Mom, there are a billion more reasons why I love you, but just know that I am missing you SO much today! I wish I could give you a hug and celebrate with you. I am far away, but distance does not change this family. I am so glad you were born! (I will be sure to tell Grandma that I think she did great!). Here's to you, and to hoping that 42 is a better year than any one so far! It sure is looking that way!

A day to refresh

Jon told me last week that he wanted to go camping by himself, and hike all day, and spend time in nature alone. He wanted to refresh, recenter and regroup himself. (he ended up not camping, but still going out for a full day - it was too cold for sleeping overnight outside!) I was pretty proud of him for wanting to do that - not many people would want to spend an entire day alone and outside, myself included!!! So I kissed him good-bye in the morning and out he headed with Jake! He hiked, built a shelter (to hide from the rain that came), read his Bible, and overall really enjoyed his day (so he said!). Here are some shots that he took from the day:

The day really tuckered Jake out apparently! I thought this picture was so sweet of our usually energetic dog.

So with Jon gone all day, I was left with a wide open day! I ended up going down to Victoria and spending time with the Lampard's. I have never gone down there without Jon before, so it was a new adventure! It was so wonderful to sit at the kitchen table and talk with Lois for a few hours. She is such a special woman, and I feel incredibly blessed to able to call her my mother in law! Then we headed to Luke and Care's where I got to play with Makenna and eat yummy food! They have all been so sweet about doing wheat-free cooking, and it sure makes me feel loved when they go out of their way to make sure there is no wheat! It was a great day for me as well. We are both going into this week feeling refreshed.

Thawing out!

This was our beautiful camp just a few short weeks ago - all covered in snow!

This is camp now! The snow is great, but I like it this way MUCH better! Sunny and warm

I love the difference in the two pictures above compared to these two. We are moving into a different season, and it feels good! I welcome a change from the long, dreary winter. Spring is exciting, full of new life, and I am so stoked for it!

My beloved slippers

I had to go outside quick, and it was wet out. So I put my slippers on the wood stove to dry out for just a minute. One minute accidently turned into five or six, and before I knew it, I was smelling smoke. This was the "dryed out" product:

I was NOT impressed, and pretty upset about the whole thing, seeing as how these were my FAVORITE slippers, and now I have to wear lame socks to keep my feet warm. Jon, on the other hand, thought this was the funniest thing ever. In his words "who puts fur slippers on a fireplace?!" Thanks a lot, dear husband.

Wheat Free cooking!

Tanya (my amazing chiropractor) suggested to me that I go off of all wheat and white sugar in order to help my body heal. Wheat is a pain trigger, and just not that great for your body (well to the extent that we North Americans consume it that is!) and could help leaps and bounds with my healing process. So immediately I went through our cupboards and got rid of everything that has wheat in it. This was no small job. Do you realize that EVERYTHING has wheat, or a wheat product in it? Well now you know. It does! I became a tad overwhelmed, so I do what I always do when I'm overwhelmed by something - I do as much research as possible, and inform myself on what I need to know! I talked to a friend who is allergic to Gluten, and she was able to give me tons of tips. I also did extensive research on the internet (including printing off a huge list of what I "can" and "can't" have - such as Smarties. They have wheat flour in them, so they are on the bad list. That was a low blow! So sad) and read a couple books. I also went out and bought a wheat free cookbook, as well as borrowed some from the library! So armed with information, Jon and I set out on our very first wheat-free shopping trip. It was a pretty funny trip for the most part (Gorilla munch is all I need to say to that eh Jon?!). But at a few different points I could feel myself getting worked up, and Jon just gently took my arm and cracked some jokes, and led me through. We came home with our arms loaded with all sorts of things we have never heard of before, but that our new recipe books called for! This started the wheat-free eating. Since then, in the past month, I have become quite the little cook! I still don't overly enjoy cooking, but it has been fun trying out new recipes! We even bought a breadmaker, so that I could homemake wheat-free bread (yes, yes it is possible). Our meals have actually been better than ever, experimenting with new tastes, and all sorts of delicious foods! I have been so proud that I was eager to show off what I have done!

I made homemade tortilla shells, and with those, I made these taco bowls! They were sooo good (right Sharon!) and they looked so cute! If only we looked so cute eating them... they were a tad difficult!

Banana Chocolate Chip muffins - no wheat or white sugar in them! They stayed moist for days, and I took great delight in feeding them to people without telling them about the no wheat/butter/sugar part! Everyone who ate one thought they were delicious! This will probably become a staple in our house, seeing as how Jon thinks banana bread/muffins are the best thing ever. Yay!

Overall, I thought going wheat-free would be much harder than it actually is. I mean, I need to be careful, and read the ingredients on EVERYTHING, which is a tad annoying! But everything (for the most part) has tasted really good, and not that much different. And we are getting used to what are good substitutes and what we can/can't have. I say "we" because even though I am the only one not supposed to be eating wheat, my always loving and supportive husband has given it up to! He said if I have to do it, so will he. He still eats wheat products when we are around other people, or out for dinner, but at home he just eats what I eat and does it happily, without any sort of complaint. Once again, I look at him and wonder "how the heck did I get so lucky?!!"

Long time, no blog!

Usually when it's been a long time since I posted anything on here is because life is crazy busy. But for the first time, that is not the case! March has been a month of crazy, but not busy. I haven't spent much time blogging, because I haven't felt as though I had much to say (weird, I know!!). Or maybe that I was just at a loss of words? I'm not too sure. All I know is that I needed a few weeks to really process what has been going on, and spend time searching my heart, before I was ready to share it. My back pain is driving me nuts! I am tired of being in pain all the time, and Jon is tired of seeing me hurt! The chiropractor is helping me, and I am soooo grateful for her!! But I still walk around, feeling like an old woman. Kind of like this: We are moving ahead with the knowledge that I more than likely have a condition called Fibromyalgia. When I first heard this, it hit me like a ton of bricks. A chronic pain condition that I will ALWAYS have? A constant and horrible daily reminder of things I only want to forget? Nice. But after giving myself an attitude check, and realizing that chiro is really helping me immensely, it no longer seems so bad. I also have recently read the book "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman, and oh boy did that book ever help with perspective! The Chapman's lost their 5 year daughter in a horrific accident, and this is Mary Beth's story of Choosing to See God even through incredible darkness and suffering. The Chapman's never-ending courage and faith was so encouraging to read about, despite being a heartbreaking story. The book gave me a new outlook, and some new insights. The Lord is faithful, and He has all of our days numbered, before we even lived one of them. He has "entrusted" me with the life I have, and I am blessed beyond all measure. I was created to worship the King, and I plan on doing that to the best of my ability. Jon and I are making our way through this crazy path called life, and we are doing it together. To say the least, although the above picture may show I look to the world, this picture best shows how I feel on the inside:

Life has been bumpy, but it is also incredible. It is also the "dress rehearsal" to what comes after (I recently read that in an article and thought it was a brilliant analogy!). That's our March in a nutshell.