A downtown adventure

July and August are always great times to celebrate the love that my husband and I share. It was five years ago that we met and went on our first date, and four years ago that we were married.

This year, we had the luxury of an overnight stay downtown while Grandpa and Grandma kindly spent some quality time with Jack (and apparently, he didn't scream the whole time—screaming just for the joy of hearing the noise is an interesting habit he's adopted of late). To make it more of an adventure, we turned down the offer of my parent's car (let me interject that I really wanted to accept the offer, but it was more adventurous to ride public transportation I suppose).

We got kicked out of our first hotel (So sorry, a group came in last night and we overbooked) and stuck in another one a few blocks away. This is fine, because the first hotel footed the bill for the difference, which was about $140 (since we had originally booked on Priceline). Then we wandered around Granville Island, and ate dinner at a very fabulous steak place. The next day, we ate doughnuts for breakfast, had a pre-lunch at a Chipotle-type place called Steamroller (we split a burrito), strolled through Gastown and got a couple souvenir shirts for Jack, and then made our way through some very sordid streets to Chinatown in hopes of finding dim sum.

Although it was broad daylight (well, cloudy and raining and my husband got soaked because he was very chivalrous—and didn't want to get poked in the head—and let me have the umbrella all to myself) it was a little creepy and very sad to observe the lives of people who have nothing but destructive addictions. We walked right next to a rescue mission where, in an alcove on the other side of the street, a few people were huddled with big umbrellas doing drugs and shaking. Another woman on the corner was obviously very troubled and talked randomly to herself. Heartbreaking.

Arriving at Chinatown was no better, except for a soggy stroll through Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. Standing on the not-so-desirable streets, we suddenly felt uncertain about which restaurant to choose for our lunch, part II. Then we stumbled upon some graffiti with these kind words: "Kill Whitey." Um, no lunch for us. We found the Sky Train, made our way back to my hometown, and visited a local mall in search of dim sum. We found Triple O's instead. Yum. By that time, we were all out of adventure and a good, old fashioned BC burger tasted just about perfect.

This may be the most adventurous date we've had. We laughed, we ate, we got wet, we ate some more, we walked miles, and we were so happy we married each other. And that's what really matters.

Me and the Gastown steam clock

One of our favorite wedding-day photos. I love my husband!

So blessed

Sometimes in the midst of life, I forget. Three poopy diapers and a crazy day of deadlines and worrying about family photos turning out and cleaning my house frantically kind of rolled in a like a fog today.

It's days like these at a frenetic pace that I feel trapped, as if I need to take a step back and really see life. And then life comes into focus again when, for example, my little munchkin falls asleep on my lap, and I take a bit of time to reflect.

And I think: Really, what am I doing? How did I get here? All of a sudden, here I am, all grown up. I've had my dream wedding, complete with poofy white dress and antique car. I've spent years with the man who God designed to be my mate—laughing, talking, traveling down the journey of life. Now I have a little boy just shy of a year old. I have a flexible job with a gracious employer that lets me be a mom and still keep my brain in gear and my skills polished. My husband has a flexible job with an outstanding employer (himself), allowing him to be an even more wonderful daddy to Jack. We take family walks or go to the park in the afternoon sometimes, just because we can.

Really, my life is bursting with blessings. And that is what I want to keep in the forefront of my mind, especially when the days seem overwhelming.

Thank you, God!

Almost one!

Before I had my little boy, I was astounded at how sentimental moms seemed when their daughters and sons were approaching their first birthdays. Now I am standing in their cute mommy shoes and I know exactly what they mean.

The other night Jack fell asleep in my arms and I just sat and stared at him for a long time, watching his tiny eyelashes and perfectly round cheeks and listening to his soft breathing. I want to hold on to moments like that and tuck them away forever. I never want to forget Jack's first-year baby months as he goes through potty training and preschool plays and spelling words and school sports and (gasp!) college. It's hard to believe that here they are, drawing to a close.

Jack, however, is not waxing sentimental. He's giggly and fun and crawling and cruising like crazy. He still loves to put most things in his mouth but he's learning more and more how to actually play with toys and keep himself amused for a time. It would be his dream come true to crawl into the dishwasher, but we don't let him.

He likes to eat still, but some days he's pickier than others. However, he has rarely turned down cheese, applesauce, apple juice, or yogurt. Veggies are a whole different matter.

So here's to one more month of official babyhood before the barnyard birthday and a dive into his own piece of cake signal that toddlerhood has officially arrived.

Traditions of gratitude

Lately I've been contemplating how to make Christmas meaningful and I sort of skipped over Thanksgiving. Hard to believe, since I generally celebrate it twice (once for Canada and once for the States).

Gratitude is a certainly a character quality I want to instill in my son (and myself). Thanksgiving traditions should help me be purposeful about doing so. Here are a couple ideas I've run across in the last little while:

• Decorate a small box, jar, or similar container (or just purchase a pretty one). Throughout the year, when God's blessings are especially evident, write notes of thankfulness on slips of paper and drop them in the container. On Thanksgiving Day, open the container and read all of the blessings, big and small, that you might have otherwise forgotten: recovery from an illness, a conflict resolved, an extra-special treat, a lovely spring day.
  
  
• Use a countdown calendar to generate excitement about the special day and learn more about gratitude. Every day leading up to Thanksgiving, write down one thing about which to be grateful, and stick it in the calendar. Gather the notes of appreciation and save them in a scrapbook or box for future years, or simply read them all on Thanksgiving Day.
  
  You can purchase such a calendar, or decorate your own using a pre-designed one. Here's a downloadable one for kids that you could adapt for such a project.You could even make your own. Ideas include making it from a placemat or in the shape of a tree with leaves. Or, you could simply use sticky notes to affix tidbits of appreciation to the square representing each day on a regular calendar.
  

I'd love to hear your Thanksgiving traditions, too—both the meaningful and the just-for-fun ones.

And then there were three...

I'm delighted to announce that our family is growing to three. Our little new little miracle, straight from God, will arrive in the beginning of May.

What inexpressible joy! I can't wait to hold our baby in my arms, caress little fingers, touch a precious nose, and softly tickle tiny toes. I can hardly believe the precious bundle will be ours.

Yesterday, I heard his or her heartbeat, which made the whole pregnancy seem a great deal more real. It made a gentle swooshing sound; I caught my husband's eye as we both grinned widely.

Now that's real delight.

One of our baby's first portraits, taken September 18

So much joy

October may seem dull next to September, which is filled with birthday fun. A nephew wrapped up his first year; another turned four. Their adorable Western party was complete with cowboy hats and horseback rides. A neice celebrated her fifteenth birthday, and my husband and I turned 31 and 28, respectively. It was priceless when our four-year-old nephew called to sing my husband his rendition of "Happy Birthday." My in-laws celebrated 32 years of marriage, as well.

There will be at least one chance to celebrate in October—Canadian Thanksgiving. Even though I'm half American and have lived in the United States for more than a decade, I love to have a big dinner party, potluck-style, a tradition I began in college. Every year, the cool, crisp weather and changing leaves make me breathe a little more deeply and make me a little more grateful to be alive.

A Praying Day

The power and importance of prayer was just a little bit more real to me today. My niece and a friend's mom—who live thousands of miles apart—had surgeries in the early afternoon.

It was a coincidence that they were on the same day, but their being about the same time ensured I did not forget to lift both of them before God's throne. For different reasons, both were nervous about the surgeries and needed a healthy dose of heavenly peace. And of course both wanted their procedures to be safe and effective.

Thanks to God and the gifts He has given to the medical staff, they came through beautifully and are recovering. Thank you, God, for answered prayer today—when Your power seems close and Your light vivid—and every day.

My beautiful niece recovering in the hospital.

An Easter hug

I was walking through the grocery store today toward the egg section (so my husband and I can enjoy some egg-decorating) when out of the corner of my eye I saw a little girl. Before I knew it, I had been hugged. Startled, I looked down and saw it was a child who is in my Sunday school class.

What a surprise of love and joy! It truly made my day.

Later, I reflected on the fact that her hug, in some small way, represents what Easter is all about. God surprised us with love when He sent His Son to die and rise again for us. We didn't deserve it and we didn't expect it. And that love, when accepted as a free gift, produces unspeakable joy—now and forever.

Bright Sonshine

This past week wasn't one of the sunniest—but it sure had plenty of Sonshine.

There were some big struggles within our itsy-bitsy family. They were so big I suppose, because they were very closely tied to our hoped-for future and left deep doubts in our minds. They warred against rationality and unity and applauded perplexity and tears.

Until Wednesday.

On Wendesday, things started looking up for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a very gracious and loving act by some people in our lives. We went to church in the evening, as we do most weeks. There, the pastor, who of course had no idea about the kind of week we'd had, offered hope from the Son, Jesus Christ. And most of the songs we sung were focused on the fact that God is truly God and worthy of worship, no matter if we feel like He is or not because of the woes of our week.

It was there, at church, that I truly felt Sonshine. The pastor explained that if you hold a quarter close enough to your eyes it will literally block the sun's light. But if you hold it back a little, you can see the sun, much more brilliant and beautiful than the quarter. So it is with problems. If you hold them too close, they can block out everything beautiful—including and especially God. However, if you find ways to step back—whether by praying, reciting God's promises, or just taking a walk and getting some fresh air—you'll gain a welcome, fresh perspective that is mostly God and just a tiny bit problem. The issue doesn't disappear, of course. But you see it differently, are less obsessive about it, and realize there is much more to life than this one difficulty, even if it may seem worse than impossible at the time.

Thank God for Sonshine.

So you want to be a housewife...

Yesterday morning, reflecting on certain frustrations at my job of late, I said to my husband, "Maybe I can be a housewife..."

His quick reply: "Uh, uh. You can't be a housewife unless we have kids."

I tried: "But I could keep the house really clean and you wouldn't have to do any of it—you could do whatever you wanted."

"Hmmmm..." he paused.

Amazing how convincing the no-housework-for-you argument can be :-).

When I returned to reality, I thought about the importance of contentment. For the moment, becoming a housewife and escaping 8- to 5-woes seems next to heaven. But if I think on just a teeny, tiny big past the satisfaction of quitting, I can think of lots of problems with becoming a housewife.

Cleaning and cooking—and only cleaning and cooking—everyday would get old probably within a week. And then I'd start looking for a job because I simply cannot stand to be idle and feel useless (not that housewifery—a word?—is necessarily useless), which would promptly propel me out of my week-long homemaking career and into the workforce I had intended to leave behind for good.

Contentment in every area of life—not just in my not-always-delightful job—is so often difficult to come by. When I was single, a pastor told me that when he was single, he wanted to marry. When he married, he wanted kids. When he had kids, he wanted them to be old enough to vacation and play with. The quest for contentment never ends, he said, unless we make the choice to be content right now.

How's that choice made? Daily, I suppose. Every time I've purposed in my heart to be content for the long haul, it's never quite worked for me. Others probably have more discipline, but with just one day ahead of me, the decision for contentment doesn't seem as overwhelming. It's doable.

Now if I could just be a housewife...

The joy of forever young

I joined a Bible study recently, initially in the spirit of meeting new people. I also wanted to learn more of God's Word but I have to admit that wasn't my primary focus (please attempt not to gasp at my honesty :-). I had already joined a Bible study through my own church for that purpose, and wouldn't have joined another at the same time had it not been for the friendship factor. I have only lived in this town for a year and a half and I feel I've met the majority of people I know so far through my church. Expanding the circle of people I am blessed to know was the goal.

Anyway, I've only gone a couple of times so I cannot for sure judge if I'm going to make fabulous friends or even a few acquaintances. What I do know is I am overjoyed with what I am learning about the Bible.

Yesterday, the speaker said something profound. She said that our soul will never die, a well-known fact at least among Christians. The joyful part of this is that there is no need for our soul to ever get old. So we can (and perhaps should) always be young in spirit, even if we live to have wrinkles and canes and false teeth. We can sing in the shower, dance while we're making dinner, and shout "I love you!" to our husbands at random moments.I think it's an unfortunate thing that many people's spirits do whither along with their bodies. They shouldn't. They should bloom. It is as if they are growing into a more incredibly beautiful flower each day, reaching toward heaven.

I've decided that if I make new friends through this Bible study, I will be delighted. But if all I do is sit and soak up the wonderful insights, I will still be filled with joy.