May June 2009

It's been awhile since I have made an entry to my blog so it may appear somewhat discombobbled (new word !!)

This spring has gone by quickly for us. We have had many family events as we always do and that has been great.

Dad has finished his last chemo as of last Friday but that has certainly taken it's toll on him. He suffered a bit of a setback with his blood counts and has been in hospital since last Tuesday. This journey our family is on with cancer/chemo is quite the rollercoaster. You think of many things as you travel down this road. I often wonder how families do it without any faith. Last night as our family celebrated Mom & Dad's 56th wedding anniversary in the hospital room, a friend came by just to spend time with Dad & Mom. He has recently lost his wife to cancer and I was deeply touched to see his strong faith, his strength and his genuine love and caring. He has walked this road and his faith is what carries him day to day. I was encouraged in my faith journey and am constantly amazed at the people God brings into my life that do just that: encourage, give hope, share love, share tears, etc. As we experience life wherever we are, may we take time to spend time with those that come across our paths, may we share ourselves just a little bit more but more importantly share of what Jesus means to us and how that affects us every day of our life.

Following are some pics of family times over the past few months.



Jessica's graduation from the PDP Program



Fraser Valley Sympthony 25th Anniversary Concert.....find Ruth!! (sorry it's a bit blurry but she IS there !!)



Whister Day trip - stopped at Furry Creek for brunch !!



Jess & William in Whistler



Dan & I sipping our coffee in Whistler



Celebrating Mom & Dad's 56th wedding anniversary in the hospital



Family celebrating Mom & Dad's Anniversary with a little Grand Marnier Creme Brulee....yummy !!!

Aunt's Visit

Make a Smilebox postcard

Jess' 25th & An Afternoon @ Harrison

I thought I would shock you all and actually have two posts fairly close to each other. Last night we had a wonderful family and friends 25th birthday party for Jess. It was so much fun !! William's parents, Anna & Desmond came with his sister Christi. It was a great evening for everyone to get to know each other and start building relationships. I decided to try a new pork dish and enjoyed making Pancetta Wrapped Apple Stuffed Pork. It was very tasty and I'm glad it worked out. I used Jenn's meat strappy things she gave me for Christmas to hold it all together and it worked very well (thanks, Jenn...great gift!) Also tried a new pasta dish that had goat cheese, asparagus, fresh basil, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes. Very tasty indeed! Family members brought delicious salads and the jello salad was actually made by Jeff (nephew) who was very proud to be able to contribute!! (now we know what he can do!) I'm still recovering from my wisdom teeth extraction a week ago so today (Sunday) Dan and I went to Harrison Hot Springs for the afternoon just to do a mini road trip. It was a beautiful day and I've included a few pics from that afternoon. We had a light lunch in a small cafe and then walked around the lagoon, sat on the sand and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I was thinking of Jenn & Dan and thinkin' they would really have loved being there as well (heheh) Here's some pics !


Jess & William enjoying the birthday dinner



Anna & Desmond Dos Santos at the buffet



Jessica blowing out a delicious Grand Marnier Cake made by Grandma



Pic overlooking Harrison Lake



Beautiful day at Harrison



Lots of snow on those mountains

KAUAI - FEB 2009

We recently took a trip to Kauai, Hawaii and had a wonderful time. We left from Seattle and arrived in Honolulu for a short time before we took an island hopper to Kauai. It is called the "Garden Island" as it receives approximately 450 inches (yes, that is inches) of rain a year. The interior of the island has a 3000 foot canyon which is called the 'other' Grand Canyon. It is simply spectacular. We went to a coffee plantation, enjoyed checking out different beaches, hiked the Na Pali coast, went on a 5/2 hour catamaran excursion and just went all over the island just to experience it and not miss a thing. Here's a few pics of that great trip ! Enjoy!

A beautiful pic of the Na Pali Coast

Awesome Waimea Canyon

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Hiking the Na Pali Coast

Surf at the end of our 2 mile hike

Dinner at Hanalei Dolphins

I hope you enjoy our little trip to Hawaii as much as we did !!

Ramblings....

I'm always in a bit of a quandry as to what to write on a blog. My thoughts, I suppose.... This morning in church I decided I should sign up for the Women's Retreat at Stillwood in November. I said to myself..."Heather, you need to get to know some new people" and what better way than a conference in a beautiful setting, with great music (co-led by my talented daughter, Kat !!) and inspirational speaking !! Then during the announcements I heard that the conference was already full and there was a wait list !! What is that???!! I decided however to put my name on that waitlist (#18) and hopefully I'll be able to go for the day on Saturday. They are looking for a larger worship setting so they can accommodate everyone. Unfortunately there is no more room for an overnight stay as there was a misunderstanding and so the camp is full with 3 other group besides ours. So be it !! I'll know the week before the conference if I'll be going but they tried to assure me that they felt it would work out. So I wait!

I'm doing a lot of waiting lately. I would like to be more challenged in my employment and so far nothing has happened, despite my attempts. Patience is not really a huge virtue of mine (no need to comment on that one!!) but I am sloooowwwwllllyyyy learning to be more content in the situation I find myself in despite the frustrations. Maybe once I'm content.....I'll be ready to move on??? It's a thought.
Let me post some recent pics .......


Thanksgiving Dinner at Mom & Dad's - Wonderful Family Get-Together

Heather, Richard & Ruth (recent sibling pic)

Little baby Aubrey, Brian & Jalene's daughter, born Sept 18/08, 4 pounds, 14 ounces!!

So cute and light as a feather... wonderful display of God's creation !

Trip to Calgary

We decided to take an extended weekend and visit family in Calgary and Pincher Creek. We flew out on Wednesday night and spent the night at Ken and BJ's. Thursday a.m. we headed off to the farm after a lovely breakfast. The drive was lovely with little traffic and beautiful weather. Near the farm there were many wind generated windmills which were all new on the horizon since the last time we were there. Quite the change. We had a leisurely day and then on Friday the three of us drove to Waterton National Park and visited Cameron Falls. Dan and I were engaged at this very spot almost 29 years ago so it has some very special memories.

We continued on our way and spent some time up at Cameron Lake and enjoyed a Haagen Daaz ice cream bar!! Yummy!!! Shortly after our visit to Cameron Lake we decided to head up to Red Rock Canyon. On the way there we encountered a momma bear and two cubs....very cute !!!

Red Rock Canyon is amazing with all the red rock and I'll post a few pics for you to enjoy !!

This will be all for now as I'm having some technical difficulty...hopefully I'll be able to get some more pics posted soon. Til then.......

Contemplations....Thankfulness....

I have daily been checking Jenn & Dan's blog, Jess's blog and Kat's blog and it occurred to me that occasionally they may check my blog and if they never found any entry they may never return...so, here are my thoughts about 'their blogs' and a little 'heart to heart' !

Kat inspires me with her contemplative/creative thoughts and expressions. Jess touches me with her sensitivity to others and her awareness of the smallest detail. Jenn impresses me with her love of learning and her ability to strive to learn and achieve to higher levels. All three of our girls have many of the same qualities and characteristics but reflect them differently depending where they are in life. We are in a great place of observation and a wonderful time of life to look at those around us that we love dearly and watch them as they learn and grow where they are (Jess in Abby, Jenn & Dan in Winnipeg, & Kat in Ont/Guatemala) They are all experiencing life in different ways and yet still touching each other on a regular basis because of one thing....we are family....and that to me has become very special
....... important,
....... vital,
....... and something not to take for granted,
....... but to hold in my hand and tenderly nurture,
....... mold,
....... heal,
....... hug,
....... hold ...... but most of all ... THANK God for these special gifts He has given to me.

As I have a lengthy conversation with Jenn the day before her 26th birthday, as I talk with Jess and encourage her after a long week, as I miss Kat as she serves and leads with a servant heart in Ontario....I contemplate and think about three of the most special people in my life....my daughters!!

As I reflect on recent weeks, I can see glimpses and whispers of God's presence as He speaks to me through family and friends.

It has been good.....God is good......very good!

For this and much more....I AM THANKFUL!