Hello, Friday!

1.  Camp is really only 95% over. The campers left and the counsellors are gone, even myself self and the director have gone home but there are still things to do. The director and myself are heading back up on Tuesday for the week to finish shutting down (defrosting the fridge/freezer, packing away linens, doing inventory etc.) It's left me in a weird mood though, I've started reflecting on the summer but it's really not quite over yet and there's still more that could happen. And I'm sort of re-entering the real world, but again next week I'll be back to jogging pants, rubber boots and tie-dye as acceptable work attire. 

2.

I came across this quote a few days ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. I'm so guilty of letting myself get overwhelmed in situations or with people and details that I forget about the beginning.  More often than not the reason I start something is because I want to, because it's something I love, for someone I love and I chose to be there. But I forget, I focus so much on treading water that I forget how much I love to swim. I need to remember how much I love to swim. 

3.

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I don't think I've mentioned it this summer because there's been so many other things to mention but H. & R. & I now live in three different provinces, three different time zones and thousands and thousands of kilometres apart. And it sucks. We've always lived apart but we still managed to see each other every couple of months. It required a lot of travelling but it was doable and we made it work. Plane tickets aren't cheap and it's a lot harder to coordinate days off which means I can't say with any amount of certainty when the next time is that we'll all be together. The good news is there are group iMessages and Skype and FaceTime and lots of other ways to stay connected.

4. I need to go get groceries this afternoon and I'm currently trying to plan my route so that not only can I go to the two grocery stores where things are on sale but I can also swing by Michael's to use a 50% off coupon and make a pit stop at Subway to satisfy a craving I've been feeling for two weeks now. 

5. Getting back into blogging is high on my priority list. I had the best intentions of reading though all of the 500+ unread posts on my Bloglovin' feed but I just couldn't. I figure it's best to start fresh. So I cannot wait to catch up with everyone's summer adventures and start posting here on a regular basis once again. And to kickstart my return to blogging I signed up to participate in a Journal Swap hosted by Lisa & Nancy and I am super excited about it!

Linking up with The Farmer's Wife and Lauren Elizabeth! 

'Twas The Day After Christmas

I had such a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. God is good. 

Christmas Eve we had supper at my aunt & uncle's before church then we went to church where my cousin's baby was baptized. Afterwards we all went back to my aunt & uncle's and just enjoyed each other's company. Watching the excitement of my three year old cousin A. was the absolute best. We had given baby M. a present for her baptism and didn't want A. to feel left out so we brought a little something for her too. (And by little something I mean a single Christmas ornament that we found at Wal-Mart for under $5.) When she found out she was allowed to open it then she carefully but enthusiastically tore off the pink paper and squealed with delight and yelled "A decoration!" then she ran around the room to show everyone her new "decornation" and simultaneously offering up a "sank you". I also loved watching her in church as she proudly stood up on the pew, hymn book in hand and sang her heart out. I am so thankful for her and pray with every fibre of my being someday it's my little girl keeping everyone entertained Christmas.

Christmas Day we opened presents and I was seriously blessed. My biggest surprise present was a Magic Bullet Deluxe set with a bunch of different blades and attachments for the cups! I haven't gotten a change to try it out yet but I see A LOT of smoothies in my future. And homemade salsa. And iced coffee. I may even attempt to recreate Second Cup's Frozen Hot Chocolate! 

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I also got an amazing gift from my friend who I met through church back when I was in university. We send each other a Christmas package and I was so excited when I opened this on Christmas morning. At this point you all know how much I love words of affirmation and I love how much thought went into this gift. I'm using a lot of willpower not to read all those little notes right away but I really do want to save them and read one each day in 2014. I've also been thinking about how I need to get back into journalling with a real pen & paper. The next time I'm in town I'm going to pick up a notebook and for each day of 2014 I will glue in the quote I pick from the jar each day and scribble down a few words about the day, draw a few doodles, and by the end of the year I'll have an amazing scrapbook. I think I even have a blank Smash* Book that might be perfect for this project. That's a post for another time though...back to Christmas!

I got some great new clothes including this hoodie that has been on my wish list for months! 

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I also got some new make up, a supply of body washes & lotions to last well into the new year and a few gift cards to spend once things quiet down a little. 

And of course the kitties got some new toys too. 

We enjoyed Christmas dinner with my Dad's side of the family and then spent the evening with my mom's side. I can't put into words how thankful I am to have so many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. And that family really is a priority. I can't imagine growing up without cousins and aunts and grandparents, but I know that for so many it's hard to imagine growing up with that kind of extended family. Mine certainly isn't perfect and there was the usual arguments about how many chairs we need and the uncles probably had one too many glasses of homemade wine but that's life. 

I'm off to spend the rest of the day enjoying the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives marathon on the Food Network making homemade pizzas for supper and visiting with a family friend this evening. I hope everyone is enjoying time with family & friends! 

Tunes & Tastes

I feel like this week has been so chaotic! I made 3 trips to town in 3 days, but I did finally get my laptop fixed! With a totally empty hard drive my first priority was to restore my iTunes to its former glory. I spent a solid two hours yesterday importing CDs but I barely made a dent. If anyone has any music/song suggestions now would be the time to share them! I listen to a lot of country but I also listen to lots of indie stuff and I'm not ashamed to admit I have a soft spot for One Direction and the Jonas Brothers. 

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Last night I Skyped with H. & R. for three hours. I love those girls with every fiber of my being. Our friendship isn't perfect, I mean, technically I'm their boss four months of the year...and like any boss/employee relationship there are definitely times when I have to be the "bad guy"/authority figure. But we work through it. Part of what makes us so close (other than the magic that is camp) is that we learned pretty quickly on that if we wanted to be friends we needed to forgive each other and not hold grudges. It's pretty easy to get annoyed/frustrated with somebody when you live and work with them 24/7 and if you don't learn to accept apologizes, discuss disagreements, agree to disagree and respect each other by the time August comes around you cannot wait to get far away from them. I am so thankful that the three of us "clicked" almost instantly but also realize it takes effort to keep a friendship and having that kind of friendship is worth all the effort in the world.

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I recently realized how thankful I am that I genuinely enjoy cooking! I love being in the kitchen trying a new recipe, creating something from scratch or making an old favourite, it all makes me happy. I see posts on my Facebook/Twitter almost daily from people either complaining about eating Kraft Dinner for the fourth time that week or sharing a photo their latest kitchen disaster. I'm not saying I don't have my share of kitchen disasters (someday I'll tell you the "microwave s'more" story), but I just laugh them off and move on to my next culinary adventure. I can't imagine hating cooking so much that you eat out every single meal and avoid the kitchen like the plague. I don't know if my love for cooking & baking is a product of nature or nurture but I'm sure thankful for all the hours I spent baking with my Grandma as a child and for parents who let me experiment in the kitchen (just as long as I cleaned up my mess afterwards). 

On that note I am off to start supper, import a few more CDs and catch up on last's nights episode of Survivor!