Thank you - yummy!

 

May I Have Your Hand?

 

Visit from Canada

Here are a few pictures from our recent visit from my sister Alison, beloved friend Karen and Karen's baby Sophie. Sophie is 3 weeks older than Isabelle. We ate good food, went for walks, compared baby advice, went shopping, and just generally had a wonderful time. I was very sad to see them all go. There are more photos on Flickr.

Karen is my oldest friend. We grew up on the same street and we were born 3 weeks apart as well. At many times in our lives we have drifted apart geographically or to different schools, but fate always seems to draw us back together. She was always the "cool" kid growing up and I wanted so badly to be her "best friend". And here we are...she came a long way just to visit me so I'm guessing that we're pretty close. I'm very, very thankful for her friendship. 

Walk and Walk and Walk Away

It's back.

About 3 weeks ago I started noticing that I was really tired. I didn't feel like doing things I normally liked, lost interest in food, became unusually irritable and short tempered, didn't want to talk to anyone and just wanted to stay in bed. And then finally a few days ago it dawned on me - my depression is visiting me again. We were introduced almost 10 years ago, and thankfully it's not been around much during the past year.

But this time I'm trying my very hardest not to let it stay, not to invite it in for pizza and a movie and a box of chocolates. This morning when I would have liked to yank the covers over my head, I did my walking video. Exercise seems to be the biggest blues zapper that I have in my weapons cabinet. "Walk away the blues; walk away the stress..." says Leslie Sansone. Often the problem for me is that I can't hold onto the desire to feel better - it's a genuine wrestling match. And if I don't want to feel better than there is nothing motivating me to do anything about it.

So hear this, bleakness and darkest blues, you can't beat me! I can't stand the thought of my daughter saying "What's wrong, Mama? Are you sad again?" I'm going to walk and walk and walk away from you this time. Just try and catch me.

The Summer Ensemble

I can't resist posting more photos of Isabelle wearing items from her summer wardrobe, but there's a lot, so I've decided to get Flickr working for me again so I don't post 1000 photos of her on the blog. :) She has started reaching for lots of stuff and now it includes the camera, so every time it's out, she's reaching towards it (yet another challenge to photographing a baby).

Happy Anniversary

Today is my mom and dad's 35th wedding anniversary. As a kid, I remember always wondering what to get them as a present for this occasion. One year when I was under 10 I scoured garage sales and came up with a dried flower arrangement that was under glass. I'm sure my mom thought it was very ugly, but it stayed in a prominent place on our china cabinet for a long time. This to say that I've never been very good at expressing how I feel about their love for each other.

I've been blessed with two of the most special people on earth for parents. Here are some things I love most about them as a couple.

• They love to spend Mondays together.
  
• They read books about building their relationship and making it stronger.
  
• They pray together.
  
• They give to others together, by offering gifts and using their home for hospitality.
  
• They continue to desire a great relationship, instead of settling for an "okay" one.
• They are full of pride for their children and delight in our successes.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad. Thanks for being so committed to each other.