8 Years of Love!

brings me so much gratitude!

I am in awe...

of this crazy little thing called love,

and how blessed I am

to have so much of it in my life!

After falling in love

almost immediately after meeting Nick 8 years ago,

little did I know then

that we would be here today,

husband and wife and more in love

than ever!

There have been so many highs,

and some lows,

but we came through it all together,

with a clear vision of what is most important... our LOVE!

Baby,

I love you sooo much!

Thank you for being my rock,

my best friend,

my lover, partner, personal Chef ( : , joker

and just a truly wonderful person!

You inspire me... to be the best woman I can be!

Here's to 8 more!

Thank you!

Just Doing It!

brings me gratitude!

(A looooong overdue post!)

So... I haven't been here for a while... again, not sure why... perhaps not recognizing my blessings in everyday life. I have so much to be grateful for!

Here are some photos from the past little bit.

My grandmother's 85th birthday passed and it was a fun, family filled night at the Mandarin... my grandmother's favourite restaurant.

Maybe she was a little shy with all the attention at first but...

she soon relaxed... hee.

It's rare to have everyone at a family function so I thought it would be fun to bring some 'staches to the party! They were hit! We had so much fun! Dad looks how he looked in the '80's!

I love this photo of Uncle Peter... I'm sure he enjoyed himself... maybe just too much MSG.

Pete enjoyed himself a bit too much...

Sheila too... eeeeewwwwww

That's a bit better... cute!

Alyssa's 16th birthday was a couple of weeks later... has it really been 16 years?!

Oh my sweet!

We had dinner at a togarashi joint that we had all been meaning to try for years... It was lovely!

(Great action shot below with my face doing something weird...)

The birthday girl seemed to enjoy it.

Then some birthday cake while reminiscing Alyssa's childhood dinosaur love..

I tried to blend in with the teenagers... yes?... No!

Anyways, it was a lot of fun! and so so special...

The next day to keep the celebration going Sheila and I spent the day together...

We went to the Market to pick up food to make dinner for Nick and Pete... and it happened to be Earth Hour day as well.

Such fun!

Here is Nick helping out... he always finds his way into the kitchen!

Sheila is pretending to help...

...Here we are hamming it up after dinner...

and Sheila and I looking a little mischievous at the end of the night...

I've been keeping myself busy with workshops and such and lots of work gets in the way... it's the busy patio season again!

I must remember to stop, take a deep breath, enjoy the moment

and smile.

Thank you!

Helping Haiti

brings me gratitude.

The devastation in Haiti overwhelms me, as it does any human being, I'm sure. Watching the news, I feel absolutely helpless... the stories just absolutely break me. I want to do.. I want to DO. But sitting on my couch, what can I do??

I know, though, that I am not helpless..

I can donate money.. the Canadian government is matching dollar for dollar so my donation, your donation, has got more bang! I can donate, I can make a difference.

I am so blessed ... My previous blog demonstrates how blessed we (my husband and I) are. All of our daily normalcy seem so much more luxurious now.

Are we not all blessed? Blessed to have a home to go to? A hot shower? A meal? Clean clothes?

Think of all your blessings...

and find what is in yourself, your heart, to donate.. With the Canadian government matching dollar for dollar, $10. is $20., $100 is $200., $500. is $1,000. Given that before the earthquake the average daily income for Haitian's was $2. US a day, your donation means a lot more now.

Please! Give what you can! Even if it is just a little bit, it WILL make a difference!

Thank you! for helping make a difference.

Ringing in the New Year with Family

brings me gratitude!

Nick and I had plans to stay at home and have a quiet New Year's Eve in.

But my cousin Pete called New Year's Eve afternoon and invited us over for a pre-midnight celebration dinner... he picked up steak and lobster tails... ummmm, yeah!

So we went, started with a few cocktails and some bubbly that Sheila brought

and while the guys worked in the kitchen,

Sheila and I waited patiently for dinner.

Well, it was well worth the wait... actually we decided it may have been THE best dinner ever!

We've all had our fair share of fine meals at the some of the best restaurants across the country... this one certainly ranked up there.

It was absolutely spectacular! Good job Pete! Great products, cooked with love... with the assistance of a chef and great company made for a memorable meal.

Well, that is well worth a toast (I think I know what to get Pete for his birthday - wine glasses!).

We partied a bit more, then we went our separate ways. Pete and Sheila joined Pete's family to ring in the new year at a restaurant..

..and Nick and I went home for some lovin'!

Happy New Year indeed!

2009

brings me so much gratitude!

I was hoping to post this blog on the 31st but because 2009 was such a significant year for me I found it difficult to articulate.

But here it is...

While I have learned to live in the present and try to practise it, I do enjoy the end of the year to reflect on what I've learned and where I have moved forward.

2009 had many lessons. Many large and some small, but all significant...

Being grateful is a big one... learning about the mind-body connection is huge, living in the present is a wonderful one,

realizing the insignificance of physical things and zero attachment to outcome is incredible, and choosing to live a more inspired life has changed my life! Learning to forgive... other people and myself has released a lot crap from my life,

learning that my past does not define me and that my thoughts and beliefs create my present and my future has been monumental...

Learning more about my capacity for love and creating my reality have brought on many wonderful experiences!

The journey in 2009 has brought some peace to my life... peace that I had been searching for, for many years,

and that journey is mine to choose...

2009 was absolutely divine!

Thank you!