1st day of vacation and I got up at 7am…made a lunch for Derek and took a bath. I closed the doors on the rooms of the two sleeping beauties in our house and Derek and I headed out the door. We stopped for a bagel and coffee for mom at the nearby Timmies and Derek was off to Sports Camp. He has been so tired but thoroughly enjoyed his week there. I headed out with coffee in hand to do a few errands by myself and had a wonderful time. I got some work pants for fall and a couple clearance items for my Jessie. I also bought some curtains for the kids rooms yesterday so this morning I picked up some rods for them to be put up. Around 10 am it was time to grab my daughter, Jess, and off mom and her went to do some more errands and stop in and have lunch with Nana(my mom). We will be away on my birthday so I have a few lunch dates to fit in before we go….and boy does that sound tuff. NOT. LOL.

Well the day had no schedule and ended up cram packed but full of accomplishment and enjoyment. I can not complain. Spur of the moment we ended up with the Lengerts here for some hot dogs on the deck and ended up in a big two family water fight with all the adults soaked. That was great and cool in this weather. The kids loved it. Now Derek is off at a sleepover and Jess is downstairs with a neighbour girl having movie night….mom is here on the laptop sitting on her fabulous new deck. What a great day:)

As of 2:15pm I started my 19 days of vacation time. Yeehaa!!! I am excited to hang out with the family and next week we are off to Deception Pass. I never get tired of our summer adventures or watching the kids enjoy the wonders of the world down by the ocean. The last two nights we went swimming with the Lengerts and had dinner at Duane’s campsite too. I love the spontinaity of the summer nights. Grab some meat for the bbq and serve with salad or vegies and you are always good to go. It is nice and easy….and tasty too.

Well I have been up since 4:30am and I am off to bed….will write when I have stories to tell…thanks for stopping in!

July 24th was an incredible day up at the fabulous Falls Golf resort. I spent the day as a volunteer for one of the biggest fundraisers the staff of the Chilliwack PriceSmart foods hold each year. Today the weather was great and a good time was had by all. Last year the tournament was able to break the $20,000 mark and with great excitement we set our goals to beat that mark for 2009. Incredibly tonight’s first totals are putting us at approximately raising $25,000. WOW- and way to go PriceSmart Foods #2213!!!! We did it for the kids. Special thanks goes out to all the amazing volunteers that make this event possible. Thanks to the sponsors, the teams, The Falls, and our special guest and MC for the evening-Scott Riley from the Star FM morning show Scott and Lisa

It takes all of you to make events like this so fantastic!!!

With heart filled thanks from me to you~ Hope to see you out next year.

I have recently been asked if I have heard of any crops happening soon and I have been on the look out. Here is what I have found:

Summer FUNdraising 12 hr Crop

This event is being held August 29, 2009 and is hosted by BC Crop for kids. Money raised will go to our very own BC Children’s Hospital.

Precious Memories in Langley has some fun card classes to take in or join them for one of their Friday night crops.
myscrapbookshop.com

Classic on Alexander here in Chilliwack has a few more scheduled days for classes and crops in July. Check their schedule out atwww.morescrapbooking.com

In September Scrapbook Fanatics is hosting a retreat.www.scrapbookfanatic-retreats.blogspot.com/

I am missing my cropping moments too. Hopefully we will all find our time to scrap a page for the love of it!!

Bye for now~

Well it has been a fabulous week, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, hanging with family and friends at our favourite place-Cultus Lake. It has given me a taste of freedom and I am ready for my vacation. I start vacation on July 30th and will have the first few days at home. I need to declutter the house, catch up on some needed homemaking duties and then pack the trailer for the annual Deception Pass trip.

Check it out

Deception Pass

When I step onto the beach of this beautiful place I instantly relax. I feel so incredible here at my oasis. I feel refreshed and free! I long for the journey and will capture so many memories of my children being carefree and enjoying the simple life.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and remembering during their daily routines to get out there and have some fun!!

Yes, I wished my daughter a wonderful day yesterday and today I wish my husband and my best friend a happy birthday. A day apart makes for busy times for me but we always manage to have some fun!! this year however we can not have the annual big bbq as Andie works tonight and I tomorrow but we will have a relaxed dinner on our deck and let the kids have some fun.

So this is a quick note to say Andie, we love you oodles and wish you the best sleep and best day ever!! Niki, we love you and are so glad you are in our lives. It is always so many laughs and joys to spend time with you and it is so wonderful to raise our kids together…..Happy Birthday guys!!!

After 5 weeks on bed rest I got up at 3am and went to go to the washroom. My water broke. Contractions started but were more of a distraction to me as I really like to be in control….lol…but this was something I could not control. We called the hospital and loaded up our bags to make our way to have our baby. At 9:10am on July 8, 1998 the doctor announced that it was ‘A girl’. She was 8lbs and 12 ozs and absolutely beautiful. She had long fingers and a round face and brown hair. She lite up the room with her spirit even then.

Jessica is full of love for life….she loves bugs, animals, people, school and God. She is a pleasure to be around and radiates joy right from her soul. She smiles often and laughs much. She loves music and dancing and even though her age tells her she doesn’t want to be like her parents she really does have a little bit of both of us in her. She will inspire many as a young lady and inspires us everyday as she is growing up. We love you Jessica…..Happy Birthday sweetheart!!!

Jessica as a toddler….and some now:

Well this is the first year in a long time that I will be working full time while my kids are off on summer holidays. However, the first year daddy will be around more. All and all it is working out well. I had this weekend off and it has been fabulous. We started out at a wedding and then had a leisurely day at home yesterday with the kids. Took in dinner and a movie as a family last night. Today I am about to start the day with a coffee and my book on the new deck. (must do some housework later – but I have all day!! LOL) Here is a photo of the fab 4 from the wedding:

And me and my Niki….

Thanks for stopping by…(25 days till my vacation adventure starts!!)