Since she's one of my favorite saints, it just didn't seem right to let her feast day go by without a blog post... But Mondays generally have me swamped with housework... So I refer you to a post I wrote 2 years ago about the roses she sent to me. A bouquet of roses!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Eternal Optimism
Somewhere back in Junior High or High School my best friend dubbed me an "eternal optimist." She said, "You always expect the absolute best out of everything, and that's why you're so disappointed when things don't turn out as they should."
There have been numerous times throughout my life that I have realized how true her statement was. And just tonight, I found it yet again.
For at least 18 months I had been thinking how fun it would be to plan a date night for Andrew and I and not let him know about it. I would just whisk the kiddos off somewhere and be all ready for a fun night on the town when he arrived home. How surprised he would be that the kids weren't here! How delighted he would be that we had the evening to ourselves! How awesome of a time we would have!
Yeah... well... it didn't exactly pan out the way I had hoped. This morning I realized that because of our schedules, this evening could actually maybe work for this plan I had plotted for 2 years. So I called our neighbors who owed us a baby sitter trade and started considering how awesome it would be if I could get the whole house clean as part of the surprise. About 15 minutes after securing the babysitter, Andrew called to tell me he had a late meeting at work. Then he called back to tell me he wanted to run an errand after that and the kids and I should meet him. OH SHEESH! So I sort of ruined the surprise by saying "Wait... kids with us or without... I COULD get a babysitter.."
Anyhoo... after lots of hem-hawing I finally had to tell him I already HAD a babysitter and that I was a little bummed that our special date night was going to turn into yet another "errand running excursion." As the afternoon wore on, the house did NOT get clean, the boys were being bananas and I was pretty sure I should just cancel the babysitter.
It ended up that Andrew did not need to run the errand, so he only had the meeting that would keep him a little late, so I decided I would take the kids over anyways. So for the next 30 minutes I scrambled to spic and span the house and myself so I could still SORT OF surprise him.
And here's where the disappointment part comes in. First, Andrew's meeting ends up going like 45 minutes longer than usual, which left me kidless and waiting for my husband in a very quiet house FOREVER. (Normally a quiet house is a really really nice blessing... but today the silence just annoyed me.) And then, when he finally called to tell me his meeting was over, I was totally not nice on the phone having been so annoyed that half of surprise date was being used up by a dumb meeting.
To top it off, when my dear husband finally gets home and walks in the door, he did not react with the "Oh Wow! You and the House Look Great!" that my eternal-optimist-self was expecting. It was more of a blank stare and a "are we doing something tonight?" look. Good grief!
I'm happy to report that after a good cry (on my part) and a bit of apologizing (on Andrew's part) that the rest of date night was sensational. It included one of the best dinners I've ever tasted at my favorite restaurant and some laughter and fun and ice cream to boot. But, seriously, I'm starting to believe I should just take my husband's advice and have low expectations of everything. Then, more often than not, I'd be delighted when things weren't as awful as I expected them to be. Could I ever really live like that though?
There have been numerous times throughout my life that I have realized how true her statement was. And just tonight, I found it yet again.
For at least 18 months I had been thinking how fun it would be to plan a date night for Andrew and I and not let him know about it. I would just whisk the kiddos off somewhere and be all ready for a fun night on the town when he arrived home. How surprised he would be that the kids weren't here! How delighted he would be that we had the evening to ourselves! How awesome of a time we would have!
Yeah... well... it didn't exactly pan out the way I had hoped. This morning I realized that because of our schedules, this evening could actually maybe work for this plan I had plotted for 2 years. So I called our neighbors who owed us a baby sitter trade and started considering how awesome it would be if I could get the whole house clean as part of the surprise. About 15 minutes after securing the babysitter, Andrew called to tell me he had a late meeting at work. Then he called back to tell me he wanted to run an errand after that and the kids and I should meet him. OH SHEESH! So I sort of ruined the surprise by saying "Wait... kids with us or without... I COULD get a babysitter.."
Anyhoo... after lots of hem-hawing I finally had to tell him I already HAD a babysitter and that I was a little bummed that our special date night was going to turn into yet another "errand running excursion." As the afternoon wore on, the house did NOT get clean, the boys were being bananas and I was pretty sure I should just cancel the babysitter.
It ended up that Andrew did not need to run the errand, so he only had the meeting that would keep him a little late, so I decided I would take the kids over anyways. So for the next 30 minutes I scrambled to spic and span the house and myself so I could still SORT OF surprise him.
And here's where the disappointment part comes in. First, Andrew's meeting ends up going like 45 minutes longer than usual, which left me kidless and waiting for my husband in a very quiet house FOREVER. (Normally a quiet house is a really really nice blessing... but today the silence just annoyed me.) And then, when he finally called to tell me his meeting was over, I was totally not nice on the phone having been so annoyed that half of surprise date was being used up by a dumb meeting.
To top it off, when my dear husband finally gets home and walks in the door, he did not react with the "Oh Wow! You and the House Look Great!" that my eternal-optimist-self was expecting. It was more of a blank stare and a "are we doing something tonight?" look. Good grief!
I'm happy to report that after a good cry (on my part) and a bit of apologizing (on Andrew's part) that the rest of date night was sensational. It included one of the best dinners I've ever tasted at my favorite restaurant and some laughter and fun and ice cream to boot. But, seriously, I'm starting to believe I should just take my husband's advice and have low expectations of everything. Then, more often than not, I'd be delighted when things weren't as awful as I expected them to be. Could I ever really live like that though?
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Things you should know about me if we're gonna be BFF.
So I was at a loss for blog topics, and I stumbled across this one when googling "blog topic ideas." Not sure anyone will care to read it, but it sounded like a fun introspective writing exercise so here goes nothing...
Things you need to know about me if we're gonna be BFF (in no particular order):
1.) I do not like cooked fruit. (pie, jelly, jam, fig newtons - yuck).
2.) I am passionate about natural birth.
3.) I am passionate about SAVING THE BABIES.
4.) I am passionate about being truly and wholly Catholic. Mother Church knows her stuff, and if you disagree with something she says, then you need to go find out why she says what she says.
5.) I am introverted until I get to know you... which is super hard for me to do because I'm introverted.
6.) But once I get to know you, I'm a really goofy extrovert -- go figure.
7.) My parents are the Shiz-nit! And if I turn out to be the kind of people that they are, I would feel blessed beyond measure.
8.) Even though I'm 31, I still pretty much idolize my big brothers.
9.) I used to want a sister really really badly, but when I started young adulthood, I began to realize that girls=drama and that I was blessed to only have brothers. I was enough drama for our family.
10.) I miss stage acting.
11.) I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to be in a musical.
12.) Please don't lie to me. I would rather hear a hurtful truth than a sugar coated lie.
13.) I frequently lament losing connections with old friends and always wonder what exactly happened to end the friendship.
14.) I hate, loathe and am repulsed by Calculus.
15.) I question the medical establishment - a lot.
16.) I don't like talking on the phone.
17.) If you have a problem with something I've said or done, I think it's really dumb if you won't just come talk to me about it.
18.) Don't belittle me.
19.) I never feel like I'm doing enough with everything God has blessed me with.
20.) Andrew and I are considering foster parenting.
21.) I bought a guitar for my 30th birthday and vowed to learn it by 31. It's still in my closet and I'm almost 32. BOO TO ME.
22.) Related to that, I'd love to be a part of "the U family singers" - Kind of like the Von Trapps.
23.) My favorite word is "GROWL."
24.) My husband is terribly quirky and I delight in him every day... even when he annoys the heck out of me.
25.) I love chocolate and cheese and therefore chocolate cheesecake is high on my list of "AWESOMELY DELICIOUS FOODS THAT I SHOULD NOT EAT"
....to be continued...
Things you need to know about me if we're gonna be BFF (in no particular order):
1.) I do not like cooked fruit. (pie, jelly, jam, fig newtons - yuck).
2.) I am passionate about natural birth.
3.) I am passionate about SAVING THE BABIES.
4.) I am passionate about being truly and wholly Catholic. Mother Church knows her stuff, and if you disagree with something she says, then you need to go find out why she says what she says.
5.) I am introverted until I get to know you... which is super hard for me to do because I'm introverted.
6.) But once I get to know you, I'm a really goofy extrovert -- go figure.
7.) My parents are the Shiz-nit! And if I turn out to be the kind of people that they are, I would feel blessed beyond measure.
8.) Even though I'm 31, I still pretty much idolize my big brothers.
9.) I used to want a sister really really badly, but when I started young adulthood, I began to realize that girls=drama and that I was blessed to only have brothers. I was enough drama for our family.
10.) I miss stage acting.
11.) I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to be in a musical.
12.) Please don't lie to me. I would rather hear a hurtful truth than a sugar coated lie.
13.) I frequently lament losing connections with old friends and always wonder what exactly happened to end the friendship.
14.) I hate, loathe and am repulsed by Calculus.
15.) I question the medical establishment - a lot.
16.) I don't like talking on the phone.
17.) If you have a problem with something I've said or done, I think it's really dumb if you won't just come talk to me about it.
18.) Don't belittle me.
19.) I never feel like I'm doing enough with everything God has blessed me with.
20.) Andrew and I are considering foster parenting.
21.) I bought a guitar for my 30th birthday and vowed to learn it by 31. It's still in my closet and I'm almost 32. BOO TO ME.
22.) Related to that, I'd love to be a part of "the U family singers" - Kind of like the Von Trapps.
23.) My favorite word is "GROWL."
24.) My husband is terribly quirky and I delight in him every day... even when he annoys the heck out of me.
25.) I love chocolate and cheese and therefore chocolate cheesecake is high on my list of "AWESOMELY DELICIOUS FOODS THAT I SHOULD NOT EAT"
....to be continued...
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Slow and steady...
About three years ago I finally got fed up with feeling sick all the time, and after having been told by my PCP multiple times that I needed anti-depressants for my anxiety, I was ready to try something different.
Upon the recommendation of a good friend, I went to see a chiropractor. And beyond fixing my out-of-whack alignment, she started me on a path towards much better nutrition. It turned out that my feeling sick all the time had a lot to do with my body being drained from pregnancy and nursing for 3 years straight and not eating the right foods to remain nourished.
And though I feel a thousand times better than I did when I first went to her in 2008, I still get really frustrated with myself when it comes to our family's diet. Too much sugar. Too much refined wheat. Too much junk. - A mantra that runs through my head about once a week.
But in the last month or so I've started paying more attention to how we eat and how others eat, and I finally realized that we ARE making progress.
In our kitchen, you won't find pop, potato chips or white bread. We don't buy juice (unless we're making smoothies and then I go for the most pure juice I can find.) You won't find corn syrup (not even in our ketchup or jelly). We don't buy canned veggies anymore. And I won't purchase tomatoes in a can either. We eat natural peanut butter. Whole wheat or whole grain bread. Organic apples when we can afford them. And try to only eat fruits and veggies from the "clean 15" if we can't find or afford the organic versions of the "dirty" veggies and fruits.
On occasion, you can still find crackers in our house... and we still eat corn tortilla chips... but we're doing pretty good at staying away from food that can sit on a store shelf for months and months without spoiling.
I didn't realize that our diet was different from the average family until I started paying more attention to how others eat and what others use as staples in their home. I tend to compare our diet to people like Katie @Kitchen Stewardship or my good friend Blair and think "GAH!! Why do I still have refined sugar in my house???!!"... but I've decided it's a pathway and we're still on our journey. And it is not an easy journey by any means.
Sometimes I struggle because I know there needs to be a balance. I don't want my kids to spend their childhoods without the joys of candy or cupcakes or fruit loops... but I want those things to be treats - not daily indulgences. My goal in this whole journey is to set up my kids, and Andrew and myself, for long healthy lives.
For me it really comes down to two questions: Did God gives us bodies that are meant to fall apart and get sick all the time? Or did he give us bodies that have incredible power to heal and grow and stay healthy if we only nourish them?
I absolutely believe the latter.
Upon the recommendation of a good friend, I went to see a chiropractor. And beyond fixing my out-of-whack alignment, she started me on a path towards much better nutrition. It turned out that my feeling sick all the time had a lot to do with my body being drained from pregnancy and nursing for 3 years straight and not eating the right foods to remain nourished.
And though I feel a thousand times better than I did when I first went to her in 2008, I still get really frustrated with myself when it comes to our family's diet. Too much sugar. Too much refined wheat. Too much junk. - A mantra that runs through my head about once a week.
But in the last month or so I've started paying more attention to how we eat and how others eat, and I finally realized that we ARE making progress.
In our kitchen, you won't find pop, potato chips or white bread. We don't buy juice (unless we're making smoothies and then I go for the most pure juice I can find.) You won't find corn syrup (not even in our ketchup or jelly). We don't buy canned veggies anymore. And I won't purchase tomatoes in a can either. We eat natural peanut butter. Whole wheat or whole grain bread. Organic apples when we can afford them. And try to only eat fruits and veggies from the "clean 15" if we can't find or afford the organic versions of the "dirty" veggies and fruits.
On occasion, you can still find crackers in our house... and we still eat corn tortilla chips... but we're doing pretty good at staying away from food that can sit on a store shelf for months and months without spoiling.
I didn't realize that our diet was different from the average family until I started paying more attention to how others eat and what others use as staples in their home. I tend to compare our diet to people like Katie @Kitchen Stewardship or my good friend Blair and think "GAH!! Why do I still have refined sugar in my house???!!"... but I've decided it's a pathway and we're still on our journey. And it is not an easy journey by any means.
Sometimes I struggle because I know there needs to be a balance. I don't want my kids to spend their childhoods without the joys of candy or cupcakes or fruit loops... but I want those things to be treats - not daily indulgences. My goal in this whole journey is to set up my kids, and Andrew and myself, for long healthy lives.
For me it really comes down to two questions: Did God gives us bodies that are meant to fall apart and get sick all the time? Or did he give us bodies that have incredible power to heal and grow and stay healthy if we only nourish them?
I absolutely believe the latter.
Monday, July 23, 2012
S... wait for it... ex
I wrote this post back in 2007, but I thought today was a good day to republish since we just began Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.
------------
A Personal Reflection
I've always had fairly strong convictions about lots of things. Especially the big things like sex-before-marriage, contraception, drinking alcohol, etc.
As I've gotten older my convictions on all of those things have changed and rearranged and taken precedence and taken less importance... but I've always had some sort of conviction about them.
Today's blog is about sex. Prepare yourself.
I don't understand these itty bitty youngsters that are having sex. I don't think I even knew what sex was at the age of 11 or less... and there's no way I was considering participating in it by that age even if I knew what it was. And it makes me wonder why these kids are engaging in sex so early? And what made me be NOTHING like those kids?
I don't remember ever having any serious sit-down talks with my parents about how sex was sacred or sex was for marriage. And CCD back in the day surely wasn't explicit enough to discuss the importance of sex. Maybe I was just naive... or maybe I was just lucky enough to grow up in a guarded environment that kept me that way for a long time.
But even once I knew what sex was... and even once I was a senior in high school with a very serious (or as "serious" as you can really be in high school) boyfriend, sex was still not something I would have even considered. It wasn't an option for me. Where did I get that? And how do I give that to my daughter?
Now... college was a different story. Living with three sorority girls my freshman year opened my eyes or rather ears to a whole lot of things that I had never really even heard girls talk about before. As far as I knew at that time, pretty much all of my high school gal pals were still virgins or were at least pretending to be that way around me. And the naivety started to peel off a bit. And that's when I had to start thinking harder about WHY I wasn't going to have sex until I was married and WHY it was something that was important to me.
And then about my Sophomore year I came up with a metaphor that helped me sort things out a bit. To me sex was like a Ocean to someone who really loved the water. As a young person, you start out in the middle of the island...and you may encounter a puddle or two of water... maybe a small fishing pond... eventually a lake... but the closer you get to the coastline... the farther from the center of the island you walk, the harder it gets to turn around. And once you've reached the Ocean... there's no turning back. You've seen it. You've swam in it. Your first experience with the Ocean, good or bad, is something you will live with forever. And I wasn't ready to dive in.
Was I tempted? Yes. Did I get myself into relationships and situations that could have easily ended at the Ocean? Yes. Did I push my boundaries farther than I thought I ever would? Yes... but always... ALWAYS... by the grace of God, I remembered my metaphor, and I stopped. Because in my eyes the Ocean was the end all-be all. It was the perfection of what water could truly be... it was the beauty that I only wanted to share with one person. And even if I was 99.99% sure I was with that person... I wouldn't go to the Ocean until I was 100% sure.
I guess the moral of this story and perhaps the whole point of hashing these things out is to share and reflect on how incredibly grateful I am that I waited. Knowing that I've shared something with Andrew and he with me in a covenant relationship with no guilt, no regrets, and no disappointment is one of the greatest feelings in the world, and it's a feeling that I would not trade for anything else. Thanks be to God for being with me for 26 years and leading me to the man that I could finally share my whole self with.
“The human body includes right from the beginning…the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift – and by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.”
(Pope John Paul II, Theology Of the Body, Jan 16, 1980)
------------
A Personal Reflection
I've always had fairly strong convictions about lots of things. Especially the big things like sex-before-marriage, contraception, drinking alcohol, etc.
As I've gotten older my convictions on all of those things have changed and rearranged and taken precedence and taken less importance... but I've always had some sort of conviction about them.
Today's blog is about sex. Prepare yourself.
I don't understand these itty bitty youngsters that are having sex. I don't think I even knew what sex was at the age of 11 or less... and there's no way I was considering participating in it by that age even if I knew what it was. And it makes me wonder why these kids are engaging in sex so early? And what made me be NOTHING like those kids?
I don't remember ever having any serious sit-down talks with my parents about how sex was sacred or sex was for marriage. And CCD back in the day surely wasn't explicit enough to discuss the importance of sex. Maybe I was just naive... or maybe I was just lucky enough to grow up in a guarded environment that kept me that way for a long time.
But even once I knew what sex was... and even once I was a senior in high school with a very serious (or as "serious" as you can really be in high school) boyfriend, sex was still not something I would have even considered. It wasn't an option for me. Where did I get that? And how do I give that to my daughter?
Now... college was a different story. Living with three sorority girls my freshman year opened my eyes or rather ears to a whole lot of things that I had never really even heard girls talk about before. As far as I knew at that time, pretty much all of my high school gal pals were still virgins or were at least pretending to be that way around me. And the naivety started to peel off a bit. And that's when I had to start thinking harder about WHY I wasn't going to have sex until I was married and WHY it was something that was important to me.
And then about my Sophomore year I came up with a metaphor that helped me sort things out a bit. To me sex was like a Ocean to someone who really loved the water. As a young person, you start out in the middle of the island...and you may encounter a puddle or two of water... maybe a small fishing pond... eventually a lake... but the closer you get to the coastline... the farther from the center of the island you walk, the harder it gets to turn around. And once you've reached the Ocean... there's no turning back. You've seen it. You've swam in it. Your first experience with the Ocean, good or bad, is something you will live with forever. And I wasn't ready to dive in.
Was I tempted? Yes. Did I get myself into relationships and situations that could have easily ended at the Ocean? Yes. Did I push my boundaries farther than I thought I ever would? Yes... but always... ALWAYS... by the grace of God, I remembered my metaphor, and I stopped. Because in my eyes the Ocean was the end all-be all. It was the perfection of what water could truly be... it was the beauty that I only wanted to share with one person. And even if I was 99.99% sure I was with that person... I wouldn't go to the Ocean until I was 100% sure.
I guess the moral of this story and perhaps the whole point of hashing these things out is to share and reflect on how incredibly grateful I am that I waited. Knowing that I've shared something with Andrew and he with me in a covenant relationship with no guilt, no regrets, and no disappointment is one of the greatest feelings in the world, and it's a feeling that I would not trade for anything else. Thanks be to God for being with me for 26 years and leading me to the man that I could finally share my whole self with.
“The human body includes right from the beginning…the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift – and by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.”
(Pope John Paul II, Theology Of the Body, Jan 16, 1980)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Two Invented Recipes!
Not to toot my own horn... but I was a trumpeter in high school. I invented two new recipes today, and both ended up quite delicious. Here they are:
First: The Orange Kristius
Find your favorite blender or Ninja and throw in the following ingredients. (All amounts are very estimated because who really measures when they're inventing things??)
1 large banana
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup frozen peaches
Blend that thing up until it's nice and smooth and ENJOY.
Second: Creamy Green Beans
Again... amounts are estimated.
1 Bag frozen cut green beans
1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream
Dash (or two) of Onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Cook up the green beans. Drain the water. Add in the soup, sour cream and onion powder. Heat until creamy and warm. Add salt and pepper... and VOILA - easy summer side dish without heating up the oven.
First: The Orange Kristius
Find your favorite blender or Ninja and throw in the following ingredients. (All amounts are very estimated because who really measures when they're inventing things??)
1 large banana
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup frozen peaches
Blend that thing up until it's nice and smooth and ENJOY.
Second: Creamy Green Beans
Again... amounts are estimated.
1 Bag frozen cut green beans
1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream
Dash (or two) of Onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Cook up the green beans. Drain the water. Add in the soup, sour cream and onion powder. Heat until creamy and warm. Add salt and pepper... and VOILA - easy summer side dish without heating up the oven.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Our Canadian Family
Have you ever felt so at home and welcome with a group of people that they felt more like family than they did like friends? That feeling pretty much sums up the awesomeness of the U family's latest vacation.
Andrew, the kids and I embarked on our second Canadian road trip last week, and yet again Manitoba did not disappoint. Andrew has always considered the people we visited to be family and, after another year of invading their lives for an entire weekend, I can easily see why.
So here's a quick rundown of my favorite highlights of our Manitoba vacation:
1). The home-cooked food: Sharon's rhubarb dessert and brown bread, Andrew's chicken spaghettini, Orlan's buttered cake and truck apples, Lavonne's cream pies and shrimp and sweet biscuits and ham, Mavis' bean casserole, and the list goes on and on... Pretty sure the 5 lbs I lost pretrip will need to be re-lost.
2). The discussions: We talked about every hot button topic there was and managed to honestly share our opinions without arguing or offending one another at all. Religion, abortion, contraception, politics, family drama, work... You name it and we probably covered it. So awesome.
3). The laughs: when Orlan pulled anything that looked edible out of the freezer for breakfast only to find he had served us buttered toasted cake, we laughed. When Kev and Lavonne shared the silly stories of their grandkids and stories of their childhood, we laughed. When Mindy told us about the rocks in Dakota's crocs, we laughed. Watching their familial interactions, poking fun at each other, cracking silly jokes... We laughed and laughed and laughed.
4). The people: Orlan and Sharon, Andrew and Mindy, Kevin and Lavonne, Jed and Chris, Ryan and Barb, and all the other family and friends we spent time with on Sunday... Despite their differences and similarities they came together for a delicious meal and just made us feel right at home.
The temperature may not have reached higher than 50 degrees our entire trip, but the warmth and love we felt all around us more than made up for it. And now our kids our international travelers twice over.
Thanks Manitoba! You rock!
Andrew, the kids and I embarked on our second Canadian road trip last week, and yet again Manitoba did not disappoint. Andrew has always considered the people we visited to be family and, after another year of invading their lives for an entire weekend, I can easily see why.
So here's a quick rundown of my favorite highlights of our Manitoba vacation:
1). The home-cooked food: Sharon's rhubarb dessert and brown bread, Andrew's chicken spaghettini, Orlan's buttered cake and truck apples, Lavonne's cream pies and shrimp and sweet biscuits and ham, Mavis' bean casserole, and the list goes on and on... Pretty sure the 5 lbs I lost pretrip will need to be re-lost.
2). The discussions: We talked about every hot button topic there was and managed to honestly share our opinions without arguing or offending one another at all. Religion, abortion, contraception, politics, family drama, work... You name it and we probably covered it. So awesome.
3). The laughs: when Orlan pulled anything that looked edible out of the freezer for breakfast only to find he had served us buttered toasted cake, we laughed. When Kev and Lavonne shared the silly stories of their grandkids and stories of their childhood, we laughed. When Mindy told us about the rocks in Dakota's crocs, we laughed. Watching their familial interactions, poking fun at each other, cracking silly jokes... We laughed and laughed and laughed.
4). The people: Orlan and Sharon, Andrew and Mindy, Kevin and Lavonne, Jed and Chris, Ryan and Barb, and all the other family and friends we spent time with on Sunday... Despite their differences and similarities they came together for a delicious meal and just made us feel right at home.
The temperature may not have reached higher than 50 degrees our entire trip, but the warmth and love we felt all around us more than made up for it. And now our kids our international travelers twice over.
Thanks Manitoba! You rock!
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