Today I had so much fun with my sister-in-law, Trisha. She whisked me away to Kelowna for a fun afternoon of shopping and talking. I miss my girlfriends in Regina so much and have been feeling a little 'home sick', so she decided to remedy it. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. We went bra shopping for her wedding day first, and then picked up her veil (so gorgeous), went to the mall and got a bag of loot there, then continued to Walmart, Home Outfitters, Addition Elle, and of course Michaels (not a trip to Kelowna without stopping there). We got some fantastic ideas for the wedding and talked about absolutely everything. Thanks so much Trish, for such a wonderful day.
Other than that, things have been really busy. The Symposium I have been planning is coming up quick. Now it is down to all the little details, so I have to get organised. Just like a wedding, there is alot to do. I go back to work for S.A.D.I. part time the end of the month too which will be great. I'm working evenings a few days a week so no child care nessessary. Yay! On Monday my girlfriend from Regina flies out and I AM SO EXCITED to see her, her baby bump, and children. And in a few short weeks we head to the coast for a family reunion. Things don't slow down here for the McCallum Clan.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
New Endeavour
I am so excited about this new endeavour I am trying out. I am now an Arbonne Consultant! I HATE selling, but I LOVE these products. They are all botanically based, with no animal bi-products or mineral oil, and now they are PARABEN FREE! That is the main reason I signed up, to buy the products at a discount because we are always looking for good Paraben Free products, especially for our kids. Arbonne is a company out of Switzerland and has products ranging from skin and body care, aromatherapy, weight loss and vitamins.
To all my friends and family, I am offering a 25% discount off your first purchase with me. No pressure, but I am sure you will love these products as much as I do!
Check out the website, www.arbonne.ca OR for samples or catalog leave a comment on my blog and I will get in touch.
Monday, May 26, 2008
4 Birthdays, One Wedding, And an Escape
Let's start with the wedding. On Saturday Shalane McCallum became Shalane Marishuk in one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. She has worked so hard over the last year planning this event and it definately showed. Right down to the smallest detail was amazing. Phil was so handsome, Shalane was breathtaking! The picture of us above is us trying to get a family shot the kids had enough pictures so we ended up with this.
The cutest ring barrer and flower girl I have ever seen.
We have celebrated 3 of the 4 birthdays this month. My sister-in-law's Margaret, mine, and Ava's. Jaia's is on the 29th! Here are a few shots from Ava's Butterfly Beach Brunch. It was a beautiful day and the kids seemed to have fun.
I just love this picture of Kynan.
At the beginning of the month Dana and I escaped to Las Vegas. We actually flew to Pheinox first to pick up our new Mazda 5 and then drove 5 hours to Vegas, arriving at 3AM! And yes, there were still people out and about. It was a great trip. Above is Dana smiling evilly as he is about to talk me into going on this rollar coaster of death. I was terrified, didn't open my eyes once (which Dana was rather mad about), but I live to tell about it.
All dolled up to go to Mama Mia, my Birthday surprise from Dana. It was AMAZING!
We stayed at the Excalibur (below) and Dana upgraded our room to a fancy newly renovated one (another Birthday surprise). It was fantastic, but truth be told we didn't spend so much time in our room. There is so much to do in Vegas and we were only there for one day before we had to start heading back.
Monday, May 19, 2008
A Flower was Born
It seems appropriate that I am writing this post at 12:15am. The same time last year, I was sitting on my bedroom deck praying and talking to my future baby girl. I was scheduled to be induced the next day and I desperately wanted our baby to come its own. So I prayed for safety and I talked to our baby saying how exited we were to meet them, and that we have created a safe, loving, and welcoming home for them. All under the warmth of the stars. I went to sleep only to be woken up a few hours later by our little baby saying, 'I'm ready to come!'. We were thrilled and with every passing contraction, I remember feeling so excited because my body was doing what it was suppose to, and in a few short hours we would be a family of 4. It's amazing to think back on that night and morning when our flower was born, Ava Lily. So much has happened in this short year. Ava is such a gift and I can already see her little personality forming. She adores people and hardly makes strange. She loves to smile, and laugh. She usually curls her nose when she does either of these. She is loud. Like her brother. She LOVES Kynan and literally follows him everywhere. She is independent, usually wanting to do something herself. But also very sweet, giving lots of hugs and kisses. Her smiles light up my life and I am so in love with my baby girl. She is such a miracle of life and we are so thankful that God chose us for her and her for us. We are blessed. Have a Happy 1st Birthday, baby girl. Know you are loved.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
3AM
It seems as though this is the only time I have lately to be on the internet, when my daughter refuses to go back to bed and, subconsequensly, neither does my son. I thought I would let you all know what we have been up to.
The Move Back...
I think the week before we moved was one of my hardest weeks for me. Saying goodbye to all our family in Regina, leaving the first home that Dana and I completely renovated on our own (with the loving hands of friends and family), and saying so-long to a church that meant so much to us. I wept. We had a lovely dinner with the Dalsin/ Black family the Sunday before we left. Steve and Chels arrived on the Monday and the whole week seemed to go by too fast. Basically packed and cleaned the two days they were here, and left early on the Wednesday. Spent two days driving in the car wasn't the highlight, but I have to say the kids did pretty amazing. Of course we had our share of stops, screams and tears, but all in all, they did well. We arrived in Summerland in time for dinner on Thursday. A big shout out to Steve and Chels for putting up with us and really being amazing friends. Who else would willing drive for 16 hours with two kids and a moving truck???
Being Back...
It was been a little surreal. I love being back with family.... most days. It is a little like being back in the chaos. The difference being that Dana and I are different people. So we are handling everything very different. Relationships seem to be stronger. And it is such a blessing to see the kids reconnect with everyone who missed them here. As amazing as it is to be back, my heart still breaks a little for those we left in Regina. Today I would have been at MOPS, and I was sad thinking about how much I miss the girls, the nursery workers, the kids. We visited the Alliance Church here in Summerland last week, and it was good. The pastor had a guest speaker so we didn't get to see him, but it still was a great service. The only downfall is that they didn't have a real nursery. The ladies in the pre-school section still let me leave Ava with them; however, it wasn't a normal thing. And Ava will not sit through a sermon. So the hunt is still on. We are looking into Penticton churches. But apart of me is comparing everything we experience to Rosewood, and it is hard to let go of the feeling and the people we had there. It's got to speak volumes to those who attend Rosewood of what an impact they made on our lives. I have never felt that kind of connection to any other church or organisation before in my life. So I miss it. We are trying to get our little piece of my parents home put together. We still have a wall to put up to create a bedroom for Dana and I, the kids are adjusting to sleeping in the same room, and Dana needs to run a cable line for us to hook up our TV (a necessity first thing in the morning with a 5 am early bird). I also would like to do some painting, but our lives are crazy enough as it is so that is on the back burner.
Our Busy Schedule...
So far since we've been back we have had several family dinners welcoming us home (Thanks mom and Carleen), we've celebrated a Birthday, traveled to Phoenix and Las Vegas, attended a wedding shower, a staggette- all while working part time. It may not sounds like a lot, but Dana and I have only been back for two weeks. Over the next few more weeks we have a Girls Night I am volunteering with, Ava's 1st Birthday, Doctors appointments, my birthday, a wedding and all related wedding events, Jaia's Birthday, Friends coming to visit (yay! so excited), and launching most of my work on a website. A few weeks after all that we are heading to the coast for Dana's family reunion. Needless to say, it is chaotic.
Building a House...
I thought I touch on the progress on our house hunt. Or lot hunt. We were contacted two nights ago about our favorite lot saying that it will be going up for sale soon and seller would like to give us first dibs so that is positive. We are looking into a few other options, but the next few weeks should produce something. Amazing Al, who is building our house for us, has been talking to us a little about layout and timelines, but nothing really solid. And that's it...
My job..
Some have asked about this job I keep mentioning so here it is. Just before we moved I was contacted by a non-profit organisation I use to volunteer with when I worked at my previous job. They were wanting to plan a provincial Symposium and asked if I would head it up. So I am working from home as Symposium Coordinator. Sounds fancy, but really I get to stay at home and do two things I love to do- Organise and Plan events. The organisation that I am working for promotes positive youth development to community initiatives across the province. Check out the website www.youthbc.ca!
Well, that's it. For now. Hopefully I can get on here soon so I can upload some pictures so my blog doesn't turn into one of those boring wordy sites. LOL. Miss all of you in Regina. I am thinking about you often. And a big thank you to our family here in Summerland who have so lovingly welcomed us back.
The Move Back...
I think the week before we moved was one of my hardest weeks for me. Saying goodbye to all our family in Regina, leaving the first home that Dana and I completely renovated on our own (with the loving hands of friends and family), and saying so-long to a church that meant so much to us. I wept. We had a lovely dinner with the Dalsin/ Black family the Sunday before we left. Steve and Chels arrived on the Monday and the whole week seemed to go by too fast. Basically packed and cleaned the two days they were here, and left early on the Wednesday. Spent two days driving in the car wasn't the highlight, but I have to say the kids did pretty amazing. Of course we had our share of stops, screams and tears, but all in all, they did well. We arrived in Summerland in time for dinner on Thursday. A big shout out to Steve and Chels for putting up with us and really being amazing friends. Who else would willing drive for 16 hours with two kids and a moving truck???
Being Back...
It was been a little surreal. I love being back with family.... most days. It is a little like being back in the chaos. The difference being that Dana and I are different people. So we are handling everything very different. Relationships seem to be stronger. And it is such a blessing to see the kids reconnect with everyone who missed them here. As amazing as it is to be back, my heart still breaks a little for those we left in Regina. Today I would have been at MOPS, and I was sad thinking about how much I miss the girls, the nursery workers, the kids. We visited the Alliance Church here in Summerland last week, and it was good. The pastor had a guest speaker so we didn't get to see him, but it still was a great service. The only downfall is that they didn't have a real nursery. The ladies in the pre-school section still let me leave Ava with them; however, it wasn't a normal thing. And Ava will not sit through a sermon. So the hunt is still on. We are looking into Penticton churches. But apart of me is comparing everything we experience to Rosewood, and it is hard to let go of the feeling and the people we had there. It's got to speak volumes to those who attend Rosewood of what an impact they made on our lives. I have never felt that kind of connection to any other church or organisation before in my life. So I miss it. We are trying to get our little piece of my parents home put together. We still have a wall to put up to create a bedroom for Dana and I, the kids are adjusting to sleeping in the same room, and Dana needs to run a cable line for us to hook up our TV (a necessity first thing in the morning with a 5 am early bird). I also would like to do some painting, but our lives are crazy enough as it is so that is on the back burner.
Our Busy Schedule...
So far since we've been back we have had several family dinners welcoming us home (Thanks mom and Carleen), we've celebrated a Birthday, traveled to Phoenix and Las Vegas, attended a wedding shower, a staggette- all while working part time. It may not sounds like a lot, but Dana and I have only been back for two weeks. Over the next few more weeks we have a Girls Night I am volunteering with, Ava's 1st Birthday, Doctors appointments, my birthday, a wedding and all related wedding events, Jaia's Birthday, Friends coming to visit (yay! so excited), and launching most of my work on a website. A few weeks after all that we are heading to the coast for Dana's family reunion. Needless to say, it is chaotic.
Building a House...
I thought I touch on the progress on our house hunt. Or lot hunt. We were contacted two nights ago about our favorite lot saying that it will be going up for sale soon and seller would like to give us first dibs so that is positive. We are looking into a few other options, but the next few weeks should produce something. Amazing Al, who is building our house for us, has been talking to us a little about layout and timelines, but nothing really solid. And that's it...
My job..
Some have asked about this job I keep mentioning so here it is. Just before we moved I was contacted by a non-profit organisation I use to volunteer with when I worked at my previous job. They were wanting to plan a provincial Symposium and asked if I would head it up. So I am working from home as Symposium Coordinator. Sounds fancy, but really I get to stay at home and do two things I love to do- Organise and Plan events. The organisation that I am working for promotes positive youth development to community initiatives across the province. Check out the website www.youthbc.ca!
Well, that's it. For now. Hopefully I can get on here soon so I can upload some pictures so my blog doesn't turn into one of those boring wordy sites. LOL. Miss all of you in Regina. I am thinking about you often. And a big thank you to our family here in Summerland who have so lovingly welcomed us back.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Abandoned...
I just wanted to apologize to those who check in here, no and again. I haven't been keeping you updated at all and I have to say you won't see much of me on here. I have a crazy month ahead of me and literally have no time to breathe.
We made it to Summerland ok. Thank to Miller and Chels, good friends who came out east to help us move. It's wonderful being back with family, but I miss my Saskatchewanian friends dearly. So it's been an adjustment.
What am I doing that is keeping me busy?
-Setting up our suite and unpacking
-Helping with wedding stuff and everything to do with weddings
-Planning my baby's 1st birthday party
-Volunteering with my old job
-Working part-time
Doesn't sound like alot when I write in a list like that, but I seem to be alot busier. So I will be in touch as soon as I can. Toodles!
We made it to Summerland ok. Thank to Miller and Chels, good friends who came out east to help us move. It's wonderful being back with family, but I miss my Saskatchewanian friends dearly. So it's been an adjustment.
What am I doing that is keeping me busy?
-Setting up our suite and unpacking
-Helping with wedding stuff and everything to do with weddings
-Planning my baby's 1st birthday party
-Volunteering with my old job
-Working part-time
Doesn't sound like alot when I write in a list like that, but I seem to be alot busier. So I will be in touch as soon as I can. Toodles!
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