my mom took us on a stroll down memory lane  recently and sent all these oldies. soo cute. i love looking at the various expressions on our faces and trying to decipher what we were thinking and feeling at the time.

favourite. relaxing after a long day of “picking” at the church orchard. (in all reality, we were most likely finding remote places to hide away from the working adults and eat apples/have apple throwing adventures.)

i actually remember sucking on that life-saver grandma gave me and being SO thrilled about it.

summer time = long days at the beach with cousins. creating plays with cousins. playing tennis with cousins. reading and giggling in the attic with cousins. little mermaid and dolphin dives off the big rocks with cousins. as we got older…trips to the local ‘macs’ convenience store with cousins. staying up late and tiptoeing downstairs to watch tv once the adults were asleep with the cousins. the occasional sneak-out moonlit swim with the cousins once the adults were asleep. discussing crushes with the cousins. people watching on the street with the cousins.   the rest of the year = missing the cousins

sisters with adorably crooked bangs.

handsome brothers.

he was THE cutest little munchkin baby.

halloween party at the cultural hall. felicity does an excellent job with the witch face. not too sure what dad is supposed to be?

no memory of this one…but once again, i’ve forgotten how to smile. keep the pictures coming mom!

dear ocean

 

 

 

i’m not entirely sure when i fell in love with you…most likely when i moved to hawaii in ’97…but even then, i felt i’d known you all my life.

thank you for being there for me every day this year of my life in victoria…you are my personal therapy. here is a song i wrote inspired by you.

the tide

 

ps. david–don’t be jealous about this love letter

 

yummy

dear allrecipes.com,

thank you for dinner tonight.

sincerely,

me

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

miss

the floor misses you. your exercise ball misses you. the kitchen misses you. my tummy misses your cooking. early flight home please?

 

angels

as i carefully and intently listened to the gentle yet powerful talks today during the april 2011 saturday morning General Conference (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), i was reminded again of the beauty and miracles of angels.  this topic is so dear to my heart.  elder kent f. richards spoke about our pain and healing.  he provided a touching story of a little girl who was undergoing surgery.  she woke up, and for an hour described the various visitors–deceased family members–that were in the room providing comfort.  this little sweetheart then went on to say, “all the children here…have angels helping them out“.  elder richards reminded us that we all have angels helping us along our journey.

his words brought into my mind yet another General Conference talk on angels by jeffrey r. holland (“the ministry of angels”-october 2008) in which he states:

“From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children…

Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times…

I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day.”

these talks help me to recognize and feel such gratitude for the angels in my life–seen and unseen.  they remind me of one particular angel, a women brought into my life years ago.  through her insight, spirit, unfailing love and service, i have continued to enjoy the effects of this angel.  she had some of her own living angels, who were prematurely taken from this earth to be used in another realm.  as devastating and depressing this time was for her, these “angels” continued to visit, teach, uplift, and sustain her in her times of need.  this is a song that i wrote about her situation.

here

i am so grateful to be blessed with the angels in my life…so many good friends, family members, clients, colleagues, strangers, and those beyond the veil who encourage me to become better and lift my spirits in times of need. i am eternally grateful for THE master angel, physician, and healer, Jesus Christ.

“fear not little children, for you are mine…wherefore i am in your midst, and i am the good shepherd.“ (d&c 50:41, 44)

 

 

Libya

blowin in the wind

for david

i love this picture that david’s mom passed along to me. it was at his aunt’s wedding with his dad and grandma. i think he has got to be the most adorable wee creation there ever was with that little half smirk on his face. he still makes that face…along with many others.

here’s a picture taken of david (with another great facial expression) and his father just under 30 years later at yet another wedding: ours.

i think i loved david long before i would allow myself to admit it; i think that love came in form of a song shortly after meeting him and having our first beautiful heart to heart discussion about something real. it was the only time i had ever written a song that wasn’t full of angst and/or anger and/or sorrow about and for a boy. i felt so inspired that he was someone full of determination, motivation, integrity, and lived by his truth as honestly as he possibly could.

here’s his song:

truth

i hope there are plenty more to come

 

 

ps

i just wanted to add to the last post that these women travelled from great distances for our get-together. besides utah, the states/provinces represented are washington, british columbia, oregon, vermont, massachusetts, and ontario.

great sacrifices were made to be there and i am forever grateful!!

best “girls-night-before-the-wedding” ever

the night before the “big day” (aka wedding) was just brilliant. my best girls had created the greatest night of fun that i could ever imagine. since they all knew i wouldn’t want a traditional “shower” we had a “girls night”. i felt so overwhelmed with gratitude to have some of my most favourite people from the different times in my life all together in the same room.

look at these darling pairs of women below. i just LOVE them all!!

maria & fel

haley & kendra

jenn & maria

alicia & nikki

maria & leilani

terri & kendra

the “cedar ave” sisters–or hippie house girls–take your pick.

and some single shots:

tammy: my darling sister-in-law

brynn: the voice of an angel

sisters

and one of the highlights of the evening…chelle & chris performed a little something that can’t quite be explained with words. no, words would never do. you had to be there to see with your own 2 eyes. sorry.

chelle & chris beginning…

chris getting into it…

the girls loving it…

chris rockin’ out…

chelle & chris rockin’ out…

and enter the air guitars…

i love this shot of fel taking a shot…

you better believe we had a dance party!!

reminiscent of days gone by…

my, what beautiful sparkly things you have…

a favoured embrace with a favourite girl

when the ruckus dance ceased, i was taken aside for some TLC…6 point massage. ahh…heavenly.

darling faces peek out from behind my feet

nikki & brynn take a chat break

haley & kendra being happy on-lookers

i just love this. leilani found her comfy spot under the table and the girls joined beside her. it’s really just too perfect.

winding things up for a good-bye…or so i thought…

last “single” hug to kendra

and just when you think i can’t get any more spoiled, i am. terri had orchestrated a healing session complete with energy, connectedness, music, and love. i couldn’t have asked for a better night.

these are some of the most powerful, spiritual, strong, fun, brilliant, interdependent, charitable, and christ-like women i have ever encountered. some of them i have known my whole life, some for 14 years+, some for just a few years.  all of them my soul has known forever. thank you dearest friends for your never-ending generosity and LOVE. that was the best last “single girl” party i could have ever had.

i love you all forever.

 

winter in canada

february 04, 2011

just another regular day in victoria, paddling on the ocean…in february…

hello downtown victoria.

hello david.

(this would actually be a lot cooler of a find if the local hockey team wasn’t named the “Salmon Kings”…)

5 little seeaals, lying on the bed…

i just love the art that mother nature provides. the droplets of water falling from the paddle into the calm ocean gave me great enjoyment for minutes of viewing

and i just can’t get over THIS sight. in february. in canada. ahhh so lovely. wanna come visit?