Love, Jane. x 70

Haha.
Handed out Christmas cards and cookies at work yesterday.

Then signed more cards at home last night after 5 hours of shopping.

Really wished I'd saved some vacation hours so that I could take some time off next week. Or the week after.

But ohhh nooooo, I have to use it all up during the year to travellllll.


So back to the Mall this afternoon.

My next speck of free time is Wed evening. I'll wrap then. Unless someone wants to go out for coffee? Or see a movie? Haha. I am so not the Christmas Person I used to be.


Three things I'm thankful for:

1, My kids have fairly low expectations/needs for a Christmas with all the traditional trappings.
2. I feel like I hit the jackpot this month anyway, what with our Advent Bake Off, the Engagement Party and tomorrow night's Star Wars evening. Christmas will be what it will be.
3. Pizza lunch yesterday with my Creative/French team ... talked about Christmas traditions from their home countries: France, French-Canada, The Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand. Love the folks I work with...

Shalom,
xo

Yesterday the Pix. Today the Prose.

I am going to be a Mother-In-Law.

I woke up this morning and that thought slammed me right between the eyes. Mother-in-Law.

It's such a 'thing'; mostly with negative connotations. And I ached in my stomach because I didn't want to be one of those stereotypical M-I-L's with attitude.

Last night at the party, Danica's dad slid up beside me, all bubbly and beaming and asked how I was feeling. Haha. I told him I didn't want to blow it. I wanted to do this right.

"Do what right?"

"This being a Mother-in-Law gig. I want to do it well. I want an "A" in mother-in-lawing."

"Uh Jane?"

"What?"

"I'm giving you an A."

Haha.

That was sweet of him but you know what I mean, right? Relationships can be so fragile. A couple of dumb-ass moves, a bit of miscommunication, a poorly expressed thought, and bam. Things can become messy in no time at all.

I just don't want to wreck anything. Things are so good right now.



Dear God,

THANK YOU. Aaaacccck. Danica is such a gift to our family; most especially to Drew. But to me too. Thank you for causing/allowing their paths to cross all those years ago at school. I know that everyone we meet has been brought into our lives for a purpose - thank you for arranging for them both to be Fundy kids.

Thank you for her family. Oh my goodness, You have handpicked the perfect inlaws for my Drew. So much love. So much not-dysfunctional. So much femininity. So much acceptance and fun and grace and wisdom in that home. Thank you that my boy gets to be a part of all that.

Thank you for Danica's dad. He has invested alot of time and shown a super-human amount of patience with Drew and I thank you for preparing him to be exactly the type of father-in-law that Drew needs. Thank you that he loves Drew. And believes in him. And trusts him to look after and love his daughter.

Thank you for Danica's mom. Thank you for all the meals she's shared,  the spot on the couch she's let him occupy, the faith she has that Drew will love her girl well. Thank you for the way she's raised/influenced/guided her girls. They are all beautiful reflections of her.

And THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU for Danica. You've heard my 21 years of prayers regarding the wife for Drew and answered so extravagantly. She is the perfect mate for him. Loving, kind, outgoing, big-hearted, gracious, talented, hardworking, prayer-ful, thoughtful, generous, active, conscientious, principled, fun, teachable, inquisitive, and a follower of You.  Plus she knows her way around a head of hair and likes to play table games.

God, I pray your blessing and protection on them during this next phase of their relationship. Surround them with folks who would inspire them to draw closer to You and each other. May these next months be filled with joy as they plan their wedding and prepare for their 'together forever'. Give them wisdom with how they allocate their time and their finances. Give them patience while they wait for the details to come together. Open their eyes, daily, to discover new things about each other so they may fall even more deeply in love. I pray that as they plan The Day that starts their marriage that you would be well-pleased.

And God? Sew my mouth shut when I should not say words. Open my eyes to see things from the other side. Allow my ears to hear the things that might not be said but must be heard. Give me energy to act on those things that need my attention. Mostly? I want to love them well. Guide me while I navigate new territory.

Amen.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Fav pics of my boys from Sunday:

And then there's this one.
Taken at the start of the evening.
There are 30 people in the kitchen, waiting for Drew and Danica to arrive. They've seen all the cars in the driveway, so it's not a surprise anymore... but they're taking their sweet time coming into the house from the laundry room...

So Max is chatting with them.
Encouraging them to take steps forward.
Gently coaxing them to come on in.

:)

Such a good day.



Three things I'm thankful for:

1. My three boys.
2. I'm thankful for the way they love each other.
3. The opportunity to watch Clint work this evening. And the thrill of being an 'extra' in one of his promotional videos. Haha. Pics tomorrow.


Shalom,
xo

More Ring Drama This Weekend:

YUP, the good kind of ring drama.
:)

Drew and Danica are engaged and both families are thrilled x 1000.
(He proposed on Cypress this afternoon while they were snowboarding. Both families were waiting at my mom's house to celebrate with them afterwards. This has been my favorite day of 2015.)


Three things I'm thankful for:

1. THIS day.
2. All the people who were at the house today.
3. This bed. Which is feeling awfully comfortable right now.

Shalom,
xo

New Phone. Old Pics.

You all know I've got a new phone, right?

I may have mentioned it, unnecessarily, in that long, rambling post about The Ring That Was Lost But Then It Was Found, that read somewhat like a biblical parable.

Anyway, when the stuff that was on my old phone got transferred to my new phone, I took a moment to revisit the photos saved on there.

I have since moved them over to my lap top.

But these were my favs:


First time in over a year that my dad went outside. I'd brought him his cowboy hat and took him across the parking lot so that he could see his red truck.




























Drew and Danica on the deck. Studying for high school exams. Apparently.























Clint, chopping up an old coffee table. We were de-cluttering and that 25 year old table was clutter.





























My dad's belt buckle. We tried attaching it to the seat belt on his wheel chair. He was not impressed.
Not even a little bit. He wanted that seat belt OFF.



























Playing shuffle-board with dad.






















































Dad and mom playing Krokinole.















































Max, visiting dad, who was sleepy.

























The window boxes in my backyard at the Murrayville House:

























Dad's hand:

















































Clint visiting his Bups:






























How can we ever forget the first time they shaved off his moustache:

































He loved holding Mandi and his favorite son-in-law in his hands:





























These be Canadian boys:































D & D:






























Haha. A failed attempt to get dad to use his hands/arms. I thought if, instead of bringing in toys, I brought in tile samples, he'd be OK to use them to stack or move or set up like dominoes. He was having NONE of that.






























Red Neck Christmas.
This was the Winter of My Great Crash. We had Christmas Dinner at Denny's.































































































Transferring my dad, via ambulance, from Kinsmen Lodge to Royal Columbian to get his pacemaker batteries replaced.

Calling Julie to tell her that he was fine.
























Last selfie taken at the Murrayville house, seconds before locking up and leaving.
Those be very tired eyes and a look of  of 'now what'?

(Haha, I still have that look...)










































































First selfie in the mirror in my new basement bedroom at my mom's house taken the next day:























First selfie lying in bed with my dad. Not a flattering position for either of us:
























Dinner with my boy:
























Pre-hockey game dinner downtown:


























The toque that Heather made.
For my fat head.
































First rays of sunshine that winter. Blinding:























Punctuation is important:
(My mom's daytimer.)





























(Me cooking a meal is a big event. Worthy of mention that year.)



My fav place on earth:































Mom's spot in the living room:




























Selfie in Mexico.
Taken in the magic mirror in the bedroom where I usually stayed.






























Friends in Mexico:

And then we came home:































Clint's business:






























Max's 3 year cake. Or in this case, cookies:































Off to see the Canucks:
































Cherry Blossom time in Vancouver:

Off to another Nux game:

Ahhhh. Billie's Country. SO many memories:

Dominoes with Danica at the lake:



























First time I used the new app:





























Drew had broken up with Danica and Mandi was moving to Alberta and my heart was sad that I've never see my girls again. My 'goodbye' to them was an evening at Bard on the Beach.

Hahaha.

















































Off to see Elton. As you do.












































Three things I'm thankful for:


1. Phone cameras
2. Good memories
3. Friends and family.

xo