We've taken on a lot, and somehow managed to stay in tact. Living life now as a family of 4!

I realized the other day that it has been over 10 years since I have needed my passport. Doesn't that seem a little crazy? I spent the year after high school travelling around Europe, all confident in my travel and survival skills, unafraid to head out to a new country with little or no prior research. When I came back to Canada, I was sure that international travel was my destiny, and that it wouldn't be long till I was hitting the road again. Instead, I moved to Winnipeg, and have been here pretty much ever since! My passport expired, and I didn't do anything about it. Didn't need it. And now, on the eve of departure, I'm feeling kind of nervous - about customs, about long flights, about making connections, about what will happen when we get to our destination (although, I really shouldn't be - I'm pretty sure that when I get there what's going to happen is we will be enthusiastically greeted by Jake's family, and promptly escorted to the beach).

You know, it wasn't that long ago that the Christmas season was a source of great anxiety and stress for me. Having family in different places geographically and stage-of-life wise made it tricky to get my hands on that 'Christmas'y feeling I had come to associate with the season. Lately, though, Christmas has returned to its status as one of my favourite times of year. I love the lights, the tree, the family time. The past two years my mom and siblings have gone to a cabin for the days right around Christmas. We make sure to get one with an outdoor hottub, and spend time together eating, playing games, skiing (except this year there is no snow (BOO to global warming!) so we walked around instead), and cooking ourselves in the hot tub. It is amazing. This year our cabin was 'ultra delux' and it was perfect for us. We completed 2 puzzles (500 pieces and 1000 pieces), read books, watched movies (Jake's first experience with The Sound of Music! He didn't ha

Did you know that at some wedding dress shops, people spontaneously burst into tears and ring a bell when they have found 'THE ONE' - that is THE DRESS they will get married in? Finding the 'perfect' dress seems to be just as, if not more, important than finding the right partner! And let me tell you, more often than not, the dresses they deem 'the one' are HIDEOUS, even as the people around them are saying 'you look incredible!'. But let's not get off track here. This is about how my cheapness, combined with a strong reluctance to buy into the 'bell ringing' sent me and my sisters driving into one of Winnipeg's sketchier neighbourhoods and into a stranger's house. In all the dresses I tried on, I was always drawn to lace overlays. I'm not sure exactly why - maybe because it's not princess-y per se, or maybe it's a little bit sleeker, usually, or something. Maybe I felt more grown up. For sure I felt more like myself i

Our house has started renovating itself, it seems. It hears us planning and scheming and plotting about which wall we will knock down first, and appears to be fully on board. First and foremost, chunks of plaster scattered around are common place, as Jake borrowed two oak doors and their frames from downstairs for the upstairs bedrooms, leaving exposed lath and plaster right where people are most likely to bump into it. I figure everything we sweep out now is stuff we don't have to shovel out later, right?

Hi family and friends! It has been a while, and I apologize for that. November is even the month where bloggers (ok, some bloggers) challenge each other to write every day. Maybe next year I'll do that about being newly married! Some disjointed thoughts: 1. 100 year-old houses with radiant heat are ridiculously hard to program. Jake and I (ok, Jake) are trying to figure out the best program for the thermostat, recognizing that we like the house cool to sleep and also that rads throw heat long beyond when the thermostat tells the boiler it's warm enough. For a few weeks it was too hot at night to sleep cozied up with the down comforter, which is pretty much my favourite thing. However, we seem to have swung the other way because now it is FREEZING in here. When there is infloor heat and a new boiler, hopefully this will no longer be a topic of conversation! 2. School has been a serious roller-coaster lately, for both of us, but since Jaker is at the Jets game, I'll j

You know that colleague at your place of work who always seems to have some reason to be absent that is completely legit and yet HOW CAN SO MUCH SHIT HAPPEN TO ONE PERSON!? Yes, my friends, I am becoming that person. I, the person who never goes to the doctor, who doesn't have any allergies or special dietary needs, who tends to walk off rolled ankles and can recover from most wipe-outs with a laugh have left work in the middle of the day TWICE already this year with medical emergencies. About a month ago I woke up with a really stiff neck. This happens to everyone, I know. You sleep a little funny, the pillow scrunches up in a strange way, whatever. I went to work, obviously. I was sore, but everything was going tickety-boo until I was attacked by science supplies falling from a high-up shelf in the storage room. I reacted (as one does) and was rewarded with a completely seized neck. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I was completely frozen in pain. It was the midd

On Thursday, Jaker got his engagement present: a brand-spanking new iMac. It is shiny and beautiful and playing around on it is endlessly fun. It is also a symbol of the (almost) done-ness of the upstairs. I wasn't around for much of this part of the house reno, but I sure am benefiting from the cathedral ceiling, built-in oak desk (made by Jaker!), a well-insulated sunroom and bedrooms and many more little features. The upstairs of this house is beautiful and funcional, and was all designed and executed by Jake. There is still some trim to put up, but that is merely aesthetic. So, another move forward for the renovation! Also, since we're not buying anything new for downstairs till the renovation is done (and probably not for a while after that since we will be paying off a wedding!), this is a little burst of freshness design-wise in the house. It's wonderful.

Today there was a moment where everyone in my gr 7 phys ed class was doing exactly what they were supposed to do. Four girls who are normally impossible to get out of the hallway were all dancing along to 'Beat It' by Michael J. A boy who can't sit still for a minute was helpfully spotting another at the barbell station. Kids were encouraging each other. They were exercising. They were being (mostly) respectful of the various equipments. Every kid was appropriately busy and they were also having a good time. It was pure magic. A moment to capture and keep forever. This is why I teach. It is when my job is the one I wouldn't trade for any other. When things go like this, I can't imagine being anywhere else or doing anything else. The power of this moment is so massive that it can propel me through days and even weeks of insanity, not to mention the times my frustration level is through the roof and all I can see is red. I described the scene to a colleague and he

there is that saying, that life is what happens when you're making other plans. It sucks. It bites. It is terrible. One of my uncles is dying of lung cancer. His first grandchild will be born in a few months. He is full of life, love, and laughter. He always has time for the people he cares about. He is leaving the world way too soon. I'm sitting at home crying. Even though I have only seen him rarely (he lives on the other side of the country) I can't imagine him not being around at family gatherings and reunions. He's the life of the party, which is certainly saying something when the party is a Mennonite family with no alcohol allowed (although I seem to recall we snuck some in...shhhh). I REALLY can't imagine what his family will do without him. He is a gem. Times like this always make me think about things, and how I wish they were different: - life is a series of shifting priorities, with some things making it to the top of the pile more often than othe

When Jaker proposed to me, he presented me with a 'loaner' ring because the one he picked needed my final approval before it could be made (he also presented me with a canoe that is THE BEST, and which I will write about some other time). And now, almost two months later, I am wearing the real ring on my finger. (Seems like it was a long wait, eh? There's a story there, about how first they made the wrong ring, and the diamond was crooked(!), and then I took it back and had them change it, and then I got it back again and the setting was uneven (one side bigger than the other side, but not enough so that it was funky and asymmetrical, just enough to be annoying), so I took it back and they told me 'you have an eagle eye!' and I wanted to say 'YOU have an effing MICROSCOPE', but we don't need to get into that now) I have never worn a ring. I generally don't like the way it feels when you try to close all your fingers together and the ring is in th

Immediately after Jake proposed and we were officially engaged, I started freaking out about all things wedding. Not in a 'bride-zilla' sort of way, more in a 'holy crap now we have to do all this STUFF' sort of way. We knew that we wanted a fall wedding - fall colours, fall weather, all of these are awesome things. Plus, then you don't lose a camping weekend. Plus, we will be renovating our house in the summer and the thought of getting married without a working kitchen is just maybe a little much for me. Gotta draw the line somewhere, right? When we started researching options, it was a little overwhelming. Do you do the 'all inclusive' style wedding, which means you basically just show up, but then you also have to pay at least $9/person for a bartender to open the beer and wine bottles? PLUS paying for the bartender? Not to mention the $375 for someone else to set up chairs in a semi circle for the ceremony! I guess you can tell, that was not going

This post shall be brief and will be about neither renovation nor wedding. This year my teaching schedule sucks donkey balls, as they say, and there are three days out of a six day cycle that I have no preps. This may not ellicit much sympathy from non-teachers who can make the valid point that THEY don't get time to prepare to do their jobs, but let me tell you that having a different group of 25ish children between the ages of 12 and 14 show up at my door every 50 minutes is EXHAUSTING. It is a short week due to Thanksgiving Monday, thank goodness, but out of four days, three of them are prep-less. And then, the kicker, I lost my two preps this afternoon because I had to go to PD. That makes 4 teaching days without a prep. It's a little nuts. Jake says I should write something positive, so here are a few things: 1. I'm proud of myself that inspite of this shitty schedule, I am prepared for every class - I greet them at the door and they can see what is coming up on

Before I get all complain-y, let me state that I realize that many people put in days longer than mine was today ALL THE TIME. Parents, for example, are on call 24-7 and may never get to spend an early evening in bed typing away on the computer. This is one of the reasons becoming a parent is a hard thing to wrap the mind around. Today I put in a solid 10 hour day at school (no preps, and a short lunch) followed up by a 3 hour university class, which totals 13 hours spent being either forced to listen or forced to get people to listen to me (not sure which one is harder, come to think of it). I am wiped! But I am also excited about this new blog and our latest renovation win! A roof! All summer we talked about the need for a new roof for the Lipton house (that's the one we live in - we also have a rental property (formerly my house) which requires maintenance, but that is a whole other thing). As these things go, summer was busy and when Fall rolled around Jake started get

So here we go. Approximately 364 days from now, Jake and I will be getting hitched, after spending the better part of 3ish months gutting and rebuilding the main floor of our house. It promises to be a bit insane, so I thought I'd document the process for others' enjoyment. I'm sure I will write on here about subjects other than renovation and wedding, but these topics already dominate our daily conversations and brain space. Some background for you, just to get us started off right here.