Saturday, April 28, 2007

reflection

This morning I had a wee cup of coffee. I don't drink it anymore as it makes me quite jittery and I'd hate to become dependent upon it again. But it just seemed like such a nice treat to give myself this morning, so I gave in. I drank the delicious Caribou Blend flavour and it was so sweet in my mouth! I was sitting in our nice big front windows, reading poetry while Owen napped. It was really relaxing and a fulfillment of my 'ideal' morning. Here's the poem that most resounded with me today:

Leisure
by W.H. Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows. (or Owen :)

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.






We finally bought our long-awaited stroller. It isn't what we thought we would end up purchasing, but it still suits our needs and preferences perfectly. I took Owen out in it this afternoon. We walked through Dover Hill's park, down the big, nearly green hill and through the woods. I think he enjoyed our adventure, and he certainly seemed content in his new ride. I know I really am satisfied with it, it pushes very easy and the wheels are great for whatever terrain we want to take it. I think it will be easier to go for regular walk now. Hooray!

he sits!

Well this post has been 3 weeks in the making! We've had a whirl-wind couple of weeks and things are now just beginning to die down. Sadly, part of this dying down is the parting of SSU students. This summer will be wonderful and I'm excited about it, but there are some faces that will be sorely missed.


My amaryllis bloomed! It appropriately bloomed on the day my parents arrived, which was . . . three saturdays ago, I guess? We had a lovely visit together. Most of our time was spent inside as the weather decided to be quite wet and cold the entire time they were here, but we made the most of it which meant that they had much play time with Owen.

Ry's highschool buddy, Markus, came to visit as well. It was fun having him around, and for him to meet Owen. Daryl and Sandy also visited, which also was a really enjoyable time of fellowship. By this point, everything had warmed up significantly and we were able to take a couple beach days and lots of walks outside, etc. It was so refreshing. In the midst of this, SSU had graduation. It is so hard to believe the school year is already over. I loved being in the same place as Jess, Mel, and Bonnie, and for Heather to be just a city away. It is really sad that they are gone for the summer, or that they are done school! Now to be cliche: Oh goodness, how time flies.




Owen has finally settled down from all our excitement. He's been such a trooper! He still hasn't adjusted to the lack of playmates :) We've gone on many walks in his new grandpa-built wagon, we've sat outside on a blanket in the front yard playing and practicing sitting up, and we've gone for evening walks as a way to settle Owen down before bedtime - it seems to tire him out nicely.



Finally, I decided to try on an outfit my mom found for Owen. It fits! It isn't exactly warm enough for it yet, but just for photo purposes, here he is (notice his excellent sitting position!):

Monday, April 09, 2007

easter monday!

I had meant to update on the day all the snow fell, but that obviously did not happen. The snow began to fall and hasn't ceased to cover the earth yet. It all began about 5 days ago now, with the sky basically dropping large white chunks of itself all over the St. Stephen landscape. Melanie came over, we made pretzels (mmm), then she stayed here with Owen while Ry and I went out for a quick ski to be sure we got one last (and only) ski in for the season. Little did we know the snow would linger, well, nearly completely melt, be very wet and slushy, but then refreeze (what a mess) and now I'm watching another snow-falling event.



Now that I've covered the weather, lets move on to other things, shall we?

Easter weekend. It has been fabulous thus far. At various celebration services we've attended, Ry has shared some of what he has been reading in his studies pertaining to Christ's resurrection, which has been interesting. Though I will certainly not do them justice, the readings have touched on victim theory - Christ as victim and our need to love the victim; he also read of the Eucharist and how it is a sign of life as it carries the presence of the risen Christ.

The events we attended were a sunrise gathering at Todd's Point and our Peace and Justice Communion Group. The sunrise service was really nice.


The sunrise gathering began very early on Sunday; we drove out to Todd's point then we hiked through the woods up to the flat rock that overlooks the St Croix River. The sun didn't show us its grand splendor, but the view was, none the less, spectacular. I had made Tsoureki, a Greek Easter bread, and it was yummy and warm out in the cold. Owen did well for a while out in the cold, but he became quite upset after a bit, so we trekked back and sat in the car to warm up. He settled down and played with is toy and thus allowed us to grab breakfast with everyone. He did so well! Ry was asked to play a song at church, so he went but Owen and went to bed, as he hadn't had a nap since 6am! He was tuckered out and I certainly didn't mind the snooze either since I had baked the bread that morning.

Our PJCG had an Indian Potluck last night. It was so so so delicious, with everyone bringing something very tasty, and the fellowship we had together was sweet. I do think that food makes fellowship among friends all the more richer! Especially when it's food as warm and rich as Indian food!

In other events, there was a half marathon in St. Stephen on Saturday. We went to the finish to see some friends come through. It certainly is an admirable thing to run that far! Something I applaud other for and know that I'll never do it!

We don't have any plans for today, but I think we'll just take it easy. There is a lot of clean-up to do from the busy baking / cooking weekend.

Last but not least, a blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of the star himself.