Snapshot of the Year...

So I have this great friend Bailey who is super crafty. That combined with Pinterest (one of my newest obsessions) inspired me to create a snapshot of the year for Aodhan putting together all his favorites. What a great idea!! And here the result of the first two I tried. I am going to go back in and darken up the font on the first one but not bad so far.

Things I can't live without.....

In no particular order...

10. My toes being painted! Ok so I have to admit that I hate having nail polish on my fingers but I love having cute toes. How is one ok but not the other you ask me?!?! I don't know, like my husband will tell you I'm just weird that way. When me, my mom, and my sister go to get them done, they always get these cute french tips done or sophisticated pale pinks... well not me! I'm all about the bright colours with butterflies or flowers thrown in their for good measure. I think my sassy toes are a representation of my inner spirit.




9. My king size, over the top, comfy bed! I literally live in my bed. I know you all know what I mean when I say there two types of people in this world....  those that like to cuddle and those that don't. I am not really a cuddlier, instead I'm a "take-up-more-than-half-the-bed-with-one-arm-out-of-the-covers-and-one-leg-out-the-side-its-all-about-me" type of sleeper. So you can see why I decided that to save my poor marriage it was best to get a king size bed. Now the thing is that a king size still allows you the opportunity to cuddle when your inclined to do so but the rest of the time you have your space.


8. Board games! If you don't like gathering around a table with friends and family in a heated game of anything than you have no soul.... ok maybe you do but I cannot understand anyone that doesn't like games. For me games are comforting, from my earliest memories I remember my mom and dad with friends around the table laughing and having a good time. Its one of those things I will always associate with happiness. Well since then we have had 30 years of challenges, champion's of the table, throw downs, and upsets. Whether its rook, crib, domino's, what, scategories, or simple cards you will find me there and ready to go. The best thing about it is I married into a family that loves to play games as much as my own.


7. Books! I have a serious love for books and always will. There is something about books that pull you into their world. You can relax and you fall into the pages. The more I read the more I realize how much I don't know but that gives me a greater thirst for knowledge. I don't care if it is a textbook on the Inca's, a thriller, a romance, a biography, or a children's book, they all have something to offer.



6. Laughter! The truth is without laughter I do not think Luke and I would have made it as long as we have in marriage. There is something refreshing about just laughing at yourself, at each other, and with each other, in a marriage. I learned long ago that there are too many good things in the world to not look at the brighter side of life. I also think that if you are in a bad spot nothing brings you out faster than laughter.





5. My Husband! Ok sappy but true confession time.... I love that man! Sometimes he frustrates me like only a husband can but at the end of the day I love him more than I did when we first married. It's has always been hard for me to understand friends that have gotten divorced. I know there are some very valid reasons for divorce but when couples say they just drifted apart I cannot fathom that. Maybe it is because we are so honest with each other, or maybe its because we have a sense of humour about life, or maybe its just because I feel like I can tell him anything... regardless of what it is, he is one of the best parts of me.


4. My photography! I swear I would loose my sanity if I didn't take pictures. It is as much relaxing as it is fun and exciting. I must admit that I am one of those people that lose interest in things quite quickly... just look in my "closet of shame" with half finished quilts, the guitar I just had to have, the half done projects, and the list goes on. That being said, I have stuck with photography and I love it! Now I don't think I will ever try to do it professionally because I am not one for stressing any more than I have to but I think the sheer joy of it will keep me busy forever.


3. My son! I don't quite remember life without him and though like his father he has a tendency to drive me nuts he is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen... How is it possible that we created such a perfect child. I love his smile, his innocence, his laughter, the joy and zest that he has for life. I hope that he always knows how much I love him. I cringe thinking about when he becomes a teenage... I tell him all the time when I go in and check on him while he sleeps that he has to be nice to me when I'm older lol. We have had a lot of trouble having children and it has given me a greater appreciation for Aodhan. I struggle knowing that I will most likely never get the chance to have another baby because I know I have so much love to give... that being said I am so blessed to Aodhan


2. My friends! What would I do without my friends?!?! Probably be a little less sane, that's for sure. I can say being a housewife and stay at home mom is a tough gig, anyone that says different should try it. As much as it is a labour of love I can honestly say I absolutely live for those few days a month when I get to go out of the house and visit with my friends. The great thing about a group of girls is you can all relate on some level and laughter is always present. I have been blessed with some lasting older friendships and I have been blessed with some new friendships. Each one of those girls (and some guys) has a special place in my heart. Whether its lunch out with just one, a much needed phone call, or a chick flick they got my back.


1. My family! I have got one of the best families in the world... and I'm not just saying that. I am lucky enough to not only have siblings but also friends. I go on vacation with my parents, I sleep over at my sisters, I chat with my brothers on the phone. We are one ball of crazy energy and I love it. The best part is I married into a family where I was lucky enough to find even more friendship and love...

Pictures with Erin! So much fun!

Books I'm Reading at the Moment

 I just started reading this last week but so far I find it interesting on a historical level and very hard to read on an emotional level. ABOUT- Aminata Diallo is abducted as a child from her village in West Africa and sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. Years later, she forges her way to freedom, registering her name in the historic “Book of Negroes.” An actual document that recorded freed Loyalist slaves who requested permission to leave the US to resettle in Nova Scotia. They find that the haven they sought is steeped in an oppression all of its own.

I absolutely love the writing style of Suzanne Collins. Very good read for young adult readers as well as adults. ABOUT- Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem a post-apocalyptic country where the United States once existed. The district where Kat lives is controlled by the "Capital" through the Hunger Games. Stepping forward to take the place of her twelve year old sister for these televised gladiator type games, Kat has to fight to the death and come out victorious in order to return to her family.

 Not my usual type read but I'm liking it! This book was recommended to me at the University of Lethbridge literature fair. ABOUT- The Graveyard Book is about a boy named Nobody Owens, who is adopted and raised by the occupants of a graveyard after his family is murdered.

The book of Awesome is a often funny, always heart warming, feel good book about everything and nothing all at once.ABOUT- The Book of Awesome takes on life’s greatest feats with honest humor and winning enthusiasm. It isn’t about one man’s favorite things, but rather a catalog of the universal little pleasures we all share making it a wonderful read for all.

Turning 30

So I'm about to turn 30 and have been thinking alot about what I've learner over the past 10 years. What has happened and how I've changed and I came up with these 15 truths for me...

1. Sometimes bad things happen to good people... That's as complicated yet simple as it is.

2. I will never stop having insecurities. I will always feel like the new kid sitting on the sidelines, worried they will be the last person picked in the dodge ball game of life.

3. Nothing compares to love, both giving and receiving it. If you don't put everything on the line than you may avoid being hurt but you will also never feel the full joy that love can bring.

4. It is possible to love and grieve for children you will never get a chance to hold. A mothers love is binding, from the moment you know a child exists inside you that love begins to blossom.

5. Saying "I'll start tomorrow... next week... or later" tends to lead to never starting at all... If it's not important enough to start today it probably isn't a priority.

6. You can't expect people to know what your thinking and feeling. Say something or get over it. People have lost the basic human skill to communicate.

7. Sometimes I just do something because I want to. There doesn't have to be a reason.

8. Laughing at a joke, smiling at a baby, holding hands, a dandelion from a child, dancing in the rain... It's the simple things that give the greatest pleasure in life. Sometimes we have to just have to take a moment to look around at all the beauty and possibilities that surround us.

9. I'm 50% choice, 50% fate. I think there is a general path of life that we are all on but that we choose the detours.

10. There is no uses being angry at things you cannot change. The effort it takes to be angry and the person you become is more of a loss, than the loss itself.

11. We are all pretty much the same at the end of the day. People spend so much time hating and fearing that which is different, when really we all have dreams and hopes, we all cry and laugh, and we have all experienced love, and hurt.

12. My greatest achievements & joys as well as failures & sadness are as a mother. There is so much hope that you will do everything right but you never can. Their pain is your pain, there joy is your joy. I can only hope he grows up to be happy and knows how much I love him.

13. My husband is amazing and frustrating rolled up in one package... 11 years together have taught me that he is who he is and most days I wouldn't have it any other way.

14. Hammocks are one of the best inventions ever. A hammock, cold drink, sunny day, beach view = perfect in my books.

15. Travel if you can. It's always nice to have a reminder that there is so much more out there than what we know or have experienced. The sights and smells and people..... LOVE IT!

Aodhan's summer photo's at Papa and grandma's. I was glad to get these shots outside the building in Widewater as it burned down a few weeks later in the Slave Lake fire.

Strength In Small Things

I saw a sparrow in the sky today,

I  watched as it as it flew.

It fought against the elements,

As it rose above the world.

How I wish I was that sparrow,

Driven by what I can’t explain.

To reach that sunny place,

With no tears and  no rain.

I breathe in and out,

And take one step at a time.

Rising above the ashes of life,

Higher then the clouds of pain.

To a greater place then here and now,

And with a greater gain.

Jessica Bevans