Hello, September!

My summer read this year was called The Happiness Project. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I kept it so long I owed the library $10 in late fees. My apologies, library...but it was worth it! I was inspired by a friend to read it, after she mentioned it a few times on her blog (not sure I would have read it otherwise. Thanks, Kendra!).  I gained many new and very practical insights on making intentional and conscious choices that could increase my happiness. So much of a person's happiness has to do with their attitude and mindset. Like many other things in life, it starts from within. It's a good read. I totally recommend it. Especially if you are a task oriented, get 'er done, "lists", kinda person. You'd love it!

Just one of many things I took away from this book (and love!) is the 6 second hug. The author did some research and discovered that "the minimum time necessary to promote the flow of oxytocin and seratonin, mood-boosting chemicals that promote bonding" is 6 seconds. I believe that. I dare you to try it.  :)

Mark and I went to Gimli for the day to celebrate my birthday. It was an incredibly beautiful day. I wasn't expecting beach weather for my birthday! Usually at this time in the summer it starts to cool off and the crisp fall temperatures start to creep in. Not this year. It was perfection.

We ate lunch on a patio overlooking the lake (which almost feels more like the sea than a lake...come on, pretend with me!), lay on the beach and watched sailboats while we worked on our tans, we went to my very favourite store, Tergesen's, we walked the pier, and we took photos. It was a lovely day. 

And I very much enjoyed spending it with my favourite person.  :)

A perfect end to quite a perfect summer. 

Now it's September. Time to get back into school (my LAST year of school, that is. Very exciting to say those words!)...get back into a regular routine...and bring out the fall wardrobe (yay!). 

A happy fall, and many 6 second hugs to you:)

The View

Today was one of those perfect, picturesque summer days that made me want to hold on to these last few days (?!) of summer with all the strength within me. Let me paint you the picture I saw on my drive...endless bright blue sky, flawless puffy white clouds (just like you see illustrated in children's story books...the ones that are so perfect they don't look real), golden, freshly combined fields bordered with wild prairie grasses and flowers...the rich palette of natural colours beautifully complementing each other. Artistry that photos and paintings (and words!) can do no justice to. In a word? Breathtaking. It made me grateful to live in the prairies...something I SO take for granted. We are blessed, and I should take the time more often to be thankful for this beautiful, and wide open, and safe (so we have blizzards and the odd tornado...have you watched the news lately? we're pretty lucky) place we are fortunate enough to call home. So often I'm in such a rush to get where I'm going and so deeply absorbed in my busy thoughts that I forget to turn and look out the window and take in my surroundings. Well, I'm glad I turned my head today (most likely inspired by time spent with a great friend, Chai Tea, and genuine conversation...soul-food). It was so worth it. And it made me wonder how many other beautiful and lovely things (and people) in this life I have missed out on because I was so focused on what's right in front of me (myself, really). Kinda disappointed in myself for not having my camera with me...the sole driving force for buying myself a nice camera...take spontaneous pictures that preserve the beautiful moments and 'revelations' in my life. Oh well, hopefully I'll just look out the window more often.

A happy and relaxing last weekend in August to you:)

Happy Heart & Full on Life

This summer has been amazing. I can't decide if it's because it's been so hot that the mosquitos haven't been hanging around much, or that this is the first summer I haven't taken any summer courses so I can actually enjoy my time off and do fun things...and sleep as long as I please (guilt-free)...and read (for pure enjoyment sake). When I look at the calendar and see that all this summer-goodness is about to end in only two short weeks (gasp...) I wonder how in the world I'm going to finish my summer "to-do" list. It might just be a busy two weeks. Or I won't wash my windows this year :)

My heart is happy. God is good. Last two weeks of summer...here I come.

Sleepless Thoughts

1:30 AM and wide awake. I wish I were sleeping right now. But since I'm not, and since my brain is firing random thoughts in every direction at a million mph...I might as well do something productive with my time and try to gather some of these stray thoughts and put them together in some sort of cohesive pattern for you to enjoy:)  Get ready for some unexpected deepness at this ungodly hour. I've been thinking about contentment lately, and the whole underlying premise of this blog...my personal challenge of enjoying the ordinary days on my journey. When I stop and reflect and take the time to count the incredible things I have been blessed with in this life it's easy to be in that contented place. And that is why I do what I do...I work hard at documenting life so I can remember the wonderful and good things and people I am blessed to be around. But to stay there...in that mindspace? ALL the time? A different story. I honestly feel like some days I need to tie a piece of yarn around my finger so every time I see it I remember my goal. I'm easily distracted. And this world? Full of distractions. I don't need to tell you that. Some days I feel like the child whose mother is taking her into the grocery store to buy milk. And on the way to the cleverly placed, WAY back corner of the store, we pass the bright coloured, mouth-watering aisle filled with candy of all shapes and sizes...right at my eye level. The child (okay, I) slow my brisk "follow the mama" walk to little more than a baby step. And you all know the rest of that story. It gets ugly, unfortunately. I'm sure you've all seen it. And after those moments, when I reflect on that 'ugly' moment with a disgusted "what was I thinking?" and "how old am I??!" look on my face,  I wonder why it's so freaking hard to be in that beautiful, contented place all the time. The answer? I'm only human. We're only human. The self-denied perfectionist in me scowls at this answer ("there has to be a way", she screams!) But I think it's the truth. What kind of journey would life be if it were easy? What kind of people would we be if we didn't have to try? And so, we get knocked down, but we get up again (weirdly enough I'm pretty sure that's both a Bible verse and a pop song).  And that is the challenge...to get back up, and try, try again (thank God for grace). As my dear and wise old friend, Mr. Oswald Chambers consoles, "No man is born either naturally or supernaturally with character, he has to make character. Nor are we born with habits, we have to form habits on the basis of the new life God has put into us. We are not meant to be illuminated versions, but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God."

Here's to getting back up again. Possibly making a checklist. And to a really good sleep.    :)

My Happy Place

Every year my in-laws rent a cabin on Lake of the Woods. We usually only stay a day or two, but those are two days that make my heart and soul very, very happy (pause for a long, deep contented sigh...remembering how good it was). There is something about that lake that is so endearing, so grand, and so peaceful that makes my heart sing really happy songs the entire time I'm there (to myself, of course. Nobody wants to hear that noise). We tan, we fish (as awkward as I make it look), we nap, we eat really, really good food, and we breathe deeply the fresh, glorious scent of natural goodness (unfortunately that is not an exaggeration. I couldn't get enough of that fresh nature smell, that I was literally sucking it back. I guess living next to a greasy restaurant makes me homesick for freshness?! Gotta stock up while I can). I also really love seeing my father-in-law in his element. He is nature man; and would probably make a very good Survivor Man. People shine when they are doing what the Creator created them to do. My father-in-law was meant to live on the lake (that being said in all my humanly wisdom. Lol!).
To top off the weekend we were escorted out of cabin country with the most gloriously breathtaking sunset I think I have ever seen (okay, maybe ever documented?!).



Sunsets & Bike Rides

Today = first bike ride of the season + an evening with my lovely + a beautiful sunset + no mosquitos. Perfect. I don't need an extravagent evening for it to be perfect. Ordinary can be perfect.

Today also marks my first success with a summer goal of mine. One of my goals for this summer is to learn how to use photoshop. This is a personal challenge for myself...I enjoy digital scrapbooking and such, and want to create cool litttle things in photoshop and get really frustrated because I CAN'T!! Well, look out photoshop...because I plan to figure you out! Yay for new challenges and here's to having fun with some photos.