read this on one of my favorite blogs this morning...

What I realized is that there is not just one big moment of courage in our lives. There are many. These moments come to us in different ways. At times we are forced into a leap (unexpected pregnancy, when parents or partners pass away, when we loose our job). At times we are called into a leap (when someone invites us for a trip of a lifetime, when our partner wants to move to a new city, when we are offered a chance, when we take the "money maker" role to support our family). Then there are also the daily tiny leaps we take for the sake of adventure (when we try new types of food, music, when we go out on a date, when we talk to a stranger, when we transition from blogger friends to real life friends). No matter how small, silly or hard, tiny, dramatic or forgotten... All leaps are important because little by little, we live through change, we figure out how to cope, we move forward, we learn who we are, and we build our confidence for the bigger leaps, the ones we seek for ourselves.

Ron and I have taken several leaps of courage in the last 3 years. New city, new community, new job, life choices. I think it has made us an even stronger family unit and we look forward to change with excitement and not fear.

he shoots, he scores......

skating season....

Whoah! This blog has been neglected for far too long! January is when our competition season for skating begins and it pretty much takes over my life for a weeks. We started with Dress Rehearsal on January 3rd and then the first competition in the big city 3 hours away. I am co-managing a team this year, as well as organzing a team of volunteers for a Casino in April. The Casino is very important....it brings in $60,000-$70,000 for the club...which helps pay for travel, etc. This means I am fielding numerous emails, phone calls and other stuff to get these tasks done. I don't have my Christmas decorations put away yet...but I am getting close.

christmas rehab....

A few years ago I admitted myself to Christmas "rehab". Yes...I needed some work because the season was no longer enjoyable to me.....I was leaving everything to the last minute and having meltdowns because of the pressure. Something had to change......so I decided to do a complete rehaul of my Christmas habits. Number one on the list was dealing with the shopping...I would no longer leave my shopping to the week prior to Christmas. Full parking lots, empty shelves and long lineups be gone.....my new plan involved completing my shopping by December 1st...and NOT only would the shopping be done...but the WRAPPING as well. The decorating...well this too was to be done sometime between the day after Remembrance Day and December 1st.The baking projects....I plan those in November and compile a list of old favorites and new recipes to try and add whatever pantry items I need to my grocery list. The Christmas cards.....the photo would be taken in November and the cards mailed out in the first week of December. There are hidden benefits to this plan....if you stay out of the stores in December...you avoid impulse buys and items not in the budget. Plus, you really think twice about taking something home that must be wrapped when the wrapping is all done. So far, my Christmas rehab has worked well.....only a few slip ups here and there...but nothing a martini and a little chocolate can't fix. Our first little snow this year found me dragging barely out of the pyjamas kids to the backyard for some shots. Now off to cross some more projects off my list...

getting ready for the season...

I recently read a blog post about how November is all about preparing for Christmas and December is for enjoying Christmas. That idea really resonated with me......I try to have my Christmas shopping complete, my decorating done and gifts mailed off by December 1st. December is so much more enjoyable if all the hustle and bustle business is finished and the days become about doing whatever makes you happy......be it baking a special treat or getting together with friends. My sweet Mom made this urn for me before she left...I love it and my front door is all ready for Christmas.

hello november....

always be grateful......

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.

~Mary Jean Iron