dear diary

dear diary

i have this great excuse, called life, called a little bit some crazy, called time and lack there of, called...i'm sure i could come up with as many excuses as you needed. the point is, i write my thoughts and adventures down for a reason, and my lack of writing lately is allowing my mind to forget, i don't want to forget. i don't want to forget the games of hide and go seek that the girls and i play after dinner. i don't want to forget finding sophie in the closet, every time, as she calls out, "here i am". i don't want to forget penny's side shuffle and giggle as she goes up and down the hall helping the 'seeker' find the 'hider'. i don't want to forget the adventures that we take and the emotions and pictures that help solidify these days in my memory.

a past adventure,

a trip to the island to visit family. a trip taken just us girls as scott was busy getting all the students ready for school. lets see if i remember the happenings of each day.

sunday, august 30

goldstream park with nana. this is a common place to visit as it is a favorite. great little walk, nature house with a beaver whom sophie could not get enough, as well as slugs and ants on the trail...what more could one ask for.

once home from goldstream, gg and papa came for a visit. i love that the girls can have "great" grandparents. something about a legacy that is so important. something about learning from and learning with people of all generations seems so beautiful, so whole.

monday, august 31

journey to downtown. a quick stop at mec to find fleecy treats and then off to the waters edge to enjoy lunch and a walk. our trips to victoria often involve the same adventures, but i can't help it, something about a shoe fitting and wearing it, if it isn't broken don't fix it, you understand. well this walk is one of those things...since sophie made her first trip to the island, my mom and i have taken the girl(s) along this route, tradition maybe, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves, crazy hair once you finished being blown by the wind. whatever the reason, i wouldn't trade it for anything.

tuesday, september 1

a walk around my old stomping grounds. 4049 chalister court, five acres of good times. it's hard to say goodbye to the place you were raised. i had never known a home outside of that one. when it was sold my heart sank a little, but the memories that i wanted to keep are strong inside my heart. as we walked the property with my dad, my sister and i talked about our old forts and hiding spots, how we would try for hours to get lost, the trouble that we made on the developing properties, and the fox gloves that we smoked. funny feeling going on that walk with my two girls.

wednesday, september 2

fort rod hill. a place to run. a place full of history that my mom tried hard to communicate to a two year old...which i so loved. a place where maybe one day sophie will learn of a past that has made her present possible. a place i wish didn't have to exist, but a place i understand had to.

last years photo: september 2008

this years photo: 2009 (two were being looked after, and two were added)

play time at nana's house...got them going pretty fast

thursday, september 3

a date with a friend. a dear friend. an old friend. i have to say that i am blessed by my friends, the time they invest and the years they have put up with me. i am thankful for the moments we can steal away together. i love my kids, but i know that when they are grown they will understand the importance of finding and cherishing their friends. for me, friends help place the stepping stones of life. so thursday i spent a few hours with sharon. sometimes i wonder if i am boring, i catch myself not talking, i hope they know i am soaking. soaking in their presences. loving each moment as it comes and goes. loving the fact that they have had a hand in the development of my person.

friday, september 4

a new place to go. thanks to friends megan, halle, maya and grammie, we found galey's farm. complete with a petting zoo and train ride, it was a must see. one of my favorite pictures came from here. the interaction between sophie and penny as sophie helped her sister pat the goats was something moments and memories are made of.

the back yard of nana's house. sitting, enjoying, playing, simple, love.

saturday, september 5

ocean. family. love.

life on the island - sunshine and salt on your face, family in your hands, makes my heart full. i may have more than one love language (scott claims i am all of them but gifts - which is his), but my primary one is quality time. my days i see as adventures and i try hard to communicate in language that will excited my kids so that they in turn will have great memories and know to find great joy in each day. adventures aren't saved for moments in a plane or trips over seas...if that were the case i am afraid my little family would miss out on adventures. no, they are much simpler than that for us, but much grandeur than many will ever experience. i love our adventures, and the people that choose to join us.

sunday, september 6

generations have much to teach each other, much to learn from each other. there are stories to be told if we listen, and chocolate covered almonds if we ask. i love seeing my grandparents. i love that they are rich in knowledge and life. they are beautiful people. i can't imagine a celebration, a family moment without them. yet reality stands that it will happen, one day, to us all. so then, how do i make sure my girls know them, love them, can remember them. how do i teach them to be polite, well mannered, as they raised their children. how do i teach them to pray for their pa pa and gg. how do we make sure that eternity is for us all.

monday, september 7

our island adventure came to an end.

my emotions seem to be close to my eyes right now, so i think i should stop writing.