This is my first post on my new site…am not sure how it all works…but will keep working at it for the next little while. We had a great holiday season with Christmas at Panarama with Matt and Jesika and Jesika’s parents. Lots of relaxation, snow, fun and eating. New Year’s was quiet celebrated at home with Kristy…watching movies, sipping good wine and snacking away the evening. I was back to work last week and it seems like we were never away. Well, so is life!
A Perfect Day Thursday, Nov 30 2006
Jerry and Matt & Jesika and Travelling 11:36 am
Yesterday was a perfect winter day for me…it went like this….
I got up at 9:15 am and looking outside saw the beautiful mountains and clear blue sky with a temperature of -22. Jerry and I decided to head outside before breakfast, so we bundled up in our winter clothes and headed out. The mountains covered in snow were absolutely spectacular with the blue sky and bright sunshine…it was more beautiful than words can express. The new snow sparkled like thousands of diamonds and the snow crunched under each of our footsteps. the chickadees were singing in the trees and as we walked around the frozen lake with the panarama of mountains all around us, my heart was so full of gratefulness for the privilege of being alive and experiencing this kind of beauty. My sense of God is always so beyond comprehension when I breathe in the beauty of his creation…amazing.
In the afternoon Jerry and I drove to Lake Louise and the trip down continued to be breathtaking as we drove through the mountains. Lake Louise had received about 10 inches of new snow and as we got closer to Lake Louise, the trees were just hanging and covered with new snow, up to about 10 to 12 inches…it was absolutely beautiful. We drove up to the Lake Louise Hotel and words cannot express the beauty that was all around us. We just took picture after picture…but you just aren’t able to capture the beauty and the vastness of nature all around you. I love winter like this…it is perfect!
The Chateau Lake Louise was all decorated for Christmas inside, so we toured the old hotel enjoying all the history pictures and reading about all the early people involved in the building of the railway across Canada and through the Rockies. No agenda…we could do it at our own speed and in no hurry.
My favorite bakery is in Lake Louise so Jerry and I stopped and puchased all our favorite things to eat together with a Chai Lattee…there we are the two of us eating scrumptious sausage rolls in the parking lot…we couldn’t wait!! The Health Cookies, Cinnamon Buns and other goodies we bought were saved for later!!!
We then drove back to Banff and I spent a couple of hours in “The Spirit of Christmas” store…it has everything you can imagine for Christmas…it was fun just to look and not feel pressured by buying into the having the right “look” for Christmas. I am dealing with all the expectations that comes with Christmas…I don’t need to buy into it.
We then went up to the Banff Springs Hotel to see the Christmas Decorations there…they were absolutely amazing with 6 huge Christmas Trees decorated and lights and decorations everywhere…we then headed back to Canmore.
We came back to our place in Canmore…ate some of our goodies…watched CSI New York and Criminal Minds…and in between read my good book Maya that I received from Matt and Jesika…and that was our day…no heavy intellectual thought or converations…just the enjoyment of being alive and enjoying the world around us.
As we were driving yesterday, I reminisced about all the places were had been to and how there is beauty everywhere…we just have to take the time to embrace it and enjoy it…
Those are my thoughts for today as I listen to the Messiah and look out the window at the blue sky with the majestic mountains all around us.
Silent Retreat Thursday, Nov 16 2006
Family and Spiritual Development and Travelling 10:57 pm
My Silent Directed Retreat was amazing! The Spiritual Director I had was so awesome! I will definitely do it again only I will do it for a longer period of time. I would like to work my way up to a 30 day retreat sometime in the future. The setting was at Queen’s House of Retreats which is so quiet and has so many nooks for one to sit and reflect. Certainly refreshing to my inner being!
We are off to Canmore for two weeks. We have been offerred a place to stay for a couple of weeks so are heading out tomorrow morning. My sister Joanne and her husband Dwight will be joining us the first week, and hopefully my good friend Kelly will come for the following week. It will be much relaxing, reading, doing coffee, visiting, playing cards/games, and anything else that doesn’t take much energy. Probably a couple of trips into Calgary as well, but all in all a relaxing time!
Breakforth Conference in Edmonton Wednesday, Feb 5 2003
Travelling and What I Am Learning 10:01 pm
We are back from Edmonton and hard at work again. The BreakForth conference was amazing. The first person we meet is one named “Dennis Camplin”. I was really surprised as I didn’t think they were allowing seniors into the conference. AND he really wasn’t there for the conference, he and his wonderful wife Wilda were enjoying quality time with their grandchildren from Birch Hills. Alot of the info I am still digesting and working through. Some very good sessions with Robert Webber and Bill Easum. I will post my learnings in the next couple days.
Lunch with Jordon and Darren Saturday, Jan 11 2003
Friends and Tamara and Travelling 9:35 am
Great lunch on Friday with Jordon and Darren. However, Jordon keeps making fun of my age, which really doesn’t bother me much! He’s knows I have great wisdom to offer in spite of my age or maybe it’s because of my age I have wisdom. Whatever!
We are off to Calgary so Tamara can head out on her journeys. We have had some interesting days in our household with packing; completing a paper for her last University credit; deciding what to take and what not to take; deciding again when the suitcases are full and there is no more room; lots of fun. We will be back late Tuesday afternoon.
Great to see Brooke and Kelly back in the Dominican Republic. Great time with them over the holidays. They are very special people.
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