Waiting

I have a habit of saying more than I should. I'm going to try to keep this short!

From A to X: A Story in Letters by John Berger is intriguing, albeit a little different from my norm:

But I'm not writing to review the book - I'm writing because I want to reflect upon a simple sentence contained within the book. 

I just read this:

"Maybe waiting for something doesn't lessen the surprise when it comes."

These words caused me to stop and go back over them. They caused me to think about the periods in my life when I've been waiting for things - waiting for my daughter, waiting for our next baby, waiting for jobs, waiting for dreams to come true, waiting for moves, waiting.... waiting... waiting. My life has been full of waiting.  And the character A'ida captures something in those words - how surprised we are when "it" arrives.

I wonder if this is because in the waiting we are often not fully present in our here and now, but also not in our expectations. We're in a sort of limbo. A state of wondering. Even if we're "actively" waiting (i.e., working towards achieving those goals, or at least doing something!)

I was caught off guard by my new baby (though I'm told this happens to all first-time parents... and likely any time you add a new person to your family). But I was also surprised when I received my job offer as a teacher a few years ago, even though I had been preparing for it - heck, I took a whole degree and paid a lot of money for it! I was surprised when our trip to Europe happened last spring, though I had been pining for it for years. I was surprised when I received my first paid client for my new photography business, even though that is what I had spent years working towards.  All these surprises.
Yet I had been waiting for them.

Funny how that is.

Intentional Reading

A year ago I had already completed my first month of maternity leave. Despite what everyone said, I had high ambitions for my maternity leave for all of the things I would accomplish - I forgot that I would have a tiny little person who would depend upon me for comfort, food, changing, entertainment, and possibly a million other things. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. Okay - maybe not every single minute, as I had lots of help from my husband and family and friends, but a good portion of each of those days were spent tending to her needs.

One of my lofty ambitions was to read. And by read I don't just mean a book here and there, I mean I planned to polish off the books on my curriculum list that I had never had the chance to get to because I was too busy as a new teacher. I mean the "classics" that I had somehow missed in my education and training. You see, as a former English teacher, my life revolved around books. I constantly had a stack of books by my bed, on my desk at work, on my desk at home, and on my shelf that I was either reading, just finished reading, teaching or planning to read.

But last year was a desert. I think I read 4 books - and one of them was to simply finish a book I had started a few years prior. They were good books, including an old faithful, Pride and Prejudice. But it was nothing like I had imagined. My library card sadly (and even embarrassingly so!) received zero use. When people would ask what I had read lately I would tell them newspaper articles (and often just the headlines!) and blogs because short articles were all I had the time and the attention span for because I was completely and utterly exhausted.

This year, however, I have renewed my goal to read. I have already finished The Path of Daggers  (Book #8 in a series I started 13 years ago - eek - but at 672 pages, it is nothing to sniff at) - my previously unused library card is waiting for the next book in that series. I have started reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my one year old as I needed some variety in between the countless renditions of  Five Little Monkeys and The Gruffalo, and I am almost finished another book that I received as a gift for Christmas 2012 - in preparation of my ambitious year - From A to X: A Story in Letters.

January has been a fantastic start to this goal of intentional reading this year. Bring on February - and hopefully another eleven more months of getting LOTS of use out of my library card!

Friday Favorites!

Phew! I need a moment to breathe. Life is BUSY around here with new work-from-home prospects. 

Favourite Article:  It's been a while - I use Feedly, and only got to this article this morning... What I Want my Son to Know... powerful stuff! Being a parent pulls at my heart in ways I never thought possible. I have a daughter, not a son, but I have some similar sentiments for my little girl.

Favourite Recipe: It's a toss-up this week! With Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, I am on "dessert" duty. Yum Yum! I'm trying out this little gem - Frozen Toblerone Mousse Squares and ALSO making my nephew's favorite dessert, Apple Pie! I'll be using this crust recipe - Perfect Pie Crust (this has been my go-to since we've been married; I've used it for sweet and savory pies. So delicious!) May I just skip the turkey and go straight to dessert?!

Favourite Outfit: This is one from a few weeks ago - but as a teacher, I must say, I LOVE these ideas! Ask BB: What Are Some Stylish Looks for A Substitute Teacher?

Favourite Photo: Sunrise Below Eiffel Tower ... I am trying to look at the world differently these days. Those different perspectives sure keep life interesting! Although I "travelled" up the tower, I took the classic tourist shots rather than the creative ones. That's okay.. I'll be back one day!

Favourite Verse: My new Bible Study is a Priscilla Shier/Beth Moore/Kay Arthur combo on the life of David. WOW. Love it! David fascinates me for so many reasons - probably the greatest is because of how I view his life and yet how GOD used him in spite of his short-comings. Such a lesson in judgement for me - He sees the heart. He sees the motives.. So many fantastic verses...

1 Chronicles 14:8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.

Quiet on here is actually a good thing...

...because I have been using my camera LIKE A CRAZY PERSON. I have taken ridiculous numbers of photos in the last 2 weeks, but WOW. I have come a LONG way. I didn't actually skip the other days, I just didn't spend the time on making a post for each of them because I've been practicing instead, which I think is better. In the mean time, here are some of my shots from practicing with "manual"...

I love summer. I wish it were summer all.the.time.

I now know the difference between wheat and barley. This is a big deal for a city girl turned country.

This is a steer. Not a cow. I also know the difference between a cow, a bull and a steer. I'll spare you the details though.

I got brave and switched to manual focus...this was my first attempt. I think it says a lot considering where I've come from...

Dandelion #1...

Dandelion #2. Ooo! So very cool.

I have also been photographing my daughter like crazy. Maybe one of these days I'll get some photos of her on here too. 

Friday night date :)

It's been quiet around these parts, mostly due to VBS at our church (I was the snack coordinator). Between feeding nearly 40 hungry campers each day, and keeping an eye on Baby Girl, I had my hands full. How do working moms do it?!

But, as Friday night rolled around, I had a craving for a Pizookie ... and while I didn't have the right-sized round pan, my square Pyrex did just fine. mmm. Loved an impromptu date night with the hubster! 

Friday Favs!

Favourite Article: This Post is for the Brave Ones Challenge accepted! I am taking one small, symbolic and simple step with this blog.

Favourite Recipe: Pizookie! mmm. Great idea for a date night :)

Favourite Outfit: Reese Witherspoon ... one of my favourite actresses. A classy lady all around.

Favorite Photo: Kitten enjoys bubbles So cute and such wonder.

Favourite Verse: 
Mark 6:30-32 -- this verse came up a few times this week. It feels like I'm being "gently" prodded and reminded about going to that quiet place.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

Friday Favs!

Ever since I was a kid, thinking about "my favourite things" has always caused me to break out into song. Thanks Maria! :)  While my favourite things don't really have much to do with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are some of my favourite reads from this week:

10 Myths about Introverts ... the picture is brilliant. I can totally relate. And oh yes, the list is perfect to send to some of my extroverted family members!

A Letter to Kate Middleton ... wow. Yes! I know lots of people have been posting this link all over the internet - it's brilliant. For every woman who has ever given birth and every woman who has ever felt uncomfortable in her own skin. 

One Book Out ... I feel the pain!

Man Tries to Sneak Pet Turtle on Plane by Disguising it as a Hamburger... yup, the title says it all, but it is bust-a-gut funny!