a love of mine.

Back in July my husband and brother ran a marathon.

This marathon was because my brother, Timmy Boyle, was dreaming and dreaming big. 
One of his dreams to accomplish by the time he turned 37 was to run a marathon. 
Dan never had a dream to run one but he trained anyway and ran it with Tim.

While there my sister-in-law and myself wandered around the 1/2 way point/finish line..
and the arena where there was a pancake breakfast. 
There were a couple women selling photographs. 

Local women who loved photography
- did it as a hobby -
and had been encouraged by friends and family to try selling some of their work. 

They were doing something I loved to do. 
I love taking pictures. 
i don't know if anyone else would want them but I love the photos I take.

Recently Dan has encouraged me to take more pictures... do photo shop stuff to ones I want to...
and who knows, maybe frame and sell some at some point.   
I'd love to get better at photography, and maybe one day get a nice camera..
but i have to get out there and start taking some now...
if I take them enough, and bring some of my work to a farmers market or craft show -
maybe I'll see if there's a point to purchase a better camera...

but a hobby it will be, whether or not anyone else wants the pictures. 

i love it...

i enjoy doing it...

for those reasons I will take photos wherever I see something i want to capture.



Thanksgiving

I hope all my Canadian friends and family had a great Thanksgiving weekend..and I hope all my American friends and family had a great Columbus Day.

Our weekend was really good.  beautiful weather and surrounded by family.

• 2 turkey dinners.  MMMMMMMM I love turkey dinners!
• more work done on the house!
• a hike up our back hill and on a beautiful trail we'd never been before.
• went to church and were reminded to be thankful for all God has blessed us with.
• played a game & ate candy.
• watched my kids play with and enjoy being with their 4 grandparents and their amazing great grandma.

a weekend to be thankful for.

Little Boy's Heaven (photo memories)

This was a special day for kids where we live.

Touch a Truck.

Many big, powerful and exciting trucks, planes and helicopters were accessible for them to look at, get in, touch. 

the boy loved it!!

He loves trailers!

Trucks..trucks..and more trucks!

driving the backhoe loader.

We had such a great morning!  what a great idea.  I believe it was Muskoka Family Focus who put it on.

I have one little boy who was in heaven.

(the girl was too grumpy to enjoy herself)

Wonder and Joy

my kids are full of wonder and joy.

They love life so much, and in turn help me see the wonder and joy in an ordinary day - especially about a plain, ordinary thing.

Today was just such a moment for me.  In fact I wasn't going to blog today until this moment happened.

When the second Night at the Museum movie came out McDonalds had happy meals toys that wound up and moved when a card was put in the slot.  Well, we had 2 of 'Rexy' and 2 of the squirrel.  This morning the boy found one of each but was so upset because he couldn't find 'The Thing'. 

'The Thing' being the card needed to make them move.  So, being the world's most amazing mom, I created my own 'thing'..... with a scrap piece of paper - - folded!

How excited the kids were when I got them to work!!

Fast forward to this afternoon.

The girl is napping and the boy is in his room playing quietly while I check facebook. 

then the squeaky door began to open.

"He cannot have to go again!  he just went poo twice!" I thought, shaking my head, as I heard the footsteps.  He was saying something about 'the thing'.  I looked down the stairs as my very excited, very happy little boy ran into view holding two pieces of 'the thing'...the original card... in his hands. 

"I found the thing for Rexy! I found the thing for Rexy!"  there was honestly pure joy in that child's three year old face.  He was practically giggling as he held them up high for me to see.

We had to find Rexy right away.  We found both squirrels before we finally discovered Rexy hiding on the bottom step. 

Back to quiet play in his room, so content, so happy with himself for finding 2 pieces of the card. 

Back to the computer for me to take a moment and share my pride in my son with the World Wide Web.  I love that little boy, my first-born.  Who takes the time to stop me at times and say "mommy, let's kiss."  just because he wanted me to give him a kiss. 

I love the wonder he has in discovering everything around him. 

I love the awe as he watches the leaves change color and waits for snow to come.

I love his hugs as he wraps his strong little arms around my neck.

I love his stories (even when they're the same ones).

I love his questions (even when they're the same ones).

That's what I have as I watch my kids grow:

Wonder and Joy.



What to Write

So, I have this blog.....
why?
Why do i have this blog anyway? 
honestly, I have no idea. 
What is it about?
I don't know.
I have friends and family who blog about being a stay at home mom, hunting and fishing, the life of a worship pastor, and my brother the comedian blogs about.... well, life as a comedian sees it.  
I was asked the other day what my blog is about, and I said "just me and my life."  How creative is that?!
I honestly don't know what inspired me to blog at all... OK, i do.

have you ever seen the movie Julie and Julia?
I loved it.  it made me want to blog. 
Not about cooking - honestly i do not have a passion for cooking, and no one would want to read about my cooking - I'm a boring cook.
I didn't want people to send me things - food and money like she gets from her readers.  (but I will take money or gifts if people do want to send me some.)
I honestly don't even care if anyone ever reads this blog.

So why am I blogging?

i love to write and my thoughts come out a little better when written - or in this case, typed.
I may not write every day, I may only write when I have an idea i need to get out. 

But for now this is about me. 
my kids.
my husband. 
maybe even my cat.

This will be about my life as I know it.

unless I come up with something more exciting to the world.

     This is Clive.  Named after C.S. Lewis.   Clive Staples Lewis.  This is my cat - well he annoys me a lot so he's really more my husband's cat, but he's the only cat we currently have.

Terry Fox Run

the day finally arrived.
I hadn't run in over 2 weeks...probably closer to 3 weeks, actually, and the furthest I had run was 2.6km, with one attempt at 3km - that one I walked about half of it.  so when I woke up on Sunday Sept 19th I wasn't ready at all.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, God had blessed the day with beautiful sunshine.  Pulling into the high school parking lot i saw the sign for the run; way up there on the crane truck.  I honestly got so choked up and the tears began to form.  I couldn't cry, this was ridiculous.  No, it wasn't nerves about running it was the fact of what I would be running for.  I had to be able to run 5km.  Terry Fox attempted a marathon every single day during the Marathon of Hope.  5km was honestly the least I could do to do my part.  it was a lot for me, but i would be running with dan and our kids.  he was going to run with me, to help me keep going, AND he would be pushing the jogging stroller with our 3 yr old and 18m old in it.  we registered, handed in our pledge sheet and waited.  I kept looking at the sign. 
The Terry Fox Run.
This year was the 30th anniversary of Terry's run.  1980 - 2010.  I was 5 when he ran.  i don't really remember a lot of memories without being told about them first, but Terry Fox is one I remember.  He was so strong.  Even when he was so sick.  Cancer didn't seem to be everywhere yet.  But now, honestly, I don't know anyone who doesn't have a loved one that cancer has directly affected.  ANY Cancer.  there are so many varieties it is overwhelming when one stops and thinks about it.  it is something that affects us all, and Terry Fox ran to raise awareness and to get closer to a cure one day.  I'm sure from everything he started there are thousands (minimum) who are alive today, beaten their cancer, in remission....  i was going to run 5km in support of the research to help thousands, millions, more.  no wonder I got choked up and teary.
None of us had ever done the run, but dan and I had wanted to for a long time.  the emotions arrived again when they sent the bikers off... it was almost our turn.  the boy wanted to run with us.  he's 3, but he wanted to race.  so we told him he could help daddy push the stroller up the hill (yes we started on a hill) with daddy and when he got tired he could go in with the girl.  So, it was runners and bikers turn.  We were off - in a mass of people.  walkers, kids on bikes, dogs, rollerblades, runners, strollers.... and up the hill we ran - weaving around people to get out of the mass.    the boy ran his hardest up that hill holding the stroller with daddy.  We got to the top and he was tired - into the stroller he got, but I was so proud of that little guy.  off we went.  i did have to slow down and walk a couple times, but dan says it wasn't any longer than a 300m walk, total.  When we got to the top of the hill - the home stretch, the emotions were back - but i still couldn't let them out.  the boy wanted to run down the hill so he got out.   but he was more tired than he thought - he tripped and fell - dan carried that determined little boy down the hill to the end and I pushed the girl down.. Throughout the run when I was slowing and struggling Dan would run ahead of me and run backward wo the kids were facing me.  They would cheer and laugh, it was so great having them help me find it in myself to do something Dan believed I could do.  I finally believed it too.
I had done it!  We had done it!  so exciting!   couldn't believe it was all over though.  next year it's the 10km...i have a year, I can't let myself procrastinate that badly.
Thank you to all the volunteers and everyone that keeps this run going every year!

Running

So, yesterday I ran 2.6km.  not far you say - - you say that if you're a runner.  if you're not one you understand when I say I was happy to be able to run 3/4 of it.  I did walk a few times.  My goal used to be the 10km Terry Fox Run in September.  Now my goal is to do the 5km portion of the Terry Fox run this September.  which when I have never been a runner is a pretty good goal I think.  My husband and brother just ran their first Marathons in July.  the training was crazy! I was happy to be running 1 km and Dan was running 30km.  he is a runner - I am not.  But I'll tell you, I am at least becoming someone who does enjoy going for a run for the fitness/health of it.  and I miss it when I go too long between.  i have no plans to ever do a marathon but I do want to, next year, do the 10km Terry Fox Run.  http://www.terryfox.org/Run/

I watched the people running the half marathon and full marathon in July up at the 'Friendly Massey Marathon', in Massey ON (up near Sudbury and Espanola), and was so impressed and proud that Dan and my brother, Timmy could do it.  Terry Fox could do it - on a prosthetic leg - the least I can do is work up to the 10km run next year. 
I want to run for my health, for the fact that I actually feel really good after I go for a run, so I plan to keep it up even after the TFR in September. 

after having 2 kids I wanted to get back into shape and i have found running is a good way to do it - who knows, maybe I'll end up in even better shape than I was - - i could handle that.

PInk Eye

I Hate Pink Eye.  That's right I said Pink Eye.  this is the first time in my life that i have it, hopefully the last.  I can't do drops, I get nauseous when I have to touch my eye or look deeply into it.  or someone else's for that matter. 
my son, my husband and I have all experienced it over the last week.  sometimes i just want to scream!!!
crusty eyes wake me up in the night, and painful, red - not pink - eyes greet me in the morning when I look in the mirror. 
Oh well, one day this too will pass.  Thankfully Dan and the boy have moved on already.. hopfully the girl doesn't get it now.  lt'll be done with it once and for all. 

I know there are more important things in life to think about, to write about.. or i guess it's 'type' about.  but currently as I sit here, creating this blog, i am resisting the desire to rub, scratch, rip out my eye, so for the moment this is the deep thought for me. 

Other blogs will be about more important aspects of life such as God, my family, my dreams.... but for now, today it's all about the Pink Eye!