Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Tomorrow (Jan 31) is Omphalocele Awareness Day! Yes, I have a special day for me! There are all sorts of Awareness days out there, for every sickness, ailment, condition, baby loss, infertility, adoption, etc. I have talked about infertility a lot on my blog, and a bit about PCOS, but I haven't talked a lot of about my birth situation.

The Mothers of Omphalocele's is a group that started in the 90s (I think), and because of their acronym (M.O.O), OA has a black and white motif. I discovered that there was an OAD a few months ago, and I was super happy (and I also thought that it was a bit strange and weird!)!! I knew that I wanted talk a bit and shine light about this day and this condition, since it isn't talked about at all.

I will try and make this short and sweet, as I don't want to A) Spend hours and hours doing this post, and B) I don't want to bore you. So, without further ado...here we go!

First off....

I have been posting some facts about Os (from now on, I will be referring to Omphalocele's as Os, so that I don't have to keep spelling it every time); facts about my personal experience with one, and some general facts about it. Head on over there to check it out!

What is an O, you ask? Well, essentially, it is when all (or most) of the small and large intestines grow outside of the baby. Per Wikipedia: a rare abdominal wall defect in which the intestines, liver and occasionally other organs remain outside of the abdomen in a sac because of failure of the intestines and other contents to return back to the abdominal cavity during around the sixth week of intrauterine development.

My mom was pregnant with me, and since no one really knew of my correct due date, the doctor had told her to go into Kamloops (back then, they were really in the woods!) to try out their new ultrasound machine. And that is when they found out that SURPRISE! something is horribly wrong with your baby. They didn't tell my mom then (how weird was that??), but the doctor that my mom was seeing while she was pregnant with me came to their house in person to tell them. He told them that I would have to be born in Vancouver (Kamloops wasn't and still isn't equipped to handle babies like myself). They flew to Vancouver a few days before I was born. I think they were afraid that Mom would have me on the side of the road, or something! I was born at/in Vancouver General Hospital, as the BC Children's Hospital wasn't built yet.

Mom chose to have me naturally, and I was born in June at a few minutes past noon. Cause I am timely, like that! Mom was able to see me as soon as I was born, then I went to get "wrapped up" with  plastic wrap (true story) to keep everything in. I believe that I was put on a trachea right away, and after a few weeks, they put a Teflon bag over the O to help them (organs) stay in. Every few weeks or months, as the skin was surrounding the O would grow. they would make the bag tighter and retie said bag (Dude, you can't make this stuff up!). I was in the hospital for 22 months. I had my "big surgery" to put everything back in when I was 4 (in/at the Children's Hospital).

Most babies don't stay in the hospital for much longer than a few months. However, I had so many problems that arose; mainly breathing, lung and heart issues, which extended my stay. I had 12 cardiac arrests, several "cut downs" (where they sew the IV INTO the skin). Also, this happened again in my 30s when they had to sew the IV in yet again), had an NG tube, tracheotomy, didn't cry, talk, eat by mouth, or walk, laid on my back (and a bit on my side), didn't sit on a carpeted floor until I was nearly two. Then, it was back and forth for a couple of years until I had my surgery to put everything back in when I was 4. Then I would go back down for yearly, or every second yearly appointments. I had a small surgery to remove some teflon in my throat (I think?) when I was 10 or 11. I was pretty healthy until I was in my 30s, when I got really sick, and had to go back to VGH to get my CHD/CHF dealt with.

Here are some other facts about me surrounding my birth:

My mom would come down every month for a few days to visit me. Dad came down every few months with Mom.
My parents would call every morning (and night, as well), to see how I was doing.
My first memory is being lifted up and feeling the trach in my throat.
My mom didn't get to hold me until I was several months old.
My lungs wouldn't inflate without the respirator at one point, due to my laying on my back, and all of the pressure/weight of my organs being outside my body. The lungs went "plastic".
I had 12 cardiac arrests.
I had staph infection at least once while I was in the hospital.
I had a 50% chance of surviving, the doctors said.
Despite what I went through, there are a ton of pics of me smiling.
Mom says that I was born with jet-black hair!
When I got home (at 21 months), they still had to do PT wth me. I actually remember them "burping" me to get the phlegm out). I remember lying on Mom's lap with a towel on my back.
My organs were put back in mirror image.
I had so many people praying for me (that was before internet and social media), and, I STILL get asked how I am doing (health-wise), and STILL get told that people were praying for me!
I am in a medical journal somewhere.
My family was STRONGLY discouraged from them taking pictures of me (especially at the beginning). They didn't think they would want to remember a dying child.
I had eye problems as a child. Probably from staring at lights for the first 21 months of my life.
The doctors told my parents that would be brain damaged. That I wouldn't amount to anything.
Above my bed, there was a plaque, or a picture with the phrase "God don't make no Junk" printed on it. I know it is horrible grammar-wise, but the point was that He didn't make a mistake with me, and that I wasn't junk! I think whomever gave to me wanted the nurses and doctors to know the same thing!

So, that is the VERY shortened story of my birth and condition! I am thankful that my parents, even though they were young, were (and still are!) amazing parents, and did their best in the circumstances that they were in. They were given so much information, and they had to make so many important and hard decisions. They never gave up on me. They came back to the ranch to live their lives, all while trying "parent" a sick and at times, a dying child. Things didn't finish when I came home, either. My medical needs/care didn't end when they walked through the front door. Mom was pregnant with my younger brother then, and they still had to do PT and OT therapy when I got home. They had to teach me to walk, talk, and eat. I still wasn't out of the woods. They had to deal with people staring at me (I actually remember this happening when I was like 3 - 6 years old), and wondering what was wrong with me. They had to deal with a 2.3 year old and a new baby that Fall when my brother came long. They still had to go appointments for/with me. They were probably new issues that arose. They were probably still scared for me. What would my life look like? Will she be able to walk, talk, and grow up "normal"?

They loved on me, and told me that I was special and a miracle. They told me that I was beautiful, and that God had (has) a special plan for me. When I grew older, I realized what the verse "Fearfully and Wonderfully made" really meant! Even though I wasn't perfect health-wise, I know that God MADE me perfect. God has made EVERYONE perfect; fearfully and wonderfully made; made in HIS image. He saw my being made even before the world came to be! For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. 15My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.…16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. Ps 139:14-16.

I am thankful that my parents instilled these truths to me. I am thankful that they chose not to forget what happened; they talked about it all the time...they still do! I am thankful that Jesus saw fit for me to be born, and for me to beat the odds! I am thankful that I can share my story to others. I am thankful that He saw fit to bring me through my adult health issues back in 2010. I am thankful that I am a testimony of His grace, and healing, and also, good medicine (and thankful for FREE Canadian Health Care), and the doctors, nurses, and medical workers.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and so are YOU!!!

                           I am a few months old here. Also, can we discuss the scary clown???

                                                                  Happy 1 year old!!
                                             I am a few months old in these pictures below.

                                                      I was actually a very smiley baby!!

Me going home in Feb '78.

I was a few months old here. 

                                                   Me at 3. Can we discuss my hairstyle?

                      I think this was me on my way home. I was visiting my grandparents in Vernon.

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit of my story. If you didn't, well, I am sorry for wasting your time! But, you probably learned something, yes?

Randoms

We had a blizzard a couple of weeks ago, and it was a DOOZY! I stayed home from church, and my brother and his wife invited us over for waffles. I refused to drive in that mess, so our youngest brother, who was also in town, picked up me. The blizzard was horrible, and waffles were divine!

The weather the week before last was HORRIBLY cold! I am such a wuss when it comes to cold weather. I am glad that we still get a week or two of cold weather, as it helps with the germs.

As I stated before, I dog sat for a friend of a friend last weekend, and it was glorious! I might do it again next weekend. I was supposed to do it this wknd, but they got sick, and didn't go.

I have been watching movies and hanging out with my neighbour, which has been fun. We watch movies, and we also watch New Amsterdam. We watched the new Maleficent movie on Saturday night, and I actually liked it.

Good TV is back. And yes, I am still watching Christmas Hallmark movies. #nojudging

The tree is still up, sans decorations and garland. I have, however, stopped listening to Christmas music. #gottadrawthelinesomewhere

Anker and I went to A and Ks for supper last Sunday, to help celebrate A's bday (which was this last Tuesday), and we had soup, salad, yummy bread, and of course, cake!

J is such a dear right now. His speech is clearer, and he is screaming less. #allthepraisehands

I had a nice visit with K last night on the phone for 90 minutes. We had such a lovely visit. I called my mom (we text, but don't talk a ton), and we had a nice visit, too!

I was actually pretty productive this weekend. I did some decluttering, laundry, went for a walk, cleaned underneath the sink, more laundry, dishes, and I hung out with my friend on both Friday and Saturday night, went to Walmart, Church, went to/for coffee with a friend from church, then we went to Jysks (where I got a bath towel and two face clothes), hung out with another friend on Saturday (we had hoped to go bowling, but the ONE ALLEY in all of town was booked, so we just drove around, had a late lunch, and I washed the car {which was a waste, since it is super dusty today}), called people, blogged, I cleaned up a mess on our sidewalk that I had made during the Deep Freeze Week, that needed to get cleaned up (which also entailed throwing out our old welcome mat, and cleaning where it was...gross!, and I sort of organized my bins in my closet. I got a laundry hamper (#adulting), so I had to move things around. We now have two laundry hampers (including one Rubbermaid bin), and a bin for our duvet covers.

Our class went on a little outdoor adventure on Monday afternoon. We spent sometime with the K class enjoying the outdoors. On Tuesday, we went skating. So, I walked twice in two days!

As some of you are aware, I am doing Omphalocele Awareness Day posts on FB (and some on IG, too!) in preparation for OAD on Jan 31st. I hope to do some hardcore blogging about it this week.

I went to church today for the first time since the 22nd of December (ok, save for one wknd at my parents' house/church). In btwn blizzard, being away,  and dog sitting for two of those Sundays, I hadn't gone, and I missed it. I enjoyed being there today. It was nice to see everyone, and it was great to hear the word.

I have been kind of retreating lately. I have times where I will be out a lot (and around people), and then there are times where I am in a lot. I don't feel super guilty for it. I go through times where I only go to work, the occasional visit with friends/family, and then home. I might go to Ladies Bible study tomorrow, and even to worship and prayer and Wednesday. I might go bowling with my friend (from the wknd) this week as well.

I am also doing a Question of the Day every day this year on FB :) I had a friend do this a couple of years back, and I thought I would try doing it this year. Go and check it out (I will try to do some of it on IG, too!)!

January 29th is Bell Let's Talk Day. It focuses on Mental Health, another thing (among others) that is dear to my heart. I think it is so important to talk about our mental health, in any and all stages. I think I have talked about my issues with Anxiety and Depression before. I am sure there is a post on here somewhere.

The other weekend (the day before Blizzard Day), my friend and I went to another friend's for coffee. We had a wonderful visit, complete with tea, hot chocolate, and muffins in front of her fire place. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and watching the snow fall. The visit was topped off when I very nearly backed into a telephone pole. #truestory

As I also stated, our car didn't seem to like the cold weather the other week. It was making all kinds of noises, and some sensors lit up like a Christmas tree. I took it to get looked at, but they couldn't find anything wrong with it, and they reset everything. Then it happened again, and I was going to take it back, but then it suddenly went back to normal (no lights, etc). Thank you, Jesus! There is a small thing that needs to get fixed, but it isn't an emergency.

Our church is having a Super Bowl Party next Sunday. I could care less about American football, but where there are snacks....:) Also, my pastor's team is playing, so that will be kind of fun (he is American, but we love him, anyway!)

I am having major trouble trying to post comments on any type of blog. This has been an issue for the last few months. I have no clue as to why. Grrr! My computer will also decide that it doesn't like causing the internet, and will stop in its tracks. I have no clue as to why this has been going on, either.  None of my computer friends (including Anker's sister) knows why this is happening.

My friend from school and I like to go "cruising" once a week or so. We drive around, grab coffee and sometimes times nibbles, and try to solve the world's problems all within the space of an hour. Ha!

On Blizzard Day, the volcano where my sister lives in The Philippines erupted. She and those she is ministering to are safe, but they are in Manila right now. No one is sure when (or if) they can go back. I was actually a bit worried for her for a few days, but she seems to be safe from the ash. She is a strong girl, that one!

I think those are all the randoms for now!

Blizzard day, indeed!

Our tree...with the decorations still on.

                          Soup from my SIL. I normally don't like soup, but this was actually good.

Sunny days, indeed!

Friday Favourites

1) Our car was having some weird things going on, but once it warmed it, it was miraculously healed!
2) We had one week of cold weather, and then it warmed up. I am such a wuss when it comes to cold weather now!
3) I started getting a sore throat and ears, and I was super tired/achy. I knew I was fighting something,   I ended up taking Thursday off, which seems to help. I slept until 11 am, and I felt much better afterwards.
4) Last weekend, I dog sat for a friend of a friend. I had a wonderful weekend, of hanging with the dogs, reading, and having a bed to myself :)
5) I am back to reading books again. I seem to go through times where I will read books, then go for awhile with only reading magazines. I love me a good book.

Christmas 2019

I haven't even written about last Christmas yet! Can you believe it? I have it in my drafts (for a year), and I still haven't gotten around to writing it. I had hoped to write it before writing this post, buuuuut not yet :)

Saturday and Sunday before we left, I looked after J on Saturday, while H and his mom and dad took him to the new Star Wars movie. A two hour babysitting job turned into an all day event, due to her running errands on the way home. Afterwards, I had to go and get another tire fixed (we seem to have problems with our tire rims, causing our tires to go flat......goody), and while I was waiting around, I got Anker his Christmas gifts, as well as a few more for everyone else. More on how we exchange gifts in our family later on in this blog post (or maybe another entire post). I got home at around 5. I can't remember what I did Saturday evening, but I think I just relaxed and hung out and watched movies. Sunday, I went to church, and then I went to Starbucks for awhile, and I ran a few errands (dollar store, and drug store, I think). Anker was trying to install something in our tv, and he was having issues, and he was getting upset, therefore, I just kept myself busy with laundry, dishes, and I think I started packing. I went back out at around 6, to take back some books at the library (I hadn't gotten to the library the day before), and I don't know what else I did. I think I sat in a parking lot for awhile (I do that sometimes). I went over to Emily's, as she had invited me to/for dinner, but when I got there, she forgot, so she bought us McDs! She and I watched "The Nutcracker and the 4 Realms" (I think??, or maybe it was "Finding Father Christmas"). I went back home at around 9 or 10. I think I blogged for a bit.

We spent Christmas with my family this year, and we both had a wonderful time! Anker was very social this year; he played a game with the family, watched a movie, played with J (2 yr old nephew), and he even went outside a few times (he can't handle the cold, due to his Raynaud's)! It was a white Christmas, which is always nice! It was even nicer that the roads were great on the way out there, there was no snow in our part of the city!

We hadn't been to the ranch since August, but we had seen most everyone at Thanksgiving in October. I cannot believe how time flies between our trips out there! I think because we "see" everyone all the time through FB, talk and text, and we see my parents sometimes, when they come into town, we think we go out there more than we do (or more time goes btwn our visits than we think it does). We left on Monday, the 23rd at around 2. We would have left earlier, but we were waiting for a package from his sister, that found out was coming that day. It arrived at around 130, and then I decided to arrange/organize our gifts for/to everyone, and we left at around 2. The trip out there was really nice, and not busy at all. I drove, and we had a fun time, talking and listening to Christmas music :)

We got to the ranch at around 4, and we got settled in. I had planned on spending the first night with my Aunty June. We had planned on having a weekend together back in November, but then I got sick some 12 hour bug, and it never ended up happening, so we (or rather I!) had decided that I would stay a night or over Christmas. I wasn't sure if she wanted me to still come and stay over, but she told Mom that she was excited for me to come, so I stayed over night on the Monday that we got there (23rd). We had supper first, before I went up, and I left soon after dinner. We had a nice evening of visiting, and drinking tea :)

On Tuesday (24th), we slept in and had a visit, and then had brunch. I went back to the ranch for a few minutes, and then ran to the store to grab a few things, and I came back home. We just had a relaxing afternoon. I think we hung out, relaxed, read, and maybe watched tv. I think Mom and I watched a bit of something (I think we watched the end of a Christmas movie, and a bit of something else). At 6, we left to go to my aunt's who lives on the property for a Christmas Eve dinner. It was soooo good! We had burgers, yams, some salads and a cake. We also had a communion time, in remembrance of Uncle Ted. We visited for a bit, and then I went back, and I helped Mom get things ready for the next day. I helped her make the 7 Layer Dip for our cold cut Christmas dinner. We had some eggnog in front of the fire and the tree either before or after Aunty Valerie and Uncle John came to drop off their gifts. We went to sleep at around 11, but I didn't sleep well, and I was awake for quite a bit of the night.

On Wednesday, the 25th, I woke up at 5, and I laid in bed for an hour, before getting up and sitting in the living room. I read and sat in the living room a couple of hours. Everyone finally woke up at 8, and we got the party started! We had our Christmas Communion time, which has been a tradition of our family for about 30 years. We read the Christmas story, and we talk about what we want to do (service-wise) to others, or ways that we want to "improve" ourselves (kind of like a resolution, but more service-focused). Afterwards, we started in on our gifts and stockings. We all got fun little things. Anker was thrown with the Toaster Oven that I got him, and he got me a mini (fake) bullet. I/we got chocolate, gloves, calendars, cheese, shampoo, trinkets, etc. We had breakfast, and then we relaxed and enjoyed the day. Mom had invited a friend over for both Christmas and Boxing Day, so Mom went to pick her up. By this time , my younger brother Joseph, and his wife, Cadence had come from their house across the river to hang out with us for the day. We got ready to have our "cold cut lunch", which turned into a sit down meal (I thought that it was supposed to be a snacky-grazing meal). It was SO GOOD! Cadence had brought Queso, and Tequitas. Mom had made salads, and her friend brought a few homemade condiments. We  had brought juice, pop, and cookies to help out, but the cookies didn't get eaten. At around 2, A and his family came, and we then we had our second gift opening with them. We got coffee, homemade candles and granola, scrunches, BBQ sauce, more chocolate, a Royal Tea tin with Will and Kate's name on it (and tea inside), a Friends Trivia game, more cheese, Dutch cookies, and licorice, and I got a $15 GC to/for Starbucks. After the second gift opening, some of us went for a walk around the ranch. We came back and hung out for the rest of the evening. We visited, relaxed, watched a bit of tv, played games, and ate some more! After Mom took her friend home, some of them watched a "winner" of a movie, and I think I blogged, and read. I went to bed at around 10, and I was EXHAUSTED!

Boxing Day (26th), we both slept in a bit, and we had a nice breakfast together (pancakes, I think??), and we started cleaning the kitchen in preparation of/for our Turkey Dinner. J and C were at her parents', so it was "just" Mom and Dad, Isaac, Anker, Adam, K, the boys, and then our aunts and uncle. And then Mom's friend came back to spend the day with us. I think we had 16 people for dinner all together. We had a lovely dinner with all the fixings! We had Christmas pudding, and it was SO GOOD! Some people played games, and others visited. On either Boxing Day, or Christmas Day, Mom showed us her slides of her and Isaac's trip to The Philippines. It was great seeing even more pictures than we saw on FB, and we saw some videos that they took. I took Nancy home (it was the first time that I had been out all day!), while people played games. I think Anker was playing on his computer. I think we went to bed at about 10 or 11.

Friday (27th), we slept in again, and I think we had breakfast together. Anker and I decided to leave that day, as I was going to be house/animal sitting for a friend on the 28th. We packed up our stuff, so we could leave quickly when we were ready. It had snowed the night prior, and a bit in the morning, so I was a tad worried about the roads, and with it getting dark at 4, I didn't want to leave too late. My aunt was having a long time friend over (we grew up together), so I went over to chat with Aunty Valerie, Lorraine, and Mom (who had gone over a half hour or so before) for about an hour. I hung out over there for an hour or so, and then K, Mom and I struggled to have an hour visit, with just the 3 of us. Man, was it hard! EVERYONE wanted to come into the living room to hang out (though, to be fair, we probably should have gone to a place a little less central). After an hour or so, Anker and I bid our farewells, and off we sailed. The roads had thankfully cleared, and our drive home went well, even though there was a bit more traffic, and a few icy spots.

We both had a lovely 4 days at the ranch, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Definitely one of the best Chrsitmases that have had in awhile (though last year was pretty fun).

My parents' tree! They (or at least my mom) always pretends that she doesn't like all the hype, but I think she secretly does...just a bit :) And yes that is a real tree; one of many thousands on the ranch.

                              Facing south; my childhood home is the building in the shadows.

What is a visit to your family's sheep ranch, without a picture of said sheep??

                                                  Our Mexican-themed Christmas dinner!

                                                      Our Boxing Day table all ready!

                                                      I loved my mom's nativity set!

2019 Year in Review

Here is a SHORT recap on what I/we did in 2019!

January-I took charge of my mental health. I found a counsellor, and I took part in a group session.
February-I helped my brother and his family move into their new house (closer to us!).
March-My grandpa died; I went to Calgary for the funeral.
April-We got our car. Easter at my parents'. "New" computers for Anker and I from his sister.
May-My brother and his wife and their little girl came and spent the weekend with us.
June-My birthday month. I helped my aunt by taking her to Kelowna regarding my Uncle's health.
July-House/animal sat a lot. Celebrated 12 years of marriage.
August-House sat a lot :) I didn't stay at home a ton.
September-Back to school! Back to Routine!
October-My uncle died; his funeral was the first of the month. Our annoying neighbour moved out. We had Canadian Thanksgiving.
November-Got winter tires on our car. I had hope to go and spend some time at my aunt's, but I got sick (or something), so I stayed home for the long weekend.
December-Christmas!!! Spent a lovely few days with my parents, including a night at my aunt's, then I house sat :)

Friday Favourites: The Christmas Break Edition

I probably should have done this post for last week's FoF, and last week's post for this weeks FoFo, but oh well :) Here are some favourites from my/our Christmas Break:

1) Slept In-I don't think I got up before 8 the 16 days I was off. It was glorious, y'all!

2) Gifts- Yes, I know Christmas isn't about gifts, but we got quite spoiled this year, I have to say!

3) Time with Family- We had. wonderful time visiting family. I had so much fun, that I went back twice. Anker was really into spending time with everyone this year, which was fun to see.

4) Four Days of Relaxation: I spent 4 days house/animal sitting for some friends, and it was delightful. They said that Anker could have come, too, but he stayed home. I ended up staying an extra day, b/c the roads from where they were coming back from were HORRIBLE! I had fun watching movies with animals :)

5) White Christmas/Visiting with Grandma- We had a white Christmas, which was nice, and my grandma came to BC to visit my aunt (her other daughter), and then came up this way to see us. We had a wonderful (albeit busy) time together.

Linking up with Della Devoted for:

Linking up with Andrea for :

The Last Decade in One Post

Happy first Monday of 2020!!!! I have few posts that need to be published, and I hope to get them out SOON! I might only do a "highlight" reel from our Christmas of 2018, as I can't remember everything that we did, but I want to write about it in some form.

This Decade in Review was going on IG, and I had wanted to do it, but I wasn't able to type in my answers, so I thought it would be fun to post them here!
I started getting addicted to going for coffee at Starbucks in 2008-2009!
2010-Got Sick, got better, got back into the work force. My brother got married.
2011-Got dealt with a lot of health diagnoses's. Upgraded an English course (writing, not speaking!) so I could go to school. Became an Aunty.
2012-Went and got my EA Diploma. Did my course like a boss! I spent many a night at Starbucks.
2013-Graduated with my EA Diploma. Started job at the small Christmas book store for a few months. Went for many interviews; didn't land a job. Went for a job at a local CLBC company in December.
2014-Started my job as a Community Support Worker (see above). Started as on-call, then got a permanent position in the spring (?).
2015-Moved into our place. A very dear friend died; my brother got married. Got Calico in Aug.
2016-Went on leave from work. Our foster kitty had her kittens. Went back to work at my CSW job for the rest of the summer. Anker and I helped out at our church's VBS. Started my job at the school.
2017- Our niece is born in May, and our nephew was born in October. Started attending a different church. Met new friends with said church! I am pretty sure this was the first year that I started watching (and getting addicted to!) Hallmark (Christmas) movies!
2018-Started off the new year with some health issues. I got healed in mid May!Attended our cousin's wedding on May Long; had a family picnic in a park on the Monday. Anker and I flew to Victoria, BC for Christmas. First time that we had ever flown together. Also, first time that we had flown together on Christmas Day!
2019-Lost my grandpa in March, got a "new" car, and lost my uncle to pancreatic cancer in Oct.

I am sure there are many more things that happened during these 10 years, but these were the ones that I could come up with in a short amount of time!

Friday Favourites: What I am Looking Forward to in 2020

Happy Friday, Friends! I don't know about you, but I am STILL in holiday mode! I am partially ready to head back to work, but I could also use another week off! Ha!!! Oh well, I am SO THANKFUL for my amazing job!!

 Here are some Favourites that I am looking forward to in 2020:

1) QOTD2020: I have decided to do (or the very least TRY!!) a Question of the Day every day on my Social Media accounts (mainly FB and IG). I have a few questions already written down, and I will be thinking of more as I go along. If you have any questions that you would like me to ask, then DM me, and I will do my best to post it. Watch out for the hashtag #QOTD2020 on my IG and FB accounts. I will even answer the questions that I ask! A friend did this on FB a couple of years ago, and I really liked and looked forward to them!

2) Spending Time with Family: Anker said that he wants to spend more time with family this year. I am hoping that we spend more time together, AND with family! Family is such an important thing to me, and I think Anker is wanting to spend a bit more time with them, too!

3) Makeup Monday: I am hoping to do more Makeup Mondays this year! I think I will try and do/post one every 2nd week, instead of every week. It isn't just the LIVE IG video that takes time; it is posting the photos on IG, and doing the blog post that take time. Sigh...maybe I won't make a good influencer blogger/IG-er after all!!!

4) Words for this Year: I haven't done a lot of praying about this years "word", but after our family did our yearly "commitment" to either ourselves, or to others, on Christmas morning, I realized what I wanted my word(s) of the year to be, I am excited to see where and how God takes me/brings me through said "word(s)" through life adventures! The words are Patient/Patience and Gentle/Gentleness. Since both are Fruits of the Spirit, I can't go wrong with having these, right?

5) Getting Healthier: I am not 100% how this will look. I want to try to walk more (yes, I know...I say the same thing every year!), and incorporate more healthy foods, and eat less sugar. Ha! Well, at least the thought is there, right? :)


What are you most looking forward most in 2020?

Linking up with Andrea for Friday Favo(u)rites!

Linking up with Tif for High 5 for Friday!

Favourites From 2019

Again, getting inspiration from Suzanne regarding doing a favourites post :)

Honestly, there are SO many favourite things from last year, and it is really hard to narrow it down to a few (or even remember them!), but here are a few highlights:

Fave Moment /Memory of 2019: Spending time with my mom's side of the family in March, after celebrating my Grandpa's life. Celebrating our anniversary at my parents' place this summer (we also "missed out" on some crazy shenanigans from our now moved out neighbour!). Also topping my list, was when I had breakfast with Mom at a God-forsaken hour this summer! You can read about that here.

Fave School/Work Memory: Our staff retreat at Sun Peaks, getting another tour of the local First Nations Museum with our class, and there was another one that I had thought of earlier, but now I can't remember!

Fave Book: I hadn't read a ton of books this year (I know...shame on me!), but I did manage to read a few: I read "Before You Say Amen', by Max Lucado, and I also read "In His Father's Footsteps" and "Turning Point", both by Danielle Steel. I also started "The Librarian of Auchwitz" , by Antonio Iturbe, and "Anxious for Nothing" (Max Lucado), but I haven't finished either of them.
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Fave Movie: Unplanned, Hallmark movies, The Lion King, Aladdin. I am sure there are more, but I can't think of them right now.

Fave TV Show: For new shows, it is Carol's Second Act, and Bob Hearts Abishola, and for reoccurring shows, it is New Amsterdam, and the Good Doctor.

Fave Magazine: People (duh!). I also love Good Housekeeping, and Canadian Living.

Fave Blogger: Momfessionals, Talk Nerdy to Me, The Sheepish Midwife (when she blogs!! It is my sister's blog, so I guess that should be on my list, hey?), among many others.

Fave IG Account: Suzanne, Bethany, among many, many others.

Fave Gift (Bday, Anniversary, Christmas, or End of the Year): My teacher gave me a really cool bag that I use as an overnight bag. I love me a Starbucks GC, and I have gotten a few of those.

Fave Bible Plan: I read a couple of infertility plans with You Version, which I really enjoyed.

Fave Bible Verse: Jeremiah 29:11

Fave (most used) App: IG and FB...and probably the Weather Network, and I guess I should say the YV Bible App!

Fave All Round Product: I love Beauty Counter's mascara and body wash. I was given a L'Occitane beauty gift pack, and I really love that!


Fave Clothing/Footwear Item: I love me some leggings! I got a few shirts from Walmart this fall, and I am really loving them. Capri Pants! I have 4 pairs of sandals that I love! They are no-name brand, so I don't think I can link them, but I love them. For real!

Fave Significant Thing: This would be something that you did, or didn't do that made you think that you are growing and maturing (in any area of life). Well, I tried to do some goal setting this year....at least it was a step in the right direction, right? :) I also took steps in helping to take control of my mental health and anxiety. I also tried my hardest to read/share my Daily Bible Verse on IG/FB, but I was getting frustrated by it, b/c they would have two verses (one text, and one image), so I stopped the middle of this month (well, last month now, since it is now Jan 1!). I also tried (but failed), and reading one Bible devotion a day.

Fave Purchase: Lots! I like to buy things! Probably any movie, magazine, CD, or coffee!