Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I did it. I finally gave in. And I'm actually really glad I did... things are feeling much cozier around here...

Keeping with the Christmas theme, my Mom and sister came over today to get a head start on our Christmas baking...

And wouldn't you know it. Our baking must have triggered something, because almost as soon as we finished up, it started to snow outside. Here's what Chilliwack is looking like right now, from our front door...

... and the craziest part is that its actually sticking around!

"Early" Saturday morning and just a bit about me....

It is a rare thing for me to be awake at this time on a Saturday morning. I usually try to sleep in as long as I possibly can--- taking advantage of the fact that I am able to do so for this one day of the week. But Jon had to work in Abbotsford this morning and I just couldn't go back to sleep after he left. As I lay in bed, trying desperately to catch just a few more 'winks,' I finally rolled over and turned on my light to do a bit of reading. I found what I read to be quite encouraging...

"God is evident in a tear or in a far off whistle.
He is in the twinkle of a stranger's eye and
in a certain shade of blue. He is in the warmth of a
handshake and in the missing front teeth of a
five-year-old. He is between the lines of
handwritten letters and in the nervous laughter
of teenage girls. He is in the invisible arc made by
a hawk on a fine autumn day. He is in the energy
you use to write your to-do lists, and he is in
the itch to take a break in the middle of the day.

God surrounds you with reminders of his presence.
He is in kept promises and acts of love and mercy.
God is in every sigh, whisper and exclamation.
God is by you now."
taken from 'Moments of Peace in the Presence of God'

I smiled as I read these words. God is with me in everything I do. I know its an obvious realization, but today... it brought comfort knowing that even when I don't see him, or choose not to see him, he's there. Every step of the way. No matter what the circumstance or situation. What an incredible promise that is. Such a beautiful source of hope. Praying that all of you feel his nearness today as you go about your Saturday routines.

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Now as for the Christmas decorating I had been considering, that is exactly how it remained--- a consideration, not an action :) The week got away on me, and come Friday night, there were still no "bows of holly" anywhere to be found in the Esau house. But it turns out that Jon's basketball tournament is next weekend, so I'm hoping to get around to it today. And yes... I will post pictures as soon as I have our place looking festive.

So the point of my post today is for you to get to know just a few things you may not know, about me. Both Leanne and Faye have "tagged" me (and I do believe Denita may have tagged me quite some time ago... sorry Denita!), so here are a few things about me...

(1) I absolutely love mashed potatoes and creamed corn. I know... this may seem like a gross combination to some of you, but if there isn't gravy, I just have to have creamed corn on my mashed potatoes. Delicious!

(2) I am obsessed about how I brush my teeth. I have a very set routine about how I buff up my pearly whites and I have to do it exactly the same way, every single time. And its not only about how I brush, but also how long I brush. I always brush for at least 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. There are a few people that know me really well, so to them, this is no secret but indeed... I am obsessed with a clean mouth. (It must pay off though, because to this day, I am proud to say that I have never had any cavities or fillings or anything done. Only teeth and gums in this mouth :)

(3) I think I am one of the only girl's I know of, to have never had her ears pierced. People hardly believe me when I say it, but its true. I have 'virgin ears.'

(4) I still have big dreams to visit my family in Africa some day. Both my Mom and Dad were born and raised in Zimbabwe and all of my mom's side of the family still live in Zim and South Africa. The only time I've been over there was when I was two, so I've technically never even met my own Grandma, as well as two of my cousins and an uncle and aunt. I'd love to get the chance to meet them someday.

(5) I have lived in Chilliwack for exactly 3 1/2 years now and have moved 4 times since I've been here. Oh, and by the way... I hate moving. So I'm really hoping to stay in this house for at least more than one year... that would be a record!

(6) Though I'm considered "tall" now, I actually used to be quite short. It wasn't until about Grade 8 that I 'grew up.' :) I had a painful growth spurt that year, adding approx. an extra 7 1/2 inches to my height. It was a bit much for only one year... not fun.

(7) This is one I'm ashame to admit. I am notorious for starting books and not finishing them. Its a habit I hate and want desperately to break. I do actually enjoy reading but the problem is that I often start more than one or two books at a time, and then never seem to get to the end of any of them. Unless the book is REALLY good and I just can't put it down, I often never find out what happens. Sad, I know. We own hundreds of books, and yet, I could list more books that I've started than I could of ones I've finished.

Wow... I found that tough but I managed to complete it and hope you enjoyed those random facts about me :)

Now I "tag" the following people:
Jen
Naomi
Cyndy
Steph
Jen S.
Kim
Sally

Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Is it too soon?

I'm starting to get the Christmas "itch." Every time I walk down the stairs and look at my living room, I debate on whether or not to start putting up my decorations. Its a tough decision for me. Generally, I wait until the first weekend in December to put anything up but I've come to realize that it never quite seems long enough if I wait til then. I just get everything looking festive, and the next thing I know, its time to take it all down again. The time just seems to fly by.

But... I can't quite bring myself to start with the 'Christmas cheer' just yet. I've hardly even wrapped my head around the fact that its already November, let alone time to get in the mood for Christmas. The stores have already had Christmas stuff up since the end of summer it seems, and I have started listening to some of my Christmas CD's on the way to work in the mornings, but am I really ready to come home to a 'Christmasy' house every night? Not so sure.

I do know that things are going to feel different this Christmas, with being in our first home this year. And although its exciting to think about making new memories and traditions here, I will still miss 'the loft.' It just seemed to suit the cozy mood of Christmas so perfectly...


So now... to decorate, or not to decorate? Hmmm... I guess I'll give it at least one more week. Jon will be coaching at his first basketball tournament of the season this coming weekend, so that will keep us busy. But I guess if I want to do it before the first weekend in December, I'll have to start sometime this week. I suppose that's not so bad. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I can wait much longer anyway :) The anticipation just keeps building and building, even as I write this, and with only two weeks left in November, maybe it is time to pull out the boxes and get going... What do ya think?

Congratulations
to our good friends, Todd & Brianne,
on the birth of their baby boy!

Wyatt Glen Smith
Born: Monday, November 12
10 lbs. 10 oz.

We're absolutely thrilled for you guys & can't wait to
meet your new little bundle of joy!
We love you so much
and pray for the Lord's richest blessings
over you as you start this incredible
journey of parenthood!

Too cute...

I got an email today that held a picture I've been dying to see for a long time. I've heard a lot of stories about it but had never actually seen it so when I finally received it today, I couldn't resist posting it.

When Jon was little, he and his cousin David always got matching pj's for Christmas. This is a picture of them with Uncle Dan (David's dad) on Christmas morning. I guess Uncle Dan also got matching pj's that year :) (David & Uncle Dan... hope you don't mind!)

(Jon's the one in the white t-shirt)

All I can say is... if our kids are even half this cute, I'll be a happy woman! I'd be perfectly content if our kids look just like their daddy :) Isn't he cute!?

The Vedder

Jon wanted to take a walk at the river on Saturday. How could I possibly turn down an offer like that...

"Take a good look at God's wonders-- they'll
take your breath away."
Psalm 66:5 (The Message)

"See for yourself the way his mercies shower
down on all who trust him. If you belong
to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone who
does this has everything he needs."
Psalm 34:8-9

An Unexpected Adventure

I guess its a bit late to be posting about last weekend when tomorrow will already be this weekend, but here it is anyway...

Jon's Aunt Lori came out to visit from Edmonton and seeing as she loves going to the States, Mom E. thought it would be fun for all of us girls to have a weekend away. So last Friday afternoon, we packed up the van and headed off to Seattle. We stopped in Bellingham for supper, picked up a few things at Target, and then it was off to the 'big city.'

To make a long story short... we got a bit lost while trying to find our hotel and in the process of trying to get turned around, our "driver" (whom I will not name at this time :) ... you can thank me for that "driver!") drove right over the centre median, which seemed to just "jump" out of nowhere. Seriously... they have these piddly little medians down in the States that are about the size of a concrete parking stall divider and none of us saw it in time for the "driver" to avoid it. As she turned left in an attempt to do a U-turn, we launched up and over this useless concrete median, seemingly grinding the undercarriage of the van as went . As you can imagine, this was not a good start to the weekend.

After inspecting the van and ensuring that it was indeed still "driveable," we made our way to the hotel and decided we would worry about it in the morning.

Morning came, we enjoyed a wonderful continental breakfast and then hopped in the van to get it to the closest GM dealership for further inspection. After having no luck at the first dealership, we drove 20 minutes to the next one, in hopes of getting it fixed up so we could get on with our "fun" weekend. Well... let's just say we got very 'comfortable' at the Cadillac dealership on 108th Street. I think we ended up sitting in their lounge for over an hour and a half. As you can see... Susie and I were a bit bored and not exactly thrilled about spending our Saturday in a car dealership...

Naomi looked a little more optimistic... :)

So after watching over an hour of college football on the lounge TV and looking through many magazines, we finally got the 'bad news.' The radiator was cracked but they couldn't get the part in until Tuesday, so we got a rental car and dropped the van off at the hotel so we could at least try to enjoy what was left of our weekend.

We made our way to the mall and had a delicious lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. It was already pretty late in the afternoon at this point, so we were all ready for a nice, big meal!




Although most of our Saturday was spent at the car dealership, we still got a lot of shopping in, including Target, Old Navy, World Market (which by the way is the most amazing home decor store... everything in the store is from other countries and the prices are unbeatable), and of course, a late night visit to Toys R Us...

I think we were all a bit overtired and giddy by this time. The pictures tell all...

It definitely ended up being an adventurous weekend but totally worthwhile. We did lots more shopping on Sunday on the way home (Walmart SuperCenter, the Seattle Premium Outlets, TJ Mac's, Pier 1, and many more...) and did finally make it home safe and sound.

Thanks for a wonderful weekend girls! I'll definitely remember it for a long, long time :)
In other news, I'm back at work and trying to get into the swing of things again. I'm feeling very thankful that I have a long weekend coming up. Its been a bit tough to get back into my regular schedule after having almost a month off. My boss had a great trip though and brought me the most beautiful clutch from Thailand. Now I just need Jon to take me on a date that is fancy enough for me to use it :)
Looking forward to a quiet, slower paced weekend at home with Jon. Hope you all enjoy your long weekend!

Another weekend away...

Off to Seattle for the weekend! Looking forward to lots of shopping, great sites, and plenty of good bonding time with the Esau girls... See you soon!