Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thoughtful Thursday

Cliff Walk at Capilano Suspension Bridge
"Life is uncharted territory.  It reveals its story one moment at a time"
                                                           -- Leo Buscaglia

Marvelling this week at Beansprout's leap in communication, I realized how amazing it is that I am a mom now.  As a young person, I always wanted to be a mother, but there were many years as an adult when I just wasn't sure I was cut out for it or that I wanted to take on the enormity of motherhood.  Now I can't imagine my life any other way.  These moments help me remember that our paths are ever changing and therein lies the beauty in life -  in the fact that our stories are forming along the way.  

Happy Weekend!  Thanks for reading!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

5-Year Plans

Hmmm . . . 
I’m starting to feel worried that I don’t have a solid 5-year plan.  I can hear myself saying to Matt everyone once-in-awhile, “Hey, we should really sit down and hash out a 5-year plan.”  The thing is, it never works.  The conversation usually ends before it begins with us telling ourselves that it’s too hard to plan that far ahead, as things will change anyway.  We seem to think in smaller chunks, usually working toward goals on a one-to-two year range.  Besides, as I mentioned before, four is apparently our number.  I’m coming to realize that the real reason I keep bringing it up is because of the pressure!  You hear it all the time – have a five-year plan.  What’s your five-year plan?  Pressure.  Pressure.  Pressure.  I was thrilled to find I’m not alone when a good friend told me she thinks 5-year plans are just conversation filler.  On the dating scene, she gets asked this question quite a bit when there’s not much else to talk about.  She was downright harassed by one date who felt that, “she must have a 5-year plan, doesn’t she have any GOALS?!?”  This, at a time when she had just returned from spending a year abroad, a life-time goal of hers. 

So I feel better that I’m not alone, but have to confess that I could barely admit it in writing when I started this post.  I have to learn to accept that it is something that is important for many people, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a must for me.   As we head into Beansprout’s preschool years, I see us forming some longer-term plans, goals that will have to be flexible.  Life has a way of surprising us sometimes.

What’s your take on the 5-year plan?  What works best for you?  Are there other things you feel like you should be doing in life but aren’t, you know, because of the pressure?

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thoughtful Thursday


Bellingham Daffodils
In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.
                                                                                     --Mark Twain


As family and friends back home celebrate unseasonably warm weather, I have been holding on to the fact that the crocuses are blooming and that the daffodils and tulips aren't far behind.  The weather has been insane here lately!  Beansprout had never even heard the word "hail" before (ok, except when I have to break out into song while reading his University of Michigan book!) and this week we've had brief hail episodes almost every day.  Hail, followed by sunshine, followed by rain, followed by . . . you get the idea.  Insane.  I will look on the bright side and embrace the fact that Spring is unpredictable - a quality I usually appreciate, as it reminds me that I really do love the change in the seasons.

Are you celebrating the latest season?  Do you, too, find yourself complaining about the weather out of habit?  Sigh.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Happy Spring!

Boots ready for the trails.
We try to get Beansprout out of the house at least once a day, and by that I mean, OUTSIDE!  This usually involves going for a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood.  However, since we didn't make any big Spring Break plans, we decided to change things up on the first day of Spring and really get outside! 
 One of the things I definitely love about where we live is the accessibility to great walks and hikes.  In about 15 minutes we found ourselves in the middle of the forest breathing in the fresh, clean air.  Last summer we were thrilled to realize Beansprout really likes hiking, and made a concerted effort to get out to different trails in the area.  In our years hiking with a dog, some trails were off limits to us, so it was even more refreshing to get out for a hike on a new trail!  I'm still amazed at how great Beansprout does on the trails.  Hand-in-hand we walked the Red Trail at Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, and he didn't ask for a shoulder ride until we were more than half-way through.  Little trooper.

My favorite part of the trail - I love the way the trees are covered in lichen and how there is almost a uniformity to the way their branches turn toward the sky.

Ever since a trip to Alaska many years ago, Matt and I are always on the look-out for lichen hanging like hair on the trees.  It signals that the air quality is excellent, as the lichen are so sensitive to air pollution that the will only grow millimeters in polluted areas.


We saw a few trees that had been uprooted by the winds, but the wall that this particular tree created is unreal.
I only had my iPhone along, but found myself snapping away (read: photo overload!) because it was so interesting to see how the trees changed as you walked along the trail!  We even found the perfect spot to return to with a picnic when it warms up just a bit.

Though Beansprout enjoyed the hike, the dump truck and the two logging trucks coming off the mountain were the big highlights for him!

I would love to hear how you get yourselves outside.  Have you taken on any new trails lately?  Any new adventures in the great outdoors?
 


Friday, March 16, 2012

Thoughtful Thursday


"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."
                                                                                                                                                  -- e.e. cummings




Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Every Four Years

Every Four Years
It’s occurred to me recently that Matt and I have had significant changes happen every four years since we first met.  I don’t remember what triggered this thought in the first place, but it strikes me as rather strange. We dated for four years before getting married, moved to British Columbia four years later, and four years after that we had Beansprout.  Since coming to this realization, I just keep wondering what it all means.  Is there some significance to the number four?  What does this four-year trend mean for the future -- will the pattern continue?  And, if there is a continued pattern, what change is on the horizon for us?  I'm so intrigued. (And nervous!)

Am I the only one to think of such odd things?  Have you found any sort of pattern to events in your life?  Any other number patterns in your life?  

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Month in Photos - February 2012


February Favorites
Practice using scissors
Playing guitar with Daddy
Biking to the river
Seed butter and Banana Lunch
Valentine's Day Playdate
Hail Storm
Mural Painting at Art Class
1st Lollipop!

It's wonderful that there are still so many 1st experiences to encounter with Beansprout.  We tend to keep him away from sugar as much as we can, so he was pretty pleased to have his first lollipop given to him by a friend in his art class!  We both marvelled at the crazy hail storm later in the month.  The hail looked like dot ice cream and lasted for quite awhile.  Beansprout and I had fun building mini snowmen on top of his sandbox.  Notice the crocuses!?!  I'm thrilled to see signs of Spring turning up everywhere.  It's so nice to be able to get outside more!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Thoughtful Thursday


Today is the day, your mountain is waiting.  So . . . get on your way!
                                                                                    -Dr. Seuss
(Almost) Daily Walk to View of Fraser River with Mt. Baker