an update!!!

hey everyone!!! its been so long! i really want to start blogging again....i am not too sure how it will all work out though....in the summer it was soo much easier.....now that i am in school i find that when i have time to go on the computer thats the last thing i want to do.....and lets not even talk about planning the wedding...theres sooo much to do.....but i know its that time of year..everyones busy..and everyones getting sick...so i dont want to complain...i am sooo happy to be in school and to be getting married..its all great stuff....just busy...

so i am posting a picture of my engagement ring...its the saddest story for me....i had to get a totally new ring.....i originally had white gold, but that did not work out....it was turning yellow!! i almost died when i first noticed, but it all has to do with my metabolism.....my body was burning the plating off the white gold...so now i have yellow gold...i had to start alll over...it was very hard and i was not happy about it at the time at allllll....but now i love my new ring....it feels like my ring....i still miss my other one alot...i look at pictures of it and get really sentimental...but what can you do?

steven is back in school for carpentry....hes doing really great......we spend every second of every weekend doing homework together..eating instant mashed potatoes..hahha..and then we feel sick...i promise that i will actually cook real meals after we are married!!! in the spare moments we have, we are planning the wedding....and looking at places to live in 6 months.....theres so many decisions to be made...its so great though to finally be at this stage in life.....its sooo exciting!

so i have to run...i am not making any promises on whether or not another posting will appear anytime soon..but we shall see..perhaps...

I scanned these pictures onto the computer for a project.....this is me around age 2 i think and the one below is jamey, daniel and i....haha..i think its hilarious how jamey and i are soo lovey dovey and dan is just on the outskirts...some things never change...haha...dan i love you..but its just sooo funny.............and yes thats how i went to church...lace gloves.....thank goodness my mother does not dress me now

we are alive

Our tiny datsun truck

hello everyone!!!

yet again...its been so long..how wrong of me......but its true..i have an excuse now...i go to school!!!! its so great..i am loving it...the classes all seem so interesting...and in one class the teacher said there would be many controversial topics discussed and debated.....does that not sound like a class made for me!!!!!! i look forward to those such discussions greatly.....as for the time being..i will contain myself.......haha..but although i joke i know that i will learn alot and be shut up probably many times during those discussions....its just so fun for me!!!!

lets see...how is steven.....steven is good...hes very busy with work and planning the wedding..ha...poor steven....the life of the betrothed.....i;m sure he wouldn't wish it upon anyone.....but nonetheless...he lives that life....for only 9 more months!!!! can you believe it?? we started at nearly 12 months!!! man time flies!!!! we are sooo looking forward to being married....its really one of the most exciting times of your life....its so much fun to be able to plan things for the future..like actually plan..none of the "well ifff we get married mayyybe we will do this or that"....its all real now and happening....par example.....we now own two trucks...together!!! well we actually own three cars right now....but the protege is for sale..(anyone need a golden prize?) the two trucks are the nissan one we bought three months ago..and just today we got a red datsun!!!!!...i love it..and steven loves it even more! i was very jealous of him and whined profusely that i wanted the "new red truck"...that was until i felt the non power steering....thats not good for my arms.......ha..anyways...so we are doing great...all in all just great!!

steven also just found out that he got a seat in the november class to finish up his carpentry...he actually got in the nov-dec class and the following one, back to back...so he will be an official carpenter come i think feb? very neat....i am so proud of him....now that we are both in school we can do our homework together and keep each other on track....because i dont quite know how this whole homework thing is going to work for me yet....tonight was my designated homework night for this week.....its 11 oclock and i have not begun....is that wrong?

tomorrow i am picking little lauren up from school and taking her out for lunch during her lunch hour....just the two of us..so i can catch up on how her gr.2 year is going to far!!!! gr.2 ...weird!!and then i will visit rachel too....she had her first day of preschool today..and i wasn;t there to see it....so that was really hard emotionally for me....didnlt i just teach her to walk..and now she goes to school!!!!!??!!

well my friends...i really want to try to make this blog more interesting..i have turned into a horrible blogger..and i am so sorry......ohhh and jessica and i are going to las vegas soon!!!!! sept 28th....i can not waitttt...its going to be so much fun and just hilarious.....so i should have some great pictures when i get back....until then....

HI Lauren!!!!!!

hey jules.....how are you doing??? i just got home a little while ago and i wanted to write you a special message in case you read my blog before bed......i have the card that you made me displayed on the kitchen counter...because i am still so shocked that you are so good at drawing hearts now....i love it!.....so my girl....i will see you on monday! ok??? call my cell anytime to talk! i love you

cianna

best friends

thats my man

steven is almost finished the renovation he is doing on his parents house....he started it last year..its been slow in the making cause he's so busy with work, but he did such a good job..heres some pics........and just let me say that i helped pour the concrete..thank you

hes very cute

thats a good job honey!

ha...hes scared...

Saying Goodbye

tomorrow is my last day with the girls

it is so hard to believe....how did lauren turn into a beautiful 7 year old girl that i can laugh so hard with over the dumbest and weirdest jokes.....and how did rachel grow from a tiny infant to a three year old that can walk, talk, and make me simply smile......

life is so strange.....how can you love someone and then let them just walk out of your life...or even worse..how can i walk out of their life...will they understand?? will they be mad at me? or will they even notice?? you put so much time into someone and something and in the end is it worth it? these are all questions that i am thinking about...and the answer is yes...i know it was worth it.....every second spent with my girls was worth it....there is something about being a part of a childs life....they are so innocent and dependent...they look to you for everything...you guide their life and you shape it.....you answer all of the questions that their little brains think of......you try to relive the beauty of childhood....the imagination and creativity....i can not even count how many times i have talked to rachels imaginary friend "sara" on the phone.....i have asked sara to come over for play dates...i have had to "buy" her birthday presents.....i actually started to believe that this sara girl was real.....its such an important job supporting kids in how they come to see the world...rachel will one day realize that sara was never actually real....but thats all part of growing up and figuring the world out for yourself....

one of my favorite times of the day with rachel that i will miss soo very much was when she would wake up from a nap...when she was younger i would hear her cry and open the door to see this toothless grin smiling at me from the crib....i had missed her so much while she was sleeping.....and now that shes older....when she wakes up she crawls out of bed and goes to the top of the stairs....and just yells out one "cianna?"....when i hear that my heart melts...how can i miss this little person so much for the few hours that she was sleeping? then she runs down the stairs and comes for a cuddle until shes more awake and ready to take on some new adventure.....

and my little lauren...we got along great right from the beginning...she was only 4 years old.....we quickly became best buddies and have stayed that way throughout preschool, kindergarten, and gr.1......the moments that i will miss with lauren are going to be not being the one to drop her off and pick her up from school....i loved sending her off for a great day at school...and i liked picking her up even more.....its going to be hard for me to not know how her day went....or what happened at recess..the good and the bad....i cherish that fact that she trusted me....she told me everything....i would listen and try to hang on to every word.....i always tried to remember that something that is no big deal for an adult, can be a hugee deal for a 7 year old....

i am going to miss my girls so much.....i dont want to miss one of their little dances around the kitchen, or one painting, or even the car rides......those were the best!!! we would sing our little hearts out and then when we got bored of that we would just chat..about anything and everything....and then all the sudden rachel would be asleep...and at every stop light lauren and i would both look over at her and smile.... us girls did everything together....i have spent more time with them than anyone else.....but God has truely blessed me so much by placing them in my life....i can only be thankful for all the wonderful memories i have with them....and i know there will be more....i just wonder for how long am i going to reach down to grab two tiny hands only to find that they are not there?

tent antics

camping with the girls and the puppy!!!! every morning as i was sleeping someone would open my tent a little bit and stick the puppy in with me..then a few mins later..i would hear the zip again and this time it would be madeline....the baby....haha i loved it!! cuddling two babies!!.....and then a few mins after that, the other three girls would come in!...it was so fun....i love babies!!!!!!

Elsie's Birthday and Puppies!!!

carl and els..very cute..married 25 years

anna is so happy for her mom..and the presents

steven's family just recently got a new puppy.....rachel and i just happened to be at their house on the day that the puppies were visiting..they were still too young to stay..so they just came for a little visit

little Kia

els snuggles kia

my crazy skirt..a complete circle...who knew?

so many pups

els warming rachel up after a swim with steven

shes getting him with the squirt gun

having fun!!!!

Waterslide!!!

the girls were so sweet and decided to have a little birthday party for me one day....it was so fun having a special celebration with them....they even sang happy birthday...as i carried my own cake out ..haha..so cutee

this summer the girls got a waterslide...its huge..and so much fun....it blows up within two mins and keeps them busy for hours..and me too!

my delish cake

having a turn..the first time i was really scared....and there is a little nakey rachel in the background on the slip and slide that goes right underneath the waterslide

i am still alive

how dreadful........is it true that i have not written on this blog since july 23rd? i am so sad....one tiny excuse is that the hard drive on our computer blew up...so its taken quite a while to get things up and running again..and i stillll can not load new pictures on the computer......but other than that, i dont really have an excuse...maybe wedding planning?? i dont know....oh a little update on the wedding!!! my dress has been purchased!! i love itttttttt..its at home and i try it on alot..i have to stop..otherwise i will get sick of it or something...and also the location of the reception has changed..its no longer going to be an outside reception, but rather at northview golfcourse....on 168th....i am sooo excited!!! its so beautiful there and its really a blessing that the date was still available!!

so i am also almost done work.....for good..its really sad....i only have 6 more days left with the girls....i try not to think about it.....we are just enjoying our time together....although i am looking forward to some time off....my last day of work is august 18th and then i dont start school until sept 5...very good....i am really going to try to enjoy the break because it will be my last holiday ever as an unmarried woman! yikes!!!! i basically graduate and then a week and half later get married...so i need this time....but i will see the girls lots over the next 10 months until the wedding because they are my flower girls!

this weekend steven and i are off to cultas lake with stevens family and friends...hopefully whenst i get home the computer will be all fixed so i can get some pictures on here.....i hope everyone is enjoying their summer......until then my friends

My 22nd Birthday!!

This year for my birthday my parents were away...in europe..very sad..seeing as though its my last birthday at home!! weird..oh well..but we still had tons of fun...bbq and a pool party...

Mel and I..one of my bridesmaids

Look at this cake!!! Does is get any better than that??? DQ yum

I got some of these pool creatures for my birthday

My fiance and I!!!!

The Girls

candles on the cake

big jump

I got this bonsai tree as a gift from Muck...its soo nice..he made it!!

the guys..

kelly and i...my maid of honour

some verses

Psalm 100:3-5

3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations

i lovee these verses....they say soo much in a very short and clear way.....verse 3 helps me remember that we are Gods people.....although we belong to Him, he leads us in a way that a shepard would lead his flock of sheep...very lovingly...very protected, and gently...he does not shove us along the road of life and neither does he leave us behind if we stray off the right path....verse 4 encourages us to just give thanks....to remember the one that blesses us...God...so many times we try to take the credit for the good things that happen in our lives...the accomplishments and the shaping of our character....when in fact we could have neverrr done it alone...not without Gods help.....and verse 5 is cool because it states that no matter how much the world rejects the Lord and no matter how hard they try to disprove God as creator...God will always come out on top...his love will endure through it all.....his faithfulness continues....

a little cutie

this is after dance camp one day...rachel had enough of the frilly pink...she spent the rest of the afternoon digging around looking for creatures....all of which i had to see and inspect and make a comment on...haha...one day she came in from playing and had the pocket in her hoody filled with worms!!!...she lovess crawling things.even crabs at the beach....she has no fear this little one

my tiny dancers

my little girls both had dance camps last week....and it was soo fun for me...because it was at the same studio that i danced at....i haven't been there in a couple years so it was fun to go back and see people..and just see the studio....its so cute that rachels head does not even reach the bar!...its also so weird that its the exact bar that i spent countless hours at...its so strange how time just keeps going...it honestly feels like yesterday that i danced there..and now i look after kids that attend that studio...and who knows..maybe in a few years i will have my own little girl dancing at this very studio....time flies!!!

Anna goes to Josh's Grad

This is Anna and Josh....anna is my soon to be sister...and josh is her beloved boyfriend...josh graduated this year and anna went to grad with him..sooo cutee!!

i love this picture...hahaha..its so funny...you can see the terror is josh's eyes..." i gave her that thing so now what do i do with it?"...haha..anna is just so happy

a beauty

a very cute couple

sisters

here i am taking a ride on carl's new contraption...i dont know what it does or how it does it,,, but i like driving it!

holding hands