Went to download some images from my point and shoot the other day and found these beauties….well, truth be told, there were many more where these came from – this is simply the highlight reel…

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So there you have it, we went to Disneyland over spring break…I had full intention to write a lovely little note, and put witty little captions under every photo, giving you an idea as to what we did and why the heck I put some of these seemingly random images in here, but, you know what?  I just don’t have the wherewithal right today, and there are many of you that have waiting to see some pics of our journey.  You can click on the images one by one if you want them nice and big on your screen….

Here is a quick run-down on highlights -

1.  The big “reveal” – we surprised the kids early Sunday morning with the news that our trip to Seattle, which is amazing enough, was actually simply a pit stop before flying to D-land

2.  Holding my kids hands for hours on end every single day

3.  Observing my children experience something truly wonderful and exciting every day for a week

4.  Spending individual time with each of my kids

5.  Seeing my lovely friend Tracy who I have known since I was 4

6.  Being in the warm sun

7.  Fireworks – best eva.

8.  Peter loving rollarcoasters

9.  Emily not loving the princesses

10.  Cale loving the ferriswheel

11.  Grinning at Dave  every day at all the fun we were having

Interesting….

1.  Lots of strollers – everywhere

2.  Lots of people with “extra baggage”, if you get my dirft

3.  Lots of people really do walk around all day with mouse ears….

4.  There is a gift shop for every breath you take

5.  In said gift shops are many many pins and fidge magnets

6.  Apparently honeymooners in disneyland make out ALOT while in line for rides….

7.  Disneyland is a MACHINE.

8.  My kids loved the grizzly river run so much we practially lived on it for two days

9.  My kids also really really loved exploring Tom Sawyer’s island – really did not see that coming

10. Mmmmm…. churros…..

11.  Losing a red-headed 7 year old child is apparently really easy and  was also the worst 4 minutes of my whole vacation.

The last couple of years I have made a playlist for myself to signify my past year, in song.  It includes songs that remind me of things I did, or songs whose title seems to represent the year I just had.

Some of these are artists that many of you out there introduced to me (Chic Gamine and the 1/2 marathon come to mind), some of these songs are old favorites (my ever beloved Bruce Cockburn!),some of these are new favorites (City and Colour and Mumford and Sons for example) some are not favorites at all but simply a reminder of something or someone (There is a Land reminds me of my beloved sister in law Jenny who past away, as does the song by Jon Buller).  Many include verse and words that reflect my own feelings, thoughts and experience  of this year. Some, I just put on because of the title.  So, here it is for you to see – the julie zimmerman 2010 playlist…..(in no particular order)

• happiness by the kilowatt – (whoa, musta had a good day that day, because this alexisonfire song actually sucks in my mind)
• Crazy Faith – A Krauss
• Intervention – The Arcade Fire
• here comes the Sun – the mama and papas
• La Mar (the ocean) -The Beautiful Girls
• Everybody’s Gotta Learn – beck
• learn Yourself – The Beautiful Girls
• No Rain – Blind Melon
• Gotta Serve Somebody – Bob Dylan
• Redemption Song – Bob Marley
• Angel from Montgomery – Bonnie Raitt – can anyone from Riverview figure out the literal meaning behind this one
• gracious and COmpassionate – B Moses
• Free to Be – Bruce Cockburn
• One Day I walk – Bruce Cockburn
• Joy will find a way – B Cockburn
• My Hope is Built on Nothing less – J Buller
• Let me Be – Caedomon’s call
• Butterfly Woman – Chic Gamine
• God put a smile U – COldplay
• Love of my Life – Red Mountain Church
• Don’t you forget to miss me – H Manx
• Least Complicated – Indigo Girls
• Never Tear us Apart – INXS
• So Damn Lucky – Dave Matthews Band
• Wake me Up – M Joseph
• Just Breathe – Pearl Jam
• Solosbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
• THe Breaks my heart of Stone – Red Mountain Church
• There is a Land – Red Mountain CHurch
• Remember Me – Steve Bell
• Dark Night of the Soul – S Bell
• He will Rejoice – Trevor Morgan
• Grace – U2
• Desire – U2
• Pride – U2
• All I want is you – U2
• Our God Saves -
• Wiinter Winds – Mumford and Sons
• Awake my SOul – Mumford and Sons
• Sensible Heart – City and COlour

So there you have it – my year, all summed up in lyric, verse and tune…..

day 3

days 1 and 2

My prairie progeny were none too excited about taking down-hill ski lessons.  I had to coax and convince them that we were indeed giving them a tremendous, wonderful gift when we gave them ski lessons for Christmas.  SKiing around here is like skating for Prairie folk – if you can’t do it, you tend to not be included in many social outings.  We live mere moments away from two local hills, and a short drive to a few others.  So, with grimaces on their faces, we took the kids to their first ski lesson.  The mountain quickly won them over with something that prairie people love deep deep down in our bones… snow.

The first few days were overcast, cloudy and snowy.  We loved it.  The third day was beautiful with snow covered trees and bright sunlight.  All our souls were filled with snow, beauty and the glory of skiing down a mountain.

 

ski-mommies come equipped!

 

 

the snow and frost covered trees were amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

learning the basics

 

 

 

Dave and I got a run in kid-free. Well, DAve got in 2 since the "mountains were calling his name". What-evs Dave

we took the boys down "the big hill"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

first ride up a chairlift!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, a beautiful wonderful 3 days with my kids and wonderful hubby.  Wow.

 

I love to create.  I don’t scrapbook, or knit, or use glue guns, or sew much, but there is something in me that likes to make and to create.  I have been pondering, what it is that I like to create, since it is not the obvious craft-type things.  What I like to make is experiences, I am learning.  One of my bigger successes in this regard came years ago when I created an advent tradition for my family.  I wanted something incredibly simple, do-able, enjoyable, meaningful and quick.  I also wanted to make something pretty, as I have learned that I like to package things too.

What came out of all  this was our very own Zimmerman Advent tradition.

 

I  have been asked by some friends, what the heck this whole advent tradition of ours involves.  So, in a nut shell, here it is.

1.  Find 24 boxes (or envelopes, or baggies, or folders or whatever the heck works for you)

2.  Fill each box with something: Some of the things I have used include:

• candy
• small toys
• pieces of our small wooden nativity scene (today, being December 1, the kids will open the stable and we will listen t oa song about the stable)
• activities (we do quickies- like, call someone you love, something you like about your family, taking cookies to a neighbour…..I tried more elaborate activities, but we just never got to them and then I just felt like a heel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  I also try to make sure that the nights that I KNOW we’re busy, to make sure whatever we open is good and quick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  My kids also love hunting for the right number, so this year I have scattered the gifts around the living room/dining room of our house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I love best of all about this activity, is that it is part of our Christmas season tradition, that it belongs to US as a family.  This is partly why I have been hesitant to share this activity  publicly.  I love that this custom is only for a very very small people group – my little people group.  I love that this tradition teaches my family about belonging, about the value in anticipation, about enjoying little things, about celebrating every day.   As all good traditions, it would be my joy if this is past down from generation to generation, with stories and embellishments along the way.  What a thing to make!

My mom read the last entry and let me know that 70 is too old.  Please note.

Anyone know of any lovely moderately wealthy single men between the ages of 55-70, please forward their resumes to me.  Preferably living on the west coast, and perhaps owning a small pleasure boat.  This mother of mine is really too beautiful and wonderful to pass up don’t you think?

So, truth be told, I really did luck out when I was born.  I was born to a fantastic mother.  She is kind and giving and generous and fun.  She loves me, my brother, my children, my husband, my friends.  Not to mention her siblings, her in laws, her nieces and nephews and her friends.  She is wise and she is caring.  If you are reading this and you know my mother, I know that you know that you are one lucky person.  Everyone whose life gets to mingle with hers feels loved, blessed and delighted in.  My mom makes people feel special.  She makes people feel valued and enjoyable.  When people are with her, they get a sense that they are worth something.

I was truly the lucky one today, because my mom spent her birthday with me.  In Vancouver.  I took her and Emily (whose birthday is NEXT week) to a fancy place called the UrbanTea Merchant (shout out to Sherri K who let me in on this little gem – you’re next SK!)

We each got to pick our own facny tea, and then indulge in some old fashion tea time, complete with finger sandwiches -no crusts), scones with devonshire cream and yummy dainites.  It all got the pinky finger salute from us!

Happy Birthday Mom, you are really truly the best.  You are wonderful.  I only hope I am half as wonderful as you some day.

 

 

Me and the birthday girls and all the tea there is to choose from

 

 

 

How perfect is that?

Perfect to the last crumb...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

can't forget the tea.

 

 

 

SO, last week I prayed for crumbs.  Seriously.  I was feeling low, missing the ease of Winnipeg, my friends and family there and my past easy life.  My feelings of homesickness and lack of obvious “reason” to be on the north Shore (I mean besides the ocean and the mountains and the great espresso and lovely friends….) was making me doubt the “rightness” of our decision to move again.  I wanted God to somehow let me know that we are somehow on the right track.  I was thinking, “I don’t need a lightening bolt or stones to cry out or anything, I just need alittle crumb of proof that we are in the right spot.  Like a mama bird gives a litte speck of food to her baby, I want a little crumb of “knowing”; of delighting in our journey; of sustenance.

And then. A crumb arrived.

Now please realize-  this was not a big event or revelation.  It WAS a crumb after all.  But this past weekend, My hubby, my kids, my visiting mother, my live-in nephew and my island living nephew all went out to a Vietnamese restaurant in chinatown to celebrate mine and Dave’s wedding anniversary, which was two months ago.  Random, I know, but the crumb worthy part came after supper while we were walking to the car.  I was bringing up the rear, as always, watching as my children and nephews played and laughed, the littlest getting tossed onto the tallest’s shoulders.  My mother was chatting with my hubby.  And I was left feeling the lovely crumb on my tongue.

Enjoy some of our Halloween pics….

E, the vampiress

My nephew Kyle, being the BP oil spin. Bet that one was a hit with the ladies!

With our North Van family, the Koops.

We went to a favorite old haunt with the kids over labor day weekend – Lighthouse park.  We hadn’t been there for years, and I don’t think Cale has ever been there.  We hiked and hiked and hiked through old growth forest, looking up at giant trees and down at giant slugs.  Sat on the rocks and snacked by the roaring ocean – Pocky and dried mango slices.  Got drenched by a rogue wave.  A wonderful day with my favorite people.

Big ol' tree

choosing the trail

a summit of sorts