One year

Exactly one year ago today I started feeling cramps while watching Survivor. Turns out the "cramps" were actually contractions and about twenty-six hours later K was born!

As I type this and reminisce on the events of last year, a part of me still cannot believe my baby girl turns one tomorrow. Time certainly flies when you're with the ones you love. 

You don't need souvenirs to remember

J, K, and I are finally home again after spending three weeks in Asia! En route home we realized that we really didn't do much shopping nor did we pick up any souvenirs for ourselves along the way. Instead our money (other than food, flights, and accommodations) was spent on experiences (read: tourist attractions in Beijing, parasailing in Boracay, etc), and at the end of the day I wouldn't have had it any other way. Building memories with my family? Yah, I'd say that's money well spent. :)

Great Are You Lord

It's Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise 
Pour out our praise
It's Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only.

"Your breath in our lungs." Now that's something worth thinking on.

Getting older

Between my recent going-to-bed-ridiculously-early stints and the white hairs I've been finding on my head lately, I think my body wanted to make sure I didn't forget that I turned 31 this week. 31! How did this happen?

No Longer A Night Owl

I did something crazy last night: I went to bed at 9pm (and was asleep by 9:30pm). Yes I feel slightly pathetic about it, but it was great. In fact, I'm thinking I might do it again sooner rather than later.

fake it until you become it

Really great TED talk on body language given by social psychologist and Harvard Business School associate professor, Amy Cuddy. Our body language changes the way people perceive us, but more importantly it can change how we perceive ourselves. Very cool.

From green to yellow

There is a tree right outside K's window that is starting to gear up for winter now. Despite other trees in our neighbourhood throwing in the towel, this tree hung on for a while with it's seemingly stagnant splotchy patches of yellow. Alas, it's fighting the change no more and is finally beginning its overall transformation from green to yellow to no leaves. Crunchy leaves, here we come!

Love this season. :)

The Honourable Woman

Have you heard of this series? I recently finished watching it and it is uh-maze-ing.

The Honourable Woman is an eight-part political spy-thriller TV mini-series directed by Hugo Blick and put on by the BBC. The show centres around Nessa Stein, a business woman and humanitarian at the helm of her father's mega corporation, who basically falls down the rabbit hole into international conflict/craziness. The backdrop is the conflict in the Middle East (talk about timing), but I didn't find that it minimized the present real-life conflict there at all.

Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Nessa and she is just so so good (even her British accent is spot on - as far as my Canadian ears can tell anyway, lol). Actually there is a lot of great acting in this series in general. As for the show itself it comes in eight fully-packed episodes (read: it won't take long to get through it) and there will not be second season. CBC is going to be airing it this fall so it you're into this kind of thing (and not faint of heart because things do get graphic in this one), check it out!

What shows have you watched lately? Any good ones to share?

Children's Book Illustrators

One of the things I like about children's books is all the pictures and illustrations! Now I'm no children's illustration connoisieur and I'm certainly no artist, but I really like what these two guys put out.

Peter H. Reynolds
(Watercolour has never looked so vibrant or fun!)


Eric Carle
(Love his unique, fun, bold, and colourful style!)

My little bookworm

We were playing with K yesterday when J and I started talking and K crawled off on her own. I looked up a minute later and saw this:

I love that she loves her books! Here's to hoping that her love for books will develop into a love for reading that will continue for many, many years to come. :)