Countdown

Here we are, counting down the last days of 2007, the last few days before Curtis' photo exhibit here in Smithers, the last hours of a long day.

I was up early this morning to work a day shift at the lodge, then came home to do laundry, some baking for Curtis' opening night, made supper... Now it's getting late as I try to write one of the last posts of the year.

It's been a busy and eventful year, and I'm so thankful to God for guiding us through all of the ups and downs. It's been quite difficult at times, but we're still here and taking one day at a time.

A few things I'm thankful for as I reflect on the past year:
- God, who provides so much for us
- a loving husband and son
- family and friends near and far away
- safety in all of our travels
- a spacious home and yard to have fun in
- the sounds of joyful laughter
- this blog site to keep people somewhat updated on our lives
- all of the opportunities for growth we've experienced since moving here
- the mountains in our backyard (practically) - what a view!

As you reflect on the past year and look forward to the next, remember God is always near, and He loves you very much!

Happy New Year!

Exhibition Preparation

I have been busy the past few days getting things in order for my photography exhibition that starts next week. Yesterday in fact seemed to be the most productive. I went out on the town and put up one last poster, and mailed another invitation. Later I gathered most of my prints and completed an item list (required by the gallery) that lists the names of the prints I'm exhibiting, along with the dimensions of each piece and their respective retail price and insurance value. I've still got a few last minute details to take care of, but all in all I'm happy with how things are coming together.

I think that the installation date for my show will be next Wednesday, with the show beginning on Thursday and the reception taking place Friday night at 7PM. I see the posters up around town and I know that dozens and dozens of invitations have gone out. There will be an ad in the paper just before the show starts, so I'm hoping with all of this exposure that there will be a good turnout for the reception next Friday night.

Cunningham Christmas 2007

Well the tryptophan has definitely kicked in, but unfortunately I think we all ate too much and so I think we might be up for a while...

My brother and his family and my mom and dad all came over this afternoon around 4pm. Our family tradition has been to have the big family meal on Christmas Eve with the stockings to come Christmas morning. So the smell of the turkey in the oven, and the laughter of the kids running around, brought back lots of memories of what Christmas was like for me as a child. This Christmas was especially meaningful for us (Bonnie and me that is) as it was the first in our new home. Except for my sister, Linnea, who lives in Edmonton and was unable to make it out, the whole Cunningham family was together tonight for a few hours.





After the turkey and everything else was eaten...


and the stories were read...


and the dishes were done...


and the dessert was eaten (rice pudding with lingonberry sauce)...


then and only then were the gifts opened...after which Isaac and his cousin Josiah and uncle Michael proceeded to have an energetic pillow fight down in our basement.


But it's a lot quieter in the house now that my brother and his family have gone home to sleep. Mom and Dad and Bonnie are playing Scrabble while I'm posting this.

Tomorrow after we open our stockings and have breakfast, we're having our neighbours over for a late breakfast and then we may go out to Mom and Dad's in the afternoon for a while.

One last thing...if you're into funny stories about Christmas, you'll enjoy a story from Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe. Click the following link to go to a page where you can listen to an MP3 of the story ( Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe: Dave Cooks the Turkey ).

Christmas program and cookies

On Sunday morning, Isaac took part in the Sunday School Christmas program at the church we attend. This year he was dressed as a shepherd, as you can see. The first photo was taken just after he got into his costume. He did fairly well, although he got distracted by the microphone in front of him during the first song, as well as a piece of rope, but he did most of the actions and sang along for "Away In a Manger". We were proud of him. Curtis took video, and I took a couple of photos.





Our house is decorated, and I've done several batches of cookies so far, mostly to give away. I feel bad for Curtis, who would like to still be able to eat all of these yummy Christmas treats, but I've been having trouble adapting recipes to the things he can have--they don't seem to work out as well. We plan to host Curtis' family (except Linnea, who is unable to make it) here Christmas Eve for dinner, so I'll be cooking the turkey.





Isaac's been enjoying the snow, although I wonder sometimes if we should make him come in sooner, as he doesn't seem to notice when his feet get cold. This afternoon, about an hour after he came in, he complained of his feet being sore. Thankfully his tantrum didn't last too long.

Fun in the snow

Isaac and I had some fun this afternoon in the snow. We had previously shoveled off the deck and then he wanted to go down and play in/shovel (to him they're the same) the snow on the driveway. So we did that for a while and then I had an idea to make some tunnels through the snow. It turned out pretty well I think.



Here's a short (2 min. 51 sec.) video clip that Bonnie took of the two of us...

Photo Exhibit Poster/Invitation

Here's the poster/invitation that was produced for my upcoming exhibition. You're most welcome to come by for the opening reception on the 4th if you're in the area.



You can go to www.photistry.com to see more of my images.

And the best part about today was?

Two parts to this answer:
1. While Bonnie was at Curves, Isaac and I were outside pushing snow as he likes to call it. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining, and it actually felt a little warm. But the real blessing was just spending time with Isaac, doing something he wanted to do. So the two of us--me with the shovel, and Isaac with his Tonka dump truck--spent about an hour clearing parts of our driveway off. I'd fill his dump truck up with snow and he'd proceed to push it away to the ditch.

Later I split some more wood and Isaac helped stack it in our carport.

I continue to be blessed by how much he enjoys helping out in the various things I try and get done around the house. It's good for my soul.

2. I spent a good portion of the day pursuing some new opportunities for my business. In the morning I spent a couple hours walking around town distributing posters and invitations for my upcoming photography exhibition at the Art Gallery (Jan.3-26, 2008).

Then this afternoon I had another meeting with the town representative for arts, recreation and culture. We've been discussing for a couple days now the possibility of me putting on a series of photography-related workshops in the new year. The thought of teaching is a little intimidating, but I'm encouraged that this town representative feels there's some good possibilities in the ideas we've discussed thus far.

And lastly, after supper I called the owner of a new hotel that's being built here in town. I had spoken with him briefly a few weeks ago, but only followed up tonight. I had the idea to approach this gentleman about selling him some prints of my photography as art/decoration for his new hotel. So tomorrow we're going to meet and I'm going to show him some of my images and see where it goes from there.

Isaac's Christmas Tree

While we were out getting our tree this morning, Isaac decided he wanted one of his own. So we cut one down and after a little deliberation, Isaac decided he wanted it in his bedroom. After decorating it, here's what it looks like:

Christmas Preparations

Last week Isaac's cousins (and parents too) came over for dinner. After which all the kids had quite an enjoyable time destroying the Gingerbread Train that Isaac and Bonnie had put together. Needless too say the sugar intake was probably too high...











Tonight we did a little more decorating around the house. We're planning on having the family Christmas gathering at our house this year. So tomorrow the plan (weather permitting) is to go out with Dad and get a Christmas Tree.



Music listened to while making this post: Monkey Grinder, from Chagall Guevara's self-titled 1991 release

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Wow, to think we will actually have a white Christmas this year is quite exciting! I can't get over how beautiful the trees look with their snowy frosting. In the Lower Mainland it came and went so quickly most of the time that we couldn't enjoy it for long. The temperature is much colder here, though, and I've given up walking to work for the time being, until I become more acclimatized to the cold.

I've been doing some overtime shifts the last couple of days, and, while it's nice to feel needed, I find myself being more tired, and feeling bad when Isaac says, "I want you to stay home and play with me Mommy!" Also, as the Christmas season approaches, I find myself missing my family even more, as well as close friends. People here are friendly for the most part, but nothing beats the tried and true relationships.

So for all my beloved family and friends, know that I'm thinking of you and remembering the good times we've had, while developing new friendships here. I love you! Merry Christmas!

Another saying from Isaac and other things

The other afternoon as I was tending the fire, Isaac came up with another one of his where-do-they-think-of-these-things kind of saying. Daddy, "You should keep the poker dirty and not the hand owee!" I guess he's seen me burn my fingers on the door of the stove a few too many times.

OTHER THINGS
Although it's been cold, we've been enjoying the snow here. Yesterday I had to shovel off the deck as it was accumulating quite a bit. There was just under 12" of fluffy white snow on the deck. It's quite a difference from the wet and heavy snow from the lower mainland. This stuff up here (at least to date) is the lightest snow I can remember experiencing in a long time. It certainly makes shoveling a lot easier.

I've also been renovating (FINALLY) the last room in the basement. This is the room where we have our futon (for guests), as well as our TV where we watch movies. We've done the walls in two colours: Chai Latte, and Charcoal Slate. It's made quite a difference from the pale blue that was originally in the room. I've put up shelves in the closet for our CD's and have just started nailing the new baseboards to the walls. Once the baseboards are in place, I'll be putting some white moulding in the 4 corners of the room as well. It'll look nice once everything is completed.