Remember me?

I can't believe thirteen days have already passed in this new year, and I haven't written since the 29th of December. Why do the days go by so quickly?

These last two weeks I've had steady work, which is a blessing, although the last four days I've been getting up at 5am to be at work by 6, which is tiring. I have one more tomorrow before I'll have a couple of days off (I think - I actually have nothing scheduled after tomorrow, so if they call me for overtime, I may take it).

Curtis and I spent a quiet New Year's eve at home this year, which was nice. I/we have usually spent it with friends in the past. New Year's day we went to Curtis' parents' place for breakfast, then returned home by lunch time, as Curtis had things to prepare for his solo show at the art gallery.

Curtis' opening night had a good turnout, so I was told, with close to 40 people attending. Several of them were family and friends, and we appreciate their support. It was fun to hear our nieces claim which photos were their favorites. We even had a couple of small sales that night. I've had several people tell me that they'd like to stop by and see the show while it's up, so I hope they do.

Yesterday Isaac got to try out the ice skates he got for Christmas - he and Curtis went to Telkwa to join Michael, his kids, and a bunch of their friends for Bethany's birthday party. Apparently he did okay, with some help from Daddy and Uncle Michael. I was working.

Isaac has really gotten into counting lately, and asking what the words are that he sees. He can already sound some words out, and his memory for stories we haven't read in awhile blows me away sometimes. That probably has something to do with envy, as my memory can be quite poor. Another thing that has been amazing me about him lately is his imagination, and his stretching of mine. At night he still likes me to lay down with him for a few minutes, and he wants me to ''read some made-up stories from your head". I can think of several people much more gifted than me at making up stories from their head, but I do my best.

Last night Curtis and I had a date night, and we decided to check out the local bowling alley, which is just down the street from us. We were the only customers the whole time we were there, which was long enough to bowl three games. I must say, I still need a lot of practice!

Images from Opening Reception

Here's a couple shots from the gallery opening last Friday night.

Installation @ Art Gallery

It started at 10am this morning and with only a brief break at around 12:30 to get a few more supplies, I finished getting everything ready at about 3:00 this afternoon. Here are a few pictures of what the gallery looks like with my photography hanging on the walls.







Friday night at the opening reception will be exciting, but it's a hard thing to not be nervous that's for sure.

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.