Canada Day 2014

The Canadian Mint

Took me 12 years but I finally indulged in poutine - a French-Canadian delicacy of fries, cheese curds and gravy

View from the hill - Parliament Hill! 

Family Togetherness

Playing gin with Grandpa

What do you get when you put 4 families, 9 kids ranging in age from 8 to 17, 100 combined years of marriages, 3 brothers,

2 Grandparents, 3 opinionated sister-in-laws, wine (lots of wine),

a rental house in Wisconsin (recently renovated from being a bar) across from a lake that smells like dead fish, lots of rain, a three movie Narnia marathon, trying to feed 17 people for every meal,

two teens who just passed their driver's test and are cruising the roads, a lifeguard, a ping-pong table and a deck of cards?

A hot mess. Family togetherness. Because that's what family is! And I am blessed to be part of this family where we all come together with our hot messes - and at the end of the day, with all the baggage that we each carry, we are covered in a big, white robe of Jesus's righteousness. We are united not just by the blood coursing through our veins or by name but by the faith that we share through His blood. We were reminded of this bond with every prayer said together and evening devotion shared and worship offered - what a gift we have! We have each been shown grace and mercy from our Saviour and we are moved by the Spirit to extend it to one another. Messes and all!