Life is good!

In fact, life is GREAT!

AK is full of cute little one-liners these days:

• Mommy, I like your running shoes!
• Milk and water make me healthy!
• But I LIKE whining (when I asked WHY she was whining so much one day)
• Dora soup! With Boots! And Backpack! And Map!

We did a video chat with my brother and his boys, and my parents yesterday. AK was very shy for most of it but did brighten up near the end to show off some ballet moves. She was SO upset when she turned around with "one more thing" to show Grandma and Grandpa, and saw that the call was already disconnected :( We got to hear some great piano-playing from Rylan and Cade, and yellow-belt karate moves from Cade! WOW! Amazing, the things these kids do! Oh, and how could I forget the "Happy Birthday" serenading???

Jenni talked me into arranging a "not a birthday" dinner at the Doghouse tonight. It is always fun to get the kids together to play - why not throw a cake into the mix? I loved having AK on my lap singing Happy Birthday to me.

But the best part of the night was seeing Karen : Yes, Karen who moved away to Calgary this summer. She decided to surprise me and flew down to join me on my (our!) trip to Honduras tomorrow!!! I am SO impressed with the girls who kept it secret from me...! I am so excited about this trip anyway, but to have Karen along just makes it that much better. Shoot. I'm still so surprised. I was crying and Karen was shaking!!

Now for my birthday news - yes, I'm off to Honduras in the morning! I am going on a yoga adventure trip called "Embrace Your Fear". Fitting name considering we are going white water rafting. We'll be flying into La Ceiba and spending our time on the Rio (river) Cangrejal and in the Pico Bonito National Park. The park ranges from humid tropical rainforest to high cloud forests, and is the best place in Honduras to see endangered wildlife and spectacular waterfalls. Our yoga practices will encompass meditation, pranayama, vinyasa, alignment, partner and restorative yoga. Our adventures will be white water rafting, swimming and hiking. Our relaxation will be hammock-time, hot springs, Thai massage and enjoying each other's company.

It promises to be an absolutely amazing weekend. I can't wait for this opportunity to fully spoil myself. I can't wait to tell you all about it when I return. But first I've got to finish packing!!!

Life is great. I am truly blessed. Here's to 34... a wonderful year to come. xo