Check Us Out!

  

We are all excited...
Check this out this coming Thursday.
A special debut for the MGCC Girls.

Join us this Thursday, February 28 on the Amish Wisdom Show with host Suzanne Woods Fisher. Some of the MGCC gals will be her guests for the full hour (4 pm CT / 2 pm PT). We are so excited for this opportunity to share more about who we are and what our passion is.

You can catch us at 2 pm (Pacific Time)
We're just a bit nervous too....

Amish Wisdom

Knit or Tink?

 

With retirement around the corner, I truly wanted to have 

more time to savor and enjoy something new.

There was something inside of me waiting to be birthed.

I had eyed this store for years....

I finally walked in and signed up for a class.

I was now free to choose some new hobbies.

Bought some needles.

Bought some wool.

Chatted to a few friends, and they also signed up.

I've had fun learning to knit, and tink over the past few months.
Last week they taught us a new term,  'tink' means to knit backwards.
(notice it's spelled backwards)
We all had some good laughs and chuckles.

How many times have I pulled apart a project?

How many times did I forget to count?

How many times did I tangle my wool?

How many projects are laying unfinished?
Who feels like making a tension swatch?

But when you are air borne and the lady next to you is knitting...
You know that you've just made a new friend.

One thing I have truly discovered, is that when I need therapy,

I dash off to the local craft shop in town.

They always greet me with a friendly smile.

And a helpful hand.

And they never say 'No' to my Visa Card.

Thank you to the ladies at Chilliwack Wool and Craft Shop!
They have helped me to realize that 
"Happiness is in your hands."
It's been fun to rediscover some new dreams and goals.

Are you ready for something new?

Keep Changing It Up!

Last year, we celebrated our big birthdays together at Big White.
It was my big 60! and Mikki's big 30!
We walked into a darkened room with digitally lit devices
playing the tunes of birthday music.

This year as the day approached, during our  winter ski holiday,
we both were wondering how they would change it up.
Or would they?



We walked into a room filled with a charade of animal characters squealing, howling, and growling.


And we had no choice but to join in the fun.
We were all entertained as they blew horns, whistles and adorned us
with the appropriate animal masks.


A cake for each of us, as we delightfully shared our cake and ate it too.


On my very first birthday....
I received a beautiful gift of hand made jade pearls from my hubby.
These have special memory as his mother ordered the jade from Germany,
and had the jewelry specially made for me.

Forty one years later, I received a pair of slip on shoes.
Notice the same color tones.

There's a story to be told.
I've worn the same slip on shoes for more than ten years.
They travel and pack lightly and are my favorite.
While on our last vacation to Tahoe...
my daughter, Mikki, told me in no uncertain tones, that they had to go!
But no one knew how much I loved those worn out old soles.

She too, unknowingly replaced my slip on shoes with a pair of comfy soled slippers.
She and her father had not collaborated on their birthday gifts.
So together, they took my old black slip ons  and snipped them up into pieces.
 They made sure that those soles were terminated.

 

After all these years, it does not matter anymore.
I know I'm loved and appreciated and we can all laugh and enjoy each other's company.
Isn't that what finally counts?

I love familiarity...like those old soles,

but keeping things changed up gives a spirit of adventure and curiosity.

This is Family Day!

British Columbia is celebrating it's first Family Day,
Monday, February 11, 2013.

I'm sure thousands have submitted their holiday time

in advance to take advantage of a winter vacation.

Alberta was the first to hold this Family Day in 1990.

What's taken BC so long?
Government workers will be smiling, especially the teachers.

This is our oldest son, Jeremy when he was three years old.

It was a bit too early, but never the less we all have strong family memories

of skiing at Manning Park in their early years.
I can still remember the rope tows located up by the alpine meadows.

As the years moved along, Big White became the destination ski hill.

Last year's ski vacation is still a highlight,

when Christopher asked for Suzanne's hand in marriage.

Ski fashions and trends may come and go...but
 thirty three years later we are still enjoying a family vacation together
with young and old.
The only requirement:  "Young at Heart"

Thank You Premier Christy Clark for this new holiday!
We will milk it for what it's worth.

It's Your Day!

This is our month for celebrating birthdays.

Somehow, some of us just seem to celebrate all year round.

Today, it's your day, John!

You are free to do whatever your heart desires.

And on this special celebration there is only one thing that matters.

Your Family!

He enjoys nothing more than spending time with His family

He just finished spending a week with his therapist.

Somehow she thought that her aging parents needed her assistance.

So we made sure that she dragged our ski equipment all over the airport.

She suggested that we take a ski trip to a winter sports Mecca,  Lake Tahoe,
boasting one of the world's largest concentrations of winter resorts.

The sun welcomed us, the skies were clear,
the winds were calm and the air was crisp.
The "Heavenly Gondola" carried us to the highest elevation, 9700 feet,


When we reached the summit, we realized there was one more steep incline.
Our therapist spotted the equipment needed to give her father that extra support.
Guess who was left behind to carry all the ski equipment?
Somehow, by now we were all feeling tired and weary,
when we realized that we were at a 10,000 foot elevation.

My first vacation, skiing with John was at Banff in 1974.
Years later, we are still enjoying a little piece of heaven on earth.
Lake Tahoe is a natural and scenic wonder,
which gave us a magnificent view of the alpine lake below.

There's nothing more exhilarating than the last run of the day.

  Meanwhile our therapist kept looking back as if she lost something....

Why was she looking for a Ski Patrol?
I fell, injured myself...and no ski patrol came to my rescue.
What would make her think that there might be a ski patrol looking out for her?
 

 This weekend John enjoyed an early morning soccer game with his daughter,

Suzanne as we all proudly wore our United Manchester Jerseys.

 It was a year ago when this young man asked for his daughter's hand in marriage.

And now he's the one cooking breakfast while we watched the game.

Thanks Christopher for the delicious waffles, vanilla sauce and fresh blueberries.

While the game was getting  heated, he stepped out to play fetch with Drift.

 And there is always more enjoyment as he spends time with 'the boys.'

These young men mean the world to him and  

many hours are spent just connecting with each other, playing lego,

flying planes, building pic axes, minecrafting and reading the Bible.

And at the end of the day, 

there's nothing better than sitting down, reflecting over memories and enjoying a frothy latte'

with the man who has always been there for me, the children and the grands.

"Never loose a holy curiosity.

Stop every day to understand and appreciate

a little of the mystery that surrounds you,

and your life will be filled with awe

and discovery to the very end."

Happy Birthday John!