April Showers

It's raining today and it's not even that cold outside. It really does feel like springtime. And hopefully these April showers will bring May flowers.

Well, I'd like to apologize for not updating my blog sooner. Especially to those of you who are diligent checkers and are getting sick of seeing the same ol' thing and nothing new day after day. Maybe it's just that I don't think people would find my life very exciting. But for those friends and family who live far away, I know you probably just want to know what I've been up to in the last while. Here's what's been going on in my life in the last month:

**Warning** You'll notice that Dwayne will be mentioned extensively in the remainder of this update, so if you're sick of hearing about him, too bad. You'll just have to get used to it!!!

I've joined a new care group at church (West Portal) that's led by my sister, Karla, and our friend, Kendra Barkman. It consists of 3 young married couples, Dwayne and myself, and a couple single people. So far we've been having a lot of fun together and I've both been challenged and encouraged by our weekly meetings.

I went to my first Pie Supper with Dwayne's family. That's right - our entire meal consisted of just pie. I think there were 7 pies in total and I'm proud to say that I had 5 pieces. We all thought it was pretty funny when Levi (Dwayne's 3-year-old nephew), after eating his pie, asked his mom what was for dessert. All that sugar was a little overwhelming so we ended the meal with some meat, cheese, pickles and crackers.

On March 11, Dwayne's younger sister (Brenda) and brother-in-law (Albert) had their first baby - a beautiful little boy named Mackenzie Albert. I just think he's so sweet and lovable, even though he's already wet himself on me.

I attempted to nurse Dwayne back to health from a nasty cold/flu that's lasted over 2 weeks and it's very slowly disappearing.

With the help of about 15 other people, I was part of a surprise moving party for my dear friends, Rod & Janelle. We packed up pretty much their whole house, drove it all out from Saskatoon to Warman, and unloaded it into their brand new house in about 3 hours. It was so much fun to be a part of that experience! And to Rod and Janelle - Dwayne and I will continue to drop in on you when we're strolling through town. (For those of you who may not know, Dwayne lives in Warman.)

I passed the 3 year mark in my employment with the City of Saskatoon (City Hall).

Along with the other women in Dwayne's family, I was included in the planning for the baby shower for little Mackenzie (and Brenda & Albert). It was planned for this past Saturday as a surprise to Brenda. We ended up getting them to Dwayne's parents house by inviting them over for pizza and Brenda thought it was a little strange that we were all there when their parents were gone at a wedding. While Brenda left the room to feed Mackenzie, Dwayne and I decorated the living room (with help from the kids). When Brenda returned we thought she had no clue what was going on even though the decorations were in clear sight. We sent her downstairs to do something while we set everything else up and then as people were arriving we told her to come back upstairs. We thought we had her completely fooled, but she was onto us the whole time. We ended up having a lot of fun and I met a few more people in Dwayne's extended family.

On Sunday we celebrated Easter with Dwayne's family. It consisted of a very delicious turkey dinner, playing with the nieces and nephews, hiding their Easter baskets and helping them find them, relaxing, visiting, holding Mackenzie, eating candy and chocolate, faspa (for those non-Mennonites, that's a light lunch which basically consists of buns, cheese, meat, pickles, etc.), and eventually we all went home. It was such a wonderful day and I just love spending time with Dwayne's family. They are all so warm, inviting, and I always feel welcome and accepted when I'm with them. They even include me in all the teasing and joking around.

So that's the latest on the exciting happenings in my life. I'll post pictures of all these events once I get them developed. I know I'm behind the times. I still don't have a digital camera.

This weekend I'm planning to go to Winkler, Manitoba for the Easter break for a gathering with my mom's side of the family. Unfortunately, Dwayne won't be able to come because he has to work the whole weekend. I won't see him for almost 5 days. Boo hoo!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter weekend!