A picture is worth a 1000 words....

So, I woke up this morning in a lot of pain because for those of you who don't know me yet, I have a condition called endometriosis.  Despite the fact that I've had three surgeries over  the past six years, I still suffer from monthly, weekly and sometimes even daily pain which is treated by some pretty crazy pain killers.  It can be pretty annoying, frustrating and discouraging to live with, especially as a mama of a busy toddler!

SO, when I'm feeling my worst, I do a little thing with my daughter where we sit down with the lap top and go through some of our favorite photos and talk about the people, the adventures, and the memories we have from the thousands of snapshots we have of our journey through life as the DC family.  This ALWAYS  makes us smile, always makes us laugh,  and we always end up feeling lucky and blessed for everything we have and for the experiences we've had to get us to where we are today.

In short, learn from the bad, appreciate the good, embrace each day for what it is and when you're having a bad "feel sorry for yourself" kinda day....take a moment to remember all the reasons life is GOOD and remember "It's not what you achieve in life that matters; it's what you overcome."

I've picked 5 of our favorite photos to share with you, so take a peak into our world....and don't forget to take the time to stop and think about all the things you have to be grateful for in your own day to day life.

Save a horse, ride a cowboy...

OK, so my husband is from England and hated country music with a passion, probably because I LOVE it with a passion...however, this was the trip that made it all change! We went to Calgary so I could be the Maid of Honor in my best friends wedding, let's just say he quickly became "countryfied" in true Cowtown fashion. We laugh every time we see this photo!

Family Laughs....

How can you NOT laugh when you see this photo? FYI, don't tell my sister (in the middle) or my niece (on the left) that I posted this photo of them or they may hunt me down and kill me.

Fun or not so fun fact: My niece and my little sister are only 6 years apart in age!

Innocent fear firsts....

This was taken when Anabella was 5 months old and we had her best friend and 3 year old cousin Jaidie over for the week. We took them both for their first ride on the Stanley Park Train and this photo was snapped in the middle of the tunnel when it was pitch black and we couldn't even see the kids! We tell Anabella all about it every time we look at this picture, the look on her face is priceless!

Sneaky Girl firsts....

This was the result of Anabella finding the left over Halloween make up.  By the time I realized it was a little quieter than normal, this is what I found standing in front of the full length mirror in our entry way.

She was so cute and SO HAPPY, how could I ever be mad? And what kind of a parent leaves the left over Halloween make up somewhere within "pulling a chair and building a structure high enough to climb up" reach.  I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me! A TIRED from an over sugared Halloween Mama!

Note to self: When the house is quiet, there IS always a reason...

Oh Canada...it's official...

Canada Day 2008 - This was a very special Canada Day for the DC family!

It was Anabella's first Canada Day and Rick's first Canada Day as an official Landed Immigrant!  At long last, Rick's 4 years of waiting and working towards eventually becoming a Canadian citizen is finally paying off.   Step one of becoming a landed immigrant, officially complete. We knew he would never have to leave us again! YAHOO!!!