Monday, February 1, 2016

january ~ a retrospective...

No sooner has the new year begun...
than the first chapter is already done!
January 2016.
This is how it looked through my lens.


On New Year's Day we took a drive to Hope...
where the snow lay thick on the ground...
and back along the other side of the river. 
It's always nice to see the valley from a different viewpoint!


We had sunshine and cold temp's at the beginning of the month...
the perfect weather for getting out and about on the trails.
The little fir tree still hanging on to the last remnants of Christmas decor made me smile!


It was also the perfect weather for sailing through the air with the birds...
at least someone thought so. 


The sun shining on blueberry fields always paints a lovely picture in winter!

We had family visiting the second week of January...
Bill, Jeanne, Matthew and Andrew from Iowa
and Kathy from Manitoba.


We took a trip out to the Othello Tunnels in Hope...
it's quite beautiful along the Coquihala River in winter.


We also visited the Cheam Wetlands Park once again...
and were surprised to see the lake frozen over. 

We ate at many different tables that week...
played lots of games...
visited a few shops...
and had some good family times!

Speaking of eating...
I'll share a few soup recipes...
that have showed up on our table recently.



'Tis still the season for soup!



It seems we find some excuse to visit Harrison Hotsprings most every January...
as we did this year.


It's a lovely retreat...
right close to home.


And a good soak in the mineral pools 'heals the body and soothes the soul'...
so they say!

And now on to a little 'personalia' from the month just passed...


For decades I have been singing the song 'When I'm Sixty-Four'...
and wondering what that might be like...
to be that old.
Now I know!
I turned 64 this month...
and it's all good! 
I am blessed to be this old...
and to have family and friends to celebrate the occasion with me.

Kris (our firstborn) had surgery on his hip once again this month.
And then yet again!
He is now on the mend...
and hopefully done with all the repair work from a motorcycle injury five years ago.

My dad became suddenly ill and spent some 'quality time' in the hospital...
also on the mend and doing well again.

A cousin passed away this month...
after a short battle with cancer.
I am reminded that every day is a gift...
and none of us can know what tomorrow may hold. 

Ryder played in a hockey tournament with teams from all over the province this weekend.
What fun to watch 10-year olds play excellent hockey!

The smile says it all!
Ryder's team 'The Chilliwack Warriors' took home the trophy.
I think Jeremy was smiling as well...
since he is the coach of Ryder's team.

And so ended the month of January!
I'm always amazed at how much happens in one month.







25 comments:

  1. Wishing you a happy birthday! We never know what life brings and have so much to be thankful for.

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  2. You have had a busy month indeed!
    My daughter in Vancouver recently spent a few days in Harrison Hot Springs, and had a very relaxing time.

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  3. I always look forward to your monthly posts!!
    You are surrounded in such beautiful scenery! My, how I would love to be soaking in that hot mineral spring water right now!!!
    Happy Birthday, Judy!! 64 is so much younger than it used to be!!! I remember when I was 15 and a new mother, I met Mrs. Morrison who was my landlady. She was 63 years old at the time and I thought she was REALLY old!!! That lady went on to be a large part of my life and all four of my children's lives! She lived over 30 more tears after that moment we met and had a powerful influence on our lives! When I turned 63 - I was reminded of her age when we met. I still think of her often and hope and pray I have a fraction of the goodness in me that she had! I'm now 67 and I'm STILL surprised when I look in the mirror!!!

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  4. Your month of January was filled to the brim. It's always a pleasure to get caught up with you, Judy. Belated birthday greetings to you.
    You sure do know how to show your guests a good time. The soup looks delicious and so colorful too. Congratulations to Ryder (& Jeremy) on winning the hockey trophy. Hard to believe how grown up Ryder is now.

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  5. January was another full month for you. Now you have me wanting a bowl of your delicious looking soup! I love singing that song. Soon I'll have to find a new one to sing. Wonder if anyone wrote one about 65!

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  6. Happy February Judy, Loved seeing your recap of January and the beauty around you. I will turn 64 in March and like you count each day as a blessing. Hope you have a wonderful week.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  7. Lovely photos and post ! Happy Birthday and Happy February . Time fly's by these days that's for sure ! Thanks for sharing , Have a great week !

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  8. Your corner of the country is just stunning in any season it seems! Soup is one of our most favourite meals and yours looks scrumptious! Happy Birthday and welcome to the 64 club - it's not so bad. We're still "needed" thankfully! Your little hockey player is growing up so fast - he's adorable! Happy February to you ...

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  9. Glad that Kris is on the mend...he sure has had a lot to endure since that bike accident. Your dad is amazing. Good to know that he is also on the mend.

    Love seeing the winning hockey team! It has to be great fun watching Ryder play!

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  10. I'm always amazed too how much fits into your month. It's got the same number of days mine does, but it seems like there's more to look at. Your winter photo scenes are beautiful! congratulations to the smiling hockey player, who has less time to back cookies with Grammy these days, I'm sure.

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  11. Your January turned out well! I'm so happy for Ryder to have won that tournament. I was thinking that we maybe should be turning up at those tournaments to cheer too!
    You filled your days with family and friends and beautiful scenery! Now onto February and some sunshiny skies!

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  12. You certainly packed a lot into that month. I'm glad there was time for us to get together - it means so much!
    Everything looks like it was a lot of fun, from the photos, but I love the idea of a mini-holiday at Harrison best of all!

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  13. Thank you for sharing your January with us, Judy. I always enjoy your photos and updates. See you next month!

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  14. A month holds a lot of living, doesn't it? Your January was filled with ups and downs. Glad to hear your son and dad are on the mend. I would surely enjoy soaking in the pools at Harrison on these wet grey days. Beautiful photos from your corner of the world. Have a great February!

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  15. Happy Birthday to you! Glad it was a good one. Sorry to hear that there have been some downs in January for you, I am glad that there were some ups as well. I hope that February will be a good month for you. xx

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  16. You captured some wonderful pictures this past month. So hard to believe that the calendar now says February. Happy Happy birthday, wishing you many wonderful years filled with health and happiness. That soup looks so good! Soup is one of my favorite things...hmmm maybe I have to make a pot of somethin!! Take care !

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  17. January did go very fast and you had a busy month Judy. Beautiful photos of your travels and the ice and snow. Belated birthday wishes to you! That song went through my head before I turned 64 too. It's all good. :) Have a blessed February.

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  18. Your certainly did have a busy month, Judy! I know I wished you a Happy birthday on facebook, but I'll say it again here: Happy Birthday and many new blessings in the year ahead!

    So glad your Dad recovered and that Kris had his final surgery. Congratulations to the winning team and grandson Ryder. I know how good those ht springs are --we went locally for the first time this past autumn. I'm sorry to hear about your cousin--may they rest in peace. A young girl died in an auto accident in my neighborhood last weekend, on a beautiful day when many were out and witnessed the accident. It made us all so sad and also realize how fleeting our lives could be.

    Thanks for your soup recipes--I love to make soup, and eat it too ;)

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  19. Again, a beautifully 'pictured' month .. I've never seen Othello tunnels in the dead of winter - beautiful with the ice ! I love you header too.

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  20. Oh my . . .
    British Columbia is an amazingly beautiful place!

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  21. Welcome to sixty-four.
    I beat you there by a month.

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  22. Beautiful photos as always. Your soup recipes look tasty, we love soup and have a soup maker which is in regular use. Happy 64th Birthday, I hope you are celebrating well!

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  23. I am so far behind, and that made me sad this morning as I read your latest posts. I missed your memorable 64th birthday. I missed wishing you sympathy in the passing of your cousin from cancer. And, I missed congratulating you on the honor your grandson received, in receiving the Chilliwack Warrior's trophy. How special!

    Along with that, the sights you shared of the places you visited, were so beautiful! I especially liked the pictures of the Othello Tunnels.
    I cannot wait to make your loaded "Baked Potato Soup". My friends will thank you too! So thankful for my visit here!

    By the way, "Happy Belated 64th Birthday" to you! You add so much to life here!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson