Mike and I went home to Winnipeg for a week and a half at the beginning of August. It was really great to be able to connect with family and friends after the crazy last few months. On our last night in the city, we went out on a friend's pontoon with both of our families. It was such a lovely evening to be out on the river! It's definitely harder to leave Winnipeg in the summer.

After spending five days or so together in Malaysia, we all flew to Bali. I was excited to finally see this fabled island after hearing so much about it (I'm looking at you Eat Pray Love!)

We stayed at a villa in Sanur which was a real treat. We had a pool in the back and tons of room to hang out in. Lots of memories are held in that house we lived in for a week - my brother smashing his head at the bottom of the pool (thank goodness he didn't break his neck!!), three of us getting sick and throwing up during the night - only to realize that we were out of water and a new water cooler pitcher wasn't getting brought until the next day, the boys playing ping pong for hours, and watching a farmer herd his cattle down by the river, just behind the villa.

The week just flew by which was a real bummer. But it's been great to go through these photos and reminisce. The next few posts will show some of the specific things we did. 

(Pictured: Sanur beach/Our Villa/Go Gajah Elephant Cave/Padang Padang/Ulu Watu)

Mike's family came to visit us here in Asia at the beginning of April. We spent a day in Korea before we zipped over to Thailand for a short trip. Here are a few photos from the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Pretty spectacular!

We melted the entire time we were in Bangkok. Thankfully, our hotel had a pool! ^_^

Coming up next: elephants!

My brother and sister-in-law drove in last week so we could say goodbye. Gosh, I'm going to miss them. My family is just the best.

*Admittedly, spending over an hour making this collage was not my best use of time. There is still a lot to be done... however, it was Mike's idea to put the pictures from youngest to oldest so hopefully he's not too annoyed! ;)

We went to the cabin for a few days last week. The cabin is shared amongst Mike's dad and his siblings. For some reason, this was my first time ever going! I'm glad we did. It was so nice to spend quality time with his family before we leave. We ate good food, went on long walks, took naps, and ate ice cream.

I graduated this past weekend. Two degrees - done! It's a bit surreal to think that I am now a real teacher. However, I have been subbing for the last month and a half (ie. no longer teaching for free!), so that has helped solidify the concept in my mind.

You may be wondering - where is the token grad photo with Mike? With my Mom? Excellent questions. I'm afraid to say there aren't any since I accidentally booked a subbing gig for that afternoon. I had to sneak out of my grad ceremony early just to make it in time. Ha! I'm usually a bit more organized, but oh well.

That evening we went out for Indian with my family (and Mike's parents!) to celebrate. The Indian didn't go over too well with the little guys, so we went out for ice cream too. These little people bring so much joy in my life.

I owe my family, especially my Mom and Mike, a big thank you for all the support they have given me during these past six years of university!

My brother and sister-in-law welcomed little Atlee Folkerts into the world on Saturday. Mike and I hopped in our car Sunday morning so we could spend a few hours with this little guy before the work week started.

Atlee was getting quite a bit of attention, but not from his oldest brother. Xavier is refusing to hold Atlee because he has "scary little wrinkly feet." Well, you can't please everyone!

Last weekend, I visited my dear cousins in Alberta. I grew up with three brothers and no sisters, so these two ladies have always been like sisters to me. Just before I left on Monday morning, someone mentioned that I looked so much like Kristin, considering we were "just cousins." It made me smile all day!

*Photos taken in Kristin + Chris' beautiful riverside condo. I'd kill for all that natural light!


---------
We've been playing some really great games lately.
Probe | Bonanza | Jungle Speed | Ticket to Ride

This past weekend, Mike and I went to two weddings and two thanksgiving dinners. It was crazy busy, but check out my handsome date! We always have fun together wherever we go.

By the end of the weekend, we sort of felt like this!

But... then we found out my brother & sister-in-law are having another baby. Yahoo!

To celebrate Mike's recent birthday, we had both of our families over for dinner. Lemon Garlic roast chicken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables - roasted heaven! We had lots of laughs, wine, presents, and stories. It's so fun having people come over to our little home!

This was truly one of my happiest Sundays in recent memory. It felt incredible to enjoy the day without having homework or lesson planning hanging over my head. Such a wonderful feeling.

We cleaned Mike's house from head to toe and then had a bunch of family over for Mother's day. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the quality time was so so good. Things got really interesting when Mike's dad pulled out his blood glucose monitor (no, he doesn't have diabetes. Apparently it's just a quirky part trick). Mike's cousin Nathan got unexpectedly freaked out about it which led to a hilarious half an hour of convincing.

And a quick note on our mamas - they are both pretty incredible. That's mine on the left , and Mike's on the right. We love them both so much.

shaela's princess birthday party.

These photos are actually a few weeks old, but I got all nostalgic looking at these last night because this darling little family of five (two of the family members aren't actually photographed - whoops!) moved away yesterday. Oh it's not that far away, just to Brandon (about two and a half hours away from Winnipeg), but I'm still going to miss them like crazy.

That was sad, on top of the fact that I got pretty sick this weekend. And then when I was feeling better, all I did was homework (...and all right, squeezed in some Arrested Development. Weekend highlight!). But really, none of that compares to the devastation in Japan. It makes my heart hurt...

On a happier note: Look at Mike's handcrafted card for Shaela. That man is amazing.

happiness is... {christmas edition}

this christmas season, i was reminded of why i love blogs so dearly - they motivate me to put more effort into the little things and be more creative. i have never been one to put a lot of effort into wrapping, but after seeing piles of beautifully wrapped presents online, i thought why not?

in another burst of christmas spirit, i cajoled my family into taking some family photos for my mom this christmas. they turned out just perfectly! (thank you mike!)

hope you all have a very merry christmas!

lots of love, janis

xoxo

(mike, me, cohen, jared, dana, shaela, brendan, xavier, jesse)

mike and i had some friends + family over for dinner last night. mike's dad brought over a fuji instax, which brought us all great joy. is there really anything better than the instant gratification of taking a picture and watching the print develop before your eyes? needless to say, a fuji instax mini is now on my christmas list.

cohen.

this past week, my perfect little baby nephew was born:
cohen whittaker. 
isn't he so tiny + wonderful?

 

..

..........................................................................................................................................................
1) auntie janis + cohen 2) beautiful mommy dana (my sister-in-law) + cohen 3) cohen all scrunched up + adorable 

4) uncle jesse (my brother) + cohen 5) mike (my boyfriend) holding wee cohen

6) a. cohen decides to open his eyes b. mr. mike + cohen.

my brother + sister-in-law + ALL THREE KIDS + mike + his family are all coming over for
A BIRTHDAY SUPPER
this evening because...
it's my birthday! 

hope you all have a happy little sunday!

oh shaela.

i love this niece of mine more than i can possibly say.

la chaleur des lumières

{the warmth of lights}instead of studying for exams,
i decided to string some lanterns and hang some lights.
the lanterns + twinkle lights have instantly
made my bedroom feel more cozy + festive.
i'm telling myself that such a cozy atmosphere will surely
encourage diligent studying.
it's working already, look:
{my last required read of the semester. fini!}

speaking of exams,
i'm afraid that it is really crunch time!
consequently,
i will not be spending much time around here these next few days.

as of thursday, december tenth, at nine o'clock pm,
{yes, an exam at night time. what a horrible idea}
i will be free to:
blog + pleasure read + have a sleepover with the niece and nephew
+ decorate christmas cookies + go to vancouver + send off christmas cards
+ go for a massage + christmas shop + cook + organize my photo albums
at my leisure for {almost} a whole glorious month.

see you then!!

xo

cookie monster.

ever since my friend kd introduced me to the wonderful world of smitten kitchen,
it has become my go-to place for all things culinary.

since i had the day off on wednesday, i decided to whip up some cookies.
ms. smitten kitchen proclaimed this recipe her favourite
{for the moment}
"kind of like the old school tollhouse recipe but better, even"
- clearly i couldn't resist.

{the niece enjoying her apple juice + fresh chocolate chip cookie outside}

and the verdict?

they are indeed very tasty cookies.
crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside - just like ms. s-k promised!

so tasty in fact, that the two dozen cookies were eaten in less than 12 hours!
{my brother and sister-in-law did come over with the kids. but still!}

i just might have to make another batch tomorrow afternoon!

xo

ps. christa, {of je m'appelle christa} asked me to a fun little q&a.
let me know what you think!

one of those days...

this is how i felt at approximately
four a.m. last night,
slaving away on this project.

after 1½ hours of sleep,
i eagerly stepped into the shower...
only to find out that
the shower head was broken,
and my usual blast of warm water was reduced to nothing but a trickle.

went to work with the kiddies at the elementary school.
came home to make myself some lunch,
and almost fell asleep while eating it.

seriously considered skipping my 2.30 pm french lit class...
but my motivated student self wouldn't let me.
so i dragged my tired little hiney to class,
only to find out that it was
cancelled.
you have got to be kidding me.

at that point i felt like dropping to the ground
and sleeping on the university's cold unsanitary linoleum.
and never waking up.

but....
if i had opted for for the linoleum floor,

i would have never popped over to my brother & sister-in-law's for a
quick snooze
on the couch before my next class.

and i would have never thought about
how much i appreciate those places where you can drop by
unexpected, unannounced, and just pull up on their couch,
no questions asked.

and i would have never experienced the pleasure ofmy dear little niece coming over and giving me a
warm gooey banana chocolate chip muffin
{straight out of the oven}
and a
lovely little kiss.

and i would have never had the chance
to enjoy the stunning combination of
louis armstrong belting out cool yule
and the shining sun streaming in
on my drive back to school.

i guess all's well that ends well right? {photo taken by me this summer during my blissful road trip in washington state}

xo