Farewell

For being the shortest month of the twelve, February seems to have dragged on rather long this year. I wasn't ready for it when it got here but then it seemed to be quite happy to stay awhile. Funny how time can just fly by slowly....

It was also one of the busiest for our family. It seemed we were always headed somewhere for some festivity or another: weddings, parties, baby showers... I'm hoping a new month will give us some time to breathe.

It was a month of bright sunshine and drenching rain. As usual, the people of the Fraser Valley seemed to be trying to rush spring one day: planting flowers and taking walks without jackets, but the next day they are hitting up the slopes, enjoying the fluffy snow of a glorious powder day. I just have to smile. We live in a truly special place here on the coast. 

Today seems like the perfect day to bid February farewell. Wet, windy and wild, I'm looking forward to March and the closer it brings us to the freshness of spring once again. 

Some of my favourite pictures of the month came from my dear cousin's wedding (no surprise there!). I was blessed to have both my sisters with me again and to enjoy the time up north with family. 

Still hard to believe my beautiful little cousin is married! 

Typical Swaan-Styles girls pic 

Loved watching the precious moments between my aunt and Courtney as they both move on to a new stage of life.

These two are my favourite. Best friends for life.

Me and my gorgeous, talented sister who slaved over everyone's hair all morning! 

Always Daddy's little girls

Thursday Smiles (No. 5): Frosting

Well, it's that day again. The day of love and chocolate and hearts and cupid. You can't escape it even if you want to. It's all around us:

"St. Valentine's Day"
"Single's Awareness Day"
"I Love You Day" (as one of my good friends calls it)

or even if it's simply February 14th, you can't escape the reminders of romance everywhere you go.

I wrote about this day two years ago in my post "Happy February 14th"and I still agree with my sentiments from back then. I think it's a fine holiday to celebrate and it's fine if you don't feel inclined to do anything special. I think what's important is to be careful about the two extremes of obsessing over your Valentine...or lack of and also be careful not to hate on the holiday and mock others who like it. You don't need to send out cards and frosted cookies but you also don't have to be overtly negative. It IS a day to celebrate love, so why don't we show a little?

Finding February

February feels odd to me this year. I'm not sure why. I mean, perhaps it's related to my previous post about the sudden realization of change... but maybe it's also because I've just never really thought about it. 

This second month of the year doesn't really have a lot going for it you know. No big holidays. No change of season. And it's that oddly short month on the calendar. How many days again? 28? Wait, is it a leap year? How many would it have in a leap year again? Who decided on that system anyways?? It's still winter in February but it's not really known for its winteriness...at least not here. It's just chilly and wet and a short stopping off point on the way to spring I guess. 

We had sun this week though. And it's been uncharacteristically warm, though still cold enough to wear my new fuzzy boots and red mittens. It was rather pleasant, if I do say so myself. I was out walking and I was feeling sorry for this morose short month. The brief moment of sunshine made me realize that its rather grey most the time. Everything has a dull tone. Grey skies, grey-brown trees, the dead leaves have lost their luster, even the grass is rather dull. Winter has seeped into the heart and soul of the earth and it's just waiting for the uplifting fragrance of spring. 

And so I decided to capture this sunshine and search for the beauty I know is out there, the beauty that makes February, well, February.  

Well hello February

It seems like I have been called to a period of waiting at this time in my life. And I have discovered there is a lot to learn in these periods. I would never characterize myself as a patient person. I am not one to sit back and watch and hope... not that I don't do that sometimes. I have my dreams and aspirations. But I'm more of a get-up-and-get-it-done type. I'm a planner. I organize. I strategize.

But not always. Not now.

Right now, mostly, I wait.

And during this waiting I have experienced an odd phenomena. Time seems to stretch on and on and on; the future is this foggy unknown; the days go by marked only by their lack of definition and unknown answers.

And then suddenly it's February.

It's like I have been in this habit of waiting so long, feeling immobile, that though time is passing, I don't really expect anything around me to change because I'm in a seemingly static state.

But the month has changed. They tend to do that, I realize. And I knew it was coming. But it's here now. A simple change maybe. But a change nonetheless.

Perhaps there's hope for me too.