Happy 2010!!

Happy New Years!!!! Wow, I can’t believe 2010 is already here, and January is pretty much over with. WOW!!!! So much has happened since my last post (shame on me for being a slacker…)

In mid December after a long day at work, Chris & Helene just showed up! It completely surprised all of us :) They stayed for a few weeks to celebrate Christmas with us, which was such a blast – we had some good times & made some awesome memories! This was his first Christmas with us, because they couldn’t make it up last year.
Because of the timing, we got to do one last Elias Family Picture for 2009 with all us which was awesome.
Chris got to see what Canadian weather really feels like.

Unfortunately he didn’t get to experience a Canadian blizzard with our family, they actually left the day before a huge storm hit. :( But no worries, there are plenty of years to come for him to be here for one! We introduced him to the different Canadian/Russian/German/Mennonite foods that our family was raised on, and he really liked them!

This Christmas, Bill acted in his churches Annual Christmas Cantata, he did such an amazing job. I got his autograph & everything!!!

As for New Years celebrations, BIG NEWS!!!! Wait for it...wait for it...wait for it...Abe & Rebecca got engaged at the stroke of midnight bringing in 2010!

A few of us were around the table playing games & cracking jokes, and as the countdown began, we grabbed our ice tea jugs, and counted down. 3…2…1…Rebecca went in for the kiss, and Abe got down on one knee. It was sooooo cute, she had no idea, he totally surprised her, and she was so ecstatic! She was like yes, yes, YES!

It was so amazing to be there – the wedding plans are coming along nicely & smoothly. YAY!!!!! They are so in love & it’s so cute :) A May wedding is being planned. Then our family will FINALLY have 21 people and we can finally put him in the yearly family Elias photo. This is the gorgeous ring :)


More big news ... I'm blogging from VA! Since Canadian weather is so hard on us CF girls, this year, Kate & I got to come fly out to Washington D.C. to stay in Virginia with Helene & Chris & the Welch family for a few months.
The difference in climate is amazing, last week when Virginia was having 67 Fº, Manitoba, Canada was having the blizzard of the century and –49 Fº. Yes, that’s right, MINUS –49 Fº. So we’re very thankful to be out here, enjoying the weather & company. Getting to go on the different Military bases, with the Welch family is amazing. I LOVE IT!

The coldest it's been down here is nothing compared to Canada. This morning we got a couple inches of snow here in VA, but it's beautiful and will be gone by next week. It's funny to see Americans freak out at the least bit of snow, or cooler weather. They cancel everything and educate people how to "deal" with this weather and how to drive. It makes me laugh :)

The trip down here was interesting. Then again, MOST trips us Elias girls take land up being super interesting. This…was no different. We landed up having some nasty turbulence while entering D.C. and the isle & exit signs lit up. It was a rough land :)
We’ve already made so many awesome memories out here in VA. We’ve gone to two different churches, which is cool.

I had a few reservations about leaving Canada, but so far it’s been worth it & so much fun!

I miss home like crazy, especially my nephews which are so small to know we’re gone :( Phone calls home are always awesome, sometimes teary, but awesome! I definitely don't miss Canadian weather though, this is a nice break. I've dealt with 20 years of Canadian weather, and God finally gave me a nice break. Thank you Lord!!!!!!

Health wise, things are GREAT!!!! I just celebrated my 6-month anniversary of no ER visits & no Antibiotics. God has been so good, I feel great. I’ve come across some different things that I find SO helpful in my fight against Cystic Fibrosis.

One being Steam Rooms!!! You can find them in Spa’s or at your local Gym. It is so very helpful.
I’ve already mentioned Garlic, and how awesome it is. One significant advantage of garlic is that the body does not build up a resistance to it as it does to many modern antibiotics. This also makes it effective against hospital super bugs. There is so much more information about how HELPFUL Garlic is, especially for Cystic Fibrosis patients, but the info itself would make this posting longer then life itself lol. So my suggestion is if your wanting more info, just Google it.


You’ll be amazed at all the awesome things you’ll discover :)

Here’s a Spanish saying for the day: A la ocasión la pintan calva. You have to make the most of the chances that come your way. ♥

Happy 2010,
Aline