You may have heard me mention that we often get into deep conversations with our 5 year old usually when she is tired. Well here is something she said that made my hubby and I laugh SO hard. Let me tell you...It was NOT easy holding the laugh in until later!
As we were driving home from some evening event, my husband and I were explaining why it is so important to be even more careful around vehicles especially around this time of year (she had darted out into the street a little too far). We explained that people often are not as careful this time of year because some people choose to celebrate Christmas by drinking alcohol and by not making good choices. We explained that some of these people decide that they can still drive vehicles after drinking poison. Since she recently got glasses we told her that when people drink alcohol, they can see like she does without her glasses which is not so great. Then they try and drive a car. We also said it's like when she spins in circles for a long time and tries to walk straight. Since they can't see so well, she could have been hit by a car or truck even if she wasn't really on the road. So we had thought that we had done a wonderful job explaining why she should be careful not to walk into the street and why she shouldn't drink alcohol and why it's not good for people to drink and drive. She on the other hand had her own good reason not to drink and drive. In her words (after we were done our explanation):
"AND You should not drink alcohol and drive because the government might be watching!"
Makes me wonder why we explain anything! We should have just let her tell us why it's not a good idea! HA HA! Happy Friday!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Holiday Treasure # 6
Hello. I bet you are shocked that I am even back so early. I thought I would take time here and there to write when I can. Since my family is sick and this has forced me to slow down, I thought now may be a good time to continue...
We had spent a few lovely days exploring beautiful B.C. with the folks and then we decided to begin to make our way home. Since I am not feeling the best I am going to give you the Reader's Digest version of the story. Basically, we decided to leave a day earlier to a campground that would normally take 1.5 hrs to get too but we decided to go with the folks on a scenic tour instead that took us 4 hrs. It was worth it. We took two small ferries (free) on this route and saw many wonderful sights this way. We arrived at the camp and the parents helped us set up as best as possible. There happened to be a park across from our campsite and our little one made a friend there. The friend's Mom was doing some laundry as they were preparing to move on to another campground in the morning. We struck up a conversation and I really felt strongly that the Lord wanted me to ask her to stay another night so we could visit a place called "The Enchanted Forrest" together. I must say, selfishly that was the last thing I wanted to do...I wanted just my family together for the day but who am I to argue with God?? LOL! She agreed to come along with us. So the next morning we prepared to go to the Enchanted Forrest. It was a neat place! It was a forrest full of fairytale/storybook characters. We hiked the forrest, rowed boats through lily pad ponds and talked about all things! It was a good time. At the end of the day at the forrest, we parted ways as our new friends went for supper and we did too. We met back at the campground later in the evening to say our good night greetings.
The next morning we packed up and decided to move on. Our new friends actually decided to stay another day. As Mike was finishing packing the car, the other Mom and I took the girls to the playground to play. As we were sitting at the playground we talked more and more about God. Mike came and told me it was time to go and I really felt God prompting me to ask her THE question. So I said to her, "I just can't leave here without knowing where she was in her relationship with God." I proceeded to explain that religion and relationship with Jesus were two very different things and I told her that God was offering her freedom (she grew up in a religious home), I told her that God was offering her the gift of new life. Freedom in Jesus. My new friend began to shake and cry and right there in the parking lot of the campground we bowed in prayer together as she accepted this free gift of a new life in Christ. We hugged and we parted ways. I am in the process of finding her a good church home in her town. Please pray for our new sister in Christ. :)
The treasure here is that even though our plans had changed (spur of the moment decision to leave to a campground instead of staying with the parents for another day or two) God had a reason why...Another treasure is that God's timing is perfect. Had we stuck to OUR plans, we would have missed our friends as they would have already been gone to a different campground. Also, had I been selfish and not invited her along for the day as God had prompted, I would not have a new sister in Christ. So you see, when you leave the planning up to God and go with the flow as He leads, good things happen. :) Well that is all for now. Again, not editing... Take care and remember to let God lead and you will find treasures.
We had spent a few lovely days exploring beautiful B.C. with the folks and then we decided to begin to make our way home. Since I am not feeling the best I am going to give you the Reader's Digest version of the story. Basically, we decided to leave a day earlier to a campground that would normally take 1.5 hrs to get too but we decided to go with the folks on a scenic tour instead that took us 4 hrs. It was worth it. We took two small ferries (free) on this route and saw many wonderful sights this way. We arrived at the camp and the parents helped us set up as best as possible. There happened to be a park across from our campsite and our little one made a friend there. The friend's Mom was doing some laundry as they were preparing to move on to another campground in the morning. We struck up a conversation and I really felt strongly that the Lord wanted me to ask her to stay another night so we could visit a place called "The Enchanted Forrest" together. I must say, selfishly that was the last thing I wanted to do...I wanted just my family together for the day but who am I to argue with God?? LOL! She agreed to come along with us. So the next morning we prepared to go to the Enchanted Forrest. It was a neat place! It was a forrest full of fairytale/storybook characters. We hiked the forrest, rowed boats through lily pad ponds and talked about all things! It was a good time. At the end of the day at the forrest, we parted ways as our new friends went for supper and we did too. We met back at the campground later in the evening to say our good night greetings.
The next morning we packed up and decided to move on. Our new friends actually decided to stay another day. As Mike was finishing packing the car, the other Mom and I took the girls to the playground to play. As we were sitting at the playground we talked more and more about God. Mike came and told me it was time to go and I really felt God prompting me to ask her THE question. So I said to her, "I just can't leave here without knowing where she was in her relationship with God." I proceeded to explain that religion and relationship with Jesus were two very different things and I told her that God was offering her freedom (she grew up in a religious home), I told her that God was offering her the gift of new life. Freedom in Jesus. My new friend began to shake and cry and right there in the parking lot of the campground we bowed in prayer together as she accepted this free gift of a new life in Christ. We hugged and we parted ways. I am in the process of finding her a good church home in her town. Please pray for our new sister in Christ. :)
The treasure here is that even though our plans had changed (spur of the moment decision to leave to a campground instead of staying with the parents for another day or two) God had a reason why...Another treasure is that God's timing is perfect. Had we stuck to OUR plans, we would have missed our friends as they would have already been gone to a different campground. Also, had I been selfish and not invited her along for the day as God had prompted, I would not have a new sister in Christ. So you see, when you leave the planning up to God and go with the flow as He leads, good things happen. :) Well that is all for now. Again, not editing... Take care and remember to let God lead and you will find treasures.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Holiday Treasure #5
WOW! It has been a long time. I am so glad I made no promises as to when you would get another post. :) I sure hope I can remember all the wonderful things I wanted to tell you about. I believe I left off with us leaving the beautiful island.
So that is what we did. We took the ferry back to the mainland and made our way to a special little vacation condo where we were to meet my hubbies parents. Remember they were coming back from NS where they did the funeral and burial of Mike's Grandma. Anyhow we showed up at the condo and made ourselves at home and the next day we decided to walk across a beautiful field where we found a beautiful little park and a perfect sized beach. My little gal had a blast playing at the park and when she was all warm from that she decided to take a dip in the lake. It was so nice and refreshing. I could have stayed at the beach all day building sand castles, splashing in the water and just enjoying my beautiful family and creation that God had given to me. Yet, my pregnant belly was getting hungry so we decided to pack up and head back to our vacation spot. We were so pleasantly surprised to find the parents unloading their vehicle from the long trip they had taken. This was a treasure in itself as we were not expecting them to arrive until the next day at least! Anyhow, as they settled in I rustled up some lunch for us and we just basked in the blessings of being together. WOW I am CHEESY! :) Really tho, if you know me at all...You will know that family is just THAT important to me.
It was so nice for our little girl to have her Papa and Gram with her and she was so excited that I am sure the Grandparents wished they had come the next day just to have that much needed rest! She did keep them on their toes. She couldn't wait for her Papa to play with her and take her for walks and to the park. I must say, Papa was a real trooper because he did all of those things and more. I could tell he was tired but I could also tell that he was just as glad to be with her as she was to be with him. It was a treasure indeed to see their relationship grow.
With the parents we travelled to a place called Peachland. Now in my head I pictured this to be a place where you pick luscious peaches from trees and eat them right there. Turns out it was not that. However, I was not disappointed. Peachland is such a neat little community where there are all kinds of little shops and boutiques to browse through as well as places to picnic along the shoreline. There were little places you could just park, get out set up a picnic area and go swimming at the same time. It was such a neat experience. During this trip to Peachland we took the opportunity to rent a family bike (4 seater) and we rode around town. It just so happens that it was my my Mom-in-laws first time on a bike ever!! It was so nice to experience that with her. The grin on her face was worth every peddle. Our little girl was a free loader!!! She got to sit up front with the best view AND when we rented the bike we were given a coupon for a free ice cream so guess who got to eat that?? Not the ones sweating up a storm as we peddled together...Noooo It was the little kid who's only job was to honk the bike horn and wave and smile at all those walking beside us! It was too cute. She took her job seriously.
During our time with the parents we also celebrated my daughter's 5th Birthday in style with a yummy homemade supper, ice cream cake and of course a few presents. It was so nice to celebrate together. I will never take for granted any time I get to share with my extended family. I keep thinking that there will be a day where either the miles or health or life will separate us. So as I have said before, family is so important to me. The closer I get to God the closer I get to my family. That is my daily prayer. "Lord may we grow closer to You and closer to each other." It really is about relationship isn't it?
Well this is getting pretty long so I guess I will stop for now and continue the story later. Again, I have no idea when...could be after this baby is born. By the way...on the baby front things are looking good. I feel great. I am in my last trimester I have gained a total of 4 lbs so that is great. A C-section has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 3rd. I will know more for sure about that on December 6th. If I remember I will post an update. In the meantime, please pray for that whole situation. I am at peace with the fact of having to have a C-section now but I still covet your prayers.
Ok, please keep checking back because I have still have some wonderful stories to tell of our vacation. One is about our kiddo telling us she asked Jesus in her heart and how she came to do that all by herself as well as a story where at a divine appointment the Lord used me to lead a woman to the Lord...at a campground...It will be great.
Oh...I am not going back to edditt thiss sooo pleazse forgiive anny grammatiKal/speliling airrors. ;) Have a wonderful Advent Season!!
So that is what we did. We took the ferry back to the mainland and made our way to a special little vacation condo where we were to meet my hubbies parents. Remember they were coming back from NS where they did the funeral and burial of Mike's Grandma. Anyhow we showed up at the condo and made ourselves at home and the next day we decided to walk across a beautiful field where we found a beautiful little park and a perfect sized beach. My little gal had a blast playing at the park and when she was all warm from that she decided to take a dip in the lake. It was so nice and refreshing. I could have stayed at the beach all day building sand castles, splashing in the water and just enjoying my beautiful family and creation that God had given to me. Yet, my pregnant belly was getting hungry so we decided to pack up and head back to our vacation spot. We were so pleasantly surprised to find the parents unloading their vehicle from the long trip they had taken. This was a treasure in itself as we were not expecting them to arrive until the next day at least! Anyhow, as they settled in I rustled up some lunch for us and we just basked in the blessings of being together. WOW I am CHEESY! :) Really tho, if you know me at all...You will know that family is just THAT important to me.
It was so nice for our little girl to have her Papa and Gram with her and she was so excited that I am sure the Grandparents wished they had come the next day just to have that much needed rest! She did keep them on their toes. She couldn't wait for her Papa to play with her and take her for walks and to the park. I must say, Papa was a real trooper because he did all of those things and more. I could tell he was tired but I could also tell that he was just as glad to be with her as she was to be with him. It was a treasure indeed to see their relationship grow.
With the parents we travelled to a place called Peachland. Now in my head I pictured this to be a place where you pick luscious peaches from trees and eat them right there. Turns out it was not that. However, I was not disappointed. Peachland is such a neat little community where there are all kinds of little shops and boutiques to browse through as well as places to picnic along the shoreline. There were little places you could just park, get out set up a picnic area and go swimming at the same time. It was such a neat experience. During this trip to Peachland we took the opportunity to rent a family bike (4 seater) and we rode around town. It just so happens that it was my my Mom-in-laws first time on a bike ever!! It was so nice to experience that with her. The grin on her face was worth every peddle. Our little girl was a free loader!!! She got to sit up front with the best view AND when we rented the bike we were given a coupon for a free ice cream so guess who got to eat that?? Not the ones sweating up a storm as we peddled together...Noooo It was the little kid who's only job was to honk the bike horn and wave and smile at all those walking beside us! It was too cute. She took her job seriously.
During our time with the parents we also celebrated my daughter's 5th Birthday in style with a yummy homemade supper, ice cream cake and of course a few presents. It was so nice to celebrate together. I will never take for granted any time I get to share with my extended family. I keep thinking that there will be a day where either the miles or health or life will separate us. So as I have said before, family is so important to me. The closer I get to God the closer I get to my family. That is my daily prayer. "Lord may we grow closer to You and closer to each other." It really is about relationship isn't it?
Well this is getting pretty long so I guess I will stop for now and continue the story later. Again, I have no idea when...could be after this baby is born. By the way...on the baby front things are looking good. I feel great. I am in my last trimester I have gained a total of 4 lbs so that is great. A C-section has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 3rd. I will know more for sure about that on December 6th. If I remember I will post an update. In the meantime, please pray for that whole situation. I am at peace with the fact of having to have a C-section now but I still covet your prayers.
Ok, please keep checking back because I have still have some wonderful stories to tell of our vacation. One is about our kiddo telling us she asked Jesus in her heart and how she came to do that all by herself as well as a story where at a divine appointment the Lord used me to lead a woman to the Lord...at a campground...It will be great.
Oh...I am not going back to edditt thiss sooo pleazse forgiive anny grammatiKal/speliling airrors. ;) Have a wonderful Advent Season!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Holiday Treasure #4
Hello Again...
I am finding it tougher to find time to write. I was pondering just the other day about how fast my pregnancy has gone! I am already in my last trimester! Time has gone so fast...I am going to use that as my excuse for not being diligent at blogging. Instead I have been stocking my freezer with yummy foods and cleaning like crazy...Must be what they (whoever they are) call nesting. Anyhow...Onto my 4th treasure.
After we left Tofino, we stayed on the Island a few days longer as we camped at different campgrounds. We saw so much beautiful nature and we enjoyed one anothers company. I love my family.
While we were away, My hubby and I celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary. Or is it 13?? Hmmmm, wow. I think it is 12. Anyhow, we celebrated by camping out in the gorgeous creation God had given us. I made BBQ ribs, fried rice and garlic toast. There is just something so tasty about food cooked outdoors. We enjoyed our time together. The day after our anniversary, we celebrated our little gals 5th birthday in the same fashion. We set up camp in a different location in the wonderful outdoors. We gave the birthday girl a choice whether she wanted to go out and eat at a restaurant or cook at the campground and she said, "Mom all I want to do is buy a bun and make a sandwich at the camp for supper." A girl after my own heart. Not only did she want just a sandwich for her birthday supper, she wanted to make it herself. So that is what we did. We went into town and got her exactly what she wanted for her birthday supper and as her Dad and I set up camp, there she sat at the picnic table making her birthday sandwich! What a sweet kid we are blessed with! We also made sure to have marshmallows roasted on the fire and hot chocolate as well later. Nice and simple ways to celebrate! That was a treasure for sure. We also took our little girl mini golfing at a really beautiful place and for a first time golfer, she did so well! We went to a beach and a park that had a little water slide that she enjoyed a lot. It was so much fun just being together and playing together.
Another neat experience we had was eating on a floating restaurant. We took a little ferry to Protection Island (I believe that is what it is called) where the restaurant is. The ferry actually brings you right to the restaurant. The ferry comes and goes every hour on the hour. It is the coolest little place. It had a place for kids to bait fishing poles with kernels of corn and fish right at the restaurant. Our little girl really enjoyed doing that. It was fun to hear the excitement in her voice when the fish nibbled all the corn off her hook! The experience was so unique and I think I had a permanent grin on my face the whole time we were there from the experience itself. Seeing my family enjoy themselves was such a treasure in itself.
Alas, after spending time on the beautiful Island, it was time for us to take a ferry back to the mainland so to speak and finally meet up with my hubbies parents. I was excited to begin a new adventure with them of a different sort. The treasures just kept coming. You will hear more about that some time. I make no promises as to when. :)
I am finding it tougher to find time to write. I was pondering just the other day about how fast my pregnancy has gone! I am already in my last trimester! Time has gone so fast...I am going to use that as my excuse for not being diligent at blogging. Instead I have been stocking my freezer with yummy foods and cleaning like crazy...Must be what they (whoever they are) call nesting. Anyhow...Onto my 4th treasure.
After we left Tofino, we stayed on the Island a few days longer as we camped at different campgrounds. We saw so much beautiful nature and we enjoyed one anothers company. I love my family.
While we were away, My hubby and I celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary. Or is it 13?? Hmmmm, wow. I think it is 12. Anyhow, we celebrated by camping out in the gorgeous creation God had given us. I made BBQ ribs, fried rice and garlic toast. There is just something so tasty about food cooked outdoors. We enjoyed our time together. The day after our anniversary, we celebrated our little gals 5th birthday in the same fashion. We set up camp in a different location in the wonderful outdoors. We gave the birthday girl a choice whether she wanted to go out and eat at a restaurant or cook at the campground and she said, "Mom all I want to do is buy a bun and make a sandwich at the camp for supper." A girl after my own heart. Not only did she want just a sandwich for her birthday supper, she wanted to make it herself. So that is what we did. We went into town and got her exactly what she wanted for her birthday supper and as her Dad and I set up camp, there she sat at the picnic table making her birthday sandwich! What a sweet kid we are blessed with! We also made sure to have marshmallows roasted on the fire and hot chocolate as well later. Nice and simple ways to celebrate! That was a treasure for sure. We also took our little girl mini golfing at a really beautiful place and for a first time golfer, she did so well! We went to a beach and a park that had a little water slide that she enjoyed a lot. It was so much fun just being together and playing together.
Another neat experience we had was eating on a floating restaurant. We took a little ferry to Protection Island (I believe that is what it is called) where the restaurant is. The ferry actually brings you right to the restaurant. The ferry comes and goes every hour on the hour. It is the coolest little place. It had a place for kids to bait fishing poles with kernels of corn and fish right at the restaurant. Our little girl really enjoyed doing that. It was fun to hear the excitement in her voice when the fish nibbled all the corn off her hook! The experience was so unique and I think I had a permanent grin on my face the whole time we were there from the experience itself. Seeing my family enjoy themselves was such a treasure in itself.
Alas, after spending time on the beautiful Island, it was time for us to take a ferry back to the mainland so to speak and finally meet up with my hubbies parents. I was excited to begin a new adventure with them of a different sort. The treasures just kept coming. You will hear more about that some time. I make no promises as to when. :)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Holiday Treasure #3
Ok, it has been a long time yet again. I am sorry it has taken so long. I know, I know, you have heard that before. :)
On to my holiday treasure #3...This is the odd one. My husband's Grandmother passed away at the beginning of our trip and this changed our plans. Originally the plan was for us to travel with his parents to BC to spend some time together. Well, obviously this didn't happen right away as his Dad and Mom flew to NS to do his Mom's funeral. The best part about this sad event was that we were all together as a family to love and support his Dad as he prepared to fly back to his home and do what I could only think would be one of the hardest things to do in life, bury a loved one.
Anyhow, it was decided that we would go on our way to the west coast without his parents and meet up with his parents later. With this new opportunity we decided to carry on to Vancouver Island where we had an awesome time in Tofino visiting some very close friends of ours. These wonderful friends moved to the Island a couple of years ago and bought a wonderful chocolate shop called "Chocolate Tofino". At this place magic happens! They home make their own chocolates AND gelato!! The whole experience there was refreshing! Tofino really has a hippee feel. Everything/everyone is so laid-back. It was here we hiked some rainforests, went to some pretty amazing beaches, ate ridiculously GREAT food (one place was comprised of a chef and a fisherman who are partners...one catches the seafood and the other cooks it fresh!) and of course you will never find any better quality chocolate AND gelato! Best of all, we were able to catch up with our good friends and see where they live now. What a life!
So maybe you can understand now why this odd turn of events (of his Grandma's death) ended up being a treasure. Mainly because we were able to be with his Dad when he got the news that his Mom had passed away. Then, when our plans changed we made the best of this change and this started a grand vacation that our family will cherish for a long time. It was a sad time yes. Do I always deal well with change? Nope. This time I had to and it worked out pretty great. Sometimes the treasure comes with not knowing exactly what life will hand to you.
On this trip to Tofino we had so much fun hanging out with our family and close friends. Seeing gorgeous sights and enjoying one another's company. A treasure in the unexpected. Beautiful.
On to my holiday treasure #3...This is the odd one. My husband's Grandmother passed away at the beginning of our trip and this changed our plans. Originally the plan was for us to travel with his parents to BC to spend some time together. Well, obviously this didn't happen right away as his Dad and Mom flew to NS to do his Mom's funeral. The best part about this sad event was that we were all together as a family to love and support his Dad as he prepared to fly back to his home and do what I could only think would be one of the hardest things to do in life, bury a loved one.
Anyhow, it was decided that we would go on our way to the west coast without his parents and meet up with his parents later. With this new opportunity we decided to carry on to Vancouver Island where we had an awesome time in Tofino visiting some very close friends of ours. These wonderful friends moved to the Island a couple of years ago and bought a wonderful chocolate shop called "Chocolate Tofino". At this place magic happens! They home make their own chocolates AND gelato!! The whole experience there was refreshing! Tofino really has a hippee feel. Everything/everyone is so laid-back. It was here we hiked some rainforests, went to some pretty amazing beaches, ate ridiculously GREAT food (one place was comprised of a chef and a fisherman who are partners...one catches the seafood and the other cooks it fresh!) and of course you will never find any better quality chocolate AND gelato! Best of all, we were able to catch up with our good friends and see where they live now. What a life!
So maybe you can understand now why this odd turn of events (of his Grandma's death) ended up being a treasure. Mainly because we were able to be with his Dad when he got the news that his Mom had passed away. Then, when our plans changed we made the best of this change and this started a grand vacation that our family will cherish for a long time. It was a sad time yes. Do I always deal well with change? Nope. This time I had to and it worked out pretty great. Sometimes the treasure comes with not knowing exactly what life will hand to you.
On this trip to Tofino we had so much fun hanging out with our family and close friends. Seeing gorgeous sights and enjoying one another's company. A treasure in the unexpected. Beautiful.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Holiday Treasure #2
I know, I know, it has been a while. Sorry.
So after we spent some time with my Grandmother and Aunts and Uncle we went to a gorgeous hotel where we are treated just like family. We LOVE going to this hotel. They know us by name and treat us just like family. It could be because the owner is a friend of the family (more friends of Mike's parents) none the less they treat us no different. Anyhow, the reason we were at this hotel was to plan for a treasure indeed. Both of Mike's brothers and their wives were coming to the hotel so we could prepare to celebrate their parents 40th wedding anniversary. We did a whole wedding and reception at the hotel. I do want to say how much the hotel did for us. I had a meeting with wonderful lady who did all I had asked or imagined for this special day. She took care of every little detail even to the point of asking the florist to spray paint some flowers to match a color I really wanted. The food was fantastic and my sister in law made an absolutely gorgeous gluten free wedding cake. It was her first and I must say it was GORGEOUS! It tasted great too! I know you are probably wanting to see pictures but I haven't had time to put them on the computer yet. One of my blogs will be just pictures of these things. I promise. Anyhow, Mike did the ceremony and I helped a little. His youngest brother walked his Mom down the aisle, his middle brother played a song he wrote as she walked down and the daughter in laws stood with our Mama. It was such a beautiful time! A really neat thing is that their actual anniversary fell on a Sunday and the vow renewal was not until the afternoon so before all the wedding activities, we all circled our cars in a parking lot of a liquor store and had a church service. Each of us were able to share a blessing, scripture and pick a song to sing. I like these times. They are intimate and we can always feel the presence of God so close during these times. That was a huge treasure. Getting together with family to worship God is something I will never take for granted. Our family is spread across different provinces so anytime we can get together to share the Word of God is fantastic.
There is more to this part of our journey as well but it will have to wait until the next time I am able to write. Please have patience with me as there is a lot on my plate at the moment. I will get to it tho. Don't worry. Treasure your family for as long as the Lord gives them to you. Bless you all.
So after we spent some time with my Grandmother and Aunts and Uncle we went to a gorgeous hotel where we are treated just like family. We LOVE going to this hotel. They know us by name and treat us just like family. It could be because the owner is a friend of the family (more friends of Mike's parents) none the less they treat us no different. Anyhow, the reason we were at this hotel was to plan for a treasure indeed. Both of Mike's brothers and their wives were coming to the hotel so we could prepare to celebrate their parents 40th wedding anniversary. We did a whole wedding and reception at the hotel. I do want to say how much the hotel did for us. I had a meeting with wonderful lady who did all I had asked or imagined for this special day. She took care of every little detail even to the point of asking the florist to spray paint some flowers to match a color I really wanted. The food was fantastic and my sister in law made an absolutely gorgeous gluten free wedding cake. It was her first and I must say it was GORGEOUS! It tasted great too! I know you are probably wanting to see pictures but I haven't had time to put them on the computer yet. One of my blogs will be just pictures of these things. I promise. Anyhow, Mike did the ceremony and I helped a little. His youngest brother walked his Mom down the aisle, his middle brother played a song he wrote as she walked down and the daughter in laws stood with our Mama. It was such a beautiful time! A really neat thing is that their actual anniversary fell on a Sunday and the vow renewal was not until the afternoon so before all the wedding activities, we all circled our cars in a parking lot of a liquor store and had a church service. Each of us were able to share a blessing, scripture and pick a song to sing. I like these times. They are intimate and we can always feel the presence of God so close during these times. That was a huge treasure. Getting together with family to worship God is something I will never take for granted. Our family is spread across different provinces so anytime we can get together to share the Word of God is fantastic.
There is more to this part of our journey as well but it will have to wait until the next time I am able to write. Please have patience with me as there is a lot on my plate at the moment. I will get to it tho. Don't worry. Treasure your family for as long as the Lord gives them to you. Bless you all.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Holiday Treasure #1
Hello Friends!
Well I know it has been a long time since I have really written a post but I am BACK! My family and I were away for what feels like forever. Over the next while I will be highlighting some fond memories I have from the trip we just took. I hope you enjoy what I share with you.
I want to say at the very start that after reflecting on this journey, my holiday has one theme to it: "Treasures in Heaven" The Bible says in Matthew 6:19-21 New International Version (NIV):
Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
With this in mind I want to share with you my holiday treasures. The first treasure took place while I was back in my hometown getting to see 5 of my 6 nieces and nephews. We just hung out and caught up with one another. It was so strange to see how fast kids grow!!! After spending some time in my hometown, we travelled to where my Grandmother lives and it was there that we were able to celebrate her 75th birthday and my daughter's 5th birthday together. I realized that my Grandma had only met my daughter once before and that was at my daughter's 1st birthday party! How SAD is THAT??? Needless to say, the visit was so great. My Aunt made the party so special with balloons, old time games like pin the tail on the donkey (they use stickers now for the tails...how smart is THAT?), she made a ton of delicious food and it was so nice to see my Grandma who is blind play the game with my daughter. Turns out that Grandma won but in my Aunt's house that means BOTH birthday girls got a prize of $5.00 each! Too fun! I was able to catch up with two Aunts, an Uncle and my lovely Grandma. All are treasures that I pray will be stored up in heaven. It seems that time and life has a way of getting in the way of staying connected. This has made me think a lot and I pray that I will no longer take the treasure of my extended family for granted. I must do better at staying connected.
Well sadly, I left my camera at the hotel for this venture and my Mom still has not sent any to me so I have no pictures to share from this holiday treasure. Maybe just maybe if and when I get them I will be able to share this part with you.
I will end this holiday treasure for now. I ask you...Do you have a family member(s) that you have not connected with in a long time? Maybe it is time to reconnect! Think about it...They are treasures.
Well I know it has been a long time since I have really written a post but I am BACK! My family and I were away for what feels like forever. Over the next while I will be highlighting some fond memories I have from the trip we just took. I hope you enjoy what I share with you.
I want to say at the very start that after reflecting on this journey, my holiday has one theme to it: "Treasures in Heaven" The Bible says in Matthew 6:19-21 New International Version (NIV):
Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
With this in mind I want to share with you my holiday treasures. The first treasure took place while I was back in my hometown getting to see 5 of my 6 nieces and nephews. We just hung out and caught up with one another. It was so strange to see how fast kids grow!!! After spending some time in my hometown, we travelled to where my Grandmother lives and it was there that we were able to celebrate her 75th birthday and my daughter's 5th birthday together. I realized that my Grandma had only met my daughter once before and that was at my daughter's 1st birthday party! How SAD is THAT??? Needless to say, the visit was so great. My Aunt made the party so special with balloons, old time games like pin the tail on the donkey (they use stickers now for the tails...how smart is THAT?), she made a ton of delicious food and it was so nice to see my Grandma who is blind play the game with my daughter. Turns out that Grandma won but in my Aunt's house that means BOTH birthday girls got a prize of $5.00 each! Too fun! I was able to catch up with two Aunts, an Uncle and my lovely Grandma. All are treasures that I pray will be stored up in heaven. It seems that time and life has a way of getting in the way of staying connected. This has made me think a lot and I pray that I will no longer take the treasure of my extended family for granted. I must do better at staying connected.
Well sadly, I left my camera at the hotel for this venture and my Mom still has not sent any to me so I have no pictures to share from this holiday treasure. Maybe just maybe if and when I get them I will be able to share this part with you.
I will end this holiday treasure for now. I ask you...Do you have a family member(s) that you have not connected with in a long time? Maybe it is time to reconnect! Think about it...They are treasures.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Holiday Blessings
It has been a while since I have shared. I am sorry to report that it will be longer still. I have one week of holidays left and one week of camp to attend before I can go into any details on the following holiday blessings:
- Birthday celebrations with family
- 40th Wedding Anniversary vow renewal
- "Circle Church"
- The passing of my husband's Grandmother (sounds odd as a blessing I know but wait for it)
- Visiting friends on Vancouver Island (Didn't get to see all our friends tho *sigh*)
- Chocolate Tofino
- Hiking Rain forests
- Walking many beaches
- Camping in the fresh air
- Spending time in BC with family
These are just a few of the blessing I look forward to sharing with you when I am back from vacation and we aren't even done yet! Hopefully you will be ready to hear some stories and see some pictures. See you in a couple of weeks. Hope your summer is as great as mine.
- Birthday celebrations with family
- 40th Wedding Anniversary vow renewal
- "Circle Church"
- The passing of my husband's Grandmother (sounds odd as a blessing I know but wait for it)
- Visiting friends on Vancouver Island (Didn't get to see all our friends tho *sigh*)
- Chocolate Tofino
- Hiking Rain forests
- Walking many beaches
- Camping in the fresh air
- Spending time in BC with family
These are just a few of the blessing I look forward to sharing with you when I am back from vacation and we aren't even done yet! Hopefully you will be ready to hear some stories and see some pictures. See you in a couple of weeks. Hope your summer is as great as mine.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A Tough 4 Weeks
The title of this post is lacking creativity but then again so is my brain! It really has been a tough 4 weeks. My household has been battling sickness for the last month and I am soooo SICK of it...(no pun intended)! When we were away in Toronto both of my family members came down with strep throat. Needless to say it was a horrible flight home for our 4 yr old but like always she is a real trooper. She barely complained at all. After we got home I got her into a doctor right away and she was put on amoxicillin and after day 2 she was ready to go. My dear hubby on the other hand took 6 days of the same antibiotic and NOTHING! Poor guy had to suffer until we could get him in to see our doctor. As it happened our family doctor was away and because of this we had a strange blessing. Mike (hubby) was able to see a different doctor who explained why he always gets so sick. I was quite concerned because if someone gets a cold he will ALWAYS get it and for him it just hangs on for so long! When we were in college I felt so bad for him because he was sick so often. No one was more frustrated about it than him. Anyhow, back to the strange blessing. During his visit with this other doctor he learned more about the effects of his medical condition. Mike's blood is absent IgA (immunoglobulins) basically you (I am assuming) and I have the antibodies present to fight off upper respiratory infections whereas Mike's blood does not have this. So every single little "bug" that he comes into contact with sticks. This is horribly inconvenient for us because we have a kiddo who attends day care and soon school where parents will still send their sick children knowing they are not well. I am sure they have their reasons but it sucks for us. Yet, the blessing comes because now that we are fully aware of why he easily gets sick, we are able to take the proper measures to help build his immune system. We are not a family who enjoys taking medications so we will up the anti oxidants by eating certain berries, taking oil of oregano and different natural remedies. Also, we will be telling ANYONE who is sick and out to just GO HOME! People are just not aware that they may be harming someone else by being out while sick. I understand that some people may not have a choice and that they may have to work but I am sure something could be done.
Anyhow, it has been a tough 4 weeks because so many people around my town are sick and do not have enough common sense to just stay home or keep their kids home. Our 4 yr old has been sick for the 3rd time now in 4 weeks and thus has given it to her Dad. I have managed to stay healthy...until now. I am getting over a cold that I just got the other day but I am happy to report that I am feeling better. Yet because of this cold I have been sleeping in a different room than Mike and that is not ideal. We have decided to keep our little one out of day care since we are so close to leaving on holidays and we just don't want to risk her getting something else to share with us. Could you please pray for us? Pray for health and safe travels. We leave really soon and we are very excited to be going. Also pray for this new baby growing. We were able to hear the heartbeat and the doctor was able to get a reading of 147 beats and she said it was a nice strong healthy heartbeat. For this I am thankful. God is good.
Since I don't think I will get to post anything until I get home, have a wonderful summer and remember...if you are sick...STAY HOME! :)
Friday, July 15, 2011
Getting Close
Hello Blogger Family,
I just wanted to drop in and say how excited I am that my holiday time is so close. It has been really busy around here lately with the flooding and everything else ministry related. I am looking forward to hitting the road with my family. It should be a good time. I have to admit that it is really hard to get into the office when our summer so far here has been so gorgeous! We have had so many hot and sunny days that sitting in an office is torture! However, there is so much to do before we go that we have to be at the office preparing for our departure. We leave pretty soon yet the list of tasks that needs completed before we leave seems super long. We are just taking it one day at a time. Today's work day was pretty good. We went to the larger city from here which is only about 1hr away and we shopped for new shelves for our food bank. We had lunch in the city and came home in time to pick up our daughter from daycare. That was a fun work day. When we got home my 4 yr old helped me make a yummy lasagna full of veggies and some ground turkey. It was really good. This reminds me of a funny I want to leave you with:
At the supper table our daughter was telling us all about her day at daycare. She told me that at quiet time she went to lay down but a boy named Devon tried to steal her mat. She said he didn't like her because when he was laying down he "gave her a dirty face." I couldn't help but smile...Even now I am smiling. He didn't give her a dirty look he gave her a dirty face! How DARE he?!? LOL! Too cute. Also she informed us after supper that she is "literally too big for the small potty at daycare because when she sat down on it her bum hit the water!" Kids have a way of really making you smile. Where did she get the word literally from??? Hmmmm, I am pretty sure I say it....a lot. I am literally going to have to watch what I say...Opps. Anyhow, Just thought I would let you know that our holidays are close and maybe we will get to see some of you on our travels??...Maybe I can experience a little "Hospitality Haven" along the way?...That would be nice. **Wink** Have a good summer.
I just wanted to drop in and say how excited I am that my holiday time is so close. It has been really busy around here lately with the flooding and everything else ministry related. I am looking forward to hitting the road with my family. It should be a good time. I have to admit that it is really hard to get into the office when our summer so far here has been so gorgeous! We have had so many hot and sunny days that sitting in an office is torture! However, there is so much to do before we go that we have to be at the office preparing for our departure. We leave pretty soon yet the list of tasks that needs completed before we leave seems super long. We are just taking it one day at a time. Today's work day was pretty good. We went to the larger city from here which is only about 1hr away and we shopped for new shelves for our food bank. We had lunch in the city and came home in time to pick up our daughter from daycare. That was a fun work day. When we got home my 4 yr old helped me make a yummy lasagna full of veggies and some ground turkey. It was really good. This reminds me of a funny I want to leave you with:
At the supper table our daughter was telling us all about her day at daycare. She told me that at quiet time she went to lay down but a boy named Devon tried to steal her mat. She said he didn't like her because when he was laying down he "gave her a dirty face." I couldn't help but smile...Even now I am smiling. He didn't give her a dirty look he gave her a dirty face! How DARE he?!? LOL! Too cute. Also she informed us after supper that she is "literally too big for the small potty at daycare because when she sat down on it her bum hit the water!" Kids have a way of really making you smile. Where did she get the word literally from??? Hmmmm, I am pretty sure I say it....a lot. I am literally going to have to watch what I say...Opps. Anyhow, Just thought I would let you know that our holidays are close and maybe we will get to see some of you on our travels??...Maybe I can experience a little "Hospitality Haven" along the way?...That would be nice. **Wink** Have a good summer.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Silly Hormones!!
So here is something funny that happened to me today. My dear husband took our little dog in to the vet today for a free check up before she gets fixed tomorrow morning. A little later in the day when we had some free time he told me about her check up and about the upcoming procedure. After he was done telling me the information he said in passing "Oh and I signed a form saying that if they get in there and discover that she is pregnant to just continue the procedure." Well THAT did NOT go over well with me! I immediately said something to the effect of "No WAY would I EVER let that happen!" and I burst out into tears. Poor hubby had no clue what he was in for. I sobbed for a good 20 mins explaining that abortion is abortion and it doesn't matter if she is a dog or not. Life is life and life is not ours to take away. Then I went on crying thinking about our poor puppy and how she could have lost her babies if that had happened without me knowing. I was all concerned about her feelings.
Anyhow after my little rant my patient and loving hubby told me that he understood how I could feel this way being pregnant myself and always concerned about the health of our little baby who is God willing growing strong and healthy. Well he has now told me he will make sure to change the paperwork at the vet tomorrow. So if my dog is pregnant they will hold off on the surgery until after she has her puppies. I mean it is very unlikely that she is pregnant but I couldn't bare the thought of a puppy abortion.
The funny part is that those silly hormones made me BAWL...I mean the ugly cry kind...snot everywhere and when I was done I had puffy eyes. I am just glad we were at home and not at the office when that happened! WHEW! I am thinking that if my hormones wern't so out of whack I could have just calmly told him my wishes. As it happened I was a wreck...Silly, SILLY hormones...I won't miss you!
Anyhow after my little rant my patient and loving hubby told me that he understood how I could feel this way being pregnant myself and always concerned about the health of our little baby who is God willing growing strong and healthy. Well he has now told me he will make sure to change the paperwork at the vet tomorrow. So if my dog is pregnant they will hold off on the surgery until after she has her puppies. I mean it is very unlikely that she is pregnant but I couldn't bare the thought of a puppy abortion.
The funny part is that those silly hormones made me BAWL...I mean the ugly cry kind...snot everywhere and when I was done I had puffy eyes. I am just glad we were at home and not at the office when that happened! WHEW! I am thinking that if my hormones wern't so out of whack I could have just calmly told him my wishes. As it happened I was a wreck...Silly, SILLY hormones...I won't miss you!
Friday, July 8, 2011
A Chest Full of Pride...In a Good Way of Course!
I am a true Mother. For the last week my 4 yr old (who will be 5 next month) has been taking swimming lessons and I could not be any prouder. She is done as of today and here is what makes me a true Mother...I could NOT sleep last night wondering if she passed this level. I tossed and turned concerned that she didn't have the skills to pass into the next level to become a crocodile. I didn't think she was ready to be in the sunfish level but as I watched her I could not believe my eyes. She was doing fantastic! However I lost sleep concerned that she would not "win the level" as we called it. I wasn't quite sure she had mastered the skills to her teachers liking. I was most concerned about how she would take the news of not making it to the next level and having to repeat the sunfish level. Too funny, when I woke up dead tired to get her ready for her final class, I asked her if she would be sad if she had to do sunfish over again and she immediately answered with an upbeat "No!". She thought I was silly to even ask that. Apparently to her it doesn't matter what level she is in as long as she gets to swim! LOL! I lost sleep for nothing. Oooo if only we could go back to the days where our biggest worry was whether or not we could do a back float for 5 seconds or not!
Ok, so I lost sleep worrying about what? Nothing apparently. The Bible once again is true when it says in Matthew AND Luke: "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" The answer is no. All it did for me was make me have a horrible sleep.
I do want to tell you why my chest is full of pride as I look back at the week. My kiddo was the youngest and smallest in her class and some of the things they had her doing was crazy! I watched as my 4 year old jumped into the deep end of the pool (no life jacket) make her way to the top of the water and tread water for 5 seconds! I watched as she did back floats, front floats, front and back glides, swim for 5 meters, do a side glide and other skills that seemed too advanced for her. Granted she needs to work on the back floats and glides still but I was UBER impressed! I could not believe what a great little swimmer I have. I watched as she dove under the water to find "treasures" we would just call them rings...She really enjoys to swim under the water.
Then came today...After a sleepless night, today is when I would find out if she advanced to the next level. It seems as if I was the only one concerned about this. Her Dad didn't seem to be bothered by it and I must say I was relieved and could breathe easily when my kiddo announced that it wouldn't bother her if she had to repeat the level. I don't like to see my kid disappointed. What parent does really? So the moment of truth the class was taken to the sauna and given their report cards...She came out later with her card and I couldn't wait to take a peek. But her teacher was there and he stopped to chat with us and told us (Dad was there too) that she needed to work on her back float and glides (this we already knew) so I was thinking "ahhh he is telling us why she didn't pass" so with a hint of disappointment (from me) I turned to her report card and glanced down to where it says "Please register in _______________" and I saw the word crocodile!!! Which of course is the next level!!! I was so excited for her. The teacher told us that she has all the skills to advance to crocodile he just wants her to practice her back floats/glides. I was so happy for her. Yet, that was not the biggest reason for my chest full of pride. It wasn't even because of all the skills my kiddo learned. My chest was full of pride because even though I lost sleep wondering how she would feel if she didn't advance; she did NOT! It didn't matter to her. We don't like using the word failing or failure in our house. My husband was taught growing up to reward effort and that is what we do in our house. We told our girl before today that it didn't matter if she won the level or not, we were proud of her because she gave it all she had. It just so happens that I have a crocodile in my house now...Not a sunfish! :D
Ok, so I lost sleep worrying about what? Nothing apparently. The Bible once again is true when it says in Matthew AND Luke: "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" The answer is no. All it did for me was make me have a horrible sleep.
I do want to tell you why my chest is full of pride as I look back at the week. My kiddo was the youngest and smallest in her class and some of the things they had her doing was crazy! I watched as my 4 year old jumped into the deep end of the pool (no life jacket) make her way to the top of the water and tread water for 5 seconds! I watched as she did back floats, front floats, front and back glides, swim for 5 meters, do a side glide and other skills that seemed too advanced for her. Granted she needs to work on the back floats and glides still but I was UBER impressed! I could not believe what a great little swimmer I have. I watched as she dove under the water to find "treasures" we would just call them rings...She really enjoys to swim under the water.
Then came today...After a sleepless night, today is when I would find out if she advanced to the next level. It seems as if I was the only one concerned about this. Her Dad didn't seem to be bothered by it and I must say I was relieved and could breathe easily when my kiddo announced that it wouldn't bother her if she had to repeat the level. I don't like to see my kid disappointed. What parent does really? So the moment of truth the class was taken to the sauna and given their report cards...She came out later with her card and I couldn't wait to take a peek. But her teacher was there and he stopped to chat with us and told us (Dad was there too) that she needed to work on her back float and glides (this we already knew) so I was thinking "ahhh he is telling us why she didn't pass" so with a hint of disappointment (from me) I turned to her report card and glanced down to where it says "Please register in _______________" and I saw the word crocodile!!! Which of course is the next level!!! I was so excited for her. The teacher told us that she has all the skills to advance to crocodile he just wants her to practice her back floats/glides. I was so happy for her. Yet, that was not the biggest reason for my chest full of pride. It wasn't even because of all the skills my kiddo learned. My chest was full of pride because even though I lost sleep wondering how she would feel if she didn't advance; she did NOT! It didn't matter to her. We don't like using the word failing or failure in our house. My husband was taught growing up to reward effort and that is what we do in our house. We told our girl before today that it didn't matter if she won the level or not, we were proud of her because she gave it all she had. It just so happens that I have a crocodile in my house now...Not a sunfish! :D
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Tiny Update
Hello. I know I have been absent lately. Please forgive me. Between the flood here and numerous other happenings, I have not had a chance to even think about much.
Here is a bit of what has been happening for us:
-Flood recovery. Been helping numerous people cope with the significant loss that was experienced. Our church needs serious help too. That is tiring.
-Finished my 1st Trimester. All is going well...I think. Been too tired to tune into my own body. :( That will change soon I am sure.
-Went to Toronto for a great conference. Went to the CN Tower...Discovered my 4 yr old is FEARLESS! She walked on the glass floor with NO problems. I on the other hand am a CHICKEN! She had to pull me across the floor while I stared straight ahead. I did it tho! :) We also went to Ontario Place...A fun place with rides, water park, games, side stages...Good times.
My family is sick. 4 yr old has a throat infection and the hubby is no better. Thank God I am ok...Who would keep the family together? Well that is what is happening here. Take care. Will post more when I have time...I promise. Have a great summer.
Here is a bit of what has been happening for us:
-Flood recovery. Been helping numerous people cope with the significant loss that was experienced. Our church needs serious help too. That is tiring.
-Finished my 1st Trimester. All is going well...I think. Been too tired to tune into my own body. :( That will change soon I am sure.
-Went to Toronto for a great conference. Went to the CN Tower...Discovered my 4 yr old is FEARLESS! She walked on the glass floor with NO problems. I on the other hand am a CHICKEN! She had to pull me across the floor while I stared straight ahead. I did it tho! :) We also went to Ontario Place...A fun place with rides, water park, games, side stages...Good times.
My family is sick. 4 yr old has a throat infection and the hubby is no better. Thank God I am ok...Who would keep the family together? Well that is what is happening here. Take care. Will post more when I have time...I promise. Have a great summer.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
In A State....
I am briefly writing to ask for your prayers. Our city has declared a state of emergency due to a high volume of rain waters. There is also a boil water advisory. Our house is ok so far but our church is not so great. Sewers have been backing up in numerous basements. My hubby has been at the church for going on 18 straight hours. He was up all night fighting the waters back from our Food Bank. We need your prayers for our city and us. Thank you.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Looking Forward...
Here are a few things I am looking forward to:
1) Summer Holidays! We have been so busy here with work that my family and I need to have a break together. We really need to reconnect somewhere other then here. So I am looking forward to leaving work behind! Don't get me wrong I feel completely blessed to do what I do...But I need a break. I intend on getting away for real. Here is what some of our holidays will entail: Heading to our hometown for a night to see my bros, then heading to Edmonton to see more family AND to officiate a vow renewal. My in-laws are celebrating their 40th Anniversary so we are having a family get together to honor them and WE (hubby and I) get to do the ceremony. That will be a highlight. Then off we go to BC to spend some time with some more family. We are also hoping to get to Tofino where some really good friends of ours run "Chocolate Tofino" pretty self explanitory...I am Really looking forward to that.
Before holidays here is what I look forward to:
1) Swimming lessons for the kiddo! You may wonder why I am looking forward to it. Well let me explain. Where we live it literally is a labour of love to get your kid into swimming lessons. Last year I stood in line for 2.5 hrs to get her into lessons and after that long it was announced that her particular class was full! GRRRR! So this year I was prepared. I cleared my schedule and I arrived at the pool 2 hrs before registration time. I was the second in line! That's right...There was another Mom who got there 1/2 hr before I did. So we sat for 2 hours but the good news is she got into swimming lessons this year!! That is going to be fun to watch. Don't even get me started on the process of how they register kids...I have thought of at least 5 different ways they can do it differently but what do I know really? I am sure they have thought of them too but can't make it work? Not sure...All I know is I WON!
2) Church Family Beach Day. Yep...Betcha' you wish you were here for it! We are planning a church family get together where we are going to spend the whole day at a beach just hanging out with each other. Our church family is great.
3) Time away in Toronto. My whole family and I are heading there for a conference. It will be great to see some good friends and just be together for that time. It will be busy but great.
I am sure I am missing some things we are doing before we go.
As a side thought...It seems as if time goes so quickly. When we get back from our holidays, our fall programs will be starting up, our kid will be starting kindergarten, we will be preparing for Christmas (I am not nutts...In The Salvation Army, well...where I am anyways I have to start planning for Chirstmas in September) next thing I know Christmas will be done, a new year will begin and God willing we will welcome an addition to the family. Life goes so fast. So this summer take some time to slow down and enjoy every moment you can with your family. Here is a quote I will leave you with I pray you remember this and enjoy the summer:
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
— Maya Angelou
1) Summer Holidays! We have been so busy here with work that my family and I need to have a break together. We really need to reconnect somewhere other then here. So I am looking forward to leaving work behind! Don't get me wrong I feel completely blessed to do what I do...But I need a break. I intend on getting away for real. Here is what some of our holidays will entail: Heading to our hometown for a night to see my bros, then heading to Edmonton to see more family AND to officiate a vow renewal. My in-laws are celebrating their 40th Anniversary so we are having a family get together to honor them and WE (hubby and I) get to do the ceremony. That will be a highlight. Then off we go to BC to spend some time with some more family. We are also hoping to get to Tofino where some really good friends of ours run "Chocolate Tofino" pretty self explanitory...I am Really looking forward to that.
Before holidays here is what I look forward to:
1) Swimming lessons for the kiddo! You may wonder why I am looking forward to it. Well let me explain. Where we live it literally is a labour of love to get your kid into swimming lessons. Last year I stood in line for 2.5 hrs to get her into lessons and after that long it was announced that her particular class was full! GRRRR! So this year I was prepared. I cleared my schedule and I arrived at the pool 2 hrs before registration time. I was the second in line! That's right...There was another Mom who got there 1/2 hr before I did. So we sat for 2 hours but the good news is she got into swimming lessons this year!! That is going to be fun to watch. Don't even get me started on the process of how they register kids...I have thought of at least 5 different ways they can do it differently but what do I know really? I am sure they have thought of them too but can't make it work? Not sure...All I know is I WON!
2) Church Family Beach Day. Yep...Betcha' you wish you were here for it! We are planning a church family get together where we are going to spend the whole day at a beach just hanging out with each other. Our church family is great.
3) Time away in Toronto. My whole family and I are heading there for a conference. It will be great to see some good friends and just be together for that time. It will be busy but great.
I am sure I am missing some things we are doing before we go.
As a side thought...It seems as if time goes so quickly. When we get back from our holidays, our fall programs will be starting up, our kid will be starting kindergarten, we will be preparing for Christmas (I am not nutts...In The Salvation Army, well...where I am anyways I have to start planning for Chirstmas in September) next thing I know Christmas will be done, a new year will begin and God willing we will welcome an addition to the family. Life goes so fast. So this summer take some time to slow down and enjoy every moment you can with your family. Here is a quote I will leave you with I pray you remember this and enjoy the summer:
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
— Maya Angelou
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Little Funny Goes a LONG Way!
In a world that is so full of sadness, disappointment and pain don't you think that we all need a little funny in our lives? I do. I am blessed to have such a wonderful 4 1/2 year old child who truly is my funny bone and not the kind that hurts! Right now in the heavy mood that I am in, I really want to share some of the funny that she brings into my life...You may have heard some of these before but just in case you haven't here they are! Enjoy.
When she was 3 & 4:
(Dancing around in the living room pretending to teach a class)
Me: "What kind of dance do you teach?"
Kiddo: "Roll over, ballet and wiggle"
Me: "What time is your next class?
Kiddo: "6-0-4-8…I better be on time!" (Talking about me)
(She was not in the best mood at this point. We were in the car going home from somewhere) Kiddo: "Mom don't look at me, I'm lazy!" (She meant cranky).
Some of her funny sentences/word mistakes...
Kiddo: "Mommy, I have a headache in my stomach."
"I'm boring!" This one STILL makes me laugh.
"Can somebody help me a hand?"
After hurting her baby finger…in a whiny voice…"But that is my favorite finger of all, it is soooo small."
Talking about wanting a kitten or a puppy…"When I grow up I would really like a kittlette AND a puplette."
About the shrimp in her pasta: "I only like rotten shrimp" (She uses rotten for raw!)
Kiddo singing loudly in the car with her headphones on: "You are the ever lusty God…the ever lusty God (a pause)...What's lusty mean?" (This is when we quickly told her that the correct wording in the song is ever LASTING God...)HA HA HA!!
Running into the house after looking at our tulips in the front yard: "MOM!!! The Daisies are QUILTING!!" (Too cute.)
Our Kiddo and Mike (husband) were talking about the movie Mission Impossible and our kiddo told her Dad about a show she watched on TV and there are "Special Asians" on there too! She meant special agents!
Me: "Kiddo you are Wacky!!"
Kiddo: "Thanks!"
Kiddo was helping me cook in the kitchen (Pushing a chair to help me in the kitchen)Kiddo: "Whew!! This is difficult!!"..."What's difficults mean?"
Now before I share the most recent funny...You need to hear some exciting news of ours...We are expecting a baby! :) So here is the funny...
Once our kiddo found out she was going to be a big sister we started talking about hormones so she would understand why I am happy one second and crying the next...Well at the risk of being embarrassed, I had some gas and something slipped out and she says: "Oh Mom, don't worry, it’s just your hormones!"
Well...Hopefully this has helped lift your mood a little bit! I know it has lifted mine. Remember that God will always provide a way for us to smile even when times are tough!
When she was 3 & 4:
(Dancing around in the living room pretending to teach a class)
Me: "What kind of dance do you teach?"
Kiddo: "Roll over, ballet and wiggle"
Me: "What time is your next class?
Kiddo: "6-0-4-8…I better be on time!" (Talking about me)
(She was not in the best mood at this point. We were in the car going home from somewhere) Kiddo: "Mom don't look at me, I'm lazy!" (She meant cranky).
Some of her funny sentences/word mistakes...
Kiddo: "Mommy, I have a headache in my stomach."
"I'm boring!" This one STILL makes me laugh.
"Can somebody help me a hand?"
After hurting her baby finger…in a whiny voice…"But that is my favorite finger of all, it is soooo small."
Talking about wanting a kitten or a puppy…"When I grow up I would really like a kittlette AND a puplette."
About the shrimp in her pasta: "I only like rotten shrimp" (She uses rotten for raw!)
Kiddo singing loudly in the car with her headphones on: "You are the ever lusty God…the ever lusty God (a pause)...What's lusty mean?" (This is when we quickly told her that the correct wording in the song is ever LASTING God...)HA HA HA!!
Running into the house after looking at our tulips in the front yard: "MOM!!! The Daisies are QUILTING!!" (Too cute.)
Our Kiddo and Mike (husband) were talking about the movie Mission Impossible and our kiddo told her Dad about a show she watched on TV and there are "Special Asians" on there too! She meant special agents!
Me: "Kiddo you are Wacky!!"
Kiddo: "Thanks!"
Kiddo was helping me cook in the kitchen (Pushing a chair to help me in the kitchen)Kiddo: "Whew!! This is difficult!!"..."What's difficults mean?"
Now before I share the most recent funny...You need to hear some exciting news of ours...We are expecting a baby! :) So here is the funny...
Once our kiddo found out she was going to be a big sister we started talking about hormones so she would understand why I am happy one second and crying the next...Well at the risk of being embarrassed, I had some gas and something slipped out and she says: "Oh Mom, don't worry, it’s just your hormones!"
Well...Hopefully this has helped lift your mood a little bit! I know it has lifted mine. Remember that God will always provide a way for us to smile even when times are tough!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Far From Friends
Tonight I started to think about those friends I had way back in the day that sadly I have lost contact with. There are friends from junior & senior high school, college days, youth group days and some childhood friends that I really miss. I think of them often and wonder how we allowed ourselves to drift so far from contact.
I had a chat with one of these friends just the other night and I was able to catch up on her life. It felt so good to chat with her. She is one of those friends that you can not speak to for months on end yet it seems that God places us together just at the right time. When we reunite it is as if we had just spoken to one another just the other day. It is a neat feeling and I sure appreciate her friendship. Her name is Shauna. I am not sure if she reads my little blog but if you do...I want you to know how much I love you. We have seen each other through some tough times and I am so glad that God has brought you into my life. Let's try better to keep in touch. Coffee phone date? Maybe I can learn how to make your fabulous cake and you make one too and we can eat it "together". I don't care what we do...Let's just connect OK?
How about you dear friends? Is there someone in your life that you feel far from? If so, make a point to connect in some form. Let's try and not be so far from our friends. Take care.
I had a chat with one of these friends just the other night and I was able to catch up on her life. It felt so good to chat with her. She is one of those friends that you can not speak to for months on end yet it seems that God places us together just at the right time. When we reunite it is as if we had just spoken to one another just the other day. It is a neat feeling and I sure appreciate her friendship. Her name is Shauna. I am not sure if she reads my little blog but if you do...I want you to know how much I love you. We have seen each other through some tough times and I am so glad that God has brought you into my life. Let's try better to keep in touch. Coffee phone date? Maybe I can learn how to make your fabulous cake and you make one too and we can eat it "together". I don't care what we do...Let's just connect OK?
How about you dear friends? Is there someone in your life that you feel far from? If so, make a point to connect in some form. Let's try and not be so far from our friends. Take care.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Happy Bestie Day
Hello Friends,
Well I am sure that all of us are aware of what tomorrow is. It is Mother's Day. You may question why I have titled my post the way I did...I will explain here.
First I want to say that I am not opposed to Mother's Day. You are 100% entitled to celebrate your Mother, you Grandmother, your Step Mom or celebrate because you are a Mother. I have no problems with that at all. Good Mothers deserve to be honored. In fact I too will be celebrating and I too will be celebrated because I have and am a Mother. Yet this day also brings some sadness to my heart as I think about my bestie. I love her with so much of myself that I hurt with and for her because her dream is to be a Mom and she has yet to celebrate a Mother's Day as a Mother. She has dreamed of being pregnant and of being a Mom for so many years. It just has not happened for her yet. My heart hurts for her with each passing year and even though I will celebrate tomorrow I will also be praying for her. Her and her husband (my other bestie) want a child so badly and they would be amazing parents. About 1/2 a year ago they had a little boy that they were allowed to call their own through adoption. Then suddenly the adoption was put to a stop. We cried together. When she got her period after thinking she could be pregnant, I cried for her. Her and her hubby suffer with millions of others with infertility. I question often like I am sure some of you do, why 15 year olds can get pregnant so easily and not want the child but my bestie who would be the best Mommy cannot get pregnant naturally. Some would say it is God's timing or that they need to learn something and my favorite as to why they have no children yet: God can use this in their ministry. That part is true I am sure but the truth is it doesn't make it any easier. The fact remains that this is another Mother's Day where once again her arms are empty and I can't help but think of her. So where I will be celebrating my own Mom and I will be celebrated as a Mom I am ever mindful of those who ache on Mother's Day for various reasons: infertility, a poor relationship with their own Mother, death of a Mother...the list can go on. I will be praying. I am also aware of how much I love my bestie and I will be celebrating her through prayer tomorrow. After all, she is a strong woman of God who I believe deserves to be celebrated!! So as you celebrate tomorrow, would you please celebrate my bestie and pray for her?
You my dear Bestie are an example of love. I appreciate you and feel honored that God has put you in my life. We will continue this journey together, the sorrows and the joys. Tomorrow, I will be celebrating you!!! Happy Bestie Day!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tons to Celebrate
SO this last while has been so busy that I feel I have neglected you my faithful readers. Easter was fantastic. How was yours?
We had some special guests with us during Easter. We had cadets (college students who are training to become pastors within The Salvation Army) While with us they were able to help us out in different ways. They also were able to observe our annual church review which went well I think. They did some visitation, a TV interview, the church review, colored eggs with my daughter and we had an Easter egg hunt! They also preached, lead Sunday school and helped us with our first ever outreach Easter breakfast. It was wonderful. We had over 60 people come out to the breakfast and 51 of them stayed for the church service. To me that is a success because that is 51 more people who were able to hear the message of God!! Our breakfast was yummy. My church family pitched in and the breakfast consisted of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, homemade muffins and fruit. Of course there was coffee and orange juice. It was a good time.
We had a good time with the cadets and this Friday is a big day for those of us in The Salvation Army...That is the day that moves come out. So for three of these cadets they will be receiving their first appointments and one will get their summer appointment. By the way, training is 22 (intense) months. So I am excited to hear where my friends will be going.
Now, a cute "funny" from my kiddo...Today while driving in the car I asked her if she likes living in the city we are in and she says "Yes." "But Mommy, is (name of city) a city?" I told her that yes, it is but a very small city. Anyhow, we were on the topic of moving someday and she said "I would like to move one day to a different place...(a bit of a pause)...I think we will move to Africa one day." I really didn't know what to say...Does my four and a half yr old know something I don't? Hmmmmm. I asked her why she thought Africa and she didn't really know. It wasn't because she wants to go there, she said she just thought of it. So if one day we are in Africa, we will know that my kiddo called that one! :)
Well, that is all I have for you now....I would love to hear how your Easter was.
We had some special guests with us during Easter. We had cadets (college students who are training to become pastors within The Salvation Army) While with us they were able to help us out in different ways. They also were able to observe our annual church review which went well I think. They did some visitation, a TV interview, the church review, colored eggs with my daughter and we had an Easter egg hunt! They also preached, lead Sunday school and helped us with our first ever outreach Easter breakfast. It was wonderful. We had over 60 people come out to the breakfast and 51 of them stayed for the church service. To me that is a success because that is 51 more people who were able to hear the message of God!! Our breakfast was yummy. My church family pitched in and the breakfast consisted of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, homemade muffins and fruit. Of course there was coffee and orange juice. It was a good time.
We had a good time with the cadets and this Friday is a big day for those of us in The Salvation Army...That is the day that moves come out. So for three of these cadets they will be receiving their first appointments and one will get their summer appointment. By the way, training is 22 (intense) months. So I am excited to hear where my friends will be going.
Now, a cute "funny" from my kiddo...Today while driving in the car I asked her if she likes living in the city we are in and she says "Yes." "But Mommy, is (name of city) a city?" I told her that yes, it is but a very small city. Anyhow, we were on the topic of moving someday and she said "I would like to move one day to a different place...(a bit of a pause)...I think we will move to Africa one day." I really didn't know what to say...Does my four and a half yr old know something I don't? Hmmmmm. I asked her why she thought Africa and she didn't really know. It wasn't because she wants to go there, she said she just thought of it. So if one day we are in Africa, we will know that my kiddo called that one! :)
Well, that is all I have for you now....I would love to hear how your Easter was.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Back to Life as I Know It
Hello...
So I do have some catching up to do when it comes to letting you know what I have been up too. On March 18th my hubby and I had to leave our sweet 4 1/2 yr old behind and fly two provinces away for a mandatory conference/course that kept us away for two weeks. Was it hard leaving our girl behind? You may ask...For me ABSOLUTELY!!! For her...Ummmmm Not so much! I managed to get her on the phone only once while I was away. I heard her in the background chatting and playing but once asked if she wanted to talk to me I would hear her reply, "Nope, that's ok, I'm busy." and off she would skip to play again. I guess I was glad she was content but it would have been nice to hear from her more. You may be wondering who we left her with for so long. Well, all I can tell you is that they were the PERFECT people. She is our little ones daycare director (so our girl was in her same routine of going to daycare everyday) and her husband is a city police officer. The couple also has a teenage boy who I trust. So that part made it really easy for me to go. When I got home, the lady I left her with told me that she has never in her life met such a secure child. I felt proud but I know it is only by the grace of God that our girl is the way she is.
The first week away was enriching! We were able to fellowship with our friends and peers who we went to school with. It was wonderful. The weekend we had a break so we traveled to some college mates hometown and had a wonderful weekend there! The second week we did an intensive course on the book of Genesis. Again this was so great! Have you ever really read the book of Genesis? What I will say about it is this...If it was a movie it certainly would NOT be G rated!! Not even PG! There is so much sex and violence in the first book of the Bible that if they were made into movies, I may not watch them! Shocking material. The point I learned the most out of this course is the fact that people are people are people...Meaning, people are the same today as they were in Bible days. We need a Savior just as much today as they did in Genesis. Here is a challenge for you...If you are looking for scandals, deceit, sex, violence etc...(I don't know why you would be but if you watch it on TV already...)put away the trashy romance novels or quit watching TV and read the Bible! Genesis to be exact. Might I suggest chapter 38? Read it and go see what I mean. By today's standards, that chapter would make a good movie. Or chapter 34 which entails some sexual violence and the revenge of it. Or chapter 27 which features family betrayal when the younger brother deceives his father by tricking him into giving him a blessing that in those days, belonged to the firstborn. OHHHH the drama! Yet the message is all the same. I believe that sin is born out of selfishness. All people need redemption. Genesis although filled with horrible scenarios of selfishness tells us that we need saving. We need redemption and a Savior. Do you know Jesus? He is THE Savior. If you want to know more about Him, just let me know...I will tell you.
The Bible can make a person question many different things. A big question I get is "How can you believe in God, when so many bad things happen?" or "How can someone have faith when God let's them down?" Take for instance a person who has lost a spouse or a child. They may question why it happened, which is normal. My answer would be to use the example of an earthly parent who walks hand in hand with their child. Just because the parent walks with them, doesn't mean they won't fall down and scrape their knee. It does mean that the parent is there to pick the child up, hug them, help the hurt if they can and unconditionally love them. Did the parent want the child to fall? Absolutely not. Does God want bad things to happen to us? Absolutely not. God does promise to be with us and love us unconditionally no matter what our circumstances are. He does not cause bad circumstances but He does walk with us through them if we let Him. Well, I do have so much more to tell you but I fear this has gone on long enough and you may be bored of reading...I will write more at another time. Remember, if you want to know more about God, just ask.
Please forgive the errors of spelling and grammar. God Bless and keep you all in His hand.
So I do have some catching up to do when it comes to letting you know what I have been up too. On March 18th my hubby and I had to leave our sweet 4 1/2 yr old behind and fly two provinces away for a mandatory conference/course that kept us away for two weeks. Was it hard leaving our girl behind? You may ask...For me ABSOLUTELY!!! For her...Ummmmm Not so much! I managed to get her on the phone only once while I was away. I heard her in the background chatting and playing but once asked if she wanted to talk to me I would hear her reply, "Nope, that's ok, I'm busy." and off she would skip to play again. I guess I was glad she was content but it would have been nice to hear from her more. You may be wondering who we left her with for so long. Well, all I can tell you is that they were the PERFECT people. She is our little ones daycare director (so our girl was in her same routine of going to daycare everyday) and her husband is a city police officer. The couple also has a teenage boy who I trust. So that part made it really easy for me to go. When I got home, the lady I left her with told me that she has never in her life met such a secure child. I felt proud but I know it is only by the grace of God that our girl is the way she is.
The first week away was enriching! We were able to fellowship with our friends and peers who we went to school with. It was wonderful. The weekend we had a break so we traveled to some college mates hometown and had a wonderful weekend there! The second week we did an intensive course on the book of Genesis. Again this was so great! Have you ever really read the book of Genesis? What I will say about it is this...If it was a movie it certainly would NOT be G rated!! Not even PG! There is so much sex and violence in the first book of the Bible that if they were made into movies, I may not watch them! Shocking material. The point I learned the most out of this course is the fact that people are people are people...Meaning, people are the same today as they were in Bible days. We need a Savior just as much today as they did in Genesis. Here is a challenge for you...If you are looking for scandals, deceit, sex, violence etc...(I don't know why you would be but if you watch it on TV already...)put away the trashy romance novels or quit watching TV and read the Bible! Genesis to be exact. Might I suggest chapter 38? Read it and go see what I mean. By today's standards, that chapter would make a good movie. Or chapter 34 which entails some sexual violence and the revenge of it. Or chapter 27 which features family betrayal when the younger brother deceives his father by tricking him into giving him a blessing that in those days, belonged to the firstborn. OHHHH the drama! Yet the message is all the same. I believe that sin is born out of selfishness. All people need redemption. Genesis although filled with horrible scenarios of selfishness tells us that we need saving. We need redemption and a Savior. Do you know Jesus? He is THE Savior. If you want to know more about Him, just let me know...I will tell you.
The Bible can make a person question many different things. A big question I get is "How can you believe in God, when so many bad things happen?" or "How can someone have faith when God let's them down?" Take for instance a person who has lost a spouse or a child. They may question why it happened, which is normal. My answer would be to use the example of an earthly parent who walks hand in hand with their child. Just because the parent walks with them, doesn't mean they won't fall down and scrape their knee. It does mean that the parent is there to pick the child up, hug them, help the hurt if they can and unconditionally love them. Did the parent want the child to fall? Absolutely not. Does God want bad things to happen to us? Absolutely not. God does promise to be with us and love us unconditionally no matter what our circumstances are. He does not cause bad circumstances but He does walk with us through them if we let Him. Well, I do have so much more to tell you but I fear this has gone on long enough and you may be bored of reading...I will write more at another time. Remember, if you want to know more about God, just ask.
Please forgive the errors of spelling and grammar. God Bless and keep you all in His hand.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Back In Action
Hello...
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have just been MIA for the last couple of weeks as I was a couple of provinces away. So just hang tight because I lots to tell you but I also have a few really busy weeks coming up. After some of the busy work is done I will report in. I am still here tho! :) Take care my friends.
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have just been MIA for the last couple of weeks as I was a couple of provinces away. So just hang tight because I lots to tell you but I also have a few really busy weeks coming up. After some of the busy work is done I will report in. I am still here tho! :) Take care my friends.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Growing Pains
Just the other day I did something that was painful. Not the kind of pain where you stub your toe or bang your head...None the less, it was painful. Just the other day, I registered my baby for kindergarten!! My life is changing...Never mind HER life.
My kid is growing up yet I am the one with the growing pains.
I have experienced growing pains. Here is how:
First, the moment I took that test that told me I was pregnant, I became a mother. I was no longer just a wife, at that moment I was responsible for another life. Let the growing pains begin.
Second, as my belly expanded as God knit my daughter together in my womb, I experienced the pains and joys of pregnancy and giving birth. Growing pains.
Through all the wonderful events such as breastfeeding, potty training, sickness, dance recitals, swimming lessons and many others...I have experienced growing pains. As I watched my baby grow into a wonderful little girl I experienced growing pains. It is hard for me to watch my only child grow up. I have changed to meet her needs. I became a mother. A Mom who hugs her, teaches her to read, wipes her nose and wipes her tears. It seems as if I can physically see her growing...I mean I know I can't really, but it seems as if I can and as she is growing...I feel the pains.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I registered my daughter for kindergarten the other day. Now, I could have called and registered her that way but nope, not me. I had to go down to the school and see it, ask all the right questions and meet her new teacher. Turns out that I know her teacher. That is a relief. It makes the pain of letting her go to school a little easier. So as we cross this new bridge, I feel the growing pains. I am now entering a new phase in my daughters life. It is not just a new phase in her life, it is a new one for us as parents. The phase of school days. **Sigh** I know it is only kindergarten but once she starts that, there is no going back. Next thing I know, she will be coming home with huge papers to write, clubs to be involved with, hard decisions to make such as to drink or not to drink, dating, sex, drugs, parties, sleepovers, driving....AHHHHHH!!! There is no stopping this! IIIII have growing pains. As she grows I have to as well. I need to have the knowledge and wisdom to answer some potentially difficult questions.
The only peace I have, is in knowing that we are raising a girl who loves God. We are trying our best to train up our child in the way she should go...just as the Bible tells us too. Our prayer is that she will not part from these ways.
So, my little girl is growing up and I have the growing pains. I am thankful for each stage of her life because it means that I grow as well. I pray that God keeps us all close to Him and close to each other as we take this next journey.
My kid is growing up yet I am the one with the growing pains.
I have experienced growing pains. Here is how:
First, the moment I took that test that told me I was pregnant, I became a mother. I was no longer just a wife, at that moment I was responsible for another life. Let the growing pains begin.
Second, as my belly expanded as God knit my daughter together in my womb, I experienced the pains and joys of pregnancy and giving birth. Growing pains.
Through all the wonderful events such as breastfeeding, potty training, sickness, dance recitals, swimming lessons and many others...I have experienced growing pains. As I watched my baby grow into a wonderful little girl I experienced growing pains. It is hard for me to watch my only child grow up. I have changed to meet her needs. I became a mother. A Mom who hugs her, teaches her to read, wipes her nose and wipes her tears. It seems as if I can physically see her growing...I mean I know I can't really, but it seems as if I can and as she is growing...I feel the pains.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I registered my daughter for kindergarten the other day. Now, I could have called and registered her that way but nope, not me. I had to go down to the school and see it, ask all the right questions and meet her new teacher. Turns out that I know her teacher. That is a relief. It makes the pain of letting her go to school a little easier. So as we cross this new bridge, I feel the growing pains. I am now entering a new phase in my daughters life. It is not just a new phase in her life, it is a new one for us as parents. The phase of school days. **Sigh** I know it is only kindergarten but once she starts that, there is no going back. Next thing I know, she will be coming home with huge papers to write, clubs to be involved with, hard decisions to make such as to drink or not to drink, dating, sex, drugs, parties, sleepovers, driving....AHHHHHH!!! There is no stopping this! IIIII have growing pains. As she grows I have to as well. I need to have the knowledge and wisdom to answer some potentially difficult questions.
The only peace I have, is in knowing that we are raising a girl who loves God. We are trying our best to train up our child in the way she should go...just as the Bible tells us too. Our prayer is that she will not part from these ways.
So, my little girl is growing up and I have the growing pains. I am thankful for each stage of her life because it means that I grow as well. I pray that God keeps us all close to Him and close to each other as we take this next journey.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Personal Revival
NOTE: This is not well put together (grammar/thoughts) but I really wanted a place to put these thoughts so if they seem scattered, please forgive me. I hope it gets you thinking as well.
Sooo what has been on my heart lately? A personal revival. I want a personal revival like Isaiah had. During his emotional difficulty in the year King Uzziah died (Isaiah 6:1) I want to be able to say like Isaiah did "I saw the Lord." For Isaiah, it must have been difficult for him to learn of the Kings death. We should know that King Uzziah was probably related to Isaiah and that the Kings death was most likely hard on Isaiah. More then that, the King was not living for the Lord. So he died while his life was not pleasing to God. That knowledge for Isaiah must have been emotionally devastating. Not only that, what about the financial implications of the Kings death? Isaiah was most likely being taken care of financially by the King but what was going to happen to Isaiah now that he was gone? So much to think about.
YET...during this what I could only assume to be a hard time for Isaiah, he "saw the Lord high and exalted..." THAT is where I want to be. I want to have a personal revival...What is a personal revival? It is seeing Jesus through every circumstance. It is seeing Him in the good and seeing Him through the bad. A personal revival is having Jesus. Having Jesus above me, below me, around me, Jesus on my mind, Jesus in my heart and Jesus on my lips. In all times of my life, I want to say just as Isaiah did that "I saw the Lord..."
I am doing a wonderful Bible Study that is all about Isaiah and currently I am preaching on Isaiah and the more I read about Isaiah...the more I want a personal revival. So here is what I am doing besides reading my Bible and praying:
1) I am setting up my prayer room more and more each day...it is becoming a wonderful refuge.
2) I am praying more and more with my husband and daughter.
3) I try and bring Jesus up at least once in every conversation...with words and without words...(that could be deep).
So that is where I am right now. I pray that you too experience a personal revival.
Sooo what has been on my heart lately? A personal revival. I want a personal revival like Isaiah had. During his emotional difficulty in the year King Uzziah died (Isaiah 6:1) I want to be able to say like Isaiah did "I saw the Lord." For Isaiah, it must have been difficult for him to learn of the Kings death. We should know that King Uzziah was probably related to Isaiah and that the Kings death was most likely hard on Isaiah. More then that, the King was not living for the Lord. So he died while his life was not pleasing to God. That knowledge for Isaiah must have been emotionally devastating. Not only that, what about the financial implications of the Kings death? Isaiah was most likely being taken care of financially by the King but what was going to happen to Isaiah now that he was gone? So much to think about.
YET...during this what I could only assume to be a hard time for Isaiah, he "saw the Lord high and exalted..." THAT is where I want to be. I want to have a personal revival...What is a personal revival? It is seeing Jesus through every circumstance. It is seeing Him in the good and seeing Him through the bad. A personal revival is having Jesus. Having Jesus above me, below me, around me, Jesus on my mind, Jesus in my heart and Jesus on my lips. In all times of my life, I want to say just as Isaiah did that "I saw the Lord..."
I am doing a wonderful Bible Study that is all about Isaiah and currently I am preaching on Isaiah and the more I read about Isaiah...the more I want a personal revival. So here is what I am doing besides reading my Bible and praying:
1) I am setting up my prayer room more and more each day...it is becoming a wonderful refuge.
2) I am praying more and more with my husband and daughter.
3) I try and bring Jesus up at least once in every conversation...with words and without words...(that could be deep).
So that is where I am right now. I pray that you too experience a personal revival.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Overdue Update
Hello faithful readers! Here is an update...
Janurary was super busy...We spent a lot of the month wrapping up Christmas activites. We have been preparing budgets, recipting donations and just trying to clean up after the crazy season.
February has been great so far. We had our retreat and what a treat it was! We were able to meet together with fellow officers (pastors) to get spiritually, emotionally and physically renewed. I was able to spend some time at the spa getting my feet pampered and the next day my sweet Mom in law and I soaked our bodies in a nice mineral spa. I spent the evenings playing games, talking and laughing with colleagues. I also was able to spend some relaxing evenings with my sweet husband as we hung out in our room with the fireplace lit. It was really refreshing...
We came home and hit the ground running...We are currently really excited about our family Bible Study nights. We encourage families to come out on Tuesday nights and we begin the evening all together with prayer. Then the adults stay with me for a lesson while the kids go with my hubby to "Kings Kids" for thier lesson. Then when we are done the kids join us again, let us know what they learned and we close the evening with a bit of fellowship and prayer. It is a wonderful time of fellowship.
Well, this is the update so far. I will try to be more diligent in keeping you up to date on what we are doing. Thanks for not forgetting me! :) Take care!!
Janurary was super busy...We spent a lot of the month wrapping up Christmas activites. We have been preparing budgets, recipting donations and just trying to clean up after the crazy season.
February has been great so far. We had our retreat and what a treat it was! We were able to meet together with fellow officers (pastors) to get spiritually, emotionally and physically renewed. I was able to spend some time at the spa getting my feet pampered and the next day my sweet Mom in law and I soaked our bodies in a nice mineral spa. I spent the evenings playing games, talking and laughing with colleagues. I also was able to spend some relaxing evenings with my sweet husband as we hung out in our room with the fireplace lit. It was really refreshing...
We came home and hit the ground running...We are currently really excited about our family Bible Study nights. We encourage families to come out on Tuesday nights and we begin the evening all together with prayer. Then the adults stay with me for a lesson while the kids go with my hubby to "Kings Kids" for thier lesson. Then when we are done the kids join us again, let us know what they learned and we close the evening with a bit of fellowship and prayer. It is a wonderful time of fellowship.
Well, this is the update so far. I will try to be more diligent in keeping you up to date on what we are doing. Thanks for not forgetting me! :) Take care!!
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