History Makers

Starting 365 Project

2012-01-02T20:17:00.006-06:00

2nd January 2012

27th December 2011

26th December 2011

Richness

2011-10-18T15:32:00.002-06:00

This time last week I was in Mexico wondering if/when the hurricane would hit. Would we be OK, would people die, would there be serious damage to areas it went through. I lay in bed that night praying for protection, for my family, for the people in the path of the hurricane. It scared me.

Mexico was definitely a new experience; the people, food, culture, sights and sounds, wildlife. It was so different from where I grew up or where I live now.

And there was one thing that really moved me when I was there; the last evening Lindsay and I went out for dinner down at the marina and while we were eating I saw a woman in front of the restaurant obviously selling homemade touristy knick knacks. She looked about my age and had 2 small children with her, I'm guessing a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. So it's early evening and this is something she needs to do to make ends meet. I can't imagine having to do that, at the end of a tiring day with 2 small children, go out and earn some more money WITH MY KIDS. It made me think about how rich we are in Canada and the UK.

I know I am rich because I have the luxury of a roof over my head, food in my cupboard and clean water to drink.

No Regrets, Who We Are.

2011-09-08T14:56:00.002-06:00

OK, I really want to make a few things clear. Be prepared for a rant. And for this to be a little random.

I believe that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Messiah. He is my best friend. I know he loves me, I am grateful that he loves me, warts and all. Depression and all.

There is something that has been bugging me for a while now, that I find it hard to voice.

Depression, the huge, big, fat, elephant in the room for many people.

Now, as most of my friends and acquaintances know, I am not scared to share with people about my struggle with depression. It's an illness I have. Plus sometimes I let my mouth run away with itself and don't know when to shut it;-)

What is beginning to irk me more and more is the attitude people have about depression and mental health. I'm sick of it being a taboo in Christian circles, like it's a dirty secret to ignore. My heart is sore that there are people who are ashamed of asking for help from their Christian community because they've been told it is 'sinful' to have this issue. It makes me down right angry that people are made to feel guilty for having an illness.

Something inside me isn't wired right. Sometimes I have an emotional breakdown. That's where the Dr comes in, part of the treatment I need is medication. Medication that helps fix my 'wiring' problem. Lots of people take daily medication for many different illnesses. No one thinks any less of someone who is a diabetic or asthmatic, why then look differently at someone with depression?

Depression can be debilitating. It can emotionally paralyze you. I have had days when getting in the shower has been such an overwhelming task that I've been a huddled mess of a ball in my bed. I don't need anyone else to make me feel bad about myself, I beat myself up enough thank you.

I am grateful that God's grace covers me. I am glad that He knows that my faith in Him is not in question. When I am in my darkest place, I have a best friend that holds me close and carries me through the raging storm. When lies are yelling in my head I hear a still small voice telling me truth. When I question my worth, God blesses me with people who reveal my treasure.

My heart breaks for the people who have to hide their illness, that are forced by others to wear a mask.

When depression is hidden, ignored, made to be something shameful... it aggravates the problem. When it is accepted, faced, dealt with.... that's when healing can happen. That's when you can learn to live with it, when you can live your life to the full , when depression is still an issue but not something that dictates your entire life.

'Every breath you take, every day you wake up, in this danger zone, put your war face on. Future I hear you calling, I'm on my way I'm running. There's no stopping me, it's in my heart, it's in my soul.
Listen to the things they say, turn the other cheek and hold faith, you know that I promise brighter days will come. Even when they try to hurt you, keep your head up and walk through, the future is on you, it's on you. No regrets, no holds barred, NO HOLDING BACK FROM WHO WE ARE. Though they try and break us, this is our wake up, who we are, who we are.'
No Regrets (Who We Are) - City Boy Soul.

Fathers Day

2011-06-20T21:55:00.002-06:00

Nate was so proud of himself for making this frame for Lindsay. And I was very proud of him because he drew a picture of 'Daddy & Me', including bodies (up to now it's just been faces).

Simple pleasures

2011-06-12T08:56:00.001-06:00

This mornings simple pleasure is listening to my husband and son having goofy time together. It gives me a warm, mushy feeling.

Poop

2011-06-11T22:12:00.001-06:00

Nate: KAPOOP
Me: Don't you mean Kaboom?
Nate: KABOOMPOOP!

Fresh

2011-06-10T17:25:00.014-06:00

After chatting with a good friend this afternoon I am persuaded to try and get back in to my blogging. I guess as a form of journal for myself and for others.
Hmm, where to start...

We went to the zoo on Tuesday with Beth & Grace;Nate & Grace watching the goslings.

Good buddies.

The sign says it all

I'm watching you.

Today was a fun day. Nate & I went to have a play date with friends, so we hung out at their house for a bit, had some lunch then went to the spray park.And of course his hat and shorts were SOAKING WET.

Take note of the heart on the pocket of Nate's shorts... or the shorts that he borrowed from Liliana;-)

I have to say that my friends little girl, Liliana, and Nate are cut from the same cloth. They are extremely alike, Jen, her mum, totally agrees with me. So we commiserate and laugh together about our crazy, intelligent, busy, adorable, drive-us-insane, children.

As I've said many times before, I love the summer. It always improves my state of mind, all that wonderful vitamin D, not being cooped up inside all day, and the fact that I don't need a million layers just to step outside my front door makes me an extremely happier person. Images like this;

and this;
and this;

make me smile.

Long time no see

2007-10-22T16:36:00.000-06:00

Well, life is definately different now. Our little boy keeps us busy, my time seems to fly by, I can't believe he will be 4 months old soon.

Quick catch up of recent events:
We just got back from England. We were there 2 weeks, which was way too short as we didn't quite manage to fit seeing everyone that we had hoped too.

BUT, we had fish & chips with Tim & Debs, dinner/lunch/day out at the National Railway Museum with Dad & Liz, went to Castle Howard with Mum & Sue, went to oxford to visit the Toppings and the Smalls, had lots of family time when Bob, Marie-Ann and Ben were home (it was short but oh so sweet!), I had a fun night with Cags and Han, we went to the Embassy bowling night, Hannah and I went out for drinks. We also did the usual; wander down to Yarm, walk to Tesco, nip to the Pav for a swift half, go to All Saints for church, quiet drink in the Pot & Glass... all the good stuff that feels normal.

It felt good to be home. And it was nice to see friends who, even though we have long periods of time apart, are still so much a part of who I am. I love the friendships where time doesn't matter, it feels comfortable and normal whenever you see them, even if it's been years or monthes. Elizabeth, Hannah, Debs and Caroline - time doesn't matter with our friendships... THANK YOU!

Here are some pics, enjoy;

Howells/Jennings/Unger family

Nathanael with 3 of his biggest fans

At Castle Howard

Changing Nate in Tim & Debs car boot;-)

More Nathanael

2007-07-14T14:14:00.001-06:00

Nathanael with Joy

He actually let me take a good picture of him with his eyes open.

One of the hottest looks ever, the man with his baby. Man, I love my husband!

Nathanael Gideon

2007-07-10T16:17:00.001-06:00

This was when he was just 3 or 4 hrs old.

We have a son!

2007-07-07T17:13:00.000-06:00

Just for anyone who hasn't heard yet, we have a little boy now. He was born last Saturday (30th June) at 4.05pm, 7lbs 14oz, 21 inches, and we called him Nathanael Gideon.

I'll try really hard to put some more stuff on here really soon....

FYI

2007-05-08T09:41:00.001-06:00

It smells like summer today... just so you know.

Who would have thought

2007-05-07T10:18:00.000-06:00

Friday night was a fun night, Joy came over and we watched Deja Vu, it's a good movie, and it was good to find a movie that we all liked.

While we were at the video rental place I also grabbed One Night With The King, it caught my eye as it is based on the story of Esther from the Old Testament. Now I love this story, it goes to show how God can move in miraculous ways, so I was excited to see how well the film portrayed the story. It was an OK movie, they took a couple of liberties to create some drama and also to make it easier to understand for people in our culture that don't know anything about the Persian culture. Anyways, it's not awesome, but it is a good movie to watch.

However, beyond the story itself, I was also drawn to it as on the blurb on the back it said that Luke Goss starred in it. Now for the canadians, I don't know if that name will mean anything or not, I'm not sure if Bros ever made it here, L has no clue who they are but that means NOTHING!

So I sat down to watch the film with L on Saturday night, and lo and behold, yep, it really was Mr 'When, will I, will I be faaamouuuss... I can't answer, I can't answer that'. Interesting choice for Esther's love interest... And I found it highly amusing that he still liked to walk around baring his chest. I almost expected Matt to appear somewhere baring his chest too;-)

Todd & Tanya's wedding

2007-04-16T09:16:00.000-06:00

Todd & Tanya MacKay, isn't Tanya's dress stunning???

Me & Tanya

Me & my Boy

Me & the Boy again

Week 25

2007-04-11T09:12:00.000-06:00

Lindsay took this picture last week, I feel huge! Now I can not only feel baby moving, but but watch it too, it's a bizarre experiance watching your belly move around;-)

Off sick

2007-03-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

I've been off on sick leave since the beginning of March. I haven't really wanted to talk about it that much thus far. But I know that slowly people have been finding out and not really known whats going on so have been concerned about the baby. The baby is fine, and seems to be most awake as Mum is trying to get to sleep. Baby finally said hi to Dad the other day. He's only felt the baby move twice, and he says that it's still faint, but I'm pretty glad that now we can share this together.

The Dr has put me on sick leave due to depression/stress. I've felt bad talking about this as I don't want people to think that I'm not excited about the baby or I don't love my job, or the people I work with, because I am excited about the baby, I do love my job and the staff. I don't quite understand whats going on myself, which is a scarey thing for me to acknowledge. I'm not sleeping great, I seem super sensitive about everything, I am REALLY forgetful, and I cry a lot. At one point I just seemed to cry non-stop, which is when the Dr decided I needed a break.

And I'm sorry to my friends if I've seemed weirder than normal, but to be brutally honest I have been feeling very insecure and overwhelmed around most of you right now. Not that I want you to back off or anything, in some ways I need you closer to me, I'm just not very good in groups.

I also wanted to say 'I love you' to Allison & Joy. Thank you for being so supportive, I am so grateful that you're my family.

Down by the river

2007-03-21T09:27:00.000-06:00

So I took this picture a couple of weeks ago, when it was warm enough to go out for a walk. As you can see, it's still winter here, but it is starting to thaw.

Daniel & Steven

2007-03-21T09:25:00.000-06:00

YFC update

2007-03-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

I have to admit to being lazy, I've just copied and pasted the prayer e-mail my boss sends out to our prayer list to update you all on what's going on;

Greetings, and welcome to the YFC Praise and Prayer report! It has been quite a week here for us!

Thank you for your prayer for our YFC banquet last Monday. God answered our prayers in wonderful ways - we had our largest crowd yet, 426 people (that is more than the 50 tables x 8 people we were hoping for). Interestingly, we had raised from corporate sponsors that exact amount to purchase the ticket price of the meal! We had many comments from people that the program was perhaps the best yet, and the offering given that night was the biggest yet. All in all we are very thankful!!

Now our full attention turns to our California Tour which leaves in a month. We have 149 youth signed up and have room for 11 more. We are trying to confirm with our last few volunteer staff needed for the trip. Please pray for James and the team as they prepare.

Please pray for Chris, one of our admin staff, who is on medical leave right now for a few months. Pray that she will regain her health and also for us that we can find the help needed to fill her role.

Please pray for the youth that went on the Project Serve trips. It can be difficult for them as they come back into Canada from such a moving experience. Some of them made very important life decisions, so pray that God will continue to work in their hearts and that they would be effective ministers here.

Thanks so much for your prayers on our behalf, Gil Klassen, For the SYFC team

Sleepless nights... is my body preparing early or what???

2007-03-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

I have never really been bothered by heartburn before, but that's all changed, Rolaids are a close friend. Heartburn likes to keep me company between 11pm and midnight, isn't that nice of it. And I'm not really doing good on the sleep right now either, sods law right?

Baby seems quite happy though, I can feel it more now. I love that feeling!

YFC Banquet

2007-02-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

URGENT! The annual Saskatoon Youth For Christ Banquet is next Monday 5th March. If any of you reading this are in the area, PLEASE consider coming to this event. We really could do with as many people coming out as possible. If you are interested then please contact me at the YFC office or leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

New due date

2007-02-20T14:29:00.000-06:00

So, the baby is now due on the 14th July. My mum is gonna have to do some fast talking to see if she can change her flights, cos if I'm over due she'll barely see the baby.

Oh well.

Here's our baby

2007-02-08T18:22:00.000-06:00

So, just in case it's not obvious, cos sometimes it's not, the baby is facing down, and you can see it's spine, and it has it's legs bent under it, and the slight shadow between the knee and the chin is it's hand. It was moving around A LOT during the whole ultrasound.

I love my baby!

Not my favourite way to spend the evening

2007-02-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

The long running saga of my sinus'.

What can I say?

You've heard me moan about this enough already.

But this time, I'm pregnant, so no sinus medicine.

And before I go crawling to the Dr for antibiotics, I am trying out a whole load of things that my Dr recommended should this issue arise... like the sinus rinse.

Sounds simple enough hey? And it is, it's just GROSS! I basically squirt a lot of water up one nostril and it comes either out of the other nostril or my mouth. I am glad to say, but also grossed out to say, that it does bring with it a lot of the nasty stuff from up there, but I'm glad that L didn't watch me as I was doing this. And this is something I can do daily to improve my situation... yay???

It does help, I have to admit that, but when my gag reflex is still sensitive it's something I have to tread carefully with.

I smell like chlorine again

2007-02-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Aquacise was really good last night, I got a good workout, and it's really fun. I usually know 4 or 5 other ladies, and I have to admit that we chat a lot... before, during and after. But that's all part of it. And our instructer really is good, and FUNNY! One MAJOR bonus is that I get to hang out with Allison more, and she's one of my favourite people, I love her, I love that we're cousins.

This morning felt SO cold, it's -22, which isn't too bad, but it just FELT bad today. I wonder how much baby feels this stuff?

And Tanya brightened my day already with an e-mail, I get to see her tomorrow, she's another of my favourite people;-)

Read this

2007-02-01T09:19:00.000-06:00

OK people, Allison has posted the funniest story on her blog. Just click on Allison L in my Links on the right hand side. She posted it yesterday. It's very funny!

18 week pics

2007-01-31T09:59:00.000-06:00

So, my buddy Ryan took these pics for me this morning.

My mum keeps telling me not to wish for the baby belly too quickly, as it's gonna be a while still before the baby gets here, and I understand her point. However, I am excited by the bump, especially after the Dr being so concerned about my weight loss, I'm pleased to tell you that I am gaining weight now (never thought I'd be so happy about putting on weight!). Plus this, and the fact the baby is moving, are the nice parts of being pregnant, these far outweigh the bad stuff, it reminds me that this is all well worth it. Baby is most definately worth it. I love you baby!

18 weeks

2007-01-31T09:45:00.000-06:00

Fun weekend

2007-01-30T09:10:00.000-06:00

My morning sickness is almost a thing of the past. I'm still taking dyclectin at night but I can actually make meals in our house again. And in a great twist of fate, after having to re-schedule 2 times, we went over to William & Lisa's on Saturday night for a really nice Roast Beef dinner. It was great, lots of yorkshire puddings, mashed potato, veggies and gravy! YUMMY! And then we sat and played 'Nusht', fun dice game.

Jana was in Saskatoon this weekend too, so I got to see her at church lunch, which was nice. Then we hung out at Ryan & Allisons Sunday night, Joy joined us after she had been to church. It was fun, Jared is moving around A LOT! He has this cute half sitting crawl that he does, and he will walk if Mummy is helping him. He's just adorable. Not that I'm biased or anything;-)

What do you think?

2007-01-22T07:37:00.000-06:00

A straight forward question for all you ladies that have already had babies, do you buy the maternity panties or not? Are they worth it or can you manage prefectly well with the underwear you already have in your drawer?

Week 16 pics

2007-01-17T12:54:00.000-06:00

I'm not showing very much, but it is there! So here are the pics:

I have great friends

2007-01-16T15:45:00.000-06:00

Homesickness is awful, and very frustrating. Thankfully my homesickness has diminished over time as Saskatoon has slowly become home too. I'm some weird mutant now, that to some degree doesn't feel totally at home anywhere now, because where ever we are I will miss the other 'home'.

Why am I telling you all this? Well I was just glancing over some of my old posts, and one thing that I have noticed is that when I post stuff on here while I am away, I always get such great comments from my friends in Saskatoon. They always encourage me, and let me know that they are missing me and that they are waiting for me to come home to Saskatoon. Isn't that great, seriously, I really am blessed with the friendships I have.

Thinking of great friends, I am pretty gutted that Tanya's moving to Ottawa, Todd has gotten himself a pretty nice job out there. I know this is a great opportunity for them, and I think Tanya is excited now at the thought of experiancing a different part of the country for a while. But Saskatchewan is gonna be missing 2 great people for a while. I'm gonna miss ya T.

Finally... exercise I enjoy!

2007-01-16T07:44:00.000-06:00

I have been really enjoying my aquacise class, and I'm hoping this continues. I'm well known for getting enthusiastic about something then getting really sick of it, so hopefully I've actually found something that will interest me enough to get me off my butt more often.

And it feels like the baby is getting exercise too, as I've started feeling a couple of little thumps. Lindsay thinks I'm imagining things, but these have been random little thumps, usually when I'm either trying to get to sleep or when I've been sat still for a while, and feel slightly different from my other sensations in that area.

I went shopping with Dawn R at the weekend for maternity clothes, it was very exciting and I managed to get some good deals, every single thing I bought was on sale. This is a good thing as maternity clothing is not that cheap to buy.

Oh, and how bad do I feel... I went out weeks ago to buy my nephews birthday present, his birthday was this past Sunday... and his gift is still sat, unwrapped on my living room floor! I am an AWFUL auntie. I totally forgot to send it. I SUCK! I really do feel terrible, not only does he never see me, but he is just so ADORABLE:
Yep, I love this little boy, he's such a great mix of his parents, he looks so much like Bob, but has Marie-Ann's beautiful smile. Anyway, I should stop boasting about my nephew and get on and post his present.

Tastebud confusion

2007-01-15T13:51:00.000-06:00

Well, another thing that has been confusing me is the fact that so many things taste different to me right now. Last night L had to try my burger because I thought it tasted weird, apparently not, he said it was good. And then today I got a sandwich from one of my regular haunts, and it totally tasted weird... huh. Not only do I never seem to know what I can actually manage but now I also don't even know if it will taste good when I get it. How helpful!

I have aquasize tonight, which I am actually looking forward to. Last week was good, but my butt hurt afterwards, but that means it's actually doing something which is good.

We had a big blizzard here last wednesday, so I didn't make it in to work that day, or Thursday for that matter as my car was snowed in and wouldn't start. So 2 snow days. It was a tad frustrating as I knew I had a lot of work to do. And our camera had no batteries in so I didn't even manage to get any good pictures of the blizzard.

Dreams

2007-01-04T07:32:00.000-06:00

OK, am I weird or do pregnant ladies have even more surreal dreams than normal?

I have been having a lot of food orientated dreams recently, weird hey, I can't eat much during the day and at night I am taunted with feasts, and fish & chips.

Normal stuff... my shoulder is killing me this morning, I think I pulled the muscle last night. I guess I'll be doing lots of stretching today, see if that helps.

A New Year

2007-01-02T10:35:00.000-06:00

Has anyone made any resolutions this year?

I used to always try to make at least one, cos that is what you do at New Years right? Well no more! I never keep them and then always beat myself up over it. I guess I do have one resolution but that is a on going issue of wanting to pray more and know the Word of God better.

Well, I'm still not really showing yet, but have plenty of morning sickness and tiredness. Thankfully we heard the baby's heart beat the week before Christmas, I felt very emotional and cried (no surprise there;-) I feel so blessed with this baby, and have started reading to it, it has already heard all of Acts and will be hearing something from the OT next. Plus I have alrady started to educate it about good music; Snow Patrol, Bare Naked Ladies, U2 and Plumb have been firm favourites so it's getting a well rounded education.

Christmas was a busy affair with gatherings with the Unger family, Wiebe family, our close family, breafast with Kendra, brunch for Joys birthday, New Years eve with good friends and some shopping scattered in there for good measure. Oh and I slept a lot... A LOT!

Brainwave

2006-12-05T07:59:00.000-06:00

We've discovered that the way to make me not feel pukey is to give me food that doesn't smell, so biscuits, tinned fruit, and cereal have all become major parts of my diet right now.

I have renewed admiration for my poor hubby. Right now he puts up with a grumpy wife who pretty much makes him do everything in the kitchen right now (due to the grossness of it), and who sleeps most of the time. He really is a saint, I love him SO MUCH, God was good to me when he blessed me with this man for my husband.

The bizarreness of pregnancy

2006-11-22T10:07:00.000-06:00

I love the fact that I am pregnant, I am in awe that God has blessed us with a child. I love reading about how the baby is growing week by week.

Aren't you amazed at how God made us? Everything has a reason. When our body needs to rest, we feel tired. We have nerves under our skin to tell us if we are hurt/damaged. If we eat something bad for us, our body responds to get rid of it. God made our bodies in a way that should help us look after and protect it.

Here is where I am confused, I am a great believer in the way the Lord made our bodies, but I am confused by morning sickness. I feel neaseous all day, and don't really want to eat much of anything, yet I need to consider the fact that I and my baby need nourishment. Yesterday all I wanted was a chip butty with gravy, which Gibson's (the best chippy in Canada as far as I'm concerned) was happy to supply me with. But how nourishing is that? But, as many people have told me, right now I just need to eat whatever and whenever my body allows. Thankfully occasionally I crave cucumbers (like right now) or tinned tomatoes (last night), so at least I'm getting some veggies;-)

The good, the bad and the ugly

2006-11-21T07:37:00.000-06:00

So after the big dump and deep freeze that we experianced last week, I have been pleasantly surprised with some warmer weather this week, today we should get to a high of +3. But then it's gonna go back to the cooler temps by the weekend, oh well.

I had 2 revelations this morning. The first is that one thing I do need to appreciate about living in Saskatchewan and going through the freezing winters, is that at least I don't need to worry about spiders like you do in the UK. The winters are too dry for spiders here , so you only ever see them in the summer! I LOVE IT! And the ones you see in the summer are still not as bad as some of the beast that sometimes reside in my Mum's house.

But that leads to revelation number 2, and that is that I just am going to have to accept that now that I live in Saskatchewan I am going to get sinus infections for as long as I live here. I truly believe that my system just doesn't like the dryness. Even when I am feeling fine and am not sick, most mornings I will wake up with a blocked nose, and that's with a humidifier running through the night in our bedroom, if we didn't have the humidifier going I would be even more blocked up.

Have I ever said how cute my Mum is? She is very excited about the baby and has decided that she's not waiting for my first ultra sound to check the due date, she's booking her flight over now to make sure she gets a seat! I love her.

The long wait.

2006-11-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

Well, other than the morning sickness and feeling tired all the time, I don't feel that much different yet. You instantly think that being pregnant means you get a belly in 2 seconds flat right? It's weird how even though you know that's not what happens your still surprised when you still look exactly the same.

I'm excited to start looking pregnant, and to feel the baby moving. Allison has lent me this great book that goes through the pregnancy week by week and has pictures showing what the baby looks like, what it's doing and how it's growing... I love it.

I'm excited about this weekend, especially Saturday night cos I'm going over to Lisa's to celebrate her birthday with her, and we're having... FONDUE.... what a surprise. It's gonna be great.

Due date

2006-11-15T09:10:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, my bad, I forgot to put on the due date, baby Unger is due on the 4th of July 2007!

YAY!!!!!

What a blessing!

2006-11-13T11:04:00.000-06:00

We're having a BABY!

I can barely contain my excitement!

Morning sickness is definately not the happiest thing ever, but I haven't actually puked yet, just been feeling nauseous. I have discovered that if I keep snacking the nausea isn't so bad.

Please could you all be praying for us, that the baby will continue to grow, be healthy and stay safe.

The weekend

2006-10-31T15:44:00.000-06:00

Here is my 3rd attempt at getting this post on to my blog... 3rd times a charm right?

We had fun hanging out with Wes, Daniel & Steven on Friday night, and Diane arrived later after she was done helping at Snr youth.

Saturday was a fun day, we did christmas shoppiing for the Brit side of the family, hung out with Darren and went to see The Prestige at the new Galaxy cinema. That film is REALLY GOOD, I would definately recommend it. I won't say anything about it because knowing me I'll give something away that I shouldn't... but do go and see it!

Stupid excuses

2006-10-28T21:55:00.000-06:00

How many stupid excuses do we daily use to make it alright to talk or criticise someone behind their back?

I was thinking about how frustrated we get with each other sometimes and it's so easy to get annoyed with someone right? So that makes it OK to moan right? WRONG!

I was also annoyed with myself for how easy it is for me to think badly about others. But what made it worse was when I realised how prejudiced I could be, without even knowing it. If I get upset with another christian, then afterwards I feel bad because I should love my fellow believer. I remember how annoyed I used to get at my none christian co-workers back in the UK, and my attitude at the time wasn't 'I should love them because God loves them', oh no. Don't get me wrong, I didn't consciensciously think 'They aren't a christian, so it's OK to get annoyed with them', but I didn't feel guilty the way I do when I'm annoyed with another christian.... how much of a horrible person am I?

AARRGGHHHH! I get so annoyed with myself!

Along the same topic, I've noticed how I make excuses for saying bad things or criticising others, by making it as an example. I truly need to learn how to KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT! WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN! I feel like I am constantly implanting both my feet in my mouth! And I say things then feel so bad about them, especially because half the time I say something, and then replay it in my head later and realise tht people could have taken it totally the wrong way or not totally understood my meaning. Not that that excuses me, I shouldn't have said anything in the first place.

So if ever I have offended you, with my big fat stupid mouth.... I AM TRULY SORRY!!!

I seriously think that God groans sometimes at the things that flow out of my mouth, and then gets annoyed at the unnecessary hurt and anxiety that has followed. I feel humbled at His graciousness towards me.

So work has been good this week. I am helping Kim run a Disorganised Sports club, and I really am loving the oppotunity to spend more time with kids, it really is a highlight of my week. We have some interesting characters attend, but they are all lovely kids. I got my new desk, it looks a lot more like a reception area now, it's so good! I was very excited! And some boxes are gone now that I have had a chance to unpack. The building itself really is looking good now, all that hard work is definately starting to pay off.

Something I have been very excited about the last 4 months is Spark People. I found this website called sparkpeople.com, basically it is a website set up to help you have a healthier lifestyle. So if like me you want to lose weight, they will help you. But I don't see this as a diet, I see this as being taught how to eat healthier, and look after myself better. Plus it's FREE! Even better. So if you want to be healthier, if you want to make sure you're eating the right things, or find some funner ways to get exercise please take a look at www.sparkpeople.com

2006-10-13T07:14:00.000-06:00

Me & Becky

Winter has officially hit

2006-10-12T08:36:00.000-06:00

The frost silently killed my beautiful sunflowers on Tuesday evening... I am grieving their departure, they had such short but beautiful lives.

Moving on.... I'm sorry for the long silence, but I didn't think you wanted to hear me YET AGAIN complaining about another stupid sinus infection, so I stayed away until it is almost gone before commenting.

I got such a nice surprise last week when I recieved an e-mail from an acquaintance from Norwich last week, Becky, and now she's here in Saskatoon visiting friends. She came over to the office yesterday and I showed her around our labour of love, and she will be coming over to ours tonight for dinner, I'm quite excited! It will be fun to catch up, find out how people are, reminisce and share the joy that is Norwich YFC. YAY!

2006-10-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

I can't remember what this is called, but I love it's colour and texture, especially when all the burgundy autumn cherry tree leaves are around it.

2006-10-05T10:42:00.000-06:00

My sunflowers have finally bloomed!

2006-10-05T10:41:00.000-06:00

My strawberry plant is still blooming, and if the weather stays good I have plenty of strawberries waiting to ripen

2006-10-05T10:40:00.000-06:00

My ripe strawberry amongst autumn leaves

2006-10-05T10:38:00.001-06:00

Beautiful Buffalo Pound

2006-10-05T10:38:00.000-06:00

Tired but happy

2006-10-05T10:37:00.000-06:00

Boy horsing around on Derek's Jet ski

2006-10-05T10:36:00.001-06:00

My boy

2006-10-05T10:36:00.000-06:00

My gladioli

2006-10-03T11:18:00.000-06:00

Joy & Jared

The Dreaded Lurgey

2006-09-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was doomed to be a bad day when I mistakenly got an EXTRA LARGE NORMAL Tim Hortons coffee, instead of my DE-CAFF.... WOOOPS! Yep, as well as having a sore throat, I self inflicted feeling awful all day, by mistake obviously, but still, how stupid am I. Thankfully I managed to take some pain killers before I got the killer migraine, but a weird side effect was that I felt like puking all day.
So last night I ended up having to stay home and watch a movie. 'What's wrong with that?' you might ask. Well, what's wrong with that is that my close friend Tanya just got ENGAGED!!! YAY! And I was meant to be meeting them for a celebratory drink! MEH!
But I did get to watch 'The Lake House', which is no where near as good as drinks with Tanya & Todd, but I have to admit to loving that movie, it was very good, I'm a soppy romantic and don't care if people know it.
Talking of good films, I watched 'Kinky Boots' on Wednesday night, another good'un. It's based in Northampton, England, on a true story. Very good british movie... I loved this one too.

Anyways, I would appreciate prayer as yet again I'm feeling awful and I really DO NOT want to take time off work. THANK YOU!

The weekend...

2006-09-25T08:44:00.000-06:00

It's so nice to just have a nice relaxing weekend.

Friday night we stayed home and watched TV, then I went to bed early to read, and I fell asleep before 10pm... I am such and OLD CODGER!

Saturday I was up nice and early, so I crept downstairs so that I didn't wake L up and read somemore. I had a nice long conversation with my big sis which was so good, and then a nice chat with Debs on MSN, she has a webcam so I could see and hear her, whereas we only had a mic so she could only hear me, but we rectified that problem on Saturday afternoon by going and pur-chasing a webcam.... I am so excited, I'm going to MAKE my bro get a webcam so that I can have proper chats with my nephew Ben, and then he will actually know who 'Aunty Ciss & Unce Indsay' are! Plus it will be so much nicer to chat with family and friends who are far away, and be able to see them, then it really feels like a proper conversation.

Talking of which, I spoke to Bob just before we went to get the webcam. I really do LOVE my brother, he really is great, and always makes me laugh. He is the peace maker in our household. So I had a great chat with him, and Ben came on the phone and told me about his day, although I didn't totally understand him, toddler gibberish plus cute irish accent kept me from translating everything, but it was so good jsut to hear his voice!

That night, Joy, Allison, Ryan & Jared came over. The boys played X-box, and the girls all cooed over Jared, he is SO adorable, I took a great pic of Joy and Jared that I will post on here ASAP. So that was a great night, just catching up, and hearing all about Allison & Ryan's new house.

Sunday was Tanya's last Sunday at Cornerstone as a residant of S'toon...POOEY! So she leaves us on Friday...it's very sad. So a whole bunch of us went to Boston Pizza, which was fun, BUT the service was a tad shoddy. It took forever for us to get our food, we were there by 1pm, and didn't eat our main courses until 2.20pm!

3pm L & I arrived at the YFC building for an appreciation put on for us by Western Tract Mission, they were appreciating all their volunteers and all the ministries that had been renting with them the last couple of years. It was really nice. Afterwards we went to JD Peppercorns with Gil & Ally, and Kim & Barb, to watch the last 1/4 of the Riders game. That was great, Gil is so passionate, it was very entertaining! And the Riders won, so everyone was very happy.

A FREE WEEKEND!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!

2006-09-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

Yes, the last couple of months have been manic, and I feel like I've hardly been in my house, but this weekend we are actually home.... aaaahhhhhh what bliss!

I need to get on and finish my jigsaw puzzle before Lindsay chucks it in the bin, he's getting frustrated with it being on our kitchen table, and I am getting frustrated at how slow this one is going. BUT it is a WASGIJ, so I know that it will be worth it in the end.... "The picture you see on the box lid is NOT the puzzle picture but holds the clues to what the puzzle picture is. To complete the puzzle, imagine what the characters in the box lid image can see..." . I love these jigsaw's, they are addictive!

Wednesday night was Tanya's farewell party at Erica's, and it really was a fun night. We defied the drizzle and sat around the firepit. Erica the great idea of us each toasting Tanya, and it was great to be a part of that, it was so good to hear how Tanya had touched other peoples lives... WE LOVE YOU TANYA!

Accident

2006-09-21T15:01:00.000-06:00

I was shocked to read on the BBC website ( www.bbc.co.uk ) that Richard Hammond has been seriously injured in an accident while filming for Top Gear. Because of this the BBC are being investigated, and the program is under scrutiny because some critics say that this show has become "obsessed with acceleration and speed". I feel like this is a little harsh to be talking about right now. Yes there does need to be an inquiry in to what happened, but the last thing his family and friends (which include the people he works with) need right now is for the show that he loves presenting on, to be bad mouthed in the press while they are all worried sick about how he is.

I love the show, it actually made me more interested in cars, and I love that it is a show that Lindsay & I both really like to watch. And I have to admit to Richard being my favourite of the 3 presenters, Jeremy is funny ... granted, and James has good dry wit, but Richard is such a cheeky chappy.

I really feel badly for Richard and his family right now, and they are in my prayers.

Brrr it's chilly!

2006-09-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

We are still renovating our new office building, and we don't have a furnace yet, so I'm a bit chilly working here right now. I'm sat with my flannel long sleeved shirt, wooly jumper and scarf on, with a small heater at my feet and my thermos mug full of herbal tea.

I need to get back in to my routine. Gym 3 times a week, and stick to my healthy eating plan. Please ask me how it's going, I need support and encouragement. I have my gym bag with me, so I need to remember to get changed before I leave work today so I can go straight after I've picked up L.

I'm feeling kinda sad right now, cos my buddy Tanya is moving to Regina in 10 days. I know that we'll still see each other, but I have to admit to feeling lost at the thought of her not being just up the hill from me, right now all I have to do is walk 5 minutes up the hill to her flat (which doesn't happen often right now but it's comforting knowing she's there). BUT, this is a good change for her, and it means that we'll be having more weekends away when we go visit her.

Following on

2006-09-18T08:16:00.000-06:00

I've been away for the weekend at our Bourd/staff retreat, so only just checked my blog for comments. I always get excited when I get comments, I like to hear what other people are thinking.

So, people made some good comments and this is a delicate issue. I appreciate being challenged by others, and I agree with everything that was said.

I guess what I want to get across is the fact that alcohol itself isn't sinful, which is something that I have heard it described a lot as here in Canada within christian communities. How we abuse it is the sin. And we do need to be more aware of who is around us and if we are helping or hindering them, but we need to think about this on a broader spectrum, not just about alcohol ie: is my language helping/hindering, is what I am offering to eat helping/hindering, is what I am wearing helping/hindering.

My frustration is that we are so picky about alcohol, but not picky enough about other things as well. My frustration is that instead of teaching how to live our lives in moderation we just ban things, in that case I should just ban food right? Because I know I have an issue when it comes to eating, I don't know when to stop. Now I know that that statment is an exaggeration, I need to eat to survive, and you do not need alcohol to survive, but are you getting my point? This isn't about alcohol per se, it is about our attitude towards it.

But the other thing that drew me to the C.S. Lewis quote was the fact that he talks about how we seem to ignore other sinful behaviour because it doesn't really seem to be destructive therefore it's OK. The fact that I don't look after my body, and sometimes over eat is bad, and I need to recognise it as being bad.

When I read the bottom paragraph, I felt like I had been slapped in the face with his stinging words; Of course, it does not show on the outside so easily: bridge-mania or golf-mania do not make you fall down in the middle of the road. But God is not deceived by externals.

I'm sorry Chris... I stole your post.

2006-09-15T14:03:00.000-06:00

I really am bad, I have been struggling with how alcohol is viewed here, and have been trying to explain my point of view and don't feel like I have explained it very well, so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked Chris' site and saw this excerpt from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. I am ashamed to say that I still have not read this book, but this portion explains my views pretty well:

Temperance

One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons - marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turn.
One great piece of mischief has been done by the modern restriction of the word Temperance to the question of drink. It helps people to forget that you can be just as intemperate about lots of other things. A man who makes golf or his motor-bicycle be the centre of his life, or a women who devotes all her thoughts to clothes or bridge or her dog, is being just as 'intemperate' as someone who gets drunk every evening. Of course, it does not show on the outside so easily: bridge-mania or golf-mania do not make you fall down in the middle of the road. But God is not deceived by externals.

C.S. Lewis. Mere Christianity

Now, I want you all to remember that I DO NOT agree with drunkeness, and I'm pretty certain that C.S. Lewis would agree on that point. But I do feel like it is all about self control and moderation. I feel like we need to be reminded of that more. Everything in moderation.

Prayer needed

2006-09-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

The Executive Director of one of our chapters in BC is very ill with cancer, please could you be praying for healing and for his family. You can find out more info at his blog www.slimtimmy.blogspot.com

THANK YOU

Where did August go?

2006-09-08T07:38:00.000-06:00

August just flew by, I guess because Hannah was here, and it just went TOO fast. It was great having Hannah here, we went to Waskasui, Wanuskewin, Buffalo Pound with Dawn, Edmonton and to the beautiful Rockies. We LOVED the Rockies, it's so breathtaking there.

So back to the real world.

Well, almost... we went down to Buffalo Pound with Dawn and Derek last weekend. It was great. The weather was nice and hot, the boys got to go to the Riders game and me & Dawn just had a nice relaxing weekend. It was fun, and peaceful.

2006-09-07T17:53:00.001-06:00

Hannah

2006-09-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

Lindsay

2006-09-07T17:52:00.000-06:00

Me & Han on the boat

2006-09-07T17:51:00.000-06:00

Me in the tube just before we discovered we couldn't go tubing (boat problems) but after I had torn a hole in my swim suit from jumping off the dock

2006-09-07T17:48:00.000-06:00

Part of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park

2006-09-07T17:47:00.000-06:00

Han next to the south Saskatchewan River when we were at Wanuskewin

2006-09-07T17:46:00.000-06:00

Me & Han @ Wanuskewin

2006-09-07T17:45:00.000-06:00

Me @ Wanuskewin

Time to focus

2006-08-29T08:12:00.000-06:00

I've been having less than nice feelings about the fact that summer is almost over, just the fact that Friday is September upsets me. So I decided this morning that I need to try and focus on something good this winter, so I'm starting to focus on Christmas. I love Christmas, it's a fun time, so if I start getting excited now a) it reminds me that I need to shop soon for the Brit contingent and mail presents by November, b) it means I won't be quite so darn angry when it turns freezing.

That's my plan.

What do you believe?

2006-08-24T09:08:00.000-06:00

I am feeling like a slug today, things are processing slowly, the cogs just keep sticking, I know there is a lot to be done, but I just can't seem to get in to gear properly.

And I keep feeling that gentle nudge... that nudge that is asking why I haven't sat down and had a proper conversation with Him in a while... why do we let ourselves be controlled by busyness? And THEN to top it all off, I find that I can't sit and have a quiet conversation, I've forgotten how to... I guess that's why I love the Apostle's creed and the Lords prayer, it brings me back in to focus, it helps me find the path. I miss not saying this every week, I miss that reminder of what I really believe without all the extra fluff that clouds things.

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

AMEN.

The Lords Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen

2006-08-21T11:18:00.000-06:00

Entering Jasper National Park

2006-08-21T11:17:00.000-06:00

Hannah & Lindsay

2006-08-21T11:16:00.001-06:00

Jasper

2006-08-21T11:16:00.000-06:00

The view from the summit of Mount Whistler

2006-08-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

Me & Lindsay in Jasper

2006-08-21T11:14:00.000-06:00

Athabasca river just before the falls

2006-08-21T11:13:00.000-06:00

Athabasca Falls

2006-08-21T11:12:00.000-06:00

Athabasca Falls

2006-08-21T11:11:00.000-06:00

Athabasca River

2006-08-21T11:10:00.001-06:00

Athabasca River

2006-08-21T11:10:00.000-06:00

Athabasca Falls

2006-08-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

Athabasca Falls

2006-08-21T11:08:00.000-06:00

Mountain goats

2006-08-21T11:07:00.001-06:00

The Columbia Glacier field

2006-08-21T11:07:00.000-06:00

Nice scenic view that I can't remember the name of.

2006-08-21T11:05:00.000-06:00

Another big mountain that I don't know the name of, but that is north of Peyto Lake and south of Jasper

2006-08-21T11:04:00.000-06:00

Peyto Lake

2006-08-21T11:03:00.000-06:00

Me & Lindsay at Bow Summit overlooking Peyto Lake

2006-08-21T11:02:00.001-06:00

The Continental Divide.

2006-08-21T11:02:00.000-06:00

Me & Hannah on the way to the Paint Pots.

2006-08-21T11:01:00.000-06:00

Hannah and the glacier stream that almost looks silver, Hannah loved this water!

2006-08-21T10:59:00.000-06:00

The Paint Pots, natural springs where the water coming out dies the soil around it an ochre colour.

2006-08-21T10:56:00.000-06:00

Minnewanka lake... Brits: it's pronounced Mini-wonka, so no need for me to embarass myself pronouncing this the way I originally thought it was pronounced when I chat with friends back home.

2006-08-21T10:54:00.000-06:00

The Hoodoo's (those sandy coloured natural pillars), next to the Bow river (I think), near Banff

2006-08-21T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hannah with her bellini ...