Nearness

Go Here!

2011-11-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

If you haven't visited my other site, please do so: ARAgifts
Thanks!

An Idea!

2011-11-02T23:13:00.000-04:00

So, I'm always trying to figure out what to do with my receipts! I feel like I find them all over the house, which makes a fun job for the end of month budget meetings. So, I saw a similar idea as I pictured below. I changed it to make it suit our needs a little better. I like that it sits out and you can just throw the receipt in. We'll see how this works! I'm open to hearing other ideas as well.
P.S. I found chalkboard stickers on clearance at HomeSense and it has been my favourite purchase in a long time!

A GUEST!!

2011-10-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

I am very excited to announce my first ever guest blogger! I met Amber when we moved to Barrie about three and a half years ago. We really started getting to know each other when I went on mat leave and she replaced my position (don't tell her this, but she does a MUCH better job than I ever did:)).
Amber has grown more and more dear to me as I have had the privilege of hearing all about her journey. Each time we meet I am always so encouraged by her and what the Lord is doing in her heart. I see a surrendered heart, love for Jesus, vulnerability, love for her husband and a true desire to want what Jesus wants...no matter what. I know this hasn't been easy for Amber and this is why I asked her to share. I believe we can all relate to her, maybe not in the area of children, but in other unfulfilled longings we may have. I know that you will be encouraged by her story. I have also attached a video of Amber and Tyler. This was played at our church a few weeks ago.
By the way, Amber sings BEAUTIFULLY! I don't have much of a musical ear, but I believe this journey has even grown this gift in her all the more. I wouldn't be surprised if we could buy her cd one day. :) Thanks for sharing Amber.

Hearts Longing

First I want to thank Ang for the opportunity to be a guest writer on her blog – it is a true honour :o)

We all long for something, don’t we? Whether it be a spouse, a house, a bigger house, a better job, a new car, a new piece of clothing, children the list goes on and on. Our hearts become gripped with the desire for these earthly things, we spend time thinking about them and how to attain them, we imagine what life would be like with this ‘thing’ that we want so desperately; and sometimes the ‘thing’ that we are desiring can be a good thing, a gift from the Lord, and he has maybe even placed the desire in our hearts. But despite the fact that the Lord may have given us a desire he certainly never wanted us to desire it more than we desire him. Not getting what you want is tough, whether you’re 3 or 30 but in these circumstances the Lord teaches us a very tough but sweet lesson. He has everything we need. He alone can satisfy.

Just over two years ago my husband and I began the journey of starting a family. After one year without conceiving we began to investigate to see if there was something preventing this from happening. After months worth of waiting and appointments, we received news that it did not look like we were going to be able to have children of our own. We were sent to see a specialist and again the prognosis didn’t look great. Throughout this time many of our friends and other couples our age were having children. This was a very dark time in our lives both individually and as a couple. The longing for children was great and this made the pain that much greater. Every time we heard someone else’s joyous news it felt like the wound that was already unhealed was being opened once again. There were many tears and many prayers. During that time the Lord really taught us that we needed to surrender our hearts to him so that he could begin his refining work in our hearts.

As a church we began to work through the When Life Is Hard curriculum by James MacDonald and I have to say it was very timely for us. We knew that we had a choice to make, either we were going to become bitter and separate ourselves from Christ or we were going to press into him and allow him to mould us and change us, that we would as Job 23:10 says ‘come forth as gold’. Though we had been prayerfully seeking the Lord through this whole time we were underestimating his power to change our hearts. We knew that we needed to rejoice with those who rejoiced – as the Bible commands (Romans 12:15). Not doing our best to congratulate someone while chocking back tears….we needed to be truly happy for those who were rejoicing over news of a pregnancy and praising God for this gift of life and answered prayer. We also needed to trust in him to satisfy our hearts deepest longings even if we never had children of our own. There were good days and bad days and slowly over time I could feel the Lord softening my heart and revealing the idols that I had allowed to enter my heart.

At the beginning of this year we had a follow up appointment with the specialist. On our way to this appointment I listened repeatedly to JJ Heller’s song Your Hands and can honestly say that the Lord’s peace and flooded my heart. I knew that he already knew the outcome, the results, everything, and it was all safely in his hands and so was my heart. The news we heard that day was that the Lord had worked a miracle and that there was a way for us to have children of our own. I was in awe! Even when we are in the midst of a deep trial the Lord knows what we can handle, ‘his yoke is easy and his burden is light’ (Matthew 11:30) – he allows us to catch our breath and then reminds us of his overwhelming goodness!

The journey is still not over for us, the road is still difficult but God is carrying us through – and we still don’t know the outcome but we have hope in him. Regardless of the outcome– the Lord’s goodness remains unchanged. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His love for me is perfect. His grace is sufficient. His mercies new everyday. The Lord has changed my heart – and his work is still not done (thank the Lord for that!)

One passage that has been on my heart through this journey is Psalm 63:1-8. I pray that this would be my hearts true desire, that my deepest heart longing would be for my Saviour and my King. It reads,

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

We had the great honour of sharing our story with our church family just a few weeks ago. We are truly humbled that the Lord chose us as a way to share with others of his amazing grace!

Here's the video: http://vimeo.com/29955413

Top 10 under 10

2011-10-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about gift giving lately. I love to give gifts and, lets be honest, I love to receive them too. :) A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine, knit me this amazing cowl. Didn't she do a great job?

If you're like me, you don't have lots of wiggle room in the budget, so I thought I would share some 'gifts on a budget' list, $10 (okay maybe $15) and under.

A gift card for their (or your) favourite coffee shop.
One of your favourite books. Write in the opening page why it's your fave.
A book of your favourite recipes (3 ring binder with sheet protectors...or something of the sort).
Some baked goods or even a meal.
A donation to a ministry/charity in their name
If you haven't been to ETSY, head on over. They have some great handmade gifts to peruse.
Support your friends! Maybe your friend has a talent (like my scarf I received). Ask if they will make you whatever they are good at and support/encourage their gifts/talents. Believe me, they will be so encouraged!
If they have children, provide childcare so they can go out (even if it's just to grocery shop).
A journal with a purpose. Purchase a journal and personalize it. Write scriptures and other ideas/encouragement throughout.
And of course, I must encourage you to purchase a mug cozy! Visit ARA Gifts for ideas.

Hope that helps! I would love to hear other 'budget' gift ideas from you.

Give Away!

2011-10-05T13:49:00.000-04:00

So, if you're interested in a chance to win a free giveaway, head on over to ARA Gifts to enter: ARA gifts give away.

Masters

2011-10-02T20:16:00.001-04:00

I like to buy new shirts. There. I said it. Kind of like a confession. But, I find myself in a different place today. This past month, Mike and I (okay, maybe more Mike) decided to do a budget freeze. Basically, anything outside of groceries, gas and diapers is just not an option. In the same way that this has, on many levels, been difficult, it has been SO freeing! A while back, I was praying that we, as a family, would not be mastered by anything! I don't know about you, but I am SO easily mastered. Sometimes, I feel like if you just dangle a carrot (or a shirt or a house) in front of me, I'll just follow. Eventually, I began to believe that I NEED that 'carrot' and will not be satisfied until it is mine. Ew. What a gross, 'running the treadmill', way of living. When I allow 'things' to be my master, I will always and forever be disappointed.

Matthew 6:24 states, 'No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or will be devoted to the one and despise the other. you cannot serve God and wealth.'

How many times have I read that and didn't think it really applied to me cause I don't love money and I would not be considered wealthy...to some at least. BUT, when I see this verse today, I realize there are many things that can master me and I just am SICK of it! Praise God. I'm seeing, more and more, the 'thing' that I think is bringing me freedom is actually enslaving me.

1 Corinthians 6:12- All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

God is so faithful eh? I am so thankful for how He gently reminds us and draws us to Himself. Praise God!

And just cause he's cute, I'll end with this (hope he always feels this way about the Word). :)

What I've Been Up To...

2011-09-16T22:08:00.001-04:00

Click- ARA Gifts - Check it out!

He is Here!

2011-08-16T09:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon we returned from seeing old friends, enjoying the beautiful Adirondacks and making some new memories with some dear friends. It was wonderful. I think I might do a ‘Top 10’ of our vacation, but wanted to share this experience with you first.

Through a couple of women, that I greatly respect, I was encouraged to read ‘One Thousand Gifts’ by Ann Voskamp. I am so thankful for these people in my life, as reading this book is doing wonderful things to my perspective. Ann writes SO beautifully. I felt like we were having coffee as she was sharing her life and challenging me to examine my own. (A great review on the book can be found here: One Thousand Gifts) Ann challenges her readers to live life fully RIGHT where they are. That we would be thankful even in the laundry room or over the kitchen sink. This kind of gratitude promises to change your outlook.

Anyways, as I was reading on the dock of our cottage, this happened.

I was listening to the beauty of the moment. A soft song playing, wind blowing, sun shining lightly through the clouds, waters crashing, the slow sway of the dock and I didn’t want to open my eyes. It was one of those moments that you wish you could stay in forever. The kind of moment where I find it so easy to think on my Saviour, to call out to Him and where nothing seems to distract me from that focus. But, I opened them. I just so happened to do so when a motorboat was passing by, complete with jolly, shirtless, older and rather ‘hairy’ men. Talk about an abrupt awakening. I had to laugh and I had to thank. God was in that moment. He was in the ‘serene dock moment’ just as much as He was in the ‘motor boat moment’.

I so badly want to hang on to those 'dock-like' times. Moments like singing together with a body of believers that love Jesus, sitting on a dock with my son, feet dangling over the side and having a ‘little chat’, being surrounded by old friends in sweet fellowship, that only gets sweeter, or eating ice cream or drinking a good cup of coffee with hubby and the list could go on. I’ve often seen the other moments, the ‘not so attractive laundry type moments’ as interruptions to the tranquil moments I love. But, through ‘One Thousand Gifts’, prayer and by His grace, I am beginning to see…He is there too! And when I go to change a diaper or soothe a crying babe or attempt to build a tower of primary coloured blocks for the 20^th time only to have my little guy knock it down, He is there!

Prior to my ‘dock’ moment, I was telling Mike that I wasn’t ready to go back to reality. But you know what? I am. I may even be a little excited. Excited to have a new perspective, new trust, new found gratitude for my everyday. Excited to see God in the playroom, the laundry room, the dishes, the dinner hour and yes, even in the whining. He’s there! Did I just not look before? I mean, I've always 'known' He is everywhere. But did I not realize that I can be intimately involved with Him in those places? He’s not just on my ‘mini dock retreat’. I feel like I am merely beginning to scratch the surface of the depths of His love. He is good, all the time. I am so thankful for His grace. He is there and He is here!

Top 10 Books I've Read (so far).

2011-07-18T17:18:00.000-04:00

This top 10 was a tough one for me! You can tell a lot about a person bywhat they read and so I’m feeling a little ‘exposed’ but that’s a good thingright? I also feel like this listcould change. Tomorrow I mayremember a book that I was challenged by and wish I put it on here, but for what itis, here ya go!

I would recommend any of these books to you as they havechallenged me and helped me in my pursuit to know Jesus more. I would LOVE to hear of books that areon your top 10. Thanks for readingand sharing!

1. The Seeking Heart- Fenelon

2. The Hiding Place- Corrie TenBoom

3. Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer- PaulDavid Tripp

4. Give them Grace (still in the process ofreading, but SO great so far)- Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

5. Forgotten God- Francis Chan

6. Pleasing People: How not to be an “approvaljunkie”- Lou Priolo

7. Attributes of God- A.W. Pink

8. The Pleasures of God- John Piper

9. Hinds Feet on High Places- Hannah Hurnard

10. A Lifetime of Wisdom: Embracing the Way God Heals You- Joni Eareckson Tada

Another Top 10

2011-06-30T17:24:00.001-04:00

Contentment in Christ

A little while back, I was given the privilege of speaking to a group of wonderful young adult ladies. In hopes of challenging them to be content in Christ, no matter what their circumstance, I was definitely challenged myself. So, through some study, prayer and experience, here are some ways I am challenged to be content in Christ alone!

Contentment in Christ comes:

1. When I am not mastered by anything!

Galatians 5:1

2. When I repent of my idols…and do it before it’s too late!

Psalm 81:9

3. When I am surrendered to God’s will for me.

4. When I study who He is and remember His promises and all He has already done.

Psalm 34:8-11

5. When I make the most of even the mundane for Christ.

6. When I get over myself and serve others.

Philippians 2:13-18

7. In the most unexpected places.

Jeremiah 15:16, Psalm 81:16

8. When I keep my sense of Humour

Proverbs 31:25

9. When I rejoice when others receive something I’ve always wanted. Romans 12:15-18

10. Overall, contentment comes when I learn it!

Philippians 4:11-12

I would love to hear how are you learning to be content in Christ alone.

Top 10

2011-06-23T22:06:00.003-04:00

So, I've decided to resurrect this thing yet again! I thought I would share some of my top 10 lists with you...all 2 of you. I'll post these weekly (or maybe bi-weekly...or maybe even monthly. We'll see how this goes). The lists are definitely not exhaustive and I would LOVE to hear any ideas that you would like to share. Thanks for reading...Amy. :)

10 Things to Do With Your Toddler

1. Have a birthday party for one of their stuffed animals. Candles and presents included. We used a tea light and wrapped up a cookie.

2. Build a fort and eat a picnic lunch in it.

3. Get a bucket and pick up rocks and paint them.

4. Draw a picture for one of their friends and mail it to that friend.

5. Visit a nursing home.

6. Make a special treat/picture for daddy, thanking him for being such a great dad.

7. Build a train for their stuffed animals out of cardboard boxes or blocks.

8. Visit ‘Hubbard’s Cupboard’, a great website, and download some great resources there: http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/

9. Get some rice or pasta (if summer, water) with various containers and utensils. My son LOVED to pour rice into each different cup and bucket and pretend to make soup, etc.

10. Make an airplane, or some other vehicle, out of cardboard boxes. They can paint it, etc.

And We're Back!

2011-06-21T22:39:00.000-04:00

A little makeover and some ideas a brewing, we've joined this 'world' again. I'll be back real soon.

A Close Second.

2010-05-17T20:06:00.000-04:00

As I stated earlier seeing little bean reading with his 'DADEE' really is an amazing present, hubby did hit our weekend away, out of the park! He started off by picking me up from work early (this was a surprise...followed by many) and then we headed down to meet his parents to drop off Wyatt so we could be on our way.
We stayed downtown Toronto at the Royal York (fit for the queen) and just hung out in the city, ate REALLY great (I mean REALLY GREAT) food and ran around in the rain. It POURED, but not on our parade. It was so fun and funny to walk into this posh hotel, leaving puddles of water in our trail...definitely felt a little out of place! Some of the evening was spent blow drying shoes.

We then left Toronto Saturday afternoon and headed to Niagara Falls. Mike's parents gave us a night there for my birthday. It was FREEZING, but again, we at REALLY great food and just relaxed. It was wonderful.

4 years

2010-05-05T13:45:00.000-04:00

So, Mike and I have been married four years. I think I've received the best anniversary present yet. When I came home from getting our take out thai food (which was delicious) this is what I saw...

I would say that is a pretty sweet gift.

Wyatt is LOVING books right now. He will just sit on your lap and read with you. There is one of his books that he especially loves and he will actually finish the sentences. I tried to capture on video so maybe I'll upload that soon.

So, back to the '4 years'. We had a great night in, but are actually going away this weekend. I have no idea where. Mike has planned a surprise and I am SO excited. I'll let you know what we do. FUN!

Here are a few more pictures for you. So glad that park days are here. I'm loving this weather and the fun it brings!

Cleaning and Squeezing

2010-03-23T19:58:00.008-04:00

I have felt the need for organization these past couple of days. Is 'Spring Cleaning' a feeling that comes with the onset of spring? So, I went for it and organized my pantry. I even took before and after pictures....

BEFORE

AFTER

Phew! Feels good. Really, I took the pictures in hopes of motivating me to continue on to other closets. We'll see how that goes....

Of course, I couldn't pass up posting some pictures of this little cutie. Couldn't you just squeeze him? I do. Often.

Happy Spring Cleaning everyone.
Just don't let it get in the way of squeezing your 'squeezeables'!

All the Single Ladies

2010-03-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a 'relationship event'. It was for our Senior High guys and girls. Basically, it was an event to talk more deeply about our relationship with God and each other (specifically the 'guy/girl' thing). We had SUCH a great time with all the students. Honestly, they are such a GREAT group. I really enjoy hanging out with them. They even like to play my really fun games. :) Anyways, at one point in the weekend, I gave the girls a challenge. I thought I would include it here...just in case you would like to join our challenge. Prizes will be awarded!

SERVING SINGLES

o Reach out to a mom in our church. Offer to watch her kids so she can go grocery shopping, go on a date with her husband, go to a coffee shop for a couple of hours, go shopping or whatever she wants to do. Do this FREE of charge. This may be a fun thing to do with a friend (or two- depending on how many children they have:) Who did you do this for:

o Build into your girlfriends! Pick three friends and write them a letter of encouragement AND MAIL it to them. What friends did you encourage?

o Make a meal for your entire family. Make sure it is a sit down meal in which you can get the conversation going. Come up with a list (about 5) of questions to encourage more than surface conversation (i.e. Who’s your role model/who do you look up to and why?, What is the nicest thing someone had done for you?, etc.) Please share how your family responded to you doing this and how the conversation went.

o Learn a new skill. Take a cooking class (or spend time with someone that is a good cook), learn how to knit, crochet, sew, make some jewelry, etc. Use this new found skill to bless someone. What skill do you learn:

o Read a biography of a woman that loves/loved Jesus and made a difference in the lives she touched (I can help you find one if needed). Write the book title here:

o Interview 3 wives and mothers in our church. Ask them the following questions:

· What is the most difficult aspect of being a wife and a mother?

· What is the most rewarding?

· What surprised you the most about being a wife and a mother?

· What is something you really enjoyed in your single life that you think every single girl should do? OR What do you wish you would have done when you were single?

Please include the interviews when you hand this in.

o Memorize Revelation 19:7

When this is complete, hand it in to Angie and I will give you a prize!!

WARTS

2010-03-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I just googled 'images of warts' and almost barfed! I was going to add a picture in this post, but I'll save you all the feelings that I'm having right now and just get to my point. The point is a personal one, but here it goes...
Growing up, I had a constant battle with a cluster of warts on the bottom of my foot. I know, cluster is a gross word, but it could be worse, I could have added the images. Anyways, as you can imagine, I was so embarrassed of these nasty things that I would do whatever it took to hide them. Always wearing socks, making sure my feet were flat on the ground, bandaids, you name it, I tried it. I went to the doctor to see what he could do and he began the 'freezing process'.
Well, that kind of worked...for a bit. But then those pesky things found their way back to the surface of my skin. UGH! And so the process began again. That said doctor told me in order to get rid of them, I needed to make them bleed! Okay, so I am about to confess here (even more than I have) I started to begin my own 'dewarting' procedure. I would pick at that thing, hoping to expose and kill all the roots I could. BUT, this was a painful process. I could only handle so much and so I would need to stop. It hurt more than I could bear!
So, I carried my fungus to college. It's there I met a dear friend, a true 'wart hater'. She wanted to do her part in getting them out of my life and she began to 'dig' with me. That's right, she got down and dirty and helped me to get to the roots, no matter how painful. Even when it hurt, she just kept digging! Who does that? Katie does. Everyone needs a Katie in their life! Anyways, back to the wart. So on it went, until finally I went to a wart specialist and after a few bi-weekly visits, I became wart FREE! Did I hear some Amens?!
To no surprise I'm sure, I HATED those warts! They stole some beauty from me, but they have taught me MANY lessons. You see, I have another gross problem and have encountered many others finding themselves in the same ugly boat . These warts have taught me this problem can be dealt with too. This other 'wart' is a desire in of myself to sin, to 'behave' in a certain way that I hope to never behave in again. I've discovered that this 'wart' often has VERY deep roots and unless you get to the bottom, that behaviour just shows its ugly head again! I was talking to a dear sister of mine just the other day and she was sharing her constant struggle with her own 'wart' and I remembered my wart, and the need to expose the roots and friends like Katie. Tears filled my eyes because I believe this 'wart' was stealing some beauty from her. I wanted to help her get rid of her 'warts', just like I have SO often been helped to get rid of mine (warts and 'warts'). I am no doctor, but I know Someone that is. So, I'm ready! I'm ready to 'dewart'. I'm ready to be a 'Katie' and get dirty...only by God's Grace! I want to live 'wart' free and desire others to live 'wart' free as well. I might even make t-shirts. I would wear one!

Romans 5:6-7

"knowing this, that our old self was crucified wiht Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin."

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come."

Superheroes!

2010-03-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

So, one of my favourite times of the day is BATH time! I love to hear how daddy and baby communicate. I think they are each others biggest fan (next to 'wife' and 'mommy' of course).
I hear belly laughs and baby squealing at the awesomeness of his daddy, his very own superhero!
It's kind of weird that in these times I realize that my husband is not just a husband, but this wonderful, amazing, involved, loving, hilarious daddy. I love the way he loves our baby and I love the way baby lights up when he sees his daddy and lovingly refers to him as "DAA DEE". I pretend that I am sad that he hasn't said 'mommy' first (or at all yet) but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's amazing how quickly this bond has been created and how much our little bean can already look up to someone. I have a feeling that 'DAA DEE' just may always be baby's superhero! Personally, I think he is the best superhero to choose!

Another First

2010-02-09T21:14:00.001-05:00

Our little buddy received his first hair cut this week. We went to this salon for children and we definitely paid for the fun atmosphere. They did give us a certificate recording this monumental day, a little baggie with a chunk of his little baby hair and a picture of the new do. In true, 'first time mom' fashion I took lots of photos.

Overall, I think he had a good time!

Our First Date

2010-01-23T11:07:00.001-05:00

The plan was to go to a concert with a couple of the youth, but for some reason our tickets did not make it into our hands. We offered to drive them down to TO and decided to relive our 'first date'. It was a gladly accepted change of plans.

We ate at our favourite restaurant, 'The Red Room' (very ecelectic and inexpensive), walked around downtown a bit and finished off with a very yummy, chocolate brownie sundae at 'The Elephant and The Castle.'

We did miss our one year old terribly but it was so great to hang out just the two of us. I love my husband!

P.S. 2 posts in one day...I really do have a 'new motivation'!

Our Baby is ONE!

2010-01-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but our little boy is one! We had a great time with family and friends, celebrating our precious boy.

We had a giraffe rice krispy cake...

with some giraffe heads...and lots of presents...

Overall, it was a great day! He even looks like an 1 year old now.

Don't you think?

New Year=New Motivation

2010-01-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it has been OVER a YEAR since I have last posted something here. I’m surprised the ‘blogging world’ has not deleted me. Although, I believe many of you have given up on me.

Well, I guess with a new year, I’m feeling a little motivated and yet a little apprehensive. Seems life has picked up and I must admit, if this is too much of a distraction then I will need to let my little blog to rest again. But, as for right now, I thought I would say hello to my little blogging friends! I love reading your blogs oh so much (I even get saddened if I don’t see something new every couple of weeks…who am I to talk?).

So, the last post here I was a wee bit pregnant. Since then, I got MUCH bigger and now have a growing, fun, sweet, big brown eyed almost ONE year old! Crazy how this little guy...

...now looks like this…

He brings us so much joy. He’s a fun little bean (as we often refer to him). He’ll be one on the 17^thof this month. Some days have seemed longer than others, but overall, I join the rest of the world in saying, ‘Time Flies’.

Since summing up the past year in words seems a little daunting, maybe I’ll try some pictures…

Happy New Year everyone (or to the few that actually read this). We'll see how long this lasts...:)

Some More Updates

2008-08-17T15:21:00.000-04:00

The fact that there is a growing babe inside of me has become more of a reality as of late. Here's why...

18 weeks

Holding the cute booties from our good friends.

A close up of the booties. SO cute!

We are CONVINCED we're having a girl, but time will tell.
Any other predictions?

In other news, MGA and I enjoyed a few days at the cottage
with Mom and Dad A.

A boat ride around the lake.

Relaxing in the fuschia chairs!

Lots of reading and resting involved. I read 'The Hiding Place' by Corrie ten Boom. If you haven't read this book I strongly suggest it. I was challenged, inspired and encouraged. I was challenged by people like you and I with a STRONG faith. Inspired by their love for God's Word. It was indeed their BREAD and LIFE! Encouraged by their God-given ability to endure under hardships, keeping their focus on Christ, void of complaining. Much more could be said, but you should read it for yourself!

Life in Canada!

2008-07-22T18:52:00.000-04:00

Well, MGA and I have been back in Canada for 4 months now and one of my goals in moving back was to start a blog! SO, here I am. Still unsure about all these settings, layouts, descriptions, etc. I decided to just take the plunge! This can be time consuming! Telling myself to start small has helped me in achieving this goal (as well as understanding that my writing skills do not have to match those of HB, CC, EB, KW, LJ, CL, etc. You, my friends, have set the standards high!). I will attempt to give a BRIEF update on life in Canada thus far.
1. We love our church! We have felt welcomed, supported and a part of a ministry that strives to honour Jesus! I have been so encouraged (and challenged) watching others reach out to the lost with the Gospel in all they do.
2. Our families live close by. This seems to have made visits a little less 'stressful'. We don't feel like we have to get everything in all at once, but can enjoy moments of just hanging out. It has been good to be near them!
3. I can go to the grocery store, at least once a week, without emptying a full tank of gas (sorry my spec sisters...I do miss CJ's though!).
4. I work 20 hours a week but still feel as though my schedule is full. Funny how that happens.
5. I keep trying to think of more 'updates' but this next one just seems to keep taking precedence over all...we are expecting our first child!! I am 15 weeks pregnant. I think this is why my schedule has been full. My time has been consumed with vomiting and figuring out how to NOT vomit. Okay, so that is probably an exaggeration, but I have been pretty sick. I thought I was going to be one of those, 'super pregnant ladies', eating fruit and veggies all the time, joining aqua fit, walking lots and glowing with joy. Well, the 'glowing with joy' part is true and I am trying to eat healthier, but it seems as though the 'kid in me' wants chicken fingers, french fries with gravy and even fast food. Who knew saying 'no' to the little one started so early? It HAS gotten better and the fact that there is this precious little being growing inside has been a great source of encouragement!
Well, there you have it! The Lord remains Faithful to us here...why did I doubt this? We have seen Him provide in miraculous ways. I'm excited to continue to share how He continues to do so!