Mrs. Katie Splinter

Seagull Legs

2008-04-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday night Wendy, Janice and I had a celebration of sorts... We toasted to my new job, to Wendy's domain (wendesign.ca) and Etsy site and to Janice - because we love her.

As we sat at White Rock, eating our fish and chips, the seagulls began to surround us. They were getting closer and closer and ruffling their feathers. I was getting uncomfortable, Janice was getting irritated, both with me being uncomfortable (and subsequently getting closer to her lap) and with the birds. When all of a sudden Wendy says (in all seriousness) "Doesn't it just look like I could snap their little legs?" And then we laugh... a lot.

And that is why I love these girls. The celebrate with me, they laugh with me, they laugh at me, they know my junk, they've seen me cry, they've called me out on my crap and they still love me.

... it's about time

2008-04-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, its been a long time! Really I'm quite a hypocrite for ever bugging Darren about his blog because mine is starting to gather even more cobwebs than his! I now have 2 great reasons to post a blog though so I will write this post and then make a concerted effort to love it and pay a bit more attention to it...

Reason #1 -

I met my blogging crush. Two weeks ago Janice and I went to Summerland and I got to meet Amanda who's blog I read ... a lot. That's write, I'm a bit of a blog stalker. She's pretty great and hilarious and her daughter is just too adorable! So I met her and she checked out my blog... and then Facebooked me to get my act together, so here it is Amanda!

Reason #2 -

Something very exciting happened! I got a new job. Starting May 1st I will be the Ministry Hub Coordinator at Langley EV Free Church. I'm so excited I have basically not stopped smiling since Thursday night and sometimes I just squeal ... that's right, I said I squeal. Its a really good thing Janice doesnt read my blog cause she would smack me for being such a girl. I can't wait! I'm so stoked excited to be a part of this awesome team of people that love Jesus so much that they are giving their lives to "push back the darkness in Langley" (I have to put that in quotes because it really is taken straight from Darren's mouth :)). Maybe it sounds corny but I can hardly wait, its my idea of the perfect job.

So the whole interview/application process has been a few months and I guess I've just kept putting off posting because I wanted to have something really exciting to talk about. And, of course, another very exciting thing in our life right now - Matt graduates in 2 weeks. More about that soon...

Frozen Wobbly Bits

2008-01-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

So I've officially begun training again ( I can say that cause I've done the run for day 1 of the half marathon training so I am now "in training" ) and I've started running with Sarah ( of "Sarah and Shaun" or "the people with the PADS Dog" - for those of you whose life is just a little less bright because you dont know Sarah yet). I love running with Sarah cause she's a real-live grown up who owns her own house and has a dog so we talk about mortages and interests rates and sometimes I pretend that my bank account has money in it and I'm mature enough to potty train a puppy. But she really is lovely and even when she's not educating me in the ways of the world we have great conversations!

We are quite the pair running together though because Sarah runs with almost every piece of clothing she owns on her body. Ok so maybe not that much but she's got sweats, a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, a jacket, a toque and gloves on. And I'm wearing shorts and a running shirt. Now that we've hit January I've started wearing a long sleeve shirt but we're still pretty unevenly dressed! So because of Hawaii and Christmas and colds and birthdays and some other things that have gotten in our way for 3 weeks, yesterday was the first day we've gotten to run together and it also happened to be the coldest day of the winter so far! Short of it actually snowing on us while we ran, it couldn't have been colder! The kind of cold that makes all my wobbly bits not so wobbly CAUSE THEY'RE FROZEN TO ME! The kind of cold where her neighbor had just washed his car and the water run off had made the side walk an ice rink ( Dont worry, I didn't fall! ).

But you know what, I'm gonna keep running in my short running shorts cause its about the only thing I've got going for me in the toughness department. I'm really ok with the fact that I'm the weakest person I know. I have no upper body strength, I am a WUSS, I'm afraid of heights and most other things, Im SO jumpy you'd think I just came back from the war and the other day I had to get my pregnant friend to open my travel mug that was closed to tight... BUT... I RUN IN SHORT SHORTS IN JANUARY!!!

Hawaii Finale

2008-01-23T15:20:00.001-08:00

Matt & Dee on our date night in Haleava Me and the brother-in-law-in-law to be.
We were a scooter GANG!
The view from Diamond Head.
Our visit to the Breakers. My mom's childhood vacation spot - SOOO COOL!

Hawaii II

2008-01-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

my hubby, the mermaid with voluptous boobies
Rick & Martha. We got to visit them in Kailua! They took us to 2 amazing beaches and had a little bar-b-que for us.
This is the part where I'm all "ya, I could pursue a career as a beached whale." and then another wave comes, whips me around, and exposes me to half the beach.
Matt and Carla (I dont know why the pictures are small after this, sorry!)
Andrew & Sam. Its hectic.

Hawaii I

2008-01-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

PIPELINE.
the lays (spelling anyone?) smelt AMAZING!
first night on the beach in honolulu. sooooo fun!
ENGAGED!! Andrew proposed on the beach and it was beautiful. The wedding's in June!
We all got very familiar with the boogy boarding. And the sand got very familiar with my private places as IT LODGED ITSELF EVERYWHERE!!

renovations

2008-01-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

feel free to oooo and ahhhh appropriatly at the overhaul on my blog. i like the prettieness of it and I FINALLY FIGURED OUT LINKS!! you'd think, working on a computer all day long and helping create the power to change website, i would have some knowledge of this, but i didnt. but blogger has finally made it dummy proof enough that my 10-year-old cousin could do it so i'm set. so please, check out my links, i think they're all pretty cool, hopefully you will too!
hawaii was lovely, thank you for asking. we enjoyed ourselves immensely and i will post some pictures here which will share the full story!
we hit christmas with the Juliens this year in S-land and it was ... hectic and perfect. we're now 9 cousins (including husbands) and 5 aunts & uncles/parents and when we squish into a room and rip into the stockings - its chaos. and i wouldnt trade it for the world! we're loud, we can be obnoxious and we laugh ... a lot. we played the wii and watched tons of planet earth. we went for long walks and ate WAY TOO MUCH.
and now january has come and almost gone and life is... nuts! matt's been working lots of nights and has started 7 classes (that's right, my husband is a freaking genius - you might want to get his autograph). i have filled my days with work and friends and church stuff. (if you're at our church, you should check out our cool wall!)
we've brought the term "scrimping and saving" to a whole new level and laugh at ourselves constantly. we're living for september and yet trying, day by day, to find life in to space and time God has given us. to not reach for the stone to make bread. to not just exist, but to remember we're crazy busy and poor for good reasons right now.
feburary here we come....

"is da beach dat way?"

2007-12-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

I can't beleive how quickly Christmas has come! On Monday it will be 1 year since Matt and I tied the knot... WOW! It has been a year full of huge laughter and, at times, huge challenges. My wonderful hubby is amazing. I am so lucky because he treats me like a princess and keeps me giggling. Matt's done really well with school this past year, he got to drive a huge truck for the summer and got some kicks out of that and he's also landed himself a job with KPMG - Abbotsford here he comes (NO we're not moving to Abbotsford in answer to the inevitable question that everyone asks). I was telling a friend the other day about how marriage sometimes brings out the worst in you and it's true. But while it brings out the worst in me int those moments where I am irrationally flipping out about something very very lame, its also has brough out the best in us and I love that about marriage. Matt has consitently challenged me in my areas of weakness and I know I DEFINETLY wouldnt be who I am today without him. I'm looking forward now to year 2 because someone told me that's the magic number for when husbands stop leaving dirty underwear on the floor... right???

On to other news - we leave for Hawaii in 2 DAYS!!!! Holy hannah - you can bet how much excitement fills the Splinter house these days! Matt's parents are SO wonderfully taking us and the girls and Andrew to Hawaii and we CANNOT WAIT! Last night I raided Shannon's summer clothes and now I have a whole new wardrobe and am good to go! I have this continuos image in my head though of Stefan (my cousin) in Point Roberts, in front of his giant sand castle, imitating Schwarsenager - "Is da beach dat way?" (while flexing his arms all manly like) I CANT WAIT!

Speaking of the Julien clan - we also cant wait to spend Christmas with the fam in Summerland - bring on the Talent show! I will share some of our antics after!

Merry Christmas!

H&M

2007-10-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend Danielle and I finally got a day together and decided to relive the memories at H&M. We braved the traffic and rain into Coquitlam and enjoyed ourselves quite a bit even if we didn't really enjoy the store. I really loved H&M in Europe - I'm pretty sure we went to one in all 21 countries we went to - it was SUPER cheap and really trendy for Europe but full of fashions that I knew hadn't hit Canada yet. I came home with all these great tops that came out here about 6 months later. But when we went to the H&M here in Canada I was very disapointed that is seemed to be just as expensive as Jacob or Old Navy. Its still a really trendy store but the problem is I just dont really like the trend right now - skinny jeans and pregnancy tops are just not doing it for me - probably because I'm not 17 years old or pregnant BUT I am holding out hope that one day, when I like what's trendy again, I will enjoy H&M with the same enthusiasm that had us traipsing in to every outlet across Europe!

why i love mark driscoll's rants...

2007-10-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

"There is a strong drift toward the hard theological left. Some emergent types [want] to recast Jesus as a limp-wrist hippie in a dress with a lot of product in His hair, who drank decaf and made pithy Zen statements about life while shopping for the perfect pair of shoes. In Revelation, Jesus is a pride fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is a guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up. I fear some are becoming more cultural than Christian, and without a big Jesus who has authority and hates sin as revealed in the Bible, we will have less and less Christians, and more and more confused, spiritually self-righteous blogger critics of Christianity."
Mark Driscoll - on the biggest challenges facing young Christiand in the next 10 years.

Community

2007-09-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you walk into church on Sunday morning and put on a face? If we were really honest with ourselves, really honest, would we maybe admit that socializing in a church foyer can be physically painful? Why is it that the people we try to live in community with are often the ones we lie to on a weekly basis? Try just being a fly on the wall ...
"Hey. How was your week?"
"Good. Busy. How was yours?"
"Great!"
I'm not saying that no one ever has an honest answer for an honest question but that begs another question that sometimes niggles me on Sunday morning, are you really looking for an honest answer for me? I am not trying to be cinical here, if you know me at all you know how much I love church (church being the Body of Christ wherever we happen to be) but from high school to bible college to campus crusade I see the same thing and Im hungry for something more. I think I've always felt this frusteration and yet not sure what to do with it...

things i think are cool...

2007-08-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Cannon Beach & Body Boarding.

Girl's weekend on the Island. Tag line: What happens on the island, stays on the island...

Seattle Mariners.

Being 21.

My slow cooker.

My amazing new TV stand - it's seriously the cooles thing ever!

Amber & Tim being engaged.

A job where I get to be creative and go to "brain storming sessions".

My Nike/IPOD running tracker.

Mark Driscoll.

Our imaginary dog "Gus" who we often walk and play with in the park.

All the new people we're meeting at church.

Matt only having one week of work left.

The pool I'm going to have next week!!!

Sarah's back in Langley.

Danielle comes home on Sunday.

IT'S ALMOST FALL!!!

the busyness and the blessing

2007-06-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well it's been an exciting couple of days!! I just got hired at Campus Crusade for Christ. As of July 16 I will be the admin. assistant in the Marketing and Communications Department!! It's been a long road of job hunting and random interview as I tried to discern what God wanted for me for employment as of July but now it is over and I am very excited about going to Crusade. I think its an awesome ministry and it will be a really great place for me to grow, creativley and administratively. If you're mocking me for my jump from one type of work to another... don't. It's really an awesome oppurtunity and something that God has been preparing me for in His own unique way, just because that meant schooling for something completley different, doesn't mean I am flaky or that this is an ubsurd choice!
Sarah also came home this week which was AWESOME!! It was so wonderful to see her beautiful, tanned face back in Langley and to here all her amazing stories. I also got to go on a little canoe trip with the grade 11 PE class. We had wonderful weather and it was a really great time of fellowship with Matt and Jesse (the PE duo) but my arms are still recovering from the double canoe and I have yet to find my good attitude about the whole situation. Just ask Danielle, Tuesday night (a whole 4 DAYS LATER) I could still have a good rant about having to canoe it all twice! ... ahhh disciplining high schoolers - not my thing!!
And the last exciting thing to happen this week hasn't quite happened yet.... SAM GRADUATES TONIGHT!! My petite souer is off to the real, big world! We are so proud of her and cannot wait to celebrate with her...

... on a random, parting note - today I got a card that someone at church had given my mom for me. I thought it was just a thank you card from a friends wedding but it was actually a gift certificate to the KEG!!! Our friends Adam and Susan had just decided to bless us and show some love and I think its the coolest thing ever. Not only do I love getting random gifts when its not my birthday but it just reminds me that we are so loved and supported by those around us, this is what living in community is all about, not giving gift certificates necessarily, but, loving on each other! I think its very counter-cultural (my new favorite adjective thanks to Janice).

chocolate, pollen and my new hobby

2007-05-31T14:11:00.001-07:00

So I have officially started running. I state it like that because technically, sometimes I would run before, but it was more of a scattered, Pheobe-esque type running. Danielle and I have officially started training together. Seattle half marathon HERE WE COME!!! (I am pretty sure that the city is unprepared for the disaster we can be as a pair.)
For the most part it's going well, we've been training now for about 3 weeks, I only missed one day and I am really enjoying it. It's so nice to be outside, especially with all the wonderful weather we've been having! It's also really great to have a purpose in my running, I feel like I've got something to accomplish and I actually feel quite invigorated with the challenge. But (of course, there has to be a 'but') this morning, I was a gong show!! I don't really like to run in the mornings, I don't think most sane people would. (that's right, I dont hold Darren or Don in the "sane" category).
I hobbled up to my house this morning, limping because I forgot to wear my knee brace, my eyes were half swollen shut because I forgot to take some Reactine (it was literally SNOWING pollen) and very grumpy because at that point I had been up for 1 hour with NO COFFEE, and I thought to myself "This isn't such a joy this morning".
The invigoration, the "good feeling" of working out, the clear headed calmness - that was ALL gone, I was just crabby. But then at lunch today I had a piece of chocolate cake because "I went for a run this morning so it's ok" and it all kind of evened out. At this rate, I probably wont lose any weight on my excercise program but really, the justification of eating crappy food makes it worth it some days!
So there it is, all 5 of you faithful readers out there can hold me accountable to my running and I will try to spice up the blogs with my new anicdotes*.

(*if someone could tell me how to spell that correctly it would be great)

Lovable?

2007-05-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder why it is that, as women, we seem to be drawn to the scandalous love stories that Hollywood seems to put out. Why is it that we love the story of "Pretty Woman"? I don't think its because we all secretly believe we'll find our true love through prostitution.
I hope it's not because we think there is something remotely good looking in Richard Gere's beady little eyes!! Why is it that the love stories that swoon us involve the Moulin Rouge and women dancing for money?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not passing judgment on the love of these movies, I bought a painting of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, that's how much I loved the movie! But even saying that seems bizarre - I bought a picture of a brothel... I certainly don't support the industry.

But then I see that maybe, without even knowing it, we are so drawn to these stories where regular, decent (or slightly decent) men fall for the hugely flawed woman and fix her with their love because it's our story. As women this is how we identify the love of Jesus that comes down and caresses us just as we are, unpure, broken, messy, insecure, unfaithful women. That we know if Christian can fall in love with Satine, even though she constantly pushes him away and denies his existence, then maybe, just maybe, God really still does love us. Mmmmh.

Grad Skip Day...

2007-05-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

...the only thing that could ever make me wish I was still in the horrible throes of Grade 12. It is a beautiful, sunny day out and I am stuck inside while all my students frolick at the beach.
On the bright side the weather will be beautiful for baseball tonight and our plethora of
bar-b-ques tomorrow!!

One other random thought for this o-so-random blog... I think that slow-cookers are the greatest invention ever! I know half of the 4 people who read this blog are rolling their eyes right now at how I reak of domesticity but I am totally ok with that. It is seriously fantastic to toss dinner into the slow cooker at 8 in the morning and come home to a wonderful smelling house by 5 and then - dinner is ready... it's all about enjoying the little things right?

a little of my life lately...

2007-05-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

hanging out with bo-baya, watching her flirt with my hubby and

walking and eating way to much ice cream with Dan. & Karl

posing for lame pictures with larissa

WATCHING SARA GET MARRIED - woot woot

eating great meals with my sister and her (almost) hubby at their beautiful basement suite!

being more barbarian

2007-04-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend across the line at Cedar Springs Resort. It was our church leadership retreat and I got to party it up with all the grown ups while my hubby hunkered over the books at home. I stayed up waaaayyy too late on Friday night talking with Colleen, one of the wisest women I know, we griped about the school system and the absurdity of hiring people based on seniority.
We had an awesome session where we watched a bit of Bill Hybels and shared our own passions. It was cool to see people share things that they were so on fire about that it made you want to get up and say "I'd like to be a part of that" even though I can't be a part of Boy's Brigade.
Saturday we watched this GREAT video of Erwin McManus speaking at Willow Creek. Let me just start off by saying - this guys is soooo great! He talked about moving from being civilized Christians to barbarians, moving to a faith that expects miracles and is actually beleiving that God could speak to us. It was brilliant! It was like watching someone put words to the discontent stirring in me for months. He said this one thing that has stuck in my head ever since... "Sometimes the church's biggest obstacle is coming from within". The comment was a little cynical (he even admitted that) and I really do think the church is pretty great, but his point was that sometimes the biggest thing getting in our way is our own self... our ego, our fear, our cynicism. I am starting to realize that I am what most often keeps me from being a 'barbarian'. It's shaping up to be an interesting journey...
We also spent a lot of time discussing this whole concept of a church that is centered around its vibrant, thriving, small groups. That we get people plugged in that way. That out of these small group communities flows an intimacy between us, that we throw off our inauthenticity and embrace something that is, yes, harder to do but more honest and more human. There was this quote there that said "Today's revolution of love is called the church" I think it was Earl Crepps - he seems like a pretty smart cookie to me!
However, above all, my favorite part of the weekend was the paddle boating with my good friends Darren, Wendy & Janice. Yes, I almost came to fatal blows with the swan (really, really BIG swan) but the laughs and smack talk flowed freely and I thanked Jesus for these wonderful additions to my life in the past year!

Check it out!!!

2007-04-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my great friend Janice!!!
Check out her wonderful creation at www.lefc.ca... She put soooo much time and effort into this website and I think, not only has she done a awesome job, but it really reflects our church and the directions we're taking.... and it's just very pretty!!

2007-04-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Do you think he hits the nail on the head?

NEW YORK (CNN) -- When did it come to the point that being a Christian meant only caring about two issues, abortion and homosexuality?

Ask the nonreligious what being a Christian today means, and based on what we see and read, it's a good bet they will say that followers of Jesus Christ are preoccupied with those two points.

Poverty? Whatever. Homelessness? An afterthought. A widening gap between the have and have-nots? Immaterial. Divorce? The divorce rate of Christians mirrors the national average, so that's no big deal.

The point is that being a Christian should be about more than abortion and homosexuality, and it's high time that those not considered a part of the religious right expose the hypocrisy of our brothers and sisters in Christianity and take back the faith. And those on the left who believe they have a "get out of sin free" card must not be allowed to justify their actions.

Many people believe we are engaged in a holy war. And we are. But it's not with Muslims. The real war -- the silent war -- is being engaged among Christians, and that's what we must set our sights on.

As we celebrate Holy Week, our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But aren't we also to recommit ourselves to live more like Jesus? Did Jesus spend his time focusing on all that he didn't like, or did Jesus raise the consciousness of the people to understand love, compassion and teach them about following the will of God?

As a layman studying to receive a master's in Christian communications, and the husband of an ordained minister, it's troubling to listen to "Christian radio" and hear the kind of hate spewing out of the mouths of my brothers and sisters in the faith.

In fact, I've grown tired of people who pimp God. That's right; we have a litany of individuals today who are holy, holy, holy, sing hallelujah, talk about how they love the Lord, but when it's time to walk the walk, somehow the spirit evaporates.

A couple of years ago I took exception to an e-mail blast from the Concerned Women for America. The group was angry that Democrats were blocking certain judges put up for the federal bench by President Bush. It called on Americans to fight Democrats who wanted to keep Christians off the bench.

So I called and sent an e-mail asking, "So, where were you when President Clinton appointed Christian judges to the bench? Were they truly behind Christian judges, or Republican Christian judges?

Surprise, surprise. There was never a response.

An African-American pastor I know in the Midwest was asked by a group of mostly white clergy to march in an anti-abortion rally. He was fine with that, but then asked the clergy if they would work with him to fight crack houses in predominantly black neighborhoods.

"That's really your problem," he was told.

They saw abortion as a moral imperative, but not a community ravaged by crack.

If abortion and gay marriage are part of the Christian agenda, I have no issue with that. Those are moral issues that should be of importance to people of the faith, but the agenda should be much, much broader.

I'm looking for the day when Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, James Kennedy, Rod Parsley, " Patriot Pastors" and Rick Warren will sit at the same table as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cynthia Hale, Eddie L. Long, James Meek, Fred Price, Emmanuel Cleaver and Floyd Flake to establish a call to arms on racism, AIDS, police brutality, a national health care policy, our sorry education system.

If they all say they love and worship one God, one Jesus, let's see them rally their members behind one agenda.

I stand here today not as a Republican or a liberal. And don't bother calling me a Democrat or a conservative. I am a man, an African-American man who has professed that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that's to whom I bow down.

If you concur, it's time to stop allowing a chosen few to speak for the masses. Quit letting them define the agenda.

So put on the full armor of God because we have work to do.

Roland Martin.

Barb & Albert's Wedding

2007-03-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Isn't she beautiful?

Tara and I warming ourselves by the fire!

Tara, Andrea and Barb - We rocked the dance floor!!

Damara and I taking an abundance of ridiculous pictures!

Barb and Al had a beautiful wedding day (not so great weather) and I am so excited for them as they start their journey. I had a blast with the girls from work and enjoyed the AMAZING buffet... yeah for weddings!!!

ahhh rocking the boat...

2007-03-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

Well as it turns out I should be talking about HPV Vaccinations instead of homosexual curriculum so, I will address that. There is a new vaccination available to grade 6 girls that is said to protect against strains of cancer caused by an STD called HPV. Now if you haven't read the comments on my last post go read them now cause that's what I am going to talk about...
Now I must say, having had long discussions with my mom about these things, I know that her point was not at all that we shouldn't be vaccinating our girls. Her point (and mine) is that we may* be fixing this problem but at the rate we are going, with the age of girls losing their virginity being lower and lower, in 10 years a new strain of something will pop up and we wont have a vaccine for that but we ALSO wont have actually talked with our kids about the effects of sleeping around because, hey we vaccinated them for it! We need to start addressing the what's causing the problem instead of being so concerned about putting a band aid on the consequences. HPV has not been around that long and as soon as we erradicate it something new will pop up but we will have a generation who don't understand how to protect themselves or even see the need.
Its the same as people who say we should be putting MORE money into finding a cure for AIDS than third world development. If we spent more money on education and development we could help stop AIDS at the root of the problem. Im not at all suggesting though that we should quit on a cure for AIDS but more that our focus, or at least some of our attention, stays on the quality of life and the education of people in developing nations.
I hope all of this has made sense, maybe I should stick to my wedding posts but I couldn't let the world think my mom was some kind of conservative, stick-your-head-in-the-sand, none vaccinator (is that a word, I dont know!) Cause she is one of the wisest, knowledgeable women I know and she definitely does not shy from reality.

* I say 'may' because we dont even know the long term effects of these vaccines or if they are even effective after 5 years.

How accepting can we be?

2007-03-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

I think today I will rock the boat. As Beimer's subtlety hinted today, I need to take a break from all my blogging about weddings and marriage and I have been mulling this one over in my head for about a week now trying to get up the courage... You see I used to have no problem stirring the pot and being controversial but I've had a plague of timidity for a while now (and a lot of fear that Stephanie's anonymous commenter will come harass me!!). However, Im feeling a little like standing on a soap box today!
In June 2006 the BC government agreed to mandate a homosexual curriculum with no opt-out for students or parents. Now before reading any further you have to remember that this is not my opinion on whether or not we should be having some form of homosexual curriculum in our schools. I merely feel like pointing out that this has been put in place based on the human-rights complaint of a Coquitlam teacher and his partner. Suddenly we see curriculum, with no opt-out (meaning its mandatory for all students), being formed by 2 people. It seems to me that in the fear of homo phobia and prejudice we are running in quite the opposite direction. How is it tolerant of other beliefs that, if they want to educate their children on different types of sexuality at home, they can't. I would say that this is intolerant and prejudice of religious beliefs. All of a sudden, in a world that is dripping with post-modernity and claims there is no absolute truth, we see people being intolerant of certain views. And not only that but these decisions are being made on the basis of a case made by 2 people who are hardly unbiased. How is it discretionary to take a human-rights complaint of two people and create a curriculum around it? Alright, Im off my soap box.

"Soooo how's married life?"

2007-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Seriously, do I have a stamp on my head that says "all I want to talk about is my marriage?" Ok, that came off a little harsh, I know people are quite well intentioned and they genuinely want to know how we are doing and if we are "surviving" (cause if we weren't then thats definetly a conversation I'd want to have in Safeway, hehe). Married life is great- aside from my much larger grocery bill, the fact that dirty laundry actually smells now and the sad reality that Matt just isn't the fashion expert my sister was- I am loving married life. It's so amazing not to have to say goodbye at the end of the night. I love that our time isnt limited and that we dont have to plan every last minute of the date just so we can get it all in before we have to go to our seperate homes. We can stay up late and watch The Office, we can have midnight snacks, we can go for walks whenever we want... we can finally go on a double date with a married couple and not leave feeling extremly jealous. Matt has his own study, I have a "junk room" (its full of wedding presents that dont fit in the kitchen or are waiting to be returned and my new arts and crafts crap - thank you Wendy for getting me hooked). We're building a home, not a physical one but a home based around our routines, our laughter, our struggles (cause don't worry, we have those too), our friends and our uncomfortable furniture. So there's a bit of an answer to the ever-so popular question....

our little (huge) family

2007-01-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

For the next 8 days Matt & I have 5 children... yes, count them, 5!!! We're staying with the MacIntosh kids while Dan and Margurite are in Palm Springs. We are staying in a beautiful house, full of fun food that I would never buy for Matt like pizza pops and chimmy changas, and I get to drive the van... that's right, Im a soccer mom!!! We are having a blast so far though, Matt is like a kid again playing hide-and-go seek and lots of Xbox while the girls and I have made a sushi date and already hit the mall.
In other good news we're getting lots of bites on our car and Mr. V is on the hunt for a nice cheap putt-putt for us. He's so great and we feel so blessed to have him looking for us. We (mostly Matt) will greatly miss the Celica... it was the car he first asked me out in, its taken us on many trips to Seattle, Summerland and Vancouver and it is pretty fast!! But its time for something that doesnt cost us a million bucks to fix everytime a little thing goes wrong and we probably should sell it now, while we can still get a decent price for it. Any takers?? Haha.
Last random thought for the blog... Praise God for Darren, who was voted in with an astounding 90% last weekend as our new "Vicar"!!! Woot woot for the many good years of making morman jokes and chasing Taylor and Matty around to come.

katie's "wifeing it" blog...

2007-01-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday night.... The week looms ahead of me, ominous and full of lots of basketball and tutoring, with no hope of the snow days I have come to love. I sit here in front of my cozy, pink-tiled fireplace and try to sort through my thoughts of Darren's sermon this morning on marriage and roles and submission... Im wrestling through this all, my Karis CD playing in the back ground to feed my introspective mood.
Some times I feel like I have a little dual personality thing going on in this area... there are my natural, sinful, stubborn instincts to rebel and be like a 2 year old stomping my foot in declaration of my independence. Then there is the "Focus on the Family", Sunday school answer, that the concept of submission and dying to self is easy to understand, I just let my husband lead and go with the flow. But in reality I am not happy with either of these options. I don't want to just go with the flow and yet I am perfectly happy to just "wife-it" as a friend of mine recently referred to it. So what is the fine balance? How is it that man and woman were created equal, with separate, equally important roles. I think I have a hard time wrapping my head around it because its not tangible. Im a "kinesthetic" learner (according my psycology text book) which means I like concrete rules and examples. There is no step by step process to 'dying to self'. mmmm....
That was a ramble, Im fully aware, but its just what Im thinking and I suppose its in a bit of response to Steph's blog last week - just to let her know she's not alone in her wrestling...

Some more of Brady's amazing shots!

2007-01-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

Pictures by our very own Brady Fishbook...

2007-01-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

A Whole New Season...

2007-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2006 I married the most amazing man in the whole world and now I have a new name, all new kitchen appliances and I sleep with a boy. We had a beautiful day, so many amazing and loving people helped us by making it all look gorgeous. I am thrilled with it all, it was perfect! I don't just say that because that's what people should say after they get married, I really mean it! There are a few things that I would do differently, hind sight it always 20-20, but they are little and insignificant. We had so much fun and have spent the last 3 weeks talking about how blessed we are! We had an amazing pastor who married us, he really knew us and gave an awesome message that made us laugh and cry. Our wedding party was a blast put up with the chill during pictures. Brady took some AWESOME shots which I will post later and I am still anxiously awaiting Mike's pictures. We were also so thankful for our families, our parents gave us so much from the wedding itself, to Carla's amazing rehersal dinner, to so much love and joy throughout the day. And of course, our amazing geusts. It was so awesome to look out at all those people and be so thankful that each one was there! They all meant so much to us in different ways but I can honestly say that I was thankful for everybody, and also thankful I knew them all... hehe.
We went on to have a great honeymoon. Dan and Margurite so generously gave us their condo in Sunpeaks for the week. We got to explore the village, ski and snowboard and have lots of play time in the snow.
Since we've been home we've done a ton of visiting with family and friends, opened our huge load of AMAZING gifts, set up our suite (which is huge and now full of beautiful things and great treats from IKEA!) and generally bummed around and enjoyed married life.
I must say I am loving my new season of life... I feel settled and content. I'm trying not to be too corny here but it really does feel like home....

Tonka Trucks

2006-12-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

I love Sunday afternoons! Today I skipped church (the children's choir does not rate as high as wedding planning and house cleaning this year - sorry God) and got lots of things done so that I could relax and enjoy a wonderful afternoon with friends. Sara and Andrew came over for lunch and we sat down at 2:00 and besides getting up to make coffee we sat and talked straight until 5:00... What great fellowship!! They are such an amazing couple! As it turns out Andrew and Matt have a whole lot more in common than you would think a biologist and a computer programer do, as Matt was telling Andrew about his recent experience driving a front-end loader Andrew said, "One day I want to buy one of those and just dig holes all day. Different holes of different shapes and sizes." And Matt exlaims, " I KNOW!!" and then they laugh the same laugh that says, "Wouldn't that be the life!"
Boys and they're tonka-trucks, aparently its a phase they never really grow out of, the toys just get bigger as the boys do!

My Favorite Paris...

2006-11-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this website...
parisdailyphoto.blogspot.com...
The pictures are amazing and make me miss Paris, my favorite though is November 24th's picture of Alexandre III Bridge. One of my favorite parts of Paris is this bridge, from 4 pm on people just sit in these huge groups on this bridge and eat massive feasts with chicken, steak, wine - you name it! And they sit there all night playing music, eating and talking. It's like the world stops on this bridge and people actually fellowship! The feeling on the bridge is so relaxed and sometimes there's kids there but everyone is just at rest and enjoying each other's company. It gives you warm fuzzies as you walk across and it's GREAT!

"Easy Silence"

2006-11-23T21:43:00.000-08:00

When the calls and conversations

Accidents and accusations

Messages and misperceptions

Paralyze my mind

Busses, cars, and airplanes leaving

Buring fumes of gasoline

And everyone is running

And I come to find a refuge in the

Easy silence that you make for me

It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me

And the peaceful quiet you create for me

And the way you keep the world at bay for me

The way you keep the world at bay

Monkeys on the barricades

Are warning us to back away

They form commissions trying to find

The next one they can crucify

And anger plays on every station

Answers only make more questions

I need something to believe in

Breathe in sanctuary in the

Easy silence that you make for me

It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me

And the peaceful quiet you create for me

And the way you keep the world at bay for me

The way you keep the world at bay

Children lose their youth too soon

Watching war made us immune

And I've got all the world to lose

But I just want to hold on to the

Easy silence that you make for me

It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me

And the peaceful quiet you create for me

And the way you keep the world at bay for me...

I remember when Matt and I were getting serious, along with all my other insecurities, I kinda wondered how we would not get bored of each other by the time we wanted to get married. Wouldn't we run out of things to talk about? When you first start dating you have so much to talk about while you're getting to know each other and I really thought that it would be so scary once you got past that point... Now I know that getting past that point is amazing.

I really like this song because the chorus reflects just how I feel. It's typical Dixie Chicks to put politics in a love song but for the most part, the song is pretty bang on!

My Girls...

2006-11-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

The last 2 months have been jam packed with wedding showers, dress fittings and a billion lists of wedding errands. Through it all my bridesmaids have been more than amazing. My sister has made way too many trips to the post office for me, threw me the best stagette a bride has ever had, made all of my favors and puts up with my huge 'gift room' that enroaches on our living space after every shower. My future sisters-in-law have been great, they are encouraging, they play candle-lit Mexican-train with me and give me hot lengerie. Danielle takes me out for dinner after horrible days at work, always has great and wise advice, regifts me beautiful, hawaiian mugs to me and is so supportive to me! Sarah has been to every possible wedding shower, does an amazing job of leading bible study with me and keeps me laughing at, I mean WITH her all night long when she does her noise! Carley is my long, not so lost, cousin, she came back to the mainland and stayed with Noni and I for a night making me realize how much I really miss her and her making me laugh... My girls are great, they keep me going and keep me laughing. I am so thankful for their support and love!

Some days...

2006-11-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

... I know that I chose to do what I am doing now. I made the choice to take the year off and not head back to school right away, I made the choice to do a one year program, I made the choice to work this year... I made those choices. But there are some days when I wish I had taken the school route. Days like yesterday, when classes were cancelled at Trinity, but I was at work. And some days work is... work.
Someone told me recently that I have to take joy in the small victories in my job, I haven't seen many small victories lately and it's starting to rub. Every other day I get to teach last block and usually I love it! I love my classroom and I love the kids in it, they are all 'gentle giants' and have such a collective, wicked, sense of humor. But today I got to my class and I was so tired and frusterated from everything else that had come down the pipe that 10 minutes into my class I totally snapped at a poor unsuspecting student who really, was doing nothing wrong. He's such a sweetheart and I yelled... I never yell at students. I hated myself for it and pulled him out 10 minutes later to apologize. Of course he was great, told me not to worry about it and 30 seconds later he was making me laugh again. But it made me wonder, why am I not doing more of what I love and less of what makes me so quickly irritated with those I love???
Hmmm, I bought multi-vitamins today, Danielle said it would help! For those who are interest; tennis racket -2, me - 0!

Jake

2006-10-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today I got a phone call from my 6-year-old cousin. In the middle of our conversation, after telling me that his mom's new car has a DVD player, he announced that he was calling me because he was in his dad's car and was bored.
After discussing his budding soccer career (he is the next David Beckahm) he blurted out "and Uncle Steve is my favorite Uncle".
You see Uncle John has been Jake's favorite Uncle since he could say "Uncul Dawn" so I can see the family crisis emerging. "Why is it Uncle Steve now Jake?" I ask, very concerned.
"Because Uncle Steve takes me for really really fast boat rides in his boat," he declared proudly. "And Jenna is my favorite cousin!"
"WHAT? WHY?" I think of all the times I took Jake to McDonalds, our water fights, our cookie making and teletoon watching during those 3 great summers. Jenna must have done something pretty damn good.
"Because her dad takes me for really really fast boat rides in his boat!" Then I remember Im talking to a 6-year-old and I start to recover. 'It will be ok,' I tell myself, 'I can get this back.' For a while there when Jake was 4 I was second favorite cousin to Lucas who had an X Box but I made a quick recovery by teaching Jake how to jersey his brothers.
"And Noni is my second favorite cousin and you are my third! I have to wrap you up. Love you. Bu-bye." And the conversation is over...
Needless to say my self esteem is pretty low right now, think I'll go wallow in the despair as I have dropped to third favorite cousin for the first time in my life.

My New Addiction...

2006-10-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

I would just like to give a shout out to Janice and Wendy for introducing me to a fabulous new show. Janice had a birthday last weekend so the three of us decided that was a good enough excuse to do nothing for a good 5 hours on Sunday afternoon and they suckered me in (without too much coercion) to... Grey's Anatomy. Now if you ignore the bed hopping and fake medicine talk (Noni is constantly saying "they would NEVER do THAT") it really is an enjoyable show.
Just for those of you who want to know the score... Tennis racket - 1, Me - 0!

sarah...

2006-10-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

thank you bradley for introducing me to natalie dee...

check it out at www.nataliedee.com for a good laugh every day...

these are a few of my favorite things...

2006-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

My amazing dad and the most beautiful baby bug (who's alot bigger now!) He is 'Naya's!!

Mona Lisa...

2006-09-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

"You always said I could do whatever I want, Mrs. Watson.

This is what I want."

September...

2006-09-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well the crazy start to school at the begining of September has come and gone and finally I have time to sit down and write a bit... I'll try not to post it three times today! Work has been great, I really have the greatest job! Sometimes I feel like I get paid to be a youth worker! I love feeling like I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be. God has hand crafted this job for me and even on the tough days, when I'm Mrs. Snot snot, I look around and know I couldn't have written up a better job for myself! It has been so interesting (and at most times humbling) to be on the other side of the staff room but I've always wanted to chill with Pim and Bert so it works. Plus, it is sooo fun to be in Cameron's bible class. He really loves it too, I can tell by the way he pretends he doesn't know me because he's afraid if he talked to me, he'd just let all his excitment out in one big squeel! Well having said all that September is going quite smashingly, but not quick enough!
In other news, I have officially put the 'Stang to rest. That's right, we had a little ceremony, I said goodbye and uninsured the car that's gotten me all over the place in the past year, the car that faithfully broke down on me only when I just happened to have money, the car I never really loved and am not really sad to see go. So its for sale, in case anyone has a hankering for a red mustang with a stylish dent in the front right quarter panel and some killer Hawaiian seat covers.
That's all that's new... o and it's 88 for the count, just in case you're wondering!

2006-09-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

today pete unrau told the story of the old man who, when asked if he liked the music played in his church on Sunday morning said

"well, no. its too loud. there is too much drums and they dont sing anything out of the hymn book. no, i don't love the music, but i love the people who do!"

over the past few months i've watched people i love leave our church for other churches because of the college and career. i've struggled so much with why this hole in the 19-23 year-old singles is widening.
should we be staying?
should we be going?
what can we actually do about it?
is it just a phase that the summer will fix?
all these things i've wrestled with over the summer when last week i went for coffee with a very wise girl... she told me that she was learning to hold the things she loved with an open palm. in typical youth leader fashion i said "oh, that's great madz." and thought about her life and how that would help her. it wasn't until i got home that i realized God was trying to teach me the lesson...
im learning that part of growing up is relationships changing and that i need to stop gripping so tightly to what i once held dear because it sure hurts alot more when God has to pry my knuckles open, as pete said this morning.
im also learning that i not only need to hold my friends with an open palm but also my church. regardless of my warring instincts to run with those who have left while also to stay and burrow into a hole and promise never to leave the family i know, regardless of these two emotions i need to keep my palms open so that God can mold and shape the things i love without having to pull them out of my grasp first.
so right now i dont really love the community feel for young adults my age at our church, i also dont really love that people i've grown up with are leaving but i love the people at my church and i also love the people who have left so i will try to do this all with more open hands....

2006-09-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

today pete unrau told the story of the old man who, when asked if he liked the music played in his church on Sunday morning said

"well, no. its too loud. there is too much drums and they dont sing anything out of the hymn book. no, i don't love the music, but i love the people who do!"

holding things i love with an open palm...

2006-09-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

today pete unrau told the story of the old man who, when asked if he liked the music played in his church on Sunday morning said

"well, no. its too loud. there is too much drums and they dont sing anything out of the hymn book. no, i don't love the music, but i love the people who do!"

the update...

2006-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

108 more days

more things that happened this summer....

2006-08-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

denaya actually got cuter.
carly got engaged!!!
we discovered... the potato gun.

and finally, i found out how to post pictures on my blog.... this should be fun!

things that happened this summer

2006-08-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

i went camping with the youth and they got really happy about Brad
we enjoyed a pool in my backyard all summer long mark decided this would be his new "pick up" face
for the first summer we watched the sandcastle disappear from the wall, not from on top of the sancastle. i think uncle warren cried a little.
matt got really excited about us taking lame picture poses (we're not sure how he'll do with wedding shots)

my new house...

2006-08-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mom, Matt and I got to go walk around our new place for a while... it was great! Noni and I move in 7 days (and counting!). My new addiction to bargain shopping has produced a nice love seat, 2 side tables, a coffee table and 2 prints... I feel like such a grown up! Seriously though we are so blessed to be renting from Bob and Rita who are so nice and willing to let me be picky about paint. Also it will take me about 5 minutes to walk to work which will be fabulous on the gas budget! The basement suite has 3 bedroom which, frankly, is too much space for us but Matt is pretty excited to have his own study and I am pretty excited to have such a HUGE kitchen! I even get to have a bar stool... ahhh you know you are easily amused when...
Anyways, in other news my Sarah Bean moves back soon which I am so stoked about, finally another girl so we might be able to do some group things again :) AND I get to try on my dress tonight - yipee!!! "Looking for a veil" is the excuse this time but quite frankly I'd sleep in it if they'd let me! (114 days...)

congrats...

2006-08-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

(a shout out to Shana)
It was a weekend of weddings and wedding announcments! Yesterday I went to Kyle and Rachel's wedding. I think it was truly the most simple and elegant wedding I've been to. Rachel was georgous, Kyle was sweating haha. Seriously though they were both so content and the smile on Rachel's face was so big it even made me shed a tear. They are off to 10 days in the Dominican Republic! I wish I could figure out how to post a dang picture and then you could all see a bit of the beautiful day.
Also congrats. to Sara and Andrew who got engaged on my birthday (another picture I would post, if I could). Another awesome couple who deserve all the best!
And now, for the update I know you are all dying to hear (don't say "for what?" Jave!) ... 117 DAYS!!!

mr. roboto

2006-08-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

... watching a 2 &3 year old doing the robot, with buckets on their heads, makes me so sure that God loves laughter and giggles of children and adults alike. Sometimes I get caught up in the programing and the curriculum that needs to happen for the kids. But in those moments where Matty is falling over from sheer delight, his head adorned with a yellow bucket and a lopsided grin permanently plaster on his face, and Taylor is doing the robot dance I know what its really all about!

... the Escape

2006-07-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

That's right, for those of you that dont already know (because Im telling anyone who will listen) I drove my dream car this weekend!! Zac you truly are a good friend! Seriously, the car is perfect, it even has HEATED SEATS!!! Cruising in the Escape definetly made my summer and I can rest easy now, knowing my love for the car isnt just about the way it looks - it really is an amazing car all around!!

Yeah for Potato Guns!!

2006-07-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well last weekend Matt and I jumped in the car at 4:00 on Friday after deciding an hour earlier to head up to S-land... Living spontaneously is where its at!! What an awesome weekend! Friday night we fired the potato gun off the tressel and though I felt like a bit of a hick, it was great fun! Saturday we took our time getting the boat in the water and then ripped around on our new tube :) There were no concussions this time, just a bit of whiplash and vomit - yikes! My mom made an amazing dinner and then we played with the potato gun some more... the police were called but we escaped in the nick of time :) Anyways off for more misadventures this weekend... S-land here we come!!!

It's been a while...

2006-07-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

... in fact it's been so long that I forgot my password - whoops! Life just seems to slip away from you sometimes. Here's the update though - life as an engaged woman is FANTASTIC! Actually being engaged to Matt is fantastic, life itself, continues to have its ups and downs. Noni and I (and Janice) have moved out of the house into a freaking mansion. Thats right - I have a pool now! We are pseudo- house sitting for an indefinete period of time and all are friends and family are reaping the benifits of our pool and HD Wide screen. However the downside of all this is that Rick and Martha are really gone and that makes me sad! They will be missed (once I stop fighting with the pool vacuum) and we are praying for a fast sell of the house regardless of the joys it brings us!!
I had a wicked girls weekend in S-land that just kicked off the summer in style. Dancing, getting Sarah tipsy (or "hyper"), eating and bed vaulting - Party on wayne!!
I have started my new job which is also full of its ups and downs!! Working for the church is rewarding and yet eye opening ... so we'll leave it at that!
Since everybody else seemed to blog about our great weekend at the Point last weekend I might as well comment that my family ROCKS, we built the best sand castle, ate my aunts fantastic cooking and played Betsy's grade 6 games that we actually quite fun. Carly - you were much missed and we are all looking forward to seeing you soon!!
And now I am anticipating the wedding of the summer - early congrats to Scott and Cheryl!! I am so excited to see you tie the knot. (also to see Danielle in a dress). Seriously though - the Janzen's are my second family and not only am I so proud of Scott and Cheryl but I think they deserve this soooo much and ITS ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!
There's the quick update and here's the countdown - 5 months & 7 days!!! I will try to blog more now!!

Blessed...

2006-05-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

I'm done... Party on Wayne!! It hasn't fully sunk in yet. I think I'm just really stoked about not starting work at 7:30 anymore!! It was a good run though, I wouldn't trade the year for any other schooling. I made some awesome girl friends who I know will be life long monthly dinner dates and I learnt alot about patience. I really enjoyed being made fun of at the end of it too, it kind of just brought the whole year full circle, right Lael? Seriously though, God has blessed me so much through school, through my experiences on practicum and subbing, through the girls that I've become so close with and through the wise words of some wonderful prof's. I am so blessed!!

Makin' Me Think...

2006-05-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

"Socs or Greasers... we all watch the same sunset..." Cherry Valance, The Outsiders

Back to the land of the living!

2006-05-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back at it again!! Hurray for no more mono!! Let me just say its probably a miracle at least 6 of my friends dont have mono... including my o-so-kissable man! What a great "first weekend back in the real world" it was! Friday night Matt and I went to "Steamworks" in Ambleside and walked the peir - such a nice night out!! Saturday we headed up to S-land for some family time and a wedding. (Congrats Steph and Brad!) Then Monday night was the fantastic finale of 24 - Jack and Audrey will never actually hook up because every time they kiss, he gets kidnapped or tortured!! And now we're all back to the grind stone! Im almost done practicum, only 6 more days!! It has been a really great experience but I am looking forward to being PAID to work!! Well thats the update - I hope that everyone is enjoying the rain again and had a great long weekend!!

A day in the life...

2006-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

6:50 - Wake up (yes, I still wake up on "Tweedsmuir Time" because my internal alarm is screwed)
7:00 - 8:00 - read in bed
8:00 - go upstairs and sit on the couch because going upstairs tired me out
9:00 - shower (because I got really dirty the day before, sitting on the couch and all)
9:30-10:30 - nap, because showering really took it out of me
10:30-12:00 - watch some Friends or 24 and drink alot of water and Calm tea (thank the Lord for whoever decided to put whole TV seasons on DVD)
12:00 - eat some crackers or yogurt
12:15 - get hiccups from eating (which actually really hurts when your spleen is enlarged)
12:30-2:00 - read or work on application for church (which seems to be taking me 2 weeks!)
2:00 - 4:00 - sleep some more
4:00 - 5:00 - OPRAH!!!
6:00 - dinner with the fam.
7:00-9:00 - Some more TV because the couch really missed me while I ate dinner
9:00 - fall into bed, exhausted from a rouch day at the office

Go Team Mono!!!

O.S.G.

2006-04-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Im not one to keep up on the happenings of famous people but my mother informed me that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise had a baby girl. They named her Surrey. That makes her the O.S.G. (Carly, that means Original Surrey Girl, in case your boys ask). O dear...

Accepting Grace

2006-04-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

A wise man recently reminded me of the concept of really letting God love me. Its funny because even looking back, the way in which I came to have this conversation with this man was totally set up by God. I've been mulling over this idea that, God delights in me more than anyone else, that one day I will stand as a bride, His pure bride... now that's an analogy I understand. I realized, through my mullings, that letting God love us is something we don't naturally do, in fact we almost do the opposite.
Grace isn't a concept I can easily understand or accept. In fact I've been known to talk myself out of asking for forgivness because I assume it wont be given, without really allowing for the other to make that decision. So this Love, this Grace, this Delight that is mine, is blowing my mind. Suddenly passages of scripture that I've quoted for so long, have come alive to me. For example... THE verse. "For I know the plans I have for you..." You all know I like that verse alot and I've written it in letters, grad comments, invitations... But now I see it in a whole new way, granted, my set of circumstances aids that, regardless, I'm going to get on my soap box about this one...
"plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE" He doesn't just promise to make everything bright and great, He promises hope. Hope comes from perserverance which comes through trials and if the measure of the first two is a measure of the hope He gives us, then I think that everyone is ladened with hope. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed with my own struggles I look at the challenges of those around me (no, Im not talking about watching the OC to feel better about my life)...
And a FUTURE, let me tell you how good that promise sounds when you sit on the edge of university and can't decide between History, Psyc., Poli. Sci. or Human Service. Jesus promises ME a future. And the best part about the whole verse is that I know God's plans are way bigger than anything I could imagine them to be, that I have no idea what He has planned, I only know that they are GOOD plans with HOPE and a FUTURE!!!
I hope my ramblings make sense to you...

back to school...

2006-04-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well I've officially begun final practicum. I'm in a high school in Surrey and its a whole new learning curve!! It's kinda odd to be working with kids who are only 2 or 3 years younger than me, I look at them and think "We could be friends if we met in any other setting". The best part was Chem. 11 though. When I told the TA that I took Chem. in high school she said "Great, you'll know what you're doing then." What a joke... The only thing that got me through Chem 11 was sitting beside Danielle and Dayna. Today the TA turns to me and asks if I remember anything about Hydrates... Well chances are, since I dont remember, that day I was either a) playing mario on my graphing calculator b) talking about boyfriends with danielle or c) playing tetris on Lisa's graphing calculator. Needless to say, I felt a little useless. Ask me what a prepositional phrase is and I'll help you out but Hydrates is somewhere back in my brain with all of Dereck Stinger's talks on Daniel. What a gong show...

Interesting Thought...

2006-04-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Did you know Saturday has the work TURD in it?
... if it wasn't for Garrison Keillor our lives would be empty of such random thoughts...

Team Fika

2006-04-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Great night out with the girls last night... we did some reminiscing of travelling day, there was good food, good drinks and some definite good laughs! I have to tell you a very sad story though. My dear friend Lisa (the girl on the right) is amazing. She has a wicked and twisted sense of humor and she is very stubborn. In fact she is so stubborn she's on Tim Horton's coffee # 31 AND STILL HASN'T WON A THING!!! And yet she keeps trying... all she wants is to win a free coffee or maybe a muffin but no... nothing yet. Did you know that BC has the least number of Roll-up-the-Rim wins in Canada!! I know we have more people than the prairie provinces so WHAT IS THE DEAL??? That's my beef Dan...

Thanks!

2006-04-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

I don't reelly want to share with the world the road I've been on so I'm not gonna go into details of what my life has been the past week. Those of you who know me well enough know where I am at now and if you don't, just ask. I have seen huge miracles this week and it is all a testament to God's awesome power, my amazing family, my awesome girls and this supportive "pseudo family" that is our church body... I've never felt more held up in prayer and love than the past 7 days, so thank you. I will now continue with my regular blogging about random things such as U2 and bowling...

God's Strength

2006-04-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

There's a verse in Isaiah that has carried me the last few days... one of the lines is "His understanding, no one can fathom." I don't understand it all, I may never understand His ways but I'm trusting that His plans are so much greater than the ones I had laid out so finely. Thank you for all your prayers and love...

me and my honey...

2006-03-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

snow

2006-03-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

Snow, snow, snow, snnnnoooowwww!! Even though it was only 4 hours of snow, it was amazing. God is so good because now, not only can I simply enjoy snow for the beauty and simplicity but also because... it brings money!!

I know, your thinking that I've completley lost it- but I haven't!! Now when it snows, Matt gets called to salt - party on wayne!! (maybe not a party but its great for him!!)

Snow has this ability to deaden all wordly noise. I walk out in the morning to my car (that was frozen shut) and the whole world seems asleep. A quiet bliss settles over a convoluted world. Its a pipe dream I know, to think that snow fixes all the problems because just because I can't hear the cars careening down the streets or the sirens wailing, doesn't mean they aren't still doing that. However for those couple minutes- while Im de-icing my car and viciously pulling open the door - I feel the peace, the quiet, the calm of this deadend world.

Snow is really great - that's the conclusion of the day!

Missing the Holsby Boredom...

2006-03-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

That's right, you heard it hear first... there is something about Holsby I miss! JUST KIDDING - there's lots about it that I miss but this one thing in particular is something I didnt have full appreciation for until I left... THE TOTAL LACK OF ANYTHING TO DO!!!
I spent 2 months listening to people stories, going to Hose Bebe's, walking endlessly in the woods with Dan., developing my extremly competitive Eurchre skills and permantenly damaging my rear end bike riding. You do random things when you're that bored. Now I look back though and think that maybe that way of life is a little closer to what God intended for us than this constant blur that seems to be here in North America. Im not saying we should all have the same schedule as we did at Bible School (cause if your Dan. that involved an ubeleivable amount of napping) but it strikes me that the cliche "stop and smell the roses" might really hold a kernel of truth.
I was at Peace Portal last week and the pastor was talking about Mary and Martha and their e xperience sitting at the feet of Jesus. He made the comment that Martha's activity and busyness wasn't wrong, it was just no longer infused with Christ's precense. Our activity, whether at break neck speed or not, needs to be constantly infused with the presence of Jesus, so that even on our busiest of days we take the time to sit at his feet.

Stefan and Betsy...

2006-03-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

First let me welcome my amazing cousin Stef. to the blogging world. Because I am fairly illerate still and have to wait for Sarah to get home to create a link to the world of Stefan and Betsy I'll tell you all know what the website is - minnesotajuliens.blogspot.com - check it out, they are amazing and we all miss them soooo much!!!

more thoughts on worship...

2006-02-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

"of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples,

none rings truer than this.

its all God's people singing

Holy holy, hallelujiah

He reigns!"

St. Paul's Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Westminster Abbey, Notre Dam... the list goes on. I've been to a lot of cathedrals, as I said to Lisa many a time "You know you've been spoiled when you've seen so many cathedrals you start critiquing the architecture!" At the top is a quote from a sweet Newsboys song that makes me smile everytime I hear it! I beleive so strongly that Michelangelo has nothing on 250 people on a Sunday morning singing these words in adoration to God. Don't get me wrong, I have utmost respect for people who spent their lives worshiping God through paint and architecture that is timeless, I just identify better with this true ring...

Speaking of Houses and Homes...

2006-02-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Ironic that the day after I write about wanting a home God hits me with this...
I went to an amazing seminar on "Homelessness in the Greater Vancouver Region" tonight. Dr. Jim Frankish was the speaker, a psycologist and professor from UBC, what an amazing man. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak ... GO!! I want to share with you some of the quotes and stats we heard, I dont begin to do justice to the volumes of research, time and care this man and many others have spent on the subject but here is a snipet of the wisdom. I dont claim to agree with it all but it causes you to think, none the less....

~"People should not be blamed for failing to act on resources they don't have... help people to become more reliant on the resources they DO have.."
~40-45% of Canadians fall into the bottom 2 levels of literacy.
~ Supportive housing led to a per-person cost reduction of $16,282 in health care costs but a $995 gain in housing costs.
~Since 2002 the population of homeless people counted rose 800 persons.
~ the concept of "harm reduction"... "people will not stop doing the bad things so why not try to reduce the harm with programs like the needle exchange, Naomi Project or wet housing?"
~"you better think about where you are going or you might end up somewhere else" Yogi Beara (spelling?)
~"If we want more evidence based practice we need mor practice based evidence" Larry Green

... food for thought...

My U2 Phase

2006-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

In honor of it being almost one year since I set off on my worldwind tour of Europe I am going through a U2 phase. While I was there I would always plug in the classics while we hauled our backpacks to and fro. I think I listened to every album they've made at some point in the 3 months. However one song that seems to stick is "Danielle's song"... Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own.

My favorite line in the song is " a house doesn't make a home ". Right now Matt and I posses some kitchen utensils, a set of dishes, Starbucks mugs, a sex-promising oven mitt and a slow cooker (thank you Linda and Rod). We are blessed to have a number of good leads on suites, 6 months in advance... we have all these 'house things' (that I love, dont get me wrong) but Im looking most forward to our home! The laughter, the nights spent reading, the family dinners, the girls or guys nights (minus the seraner wrap) and the loads of Apples to Apples we'll all play.

Thats the great thing about U2, they always make you think. Here's a not so deep thought though, did you know that Bono and Bon Jovi are fighting over who invented the mullet? Who really wants to take credit for that?

every good and perfect gift...

2006-02-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

so my first official experience with a bar/club thinger (i dont even know how you classify it)! we had this great day with these two great people but we were slightly commical in our loserness, showing up at the blarney stone right when it opened. we were the only ones there for a good 20 minutes and the waitress couldn't figure out why we weren't keeping the guiness flowing... we really were quite nerdish but it was a blast.
as i sat there and looked around at all the people (once they arrived) i was struck by how thankful I was that I there with good friends, that i didnt need alchohol to make the experience more fun and i didnt have to wear next to nothing to attract my man. the atmosphere was neat and everything but i was struck by this sense of none of it being 'enough'. all these people running around trying to get more out of life but it was never enough.... the alchohol, the relationships, the socializing just didnt cut it.
im so thankful that God has given me these things that do 'cut it'. that are so satisfying... danielle, brady, noni, sarah, darla.. all these relationships make me so blessed and so full. my amazing fiance who love me just for me, who i love and respect beyond what i ever imagined, God gave me that...
so my conclusion after the sun, the laughter and the joy of yesterday... GOD IS SO GOOD!!

we're building a road

2006-02-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

my cousin is amazing...yes sarah julien is my hero...she knows what a bandwagon is ...it is now renamed a vanwagon!

published by sarah...

Worship

2006-02-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven. ( A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship? 13)

I Have Succumbed

2006-02-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

About two months ago I ran into an old teacher at work. We chatted for a minute, giving the exciting highlights of what was new in our lives, but I was soon called away to attend to customers. He told me to check out his blog to get fully caught up on how life was for him. I must admit right right then I resisted an eye-rolling and I bit my tongue to keep from asking him if he had an Ipod too. I had a serious predjudice to bloggers. To be honest I thought it was just 'the thing to do'. Well I read his out of curiousity and soon became hooked. Now thanks to Danielle and Sarah... here I go. However to quote the inspiration "like I have time for this!" Right now actually Im avoiding a nice fat essay that is due tomorrow.... I've lost my mind!So here it is folks, my very first blog.... what I feel is the start of an addiction.