Ok so this will be the last 06 post

So this wont be the last post for 2006, cause we got a huge amount of snow last night, so I thought I would just post some wintery pics! Too bad we couldnt have this a week a go! So yah, get out and enjoy it! Although I will say that the shoveling part of it, I did not miss. I helped shovel 5 driveways last night, it was crazy, but the snowballs helped, especially when I pegged Darcy with one of them! Good times! Oh and Happy New Year!

Last post for 2006!

Now that Christmas has come and gone, I am really starting to look more into what lies ahead. With first things being first, I am looking into plane tickets! Now that I am acutally looking and checking, its feeling more real and exciting-not that it wasnt before, but still. So I called travel cuts, and right now, it looks like I will be leaving on March 22/07 from winnipeg, over to O'Hare airport in Chicago with a 2.5 hour layover, and then off to Hamburg Germany, where I will be met by a friend and then staying at her place for a few days, then later meeting up with someone from Edmonton and head down to the school with her. That is assuming we dont fly down together. God is good, and I am trusting him that things will come together either way. Now if I Could only get over one more road block (one that wont stop me from going, but a block none the less), that would be the icing on the cake! But like I said, God is good, and I still have a few months left.
My guess, this will be my last post for this year, so cya in 2007!! 2006 was an adventure with grad, work, Chalo, St. Laurent, and I cant wait to see what 2007 has to bring! So until the new year, have a great day, rest of week, and enjoy new years, and cya in 07!

pics

My special aunt and uncle

Cards The finished Puzzle

Dutch Blitz 

To Contine from last post

So like I said, yesterday we had our Braun gathering. It was really good to see everyone again. The day was filled with fun, excitement, food, laughter, bible reading, gifts and DUTCH BLITZ! Like always, it was lots of fun watching the sisters exchange gifts with each other, and they were actaully good about it this year! No Name calling, no middle fingers, not nothing! (trust me, gatherings are always interesting with them around! If anyone can survive one of my gatherings with them, they can survive anything!) From Grandpa I got a new, much anticipated book, a mini tripod for my camera!, a village piece, these sweet hands from 10,000 villages that are holding a nativity scene. Then from my special aunt and uncle, I got a LED flashlight and Digital, small compact clock for my travels! That was nice. Ok so for Dutch blitz, Leah, myself and both my brothers are calmly playing, intense, but quite. So after an hour or so, Corey leaves and slowly, my aunts end up joining! THAT was crazy! I played from 7:00 until around 10:30 last night! IT was great, although we were all really tried when that was done! We also made a few small paralysers. Personally I am more of a fruity/slushy person, so that wasnt a favorite and the other girls didnt need them either! Good times! overall it was a great Christmas, although I think I like to Ukraine idea, of a long CHristmas, cause that day went WAY to quick! Only 364 days to go till the next one!

Today, I had a gathering at my grandmas. It was a lot more laid back. Veranika, and Kelcha, so good! I will so miss that! Dutch Blitz came out agian, and again it was lots of fun, more laid back, but sitll intense and fun! I also won a game, so that was good! Yah, overall it was a really good holiday, and I sitll have just under a week of holidays left! Going to the city tomorrow with friends, should be a good time. More Blitz will be played That I know. What else pizza, fun, laughter, catch up. Yah good times! Alright, I am out! A few more pics to come!
Cherish LIFe

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! (even though there only is 1.5 hours of Christmas left!) Wow crazy day!
yah, I am super tried from the gathering, but I am SO ready to go with another round of Dutch Blitz! (bring it on guys on the 27th!) Wow, and I thought playing with my friends was rough! You have Never played with Grace, Leah, Pearl and my mom! That braun combination, I think I lost half of my Hearing! Tons of fun though even though I got beat.
Yesterday, we had our Christmas at home. First off, mom gave me my passport (which came two weeks a go, when I thought it would-so yah its a go if you know what I mean!). And altough she couldnt give me what I wanted most with it, it is just really comforting knowing that i have it now, and that it came before my deadline! Prayers are still in need for that though! In the evening, we attended Seeds program again, it was so good! And then after a quick visit to Grandma (our gathering is there tomorrow), we headed home and had our family Christmas. Carina ended up joining us as well, so that was different, but good. Overall , santa was very nice to me this year! I know its crazy, but I got my long awaited Little mermaid movie! Very Happy! Movie night anyone? Corey made me this sweet mosaic shaped as the earth, filled with al my Chalo pics, see picture. I was very happy about that as well! A few narnia books that dig deeper in to the series. picture frames which are very cool! Calendar, and Leopard puzzle that I am refusing to do, so if you like puzzliing I got a challenge for you! A few things for my ipod, audio books, a willow tree angel and the usual. The picture pretty much covers most, but yah, overall it was good! I will add another post about today, and maybe tomorrow! Shower and bed time now! Merry Christmas!

Time for a new post

So its been a week. Lots has happend, yet nothing has happend at the same time. Work is going good, its just really slow, so that makes the days seem longer, but they all do end. Only 3 more left, then I have just over a week of holidays! That will be so nice! Friends are all now home, so its been good to see them. Yet again, when I hear stories, about whatever, part of me is jealous ( i know not good) but its true. It also makes me more eager to go (yes I am still going, although still waiting for passport). candle light service was Friday and that was good to go to as well. Kind of wierd though, not having anything to do with it (not that I did anyways, but still). OVer the weekend, we had Halle over lots, and it was so much fun to play with her again. That age is so much fun! So yah, like I said, not much is happening. Christmas is less then a week, that is so good! Its crazy how we wait all year for that one day, and it ends up coming and going really quick. So yah, just thought I would update this and also to say thanks for the prayers lately, they have been helpings, and are much appreciated! So if I dont post before Christmas, have a very Merry Christmas, enjoy the moment, family, food and dont forget the reason for the season!
Until then
Cherish life

Recent thoughts in my head

So in my last post, almost a week ago, I asked for prayer. First off, I can feel it, it is helping, so thanks to those of you who are praying. I have been journaling a lot lately in my own books (thank goodness for that relief!), so that is also why I haven't updated this as well. So whats the deal with me? Physically, I am fine. Work is going good, and people are in, and staying in, the Christmas mood as well, so that's all good. Mentally and more importantly Spiritually, I have a lot on my mind. Questions are coming full force and lots of them aren't easy answers. Lots of it has to do with what is coming in March-Capernwray. Things like, will that short while be worth all that money, even though that will put me behind again for the following year. What if I get there and realizes that I can;t do this? Things like that. But I think the biggest one is that, do I want to go because I want to go, or Because GOD wants me to go? Out of all the options that I looked at before applying, this one, this capernwray in sweden stuck out, so I guess I can find comfort in that as well. I guess i just got thinking and am now questioning my motives, or at least some. Is that good or bad? Is it Satan messing with my head? Or are these sincere thoughts? One of the bigger reasons why I want to go is, no not to get away from town like some people may think it is, but it is to find answers, not only to these questions, but to other ones. THings like Baptism, school in the future, where I want my life to take me, and to just stretch my faith, or thereof lack of faith. IF that makes sense. I want something more then what I am getting. Church and JR youth and all is good, dont get me wrong-they are also stretching me, but I want something more, real answers, not just the same Biblical answers or "Sunday School" answers that I have been getting/giving, all my life. Is that wrong? Does that make sense? Part of me feels guilty for even asking/posting this, but hey, its how I feel now. So yah, maybe that gives you a bit better idea of what I need prayer for. leave a comment, or pull me aside next time to chat, whatever works.

Oh yah, the pictures; the horror frost from the other day, with the sunset the day before, so amazing! Oh and those candies! I have NO idea what they are called, but come Christmas, those are basically my favorite favorite candies! Everyone else that i talk to, cant understand why i like them so much, but I just do and besides, more for me then!! Perhaps its becuase I only get them once a year (if the stores have them even), and they are made from PURE Sugar! Yummy! Time to go get another one!

Prayer Request

Hey All
I was wondering if whoever reads this, if you could pray for me. I have a few choices to make, and it is really stretching my faith, and questioning, Is this what I want or what God wants?? SO yah, just please pray that the answers will come and that I will be at peace with the answer! Thanks much

A few thoughts

Ok, so I have calmed down a bit since my last post. I was going to do an update from last night as well. So the girls came around 5:00 and stayed until 10:30. Like I said, its a good thing that everyone else was gone, because we were all very loud and hyper! But it was a good time. We started off with a few rounds of Disney Scene it, followed by talking while enjoying pizza and lots of other junk food like chips, pop, and chocolate. After that we played a game of pictonary, it was really god. Try drawing a parent with your eyes closed and having your team get it, or better yet, hail with the eyes closed! It was lots of fun. Then we did our mcc gift exchange. That was lots of fun as well. After that, we played a few games of Mafia (which the girls had been wanting to play since we first told them about the game back in September. They picked up really quick on it, and it was lots of fun as well, telling stories
this time. Oh, my dad also made a treasure hunt for them (cause a few of them asked him to make one) so we did that as well. So around 10:00 Jaime and I could tell it was starting to wind down, kind of like we didn't know what to do next, so we took the dog out for a walk (which he needed anyways!!) and after that a few of them called for rides, and I took a few home with the wagon. All in all, I think it went really good. I was thinking about it, I only have 5 or 6 more small groups with them, depending on when I leave. Although I am confident that Jaime will do just fine, I had/ am having lots of fun leading one. It gives me a good looks at the other side of youth ministry, and I am learning lots as well.

Then tonight, I went down to Seeds where we had all the refugee families that just came, and other that had been here for a while already, to to meet new people, and enjoy a meal with them. At first, I didnt really know what to, but after a little while, it was better. Thanks to those who checked with me every so often, it helped. Although I didnt interact with lots of the refugee families there, it was something else watching them interact with other people. Just another example of how warm and welcoming they are. Its wierd, I am the one that has lived here forever, yet when I went to something liek that, I am the one that felt out of place. Just with the way they were acting. I am not sure if i can explain it the right way, but yah, it was quite something, a good something. Kind of like the new Chris tomlin lyrics from Awesome is the Lord most high "Raise your hands all you Nations" That kind of like what was happening, though one is a christian, and another Muslim, not only did that not matter, but neither did background or skin colour. Then after I finally got to meet the rest of the nour family att their home. Not to mention the wife made us tea, and it was very good! They Have only been here 3 or so weeks, and the english the husband has picked up, amazing. I also found out that the husband taught Arabic in Somolia, and has something else (which I cant remember what it was) but it proved to me again, that these ppeople that come over, arent stupid, or come from slums. They are well educated (some at least) in their own language, not to mention a few of them also know like 4 other languages which they are flunt in! Its quite something!

So yah. I should be going, A new week is about to start, so have a good week!
Cherish LIFe

Little brother for sale

Just a quick question today, does anyone want a little brother? He's for sale, or better yet, you can just have him. As cute and fun as he is some days, other days, he is just a down right pain in the butt! (Today being one of those days) So yah, if are interested, let me know, or even if you want to take him ffor a week or weekend (assuming he doesnt drive you mad in the first few hours) I will take that as well! I will be so glad to get awayfrom him when I leave!

(Yah, the pic is from a year a go)

Peaceful Mornings

On Fridays, I am always up by 7:00 so I can be at work for 8:00, and yesterday, I came down, and for some reason, the slience of the morning just hit me. Maybe it was because it was pitch black down stairs because all the outside lights that are usually on, were off. The wind was hardly blowing as well, if it even was. We had just gotten another snow fall the night before, so the ground outside, untouched it by boot prints and dog prints, glittered in the early morning light, like thousands of little diamonds. So my first thought, was 'hey! Wheres my camera?' (are you surprised?) So after accidentally stepping on the dog, who was still asleep-lucky him, and waking him up, i knelt down and took a few pics from inside, out the back window. After a while, I just stepped back, and just enjoyed the moment and gave thanks to God for a new day, as crisp and cold as it would be.

As much as I am not a morning person, I look forward to waking up that little bit earlier on Fridays, and just enjoying the absolute quiteness around me. Its times like those, that make me realize that I am too busy. Even though compared to some, I am not busy at all, but regardless, a little reminder here and there just to enjoy the moment, and now that peaceful feeling of Christmas, makes it all the more special.

On a different note, we are having our jr youth small group Christmas party today in the evening. Games, pizza, treasure hunt, MCC gift exchange, maybe a movie, and just hanging out. Should be a good time. Corey has a hockey game, so everyone else is going to that, which is good, becuase then we can be as loud as we want!
Until next time