A week at home

So here a week later at home. First after much much calling, I got my suitcase Thursday Morning and it felt so good to have it in my hands. It wasn't that I really wanted my gifts and all in it, it was the CDS of pictures that I wanted. Of all things not to put in my carry on! Note to self, always keep Pictures and or CDS with me wherever! But its all good. So Home, yah it feels good to be home, although I miss sweden, I miss Holsby and the people. I think that is what made the trip so special were the people. It was amazing, God taught me so very much and for that I will always be greatful! Words are hard to describe the trip, it really is as it was a lot of feelings as well in the experiences. Such as flying by myself for the first time ever, the long drive to holsby, though in reality it wasnt that long! Walking through the concentration camp near Berlin, seeing where all that horror and all went down. Lots of emotions...But again I am so thank ful i was given the opportunity to experience such a small portion of the world! I would so totally recommend it for anyone! Its a huge world out there, full of amazing wonderful people! Live life, experience it to the fullest! God will use each experience both good and bad to stretch you, to challenge you in your walk wiith him. Remember GOD IS ABLE

"Pamper Pole"

hey
well guess what, this morning started off pretty good. Church service was good, the guy spoke on grace so it was good. for lunch we had rice (kind of tasted like uncle bens brand, whici i dont think it was and i miss that brand!) with stir fry (just had sauce, no meat, well it did ahve meat but i didnt eat it.) After i said good bye to the people that are going on that week of camping trip, watched them pack up and all. it was good. Please pray for saftey for all of themk and that they have a good time and all. so yah that was good. Then , whew ok, so its not that big i guess, but there is this thing called the "pamper pole" where you climb up this long pole and all, you are harnessed in and all of course and so anyways you climb up this pole and then once you get to the top, you have to stand on this thing that is no more then maybe 5-10 inches in diameter, and then about 2 metres from it is this thing you are supose to ggrab as you jump, its your goal to get it. Well believe it or not I DID IT! I climb up, very hard, and jumped aftter my foot was under control. I acutally didnt grab then thing, i was close, but still missed it, but just the fact that I did it, attempted it was worth it. The hardest part wasnt the height or the wind. It wasnt the acutal climbing up the pole, although that was tougher tehn i though physically, but it was the getting in that hunched position if that makes sense and then from ther, getting up to your feet that was hard and plus the wind didnt help! The jumping was the best part though, no fear there what so eveer! Good times, but oh did the ground feel good to be back on! so yah here are pics to prove it! one thing down, maybe one to go, but if not, i will be good with awhat i did! Although now i want to go back up and make that jump to that thing tho! So yah that is my story! Enjoy the pics!happy to be alive oh plus a few random pics and al from pizza and saying bye to people going on a week camping trip so yah a few pics, once again sorry if the layout with the pics and all are weird! enjoy

Oslo, Norway

hey
wow the sun is back and is it ever warm! IT is so nice outside i just spent the last few hours outside in the sun! I think i will come home so tanned it will be great! anyways life continues to go well, especially now with the weather being so nice! Travel weekend plans are booked, well the train and hostel. Feel like I will be spending lots of money for train and hostel but hey, i am going to norway, well oslo, can you say that!? so it should be a good time and i am looking forward to actually seeing more things now. As great as holsby is, part of me goes, come on i am in europe, i am so close to these things that i want to see things! well oslo i hear is amazing and lots of fun so it should be a good time! that is not this weekend, but next weekend. A week from now i should be almost there in oslo which is kind of cool if i thin about it. So if you remember, please pray for saftey as we travel that weekend! thanks so much and i will for sure update when i get back with some pics and all! So these few pics that i am putting on here are from yesterday when i went for a walk arouind. I found this hill that sort of overlooks the area, so i climb up and took lots of pics! Good times, too bad i didnt know about it for solo day as it would have been a good place! So yah thats it for now, hope things are going good back at home. enjoy the day, weather and whatever else comes your way!
cherish life

Where did the warm weather go?

Where did the warm weather that we were having go? Its not that bad i guesss, but the wind is stronger and cool and not fun! Warm weather come back! Other then that, school is still going good. Lectures this week are on Marriage so its interrresting take and all. Food is still reall y good, and people are good and all. So now, travel weekend'and after, what to do. We jumped from olso, to dublin to spaain to i have no idea what we are doing now for travel weekend. Please pray as i still want to go out and see and do something. As for after school, thinking of heading down to rome with a friend f or a few days, but its sooooooooooo expensive and the flights are at dumb times and all so not sure what to do with that. For that as well, please pray that it all works out! thanks so much. So yah just a short update but letting u know I am still alive and doing good!
cherish life:D

some pics

ok so a few pics of friends and playing soccer and the ropes course!

this camera is faster then teh other one i have, although i have better pics on that one. Ask mom she has lots if u are interested! so yah life is good! sorry that this post is all wierd as far as layout goes!
cherish life

so its been a while

hey all
life is life. still contines to be lots and lots of fun. Food is really good and the weather is really really nice now, although we did wake up to some snow for a few days but today was really nice and made up for it! lectures continue to go well although i dont agree with everything it is good to think abou things and yah just to listen and learn. so yah i hope to put a few pics up but agian the computer is being dumb so we will see what i can do! other then that life is good, people are great, food is awesome but i really miss my chedder cheese and good food! oh and Feka is snack in swedish so keep that in mind! ok so pics are nt working. but yah for sure send me an email or something sometime or comment even! just so i know people are reading so i know i should update more! ok have a good weekend and week to come!

Happy Easter

hey all
just wanting to wish whoever reads this and very happy easter! Who wuld have thought I would be sitting on sunrise hill on Good friday on my Easter friday! the sights, sounds, actaulyl hearing God speak haave been amazing thus far and will only get better i am sure! Its amazing what u learn once u step out of the comfort zone and into an unknown world! I wuold recommend it for anyone! Once again Hope this easter you remember why we hav it, take time to get away to be still, to be slient and just let God speak to you like the way he has me! Here are some of the pics i took day during solo day. it was a good just to be able to relax read, journal take in the amazing seneray around you. It was quite something to see it all. I did sort of get lost, but no not really, i ended up finding the right path down! which is a good thing! So yah life is good and once again have a great holiday and remember, take time to relax.
Cheers from Sweden!
take care

pics

hey
letting u know life is good hope to add a few pics here. food is good, people are good, i am at the school in case u dont know. so um yah life is good! short and not very excitign i know but sending out emails and pics to poeple, so yah that is why.check with mom if u want more details! sry about the side way pics. this is shelby from alberta area lots of fun. pic of the chapel sorry about the crazy set up of this blog, best i can do! talk later

greetings from holsby sweden

greetings! lettting whoever reads this know that stockholm, was amazing! so much fun and new things! now i am at holsby. just had supper met lots of new people, my =room mate is from austrailia, very cool! havent met the other two ok i am off, send m,e a comment or email! talk later

right now

Right now, I really do not liek computers or anything tecnology related! stupoid Ipod pic thing, stupid gmail which isnt letting me log on! whew just had to vent! anywazs tomorrow i am finallz off to stockholm, as it is time to move on and get this trip more started, more into a routine, and help the days go quick, as i cant wait (for some reasons) for june to be here like now. so yah i reallly am enjoying it, the days anyways, but nights are rough, miss homé most then. so pray then please (4:00-5:00 home time!) thanks so much
cheers

some more pics

Hey oustide world!
How is life back home? same old i am guessing! Today we took the train back to hamburg where we shopped and ate food adn hung out. the pic that is of us on water, was taken yesterdaz on a boat on a tour around the harbour in >Hamburg. oh before i forget, my y's are sometimes z because they are switched on the german keyboards so i am not used to typing with them where they are!
Hamburg is good but what a busy city! here are just a few pics from both yessterdaz and today. sorry about the ones that are the wrong way, doesnt work to flip. Did you know that they basicallly let dogs go anywhere here? Malls, stores, a few food places, cafes, crazy. Lots of them are BIG dogs too, some small but most big. so that is it for now, as it is late here and i should be off to shower and tehn bed, talk later! leave a comment, as questions, whatever!

cheers!

things about Germanz

ok so here are a few things i have noticed
1. doestn matter what daz of the week, people are alwazs out adn about
2, they drive reallz reallz fast here! 130+ Kilometers per hour
3, you can order a beer at mcdonalds not that i have...
4, the birds ahere are crazy and dont move and when tehz fly thez almost hit you!
5, i wish more people spoke english
6, not a lot if any large cars on the road (such as Suvs and pickups etc)
7. you alwazs pay for parkin
8, they have starbucks
9, you get coke in glass bottles whichi si cool
so yah those are the things i ahve noticed thus far. Life is good and i am taking it all in. cant wait to get up to sweden again though adn look around there!
peace out and cheers!

post 100 coming to zou from Germany!

ok so i had a long thing written out but it didnt go through so I am here safe and sound and zah post 100 coming in from lunebeck! flight was amazing being 39000 feeet above. i reallz did want to scoop up the clouds and would have had the perfect chance to ahd it worked! I should be off, check your email as i sent a mass letter out, let me know

Post 99!

Well, here it is, Post 99 and it will be my last one from Canada for a while! Not that that matters, but still its kind of cool! Post 100 will hopefully come from Germany area! How sweet is that!
Anyways, I had a little thing called a Birthday this past sunday. It was good. Church in the morning (good Message btw Nathan), and then the afternoon was more packing/prep etc. Then in the evening well for supper was a gathering at my aunts place. It was good to see everyone again, especially the ones I hadnt seen for a while. At one point, with a baby in my arms, I just sat back and enjoyed the moment around me. Yes everything from the latest "gossip"/chatting from my mom and her sisters, to the guys playing cards, to the pool game going on to the baby's playing on the floor. Yes, I am truely blessed to not only have great friends, but an amazingly wonderful family behind me. So thanks so much to you all as well! I know not all familys are like that, yet it is amazing how quickly we take it forgranted and forget. All in all it was a great evening celebrating birthdays, fellowship, food, fun, and making lots of memories!

So that was sunday, yesterday I babysat one last time, had my final small group too so that is done now. Today I have been running around, saying last few good byes, and getting final things in order. Do I really have time to update my blog, no not really cuase my suitcase is just sitting there half paccked and all but hey, its not even 2:00 yet! But i will get on that shortly. How am I doing? Honestly, that remains to be seeing I guess. Part of me is thrilled, I just cant wait!, another part still cant believe it is acutally happening and yet another part wants to curl back up in bed and pretend its not a few days away! So basically mixed feelings. THough I will say I know I would be a nut case if it wasnt for the prayers. So keep em coming! Like ive said, if i start to get nervous about it, I get this calming feeling only GOd can give me-its like hes saying-"I am here, I will never lead nor forsake you daughter, trust me" Ok God, I am trusting you, lead me, you are my light, protect me-you are my fortress, my shield. Love me like you do
So heres to what lies ahead. Thanks again to everyone for everything. Keep me in your prayers!

Oh and dont forget to check back for updates!
CHEERS!

8 days to go!

8 days to go! wow, crazy but true! Remember to keep me in your prayers! thanks much!

How am I feeling? So many mixed emotions! There are tiimes when I am thrilled and right then and there I want to hop on teh next plane out! Other times I want to crawl up in my bed and pretend it is not coming. I knew i would have these feelings, its very natural but all in all I am excited. I am eager to see what God has instore! To feel fresh air in my lungs, to meet new people, share stories and create new memories. Check out these lyrics off Relient K's Latest cd (who knew they just came out with on? Not me!?! But the CD is very good!)
I want this song to be the song of my life, a reminder that I am taking God with me whereever life leads! Check it out!
I made a habit
Of never making promises
That aren't easy to keep
And there you have it
From now I'll make you one that is
To keep you here with me
But as every second mark goes by
I feel it's just a waste of time
If I'm not with you
If home is where the heart is
Then my home is where you are
(my home is where you are)
It's getting oh so hard
To spend these daysWithout my heart
So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that I
Could ever I wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
When I should have to leave
I hope you know that
I'm taking you with me
And so I'm trying
To hold it all together and
Make it through the day
When I'm just dyin'
To drop it all and take your hand
So we can run away
And all the miles and the hours
That seem to endlessly devour
The time that I could be with you
If home is where the heart is
Then my home is where you are (my home is where you are)
It's getting oh so hard
To spend these days
Without my heart
So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that
ICould ever I wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
Where I should have to leave
I hope you know that I
I'm taking you with me
Every second that goes by
Is one more second of my life
And it couldn't be more clear
That I would die without you here
And every second that goes by
Is one more second of my life
And it couldn't be more clear
I'm dying without you here
Yeah every second that goes by (yeah every second that goes by)
So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that I
Could ever I wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
Where I should have to leaveI hope you know that I
I'm taking you with me

21 days!

21 days and counting! All I have to say is that this snow, though I love it, has to be gone and NOT Snowing 3 weeks from today!!! What are my chances? Cause like i said, for a person who loves winter, it had better be like +5 when i leave or someting! I will be so glad when I am in stockholm, this whole flying thing with weight limits, connections, papers that I will need etc etc is starting to get me nervous, I just want to be there, skip all of taht part you know?
Pray for me?

Today

As I start to type this, once again the song "fear" comes up by Casting Crowns, coincidence? you be the judge. 24 days from now, I wil be on my way to Hamburg! Although I hope we get NO SNOW that whole week, cuase I learnt yesterday that flights were delayed/canceled in chicago due to snow and all. Dont get me wrong, winter and cold is my favorite season, but come on, if it does that the end of march, when I need to go! You will NOT want to mess with me then! be warned! jk, well no not really, oh you get the point. Oh and before I forget, I will try to up date this as much as i can when I am gone, so check back for stories, pics etc etc! Also if you dont get regular emails, casue I dont like Mass emails, so not personal, just check here to see if I am still alive!
Anyways life is going good. Today started off pretty normal, then it got interesting, and then just annoying and not fun. Like anyother morning, I was packing my lunch for the day and I was about half way through cutting an orange when I felt pain in my thumb, yeah sure enough, the knife I was using for cutting slipped and yah now i have a fairly good size deep cut on my thumb. That was um interesting. Mom had to finish cutting the orange so i could stop the bleeding. Off to work I went, thumb in pain and in a bandage. Got to work, and for the first hour or so, had really crummy orders, so that was just annoying. PLus I learnt how much you acutally use a thumb, so i will be glad when its back to normal!After that, around 10:00 the day turned pretty normal again. Fun fun...
14 days of work left, 24 till i leave! Will i miss it? Work and all? umm yah I think so, certain people anyways, and the money hehehe!

So anyways the other day I was thinking, what do i want to do come septemeber? not work locally that i know cuase I want something more. I was thinking school at a local bible collage. Last september, I dont think I was really ready for any sort of secondary schooling, now I am, plus I think that this trip will show me more as well. But we will see. also, These pics are kind of what I have in mind as far as a hair cut goes, let me know what you think!
Cherish life

shopping

Yesterday mom and I went into the city to shop for my little adventure in a mere 33 days! Do I dare go as far and say that I actually enjoyed it? Well most of it? For those that know, you know i do not like shopping, but I guess yesterday was different becuase well first, time is running out, and secondly, its fun getting stuff for something that you are anticipating and waiting for! It was a good time. I got new shoes which i need, clothes, a day pack (well two acutally, but one is goingback, so not sure which one I am keeping) and some small travel size things. So yah, the only thing we couldnt find where cut off pants (pants that can zip off in to shorts if need be) but the people we talked to all said they were getting some in yet, just a matter of when.
SO then with that, today I spent time getting all my smaller stuff together, so I know its in one spot. Yah, now that shopping is done, it is gettin gmore and more real, like I said just a mere 33 days and now only 20 days of work left! Then also making a few more final plans with people, emailing my cousin who has been out there this full past year. Yah should be a good time, and I am so so so ready for it! I cant wait!
Oh and Happy birthday Grandma!

I cant wait!

January has come and gone in this new year of 2007, so I guess its not really "New" anymore. How is your Chirstmas shopping coming along? Only 11 months to go till the next one! Crazy thought I know. I havent started shopping yet and dont plan on starting until oh a week or two before Christmas! But lets bring time back to like now, Feb. 3
I am still in countdown process till when i leave, and its coming slowly but surely. 47 days to be exact. So that means 29 more work day! Whew, the end, for now, is coming. Its crazy to think that I have been there for 7 months already. Regardless of what I sometimes say about it, its good and I am glad to have had it.
As far as my trip goes? I cant wait! The more i look into it, plan it and talk with friends, the more I want to go, like right now. A few people have asked if I am nervous about it. Too my surprise (and relief) I am come to realize that yeah, I am nervous about somethings (mainly making the right flight connections), but I am surprised that I am not more nervous about it in general. The excitment is just to overwhelming. I cant wait to see my friend again after a year, and to experience german and Swedish culture and all. I cant wait to meet new people, share stories, and life lessons, and to just have fun and enjoy the time there. I cant wait to send that first email from Germany, saying that I made it there in one piece and enjoying my new adventure. I cant wait to send the final email when I get home, emailing new friends that I made it home safe and am doing good. I cant wait to share stories, pics and experiences with friends and family, oh and have them, hopefully, be a bit jealous! I cant wait for summer, when we friends can get together and share stories from around the globe that we expereinced. Although I will and can say that I CAN wait to start work again come June!
So I will enjoy where I am at now, this time, this moment, and appreciate whats to come in a mere 47 days!
Have a good one

51...

51 more days! Its getting there!
(boring post I know, but still!)