Road Trip Part 1

It started out as a crazy idea we had back in September. After a few obstacles and juggling work schedules, class schedules and needing to find a car, it all worked out and the four of were reunited again! The plan was to meet half way between Abbotsford and Winnipeg, which happened to be Calgary for the November long weekend. 

Thursday morning, at promptly 5am, Aleah and I left Winnipeg with music playing, books on cd on stand-by and strong coffee in hand. After a brief stop for gas and a refill of the worst coffee I have ever had in my entire life (Thank you A&W for that rude awakening), in Brandon, we were on the road again. 

Manitoba

 

 

 

Saskatchewan

Between Swift Current and Medicine Hat, we had an unexpected delay as I noticed an RCMP vehicle in my rear view mirror. I looked at my speedometer and I was not speeding, so I wondered why he was close on my tail. After what seemed like the longest few minutes, he finally turned on his lights and pulled me over. Apparently my license plate was not coming up as being registered or something (I still have no idea what that means), but after taking my license and registration, all was good and we were on our way again. 

Enjoying a much needed Starbucks refill in Medicine Hat - a nice surprise when we pulled in to fill up with gas.

Medicine Hat is also home to the World's largest Teepee. Who knew??

As the evening came, we were close to arriving at our destination: Kathryn Alberta (just outside of Calgary). It was a long day of driving, but so worth it when we got to see 2 lovely faces we had not seen in 4 1/2 months later on that night.

 

Thoughts over coffee

I woke up this morning not only to my clients cancelling their appointments for today, but also to a winter wonderland of sorts and it made me all giddy inside as I realized that it has been 2 years since I have seen snow and we are entering a wonderful season, as Christmas and Advent are literally just around the corner. I felt as though I needed to do something to celebrate snow, so I dug out my winter parka, the boots, etc and tromped through the slushy, snow-covered streets to Starbucks, dog in tow.

I don't know what it is about this weather, but I have been consuming hot beverages right from the get go and I have spent a good chunk of the day thinking and pouring into scripture. 

For about a month now, my heart has felt anxious and a little antsy as I continue to figure out what my life is supposed to be and where and what God is calling me to. It's a big question and I have to admit that for the last little while, I have been impatient and perhaps even dissatisfied at the lack of direction and response from God on this matter.

I was reminded recently of the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. If you are unfamiliar with the story, check it out in 1 Kings 18. Elijah summons Ahab to the mountain, along with the prophets of Baal. All day, Baal's prophets call upon his name, begging and pleading for Baal to reveal himself to be the one true god and yet they receive nothing. In verse 36, when Elijah's turn to call upon God comes, Elijah cries out, "Come Lord, Come, Answer me." In response to Elijah's cry, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the fire of the Lord appears and he reveals himself to all on that mountain top.

I think this story is an incredibly beautiful picture of God's promise that he will answer our cries. He comes down to us and reveals himself in ways our hearts and minds can never imagine. I am blown away by his faithfulness to his people!

As I have spent time crying out to God for direction these past few weeks, I have chosen to cling to this story - to soak in its truth and to let it transform me into a better disciple of Christ. As a result, my heart is in a greater place of peace. I am once again nudged to lay down my plans, my timing, my dreams and instead, sit and listen for God in this particular season of waiting. I know that God has incredible things laid out for my life and when the timing is right - when my heart is ready to experience all that God has for me in those plans, He will respond. He will answer my cries and reveal more of himself to me.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's Glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
~ 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

At this moment in my life, being obedient requires me to sit in the waiting and to do it joyfully and the Lord promises His Spirit to me and that He will indeed continue to transform me more to reflect his likeness. My prayer is that as I wait upon the Lord, that my eyes would be unveiled and that my heart would be opened to experience the fullness of the Living God.

If the tranquility of my heart is at all related to the blanket of snow sitting outside, then I say, bring on the snow, because this is truly a wonderful place to be (although if snow remains into April or May, my outlook on snow may possibly change :).

One More Year

I'm another year older, perhaps another year wiser (the jury is still out on that). Over the past few days, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this year's birthday. The usual build up of anticipation about a day completely and 100% devoted to me was not what it once was, but rather the the feeling of "just another day". I wasn't sure what to make of these feelings - I'm usually the type to celebrate birthday eve's and birthday boxing days - yes I believe in dragging out your birthday and milking it for all its worth! 


As I went about my day, I was overwhelmed with the birthday greeting messages and the gentle reminders of the people in my life who truly care for me - messages I clearly needed to be reminded of today. Among all the thoughtful greetings, I was given a challenge by the lovely Rachael - to do 27 awesome things that I love and that bring me joy - one for every year of life. Well, I must admit that I failed miserably. 27 things is a lot of things to do in a day when you don't really have a lot planned - Sorry Rach! Here is what I did come up with though:

1. Enjoyed a lovely breakfast with my work girls, Jessica & Jill at The Don.
2. Enjoyed a late morning coffee with a friend.
3. Indulged in my first venti, extra hot, half sweet, white peppermint mocha - using my free Starbucks birthday drink coupon as an added bonus.
4. I read too many birthday wishes to count. Thank you!
5. Crossword puzzles.
6. Enjoyed a good day of TV: Sarah's House, Criminal Minds, Pregnant in Heels, Modern Family & Gilmore Girls (Wednesdays make for awesome TV nights).
7. Went for an afternoon walk with the dog - albeit too short though.
8. Worked
9. Fielded a gazillion - yes that is the exact number - of phone calls at work because of a promo we are currently running. 
10. Came home to my favorite pizza from Santa Lucia - Feta & Tomato
11. Took a much too short cat nap
12. Enjoyed a visit from my Grandma as she stopped by to drop off a card and gift for me.
13. Carved a pumpkin.
14. Was delighted over an unexpected message from a friend who I have missed terribly.

So, as you can see, I came nowhere close to reaching my goal of 27, but I think these 14 things make for a pretty great day to ring in a new year of life!

I'm anxious and excited to see how this upcoming year unfolds and what it holds for me. I hope that this year continues to teach me about obedience and about true joy in the Lord, no matter where He leads me and the adventures he will continue to take me on. It is my desire that God would continue to transform me into the woman he created me to be 27 years ago and that my life would bring honor and glory to His name.

So here's to a new year! 

Cheers!

The Fam Jam

After about 16 years in the making, our family finally had family pictures taken (other than at a wedding). To say that an update was in order would be an understatement to say the least. We booked our photo session with Leanne Olfert on what ended up being the coldest day of fall yet. Thankfully we turned out to be an efficient group and weren't out in the cold for too long! Here is a little sneak peak:

Dominika & Kevin

The mom and dad

Can you say Christmas card?????

Derek & Courtney

Girls!

Boys!

Fire Side Goodness

Nothing beats sitting around a fire on crisp fall evenings and celebrating birthdays. Here's hoping there are a few more evenings like this to be had before the snow falls.

The Birthday Girl

 

Thankfulness

I have had a weekend full of family festivities, everything from birthday parties to extended family gatherings - all reminding me of how thankful I am for the life I have and the people who fill it. There is no denying that I have so much to be thankful for. Today, this is what I am giving thanks for.

• Family. I love my family and all tgheir quirky, unique, loving and beautiful characters. I probably have the best sisters in the world. Seriously.
• New Beginnings. Since coming home this summer, my life has turned out to be very different from when I left - some hard things, but I am blown away by the joy of newness and uncertainty.
• Friends. My life is full of interesting characters all over the world that I am blessed to call friends.
• Work. I am lucky to have a job that I LOVE going to. Waking up each morning, knowing that I get to go to work and be with amazing co-workers and clients truly brings me joy.
• TREK. I continue to ponder all the things I learned this last year on TREK and reminisce about the things I got to experience and the adventures I had.
• Church. I am a part of a stellar church community - a truly lovely bunch of people.
• Fall. We have been blessed with amazing October weather, which has grown my love for autumn exponentially.
• God. I am thankful for a God who provides, a God who loves me unconditionally and who pursues me relentlessly. 
• Health. Yes I have had my share of frustrations and it is true I have a love/hate relationship with my head, but in the big picture, I have so little to complain about.
• Passions. I am lucky to be able to pursue so many passions in my life, everything from work goals, to being able to play volleyball, to using my gifts for Kingdom work. My heart is indeed nourished and challenged.

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.   

Worship the LORD with gladness;    

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God.    

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

                                Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

and his courts with praise;    

give thanks to him and praise his name.  

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations."

~Psalm 100

Another one crossed off the list

I finally finished another project this weekend - one that took me a little longer to complete than I had thought it might. Not because there was any difficulty, but just due to time (or lack thereof).

I have been looking for a night stand for beside my bed all summer, but nothing really caught my eye or my extremely minimal budget. Then, a couple of weeks ago, driving home from work one Friday afternoon, I decided to pop into a few garage sales. The first one I hit up, I found this nightstand for the low, low price of $4. It needed a little sprucing up and there was only 1 (I was hoping to find a set), but for the price, I couldn't resist. 

 After a good sanding, a few coats of Behr's Pure White paint and some new hardware, I ended up with this and I am loving it. 

The lighting in my room is not great unfortunately.

It was so good to get rid of the wooden crate that sat beside my bed for so long. I feel much more grown up now :) Here is the cost breakdown:

Nightstand = $4 (garage sale)

Behr paint = $0 (already owned)

Hardware = $1 (from the Habitat for Humanity Refit Store)

Grand Total: $5

Now that's a price I can live with!

A Weekend Recap

Between birthday celebrations, gorgeous weather which meant long afternoon walks, youth, church, and breakfast dates, the weekend flew right by.

Friday, the family came over for dinner to celebrate Derek's birthday. Between us kids and 3 animals, it was a loud and busy evening. Can you just imagine what it's going to be like when there are kids added to the mix one day???? Crazy!

The birthday boy!

Sunday morning at about 6am, I got a lovely text message from my sister-in-law, Dominika, suggesting that we go for breakfast at Cora's later that morning. Even though I was woken up from a most enjoyable sleep, I will never turn down a breakfast at Cora's. The company was pretty great too!

For the first time in years, I ventured away from my usual "April '89" meal to the "1990's Harvest". It was worth the switch!

 To end of a perfect weekend, Aleah and I got together to skype with Rachael and Heidi in Abbotsford all while enjoying Portuguese wine together. The only thing that was missing was our balcony in Portugal! 
I am sooooo thankful I was blessed with these 3 lovely women on my TREK team last year and I continue to be reminded of that. Two and a half hours of solid conversation passed us by far too quickly. Ladies, hopefully we can make the Remembrance Day weekend work for a road trip. Oh how great that would be!

Chalkboard Fun

This summer I found a fun picture frame at a garage sale, but upon buying it, taking it home and  needing to get glass cut to and trying to find the right picture to go in it, I decided I didn't like it as a picture frame. It needed another use. I've always wanted to work with chalkboard paint, so I figured, hey, I can turn this completely useless picture frame into a completely functional chalkboard. So here's how it turned out:

frame: $0.50 - garage sale

white acrylic paint for frame: $0 (already owned)

wood board to go inside frame: $0 (found a scrap piece in the garage)

chalkboard spray paint: $7 (Rona)

Total Cost: $7.50

Pretty awesome deal if you ask me!

PSL Goodness

These little cupcakes seem to be all the rage on Pinterest, so I figured, I should probably try them out. Especially since PSL's are a pretty big love of mine. Here is the recipe I used:

http://annies-eats.net/2011/09/06/pumpkin-spice-latte-cupcakes/

 Instead of using just a heavy cream like the recipe called for, I decided to amp it up with whipping cream with a splash of white vanilla.

The nice thing about these little treats is that they taste amazing just on their own, sans icing. I chose not to ice all of my cupcakes, just in case I felt like being a little more healthier :)

 They taste just as incredible as they look. I would definitely recommend trying these out. I can guarantee you that these are now going to be a fall staple around this house, that's for sure.

My house is now filled with the aroma of pumpkin and coffee. Fall is here and it is oh so good.