A Picture tells a thousand words...

These pictures are from my friend Sandy's birthday dinner last weekend, and Lindie and I playing with Ethan and Dan and Kelly's new baby girl: Mia! She was born two weeks ago tomorrow! She's beautiful and I"m so excited for them and for her big brother Ethan!

go canucks go!

Went to the hockey game tonight: Calgary versus Vancouver and we won! The last few minutes were great as it was six against three for Calgary, but they didn't score. And we outshot Calgary by 16 shots, which is quite stellar. had a good evening all and all. went out afterwards to beltchazzar (not sure how to spell it). neat little place. had some good convos and i realize more and more that i'm coming back to that good place of deep thinking that i have set aside for far too long. i have much more to say about my week and even pictures, but that will come when it is not 2 in the morning.

fish naming competition

So I have six new fish added to the tank. Plus five that makes eleven! The new ones are a bit skiddish whenever anyone approaches the tank (anyone being me since i have been the only one in my house today...) I think they are skiddish because they had a slightly traumatic trip home from the pet store today.. but that's okay. they're all still alive and not sucked to the filters yet. And they're all hanging out in a little group. It's nice. Like they're all friends.

Anyway! They need names!! And you need to help! I do have a prize for the person with the best names for the fish (ie. the names i pick) and the prize will be a good one! last time it was a ten dollar starbucks card! okay, so all you have to do is comment and pick names. i don't have pcitures of them but will describe them. there is a black one with blugy eyes, a bluish one, a bigger white and orange one, a little orange and white one, a white one with a few yellow spots and a chocolate colored one. so pick six names and give it a shot! thanks for your help! and if you are reading this, it includes you! the contest will end when twenty different people have given input. bye!

hmmm..

Why am I always exhausted all day long but now it is 1:30am and I am wide awake and ready to go? sigh...

Stay tuned for another fish naming competition! The prizes are amazing..

another week

Another week of school is completed and has left me overjoyed at having another long weekend and overwhelmed because I have millions of things to read! i have been enjoying the reading so far though and have kept on top of it for most of my classes, except for two... (no worries only about 150 pages or so there...) By the end of the week, I feel as though my brain has been left as a solitary pile of mush that can no longer speak proper words or form good gramatical sentences (it really is a miracle that i am typing this right now). Even though I can't speak to other people anymore, I can still read so this is what I shall do indeed.

Tomorrow is my grandmas birthday and we are going to take her out for dinner for chinese. then on saturday it's one of my best friend's birthdays and we're going for dinner! and on monday it's my brother's birthday! perhaps i ought to go shopping tomorrow to buy some gifts.. or i will suddenly become crafty within the next day and make things (right...)

I love fall. In the last few days I have continually been amazed at God's beauty reflected in His creation. Tonight as I gazed upwards towards the black canvas sparkled with stars. This afternoon looking a tree's leaves changing colors with the setting sun's light framing it beautifully. Watching the rain pour down with a background of blue skies and fluffy white clouds . Thank-you Lord for your beauty and the detail with which You care for us!

Right now there is a cow mooing ridiculously loud outside of my window (okay not directly, but across the street at the neighbor's house). I don't think I have ever heard a cow moo so loud. wow.

school and shaving cream

Sorry for the lack of posts of late (although it's fitting with the lack of comments..), but things have been busy with school and with life! I am loving being back in school. It's so great to be in a place of learning and critical thinking and examining everything that's placed before me. My favorite class so far is the one i wasn't looking forward to at all: History! Pre-confederation history of canada to be exact. When I listen to our professor speak it's so incredibly inspiring and it stirs up this passion and love for what history truly is and what it can be! Not just a bunch of dates, names and events to memorize. It's the class that God's been teaching me the most in as well as far as relating to Him goes and seeing different things in my life that need change. Interesting. I am also thoroughly enjoying my other classes, especially golf! (how can you not love golf as a class!)

I just got back from Divorce Care for Kids, a ministry I lead at my church. It is a really great ministry, but my attitude in leading it often isn't right. It's weird because the moment I'm driving there, it seems as though this cloud of gloom falls over me. And I dread it and have a bad attitude. Totally not of God! So I need to keep surrendering that to God! So if you think of me on monday nights, pray for me! Oh, the shaving cream-almost forgot. Tonight one of the things we did was spread shaving cream with our hands all over the table and then drew pictures in it. it was pretty fun. pretty hard to clean up too! haha.. and now my hands smell very strongly like shaving cream-at least it has moisturizer in it so my hands are soft! haha!

Seeing Weak Eyes with New Eyes

This morning I was reading in Genesis and I was prompted to go back to the story of Leah. One that I recently read and pondered about, but this morning in a deeper way God gave me a way deeper understanding of this woman and what she went through and how it translates so perfectly into our lives. In Genesis it says that Leah had weak eyes. So I find it interesting that God gave me new eyes to see those weak eyes.

I've just been thinking a lot lately about how women think and are and how we function in today's society, specifically concerning with men. Leah was the eldest and her younger sister Rachel was beautiful in face and form. Leah however is referred to as having weak eyes. So throughout their growing up years, I'm sure Rachel always got all the attention and Leah was always in the background looking on. Jacob comes into town and falls in love with Rachel. In a horrible deception, Laban gives Leah to Jacob on the wedding night and in the morning when he sees it's her, he goes straight to Laban and demands that he is able to marry Rachel as well. Meanwhile, Leah is left there by herself, right after her wedding, abandoned by her husband who doesn't love her.

Leah longs for Jacob's love and acceptance. When God blesses her and she becomes pregnant, she finally thinks that she will be able to win the love and affection of her husband. After each son is born however, she hopes for it, doesn't receive it, but puts her hope in the next child she'll have. Finally on the fourth child, Judah, she stops and says, "this time I will praise the Lord." Interesting that Judah is the line of Christ, and in a sense, she's resting here and praising God. Praising Him that He's enough. Praising Him that He loves her. Praising Him that she is validated in who she is completely by Him.

Of course, often when we come to revelations as such in life and stop and praise God, we fall again as I was reminded of today. We sink back into the mode of being validated by those around us and seeking their love because for some reason it feels like it will fulfill us and make us feel better. Leah continues the child bearing war with her sister as they both have two children through their maids and then Leah has three more children afterwards and never comes to a place where she even receives the love of her husband. Her children are even less favored than those of Rachel. So Leah probably lived a hard and not so happy life, because she focused on the love she never got from her husband, when all along her Heavenly Father was waiting there wanting to drench her completely in His love and acceptance.

How often we are like Leah, seeking love and acceptance from those around us, thinking it will validate and complete us, when in reality God needs to fill that place first and foremost. I think too often I know that God loves me and I know He's good, but none of me believes it. I proclaim it, but when I look at my life, the way I act and react to different things, I realize that I don't live out those truths. I need to better understand what exactly His love is and what exactly His goodness is. Not sure if that makes any sense and it's something I have to think about more.

I have so much more I could and want to say about all this, but I'll leave it here. I think we all have to come to that decision place of whether or not we'll continue the battle in this world seeking love and acceptance from those around us, or whether we'll stop right where we're at and praise God. What are your thoughts?

ponderings

Tonight was the kick off at church and they talked about "Room for Life." It really got me thinking along with ten million other things going on in my mind right now. Where is there abundance in my life? What can I do to live more abundantly? What stop abundance from overflowing from my life? Am I simply settling for where I'm at and not allowing life to fill me up and overflow to the max?

Lots more going on in the ol' noggin, but thought I'd throw that there for now.

classes, swimming and friends

Classes officially started yesterday, but for the climax of this event, I have so far only had three. One might think that is a lot, but seeing that I have five other classes, the majority of the fun will come in the form of syllabus reading on monday, tuesday and wednesday. yippee! So far my classes look great and it looks like it will be a good semester (for the three that is...)

This week the weather has been glorious and so I have been able to steal a bit more time outside lounging by the poolside, working on my tan while enjoying swimming!! And even though I was bitter against O-week, i'm thankful for it, because I met some really great people and am excited to get to know them a bit more through the rest of this year!

Tonight I'm going to a bbq and am once again excited about the nice weather! Went to Costco today and oh what fun it was ! Sandy and I spent a little under two hours there! Crazy! but i bought a lot of stuff I didn't need, so it was therefore a successful trip!

O-week, work and white rock

So starting on Saturday we have had orientation week at Trinity, the university I'm going to next year. They really emphasize community and so this week is for first years to connect with other people and ease into the university life. Me being a more mature student and a transfer student, I haven't been to excited ab out this week, because I figured it would all be a bunch of 17 year old fresh out of high school. Plus if I want to meet people, i will. And i also commute, so I have lots of friends at home and wont' see everyone as often anyway. Plus I have to be there every day before school starts which really does suck up all my time!

So we have a smaller group that's called S.O.S that has about ten people in it that we do most of our activities with. There's been a few things that haven't been so fun or great to do, but for the most part it's been good to meet a lot of cool people and to just hang out. So that's been good I guess. Yesterday we went with another SOS group to white rock for the evening. It was funny because when the two groups met I have to admit that it was one of the most awkward things ever! we both kind of stood there all facing one another and it was complete silence.. haha Good times all round! Oh how I love awkward moments!

Yesterday morning I worked early too and then went straight out to Langley. So I was pretty tired when I got home and am still pretty tired this morning! Tonight me and another girl, Jocelyn who are both commuting from Abbotsford are staying in the dorms for night! I am looking forward to it and thin it will be a lot of fun! Below are some more pictures of our night at white rock! enjoy!

bard, coffee and fishing

Last night, Theo and I went to Bard on the Beach, which is a Shakespeare festival at English Bay and it was great! We went for a picnic beforehand and then watched the show, which was "The Winter's Tale." The actors were amazing and it was so well done. I didn't know what the story line was about, but it was quite interesting and made me think a lot about how our presumptions of different people and our own jealousy intermingled into can destroy and ruin a lot of things.

Afterwards we went and sat on a bench overlooking the ocean and the stars and it was just so nice to be by the ocean in the city. I love watching all the city lights reflections dancing on the water. All in all it was a wonderful night and it concluded my Bard on the Beach watchings for this year-now we shall wait until next year!

Today was good to catch up with a couple of people over coffee that I hadn't seen in a while. And then I went fishing on the Fraser River !!! We caught two fish and almost had three. It was great that we actually caught some fish, but I really enjoyed just being there! And now a bit of my freedom ends as orientation for school commences tomorrow. Oh going back to school!!