surprise!

My brother Lucas told us that we would get our Christmas presents on the 27th! So this morning a helicopter landed in the backyard and we got to go for a ride! So we went for an hour helicopter ride! Went out to Harrison, around the area and back and it was amazing! Really great to get that perspective! And the mountains were stunning! I took tons of pictures but just posted a few, including a great aerial pic of my house! Enjoy!

the perfect birthday!

So today (or technically yesterday now) was my birthday and I have to say that I think it is one of the best ones I have ever had! It started with my friend Carrie waking me up at 6:30am and taking me to mill lake with some coffee and timbits so that we could watch the sunrise! What a wonderful idea! Something I totally love and I felt so special that my friends would think of doing that for me (sandy would have come to, but she worked instead of me having to work!) Even though it rained afterwards, the sunrise was amazing. We never actually saw the sun, but we saw the intensity of bright orange and pink in the clouds surrounding the crisp mountains that were laden with fresh snow. so beautiful! God's creation is amazing! This morning I was so thankful that I could spend the morning surrounded by God's beautiful creation.

Then we came home and Lucas, Chad and Bobbi and my mom had waffles for breakfast! Then I headed to church where I sang in all three Christmas Eve services. It was fun to sing in all them (although my voice is totally shot) and just great to be reminded once again of the wonder of Christmas and the intensity of God's love for me. After church we were off to the Keg where my friends, family and I enjoyed a fantastic steak dinner! Then we went home for birthday cake and played the new game 'Apples to Apples' that brooke got me! And then Jocelyn, Dave and I watched Serendipity.

So all in all it was a fantastic day! Really special, because normally my birthday is just meshed together with Christmas and it's not that big of a deal, but this year it was really special and I am so thankful to my family and friends whom I love dearly! So thank you all for making the day so special from phone calls to cards or gifts or even just a hug!!

grace

"Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." -Revelation 3:17-18

I have been struck anew with the wonder of His grace. How little I understand it. So often I deceive myself, thinking that indeed I do have all the resources that it takes while in reality I am completely wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked! I keep trying to bank in on what I can do and what I have done, when I simply need to come to Christ who has already done it. I just need to receive that gift of grace and love. I need to cast aside my efforts and all that I think I need to strive for and receive. Good reminders!

In other news, I bought a heater for my fish tank to warm up the water for them (I think that's why they were dying) and it's my birthday tomorrow! woohoo!! Merry Christmas everybody!

update

I should be in bed since it's 11:30 pm and i have to get up for work in about five hours! But I just finished cleaning my fish tank and realized that all of you might want to know how my fish are doing. Hmm... well, most are dead. very sad. actually it was pretty tragic watching it all. The only ones still alive are Ndizi (but i think she will die this week, because she just sits at the bottom of the tank in agony), Ferguson and Santorini. I think I will buy some more fish this week (I know you're all thinking i should not, because i will kill them, but i'll be better this time!) So be sure to be thinking of some good fish names and i will have another competition and be faster on posting the results! Oh, and Kristal, can you email me your address so that I can mail you your prize? (sorry it's taken so long!)

In other news, I went to a murder mystery tonight and it was fantastic. Lots of fun. I think our group was the best! haha.. I am however quite biased. It was fun trying to figure out how to trick everyone, etc.

This week is a bit crazy because I work for like eight days straight. But at least I get Christmas day off! (cuz we're closed...) more updates later plus pictures...

Stormy

Presently I feel a bit scatterbrained. I have written five finals now and only have one more left! (which I should be studying for perhaps, but I have decided to do every other possible alternative). I can not believe that it is already mid December! I am excited for tomorrow around 10am when I shall be free from school obligations! (at least for a couple of weeks..)

I still feel restless and it's driving me crazy! Tonight I think I shall delay studying further and go look at Christmas lights! I have enjoyed this semester but am SO excited for it to be over!!

The Holiday

I went to see the new movie 'The Holiday' tonight with Sandy and really enjoyed it! It was a good Christmas movie and made you feel warm and fuzzy (not that you want your insides to be fuzzy...) And since I like to apply movies to my life and overanalyze them I did so on this one and it got me thinking. Obviously I wont' say too much because I don't want to ruin the movie! But it just made me think about emotion and having blocked it and then coming to a point where it can be released and there can be freedom to express it. That's all for now!

YAY!

Yesterday was the last day of classes!! This is a good and bad thing. Good because classes are over and bad because that means I have exams! In the next eight days I have six finals! Tomorrow and Saturday are my hardest with the least time to study but at least they will be done with! Then next week I have four in a row! I'm feeling fairly good about three of them for next week!

So one more week until I can fully enjoy Christmas holidays! Then I will probably have absolutely nothing to do and wish I had school work! haha... Tonight is my brother's company Christmas party so I'm lookin gforward to that and lots of other fun stuff happening in the future! After saturday i'm sure will post more and have pictures too!

something missing

Recently I have taken note of how I seem to have lost my passion and zeal for the things I believed strong about. It seems that ever since Leon and my dad died, I have simply let things trample me over and I throw out my opinion every once in a while, but I have let myself come to a place of simply floating through life. I am still attempting before God to live my life to the fullest, but I have lost my times of deep ponderings and mulling before the Lord. There's much more to be said here, but I shall leave it at that just to put the surface of my thoughts out there. I need to return to that place once again.

On a completely different note, was back at school on Wednesday. We are still surrounded by snow-an odd occurance here in the Fraser Valley to be sure. And now the weekend begins!! I get to light the advent candle in church on saturday night. I am excited but in the back of my mind I have an image of me falling and burning the church down... Not really a fear I have, just a side thought in my mind for some reason.. haha..

And now the topics of this post could perhaps be covered in an upcoming post when it is not 2am and i have more clarity of thought!