As I write this I am debating just going back to bed. I am currently experiencing a terrible headache and to be honest, for me to say that its actually bad. I have headaches most everyday, they very in severity, but they are always there.
My headaches started the summer between third and fourth year university. I spent the first two months of that summer taking summer school (which I loved!), followed by working in the corn fields in Chatham for a month and then heading back to McMaster for an end of summer field camp course. This was when I noticed the headaches. I had never really had a headache before and I was not handling it well. I was taking a lot of Ibuprofen and trying my best to get through it figuring they couldn't last too long (I could not have been more wrong).
I did not even clue into the consistency of the headaches until my mom mentioned to me one day about going to visit the doctor as I had mentioned to her enough times about my head hurting that she was starting to get concerned. Shortly after the first week of classes, I had enough of my head always hurting and made an appointment at the schools clinic. This was the beginning of a long road to nothing.
I went to the appointment, he prescribed a muscle relaxant type drug and wrote a referral to physiotherapy. The physiotherapy after three sessions determined that she could not do anything, but recommended massage therapy. This was where I saw the most improvement and actually loved my biweekly appointment. A follow up with the original doctor saw a change in prescription and a referral to an osteopath. As the year went on I was taking about 6 pills a day, and seeing the osteopath and massage therapist biweekly. After yet another follow up with the original doctor, an appointment with a neurologist was finally booked and in three months I had an appointment at the hospital.
I was excited to have answers, but more excited to hopefully get rid of these headaches. It was about February by the time I met with the neurologist. At this time the headaches were consistent, a daily pain that I was learning to deal with. They got worse at certain parts of the day and about once a week they actually disturbed my daily routine. The neurologist appointment gave no answers, but I was sent for tests, blood work and an MRI to try and determine the actual cause of the headaches. I was happy to be having this done and thought nothing of it. I went for my MRI at like 3:30 am, the morning of a midterm in downtown Hamilton at the hospital beside the prison (read: scared to death and exhausted), I had blood work done with a room mate holding my hand, and had a number of tests run from looking at flashing pictures to being hooked up to multiple cable in my head.
A month after the tests, I had my follow up appointment to find out the results and hopefully make some steps towards recovery. I went into the office of the neurologist and the med student who was working with him goes over my charts to which she responds, "Congratulations, it's not a brain tumor." Upon hearing this I am completely taken back, no one EVER said it might be a brain tumor. I did not know it was a possibility and on the one hand I am happy it is not, but on the other I am shocked that no one told me before. She could tell that I was confused and quickly followed up trying to explain that that is why I got in for an MRI within a month when the wait list was supposed to be six months or more etc. So with brain tumor ruled out, the neurologist came in with the bad news.
I have had concussion in the past. Yes I knew that, two to be exact. One playing hockey and one playing rugby. They were close together and to be honest what I feared was causing the headaches. In that regards I was thankful to have always been wearing a mouth guard or the end result could have been much worse (I totally support mouth guards in ALL contact and potentially contact sports). However, the tests showed that I had concussions not that they were effecting anything today, just that a concussion had occurred in the past. So again, that was disappointing The results showed nothing that should be causing me to have consistent pain and pressure on my head. He prescribed a dose change on my current medications and wrote in my chart some future medications to try include an anti-seizure med.
I left feeling confused and frustrated. Nothing seemed to work. I continued with massage and osteopath through the remainder of fourth year. Upon returning home to Chatham, I visited my chiropractor which helped slightly and stayed on my medications, introducing the anti-seizure med after a few months of nothing changing. I was confused, frustrated and in pain, but the plus side was that I was learning to cope with the headaches. I figured out that Advil liquid gels in extra strength were the only thing to have ANY effect on the headaches and was determined to not let it effect my day to day routine.
Since then (two and a half years later), I have stopped taking all medicine for my headaches, with the exception of Advil and I have become better at ignoring the pain. When I was no longer on my parents insurance the medicine for my headaches was costing over $300 per month. It was no longer feasible to be taking so much and to be honest, the difference is minimal. I now have more 'bad' headaches, but the constant every day is still the same.
So that is an update, and a long exhausting story of what is going on with my head. I am starting to figure things out a bit, for example, if my neck is in an awkward position and starts to hurt, that will lead to a bad headache, or if I am stressed and tired and my body is exhausted that can effect my head for days. Overall I am thankful that I have been able to rule out anything major, yes the pain sucks, but it could be worse, I don't have a tumor!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Kingsbury.
I have had my passion for reading sparked again as of late. I have a tendency to go in phases. I love to read anything and everything one minute and then a few weeks later I cannot seem to get past the first few chapters of a book.
I am a sucker for a good romance. I love what are sometime corny books, but I more then anything love books where you can really get to know and connect with characters. Books where when you are reading about a persons life you feel like you are there beside them, like they are a member of your family or a best friend. Therefore I have a tendency to fall in love with series. The sisterhood of the traveling pants. Twilight. Harry Potter. Books where you do not need to say goodbye to beloved characters after only one book.
Karen Kingsbury's Baxter series books have hit every point of reading that I love. They are a series, a very long series, but it does not get borring. You want to keep turning the page and finding out what lies ahead for a wonderful God fearing, family loving, small town family. I have fallen in love with the characters. I have cried with them and laughed with them and have even been encouraged by them. I love them.
So if you are looking for something to fall in love with. I highly recommend picking up a book by Karen Kingsbury. Actually, I would recommend starting at the beginning, but thats just me. Seriously, check it out.
So if you are looking for something to fall in love with. I highly recommend picking up a book by Karen Kingsbury. Actually, I would recommend starting at the beginning, but thats just me. Seriously, check it out.
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| Start here. If you are like me, you will NOT regret it! |
Accountability.
I have always been the person on the outside looking in, or that is how it has always felt. I had a lot of 'friends' but they were always just more then acquaintances to be honest. I always had people around me, but they were not always people that I could share my innermost thoughts and feelings.So the idea of finding someone that I can be accountable with, someone that I can share these thoughts, my opinion and that I can trust to give me their honest opinion and help is a hard idea for me.
As I have grown up, as I have left school and the required people to hang out with and study with, very few of my friendships have lasted and to be honest that breaks my heart a little. As we have gone our own ways, started to get married and starting jobs across the country is has proven hard to keep in touch. And after returning home, I realize that some of those people I once thought were great friends, are actually little more than acquaintances.
So this brings me to accountability. We discussed the topic a few weeks ago at small group bible study. About the benefits of having someone you can talk to and go to for advice and guidance. It made me think, to be honest, I have not had someone like that is a long time. My best friend since childhood, one of the people who is influential in helping me become the person I am today, the one who plays a major role in my walk with God, drifted apart during high school and have spoke very little since. Then, my best friend to this day, another wonderful woman who throughout high school was a role model in my life and an ever encouragement, walked away from her faith when we were in university. I don't think anyone else's decision on something so personal has ever effected me so greatly as that did. She was the one who I would say is the closest I have ever had to someone to be accountable with. The one who would guide me back to the straight and narrow, who could quote scripture and who I could always count on to answer my 'why' questions. Our friendship thankfully survived the major change, however it is not quite the same. Yes I can still go to her with everything, yes she is always there to listen, but it's different.
Throughout university I was blessed to be a part of Campus for Christ, I was the leader of a Discipleship group (girls bible study group) and had two years of one on one and then two on one discipling with a wonderful women of God. We dove into things about our relationship with Christ and how we can better reach others, but it was rare that we talked about those things at the core. I am thankful for growing closer to my discipler, and I am thankful for the friendship we have even to this day, but again, I would say it is just that, only friendship.
When I think of accountability it actually hurts. I don't know how to bridge the gaps between me and those around me. I don't know how to take fringe friendships and make them something more. I continuously feel like 'who would want to', or 'they have other people'. So I always wonder if there are those like me who at the depths of my sole crave friendship. I want the real kind that we can talk about anything, that I know I am not bothering them if I call because I need to talk. A friendship where I can be there for them and they are there for me no matter what. Heck, most of the time I would take even just having someone that I am not afraid to invite over to hang out or to ask to go for coffee with. I lack confidence that people would actually want to do something and therefore am never the one to suggest it first.
I look back at the friends I lost, and those that just kind of drifted away and I wonder what I could have or should have done differently. I do understand and believe that people come into your life for a season, a reason or a lifetime, but sometimes its hard to understand why there are not more lifetime friends. I honestly never thought there would be a day when I craved friendship so much, especially when I am surrounded by so many people that two years ago I would have called friends. So with the topic of accountability, we were advised to pray about it. To think of who we might be able to have that special relationship with. Again, it scares me, I would love to have that, but cannot help but feel like who would want me. So any takers? (I kid, kind of).
As I have grown up, as I have left school and the required people to hang out with and study with, very few of my friendships have lasted and to be honest that breaks my heart a little. As we have gone our own ways, started to get married and starting jobs across the country is has proven hard to keep in touch. And after returning home, I realize that some of those people I once thought were great friends, are actually little more than acquaintances.
So this brings me to accountability. We discussed the topic a few weeks ago at small group bible study. About the benefits of having someone you can talk to and go to for advice and guidance. It made me think, to be honest, I have not had someone like that is a long time. My best friend since childhood, one of the people who is influential in helping me become the person I am today, the one who plays a major role in my walk with God, drifted apart during high school and have spoke very little since. Then, my best friend to this day, another wonderful woman who throughout high school was a role model in my life and an ever encouragement, walked away from her faith when we were in university. I don't think anyone else's decision on something so personal has ever effected me so greatly as that did. She was the one who I would say is the closest I have ever had to someone to be accountable with. The one who would guide me back to the straight and narrow, who could quote scripture and who I could always count on to answer my 'why' questions. Our friendship thankfully survived the major change, however it is not quite the same. Yes I can still go to her with everything, yes she is always there to listen, but it's different.
Throughout university I was blessed to be a part of Campus for Christ, I was the leader of a Discipleship group (girls bible study group) and had two years of one on one and then two on one discipling with a wonderful women of God. We dove into things about our relationship with Christ and how we can better reach others, but it was rare that we talked about those things at the core. I am thankful for growing closer to my discipler, and I am thankful for the friendship we have even to this day, but again, I would say it is just that, only friendship.
When I think of accountability it actually hurts. I don't know how to bridge the gaps between me and those around me. I don't know how to take fringe friendships and make them something more. I continuously feel like 'who would want to', or 'they have other people'. So I always wonder if there are those like me who at the depths of my sole crave friendship. I want the real kind that we can talk about anything, that I know I am not bothering them if I call because I need to talk. A friendship where I can be there for them and they are there for me no matter what. Heck, most of the time I would take even just having someone that I am not afraid to invite over to hang out or to ask to go for coffee with. I lack confidence that people would actually want to do something and therefore am never the one to suggest it first.
I look back at the friends I lost, and those that just kind of drifted away and I wonder what I could have or should have done differently. I do understand and believe that people come into your life for a season, a reason or a lifetime, but sometimes its hard to understand why there are not more lifetime friends. I honestly never thought there would be a day when I craved friendship so much, especially when I am surrounded by so many people that two years ago I would have called friends. So with the topic of accountability, we were advised to pray about it. To think of who we might be able to have that special relationship with. Again, it scares me, I would love to have that, but cannot help but feel like who would want me. So any takers? (I kid, kind of).
Thursday, November 22, 2012
WastedDay.
My husband and I have big dreams of heading to Europe in the spring. We are wishing and hoping and praying that it actually works out. We have asked for our necessities for christmas and have done our research on what is needed and required for doing a two to three week backpacking trip through Europe.
I sent the Christmas list to my mom and a few minutes later I received an email about a store closing in London that had up to 73% off and specialized in outdoor and travel equipment. I checked out the website and did some price comparison and figured if the equipment was on sale it would be worth checking out. The next day my mom brought the flyer in for me to check out and I knew I must go. A 35L backpack, half price! I was excited.
My husband and I then got into planning mode. We tried to figure out when I should hit up the sale. What made the most sense money wise, would the pay off be better then the loss. The options were I call in sick for work and then head to the store, get there before it opens and know that if they have what I want on sale, I am going to get the best price and get what I want. Or, wait until after work, drive the hour and a half to the store and hope they have what I am looking for and that I can find it in an hour before the store closed.
Our hopes were to save about a hundred dollars per backpack (they retail for about $260) and then if we considered the other items on our wish list the days savings were in the hundreds. So after much contemplation, I called in sick and was off to London. I got to the store a half hour ahead of time and the line was already down the street, around the corner and down the street again. This made me excited because clearly it must be a good sale. People were excited.
I stood in line for over two hours before getting into the store. My toes were numb (I did not dress to stand outside for two hours), my snacks were in the car, my phone was almost dead and my patience were wearing thin.
I do not think my excitement could have dropped any faster then when I got into the store. The sales were TERRIBLE! 15% off most items. Backpacks only 20$ off. It was heart breaking. I found a few ok finds as I knew what the price was for the item online, but I was disappointed I wasted not only a day of work, but also three hours of my life I cannot get back.
The experience taught me something however, I am never calling in sick again, unless I am actually sick. There were news crews there and people taking pictures so I felt guilty and feared getting caught. It was not worth it and now that I think of it, I don't know what is worth calling in sick for other then an emergency and being sick. I am never again wasting it to go shopping. On the other hand however, I would have been left wondering if I had been there earlier if I would have gotten a better deal, so for that I am happy.
Everything about today is eating at me. I am stressed and upset and exhausted from being so stressed and upset. So that was my terrible day and advice on never skipping work.
I sent the Christmas list to my mom and a few minutes later I received an email about a store closing in London that had up to 73% off and specialized in outdoor and travel equipment. I checked out the website and did some price comparison and figured if the equipment was on sale it would be worth checking out. The next day my mom brought the flyer in for me to check out and I knew I must go. A 35L backpack, half price! I was excited.
My husband and I then got into planning mode. We tried to figure out when I should hit up the sale. What made the most sense money wise, would the pay off be better then the loss. The options were I call in sick for work and then head to the store, get there before it opens and know that if they have what I want on sale, I am going to get the best price and get what I want. Or, wait until after work, drive the hour and a half to the store and hope they have what I am looking for and that I can find it in an hour before the store closed.
Our hopes were to save about a hundred dollars per backpack (they retail for about $260) and then if we considered the other items on our wish list the days savings were in the hundreds. So after much contemplation, I called in sick and was off to London. I got to the store a half hour ahead of time and the line was already down the street, around the corner and down the street again. This made me excited because clearly it must be a good sale. People were excited.
I stood in line for over two hours before getting into the store. My toes were numb (I did not dress to stand outside for two hours), my snacks were in the car, my phone was almost dead and my patience were wearing thin.
I do not think my excitement could have dropped any faster then when I got into the store. The sales were TERRIBLE! 15% off most items. Backpacks only 20$ off. It was heart breaking. I found a few ok finds as I knew what the price was for the item online, but I was disappointed I wasted not only a day of work, but also three hours of my life I cannot get back.
The experience taught me something however, I am never calling in sick again, unless I am actually sick. There were news crews there and people taking pictures so I felt guilty and feared getting caught. It was not worth it and now that I think of it, I don't know what is worth calling in sick for other then an emergency and being sick. I am never again wasting it to go shopping. On the other hand however, I would have been left wondering if I had been there earlier if I would have gotten a better deal, so for that I am happy.
Everything about today is eating at me. I am stressed and upset and exhausted from being so stressed and upset. So that was my terrible day and advice on never skipping work.
Alyssa.
Alyssa and I have been friends since she moved to Chatham in the third grade. We went to the same elementary school, played soccer together, went to summer camp together and even both switched schools to join the extended french program together. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way she became one of my closest and dearest friends. We bonded deeply in high school over our love of curling and boys, we coached summer soccer together and she even came out to youth group with me one weekend after some, lets just say misfoutunate events.
I had the joy of watching Alyssa give her life over to Christ and watch how the decision has changed her. I also had the priviledge of being at the hospital when Alyssa gave birth to her precious son and I am forever thankful that she allowed me to be a part of such a magical day, a day I will never forget.
Alyssa is a deep thinker, a board game wizard, a fantastic mother and on Saturday I had the wonderful oportunity of witnessing her marry her prince charming. She was a stunning bride and I could not help but cry multiple times throughout the day.
To be honest, I entered into the wedding with mixed feelings. When I got the news of the engagement from at text from Alyssa one day at work I was so excited I actually started squeeling and then spent the remaider of the day boring my coworker about how excited I was (sorry!). She had been so patient, trusting in God in every step of her relationship and her life even when it was not always the easiest, so when I heard the news that FINALLY (yes, we waited and hoped and knew there was a ring and kept on waiting) she was engaged I was over the moon for her.
Then life, as it always does, got a little messy and I was there as she vented, was frustrated and had the joys of not only planning a wedding (read: stressful), but plan one in four months. We had fun at showers, putting on panty hose with oven mitts, painting granny panties and making toilet paper dresses.
Then in came the wedding dress. (Background: when I was picking a wedding dress I got it down to two, and had the hardest time ever trying to make up my mind as to what one I actually wanted. In the end I still was not sure I made the right choice. I loved it the day of the wedding but I always had this feeling of 'what-if' about the other dress.) So I got a text late one Saturday night from Alyssa all excited that she had found the dress and there was something inside of me that made me think it was the 'Rachel' (No I didn't name it, that is the dresses name, and what my bridesmaids and I affectionately called it). She gave me brief details of the dress and promised a picture the next morning at church. I tried my best to be happy as the dress was, as I suspected, the 'Rachel'. If I was honest with myself at that moment however, I was upset, I was sad that I didn't get to be the one wearing the dress and I could not help but feel I made the wrong decision. I tried to put it out of my mind but as the wedding day approached I feared how I would react to seeing someone else in the dress I loved.
The moment I saw Alyssa step through the doors at the church to make her way down the aisle I knew it all worked out for a reason. Alyssa looked stunning. The dress fit her perfectly and as she smiled with her father on one side and her adorable little son on the other I could not be happier. I wiped away a tear and laughed inside because I did not know how I could be so petty to think I would be upset over a dress. It thrilled me that someone I loved was able to wear the dress that I also loved. I did not wear it so why not have one of my favourite people wear it.
Alyssa smiled the day away and her handsom groom could not take his eyes off of her. It was a beautiful picture as two people came together to form a family. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for their family and where God will take them. I am thankful for being able to be a part of their day and more then anything, I am thankful for their friendship and love.
I had the joy of watching Alyssa give her life over to Christ and watch how the decision has changed her. I also had the priviledge of being at the hospital when Alyssa gave birth to her precious son and I am forever thankful that she allowed me to be a part of such a magical day, a day I will never forget.
Alyssa is a deep thinker, a board game wizard, a fantastic mother and on Saturday I had the wonderful oportunity of witnessing her marry her prince charming. She was a stunning bride and I could not help but cry multiple times throughout the day.
To be honest, I entered into the wedding with mixed feelings. When I got the news of the engagement from at text from Alyssa one day at work I was so excited I actually started squeeling and then spent the remaider of the day boring my coworker about how excited I was (sorry!). She had been so patient, trusting in God in every step of her relationship and her life even when it was not always the easiest, so when I heard the news that FINALLY (yes, we waited and hoped and knew there was a ring and kept on waiting) she was engaged I was over the moon for her.
Then life, as it always does, got a little messy and I was there as she vented, was frustrated and had the joys of not only planning a wedding (read: stressful), but plan one in four months. We had fun at showers, putting on panty hose with oven mitts, painting granny panties and making toilet paper dresses.
Then in came the wedding dress. (Background: when I was picking a wedding dress I got it down to two, and had the hardest time ever trying to make up my mind as to what one I actually wanted. In the end I still was not sure I made the right choice. I loved it the day of the wedding but I always had this feeling of 'what-if' about the other dress.) So I got a text late one Saturday night from Alyssa all excited that she had found the dress and there was something inside of me that made me think it was the 'Rachel' (No I didn't name it, that is the dresses name, and what my bridesmaids and I affectionately called it). She gave me brief details of the dress and promised a picture the next morning at church. I tried my best to be happy as the dress was, as I suspected, the 'Rachel'. If I was honest with myself at that moment however, I was upset, I was sad that I didn't get to be the one wearing the dress and I could not help but feel I made the wrong decision. I tried to put it out of my mind but as the wedding day approached I feared how I would react to seeing someone else in the dress I loved.
The moment I saw Alyssa step through the doors at the church to make her way down the aisle I knew it all worked out for a reason. Alyssa looked stunning. The dress fit her perfectly and as she smiled with her father on one side and her adorable little son on the other I could not be happier. I wiped away a tear and laughed inside because I did not know how I could be so petty to think I would be upset over a dress. It thrilled me that someone I loved was able to wear the dress that I also loved. I did not wear it so why not have one of my favourite people wear it.
Alyssa smiled the day away and her handsom groom could not take his eyes off of her. It was a beautiful picture as two people came together to form a family. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for their family and where God will take them. I am thankful for being able to be a part of their day and more then anything, I am thankful for their friendship and love.
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| Alyssa and I at Prom 2006. |
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| High school curling team 2006. |
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| Alyssa and I at Brier 2007. |
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| Logan's Birth 2009. |
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| Alyssa, her father and son Logan walking her down the aisle. |
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| First Kiss. |
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| Bridesmaid (Michelle) and Groomsmen (Iain, Alyssa's Brother and one of the groomsmen in my wedding) dancing down the aisle. (love them!) |
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| One of my favourite families. Proud parents. |
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| The first wedding we have attended as husband and wife. Loved it. |
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
SantaClauseParade.
I know that the holidays are going to continuously be betting more exciting with our family. As Little Miss keeps growing she is getting more fun then imaginable. Friday we went to the Santa Clause parade with her parents and she loved every minute. From the marching band and the sirens on the ambulance. Each time a float would pass Little Miss would sign and ask for 'more' continuously Then when that was not working she would start to say 'please'. It was adorable and she wouldn't look away. She bounced to the music and wanted so bad to go out and touch everything. It was her joy that made me enjoy it. It was cold and way too long (2 hours of crap is too long Chatham!), but because of her joy I loved that I was able to witness Little Miss loving the parade and trying to say 'SeSe' (Santa) and 'TeTe' (also Santa). Love her!
On the other hand however, the Chatham Santa Clause parade needs to do a bit of editing. There were so many convertibles with random people playing Christmas music, and they were not even nice cars, they need to go. Also, the gaps, they were WAY too big and too frequently. If you can no longer see anyone coming or the people who just pasted, its too big of a gap. So those are my suggestions. Plus, two hours is about an hour too long when there were like four good floats/things. But Little Miss had fun and that's what matters.
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| Little Miss was just way too into the parade to even bother looking at the camera. |
Monday, November 19, 2012
BridalBrunch.
With the wedding of the beautiful Alyssa this past weekend, I had the privilege of being a part of it by providing her, her bridesmaids and wedding day helpers with an early (read: true love for Alyssa to be up that early on a Saturday) morning brunch.
I had offered to help Alyssa with whatever she might need and suggested that if no one else was making her a breakfast, I could take one more thing off of her plate and do it for her. On my wedding day friends of mine prepared a wonderfully delicious breakfast for us and it was such a wonderful gift. It was one less thing to stress over and one less thing for my family or bridesmaids to take care of.
I found out that the brunch was a go Thursday evening when I got home from Alyssa's Bachelorette Breaking Dawn movie premier (ensue the stress) and I then went straight to the planning. Pinterest was a life saver and I was able to come up with a number of different ideas of what to make and with the help of the husband I was able to edit it down to making just a few mini bite size brunch ideas.
So Friday consisted of working 9 hours, planning what to make, making a grocery list, watching the Santa Clause parade with the Little Miss, buying groceries picking the husband up at the train station and staying up until 2am to bake. In the end I was pleased with the results and from the feedback from the wedding party the food was a hit.
The menu consisted of fruit skewers, bacon and cheddar scones (receipt here, except I lightly rolled in balls and put in muffin tins to cook), 8 minute mini cinnamon rolls (I roughly followed this receipt), mini blueberry muffins, yogurt parfaits orange-cranberry punch and store bought (I know shame, but I got lazy when it was 930 and I was just then getting groceries) mini doughnuts.
So in about 3 hours of baking (thank you husband for the help before you went to play video games) and 0 hours of cleaning, I was able to make a hot mess of the kitchen and what I would like to think was a pretty kick butt brunch, for a pretty kick butt lady.
I had offered to help Alyssa with whatever she might need and suggested that if no one else was making her a breakfast, I could take one more thing off of her plate and do it for her. On my wedding day friends of mine prepared a wonderfully delicious breakfast for us and it was such a wonderful gift. It was one less thing to stress over and one less thing for my family or bridesmaids to take care of.
I found out that the brunch was a go Thursday evening when I got home from Alyssa's Bachelorette Breaking Dawn movie premier (ensue the stress) and I then went straight to the planning. Pinterest was a life saver and I was able to come up with a number of different ideas of what to make and with the help of the husband I was able to edit it down to making just a few mini bite size brunch ideas.
So Friday consisted of working 9 hours, planning what to make, making a grocery list, watching the Santa Clause parade with the Little Miss, buying groceries picking the husband up at the train station and staying up until 2am to bake. In the end I was pleased with the results and from the feedback from the wedding party the food was a hit.
The menu consisted of fruit skewers, bacon and cheddar scones (receipt here, except I lightly rolled in balls and put in muffin tins to cook), 8 minute mini cinnamon rolls (I roughly followed this receipt), mini blueberry muffins, yogurt parfaits orange-cranberry punch and store bought (I know shame, but I got lazy when it was 930 and I was just then getting groceries) mini doughnuts.
So in about 3 hours of baking (thank you husband for the help before you went to play video games) and 0 hours of cleaning, I was able to make a hot mess of the kitchen and what I would like to think was a pretty kick butt brunch, for a pretty kick butt lady.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Internet!
You do not know how much you miss having the internet until it is gone.
I have been living for the past week and a half with only my cell phone for internet. One would think this is sufficient, and it is kind of sad how much I have come to depend upon the internet for my everyday life, but I truly was missing having my computer.
On a typically day, I wake up and listen to the local radio station online and at times the Country station from Hamilton that I have grown to love. I then use the computer for a little bit of everything from blogging, facebooking, shopping and job applications. Not to mention we do not have cable, our TV is not yet hooked up and my computer does not have a disc drive. Therefore, I watch Netflix and other TV shows online, and I LOVE my TV show.
So after having my brother meet the internet guy who was supposed to call ahead of time and didn't, and after my having to replace the co-auxiliary face plate (I am calling it this, but I have no idea what I did or how I managed to do it, but I feel pretty proud of myself for being successful), I now have internet!
Oh the joys of moving. With internet successfully hooked up, we are onto flooring today. So the hopes are, I head home after work (before going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2!!!) and there should be a brand new shinny floor all across my apartment. Exciting things in the Hartford home!
I have been living for the past week and a half with only my cell phone for internet. One would think this is sufficient, and it is kind of sad how much I have come to depend upon the internet for my everyday life, but I truly was missing having my computer.
On a typically day, I wake up and listen to the local radio station online and at times the Country station from Hamilton that I have grown to love. I then use the computer for a little bit of everything from blogging, facebooking, shopping and job applications. Not to mention we do not have cable, our TV is not yet hooked up and my computer does not have a disc drive. Therefore, I watch Netflix and other TV shows online, and I LOVE my TV show.
So after having my brother meet the internet guy who was supposed to call ahead of time and didn't, and after my having to replace the co-auxiliary face plate (I am calling it this, but I have no idea what I did or how I managed to do it, but I feel pretty proud of myself for being successful), I now have internet!
Oh the joys of moving. With internet successfully hooked up, we are onto flooring today. So the hopes are, I head home after work (before going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2!!!) and there should be a brand new shinny floor all across my apartment. Exciting things in the Hartford home!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Alone.
I tried my hardest not to cry the first night Brent left. I was thankful to be staying with a friend for a few days so I wasn't alone. Simply sleeping in a bed alone was new. Since being married a year and a half ago Brent and I have spent one night apart. I don't think I knew right away just how hard it would be to be working in different cities. I am now moved into what is supposed to be our apartment and the more time I spend there, the more nights I go home from work to an empty apartment, I cannot help but feel more alone then I have in a long time.
Brent is in Vaughan and I am in Chatham throughout the week. On weekends he comes home to Chatham and I would like to say that all is wonderful and magical, but to be honest it is harder then we thought. For me it took a lot to fall into being married. To having things that were 'mine' and having them not be where I left them. To be considerate of someone else when I went to get groceries or when I wanted to just watch Gilmore Girls all day and night for weeks straight (yes Brent puts his foot down on this sometimes, and it was hard for me to handle). We then fell into a place of living together, we took on roles like he cooked and washed the cutlery and I did the laundry and general house cleaning. Brent took out the garbage and I got the groceries It was wonderful, it worked. Obviously these things were not set in stone, but we enjoyed the roles we took on and everything worked.
Now however, with me being alone in an apartment for the first time ever! Yes, I went from my parents house, to having room mates in university, back to my parents house and then to a house with my husband. As a result, there may currently be a bag of garbage sitting at the door and I only have one knife left clean. I know I have to do these things myself. That I cannot wait for Brent to come home on Saturday and help me. I want life to be normal with Brent on the weekends, but it's hard for life to be normal when it is only two nights and there is so much you want to do.
I never thought I would miss him like this. I never thought I would not be able to deal with the noises I hear at night and the idea of going home to an empty apartment. Brent and I did long distance our entire dating and engaged relationship except for the odd month during a summer here and there. We longed for the weekends together and we were able to in many ways stop life and enjoy our time together. Now however it doesn't work like that. With my new job I will be working every other Saturday and with our new apartment it feels like there is always something that can be done.
The light at the end of the long distance tunnel for us is Europe (hopefully in the spring) and work experience. The more wonderful work experience we get the closer we are to a full time job. The closer we are to a full time job means the closer we are to maybe one day having jobs in our field, that we love, ideally in Chatham. For now however, I am learning to live on my own. I will get over my hatred for washing cutlery and hopefully be able to enjoy the time Brent and I get to spend together instead of being sad about what Sunday night holds.We are praying and hoping that in the end we are stronger in our relationship and better for it.
Brent is in Vaughan and I am in Chatham throughout the week. On weekends he comes home to Chatham and I would like to say that all is wonderful and magical, but to be honest it is harder then we thought. For me it took a lot to fall into being married. To having things that were 'mine' and having them not be where I left them. To be considerate of someone else when I went to get groceries or when I wanted to just watch Gilmore Girls all day and night for weeks straight (yes Brent puts his foot down on this sometimes, and it was hard for me to handle). We then fell into a place of living together, we took on roles like he cooked and washed the cutlery and I did the laundry and general house cleaning. Brent took out the garbage and I got the groceries It was wonderful, it worked. Obviously these things were not set in stone, but we enjoyed the roles we took on and everything worked.
Now however, with me being alone in an apartment for the first time ever! Yes, I went from my parents house, to having room mates in university, back to my parents house and then to a house with my husband. As a result, there may currently be a bag of garbage sitting at the door and I only have one knife left clean. I know I have to do these things myself. That I cannot wait for Brent to come home on Saturday and help me. I want life to be normal with Brent on the weekends, but it's hard for life to be normal when it is only two nights and there is so much you want to do.
I never thought I would miss him like this. I never thought I would not be able to deal with the noises I hear at night and the idea of going home to an empty apartment. Brent and I did long distance our entire dating and engaged relationship except for the odd month during a summer here and there. We longed for the weekends together and we were able to in many ways stop life and enjoy our time together. Now however it doesn't work like that. With my new job I will be working every other Saturday and with our new apartment it feels like there is always something that can be done.
The light at the end of the long distance tunnel for us is Europe (hopefully in the spring) and work experience. The more wonderful work experience we get the closer we are to a full time job. The closer we are to a full time job means the closer we are to maybe one day having jobs in our field, that we love, ideally in Chatham. For now however, I am learning to live on my own. I will get over my hatred for washing cutlery and hopefully be able to enjoy the time Brent and I get to spend together instead of being sad about what Sunday night holds.We are praying and hoping that in the end we are stronger in our relationship and better for it.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Red.
So I just want red lips. Taylor Swift type red lips.
Like this.
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| Source. |
I have been trying everything and failing big time. Zellers currently is closing in town, and that means sales. I have waited and waited for the prices to be right and finally the cosmetics were down to 50 percent off, which meant I was willing to buy some bright red lipstick. A look I have been drying to try, and yes my love of Taylor Swift may play a part in that. Anyways I went with the CoverGirl Outlast lip stain in 425. When first put on it looks great, However, as the day goes on, and by day I mean like an hour later, it tends to just accentuate all of your lips flaws. So if there are areas with a groove or anything along those lines, you lips are no longer a perfect pouty red. I then bought, also by CoverGirl a natural lip colour in a similar shade of red (250 Cabernet), in hopes that it would go over the stain and everything would work out. Nope. I didn't read it carefully enough and in the end it is more of a heavy lip balm then a lip stick. Which I am starting to like just on its own to add a punch.
After two failures, I figured it was time to call in the big guns. Yes Pinterest. I don't know why I did not start there sooner. I now know what I need to buy next time I see it on sale and I will soon have the red lips I am striving for.
Thus far however, what I have works if I remember to reapply and not lick my lips. I even received a compliment at church. I am not convinced if I can pull it off as both my brother and sister in law laughed at me, but I am going to keep trying.
What do you think? Too much?
(Now as I post the pictures in the same article I realize that my red is no where near Taylor red. O well, I kind of like it.)
Friday, November 2, 2012
Pumpkins&PlayDough
Monday was my last day off before starting work again. It was my last day of watching little Miss Jemma for potentially a while and so we decided to have an adventure, well I decided and she is a baby so she went along with it. It was freezing cold outside and raining which resulted in no outdoor play. I came prepared for indoor adventures.
We carved a pumpkin and made homemade play dough. It was a lot of fun and kept us busy. Miss Jemma loved every minute of it and I enjoyed spending time with my favourite little girl.
To carve pumplins I figured it needed to result in as little and quick of clean up as possible. I laid out a sheet on the living room floor and while watching a recording of Taylor Swift on Katie. I cut the top off, hid the knife and we went to town. Jemma loved pulling the guts out and then putting random objects back into the pumpkin saying 'uh-oh' and then reaching in and taking them back out. She also loved putting the top of them pumpkin back on perfectly. It was all a lot of fun, minus the eating of the pumpkin guts that Miss Jemma kept doing, it was fun and totally within her abilities. When finished we simply put the pumpkin outside and rolled up the dirty sheet.
Flowing the dancing to Taylor Swift and carving a pumpkin we concluded our afternoon with making play dough. This activity did not go as planned, but the end result was still fun. With Little Miss standing on a chair I tried to get her to help and stir in some of the ingredients which she really couldn't grasp and just wanted to throw it around. This was followed by me not being able to find the salt, which turns out if you want the play dough to last more then a day, is needed. So we made it without salt and Miss J had fun smushing the end product. I am sad it didn't last, but it was so easy to make and was so fun to play with I am totally going to be making more of this with Jemma in the years to come.
Here is the recipe I used for the play dough (thank you Pinterest). Just remember, don't try substituting sugar for salt. It totally doesn't work. The play dough then becomes kind of wet in the following days. Also, the more food colouring, the cooler the colour. Try it out.
We carved a pumpkin and made homemade play dough. It was a lot of fun and kept us busy. Miss Jemma loved every minute of it and I enjoyed spending time with my favourite little girl.
To carve pumplins I figured it needed to result in as little and quick of clean up as possible. I laid out a sheet on the living room floor and while watching a recording of Taylor Swift on Katie. I cut the top off, hid the knife and we went to town. Jemma loved pulling the guts out and then putting random objects back into the pumpkin saying 'uh-oh' and then reaching in and taking them back out. She also loved putting the top of them pumpkin back on perfectly. It was all a lot of fun, minus the eating of the pumpkin guts that Miss Jemma kept doing, it was fun and totally within her abilities. When finished we simply put the pumpkin outside and rolled up the dirty sheet.
Flowing the dancing to Taylor Swift and carving a pumpkin we concluded our afternoon with making play dough. This activity did not go as planned, but the end result was still fun. With Little Miss standing on a chair I tried to get her to help and stir in some of the ingredients which she really couldn't grasp and just wanted to throw it around. This was followed by me not being able to find the salt, which turns out if you want the play dough to last more then a day, is needed. So we made it without salt and Miss J had fun smushing the end product. I am sad it didn't last, but it was so easy to make and was so fun to play with I am totally going to be making more of this with Jemma in the years to come.
Here is the recipe I used for the play dough (thank you Pinterest). Just remember, don't try substituting sugar for salt. It totally doesn't work. The play dough then becomes kind of wet in the following days. Also, the more food colouring, the cooler the colour. Try it out.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Bathroom.
So we have our things moved into the new apartment. I would say we are moved in but I have unpacked two boxes and only cleaned the kitchen cupboards, so we are SO not moved in.
We have big dreams for this place. Because we are renting from someone we know, and because we are paying so little, and because I am home alone and was expecting to be bored, we decided we would paint. And by paint, I mean the entire place pretty much. We are also talking to who we are renting from about doing the floors, but that's a whole other case of worms.
The first room we are starting with is probably the one we cannot stand the most and where a good coat of paint is most needed. This is the black bathroom, yes black with glow in the dark stars. Now it may not be so bad if my name was the name written in glow in the dark stars on the wall, or if you could see what you were doing the shower (how did these people ever shave?), but its much too dark for our liking so we are painting.
The goal is to paint the trim white, three, or maybe in the end all four a light grey, if three then the fourth a slightly darker grey. These then would be the same paints used in the bedroom.
Prior to starting however my goal this week is to remove the stars, remove all screws, putty and then get started on the trim. Have I mentioned that I have never done this before. So I have googled and googled and got a pamphlet from Home Hardware, so really my hopes are, how hard can this be? My opinion will most likely change when I update with (fingers crossed) a final product next week, including before and after pictures! We are hoping the transformation is drastic.
We have big dreams for this place. Because we are renting from someone we know, and because we are paying so little, and because I am home alone and was expecting to be bored, we decided we would paint. And by paint, I mean the entire place pretty much. We are also talking to who we are renting from about doing the floors, but that's a whole other case of worms.
The first room we are starting with is probably the one we cannot stand the most and where a good coat of paint is most needed. This is the black bathroom, yes black with glow in the dark stars. Now it may not be so bad if my name was the name written in glow in the dark stars on the wall, or if you could see what you were doing the shower (how did these people ever shave?), but its much too dark for our liking so we are painting.
The goal is to paint the trim white, three, or maybe in the end all four a light grey, if three then the fourth a slightly darker grey. These then would be the same paints used in the bedroom.
Prior to starting however my goal this week is to remove the stars, remove all screws, putty and then get started on the trim. Have I mentioned that I have never done this before. So I have googled and googled and got a pamphlet from Home Hardware, so really my hopes are, how hard can this be? My opinion will most likely change when I update with (fingers crossed) a final product next week, including before and after pictures! We are hoping the transformation is drastic.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Case.
I struggle with decisions. It is most likely my biggest downfall. I hate deciding anything that has a long term impact or will influence/impact others.
So I was in need of a new iPhone case, for my new phone. I searched and searched online trying to figure out which one was exactly what I wanted it to be. Did I want hard? Soft? An Otterbox? A screen protector? There were too many options. I was slightly overwhelmed. I started looking before I even had my phone and after the phone arrived I had still yet to purchase a case.
In the end the phone case I chose was a result of need. I went all of Thanksgiving weekend worrying about my phone knowing I needed a case. It wasn't until Monday (the holiday) that Brent and I finally had time to go and look for one because I ruled out buying online due to time of delivery. While walking into the store I then had the misfortune of having the phone fall out of my pocket. The small scratch on the side of the phone made me even more desperate for a case. Walmart had two styles to pick froma nd three different colours. The choices were limited and that was what I liked.
I went with a pink case. It is soft and rubber. Thick enough to be protective and has a texture that isnt super anoying. In the end I have a case for my phone. It cost a little more then I wanted to pay (ebay is so cheap compaired to stores). But I have a case, my phone is safe and I am happy with the end result.
The issue now is that I have to worry about picking a case for my new MacBook Air. I cannot decide AGAIN what type to get. I know I need something and so the decisions begin. I think I want purple. So that much is decided. But I SUCK at making decisions. Why must there be so many options?
Update: I bought a case. The first case I came across in a store designed for the 13 inche MacBook Air. It was cheaper then online (bonus) and was super cute (hot pink with white polkadots!) so I bought a new protective sleeve for it thanks to Winners. So, when provided with limited selection (ie when you live in Chatham) I am a successful and pleasant shopper!
So I was in need of a new iPhone case, for my new phone. I searched and searched online trying to figure out which one was exactly what I wanted it to be. Did I want hard? Soft? An Otterbox? A screen protector? There were too many options. I was slightly overwhelmed. I started looking before I even had my phone and after the phone arrived I had still yet to purchase a case.
In the end the phone case I chose was a result of need. I went all of Thanksgiving weekend worrying about my phone knowing I needed a case. It wasn't until Monday (the holiday) that Brent and I finally had time to go and look for one because I ruled out buying online due to time of delivery. While walking into the store I then had the misfortune of having the phone fall out of my pocket. The small scratch on the side of the phone made me even more desperate for a case. Walmart had two styles to pick froma nd three different colours. The choices were limited and that was what I liked.
I went with a pink case. It is soft and rubber. Thick enough to be protective and has a texture that isnt super anoying. In the end I have a case for my phone. It cost a little more then I wanted to pay (ebay is so cheap compaired to stores). But I have a case, my phone is safe and I am happy with the end result.
The issue now is that I have to worry about picking a case for my new MacBook Air. I cannot decide AGAIN what type to get. I know I need something and so the decisions begin. I think I want purple. So that much is decided. But I SUCK at making decisions. Why must there be so many options?
Update: I bought a case. The first case I came across in a store designed for the 13 inche MacBook Air. It was cheaper then online (bonus) and was super cute (hot pink with white polkadots!) so I bought a new protective sleeve for it thanks to Winners. So, when provided with limited selection (ie when you live in Chatham) I am a successful and pleasant shopper!
Success!
When everything works out it is easy to wonder why we ever stressed in the first place. God provides. God always has a way of everything working out.
With that said. Life updates. Brent is in Vaughan. He has a month to month lease on a room. Huge answer to prayer. Brent is able to put in as many hours as he wants, which results in him keeping busy and being able to make a fair bit of money. Brent got a raise. (Europe soon anyone!?!). These are all areas that God has provided more then we could even dream.
I have been blessed spending the past week babysitting my wonderful niece. To be honest, I love babysitting. I love finding new things to do each day and keeping super busy while having fun. Last week I got a call, an answer to prayer in so many ways. I got the job at the library! I will be starting October 29th 30th (thanks to not being able to get my police check done without getting my license changed), which is also wonderful because I will be able to spend another week babysitting and moving into the apartment.
Speaking of the apartment is another wonderful way God has provided. We were able to find a place to move into on such short notice. The rent is manageable even when Brent's room rent is taken into consideration and the location is safe and close to almost everything I need. I am so thankful to be back in Chatham even with Brent being 4 hours away, I feel like I am home and it feels great.
So I am going to try and remember this next time I stress over what life may hold, and I know I will stress. I always stress its the way I am. But next time I do, I plan to instead go to God in prayer and remember that it may not be my plan, or how I want it to work out, but that God will work it out in the long run.
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
With that said. Life updates. Brent is in Vaughan. He has a month to month lease on a room. Huge answer to prayer. Brent is able to put in as many hours as he wants, which results in him keeping busy and being able to make a fair bit of money. Brent got a raise. (Europe soon anyone!?!). These are all areas that God has provided more then we could even dream.
I have been blessed spending the past week babysitting my wonderful niece. To be honest, I love babysitting. I love finding new things to do each day and keeping super busy while having fun. Last week I got a call, an answer to prayer in so many ways. I got the job at the library! I will be starting October
Speaking of the apartment is another wonderful way God has provided. We were able to find a place to move into on such short notice. The rent is manageable even when Brent's room rent is taken into consideration and the location is safe and close to almost everything I need. I am so thankful to be back in Chatham even with Brent being 4 hours away, I feel like I am home and it feels great.
So I am going to try and remember this next time I stress over what life may hold, and I know I will stress. I always stress its the way I am. But next time I do, I plan to instead go to God in prayer and remember that it may not be my plan, or how I want it to work out, but that God will work it out in the long run.
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
Thursday, October 18, 2012
BathTubPaint.
Today during bath time while babysitting my niece I decided to spice things up. I am a pinterest enthusiast so I continually saw these great ideas for bathtub painting. I figured why not go ahead and try it and while Miss J was eating breakfast, Aunt Stephie was making bath tub paint. The recipe is easy, and to be honest after knowing what the ingredients were I winged it a bit.
The rough directions (every receipt I found was different)
1 cup baby bubble bath (or shampoo as long as it is clear) (I used a mixture of both as there wasn't much left of either)
5 tbs corn starch
Food colouring (key part is to not add too much, we may currently have a blue tinted baby, OOPS!)
So mix them together, but them in baby friendly bowls and go to town. I made about half of this amount and it was more then enough. We are going to actually save it (in tupperware type containers) and use it for another bath time.
It was wonderful, after Miss J realized it doesn't go in your mouth. She had fun painting the walls of the tub and rubbing it all over herself. The great part was it wiped right off of the tub and had I not had such a strong blue it would have come right off the skin as well (You can hardly even tell). Another great part is that even though she may have taken a hand full and immediately put it in her mouth, it was ok for her to eat, not great for her, but not bad for her. She didn't mind it in her mouth, although she did manage to blow a few bubbles, and she was able to quickly realize that it didn't go in her mouth, but she didn't mind it.
So bath time today was even more fun then normal. I even enjoyed the goopy feeling and playing with it with Miss J. So I highly recommend trying it. I would not have done it with children any younger then what Miss J is so my only recommendation is ages 16 months plus. I personally cannot wait to do it again.
The rough directions (every receipt I found was different)
1 cup baby bubble bath (or shampoo as long as it is clear) (I used a mixture of both as there wasn't much left of either)
5 tbs corn starch
Food colouring (key part is to not add too much, we may currently have a blue tinted baby, OOPS!)
So mix them together, but them in baby friendly bowls and go to town. I made about half of this amount and it was more then enough. We are going to actually save it (in tupperware type containers) and use it for another bath time.
It was wonderful, after Miss J realized it doesn't go in your mouth. She had fun painting the walls of the tub and rubbing it all over herself. The great part was it wiped right off of the tub and had I not had such a strong blue it would have come right off the skin as well (You can hardly even tell). Another great part is that even though she may have taken a hand full and immediately put it in her mouth, it was ok for her to eat, not great for her, but not bad for her. She didn't mind it in her mouth, although she did manage to blow a few bubbles, and she was able to quickly realize that it didn't go in her mouth, but she didn't mind it.
So bath time today was even more fun then normal. I even enjoyed the goopy feeling and playing with it with Miss J. So I highly recommend trying it. I would not have done it with children any younger then what Miss J is so my only recommendation is ages 16 months plus. I personally cannot wait to do it again.
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| The finished paint product. If only you could see her tummy, it is all blue and she loves it! |
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| The art. |
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Moving.
So for those who have not heard, or for those who did and we still did not know a hundred percent where we were moving, it will be CHATHAM!
We are happy to be heading back to be closer to family and friends and have job prospects on the horizon. Some doors have opened and some have closed and as a result we feel Chatham is where we are currently called to be.
Brent will be staying in Vaughan, he has found a room to rent close to where he is doing a freelance position and will be coming home on weekends. This is obviously not an ideal situation, but we are going to make it work. He will be gaining wonderful work experience and making some money to help us out. This is just temporary, only a month or two and therefore just a season that we will make it through.
So the boxes are packed (for the most part), the truck is rented and Friday morning we will pack it all up and head back to Chatham. I am excited to finally be heading home. It may just be temporary again, but we have come to terms with temporary. We have learnt to keep our moving boxes, that investing in good packing tape is worth the hassle, that we need to purge the things that are unnecessary or unused and we need to be ok with change.
So Saturday morning-ish we will be unpacking in Chatham. This being said all those who wish to help should contact Brent or I. It would be greatly appreciated We do not have much, but even just one or two trips up the our apartment would be helpful.
(Random thought while finalizing packing. I am pretty sure Brent has more polos then I do underwear. He seriously has more clothes than me. I feel a need to shop. Or down size his polo collection.)
We are happy to be heading back to be closer to family and friends and have job prospects on the horizon. Some doors have opened and some have closed and as a result we feel Chatham is where we are currently called to be.
Brent will be staying in Vaughan, he has found a room to rent close to where he is doing a freelance position and will be coming home on weekends. This is obviously not an ideal situation, but we are going to make it work. He will be gaining wonderful work experience and making some money to help us out. This is just temporary, only a month or two and therefore just a season that we will make it through.
So the boxes are packed (for the most part), the truck is rented and Friday morning we will pack it all up and head back to Chatham. I am excited to finally be heading home. It may just be temporary again, but we have come to terms with temporary. We have learnt to keep our moving boxes, that investing in good packing tape is worth the hassle, that we need to purge the things that are unnecessary or unused and we need to be ok with change.
So Saturday morning-ish we will be unpacking in Chatham. This being said all those who wish to help should contact Brent or I. It would be greatly appreciated We do not have much, but even just one or two trips up the our apartment would be helpful.
(Random thought while finalizing packing. I am pretty sure Brent has more polos then I do underwear. He seriously has more clothes than me. I feel a need to shop. Or down size his polo collection.)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sick.
We move on Friday. We have packing to do. Errands to run. And Brent has to work.
We are both sick. Mine started yesterday night, spending hours in the washroom about to be sick, stuffy nose, sinus pressure, sore throat and a cough to go along with it. Brent texted from work today saying that the stuffy nose has now hit him. I have zero energy, and feel light headed. I can't even get myself to stand for more than a few minutes.
I hate being sick. I know most people do, but I especially I cannot stand having no energy when there are a million things to be done.
I guess this is what I get for kissing a runny nosed little baby. But honestly, who can resist such a cute little girl who loves stories and kisses?
We are both sick. Mine started yesterday night, spending hours in the washroom about to be sick, stuffy nose, sinus pressure, sore throat and a cough to go along with it. Brent texted from work today saying that the stuffy nose has now hit him. I have zero energy, and feel light headed. I can't even get myself to stand for more than a few minutes.
I hate being sick. I know most people do, but I especially I cannot stand having no energy when there are a million things to be done.
I guess this is what I get for kissing a runny nosed little baby. But honestly, who can resist such a cute little girl who loves stories and kisses?
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| Morning story time with Uncle Brent. |
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| Wake up call. |
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thankful.
I complain a lot. I stress over EVERYTHING. I see the bad in ever situation and I think of the worst case no matter what.
I am however thankful. Not just because it is thanksgiving, but because sometimes I just need a really good phone call to remind me that no matter what everything is going to work out.
We will no matter what happens, have a place to live. I am assured that whatever happens in a week (btw we are looking at apartments in Chatham now, YEY!) we will have somewhere to live. Even if it is a trailer in my brothers front yard, the offer is there and we will have somewhere to live.
We will have food to eat. Never in my life have I been without food. We may buy what is on sale, and rarely eat out, but in the end we also never have to go without. Never are my cupboards ever completely empty with no options. We are blessed to have food and this thanksgiving I truly appreciated it.
We have friends and family. We have people we can all no matter what to help us, no matter what. We may fight, we may not get a long sometimes but we have people. Our people. We love our people. And this weekend we are so excited to spend some time with our people. We realised how lucky we were at our wedding to have those who loved us surrounding us. We realised after we were married those who came to our aid, those who no matter what were there and who were always just a phone call away. If you are reading this, we love you and words cannot describe how much we appreciate you!
We have money in the bank. It may not be much, it may fluctuate greatly, but there is money in there. That makes us richer then a large portion of the world. I stress about money more then anything. I get frustrated because we cannot always go where we want to go, or buy what we want to buy, but in reality we can do more then many people in this world. I had the opportunity to participate in sports as a kid. I realise now that many kids do not get this opportunity. I went to school with food in my stomach everyday and had new clothes at the beginning of every school year. I had multiple pairs of shoes and if my jeans had holes its because I wanted them there, not because we could not afford new ones. I am blessed and have been my entire life. We have debt yes, but we are trying to manage it.
We have a God that no matter what provides and I think for that I am most thankful. I have been stressed. I have no clear picture of the future, but I know it will all work out. I know it will be ok eventually.
So this Thanksgiving as we eat turkey with friends and family, we are thankful, not only for these things, but also for so much more. We really are lucky and blessed and we may not always see it, but it is true.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am however thankful. Not just because it is thanksgiving, but because sometimes I just need a really good phone call to remind me that no matter what everything is going to work out.
We will no matter what happens, have a place to live. I am assured that whatever happens in a week (btw we are looking at apartments in Chatham now, YEY!) we will have somewhere to live. Even if it is a trailer in my brothers front yard, the offer is there and we will have somewhere to live.
We will have food to eat. Never in my life have I been without food. We may buy what is on sale, and rarely eat out, but in the end we also never have to go without. Never are my cupboards ever completely empty with no options. We are blessed to have food and this thanksgiving I truly appreciated it.
We have friends and family. We have people we can all no matter what to help us, no matter what. We may fight, we may not get a long sometimes but we have people. Our people. We love our people. And this weekend we are so excited to spend some time with our people. We realised how lucky we were at our wedding to have those who loved us surrounding us. We realised after we were married those who came to our aid, those who no matter what were there and who were always just a phone call away. If you are reading this, we love you and words cannot describe how much we appreciate you!
We have money in the bank. It may not be much, it may fluctuate greatly, but there is money in there. That makes us richer then a large portion of the world. I stress about money more then anything. I get frustrated because we cannot always go where we want to go, or buy what we want to buy, but in reality we can do more then many people in this world. I had the opportunity to participate in sports as a kid. I realise now that many kids do not get this opportunity. I went to school with food in my stomach everyday and had new clothes at the beginning of every school year. I had multiple pairs of shoes and if my jeans had holes its because I wanted them there, not because we could not afford new ones. I am blessed and have been my entire life. We have debt yes, but we are trying to manage it.
We have a God that no matter what provides and I think for that I am most thankful. I have been stressed. I have no clear picture of the future, but I know it will all work out. I know it will be ok eventually.
So this Thanksgiving as we eat turkey with friends and family, we are thankful, not only for these things, but also for so much more. We really are lucky and blessed and we may not always see it, but it is true.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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| My little turkey, Miss Jemma enjoying Thanksgiving number 1. |
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Hunting.
Tuesday night we started the apartment hunt. Well we started a few weeks ago, we looked online at places to live in Chatham and then with a sudden and quick change of events we started looking online in the Richmond Hill/Vaughn area.
The process is stressful. The thought of again drastically increasing our rent is stressful and the idea that I do not have a job during all of this is again stressful. I hate the feeling of being in transition. I want to work, but I want a job that means something. I also hate waiting to hear back. Life would be a lot easier if I knew that Brent would have the full time position in Richmond Hill. It would be easier also if he knew he wasn't going to get it and that we both were successful at the library in Chatham. But who knows. Apparently life is not supposed to be easy. *Shock!*
So the hunt began. I picked Brent up from work and in the course of 2 hours we visited5 3 apartments. The first was out of budget when you added on all the extras, like parking and internet, the second we didn't hate, and the third we loved, kind of.
The issues we have come across are numberous. First, I am not working, I feel like I have no job prospects in the area despite my searching. I think I am going to try for retail, I would enjoy a non comission based retail at a store I actually like. But to find a job I need to know where we will be living to know where I can apply. (but all of that is besides the point). Without a job, it seams like no one will let us rent. I do not have a letter of employment. This is bad. Second, when looking at apartments I knew I had heard of the area Jane and Finch. I could not figure out why. I googled it and turns out its the area with the highest level of gang crime in Canada. No way we are living there.
So again we are searching for apartment prospects. We are searching, we are finding, but no one seems to want to call us back. I am starting to get depressed. I am frustrated because we are looking for yet another apartment in an area I do not want to live. I want to be home. I want to be in Chatham, or well anywhere other than Toronto. I hate Toronto.
We are still searching. Searching for jobs and searching for a place to live. The countdown is now at 8 days to figure out EVERYTHING!!!
Sorry, I am stressed. I just hope that in the next few days I can write an update that says everything will work out. Everything always works out. I just need to have faith. So join me in prayer. We need to figure out life.
The process is stressful. The thought of again drastically increasing our rent is stressful and the idea that I do not have a job during all of this is again stressful. I hate the feeling of being in transition. I want to work, but I want a job that means something. I also hate waiting to hear back. Life would be a lot easier if I knew that Brent would have the full time position in Richmond Hill. It would be easier also if he knew he wasn't going to get it and that we both were successful at the library in Chatham. But who knows. Apparently life is not supposed to be easy. *Shock!*
So the hunt began. I picked Brent up from work and in the course of 2 hours we visited
The issues we have come across are numberous. First, I am not working, I feel like I have no job prospects in the area despite my searching. I think I am going to try for retail, I would enjoy a non comission based retail at a store I actually like. But to find a job I need to know where we will be living to know where I can apply. (but all of that is besides the point). Without a job, it seams like no one will let us rent. I do not have a letter of employment. This is bad. Second, when looking at apartments I knew I had heard of the area Jane and Finch. I could not figure out why. I googled it and turns out its the area with the highest level of gang crime in Canada. No way we are living there.
So again we are searching for apartment prospects. We are searching, we are finding, but no one seems to want to call us back. I am starting to get depressed. I am frustrated because we are looking for yet another apartment in an area I do not want to live. I want to be home. I want to be in Chatham, or well anywhere other than Toronto. I hate Toronto.
We are still searching. Searching for jobs and searching for a place to live. The countdown is now at 8 days to figure out EVERYTHING!!!
Sorry, I am stressed. I just hope that in the next few days I can write an update that says everything will work out. Everything always works out. I just need to have faith. So join me in prayer. We need to figure out life.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Joe.
So I am picky when it comes to makeup. I hate trying new things and being disappointed. Makeup is not cheap, you cannot try every brand of eyeliner before deciding. I got spoiled a few years ago at Christmas and received numerous Shoppers Drug Mart gift cards. They went to a brand new makeup collection. I went with smashbox after doing a lot of research and LOVED it! Now however, without the gift cards, the cost is too much and I need pretty much new everything.
I am not one who goes by the every six month rule, I have a tendency of waiting till its gone, I know its bad. Lately my eyes have been itchy when I wear my make up so I figured it was time for new stuff.
I had heard good things about the Joe Fresh line. The marketing was nice and I LOVE the packaging and design. Not to mention the colours are great. So I figured I would give it a try.
I bought what I was in desperate need of, mascara and eye liner. Then I splurged and got some lip stick. I went with the lash define mascara, the gel eye liner and a rose coloured matte lip gloss.
On first try, I loved the mascara, it does exactly as it says, it separates and gets on every lash. The lipstick I am not sure is my colour, and I think due to my lips being dry is a bit flaky, but the colour and matte-ness of it is fantastic. The eye liner is another story. I wanted to get the liquid liner, but as my research told me, it is hard to find in stock, which was the case. Instead I went with what I have come to love in the smashbox version, a gel eyeliner which you then put on with a brush. At first try it went on thick and has some chunks. More attempts are required to see if this changes, if not, it is garbage.
The prices are also great, the lipstick was $6, the eyeliner $6 and the mascara was $8. Then to top it off there was a $3 off coupon when you spend $12 or more. These prices when shopping around were typically $2 less then low end brands like Covergirl and Revlon and about $10 or more less then the brands such as Clinique and Smashbox.
So after a number of uses I have come to some conclusions. I LOVE the mascara and would definitely get it again. It goes on exactly like I wanted and lasts all day in all types of conditions. The eye liner, I will use but an not a huge fan of. You can certainly tell a difference with this compared to the smashbox type I am used to. The lipstick with nice lips is wonderful I have come to wearing it most days.
In addition I bought some Joe Fresh nail polish. It was the exact colour I was searching for, a dark charcoal and again the price was right one for 4$ or 3 for 10$. I am used to using either OPI or Essie, so my standards are relatively high and other then being a fantastic colour and only requiring two coats, the nail polish does not have much going for it in my opinion. The brush is nubby (short and thick), and it chips pretty much the day it goes on. I feel like that could be alleviated with a good top coat, but I don't like to do that.
So overall, I guess it is hit and miss with Joe products, however for the price compared to top of the line options, I do believe that it is worth trying them out.
I am not one who goes by the every six month rule, I have a tendency of waiting till its gone, I know its bad. Lately my eyes have been itchy when I wear my make up so I figured it was time for new stuff.
I had heard good things about the Joe Fresh line. The marketing was nice and I LOVE the packaging and design. Not to mention the colours are great. So I figured I would give it a try.
I bought what I was in desperate need of, mascara and eye liner. Then I splurged and got some lip stick. I went with the lash define mascara, the gel eye liner and a rose coloured matte lip gloss.
On first try, I loved the mascara, it does exactly as it says, it separates and gets on every lash. The lipstick I am not sure is my colour, and I think due to my lips being dry is a bit flaky, but the colour and matte-ness of it is fantastic. The eye liner is another story. I wanted to get the liquid liner, but as my research told me, it is hard to find in stock, which was the case. Instead I went with what I have come to love in the smashbox version, a gel eyeliner which you then put on with a brush. At first try it went on thick and has some chunks. More attempts are required to see if this changes, if not, it is garbage.
The prices are also great, the lipstick was $6, the eyeliner $6 and the mascara was $8. Then to top it off there was a $3 off coupon when you spend $12 or more. These prices when shopping around were typically $2 less then low end brands like Covergirl and Revlon and about $10 or more less then the brands such as Clinique and Smashbox.
So after a number of uses I have come to some conclusions. I LOVE the mascara and would definitely get it again. It goes on exactly like I wanted and lasts all day in all types of conditions. The eye liner, I will use but an not a huge fan of. You can certainly tell a difference with this compared to the smashbox type I am used to. The lipstick with nice lips is wonderful I have come to wearing it most days.
In addition I bought some Joe Fresh nail polish. It was the exact colour I was searching for, a dark charcoal and again the price was right one for 4$ or 3 for 10$. I am used to using either OPI or Essie, so my standards are relatively high and other then being a fantastic colour and only requiring two coats, the nail polish does not have much going for it in my opinion. The brush is nubby (short and thick), and it chips pretty much the day it goes on. I feel like that could be alleviated with a good top coat, but I don't like to do that.
So overall, I guess it is hit and miss with Joe products, however for the price compared to top of the line options, I do believe that it is worth trying them out.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Done.
Friday I finished work. Not by choice as I had previously mentioned, but by end of contract. It was sad saying goodbye, leaving a job I loved and people I loved working with. Exciting things are happening in the Hartford house however.
Brent is currently working in Toronto, well Woodbridge, I think. He is doing a freelance position until possibly December with them. Brent is also waiting to hear back from a job at both the library in Chatham, and also a full time, permanent position (words I feel I may never hear) with a large scale printing company in Richmond Hill. It was exciting because his test project for the company was for Hermes (yes Birken!!) I was a little excited. I am also waiting to hear back from the library position. So we really do not know what the future holds.
As we wait, we have two weeks left in our apartment. We have been looking online at places to live in the Richmond Hill/Vaughn area. This week we will look in person and make some decisions. We are considering living apart if that is where the jobs lead us. We know it will be hard, but we have decided that we really just need to do what it takes in order to get the end result outcome we would like.
We figured if we put in our hard work and time now, live in places that we do not want to, and at jobs a little less then ideal, maybe our paths will lead us to what we really want.
But anyways, my final week or work was filled with the stress of finishing a lot of final projects, the sadness of leaving, and a fun day of walking some escarpment trails and enjoying time with people that over the past five months have really become my second family.
These are some pictures of the wonderful view. And since I no longer work for CVC, I can now admit, that I think I love Halton Conservation areas. Check them out if you have time, stunning views!
Brent is currently working in Toronto, well Woodbridge, I think. He is doing a freelance position until possibly December with them. Brent is also waiting to hear back from a job at both the library in Chatham, and also a full time, permanent position (words I feel I may never hear) with a large scale printing company in Richmond Hill. It was exciting because his test project for the company was for Hermes (yes Birken!!) I was a little excited. I am also waiting to hear back from the library position. So we really do not know what the future holds.
As we wait, we have two weeks left in our apartment. We have been looking online at places to live in the Richmond Hill/Vaughn area. This week we will look in person and make some decisions. We are considering living apart if that is where the jobs lead us. We know it will be hard, but we have decided that we really just need to do what it takes in order to get the end result outcome we would like.
We figured if we put in our hard work and time now, live in places that we do not want to, and at jobs a little less then ideal, maybe our paths will lead us to what we really want.
But anyways, my final week or work was filled with the stress of finishing a lot of final projects, the sadness of leaving, and a fun day of walking some escarpment trails and enjoying time with people that over the past five months have really become my second family.
These are some pictures of the wonderful view. And since I no longer work for CVC, I can now admit, that I think I love Halton Conservation areas. Check them out if you have time, stunning views!
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| The Toronto skyline. You can see the CN Tower. |
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Zucchini.
Last night after dinner Brent and I were craving something sweet. We wanted desert and there was nothing. So I decided to attempt to make zucchini bread. It was SO easy and turned out SO good that we will most certainly be eating a lot more zucchini bread in our house.
This is the recipe, and then there are the alterations I made to it. I plan to try again with some more slight alterations.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded raw zucchini
- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil 1 and about a 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
-1 cup chopped walnuts 3/4 ish cups raisons
Preparation:
Put zucchini in strainer and press or squeeze with hands Put zucchini in towel and squeeze to get some of the excess liquid out. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, and oil applesauce together. Stir in the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and walnuts raisons , mixing just until all ingredients are combined. Add drained zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 4 greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch mini loaf pans. Sprinkle top with brown sugar (I did just a little thinking it would be good, next time I will add a little more, because it was GREAT!) Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until they look done at 350°, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out with very little or no crumbs clinging to it.
This is the recipe, and then there are the alterations I made to it. I plan to try again with some more slight alterations.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded raw zucchini
- 3 eggs
-
- 1 cup vegetable oil 1 and about a 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
-
Preparation:
 |
| It made four but we had already started eating one when I remembered to take a picture. It was awesome! |
Monday, September 17, 2012
Travel.
I say I have a passion for travel, but I have never really done much of it. I crave it. I want to see the world and experience things. I want the life experiences that I can look back on and be excited about. The hard part about it though, I am cheap. I hate to spend money and I am quickly coming to the realization that travel costs. And travel for two, costs more.
My desire to travel the world became a full fledged passion when I took a first year Art History course in second year university. It was exciting and interesting and I was in love. The prof would always share random tidbits of travel information, like the MacDonald's down the road from the Pantheon has air conditioning and that when looking at the coliseum watch your bag cause its pick pocket capital of the world. This all just made me want to go more, made me want to be the seasoned traveller with information to share such as this.
I am an excellent planner. In most cases I over plan and then have a habit to stress when it doesn't go as planned, but that is besides the point. I have planned four trips to Europe so far, each one more detailed. I have found out places to stay, eat and what to see along the way. I want to go. I have also planned a road trip out west, and one to Florida. I have never taken any of these trips, but if I had the chance I would be ready.
Currently our imaginations have taken us to desire a trip to Montreal. So planning mode has commenced. We had a date set and I had planned most everything from what to see each day, where to stay and what restaurants we must hit up. However, then life got a hold of us and we may be postponing, again. O and did I mention this is the third time I planned Montreal as well. The first was in third year university when myself and some housemates were supposed to go but due to exams and life we decided against it. The second time was for our honeymoon, but after finding out I go zero time off work and if I took it I would lose my job resulted in us not going anywhere and now for the third time. We had hoped to go at the end of the month right after my contract was done and go for a few days including stopping into Ottawa to visits some friends. We are second guessing this due to suddenly moving.
My desire to travel the world became a full fledged passion when I took a first year Art History course in second year university. It was exciting and interesting and I was in love. The prof would always share random tidbits of travel information, like the MacDonald's down the road from the Pantheon has air conditioning and that when looking at the coliseum watch your bag cause its pick pocket capital of the world. This all just made me want to go more, made me want to be the seasoned traveller with information to share such as this.
I am an excellent planner. In most cases I over plan and then have a habit to stress when it doesn't go as planned, but that is besides the point. I have planned four trips to Europe so far, each one more detailed. I have found out places to stay, eat and what to see along the way. I want to go. I have also planned a road trip out west, and one to Florida. I have never taken any of these trips, but if I had the chance I would be ready.
Currently our imaginations have taken us to desire a trip to Montreal. So planning mode has commenced. We had a date set and I had planned most everything from what to see each day, where to stay and what restaurants we must hit up. However, then life got a hold of us and we may be postponing, again. O and did I mention this is the third time I planned Montreal as well. The first was in third year university when myself and some housemates were supposed to go but due to exams and life we decided against it. The second time was for our honeymoon, but after finding out I go zero time off work and if I took it I would lose my job resulted in us not going anywhere and now for the third time. We had hoped to go at the end of the month right after my contract was done and go for a few days including stopping into Ottawa to visits some friends. We are second guessing this due to suddenly moving.
So travel again is taking a back seat to life. I feel like traveling should be life, but we still have plans. The hopes are that if one, or both of us get the library job and then if only one the other gets something else we will go to Europe at the beginning of April (although I feel like Europe in the fall would be fantastic). So fingers crossed that it can all work out. So instead of Montreal at the end of the month we will be frantically job searching, packing and moving and trying to figure out life. But who knows we just may also end up in Montreal.
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| Taken on my only real traveling experience - reading week project to the Olympics in Vancouver. I then stayed a few extra days with family and took in some events and the local sites. I fell in love. |
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| Also taken in Vancouver. My first mountain, and for a geography student this was a huge deal! |
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Chatham?
Today we need to make some big decisions. To be honest, I'm nervous either way and not sure of what the results will be.
Today we need to decide if this will be our last month or if we will be moving. The choices of our moving destination are open, with the top of the list obviously Chatham.
Brent and I both applied for a job with the Chatham library. They are hiring six people, so there is a chance we are both successful (especially when Brent had the job last year). However, on the same note, there is a chance neither of us get the job. So do we risk it and move?
I am done work at the end of September and that is the only real thing keeping us in Mississauga. Although our apartment has been getting better, and we are enjoying the city more, our hearts truly are elsewhere. It really just depends upon where our jobs are. Brent currently still has a job, although the one in Chatham pays more, and would be more enjoyable for him, is it worth leaving the one in hopes of getting the other. Do we take the risk? Should he now explore the 'other' opportunities he has put on hold these past few months so we could stay in Mississauga?
I hate the idea of trying to figure out the logistics of moving. I hate the idea of packing, AGAIN. I hate the idea of searching for another apartment that is within our budget. I hate hate the idea of changing my cell phone number, because what if one of these good, career building, in my field kind of jobs calls for an interview. I hate the idea of uprooting and change.
I do however love the idea of being close to family. I love the idea of heading back to our home church, the church where we were married. I love the idea of being able to get involved with church again. I love the idea of being back with our small group. I love the idea of always knowing where I am going. I love the idea of having friends close by and things to keep me busy.
Most of these are small and insignificant points. But they mean something to me and are all being taken into consideration. It is hard to say what to do when who knows what is going to happen in a month. On the same note, I then worry that we are going to spend the first five years of our marriage moving from city to city, job to job. Why is it so hard to get a good, full time, permanent job? I think I have paid my dues. But that is for anotherrant post.
So I ask that you join us in prayer as we (most likely) are giving our one months notice to our landlord and trying to figure out what the future holds.
Update: We gave our last months notice. So we are now apartment hunting (kind of). And most of all looking for where God will lead us next, even if it is just to another apartment in Mississauga.
Today we need to decide if this will be our last month or if we will be moving. The choices of our moving destination are open, with the top of the list obviously Chatham.
Brent and I both applied for a job with the Chatham library. They are hiring six people, so there is a chance we are both successful (especially when Brent had the job last year). However, on the same note, there is a chance neither of us get the job. So do we risk it and move?
I am done work at the end of September and that is the only real thing keeping us in Mississauga. Although our apartment has been getting better, and we are enjoying the city more, our hearts truly are elsewhere. It really just depends upon where our jobs are. Brent currently still has a job, although the one in Chatham pays more, and would be more enjoyable for him, is it worth leaving the one in hopes of getting the other. Do we take the risk? Should he now explore the 'other' opportunities he has put on hold these past few months so we could stay in Mississauga?
I hate the idea of trying to figure out the logistics of moving. I hate the idea of packing, AGAIN. I hate the idea of searching for another apartment that is within our budget. I hate hate the idea of changing my cell phone number, because what if one of these good, career building, in my field kind of jobs calls for an interview. I hate the idea of uprooting and change.
I do however love the idea of being close to family. I love the idea of heading back to our home church, the church where we were married. I love the idea of being able to get involved with church again. I love the idea of being back with our small group. I love the idea of always knowing where I am going. I love the idea of having friends close by and things to keep me busy.
Most of these are small and insignificant points. But they mean something to me and are all being taken into consideration. It is hard to say what to do when who knows what is going to happen in a month. On the same note, I then worry that we are going to spend the first five years of our marriage moving from city to city, job to job. Why is it so hard to get a good, full time, permanent job? I think I have paid my dues. But that is for another
So I ask that you join us in prayer as we (most likely) are giving our one months notice to our landlord and trying to figure out what the future holds.
Update: We gave our last months notice. So we are now apartment hunting (kind of). And most of all looking for where God will lead us next, even if it is just to another apartment in Mississauga.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Compliments.
Today I realized just how wonderful it is when someone, even a stranger, gives you a compliment.
I think it is missing in the world and I am now going to strive to be someone who compliments people.
The whole tire frustration (read about the drama here) ended with a wonderful chat with the lady who cashed me out. After taking more money then I am comfortable forking over at one time she paid me a shocking but wonderful compliment. She told me loved my voice. This is a new one for me and caught me completely off guard. She then went on to explain that when she spoke to me on the phone she could picture me in commercials or doing voice overs for documentaries and such. This made me shockingly happy.
So, although I do not believe I have a nice voice, I actually think I sound very much like a man, it was nice to get a compliment from a complete stranger. I feel like those are the ones that are the most genuine. So from now on I think I will attempt to step out of my shell and compliment people. This might be a stretch for me, like I am slightly scared just thinking about it. But we will see, it should be a good experience.
Spread the love.
I think it is missing in the world and I am now going to strive to be someone who compliments people.
The whole tire frustration (read about the drama here) ended with a wonderful chat with the lady who cashed me out. After taking more money then I am comfortable forking over at one time she paid me a shocking but wonderful compliment. She told me loved my voice. This is a new one for me and caught me completely off guard. She then went on to explain that when she spoke to me on the phone she could picture me in commercials or doing voice overs for documentaries and such. This made me shockingly happy.
So, although I do not believe I have a nice voice, I actually think I sound very much like a man, it was nice to get a compliment from a complete stranger. I feel like those are the ones that are the most genuine. So from now on I think I will attempt to step out of my shell and compliment people. This might be a stretch for me, like I am slightly scared just thinking about it. But we will see, it should be a good experience.
Spread the love.
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