De-Lurking Time!

I just changed my setting to allow anonymous comments again! So now it is delurking time!

SO... if you are reading this right now, please comment and say hello! I would love to know who you are! Don't be shy!

I installed one of those traffic counters a couple weeks ago, and I am suprised how much traffic I have on here! Now I would just love to know who you are!

I will have a real, honest post coming soon. I promise!

More Realistic!

I have been thinking about what I should do with this blog. It has been pretty boring for a while. Mostly it is because part of me is missing. I tend to not write my personal opinions on here, mostly because I am scared of what people will think of me. But what fun is a blog with opinions?!? SO, from now on, I am going to try to be more real. I am also going to stop importing my blogs to Facebook. I have a couple good post brewing in my head, so just have to take the time to sit down and write them!

My Two Favorite Pictures

Monet with a leaf, and Shy Ronnie

Shedding

You know spring is here when the dogs start shedding! With the combination of that, and weaning puppies, Paris is shedding pretty bad right now. So last night I took a shedding blade to her outside on the deck, and this is what we got! Just think, all that hair would be in my house over the next couple of days had I not done that!

Growing So Fast!

I guess I should do a little update on life, seeing as how I haven't for a while! I feel like life has been crazy busy the last week or so. I started working Mondays, starting this week. In April I will go to full time. I am not exactly pumped about that, but we kinda need the money. And I am just slacking at home doing nothing, so I might as well work. Not that the job is bad, I love it actually, but I am not looking forward to the stress that comes with working full time. I just need to slow down, I know. But I don't know what to give up. I am not coaching soccer this year, so that frees up two days!

My puppies are growing like weeds! It is hard to believe they are almost 5 weeks old already! They are so playful and cute. They are starting to eat hard food already. In just 3 short weeks they will be ready to go! I am pretty sure one of them is taken, the black and tan boy, Nitro. I finally picked names for them all today! Here are some recent pictures!

Monet : I want to keep her SOOOO bad! I just love her!

Miette: Such a sweet, gentle puppy. She is going to be a great dog!

Shy Ronnie: Not really shy at all!

Nitro: He is sold!

Skating At The Forks!

I had a DR. appointment in Winnipeg, so Eric took the day off and we made it a date! I borrowed some skates from Travis and we went skaing on the river trail, starting at the Forks! It was a gorgeous day, and the river trail is really nice! Unfourtunatly my feet at not sure to skates, so we did not skate for very long. :(

A Close Call

It was just a regular Thursday morning. I was driving to work on #8 HWY, happy to be a little earlier than normal! Just as I was passing the turn off to Riverton, a semi that was stopped at the stop sign started to creep out, and thats what I thought he was doing, creeping out so he could cross the highway after I passed. All of a sudden, he was in my lane and I had to swerve to avoid him. I did a 180 and ended up in the ditch facing the wrong way. I was shaking. I almost got hit by a semi. You don't make it when you get hit by a semi. You have no chance.

He backed up and helped to push me out of the ditch along with another guy. He was white as a ghost and just kept saying " Holy &%#!, I didn't see you" over and over again. I contemplated just going home, but decided that was stupid and continued on to work. I called Eric and bawled my eyes out for a while. I praised God for keeping me safe many, many times. I am very glad to be alive. Had I not been paying attention, this could be a very different story. God is good!

Three Weeks Old!

I Love Canada

I must say, I am very proud to be Canadian today! I mean, I am proud every day, but today there is extra! Eric and I were on the edge of our seats watching OT in men's hockey today. Crosby was on and he took a shot at the net and missed. I said "Wouldn't that be nice if Crosby would score the winning goal......", then I was interrupted by Eric cheering, because, in fact, Crosby had scored the winning goal! We both jumped around screaming and cheering, Paris was barking and dancing around. It was a great moment! I was so nervous we would loose to the US, and I just could not bear that!

Canada did awesome at this Olympics! This is the first year I have really watched the Olympics closely, and I really enjoying watching. We owned that top step on the podium! I am so proud?

Is this kind of pride a bad thing?

Camp Craft and 400th Post!

I was going to write something grand for my 400th post, but nothing is coming to mind! A couple weeks ago I was reading some posts from a few years ago, and it is like reading another person's blog! Man, have I changed! For the better I would like to think!

Today I made the craft I am planning to do for camp. I am very happy with the way it turned out, and I am pretty sure I will be using it for camp! I think it suits BCBC very well! Here are the pictures, complete with camp poster girl, Kelly Ann! hehehe

I am quite confidant this craft will take a few days to make. What do you think?

Does anyone have any simple crafts that can be made with yarn? For kids that finish early. Preferrably without knitting or crocheting, of a whole lot of other supplies!

Lent

I have decided to give up Facebook for lent. I just spend far too much time on there, so it was an obvious pick. I also learnt that if you start on Ash Wednesday it is 46 days until Easter Sunday, and lent is 40 days. This is because you are allowed to break on Sunday's from lent! Not that lent is mandatory, it is a personal thing, so if I decide to break it I am only cheating myself and my relationship with God! I am not sure I will every Sunday, but I probably will tomorrow! I have also decided to give up buying candy/chocolate. I just don't need to spend money on that. Now, if someone were to give it to me, that is a different story! LOL. I have never really done lent before, so this should be interesting!

Are you doing lent? What have you decided to give up?

New Babies!

Paris had four beautiful babies Friday evening! There is a black and tan male, a chocolate male, a black and white female, and a very very dark gray (maybe) female. I can't wait for them to be running around!

Ideas For Camp Crafts?

This year I am in charge of planning a craft for BCBC, even though last year was a disaster! I have a few ideas this year, but I am always looking for something better! So, if you can think of something that is creative, fun, will take about 3-4 hours to make (5 days @ 45 minutes a day or so), and the supplies are affordable (this is the hardest part), than I would love to hear it. Just throw out ideas! It would be best it if has to do with nature, camp, etc. Last year we did calenders with scrapbooking paper and stamps.

Here are links to the two ideas I like. The only problem is, they do not take very long to make!

Beat-a-Leaf Journal or Bookmarks, etc.

God's Eye Memory Keeper

I love them both, but we could make a 3 or 4 of the second one, and string them together. That would at least make the project a little bit longer. That way, the faster kids can make lots of them, and the slower kids can get at least one or two made! Therefore I am leaning towards the second one.

What do you think? Be honest! And if you have ideas, please, please, shout them out! Don't be shy!

The World Race

This sounds like such an amazing opportunity and I would love to go. I feel so stuck in a rut right now. Please pray for us as we figure out what God has in store for us!

The World Race from Adventures In Missions on Vimeo.

Bathroom Renos! Finished!

Well, we are basically finished! I just need the cupboard handles put on properly, fix the side of our countertop and get my picture framed. I am very happy with the results. It is so much brighter and happier! You can see the old pictures here.

Wandering The Desert

Today in sunday school and church, we talked alot about the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. We also talked about our experiences in the "desert". It is something that I have often thought about recently. So often when I find myself between a rock and hard place, I am quick to ask "Why am I here?", "When will this be over?", and "Does God even care?".

Most people's knee jerk reaction to the last question is "Of course God cares.". But most of the time that is not a good enough answer for us. We continue ask, "Well, if God cares about us, why does He let this and this and this happen?". And with the crisis in Haiti right now, that question is in the front of everybody's minds. I don't feel qualified to fully answer that question. I think this page and this page does that question justice.

But that is besides the point I am trying to make. Perhaps instead of asking those questions, we should be asking "What is God trying to show me through all of this?" or "How can I strengthen my faith during this time?" or "How can bring God glory through my struggles?".

I feel like I am in the midst of a desert right now. And for so long I just felt sorry for myself. I asked all those questions, and some. I felt that life was unfair. I had a lot of bitterness. It was not until very recently that it hit me. Maybe God is trying to teach me something through all of this, and I have been so focused on my problem that I had been forgetting to focus on God! It is a not always easy, those feeling still creep up every now and then. But I am trying to focus on God, trying to learn what He wants me to, trying to bring Him glory through my struggles. I know that in the end, when I finally emerge from the desert, I will have learned so much more and my faith will have grown much more than if I had been spared from the desert all together.

Enjoying Winter

I can actually say for the last couple weeks I have enjoyed winter! It is has been nice enough to go out horseback riding several times, take the dogs for a walk, and do things outside without freezing. I normally hate winter, I can't stand being cold. But if every winter was mild like this, I wouldn't mind it so much!

Too Proud?

"Hello, Gimli Vet Services."

" Hi, I was wondering if my bag of cat food was in? They said it would be in Tuesday or Wednesday."

"What kind of food is it?"

"Urinary SO."

"OK, hold on one second, let me check"

HOLD

"Yes, we have your bag of food in."

"Ok, I will be there this afternoon, to pick it up."

Two or three hours later, the customer walkes in.

"Hi, I am here to pick up my cat food"

D:"Oh, sorry, your bag didn't come it yet"

I step in.

"Yeah, it is, I checked earlier. You are looking for Urinary SO cat food, right?"

"Yes"

I drag the bag out from beneath 5 other bags and show it to her.

"That is not it"

"This is Urinary SO."

"No, the bag I want is pink."

D: "Oh, you mean ST/OX. That will be in on Friday."

"WHAT?!? I called and she said it was in!"

Quietly "You asked for Urinary SO."

D: "Sorry, I haven't ordered that food yet. It will be in on Friday"

"Well, my cat is all out of food and the lady I talked to said it would be here on Tuesday or Wednesday."

D: "I am sorry, but it has not yet been ordered. We have smaller bags you can buy to tide you over until the big bag comes in..."

"I drove 15 miles to get here, I guess I will have to go buy my cat other food then."

D: "Do you mean you want to cancel that order?"

"NO, my cat needs that food!" Angrily storms out.

Situations like this frustrate me. I don't like to make a customer upset, but there is really nothing I can do in this situation. I am sorry they drove that far for nothing, but the customer did tell me the wrong kind of food, over the phone and when I asked in the clinic. Both foods are made for the same thing, but they have completely different names and are made by different companies. Clearly it was the customer's mistake. But instead of admitting the mistake, it was easier to storm out and be angry at us.

Not that this was really a big deal, but it makes me think about human nature. Far to often when we are angry or upset, we try to blame others. Surely it is someone else's problem. But how often do we take a step back and ask ourselves what we did wrong. Why is it so hard to admit our own mistakes? Even if they are little things? I have found that is is not easy. It is very humbling. But I really think that we would be happier if we could do that more often!

Trust

God has really been breaking down some walls recently. He has been teaching me to turn to Him for help, instead of trying to fix it first myself before I ask Him for help. He is teaching me to trust Him, and why I should trust Him. And although some of my prayers remain unanswered, many others have been. God is faithful. He deserves our trust.

No Excitement Here

Well, it has been almost 2 weeks since I last posted! I just feel like my life is not interesting. I mean, I could talk about my work, but I doubt you really want to hear about that. And not much exciting happens everyday anyways. I mostly just have my animals to talk about right now. I am hoping that will change soon! Paris' belly has exploded in the last week! She looks like a sausage with legs! I cannot wait for those babies to come, seriously. It will be so fun!

If anyone still reads this, just stick with me. I promise I will make this blog more exciting buy summer. Hopefully.