I daresay these might come in handy one day!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Going into the Bribery Archives
Context: Father's day celebration at Curtis & Darcy's. Charis likes to dress up. She got Joshua dressed up, and then Dustin wanted to dress up, too. Then baby Aidan got in on the fun, too...
Friday, June 20, 2008
A big day!
Today is my biggest hunny's birthday! Joshua turns 4 today!! The time has flown, that's for sure - and today is going to FLY by, too, as I prep for his party tonight - I'm sure it'll feel like I've not had enough time to get things done, but he'll have fun anyway!! (I'm hoping to have some fun along the way, too...)
Happy birthday, Joshua!!
Happy birthday, Joshua!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
I DID IT!!
Today was the day of the big duathlon (20km biking, 5km running).
Last night I checked the forecast, and they were calling for 5-10mm of rain for this morning in the area where we would be, and for another 1-2mm in the afternoon.
This morning I checked again, hoping it would be better... and it was worse. The afternoon was upgraded to a thunderstorm.
God is good.
We didn't get a single drop of rain.
We did, however, have to deal with a fairly strong headwind - one that required us to work even on the downhill portions of the ride. It was a very intense ride, but we all did it, and we earned our lunch!
So when I got to the transition area, I made a split-second decision to run/walk the last 5km, as per the original event plan. Seriously... after logging almost 60 miles on my bike in the last 8 days, I needed to get off my bike. I figured whatever pain I had in running would be worth the trade-off for the *other* pain. So I ditched my bike and started hoofing it.
Ouch.
Well, the good news is my knee didn't bother me. Much. Not till about 2 hours after I was done. But then I went to visit my mom in town and borrowed an ice pack. The knee is much happier now. (Surgery will be in October.)
The bad news is that my shin splints decided to remind me that they still existed... my legs almost completely froze up - it was so painful (even when I walked) that bending my foot at the ankle was almost impossible. I'm glad I had my iPod with me - I was able to focus on the worship music in my head, and less on the pain.
About 2 miles into it, the pain finally subsided enough that I could run and walk much easier. So I did spurts of running followed by lengths of walking. All told, I think I ran about 40-50% of the "on foot" portion of the event. Obviously, I am more than happy about that, especially since my attempted run the other day was nixed only a few minutes in.
And I feel amazing. I am a little stiff, but not enough to actually complain about it. But my energy is good and I feel fabulous inside and out. I am very happy with how today went for me. I finished the entire thing in under 2 hours. Plus - the pack that got away on me last year - I lost sight of them half-way through the biking portion - didn't get away on me this year. They pulled ahead a good bit, but I could at least see them the entire way. I was happy with that, too. Either I got better, or they got worse. I would like to think it was the former!
I won't even talk about the bear.
Once we got into camp, P was there getting ready to grill the steaks on the bbq. Mmmmmm..... YUM! He did such a good job. We definitely got our protein fill this afternoon!
I hung out for a while, got a ride back into town, went to visit my mom for a bit, then came back into the city to have dinner and pick up my boys at Gramma & Grampa's house. They are now both peacefully sleeping. Graeme is still out at his dude ranch - I think they were supposed to be branding cattle today (I haven't heard from him since he left a message on Thursday night to tell me he arrived safely) - and so I'm going to take this chance to get more stuff done.
That's the theory, anyway.
I'm sure I'll sleep like a log tonight! I'm definitely a happy camper!
Last night I checked the forecast, and they were calling for 5-10mm of rain for this morning in the area where we would be, and for another 1-2mm in the afternoon.
This morning I checked again, hoping it would be better... and it was worse. The afternoon was upgraded to a thunderstorm.
God is good.
We didn't get a single drop of rain.
We did, however, have to deal with a fairly strong headwind - one that required us to work even on the downhill portions of the ride. It was a very intense ride, but we all did it, and we earned our lunch!
So when I got to the transition area, I made a split-second decision to run/walk the last 5km, as per the original event plan. Seriously... after logging almost 60 miles on my bike in the last 8 days, I needed to get off my bike. I figured whatever pain I had in running would be worth the trade-off for the *other* pain. So I ditched my bike and started hoofing it.
Ouch.
Well, the good news is my knee didn't bother me. Much. Not till about 2 hours after I was done. But then I went to visit my mom in town and borrowed an ice pack. The knee is much happier now. (Surgery will be in October.)
The bad news is that my shin splints decided to remind me that they still existed... my legs almost completely froze up - it was so painful (even when I walked) that bending my foot at the ankle was almost impossible. I'm glad I had my iPod with me - I was able to focus on the worship music in my head, and less on the pain.
About 2 miles into it, the pain finally subsided enough that I could run and walk much easier. So I did spurts of running followed by lengths of walking. All told, I think I ran about 40-50% of the "on foot" portion of the event. Obviously, I am more than happy about that, especially since my attempted run the other day was nixed only a few minutes in.
And I feel amazing. I am a little stiff, but not enough to actually complain about it. But my energy is good and I feel fabulous inside and out. I am very happy with how today went for me. I finished the entire thing in under 2 hours. Plus - the pack that got away on me last year - I lost sight of them half-way through the biking portion - didn't get away on me this year. They pulled ahead a good bit, but I could at least see them the entire way. I was happy with that, too. Either I got better, or they got worse. I would like to think it was the former!
I won't even talk about the bear.
Once we got into camp, P was there getting ready to grill the steaks on the bbq. Mmmmmm..... YUM! He did such a good job. We definitely got our protein fill this afternoon!
I hung out for a while, got a ride back into town, went to visit my mom for a bit, then came back into the city to have dinner and pick up my boys at Gramma & Grampa's house. They are now both peacefully sleeping. Graeme is still out at his dude ranch - I think they were supposed to be branding cattle today (I haven't heard from him since he left a message on Thursday night to tell me he arrived safely) - and so I'm going to take this chance to get more stuff done.
That's the theory, anyway.
I'm sure I'll sleep like a log tonight! I'm definitely a happy camper!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I thought I'd be too busy for this!
Haha - well, obviously I'm multitasking. I didn't think I'd have time to blog over these few days.
Graeme left early this afternoon, and after 7 hours of driving and pit-stopping with our friend P, arrived at their destination at the dude ranch. Or whatever you call it. They don't have cell phone reception out there, so I won't be receiving regular updates, sadly. :(
The kids miss Daddy already, especially Joshua. He's sad. But he'll get over it. He's got a busy weekend coming up himself, so I'm sure he'll be just fine.
Tonight I'm working on Joshua's birthday party invitations. I've been kind of swamped this month, so I'm making them about a week later than I'd have liked, but at least they're getting done. Kids are in bed, and mama's workin'. After I work for a while on these, I'll get into the kitchen and clean up the day's disasters. Then laundry... hmmm.... I think i've got more projects on my list than I have time to complete them all by the end of the weekend!
So Joshua's going to have a pirate party. There are so many cool websites on kids' parties, so I've gotten some neat (not expensive!) ideas. And the good news is that you don't have to have a skull & crossbones to have a successful pirate party. Whew!!
Back to the invitations...
Graeme left early this afternoon, and after 7 hours of driving and pit-stopping with our friend P, arrived at their destination at the dude ranch. Or whatever you call it. They don't have cell phone reception out there, so I won't be receiving regular updates, sadly. :(
The kids miss Daddy already, especially Joshua. He's sad. But he'll get over it. He's got a busy weekend coming up himself, so I'm sure he'll be just fine.
Tonight I'm working on Joshua's birthday party invitations. I've been kind of swamped this month, so I'm making them about a week later than I'd have liked, but at least they're getting done. Kids are in bed, and mama's workin'. After I work for a while on these, I'll get into the kitchen and clean up the day's disasters. Then laundry... hmmm.... I think i've got more projects on my list than I have time to complete them all by the end of the weekend!
So Joshua's going to have a pirate party. There are so many cool websites on kids' parties, so I've gotten some neat (not expensive!) ideas. And the good news is that you don't have to have a skull & crossbones to have a successful pirate party. Whew!!
Back to the invitations...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Feelin' fine
So this week, Graeme has had some time off. Today we got a babysitter and went biking through the River Valley - we did about 20 miles altogether. It was fabulous fun, but my darling hubby is now paying for his lack of preparation... I am just a little tired and wobbly, but he is s-o-r-e! The guy can ride like there's no tomorrow, even if he hasn't done it in a year, and keep up with me, who makes intense workouts somewhat of a priority to keep in shape! Well... this is where the payoff comes in for me - I'm not sore at all. I won't pay tomorrow. Graeme will. (There *is* justice!)
Here are some new pics...
Dustin getting into the grapes before I got a chance to put them away...
Joshua peering over the empty oreo bag...
Storytime last night... such handsome boys!
The boys having fun on our newly acquired trampoline!
Air Josh...
Here are some new pics...
Dustin getting into the grapes before I got a chance to put them away...
Joshua peering over the empty oreo bag...
Storytime last night... such handsome boys!
The boys having fun on our newly acquired trampoline!
Air Josh...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My li'l hunny...
Look at this little darlin'.
The day after he wrecked his nose in the parking lot, he decided to pull all the sofa cushions off and toss 'em on the floor. Then he was jumping on them. He slipped, and smashed his nose on the *hard* part of the front of the sofa - you know, the part *usually* covered with cushions. Not only did he rip his scab open and bleed for a long time, but he actually ended up with a bleeding nose.
Now, if you know Dustin, you'll know how *easy* (not!) it is to get him to sit still. We'd tended to his nose, got the bleeding to stop, and off he went to play despite our warnings not to. He started jumping again... and his nose started bleeding again. OK... so for once, we relied on the TV to make him stay still. I think we put in Veggie-Tales or something. Can't remember.
But then at bedtime, we put a bandaid on his nose - it was pretty fresh and raw and painful-looking..., and as you can see, he was quite pleased with it!! :) He likes to rub his face in his pillow when he sleeps, so this was for some added protection, too.
Today I ended up going out for a bike ride. Here's how it all went down:
Tomorrow... riding in the River Valley, weather permitting!! Graeme hasn't been on his bike much these last few years, and we really want to get us both going together again!! I'm very excited about that.
Thursday - Graeme heads off on a city-slickers sort of adventure way down south about a 5-hour drive. He'll be staying at a ranch with a few other guys, and will spend the next 2-3 days wrangling cattle, branding cattle, sorting cattle... all the fun stuff that city folk have never had the joy of doing. This is definitely out of his comfort zone, but he's trying not to think much about it. :) He was invited by a good family friend of ours. It'll be good for him!!
Thursday afternoon... hopefully coffee with some friends...
Friday... play date, then dinner... kids overnight at Gramma & Grampa's...
Saturday, camp duathlon!
I may not blog much until early next week... lots on the go with not much time to stop and process it all into a blog!
The day after he wrecked his nose in the parking lot, he decided to pull all the sofa cushions off and toss 'em on the floor. Then he was jumping on them. He slipped, and smashed his nose on the *hard* part of the front of the sofa - you know, the part *usually* covered with cushions. Not only did he rip his scab open and bleed for a long time, but he actually ended up with a bleeding nose.
Now, if you know Dustin, you'll know how *easy* (not!) it is to get him to sit still. We'd tended to his nose, got the bleeding to stop, and off he went to play despite our warnings not to. He started jumping again... and his nose started bleeding again. OK... so for once, we relied on the TV to make him stay still. I think we put in Veggie-Tales or something. Can't remember.
But then at bedtime, we put a bandaid on his nose - it was pretty fresh and raw and painful-looking..., and as you can see, he was quite pleased with it!! :) He likes to rub his face in his pillow when he sleeps, so this was for some added protection, too.
Today I ended up going out for a bike ride. Here's how it all went down:
- 8:00 a.m.... sunny, beautiful skies...
- 8:30, still sunny, head out for my 12-mile ride.
- 8:45, approximately 3-4 miles into the ride (with a very strong headwind!)... and I saw the road was mighty wet, as if it...had...just...rained!!
- 8:50 - about a mile from my turn-around point... and I realized that the splatter wasn't all coming from my bicycle tires. Some of it was coming from above my head...
- Mile 7, about oh... 25 minutes into the ride... and it starts pouring. Like, not a nice little drizzle... but a downpour. I was completely drenched. I decided to finish my ride anyway (the complete 12-mile trip takes me past my house about half a mile and back again)... if I'm wet, I'm wet, so what's the difference how LONG I'm drenched for? Besides, I'd forgotten my water bottle, so I found the rain to be quite refreshing.
- In spite of all of that, (strong head-winds, torrential downpour), I finished my ride in 51 minutes. That's two minutes less than my first ride, but all things considered, I was pretty happy. Besides, if the weather's bad on Saturday, at least I'll have had some experience riding in it anyway.
- 9:21. I got home.
- 9:25 The clouds broke, the rain stopped, and the sun shone wondrously!!
Tomorrow... riding in the River Valley, weather permitting!! Graeme hasn't been on his bike much these last few years, and we really want to get us both going together again!! I'm very excited about that.
Thursday - Graeme heads off on a city-slickers sort of adventure way down south about a 5-hour drive. He'll be staying at a ranch with a few other guys, and will spend the next 2-3 days wrangling cattle, branding cattle, sorting cattle... all the fun stuff that city folk have never had the joy of doing. This is definitely out of his comfort zone, but he's trying not to think much about it. :) He was invited by a good family friend of ours. It'll be good for him!!
Thursday afternoon... hopefully coffee with some friends...
Friday... play date, then dinner... kids overnight at Gramma & Grampa's...
Saturday, camp duathlon!
I may not blog much until early next week... lots on the go with not much time to stop and process it all into a blog!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
To-do list, (almost) completed
Today was a busy and full day!!
And now I'm going to bed. The benadryl has officially won. :)
The only thing I wished I'd had time for today is a run. I wanted to really get out there and pound the pavement today. Maybe tomorrow.
- Got up.
- Put in some eye drops.
- Cleaned the kitchen. And I mean cleaned.
- Got ready for church.
- Had a small handful of raisins and peanuts (my breakfast today).
- Went to church. That was interesting all in and of itself.
- Got groceries.
- Came home.
- Made lunch.
- Put boys to bed for naps.
- Made lemon mini-tarts.
- Made the most amazing chocolate-chip macadamia nut cookies ever. I've never used macadamias before, but mmmm... they were probably the most scrumptious cookie I've had in ages.
- Sliced tomatoes.
- Sliced potatoes. Cooked them. Made them into potato salad.
- Sliced onions.
- Intended to nap myself; time ran out. And Carly had come with Jordan, so napping was definitely out. But I like Carly anyway, so I wasn't as tired as I would've been had she not been there.
- Curtis' family, as well as Graeme's mom, all showed up later on for dinner. We bbq'd hamburgers to go with all the stuff I'd made all afternoon. I couldn't imagine having 2 dozen cookies and 2 dozen lemon tarts all to myself.... *bloat*
- Cleaned kitchen. Sort of.
- Tried not to pluck my eyes out of my head from the intense allergic reaction I'm having right now.
- Played Wii with Jordan & Carly. They brought over their Wii fit. I started the night out at a Wii Fit age of 45. Ended the night at 35 years old. And that's only on the first night.
- Jordan & Carly left; I came into the office to finish up a report and do some 'net surfing while Graeme watched a movie.
- Popped some Benadryl to try and stop this allergic reaction.
- Now I'm blogging.
And now I'm going to bed. The benadryl has officially won. :)
The only thing I wished I'd had time for today is a run. I wanted to really get out there and pound the pavement today. Maybe tomorrow.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
What a night!
I went for a bike ride after we put the kids to bed tonight.
Twelve miles in 49 minutes. Lots of hills (both up and down). I'll take a 49-minute time as a good starting point in my training for next weekend's duathlon! The hills are a lot more intense next week, though, so I'd like to see my time improve somewhat this coming week. The ride next Saturday is 20km, which I guess is just a hair over 12 miles, too. So I'm feeling pretty good about that part of it all.
I need to *attempt* running tomorrow, hopefully. If I can string together a 12-mile ride AND a 3-mile run, I'll be a happy camper. A VERY happy camper.
Graeme's mom pointed out a very important glitch (fatal flaw, if you will) in my plan to run next weekend, though. Although my knee hasn't bothered me for a few weeks, I need knee surgery. Running is one of the things that can make my knee hurt again. Like the dickens. So, either God does a miracle and I'll be able to at least run pain-free and hope for a couple of ice-packs on the other end ('cuz the ice helps immensely!), or I'll have to bike the entire distance.
Graeme's been cutting down a few dead trees around the yard. A few being... well, a lot. The deadfall and near-deadfall that the previous owners left has created a lot of work for us, but there definitely is something satisfying about hearing the crrrrrack of a falling tree. He's been using a chainsaw. So don't make him mad. Anyway, we've also had to be clearing the branches away from the yard, and we've big huge bonfires to take care of the branches. After my bike ride, I spent 2 hours tending the bonfire. I'm a pyromaniac, and I'm proud of it.
Allergies. They're INSANE!! Thankfully they held off for an extra 2 months this year, but tonight I sneezed literally 40-50 times. Kinda funny. I told Graeme that if we had a dollar for every time I sneezed, we'd be able to go out for a really nice dinner!
I have a report to finish, and a shower to take. A big bike ride combined with two hours of fire-tending definitely would put me in the 'need' category for a shower before bed...
Tomorrow will be interesting... some good, some very trying... if you're the praying kind, would you send one up for me??
Twelve miles in 49 minutes. Lots of hills (both up and down). I'll take a 49-minute time as a good starting point in my training for next weekend's duathlon! The hills are a lot more intense next week, though, so I'd like to see my time improve somewhat this coming week. The ride next Saturday is 20km, which I guess is just a hair over 12 miles, too. So I'm feeling pretty good about that part of it all.
I need to *attempt* running tomorrow, hopefully. If I can string together a 12-mile ride AND a 3-mile run, I'll be a happy camper. A VERY happy camper.
Graeme's mom pointed out a very important glitch (fatal flaw, if you will) in my plan to run next weekend, though. Although my knee hasn't bothered me for a few weeks, I need knee surgery. Running is one of the things that can make my knee hurt again. Like the dickens. So, either God does a miracle and I'll be able to at least run pain-free and hope for a couple of ice-packs on the other end ('cuz the ice helps immensely!), or I'll have to bike the entire distance.
Graeme's been cutting down a few dead trees around the yard. A few being... well, a lot. The deadfall and near-deadfall that the previous owners left has created a lot of work for us, but there definitely is something satisfying about hearing the crrrrrack of a falling tree. He's been using a chainsaw. So don't make him mad. Anyway, we've also had to be clearing the branches away from the yard, and we've big huge bonfires to take care of the branches. After my bike ride, I spent 2 hours tending the bonfire. I'm a pyromaniac, and I'm proud of it.
Allergies. They're INSANE!! Thankfully they held off for an extra 2 months this year, but tonight I sneezed literally 40-50 times. Kinda funny. I told Graeme that if we had a dollar for every time I sneezed, we'd be able to go out for a really nice dinner!
I have a report to finish, and a shower to take. A big bike ride combined with two hours of fire-tending definitely would put me in the 'need' category for a shower before bed...
Tomorrow will be interesting... some good, some very trying... if you're the praying kind, would you send one up for me??
Friday, June 6, 2008
Am I nuts?
Ha!! I think we already know the answer to that question.
Yesterday, I committed to doing something big, only 8 days from now.
On Saturday, June 14th, I will once again be participating in Pioneer Bible Camp's annual athletic fundraiser. It's what they're calling a 'duathlon' - we will be biking from the town of Smoky Lake, approximately 20 km, and then running 5 km.
So, I haven't done a decent bike ride this year (one day I followed J as he biked around our subdivision... that's it). And I haven't run in ages. Some of you might be surprised to know I used to run quite well - I ran provincial cross-country in high school, but then I broke my foot. I've tried it off and on again over the last several years, but I've never really gotten comfy again with it. My foot still bothers me sometimes, and I was having severe shin-splint pain last year.
Last year I just biked the whole thing.
This year? Well, I haven't dropped any weight yet (blast!!), however, I'm probably in the best cardiovascular shape of my life (aside from high school). I've carried some pretty intense workouts - cardio and strength - over the last several months, and I feel pretty good. I would *like* to attempt the run, based on my current endurance and strength, but I'm not really sure how that'll go. I don't know how my shins will react. I don't know how my foot will react. And with this asthma, I'm not sure how that'll factor in - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.
All of that aside, I just *might* be crazy enough to do it. I likely won't be able to run the entire 5km - I'll likely have to walk *some* of it, but I want to try it. If I did it, it would be one of the biggest self-motivation things I've done in ages. I would be running on adrenaline for days, I'd be so happy.
So... anyone have any idea how to prepare for something like this, only 8 days away? Better yet, anyone want to come with me?
As a side note (totally not the major point of this post, which is why it's waaaaay down at the end here) - we are raising funds specifically to rebuild the dock and volleyball area at the beach. If you're feeling so led to contribute to this camp that's meant soooo much to me over the years (I met Jesus there and also worked there for about 14 years), please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone. Donations over $20 are eligible for a tax receipt.
I'll also covet your prayers as I go on this insane little adventure!
Blessings!
Melissa
Yesterday, I committed to doing something big, only 8 days from now.
On Saturday, June 14th, I will once again be participating in Pioneer Bible Camp's annual athletic fundraiser. It's what they're calling a 'duathlon' - we will be biking from the town of Smoky Lake, approximately 20 km, and then running 5 km.
So, I haven't done a decent bike ride this year (one day I followed J as he biked around our subdivision... that's it). And I haven't run in ages. Some of you might be surprised to know I used to run quite well - I ran provincial cross-country in high school, but then I broke my foot. I've tried it off and on again over the last several years, but I've never really gotten comfy again with it. My foot still bothers me sometimes, and I was having severe shin-splint pain last year.
Last year I just biked the whole thing.
This year? Well, I haven't dropped any weight yet (blast!!), however, I'm probably in the best cardiovascular shape of my life (aside from high school). I've carried some pretty intense workouts - cardio and strength - over the last several months, and I feel pretty good. I would *like* to attempt the run, based on my current endurance and strength, but I'm not really sure how that'll go. I don't know how my shins will react. I don't know how my foot will react. And with this asthma, I'm not sure how that'll factor in - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.
All of that aside, I just *might* be crazy enough to do it. I likely won't be able to run the entire 5km - I'll likely have to walk *some* of it, but I want to try it. If I did it, it would be one of the biggest self-motivation things I've done in ages. I would be running on adrenaline for days, I'd be so happy.
So... anyone have any idea how to prepare for something like this, only 8 days away? Better yet, anyone want to come with me?
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~Hebrews 12:1-2
As a side note (totally not the major point of this post, which is why it's waaaaay down at the end here) - we are raising funds specifically to rebuild the dock and volleyball area at the beach. If you're feeling so led to contribute to this camp that's meant soooo much to me over the years (I met Jesus there and also worked there for about 14 years), please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone. Donations over $20 are eligible for a tax receipt.
I'll also covet your prayers as I go on this insane little adventure!
Blessings!
Melissa
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Poor li'l D...
... did a faceplant in a parking lot today. The obvious scratches on the nose... as well as some lesser obvious scratches in the middle top of his forehead.
Then you will notice a slight bruising above his left eye... he met with a van door about an hour later.
He's had a rough day.
Seeing things in a new light
I finally got to go out and watch a friend's son at fencing tonight - you know, the sabre/epee/foil kind. It was kinda cool. But beyond that, yikes... well, as we watched Matthew fence, the conversation got a little deep. There were some things that happened in me/to me/around me over the last several weeks that she'd, until tonight, had no inkling about - it'd been a while since we've had a chance for a heart-to-heart. And she put a word to it...
"grief"
Oh! Well, that's a word I hadn't thought of in a long time!! Now that she's identified it, I might be able to handle it a little better, hey? I'd been trying to identify this emotion... devastation wasn't the right word... neither was self-pity... or even anger, or wishing for something that I didn't have... but, "grief".
Good thing Jesus grieved. I mean, out of everyone, He knows what it's like... and He can come alongside us in our own grief. It also tells me that grief is "okay". He wept when his friend Lazarus died. He was grief-stricken as He knew that He'd be hung on a cross to pay our sin-debt. Isaiah 53:3 described the coming Messiah (Jesus) as someone who would be "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering." Another version states it as "acquainted with grief".
Isaiah then goes on to say in verse 4 - "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."
I know that my Redeemer lives... I know that because He had sorrows, He is able to understand and undertake in my own places of darkness and confusion. He can heal those wounds... but He can leave the scars to remind me of how merciful He is.
Psalm 40:1-3a: I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the emud and mire; He set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God...
I may not understand it all... I may not understand why, after I thought I'd 'dealt' with all my 'stuff', that God would allow such simple things to peel back another layer to get to healing... but I know the Rock on which I stand. That'll get me *more than* by.
"grief"
Oh! Well, that's a word I hadn't thought of in a long time!! Now that she's identified it, I might be able to handle it a little better, hey? I'd been trying to identify this emotion... devastation wasn't the right word... neither was self-pity... or even anger, or wishing for something that I didn't have... but, "grief".
Good thing Jesus grieved. I mean, out of everyone, He knows what it's like... and He can come alongside us in our own grief. It also tells me that grief is "okay". He wept when his friend Lazarus died. He was grief-stricken as He knew that He'd be hung on a cross to pay our sin-debt. Isaiah 53:3 described the coming Messiah (Jesus) as someone who would be "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering." Another version states it as "acquainted with grief".
Isaiah then goes on to say in verse 4 - "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."
I know that my Redeemer lives... I know that because He had sorrows, He is able to understand and undertake in my own places of darkness and confusion. He can heal those wounds... but He can leave the scars to remind me of how merciful He is.
Psalm 40:1-3a: I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the emud and mire; He set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God...
I may not understand it all... I may not understand why, after I thought I'd 'dealt' with all my 'stuff', that God would allow such simple things to peel back another layer to get to healing... but I know the Rock on which I stand. That'll get me *more than* by.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It wasn't so bad...
:)
It could've been worse. *grin*
I also had a good meeting with a friend this afternoon. It's always good to have someone speak truth and encouragement into your life - easier when you trust and respect them, obviously.
I still am left feeling a little empty after some recent developments... but I know that those of us left behind will feel the loss more than the one who has been forced to move on. I am inspired by this person's steadfast trust in God. He knows that God has been faithful before, and He will do it again. He's not worrying about it, as most of us would do. Saddened and confused? Sure - but that doesn't change who God is.
When we choose to line up our emotions with what we know, then we'll be fine. If we base our beliefs simply on how we feel, we'll be left without a hope to hang our hat on.
It could've been worse. *grin*
I also had a good meeting with a friend this afternoon. It's always good to have someone speak truth and encouragement into your life - easier when you trust and respect them, obviously.
I still am left feeling a little empty after some recent developments... but I know that those of us left behind will feel the loss more than the one who has been forced to move on. I am inspired by this person's steadfast trust in God. He knows that God has been faithful before, and He will do it again. He's not worrying about it, as most of us would do. Saddened and confused? Sure - but that doesn't change who God is.
When we choose to line up our emotions with what we know, then we'll be fine. If we base our beliefs simply on how we feel, we'll be left without a hope to hang our hat on.
I will bless the Lord forever,
I will trust Him at all times...
Nerves
Ever get the jitters?
Man alive, am I ever fighting a case of butterflies right now!! You'd think I'd be able to easily overcome those by now, but apparently not...
Oh well...
Man alive, am I ever fighting a case of butterflies right now!! You'd think I'd be able to easily overcome those by now, but apparently not...
Oh well...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
God is faithful
Some friends of ours, who have just been dealt an unexpected blow, wrote, "I have no idea what God has for us next , but God has always been so faithful."
I want that kind of faith. Knowing a small portion of what he/they have travelled through over the last umpteen years (I've gotten lots of stories in the last 10 months that I've known them!), I know that they live by faith. I want to know God, breathe Him and live His essence, every moment of every day, like they do. I want to worship my Creator King, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend the way they do - unashamedly and unyieldingly. Sometimes you meet people that completely mystify you, but then you get to know them and you just absolutely love them... complete with their mysteries and everything else!
On a slightly different but almost related topic, I've been frustrated lately. Well, maybe not frustrated, but heartbroken. Not "shattered"-broken, just, umm, well, tossed around. Think about clay. And how you have to toss it and beat it to soften it and mold it. Kind of like that.
It seems like I just get to start to know really good people, and then they're gone. It's like God starts work in my heart concerning past things through a new person (who never would've intended or dreamed that God could use them that way in my life)... and then that person just...disappears...
Or sometimes I want so desperately to be able to formulate a cohesive thought and verbalize it to the person involved in the heart-work... but then I can't.
I've been a bit of a pitiful mess lately, and so the memories and emotions have been too raw to be able to get anything out properly. So I just hold the thoughts in my heart.
I'm good at e-mailing and writing down my thoughts on paper, but sometimes certain thoughts deserve more than pen and paper. I want to be brave enough to let those people know how God has used them and how blessed I am because of them... but my shy side still comes out sometimes. I don't think we affirm each other enough - I suppose I hesitate sometimes because I don't want to be seen as the "needy one". But God calls us to exhort one another... so I have to move past my own inhibitions and just tell them, already!
(Goodness, it sounds like I'm falling in love with someone new... but I assure you, this is all perfectly healthy & fine - Graeme is still my one true love!)
This I know, and to this I cling: God is faithful. He will complete every work He's started in me. He may allow me to be sifted as wheat, or molded as clay, but He will get His way in me. And one day, I'll be whole... in His time and in His way.
Lord, give me the strength to accept the changes You bring. I don't want to be so self-centred that I cling to the present, when You need to move the situation or person to a new path that doesn't involve me. Let me cling to You and You alone... let me cling to the knowledge that You work these things out for good... and let me cling to the goodness and healing You bring to me through people. You alone are God Almighty... Maker of Heaven and earth... Maker of me! You are faithful.
I want that kind of faith. Knowing a small portion of what he/they have travelled through over the last umpteen years (I've gotten lots of stories in the last 10 months that I've known them!), I know that they live by faith. I want to know God, breathe Him and live His essence, every moment of every day, like they do. I want to worship my Creator King, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend the way they do - unashamedly and unyieldingly. Sometimes you meet people that completely mystify you, but then you get to know them and you just absolutely love them... complete with their mysteries and everything else!
On a slightly different but almost related topic, I've been frustrated lately. Well, maybe not frustrated, but heartbroken. Not "shattered"-broken, just, umm, well, tossed around. Think about clay. And how you have to toss it and beat it to soften it and mold it. Kind of like that.
It seems like I just get to start to know really good people, and then they're gone. It's like God starts work in my heart concerning past things through a new person (who never would've intended or dreamed that God could use them that way in my life)... and then that person just...disappears...
Or sometimes I want so desperately to be able to formulate a cohesive thought and verbalize it to the person involved in the heart-work... but then I can't.
I've been a bit of a pitiful mess lately, and so the memories and emotions have been too raw to be able to get anything out properly. So I just hold the thoughts in my heart.
I'm good at e-mailing and writing down my thoughts on paper, but sometimes certain thoughts deserve more than pen and paper. I want to be brave enough to let those people know how God has used them and how blessed I am because of them... but my shy side still comes out sometimes. I don't think we affirm each other enough - I suppose I hesitate sometimes because I don't want to be seen as the "needy one". But God calls us to exhort one another... so I have to move past my own inhibitions and just tell them, already!
(Goodness, it sounds like I'm falling in love with someone new... but I assure you, this is all perfectly healthy & fine - Graeme is still my one true love!)
This I know, and to this I cling: God is faithful. He will complete every work He's started in me. He may allow me to be sifted as wheat, or molded as clay, but He will get His way in me. And one day, I'll be whole... in His time and in His way.
Lord, give me the strength to accept the changes You bring. I don't want to be so self-centred that I cling to the present, when You need to move the situation or person to a new path that doesn't involve me. Let me cling to You and You alone... let me cling to the knowledge that You work these things out for good... and let me cling to the goodness and healing You bring to me through people. You alone are God Almighty... Maker of Heaven and earth... Maker of me! You are faithful.
Complete
(C) 2001 Parachute Music
Here I am, O God, I bring this sacrifice;
My open heart, I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord,
Your love that never ends
Restores me again.
So I lift my eyes to You, Lord,
In Your strength, will I break through, Lord,
Touch me now, let Your love fall down on me;
I know Your love dispels all my fears.
Through the storm I will hold on, Lord,
And by faith I will walk on, Lord,
Then I'll see beyond my Calvary one day,
And I will be complete in You.
So... powerful. Left me speechless the first time I sang it. Still leaves me speechless (especially when we hit the powerful a capella part after a key change)... :)
I am so touched that God would choose to dispel my fears with His strength... that He would guide me through the storms with His love...
Here I am, O God, I bring this sacrifice;
My open heart, I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord,
Your love that never ends
Restores me again.
So I lift my eyes to You, Lord,
In Your strength, will I break through, Lord,
Touch me now, let Your love fall down on me;
I know Your love dispels all my fears.
Through the storm I will hold on, Lord,
And by faith I will walk on, Lord,
Then I'll see beyond my Calvary one day,
And I will be complete in You.
So... powerful. Left me speechless the first time I sang it. Still leaves me speechless (especially when we hit the powerful a capella part after a key change)... :)
I am so touched that God would choose to dispel my fears with His strength... that He would guide me through the storms with His love...
The streak continues...
I can't believe it. This is too good!
So last night, I went to our church's women's event called Diva on a Dime. It was a salad buffet - oh my GOODNESS, it was amazing!! Anyway, after dinner but before the presentation, they had door prize draws. There were all sorts of things, from candles to cookies to a beach umbrella and everything in between. I told the lady sitting next to me, "I wonder what I'll win this time? Because I always win something!" She laughed. There were 300 women there, and around 15 or so door prizes.
Well, the last of the door prizes went, and my name wasn't called.
Then the mc pulled out this little red gift bag, and from it, pulled out a set of 3 CD's from NAME Canada (National Association of Marriage Enhancement), of which the Canadian Directors attend our church. They have a yearly conference at our church. Anyway, it's huge. I was thinking, "This is my last chance!"... and it wasn't me. :(
But THEN!! She pulled out a little scroll from the bag. Tied with purple ribbon. And I won the scroll!!
Wanna know what was in it?
A free couple's registration to the annual NAME 3-day conference in November!!! The value is $150, so I was pretty thrilled.
Gotta love it.
And I was actually sitting next to a lady who, with her husband, is one of the NAME marriage counsellors in the area. Too funny. Too.... God! :)
I thought I'd leave you with some of my more recent artwork... well, about 2 months old, anyway, but I thought it's been a while since I posted some pix of my creations. I made these, among about 80 others, for my camp's annual fundraising banquet & silent auction. (I put them all in a set - could you imagine actually bidding on 80 individual cards!!??!!)
This one has a shiny powder called pearl-ex painted in on the butterfly - you can't see it, but it's really there! Then the ribbon added in behind the main piece just made it even more girly.
I made four of these - two boy and two girl - I stamped the main image in black, colored it in with markers, and then 'spotlighted' the baby's head - embossed with clear embossing powder - and then brayered (covered) the entire piece of cardstock with blue ink. The result is a highlighted head, and a muted body, but you can still see the baby. And there are some blue giraffes stamped in the background on the bottom half of the blue-brayered cardstock. I did this on shiny cardstock. It was a really cute card - I really hesitated to give it away!!
This was Dustin's birthday invitation - I doubled it up and made a happy-birthday card for the auction.
Here are my sweeties... they're just tooooo cute! Love 'em - I am SO blessed!
So last night, I went to our church's women's event called Diva on a Dime. It was a salad buffet - oh my GOODNESS, it was amazing!! Anyway, after dinner but before the presentation, they had door prize draws. There were all sorts of things, from candles to cookies to a beach umbrella and everything in between. I told the lady sitting next to me, "I wonder what I'll win this time? Because I always win something!" She laughed. There were 300 women there, and around 15 or so door prizes.
Well, the last of the door prizes went, and my name wasn't called.
Then the mc pulled out this little red gift bag, and from it, pulled out a set of 3 CD's from NAME Canada (National Association of Marriage Enhancement), of which the Canadian Directors attend our church. They have a yearly conference at our church. Anyway, it's huge. I was thinking, "This is my last chance!"... and it wasn't me. :(
But THEN!! She pulled out a little scroll from the bag. Tied with purple ribbon. And I won the scroll!!
Wanna know what was in it?
A free couple's registration to the annual NAME 3-day conference in November!!! The value is $150, so I was pretty thrilled.
Gotta love it.
And I was actually sitting next to a lady who, with her husband, is one of the NAME marriage counsellors in the area. Too funny. Too.... God! :)
I thought I'd leave you with some of my more recent artwork... well, about 2 months old, anyway, but I thought it's been a while since I posted some pix of my creations. I made these, among about 80 others, for my camp's annual fundraising banquet & silent auction. (I put them all in a set - could you imagine actually bidding on 80 individual cards!!??!!)
This one has a shiny powder called pearl-ex painted in on the butterfly - you can't see it, but it's really there! Then the ribbon added in behind the main piece just made it even more girly.
I made four of these - two boy and two girl - I stamped the main image in black, colored it in with markers, and then 'spotlighted' the baby's head - embossed with clear embossing powder - and then brayered (covered) the entire piece of cardstock with blue ink. The result is a highlighted head, and a muted body, but you can still see the baby. And there are some blue giraffes stamped in the background on the bottom half of the blue-brayered cardstock. I did this on shiny cardstock. It was a really cute card - I really hesitated to give it away!!
This was Dustin's birthday invitation - I doubled it up and made a happy-birthday card for the auction.
Here are my sweeties... they're just tooooo cute! Love 'em - I am SO blessed!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Intensity
SOOO much has been going on lately, and it's feeling a little overwhelming again! Not in a bad way, but a good way, thankfully!
This past weekend was busy - Graeme had inventory at the store, and I went to the grad ceremonies of a good friend of mine on Saturday. That wasn't without a ton of emotion for myself, to say the least. I really can't expound on it here right now, but it was a pretty intense night for me. And she and her family are not even blood kin! - although, she and I do share the same name.
Sunday was - intense!! - and good. I've been riding a roller-coaster of thoughts and emotion surrounding my part in music, music's part in me, and my part in worship team and church. Again, can't go into a ton of detail... but God's working. What yet, I'm not entirely sure, but He's up to something. There are times when you simply can't ignore His prompting. I'm not the type of person to really stick my neck on the line and ask people something - I get quite intimidated by people fairly easily - but when God says to do it, I just gotta do it. So I did it. And now the ball is rolling, although I feel like I've lobbed it ridiculously far, and now...? I guess we'll see where it lands.
The week started off with the kids (and us!) sleeping in and us being a couple minutes late for Joshua's TotSpot. Oh well. The kids were grumpy with being rushed this morning, but we all survived. They are both dressed, fed, and where they need to be.
I wanted to go out for a bike ride this morning with Dustin in the trailer, but unfortunately it's started to rain a bit. Fine for me, but probably not so fine for Dustin.
The rest of June looks fairly insane, too. I see two baby showers, a worship team bbq, a fencing date, a women's fellowship event, a church workbee, a 4-day trip for Graeme (I'm a little jealous), a birthday party or two, and a couple of baby showers. None of these are bad in and of themselves, but it's only the 2nd of June, and we're already this booked!!
I must run and tend to Mr. D. He's currently finishing up an orange and some crackers. Lucky kid. :)
May God's blessings - both seen and unseen - pour out on your day today!
This past weekend was busy - Graeme had inventory at the store, and I went to the grad ceremonies of a good friend of mine on Saturday. That wasn't without a ton of emotion for myself, to say the least. I really can't expound on it here right now, but it was a pretty intense night for me. And she and her family are not even blood kin! - although, she and I do share the same name.
Sunday was - intense!! - and good. I've been riding a roller-coaster of thoughts and emotion surrounding my part in music, music's part in me, and my part in worship team and church. Again, can't go into a ton of detail... but God's working. What yet, I'm not entirely sure, but He's up to something. There are times when you simply can't ignore His prompting. I'm not the type of person to really stick my neck on the line and ask people something - I get quite intimidated by people fairly easily - but when God says to do it, I just gotta do it. So I did it. And now the ball is rolling, although I feel like I've lobbed it ridiculously far, and now...? I guess we'll see where it lands.
The week started off with the kids (and us!) sleeping in and us being a couple minutes late for Joshua's TotSpot. Oh well. The kids were grumpy with being rushed this morning, but we all survived. They are both dressed, fed, and where they need to be.
I wanted to go out for a bike ride this morning with Dustin in the trailer, but unfortunately it's started to rain a bit. Fine for me, but probably not so fine for Dustin.
The rest of June looks fairly insane, too. I see two baby showers, a worship team bbq, a fencing date, a women's fellowship event, a church workbee, a 4-day trip for Graeme (I'm a little jealous), a birthday party or two, and a couple of baby showers. None of these are bad in and of themselves, but it's only the 2nd of June, and we're already this booked!!
I must run and tend to Mr. D. He's currently finishing up an orange and some crackers. Lucky kid. :)
May God's blessings - both seen and unseen - pour out on your day today!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
138 Truths
1. Last beverage → water. About 2 minutes ago.
2. Last phone call → Graeme, hopefully saying he was on his way home (I missed the call and haven't checked the message yet - I'm on dial-up, remember?
3. Last instant message → I don't do IM.
4. Last song you listened to → A Lullaby I made up and sang for Dustin while I rubbed his back tonight at bedtime.
5. Last time you cried → Yesterday or the day before. It's all a blur.
6. Last text message → I don't text.
HAVE YOU EVER:
1. Dated someone twice → No.
2. Been cheated on → No.
3. Kissed someone & regretted it → No. Graeme is my one and only!
4. Lost someone special → Yes.
5. Been depressed → Yes.
LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:
1. Blue
2. Purple
3. Red
THIS MONTH HAVE YOU:
1. Made a new friend → Yes.
2. Fallen out of love → No.
3. Laughed until you cried → Yup!
4. Met someone who changed your life → No
5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes.
6. Found out someone was talking about you → Sure.
7. Have you kissed anyone on your FB friend's list → Yes - Graeme!
8. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life → All.
9. How many kids do you want to have → I'm not telling, na na na na na na!
10. Do you have any pets → A few hundred frogs, a few thousand ants, a few bats, a friendly squirrel who killed a couple of our trees, and a deer that we've never seen but have evidence of its existence.
11. Do you want to change your name → I used to. I'm happy now.
12. What did you get for your last birthday → An elliptical. A group gift from the fam. And a mother & child statuette from my mom.
13. What time did you wake up today → 7:00 a.m.
14. What were you doing at midnight last night → Falling into bed.
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → The day when Graeme and I can leave the boys at home alone and go for a long walk together.
16. Last time you saw your father → Hmm... almost 4 years ago. A few months after Joshua was born.
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → Not a whole lot right now - I'd lose some of 'me', for sure!
18. What are you listening to right now → The hum of my computer. It's blissfully quiet in here right now!
19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Actually, not that I can remember!
23. Who's getting on your nerves right now → Nobody, surprisingly.
24. Most visited webpage → facebook.com, a fitness website, and a few blogs.
Whats your real name - Melissa Lynn.
002. Nicknames → Mel
003. Status → Alive & kickin'
004. Zodiac sign → Pisces
005. Male or female → Female.
006. Elementary → Vilna School
007. Middle School → Vilna School
008. Highschool → Vilna School
009. University → Prairie Bible Institute
010. Hair colour → Brown.
011. Long or short - I got it chopped a couple weeks ago!
015. Are you a health freak → I'm workin' on it!
016. Height → 5'5"
017. Do you have a crush on someone → Aside from Graeme?
018: What do you like about yourself → A few things - I like more where I'm headed, though!
021. Righty or lefty → righty.
FIRSTS :
022. First surgery → Tonsils... no, gallbladder... no, wisdom teeth... umm... I can't remember!
023. First piercing → Ears
024. First best friend → Erin
025. First award → some sort of 'female athlete of the year' in elementary. Took that 10 out of 12 years through school. Those were the days!!
026. First sport you joined → What didn't I join?
027. First pet → a dog.
028. First vacation --> I can't remember that far back!!
029. First concert → Something at Prairie.
030. First crush → As if I'm gonna share that one...
CURRENTLY :
049. Eating → Just finished an apple.
050. Drinking → Water.
052. I'm about to → Finish a report I'm working on.
053. Listening to → STILL the hum of my computer!
055. Waiting for → Graeme to get home.
YOUR FUTURE :
058. Want kids → I already have 2! More? Maybe - if God wills it...
059. Want to get married → Already am, for over 9 years!!
060. Careers in mind → I'm liking being a mama...
WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes. Lips a close second. But I don't relaly pay attention anymore - I've got Graeme!
069. Hugs or kisses → I could never give up hugs.
070. Shorter or taller → Doesn't really matter.
071. Older or Younger→ Umm...??
072. Romantic or spontaneous → Spontaneously romantic.
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → ??
074. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive. I don't like brutes.
075. Hook-up or relationship → We got hooked up. It was wonderful.
077. Trouble maker or hesitant → Neither.
HAVE YOU EVER :
078. Kissed a stranger → Good grief, NO!
079. Drank pepsi → Yes.
080. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes. Lost a contact at camp one year. Not a good day.
081. Ran away from home → No.
084. Broken someone's heart → Ha ha - if I really think about it, yes! It totally was NOT mutual, though - kinda funny/embarrassing - he was a bit of a leech and a stalker. Eww.
085. Been arrested → Nope.
086. Turned someone down → Yes.
087. Cried when someone died → Yes.
088. Liked a guy friend? Yes. Married him, too.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Sometimes.
090. Miracles → Yes.
091. Love at first sight → I'm not sure.
092. Heaven → Yes.
093. Santa Claus → No, but it's fun playing at it with my boys.
095. Kiss on the first date → Nope.
096. Angels → Yes.
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now → Yes.
098. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time → No!
099. Do you believe in God → Yes.
100. Posting this as 100 Truths → No. It's more like 139 or so. Some people can't compute, apparently, when they write these things.
2. Last phone call → Graeme, hopefully saying he was on his way home (I missed the call and haven't checked the message yet - I'm on dial-up, remember?
3. Last instant message → I don't do IM.
4. Last song you listened to → A Lullaby I made up and sang for Dustin while I rubbed his back tonight at bedtime.
5. Last time you cried → Yesterday or the day before. It's all a blur.
6. Last text message → I don't text.
HAVE YOU EVER:
1. Dated someone twice → No.
2. Been cheated on → No.
3. Kissed someone & regretted it → No. Graeme is my one and only!
4. Lost someone special → Yes.
5. Been depressed → Yes.
LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:
1. Blue
2. Purple
3. Red
THIS MONTH HAVE YOU:
1. Made a new friend → Yes.
2. Fallen out of love → No.
3. Laughed until you cried → Yup!
4. Met someone who changed your life → No
5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes.
6. Found out someone was talking about you → Sure.
7. Have you kissed anyone on your FB friend's list → Yes - Graeme!
8. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life → All.
9. How many kids do you want to have → I'm not telling, na na na na na na!
10. Do you have any pets → A few hundred frogs, a few thousand ants, a few bats, a friendly squirrel who killed a couple of our trees, and a deer that we've never seen but have evidence of its existence.
11. Do you want to change your name → I used to. I'm happy now.
12. What did you get for your last birthday → An elliptical. A group gift from the fam. And a mother & child statuette from my mom.
13. What time did you wake up today → 7:00 a.m.
14. What were you doing at midnight last night → Falling into bed.
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → The day when Graeme and I can leave the boys at home alone and go for a long walk together.
16. Last time you saw your father → Hmm... almost 4 years ago. A few months after Joshua was born.
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → Not a whole lot right now - I'd lose some of 'me', for sure!
18. What are you listening to right now → The hum of my computer. It's blissfully quiet in here right now!
19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Actually, not that I can remember!
23. Who's getting on your nerves right now → Nobody, surprisingly.
24. Most visited webpage → facebook.com, a fitness website, and a few blogs.
Whats your real name - Melissa Lynn.
002. Nicknames → Mel
003. Status → Alive & kickin'
004. Zodiac sign → Pisces
005. Male or female → Female.
006. Elementary → Vilna School
007. Middle School → Vilna School
008. Highschool → Vilna School
009. University → Prairie Bible Institute
010. Hair colour → Brown.
011. Long or short - I got it chopped a couple weeks ago!
015. Are you a health freak → I'm workin' on it!
016. Height → 5'5"
017. Do you have a crush on someone → Aside from Graeme?
018: What do you like about yourself → A few things - I like more where I'm headed, though!
021. Righty or lefty → righty.
FIRSTS :
022. First surgery → Tonsils... no, gallbladder... no, wisdom teeth... umm... I can't remember!
023. First piercing → Ears
024. First best friend → Erin
025. First award → some sort of 'female athlete of the year' in elementary. Took that 10 out of 12 years through school. Those were the days!!
026. First sport you joined → What didn't I join?
027. First pet → a dog.
028. First vacation --> I can't remember that far back!!
029. First concert → Something at Prairie.
030. First crush → As if I'm gonna share that one...
CURRENTLY :
049. Eating → Just finished an apple.
050. Drinking → Water.
052. I'm about to → Finish a report I'm working on.
053. Listening to → STILL the hum of my computer!
055. Waiting for → Graeme to get home.
YOUR FUTURE :
058. Want kids → I already have 2! More? Maybe - if God wills it...
059. Want to get married → Already am, for over 9 years!!
060. Careers in mind → I'm liking being a mama...
WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes. Lips a close second. But I don't relaly pay attention anymore - I've got Graeme!
069. Hugs or kisses → I could never give up hugs.
070. Shorter or taller → Doesn't really matter.
071. Older or Younger→ Umm...??
072. Romantic or spontaneous → Spontaneously romantic.
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → ??
074. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive. I don't like brutes.
075. Hook-up or relationship → We got hooked up. It was wonderful.
077. Trouble maker or hesitant → Neither.
HAVE YOU EVER :
078. Kissed a stranger → Good grief, NO!
079. Drank pepsi → Yes.
080. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes. Lost a contact at camp one year. Not a good day.
081. Ran away from home → No.
084. Broken someone's heart → Ha ha - if I really think about it, yes! It totally was NOT mutual, though - kinda funny/embarrassing - he was a bit of a leech and a stalker. Eww.
085. Been arrested → Nope.
086. Turned someone down → Yes.
087. Cried when someone died → Yes.
088. Liked a guy friend? Yes. Married him, too.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Sometimes.
090. Miracles → Yes.
091. Love at first sight → I'm not sure.
092. Heaven → Yes.
093. Santa Claus → No, but it's fun playing at it with my boys.
095. Kiss on the first date → Nope.
096. Angels → Yes.
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now → Yes.
098. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time → No!
099. Do you believe in God → Yes.
100. Posting this as 100 Truths → No. It's more like 139 or so. Some people can't compute, apparently, when they write these things.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Fort Edmonton Park
We had a fun little family day on Monday - decided to take in the Fort Edmonton Park opening weekend. That was a little interesting, let me tell you! We got there shortly after it opened, and we still had a 1-hour wait in line. The boys did so well, though - have food, will be happy. They played with other kids in the line, played on trees, and were overall very well-behaved. 
We finally got on the train to go to the Fort (the first part of the Park) just before noon. As soon as we unloaded, of course it was time for lunch. So we ate. :)
Normally, the boys nap around 1:00-1:30, till around 4:00-4:30. However, we decided we'd try and stretch them a bit... and stretch them we did. We stayed there until 4:00!! They didn't have their usual over-tired meltdowns, though, thankfully - but Dustin was asleep in the van before we even got out of the parking lot!
Feeding a horsie - I'm not sure if we were supposed to do that, but the horse didn't seem to mind!
Hangin' out while waiting for Daddy to bring ice cream:
YUM!!
Me? Messy? YAH!
At the free Penny Carnival:
Note how there is no actual evidence that I was even there... I guess we can chalk this up to another 'hat' mamas wear - photographer!
We finally got on the train to go to the Fort (the first part of the Park) just before noon. As soon as we unloaded, of course it was time for lunch. So we ate. :)
Normally, the boys nap around 1:00-1:30, till around 4:00-4:30. However, we decided we'd try and stretch them a bit... and stretch them we did. We stayed there until 4:00!! They didn't have their usual over-tired meltdowns, though, thankfully - but Dustin was asleep in the van before we even got out of the parking lot!
Feeding a horsie - I'm not sure if we were supposed to do that, but the horse didn't seem to mind!
Hangin' out while waiting for Daddy to bring ice cream:
YUM!!
Me? Messy? YAH!
At the free Penny Carnival:
Note how there is no actual evidence that I was even there... I guess we can chalk this up to another 'hat' mamas wear - photographer!
Hair today, gone tomorrow!
Well, after several months of serious consideration, I finally did it... chopped it all off, baby... well, not quite all of it... But this is definitely the shortest my hair has ever been in my entire life, aside from my infancy when my hair was still trying to grow out (Mom, you can correct me if I'm wrong).
I've saved my hair to send to Locks of Love. There was enough of it - just over 12 inches, as you can compare in the picture with the 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper beside it - and I can send it in so they can make it part of a wig for a child who has lost all of their hair from cancer/chemo, etc.
I've saved my hair to send to Locks of Love. There was enough of it - just over 12 inches, as you can compare in the picture with the 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper beside it - and I can send it in so they can make it part of a wig for a child who has lost all of their hair from cancer/chemo, etc.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Even better...
I'm *almost* starting to enjoy shopping.
It helps when you can walk into one of your favorite stores, and find things that are already slashed up to 50 % off. But what makes it even better is when the items on the sales racks are additionally marked down to 'buy one, get one free'!
I've needed a bit of an overhaul - not much, but just some nicer things to go out of the house in, when I'm doing more than getting groceries or whatever. Jeans that actually fit. A few decent shirts that aren't every-day t-shirts.
I walked out of the store (over 2-3 trips, with Graeme's blessing, no less!) with:
Three pairs of jeans
One pair of dress pants
Four dressy shirts
Two camisoles
Two headbands
One pair of earrings
One necklace
Regular price: Well over $500.
I paid well under $200. This is still a lot of money for a girl who likes to keep it simple... I mean, how many women are lucky enough to have their husbands encourage them to go pick out a few new things? I'm lucky... I'm glad I don't have to go swimsuit shopping, though - but if I did, I sure wouldn't take my husband with me!! (*grin*, Paige!)
It helps when you can walk into one of your favorite stores, and find things that are already slashed up to 50 % off. But what makes it even better is when the items on the sales racks are additionally marked down to 'buy one, get one free'!
I've needed a bit of an overhaul - not much, but just some nicer things to go out of the house in, when I'm doing more than getting groceries or whatever. Jeans that actually fit. A few decent shirts that aren't every-day t-shirts.
I walked out of the store (over 2-3 trips, with Graeme's blessing, no less!) with:
Three pairs of jeans
One pair of dress pants
Four dressy shirts
Two camisoles
Two headbands
One pair of earrings
One necklace
Regular price: Well over $500.
I paid well under $200. This is still a lot of money for a girl who likes to keep it simple... I mean, how many women are lucky enough to have their husbands encourage them to go pick out a few new things? I'm lucky... I'm glad I don't have to go swimsuit shopping, though - but if I did, I sure wouldn't take my husband with me!! (*grin*, Paige!)
Friday, May 9, 2008
A good start to my day!
The sun is shining.
I am cleaning my office.
The boys are at Gramma & Grampa's house (although that isn't part of what makes it a good day - I miss the boys, but I am able to accomplish a few things that I normally couldn't do).
I've got a to-do list about 12 items long, and while I'm not going to get it all done in the next 4 hours, I'm sure gonna try - and be happy for my successes and not dwelling on my 'failures'.
The birdies are singing right outside my window.
I am going on a mini-road trip to see a friend this afternoon!!
On another note, one of my little indulgences is watching Survivor. This season has been particularly interesting because of people not playing their hidden immunity idols at the appropriate time, and have gotten blindsided at tribal council and gotten voted out. You think people would learn... anyway, Erik, starry-eyed Survivor-fan that he is, wove himself a tangled web by trying to make different alliances with 3 of the 4 remaining survivors. The women started gabbing and realized the error of Erik's ways, and called him on it. They then concocted a plan whereby one of the women would approach Erik (who had won immunity that day) and try to persuade him to give up the immunity necklace to 'prove' that he was sorry for his bad strategy, etc, and to try and get the 'good vibes' back. Then the girls would vote Erik out, since he no longer had immunity. Well, much to everyone's absolute surprise, he did it!! Wow. Erik got voted out for sure. In the loosely paraphrased words of James, "I am no longer the dumbest survivor ever!" Ha ha - gotta love it. I still can't believe the ice-cream scooper did it.
Okies, well - I must run. May your day be filled with joy and peace that passes our earthly understanding!!
I am cleaning my office.
The boys are at Gramma & Grampa's house (although that isn't part of what makes it a good day - I miss the boys, but I am able to accomplish a few things that I normally couldn't do).
I've got a to-do list about 12 items long, and while I'm not going to get it all done in the next 4 hours, I'm sure gonna try - and be happy for my successes and not dwelling on my 'failures'.
The birdies are singing right outside my window.
I am going on a mini-road trip to see a friend this afternoon!!
On another note, one of my little indulgences is watching Survivor. This season has been particularly interesting because of people not playing their hidden immunity idols at the appropriate time, and have gotten blindsided at tribal council and gotten voted out. You think people would learn... anyway, Erik, starry-eyed Survivor-fan that he is, wove himself a tangled web by trying to make different alliances with 3 of the 4 remaining survivors. The women started gabbing and realized the error of Erik's ways, and called him on it. They then concocted a plan whereby one of the women would approach Erik (who had won immunity that day) and try to persuade him to give up the immunity necklace to 'prove' that he was sorry for his bad strategy, etc, and to try and get the 'good vibes' back. Then the girls would vote Erik out, since he no longer had immunity. Well, much to everyone's absolute surprise, he did it!! Wow. Erik got voted out for sure. In the loosely paraphrased words of James, "I am no longer the dumbest survivor ever!" Ha ha - gotta love it. I still can't believe the ice-cream scooper did it.
Okies, well - I must run. May your day be filled with joy and peace that passes our earthly understanding!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Win a baby carrier!
I stumbled upon this contest from a friend-of-a-friend's blog, and thought I'd share it with you - you can win a free baby carrier called an Ergo - one of the best on the market in this type of carrier. If you want to enter, you can, but seriously... I'm on such a streak I'll probably win anyway! *grin*
Click here to enter!
Good luck - you'll need it! :)
Click here to enter!
Good luck - you'll need it! :)
Winnings
I've apparently got a little luck on my side these days - on Thursday I was erranding, and heard a little ditty on the radio saying that Dr. Kevin Leman was coming to Edmonton and that in the next 15 minutes they'd be giving away two tickets to see him that Saturday (this past one). Five minutes later, all you had to do was call in (no trick questions or pop quizzes) to win them, and I WON!! Dr. Leman is a Christian family & child psychologist who has been featured many times on Focus on the Family, and has also been on various TV talk shows because of his radical & down-to-earth approaches in dealing with children & family issues.
Anyway, the tickets were valued at $140 for the pair!! It was a good seminar - I learned a few things, but also had a load of things confirmed for me as well in changes I'm making and things I've done in the past with the kids. Whew! :)
And... I got a haircut. Had to pay for that one, though - didn't 'win' that! :) It's a *little* different from anything I've ever done before - take a peek at my facebook page if you want to see a picture! :) Poor Dustin wasn't sure about the whole thing, but he likes that I can shake my head and tickle him with my short hair now. What a cutie!
Must run - I have cookies to deliver to a friend! Be blessed in your new day!
Anyway, the tickets were valued at $140 for the pair!! It was a good seminar - I learned a few things, but also had a load of things confirmed for me as well in changes I'm making and things I've done in the past with the kids. Whew! :)
And... I got a haircut. Had to pay for that one, though - didn't 'win' that! :) It's a *little* different from anything I've ever done before - take a peek at my facebook page if you want to see a picture! :) Poor Dustin wasn't sure about the whole thing, but he likes that I can shake my head and tickle him with my short hair now. What a cutie!
Must run - I have cookies to deliver to a friend! Be blessed in your new day!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Further thoughts
Never before have I been in a hard situation and received confirmation after confirmation. Who'd have ever thought some of my confirmation would come through a Bible study from a lady by the name of Beth Moore? I think she's something like the top one or two ladies' Bible study authors - Joyce Meyer is the other.
I digress.
Here are a couple of things I read tonight:
One thing that I always try to do is to make sure my motives for radical action are right. For example, when we left our last church, I had to make sure that our reasons were because *God* was calling us to move forward, and not because *we* were fed up with various things or people. I try to apply the same to my relationships. Of course, it's never easy to hear someone tell you that they're uncomfortable with something - but there is a difference between judging the heart, and saying that I need to make a change because things haven't worked out despite best efforts. It's always going to come across as a judgment to the person concerned, but I can assure you, to the very best of my ability, this is never my method of operation.
I'm sure all of us have had rocky starts or finishes to well-intended relationships/friendships. Sometimes those rocky starts or finishes make us a *little* hesitant to try again, or hope to trust again. These words jumped off the page to me:
Hmmm.... good food for thought.
She goes on to describe what an unhealthy relationship looks like, and what a good relationship looks like. An unhealthy relationship can have all kinds of ropes and webs of entanglement, and the more you try to fix it, the stickier the web you weave. It's messy.
A healthy relationship can look like this (this would be specific to Christian friendships) - that between you and I, we have the cross of Christ. It's simple. Imagine us as stickmen. Now imagine that the horizontal line of the cross keeps us connected, but the vertical line respects God-given boundaries drawn between the two. Perfectly connected, but perfectly individual.
Here is where I'll begin quoting:
(Imagine that there are now two stickmen with a cross between them, but then the 'unwilling party's' web tangled with the cross rather than with you.)
I am so thankful...
We are encouraged in Hebrews 12:1-2 to "strip off and throw aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our Faith..."
**I realize this is really a huge bent on Christian friendships, but may I add that I have a variety of non-Christian friends who bless my life in equally wonderful and fun ways! I am so thankful for you and the balance & joy you bring to our lives!
I am loved.
I am blessed.
God is good.
I digress.
Here are a couple of things I read tonight:
One thing we must be warned to avoid at all costs is judging another person's heart. That job is for God and God alone. Judging another's heart, however, is not the same as discerning that something doesn't seem quite right and considering how we might wisely avoid opening ourselves to an intimate or close relationship in the situation.
One thing that I always try to do is to make sure my motives for radical action are right. For example, when we left our last church, I had to make sure that our reasons were because *God* was calling us to move forward, and not because *we* were fed up with various things or people. I try to apply the same to my relationships. Of course, it's never easy to hear someone tell you that they're uncomfortable with something - but there is a difference between judging the heart, and saying that I need to make a change because things haven't worked out despite best efforts. It's always going to come across as a judgment to the person concerned, but I can assure you, to the very best of my ability, this is never my method of operation.
I'm sure all of us have had rocky starts or finishes to well-intended relationships/friendships. Sometimes those rocky starts or finishes make us a *little* hesitant to try again, or hope to trust again. These words jumped off the page to me:
We cannot allow the enemy (Satan) to intimidate us into avoiding relationships. We just want to make sure we develop healthy, God-appointed, and balanced ones. We get started by becoming the kind of person we want to find.
Hmmm.... good food for thought.
She goes on to describe what an unhealthy relationship looks like, and what a good relationship looks like. An unhealthy relationship can have all kinds of ropes and webs of entanglement, and the more you try to fix it, the stickier the web you weave. It's messy.
A healthy relationship can look like this (this would be specific to Christian friendships) - that between you and I, we have the cross of Christ. It's simple. Imagine us as stickmen. Now imagine that the horizontal line of the cross keeps us connected, but the vertical line respects God-given boundaries drawn between the two. Perfectly connected, but perfectly individual.
Here is where I'll begin quoting:
Finally, let's address an obvious question. What if we're willing to respect clean lines in our relationships, but others in the relationship are not? Then they can tangle with the cross! (Emphasis mine.)
(Imagine that there are now two stickmen with a cross between them, but then the 'unwilling party's' web tangled with the cross rather than with you.)
We can't change anyone else. For crying out loud, we can't even change ourselves! But we can allow God to change us. Our responsibility is to allow God to make each of us healthy, whole connectors and to have the courage to put some distance between any relationship that is a seduction (there are many senses of the word, not just the seduction that immediately pops into your head!) waiting to happen.
You and I need to obey God. When we do, the consequences of our obedience become God's problem and not ours. Others threatened by the change may think they are tangling with us, but as we determine to allow God to manage our relationships, we leave Christ to tangle with them instead of us. And guess what, Beloved? He can handle them.
I am so thankful...
We are encouraged in Hebrews 12:1-2 to "strip off and throw aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our Faith..."
**I realize this is really a huge bent on Christian friendships, but may I add that I have a variety of non-Christian friends who bless my life in equally wonderful and fun ways! I am so thankful for you and the balance & joy you bring to our lives!
I am loved.
I am blessed.
God is good.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Confirmation & a funny quote
I'm currently reading a book called "Taking Care of the Me in Mommy", by Lisa Whelchel - a book written for moms who "run on empty and end up not being the moms we so desperately want to be." It's a Christian book, but sooo many of the principals can be applied to those who don't profess a faith.
Here's something I came across tonight as I was reading:
The other quote I wanted to share with you is this (as she talked about hunger):
Here's something I came across tonight as I was reading:
Be intentionally aware of everything you allow to enter through your eyes, ears, and heart. What are you watching on television and movies? What are you reading? What kind of music are you listening to? Are
you surrounded by friends that fill you up or tear you down? It isn't just about you. What you allow inside your heart and mind is what will inevitably be poured out on your family. What you receive is, most likely, what you will give.
This was a good confirmation for me - along with certain Scripture passages - to take a look at what's going on with my life, and deal with the things that are pouring negativity into myself and my family.
The other quote I wanted to share with you is this (as she talked about hunger):
By the way, it is my personal opinion that if carbohydrates were so evil, then Jesus would not refer to Himself as the Bread of Life.
:)
Friday, May 2, 2008
An Overhaul
Brave
(Nichole Nordeman)
The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You're safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been
'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything
But it's been love, Your love,
that cuts the strings
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall...
Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I'm gone
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
I wanna be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
©2005 Birdwing Music/Birdboy Music (ASCAP)/Sony/ATV Songs LLC/Joy Jayce (BMI)
To me, this song speaks volumes about not being willing to settle for mediocrity, and fighting for something better in my life. Do I want more? Yes! Which means that I have to make choices (alongside my husband) that others just may not understand or support. Sometimes I have to 'out' the things that cause me to stumble. Sometimes I have to choose to turn away from the things or people who deliberately provoke me or hurt me (the operative word being *deliberate*, as you can never fully avoid hurts and offenses). Sometimes I have to choose a different path for myself... for my health, my family, my boys, my marriage.
And I'm excited about the path I'm on. I'm not on a rampage to change my entire life to become unrecognizable - I'm just "fine-tuning" it, I suppose. Deepening friendships and developing new ones. Spending time on worthwhile projects. Spending more energies on my marriage. Pouring myself into the things that God wants me to do and no longer bowing to the expectations of people who don't really care about me personally anyway. Humbling myself to further growth.
Perfection won't manifest itself until Heaven. But, with the support of family and good friends, we can all make a positive impact on each others' lives - however big or small that impact may be.
Be blessed and encouraged - if there is an area of your life that you feel is dragging you down, and if you've made honest-to-goodness proper efforts to reverse that trend - consider that if it doesn't improve then maybe it's time to move on in that area. You can do this!! None of us should settle for status quo, but always be striving toward something better.
Must run - time to think about the next snack! Have a fabulous day!
(Nichole Nordeman)
The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You're safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been
'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything
But it's been love, Your love,
that cuts the strings
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall...
Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I'm gone
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
I wanna be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
©2005 Birdwing Music/Birdboy Music (ASCAP)/Sony/ATV Songs LLC/Joy Jayce (BMI)
To me, this song speaks volumes about not being willing to settle for mediocrity, and fighting for something better in my life. Do I want more? Yes! Which means that I have to make choices (alongside my husband) that others just may not understand or support. Sometimes I have to 'out' the things that cause me to stumble. Sometimes I have to choose to turn away from the things or people who deliberately provoke me or hurt me (the operative word being *deliberate*, as you can never fully avoid hurts and offenses). Sometimes I have to choose a different path for myself... for my health, my family, my boys, my marriage.
And I'm excited about the path I'm on. I'm not on a rampage to change my entire life to become unrecognizable - I'm just "fine-tuning" it, I suppose. Deepening friendships and developing new ones. Spending time on worthwhile projects. Spending more energies on my marriage. Pouring myself into the things that God wants me to do and no longer bowing to the expectations of people who don't really care about me personally anyway. Humbling myself to further growth.
Perfection won't manifest itself until Heaven. But, with the support of family and good friends, we can all make a positive impact on each others' lives - however big or small that impact may be.
Be blessed and encouraged - if there is an area of your life that you feel is dragging you down, and if you've made honest-to-goodness proper efforts to reverse that trend - consider that if it doesn't improve then maybe it's time to move on in that area. You can do this!! None of us should settle for status quo, but always be striving toward something better.
Must run - time to think about the next snack! Have a fabulous day!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Developments of the stressful dimension
Ever wonder what it would be like to be perfect? Ever wonder what it would be like to be able to rationalize (and expect others to believe and pat them on the back for) the reasons for their behaviour? Hmmm...
I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect. I'll be the first to admit I've said things recently to hurt people - things that I regret. I'll be the first to admit that I need some shaping up. Truly, I do. And I'm working on it - with the help of some good Godly counsel and some honest-to-goodness friends, I am slowly moving towards that end.
I spent much of my early life living with someone who thought he was perfect... who could never do any wrong... who could rationalize every nasty act and bad word as simply 'out of stress' or whatever, without ever taking any responsibility for it.
There's a part of me that wants to hope beyond hope that every damaged relationship can be repaired. But then there's that part of me that has tried and tried again - sometimes for years, in certain cases - and has gotten the slap across the face in the form of deliberate provoking. But how long do you expose yourself to that before you understand that there's something better for you out there?
Is it too much to ask of 'friends' that they don't provoke you? Goodness, it shouldn't even be something to *have* to ask - it's simply understood. I have many friends who don't necessarily believe the same things that I do, but neither side would ever dream of deliberately hurting the other. I like that 'safe place'.
But does there come a time when you simply throw in the towel and decide that you've had enough of the toxicity? It's not about avoiding conflict - most good relationships have had (and subsequently reconciled) conflict. And I've definitely travelled that road, too. But what about when there is no resolution? Would one expect to just sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist? Or would one eventually decide "enough is enough" - and that you can't invest any more emotional effort into something that is one-way, draining, and eventually false? Remember, I'm not talking about a week or so - I'm talking about an extended period of time when one party feels like they've done what they can, and it's just tossed back in their face as if they've done nothing to try and salvage the relationship.
Undoubtedly, a breakup such as this can only be hard and cause all sorts of emotions to rise, many negative, causing you to wonder if there ever was anything good in there? And unfortunately there are often 'associated' people with whom the common link is cut - what about those people?
I'm not asking for perfection, but rather mutual understanding and respect and encouragement. I don't want to settle for superficial relationships on which there is no common ground just for the sake of...what?
I want friends who are true to themselves. I want friends with whom I have a safe place - to laugh, to cry, to rejoice, to grieve, or to just 'be'. I want to know that my friends will lovingly call me out on something they see that is not consistent with the character I am trying to develop. I want them to challenge me when the need arises. I want friends with whom, even though I haven't seen them in a year, I can still pick up a conversation and feel like we just talked yesterday.
I have that now. I really have that now. Bring it on! :)
Blessings!
M.
I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect. I'll be the first to admit I've said things recently to hurt people - things that I regret. I'll be the first to admit that I need some shaping up. Truly, I do. And I'm working on it - with the help of some good Godly counsel and some honest-to-goodness friends, I am slowly moving towards that end.
I spent much of my early life living with someone who thought he was perfect... who could never do any wrong... who could rationalize every nasty act and bad word as simply 'out of stress' or whatever, without ever taking any responsibility for it.
There's a part of me that wants to hope beyond hope that every damaged relationship can be repaired. But then there's that part of me that has tried and tried again - sometimes for years, in certain cases - and has gotten the slap across the face in the form of deliberate provoking. But how long do you expose yourself to that before you understand that there's something better for you out there?
Is it too much to ask of 'friends' that they don't provoke you? Goodness, it shouldn't even be something to *have* to ask - it's simply understood. I have many friends who don't necessarily believe the same things that I do, but neither side would ever dream of deliberately hurting the other. I like that 'safe place'.
But does there come a time when you simply throw in the towel and decide that you've had enough of the toxicity? It's not about avoiding conflict - most good relationships have had (and subsequently reconciled) conflict. And I've definitely travelled that road, too. But what about when there is no resolution? Would one expect to just sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist? Or would one eventually decide "enough is enough" - and that you can't invest any more emotional effort into something that is one-way, draining, and eventually false? Remember, I'm not talking about a week or so - I'm talking about an extended period of time when one party feels like they've done what they can, and it's just tossed back in their face as if they've done nothing to try and salvage the relationship.
Undoubtedly, a breakup such as this can only be hard and cause all sorts of emotions to rise, many negative, causing you to wonder if there ever was anything good in there? And unfortunately there are often 'associated' people with whom the common link is cut - what about those people?
I'm not asking for perfection, but rather mutual understanding and respect and encouragement. I don't want to settle for superficial relationships on which there is no common ground just for the sake of...what?
I want friends who are true to themselves. I want friends with whom I have a safe place - to laugh, to cry, to rejoice, to grieve, or to just 'be'. I want to know that my friends will lovingly call me out on something they see that is not consistent with the character I am trying to develop. I want them to challenge me when the need arises. I want friends with whom, even though I haven't seen them in a year, I can still pick up a conversation and feel like we just talked yesterday.
I have that now. I really have that now. Bring it on! :)
Blessings!
M.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Like a kid in a candy store...
I love deals. LOVE them!!
Yesterday Graeme was home, and so I had a chance to run some errands in the afternoon before worship team. I went to a couple of 'small' errands - one was a drop-off, one was a pick-up... then I went to Ikea... and who doesn't love Ikea? That's rhetorical, by the way - I know there are some who don't like Ikea a whole lot. (You should get your heads checked! :) Well, no *real* deals at Ikea - although I have to say that last time I went to Ikea, I got Dustin's new big-boy bed for $34 in the as-is section. It was regularly well over $100, but the packaging was totally wrecked so it was discounted. You can see the bed in the previous post.
I digress!!
Then I went to Zellers, where I bought a picnic table for the kiddies (sooo cute! I'll post pictures once the snow melts and we can set up the table outside), as well as a patio box to store the boys' outdoor toys in... and I spent all of about $30 for both items.
Then I wound up at Future Shop, where I bought two Wii-motes (remotes for the Wii we have/received a couple months ago)... and didn't pay a single red cent for them. I had to buy the nunchuks, though - Future Shop was sold out so I had to go somewhere else.
So all in all, yesterday I only shelled out around $60 for $390 worth of *stuff*.
I LOVE deals!
Oh, and then I got an e-mail newsletter from splitcoast stampers, my favorite card-making & crafting website. It informed me that "there were some unclaimed prizes from their anniversary prize draws", and that we should go check for our name on their list just in case the vendors couldn't get in contact with us. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I'd won a $50 gift certificate to an online crafting store!! I placed my order, and of course went over the $50 by a smidgen. I ended up paying $8 for 4 stamp sets, some accessories, and shipping!!
Did I mention I LOVE deals??
Yesterday Graeme was home, and so I had a chance to run some errands in the afternoon before worship team. I went to a couple of 'small' errands - one was a drop-off, one was a pick-up... then I went to Ikea... and who doesn't love Ikea? That's rhetorical, by the way - I know there are some who don't like Ikea a whole lot. (You should get your heads checked! :) Well, no *real* deals at Ikea - although I have to say that last time I went to Ikea, I got Dustin's new big-boy bed for $34 in the as-is section. It was regularly well over $100, but the packaging was totally wrecked so it was discounted. You can see the bed in the previous post.
I digress!!
Then I went to Zellers, where I bought a picnic table for the kiddies (sooo cute! I'll post pictures once the snow melts and we can set up the table outside), as well as a patio box to store the boys' outdoor toys in... and I spent all of about $30 for both items.
Then I wound up at Future Shop, where I bought two Wii-motes (remotes for the Wii we have/received a couple months ago)... and didn't pay a single red cent for them. I had to buy the nunchuks, though - Future Shop was sold out so I had to go somewhere else.
So all in all, yesterday I only shelled out around $60 for $390 worth of *stuff*.
I LOVE deals!
Oh, and then I got an e-mail newsletter from splitcoast stampers, my favorite card-making & crafting website. It informed me that "there were some unclaimed prizes from their anniversary prize draws", and that we should go check for our name on their list just in case the vendors couldn't get in contact with us. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I'd won a $50 gift certificate to an online crafting store!! I placed my order, and of course went over the $50 by a smidgen. I ended up paying $8 for 4 stamp sets, some accessories, and shipping!!
Did I mention I LOVE deals??
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Life "out of" a nutshell - grabba java!
Yes, yes, it’s been a while, and I’m not even sure if anyone even reads this thing anymore. That being said, perhaps this is more therapeutic for me than informative for anyone else. :)
It’s been a very busy, crazy, insane few weeks lately. Here’s an update in a bit of a nutshell…
I’m still not feeling as well as I should be. The doctor says I’m on the right track, though, although personally, I’d like to see faster results, thank you very much. But he assures me that all is going according to plan. Hard to trust and be patient when I’ve been wanting health & healing for sooooo long…
The pharmacy is nutsy. ‘Nuff said.
Joshua is good. He’s full of informative statements, some of which are not fit to share on a public blog… let’s just say that he’s a normal curious little boy with ~interesting~ comments and observations that a mother just prays her son will never verbalize in public. :)
He has started another session of Tot Spot at a Rec Centre close to our home. He likes it, and has a lot of fun - it's where he made his teeth. He usually sleeps very well after we get home. I’m thankful that he still naps!! While Joshua is at Tot Spot, Dustin and I usually run some errands and then go on our own little ‘date’ to Tim Hortons… specifically, the location where Melissa, his babysitter, works. He loves to see her. More about Dustin later.
Joshua writes his name fairly well these days, although I haven’t been very diligent in having him practice lately. He just does it when he feels like it, but I know that without much pushing I could get him to print more. The kid is a sponge!! His latest undertaking has been to learn the “Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious” song. He can sing most of it… and then Graeme downloaded the full Mary Poppins version, which Joshua listens to several times a day. Delightful. I’m getting rather sick of the song. :)
Joshua’s main interests lately have been baseball, hockey, lawn-mowing, exploring our acreage, and teaching Dustin all kinds of wonderfully boyish and messy things. Dustin got a pitching machine for his birthday, which Joshua loves to use as well, and he has made some really awesome connections with bat & ball! I hope he takes after me in his love and skill for baseball! Dustin also got a bubble-mower for his birthday, which, yes, of course, Joshua uses mostly. :) Dustin likes to chase the bubbles. It’s all good.
Dustin had a birthday last Sunday! My baby is now two years old. He had a froggie theme for his birthday – my little frog-hunter will be at it again as soon as the frogs appear. Hopefully this year he won’t take it upon himself to try and eat any of them, though.
For D’s birthday, I decorated a cake with froggies on it, made froggie invitations, and had green decorations and plates, etc. The kids got green & yellow jelly-beans and dollar-store frogs in their goody-bags. It was a good time. Dustin also got a snuggly stuffed froggie from some friends, and he lovingly calls it “Oggie”.
Dustin’s speech, while not as quickly-developing as Joshua’s was, is ridiculously cute and funny. Joshua has gotten Dustin to say, in two-syllable fragments, “supercalifragilisticexpialadocious”… quite funny! Dustin’s words are also evolving. He used to call his babysitter, Melissa, “Mm-hmm”. Then, it was “aah”. Then, it was “huss”. More recently, it’s “hass”. Now, if he stops and things about it long enough, he can actually say, in very broken syllables with one-second pauses between them, “Mah – li – hass!” Very cute. He’s so proud of himself when we actually recognize something he’s saying.
Dustin, however, has been sick as of late. It’s been over a week of vomiting and nasty diarrhea – as though there is any other kind, right? Much laundry for me. Poor guy. He’s not eaten decently in days, but seems otherwise happy.
Graeme and I went to a Brian Doerksen concert on Friday night. It was awesome!! Brian Doerksen is a worship leader whose songs have been shared the world around. I love his heart for God. We found out last-minute that he was in town…and I was able to nab some tickets in town at the final hour…it was a good time. His guitar went down, though, around 15 or 20 minutes into the 2 ½ hour concert… he looked a bit like a fish out of water – for a man who leads worship while playing a guitar, he didn’t know what to do with his hands once the guitar was missing! But, at the intermission, they got it working again. The concert was STILL phenomenal, even with the glitches. The simplicity was stirring, the worship inspiring and encouraging. Loved it!
We also got to take a little trip (sans kids) to Banff/Canmore at the beginning of March, and on our way home we stopped at Jordan & Carly’s for a visit. It was nice to see them and their place! We’d gotten to go see them a month or so before, when they were house-sitting someone’s acreage for them – we had the kids with us, and it was a really fun and relaxing time! As much as we love visiting them, we’ll be happy to have them closer to us, as they’re moving back in the next month or so. For how long, we know not, but we’ll take what we can get!
That’s all I shall post for now – not really feeling like diving into ‘deep’ stuff today. Speaking of ‘deep stuff’… we’ve gotten at least 6 or 8 inches of snow, probably more by now… last Sunday, for Dustin’s birthday, it was +22 degrees (we got a new patio set and a basketball net for the occasion since we were having so many people over), and today, it’s around –10, and the snow has been falling since Friday night – I checked earlier tonight and we had over 9 inches on our driveway around dinnertime. I checked the weather network website, and we’re supposed to get another 4-6 inches by tomorrow evening. Niiiiice. The only bonus is that I can take the sleds out again with the boys… maybe even strap on the skis once again. I’m just glad I didn’t order the 3 yards of dirt I was going to have delivered on Friday… it’d be a total disaster to contend with right now!
I’ll try to be a little more diligent with my postings…
Be blessed today – even in the snow!
Some random pictures:
My two bicycle boys - Joshua loves to teach Dustin how to ride.
The boys showing off matching RCMP tattoos
Dustin looking for Easter eggs at Gramma "Easter-Bunny's" house.
Charis and Joshua on their own egg hunt!
Joshua in a quiet moment, trying to open a chocolate egg...
Our little nephew Aidan (and his Daddy) - on Easter day
Dustin's latest thing to do at night is make sure there's no lint stuck between his toes...
One of Dustin's many 'dress-up' times.
Daddy putting Dustin to bed in his big-boy bed for the first time - Joshua was 'helping'
Dustin was having a tough day :)
A picture of Graeme - I love this shot!
I may have posted this somewhere else, but I thought it too priceless, so I'm posting it again! :) My little Storm-Cloud!
This is from our LAST big snow-fall - we thought we were done with the plow!
Mr. Dressup - at a family day gathering at our church
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