Sometimes God answers our prayers in ways that we aren't expecting... go figure. God's plans are not always in line with mine. The thing about God is that He sees the bigger picture that I can never even hope to imagine. I, along with Deric and Amber and many of you, prayed for a roommate to fill the empty spot in this home, specifically praying that we would find someone by February 1st. What I expected and hoped for was a roommate with similar values, interests, and passions... someone who would be more than just a roommate, but also a friend. In spite of my own hopes and expectations, my desire to trust God (and see His plans come to pass in my life) was more important. Even before moving to Vancouver, I felt very strongly that God was in this... in every detail, including who would be my roommate. Something tells me that God's up to something exciting that I can't even begin to dream up. I have a roommate... I believe that she is an answer to our prayers. Her name is Rayna. She is 18 years old and, at least at the outset, it appears as though we have about as little in common as possible. If I had met Rayna one month ago, I would not have pegged her as a potential candidate for a new roommate. However, God, with His "big picture" perspective saw it fitting for the paths of these two unlikely strangers to not only cross, but intertwine for a time. In praying about the decision, I felt as though God were reminding me of the heart that He has given me for youth. It occurred to me that, although the situation may be a little unexpected, here is a teenager, whose life I will be given a wonderful opportunity to invest in. I also think that God is going to teach me a lot of lessons through Rayna. So, I'm excited. Excited to have a roommate. Excited to find those little things we do have in common. Excited for the possibility of an unexpected friendship. And most of all, excited to see what God has in store.
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Potential roommate...
Hey all! I can't write too much right now because I need to leave the house in five minutes for work, but I just wanted to put a quick post to update you on the roommate situation. A young girl came yesterday while I was at work to look at the place and LOVED it! That in and of itself is pretty amazing, cause most of the other people who have seen it had a less positive reaction. She told Amber on the spot that she would take it if it was offered to her. Amber took her number and had me call her last night to set up a time that I could meet with her. She is coming today after I get home from work and we're going to have tea (that was her idea... I like it). From what Amber tells me she's young (18) but has been on her own for a while. Amber says that she's very different, but seems really sweet. As far as we know she's not a Christian, which is fine with me as long as she's someone that I feel I can trust. Please pray for wisdom as I meet with her today. I took some time last night to pray in the empty bedroom for whomever would be moving in. So far everyone else who was interested has said no. There were a couple of awesome girls who I would have loved to live with, and was a little bummed about that. We've been praying all along that God would bring along the right person.... and perhaps that person is not who I may have expected. So please pray about it for me. Thanks so much... my five minutes are up... I need to jet! Have a nice day.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
New pictures posted
Hey all! I've posted new pictures on my photosite http://cemery6.photosite.com/ from Stanley Park the other day. It really is as beautiful as it looks in the pictures.
This workshop that I attended this weekend was amazing! It was all about the marginalized in our society and God's mandate to us to love. We looked through the Scriptures at some of the hundreds of passages that demonstrate God's heart for the orphans, widows, and the poor along with His instructions to us regarding these marginalized groups. It was very powerful! It was also a great chance to meet a few other people with similar hearts, who I think may become good friends over time.
This workshop that I attended this weekend was amazing! It was all about the marginalized in our society and God's mandate to us to love. We looked through the Scriptures at some of the hundreds of passages that demonstrate God's heart for the orphans, widows, and the poor along with His instructions to us regarding these marginalized groups. It was very powerful! It was also a great chance to meet a few other people with similar hearts, who I think may become good friends over time.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Beauty, attitudes and Vancouver driving tips.
Yesterday was perhaps the most beautiful day that Vancouver has seen since I arrived. Seeing the city on a clear, bright, and sunny day was absolutely breathtaking! I am so excited about living here... I can't wait until summer! I only had to be at work until 2pm yesterday, so after work I decided to go out to Stanley Park. Parts of the seawall are still closed (a huge storm wiped out a ton of trees and caused a big mess in the park back in around Christmas - the cleanup is still in progress) but I walked as much of it as I could and took one of the roads back. I took a lot of pictures. When I get a few minutes I'll post them on my photosite for you guys to see. Amazing!
My job seemed a little less exciting today after I was squirted with crab chowder first thing in the morning and learned that I would, indeed, as I kinda suspected, only be making minimum wage (at least to start off). I had to do a major attitude check this morning because after that my attitude and thoughts got pretty ugly. I started thinking along the lines of "This is ridiculous. I have a Master's degree and I'm getting paid minimum wage to work in a mall serving soup". After a while though, I was reminded that I should be grateful to have a job, and especially that I was able to find one that was full-time. I also realized that even though this job doesn't pay me much, I've had more fun in the last three days serving soup than I had many days at previous jobs. When I started to put things into perspective and decided to make the best of things, the day started to get much better. It really is a fun job, and I'm glad for this time. Even in serving soup, I will do it as unto the Lord.
Yesterday not one, but two of the other places I had applied for called me to offer me interviews. One was the Starbucks close to my house... a job that I would have jumped at one week ago... I have to believe that things don't just happen by accident and that for some reason, although Starbucks had my resume much longer, Soup Etc! called me a week earlier. I think that for now, that is where I need to be, for whatever reasons, yet unknown to me. The opportunity is out there though and the manager at Starbucks told me that I could call her back if at any point in the future I was interested in working there, even if it was just doing part-time shifts... maybe an option to consider down the road.
This weekend I am planning to attend a workshop put on by Jacob's Well, a Christian ministry here in Vancouver that works with the homeless population. The workshop is something they do once every three months for free... and apparently they fill up fast. Deric and Amber work very closely with this ministry, and Deric found out today that they had a group back out at the last minute from the workshop that is scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday, leaving some open spaces. Yeah! So tomorrow night and all day Saturday I'll be there. I'm very excited. It should be a great way for me to get a better idea about the different types of ministries that work in the city and how to get involved.
The search for a roommate is still on, and getting down to the wire. The girl from England, who I was really hoping would live here, decided that she wanted to be in a location closer to the area she is hoping to work in. We've had a couple of other girls check it out since then, but so far nobody who has decided they want to stay.
I'm learning a lot about how to drive in Vancouver (it really is different than any place I have lived before). Here are some things that one would need to know about the traffic rules in Vancouver:
1. Green flashing lights DO NOT mean advanced green (really). They just mean that you have a green light and will for an indefinite amount of time.
2. In many cases, green flashing lights are used at intersections where a smaller side street meets a major road. The people driving on the major road have a green flashing light, while the people on the side street have a stop sign. The green flashing lights in these cases do not change to red on the behalf of cars sitting at the stop sign waiting to turn. No they only turn for pedestrians and bicyclists who press the button (I'm thinking on busy traffic days I should just jump out of my car to push the button... a little like a new and improved "Chinese Fire Drill"). Therefore, flashing green lights are the new pedestrian crosswalk symbol.
3. However, pedestrians pretty much rule the roadways anyway. I mean, I know that they have the right of way everywhere, but here, they take that job seriously. In Vancouver, you CANNOT actually turn right on a green light... unless you are playing the "see how many pedestrians you can hit" game.
4. It's very important to know that red lights DO NOT actually mean stop... they really mean LEFT TURN. So, red lights are the new flashing greens or green arrows.
5. Green arrows DO NOT actually mean advanced green, they actually mean stop.
6. Yellow arrows mean start making left hand turns whenever possible (ie. when oncoming traffic or left hand turners from the other street have finally come to a stop).
7. Red arrows mean FAST, FAST, FAST, GO, GO, GO (similar to red lights). When a red arrow is displayed, it is required that five cars quickly make left turns before the light turns green and oncoming traffic starts moving toward you.
8. Green lights mean wait... wait for those stinkin left hand turners to get out of your way so that you can start moving (hopefully before the light is red again).
So all this to say, I've come to some conclusions about driving here in the city...
a) Everyone who lives here must be colour blind.
b) Driver's ed. programs are failing miserably.
c) Police are too busy to care.
d) It's no wonder everyone uses the buses and sky train!
My job seemed a little less exciting today after I was squirted with crab chowder first thing in the morning and learned that I would, indeed, as I kinda suspected, only be making minimum wage (at least to start off). I had to do a major attitude check this morning because after that my attitude and thoughts got pretty ugly. I started thinking along the lines of "This is ridiculous. I have a Master's degree and I'm getting paid minimum wage to work in a mall serving soup". After a while though, I was reminded that I should be grateful to have a job, and especially that I was able to find one that was full-time. I also realized that even though this job doesn't pay me much, I've had more fun in the last three days serving soup than I had many days at previous jobs. When I started to put things into perspective and decided to make the best of things, the day started to get much better. It really is a fun job, and I'm glad for this time. Even in serving soup, I will do it as unto the Lord.
Yesterday not one, but two of the other places I had applied for called me to offer me interviews. One was the Starbucks close to my house... a job that I would have jumped at one week ago... I have to believe that things don't just happen by accident and that for some reason, although Starbucks had my resume much longer, Soup Etc! called me a week earlier. I think that for now, that is where I need to be, for whatever reasons, yet unknown to me. The opportunity is out there though and the manager at Starbucks told me that I could call her back if at any point in the future I was interested in working there, even if it was just doing part-time shifts... maybe an option to consider down the road.
This weekend I am planning to attend a workshop put on by Jacob's Well, a Christian ministry here in Vancouver that works with the homeless population. The workshop is something they do once every three months for free... and apparently they fill up fast. Deric and Amber work very closely with this ministry, and Deric found out today that they had a group back out at the last minute from the workshop that is scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday, leaving some open spaces. Yeah! So tomorrow night and all day Saturday I'll be there. I'm very excited. It should be a great way for me to get a better idea about the different types of ministries that work in the city and how to get involved.
The search for a roommate is still on, and getting down to the wire. The girl from England, who I was really hoping would live here, decided that she wanted to be in a location closer to the area she is hoping to work in. We've had a couple of other girls check it out since then, but so far nobody who has decided they want to stay.
I'm learning a lot about how to drive in Vancouver (it really is different than any place I have lived before). Here are some things that one would need to know about the traffic rules in Vancouver:
1. Green flashing lights DO NOT mean advanced green (really). They just mean that you have a green light and will for an indefinite amount of time.
2. In many cases, green flashing lights are used at intersections where a smaller side street meets a major road. The people driving on the major road have a green flashing light, while the people on the side street have a stop sign. The green flashing lights in these cases do not change to red on the behalf of cars sitting at the stop sign waiting to turn. No they only turn for pedestrians and bicyclists who press the button (I'm thinking on busy traffic days I should just jump out of my car to push the button... a little like a new and improved "Chinese Fire Drill"). Therefore, flashing green lights are the new pedestrian crosswalk symbol.
3. However, pedestrians pretty much rule the roadways anyway. I mean, I know that they have the right of way everywhere, but here, they take that job seriously. In Vancouver, you CANNOT actually turn right on a green light... unless you are playing the "see how many pedestrians you can hit" game.
4. It's very important to know that red lights DO NOT actually mean stop... they really mean LEFT TURN. So, red lights are the new flashing greens or green arrows.
5. Green arrows DO NOT actually mean advanced green, they actually mean stop.
6. Yellow arrows mean start making left hand turns whenever possible (ie. when oncoming traffic or left hand turners from the other street have finally come to a stop).
7. Red arrows mean FAST, FAST, FAST, GO, GO, GO (similar to red lights). When a red arrow is displayed, it is required that five cars quickly make left turns before the light turns green and oncoming traffic starts moving toward you.
8. Green lights mean wait... wait for those stinkin left hand turners to get out of your way so that you can start moving (hopefully before the light is red again).
So all this to say, I've come to some conclusions about driving here in the city...
a) Everyone who lives here must be colour blind.
b) Driver's ed. programs are failing miserably.
c) Police are too busy to care.
d) It's no wonder everyone uses the buses and sky train!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
First Day on the job, a social outing, and creepy window washers.
I started work at Soup Etc! today. It was quite a lot of fun! I got to taste all nine of the soups we were serving today... it's actually sort of a job requirement. We have to check to make sure the soup's are hot enough before serving them... so this means either standing over each pot of soup with a thermometer and waiting, or just tasting them and saying "Yup, they're hot". I much prefer this extremely scientific method. I was quite impressed with all of the different soups. I love the free food... and good free food at that! Yeah!
Today I worked from 10-6, but once I am fully trained, I'll be working from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Although I still don't know exactly what my hourly wage is (how bad is that? I just couldn't bring myself to ask), my boss told me today that once I am trained and get into the position full swing, my rate of pay would get bumped up since I would be considered the shift supervisor (because I'm the daytime staff person). Sweet!
Being at the mall is actually a fun place to work... especially if you're someone who loves to watch people (and I do). Today's highlight was the middle-aged lady who was running (the just beyond skipping kind of running) through the food court flapping her hands in the air. At first I thought she was trying to flag down a friend, but nope, she just kept running... she almost looked as though she was trying to fly. She looked happy all the while, it wasn't as if she was running away from something out of fear. Quite interesting. I expect that working at the mall will be quite entertaining.
Both my boss and the other staff member that I worked with today were really nice. They even invited me out with them after work along with 3 other girls who work at different Soup Etc! locations. It was fun to hang out with a group of girls my age and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each of them a little bit and I look forward to the ways that God will use these developing relationships with coworkers in cool and exciting ways.
When we left tonight, Lindsay gave me directions from where we were to where I needed to be to get in the direction heading home. She told me to lock my doors since I had to go up to Main St./Hastings (AKA - the shadiest part of the city). I'm kinda glad I did have my doors locked. A man who was trying to make money washing people's windows (formerly they would have been called "squeegee boys" but I don't feel the title exactly fits since A. - he was a grown man and B. - he didn't even actually have a squeegee, just a rag and a spray bottle) walked in front of my car and asked using gestures if he could wash my windows. I firmly shook my head "No", but he continued to insist, until finally he just started washing my window (this is all while at a red light... it felt like the longest red light ever, although I'm sure it wasn't really, it just seemed that way). I tried inching my car forward a bit, and indicating to him using gestures and head shakes (cause there was NO WAY ON EARTH I was about to open my window at that point) that I had no money (True... $0 cash in my wallet) and I did not require his services. He still didn't get the hint, but the light turned green so I was GONE! Ay ay ay... After that I took a nice drive around the city in the dark (took a wrong tun somewhere), but made it home safe in the end. The lesson I learned... I should avoid the downtown eastside after dark, especially if I'm alone (not that I was planning to hang out down there at night to begin with). It's pretty creepy at night in that area.
Today I worked from 10-6, but once I am fully trained, I'll be working from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Although I still don't know exactly what my hourly wage is (how bad is that? I just couldn't bring myself to ask), my boss told me today that once I am trained and get into the position full swing, my rate of pay would get bumped up since I would be considered the shift supervisor (because I'm the daytime staff person). Sweet!
Being at the mall is actually a fun place to work... especially if you're someone who loves to watch people (and I do). Today's highlight was the middle-aged lady who was running (the just beyond skipping kind of running) through the food court flapping her hands in the air. At first I thought she was trying to flag down a friend, but nope, she just kept running... she almost looked as though she was trying to fly. She looked happy all the while, it wasn't as if she was running away from something out of fear. Quite interesting. I expect that working at the mall will be quite entertaining.
Both my boss and the other staff member that I worked with today were really nice. They even invited me out with them after work along with 3 other girls who work at different Soup Etc! locations. It was fun to hang out with a group of girls my age and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each of them a little bit and I look forward to the ways that God will use these developing relationships with coworkers in cool and exciting ways.
When we left tonight, Lindsay gave me directions from where we were to where I needed to be to get in the direction heading home. She told me to lock my doors since I had to go up to Main St./Hastings (AKA - the shadiest part of the city). I'm kinda glad I did have my doors locked. A man who was trying to make money washing people's windows (formerly they would have been called "squeegee boys" but I don't feel the title exactly fits since A. - he was a grown man and B. - he didn't even actually have a squeegee, just a rag and a spray bottle) walked in front of my car and asked using gestures if he could wash my windows. I firmly shook my head "No", but he continued to insist, until finally he just started washing my window (this is all while at a red light... it felt like the longest red light ever, although I'm sure it wasn't really, it just seemed that way). I tried inching my car forward a bit, and indicating to him using gestures and head shakes (cause there was NO WAY ON EARTH I was about to open my window at that point) that I had no money (True... $0 cash in my wallet) and I did not require his services. He still didn't get the hint, but the light turned green so I was GONE! Ay ay ay... After that I took a nice drive around the city in the dark (took a wrong tun somewhere), but made it home safe in the end. The lesson I learned... I should avoid the downtown eastside after dark, especially if I'm alone (not that I was planning to hang out down there at night to begin with). It's pretty creepy at night in that area.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Fresh produce.
Grrr... So, it's 10pm on Sunday night. Lindsay from Soup Etc! said she would call me to let me know about the job on Sunday night.... so far no phone call at all. I'm guessing that I won't be starting tomorrow morning if I haven't heard anything at this point. Perhaps I will still be unemployed tomorrow... in which case I guess it's back to putting out more resumes for me. I'm really craving ice-cream right now... but it's crazy expensive here, so no ice-cream for me. That will be the first thing I treat myself to when I get a job.
On a more positive note, after church today, I walked up to the fresh market. It was raining, but I decided to walk anyway. It only takes 15 minutes each way. I was very excited at the load of fresh fruits and veggies I was able to get for an incredible price. For only $9.95, I bought: A small butternut squash, a mango, two grapefruits, an English cucumber, snow peas, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bean sprouts, garlic, green onions, and a cauliflower. Yeah! I had an amazing salad for lunch when I got home. It made my day... even the rain and the disappointment about not hearing back about the job can't spoil that :)
On a more positive note, after church today, I walked up to the fresh market. It was raining, but I decided to walk anyway. It only takes 15 minutes each way. I was very excited at the load of fresh fruits and veggies I was able to get for an incredible price. For only $9.95, I bought: A small butternut squash, a mango, two grapefruits, an English cucumber, snow peas, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bean sprouts, garlic, green onions, and a cauliflower. Yeah! I had an amazing salad for lunch when I got home. It made my day... even the rain and the disappointment about not hearing back about the job can't spoil that :)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
My new piece of furniture
So I don't know anything for sure yet, but I really liked the girl who came to check out the place today, and would love to have her be my roommate. I think that we do have a lot in common, and she seems really nice. Deric and Amber both liked her too. They asked her to let them know in the next couple of days since there are a few other girls coming to look at it on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. I guess we'll see...
I received the first of my "left behind" boxes in the mail today. I asked my dad to mail this one to me last week, knowing that it held all of my extra bedding and warm blankets. Ah, warmth!!! I also am excited because the box that the blankets (and some games) were packed in was actually my big blue Rubbermaid container. Like a faithful companion, it's travelled all over North America with me (or by Canada Post). I bought it in Regina to use as extra storage... and for a while it served as a laundry basket. When I moved home from Regina, it got mailed from Regina to Windsor full of things that I didn't have room for on the plane. While in Windsor it was used as storage. When I moved to Virginia Beach, that trusty old Rubbermaid came with me, packed with belongings... then back to Windsor it came when I graduated. There wasn't room for it in my car coming out to Vancouver, so once again it travelled by mail... and now here it is in Vancouver with me. It now serves as a linen closet and a nightstand. What more could a girl ask for? My alarm clock finally has somewhere to sit, and I have lots of warm blankets. Life is good.
I received the first of my "left behind" boxes in the mail today. I asked my dad to mail this one to me last week, knowing that it held all of my extra bedding and warm blankets. Ah, warmth!!! I also am excited because the box that the blankets (and some games) were packed in was actually my big blue Rubbermaid container. Like a faithful companion, it's travelled all over North America with me (or by Canada Post). I bought it in Regina to use as extra storage... and for a while it served as a laundry basket. When I moved home from Regina, it got mailed from Regina to Windsor full of things that I didn't have room for on the plane. While in Windsor it was used as storage. When I moved to Virginia Beach, that trusty old Rubbermaid came with me, packed with belongings... then back to Windsor it came when I graduated. There wasn't room for it in my car coming out to Vancouver, so once again it travelled by mail... and now here it is in Vancouver with me. It now serves as a linen closet and a nightstand. What more could a girl ask for? My alarm clock finally has somewhere to sit, and I have lots of warm blankets. Life is good.
Friday, January 19, 2007
From broken toilets to soup and roommates.
I went to bed last night with a splitting headache and a broken toilet (grrr). I prayed that God would fix both while I slept (the headache was enough to make me want to cry, and I don't know anything about plumbing). I woke up this morning headache free, but with a toilet that still didn't work. Knowing that God is still God and must have some reason for allowing me to have to deal with a broken toilet, I went in search of help. Fortunately Deric was home. Just as he was about to call a plumber, he managed to get that toilet back to normal working condition (well, as normal as this toilet has ever been). I'm very glad that it didn't overflow, as I had just spent all afternoon yesterday cleaning the bathroom. Sometimes toilets break, it's a fact of life that at some point we will all have to face. Things don't always work the way we want them to. Sometimes you need to be humble and ask for help in order to solve the problem. Anything that can be broken, can also be fixed. This is what I learned from the broken toilet.
I had my interview at Soup Etc! today. It sounds like it would be a pretty cool job... and I would get FREE lunch every day (I am a big fan of free food, especially if it's good)! It's a very cool little place. They have 40 different kinds of soup, 8 of them are served each day. They also have sandwiches and muffins and coffee and stuff like that. If you want to check it out, here's their web site: http://www.soupetcetera.com/ It's a healthy alternative to fast food. Look at me, I haven't even been given the job yet and I'm already a walking billboard for them. They really should just hire me ;)
The manager was interviewing a few people today and told me that she would make her final decision by Sunday night. I think she liked me, and I expect that she'll offer me the job. She asked if I could start on Monday if she hires me. Uh... YES! She brought up the fact that she knew given my experience and education that this would probably not be a long-term job for me. She told me that she was totally o.k. with that. She said that even if I only stayed for a few months, as long as I got something good from the experience and was able to give something to them, it would be worth it in her eyes. I like her perspective! That was one of the things I was worried about - taking a job and having something in my field come up and feeling bad about quitting. It was like she had read my mind, and expressed that she would fully support me moving on to something else at whatever point in the future that time came. She seems like she would be a very good boss and it sounds like a cool company to work for. I have no idea what the pay is... I feel like you're not supposed to ask that in an interview and she didn't bring it up. I have a feeling it's not much more than minimum wage (but I'm hoping and praying that it is). But, like I said to my dad... 40 hours of minimum wage is a heck of a lot better than 0 hours with $0 wages. I'm kinda excited and hoping that I get it. It would only be weekday hours. That leaves my nights and weekends to do some volunteering, get involved in a ministry, and maybe still have some free time...
FREE TIME... sweet free time. Although unemployed is not so good, I am really enjoying having free time for the first time in a LONG time! It's great! No. It's better than great... it's magnificently splendid! I actually have time to cook real meals... no more rushed microwave dinners on the way out the door to run from one place to the next. I feel like I have time to breathe and I'm really enjoying the fresh air. I hope that my life never has to feel as crazy, stressful, and hectic as it did in the last four or five months before leaving Virginia Beach! Life is much less enjoyable that way.
Oh, I also took the sky train today for the first time. I should have taken the bus to the sky train station (in nice weather I could even walk... it's about 1.5 miles from my house... that would be a pretty long walk though so maybe not), but I sorta cheated and drove to the station. I was afraid I'd get on the bus going in the wrong direction and end up being really late. I parked my car in Safeway's parking lot - since I was only gone for a couple of hours I figured I could get away with doing that. If I was gone all day there would be no way... my car would probably get towed (there are signs in the parking lot proclaiming a one hour limit for parking). Anyway, the sky train is very cool. It only takes 7 minutes to get downtown from the Broadway station (the REAL downtown that is... I feel like I live downtown, but technically I don't... technically I live on the east side... in Hastings-Sunrise area/neighbourhood... I think. If you ask me, all of Vancouver feels like "downtown"). If any of you are interested, I found a really good Vancouver website that has a section detailing each of the different neighbourhoods. I thought it was cool. If your bored, or planning to visit :) you should check it out: http://www.vancouveruserguide.com/
One more exciting thing today (this is getting long). Amber told me that tomorrow afternoon (3pm) there is a girl coming to check out the other room and apartment and see if she wants to move in. It sounds like she may be a perfect match... she's 27 years old, new to the area (she had another place to live and it fell through at the last minute), and is here because she feels called by God to this area. She is a Canadian citizen, but grew up in England. She is looking for a job here and trying to get involved in ministry in the downtown eastside (that's the area that has the high rates of homelessness and drugs). Hmm... does she sound at all like anyone else we know (except for the growing up in England part)? Please pray for Deric and Amber and I as we meet her tomorrow, that if she is the right person to fill the empty spot in this house that God would make that clear to us and to her. I'm really excited to meet her, and hope that it will work out. I'll post an update tomorrow. Well, that's all for tonight. It's already past midnight... yikes! Goodnight!
I had my interview at Soup Etc! today. It sounds like it would be a pretty cool job... and I would get FREE lunch every day (I am a big fan of free food, especially if it's good)! It's a very cool little place. They have 40 different kinds of soup, 8 of them are served each day. They also have sandwiches and muffins and coffee and stuff like that. If you want to check it out, here's their web site: http://www.soupetcetera.com/ It's a healthy alternative to fast food. Look at me, I haven't even been given the job yet and I'm already a walking billboard for them. They really should just hire me ;)
The manager was interviewing a few people today and told me that she would make her final decision by Sunday night. I think she liked me, and I expect that she'll offer me the job. She asked if I could start on Monday if she hires me. Uh... YES! She brought up the fact that she knew given my experience and education that this would probably not be a long-term job for me. She told me that she was totally o.k. with that. She said that even if I only stayed for a few months, as long as I got something good from the experience and was able to give something to them, it would be worth it in her eyes. I like her perspective! That was one of the things I was worried about - taking a job and having something in my field come up and feeling bad about quitting. It was like she had read my mind, and expressed that she would fully support me moving on to something else at whatever point in the future that time came. She seems like she would be a very good boss and it sounds like a cool company to work for. I have no idea what the pay is... I feel like you're not supposed to ask that in an interview and she didn't bring it up. I have a feeling it's not much more than minimum wage (but I'm hoping and praying that it is). But, like I said to my dad... 40 hours of minimum wage is a heck of a lot better than 0 hours with $0 wages. I'm kinda excited and hoping that I get it. It would only be weekday hours. That leaves my nights and weekends to do some volunteering, get involved in a ministry, and maybe still have some free time...
FREE TIME... sweet free time. Although unemployed is not so good, I am really enjoying having free time for the first time in a LONG time! It's great! No. It's better than great... it's magnificently splendid! I actually have time to cook real meals... no more rushed microwave dinners on the way out the door to run from one place to the next. I feel like I have time to breathe and I'm really enjoying the fresh air. I hope that my life never has to feel as crazy, stressful, and hectic as it did in the last four or five months before leaving Virginia Beach! Life is much less enjoyable that way.
Oh, I also took the sky train today for the first time. I should have taken the bus to the sky train station (in nice weather I could even walk... it's about 1.5 miles from my house... that would be a pretty long walk though so maybe not), but I sorta cheated and drove to the station. I was afraid I'd get on the bus going in the wrong direction and end up being really late. I parked my car in Safeway's parking lot - since I was only gone for a couple of hours I figured I could get away with doing that. If I was gone all day there would be no way... my car would probably get towed (there are signs in the parking lot proclaiming a one hour limit for parking). Anyway, the sky train is very cool. It only takes 7 minutes to get downtown from the Broadway station (the REAL downtown that is... I feel like I live downtown, but technically I don't... technically I live on the east side... in Hastings-Sunrise area/neighbourhood... I think. If you ask me, all of Vancouver feels like "downtown"). If any of you are interested, I found a really good Vancouver website that has a section detailing each of the different neighbourhoods. I thought it was cool. If your bored, or planning to visit :) you should check it out: http://www.vancouveruserguide.com/
One more exciting thing today (this is getting long). Amber told me that tomorrow afternoon (3pm) there is a girl coming to check out the other room and apartment and see if she wants to move in. It sounds like she may be a perfect match... she's 27 years old, new to the area (she had another place to live and it fell through at the last minute), and is here because she feels called by God to this area. She is a Canadian citizen, but grew up in England. She is looking for a job here and trying to get involved in ministry in the downtown eastside (that's the area that has the high rates of homelessness and drugs). Hmm... does she sound at all like anyone else we know (except for the growing up in England part)? Please pray for Deric and Amber and I as we meet her tomorrow, that if she is the right person to fill the empty spot in this house that God would make that clear to us and to her. I'm really excited to meet her, and hope that it will work out. I'll post an update tomorrow. Well, that's all for tonight. It's already past midnight... yikes! Goodnight!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
One job interview coming up...
The last couple of days I have been focused on getting out resumes and applications. So far I've sent out 15 resumes - 3 of them went to Christian miistries that work in the downtown area, 1 to a counselling/community service agency, 1 to a tutoring company, 1 to a childcare staffing company, 1 to a grocery store, and the rest to cafes, coffee shops, and things of that sort. I have information for two more counselling organizations that I intend to send resumes to later tonight or tomorrow... and there are always plenty more Starbuck's that I can hit with resumes tomorrow if I need to. So far I haven't heard from any employers yet, but it has only been a few days. I'm finding hard to be patient, but I know that God's got in under control so I'm trying very hard to not be stressed and enjoy this time.
Last night Amber and I went to check out the Asian grocery store around the corner from our house. I managed to find vinegar and edamame, which made my night. For anyone who's never tried edamame (soy beans), you should... they're delicious. You can get them anywhere you can get sushi.
I'm learning to cook without using a microwave. Last night I turned leftover rice and chicken into chicken fried rice. Add some spinach and VOILA... a meal made of leftovers using only a stove. It's actually not as bad as I thought (living without a microwave), it just requires a little more advanced planning.
***NEWS BREAK: As I was sitting here doing my blog and watching American Idol (they're doing the Seattle auditions... it's pretty hillarious... there are a lot of people out there who think that they can sing, but CAN'T... sad really). Anyway, I got a call from the manager of Soup Etc (one of the places I sent my resume). It's a soup and sandwich type place. I have an interview on Friday at 2:30pm.
Something to pray about. I have no idea what they pay, and obviously serving soup is not my long term goal, but it may be a good job for now (I bet I'd get some free meals out of the job:) It's a Monday - Friday, daytime hours job, which is appealing. On the one hand, I don't want to jump on the first thing that comes along... what if the day after I take a job, sommething in my field comes along? But, on the other hand, I feel like I can't afford NOT to jump on the first thing that comes along... If someone has a job they're willing to give me and I turn it down, what if nothing else comes along for three months? So if the soup interview goes well, I may have a job to start on Monday. In the meantime, we can pray that if I'm meant to be somewhere else, that they would call before Friday :)
Last night Amber and I went to check out the Asian grocery store around the corner from our house. I managed to find vinegar and edamame, which made my night. For anyone who's never tried edamame (soy beans), you should... they're delicious. You can get them anywhere you can get sushi.
I'm learning to cook without using a microwave. Last night I turned leftover rice and chicken into chicken fried rice. Add some spinach and VOILA... a meal made of leftovers using only a stove. It's actually not as bad as I thought (living without a microwave), it just requires a little more advanced planning.
***NEWS BREAK: As I was sitting here doing my blog and watching American Idol (they're doing the Seattle auditions... it's pretty hillarious... there are a lot of people out there who think that they can sing, but CAN'T... sad really). Anyway, I got a call from the manager of Soup Etc (one of the places I sent my resume). It's a soup and sandwich type place. I have an interview on Friday at 2:30pm.
Something to pray about. I have no idea what they pay, and obviously serving soup is not my long term goal, but it may be a good job for now (I bet I'd get some free meals out of the job:) It's a Monday - Friday, daytime hours job, which is appealing. On the one hand, I don't want to jump on the first thing that comes along... what if the day after I take a job, sommething in my field comes along? But, on the other hand, I feel like I can't afford NOT to jump on the first thing that comes along... If someone has a job they're willing to give me and I turn it down, what if nothing else comes along for three months? So if the soup interview goes well, I may have a job to start on Monday. In the meantime, we can pray that if I'm meant to be somewhere else, that they would call before Friday :)
Monday, January 15, 2007
Little surprises... meeting new people :)
I dropped my mom off at the airport today, which was much less of an ordeal than I thought it might be (the airport was very clearly marked). My mom however has had quite the trip home. I haven't talked with her yet, but my dad just sent an e-mail saying that her plane is due to arrive in Windsor at 2:04am - much later than she originally expected to arrive at home. I'm sure she'll be pretty tired tomorrow (not to mention messed up because of the three hour time change). It was really great having my mom here for the last week, and I am sad to see her go. I wish I could keep her here in Vancouver with me. I expected that tonight would feel a little lonely... my first night here all by myself. But, God is good, and when you least expect it, he brings along little surprises....
Yesterday I was disappointed that I didn't meet a single soul at church, but today made up for it! Deric and Amber (the couple I'm renting from) invited me to go with them for dinner with some friends/colleagues. Deric and Amber work for a missions organization that trains Christian leaders. The other staff on their team (two other couples) and some friends get together every Monday night at one of their homes for a meal and fellowship. Yeah! I had such a wonderful time and met three other wonderful Christian couples and their children. It really was a wonderful evening (and the fact that it meant a good meal for free was a bonus)! Two of the women I met gave me suggestions of people I may want to talk to in order to find out more about the ministry opportunities out there (connections are good). The evening also provided a good chance to get to know Deric and Amber a little better. I really am convinced that me finding them was a God thing, and I look forward to getting to know them more. Please continue to pray that we will be able to find a roommate for me by the beginning of February. Also continue to pray about jobs. I plan to spend all day tomorrow dropping off more resumes at places that are advertising available positions... and then maybe spend the evening finishing up with cleaning my new home.
Yesterday I was disappointed that I didn't meet a single soul at church, but today made up for it! Deric and Amber (the couple I'm renting from) invited me to go with them for dinner with some friends/colleagues. Deric and Amber work for a missions organization that trains Christian leaders. The other staff on their team (two other couples) and some friends get together every Monday night at one of their homes for a meal and fellowship. Yeah! I had such a wonderful time and met three other wonderful Christian couples and their children. It really was a wonderful evening (and the fact that it meant a good meal for free was a bonus)! Two of the women I met gave me suggestions of people I may want to talk to in order to find out more about the ministry opportunities out there (connections are good). The evening also provided a good chance to get to know Deric and Amber a little better. I really am convinced that me finding them was a God thing, and I look forward to getting to know them more. Please continue to pray that we will be able to find a roommate for me by the beginning of February. Also continue to pray about jobs. I plan to spend all day tomorrow dropping off more resumes at places that are advertising available positions... and then maybe spend the evening finishing up with cleaning my new home.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Exploring new territory....
During the past couple of days, my mom and I have done a lot of exploring. We have ventured out to various parts of downtown (my place is VERY close to downtown) Vancouver. Yesterday we walked up and down Commercial Drive (not to be confused with Commissioner Drive, which is not actually the name of a street in Vancouver... at least not that we can tell... not a major street anyway), and were impressed with all of the little coffee shops and multiethnic restaurants and markets. Today we went over to Granville Island, which was really fun. They have an indoor market with everything from produce stands, to fresh fish, to any kind of food you can imagine. There are also lots of little shops and fun places to check out. We figure it would be a lot more fun in the summer when it's not so cold. Although there hasn't been any more snow in the last few days, it is still very cold here right now.
We went to church today, and although the service was good and the church we went to had a very young population (lots of people my age), I was a little dissapointed that not one single person introduced themselves to us. I guess I've gotten used to southern friendliness (and a small church). I'm sure I'll try that church at least one more time, and check out some other churches in the area too.
In the last couple of days, I have also dropped off a few resumes at places that had signs saying that they were hiring. I'll do some more looking after I drop my mom off at the airport tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can find a job VERY SOON... like starting tomorrow would be really good!
Aside from the bathroom, the rest of the apartment has been cleaned and we've started to hang things on the walls. It looks much more like home now. It's still a little too chilly, so I'm having to run a space heater almost all day and night... which I'm sure won't be good for the hydro bill. We tried out the fireplace the other day, which helped to warm things up a bit... until my dad put a damper on that by telling us that we shouldn't be buring things with paint (there were old baseboards and floorboards left from renovations that we were told we could burn). Apparently burning things with paint is not good... something about emitting toxic fumes, blah, blah, blah. So, no more fires for me... until I get some real (paint-free) wood.
My internet is finally hooked up here at home! Yippee!!!
Tomorrow my mom flies back to Ontario. Pray for a safe trip (and that she won't get lost in TO when she changes planes) and please pray that God would provide a job for me and that He would provide financially in the meantime. Thank you so much to all of you for your love and prayers. I am so blessed!
We went to church today, and although the service was good and the church we went to had a very young population (lots of people my age), I was a little dissapointed that not one single person introduced themselves to us. I guess I've gotten used to southern friendliness (and a small church). I'm sure I'll try that church at least one more time, and check out some other churches in the area too.
In the last couple of days, I have also dropped off a few resumes at places that had signs saying that they were hiring. I'll do some more looking after I drop my mom off at the airport tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can find a job VERY SOON... like starting tomorrow would be really good!
Aside from the bathroom, the rest of the apartment has been cleaned and we've started to hang things on the walls. It looks much more like home now. It's still a little too chilly, so I'm having to run a space heater almost all day and night... which I'm sure won't be good for the hydro bill. We tried out the fireplace the other day, which helped to warm things up a bit... until my dad put a damper on that by telling us that we shouldn't be buring things with paint (there were old baseboards and floorboards left from renovations that we were told we could burn). Apparently burning things with paint is not good... something about emitting toxic fumes, blah, blah, blah. So, no more fires for me... until I get some real (paint-free) wood.
My internet is finally hooked up here at home! Yippee!!!
Tomorrow my mom flies back to Ontario. Pray for a safe trip (and that she won't get lost in TO when she changes planes) and please pray that God would provide a job for me and that He would provide financially in the meantime. Thank you so much to all of you for your love and prayers. I am so blessed!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
My cardboard box :)
My mom and I are at a little coffee shop in downtown right now... using the internet. So far I don't have internet hooked up at home, but it should be set up soon. The last couple of days have been spent cleaning a once VERY DIRTY apartment and exploring the city (read between the lines: spending more time driving around the city lost while trying to find places like grocery stores, thrift store, etc.) So we now have seen a lot of Vancouver. We spent a good amount of time in the mall (Burnaby has the second largest mall in Canada... however, it is not to be confused with the "Crystal Mall" down the street from the second largest mall in Canada. Yup, we were definately confused. At first we thought we entered the food court of the mall, until we realized all of the restaurants were Chinese ones, and all of the stores... apparently Vancouver has a Chinese mall). My apartment is starting to look a little more like home. It still needs a lot of work, but my mom did a lot of cleaning while I went in search of a cell phone and a few other items yesterday (and spent almost 2 hrs. in traffic due to the snow - LOTS OF SNOW here in Vancouver yesterday!!!). The couple upstairs have donated some furniture, so at least I'm not sitting on boxes. So, here's a funny visual of the apartment to help you imagine it (courtesy of my mom): Imagine a cardboard box with two shots of yellow, and there you have it, my apartment. In fact, I think I'll add a picture to this to help you better understand. It is also very COLD. Imagine sleeing in an igloo in the arctic... yup that's what my bedroom is like. We sleep with an electric space heater running and our coats on. The windows are only one pane and are very drafty... But I guess it's a little warmer than a cardboard box, so I really shouldn't complain. I have my printer, so I was able to print some resumes. Tomorrow's job will be dropping them off to places that are hiring.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Day Five.. now the real adventure begins!
My mom and I arrived safely in Vancouver last night at 6:30pm local time (9:30pm for all you east coasters). The drive from Canmore to Vancouver definately made up for the boringness of the drive some of the other days! WOW! Driving through the mountains is amazing! The map committee was also nominated as picture committee, so even while I was driving, she was snapping pictures... we got a few interesting ones that way, but got a lot of great pictures too. The weather was perfect... better than we had even hoped for. Lots of sun! There was a little bit of snow on the roads in the mountains, but nothing that slowed us down. We didn't see any precipitation until we reached Vancouver, where of course... it was raining. I think that was God's funny way of saying "Welcome to Vancouver... hope you like the rain".
So the trip was a success, and now I'm here. Now the real adventure begins. The apartment that I'm renting leaves much to be desired, but I'm trying to look at the possibilities instead of the problems. It definately has a lot of potential... with a lot of work - some of which may need to be done by professionals :)
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Day Four
The map committee - AKA my mom - had to do most of the driving today (or at least more than the map committee usually does). I had a really bad headache most of the day today, making it hard to drive, or even keep my eyes open. With lots of coffee, drugs, and some sleep, the headache eventually went away. The drive today was pretty boring... until we got to Calgary. From Calgary to Canmore is a beautiful drive. I took lots of pictures, but can't post them tonight, so I'll add pictures later. Camore is a really cute little ski town with amazing scenery. I'm tempted to stay here!! We arrived in Canmore, AB in time to eat dinner, but had trouble getting into Sarah's house (she wasn't home). We ended up spending a good part of our evening at Starbuck's playing scrabble. Now we're into Sarah's house safe and sound and looking forward to sleeping good tonight. The drive tomorrow will be long, and there is some potential for bad weather, but it looks as though the worst of it should clear by then. One more day!!!!
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Day Three
Goodbye Winnipeg, hello Regina! Today was a short day of driving. We left Winnipeg at 9:00ish and arrived in Regina around 3:30pm. The drive was relatively uneventful. I discovered that Winnipeg has the coldest, best quality tap water of any Canadian city (at least of those I've been to)... so good... colder than ice water! Both Winnipeg and Regina are pretty cold, but not so cold that my car wouldn't start in the morning. When we arrived in Regina, we met with my friend Sara who lives an hour or so outs
ide of Regina. Sara and I took a trip down memory lane... we went back to the old CBC campus and explored. We also went to check out some of the places that we frequently hung out while we were here at CBC. When we had finished exploring, we went to Boston Pizza for some food and catching up. The rest of the evening has been spent relaxing at the hotel. Tomorrow we head to Canmore, AB where we will stay with my other friend Sarah. They are predicting some bad weather (snow) in the mountains between Calgary and B.C. This shouldn't slow us down tomorrow but could be a problem when we leave Sarah's on Monday morning. Although spending extra time with Sarah would be fun, I'm a little anxious to get to Vancouver... and would rather not have to drive through the mountains in really bad weather... something to pray for. Friday, January 5, 2007
Day Two
Today we slept in... oh, no wait... I should say we TRIED to sleep in. We were rudely awoken MUCH EARLIER than we intended by the alarm clock in the room next to us that started blaring at 7:30 - I think the room was vacant, we had to call the front desk to make the alarm stop (why do they put the headboards of neighbouring rooms on the same wall?).We didn't start driving until 10:30am since today was a shorter drive (about 700km from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg)... that and the fact that it took us 20 minutes of driving around Thunder Bay in the morning to find a gas station (it was practically next door to our hotel... oops - at least we got to see Thunder Bay).
There's not a whole lot to see between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. The further we went, the more snow we saw and the colder it seemed. You'll notice in the picture that I was wearing slip-on shoes... not exactly winter boots (I haven't worn winter boots in years... you don't exactly need them in VA Beach). We did see a few very fun road signs along the way today. The first was "moose on the loose". We haven't actually seen any wildlife yet though - only a lot of signs to warn about the potential. My mom was especially thrilled by the sign that said something to the effect of: "Arctic Watershed - All water north of this point flows to the arctic circle". My favorite was the sign in Manitoba (just before Winnipeg) that marked the longitudinal centre of Canada. Cool! We didn't get an opportunity to take pictures of either sign. That would have required backing up on a major highway (although it wouldn't be the first time on the trip...).
We crossed one time zone today... getting an extra hour of daylight is great!
We arrived in Winnipeg tonight at 6:30pm local time, checked into our hotel and went to get dinner. We went to a grocery store and bought a chicken and some salads. We picked up plastic forks and ate at our hotel... without plates or knives... just forks. Ah the adventure!!!
l
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Day One
We have arrived safely in Thunder Bay (our first stop in the journey to Vancouver). What a long day... 15 hours of driving. For those who ever plan to drive through that part of Northern Ontario, here are a few things you need to know:
1. The drive from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay is much longer than it looks on the map!!!!
2. EVERYTHING between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay closes during the winter... really EVERYTHING: rest stops, restaurants, gas stations... civilization just hibernates for the winter in this area.
3. Get gas and go pee in Sault Ste. Marie...even if you don't think you need to stop, do. There are no places to stop to take care of such needs until you hit the booming metropolis of Wawa (which, thankfully, now has a Tim Horton's... and at least one gas station). Wawa is a good three hour drive from Sault Ste. Marie. Nice!
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
It's amazing how much stuff can fit in a small car...
My car is packed, courtesy of my master-packer dad. Lots of stuff had to stay behind and will get shipped later, but I was impressed with how much he was actually able to get into the car. My mom and I leave at 7am tomorrow. I'm headed to bed now... hopefully I'll be able to sleep. I can't believe I'm actually doing this! That's all. Goodnight :)
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Yay God!
Good news!!!! I have a place to stay in Vancouver when I arrive (and my parents will sleep tonight)! I will be renting a basement apartment from a young Christian couple who work for a missions organization in Vancouver. I am very excited to get to know them and I suspect that they will become not only neighbours, but also friends! I think that they will also be able to help me with things like finding a church, getting familiar with the city, and meeting people in Vancouver with similar passions who are involved in ministries there. I am very excited! The thought of moving to a strange and unfamiliar place is much less daunting knowing that even in my living arrangements God is placing members of the body of Christ alongside me.
The only problem (and I already know that this isn't a problem for God) is that the apartment is a two bedroom. This couple is willing to let me stay for January and only pay half of the rent for the apartment (which is an awesome blessing), but if I am going to stay permanently, I will need a roommate. You can add that to the things to pray for... that we will be find another single Christian girl who needs a place in Vancouver. I am confident that God will bring the right person across my path.
As silly as this may sound, I mapquested their house to see how close it is to Stanley Park. When I was in Vancouver six years ago, we went to Stanley Park... I still remember how amazing it was! It's a huge park in Vancouver, surrounded almost entirely by water. Around the perimeter of the park is a sea wall that makes an excellent location for walking, rollerblading, etc. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's only 9km (5.5 miles) from where I will be living... probably not close enough to walk, but definitely close enough to hang out there frequently... very excited!
Today I'm trying to finish organizing all my stuff... it's getting late though, so I'll have to finish tomorrow. We will load the car tomorrow afternoon and leave first thing Thursday morning. The first day will be our longest day of driving (14 hours or so). We'll stay in Thunder Bay the first night, then Winnipeg, Regina, Canmore, and VANCOUVER! I expect to arrive Monday around 4pm-ish. Any time I have internet access along the way (I think at least two of our hotels have wireless), I'll try to update the blog. Pray for safe travelling and NO BLIZZARDS :)
P.S. to my American friends: "When in Rome..."... Now that I'm back in Canada I'll be using Canadian spelling again (it tends to come more naturally anyway). So if you see words that you think are spelled incorrectly, it's because I'm spelling like a Canadian again (although I may occasionally slip up and leave a 'u' out here and there...).
The only problem (and I already know that this isn't a problem for God) is that the apartment is a two bedroom. This couple is willing to let me stay for January and only pay half of the rent for the apartment (which is an awesome blessing), but if I am going to stay permanently, I will need a roommate. You can add that to the things to pray for... that we will be find another single Christian girl who needs a place in Vancouver. I am confident that God will bring the right person across my path.
As silly as this may sound, I mapquested their house to see how close it is to Stanley Park. When I was in Vancouver six years ago, we went to Stanley Park... I still remember how amazing it was! It's a huge park in Vancouver, surrounded almost entirely by water. Around the perimeter of the park is a sea wall that makes an excellent location for walking, rollerblading, etc. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's only 9km (5.5 miles) from where I will be living... probably not close enough to walk, but definitely close enough to hang out there frequently... very excited!
Today I'm trying to finish organizing all my stuff... it's getting late though, so I'll have to finish tomorrow. We will load the car tomorrow afternoon and leave first thing Thursday morning. The first day will be our longest day of driving (14 hours or so). We'll stay in Thunder Bay the first night, then Winnipeg, Regina, Canmore, and VANCOUVER! I expect to arrive Monday around 4pm-ish. Any time I have internet access along the way (I think at least two of our hotels have wireless), I'll try to update the blog. Pray for safe travelling and NO BLIZZARDS :)
P.S. to my American friends: "When in Rome..."... Now that I'm back in Canada I'll be using Canadian spelling again (it tends to come more naturally anyway). So if you see words that you think are spelled incorrectly, it's because I'm spelling like a Canadian again (although I may occasionally slip up and leave a 'u' out here and there...).
Monday, January 1, 2007
New year... new adventures!
Happy New Year!!!
O.K. so I decided to start a blog to make it easier for friends from far away to keep up with what I'm doing. You'll have to bear with me, as I've never done this before (although it seems pretty simple... I'm pretty computer slow). I'll try to update it regularly... or at least when there's anything exciting to tell.I've had a great Christmas break at home with my family... but time surely does fly when you're having fun. It's hard to believe that I leave for Vancouver THIS WEEK!!!! I'm very excited, but also a little nervous. I don't feel ready to leave yet. I spent New Year's Eve playing "Clean Sweep" with Liz and my mom - getting rid of more stuff (I already left LOTS in Virginia Beach) and sorting through boxes to see what I really NEED, since I can only take with me what fits in my car. I still have a lot to do before I leave. There are also still details to be worked out as well, the most important of which is where I will live when I get there. I have one potential arrangement, and I am trusting that God has his hands all over these details.
I'm excited about the trip across Canada. My mom is traveling with me, and I have plans to stop along the way to see some friends I haven't seen in a while. We will do the trip in five days. So far, it appears as though the weather will cooperate. I will try to post some pictures of the trip (if I can figure it out:)).
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