Exciting things

So here are a couple of very exciting things this week that I wanted to share:

I got a raise! I will now be making$1/hour more to be a soup server/"sandwich artist" (that's right... sandwich artist... it's quite the art... the bread, the condiments, the meat, the cheese, the lettuce and tomatoes... just like using different coloured paints on a canvas). I knew that I had a raise coming my way, and with some encouragement from Deric, finally decided to ask my boss about it. Funny thing is, the day I had planned to talk to her about it, she approached me, saying, "How much are we paying you? I just realized that we need to give you your raise." Yeah!

This week was an amazing week of sunny days and nice weather. We just had SIX days in a row with lots of sun and no rain (Sunday - Friday)! The streak was broken with rain tonight... but it didn't start until 6pm-ish, so I still would count today as a good day. Now some of you may not realize just how big of a deal this really is... well... during the winter here, it rains A LOT, so six days of sun is a big deal! You know what it means right? SUMMER IS COMING!!!!!

Spring has sprung here in Vancouver... quite literally. Just within the last two weeks, flowering trees all over the city have blossomed. On my walk home Sunday after church, I walked down one of the streets in my neighbourhood that was lined on both sides with cherry blossom trees. It's lovely!

New piece of cheap furniture... and curtains are hung.

This week I bought a chair that I found advertised on Craig's List (For those of you who still haven't heard about Craig's List... it's AMAZING! People advertise all kinds of things on there. That's where I found my bed, my chair, and even my job... I love it!). The chair was only $20, it's in good shape and it's really comfy. It matches pretty well with the colours in my room, so that's where I decided it will stay. It's nice to have something to sit on besides just my bed, and since my room is huge, it fills some empty space. I also have curtains hung on my window now (I finished them last week). I'm going to attach a picture of them for you to see. That's all for now though, not much in the way of big and exciting news.

A fun-filled week.

I dropped Patrick off at the airport a few hours ago. His plane is in the air right now. I was sad to see him go... I wish I could have kept him here! We had a really fun week. We did some touristy things along with some relaxing things. I quite enjoyed having a companion for the week.
Today I discovered a new form of entertainment... The Georgia Straight "I Saw You" Ads. The Georgia Straight is Vancouver's Free Community Newspaper. It's great. There's a section in there where people place ads to try to connect with other people that they either met, had some sort of random encounter with, or saw. Some of them are unbelievably funny... good Sunday afternoon entertainment.

My first visitor from home :)

Patrick arrived Saturday night... my first visitor from home (after my mom left that is). His flight was late getting in, and he arrived to find pouring rain here in Vancouver. This weekend we had record amounts of rain. It rained all day Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday Patrick and I went to church, walked around Commercial Drive in the rain, went to the mall, and drove through downtown (also in the rain). Today while I was at work, Patrick went to the University. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I managed to get off early so that we could go down to Granville Island and Stanley Park. I'm having fun playing tourist again for a while. It's nice to have someone to hang out with. It's been fun so far!

My car's identity crisis.

Today my car received it's third set of license plates. I've owned the car for less than three years and in that time it has changed it's identity three times. My car is confused (it told me so.... that's right, we talk regularly). Can you imagine if your name changed three times in less than three years? You'd be confused too. So, my car is now less of an outsider here in BC. Unfortunately the cost of fitting in was high. Insurance in British Columbia is a government monopoly. That's right. There is one insurance company... no options... no competition... just CRAZY EXPENSIVE insurance from ICBC. But I guess when you're the only insurance company, you can charge whatever you want. Is it any wonder that everyone in Vancouver uses public transit? I could buy a monthly bus pass for one third of the cost of my insurance (and that doesn't even account for gas). Grrrrr! Otherwise, this week has been a much better week so far. Patrick is flying in this weekend. I'm excited about that.

My week.

It's been one week since I posted. I'm not going to lie... this last week was a pretty crappy one. I found myself feeling pretty down at the beginning of the week... desperately missing Virginia, my friends, and my family. I found myself feeling lonely along with being confused about why I am here, and what the next step is. To top it all off, I was hit with the harsh reality that my student loans are hanging over my head and I will very soon need to begin paying them back. But, even through a discouraging week, God is still good. He allowed me to feel sad and cry, but sent me moments of encouragement along the way so that I didn't have to stay there. Friends to listen, even if they are thousands of miles away. Songs. Dancing with baby Ava. Friendly strangers. Perfectly timed invitations. Good discussions and laughter with new friends. Someone to pray with. Clear days. Grace. So, at the end of the week, I am aware that God's hand has been in it all. I know that He is good and that He has brought me to this place and He will bring me through it. I think the week to come will be a better one than the one that just passed :)