Currently Listening Take 5 Quartet: A Jazz Hour With Dave Brubeck Quartet By Dave Brubeck Take Five see related

Poopy Crap!

I thought that was a fitting title since it's all I could think of about the government a few minutes ago. I was getting the mail with Ryan today and saw an envelope from the government addressed to me and the inside was blue. BLUE = BAD! I knew this already. Blue means they want money back! Poopy Crap! They want the last GST cheque back! I got married in June and they say I can't get them anymore and that they want the last one, from July back. I looked into it on the website and as far as I could understand I should still be getting them until April because they calculate them based on the previous year. However, the site seemed to have loopholes for them to jump through to avoid giving me money! As if I have less bills now that I got married. I have a house! Anyway, I thought I'd stop getting them next year but alas they want to make sure they get every penny back that they feel entitled to. I already spent it though. Poopy. I tried calling but the office is only open 8:15-5. Good thing I work 7:30-4:30! I can't call after 4:30 because I go to pick up Ryan and won't be home in time and I'm sure I'll be on hold when I call anyway even if I squeeze a call in. I don't usually leave work until 4:45.

In other news I'm considering switching my program at school. I think I'm currently in an 8 year and counting diploma that is actually a 2 year though I started in a 3 year bachelor. *sigh* Poor choices in college can haunt you for years after. I started in the 3 year missions bachelor of religious education (since then the program has been cut) and made some poor choices in my 2/3rd year and ended up leaving the school for a couple years. I came back after 2 years off and changed the program to a 2 year diploma so I could graduate. I only needed 3 credits then instead of the 7 and field eds I would have needed. I couldn't do it and work. So, I took 2 by distance ed then at the end of the second one I started dating Ryan and thus the whole marriage craziness began and a class was finanicially and time-wise impossible. So, now I want to finish but I've alway regretted not getting a "real degree." Seems a waste to have taken so many extra courses that I don't get credit for on the little piece of paper I'd get at the end. So, I've went over some of the programs and may switch, again. It would mean I'd have to either work part time or not at all. Oh dilema!

So that's my story.

Currently Listening Kingdom of Comfort By Delirious? Love Will Find a Way see related

Wow it's been almost 2 year since I blogged on here! Craziness!

Well, I'll try to make the update brief then because tons has happened!

I don't work in the factory anymore! Yay! I switched from there to a bank. I worked at the bank for about 9 months before realized I didn't really see myself going anywhere there and realized how much I dislike repetative customer service. Getting out of the factory was a huge deal. I was encouraged to leave by my boyfriend at the time, Ryan. He basically told me I could do anything and suggested applying at the bank beside my house. Lo and behold, he was right, I could work there without any schooling!

While at the bank I decided (long story short) to add my profile to this online nanny job posting site that parents can come on and potential nannies can look for parents to work for, both in home and out of home. A parent responded and now I work for her. I dont live there though, I go there mon-fri and take care of her 2 daughters aged 4 and 21months. I LOVE it! It's something I'll do until next year when I think both of them will be in school. It's great, the kids are great (most of the time) and the parents are great! Feels WAY more like what I am gifted in than any other job I've had.

Where I do live is in a house. My boyfriend Ryan became my fiance (I forget if there are 2 e's on the guy fiance) in september of last year when he planned a super romantic wonderful proposal up at the cottage his family owns. He proposed at night looking out at the stars off the dock there. He had candles set up and everything. It was perfect! We had started dating only 9 months before that (end of december 2006). I knew when we started dating that I wanted to marry him. It wasn't like the other relationships. I can't explain it but I knew, I just knew. He was not like the other guys I'd dated. He's wonderful in many ways.

I had made a list a long time ago of what I wanted in a guy, and he has it all. Even more than I could imagine, God has blessed me huge with him. There were many other girls in the church who liked him since he started there. He started a few months after I did about 4 years ago. So, that's where we met. I actually didn't like him and assumed he wasn't into missions. I was intimidated by him because he was popular and everyone liked him. I was never interested in him at all though I thought he was attractive. So, after being casual acquaintances, having mutual friends for about 2.5yrs our paths started to cross more. He found out I was going to costa rica on missions and he went to guatemala on missions later that year (2006). We really connected when he asked me to run with him. I didn't want to and actually did try to avoid him asking me by not going on msn until it would be too late for him to ask me that week! haha! So, I ran with him a few times and was involved in a ministry at church with him. When we started running longer there was lots of time to talk. We had a group of 4 of us that started to hang out a lot, 2 guys 2 girls. So, in october that year we both became interested in each other as more than friends in the same week! Something shifted for me and I saw him differently.

We wanted to get to know each other more as friends so neither of us brought up the obvious interest we had in each other. We would go out for lunch but he never called it a date and I was not about to ask him! In december on boxing day we went on our first official date. I hadn't yet heard him call it a date so I finally asked him, right before he left to go home and then he decided to officially have me become his girlfriend. It was a good day!

Anyway, so we got engaged and we were married this past June. So, we haven't even been together for 2 years yet! Hard to picture life before him now though. I recommend marriage. It was not as big of a change as I'd thought. You just don't leave at the end of the day! I could go on about him forever. I'm not in la la land though, there are some big fights too. Good and bad stuff but I wouldn't trade it. The good outweighs the bad by far and I know God has big plans for us. We are both still thinking about missions and where it will take us.

We have a house and love it. We realized we both love gardening and have a great vegetable garden that is growing so much we can't eat it fast enough. We love it love it love it here!

We still run and last year we ran 2 half-marathons. We have another one in a few weeks. Looking forward to it and next year we are hoping to do a full marathon.

Ok well that's a good update for now, I could write forever!

Currently Listening Hearts of the Innocent By Kutless winds of change see related

Well, things are going alright. It's been a rough couple weeks, just with work and stuff, but it's all good!

Went for a 10km run today. My third one, and by far my best one yet. Was running with a friend and he kept me running faster because his pace is faster than mine. When we started running the sun was not up but it came up partway through. It was beautiful! Pink all over! Then it turned orangy and then we turned and I couldn't see it anymore. I think it was such a blessing to see it. I had prayed the night before that I would see it because I don't see sunrises very often. I was reading captivating, the part where God showed each of them individually how much He loved them, once by a whale seen not during migrating season, and the other by thousands of starfish. I prayed for something beautiful like that to happen today. I knew I was gonna be running and prayed for the sunrise. It's cool because it's been overcast for days and days, weeks even. So, to see a sunrise I thought was kindof cool because I don't know if they can normally be seen (i'm not up early enough regularly to see them).

I was so energized after and I don't really feel sore like I did last time. I love it. It's getting colder out, it was -1 today (30 for you americans). It felt ok, I was really hot by the end anyways. It felt better than the other day when it was above zero, which makes no sense to me, lol.

In other news, I get to go visit my friend Dar next weekend!! I have been trying to find a weekend that we both have nothing on for like 2 months. I haven't seen her in a few months I think. I'm not sure if I've seen her since my trip. She's pretty much my closest friend.

Not a whole lot of interesting stuff going on here, but if people comment, I'll keep posting when interesting stuff does happen, lol.

Currently Listening The Mission Bell By Delirious? Mountain's high see related

Well, perhaps I will start writing in here again. I haven't been writing anywhere since I wrote in here last. I used to write in a few different places, but it's really only been in my own diary here at home that I've written in. I do enjoy ranting and raving about things that go on, so I think I should start writing in here again, lol.

Well, what has happened since I got home from my trip? Lots!

Readjusting...yea, not so easy. Took me about a month to get used to being back here. I got sick every week for a month, with different random things (did I already write about this? I should really start reading my last entries before I write the next one), including what I thought was malaria, lol, pink eye, a cold, stomach aches for like a week, constantly for a couple of those days...it was fun! But, praise God He made me better and I haven't been sick since, minus a small bit of what I think was food poisoning sun-tues.

I went through many stages readjusting, saddness, anger, just feeling down for no reason, rejecting the desire to do anymore missions, a strong desire to pack up and leave immediatly...etc...etc...then finally...adjustment. I'm fine now, though the missions trip was something I'll never forget.

Looking forward to next summer, doing a 2 month trip hopefully...the location is yet to be determind as there are many other things on my plate that have drawn my attention from looking more into it lately.

I've started psychology. Finished the first assignment, 3 multiple choice exams to follow. Good times. 1 class left after this!

Work....well.....it has not been pleasant to work there lately. Last week was pretty rough. I'm not going to bother giving details of what happened, but lets just say my boss has been a big jerk to me without actual reason. I think (hope) I have forgiven him. I tried to just let go of it. He doesn't know God, he doesn't understand how it made me feel, and maybe he doesn't care....so I just said, let go of it, that will say more to him than if you come in and ignore him like you'd like to for the rest of your days working there. It's not the same. I think he's a prick, but I will keep it civil while I'm there and not bring last week's events up again.  I have been applying places again, hoping for a bite. A friend told me of a possible job opportunity that would work well for what I had considered before. It would require me to have 2 jobs, but it would work fine because the second one would not need to be as much pay to pay off my stuff and pay my bills, etc. The first job would only be 15hrs a week, in the mornings early. Apparently it's not far from where I work now either. Praise God for hope!

I've been running still. I'm at 9km (5.58miles). A couple friends of mine did a half marathon on sunday. I've been running off and on with one of them, but as soon as he started doingl like 19km I checked out and ran on my own mostly, lol. I'm not into running that far yet. I'm gonna go 10km on sat though. I really love my running route. I run by the universities and there are some really pretty trees changing color there. I decided that I wanted to get up to 10km by nov 1st, which I have definitly gotten up to. I jumped up from 6-8km the one week though, figuring I could do it, and i did. My knees are getting a bit sore, but it's ok if I leave 2 days in between each run. My run today, which was just over 9km took me an hour. I've slowed myself down to 6-6.5mins a km because I don't want to hurt my knees more than I have already. I believe God will give me the strength to keep going and keep my knees and me in good shape!

I bought a new bike! Good for biking in winter I hope! It was a good deal and I love it. It has working brakes (both of them!), GEARS!, and shocks! lol

So, that's my latest update. The main things anyways. Hopefully I keep this up now!

Ok, so my camera broke on my missions trip at the end. Pretty annoyed when it was broken, got upset, yadda yadda. But, then when it happend, I prayed and God allowed it to keep takig pictures, it was just stuck on this one mode, i couldn't delete anything and i couldn't take videos. It also wouldn't turn off, lol. I was quite upset because I love pictures, but then I prayed and said "ok God, this is fine, I have lots and people will send me some, sorry for being so upset..." etc etc. So, finally this week I was able to send it away, thankfully it was still under warranty. I called on saturday, then got the stuff to send it on monday, was suppose to get the sticker and have it ups'd on tues but i wasn't home. So, wed I took it to the ups store by me and got it sent out for the next day. Was told it would take 3-5 days. The next day, today, I get a call saying they have a package for my downstairs.

So, I go and get the package, open it up, hmmmmmmmmmm that doesn't look like my camera. No! In fact...it isn't! But, it's a better one. I had a 4.1MP and it's a 5.2MP! So, I call figuring there is a mix-up and as much as I want to keep it, I figure it's not mine. YES! In fact...it is! They said they were out of stock or something of mine...the guy wasn't exactly sure the reason, but said it was sent on purpose. SWEET! What the heck?

So, there are a couple lessons from this story.

Number one, when things happen, bad things, we shouldn't freak out and get upset. You never know what God has in store after the trial/situation is over. There could be something way better on the other end of the trial.

Number two, sometimes God will allow us to experience things (not that He causes, or wants us to experience them) that aren't so pleasant maybe to see how we react, a test, if you will.  Also, maybe we have to go through them because He has something better for us and that's the only way we can get to that better thing. I.E....if my camera didn't break, I wouldn't have a better one right now...for free! There are situations I've had in my life, that we perhaps caused because of poor choices on my part, and I've come out of them to something better and had great things come out of them.

God can bring good out of any situation. If I knew I would get a way better camera when mine broke, I wouldn't have reacted the same way and probably wouldn't have cared as much. But, maybe God wanted to see how I'd react. I think I did ok. At first, I was upset and kinda cried a little (yes, I was sad!) because I still had a few days left on the trip. Then I put my head down on my stuff (I was on the bus between a whole bunch of people) and prayed and just let it go and knew I shouldn't get upset about it. Maybe because of that God allowed me to have the better one, maybe He had that in store already...maybe this was just something that happened and God didn't cause anything to happen or change anything so that I'd get this camera, but I know God does like to bless us. Think what you will....I won't know until I get to heaven. But, I can't help but think that He had something to do with it.

Anyway, I'm confident that there is a sermon in almost every trial, lol. Big or small.

do you have mullet pride?