Winter in Winterpeg...

Well, it looks like Winter 2008 has started... this is what I saw at the bus stop on Friday morning...

Winter, *sigh*... the winter's here are always so long. When I was a kid, I hated winter... I mean, I liked the usual Christmas-time and my birthday... but I mean, getting all bundled up, just to go out in the freezing cold... who would CHOOSE to live in a place like that??

As I get older, I am starting to enjoy winter... not the cold part, I don't think I'll EVER get adjusted to that, but the cozyness of coming in from the cold, the thrill of shopping for others for Christmas, the baking, the getting together with family, the joy of the holidays, and everything in between....

I find it interesting how the season of "winter" is often associated with a season of "death" or "no growth" in our walk... I feel that way... like I'm not moving forward, no matter what I do, I always feel 10 steps behind, and the harder I try to run to catch up, the more I slip on the "ice" around me and I fall down...

But as frustrating as I find this season, it is also beautiful. In this cold and dreary season, God gave us His Son. How amazing! Out of cold He brought a warm and cozy baby.... out of the "death" of the season He brought new life... out of this season of "no growth" He brought a baby - which if you are not aware they grow VERY fast (which is why they eat so much, or often!)

So now, looking back on my earlier comments of my personal life, I am excited.... I wonder what He will do with my life in this "cold" season...

I pray that God will continue to bless you all in whatever season you are in!

Keep warm this winter season...

words gone extinct...

in the most recently written Time magazine, there was an article that really caught my attention... it was entitled "War of the Words" and it basically stated that the editors of the popular dictionary in England "Collins" are editing out some words that they feel no one uses anymore... I read the list of words that they listed and they all sound intelligent and fun... so here's the list, and I hope that maybe you can incorporate some of these words into your vocabulary and make this world a more wonderfully wordy place....

compossible - adj. - possible in coexistence
mansuetude - n. - gentleness or mildness
apodeictic - adj. - unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration
caducity - n. - perishableness
malison - n. - a curse
fubsy - adj. - short and stout
embrangle - vb. - to confuse or entangle
niddering - adj. - cowardly
olid - adj. - foul smelling
appugnant - adj. - combative, antagonistic or contrary
roborant - tending to fortify
nitid - bright, glistening

so please choose some (or all ;D) of these words and appear more intelligent than you really are!! :D

Wordful Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I know I'm a couple days late, but I've been so busy with school (midterms) and all that crazy stuff... Life just gets insane between school and work and all that FUN stuff that there are times I just sit back and go "oh my goodness!!!"
I'm thinking of just taking an evening to myself to just bake or something... but who has time?
I seriously had to pencil my family gatherings this past weekend into my schedule. PENCIL because I didn't know if I would be able to make it to them... that's scary, my life has never been like that... I ALWAYS have time for family... not anymore... and that's such a sad thing. Anyway, seeing as how this is my Thanksgiving post, I thought I'd jot down some of the things I'm thankful for....
Canada, I couldn't imagine growing up in any other country
My mom, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her I love her SO much
My friends, you know who you are, and even the new friends I swore I would never make in University, but oh well, you know what happens when you say "never"... lol ;)
My family, as crazy as you all are, I think I fit in quite nicely...
The University of Manitoba, as much grief as you cause in my life, I am grateful for the opportunity to further my knowledge
Superstore, I love my job!! lol

That's pretty much it... I love you all, and I miss you all!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!

a winnipeggers victory...

hey all!!
well I'm now MOSTLY moved in and unpacked.. and TRYING to adjust to city life... it's weird, after living in a small town for almost my whole life how things seem so close now.... I mean I have an Applebees and a McDonalds both at the end of my street...
well, I titled this one a victory... so I will share that story with you now...

after my engagement broke off I was left with the ring... I didn't want to keep it, because it represented something that no longer was... so I brought it into the city and put it in a jewellers case for them to sell for me (I didn't want to look at it or deal with it...)
just this past week I was thinking that i should go get it and try to sell it on ebay.. cuz they were suppose to call me when it sold... but they hadn't yet... :(
so after a FABULOUS lunch with Mira, I drove over to the jewellers, and when I handed her the redemption slip for my ring, she got some papers from her desk and then said that she'd been trying to phone me... MY RING SOLD LAST WEEK!!!!

I was so thrilled!!!! and I still am...
I really didn't want to have that ring back in my possession... and now it's gone... FOREVER!!!
:D

moving away...

Well friends, family,
this sad day has arrived... my mom and I are moving to Winnipeg....
my feelings are very mixed about all of this...
I'm happy because this is an amazing opportunity, I can bus to work, school, friends... everything is right there at my convenience...
BUT...
I've lived here in Niverville for the past 18 years... I grew up here, my friends are (mostly) all here.. my church is here...
I know I'm going to miss walking down the street and know everyone... or go to the post office and be able to talk about events in my life because they know me... or get a job without an interview, but based solely on the fact that they've known me for forever... or go into the credit union and they remember my account number more often than I do... and the fact that if I EVER go to Chicken Chef, before I'm even seated, there's a glass of water with a straw sitting at my table waiting for me...
I love my friends... I love being able to bump into them anywhere and everywhere and just hang out...
I love my church... and the ONE good thing is that we are going to try to keep coming out to church each week (as long as my work schedule allows)...
I will do my best to keep blogging to keep you in the loop!

love you all!
xoxo

I know Who holds tomorrow...

this song has really encouraged me in this last little while, I hope (and pray) that it encourages you too...

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

The BIG cake...

These are the pics that I promised of the 9x13 that I did for my last cake...

(I used a cartoon picture of Mumble, from Happy Feet..)

I used a "star" shaped tip, so everything you see here took me about 1.5 hours... and my wrist was VERY sore... lol. But I think it was worth it... I brought the cake to youth with me, and the kids ate it VERY fast... :D

yeah, yeah...

Ok, so I know I titled my last post as a "writer's return" and I truly intended to start blogging more regularly after that.... but then, life got busy...

busy with what??? you may ask... well...

the BLOG KILLER... FACEBOOK...

Don't get me wrong, Facebook (or Facegame, as my pastor calls it) is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends alike.... but it's too quick, too easy...

I can update my status in seconds, and then, all my friends know right away...

and... if you're like me, on your "home" page you have the link to your friends' updates open all the time, so you know the second one of your friends updates their status...

and again, not that this is bad...

But with that going on, I never have the time I need to post a blog...

I need time to sign in, then come up with a quarky little title for my post,

load the pictures, and place them exactly as I want them...

It's a lot of work...

But once again I appologize...

and now I will formally fill you in on where and what I've been up to...

1) As most of you who live in this small town know, the closure of the business that my mom works at is a hard hit for both the pork industry and our town... but God works wonders and she has a new job (which she starts this Wednesday). But... the job is in Winnipeg... so we're in process to look for an apartment in the south end of the city... We're officially going "apartment hunting" tomorrow...

2) I have OFFICIALLY been accepted to the University of Manitoba this fall to continue my education as a Nurse.... I'm so excited!!!

3) I've been taking a CAKE DECORATING class!!! and it's OODLES AND OODLES of fun...

I have to appologize for not taking pics of my first cake, but I have pics from this last cake (I'll do one more this Sunday and then I will post those pics later...)

Here's the cake...

This first picture is the top view... I did a star tip all the way along the top boarder, and then a variety of flowers on the top...

This next picture is from the top/side view... Tracey gave me some candy gems to glam up my cake....

Side view...

The two flowers near the top are suppose to be chrysanthemums... and the closer to the bottom is suppose to be a rose... (my first attempts...)

These are the different flowers I did to decorate... just something fun... I've really enjoyed being in this class... it's been a tonne of fun...

So yeah... basically that's what I've been up to.... I'll take more pics at my next, and final, class and show you all my skills...

Have a great day!!! Enjoy the sunshine!!!