Our branch director in Ontario passed along the following prayer. I thought I should continue the 'torch'. It's an awesome prayer to start off the New Year.

Dear Lord! ,

I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear and feel. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to You.

I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this New Year with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that don't recognize the need to share Your love with others. I pray for those that don't believe.

But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it.. I love you and I need you, renew my heart, please.

In Jesus Name,

AMEN

Carolyn's adventures

We had quite the snow fall on Saturday night here in Winnipeg. We got about a foot of snow. It is Wednesday and the cleanup continues. Anyway anyone that knows me, knows that I don't like to drive at the best of times and in 'not so good' weather it's even worse. Some people laugh at my cautiousness and say I am being silly, maybe so but isn't it better for me to realize that it's better for me not to be on the road than to be the nervous driver on the road. Driving through a foot of snow with my low to the ground car and my anxiousness/nervousness is adventure #1.

In order to get Christmas day & Boxing day off, I volunteered to work from 3pm on the 31st to 3pm on the 1st (so, a 24 hour period - with a sleep shift in the middle). I have been working in the same house since June. They decided to place me at the same house from 3-11pm but then at 11pm I was supposed to be starting at a brand new house. First problem, I am not a magician and cannot magically change from one house to the other in less than a minute. Second thing, the lady that I was going to be supporting is known for her violent behaviour. Carolyn and violence does not mix so, I was walking on eggshells, worrying that I might set her off especially since I was a new staff. At 6am, I hear her screaming my name (what a way to wake up!), she had an accident. (I guess if I ever want to be a mother, I should get used to that). Other than that it wasn't too bad, she slept until almost 11am and then we listened to music. So, that is Adventure #2.

My mini adventure #2 1/2, on my drive home I turned on to the street that gives me access to the back alley, the grater was ahead of me (great, right!?) Well, it created a 3 foot barrier blocking off the alley. My little car wouldn't be able to get through that so, I had to drive around and figure out how to get in. I couldn't park in front of the house because the street wasn't grated so I would definitely get stuck. The community where I live is so great that most people shovel/snow blow the back alley around their houses so it's basically cleared. I just drove around to the other side and got in.

I got in the house and everything is great. I am exhausted and ready for an evening of R&R. Carly had left me a note that said that we had mice. LOVELY! I didn't think anything of it really - we would have to deal with it later. I had some laundry to do so I started on that. I picked a few things off of the floor (I know, shame on me!) and under all my clothes, I found a little present. A dead mouse! They must have been some stinky clothes. :) I was talking with my mom on the phone at the time and she was just laughing at me, telling me to calm down. I dealt with it and carried on. Later on I went to the basement to change my clothes from the washer to the dryer. There was a baby mouse sitting in front of the dryer. I went to pick it up and it moved. (I think the neighbours heard that scream!) It was slow enough that I caught it and threw it in the trash can. Now that's Carolyn's adventure #3.

And, I think I need counselling now. :)

Greetings
It is that time of the year again isn't it. Christmas. Let me start with this story.

My prayer for you this week

"I pray that God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Amen." Ephesians 1:15-21

Last Thursday, I took my roommate out for dinner and a musical for her birthday. It was a great evening! She chose an italian restaurant, Buccacino's. Great food and it was priced very comparatively to Kelsey's or Montana's. It probably was even cheaper than Olive Garden. Anyway, it was nice to go some where different instead of the same old franchise chain restaurant.

The muscial was a production put on at Grant Memorial Church. The Living Christmas Tree is in it's 23rd year this year. The production was called "The Perfect Christmas".
"Pamela's chance to host Christmas for her family makes her worry that everything isn't going to be perfect. From the dinner to the decorating, she fusses over every detail to the point that she loses sight of the real meaning of Christmas. A heavenly reminder returns her celebration back to a time of joy and peace."
It served as a reminder in the crazy busy rush of the Christmas season of what it is all about. It was very well done. My friend's cousin, Natasha was one of the Executive Director. Natasha - you did a great job!

AND....[enter drum roll here]....I got my transcript yesterday for my class and....

she passes with an A.

Yeah! :)

FREEDOM!

I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs, as Mel Gibson did in the movie 'Braveheart', FREEDOM! I am finished my class - it is finished, finito, complete - I am done! I made it! I completed the course and I didn't kill myself. YEAH!!!! I wrote my final on Tuesday. We continued on after the final going over our projects (which I got 25/30 - by the way) and then we had a tour of Red River College, Princess Campus. It is a beautiful campus! I am very envious if I was a few years younger - I would have done my Admin diploma there. Too bad.

What should I take on next? What's the next hurdle? hmmm......

No turning back now...

There's no turning back now - the ticket has been purchased. I am officially taking off on March 7 and returning on the 31st from Taiwan. Faith and I are talking about taking a week out of that time and exploring either Bali or Thailand. Oh! I can't wait. It's for real now - not just dreams. I am very excited but terrified at the same time. When I was in grade 9, I was the kid that went to fine arts camp in Saskatchewan and dragged my wonderful and understanding mother along. I've never been the adventurer - that's always been left in the very capable arms of my beautiful sisters. I'm such a chicken - it's funny - I'm freaked out about this and all I have to do is get on a plane in Winnipeg transfer in Vancouver and step off the plane in Taipei and walk into the arms of my tour guide and sister. What can I say - this is me!

One really positive thing is that the ticket was atleast $400 cheaper than I thought it would be so, now I have a jump start on my spending money. Now I can't wait until I have enough then I can quit the part time job and have a life again. Why does everything happen on Saturdays? It's amazing how much friends time I've given up to do this - I miss my friends. I must keep repeating to myself...it's all worth it...it's all worth it...

Vermen give me the heebeegeebees

This is sooo gross... so the other day I was looking for something on the counter behind my desk and I found mouse poop. Lovely right? Just what someone hopes to find during a day's work. So, I go look at my 'snack' drawer, where I have a couple of emergency granola bars....one has been eaten almost half through (through the package). Yuck! Yuck! YUCK! In my already full day, I had that wonderful enjoyment of cleaning my desk and disinfecting everything in sight. Oh, once again how I love been in the basement/dungeon!

ONLY 3 more weeks, only 3 more weeks......

I have 3 more weeks left of my class. On one hand, I can't believe that it's gone by so fast and the other I will be glad not to have to read 4-5 chapters in a week and having to work on a project.

I'm glad that I've had this opportunity to take this class, because it will definitely help me in the preparation for the National Personnel Conference that CSSM has next year. I will be a little more organized and be able to expect some things that will happen. Hopefully!

I may just have to have a party to celebrate the end of this class. It's been a very tiring and trying 10 weeks! And, then my next countdown will be for when I can quit my part time job. Here's to hoping! :)

You know you're getting old when...

• you can't wait for an evening at home
  
• you move a desk and your back is sore the next day (lift with the legs, Carolyn! What was I thinking!) :)
  
• you have a half hour nap at 8pm and then go to bed by 11pm
• you'd rather stay home and clean the bathroom then go out

LIFE'S CHOICES...

Isn't it wonderful how in life we get to have choices?

My newest choice is made every day as I walk to work.

Which one to choose? Walk on the iced sidewalks or the snow banks? Hmmm...How to choose - I just don't know!?!?! Seriously, Winnipeg should pass a by-law (that does exist in some cities) to make it law for people to take care of the sidewalks that surround their homes. Argh! I hate winter!

MID-TERM EXAM

So, I wrote my mid-term exam last night for my class that I'm taking - Conference & Special Events Management....92%.

YEAH ME!

And, then we had a tour of the Winnipeg Convention Centre. They can cook 500 chickens at the same time! Other than the chicken - been there done that....seeing that I've had 3 years of work experience in the hospitality industry.

Missionary Orientation

So, after many months of planning and organizing, our CSSM Missionary Orientation is a thing of the past. 58 of our missionaries were at St. Benedict's conference centre from October 15 - 19. It was an awesome time together. We learned ALOT and spent time getting to know each other. I had an awesome time - even though it was very tiring. Monday & Tuesday I took off to relax, recooperate and study for my midterm for my class tomorrow.

Here's our group...

Getting ready and preparing for Taiwan...

Well, things seems to be progressing toward my trip to Taiwan (planned for March 2007). The only reason that this is going to be possible is because of my second job at Pulford.

Anyway, I have my passport (check) and yesterday I went to the travel clinic for my first appointment. There I told the nurse that I had actually gone to my doctor and he gave me a HepA vaccination and it was for free. She nearly fell from her chair. She said clinic's can't normally give those away for free and that it's against regulations. Hmmm...

The reason that I went to my doctor originally was to avoid the $50 consultation fee that the travel clinic's charge. But, when the doctor said that he would provide everything that I need and it's how many weeks later and he hasn't contacted me yet. I decided to go to the travel clinic - because it's my life that I'm dealing with here.

So, yesterday the nurse said we might as well start from scratch so, I received my first of 3 dosages of the Twinrix vaccination and my first of 2 typhoid vaccinations. OH! MY WORD - how can something that supposed to be helpful and good - hurt this much. My left arm is so numb and sore and last night I was so nauseous. And I have to do this 3 more times! Argh! Taiwan better be worth it! :) Especially since I'm paying for this pain and aggravation. My visit cost me $160. Man, you don't get anything for free these days.

Pray request - for those who might pray for me...

I am feeling very stretched right now - there's no one to blame but myself but I have 'my hands in a lot of cookie jars' right now. To explain I will lay out my weekly schedule for atleast the next 3 months...

Monday to Friday = Office hours at CSSM
Monday = Pulford (my part time job, my shifts are always 6-midnight)
Tuesday = my class (will expand on this later)
Wednesday = volunteer at Siloam mission
Thursday = FREE NIGHT YIPPEE!
Friday = will either be filled with a work shift at Pulford, Executive meeting with CSSM, or a youth event
Saturday = Pulford work shift
Sunday = Church, of course and whatever 'social' activity that might occur

So, I'm just finishing week 1 and I am really tired. Alot to do and I haven't even looked at my homework for this week yet, for my class.

My class...I was flipping through the Winnipeg Leisure Guide looking for an exercise class and stumbled upon Red River College's continuing education advertisement. They advertised the class for 'Conference and Special Events Management' and thought it fit my life perfectly for some of my job responsibilities right now at CSSM. I am responsible to plan a 4 day training orientation, our Annual General meetings, and our Personnel Conference next year. I've never done anything like this before and I've been managing but I thought this class might help me be more effective and efficient. So, I found the perfect class but how do you pay for it? hmmm....Well because of a donation to the mission from some of the most awesome, wonderful and amazing people in my life the mission is able to pay for me! Isn't that amazing! God is amazing! We will see how it goes. I had my first class this week - this is petty but, it's hard to go from sitting on my bottom all day long and then go and sit in a harder chair and pay attention for 4 hours. But I am very much looking forward to learning.

So, that's what going on in my life right now. All I can say is - I don't remember being this busy. I guess time will go by faster. Anyway, if you could pray for me I would be very grateful. Thank you!

I love the outdoors.

I really miss the smell of clean air, having been raised in the country on a farm.

On Sunday, my friend Christy and I set out east of Winnipeg. We stopped in Beausejour for church service, where I saw people that were a part of my childhood (my Sunday school teacher and my friends' mom).

We grabbed Subway and then continued on into the Whiteshell. Our destination was Pine Point Rapids. Christy really wanted to show me this beautiful area. To get to the rapids, we had a hike of about 2.5km. Once we arrived, Christy was very disappointed to see that it was so dry. We walked in the areas that the rapids should have been.

Here are some pictures... (we live in a beautiful country!)

Mourning an old friend.....

I would like to 'say' a few words for an old friend. He's been with me for almost 2 years. We had a pretty good thing going. We kept to ourselves and he didn't depend on me too much - being able to take care of himself a little. He was with me through rough and tumble times. He was with me when I had my apartment in MJ, when I 'left' Temple Gardens, while I looked for a job, when I moved to Wpg and with me through the last year. He was a dear old friend and companion. So, finally I would like to say goodbye to RED, my Beta fish that was given to me for my birthday 2 years ago.

Here's to yah, Red. Take care out there in the 'eau de toilet' heaven. :)

I know this isn't much, but I feel like I accomplished things last night. I baked a batch of apple muffins and another batch of banana chip muffins. AND, I washed all my dishes after! :) I don't know why, but I seem to enjoy baking more and more. A couple of weeks ago, I even attempted my own batch of buns. Hmmmm.....Maybe I should try that again. And cooking - I'm trying different things all the time. I love trying new things - and I love it even better when they work out!

Well, fall is definitely in the air now. I love the smell of the weather changing - the changing colours of the leaves - the cool refreshing air....Or maybe it's just the knowledge that my birthday is coming. I dunno! :)

Take care world!

Hello World!

I need someone to pinch me...I'm not sure I'm still alive. I sure feel like I'm dead or maybe dying. Okay, so maybe not dead - just REALLY REALLY bad. I'm so far past exhausted that I didn't get a very good sleep last night. I know this doesn't make any sense but my eyes aren't tired, I'm tired BEHIND my eyes. So the reason - I've just worked 4 days straight in my part time job. For the first two days I had a chance to have a nap but the last two I'm in bed by 1am and up at 7am to get ready for my full time job. I know that's still 6 hours, but when you are used to going to bed between 10 & 11pm - it hurts. By the time Sunday rolls around I will have worked 13 days straight. I think I need a vacation...oh! that's right I just had one. :) It's all worth it though (that's what I have to repeat to myself) because if I keep this up for another couple of months, I will be smooth sailing to a wonderful trip to Taiwan. TAIWAN, TAIWAN, Taiwan, taiwan, taiwan, taiwan.......sorry, I think I fell asleep there.

In the middle of my weekend (on Sunday), I had a mini break as I had friends over for lunch. I bbq'd a pork loin, but I forgot to cover it so the flames engulfed it like crazy so I had to scrap off some of the charred parts. In the end, it didn't taste too bad. I guess it all depends on what you like. I also made my mom's recipe for Greek Potatoes. Very nice! My friends brought bread and a marshmallow fruit salad. I love a salad like that - is it a salad or dessert? hmmm...who knows? It was a great time - very fun!

So, at work we have a wireless doorbell that sometimes goes off for no apparent reason. No one is standing there, but yet it sometimes rings. Well, apparently according the 'Grizzly' (my co-worker Fred) it is my suitor, he is just too scared to come in and he's made himself invisible. So, I ask myself...am I that scary? Is that where all the good guys are - invisible? Mr. Suitor - if you are reading this :) ...I'm really not that scary. Come in sometime and say hello! :) I don't bite!

Well, I guess I must trudge on and try to accomplish something today. Maybe I can get the postage meter to work today. (I'm crossing my fingers!) :)

Take care!

Well, I've been quite neglectful of late - to post updates. Life has been very busy. I can't believe that we are almost into September. The summer has come and is on it's way out. Walking to work in the mornings now, I wear a sweater 'cause the air is cold. I don't know about anyone else, but I love the fall....maybe because my birthday falls in there somewhere. :)

What have I been up to....in the beginning of the summer I sought after a part time job so that I could save money for a trip. I want to go see my 'little' sister as she is currently teaching in Taiwan. She's been there for a year and half so far. But with working for a mission, you don't have much left over at the end of the month, so I went looking for a way to make more money. Well, I found a job where I am placed in a home with three ladies with mental disabilities. My job is just to support them in living life. I've been really blessed in the way that the house I work in is very easy to support. The ladies are very independent and can get along very much on their own, they just need a little guidance. Now, that I'm 'talking' about this - I actually kind of miss the ladies, they are very sweet. It's the working until midnight and having to get up for my full time job which starts at 8:30am the next morning that I don't miss. I've had a little break from that job as I took off a week to go home to Moose Jaw and this week the ladies are at a cabin up north. My next shift is Saturday Sept. 2nd.

So, my trip to Moose Jaw. Well, I flew into Regina with my grandparents, who have flown before but not recently. It was interesting to see my grandma - I see now where I get my anxiousness. Ok, our flight wasn't until 7:20pm, but I was picked up at my house at 4:30pm which resulted in about an hour and a half wait with my aunt and uncle outside security and then we went through security and still had to wait for 45 minutes or so. ALOT of sitting around. Too bad I didn't have a good book at the time. We were greeted at the Regina airport by my dad and my wonderful sister Faith at 7:27pm. Gotta love those 7 minutes flights! :)

In Moose Jaw, the rest of our family was awaiting us. That includes: my mom, Malisa, Matthew & Timothy and Mark & Emily. So for 5 days we were all together in my parents house - the 11 of us. Sounds like alot - like it would be crowded. I don't know about anyone else - but I loved it. And it didn't feel all that crowded. Maybe because I live now with just a housemate (roommate?) and am used to having atleast five other people around. I don't think you actually appreciate siblings until you can't see them everyday. I miss my sisters & brother so much and now that grown in to a sister and brother-in-law AND now the most adorable and the cutest little nephew. Ah! He's so far away. :(

My beautiful and adorable nephew with his auntie Big Bird! :)

So for five days, we just sat around and visited. I relished the time - just spending time together. I love my family. We didn't need to do anything special, we just spent time together. I love it!

While in Moose Jaw I somehow found myself with an ear infection in my left ear which later on felt like jumping to my right ear. It's still there but is feeling much better.

Well, I guess I should get to work. Take care world!