mmm. not too much to say today.

just thought I better post something cause it's been a while.

anything worth fighting for takes a lot of work. but it's worth it. hold out for the good.

those are my cryptic words of wisdom for today.

biking to poco and other such things

mmm. I have discovered a wonderful new drink. Horlick's. Malty milky warm goodness. Thank you Hillary.

It is pouring rain outside. I've written so many times about how the rains are coming. I think it might be getting kind of annoying. But the weather has been pretty good so far.

Some fun stuff has happened lately. Thanksgiving weekend was great. Biked around Stanley Park. Went to a hockey game. Biked to Port Coquitlam. Went to a housewarming party. Got to go to church. Made a thanksgiving dinner with my roomies for 15 people. Thanksgiving Monday church was great- gave me joy. Made squash soup. Talked to Brian. Drank tea. Had fun.

Then I went to work. Work has been good. Not quite so busy- a bit more manageable. It helps that I had a student today. Funny- that was me six months ago. I like teaching them though. And it also is rather affirming cause I see how far I have come.

In two days I'm going to Ontario. WOOHOO!! For a week (almost) of family goodness.

palpable

i am full of Thanksgiving goodness right now. Our house made dinner for the YWAMers... it was great fun. 15 people over. Mountains of potatoes, lots of veges, an enourmous stubborn yet delicious turkey, and pie to top it all off. Delicious.

life is good in general. there's the trials and little things of course. trying not to worry about things. I have a tendency to let little things get out of proportion in my head. to jump to conclusions and just be plain paranoid. sometimes, just gotta take a deeep breath.

when we sang this in church it gives me shivers... the heartfelt sincerity behind the words overflowing from the hearts of those singing them- you can just FEEL it. soak it in and rejoice in it.

praise God from whom all blessings flow

praise Him all creatures here below

praise Him above ye heavenly host

praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

ALL blessings. indeed. don't forget it.

trust.

il pleut aujourd'hui

It's raining in Vancouver.

I think I'll get used to it. I already know to take advantage of the sunny days, and to get outside. Which makes me cringe when I spend 12 hours of a glorious blue sky day in the hospital..... but on the bright side, it would be far far worse to be a patient in the hospital for countless blue sky days on end....

Besides, tea in the afternoon in my favourite mug is ever so cozy.

I am finding community. And it is good for the soul. The church I'm going to, at least as often as I can (which hasn't been much lately) has Community Night on Wednesdays. Soup, bread, dessert, love. Multiple generations. The little old ladies, the chatty mothers, the hungry college students, the shy ones, the newbies, the squirmy toddlers... everyone comes together. There definitely is something about a shared meal that brings people together. I know there's a lot of good quotes about that, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

On the flip side, I am missing people that aren't here. The problem with living on one side of the country, however beautiful it may be to live here, is that there are always people living on the other side. And close to the other side- 'back East', as they say here. Perhaps it would be better to live in the middle. Though either way, you've got to travel to see people, and flights are not exactly cheap. (though I must say they are slightly cheaper these days thanks to the elimination of a fuel surcharge though I'm sure there are hidden fees elsewhere in the whole section where your 'seat sale' turns into a whopping total, with one click, right before your very eyes).

Sometimes I find it hard to not always look to what is to come, and instead fully enjoy the present. A good friend of mine jokes about my oft-stated dream to live out in the country with a big backyard, my own forest and some pet sheep and rabbits (alright maybe that is a slight exaggeration). Not exactly the big city life which I have (sort of) got myself into at this moment. But that time will come, maybe not that specifically, but just different places and different things. For now, I know that I've got to be HERE. and embrace the balance of the here and now, and the future. It's all in the hands of the only One who is big enough to create it all, take it all, and love beyond understanding.

it's love, it's love that holds us.

we will be alright.

it's truth, its truth that shows us

as we walk in this life....

- brooke fraser, 'deciphering me'

the perils of high society

The other night I had an interesting evening with my friend Nanc. She was housesitting for someone who owned a 'penthouse' downtown. (When I say penthouse I mean a moderately fancy apartment with over 20 floors and a granite and marble lobby. And a 'concierge'- that is a key fact). Anyway, we biked there and since we had no key-opener thing for the parking garage, brought our bikes in the front lobby. Clearly the logical choice. We were planning on bringing them in the elevator up to the apartment (alright maybe that is slightly abnormal). This is the part where the concierge saw us trying to infiltrate the place and became quite upset- "No bikes in the elevator! I have a loose dog to deal with right now! The tires are going to damage the floors!" And other such great calamities. He opened the garage door for us and made it clear that this extreme problem of ours, not knowing how to get in with our bikes, would be dealt with "on a case by case basis." So we biked into the parking garage, narrowly escaping being crushed by the iron grated gate (not quite, but close- it seemed like that anyway). Found a spot to lock up our bikes amid the bike graveyard (aka a creepy hallway of bike cages). Took the mirrored marbled floor elevator up the the 23rd floor. And drank tea while overlooking the tall office buildings around us. We decided not to close the blinds when we slept cause it looked cool outside. But it became evident in the wee hours that as cities never sleep, neither do the naive country-dwellers who leave the blinds open so the office building lights can shine in all night. Okay, thats a lie. I did sleep. But I did crave darkness, real quiet, real night, as well.

I think the whole thing was just an interesting little evening for me in I learned, or reaffirmed, that I am definitely not a live-in-the-downtown-core in a highride apartment kind of person. I love greenspace, open sky, backyards, quiet streets. Not windows that open 6 inches, dizzyingly carpeted hallways and stacked living, 23 floors at a time.

That was just a little story for you all. It was a fun night. Vancouver and I are becoming quite good friends. Other things to note of late...
I climbed a mountain last week. A real one. Elevation 1441. It was awesome. I love mountains, and now I want to climb some more. That was a stellar day.
Spent a lovely week with Brian. This includes the hike (and some other hikes too). If you don't know who Brian is, you should ask me. He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland. As of Tuesday.

Working the night shift tonight. Hopefully all will be well.

More adjustments to make these next few weeks. Hopefully it all goes well. Must be mindful of many blessings and remember to be a blessing to others.

new beginnings

September is upon us, my dear reader(s). It's hard to believe, I think. Because September sounds like school, which is no more for me, and it also sounds like fall, but it doesn't seem like it's time for fall yet.

On Saturday, I moved. Across the city. Now I live with 4 other lovely roomies in a house (yes, a house! not a basement suite) east of Commercial Drive in Vancouver. I think it's going to be good. I like these girls. I know them fairly well, seeing as one of them is dating my cousin, I have hung out with them all in previous visits to Vancouver, and they were hospitable enough to let me stay here on those visits. Little did they know that I was already eyeing this as a potential place to live way back then... and was trying to get insight into any of their annoying habits. Ha. Just kidding, I really had no idea I would end up living here. Life is funny that way.

So here I am. Living in a real house, with a front porch, back porch, garden (of sorts), big mugs for tea, and a living room with couches. It feels like a home, not a rental. And of course the most important factor contributing to that is the people themselves... its a little mini family. reminds me of the Pink Flamingo, much better than roomies with all separate lives. We even cook for everyone else one night a week. How sweet is that.. ya I thought it was a pretty good arrangement. Much better for the soul than grabbing some frozen stir fry out of the freezer and sitting in front of my computer eating because I don't have a dining room table or anyone to talk with at dinner anyway...

So new beginnings, here we go. New house, new roommates, new commute to work, new church (I'm working on that one), new season.... it's exciting. And I think that I am getting better at this whole transition thing. Slowly. It''s not always smooth sailing, but I know to expect that now.

And I will be here longer than 3 months! As far as I can tell anyway. Its a good improvement from the last 3 places I lived. during the last 8 months. hmm. will be nice to leave this semi-nomadic lifestyle behind for a while..