Family Ties & Growing Pains

So, I know that blogs have been few and far between... our internet at home is "sensitive" and works when it wants to :) But now I'm at Kirk & Vivian's and I managed to leg-wrestle one of their kids into giving me some computer time.

On Tuesday I begin my new job as a full-time Early Childhood Educator. The dream has been realized. It was completely a God-directed thing, and I'm still amazed at how it all came about. In a nutshell, last Friday I basically was able to choose between two amazing caregiving positions. I'm really thankful and excited about the next 5 months of work... never really thought that I would say that.

And it's strange to think that the baby will be here in five months. Right now I'm 16 weeks along. I'm almost half way. It seemed like I'd never make it past 12 weeks, and suddenly I find myself being 4 months pregnant. I had my check-up yesterday and all is well, heart beating at 156 beats per minute. We videotaped it but it wasn't as audible as last time. All is well and the baby is growing. Our ultrasound is in two weeks. Pictures to follow.

Grandma and Grandpa Roberts and Scott and Cindi are here for the weekend and my wonderful friend Nickie is arriving with her family tomorrow.

As rent day approaches, Peter and I realize that we have now been in Victoria for 6 months... how did that happen!? It's pretty unbelievable that half a year has already flown by. And my how our lives have changed in those whirlwind 6 months.

Anyway, I'm gonna go hang out with the family.

Yo, Check It

One of my bestest of best friends, Kelli, has started a blog to chronicle her journey from here to Africa. She will be heading to Nairobi, Kenya this autumn to serve God in an orphanage. Please praypraypray for this amazing girl as she prepares for her trip.

The Colbert Report

So...

#1. The Oilers came in second. Second. It sounds better than saying they lost. Second is pretty good in my books. It's only one away from first. Way to go Oilers! I find that hockey fans tend to take an all-or-nothing-attitude. When the Oilers lost the first two games of the series how many people lost hope? How many people wrote them off and gave up? But they took it all the way to Game 7. And now: "they lost". But really, they came in second. And they played (pretty) great. I mean they had to have played pretty great in order to make it to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Annnnyway, I'm not the hugest hockey fan in the world so I'm gonna stop talking about it right away here, but I just think that we should end this season on a positive note... mostly because I know there are a lot of "broken-hearted" fans out there.

#2. I quit my job. I handed out 800 hundred resumes to 800 different childcare centres and I've been doing a little bit of subbing and have myself booked for dates in the summer. To be honest, I think it's one of the best moves that I ever could've made. Now I'm getting my name out there and getting my foot in the door for when I am able to work full-time. Some positions are even opening up for permanent-part-time work and also another temporary position. The best part about it all is that every day I just have to trust in God and completely and faithfully rely on Him to provide the work for me, to provide for me. It's been a really cool experience.

#3. I just ate a dried mango and it was delicious.

That is all I have to report.


Yes I know this had nothing to do with Stephen Colbert. The title was more to attact the attention of Blair. Hey Blair, how about a phone call? Miss you buddy.

Book Promo

I'm reading The Power of Generosity by Dave Toycen. Here are some nuggets:

- "Generous acts have the unique ability to lift us to a higher level where we are more human, more the person we really want to be."

- "Generosity can truly be the mortar that binds us together as caring members of the human family."

- "No one need despair that generosity is reserved only for those who have a good education or a special personality. Generosity is for everyone. All it takes is a willing spirit and the courage to be used for something greater than ourselves."

Another one...

Also see Kristi & Cyrus' blog... the most recent addition to the links list.

Lost Poem

For the past few weeks we've been slowly getting settled into our new home, finding places for things, filling up the nooks and crannies, and starting to let go of a lot of stuff that we've been carting around for the past few years. This has required a little bit of spring cleaning on my behalf, going through a number of boxes that always remain in storage. This is always a daunting task, but is usually holds a few surprises, this following poem being one of them.

I wrote this poem before I had any kind of relationship with God; while I was living in a way that was completely against what God desired for me, hurting myself physically and emotionally. It amazes me to read it, because, though childish, I seemed to have an idea of what "God" was like.

God's Hands
written by the Grade 11 version of Chelsey

God's large hand
cradles me
with wrinkled grip.

God's large hand
holds me tight
until harm is absent.

God's large hand
writes with chalk
before me.

God's large hand
gently nudges
resisting my objection.

God's large hand
offers a haven
of security.

God's large hand
becomes soaked with tears
but never lets go.

As I read that poem I was taken back to the very moment I wrote it; I can remember exactly how I felt, I can remember exactly how I thought about it, I can remember exactly the look on my face. Looking back, I see it as one of those moments where God connected with me, seemingly out of no where, as He lead me toward Him.

As people ask us how the new place is and how we're settling in, I've commented that we are "unpacking our lives". When I discovered this lost poem, I realized that it was really true.

(ha, how cheesy is that!)

Bloggers

I have reorganized my Canadian Friends list of links to be alphabetized dun da da dun! Now neater and more organized than ever you can quickly find the blog you are looking for while searching by said blogger's last name.

Also I have added three new names to the list:

Doug Ashby
and
John & Angie Close
and
Amanda Coulter

Rumour has it that Kris & Tasha Roberts are also blogging, but I haven't located their address yet... so if you have it, let me know.

Lastly, I've added the newly renovated Shelbourne Street Church of Christ website to the Special Interest list.

So... go now and check out all the new links!

Jesus replied,

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:23-24

The Call Centre Blues

I didn't go to work today. I took calls on Friday, but today was my first "official" all-day-long call taking day at West. I didn't go. I didn't go because I spent all night last night making this face:

Of course my hair is much shorter, so it was more like this:

Of course my hair is lighter and I have more freckles, but you get the idea. I was morose.

So I decided, I will not go to work tomorrow. The corners of my mouth started to point upward a bit. I will not go to work tomorrow. I will hand out resumes, I will go to a million and one daycares and start subbing, I'll go to Subway and make subs, I'll sell subs to those fancy guys with the fancy cars that like their fancy bass loud. I'll do anything so long as I don't have to work at West.

I mean, I've worked some crappy jobs before. Tim Horton's. Bootlegger. StarTek (which might as well be West). Okay, I never stuck to any of those jobs, but let's be real here, I worked at A&W for a year. I worked at Canadian Tire for my entire time spent in Yellowknife and would've stayed longer (I'm maybe even going to apply to the one here). I worked in a day camp being the only Anglophone person, with angry French separtists who relieved their anger on me... yet I managed to stay at those places. What did they have that this place doesn't? Why can't I just stay at West and suck it up? (Did I mention that I cleaned rooms at the Holiday Inn?)

I didn't go to work today. And it made me happy. But now, it's almost time for supper and I'm realizing that I have to go to work tomorrow. The corners of my mouth are sharply sloping downward again. I should stay there until I get another job... right? Right? (In case you're wondering, I'm waiting for you all to tell me that I don't have to and that everything will be fine... which, in case you didn't know, it will be.)

Sigh. I bet I'm going to work tomorrow.

13 weeks

Our House

Here's a teaser... this is our guest bedroom (still being unpacked)... if you want to see the rest, come stay here! orrrrrrrrrrr you could just click here for some HOT NEW PHOTOS!

Ketchup, Catsup, Catch-up

Okayyyy so it has been a little while. I haven't been hiding anything either, I promise. Pure laziness this time.

So let's see. Where were we? Well I'm still working at West, the dreaded call centre. I took my first calls on Friday, they went okay. I'm not super pumped about the job but I can deal with it for a while (I think). Last Tuesday I found out that I was accepted to Northern Lights College and I can now finish my Early Childhood Education program through some sweet distance ed. That will start in the fall, and is completely God's work because I was under the impression that I didn't get in because I didn't submit the proper transcripts.

I started my photography course last weekend. I'll be a learn-ed girl after this year that's for sure.

Had my first doctor's appointment on Thursday. She's such a sweet lady and we had a lot in common, par example, we both believe in and are committed to God. Sweet deal. Pete and I got to hear the heartbeat which was fantastically fantastic. Amazing. Inexplainable. Officially my most favourite noise of all time. 160 beats per minute. That's a lot of beating going on. No brothers or sisters in there with the little one. ANNNNDDD apparently I'm 13 weeks, not 10 weeks, so I'm now in the second trimester and my baby is fully formed, now it just needs to grow. It can apparently smile and frown, yawn and suck its thumb. I can't imagine this little 3-inch baby sucking its thumb. How big can the thumb be? Ultrasound is in 5 weeks, we'll have a confirmed due date then, but until then the new due date is December 11. So I'm just a couple weeks behind the Mike & Kim Fowler baby (November 24).

Cherie was in town this weekend and her, Tami and I went for breakfast this morning at Adrienne's Tea Garden in Mattick's Farm. It was good. Well the hanging out was good, I'm still not too sure about my omelette. It had dill sauce in it. It was new to me.

Tonight we had a jam session at the church and it was fun. A guy named Ken showed up, he saw the sign beside the building. He played saxophone and was sweet at it. I played the bongos and had no idea what I was doing but it was fun. Also strummed along on the geetair.

Bought my first piece of maternity clothing. A skirt on sale from $50 to $12.99 at Old Navy. Now that's how you do it.

And last but not least, the Oilers won tonight! They are back... with a vengeance. How fantastic would it have been to be in the stands? Goosebumps I say, goosebumps.

But still not better than my little one's heartbeat.

Oilers

EGADS!!!! ROLOSONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!