Winter Fun!

Winter Market

Today is the first Winter Farmer's Market and I am looking forward to filling up my kitchen with all sorts of delicious food. I expect there will be many perserves which are great for upcoming Christmas parties; pickled beets, peppers, relishes and chutneys. I am also on the hunt for a wreath. I'll see what I can find.

Cheer!

Hip!Hip! Hooray!! Dad arrives today!!

I am sitting on the couch waiting with excitement for his arrival. He took the red eye from Hawaii and landed in Vancouver early this morning. After having breakfast with a friend he'll be driving out my way. I haven't seen him in nine months and I can't wait to spend the next week with him.

The house is clean, the muffins are baking in the oven and I have the next 48 hours off. Yay!!

My paper is in!

I finally handed in my paper to presbytery (regional church body) tonight. It was due on Wednesday. I have just been sooooooooooooooooooooo busy lately and tomorrow I will lead my second memorial service within a week. Last week it was for a friend's brother who died suddenly (just 28 years old) and tomorrow it will be for an 85 year old retired police officer. It's going to be a big service. Anyways, back to the paper. It's about 15 pages long and it is a detailed portfolio of all the work, classes, education and accomplishments I have done over the last sixteen years. A committee will review it and then interview me next Monday. Fingers crossed all will be well and I will be recommended for Recognized Designated Lay Ministry. Right now, I am in the unrecognized category. Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving Part 2

I had one of the best Thanksgiving weekends in a long time. Usually I find myself alone on Thanksgiving as family isn't near by (and most of them celebrate US Thanksgiving anyways) and I don't always get invites to other places. But this year I ended up feasting over three days.
I cooked an organic, free range, fresh young turkey on Saturday and had 12 people for dinner. Everybody pitched in and brought different items. We had everything from fresh beets, local squash, homemade cranberry sauce and delicious vegetables followed by homemade pumpkin cheesecake and SaltSpring Island coffee. It was absolutely delicious!

Sunday and Monday night I had more turkey and the best turkey meatballs ever!

It was a good weekend and a good way to celebrate the local harvest.

Next up...turkey soup!

Happy Thanksgiving!

T’was the night of Thanksgiving,
But I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned,
The dark meat and white.
But I fought the temptation,
With all of my might.
Tossing and turning,
with anticipation.
The thought of a snack
became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen,
Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge,
Full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey,
And buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots,
Beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling,
So plump and so round.
‘til all of a sudden,
I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling,
Floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding,
And a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell
As I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all,
Pass the cranberries, please!!
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize
And May your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off of your thighs!

Reprise Quartet - How Great Thou Art

I am officiating a memorial service this week for a 28 year old man who died of a drug overdose. He was the brother-in-law of a close friend. In planning his service, the family has requested two very common hymns; How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace. Here is one of them. Take a moment and listen to this incredible quartet.

Corn Roast

We had a wonderful corn roast at the church tonight. 40 people came after only two weeks notice. That was amazing! We had a table of seniors, a table of teens and a mix of others. The corn was picked this morning and was super sweet. It is probably some of the last corn of the season. The best part of the event was "Corn Jeopardy". I created it this morning. 5 categories, all to do with corn. Everybody seemed to get into it and have a great time. The best part was the prize...Dessert Buffet for everybody!

GIRL POWER!

Girl Power was today! This is an event that I've been co-planning for girls, ages 8-12 in the church and community. It was a day to increase self esteem and become aware of healthy living, good choices, healthy sexuality and personal safety. In all I had 40 girls attend and 7 wonderful leaders. The Spa was the big hit of the day with foot soaks, face masks and a lot of nailpolish! It was a very successful event and I am looking forward to doing it again next year. Next up, Boy Power!

Smoke looms in the air

This week on three different occasions the homeless started fires on the benches outside of our church main entrance. Yesterday we had the police and fire department over to assess the situation and it was declared arson. Building smoke is such a scary smell and it was sitting in the air yesterday causing concern for everybody who dropped by.

Our church has had a rough go lately.

We've had drug addicts shooting up in the back of our property. Windows have been smashed and paint balled with bright green paint and this week my colleague arrived to discover that someone had vomited all over the front pathway. The smell was outrageous.

The good news in this is that occasionally we meet some really neat people with great stories. This week I met a women who grew up in the northern part of the province in a fishing village. She knew a United Church Minister really well because he visited her village by boat. It was the only way that they got visitors. It turns out that I had read a book once about the Thomas Crosby Ministry so I was able to continue the conversation well. The two of us sat and chatted for quite some time. Her situation has changed now and she is living in the city with nine people all struggling to make it financially. I was glad to be able to provide her with a bag of food.

Final Semester - I hope!

Today my final class begins and it will be a challenge. The course content should be fine but the four hour length on Monday mornings is going to be hard. Monday's are often my only day off from work. We'll see how it goes. The bonus is that throughout the fall, Monday is often a holiday so we will have less classes this semester.

As far I can see this is my final class of my Diploma in Child and Youth Care however I want to wait to receive the official note from the Registrar as there seem to be credit calculation differences on my transcript and the website. Fingers crossed that the result will be good!

Three Hour Trip

That's right. I left work an hour early and headed across the border for an evening of great shopping. The US dollar and exchange rate is incredible right now and with little to no tax it is way cheaper to shop in Washington than BC. Plus it makes for a fun Friday night. I waited about 10 minutes at the border each way which is nothing compared to weekend and Summer delays. I came home with a car load of groceries (mostly things we can't buy in Canada) and two items of clothing. The most exciting find was pear yogurt. I haven't had pear yogurt since being in Brazil in 2006. YUM!

Sharing Food

It's been a long time since I last posted on my blog. My life has continued to be busy with exciting things. Exciting things like travel, a drumming class, choir practice and a week of vacation bible school. It seems like each day brings something new and something to look forward to. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a great fullness in my life and sometimes wonder what quiet and boring feels like. I also sometimes forget to be really thankful until a situation puts my great life into perspective.

This week has been a short work week due to Labour Day so our office has only been open for three days. Just three days and we've already given out food to ten different households who came in for support. Today it was a family with two adults and five children. Our food cupboard is for emergenices and it broke my heart to hear that parents didn't have food for school lunches. Luckily there are some amazing people in the church who bring in donations all the time and someone just brought in granola bars and juice boxes this morning. It's nice to think that tomorrow five children will wake up and be able to pack a lunch in their school bag and head to class. What an exciting day for them!

Chocolate Cake

The best chocolate cake ever! I made it last night and it received great reviews. I discovered it through a cooking show on the food network. No flour and no gluten.

Moist Chocolate Cake

2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
2 cups milk or soy milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups white or cane sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round or square cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups (500 mL) of cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Mix the sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Pour the batter into the pan and bake on the center oven rack for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Grandma

Last weekend I went with friends to Washington State, a normal and pretty frequent thing to do although this time we went and explored some new places. It was a great day and on the way home, while waiting in the border line we had the windows down and the smell of farms was wafting into the car. Not the stinky kind of smell but the grass after a long day in the sun, type of smell. It totally reminded me of my Grandma's house in Utah. If it was near by I would probably jump in my car and go for a little drive down memory lane.

I think of Grandma (and all of my grandparents) pretty well every day of my life and have done since she (they) died about 11 (12 and 9) years ago. I often think of her home, the farm, the drinking well, the hay, cows and the street between her house and the house where my Uncle use to live. I think of how she knew her neighbours, went to church, grew her own food, raised children and worked hard. She always seemed to be sewing something on one of her sewing machines.

I find it so interesting that I love being at home, chatting with friends and neighbours, cooking and growing a lot of my own food and work hard. I also doing a lot of sewing and quilting on my machine. The only thing I don't have is children (yet).

Recently one of my cousins wrote to me to say that she was so proud of all that I have done in my life especially the ministry I do in the church and she said that Grandma would be proud. I hope Grandma would be proud after all she knew me through my childhood and teen years but not as a 32 year old (soon to be 33) women, minister, and granddaughter. Wow! If she was around today I would have so many stories to share.

Family Camp

I am back home after five days of Family Camp. It was a great week filled with crafts and games, campfire, singing, worship and lots of eating. The greatest highlight is that I went swimming for the first time in probably ten years. It was amazing!

Cabin Fever to Cabin Living

I've been home two weeks now, on leave from work in order to rest and recover after my car accident. The resting and recovering time has been a blessing and I am so thankful to work for a place that is so understanding and caring however I am starting to go crazy!!! There is only so much tv and reading one can take and I am at my limit. Thankfully tomorrow I am heading to Cultus Lake for a few days of fun where I will be resting and reading and staying in a cabin while surrounded by friends. From cabin fever to cabin living....

Graduate to be!

I registered for my final class today! All being well I will graduate in February 2011 with a Diploma in Child and Youth Counselling. I can't wait to be done and to move onto new and exciting things. Not sure what those exciting things will be but I feel like there is something in the works. Stay tuned!

July Garden Update

This year brought many garden challenges including a house move, a theft of plants in my community garden plot, a black bug attack of my zucchini plant and overwhelming amounts of rain right up until early July. Nevertheless there is nothing greater than being able to walk onto my balcony or up the path to my garden plot and pick some delicious food.

Currently I have lots of salad ingrediants including:
three types of lettuce
chives
cilantro
strawberries
garlic
lavendar
mint - great for pastas, salads, veggies or tea

Coming Up....
tomotoes, broccoli, beets, carrots and peppers.

It's going to be a delicious August!

Halifax

I visited the wonderful and beautiful province of Nova Scotia a couple of weeks ago. It was about my fifth time there and one of the best visits ever. The Maritimes are known for their incredible hospitality and that's exactly what I experienced. From lobster meals to strawberry suppers from amazing cottage stays to downtown visits. It was a great six days, five of which were spent in church meetings. Halifax is a growing city however it still feels like Vancouver use to be about thirty years ago. It has lots of character and lots of small-town feel to it. People are very friendly! On my day off I spent a day at Blomidon, a little country cottage area on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful place. We even picked up eggs and strawberries from nearby farms and fields. There was even a street sign that said, "slow down, strawberry fields ahead.". What loveliness...

Happy Canada Day!

It's my most favourite day of the entire year! Canada turns 143 today. Happy Canada Day!

Recipe: Bocconcini and Oregano Salad

Here is a great new salad recipe that I recommend. I discovered it a few weeks ago on a weekend news, recipe-of-the-week feature. I made it for a party and it went over well. Tip: When I make this again I will use less onions. I found them somewhat overpowering but I also think that onions are a personal preference so make your own decision!

Bocconcini and Oregano Salad

What you need:
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsp/10 mL dried oregano)
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
Pinch salt
Pinch ground black pepper
1 cup halved mini bocconcini cheese pieces

Directions:
Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 4 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. Set aside to completely cool.

Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, peas and red and yellow pepper in a large bowl.

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and thoroughly mix all the ingredients. Add the quinoa and bocconcini and mix until evenly combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days

Enjoy!

Leadership Day

Each year for the last five or so a group of leaders and I have planned a day long leadership event for youth to refresh/gain leadership skills in preparation for leading at Summer camps and Vacation Bible Schools. This year, leaders are busier than ever and the burn out level has been high. When the idea was pitched to plan a leadership event there were no takers. Then I did some thinking and decided that this was still important to do but in a smaller, simpler way, so I organized it.

On Saturday we offered a 4 hour event and it went super well!
35 Youth, 10 Youth Leaders
$5/person to cover snack and lunch

4 workshops:
1. Leadership Basics - What does it mean to be a leader? Boundaries of leadership.
2. Game Bursts: Games you can do to fill time
3, Leadership: Working with Diversity (inclusiveness, disabilities) and Dealing with Conflict
4. Theatre Sports and Drama

Each participant got a ball (for future games) and handouts to take home as part of their leadership kit. It was a great day!

Jerusalem!!!

It's official and most of the world already knows this but I am going to Jerusalem in July! I am one of forty people in the world to be selected to attend a conference on justice in the Middle East. All the participants will be between 18&35 years old and from many different countries and Christian churches affliated with the World Council of Churches. The conference will be hosted by Sabeel; an Ecumenical Liberation Theological Centre. I've booked my flights and depart of July 19th. Luckily my to do list between now and then is small as time is ticking and I will be in the Holy lands before I know. What an amazing opportunity!

Stolen

Tonight I decided to check out my garden plot and see how things are growing. Once I arrived I discovered that someone stole my strawberry plant, which had berries that were almost ready on it and they pulled out a large plant which I recently discovered was a large weed...no big deal. Then as I walked through the garden I noticed that someone has intentionally stepped all through a number of garden plots, damaging plants and pulling out others. I am not mad but I have to say that this is pretty disappointing. I've written to Strata to see what they can do.

85th Anniversary

Tomorrow is the United Church of Canada's 85th Anniversary. I am SO proud to be a member of this church. Tomorrow during worship we will celebrate Communion and the bread we will eat is bannock, made from locally milled flour from each province in Canada. Isn't that neat? I baked three loaves tonight and it smells great. This week I watched an amazing video recapping 85 years and the amazing things that the church has done. Did you know that....
We were the first church in Canada to ordain women?
We were one of the first churches to openly welcome, ordain and marry gay and lesbian people?
We strive towards seeking justice locally and globally?
We've apologized for our part in the First Nations Residential School abuses?
We are a member of the World Council of Churches?
Of course there is a lot of diversity within each congregation however I think it's pretty incredible to be apart of a church that is generally so open, welcoming and empowered.
Happy Birthday UC!

JUNE!

How did it happen? June is here and that means Canada Day is one month away. For those of you who don't know, Canada Day is my most favourite not-religious day of the entire year! Anyways, back to June arriving.... This is my first blog update in a few weeks so I thought I would share some highlights of what has been happening in my life. My Mom always says that I could write a book with the amount of things going on all the time. So here it goes:

1. It has been raining soooo much in May that I have spent more time dumping out plant dishes filled with water than I have spent gardening and tending my garden plot. As one who has grown up in BC, the rain doesn't bother me but it has been much more noticeable this year. My garden is growing well with strawberries arriving in just a couple more weeks.

2. The Emerging Spirit book is in the final stages and I will be listed as one of the editors. Look through my previous posts to find out what I am talking about.

3. Langley Farmer's Market started last week and I was one of the first 200 people there (in the pouring rain) and received a free market bag.

4. It's rhubarb season and I've been buying it by the pounds and stocking up my freezer with this great pie-making, muffin-making, crumble-making ingredient.

5. It's Grad Season and so this month I will be celebrating and recognizing a handful of high school graduates through various ceremonies and gatherings. I also received a wonderful invitation for a cousin graduating in Utah.

6. Wedding #1 of the season is coming up and I am one of 25 people who have been invited. One of the smallest weddings ever and one that is all about organic, down to earth, outdoor, community style celebration. I can hardly wait!

7. The Summer semester began a few weeks ago and I am taking one class until August on the topic of behaviours. I am also challenging my final practicum and I have a few assignments to complete over the summer for this.

8. My quilting group is coming to an official end in mid-June. We've been quilting together for 10 years, all through our twenties and into our thirties. As a final project we are working on a stained glass quilt and a burgello. Both are quite neat projects.

9. I have led three "retreats" over the last month; Children's Retreat, Women's Retreat and May Youth Retreat. All went well and all took a ton of energy.

10. Finally this coming Sunday is the churches 85th Birthday and I have been given the task of baking 8 loaves of bannock for our worship celebration. Every congregation across Canada has been given the same dry ingredient mix so that we all eat the same bread on the same day while celebrating the United Church of Canada.

All is well in Kerry-land!

Garden

I finally had time this afternoon to plant my garden plot. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for a free, sunny afternoon and today became that day. An added bonus was that the local high school had a manure sale this weekend and I bought a bag of great organic mushroom manure to add to the mix. Apparently other people in the neighbourhood had the same idea as the garden was busy today. The garden plot is small and after a lot of thinking and planning I just ended up randomly planting seeds in no particular order. It will be interesting to see the abstract garden look once everything starts to grow. So in my plot I planted
carrots, lettuce, green onions, chives,garlic,lemon balm,dill,cilantro and basil. Tomorrow I will be creating my balcony garden which will be made up of tomato plants, zucchini, mint, lavender and peppers. I've already bought plant feet to go along with some beautiful cedar plant boxes. I'll be sure to take photos once the project is complete.

Healing Touch

My Senior Youth Group (Grades 8-12) meet every Friday night for fun, adventure, fellowship, community and some sort of program. Last night I invited the Healing Touch Team from Northwood to visit and offer the youth an introduction to Healing Touch. A technique used outside of the church often in hospitals and holistic centres and inside of the church for a spiritual experience. 11 of us gathered last night and it was truly amazing. Lots of good energy work, sacred time, quiet atmosphere and some very personal experiences for each individual. One of the teens posted on their Facebook a huge thanks to the team for coming. I love it when new attempts work out well.

Women's Retreat

I was away this weekend on a congregational retreat for women. I was leading the theme and worship for the entire weekend and was the main facilitator for the event. It went REALLY well. I was a little worried because I usually work with children and youth. Adults are different in many ways so I worked extra hard to ensure that I gave a 110% effort. It paid off. People left this afternoon feeling refreshed, happy, content and spiritually-filled. I am sure they will return to church next Sunday and share wonderful stories. I returned home this afternoon feeling very satisfied with the experience. I've even been asked to do it again next year!

Power of One

I am heading away this weekend to Cultus Lake. It's the annual Children's Retreat and about 100 of us will gather for the weekend. We'll be exploring the theme of "Power of One" through crafts, games, drama, yoga, prayer, worship, music, campfire, hiking, quiet time and of course a lot of sleep (haha!).

There are 24 people going from my congregation; the largest representation from one church. I am pretty proud of the 9 adults and youth who are giving up their weekend to volunteer as leaders. I am really excited for the children who are coming especially those who are coming for the first time.

Imagine, 65 children between 8-11 years old for 48 hours for full time fun.

It's going to be grrrreat!

Temple

A post especially for my family...

The first LDS (Mormon) Temple has been built in BC and is located ten minutes from my home. A couple of months ago my church received an invitation to attend the open house and specifically the faith leaders gathering. In talking with my colleague we decided to totally promote this open house to our entire congregation as a way of reaching out and exploring another place of worship and another faith community. There has been some really great press coverage on this temple with beautiful photos and articles making the front page of the Vancouver Sun, Langley Times and Surrey Now.

As someone who has grown up alongside a large LDS Family I feel pretty proud to be able to promote this special opportunity and to know a little bit more than the average visitor. The temple is open for a few more days and then will close forever on Saturday evening (April 24) at 8pm to the public. I've visited three times so far and expect to return one more time this week. So far 75 people from my congregation have visited with another large group going soon.

As I have only ever spent time in the waiting room of the temple it was honouring to finally see the rest of the building. It's only taken 33 years! I will especially appreciate the visual memory of the Creation Room (Instruction Room #1) and the Celestial Room (Prayer/Quiet Room).

On my first visit I connected with two missionaries; Sister L from Sandy, Utah and Sister Pung from San Diego, California. Sister "L" is short for a really long name and she said that it was easier to go with "L". They are serving Vancouver Island but are helping with the Open House for two weeks. They were really neat young women and each time I brought a group I would go and find them and they would be present to answer questions and wonderings. On Saturday they gave me a great big hug to say thank you. I think its because they had had a particularly challenging day with visitors.

Outside the temple many protesters carrying signs of all kinds have been present each day.

Conversations through my church building over the last week have been amazing! Many people talking about their experience of the temple. Ironically on tv, KCTS Channel 9 out of Seattle, has been presenting documentaries about the Mormon Church each evening over the week. What timing!

Ready, Set, Go!

The Hockey Playoffs begin today and Game 1 for Vancouver is tonight. It's the Canucks against LA Kings. I'm looking forward to seeing some great hockey over the coming weeks. I've never been to a live Canuck's game but I hope to go one day, maybe next season. In the mean time I am rooting them on from home. Go Canucks Go!

Good Friday

Every Good Friday, after morning worship, I head to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary for a great peaceful walk and time of exploration. Last year it was with Alex, my little four year old "nephew" who likes to look for penguins and flamingalos. We didn't find any of those last year.....maybe this year?? So last Friday Cindy (Alex's Mom) and I headed off to the try again. It was a REALLY windy day and that added to the fun. The bonus was that we were basically the only people around. The ducks were friendly and at one point I had a whole group walking with me. We also saw 4 herons, a beaver dam, red jays and one pair of very loud Canadian geese. It's nesting time so we were glad to give them some food as a way to escape their aggressive defense techniques. We spent a couple of hours walking the paths and discovering the beauty. No luck with penguins or flamingalos however so I guess we'll be back next year!

House Blessing

Yesterday I hosted my first party at my new home with 15 guests and a brand new little one. It was a combination of a baby shower and house blessing with friends who I've known for 15+ years. We had a wonderful time and lots of delicious food. I prepared the appetizers and everybody else brought dessert. We began at 2pm and went into the evening which included ordering in Chinese Food, watching the (terrible) Canuck's game and kick-starting the annual Earth Hour experience.

For appetizers I made:
1. veggies and dip. The dip was a delicious chipotle flavoured dip. I wanted to try something new after making the same dip for many years. It had a nice zip to it.

2. cheese ball and crackers - pretty simple and standard cheese ball without the nuts

3. broccoli salad - with sunflower seeds instead of cashews

4. guacamole and chips

5. prosciutto rolls

6. deviled eggs

7. spinach dip

The desserts that arrived were incredibly delicious. We had cream cheese tarts with raspberry sauce, homemade caramel corn, brownies, fruit plate and a strawberry shortcake.

I basically used all my favourite and regular appetizers that I take to the gazillion potlucks I attend each year. I think its time to open the cookbooks, expand the list and learn some new appetizers. Any suggestions?

Family Week

This week is family week and I LOVE having family in town. It doesn't happen often so when it does it becomes top priority (as long as I know ahead of time that they are coming!).It also reminds me to be thankful for the many friends in my life who care for me year-round and especially during the holidays.

Mom flew into Vancouver LAST Thursday after being away for two weeks. She was judging the UBC Gala Ball this past weekend. We are meeting for lunch today at the Irish Pub just down the street from my house. Mom flies out tomorrow for three weeks of travel. I believe Halifax and Calgary are included in this trip and she will be back after Easter.

Dad flies in THIS Thursday and will be here for a six day visit. We are going to spend Saturday in Snohomish visiting my cousin and his wife. The added bonus is that I have the entire six days off of work and only one school (class) commitment.

I am looking forward to all the visits and fun.

2010 Travel

My friends know me too well! I've had three people ask me this week where I am off to this year. This is usually the time that I start to plan another trip to some wonderful place in the world however I don't have any big plans yet....

Hawaii, Australia and Nova Scotia are all on my radar and are all places I've been too before. I will probably end up going to one of them.

Europe, India, New Zealand, Philippians, Turkey and mainland Japan are on the dream list for future travel.

I am also thinking more locally and about parts of British Columbia that I haven't seen yet so I may plan a roadtrip to the East or to the North. If I go to Nova Scotia then I'll probably take the ferry to the US and explore Maine.

Stay tuned!

Friends

I am BEYOND excited tonight with the news that my good friends and their two little ones have sold their home in Richmond (where I use to live) and purchased a new home in Walnut Grove (15 minutes from where I live now). I am SO excited!! I can't wait to have them close by and for them to possibly even check out my church. They attend the church I just left so they are already connected, looking for a new church home. Great news all around!

Street Youth

In my Addictions Class on Monday nights we are working on a group project which we are organizing into a 45 minute class presentation for March 22nd. Our topic is street youth (ages 15-18), their use of alcohol and the positive intervention techniques of holistic approaches and asset building. I love working on huge projects like this because it gets people out into the community to find what resources are out there and available to us. My specific research pieces for this project are focused on asset building and youth-alcohol use as I have community connections in both areas.

Dondi Project

I am heading to work early this morning because there is a special pancake breakfast event before worship. There is a group of men in the church who are joining many men across the country, raising awareness and money for Angola. The United Church of Canada has pledged to raise $1 million dollars to rebuild a school, which was destroyed during civil conflict and war, in Lutamo, Angola. 500,000 people died in that war. The United Church of Canada is working in partnership with the Evangelical Church in Angola. Much more information can be found at www.dondiproject.com. Check it out.

Spring is Arriving

Spring is arriving. The days are beginning in the light and ending in the light. Clocks change next week.

Signs of spring this week:
10 eagles in trees alongside the highway
Tulips, daffodils, forsythia and cherry blossoms everywhere
birds chirping in the mornings, frogs croaking at night
unexpected sunny days....

This Saturday my Strata is holding a community garden sign up time. I have a meeting but plan on leaving early so that I can claim a spot. I can't wait to start digging in the dirt and planting seeds.

Summer will be here before we know it.

GOLD!

This afternoon was an
Amazing
Incredible
Exciting
Intense
Patriotic
Experience.....

We shorten worship so that people could get home for the 1215 game start.
Canada versus USA in Men's Hockey.
Canada won Gold!!!!!

Now the country is celebrating from East to West. Downtown Toronto and Vancouver have been shut down with thousands of people on the streets celebrating and wearing red and white.

I think Canada has always been patriotic in a quiet, shy type of way and this olympics may have just cracked that shell. It's amazing!

I just drove home and all down the highway people are out flying their flags and honking their horns. I've never seen anything like it!

Go Canada!

Editor

I got a fantastically surprising call today from a friend in Toronto. He has been writing blogs for the church for a long time and he has asked me to be a blog selector for a book he is writing. Basically I will be paid (a small fee) to read through 400 blog posts and choose just a few the I feel best represent the church and the Emerging Spirit Campaign (a campaign reaching out to those 30-45 year olds in our churches and communities). I will be one of three reader/selector people from across the country and I will have my name included in the credits of the book. What an amazing opportunity! Maybe this will be the push I need to write my own book; a personal goal that's been on my life list for quite some time.

HERE WE GO!

Sunday night (February 21) is going to be a HUGE night in the Olympics. It's the first game between Canada and USA. If it is anything like tonight's game between Canada and Switzerland, its going to be intense and incredible.

I can't wait!!!

Firsts!

This new job of mine continues to amaze me with exciting opportunities!

In September I conducted my first wedding.
This week I led my first memorial service.
Today I blessed my first prayer shawl.

In March I will take my first official credited course at theological school so that I can be licensed to do the sacraments.

In May I will work closely with my colleague and preach for two services.

I am so excited for these new challenges and learning curves and great rewards that they bring. Now I just need to wait and see what else comes my way.

Go God Go!

I don't think anything more could be added to this weekend. It's pretty exciting! Yesterday was the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics. Today I will be attending a huge Chinese and Taiwanese New Year Celebration. Tonight is a Full Moon. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday and that means that Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Both Tuesday and Wednesday signify the beginning of the Season of Lent in the Christian world.
Yesterday I was given the task of creating a saying for the church street sign. It's a small sign that we change periodically and space is limited. It has to relay a message to the world that everybody understands and at the same time highlights what is going on in our specific church. Given that so much is happening I decided to go with "Go God Go!". I think it's funny. It will be interesting to hear the comments on Sunday and see if anybody calls the church to complain...

Opening Day!

Vancouver hosts the Winter Olympics for the next 17 days and the opening ceremonies are today. I have to work tonight so I won't see the ceremonies unless I can find them online tomorrow. Many of my friends went to the rehearsal and said it was great. Apparently there is a unique version of "O Canada" so I'll be interested to hear more about that. I have other friends who are going to the ceremonies tonight. They paid $1100.00 each for their tickets. Amazing!

Sad news out of Whistler today with the death of a Luger. A huge tragedy for the country of Georgia and for the athletic community. My thoughts and prayers go to the family.

I missed seeing the Olympic torch when it came through my city and although I am not in favour of the Olympics I am putting on my patriotic hat and getting into the Canadian spirit. I will definitely have my TV on for the Men's Hockey games.

Olympics

Vancouver hosts the 2010 Olympics in 5 days. Apparently this is a BIG event because it is on the news every day, all day and tomorrow is suppose to be the busiest day ever at the Vancouver International Airport. The Olympic torch is due to come through my town tomorrow afternoon and I might go and check it out. "Might" be the important word.

I am not in the Olympic spirit yet and I am not sure if I will get there however I am a proud Canadian and will cheer on the Canadian athletes as they attempt to earn medals. After all I cheer on Canadians for many things all year round.

With the Olympics coming to Vancouver I am challenged by the amount of money that has gone into hosting this two week party especially when we have a HUGE problem with homelessness, addiction and mental illness in our city. Vancouver has the poorest postal code in the country and yet we can spend millions of dollars on a sports event. As a justice-seeking, community-involved, taxpaying citizen I just don't understand it.

However my fear of feeling guilty for not experiencing the Olympics in my home town may just take over. It's a story for future years when I look back in time.

Catalogues

It's time to plan the balcony garden and community garden plot for 2010! In the mail today I received one of the seed catalogues I've been waiting for from a local BC company that sells organic seeds. Ironically I also received a gardening catalogue that I didn't even order. I think its a sign to get started with my planning. I can't wait! My initial thinking is to plant herbs on my balcony and veggies in the garden. It's going to be great way to once again build a sustainable garden where I can grow my own food right in my back yard.

Full Moon?

The scheduled full moon isn't for another week and a half however after today I am convinced its happening now. It was a weird day at the office involving two individuals. The first was a man who was clearly calling intoxicated and showed up at the church this afternoon for some food assistance and totally creaped out one of my colleagues. Luckily we were a full staff today and were able to support this person. The second person called four times and was having a breakdown over the phone most likely as a result of challenges due to mental health. Luckily we didn't feel like this person was in danger so we didn't involve the police however the phone calls did consume a lot of time. Neither of the two people are connected to our church. They just live in the community and called for support. On a positive note I noticed all the daffodils blooming around my house. Spring is coming...

Little Fish in a Big Pond

Saturday is the big day. Over the last year I have been working with a small committee to plan, organize and lead an annual event called the Children in the Church Series held at Vancouver School of Theology. It has been an interesting experience because this is the only event that this theology school offers for those working with children in the church and they really don't seem invested in it. It has been quite the challenge to work with the faculty to plan this event. It almost seems like this event is a big pain and nuisance to them instead of recognizing that it is a hugely important. Anyways, the committee and I have worked hard and we are excited to have 70 people registered from four different denominations; United, Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian. We are also excited to offer childcare this year (for the first time!) and have two staff people organizing a program for five children who are coming. Bruce Harding will be offering music leadership and Jane Garland will be our keynote speaker. Jane is a child psychologist and clinical professor at Vancouver Children's Hospital and UBC. She will be speaking on the topic of "Spiritual Parenting". I can't wait! It's going to be a great day!

Adoption Update

Will 2010 be the year? Next week marks 30 months since I began the adoption process.

30 months....

It hasn't been easy and at times I have felt incredibly frustrated with the whole thing however I continue to wait with anticipation, hope and patience. In mid-March I will be assigned a new adoption worker serving the Fraser Valley (where I now live for those of you not in BC). This further delay is to give me time to get my house organized since moving in late November; a request of my current adoption worker. I am determined to continue so whatever is required I will do.

I met with my adoption worker today. She said that there are lots of children in the system right now however there haven't been any recent inquiries about my file. So in other words, nobody has expressed interest. My worker has been checking children's files but has yet to come up with a match. It's really an awkward and somewhat prejudice process.

So I ask for prayer this day. If you are one to pray then please pray for my adoption and for the children in this world who just want and need loving homes. I think of the 154 children arriving in Canada today from Haiti, who will soon be adopted by new loving parents. What a gift!

On Retreat

I begin my annual spiritual retreat this afternoon on Bowen Island. A beautiful small island off of North Vancouver and a twenty minute boat ride. It's a special place and one that I love to visit. When not at the retreat centre (which is an incredible place of its own!) I will spend time in the chocolate shop, cafe, pottery store and art gallery. As it's an island, the art scene is booming and there are always really neat things to look at. There is also a great lake to hike around. I always think its neat to have a lake in the middle of a small island so when you go walking you can see the ocean or the lake. The work I will be doing while on retreat will be program planning. I also have a bunch of new books to check out. On Tuesday I will spend a couple of hours with a spiritual director. What a gift!

Haiti

Blogging about anything else this week just doesn't seem to feel right. The people in Haiti and those who have loved ones there really need our prayers.

50,000 people....... 50,000 people have died.

It's amazing how one one day an entire country can change. Tuesday, January 13, 2010 is now a date in the history books for the world. Please hold this entire situation in prayer this week and if you can, make a donation for Haiti Earthquake Relief to an approved association. Unfortunately when situations like this happen many fraudulent humanitarian aid companies appear.

Back to School!

I missed the first week of classes while I was in Hawaii so week #2 begins tomorrow. I already have a paper due! This semester I will work full time and take two classes; addictions and counseling. It's going to be really REALLY busy but it's only for fifteen weeks and then it will be over. The only thing that may become unmanageable is Holy Week (the week between Palm Sunday and Easter) as it tends to be incredibly busy in the church and I already know that I have a final term paper and final exam happening in and around that time. After this semester I will have three classes left, one of which I hope to PLAR (prior learning assessment aka. skip it!) and all being well I will be graduating Winter 2011.

Aloha!

I just returned home from a wonderful trip to Hawaii. A great time of rest and renewal with my Dad. It was a great trip to catch up on some much needed sleep and just escape the busy world for a few days. The weather was pretty good too, in the eighties! I read one book and a ton of magazines, I walked lots (2 hours each day) and I spent as much time possible with my Dad as I hadn't seen him in ten months. We had a great time together. On my final day we went to Pearl Harbour and watched the USS Missouri be relocated from dry dock to Battleship Row. It has just undergone four months of renovations. It was incredible and for those of you on Facebook I have posted photos so check them out. Aloha & Mahalo!