So Much Goodness

Hot Summer Days

Kittens

BBQ's

Friends

Good Books

Lunch at the Lakeside

Flowers

An energetic morning

The Word

Gatherings

My Bright Bedroom

Picnics at the Beach

Hope

Ladybug & Moose

Clean Sheets

Holidays

Firepit on the Patio

Fountain gurgling away in my Vines

Lights on the Patio at Night

Crickets making Music

Kittens

Not one, but two were added to our animal farm today.

The dogs were very agitated about the new babies and were crying, moaning and barking.

The babies were hissing and moaning as well.

Ladybug shook and the kittens shook.

A very traumatizing meeting for all involved.

It is the beginning of a marvelous friendship I'm sure, even though they had a bit of a rocky start.

For now the kittens are tucked safely into their warm little room outside and the dogs maintain their superior position within the castle.

Moose on his big bed in the living room and Ladybug on my bed.

Mice look out!

The cats have arrived and will soon be big enough and strong enough to take on the lot of you!

Coyotes, stay away.

Stay far far away until they grow strong and sleek and fast.

The back patio just got a whole lot more exciting!

Ottawa Adventures

Sandwiched in between our two days of "instruction" was a day of sightseeing and adventure.

We didn't want to fly all this way and spend all this money just to take in the two courses so we left a day for playing.

After sleeping in we got going around noon and headed into the country's capital.

There's just something so awe-inspiring about seeing the Parliament Buildings in all their glory, high up on a hill above a river and surrounded by sprawling green lawns.

There is so little "history" in our rather young nation, especially out West where we live, so it's just such a treat to see these imposing old buildings and the historic stone churches and lovely old brick homes.

Since we had to wait to get our tour of Parliament we opted to head over the river into Quebec where we took in the Canadian Museum of Civilization - the oldest museum in Canada! The museum is to the left of the bridge just above that little white boat.

We used public transport and had a bona fide French bus driver who used lovely words like "luminaire" to try to explain to us how to get to the Museum.

We did the Museum in record time - 45 minutes max. We were rushed along by a group of Japanese tourists with a guide carrying a yellow flag. We knew we didn't want to get caught in that crowd again so we just took in all of Canada's history in fast motion. Below is a picture of Canada Hall - lots of Native history there - absolutely beautiful!!

Plus, I was so eager to get to the IMAX theatre on time so we wouldn't miss "Born to Be Wild". It was a phenomenal story about orphaned elephants and orangutangs and the women who created safe havens for them until they were ready to be released into the wild again.

I have to admit that animals do so much more for me than museums. I feel like that just reveals my lack of depth on some level or something but that's just the way I roll! In my books a visit to the museum should be short and sweet. At this age a brief overview is all I really require. When I grow up maybe I'll spend more time in museums.

We decided to walk and roll back to Ontario from Quebec and it was so scenic. Unfortunately much of the return journey was up hill so my dear friend got a monumental workout. Which is kind of funny because she was on day 19 of a liquid cleanse. The bridge was easy to cross but it was the hill on the other side that proved to be a challenge.

We crossed the Ottawa River while viewing the Parliament Buildings and it was marvelous. The skies had cleared, it was warm and we just felt so privileged to be seeing such magnificent sights on a lovely summer day.

Ottawa really is a beautiful city and we headed right back to Parliament to get our tour. The architecture inside and out was breathtaking and I spent some time in there petitioning God for His guidance and protection of this great nation.

God keep our land, glorious and free. Amen.

We finished our tour, exited the grand structure and found ourselves thrown into a celebration of music, pomp and circumstance which was being held out on the greens in front of Parliament. There were Canadian Mounted Police playing trumpets, and troops of other uniformed men playing all manner of instruments - bagpipes, drums and so forth.

A group of them marched past me, just inches away, in their bright red garb with serious faces. For some reason I was caught at the side of the road when they went by and I wasn't able to leap up onto the sidewalk. So I wheeled determinedly in one direction while they marched purposefully in the other.

That was all just an unexpected bonus! Made the whole experience just that much richer. My poor coworker would have loved to have stayed for the entire ceremony but my back was protesting with such vehemence that I forced her to keep moving towards the car and ultimately our hotel.

I didn't mention my experience with a "busker" of sorts while we were waiting for the bus... This fellow was asking for money and somehow I ended up chatting with him. He, mostly in French and I in English. He kept saying I was "nice" so how was I to resist and move rudely on? Before I knew it he grabbed my hand with unbelievable strength and force, pulled me towards him and began kissing my hand repeatedly. It was a little awkward and I finally was able to pull away and kindly remove my presence from his. (I went and hid in the bus stop).

All in all it was a very fun day!

Seminars and Sobriety

I am choosing not to sink but swim!

Figuratively of course.

Let me explain...

My co-worker and I are here in Ottawa taking a couple of courses to help us diagnose and work with those who have dyslexia.

That just sounds so simple and straightforward in my mind.

Fly to Ottawa, obtain material, get some amazing teaching and go home to practice.

I am obviously very easily deluded.

The amount of material that has been presented to us in very few hours has been simply overwhelming. I am so new to this whole area and have taken in so much information that my brain is overloaded and short circuiting.

I have snapshots of test pages containing strange shapes floating through my brain, the sounds and names and shapes of letters repeating themselves and the newfound ability to teach "sky-writing" amongst a multitude of other new additions which are frantically looking for a resting place.

Once again, this trip has had it's ridiculously insane moments. When my co-worker and I travel together we are guaranteed an adventure and so many of good laughs.

Because we choose to laugh and not cry when things go sideways.

Last year we tried going to Sooke to learn some of the same material but our trip was riddled with challenges. The bathrooms were a whole sideshow of their own, which tends to be the case when I travel.

Anyways, I was overwhelmed by the material on that trip as well, due to very little teaching time.

This time? Well, bathrooms have been an ongoing issue causing us to move hotels and giving my co-worker the unusual opportunity to be involved in more intimate transfers than either of us would have envisioned when booking our flights.

Add to that challenge a very distracted instructor to whom we paid exorbitant amounts of money and we have embarked on another unbelievable journey together.

We started the day late, had numerous other delays while she disappeared to who knows where and ended the day exceedingly early. And supposedly we learned an important method of teaching which cost us a total of $1000 dollars. Here's Darla trying really hard to grasp this new method of teaching those with dyslexia...

Here's the view out of our classroom window... It made me incredibly grateful to live in BC.

In the two, not very full days of instruction, we still didn't cover half of what we had hoped to. In fact we barely touched the DDT which was what we had originally signed up for. She was constantly running to the photocopier to get material for us which should have been done before we arrived there. Another $1000 spent getting very little teaching but tons and tons of material. She is an amazing woman with an incredible amount of knowledge but she's a little hard to manage. These brilliant minds are sometimes very disorganized which makes for a difficult learning environment. Especially for someone like me. I just love my ducks in a row with sensible presentations that are orderly.

This day was everything but that.

Heavy Sigh. So we spent a couple of evenings at the restaurant hotel with out papers spread out all over the table trying to make sense of what we had "learned". Darla just drank lemon water because of the cleanse she's on while I ate real food. MmmmMmmm...

I came back to the hotel room with my aching back, threw myself onto the bed and read dear Oswald Chambers who told me:

"We have been talking quite a lot about sanctification, but what will be the result in our lives? It will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him. And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him."

So, I can cast my burdens upon Him, rest in the knowledge that He will help me to figure all of this out as I apply myself and rest in Him. No stress, no anxiety.

In good time I will figure this out.

I would dearly love to be a profound joy to Him.

And nothing is impossible with God!

Trusting Still

Life is so odd.

How we perceive it and respond.

Sometimes it's all so clear and easy to live in the moment, savoring the peace.

Other times it's easy to forget what matters most, and to get lost in strange imaginings and the fears that like to lurk nearby and pounce when they sense a weakening.

I've had nights lately where the lurking ominous thoughts have seemed to gain momentum and have lept upon me making me almost nauseous with fear. And of course the spasms play into this whole scheme, waking me frequently enough to experience it again and again.

So I listen for the truth.

I remind myself of Him who is steadfast and good

Who counsels me and instructs me.

And, because He is at my right hand I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.

I keep rehearsing Psalm 16: 7-9

And am comforted.

His Word will not go forth without accomplishing what He desires.

He's just so big and powerful like that.

His Word changes things.

It creates, It heals, It delivers, It saves.

Today I met with a group of believers that just might become my new church family.

Most are old friends and it felt so good to visit and worship

To listen to the Word and then share a meal together.

We all need each other so much.

So I will trust and keep watching for His movements and listening for His still small voice.

He speaks so comfortingly and kindly if I will stop and ask.