Some of favorite babies...

Mr. Eli....such a smart and sweet boy! Son of Johan and Corrie, good friends of ours! I had the honor of being at his grand entrance into life outside the womb back in May of 2006! And a sibling is joining his family in August! Yippee!


Justice...the newest addition! Son of Joe and Jacquie, more friends of ours from Sanctuary. I had the pleasure of being at this little guy's amazing birth in March.


Our beautiful niece, Raign Elizabeth, Shane's sister Dawn's daughter. She is so squishable! Unfortunately, I missed her birth, stuck in a rainstorm in Kansas City back in December!


Kenya, who is now a 5 months and such a happy little girl! Daughter of Amy and Russ, friends of ours from years ago!


"Behold, children are a hertiage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward....happy is the man who has his quiver full of them" Psalm 127:3,5

Update

Well, I'm off to work in the next 5 minutes for my last 5 hour shift. I did 2 weeks of 4 hour shifts and then 2 weeks of 5 hour shifts. Next week, I graduate to 6 hour shifts!

I could use prayer this morning. I have a progress meeting with a number of people involved in the back-to-work process at 10:30am. These meetings aren't always the most comfortable, depending on who is all present.

Thankfully, I can report that 7 out of 9 shifts were appropriate for a back-to-work. Unfortunately, 2 weren't and that is really frustrating. I will have to bring this up and some people don't want to hear it, while others do.

I had a neat experience at work yesterday which I may have to blog about a little later....

I'm pretty tired this morning, and it's continuing from yesterday. I was super tired yesterday afternoon and evening. I was in my pjs by 4:30! And went to bed by 9:17! I'd love to crawl back into bed, but I'll just have to take a power nap when I get home!

In general (minus those 2 days), work has been good! It's good to be back and I'm getting refreshed at all kinds of things! It's awesome to serve people in this way again!

Christening the new warmer seasons with the first bonfire of the year!


Shane and I getting the party and fire started before Steph and Shaun arrived


Shaun and Shane hanging out and enjoying the smokies


Steph having a refreshing drink


I was cold and borrowed a jacket....I looked like such a hick!


Oh the cheese in this picture! I love my family!

I'm so excited for warmer weather! In the last few days, the weather has been perfect for me! I'm looking forward to BBQs, bonfires, camping, the beach, and many walks!

It honestly pays off to be honest.

This week, one evening, as I was returning home in the van, I had an unfortunate event take place. I opened the van door, turned to grab my stuff and by then the fierce wind had already taken my door before I could stop it, slamming it into the side of my neighbor's fairly new car. Ah!

There is no other option than to go knock on his door and inform him. I didn't look forward to that. As I'm walking to the apartment, this external voice throws out, "you wouldn't really have to tell him...it may have happened in another parking lot by someone else". I immediately rebuked that darkness and knew that honesty was the ONLY way.

Honesty is huge to me. There are no such things as little white lies. Lying is a serious matter. As a child, I remember such a high standard of honesty being taught to me. My mom also feels very strong about honesty. I would even tattle on myself if I did something wrong, even if I knew I'd get a spanking out of it =)

So, I knocked on the neighbor's door and tried to communicate what happened to him and his wife. He hardly speaks any English, so thankfully his wife was present! I apologized for the accident and they were so sweet about it. He goes down to look at the damage, saying that if it is just a little scratch, he'll fix the paint.

He returns to explain it is also quite the dent, which I was aware of. That wind was so strong that there's no way there wasn't a dent! That he could not fix and would need to make a claim.

So, I called MPI and told on myself once again, booking an appointment for later on that week.

When I got to the appointment there was a mixed up on my file with contact numbers, and the woman I was to meet with was trying to get a hold of me before I arrived, so that I wouldn't have had to make the trip down.

Great news! It was the wind. The van was parked. You don't require a driver's license to open a door. So, I assumed responsibility by calling in, which waived my neighbor's deductible. But, because of the wind situation, I didn't have to pay my deductible or have a surcharge on my license!

Honesty truly paid off this time (though in the area of the heart it always pays off)...neither of us have to pay anything and he gets his car fixed. Had I decided not to be honest, I would have had sin on my plate and guilt on my conscience, but wouldn't have paid anything. My neighbor on the other hand, is leasing the car and would have had to pay for the damage himself.

Sometimes it is inconvenient to tell the truth and assume responsibility for something going wrong, but it really matters. It matters to the Lord and it matters to the maturity of our hearts and the intimacy we can have in our relationship with Jesus. We need to be tenacious in our fight against sin in our lives.

Mmmmm....studying!

In the past 14 months, I've developed a deeper love for my study time. I have usually enjoyed my experiences as a student. I have fond memories of being a student in elementary, junior high and high school. Then after grad, I decided to take the year off and change gears from the student life. Well, one year off was enough for me, and I was ready to go back to learning again! I really enjoyed my university experience for my 4 years at the U of M.

So, I'm not surprised that I've grown to love my spiritual study time more and more over the years. I love to learn! Sometimes I've felt physically hungry for knowledge when sitting through a great teaching. It can feel like a physical craving =)

I've also felt many moments of frustration because of my limited knowledge. I wish I knew so much more than I do in so many different areas. Sometimes I want to learn so many things that it just seems so overwhelming and I don't know where to start!

I have a number of study topics and books on the go presently. I'm focussed on two main topics that fall under two main categories. I'm studying the book of Joel which I would say falls under "Urgency/The End Times" and I'm studying the book of Song of Solomon which falls under "Intimacy". I love the balance of studying both topics! It's very life-giving!

I am also reading Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem and it is really touching the hunger for deeper knowledge in my heart so far. I'm still working on Healing by Smith Wigglesworth and The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W Tozer, which are coming slowly. For my more relaxing and heart-warming reads, I'm rereading The Rewards of Fasting by Mike Bickle and Dana Candler and Entirety by Dana Candler. Such good stuff!

I am so thankful for the lessons that I have learnt in the past 14 months about time management, spiritual disciplines and communing with the Holy Spirit wherever I am. I know that God strategically used this time of my life to teach me valuable lessons. I'm so glad that I had the increased time to dig deeper into study, prayer and relationship with God this past year.

I'm thankful and ready to learn!

I'm happy that....

- it's Saturday!
- I had a date with my sister last night!
- I have a wonderful husband to spend the day with!

I'm in the mood to...

- eat cinnamon buns...I woke up with them on my mind =)
- go on a warm vacation
- relax and laugh

I'm going to...

- look at my cinnamon bun recipe
- eat my favorite cereal for breakfast
- give my husband a huge morning hug!

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Things I like about 5:30am Wake-up....

- the apartment is dark and quiet
- I have enough time to do things in a relaxed time frame
- the shower is nice and warm and I can start the day praying
- I have time to do my computer stuff in between getting ready
- showering and doing my hair means I'll look nice for my patients =)
- I can sit down for a nice breakfast of Vector cereal! Yum!
- I have time to pray and read my Bible
- I get to take a nice walk from my parking spot to the hospital....then parking is free too!
- I have time to sit and relax with co-workers before getting out on the floor
- There seems to be a lot of time to pray in the mornings!

So, far I'm finding a lot of nice aspects of waking up so early!

Oh, and by the way, I got to have a delivery yesterday! I'm hoping for another one today!

Work Update

So, last week was the official start to my Back-to-Work Program. I was a little nervous, and excited! It went well! My body didn't seem to mind the 5:30am wake-up 2 days in a row and the ward was really slow, which was probably a good start to a BTW program.

It was really nice to be at work again. It was good to see coworkers (I even was greeted with 2 big hugs Thursday morning and many questions). It was nice to be with laboring patients again and to learn that some of my role comes second nature and it will come back quickly.

I have yet to be in a delivery, so maybe this week. I may have to use my wrist a little more when there is the urgency of a baby appearing! I'm looking forward to a delivery!

This morning, I'm back to work for my first stretch of 3 shifts. Last week my wrist was extra achy after work, so I'm praying that this week is better!

The Day has Come....

The first day of work in 8 months has finally arrived! I'm looking forward to the day! The night was rough, but the 5:30am wake-up wasn't too bad today!

If you think of me between 7:30 and 11:30am, please say a prayer! Thanks!

Tomorrow's the Big Day

Tomorrow morning I'm starting my back-to-work program.

It's 9pm and I'm ready for bed! I've brushed and flossed my teeth, washed my face, and prepared my clothes and bag for tomorrow.

9pm is a very early bedtime, compared to my usual 11pm or 12am bedtime for the past many months. But, 5:30am wake-up is much earlier than my usual 9am wake-up!

I've been more excited than nervous in the past week and a half since the meeting, knowing the exact place of when I'd be returning. This afternoon and evening, the nerves have built up a little. I've been a little on the nervous side.

So, to combat nerves, I took a relaxing bath and read a chapter of a great book (Entirety by Dana Candler). Now, I'm headed to bed!

The Plan

I had my back-to-work meeting this morning. It went well! My union rep is totally supportive and I have a great boss. I made my concerns clear and I hope this round of back-to-work goes better and gets me back for good!

I am heading on to the ward for the first time in 8 months next Thursday, April 3rd! It's been a long time since I've been at work. 8 months since I was on my last back-to-work program and 13 months since I've been officially off on a medical leave! This has been an incredibly long process.

There are things I'm going to miss and there are things I'm looking forward to. I have mixed feelings about another changing of seasons.

So, that's the latest on the wrist saga!

The latest...

Thanks for being patient! Life has felt busy in the last few days!

So, for the latest on the wrist...I saw the surgeon first on Monday. He gave the thumbs up for a back-to-work (BTW) program but insisted that I go REALLY slow and be very careful! He doesn't want me dropping anything! Then I saw the sports medicine doctor who agreed to begin the back-to-work process, but agreed to go really slowly.

So, I have a meeting on Tuesday at the hospital to arrange the BTW schedule. I'm dreading it a little. I am remembering the frustrations regarding a BTW that I dealt with in the summer when I did one. It was exhausting emotionally, constantly defending yourself, the program not going as it should and feeling unsupported by your employer. I'm not looking forward to this.

But, on the flip side, I am looking forward to being in my workplace again. I have to recertify my NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) and have started the readings. It brings me interest and excitement to be learning and using my knowledge of this area again! I'm looking forward to having the honor of being a part of births again. I'm looking forward to ministering to people as I care for them in such a special way again. I'm also interested in seeing how my coworkers are doing!

I have been impressed by the support that I feel from my doctor and my physiotherapist. They have been wonderful! I'm going to have to think of some way to thank them when this is all over. I am thankful that these ones who know my wrist the best (besides my Creator!) are supportive of doing this process slowly. If I was all better, we could do it quickly. The problem is I'm coming back and almost nothing has changed for the better, despite the surgeries and time that has passed. Bummer.

So, some days this whole thing makes me sad. I had a good cry on Monday. Other days, I realize that this too shall pass and I have a resurrected body in store that will have no pain at all! Whether my wrist is totally healed on this side of eternity or not, I will have complete and total healing one day!

What a doozey!...how do you spell dousie?

That headache last night was terrible. I thought sleep would be the cure so I got ready for bed early. Well, it was so bad that it wouldn't let me sleep. Then I found that I had to lie on the side that the headache was, otherwise it was more painful. Suddenly, my physical body decided that it was time to cry...maybe that would relieve some pressure.

My wonderful husband who has dealt with these headaches regularly was very supportive. I finally suckered into taking something for the headache. I hate taking meds!

After crying, meds, prayer and about 30 minutes had passed, I finally fell asleep. I was going to get up early and exercise, but I was worried about my head so I slept another half an hour.

So far, so good. Boy, I feel sorry for people that have migraines! They are terrible!

A busy week in store...

Well, I suppose today is the beginning of the week. I tend to think of Monday as the beginning, even though Sunday really is according to the calendar. I have a busy week in store and unfortunately am starting it off with a wicked headache.

I've had a headache on the right side of my head for the majority of the day. Man, does that hurt!

Tomorrow is a big day. I am seeing both the surgeon and my sports medicine doctor to find out the next step in the wrist saga. I expect to hear that it is time to head back to work. I still have pain just about every day, some days being better than others. The fact that my wrist isn't better makes me sad but there isn't anything else the doctors can do supposedly. So, this means we continue to persistently pray for healing.

I'll have word tomorrow on the time frame ahead. Life is about to change. It is going to be quite different being back at work again.

Out of the City!

Yeah! Today we will leave the city, even if only for a day! I love these kind of days!

We're going to visit Grandma, get a haircut for Shane and head to a Guse Gathering!

I'm up on the early side for me, but I wanted to get a few things done before we have to leave! I'm getting very consistent with doing an exercise video most mornings that I can (thank-you Corrie!). Boy, endorphins are my friends! Moving really does make a body feel better!

So, off I go to start the day!

Ahhhhh.....

What a nice day! I slept in, had a hot date with my husband and spent the remainder of the day worshiping, praying and lovin' on Jesus! And it was an easier day to focus and connect that some others! Praise the Lord!

I'm going to head to bed soon and am looking forward to doing some more praying and worshiping this week, as it is our usual 3-day monthly corporate fast!

Thank-you Lord for a really nice day!

I love voice lessons!

I just have to say it out loud and write it down =) It's Thursday, which means voice lessons. I actually made it there, with the awful roads and weather making it a little tricky.

It has been such a blessing to have thoroughly enjoyed the last 5 weeks in my newest adventure. My teacher is absolutely wonderful and I leave her house having had a really fun time and challenged to want to learn more and improve! I can't wait to see what time and training will do with this voice of mine!

Baby Shower!

Tonight we had a fun night celebrating the coming arrival of a very special little person! We had a shower for Jacquie and Justice!

It is a ton of fun watching someone open a whole bunch of gifts! It is fun to be around a bunch of women sometimes =) And, it is great to eat party food!

Here are just a few peaks of the evening!


The gifts BEFORE


Jacquie giggling over the Peepee Teepees!


Opening a beautiful gift from her sister!


An amazing scrapbook!


And now a peak at the some of the friends!






The gifts AFTER

Singing, singing and singing!

I had my first type of voice recital tonight! We had a Master Class where my teacher brought in another voice teacher to listen to us students sing and then commented with suggestions. The "master" of the night happened to be her mom who has been teaching voice for 45 years!

I haven't really been thinking about it too much, so I haven't been nervous. Until this evening. I got a little nervous just before leaving for the recital. Then, when we arrived and it started, I got SUPER nervous. I was more nervous for my piece than I was over any of the 3 surgeries I've had since August! I hate that feeling!

I was the third singer on the program. It was nice to see how it worked with the critiquing with the two students before me!

Well, I had more wavering in my voice than usual because of the nerves, I sang the wrong word in the exact spot that I had hoped not to and then there was my right leg. It was shaking like a leaf! Just the right one. And it was incredibly distracting!

But, Shane was a great cheerleader, like he always is! He is so supportive! He said I did great!

I am really pleased that I did it! It was a great experience and I'm proud of myself! It really reinforced to both Shane and myself that these voice lessons are an incredibly smart investment if I want to be singing in a House of Prayer context for many years to come!


Getting ready to leave for the recital!


You can see right up my nose and way down my throat! Attractive!


My husband is so hot!

Family Day...

Today wasn't feeling like a holiday, but after returning from Sanctuary this morning and seeing faces that we don't always get to see because of the holiday, it is starting to have a holiday feel to the day. It makes me feel relaxed!

So, my brother is over. He spent last night at our place and was going to head home this afternoon, but he's going to stay another night and hang with us! We're going to relax, study, read and enjoy each other's company! I'm sure the boys will pull out hockey or football on the playstation sometime today. It's entertaining to watch them play!

I'm in the mood to dive into a little more Song of Solomon today. I've been on a book of Joel kick lately and have centered most of my study/teaching time to that book. I'm trying to balance the urgency side (Joel) with the intimacy side (Song of Solomon). It is a fun combo!

Have a wonderful, relaxing holiday Manitobans!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Ahhh...the day is coming to a close and I'm feeling very loved by my wonderful husband! Shane did a great job today! I'll fill you in with the details.

We awoke this morning to start the day off right, with a snuggle and my morning voice singing some rendition of "happy valentine's day" made into a song. We got ready, did a few things around the house and headed out for our Valentine's Day Date.

First stop was at U Puttz, a glow mini-golfing place! We had a lot of fun together and it was great to be the only customers in the entire place at 12:30pm on a Thursday! We got some fun pictures!

Then we headed to Earl's in St.Vital for a great lunch! That Pan Bread as garlic bread is awesome! We really enjoyed the atmosphere this time and the company and conversation was lovely =)

We headed to the mall as Shane wanted to show me a gift he had wanted for buy me! So, we left the mall not too much later with a lovely gift for me! How sweet! Shane bought me a very nice sweater!

Then we made a pit-stop at Sobey's for milk, as we are normal married people in the midst of a romantic date together!

Then it was off to the movie store to rent a movie for later that evening. We ended up renting No Reservations...more on that later in this play-by-play!

We headed home, as I had to leave shortly for voice lessons, which I must add, I LOVE!

On the way home, I picked up Shane and we headed to Subway to pick up Valentine's Day supper as Shane was previously planning on cooking me dinner, but is still feeling under the weather...

We had Subway at home and watched the end of the news. We finished the evening with the movie we had rented. It wasn't great. Slow, a little boring and kinda depressing. Not one that I would suggest.

Now we will do the usual and have tea together before bed!

What a lovely Valentine's Day and I have the best valentine!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.....

I'm singing the chorus to my sister who is turning 23 today and my mom who is turning 51 today! Our family is great for doubling up birthdays!

Happy Birthday to my favorite ladies!

Birthday Celebration #2!

To finish off this year's celebrations, we spent a few more hours together! We got beautiful and relaxing pedicures!


First lunch at our apartment!


Then to Giselle's School for pedicures!


I've developed really ticklish feet as an adult!




Tomorrow is one last family birthday celebration at mom's for supper. Otherwise, the birthday plans are complete!

Steph's Birthday Celebration #1 - Warning! Many pictures!

Steph and I had a wonderful day together! I put together a type of treasure hunt, where she had clues to read throughout the day. We started by heading to Pineridge Hollow for a wonderful lunch, amidst the "travel not advised" road conditions! And I'm so glad we did! The atmosphere, food, company and conversation were lovely!





Then we were supposed to head over to St.Vital Park to go skating. Well, it is STINKIN' COLD today! So, we headed to the Forks to look around!



Then it was off to Pharaoh's "Hideaway From The Everyday" Spa on an exclusive resort in Egypt! We had facials, complete with the cucumbers over our eyes and lay on our beach towels in the sun to the sound of Norah Jones =)





It was time for supper! We can't leave tradition alone, so it was time for brunch! Our favorite....waffles, white sauce and berries! Mmmmmmm!!!




Then it was off to get another favorite....slurpees and 5 cent candies from 7-11!!! We got cozy in comfy clothes and watched a chick flick, Sydney White, a spoof off Snow White. We laughed ourselves silly in a few scenes and had to pause the movie to laugh. Unfortunately, the ending was a little inappropriate =(



Here are the ladies after the party =) And a shot of the birthday girl with the treasure hunt clues!




Happy early birthday Steph! I had a wonderful day with you!

Shane's poor head....the saga continues....


Well, December 15 it started. Shane got a concussion on the way in to the first Christmas family gathering of the season.

Daily headaches followed amongst other side effects.

December 31, Shane hit his head again on the way to get the mail.

More headaches have continued.

Tuesday to Wednesday during the night....well....I somehow manage to head butt my husband hard in the right temple. He saw stars and I rolled over and slept on!

Wednesday morning and afternoon, Shane is feeling quite sick, has a really bad headache and actually pukes!

Did I add to the head trauma in the middle of the night? Oh, my poor husband!

Pictures of the Hotel Weekend....better late than never!


Shane and I coming down the slide!


And hurt ourselves! Ouch!


Steph and Shaun hanging out...literally =)


Early birthday celebrations at Red Lobster!


Mom blowing out her candle!


Steph blowing out her candle! (They share a bday!)


The family together before we parted from a lovely and relaxing weekend! Until next year!

It was a busy day. But I enjoyed it. Lots of errands.

I wanted to post some pictures of the hotel weekend, but I just want to get off the computer. So, tomorrow will have to do!

Nite!

This side of heaven...or at least life on this earth prior to the return of Jesus....

Man, there has been bad news after bad news these last 2 weeks. The death of a baby, the death of a young woman, someone being diagnosed with cancer and someone having a horrific car accident. What is going on?!

There is so much that needs prayer. I long for the day when wrong things are made right and when there is no more bad news! I long for the day when we get to be with Jesus and He wipes every tear from our eyes. For now, I trust in Him and pray....

The safest place is in the palm of His hand. That's where I want to rest.

Off to the Hotel for the Weekend!

Like we do each year, my mom, the siblings, Shane and I are off to a hotel this weekend to relax, eat, swim and be together. It is our Christmas present from my mom each year and we love it!

I am totally looking forward to it! Even though we're not even leaving the City, it feels like we're going away for a bit! So nice!

Hot tub here I come!