Friday, September 24, 2010

GO GOLDEN BEARS GO!

Clara, me and Jackie at a Golden Bears Football Game


Oh Edmonton... how you treat me well!There are some days that I can't believe that I'm here and other days where it feels like I've been here for a while.
The weather, I am pleased to announce is 16 DEGREES today! Days like this don't come around too often.
I have been learning a lot so far and I'm enjoying my classes a lot. However because my classes are so large (200-300 students), we have a LOT of readings... but no assignments really. And ALL of our exams and mid terms are going to be multiple choice. So I'm sure I'm going to get my fair share of scan-trons when mid terms start. Oh yeah, mid terms start on October 6th already!

GO GOLDEN BEARS!!!
This past weekend we went to the Golden Bears Football Game. Our friend Travis (Caleb's roommate) was playing so we went to go cheer them on. It was a lot of fun to be at a football game. I hadn't been to one in a while and we had a lot of fun for the first 3 quarters. (We lost the game in the last quarter so our spirits kinda fizzled out).
But we have big plans for this weekend. There is yet ANOTHER Golden Bears game tonight that we are going to go to. And then tomorrow morning, Clara and I are driving to Calgary to meet up with her mom and dad to go to their church family camp. I'm excited to get out of Edmonton and be outside for a bit.
That's all I really have time for now because I need to start getting ready for class. :)  

Sunday, September 12, 2010

And the Fall Begins

Here I am... sitting in my beautiful apartment. I'm getting used to the week now and let's just say that I am not a huge fan of:
- Lecture Halls
- Rain and
- Seeing my breath in the morning...

However, I am greatly blessed. I have been able to do a lot of things already here in Edmonton within one week like:
- Get comfortable on bus routes
- See a one man show... it was called "Homeless" and it was AMAZING
- Play Bohnanza with friends (A great card game about beans)
- Make new friends from Alberta who ask, "WHY WOULD YOU MOVE FROM B.C TO COME HERE?" and
- Take mid afternoon naps... ALREADY!

That is one reason why I am up late. My Health Education textbook can only hold my attention for so long at 4:00 in the afternoon... ;)


But I have been blessed... over and over and over again.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The HERE and NOW!

I've made it and it has been QUITE the ride thus far ALREADY!
Mama Mac and I packed up the Mazda 3 (this was when I wish I owned a fuel efficient truck... if there is such a thing) and drove 13 hours from Ladner to Edmonton. We left at 5:37 am and got here at about 6:45 ish pm B.C time.

Driving through Chilliwack at 6:45am... it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
On the road slowly making our way
Clara welcomed us with such a wonderful warm welcome and was EAGER to show us the new home she has been working on for so long. And let me tell you... IT IS BEAUTIFUL. Basically a room out of an IKEA catalog.

After we moved ALL of my stuff in (thank you to Travis (Caleb's roommate, Clara and Mom)... we just sat around and talked... relaxed and figured out everything we needed to do for the next day.

We accomplished A LOT! I ended up getting a mattress and some other extra things we needed for our apartment from IKEA and then we went to Costco and bought some bulk foods... and also enjoyed some free samples *so wonderful!

Then... GET THIS, Jackie one of my dear friends from Quest drove out from Lloydminster to visit for the weekend. SUCH A SHOCKER! THEN... another GET THIS moment, she was saying she had a coffee date with a friend at 11:00pm... and I BOUGHT IT! So she left and I was falling asleep while chatting up a storm with Clara. Next thing you know at about 12:00 in the morning, MAFIZZLE LEHR (Melissa Fehr) saunters in. My response "WHAT THE FRICK?!" She flew into Edmonton after she worked Friday to come and surprise me.

Needless to say, all of these surprises have been WONDERFUL! A good start to a wonderful year and probably the best birthday gifts I have received. I'm blown away because the LORD has blessed me over and over again with great family, great friends and a wonderful life. I don't understand how I deserve this all... and I truly feel like I don't. Yet, God just LOVES on me over and over again.

Pops flew in this morning and has already left with Ma and they are in Jasper now I believe but I'm SO glad that they could both come for a little bit of time. It was EXTREMELY helpful to have them help me settle in and get a little more comfortable with the town. Caleb is here now as well and it has been fun already.
The first look of EDMONTON... my first thoughts, "where are the mountains?"
But the LORD has poured out His blessing and has been FAITHFUL to me all of the time. It's been a beautiful thing to experience as well as overwhelming. I have felt so LOVED and at home here already.
I am HERE NOW... and it has been lovely!
My friends are great...
My family is great...
The LORD provides them all which makes Him AMAZING!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

"I have traveled a road that leads to somewhere..."

HOLA AMIGOS!
Here we go... yet ANOTHER transition in my life. Ever since high school, I've been going through a period of constant transition. As soon as I get comfortable somewhere, it seems like the LORD wants me to move into discomfort again. I'm starting to be comfortable in the discomfort. This transition however is quite different then any other. 
I feel like I may need to explain myself a little...

I'M MOVING TO EDMONTON!
*Bold-ed, Italicized and Underlined
Now... why the HECK am I moving to the land of -60 Degrees and full of Oilers fans??? (That's right, last year temperatures reached -30 with a -30 wind chill)

This calls for a list: 

1. My friend Caleb is forcing me to!
(I'm just kidding, but he and his girlfriend Clara... both very good friends of mine have been VERY instrumental in this decision making process.) If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't even have considered moving out to Alberta for school. It all started out as a joke... but then it became a legitimate option for me to pursue my calling. 

2. I'm trying my best to follow the LORD'S will in my life...
I'm pursuing on of my hearts desires and that is to work with children, especially children who come from broken homes that have not experienced LOVE before. 
LOVE from the LORD is UNCONDITIONAL and I want to provide a safe place of learning for these kids where they will feel supported and encouraged by what they are accomplishing and to LOVE them the way the LORD LOVES...

3. God's will in my life is PERFECT and GOOD
The ONE TIME I looked on the UofA website, I was AMAZED with their BEd program. They are nationally known for this program, 60% of the teachers in Alberta right now are graduates of UofA and to apply you need 24 transferable credits for a different post secondary institute. This is where "God's will in my life is PERFECT and GOOD" comes in. 
I spent this past year at Langara just wanting to get some credits done so I could get out of there as fast as I could. I completed exactly 24 credits... I decided to consider UofA at this point.
Then, my main concern was could I come back to B.C to teach? Well... apparently it was hard to change from province to province but NOW, there is a B.C and Alberta Labour Mobility Agreement that basically says I CAN!
After a lot of prayer, seeking out council and digging through scripture... I applied and was accepted. 

So... I'm moving in with beautiful Clara TOMORROW! She has been truly amazing throughout all of this. I haven't gone out to Alberta yet because of a hectic summer at Camp, but she has found us a home and has furnished it and has looked for a bed for me to make this transition more comfortable. 
Mama Mac and I are leaving tomorrow morning at 5:00 (ew ew ew... I HATE MORNINGS) so we can get there for the evening. My dad will then meet up with us later on Saturday because we have had some plumbing issues at the house PLUS Kevin leaves for school on the Saturday as well. They will help me settle in and then... I have NO idea what to expect. All I know is that this year will be another year where I will grow and learn. 

"I have traveled a road that leads to somewhere..." (these are lyrics to a song written by a dear friend of mine, Jer)... we never stop growing, we never stop moving... 

I'll keep you posted about the move.
As my friend Colleen would say... 
PEACE AND LOVE