such beauty

"Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles."
Psalm 119:50

Monday night's sunset was enough to take my breath away. What an incredibly creative God we have. His beauty is beyond our comprehension.

"Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me. Let them lead me to your
holy mountain, to the place where you live."
Psalm 43:3

the weekend

We've had the most incredible weather all week and thankfully, it held out for the weekend as well. The temperature on Saturday was sunny and +15 ... considering its still February, I can't complain about that! I'm really hoping that its going to stay because my flip flops are looking awfully tempting right now :)
We had a really wonderful weekend. Saturday was spent painting baseboards and closet doors for Susanne's condo. It was a lot of work but we managed to get it all done. We even fit in a quick 2 for 1 sundae run from DQ! Nothing like ice-cream to reward a hard day's work! Once we finished with the painting, we all met at Erich & Naomi's for a BBQ supper (it was our 4th bbq supper this week... Jon and I bbq'ed 3 other nights at our place... gives you a pretty good idea of how beautiful the weather has been!) The food was delicious and it was really fun to have some time with all the siblings and of course, our very adorable niece & nephew!


After dinner, the girls decided it would be fun to watch a chick-flick together so we hopped in the van and headed over to the video store. Ava came across this Shrek cut-out and was quite intrigued by it. We told her to stand beside it for a picture... look at how she stood so politely with her hands folded behind her back... too cute!!

She didn't seem quite as eager when we told her to give the donkey a kiss :) Today was such a relaxing day. I sang on worship team this morning at church and then we had a delicious lunch at my parents' place. After that it was back to our place for a Sunday afternoon nap... definitely one of my favorite things about the weekend :) But now its time to prepare for another week of work. Things are still going great at my new job and I'm feeling more and more comfortable each day. Thanks to all of you that have been praying for me and this new transition into a new job!

Welp... have a great week everyone and to all you Lower Mainlander's... enjoy the sunshine!!

Day one...

Even though my day started MUCH earlier than I would have liked, I am happy to say that my first day of work went really well. They've officially hired me now, so I guess I must have done something right :) The morning felt like a bit of 'information overload,' but by the afternoon, I was feeling much more confident in my new role and am optimistic that this will be a great job. The girl who is training me (and who I'll be filling in for) is really nice and was extremely patient with me as I asked a million and one questions. She'll be going on mat leave eventually but we'll be working together for at least another month or so. She's only a year and half older than me and got married the week before me--- we've discovered we have quite a bit in common so I think working together will be just fine. Other than her, its ALL men in the work place. Should be a piece of cake :) I'm glad I made it through the first day and was able to come away feeling good about everything. And now its time for me to get to bed. I'm going to need my beauty sleep now that my mornings will be starting almost an hour and a half earlier than they used to! Sweet dreams everyone...

Work can be a wonderful thing...

I'm totally amazed at God's provision right now and thought I should share the good news with all of you.  It looks like I've finally found a job, and a good one at that.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have been feeling the desire to branch out and do something different for a while.  And although this feeling has remained throughout my time off, the thought of doing something completely out of my comfort zone has been scary too.  I do want to discover other talents and gifts, and yet, I also want to be confident in my work and not be doubting myself every single second.  Thus, I get to the part about God's provision.   

I mentioned in my last post that I had a lead with a company in Abbotsford.  When I posted that information, I had only dropped off a resume and filled in an application.  I hadn't had a formal interview, though they did kind of do a mini interview at the time of application.  So when I wrote that I had a good prospect, it was literally ONLY a prospect.  Nothing was set in stone.  

Well... the very next day I got a call asking me to come in for an interview on Wednesday.  Of course, I eagerly agreed and began praying that if this was the job God wanted me to have, the interview would go well and I would feel at peace about it.  

The interview went exceptionally well.  In fact, it wasn't even really an interview but more of a time of explaining what I WOULD be doing when I started.  They haven't "officially" hired me yet, as they want me to do a 'trial day' on Monday (just to see how capable I am and how well I work with their staff, etc...) but from what I gathered, they didn't seem to think there was going to be any issue.  Thankfully, I feel the same way.  So as long as everything goes well on Monday, I will finally be employed again!  And here's the final provision tidbit :)  

I'll be working as the receptionist for a kitchen cabinet company.  Therefore, its different from what I was doing at the interior design firm, and yet, it will still be somewhat familiar.  They have talked about getting me to consult with clients about choosing colors, cabinet styles, countertops, etc... and it sounds like I'll even have the chance to do a bit of cabinet design eventually.  I love administrative type work so the receptionist aspect is really appealing to me, and its just the icing on the cake to know that my design experience won't be going to waste. Another great thing is that it will be full time (40hrs/week) and will only be Monday to Friday--- no weekends!  The only negative is that I'll have to commute seeing as its on the far west side of Abbotsford, but considering all the pros, its not that big of a deal.  

So thank you to everyone who has been praying for me.  This month off has been a wonderful time of relaxation, rejuvenation and contemplation of what to do next.  I've felt God's hand on this situation in BIG ways and I know its because of all of your prayers.  His provision of this job couldn't have come at a better time and I just pray that I will be a good fit in this new work environment.     

This, that and the Burger Queen...

I'm just waiting for supper to cook (trying a new recipe for Hawaiian Pork Chops... hopefully they'll taste good!) and thought I should probably give an update. Unfortunately, there's not much to report. Well, nothing exciting anyway. I've realized that a) I haven't taken many pictures over the last few months, therefore leaving my posts somewhat uninteresting, and b) life is a little boring now that I'm not working full time, therefore leaving me with very few stories to share. But I still feel I should be posting for those that get sick of looking at the same stagnant post, time and time again.

Jon's basketball season is a week away from being over. The thought of that is relieving and yet quite sad at the same time. I think we've both grown really attached to this group of guys and it will be weird not to see them every week anymore. I'm excited that Jon's schedule will be a lot more accommodating for other things but it will also be tough to have to say good-bye to these guys. Its been a really great season. In fact, I feel as if I've taken on the role of "basketball mom" having been at almost every game and many of their practices. I feel like these are my kids! :) Nonetheless, the end is in sight. But we did get a little extra time with them after the game on Saturday night. They surprised us by saying that they wanted to take Jon and I out for dinner as a thank-you. Not all of the guys could make it but those that could, met us at one of our favorite restaurants, The WildCat Grill, and had an awesome night of laughter and "bonding." They paid for our meal and even got one of the guys to sneak away to tell the waitress that it was Jon's birthday (not true but very funny). He got a free dessert, complete with a candle on top and a rousing song of Happy Birthday :) We all had a good laugh. The whole evening was a nice surprise and presented a great opportunity to get to know the guys just a bit better, outside of basketball.

I still haven't found a job but haven't given up yet. I really only starting looking at the very end of January/beginning of February, so I'm not too worried at this point. I think I might have a pretty good prospect with a company in Abbotsford but will know for sure by this Wednesday. They said they have to make a decision by then, so I'm praying that I'll be getting a phone call in the next day or two. But I've also come to the realization that if it doesn't work out, then its not where God wants me and I'm OK with that. I want very much to trust His plan and so I know that His opening & closing of doors is His way of getting me to where I need to be. I'll definitely keep you posted.

Other than that, I don't really have much to say. I do have a couple of pictures of the kids from Friday night so I'll leave you with those. We met Jon's family for supper at Burger King after his bball game and the kids were just as cute as always. I think Ava thought she was the next "Burger Queen." :)

Sense of Accomplishment

I got a very nice piece of mail yesterday...
And the best part is that it didn't come alone. I had the affirmation of knowing that all of my hard work had paid off...
Still not sure what I'm going to do in the way of work right now, but it still feels pretty great to have accomplished this. Finally.

Happy Birthday!

Just want to wish my wonderful brother Craig, a very Happy Birthday!

Craig--- Wish we could be there to celebrate with you today! But know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and we hope that this will be a really great year for you! And guess what... its only another 78 days til we get to see you :) Love you, miss you & can't wait to see you!! Happy Birthday!