Treasuries of Joy

Hip, Hip, Hurrah! (x3)

2012-02-01T14:38:00.002-06:00

Today I received a letter from the Government informing me that I did not owe them any money.

It's kind of like getting a clean bill of health.

Only One Wish

2012-01-31T12:19:00.000-06:00

The other evening, Jesse and I watched an episode of "Once Upon A Time". In this particular segment of the story, a King finds a golden lamp. He rubs it and out pops a Genie. The Genie asks the king what he wishes for and the kings replies that he has everything he could ever want or need, so he wishes the Genie to be set free.

If I were to find a golden lamp with a genie in it, I would have the same sentiment as the King. I am so happy and so content. Life isn't perfect but I don't want it to be: there should be a few things to complain about. ;-)

But I had a dream two nights ago in which I found a lamp. I don't remember rubbing it (I wouldn't... the Genie in the t.v. caused enough trouble to set me off of rubbing golden lamps forever) however, before I knew it, there was a Genie asking me what I wished for and I realized my innermost heart yearned for one thing more: that every person I ever was in contact with would feel Love -- pure and selfless.

Because once you have felt it, you can never be the same.

Nearly every person who has lived in this world has been given rejection... anger... hatred... judgement... mockery.... abuse... abasement... These are emotions and actions that we have all felt. They are so common. So much more common than love.

Why? Perhaps because of a million different reasons.

It's up to us. No one forces us reject others. No one makes us accept them. It is our decision, in the end. It's up to us to change the world... one person at a time.

Smile

2012-01-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

LIFE As We Know It

2012-01-15T17:56:00.001-06:00

I love setting up kitchen. I love the intricacies of learning about new ovens, cookie mixers, frying pans, scrapers, spatulas, dishes, sinks, etc. When we bought our house, a lot of stuff came with it; the kitchen had a lot of dishes and appliances in it. Still others were given to us through our three wedding showers and wedding gifts. But there were a couple things that we actually didn't receive among our many gifts and one of those things was a hand mixer.

I can mix a lot of stuff by hand but for something like cookies, I could be using the extra time elsewhere. So a few months ago, we went to the local Home Hardware and picked up this really nice little mixer. It's awesome. It has seven different speeds, two different kinds beaters, sturdy little engine and a nice long cord.

But you must understand something: mixers and I have a troubled history. There was the time that I was trying to retrieve a measuring spoon from the bowl of whatever I was making and accidentally turned on the mixer. I nearly broke my finger. I'll refrain from divulging other disasters!

With this mixer, I really adore every feature of it... except one: it's On/Off button is in the same exact spot as the Beaters Eject button my mom's mixer. Imagine what has happened more than once? Yeah. Cookie dough/cake batter/etc all over myself and the cupboards. The first two times, I did laugh. I should stop encouraging myself!

Do you have a memorable baking/cooking experience that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear it!!

They're working on installing our washing machine and dryer in our utility room today. I am so happy. It will be so nice to stay at home and do laundry... So blessed to have a husband and father-in-law who are very capable for doing these sort of jobs.

The utility room before the washing machine and dryer. Jesse still had yet to glue the linoleum down. He used my bamboo rolling pin for part of the job. Lol!

Talking about how far I'd have to reach every time I did laundry if they were to stack the units...

Other than these things, life has been going on as usual. I gained another student and there is a possibility of three more. Exciting. :-) Jesse is feeling so much better now that his shoulder has stopped hurting so much. He went to a massage therapist and it worked wonders on him. It's such a relief for him... and for me. His pain is mine, I suppose.

Well, I should close this up and scoot. Oh. Question: are all front loading washing machines stack-able? They decided not to stack ours for a couple reasons but it's puzzling because when we picked out the set, they said we could stack it.. However, with the controls where they are, it seems like ours can't be stacked. The internet didn't turn up much by way of answers so I thought I'd leave the question here.

Lee-Amber

2012-01-11T14:45:00.001-06:00

Lee-Amber Laderoute is a student of mine. She is 13 years old and lives with her family on a farm right outside of town. Lee-Amber has a great love for art and she expresses this through her music, writing and photography. Last year, she came to me for piano lessons, never having any instruction before. I was amazed how quickly she understood music. I was further amazed by how much she composed and what she composed.

Last year, she let me read one of her stories; it was interesting and well written for her age/maturity. This year before Christmas, she asked me if I would read some of her writing. Of course, Christmas and New Years celebrations got in the way so I didn't get to read any of it until this week. However, when I finally got a chance to read, I have seen that not only has her writing improved over the past year, this young lady knows how to weave the words into something beautiful. I look forward to reading her work in a few years because Lee-Amber will always see the world and herself differently than others do.

With her permission, I am sharing some of her thoughts with you.

Dandelions

In their hated yellow form they are a weed. But, in their white fluffy body they are a beauty. So kick, blow, and rip if you please, for, next year, when winter dies, they shall be reborn once again, and the cycle shall re-do itself.

Song of Sadness

In a voice as delicate as sugar glass, she sang a song of sadness, and a million memories rushed up to me, the horror of humanity crushing me in all of its devastating weight. Silently it rushes up, in a form of a violin-like quivers, tying you in with iron shackles which no amount of force will shatter, enticing you like the beauty and scent of a poisonous weed in a garden, dark as the shadows of a moonless midnight, twisting you, until what you once knew and loved is uncertain and irrelevant, and there is fear where once there was only joy. And yet, as the song changes, there comes happiness, and love in both new things and the old, only stronger, and with more reason and will to fight for it. And the song seems to say that, no matter how hard it gets, or how pointless it seems to keep fighting, you must, because something good comes out of everything. And that is an absolute truth; no matter how dark the sky is, or how long it remains that way, eventually the sun will shine, and the sky will be bright with the return of the sun to light up the world. And no matter how dark it is, there is still a trickle of light flowing in from somewhere. And though love may work in mysterious ways, work it does.

Sunset

The sky, alight with fantastic streaks of orange and red, yellow flowing colors mixing in with graceful swirls, setting the horizon on fire with a giant ball of flaming sunlight. It seems unreal that something so close can be so far away, being magnificent and radiant and beautiful yet also unreachable and blisteringly hot, and completely, heartbreakingly unattainable. And soon the warm brightness fades away, and the dark and cold night takes its place. For though the sun has left us, it does not depart forever -- it simply warms the other side of the world. And in it's absence it brings something else -- the promise of a new day.

The End

The clock booms out its final toll, signaling the end of my life. I smile as the painless arms wrap around me and carry me away. I know not of what is coming, and yet I am not afraid -- I know of a merciful God, one who has given me life and is now calling me back for another, possibly greater purpose. He calls me to his side, where I will find love and my loved ones, where I will find more happiness than I ever did in life. For, while living, I could not look upon the light without being blinded; now I can stare into it for an infinite amount of time, and never even need to blink. Because now I am stronger, and my soul is my body and I am love -- the heavens, for whatever reason, find me good, and I am found to be worthy of the light. For everyone, no matter how big or small, is worthy and good in their own way, and for everyone awaits something beautiful for the beautiful and unique person that they are.

Michelangelo

2012-01-08T12:16:00.001-06:00

If we have been pleased with life, weshould not be displeased with death, sinceit comes from the hand of the same master.

My soulcan find no staircase to Heavenunless it be
through Earth's loveliness.

mOre snaPshoTs

2012-01-03T17:15:00.000-06:00

Jesse asked Sara what his name was. She thought for a moment, then she said, "I'm Jesse."

Avoiding a skunk waddling across the highway and having my husband still congratulating me on this feat two days later.

Forgetting to bring any night clothing with me on the trip therefore, having to buy new ones at Superstore in Regina. It was a mistake that turned into a good thing: I LOVE them. They are so warm and cozy, I could wear them 24/7. Unfortunately, I can't! (Professional image up-keep.)

Watching Ghost Protocol in the Galaxy theatre and feeling my stomach churn over the tall building with lots of glass part. I think I may have yelped a couple of times.

Going to Boston Pizza and eating at midnight. They have the most delectable Christmas dessert there: Peppermint Brownie Delight. Side note: Jesse and I aren't big fans of peppermint and chocolate mixed together. I mean, come on: two great flavors, why mix them? But the picture of this one was pretty convincing so, we ordered it. Picture this: two hot brownies, two big scoops of vanilla ice-cream (the kind with chunks of vanilla in it), raspberry syrup and chocolate syrup drizzled over, then... the final touch: crushed peppermint candy canes over everything. It. Was. Heavenly.

Our second test of 'in sickness and in health'. Half an hour before we arrived at my parents, Jesse came down with some sort of head cold/flu. His fever was very high, he ached all over, he was shaking and shivering and coughing. At one point, he was so weak that he couldn't even move. I finally got him to take some Advil and that seemed to help keep his fever down. He doesn't often get sick, but when he does, he REALLY does.

Ruth got herself into some trouble for being too noisy while Jesse was trying to sleep. Hannah scolded her soundly for almost waking up her "brother-in-law"... the idea of a five-year-old having a brother-in-law cracks me up. And it gets better: Sara is two.

Exchanging presents at Lindsey's place. She got us several awesome gifts but the one I am going to mention is the SKITTLES!!! Hehe. I love having friends who get you what you want for Christmas.

Sitting in our living room and not having to worry about the mosquitoes. They are finally gone. Good ol' Raid.

Getting the mail and seeing that my new camera had arrived. I am (so, SO!!!) excited about the camera. Jesse is excited about the tripod. And Snow is happy because ...

....he got salmon flavored Kitty Treats for Christmas. (Jesse calls them Cat Crack.) We're good cat owners because we only give him one at a time. Amen.

Celebrating the New Year with my family and many folks from the Endeavour Church. It was a lot of fun and we rang in the tick-tock of Midnight with a rousing chorus of Onward Christian Soldiers. Mainly because I was too exhausted at that point to think of anything else creative.

Jamming with Ellie and Lydia for the first time in months. I actually can't remember the last time we did that. It was good and it brought back pleasant memories of our family band and all the hours we used to practice together. I am glad we were able to bond in this way over the years. Music is magic and it is definitely alive and well.

Eating supper at Brewsters with Sam. This restaurant is also where two dear friends waitress, so between Jesse, Sam, Gillian, Brie and awesome, awesome food, it was a pleasant experience for me. I will be going back there again.

Watching five different movies in two days while in Regina. We watched The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Arthur Christmas, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. All were brilliant. I definitely want to review each of them for Ponderings. What a treat to be able to go sit in a darkened theatre and watch things come to life on the big screen.

It was -4* C. today. In January. In Saskatchewan. That's really warm. And the snow and ice were all melting and falling off the car. Weather predictions say it's supposed to last all week. ::happy sigh::

Today my husband told me I am prettier than Marilyn Monroe. (In context, it doesn't sound weird. Lol!) It never fails: he makes me feel beautiful, smart and best of all, strong and good. I am really blessed to have such a man.

The best snapshot of the week is simply that God answered my prayers regarding several matters: Jesse and I drew ever closer through this holiday season, the visit with my family went well, Christmas with the in-laws was so good and last, but most certainly not least, Jesse is getting better.

Happy Holidays for all, forever. Cheers!

Happy New Year [Of Doom]

2012-01-02T15:30:00.000-06:00

Fasten your shutters! Ready your bomb shelters! Get your guns primed! Say goodbye to your loved ones! Do all the things that you ever wanted to do! Repent of your many sins and commit suicide!

Or perhaps it's time to get a NEW Mayan calendar.

My friend Lindsey had a Benjamin Franklin quote on her blog to help greet the new year and I liked the idea. So I went to Brainy Quote, which is one of my favorite websites because it has quotes covering every subject, from famous or infamous alike. Because of the latest and greatest hype that has taken over the world, I typed in the numbers "2012" in the search box and came up with some interesting stuff.

We need responsible regulations, not regulations that have gone wild. For example, the EPA has a rule that is going to be implemented Jan. 1, 2012, where they're going to begin to regulate dust. That's right, dust. It's called PM 2.5. That is focusing on the wrong thing. -- Herman Cain

I forget what the relevant American rate is, but I can tell you that our goal is to have a combined federal-provincial corporate tax rate of no more than 25 percent. We're on target to do that by 2012. We will have significantly - by a significant margin the lowest corporate tax rates in the G-7, and that's our - our government's objective. -- Stephen Harper

We have been actively trying to have New York City host the 2012 Olympics. -- George Pataki

PM 2.5., tax rates and 2012 Olympics. Hm. Hm. Hm. No talk of the end of the world? No mention at all. This will require further searching.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." -- Richard Bach

[That's nice but not nearly dark enough.]

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." -- Pablo Casals

[Still not dark enough.]

"Youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world. But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged." -- Gilbert K. Chesterton

[Should I give up?]

Finally!

"A poll earlier this year showed that 42 per cent of Americans believe we're in the End Times." -- Andrew Denton

Enlightening.

Since Brainy Quote wasn't turning up the interesting stuff, I went to good ol' Google:

"how many times have people predicted the end of the world?"

The answer was that while people aren't sure who has counted all of them, the number of predictions is somewhere in the thousands. They range from the earlier days of man's existence (apparently we've always had a thirst for doom and evil tidings) to modern day. Some years even have more than one prediction. The prophecies are made by many different kinds of people but I found that scientists and religious leaders made up the larger percentage. They are made for different reasons; some I believe were genuinely believed by the prophet; others were just for money, fame, or power. You will find a few of the more interesting ones below, with links. It was hard to choose!

"The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching." Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC [I couldn't find this quote on any site on any site I usually quote from, but I found it thought provoking.]

Second Century: prophets of Montanism claimed Christ would return in their lifetime and create New Jerusalem in Asia Minor. [links: tacoma atheists, Wikipedia]

1669 - 1690: 20,000 Old Believers in Russia burned themselves to death to protect themselves from the Anti-Christ. (links: religious tolerance, tacoma atheists)

"I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world." -- Pat Robertson (links: tacoma atheists, Wikipedia)

Of course, there is the Mayan Calendar which is ending in 2012 [link:http://www.universetoday.com]. As you know, that means the world is supposed to be ending this year. A lot of people are taking this seriously... just like so many people have wholeheartedly believed other predictions in the past. We have committed suicide, killed human beings and animals, sold all of our possessions, forsaken our family, lived in caves, set off bombs, started fires: you name it, someone has done it for the end of the world.

You know what Jesus said? But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. [Mark 13:32]

And Paul was quite certain in his letter to the Thessalonians: But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [1 Thess. 5]

If Jesus didn't know the date, if Paul didn't know the date and if the angels didn't know the date, why should we? Furthermore, should we be living in fear? Earthquakes, storms, persecution and hatred have happened every second of every day somewhere in the world. Death comes to us all eventually and so must the end of the world. But to prepare for it, we should be seeking a relationship with God and how to become better people. We should learn how to love and live more.

I agree, there is room for caution... but in some cases there is a very fine line between wisdom and paranoia.

So! Have a Happy New Year! May each day find you celebrating something good and lovely. May the end of the world find us ready for the next step in our journey, whenever it happens.

Happy Be Nimble, Happy Be Quick; Happy Happen Every Tock of the Tick

2011-12-23T19:40:00.000-06:00

This is my second year to celebrate Christmas. I've watched from behind the scenes for over 10 years and it is interesting to finally be among those celebrating. People celebrate for many different reasons. Some celebrate to give; some to get; some just to celebrate; and mostly, because... their parents and grandparents and great grandparents celebrated.

I love and hate things that surround Christmas. I hate the commercialization. I hate that some people must depend on Christmas for part of their salary or to keep their business above the red. I hate the entire "give me, give me, give me" attitude.

But I love more about this holiday than I hate.

I adore it when kids tell me that they are giving each person in their family three gifts and that they made the gifts. I love it when kids come into the store and search long and hard for the perfect gift for Mum or Dad. I love the giving aspect of Christmas. Don't tell me it doesn't exist and that all modern children are greedy. I know it's not true because I've seen the exact opposite so many times.

I love seeing people freeing themselves of current woes to be joyful. Their eyes sparkle and their lips smile and "Merry Christmas" aura floats around them like a blanket that warms everyone near them. I want to see this happen to people all year around. I don't think it's a fake attitude or one that should be frowned upon: happiness is to be welcomed at any time or place. But I wish for joy, everywhere, at all times.

The radio plays in the store on a popular station which plays many hours of music each day. Usually, it's music from the 70's, 80's and 90's, none of it remotely religious or spiritual. Yesterday, I heard a song about Jesus and I was amazed as I listened: the lyrics depicted his life, his death, resurrection and how we can be one with him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Any reason to celebrate something good is a good reason to celebrate. People get into the spirit and are excited. Some people don't. But then, those folks don't get excited about anything anymore...

That leads me to the last thing I hate about Christmas or holidays in general: they end. The radio plays music up until December 26th and then, it's back to regular fare. The stores take down their decorations. The gifts are all opened. The food is just leftovers (though I admit that turkey leftovers are awfully yummy). Can't Christmas or birthdays or Easter or any holiday at all last more than a day or two? As with anything, it all depends on the attitude. I believe it can. I believe Jesus lived each day as though it was a gift. Life is not easy most of the time. We are meant to struggle as well as be happy. But I think there is a spirit of love that each one of us can embrace, regardless of where we are or where we have been.

Sam and I got to talking about the holocaust last night. That evolved into genecides and mass killings. (I promise this all fits together... please keep reading. :-)) Sam said that studies show that these horrible things happen not because people are evil. It is because of the mindset of the society they live in: killing your neighbor or the people under your rule is simply a way to erase a problem.

We have all seen or perhaps even felt the effects of such a mindset. It's frightening to think where a simple lack of respect for life can lead you. And we could all be the guilty ones, given the opportunity. There is no right or wrong method to curve ideals like these but I think a good place to begin is by making every day and every person your priority. I don't know what that means for you or even what that means for me: life changes in a blink of an eye. But keeping that good-will-to-all-men spirit every single day of the year is a great place to start.

Don't do it because it makes you feel good. Don't do it to look better to others. Don't do it for any selfish reason. Don't do it because you're frightened of yourself. Do it because that's what Jesus would do. Do it because it will lead you to Truth. Do it because people need to feel that joyful, Christmas spirit every single day of their lives. Do it because it's the most right thing to do.

"It’s Christmas Eve! It’s… it’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we… we… we smile a little easier, we… w-w-we… we… we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!" -- Bill Murray [Scrooged]

Christmas House

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000-06:00

I like Christmas trees and ours is no exception. It's like bringing flowers into the house, except.. bigger.

I found these lovely burgundy bulbs at the Pharmasave.

See the pottery tea-set? A wedding gift from a friend. We love it.

Deck the halls with... garlands and bows. :-)

My wonderful husband and our dearly beloved cat. Both vying for attention... and receiving it. :-)

Some of you have requested pictures of the new porch. Well, there it is from the inside. Haven't braved the cold air to take any outside.

I made the most delicious bean and tomatoe soup with sausage in it for supper tonight. We had toasted cheese sandwiches to go along with it. So good. :-)

Formally Over

2011-12-15T16:56:00.000-06:00

News reports citing the formal end of the War in Iraq have been written and posted on the internet.

I am very much a believer of peace. I don't know what all went down and what I do know, I don't agree with. But I do appreciate the hardships of the troops and the hardships of the people.

When peace comes, I will be glad.

Smile! Smile! Smile!

2011-12-14T00:42:00.001-06:00

A friend posted this on their Facebook and said it was their favorite short film, "If you have 16 spare minutes, I would recommend watching it." Well, I had 16 spare minutes and this is now my favorite short film. I am inspired. Enjoy!

Haha.

2011-12-11T16:48:00.001-06:00

love: an ode to mine

2011-12-07T12:11:00.001-06:00

The Fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the ocean,

The winds of heaven mix for ever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the the world is single,

All things by a law devine

In one another's being mingle --

Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdain'd its brother:

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea --

What are all these kissings worth,

If thou kiss not me?

-- Shelley

I know people who have fallen out of love. There are times when their pain is badly disguised. I feel it.. their longing for what they have lost. I do not judge them and I try to avoid pity. I believe there is a different path for each of us. If you are offended by this post of utter and complete contentment, forgive me. I have known my own pain and I have struggled through my own struggles. (I am me, of course, so I never stop learning the hard way.) But I have found a resting place, somewhere safe and I want that for everyone.

I have chosen a path to walk and by my side is the man I want with me forever. I have only loved for a little over a year. The varying of and the strength of this emotion never is the same - not even moment to moment. I have learned some things; I hope for much more over the years. This post is partly for me but I also wanted to put to rest some of the misconceptions about love.

Fear to embrace it, fear to not. Do not fear.

Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you

The love of all man’s days both past and forever:

Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life.

The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours –

And the songs of every poet past and forever.

-- Rabindranath Tagore

Love fills emptiness or holes in you that you didn't know existed.

Love is a partnership: it requires giving of yourself and receiving of the other person. While you need to be whole in yourself (your faith, your love, your abilities) you also need to be able to allow yourself to be made whole by that other person.

Love's a mystery. Sometimes there are feelings that are so deep and full that they cannot be expressed. Sometimes it's a crush of overwhelmed senses and wildly fluctuating emotions. Sometimes it's found in the easy camaraderie of two people who have established a friendship. But it can never be said, "Love is this. Love is that," and this thing be properly explained.

A true lover is proved such by his pain of heart;

No sickness is there like sickness of heart.

The lover's ailment is different from all ailments;

Love is the astrolabe of God's mysteries.

-- Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Love's story is different for every person. You might find yourself falling for your best friend, your worst enemy or someone you met on the street five minutes ago.

At the point Jesse and I met, I didn't think I was ready to meet HIM. I had prayed for years for a man who would be worthy enough for me to fall in love with. When I met Jesse I knew almost immediately that he was the one but I fought it. God had to really work on me. I cannot tell you how important it is to be of an open heart to His will. The places and people God leads you to are for a reason. They shape you. For what end, you may ask? For better. For good. For love! But God won't force you to go where He wants you to go. As Jesse says, "A free will, the chance to choose, is the greatest gift God gave us." It's true. Of course if you're really headed in the wrong direction, He may put a wall of fire or a cliff in your path. :-)

Love never judges. Love accepts you for who you are, regardless of where you have been or what you have done. Love thinks you are perfect for Love. But Love never accepts that you are all that you could be. Love strengthens you, helps you, encourages you... to be more of you.

Everyone says that you can't change a person. To a certain extent, that it the truth. But let me tell you, you can encourage people to go one way or another. People say that Jesse has changed since he met me. He has grown a lot, I know. But I never tried to change him because I like the way he is. I just believe in him and love him. I am a responsible person. I stress. I worry. I fear. I am an introvert. Jesse has gently but firmly pushed me to be more confident in myself and my abilities. For years, I had been expected to be a certain person and criticized if I stepped out of the role. Jesse hasn't changed me but he has helped me embrace who I can be. I am no longer just Naomi. I am Naomi.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:

Love is living, growing, changing. Love would not have been worth it had it not been with my soul mate, my best friend. So much mystery, so much fear, so much unknown... but Jesse proved faithful and true every step of the way.

Each day I find myself praying for wisdom: How can I love Jesse more? How can we grow closer together? Love cannot help but change as I change from day to day. And I do change from day to day! I am a living human being, experiencing living human life. Jesse is the same. We are two completely different people. How can our love not change with us changing day to day? The prayer is that we will change for good. We may be perfect for each other at this point in life but will we be in 30 years? 13 years? 3 months? Love is the most difficult thing of all because we human beings are selfish by nature. That's why being committed to each other for life is so important for us.

Love has many faces. We love our lover. We love our friends. We love our family. We love God. Each love we experience helps us understand ultimate Love.

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

-- e e cummings

I love this post by my friend Abigail. :-) It is very insightful. http://jawestbrook.blogspot.com/2011/12/settling-or-setting-aside-lists.html

9 Cellos

2011-12-04T12:23:00.001-06:00

I hope you enjoy this beautiful hymn of praise as much as I have this morning. It has made me glow. :-)

Of Professional Images, Birthday Cakes and Mosquitoes: Among Other Things

2011-11-30T10:38:00.001-06:00

Due to our renovations and the rather busy-ness of our lives, we have not been able to install our washer and dryer in our utility room. So that means we have to run over to my inlaws and wash laundry there. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate their generosity... but I can't wait to be able to wash our laundry here, at our house. Because we are us, we usually wait until we have worn most of our clothing before we decide to do anything about it and this time was no exception. Yesterday morning I had a towering mountain of dirty clothes and towels and such. It took me awhile to maneuver it into my inlaws' house. Of course, when it was all in, down the stairs and sorted appropriately, you can only wash one load at a time. I had some hours to kill.

Taro, one of my students, turned 17 yesterday. He and his brother and sisters are involved in this year's Dickens' play. Since the play date is coming up straight away, we are having regular rehearsals.... one of them that very night. So, I consulted my mother in law and we decided a cake was in order for the evening. I had run out of eggs so I simply brought everything else over to their house and proceeded to make a French Vanilla cake. (Yes, from a cake mix. No, I'm not ashamed. It's good cake. ;-) :-)) Btw, does anyone know how to make a French Vanilla Cake from scratch? Usually white cake is so bland but this particular cake is really amazing.

When I finally got back home, it was 3:30 and my first students were due to arrive very soon. I rushed around the house cleaning up and was just at the tail-end of it when they appeared on my doorstep. I was still in my comfy paint be-spattered bunny hug and they were a few minutes early so after I greeted them, I went and changed quickly. The shirt I chose is one of my favorites: last year's Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party ladies t-shirt with a really clever logo on the front of it. It's green. My favorite color. :-)

Two students and their mother later, I was greeting two more students and running for the washroom for a little moment. That's when I happened to glance in the mirror. Something was wrong. It took me a moment to figure it out.... then, light bulb. I had my shirt on backwards; the clever logo was etched across my back, mocking me. As my oh-so-professional image went down the drain, I couldn't help bursting out laughing. It is always great to get a slap like that and it be that funny. So, I turned my shirt around and ta-da, clever logo was clever once again. But it still amuses me whenever I see it. I wonder what my students thought... and I especially wonder what my student's mother thought. Haha!!

Last night's rehearsal went quite well indeed. It was supposed to be a semi-dress rehearsal but Doug (director) said it was ok if we interrupted it a bit. I didn't know how we were going to present the cake to the birthday boy but when I started gathering in-tell, Michele had a great idea, as usual. She thought we should spring it on him when we were in a scene together. It appealed to my love of awesome surprises so I went around and whispered the plan to everyone else.

My line goes like this: "Please Mr. Scrooge [insert southern accent], it's Christmas Eve, do you really expect us to go back to those people now and tell them that you are condemning those buildings, that those families are going to have to move, that the neighborhood recreational centre is shutting down and the church is going out of business? I mean... [grabbing Scrooge's wrist and pointing towards Taro] it's his birthday for crying out loud!" Then as everyone came out with the cake we all started singing happy birthday. The look on his face was really surprised. :-) Such fun!

There are certain things I appreciate about winter. One is that it's easier to sit and relax on cold snowy days than to sit and relax on hot sunny days. Because when it's hot and sunny, you feel guilty for wasting it by relaxing. (Of course, I don't think sitting and relaxing is wasting time but sometimes my better, more responsible side gets to me.) Another thing is that snow is so beautiful. There are simply no words for it. :-) And the best thing is that there are no mosquitoes. At least there shouldn't be. So it's not fair that every night before we go to bed, I have to kill at least three mosquitoes. We have no idea where they are coming from. It's cold outside. They should be all dead. Jesse wonders if they were already in the house somehow. Or... my latest theory is that they are coming up from the drains. Regardless, I really wish they would all go back and hibernate... or die. Or something. ::hates mosquitoes::

Well, I have some housework to do and some Christmas decorating to begin. I hope your winter is progressing as well as mine is. I pray for love to reach each heart. Just a little love. I think it would make all the difference in the world. The more I work "in the world" the more I realize that non-acceptance is the most natural, human reaction. People do not love one another. They judge each other. And wow. Did I ever get on that apple box quickly. ;-) I suppose God has been showing me a lot about this lately. Whenever I find someone particularly annoying, my conscience pops up...

Thanks so much for reading. It makes my heart brim with joy. Come to Carlyle and enjoy the Dickens Festival!

Lives Lived

2011-11-23T12:40:00.001-06:00

Place: Regina, Saskatchewan
Date: a couple days after September 10th.
Occasion: Honeymoon/after wedding celebration

Naomi had made reservations at a certain Regina Chateau for the night. Newlyweds had spent the day on the road since they had taken the ridiculous detour of going up to Endeavour first (saying goodbye to grandparents who were staying at N's parents' place before heading back to WA), then heading back down to Regina.

After a movie and sushi it was dark and they decided it was time to seek out their night's lodgings. Amusingly enough, they had never seen the hotel in real life. Naomi had just found it on the internet and they thought it sounded nice. They weren't really having a "honeymoon" anyways so they decided it might be nice to splurge and do something out of the ordinary.

Jesse was driving so Naomi was doing the navigating. She read the address from her notes and they proceeded to that section of the city. The closer they got to their destination, the more confused the couple felt. This was a very odd neighborhood for a nice facility like Regina Chateau... at least as it had been advertised as.

When they reached the place the street numbers matched those on her notes, the street lights were few and far between. People moved in the shadows or simply stood and watched them. It was getting rather nerve wracking. Finally Jesse slowed the car.

"1108... 1109... 1110." They stared in disbelief. On either side of 1110 Victoria Avenue were dumpy little houses, the typical 50's and 60's fair. But 1110 Victoria Ave was... an empty lot.

Being the kids at heart that they are, the two couldn't stop laughing for about five minutes. They didn't know if they had been scammed or if Naomi had written down the wrong address but it was hilarious.

Thankfully, Jesse always keeps a Regina phone book in the car so they pulled that out and looked for the Regina Chateau's listing. As it turns out, Naomi had copied down the address but had accidentally made an omission. The Chateau's proper address reads:

1110 Victoria Ave E.

Naomi had missed the E. part of it. Just one small mistake had led the couple completely astray. They haven't stopped laughing about this incident yet. Adventures of this type seem to befall them on all sides... like the first time Jesse and Naomi cooked together (he was courting and she was trying to engage his attention elsewhere than her by making him help her make supper) (it didn't work) and Naomi managed to accidentally pour all of Michelle's garlic powder in the soup and it boiled all over the stove. Or the time Jesse exploded the plate in our new kitchen, making everyone holler. Or the time they started on their trip an hour early so they would be on time for the orthodontist appointment (four hour drive one way) and they got stuck in construction.

Happily, I can tell you that Jesse and Naomi Twietmeyer discovered that The Regina Chateau does actually exist and is a wonderful place to stay. The beds are comfortable... so many pillows! Real sheets and blankets. And the hot water in the showers never runs out. Best of all, the rooms are clean and comfortable. It was the most comfortable hotel they had ever stayed in.

The End. (Until the Twietmeyers have further adventures of course.)

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. -- Soren Kierkegaard

Funny how a certain phrasing of words and the spirit of it uttered will catch my attention. The theory of this quote I agree with. The spirit of Soren Keirkegaard may be one of regret and wishing they could change the actions of the past. Of course, this emotion could merely be an echo of the music I am listening to ("Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" by Connie Francis). ;-)

Yes, the above story really happened. If you knew Jesse and me, you wouldn't have to ask the question. :-) I look back on this incident and can't help but smile. I am so thankful for every adventure, every moment spent together. Sometimes we feel so happy so that it seems it's impossible. I look back on the happiness which has enveloped us the past year and I still don't understand why I have been given this. I feel breathless.

There is so much about my past that I do not understand. The happy times and the not so happy times. The hurt and the agonizing, fierce agony. The times I felt I was leaping ahead and growing and the struggles to take a single step, feeling like it would be easier to die than to try to live. Was some of it really necessary? Though the healing is working in me, sometimes the pain of memories still threatens to overwhelm me. Then I know with every ounce of my being that, had it not been for my past, I would not have the strength or understanding I have today. I try to weigh between the pain of knowledge and the strength of character. Then I realize it doesn't work that way. If I had my choice, I wouldn't choose the pain.

Maybe. I mean, if I had known everything, I would have seen the wonderful closeness of my Creator. That I wouldn't trade, even in the face of great suffering. Perhaps I would have had the wisdom. But this is all speculation with no basis in fact. I am so glad that I cannot see into the future. This is a life being lived in the faith and strength of love because there is no other way of really living.

That doesn't mean fear and pain don't come to call but their visits are less frequent. I can't explain to you how happy I am. I can't explain the depth of my gratitude to God for bringing Jesse and me together. I am praying for many years together... for the grace to make each passing day better and more filled with love than the last.

Life is not without it's ups and downs. I know this. But when you are with your soul mate, your partner who excepts and loves you unconditionally... the bad times are much more bearable and the good times are better.

I love you, Jesse.

Thanks, God.

Boring-ness That Makes Me Really Happy

2011-11-07T18:08:00.001-06:00

Several times I have tried to sit down and write a post but something has always gotten in the way. But! Victory! Today, a student of mine had to reschedule her lesson to another day so I had an hour and a half before theatre. Perfect time to scratch out some emails and a much needed update for Treasuries. :-)

Major happenings? Not many of those. Just every day, beautiful life. :-) I think I prefer it that way.

Lessons. 13 students. Progress. Happiness. I honestly cannot imagine anything more fulfilling than teaching music. It's like you're changing lives with every lesson. If I can keep these times full and interesting, fun and entertaining, hope-filled and progressive... well, these wonderful young people will go places. Not necessarily the stage but when you play music, you are fulfilled. You can entertain and fulfill needs and desires... both yours and others. Each student is different... different home life, mind set, values, struggles and victories. But they are all important to me and music is becoming part of them.

Last night (15th) we went to a house concert in Forget and listened to Woody Holler and His Orchestra. It was such a treat. Daniel Koulack (he played at our wedding) plays bass in this band so it was another reason I really wanted to go. :-) They were amazing. It's a Western Swing band but they play all kinds of music. Some of it was old country (Woody sang in Spanish...), some of it was old cowboy (Don't Fence Me In, etc) and other stuff was very jazzy (Honeysuckle Rose). What a treat for the ear! Jesse video taped the second half of the show for them and in payment for his services, they gave us a cd. We got it signed by all the guys and promptly forgot it at Michelle's house. Lol! Thankfully we see M. often due to theatre practice so she get it to us sooner than later.

Speaking of theatre, it is going well. We have several of my students involved. Actually we have about five people who haven't been in our theatre group before so it has been interesting to try and find a place for everyone. But it is coming along great. The story is the usual A Christmas Carol but it has been Remixed. :-) Jesse is Scrooge this year. It's funny watching him be so nasty to everyone because he's usually so decent. Haha!

And then there's work. Two of the girls are leaving... one because of maternity and the other because... well, just because that's who she is. :-) I will miss her. Good news is that I *love* the floor manager (and she's staying!). She is an amazing human being who has problems like the rest of us but rises above them and treats everyone equally. She's gold.

They finished insulating the porch and tore down the door and wall the separated the kitchen from the porch. The house seems so much bigger. I love it. They plan to finish it when spring/summer rolls around again. I am looking forward to the day when it is all finished and we have a brand new kitchen with all of our wedding gifts in it. Right now, most of them are upstairs sitting on one of the beds, waiting for their own little space.

Stuff keeps us busy: parties, Remembrance Day, picking up paintings from Jesse's Grandma's place, learning to live with the cold weather, trying to keep healthy.

I got the flu again a week or so ago. 11 days was how long the first one took... thankfully, the second bout didn't last as long. I actually started to write a blog post when I was down with it but decided not to. When I'm not feeling 100% I tend to complain about the fact. There is simply enough complaining in the world without me adding to it. (So say I bravely today!)

Those are some of the highlights of the life of Naomi. What has been happening in your life? Is the flu going down where you're at as well? What music has inspired you lately? Have you made a dish that you have been very pleased with?

Well, the evening is upon me so I should close this up. Cheers my dears! :-)

Discovery

2011-11-06T11:50:00.001-06:00

Funny how you can know a person so well and find out something about them you didn't know.

Setting: Jesse and Naomi in grocery store carrying basket half filled with groceries. Jesse reads things off of list in hand while Naomi grabs them off shelves.

"Cream of wheat..." Jesse reads.
"It's my favorite hot cereal," Naomi replies.
"Yeah, it's my favorite too," Jesse says.
"No way!"

As it turns out, we prefer it above oatmeal, cracked wheat, corn meal mush or just about any other hot cereal. Life is good. :-)

snaPshots of my LiFE

2011-10-30T11:50:00.000-05:00

…every single timeJesse sees a picture of a cat he says, “Awwww..”

…almost every timeI put down my plate or bowl or cup, Snow tries to eat or drink from it. That isso annoying. Ugh. At least he likes me. J

… I love that you can tell people’s mindset so clearly when they post a comment.

…And then there's the moment when Eli Eliposts a new song they recorded.

...Iscratch Snow’s tummy and he enjoys it so much he falls off the couch.

…I open aletter from my sisters and it begins with “Dear Naomi, I love you!”

…the day I asked astudent if they’ve had any lightbulb moments over the past week and theyrespond, “Uh no. Unfortunately not.” Haha!!

…teaching astudent and seeing the understanding hit them like a freight truck. Soexciting!

… that dearfriend who texts me and we have a chat about good times. Hello, Molly! Hi Lindsey.

…seeing thesunlight dyeing the winter trees in red and yellow hues. One of these days I’mgoing to get a camera and take some real snapshots...

…staying upto all hours talking to my mother-in-law. Girl talk is brilliant.

…driving bymyself. I love the feeling that I am no longer dependent on people to help meget to work or go grocery shopping, etc.

...hearing that my sister Hannah also passed her driver's test and has a Novice 1 license. Yes!!

…finishing10 modules (well, more because some ofthem were doubles) of a course that I was taking on Pharmasave. About 10 hoursand 50 pages of hand written notes later, I am happy to say that I havecompleted the course.

…writingmovie reviews while inspired. In thepast couple of weeks I’ve written and published three movie reviews on Ponderings. I love the feeling ofaccomplishment.

…Watchingand listening to kids expressing themselves. The other night I was at Missoulatheatre and was amazed at what two great directors can do with 30 children in aweek. One of them, Kendra (age 8), hadn’t really ever sung in front of anyoneand she pulled off a solo that was awesome.

…beinghappy sad all at once. I keep talking to people about Mya Dawn and how hermemorial was so beautiful. She was 21 months old and had only known love herwhole life. The accident was so horrible and the sadness that encompassed thecommunity was heartbreaking. But the love that was expressed at her memorial wasso wonderful. I can hardly explain what I mean. Little Mya Dawn, may you shinein the presence of our Lord.

…waking uphappy.

…seeing myhusband and feeling a burst of love that makes everything in life better.

…talking toJesse.

…watchingpeople during drama practice. The jokes are pretty amusing. J

…prayingfor wisdom, then receiving it.

…feelingGod’s grace each moment of every day.

…little boys. There was one sitting behind me at Missoula. I think he was about 4 or 5 and hismom had him sitting on her lap because he couldn’t see the stage otherwise.About 30 minutes into it, he says quietly and really patiently, “Mom, I hatesitting still.”

…going towork and keeping busy all day. Though, of course, it is annoying when you’retrying to do three different jobs at once and an emergency interrupts everythree minutes. Lol! Yesterday is was a paper jam which I couldn’t locate evenafter taking apart the machine. But at least I wasn’t bored!

...watching a great movie and not getting over it for months. One I watched this past week was "The Queen". I thought it was well done. I have always really like Helen Mirren but she was so good in this movie. I understand why my sister-in-law always calls her The Queen whenever she sees her in anything. I have joined the ranks.

Love Thy Neighbor

2011-10-27T13:02:00.002-05:00

Disclaimer: This post has missed some very essential points. I do not have the ability or wisdom to express exactly what I would like to say. I have issues with the extreme of what you are about to read. Some quotes, some words; that is all I can do right now. My hope is that it will enable someone, somewhere, to think.

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I consider myself blessed among women. My husband loves me. He views me as his equal. Love for him involves aspects I thought existed apart from love: respect, equality, cherishing, honor, faithfulness. When I prayed for a husband, I prayed for a man. I prayed that he would protect me and that I would be able to protect him. I prayed that we would cherish and honor each other. I prayed that I would be able to submit to him and that he would submit to me. I prayed that we would grow old seeking Truth together.

I have wanted to be married for as long as I can remember but about five years ago, I realized that I was not interested in getting married unless I met a man. I hardly realized what that meant until I met Jesse. To him, all men and women are the same. All have the same intelligence. All deserve to be treated with respect. That includes me, his wife. The longer I am married to the man, the more I realize how deep his belief rests in his soul.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her... (Proverbs 31: 11 - 12)

This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem... Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave... Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Solomon's Song)

Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19: 4-6)

Mary Poppins and I had a date the other evening. I was sick with the flu and we had just purchased the movie (finally! I've been searching for a copy of that film for years). What better thing to watch when you're feeling sick and blue? At any rate, Mr. Banks and Mrs. Banks made me stop and think long and hard. Their relationship is probably more clear cut and exaggerated than real life but I believe we can learn some important truths through it.

Mrs. Banks was all for women's suffrage. She was out on the streets (neglecting her children) all day, singing her heart out and feeling very productive. She was finally expressing herself. At home, she was Mrs. Banks: wife of George, submissive, telling him what he wanted to hear, never arguing with him, mother to his children. She loved him and she loved them. But something was missing. She tried to fill it by asserting herself among her peers. When Mary Poppins' magic prevailed and Mr. Banks saw the light, he started treating his wife differently. He confided in her, he was affectionate with her, he treated her like she was his best pal... most importantly, his equal. The change in her was immediate and beautiful. No longer was something missing from her life.

One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man. -- Marlo Thomas

There are quite a few examples in the Bible of strong women and weak women. There were strong women who used their intelligence and charm for good. There were strong women who used what they had badly. There were also strong men and weak men in the Bible.... There are verses in the Bible on both sides of the coin on every subject imaginable. How to treat women, children, kings, prophets, enemies, etc., etc. We could treat people any way we wanted to, based on which way we read the Scriptures. Part of the reason for that is, in my opinion, God testing us to see what path we will tread.

Tell me, how did Jesus treat women? How did he treat men? How did he treat children? How did he treat those in authority? How did he treat those who were the sinners, untouchables? Unbelievers? Of everything else in the Bible, why can't we look at the two greatest commandments and follow those in every aspect of our lives?

We human beings do not think of people as equals. We think some of the same as ourselves, some are higher and some are most definitely lower. Is it skin color? Age? Walk in life? Religion? Sins committed? Why? Don't we remember that Jesus said: For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:30) Think of both sides of this coin. All those people we know of both in past and present who have expressed hatred. Now think of the ones who have allowed love to lead them.

If we were to select the most intelligent, imaginative, energetic, and emotionally stable third of mankind, all races would be present. -- Franz Boaz

I have known boys and girls who insult the intelligence that God has given them because they think they can't be a Priscilla (Proverbs 31 woman) or Aquila (man of God). I know kids who are so smart and get bullied at school or don't receive the education they should because of some reason (whether at home or in public school). I have known men and women who wake up in the morning and feel nothing but bondage to their lives. I have read about, watched and known people who are "different". Abused. Ignored. Stuck. Never reaching the potential God had planned for them.

I have thought that I had been given a special understanding that 'unbelievers' don't have a clue about. I have thought that someone wasn't worth it. I have thought and said I can't understand why God would love someone so evil as that person. But I have been reaching for love and understanding. I have been seeking God for the ability to forgive. I have been accused of being friends with sinners. I have been told I am losing my standards and that I haven't been putting God first. I have found that Truth is often the opposite of religion.

And I have found that I don't care what your race, your background, your religion or your sex. I think lack of love is the worst curse that has fallen on the world.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond or free, there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:28)

O the depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

Treasuries of Joy

2011-10-22T15:26:00.003-05:00

To my husband: All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full...

Ecclesiastes 1:7

My love, may you never stop seeking for Truth. May you always search. May your heart yearn for greater understanding.

To my sisters and brothers: I love you.

To life: Be truthful, nature only sides with Truth. -- Adolf Loos

You have thrown and landed some vicious blows but you didn't know something that God did. When you tried to crush me, I found strength. When you left me for dead, Something breathed life into me. When you pumped me full of bitterness, somehow Love crept in through the cracks. There was Truth... I could pull the plug on hate.

To Marriage: Happiness is like a kiss: you have to share it to enjoy it. -- Bernard Meltzer

All the waiting, the uncertainty, the frustration... yes. But worth it. Worth every lonely night, every longing for someone's arms, each moment aching for true love, all the battles with doubt. Yes! Worth it. I cannot express my gratitude.

To The Flu I Have Right Now: God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice. -- John Donnes

Sometimes it's so hard to look past when we're not feeling well or are in an impossible situation. The light is there, though. It might be faint or impossible to see but it's there. Let it strengthen you for better things.

To God: But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. Psalm 71:14

I do hope continually. Fear is my greatest fault. I want to live my life in joy without bowing to anxiety. Slowly, I learn. Always, I hope.

when we cry

2011-10-18T01:22:00.003-05:00

Please pray for the family of little Mya. She is safe in the arms of Jesus but we all need comforting.

May we treasure the moments and walk in love.

Life & Caramel Apples

2011-10-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

This morning is all about getting ready for the afternoon. You get up, get dressed, clean the house, practice the piano, research, study, run errands... For breakfast, I ate some apple pie leftover from Thanksgiving: the top is still crackly with sugar and cinnamon. I adore apple pie. If I were Snow White, the wicked step-mother of the fairy tale would have to slightly change her methods of poisoning. "Here, love. Have a slice of pie." "Is it apple?" "Yes, my dear, certainly is." "Is it poisoned?" "Yes, love, it is."

Who cares about little details like that when apple pie is involved? :-)

I am officially into my second week of teaching. The students arrive in good humor and less shy than they were last week. Yesterday, they were all trudging up the driveway through the mud and landed on our doorstep two inches taller in ruined shoes. Poor peoples! Megan made me laugh when she left... she kicked her shoe and mud flew everywhere. Some of it hit the house... some of it landed high in the trees... some of it ended up on her mother. (Which is why I stopped laughing as soon as I could.)

This has to be the start of my favorite season. I know why they have so many holidays in the winter: we need a reason to celebrate. The cold here can be simply unbearable and dull.. I so enjoy having a reason to bake and cook and buy gifts for people. On Sunday, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Jesse's extended family. We had chicken. Chicken is definitely my favorite fowl. It's moist and has that lovely chicken taste that (despite the rumors) nothing else in the world has.

Next along is Jesse's birthday, Halloween, Christmas, New Years...

I bought cream today so I could make caramel apples. Any friend care to join us? :-)

You know, when I began teaching I never thought I would be pushed so hard and so far out of my comfort zone. No one person is the same. I prefer folk, hymns, celtic... music I consider gentle and beautiful. And yet, I am endeavoring to each musicals, rock, country. If I am to teach these genres, I must find something to appreciate in them. I must learn to love something in them. Thank goodness that there are elements in every genre that I am already comfortable with. It does not matter what type of music it is, there are certain qualities that are always the same in good music. The fundamentals, the love and passion the artists express into the songs/tunes, talent, effort/hard work... and we all need to understand these qualities before we can understand any type of music.

Back to the subject! I love being pushed far beyond my limits. I love getting advice from my husband and other musicians. I love it when I have to wrack my brain in the middle of a lesson to find the best worded answer. I love hearing parents tell how much they like the motivation their children are expressing. And yes, before each lesson, I am scared. I pray and search my heart (soul) and mind (intelligence/knowledge) for the best means possible of teaching this individual who has come to me to learn.

Without teaching or performing (or some other form of musical expression) it is very easy to let what you have sit and mold in the corner. Because of my job, I am forced to grow in ways I never would on my own. In this way alone, teaching is a life changer.

And now, I shall get off my apple box and get on with my day. If there are any students or their parents reading, thanks for helping me become a better person.

I am wishing you all the best of Wednesdays. May you find some joy today!

Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear. -- Thomas Jefferson

30 Days

2011-10-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name. -- Andre Breton

One month ago today, Jesse and I stood up in front of witnesses and very legally became Mr. and Mrs. Jesse and Naomi Twietmeyer. It was a wonderful day filled with wonderful, beautiful people... the joy of it will always be etched into my memory.

There are so many things I remember clearly throughout those days. One of the most amazing is seeing everything I envisioned come to reality. Throughout the months, I had developed some very firm ideas of what I wanted in a wedding. Since I am a photographer, I wanted everything to be picture friendly. Some things look very good to the eye and horrible in pictures. I wanted to avoid that. I really wanted to avoid that. Yay for Sam (sister-in-law) and Lindsey (best friend). And Paul (father-in-law). And Jesse (husband). And Dianne (mother-in-law). And Kate (Di's sister). And my family (my grandparents came a couple days early and my immediate family, the day before the wedding). Ok. Yay for everyone! :-)

While there are many memorable moments from those days, there are some that will never leave me. Small glimpses in time, snatched away to tuck close to my heart. I remember someone once telling that the days before my wedding and my wedding day would all be a blur... that I would too excited to notice or care very much. I thank them for warning me. I promised myself that if I could help it, the blur and excitement would not swallow me: my consciousness would be completely intact and God helping me, I would enjoy every minute of that day.

One of the Most vivid memories I have was right before the ceremony was to start. We had come back late from pictures and the wedding was supposed to be starting right away. I felt windblown and frazzled but everyone was assuring me that I looked amazing. Lol. Lindsey and I ran down the stairs the back way from the dressing rooms and into the kitchen downstairs. From there, it was quick washroom break and rushing to other set of stairs. Right as we were about to enter the Green Room entrance, the outer doors opened and some dear friends walked in. She was carrying her brandnew baby girl. The sight of my friend's smile and her mother beauty calmed me. Some moments are pure orchestration. That was no coincidence.

There was Another right before the processional. My new family was about as frazzled as I was but they still took the time to argue about what exactly was going to happen. This was going to happen... no! this was! It was quite funny. Furthermore, this is how they are: always have been, always will be. I kept laughing and trying not to smudge my make-up. I love them.

I will Never Forget walking down the aisle, holding Sara and Ruth's hands. Cilla walked down right before us, holding my bouquet. In the theatre, there are two aisles to walk down. We used the one to the right. I was afraid that the people seated to the left of the theatre wouldn't be able to see anything so I asked the marriage commissioner to announce that everyone was to remain seated. She forgot but it didn't matter. I think it was the sight of me with my little sisters that caught everyone off guard. :-) They didn't stand up until after I was almost down to the bottom of the aisle. The moment was the congregated, "Awww..." that rippled through the crowd when they realized what was happening. I definitely got the cute factor going with those sisters of mine. I love them!

There was another one, Earlier on both dressed for the big day, there was that moment: seeing Jesse and Jesse seeing me for the first time in our wedding clothes. Neither of us can figure out how we got so blessed. For me, the realization that there is actually a man in all creation who I can trust simply blows my mind. Add to that the fact that he loves me and I love him... well, I really didn't think it was even possible. I had given it up to God as a dream that would never be fulfilled. I would do whatever he wanted me to do with my life, even if that meant never being married.

We wrote our vows to each other. Jesse's was so beautiful. I have never heard anything so poignant and certain and full of love. (Afterwards, my dad said that when he heard Jesse's vow, he knew he could put away the shotgun. Haha.)

Naomi,

Few things are truly important.

I could throw away all my possessions and have lost nothing;

but your love is everything to me.

I stand before you now to promise you all that I am.

I make this promise with a full heart,

without fear or reservation,

for you are the only truly important thing to me;

I will stand beside you until the end,

because I love you.

The Peace I felt while saying my vows to Jesse. I had been so nervous that I would forget the words or falter. But when the time came, I was very, very calm. I meant those words with every ounce of my being and they came out like that. Thankfully. :-)

"Jesse, I love you. I love you because you are my best friend. I love you because you are a good man. I love you because you seek Truth. I love you because you make me laugh. I love you because you are so annoying. I love you because you are God's answer to all of my prayers. But mostly I love you because I love you. You are the most beautiful thing in my life and it is with great joy that I pledge myself to you. I will pray for you. I will hope and dream with you. I will be with you as long as our lives shall last."

And what about the cake... talking with friends... the first dance... Michele's toast to the bride and groom... Lee-Amber asking me to open the card she had given me so I could read what she had written before she left... Samantha and Matt MC-ing... square dancing... coming downstairs after the ceremony to grab a drink of water and meeting up with Ray and Tahnis (squeal!)... talking with the grandparents... being welcomed into the family by Paul... The realization that we had actually pulled off a beautiful, gorgeous wedding for about $3000 (people were so generous)... Jesse and I looking at each other around 11 pm, then sneaking off home without telling anyone (aside from Ellie).

What a good day. What a good rest-of-our-lives. It all began 11 months ago when Jesse told me he loved me.

I love my man.

2011-10-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving. -- Joseph Auslandler

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. -- Psalm 95 : 1 - 6

To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do. -- Victor Hugo

I love chicken. I would eat chicken fingers on Thanksgiving if it were socially acceptable. -- Toddy Barry

Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song. -- Konrad von Gesner

A lot of Thanksgiving days have been ruined by not carving the turkey in the kitchen. -- Kin Hubbard

All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have. -- Daniel Defoe

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. -- 1 Chronicles 29:13

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. -- Henri Frederic Amiel

Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind. -- Robert Louis Stevenson

God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. -- Izaak Walton

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. -- Woody Allen

I'm thankful for every moment. -- Al Green

Forever is composed of nows. -- Emily Dickinson

Refreshing

2011-10-07T19:56:00.000-05:00

"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder. - Emma Watson

Mysteries of Time and Doctor Who

2011-10-06T21:49:00.001-05:00

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. -- William Faulkner

When we met, one of the first things he introduced me to was Doctor Who. Jesse loves the show. He has watched almost everything that has been made and is very well acquainted with all 11 faces of the Doctor. He was watched every episode of the 6 current seasons (yes, that includes the specials) and, as they are being released (whether on DVD or CD), the early days of the show, which strive to strain the patience the most appreciative fan with too many details about aborted escape plans, shrill companions and heroes who mean well but are absolutely thick until irrefutable evidence is thrust under their noses as they are almost killed (only to be rescued by The Doctor).

Thank goodness for Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat and whoever else is hired to exert their creative powers in present days. Brilliant stories. I find that I am becoming a bigger fan with each episode I see. Just for the record, all portrayals of The Doctor have had their own special magic but my favorite is and always will be Christopher Eccleston. (Matt Smith is a close second.)

Rory: What's wrong with you? What has she done to you?

The Doctor: Poisoned me, but I'm fine ... well, no. I'm dying. But I've got a plan.

Amy: What plan?

The Doctor: ... Not dying! See? Fine.

(Later)

Rory: Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you.

The Doctor: Well, she did. And then she used her remaining lives to bring me back. As first dates go, I’d say that was mixed signals.

But details of my preferences aside! This post is about Time. I have been amazed by the utter brilliance the show has encased so many times. It might be a line a character says or a situation; it might be a look on an actor's face, but there have been so many times I've had to hit the pause button and think or laugh... or shed a couple of tears.

Aside from these details, it has been because of this show that I have been having serious thoughts about Time, Dimensions, Right & Wrong, Immortality, Love. The Universe is so much bigger than we can comprehend. Even if you don't believe in God, or the existence of an Ultimate Truth, it is still enough to startle our little world. [Now, add God. :-)] This show asks questions so many times. There are moments when it tries to answer (and does a fair job of it, I might add) but most of the time, it seems that the writers only wanted to raise the questions, to make us think.

Life is a contradiction in many ways. Nothing is. Yet Everything is. We are nothing, insignificant. Yet, we are Everything. Nothing is All. All is Love. I don't understand it and until I quit this dimension, I never can. But I can wait. I will rest content in catching brief glimpses of Truth through this brief lifetime...

And when is there time to remember, to sift, to weigh, to estimate, to total? -- Tillie Olsen

The Doctor: Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire, through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought, and a whole, terrible, wonderful universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes...

Apple Pie

2011-10-03T21:12:00.001-05:00

The past few months have been really busy. Working, teaching at camp, wedding preparation, Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party, visitors, getting ready to move into my new home... everything added up into one big, gigantic conglomerate that was... LIFE.

And it has exploded again. :-) I am glad we took two weeks of semi-honeymoon to rest. We needed that downtime. However, life, in all it's horrible busyness, is rich and full and marvelous. My beloved and I get to spend time together. That alone adds color and beauty.

..for small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.. -- Carl Sagan

Adventures. Yes, we have already had several. Some of them included: *Going in for my driver's test and passing. Now I can legally drive. Yay! *Working on the porch and basement. *Jesse falling into the hole in the dark and twisting his knee (that happened three days ago). *Jesse getting a wall dropped smack dab on his other foot and thinking perhaps he had broken it (that happened last night!). *Jesse dropping a 2x4 on his head (that happened this evening). *Finding that the cat had thrown up in the living room, on my favorite chair. *Forgiving the cat (it was quite a journey for me... :-P). *Waking up to Jesse asking me to go put some food in the cat's dish because the cat was eating a puzzle. Noisily. (Trying to get the message across.) (Jesse would have done the chore except he had hurt himself and couldn't walk very well.)

His name is Snow, btw. He is quite a lovely animal and I am fond of him. Firstly, for Jesse's sake, then for Snow's sake.

There is something quite amusing about Jesse getting hurt so much. Wait. That sounds heartless. It isn't really funny. But it is. Jesse never falls. In fact, at the wedding, the best man made a point that he had never had never seen Jesse fall for as long as they had been friends. (Matt has known Jesse since he [Matt] was a newborn.) Then, Jesse fell into the hole. It was dark and he did land on his feet. (Therefore doesn't really count of as a fall, according to Jesse. :-)) Then they dropped a wall on Jesse's foot. Lack of communication. They weren't supposed to both drop the wall at the same time. Then this evening, Jesse get's hit by a 2x4 dropped on his head. That was a working in the dark thing again. He never got hurt before he met me!! :-P

I have been having some adventures in the kitchen as well. They have all turned out quite happily in the end so it has been exciting. :-) My first culinary delight was Spicy Meatball Sandwich. It was good. I made a couple changes to it but made the basic recipe. My next success was from the same website (Tammy's Recipes never fails to provide delicious, healthy recipes... I've used many of her recipes and have always been pleased) in the form of apple pie and homemade pastry.

Without bragging, pastry used to be my specialty. I remember when I was about 14 years old, my mother delegating the pie making to me because "your pie crust is always good". That's high praise on several levels. Anyways, that was with whole wheat and butter: two things that make pastry difficult to accomplish. I have always like my mom's recipe except that it always seemed very salty and vinegary. So I wondered if Tammy had a recipe.

Voila! Foolproof Pie Crust. I was at first amazed at the similarities of this recipe to my mother's. This is, however, one slight difference that I believe makes the entire crust a different thing: a tablespoon of sugar. I was so pleased with this recipe. The first day, I didn't refrigerate it long enough. It was a little difficult to work with; sticky. (I didn't use wax paper for rolling it out... just flour and table surface and wooden rolling pin.) However, the end results were definitely worth every bit of work. This crust is delicious. Mmm! And guess what? I didn't have enough apples to make three pies so I saved most of the pastry (in balls). First, I froze it, then over the course of the week, it was moved from the freezer to the refrigerator and there it sat... Yesterday, I finally had a chance to work with it again. Guess what? It was much easier to roll out, tasted just as good and I am definitely giving this recipe a #10 rating. It is indeed foolproof!

And as for the apple pie, again, Tammy's Recipe's had the recipe: Perfect Apple Pie. Since we don't like things too sweet, I cut down on the sugar. Jesse is very particular about his fruit and pie... especially apple pie... so I was waiting on bated breath when he took a bite. :-) The emoticon says it all. Lol. He loved it.

I have learned a couple tricks of the trade regarding Apple Pie. 1: Cook your pie at 450* for 10 minutes to cook the bottom of the pie. (I learned this from my mother-in-law who is an amazing pie maker...) 2: When they say "thinly sliced apples" take them seriously. Apple Pie takes a long time to cook without thick, unevenly sliced apples. I learned that one the hard way! :-)

Other than that, well, I worked five days last week at Pharmsave. The money is nice and my boss is nice and my co-workers are nice. :-) But it was crazy busy in there. For five days, I tried to wash windows. Every day I tried to wash the windows, something came up... stocking shelves, working photolab, working at the cash register, etc. I believe Friday was the worst day. I worked most of the day at the till and by the time I got home, I was hurting all over so bad. Concrete floor is hard on the feet. But, it was nice to get some days in before music starts.

Speaking of which, that begins tomorrow. Am I excited? :-) Oh yes. It's a big job and something that takes a lot preparation. But it is worth it. I love what I do. :-)

Anyways, I should go empty the cat's water dish. Last night when I filled the food dish, I accidentally poured some of the food into his water. He doesn't like the water when there has been food in it. :-P I can't say I blame him...

Ya'll Can Stalk My Blog Every Day....

2011-09-25T20:52:00.017-05:00

... but today, pluck your courage, step forward and say hi!

*Who are you?
*Where are you from?

That is the foremost, basic question. ;-)

However, if you have time and feel so inclined:

*How long have you been reading my blog?
*Why do you read?
*Where did you find my blog?
*Of all the subjects I have written about or could write about in the future, what is your pick?
*Do you have a blog?

I know you're out there because I am getting a lot of hits on my blog, all around the world. I am so curious about you readers. Can you share with me today? :-)

Beauty ... Life ...

2011-09-24T12:17:00.003-05:00

There are moments in the days when one of us will have a moment. We will stop all movement and our faces will take on a curious blank expression, as though the entire world has ceased to exist. Then a sudden squeal erupts: "We're married!"

Yes indeed. :-)

Life since September 10th has been all we expected and more. Being with my best friend in the world all the time has been awesome. I love growing together -- mentally, spiritually, physically. It is the best feeling in the world. How much of this joy comes from the knowledge that God has brought us together? That He shaped us, guided us, worked through our lives until we were ready for each other? That our union was His good will? That each step of the path we felt His love and assurance?

When I prayed for a husband I prayed that when the right man came along, I would know. No doubts. No wonderings. I had had crushes on guys before. I had even thought I was in love. But I had never had assurance that these other potential men were God's will. When I met Jesse, it was so much different than I thought the real romance would be like. It is like a fairy tale with high emotion, trembling knees and that assurance but it was also harder and more emotionally exhausting than I thought anything could be. But among everything else, there was one thing I knew for sure: Jesse was the one. He was handpicked for me by God. My good friend Gisele, married 15 years, 3 kids and still madly in love with her husband, told me something last year. She said, "When you meet the right one, life is so easy." I have found this sentiment to be very true. Somehow, life's difficulties seemed halved when you are sharing them with that someone.

I just want to encourage you girls to pray. Don't decide to get married just for the sake of getting married. Pray that you will know. Pray for someone you can help and for someone who can help you. Relationships are funny things. They're not worth it if they are with the wrong person but they are more than worth it when they are with the right person.

So, part of getting to know your new spouse is going shopping together. There were certain things I really needed before the teaching season started next month... and we wanted to have a little bit of a special honeymoon. So, we went to Regina and spent a couple days there. One of the bigger purchases we made included cellphones for each of us. Jesse had had one for a couple years but I had never had one. It never appealed to me to have one and I put it off as long as I could. However, we don't have a land line so it became a necessity. Especially for the teaching. Anyways, I am enjoying having one. I have been able to contact people efficiently and get the information needed.

God provided some much needed funds and we are in the process of getting the house renovated before the winter hits. Yesterday morning at about 8:30, the buzzing of Jesse's cellphone woke us. My father-in-law called saying that he had tried to get the backhoe for Saturday (today) but he hadn't been able to. In fact, he had gotten one that was going to arrive in an hour (yesterday!). Needless to say Jesse and I got outside in a hurry. There was quite a bit of stuff to get out of the way so the backhoe operator could do his job and a small window of time to do it in. We didn't quite finish (ripping up the last section of deck was the killer) but everyone understood. Thankfully. :-) Anyways, he was here for 8 hours and we have a really deep hole right in front of our front door. Jesse and his Dad went into town this morning to pick up supplies for pouring the concrete slab and to build the walls of the new basement. It will be sooo nice to have the porch on the house. ::happy sigh::

The sooner they can get it done, the better. We have no drainage right now. That means no indoor plumbing. But all is not lost! We live right next to a gorge of sorts and my mother-in-law discovered that if you walk down past our shed, there is an outhouse that is functioning. There are bird droppings on the seat but it's actually not bad. :-) My biggest gripe about it is having to use it in the dark. Blah. But, as Jesse pointed out, I am a farm girl and we do not live in a country, like Australia (where he is from) in which there dwells deadly poisonous snakes, bugs and other delightful creatures who like to hide in the outdoor toilets... So buck up, Mrs. Twietmeyer! ;-)

I failed my driver's test on the 13th (marked me a lot for hesitancy) so am going for another one on the 27th. I am hoping that all the driving in the city will do me good. :-) Praying... praying.

Anyways. I think that is everything for now. I am trying to write thank you notes for all of the gifts we received so I should get on it. :-) Also, I should decide what I am going to make for lunch.

P.S. Hannah posted a picture of her and Daniel. :-) Click here to view it.

Love

2011-09-21T15:15:00.002-05:00

I am in love with my husband. :-) God is so good to us.

New Things

2011-09-20T13:13:00.001-05:00

Before I go clean up our house, I wanted to let you know: I made a page for music lessons and I also updated Jesse and Naomi There are quite a few wedding pictures on there now.

Life is good. :-) And I will try to update one of these days!

...because you asked

2011-09-18T23:43:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the pictures our photographer took. I hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

Oldest and youngest. :)

The Holter clan and 2 very happy Twietmeyers. Well, technically at that point I was still a Holter but who cares about technicalities anyway?

Me and my two Mums. Aren't they beautiful, lovely women?

love... love... love... this picture!

Best friends. :hugs:

Jesse and Naomi Twietmeyer

2011-09-12T01:36:00.000-05:00

Wedding Day

2011-09-10T17:29:00.010-05:00

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,

"I'm never afraid with you."

So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,

There's always Pooh and Me.

"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,

"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,

Isn't is much fun for One, but Two,

Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh.

(A.A. Milne)

Odds and Ends... Wedding preparation! Day ... End! :D

2011-09-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

2 Days... Wedding Prep

2011-09-08T13:40:00.001-05:00

I am glad that you all enjoyed the last couple of posts. One of things I have always longed for was to be involved with wedding preparation.. and we always lived too far away for me to participate. But this time... YES! :-D So, assuming that there are other females who feel the same about this as I do:

Wedding make-up trial. Lindsey, Lydia and I went to see a friend in Carlyle to get some tips for applying makeup. ...

....Connie was quite helpful and very knowledgeable. She is also generous with her talents so Lindsey and Lydia are counting on her help on the big day.

Gretel, one of Todd and Connie's cats, who usually is pretty shy around visitors, is obviously a girly girl at heart. She came and watched, fascinated.

For the oreo cupcake cheesecake.... these are going to be so good!

The batter...

Filling the pans... I am really looking forward to these!!! :-D

Lasagna for the rehearsal dinner... Mmmm!

Grandpa and Grandma Holter arrived yesterday evening.

Smiling. Happy. Excited. And just a little stressed. But just an eensy, weensy bit. ;-)

Thanks to Lydia for taking the cake pictures...

::is content::

2011-09-07T13:25:00.001-05:00

Lindsey sewing the bustle into my dress. :-)

Having fun putting the favors together!

The first 80 favors. They're turning out so beautifully. They have specialty chocolates in them from all over Europe. Costco, we love you!

I handmade each favor tag; each one is has our initials in calligraphy, the date of our wedding, rubber stamped dragonfly, and edges darkened with stamp pad. Then, each of the 237 favor tags have a different quote on the back. It's so rewarding when you put so much effort into something and it turns out the way you wanted it to! Lydia and I spent most of the morning working on these.

3 More Days!

2011-09-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

Lindsey's here so we're going to be keeping busy all day. :-) Today: get wedding stuff to the Hall, go over a to do list that Samantha made for me, contact Laurette about potted flowers, try on my dress so Lindsey can bustle it, start making favors, getting spaghetti recipe from Shelly S., talk to the photographer, clean up around our house, get the trailer set up, wash beddings, and the list goes on and on... it's going to be a busy day!

Post #401: Dinner is Delayed By An Explosion

2011-09-05T11:16:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it? 401 posts. So much in my life has changed since October 20th, 2008. I have grown so much spiritually and mentally; my health is so much better. And, there are only 5 more days until I become Mrs. Jesse Twietmeyer.

Yes, I am beyond this world excited. I have to talk myself through the day because I am a bit jittery and ridiculously emotional. :-) But underneath that shouting, wild joy is a quiet contentment. I am not frightened to be married to Jesse. I am marrying my best friend. Someone who knows me better than I know myself and someone I know better than he knows himself. To think that God orchestrated our lives, gave us decisions, watched as we grew and became better people, more ready for serving him and each other. It nearly blows my mind, to quote Fr. Banga. :-)

I was just chatting with my Aunt Edi. She lives down in Washington state and is a busy wife and mother. We don't get to talk often so this was a real treat. We were discussing weddings (no duh) and I suddenly had a memory from her wedding (I believe I was about 9 years old?)... I remember the scene very clearly: about 10 minutes before the ceremony was to start, she was all dressed, hair done, etc., etc., so she came out and looked at the church and all of us dressed in our finest. Her dress was rather bulky and she wanted to sit down where it wouldn't get squished. The best option, as it turned out, was the piano stool. It seemed like a good idea. Getting up and onto it was not part of that good idea. Haha! But what I remember from her nearly falling off that stool was a laughing, dazzling shriek of gladness. I think what she needed was an excuse to make some noise. She was glowing... amazing... beautiful. She made me feel so glad to be alive and enjoying life.

Happy memories. :-)

Now for a funny tale:
Yesterday was spent over at Jesse's and my place. I was getting favor tags done (all of my craft stuff is over there), Jesse was completing his film project (it turned out so well... he's so pleased with it!) (I think it's great too) and Lydia went through our refrigerator. (It was pretty bad.) Anyhow, Jesse makes the best spaghetti. And I'm not just saying that because he's my fiance. He really does make the best spaghetti. :-) He was quite busy with this; had the hamburger browning in the frying pan and the sauce mixed and he had just put a pot of water on the stove for boiling the spaghetti... when suddenly, this horrible explosion.... or noise.... or something rocked the kitchen. Jesse yelled louder than I've ever heard him yell; Lydia and I both hollered too. It scared us half to death. After we were quiet again, Jesse asks, "What just happened?!" He was standing amongst a shards of glass plate. It had shot clear past the table and all the way over to the other wall. There were also shards on the counter, on the other side of him. It was underneath all of the stove burners and all around his feet. There was, literally, glass everywhere.

As it turned out, he had accidentally turned on the wrong burner. Instead of the back burner for the spaghetti water, he had turned on the front burner which had the plate he had set the defrosting hamburger on. Therefore, exploding plate/cold spaghetti water. As Lydia says, "The first broken dish in your house, Naomi. It couldn't have been more dramatic."

We were all so rattled. I helped with the cleanup and when I accidentally touched Jesse's foot with the broom, he yelped. Hehe! It's one of those things that you wish you knew was going to happen so you could watch it happen. It was all over in a second; we hardly realized what had happened until afterwards.

The best thing was that no one got hurt.

And boy, is it ever going to be exciting to marry this man. :-)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

2011-09-04T12:39:00.001-05:00

You were made perfectly to be loved - and surely I have loved you, in the idea of you, my whole life long.

What is genius but the power of expressing a new individuality?

God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, A gauntlet with a gift in it.

And each man stands with his face in the light. Of his own drawn sword, ready to do what a hero can.

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.

Wedding Odds... and Ends

2011-09-03T13:39:00.003-05:00

Random: on my blog feedjit (sidebar) it says that I am logging in from North Battleford, SK. North Battleford is around 8 hours from Carlyle. I guess the feedjit people think that only a few places exist in Saskatchewan. The rest of the province is a cold, barren wasteland where the native people inhabit igloos and drive dogsleds while defrosting their noses all year around.

Yesterday, I wrapped the rest of the gifts that I have for peoples and cleaned upstairs, preparing for my family to come and stay on Friday. It looks really nice up there now. :-) It's so comfy. I love our house. Can't wait to live in it! All of us older girls will be staying over at my inlaws. Right now, Lydia and I have Jesse's old room. Lydia gets the bottom bunk and I get the top bunk. I haven't fallen out yet!

Lindsey will be coming on Wednesday or Thursday and we'll be doing cheesecake and cheesecake cupcakes and a couple kinds of homemade candy. She has done so much and still has so much to do before she can come down. (Like make her dress.) (She's been busy shipping out chickens, making my wedding dress, making a wedding scrapbook, making place cards for the wedding reception, helping her neighbors clean their barns, helping a friend set up a restaurant...) I am always amazed and blessed by her.

My grandparents will be coming in a few days as well. I am really looking forward to seeing all four of them!

Today I am going to try to contact people about flowers and other things. It seems like everything is coming together. We have marriage license and a semi-plan of the schedule. ;-) Most of our bills paid off and Jesse is working really hard on his film project. Lydia and I walked from my inlaws place over to our place. We kept a good pace going but I was still pleasantly surprised that it only took us 45 minutes to get from point A to point B. I shall have to do it more often and get back into shape.

I am happy to be getting married. Especially getting married to Jesse. God has given me the desires of my heart and so much more. Before it, I knew love was beyond my comprehension. After it, it's still way out there. Jesse, I love you.

Enough

2011-09-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

The butterfly counts not the months but the moments, and has time enough. -- Rabindranath Tagore

A Mad Tea Party

2011-09-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Mad Tea Party was a success. I haven't much time to blog about it but here are some photos. :-) Enjoy!

The Red Queen ("off with her head!") and the Mad Hatter ("who invited you to tea?")

The Mad Hatter and Alice. :-)

One poor card trying to fix a problem...

...he had a partner in crime.

The cards being sentenced to decapitation. How dreadful!

The Mad Hatter and Alice dancing... with the Duchess looking on.

The Queen requested live music and got it! Emily Klatt and a couple of cards provided...

Alice and The Mad Hatter opening their gifts. Such fun!!!

The checker board floor that The Duchess created. Look at all of the costumes!

Alice and The White Queen. Aren't we lovely?

Because It's Late and I'm Feeling Emotional

2011-08-29T00:54:00.000-05:00

Hairstyle.

Wedding dress fitting.

Ribbon.

Candy Table.

Fruit.

Housing people.

Dishes.

Did I forget to invite someone?

Cheese cake.

When are the grandparents arriving?

Slippers.

Orthodontist appointment.

Am I going to get sick from the insulation I inhaled?

and the list goes on....

The stress is beginning to show. And I have so many people helping to carry this! Please pray for me. I want this to be a joyful time for everyone. However, it won't be if the bride ain't happy. Haha! It's easy to get stressed. It's not easy to remain at peace and happy. I have so much to be happy for. I am marrying Jesse and we love each other so very much. I prayed for inlaws that would be like family and they are wonderful. I have beautiful loved ones. Thank you, one and all. Your contributions of time and skill are making this time so much easier.

Jesse. I love you.

Beautiful Moments

2011-08-27T00:10:00.001-05:00

These are some pictures I took of at a friend's wedding this month. I am only posting my favorites since the internet connection seems to be hating me tonight. :-P :-) But I hope you enjoy seeing the beauty of the bride and the wedding. It was definitely a highlight of my summer!

Ruth and Justin ... happy bride and groom

I find much art in this picture.

The cake topper and the pretty cupcakes. Unique. ::happy sigh::

A dear friend of mine wore lace. That is definitely one of the reason I love weddings. They give everyone an excuse to dress in their finest, prettiest clothes.

Be Strong and Of Good Courage

2011-08-21T21:13:00.000-05:00

I don't have much time for an update but I was reading this link off of Luke Baer's (hacked [by younger, mischievous siblings: hint! hint!]) FB page and realized how very blessed I am. I needed Jesse and he needed me. We both knew this (though I fought it quite forcefully for what seemed like a very long time). And even though he was scared to death he did what his heart told him was right: he chased me, caught me, told me he loved me, then let me decide.

Each of us is called to a different purpose. When I posted something similar to this on FB, a friend (happily married and expecting their first child) said she pursued her hubby and by the grace of God, landed 'im! I don't believe their is any right or wrong way. But we must be prayerful.

Only by the grace of God am I to be happily and very legally married to my man in 20 days and some odd hours. Only because I prayed and he prayed and God answered.

I wish everyone the happiness and peace we have with each other.

Jesse, I love you. And I can't wait to change my name to Naomi Twietmeyer. :-)

I appreciate E.B White.

2011-08-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

Be obscure clearly.

E.B. White

Because Life is Good

2011-08-11T18:18:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how busy a girl's life can get. I am trying to wrestle enough time out of my day to keep in slight contact with my online and non-online friends, plan wedding, go to camp, clean house and get ready for moving in, work at Pharmasave, play music, figure out my music schedule, etc. I love how I love all the things I do in my life. :-)

But as much as it is great to not be bored, it is also important to spend quiet time, just relaxing. Yesterday Jesse and I drove three of the camp instructors to the airport and and spent the rest of the day in the city, shopping, watching movies and eating. I am trying to conserve money but watching movies for Jesse and me is special. We don't get into the city often so it's a real treat. We watched Captain America and thought it was absolutely brilliant. I love every little thing about it. :-)

I went shoe shopping at Dancer's Den. No such luck. They had really nice shoes but nothing seemed quite right for me... or the occasion. I am really hoping to find something sooner than later. Of course, if all else fails, I can always borrow a pair that I'm trying to base my idea on of perfect wedding shoes. I borrowed them during the "We'll Meet Again" production we did last Fall. They are dancing shoes from the 50's and a nice natural leather. But I would love to find a pair like those for myself!

Anyways. We have a function to attend this evening so I should close this up and get ready to go. :-) I will try to write again and keep you guys updated.

P.S. God has been answering so many prayers. Thank you for all who are praying for us!

On Infinite Truth, Babies and Their Wisdom, Wedding Planning and Beautiful People in My Life

2011-07-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

GROW old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ``A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''

When I was searching for quotes to include in our wedding invitation, I immediately googled Robert Browning. I love his poetry and his attitude towards life. It is always poignant and full of double meanings. My search revealed the first two lines of this poem... Jesse and I both liked it, so we used it. But I never read the rest of the poem. It is a selection from his: Rabbi Ben Ezra. I just skimmed the rest of the poem and found it very thought provoking. He asks such hard questions about life and death, the meaning of it. Should he have faith in The Infinite Truth (God)?

The days are passing so quickly. Yesterday we had our garage sale for the last time. Now it's time to just get rid of all of the stuff that is left. We made well over $200, if my calculations are correct. And, what's even better, we got rid of a lot of things we didn't need. We found out something: Jesse drives a harder bargain than I do. That's pretty scary considering that Jesse doesn't drive a hard bargain at all. Lol!

My sister-in-law-to-be Samantha and I sat down yesterday and discussed wedding all afternoon. We hammered one million different things out. I threw ideas at her and she considered them then proceeded to tell me why they would or would not work. Haha! It's so good to have her in my life. Between her, Lindsey, my sister Lydia, Michele and Jesse, the wedding should be a success.

We thought of several different ideas that really thrill the socks off of me. One is to have my dad and brother make an square garden arch, like the one we had in Melville. The other is to have an old weathered garden table and chairs sitting on stage with all of the flowers and candles... I'm not sure how much I should divulge right now so I'm going to stop.. but you get the idea of what the wedding is going to be like. :-)

This month I am going to be working 16 days, going to music camp for five, going to Saskatoon, Regina and Swan River... all the while, planning like crazy. To top this all off, I need to get my teaching schedule figured out for October. But that will have to wait for a little bit.

Anyways, that's all I have for now. I hope you are having a beautiful weekend and a worshipful Sunday. I have been learning so much about God lately. It's so true that He never ends. We cannot ever learn enough about Him. People ask me questions that I can't answer... why would God create people who will always be dependant upon others for care? I don't know. But sometimes I glimpsed truths in their difficult to understand words that astounded me. Perhaps these are the babes who know more about God than we 'normal' folks could ever comprehend. Food for thought.

Done With Camp

2011-07-30T23:59:00.000-05:00

... and so very tired. But it was such a great month. :-)

I had quite an experience this past week: my job was to look after a little girl with Down's Syndrome. It was a very good thing for me and, I hope, for her as well....

Week 3 of Camp

2011-07-25T18:26:00.001-05:00

July 19^th, 2011

It has been awhile since I've found the time to write! It has been really, really busy here... time actually passes really fast. I can't believe we're actually into the third week. I can't seem to keep my mind off of the wedding planning. Lol. The time is coming up. :-)

Important things I have discovered:

There will always be something happening at camp to make me miserable. Whether it's a dramatic child or heat or rain or having to haul my keyboard (that gets heavier and heavier each time) to and from the chapel twice a day, it's up to me to choose whether or not I am actually miserable. Lol.

There is always something something to be happy about. Kids who come up to you and hold your hand, just because they want to. Little voices and big voices blending together during mass, praising God. Watching an older child help a younger child. Eating great food three times a day.

“You know why I look happy? Because I get to go mini-golfing today.” -- Keira (7)

July 20^th, 2011

Today was so good. The weather was cool, which was a relief from yesterday and the day before. I have never felt heat like that before. We had kids having water fights and going into the pool all day long yesterday. Wow. But today was much more bearable. We didn't have to use the air conditioner and music sessions had everyone singing their hearts out. When people are miserable, they get ornery.

Today, Stirling and I went with six kids to mini-golfing for an hour or so. We split the kids up into two groups and went to different parts of the course. Stirling took Coty, Kyle and Baron. I took Andrew, Brynn and Rykele. I don't know if Stirling had fun but I sure did. Brynn is the most adorable 5 year old girl you've ever seen. She has long blonde hair and she's really tiny. She and Rykele are sisters (Rykele being eldest). I have only gone golfing once before this so perhaps I am easily impressed. However, Brynn got half of the holes within a couple shots. She simply knew how to hit the ball. Rykele wasn't bad either but Brynn really surprised all of us. :-)

Andrew (7?) was hilarious. He and Kyle are twins. Andrew is a brunette and Kyle is blond but other than that, they are identical. They look so much alike and sound so much alike that I often mistake one for the other. I really enjoy being around them. Anyways, ever before we got to hole 1, Andrew insisted that we call him “Tiger Woods” because he was so very good at golf. He had, according to him, been to this course about 8 times and had been playing golf most of his life. In fact, he would be waiting for us every time he won against us. Within five minutes, he was almost moaning in pain because he had missed several shots. He began to say what a horrible golfer he was and he really should just leave the game because he was only hurting the other players (us). Over the next hour, depending on how he did, he was at one of these two extremes. Never in the middle. As Miss Cornelia (Anne's House of Dreams) would say, “So like a man!” ;-) I only laughed a couple times. I promise. :-)

After one music session, we had some extra time to kill, as usual. So I asked some of the kids about their favorite things regarding camp life. It was interesting to get some of their replies. I told them I would blog what they said so here it is. My personal favorite is Mason's. :-)

Justin (11): I liked the waterslides the best and canteen and activities and being in an awesome cabin, the games in the evening and canoeing. Having friends here.

Colby (13): I liked the waterslides and canoeing best. Having Justin as my friend. I like my cabin members as friends. I like the food. The food is good.

Michael (12): Counselors and canoeing. Waterslides and games. Friends. Pool. Paddle boating. Food! Sleeping. Having friends. Making friends. Learning stuff. Having fun.

Jasmine (11): I am excited for horseback riding and waterslides. The counselors are really nice. I like canoeing.

Mattesyn (12): It's like a Bible camp but they have a bunch of fun stuff too. I love this camp! I love almost everything except that there is a puddle in front of our cabin.

Grace (10): I like everything about camp, especially the food.

Jada (13): Canoeing. I really enjoy being with friends. I've made lots of new ones this year.

Jack (10): I like horse back riding. I like canoeing. I also like the food. My favorite meal so far was the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. I like wood working and the water fight we had in sports today.

Mason (11): I like that I figured out how to get these two water balloons on my fingers! One thing I didn't like how the horse peed while I was getting on it. It went on my foot. I like how I know how I'm going to pass on my swimming.

Joshua (11): I like how the people in this camp spell my name right. And I like my cabin and the people in it.

Levi (10): I like how my cousins can come to this camp and that you get so hot here that you get thrown into the pool.

Noah (8): I like the food, especially the meatballs. I like going swimming the pool.

Jaimie (10): I like doing the art and the music. I probably will enjoy the waterslides too, since I was there once before and really liked it. I like hanging out with my friends in my cabin and starting to make a song for the end of the week.

July 23rd, 2011

For several days I had been really worried about how we were going to pay for certain things for the wedding. One of the biggest ones was the cake. I wanted to make 3 big cheesecakes and 400 cheesecake cupcakes so everyone who came would have some but I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for this. Cream cheese is expensive and so is sour cream. Then you add things like oreo cookies and fruit to the mix and there goes another $50 or so. Anyways, Gisele and Tylene both grabbed me and sat me down and asked me what I was so worried about and I told them. They helped me figure out how much I really needed to make: 3 cheesecakes and 150 cheesecake cupcakes will feed 200 people. Plus, we're doing potluck dinner so people will bring dessert. Add that to the factor and that cuts down on $$. I was really relieved to think of this and also, where to get the ingredients cheaply... then, the evening of the 20th, Jesse had come out for a visit and Emma grabbed us both to go out and hug with the cabins. They were calling it an early night because it had been so very hot the past couple of days and people were just exhausted. We were at cabin 7 and had just started hugging when Emma suddenly said, "It's prayer time at the MTC [where the counselors all sleep,etc] so we should go do prayers." Neither of us thought anything of it. Jesse didn't even say anything when he saw people hiding behind the couches when we walked up to the door of the MTC. In fact, we still didn't think it was for us when they all leaped up shouting "SURPRISE!!!!" when we walked through the door. ;-) But it was a bridal shower and what a wonderful bridal shower it was. :-) They had made all sorts of delightful goodies, including pizza and chocolate dipped strawberries. Everyone had worked so hard to get it all together and to keep it a secret. I was so shocked. I had not even gotten a hint in the wind that anything was up. Lol. They were really good. :-D

But the part where I cried was the best, if not the most embarrassing moment of all. I unwrapped the gifts: cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs wrapped in tea towels. The explanation was that they were buying the ingredients for the cake. Yes. I started crying. I had been so worried about how we were going to be paying for all of these things and God just took care of it through the generosity of people I love. I wish I could express how touched we are. There are simply no words for it.

And yes. This past week was so good. It wasn't just the bridal shower, though that was a big part of it. :-) The kids behaved well for the most part and people really participated in the music. Molly and I were really happy about that. Now I am looking forward to the next and final week. After this, I will have a few days of music camp and then, I will be able to spend time trying to plan wedding. Life is good and life is really busy.

Positive: I am feeling much more rested than I have in a very long time. Negative: Stirling got injured badly this past week. He will be fine as long as he takes it easy but I am so worried about him. Positive: I have really awesome friends surrounding me. Negative: Some of the big boys really misbehaved on Friday and scared us. Positive: I have had two really amazing bridal showers. Positive: I love teaching music with Molly! Positive: I love Jesse. Positive: I love watching M. Night Shymalan movies. ;-) Positive: God and I. That's awesome.

Week 2 of Camp

2011-07-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

July 11^th, 2011. Can you believe it's actually the 11^th? Time is passing so quickly! It seems like we should still be in the first week of camp. :-) But no, we have a brand-new group of kids and I have a different person with me in music. Yes, I'm not alone as I had feared. Molly Fogarty was assigned to music and we are having a blast. Molly and I met last year when she was still a camper and immediately liked each other. Not only does she had the most awesome talent as a guitarist and singer/songwriter, she is also an amazing person. The kids like her. I like her. :-) :-) Can you tell I'm thrilled??

Yesterday when I got back to camp, Seth mentioned that he wasn't feeling well. Sore throat and all that. I gave him some oregano oil, ginseng and zinc. It doesn't seem to be helping. He woke up still feeling really sick and had to spend a good portion of the morning resting. The oregano oil I gave him is usually really strong and costs $20 for a small jar. I tasted some of the new bottle I got and was a little disgusted because it was so weak. Honestly. When you pay money like that, you really would like it to be good quality. ::sigh:: If it was as strong as it usually is, perhaps it would actually be helping. Blah. Anyways, Seth, Brianna and Daniele are all coughing and not feeling well. I have just a touch of a sore throat but I'm trying to dose myself. I really hope to avoid getting sick this year. Last year I got something and it hung on for about two weeks. I completely lost my voice and the girls had to sing for me. Lol. Ah, the joys of camp.

And it is fun. :-) So far, all of the groups have basically cooperated and, more importantly, enjoyed themselves to a certain extent. We have three rules for Castle Musick: 1 – Have fun. 2 – Participate. 3 – Stand while singing. Our schedule ran like this today: 9:00 – group 1. 9:45 – group 7. 10:30 – group 6. 11:15: group 5. Lunch at Noon. 1:00 – group 4. 1:45 – group 3. 2:30 – group 2. The first day, you really do sing for 45 minutes for each group because everyone is learning about the songs, what you expect from them and about each other. The firs day is definitely hardest in some ways. They like to test you and see if you're a liar or not. They like to see how far they can push their group buddies. Lol. The girls like to flirt with the boys and be all shy. ;-)

The activities this year are: art, music, swimming, catechism, survivor, sports and woodworking. Added to that are three meals, canteen, cabin clean-up, horse back riding, golf, waterslides, mass, free time, canoeing, etc, etc. As counselors, we try to keep the kids busy all day long, from 7:45 am to 10:00 pm. Usually we are up an hour later than that with prayers and winding down.

Highlights from the evening of the 10^th and so far today:

meeting the kids when they arrived at camp. Familiar faces! New faces! Really exciting.

going into the pool for the first time: yes!!

Listening to Morgan (10) play Fur Elise, which he taught to himself. Impressive.

Hearing how one of the boys threw up, then went back into the Mess Hall and asked for cake.

Eating the best birthday cake I've ever had.

Listening to my boys regale us with tales about the camp director made them behave last night when they were being wild and boy-like.

Playing music and singing with Molly.

July 12^th, 2011

Me: Jordan, you need to sing.
Jordan (12 yr. Old boy): I was singing.

Me: Nope. You were talking.

Jordan: Johnny Cash talked sang and he was famous.

Molly: And Johnny Cash... is dead.

Lol!

I feel like a new person. :-) Yesterday, I spent most of the day feeling sick. It seems that I had gotten a flu/cold combination. I dosed up really well and never threw up but I had no energy. Even with a rest between sessions and supper, by the time 8 pm had rolled around, I went to my room and crashed. Today, I woke up before my alarm rang and have been full of energy for most of the day. Tonight, I went in the pool with the kids and had lots of fun for a little over an hour, then went and had my shower. I still feel like I have lots of energy so I can join the hug crew tonight.

Seth and Daniele are both feeling much better, as well. It's good to have everyone back. :-) Stirling is sick now but he seems to not be feeling so badly. A couple of my boys have been sick (they probably picked something up from me!) but they both seem to be on the mend as well.

Today, the singing went so well. The kids sang and had fun and asked for extra songs to sing. I am so happy. :-) Molly and I make a good team. We both love music and we both sing our hearts out. We're both adore kids and at the same time, are firm with them. It makes for a great partnership. Doing music class feels really natural with Molly involved.

Some valuable lessons have been thrown into my lap the past couple of days. The most important one is that no act of love ever goes without notice. Someone sees, someone feels, someone appreciates, someone thinks. So, dear self, whenever you are feeling anxious and perhaps irritated at a child who seems to think his sole purpose in life is to make your existence miserable, don't give in to the pressure. The easy path is to snap at him or her and try to make them feel as annoyed as you feel. Lol. The hard path... well, it is referred to as the hard path for a reason. ;-)

Well, it's time for campfire, I think. Goodnight. I hope you're having as great of a month as I am having! Remind me to tell you about the other lesson .... namely, the one in which I have to take to heart the words of a song... “please swallow your pride... if I have something you need to borrow... lean on me...”

Focus -- Week 1 of the Kenosee Boys and Girls Camp

2011-07-10T11:04:00.000-05:00

“That's the nice boy with glasses who's name you cannot ever remember. But I'm the nicer boy with glasses.” --Braeden M.

Children are wonderful. They are so uninhibited and express themselves without qualm. I find such honesty in them and it makes me feel humbled and amazed all at once. This week has been one of great learning, teaching and discovering. The children have been really testing me and forcing me to search out who I am as a person. I really miss my sisters... but at the same time, I am so thankful for a chance to learn more of who I am.

Right now, I'm sitting in the MTC typing on my computer, randomly scratching the mosquito bites on my right ankle with my left foot. Tonight at the church service, my feet got bitten three times in that many seconds. Blah. I hate mosquito bites. They burn for a very long time and swell up. But I have been having a pretty good time otherwise. ;-) Anyways, I'm sitting on a couch, listening to music, watching one of my guys lay on the couch (his tummy has really been hurting all afternoon) and enjoying the company of my fellow counselors. There were only 24 kids this week and 21 counselors, so we're almost one to one with the kids. Lol. They got lots of love this week.

My job is music again. :-) I thought I was going to have Tylene to help me but it turned out that she is in kitchen. Then, they said that Jesse S. was going to be on music. I was so relieved because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle all of the kids on my own. I can't really play and keep them all in line at once. It was hard enough with Hannah and Lydia and myself! Anyways. Jesse S. has been amazing and it has been a really great week working with him. He is really great with kids and plays the piano well. We take turns playing and working with the kids.

Most of the children have been really great. They are so obedient and they cooperate very well. I really enjoy them. But there are always the odd men out... we have two who especially cause us no end of grief. Yesterday (Wednesday) was our worst day, by far. We couldn't get either boy to cooperate; they wouldn't sing, they wouldn't stand still, they wouldn't do the motions, they wouldn't do anything but run around and yell or say inappropriate things. Lol. I lost my patience and got a little snappish with them. I also made them do push-ups. ::sigh:: So today I was going to take a different approach. I told the guys that I wanted to be their friend and yes, I would like them to sing! But if they didn't want to, I wouldn't make them. One of the guys actually sat up and sang and did the motions. Jesse and I were so thrilled. :-) The other guy alternated between sitting and standing, singing and not singing but his face wasn't sullen. He seemed much happier. :-)

Next week we are not sure how many kids we're having because of the postal strike but we're thinking around 60 -70. It was nice this week to be able to ease into the job and not have that many kids right off the bat. Also, this coming week, I'm not sure I am going to have any help. I am slightly nervous about this. Lol. Hopefully I will be able to think creatively and remember that praying for wisdom is never without answers.

Cheers! May the coming week be glorious and full of joy. I am rejoicing in the goodness of God and looking forward to the challenges of the coming week.... who knows? Maybe we'll all come down with the flu, like last year! ;-)

2011-07-09T08:24:00.002-05:00

I have a lot of mosquito bites. I mean, a lot. Blah. I think I'm going to buy something for the itching when I'm in town today...

Will try to post something later on. :-)

Happy Summer

2011-07-02T01:27:00.001-05:00

June was not over

Though past the fall,

And the best of her roses

Had yet to blow...

--Robert Browning

(Another Way Of Love)

I love old poetry... listening to the Nasby brothers sing and play... watching fireworks whirl and spin through the night sky... feeling raw emotion.... dancing in the bright sunlight... laughing with children...

These things I have been doing; thinking about; feeling. I am really tired. :-) Thus, my thoughts are scattered right now. Today we had our garage sale again and sold a lot of things. Hurrah! I guess the right people needed the things we had yesterday. I have also been addressing wedding invitations for two days and still have quite a few to go. I wanted to be done before I leave for camp tomorrow but I don't think that's going to happen. However, I can work on them at camp in the evenings...

I probably won't be online much this coming month and maybe not in August either. But there is no telling what the months will bring! I am really looking forward to working with the kids at camp. I intend on having a good time. :-D However, perhaps this is good. I am resting in the grace of God.

Some exciting news: my sister Hannah is dating a very nice young man she met in Bible College. Love you guys. :-)

May you all have a beautiful, full Summer. Enjoy the sun and the rain...

Wedding Plans

2011-06-29T11:53:00.001-05:00

[This morning, a FB friend sent me an invitation to the "Cow Appreciation Day" Event. A few minutes later, she sent me an invitation to the "An Old Fashioned Singing" Event. Then she sent me an invitation to the "I'm addicted to Facebook" Event.]

This morning I had a mild panic attack about how close the wedding is at hand. It seems like time moves irregularly. Some moments crawl by like a itsy-bitsy snail traveling up an icy covered hill -- one slime forward, two slimes back. Other moments I find myself on the back of a cheetah going down the same hill, 3 seconds to 1 and we are gathering speed ladies and gentlemen! Hang onto your hats!

I need to be more organized.

Planning for a wedding has been one of the most interesting things I have ever done. And it could easily turn into the most stressful. I don't want that to happen. One of my co-workers told me the other day, "You should enjoy this time in your life." I am trying to remember that. :-)

The best thing we have done was deciding that we did not want to spend a lot of money. That has really made me be creative in my planning. There are things that will require some spending but already people have been so very generous. The wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses were all purchased and paid for by others. (I will not say who but you know who you are!) The venue fee was waved. The food is potluck. The band is family and friends. The flowers are being grown by friends. Many of the decorations I bought cheaply or am borrowing. Now I am trying to be creative in my spending on the rest of the wedding.

The photographer is something I am willing to spend money on. I think that preserving memories is something that is really important. He is scheduled and has a downpayment. This is something I need to save money for and make sure I am in contact with him.

The wedding bouquets. I decided to order them professionally. While I don't want anything terribly formal or classy, I do want flowers that aren't going to fade or fall off the bouquet during the big day. I need to visit the flower shop in Carlyle around August 10th and chat with the flower lady. :-) This is something that I need to save money for and make a mark on my calendar.

Since the strike is off and my wedding invitations have arrived (they are absolutely gorgeous!), I need to begin getting my addresses and lists and postage together. This is something I will spend money on now.

The candy table and the cheesecake -- money and time. August.

Accomodations for family and friends who are traveling in from out of town. Reservations. Phone calls.

Something else that we really need: a marriage commisioner. We still haven't found one yet. We have tried and nothing seems to work out. I am really praying that God will provide someone. There is a big list of Marriage Commisioners in Saskatchewan. I should read through that list more carefully and see what I find. Prayers for that and any thoughts are greatly appreciated. :-)

Camp begins on the 2nd. Michele and Will are moving to another town where they have built a lovely big house. I need to get all of my stuff out of there before I start to teaching. Ah! life. :-) And Jesse made gingerbead cookies yesterday. They are soooo good. And we bought a vacuum cleaner yesterday so I was able to vacuum!

I'm marrying a good guy. Life is great. A wedding is just a wedding. I would like it perfect but if it isn't, I'm not going to care. Because life continues on far past the "big day" and with Jesse in it... so beautiful. I'm just praying for wisdom.

Parental Disobedience -- Article

2011-06-28T00:50:00.001-05:00

My friend Abigail reposted this on her Facebook... I read it and found myself so encouraged. Sometimes the path God puts us on is difficult and causes me a lot of discomfort. Haha. But in the end, it is all worth it. Every pain and joy. :-) I hope these words of wisdom will cause you to think and be inspired to follow what you know is right in your heart and soul, regardless of cost.

http://www.quiveringdaughters.com/2011/06/when-parental-obedience-brings.html

2011-06-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

I am brace free. So glad! My bottom jaw hurts a lot though.

The other day, a lady asked for nail polish and without thinking, I asked, "Male or female?"

I Love Flowers

2011-06-21T09:12:00.002-05:00

Hello from a wet, chilly Saskatchewan. Did I ever mention that I wanted to live in Ireland? I won't have to now. I have already experienced it. Well, at least the weather part of it. (I don't think I have gotten the music and food part of it, though... so I guess I will still have to go visit.)

Yesterday, I washed all of the bottles for the wedding. I knew they were dirty but I didn't realize how dirty they were. Some of them had me almost gagging. I had to bite my lip and try to control my reflexes. I think some of the bottles had never been completely emptied. Yes, I mean 30 year old milk. I borrowed two big plastic tubs from my inlaws and soaked the bottles for a couple hours before I even attempted to wash them. Then, I took a rag and a wooden spoon to them... most of the bottles have narrow tops so I was not able to clean them without the handle of the wooden spoon. I think it took me over an hour to wash them all. When I was done, I rinsed half of them in hot water and soap. Then we made a dinner, sat in the living room and finished watching "Fullmetal Alchemist." It felt so good to get that job done. I had been dreading it.

Interesting thought: I love my job. I appreciate my co-workers. I have a really great boss! But on the days when I'm not working, I stay away from Pharmasave as much as I can. Not sure why since I really enjoy my job. Maybe because I go into work mode as soon as I step through the door. Lol.

My little sister Sara is growing up so big. She is talking quite proficiently now and likes to get people's attention. The other day when the family came down from Endeavour, she came running into the kitchen. She called, "Hannah!" while looking at me. I replied, "My name is Naomi." Her eyes went wide and very thoughtful. She pursed her lips for a moment, then said, "Never mind," and lit out for the livingroom. Lydia, Ellie and myself all laughed so hard. It was too cute. :-)

I want to wear flowers in my hair... these were just some ideas. I am still not sure if I'm going to wear a veil or not...

This girl's hair is definitely my favorite flowers-in-hair look. Informal, natural but very beautiful. I really like the style of photography as well!

This is nice but perhaps too much for me. The bangs..

["When we focus on changing circumstances rather than on the unchangable realities of God and His Truth, our emotions are prone to fluctuate wildly." --Nancy Leigh DeMoss] [Thanks for sharing this, Cheri. I really appreciated this!]

One of the reasons I haven't written a blog post sooner is because of the lack of inspiration. :P But I do love talking about wedding ideas. Aren't these bouquets beautiful? I like them all for different reasons. The one that has me inspired is the one to the far left in the collage. It has my colors in it and uses the flowers I had in mind. But I do love purple, even if I can't use it! So I am posting pictures of bouquets I like.

Jesse and I watched "Nanny McPhee" the other evening. I found it to be an enjoyable experience. :) The story is a mixture of stories... kind of like a tough Mary Poppins and Julie Andrews. But I did love that as the children felt Nanny McPhee, so she looked. The more beautiful they thought of her, the more beautiful she became. There is something to be said about that lesson!

Anyways. Work and everything calls. Busy life. Good life. :)

Beauty

2011-06-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

1930's style... simple, natural... yet so very elegant.

Hard Steps -- Hard Thoughts

2011-06-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

And the sun is shining! For the second day in a row! Yesterday, it shone all day and I was so happy. Finally some sunshine and warmth... add a little wind to that and you have the makings for a semi-wet July. That's rather than a sopping wet July. Which would be sad.

I had a funny moment yesterday at work when I mentioned the weather to an older lady and she answered so like Winnie-the-Pooh's Eeyore, “I wonder how long it will last. All we get is one good day, then the clouds come again.” :-)

Most of my waking moments are spent at work now that I'm here full-time. My boss was right that sometimes you're around your co-workers more than your family. Actually your co-workers become family! Lol. This morning I spent working on deodorant... dusting, checking tags and product, etc. It's a big job but it isn't as difficult as the medical aisle. That's why I always do the medical aisle first.

When I began work here, the floor manager told me that there was a lot of theft in the store. I wasn't sure what she meant by a lot but I have found out. It isn't like you find out something has been stolen every day but it's way more than once a week. I was a little shocked this morning when I discovered that three deodorants (empty spot; computer said we had three in stock) had walked out of the store. Until now, I have not checked every tag to see what is on the shelf and what we're supposed to have but I am beginning to think I should. It will be a big job and take a lot of time... however, I am beginning to think it will be worth it.

Yesterday, I was told to watch a young someone as they wandered through the store. Most of our theft comes from the young people... 12, 13 year old girls... it is disturbing to me. I wonder, “Who taught them?” When I stole from my parents as a young child, my conscience hurt me dreadfully until things were made right. But just as we are taught to be honest, we can be taught to be dishonest. Parents, friends, siblings...? Who is teaching them? Can't someone stop the cycle?

Again, this comes back to the aspect of judging and how do we react to this? How would Jesus act? He knew that Judas was a thief, yet He allowed Judas to carry around the purse. Why? What were His thoughts?

Eternal Labyrinth of Randomness

2011-06-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for me. If you couldn't tell. :-) I'm actually typing this during my lunch break, inbetween bites of sandwich. It's a ham sandwich. Surprise, surprise. But it's actually on whole wheat bread, so it's not completely unhealthy. Besides, I like ham! ;-)

This morning, I got up, ate homemade ice-cream for breakfast (Yum!), came to work and spent the morning discovering and doing. Firstly, photo lab. I learned how to make a copy of pictures on a cd. I have burned cds before but not with this exact program. I was glad that Heather is still here to teach me... She's going to be leaving for maternity leave in three days since she's due in September. The rest of the morning was spent on the till and working on end bunks.

I can barely remember what all has happened since I last wrote. Lol. It seems like so much has happened. This past Sunday, my family came down for a visit and saw our house for the first time. It was good to see them again. Especially the kids. :-) Jesse discovered how awesome they are. He also discovered that wherever Sara is, there he should be also. She unloaded some of his books from the bookshelf several times. Hehe.

My folks brought all of my things down. Well. Most of my things. My sister Ellie kept all of my Agatha Christie books. I adore Agatha Christie. Unfortunately that adoration seems to run in the family. I have around 20 of her paperbacks and I would really like to see them on my shelf. Eventually. I can't fight Ellie for them until she's all healed up. Anyways. :-P All of my things are officially in our house... my dresser, desk, book shelf, hopechest, quilts, books, dishes, keepsakes, etc. Things that girls usually keep even though they have moved half a dozen times in the last five years. :-) [Sidenote: I just realized that five years ago, I was 20. I'm getting old!] I unpacked some of my dishes... finally using my Grandma's present to me on my 18^th birthday. They're so beautiful. Corelle really outdid themselves in designs that year. [Sidenote: which happened to be 7 years ago. Oh my.]

Whenever we moved long distances, I would calculate how many books I had and give away half my clothing so I could take them. I love my books. I am so excited that they're in our house. :-D :-D One of these days, Jesse says he will build more bookshelves so we can fill them with all of our volumes. I have a lot of classics and old books. And I have a lot of my favorites. Lord of the Rings, Alicia, Alone...

Back to Ellie: she's doing well though some days she is in pain. Your continued prayers for her are appreciated. It would be so wonderful if she had a full recovery and regained the use of her arm/shoulder. No more being afraid it's going to come out... She is still being crazy girl, though. That means that she is out doing fencing with Lydia and chasing calves. :-P Yes, there is a bit of begrudging respect in my voice. Lol.

Wedding plans are coming along. Jesse's sister and I hit upon a Dollar Store in Regina a weekend or two ago and found some really nice glass jars, etc. So, we bought a large amount of them for decorations and candy. I need a couple more big jars for the candy table and I think we'll be good there. What I'm mainly looking for now are old crocheted table cloths and wooden boxes. I am really excited about the antique looks we're going to have. This is going to be so much fun. :-)

Jesse and I have always done a lot of talking. I remember when he began coming around to Michele's to talk to me. I knew that he was interested in me but I didn't think there was a chance that he would agree with me or even have similar thoughts regarding a lot of matters spiritually. So, I would purposely bring up things that I believed and didn't think anyone else did. The interesting thing was that each matter I brought up, he had not only already thought out the issue but had arrived at the same conclusion as I had. It was both a blessing and a curse at the time (lol!) but over the months it has steadily evolved into a blessing only. I can bring up any subject I'm struggling with or am thinking about and he will give his opinion, encourage me to think about it and back off. I have never met anyone like him in my entire life.

The other day, I was really having issues with judging others. I still hold some hard things close to my heart and it is so difficult to let go. But as we were talking about this, my beloved said, “Negativity breeds negativity.” He went on to encourage me to act in love. Even if I could not reconcile myself to certain things (at this point, I have decided that when I am ready and God wants me to, I will be able to let go) then at least I can act in love towards these individuals.

His answer was so simple and so filled with wisdom that I haven't been able to forget what he said. I am really happy that I'm marrying this guy. :-)

So, my life is filled right now with work, house renovations, reorganizing our house, making pudding this evening, loving God and my man, learning about the joys and trials of co-workers, trying to write a blog post, eating skittles, ordering wedding invitations, getting a marriage commissioner lined up and generally enjoying life as much as I can (which is a lot). :-)

Forgive the random bold-ened words. I was feeling randomly bold today. :-)

2011-06-06T22:36:00.003-05:00

I have been away from the 'net but I wanted to say 'hi'. :-) :-) May the coming week be full of joy. :-D

Quotes

2011-06-03T00:44:00.000-05:00

You don't take a photograph, you make it. -- Ansel Adams

Nature is indifferent to the survival of the human species, including Americans. -- Adlai E. Stevenson

I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them. -- Pablo Picasso

I installed a sky light in my apartment.... the people who live above me are furious! -- Steven Wright

A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. -- Thomas Carlyle

A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. -- John Steinbeck

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. -- Mignon McLaughlin

He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. -- Benjamin Franklin

I think it's naive to pray for world peace if we're not going to change the form in which we live. -- Godfrey Reggio

Don't try to make children grow up like you or they may do it. -- Russell Baker

Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see. -- Helen Keller

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. --Revelation 21:4

mysteries and great joy

2011-05-31T09:28:00.001-05:00

Today. Tuesday. May 31st, 2011. 25 years.

25 years of laughter, joy, sadness, struggling, growing. I sit here with my computer resting on my lap thinking, "It has been worth every moment."

I have learned some hard lessons in the past few years. The joy in my life was hard to find. So many times I just felt empty. There was one thing that I knew, however. I clung to it. I could find joy through it.

God loves me. God loves me. God loves me.

These past few months, I have realized some truths around that love.
1: God also uses joy and peace in our hearts to draw us closer to Him.
2: I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to have to pay for the joy with the equivalent of sadness.
3: Love is a mystery. I don't understand the way I feel about Jesse. I don't understand the way he feels about me. There is no explanation for us. It truly is a mystery and a gift from God.
4: In the same way, there is a mystery to God. Knowing this has helped with my search for peace. I am able to rest more content in Him than I have in years.

Yes. I am brimming with joy and thankfulness. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
And thank you all, my dear friends and readers. May God also bless you this coming year. :hugs:

Dreams & Wedding Plans

2011-05-30T09:37:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a young lady who took me under her wing for an afternoon and let me see her room. In it was old books, old quilts, old sewing kits... I looked around in awe. Then, I saw it. Hanging there, against the wall was an old wedding dress. The ancient satin caught the light and glowed. As a typical girl, I almost stopped breathing in the presence of it's beauty. :-) It really was a priceless treasure; it had belonged to the girl's great-grandmother.

For years, I had dreams of what I wanted to be like when I was older. When I was young, my dreams consisted of having the same room the girl had but with one exception: I had not just one wedding dress but millions. Plus I would have a room full of candy and books and movies. And china dolls. (Let us not forget about the china dolls.) But gradually over time, I began to realize what was important and what wasn't. Strangely, as I grew (not much) taller, the earth rose up to meet me in my old age and I became practical. I packed my china doll away. I moved from home. I got a job. There is denim in my closet. I'm trying to stay away from candy.

But I do have an old wedding dress hanging in my closet to remind myself about the sugar and spice side of me. It hangs in my closet, light melting into the satin and looking beautiful. :sigh: I have no idea if I will every be able to make use of it but that is okay. Everyone needs something impractical in their lives. :-)

Part of the plans for my wedding consist of old bottles for putting flowers into. I have been planning on looking for them at yard sales for several weekends now but hadn't gotten the chance. Finally on Saturday, Jesse and I needed to go to Redvers anyways. They were having their town wide garage sale day and I was really looking forward to it. Due to rehearsal for the recital, we ended up not getting into Redvers until 3 or so. Which is apparently when most of the sales happened to shut down. We hit two in town that were just packing up and were able to snag some things that we needed (salt and pepper shaker set that we both liked, etc) but I wasn't finding any old bottles.

We were leaving Redvers when suddenly, about 2 miles out, there was a sign for a yard sale. It said "moving sale". As we were walking towards the garage, suddenly all I was seeing were old bottles and jars. Lots of them. Jesse looked at me and said, "We came to the right place." Lol. These people were antique collectors and had so much old glass, it was unbelievable. I told the lady what we were looking for and she was completely thrilled. We picked out several different bottles and dishes and she gave us a deal. We bought some stuff for $85. It wasn't the 5 cents a bottle kind of sale I'd been looking for but, hey... paying more now means I can sell later. These bottles aren't cleaned yet. :-)

Anyways. As we were leaving, her husband came running over to the car and asked if we were the ones who had bought his milk bottles. He then asked if we would come to the shed and take a look at what else he had to sell because he thought we might be interested. We decided we could and he set an entire crate of these milk bottles in front of us. "Make me an offer," he said. Jesse and I looked at each other. Judging by what the man's wife had charged us for the few we'd gotten before, we thought around $200 for this crate and I simply didn't want to pay that kind of money! "Go ahead! Make me an offer. Don't be afraid to insult me," he said again. Jesse and I kind of stuttered a little bit. Hehe. :-D "Ok! Do you have a $10 bill in your pocket? Just give me $10 for the whole thing." I think our jaws just about hit the ground. Lol. We definitely had $10 and we now have enough bottles for the entire wedding. Wow.

It was an interesting inner struggle to watch, actually. The man was a salesman, wanting to get the biggest dollar for his product but he was also a kind hearted man. He asked what we wanted the bottles for and when we told him we wanted them for our wedding, he was so pleased. He gave us a butter churn, a couple of plastic crates, a wooden crate and a piece of petrified wood. *G*

When we went back to the car, the lady met us there and asked how much he'd charged us for everything. When we told her how much (a little gingerly, I assure you!) she gasped and looked... surprised and... delighted? I'm not sure. She wasn't displeased, for sure.... just very happy about her husband's generosity. She then insisted on giving us another tea cup for free. He kept urging her on by saying, "Ruth, they're getting married." "They are looking for antiques for their wedding." "They're getting married, Ruth!"

As we were getting ready to leave, she came running back to the car and handed us back the $10. "We decided we couldn't take it," she said. Jesse and I were rather overcome by their generosity. We were not anticipating it. What an answer to prayer. Each step we have taken in preparing for our wedding and new life together has been so amazing. So many things have been due to people's generosity.

Thank you. You know who you are.

But I am working today and I really need to get prepared for leaving. :-) My hair still isn't done and I need to get laundry in the wash. Plus, I need to put socks on. :-) :-) Ya'll have a great day wherever you happen to be.

My Wish For You

2011-05-28T13:58:00.001-05:00

May your heart be comforted today.

Jesse played his trumpet today at the Legion Ceremony. My thoughts and prayers were with the fallen and our Creator. Lord, remember our pain and suffering.

Someone lost their little child on May 25th. Lord, we thank you that he is no longer suffering but we ask healing for this family as they wait to join their child.

Let us rejoice this morning in the Love that God has for each of us. Let us not seek to find out His mysteries but rest in peace.

2011-05-25T19:41:00.004-05:00

[Random Side Note: I love Orange Italian Soda. I had my first one yesterday and I am already hopelessly addicted.]

The world was taken by surprise at the profoundness of the film The King's Speech (2010). King George VI of England was portrayed brilliantly by one of my favorite actors: Colin Firth. When he was announced as the Best Named Actor at The Oscars, I was cheering him on as loudly as the rest of the crowd. :-) Helena Bonham Carter was also amazing as the Queen Mother. She has played many roles which have thoroughly impressed me but none so much as her portrayal of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. I highly recommend this movie for several reasons. (Eventually, the review for The King's Speech will be up on Ponderings.)

Whether by purpose or no, as soon as the hype over The King's Speech was finished, the impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton caused brand new sensations across the globe. At first I was annoyed by it. As with Justin Beiber or whoever the latest and greatest is, I do not like adoration and millions of fans towards anyone. But my curiosity got the best of me. :-) I have been studying the royal family for years and I figured with history happening in my time, I should be keeping up on it.

What can I say? I have always respected Prince William because he is The People's Prince. He seeks ways to be more normal. This normality has helped him become a better man, more able to serve the people of Britain.

And then, there's Kate. She is strong, charming, able. Her demeanor commands respect, yet bestows kindness and affection. I have come to respect these two and hope for better days. Perhaps Britain will be bettered by the happiness and stability of this couple. I have been praying for them as they step into the society.

I loved so much about this wedding. Her dress was amazing. :-)

May Long Weekend = Downpour

2011-05-24T16:23:00.001-05:00

Please pray for my sister Ellie today as she is in surgery. She's had such a rough time the past couple of years... I really hope this solves the problem. No more sleeping with her arm tied down!

It's always exciting, preparing for your very first yard sale! Neither Jesse or I had ever hosted one before. Indeed, we'd never had enough stuff we wanted to rid our lives of to warrant a sale. But we sure do now. :-) Last Friday Jesse and I went through the entire house and decided which things we wanted and which things we did not. It was a huge job. The more nooks and crannies we discovered, the more stuff piled up. Friday was difficult. There were so many nice things in our house and so many nice things that we had gotten else where. Which to keep? To be honest, it was nice to have to choose. Lol! But on the other hand, there were moments when it was so difficult... We ended up hauling three dressers/vanities downstairs, hauling two outside for the sale and keeping one for the master bedroom. They are all antique and beautiful. Some are in better condition than others but they're all amazing! We also took a double bed from upstairs for the sale and brought a single bed upstairs. We're quite pleased with how nice our house looks now. :-)

So, as we were working Friday, Jesse mentioned off hand that this area never has good weather for the May Long Weekend. Sure enough, it alternated between pouring and drizzling all day Saturday. We had a few people in at the sale, but not as many as we would have liked. Over the course of three days (21st, 22nd and 23rd) we sold only a fraction of what we would have liked to. However, we did make a total of $142.70. :-) That we are thankful for!

Well, lesson time is coming right up so I should prepare myself. :-)

Stopping The Cycle

2011-05-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

The situation:
Co-worker comes to work with cold. She says she isn't sick enough to stay at home but just sick enough to feel sick.
My thought: I wish she would stay at home so other people don't get her cold.

A few days later:
I come down with a sore throat and running nose. I consider not going to work but decide to go in anyway.
My thoughts: I can't afford to stay home; I'm not sick enough to warrant it; everyone else has already gotten it.

How ironic that I judged my co-worker for the very same act I was to commit a few days later. The older I grow and the more I experience, I begin to realize the depth and width of Jesus. We all know the story of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. We all know how Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground as the group religious leaders waited impatiently for His reply. Can you imagine their disbelief as His words sunk into their minds?

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

His words were so simple. Yet, they formed into something so powerful that in spite of themselves, those men were forced to lay down their stones and walk away.

The words of God are indeed amazing. They transform into thoughts, understanding and actions. Even if we live 100 years of this life, we would only comprehend a small amount of God's power and love. The rest remains a mystery that we will only understand when our minds are opened.

There is a scene in Doctor Who when Donna Noble becomes part Time Lord and the knowledge almost kills her. It was simply too much for her existence. I believe it is the same with God. We cannot understand everything while we are still human in a human existence. Come to think of it, there was a conversation between Moses and God in which God informs him that Moses cannot even catch a glimpse of God without dying. I would say that a non-human existence with God is going to be amazing. ;-)

One thing I have noticed since being involved with people from all walks of life is that people are very aware of God and Jesus. His words have lived down through the ages, echoing in the hearts and minds of His creations. I wonder how many acts of violence have been stopped? I wonder how many acts of love have been initiated?

Yesterday was "International Day Against Homophobia". I don't care what you believe about the homosexual lifestyle, these individuals are still people in need of love. But it isn't just homosexuals and lesbians who are shown hatred. There are many, many others who have taken their lives or simply lived in fear and grief because they feel unloved.

How can we be like Jesus? How can we stop the cycle of hatred? How can we lift the woman caught in the act of adultery out of the dirt of her life and give her a reason to embrace love?

Now I need to decide whether I'm going to work or not! :-) :-)

pictures from the inside of our house

2011-05-16T21:27:00.001-05:00

Jesse came into PharmaSave today and brought me my camera and toothbrush. It was awesome. :-) So, here are some of the pictures I snapped the other day. I know they're not terribly good but they will give you an idea of what our place looks like. :-) I love our house!

This is where the porch was. You can see the full trashbags. It looked like a trash can or two had exploded under the porch. Perhaps the wind? We even found a rubber boot!

Jesse, his dad and mom loading the trailer with the wood we ripped up from the deck. These were the supporting boards/beams from beneath. Even some of them were really rotten.

The boards that were laying on top of the deck, after we piled them up. They were sopping wet!

You can see the weeping tile if you look closely. Paul had to dig down a good foot to find it. This is the side of the house that we are going to have to jack up.

The kitchen. :-) This room needs the most work, as you may be able to see! But we do have a refrigerator, microwave, stove, sink, some cupboards, etc. We will have to sit down with Jesse's dad and plan how we want to renovate.

I like the stove but I think I'm going to move it. Or have someone else move it. ;-) It's too heavy for me. Anyways. I would like it to be sitting in the corner of the kitchen since it takes up quite a bit of space where it's at right now.

I always chuckle whenever I look up and see the crazy way they installed the stove pipe. Honestly.

See that piece of wood hanging off? It's really badly burned. I am so glad the entire place didn't go up whenever that happened. Lol. ;-)

Master bedroom. Nice and big with a lovely closet. I adore those windows!!

Part of the living room and office. It's hard to get a good picture of this so you can see what it looks like..

Part of the living room, plus the staircase.

One of my favorite parts of the house. I love this railing. Love it. Love it. Love it!!!

One side of the upstairs. Also adore this part of the house. No work needed. It's so beautiful.

Looking down the stairs and towards the skylight. :-)

I hope you can see why I love our house so much. :-) Can't wait to make it our home and live there full time. September is on it's way, thankfully. Hehe. :-)

A Post of Happy Things

2011-05-16T09:24:00.001-05:00

Last night, I got back home late and found a picture of two of my friends kissing at their wedding. They had kept it quite secret so I didn't even know they were interested in each other. Furthermore, I definitely did not suspect that Kim was interested in *hugging*, let alone kissing. ;-) (Kim used to be the Queen of the Cootie Mania.) The funny thing was that our mutual friend Ben Palmer had predicted a match between the two about a year before he passed away. I think everyone laughed but wouldn't you know? He was right. And it is so right because they are so perfect for each other.

The weather here has finally warmed up! I am not planning on wearing a coat to work this morning (which means we'll get about 2 inches of rain this evening while I'm walking home) because Spring has arrived. Yesterday evening when Jesse brought me home, it was around 11 and it was still so warm that neither of us were wearing coats. I am loving this weather. :-)

Yesterday, we spent most of the day cleaning up at our house. Paul and Dianne came over and helped us. Together we accomplished a lot. On Friday, Jesse and I tore up the old deck. That took most of the afternoon, after which, we went back to the Twietmeyers and crashed. We were so exhausted. Lol. I think every single bone and muscle in my body ached and I have colorful bruises all over my shins! The old deck was like a death trap. You had to be very careful to walk on the treads, otherwise, you fell through the wood. It was really rotten in spots. Anyways, it was so good to get that out of there. :-)

We piled the wood up on Friday and left it that way. Yesterday, we hauled the piles to the dump and cleaned up the trash that had been under the deck. (We even found a rubber boot...) Then, we unloaded a trailer full of things that Dianne had bought from friend of hers who was moving back to Spain... And we also brought some things from our house out (ugly green chairs, etc) to the trailer for the yard sale we're having next weekend.

Yes, I did take pictures! And left my camera at the Twietmeyers. :-P Sometimes I wonder if my head is screwed on correctly. ;-) (I also left my tooth brush.)

Other than that, I've been busy with working at PharmaSave and teaching. The end of the teaching year is coming up so the students are working hard to perfect their songs. The recital is on the 29th so we have another week. This is a stressful time for me... the teaching is intense and keeps me on my toes. I am torn between my love for teaching and being happy it's almost over with.

Well, I should get my lunch together and prepare for work. Maybe tonight I will be able to begin the next season of the Sarah Jane Adventures....

P.S. Erin S. took these pictures at the bridal shower. Thanks, girls! :-)

I am seated between my two mothers. :-) Heidi to the left (blue) and Dianne to the right (dark hair).

You can see Lindsey sitting down... purple shirt...

Brief

2011-05-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

I was up at 7:12 this morning, trying to get the house cleaned. Jesse and I are spending this evening and all of tomorrow tearing up the old deck at our new house so I won't be in Carlyle to do my weekly cleaning. :-) I really like being up and working in the morning. It makes my energy level come up and last all day.

Lately I've been pretty busy. As you may have been able to tell! After coming back from Endeavour, I've been working, teaching and doing a multitude of other things that need to be done. One that I am most excited about is that I sent the wedding invitation information off to the person who is designing them. I can't wait to see the finished product. She always amazes me.

Well, work is calling so I'm off! Have a good day, folks!

What Brothers Think Their Sisters Look Like

2011-05-11T00:12:00.000-05:00

Courtesy: Jesse Holter

Bridal Shower... Married Life Prep... and Lot of Fun Stuff

2011-05-10T08:25:00.001-05:00

Back home, enjoying the rain and quiet. The weekend and the days surrounding it were lovely and full of excitement. The party was amazing. Many thanks to my lovely friend, Lindsey who worked so hard to organize everything. My mom and sisters were also amazing... and all the ladies at the church who spent hours of their time cleaning, helping and simply being there.

Has anyone heard of Everyday Style? They used that company for the party (bridal shower). Basically, people would order things off of my wish list (items taken out of the catalogue)... and if the orders were over a certain amount of money, I would also receive many things half priced and some for free. The quality of the dishes and accessories are good. We're quite excited about it all. :-)

We got the keys to our house and looked at it more thoroughly yesterday. Our conclusion? That we got our money's worth. We love our house. :-) :-)

Pictures Of Our House -- May 4th

2011-05-04T23:31:00.000-05:00

Our house... from the front. Or the back. Depending on how technical how you are. ;-) Basically, where you enter the building. Lol.

The side that faces the lake.

Our address. :-) I like!

And yes, that is our reflection in the glass.

Meanwhile....

2011-05-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

The Perfect End To A Day:

2011-05-03T23:33:00.001-05:00

Talking with my best friend. We finish each other's sentences, share our innermost thoughts, talk about what we did today, tease each other... ::happiness:: God knew exactly who we needed for soul mates.

Thank You. :-)

P.S. Happy 21st birthday, Elizabeth Ann Holter!

We Have A House! Plus: A Multitude of Other Things That May Prove To Be Not Quite As Exciting. ;-)

2011-05-02T23:27:00.006-05:00

As you guessed, the major decision I posted a prayer request about was due to the house. After the game of offering, and counter-offering, this morning about 11, I was standing at the till, checking out a customer. A flurry of movement caught the corner of my eye and I looked up. There was Jesse. He had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. I just knew what was coming next! Lol! When I had successfully sent the customer on his way, I ran around the counter to my beloved and he said very calmly, "They've accepted our offer." Then he just grinned with all of the excitement I was feeling. Actually, I was almost jumping up and down. :-)

It's been one of those situations where everything has fallen into place for us. So many answered prayers and hopes! As soon as we saw pictures of the place, we both liked it. And when we took Lindsey to see it with us for the first time, I realized how much I liked it... even just from the outside. The more places we looked at, the more we realized how we really did like this house. It needed work (a plus for us as it brought the price down) but it has so much room for us and company. :-) I will try to take pictures sooner than later and post them on here. :-)

Friday night, the worst storm I've ever seen plowed it's way through our part of Saskatchewan. A friend of ours who is in her 80's told us she hasn't seen a storm like this one since she was a small child. She has lived her entire life in SK! It started raining around 6:30, then gradually grew into something torrential. The vision was really poor on the way home (thank goodness Jesse was driving!), with rain/snow mix. We woke up Saturday morning and there was a good foot of snow on the ground. It snowed on and off all day.... Visibility was terrible. The wind was gusting up to 90 kph! I think we got about 2 ft of snow. We kept saying, "Can you believe it's actually nearly the beginning of May?" Lots of damage occurred... roofs off of houses, barns... cars smashed with trees... trees down... flooding with no pumps to dispose of the water because of the lack of power. Kenosee was out of power for over 40 hours. People were stranded away from town. Take a look at this picture from Carlyle, posted on The Weather Network.

Today was all sunshine though. And most of the snow is melting rapidly. I can't wait for it to be spring. :-) Everyone is eager for Spring!

I filed my taxes online today. I had never expected to do that since I really prefer the old fashioned snail mail thing. ;-) But things got misplaced and I forgot all about it until Will brought it to my attention the other day. And since I made some income this year I wasn't sure what to do. In the end, it was fairly simple. Thankfully! I am so glad to get that done. I also changed my address to our new one. It always feels good to be able to complete these things and have them behind me for another year. Plus, I was able to talk to a really nice lady at the tax place on the phone. :-) It always makes my day when people are pleasant.

News Flash! My sister Ellie got her surgery date: May 24th. Thank you to all for your prayers! I really can't wait for her to be healing and getting better. Imagine being able to sleep well for the first time in months because you don't hurt yourself while sleeping?

The shower is coming right up. Wow. I am really excited for it. :-) Mom and Lindsey have both said cryptic things about secrets and other lovely things. :-) So many of our friends from Melville will be there, as well as the ladies from the area and my family (both biological and non). Getting married just keeps getting more and more fun.

I've been thinking a lot about how peoples' views of the Bible and God is dictated by culture and what others tell us to believe/think. I want to know truth. I want to have fellowship with God and live my life to the fullest. Sometimes it means giving up things and grasping at nothing as I plunge into the unknown. I wish I wouldn't hold traditions so dearly.

Random thoughts. :-) Well, it's late enough to close my eyes and I am really tired. I work tomorrow and teach. It's a good life. Just busy. And I definitely need my sleep. ;-) Ttyl!