House Sitting

I am currently house sitting for the Nills. I never once thought that after babysitting once I would end up house sitting for my old vice principal, but it works. Its nice to have a little get away from the familiar sights and sounds of work and home. Its honestly weird not having people around. My sister Kristen might come stay with me a night or 2 and same with Ashley. It will be good to have some company!

Today was supposed to be the busiest day of the year statistically but they predicted that yesterday would be earlier this week. I say neither. I worked long shifts that last few days and it wasnt nearly as busy as it has been in the past 2 years of working in retail. We still had good rushes of people with line ups of over 10 people but after 7pm it was dead! We had 2 of us on and like 1 customer in the store at a time. It was a joke. We still took in about $11,000 for the day which is great for a card store but I was hoping it would be busier.

There is the update for now. I am done Drime until the New Year and its a nice break. Thats all for now...

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Doing something about it...

Okay.. So I am sick and tired of sitting here doing nothing about some of the major issues that face our world. The one closest to my heart is the HIV/AIDS crisis that kills thousands daily. I have been trying to find a way that I can help. Through Drime I have come across a thing called The Kibera Project. (www.kiberaproject.com) Kibera is located in Kenya and is where many co-drimers went this past summer to start doing that ministry there. Drime is officially in Kenya now.

Anyways, after talking to Matthew Price, the founder TKP, I felt the urge to help out. I was sitting at the computer last night thinking of how I could help and I fould a way.

As of now, I am beginning to collect everything that you guys dont want anymore. In the spring I am going to hold a massive yard sale at my place raising money for the Kibera Project. All of the money will go straight to them and to the people of Kibera, Kenya. So please start collecting things that would be great to sell in the spring and bring them over to my house. This is only going to work if you out here help me. Let me know if you have anything and we can find a time where you can drop it off or I can come by and pick it up, whatever is easiest for you!

Thanks everyone in advanced. Please take a couple minutes to check out the website and dig through your closests!!!

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity of him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1 John 3:17)

~Lynn

Drime Christmas Party

Team leader Jackie on the left, Megan as te Grinch, Emily as a reindeer, and team leader Megan.










Kate and I, and Emily's reindeer antlers in the background

This is Pat, our snowman cake. It took about 12 cakes to make and was a lot of work. It has an identity crisis. Green top hat, pink scarf.... tough choice. We didnt win the competition, took second place, but they said ours tasted the best and was very creative. Yay!







Megan dressed as the Grinch sampling some yummy dessert, but not as yummy as mine:)

Just a thought...

"Silence is not an option, nor is inaction. Injustice and suffering demand our advocacy in a world that desperatly needs people of faith creatively working together for change." - Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.

I am helping start up the Restoritive Justice Team at our church. We recently had a sermon series on Hunger, AIDS, Persecution, and being a Prisoner ( I think those are all of them!). Following the AIDS one, we had the chance to watch an interview with Bono about the ONE campaign. It sparked a lot of interest so here I am. I feel something deep inside of me screaming to get out to do something about the AIDS emergency. Yes, I believe it is an emergency since so many people are dying. I really didnt hit me until the sermon and our pastor started by snapping his finger every 3 seconds symbolizing the death of a person infected with AIDS.

I dont know what Im going to do about it, but I know something has to be done and that I can make a difference.







Here are some people that I know quite well that are infected with AIDS. At least 3 out of the 7 guys in the picture above currently have AIDS. The scary thing is that I let myself get close to one of them. I still don't know if he is a victim, but I wouldnt be surprised. I guess for me it just hits home more since I know people living with AIDS and how it affects them.


Just a thought...

Update

Not much of an update over on my end here. Right now I feel really tired. I had to get blood tests done today which made me tired (along with 4 late nights and early mornings the last few days) as well as playing badminton tonight. Normally on Monday nights we play volleyball but they decided tonight would be badminton. I love the sport but I didnt realize how much it takes out of you.

On Wednesday we have a Drime Christmas party and as a team we are supposed to bake something for the bakeofff. So being my competitive self I was geared up to go. I had visions of a tall 3D Christmas Tree decked out with all of the trimmings. So I called Cheryl on Saturday night and she shot down my idea saying it was done the year before. Plan B. I thought it would be sweet to make a fireplace with bricks, a mantle, fire... the goodstuff. So I baked a cake and well... It literally crumbled in our hands. Plan C?? A snowman.

Now... we had gone through 2 cakes on Saturday night so we thought we should stop and wait it out until Sunday afternoon. So, on Sunday afternoon it began. We figured out how to bake round cakes so we made 9 of them, "glueing" each layer together with melted marshmallows. ( It works really well!!) We then carved it to make it look more like a snowman and added lots and lots of white icing to it. We then made a tophat coloured green and added all the fixings. We put it up a big board, added a tealight and some candies looking like logs to make a campfire. Tonight I made some trees to add to the scene.

All I can say is that we better win. It tastes good, it looks good, and it took about 12 cakes to get there!!!! Pictures and results to come!!!

More Snow Pictures.... Sorry!

I wanted to post some of these since they are a lot better since the sun was shining so nice. Im still working, dont worry. I dont sit around and take pictures all day.


The beautiful tree

Our fence in the back. Its more decorative than useful

Yes, that bird is in our house. I walked into the computer room and it flew at my head. I had no idea where it came from or how it got there. I opened the window so I froze to death and tried getting it out, but it wouldnt budge. It eventually flew into the closed half of the window and just sat there. So, after 30minutes of frustration I picked it up and threw it out the door.

The old wagon wheel in the garden.

The corner of our property.

More Snow...

This is the snowman that my brother James made on top of the bird feeder. Very creative...The snowman is holding a golfclub. Dont ask about the bottom half. James tried to make him into a man, but he turned out to be something else of sort. Yikes...

I attempted to cross country ski to the park behind my house, but decided walking was a lot faster. Here is the pathway to the park. For some reason while I was walking there, I kinda felt like I could have been in Narnia. It was cool

James and I

No one playing hockey today. (Except Beimers apparently)

Empty bench and the park.

So I had volleyball tonight and as I was leaving the parking lot I didnt move so needed 4 of the guys to come bail me out. That was fun. I dont mind driving in the snow, I just hate that my tires grip nothing! Also, amoungst our playing in the snow, my brother lost his car key, so my dad drove him home to New West and he came back today to pick up the car. That sucked!

Snow!!!

It snowed a lot overnight and it is still snowing as I write! Yay! Im going to go skiing in my backyard after!


At the beginning of the snow fall...

My Boys

More pictures of my nephews... Sorry!!! Jesse is just over 1 month and Reuben is 2. How time flies!! Reuben has adjusted very well to having a little brother which is so great to see. They get along for now at least!

Next Sunday

Hey Everyone

On Sunday November 26 I am hoping to make profession of faith at my church. The date will be confirmed tomorrow night but I would love it if some of my friends could come out! A lot of you have grown with me over the years and mean a lot to me. I go to Willoughby Church on 72nd in Langley. Just let me know if you want the details and I will comfirm the date tomorrow night. Thanks guys...

Update: So it is confirmed that its happening this Sunday, the 26th. I had a membership meeting this evening and it went really well. I am quite excited although I hate being up infront of people. Please let me know if you are coming! We are also planning on having people over after the service for lunch so I need numbers! Hope to see you there!

Wind, Rain, and No Power

It has been a disaster around here and as of 5pm this evening, we finally got our power back!!! It went out about yesterday around 1. I was working so we had to sit around just in case it would go back on until 4 before we could decided if we wanted to be closed for the day. Closed. Got to go home early which was bittersweet since we have no power. We made some dinner thanks to our gas stove and then I headed to the pool since I think it was the only thing open in all of Langley. Came home, did some reading the decided it was time for bed, even if it was only 9:00. I went to bed but was woken up at midnight to the sound of our computer starting back up. I looked out the window and it looked like someone lit a firework in our driveway. It happened to be a huge branch sparking and catching on fire that was stuck in the powerlines infront of our house. A little scary. So the power didnt actually go back on and BC Hydro came around 10:30 this morning to fix it. I made the workers some tea which they were very grateful for then they headed off to the next job. I was hoping that I wouldnt have to go in to work at 1, but the power came back on around 12 so I was stuck working anyways. Oh well... now Im home with power and for that I am thankful.

The giant branch stuck in the powerlines last night

BC Hydro to the rescue

Our "neighbors" lost duck. By neighbors I mean they live across the street and 3 doors up. Friendly duck though, he kept me company while I cleaned all the leaves out of the pond today. I like this picture because he looks like he is trying to pose like the fish statue behind him.

BC Hydro truck blocking our driveway.

Where did our shoes go???

Nephews

This morning I drove up to Whistler to visit my family there. We decided to go to this food thing at the Westin and well.. Lets just say Reuben liked the chocolate fondu...


Jesse and I. He was so well behaved!

Looking at aunty Lynn

This thing was in the middle of the hallway so decided to have fun with it. Reuben sure did!

Jesse Sleeping

"Look Mom! I just created more laundry for you and just made a messy disaster!" He was really tired and was rubbing his eyes if you are wondering where the chocolate eye patch came from....He had fun, its all that matters.

Redocorating

Here are some pictures of my slightly redecorated room. The one with the lights are just all candles, it makes it look prettier.

Redecorating!

My 112th post... Wow. Not much going on these days. I had the day off so I headed to Ikea and bought a bunch of stuff so I can finally finish of my room that Ive been planning for so long. I worked on that all evening and it turned out great! Pictures to come! It is all black and white besides my wall colour which is a light blue. I have blown up a lot of Kimmer's pictures from Zambia and it feels like home!

Tomorrow I am heading off to Whistler to visit Mike, Heidi, Reuebn and Jesse! I havent seen Reuben in a long time so I get to babysitt him for about an hour and I havent seen Jesse since he was 16 hours old! Should be a lot of fun, except driving of course.

In redoing my room I sadly have to take down all of my Johnny Depp posters since they dont fit the theme. I have a large Jack Sparrow poster and a large Orlando Bloom poster as well as a bunch of small ones, so if anyone wants them, just leave a comment and let me know!!! Happy Friday!

James Blunt

Here are more pictures from the concert. I am still trying to take it all in, it was so awesome!!!


I liked this picture because you can see him playing the guitar on the screen.

Close up on screen, not great quality.

Cool Lighting (He is the one on the upper piano closer to the screen, not the one on the front of the stage)

GM Place after opening band played. They were called Star ______(????) Whoever they were, they were good as well!

James

James Blunt

So Im at work on Sunday afternoon when my childhood friend Lindsay calls me up and asks me to go to a James Blunt concert with her. Her family got free tickets and invited me to go. Friends of their's own a box suite at GM Place and get tickets to everything. Hmmm... Box seats, leather chairs, food, drinks, and James Blunt?? No thanks. Thats right, I told her no because I already had plans to take Tori, my co-worker to young adults. After I hung up I told my coworker Lisa and she told me I was nuts. So, I called Lindsay back telling her that I changed my mind, but first I had to get a hold of Tori. So I called Tori several times before getting through. She really encouraged me to go and said she would come to church with me next week instead and that I would regret it if I didnt go to this concert. So low and behold I went to James Blunt this evening and it was wonderful!!! Lindsay and I both fell in love with him! He didnt play one bad song and having the suite was pretty sweet... hehe... I felt so V.I.P. We had our own parking spot, went up the elevator where we were kindly greeted by a lady named Karen. We walked down to our suite and it was amazing!!! Anyways... Here are some pictures. They were taken far away so they arent the greatest, but whatever, it was sweet!!!


Liking the green light show...

My friend Lindsay and I having a grand time.

Rocking the House

Singing his hit "Beautiful" which was the last song of the evening and couldn't have been any better.

Singing "Goodbye My Lover" which was also great and now stuck in my head. I think those were the only two song I actually knew well, but Im sure I will learn the others fast!!!

Goodnight everyone...