Twenty Two

The Fingal Spit where we went walking on my birthday

The pointiest "mountain" is Mt Tomaree, the one that I hike. This is just the view from the other side

Beach Cricket!

Us Girls...

Trucks on the beach and the sports begin... it was a great day!

*Warning... long post!*

Twenty Two Memories From March 24, 2008 - March 24, 2009

1. March 24, 2008. I spent the morning of my 21st birthday at Whiterock Beach alone. It was such a peaceful time and I spent time in prayer about my future. It was during this prayer that God gave me the 'okay' to go to Australia. This is what I wrote on that day in regards to going to Australia: "On October 13 I leave for Australia to work then from there I'll go to New Zealand and Beijing, China. How do I feel about this? It's exciting, thrilling, all those things. But, is it the right thing to do? As the sun breaks through the clouds, I feel God looking at me and giving me the "okay". "Here am I; Send me" I believe that no matter where God sends me, He can and will use me, as long as I say "yes, I'll go"'. I am so blessed to be here and I know it is the right thing in my life at this point in time. That evening my siblings had me over for a wonderful birthday including icecream cake. Can't go wrong there :) My parents also called me from South America. It was a great day.

2. March 25, 2008. Kim and I sat at Afterthoughts in Abbotsford drinking coffee and eating cheesecake. We had a conversation discussing life and asked each other many important questions. Our friendship deepened on that day. I could feel it.

3. May 27, 2008. I booked my flight to Australia.

4. June 21, 2008. I started writing my bucket list; my list of things I want to do before I "kick the bucket". Stepping foot in Asia and Australia were on that list and I am proud to check them off.

5. June 24, 2008. Kim and I took a drive through the Abbotsford mountains and to Cultus Lake. It wasn't anything special, but I remember it being a good day.

6. June 30. Going to the drive-in with good friends, staying up until 6am, then going to work on Canada Day at 8am. Fun times only to be repeated many times throughout the summer.

7. July 9, 2008. My nephew Reuben turned 4! He is becoming a little man and its such a blessings to watch him grow up. Love that little dude.

8. July 19, 2008. My sister Kristen married PJ. It was a beautiful day and I am glad to have gained another awesome brother.

9. August 13, 2008. Found this quote. "Lust promises what it can't deliver." -Rob Bell. Well put Rob.

10. August 23-24, 2008. Going to Stanwood with Kim to Ashley and Erik's wedding. Highlights include getting extremely lost, almost killing a rabbit, getting freaked out by people walking up right beside our car, spending the night with Ashley before the wedding, getting ready with her in the morning, and of course the big day. It was a beautiful wedding and a fun filled day. What an awesome couple.

11. August 28, 2008. Kim and I booked all of our domestic flight in Australia as well as many of other details. The trip was finally becoming a reality!

12. September 6, 2008. A highschool reunion of sorts. My friend Joel married Kortni. Another great couple and I am so happy for them. Many of my friends from highschool were there and it was good to catch up.

13. September 11, 2008. Today was a day where I felt incredibly empowered in my career life. "I know the price of success: dedication, hardwork, and an unremitting devotion to the thing you want to see happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright.

14. October 9, 2008. Kim, Tyler, Adam and I went bowling, had dessert at Red Robins, then came back to my house to hang out. This was the last time we all hung out together before I moved to Australia. It was a great night and I have never laughed so hard in my life. So much fun.

15. October 11, 2008. My brother Matthew married the woman of his dreams, Chantelle. The whole day was beautiful and great fun. It was so great to see many of my family members before heading off to Australia. It was an awesome day and wonderful to gain another sister.

16. October 12, 2008. Today I packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and got on the plane to go to Australia.

17. October 13 - November 6, 2008. Kim and I travelled all over Australia and created too many memories to count. Highlights included seeing so much of God's creation, deepening our friendship, hanging out with strangers only to gain friends, sailing for 3 days, and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. (Inlcuded in these days, my nephew Jesse had his 2nd birthday on October 15. He is growing up way too fast... love this little dude a lot as well!)

18. November 7, 2008. Although memorable, it was a sad day. I had to say goodbye to Kim at the airport in Sydney and it was tough. She's my best mate and I miss her dearly.

19. December 16, 2008. I moved into my house in Shoal Bay! It was such a good day as I finally had a place to call home. God answered so many of my prayers and I am thankful for that.

20. December 25, 2008. I worked all day long and it was exhausting, but it was the day that I also found out that I am going to be an aunty again!! I am so excited for Michael and Christina. Baby Crook is due in August :)

21. February 12, 2009. By this point I have fallen in love with Shoal Bay. I know that I want to call it home for more than just the 6 months. Today was also a turning point in my life in general. Without going into details about a situation, I started asking myself what is really important in my life. A very memorable day.

22. March 23-24, 2009. Having Mondays and Tuesday off have been great. On Monday, about twenty of us headed to the beach for a bbq. The weather was beautiful, the food was good, and the water was warm. We drove the trucks onto the beach (got to love Australia for that!), cranked the tunes and played some beach cricket. We took a break for a swim, then started playing beach soccer. None of the girls wanted to play, so it was me and all of the guys. Let me tell you... any sports on sand is hard work! We left the beach around dinner time then I had dinner with Stef. After that I headed to the pub with some friends for a drink, some pool, and good times. I ended up staying there until 1am hanging out with the guys. It was a fun day and I was exhausted when I hit the pillow. On my birthday, I got to sleep in and then headed to the spa for a deep tissue massage, compliments of my parents. Thank you! It was so good and very relaxing. Following the spa, I met up with some friends at work where they surprised me with a birthday cake that was from my Catch (work) family. It was so sweet and it tasted great. From there, we headed to the beach again to walk the Fingal Bay spit. Thankfully, it was low tide so we were able to go all the way across. At the other side we went for a swim before walking back. It took about 2 hours and was well worth it. It just feels so good to be out in the sun, enjoying nature. I got home in the early evening and spent the evening at home. It was nice to kick back and relax. These last two days have been great and very memorable.

I am blessed to say that in all of these memories I have of the last year, I can see God in all of them. He has been so good to me and I am thankful for that. It has been a year of learning and growing. It has had some great times and some crappy ones. I guess that is life. When it is all said and done, I am happy and that is what matters. To think that a year ago I was working in the heart of a big city with a population of over a million, while I am now in a small town that doesn't even have a post office, with the nearest stoplight being an hour away. Two very different worlds, both feeling very much like home. Its been a great year and there is only one person to give the credit to. Thank you God for such a great year and may you continue to bless me in the year to come.

To think of all my birthdays over the years, I have been so blessed. Many of my birthdays growing up were spent in Whistler, since this is where we usually went for Spring Break. I spent two of my teenage birthdays in Mexico, where I was on missions trips with my church. My 16th birthday was spent at home where I had a combined party with two friends also celebrating their birthdays. My 17th birthday I stayed at home.

My 18th birthday was spent in a hospital in Vienna (Im pretty sure thats where we were) since one of the girls was sick and I stayed with her. Two of the chaperones on the trip took me for dinner and everyone bought me a birthday cake that was also quite memorable since it tasted so bad. I guess that is what happens when you can't speak the same language as the person working in the bakery, or the whole country for that matter.

My 19th birthday was my most memorable ever. I was in Zambia and it was the day where I had a major attack from the devil. I went to church that night where the pastor had known everything that on with me that day, without even ever meeting me. It was crazy! The next day everyone through me a surprise birthday party where we had goodies and a bbq. I miss Africa a lot and just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

My 20th birthday was nothing special and I don't remember much of it. I remember that I had to be in school all day and spent the evening doing homework assignments. Fun times... not! :)

My 21st birthday is described above and was a good one too... What I didn't mention is that my best friend Kim and I had a combined birthday party at my house with all of our friends and we had a blast.

There they are.... my birthdays over the last few years. I have spent my birthday in 5 different countries over 4 continents. I hope to be able to spend more birthdays around the world and maybe on each continent of the world. For now.. I will stick to where I am because I am very happy here.

Sorry this is so long, I wrote it over a few days. Thank you all for the birthday wishes and cards that were sent here in Australia, I appreciate them all. Blessings!

"Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be because you only have on life and once chance." - Unknown