I love...

I love the smell of cedar chips (there are two spots on my commute home...I know exactly when they're coming and I quickly roll --- and by roll I mean old fashion crank that window down --- so I can breathe it in).

I love trying a new recipe out. Better yet I love when that recipe is a dynamo success.

I love adventures. I love random jaunts in my boat (yup. I'm a "boat" owner). I love floating down one of our favourite rivers..making up songs...telling stories and just reveling in the beauty.

I love coming across wild life. Happens a lot more to me now that I've moved to the boonies. This morning, I walked out my front door and heard this "thud thud" sound. My first reaction was an increase in my pulse as I quickly scanned around thinking it was probably a bear getting into something. Then I look over to where the shed is, and around the corner comes this little deer...prancing and jumping and going in circles around the shed. He did maybe 3 more loops before he noticed me and then stopped dead in his tracks. Almost looked disappointed that I had interrupted his "play time". Cutest little guy ever!!!

I love how my beater of a car is dying, but that somehow I keep getting to work every day (that's a 40 minute commute each way people). I know it's not luck. It's God looking out for me. He knows I can't afford to fix it or buy a new one. Just living on grace!!

But most of all. Most of all I love God. He never ceases to amaze me. I've mentioned before how much of a blog addict I am. The majority of them have a focus on mindless fashion, photography and the like. But then I occasionally come across one that really challenges me. I love reading those meaningful blogs. The ones where people talk about what they are doing with their lives - how they are serving God in various parts of the world. Those ones inspire me.

On my commute home yesterday I was listening to that song by Hillsong "Lead me to the Cross" - I love the words: "Everything I once held dear, I count it all as loss. Lead me to the cross where your love poured out. Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down. Rid me of myself, I belong to you". That last line really hit me. I belong to God. All the things that I think are important can't even compare to God. It's hard sometimes not knowing what the next step is (you know me...I get restless and want to do something new...and ultimately I wish I was getting to be working in the field I studied)...but I have to just continue to trust that God knows best. I'm excited to see what comes of my missions trip to Mexico. Who knows where God could lead me after that?

"Our talents are the gifts that God gives us...What we do with our talents is our gift back to God" - Leo Buscaglia

Power outages

While most people in the world would be delighted to hear the news announce that a thunderstorm is on the way, I am not one of them. Booming in the sky. Light flashing through the clouds. Not my idea of a fun filled evening. I’d rather watch a scary movie. No. Axe that idea. I can’t even sit through that.

Needless to say, last night when I arrived home to a pitch black house, I was creeped. Yes. I live in the boonies. I should be prepared for power outages. Do I own a flashlight? No. Do I have candles handy and ready to go? No. Matches a plenty. Just nothing to light.

So in I walked, cell phone open attempting to light my path. I thought about leaving my car headlights on, opening the blinds to my room, and allowing that to be my source of light while I waited for Andrew to arrive with candles. Then I thought about how easily my car battery dies. And the last thing I need is a dead car AND a dark house. So i fired up my computer, and sat in the kitchen with it lit. Waiting. Thankfully it was only 15 short minutes before the box, yes, BOX, of candles arrived. We quickly went to town lighting up our kitchen – probably to the point of extreme fire hazard, but hey, one needs light, so “let there be light”!

Seeing as there wasn’t much to do, and it was already 10:30PM (way past my old lady bedtime), I decided to hunker down for the evening – leaving Andrew in charge of remembering to blow out the plethora of candles (danger danger danger!).

The power came back on about 20 minutes after I went to bed – my fan kicked in and woke me up! But I was grateful cause then I could sleep better knowing that when I woke up in the morning  I could shower and look presentable today. Nothing like trying to go to sleep thinking that you’re going to have to go to work with the worst bed head imaginable. Makes you wanna try and sleep lighter on your pillow – because somehow you think that will prevent your hair from getting smushed! But then, in that glorious attempt, you get a kink in your neck and end up looking like a weirdo the next day anyways.

Makes one grateful for electricity. 

thank you notes

dear sunshine,

you are lovely when you show up in the sky. you have no idea how much you make my heart sing. i could be having the worst hair, clothing and face day - but still you would make me smile.
feel free to show up more often!

all my love,

laura

Lame-o

Heya my peeps.
I'm coming back. I promise. After a stint of strep throat and then of course the Easter holiday, I'm rested and recovered and ready to start filling you in again. Much to share...including a delightful new dish I made.
Stay tuned...in the next few days there will be updates...and the much promised pictures!!!

Tootles!

Results...

...my source was 100% accurate (refer back to “Peanut-sized brain post”) – I had not given her a bible. She loved it!!

Saga continued...

I have met with my source (you know who you are!) and we are 90% sure there has been no bible giving as of yet. Haha!

An exciting little mystery don't ya think! I will know for certain in the next few days. Take your guesses now! :)

Peanut Sized Brain

Yes. I am little. And with that, I presume, comes a little brain too – or at least my lapse in memory would point to that! It was noticed on my trip this past summer, and since then, it’s been quite impossible to move on from – little girl’s got a short memory span!! I would like to bring to your attention, though, that most of these “forgotten” things would include movie quotes or specific dates that an event occurred – the like of which many would have a hard time recalling at light speed. The really imperative information is stored in an easily accessible section. At least I thought it was. Today, in my attempt to be an encouraging and uplifting individual, I bought a bible for a friend that needed one. It’s beautiful – green and brown with some embroidering on it. I picked a verse that made me think of her and inscribed the bible with a message. Just as I was slipping it back into its box an eerily familiar feeling rushed over me – “Have a done this already?”. Now I remember that I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, but for some reason it feels all too familiar. Of course now it’s too late to return it (seeing as it has a personal message written in it) so I must somehow solve this elusive mystery. Stay tuned. I’ll be sure to let you know how it all ends. 

“Give it a second – it’s going to outer space” ~ Brian Regan