Summer Time!

I am officially off for summer and enjoying every minute of it! I miss my coworkers, students, and parents of course, but who wouldn't like 2 months off? So I'm spending my time working out, scrapbooking, going for long walks, and cooking (or at least trying to!). I'm also trying some painting, but it's not going so hot - my paintings end up looking like an 8 year old could do them.

I went camping a couple weekends ago at Sylvan Lake with Kel and some friends. It was the first time either Kel or I had gone camping without our parents, so it proved to be a little difficult. Parents always remember all those little things that we might possibly forget, since we haven't had to remember them before. Things like a tarp (which we had to go buy right away because it poured for the first 2 hours we were there) and an air mattress for our friends. We went water tubing on the lake and got lots of sun (in between all the rain showers - that tarp came in really handy!).

I'm also enjoying all the babies that are coming along lately - I got to hold my cousins 2 week old baby named Aria (super beautiful - both name and baby!) this week. So precious! And our friends living in Malaysia finally had their little baby - another boy! 5 other friends have all had babies recently and they've all been boys, so boy overload! But they are all super adorable and amazing! God has been so good to our friends!

Some other fun news is that the date to move into our house has been moved up from October 28 to September 29 - WOOHOO! A whole month early - Shane Homes has been super good to us! We had a walk through last week and it was super exciting to see our new house, even if it wasn't finished. After spending at least 10 hours in meetings trying to get all the details figured out, it's finally all coming together!

Kelly's sister Kori is getting married in August, so that is also exciting! Kel and I are in the wedding, and we are so pumped for her! She's marrying a great guy who used to be a pastor, but is now giving plumbing a try. She's still teaching and they've bought a duplex together (but of course aren't living together in it until they are married!).

In March I got to go back to the Caymans to visit my friends that were still there and their little baby boy. I got to babysit all week, and it was great - that was the most I'd ever spent with a baby and I learned a lot - you will sing silly songs, change diapers, get poop under your fingernails, and make good use of a "pee-pee Teepee." But it was worth it - he is so cute! Almost all our friends are now leaving the island, so we won't be having any more trips down there. The good thing is they are mostly moving back to Canada, which means they'll be closer. Although with plane tickets so high, it'll probably cost the same amount to get to Toronto as it would to get to Cayman.

I also went for my first chiropractic appointment the other day, and wow can they crack your bones like crazy! But I feel a lot better, so it must be working. It's a little scary the first time you hear all your bones go pop! But if you have a little pain in your back or neck, go see a chiropractor - I'm amazed at how much they can tell about how your feeling just by touching your spine.

Well, that's all for now - I hope you're all enjoying your summer!

God is Great!

It's been a while since I've blogged. There have been so many amazing things going on that it's hard to keep up with it all! God has been so faithful and good to Kelly and I! The blessings keep pouring in! We've had friends and cousins give birth to healthy babies, engagements, safety on trips, house/condo buying, and happiness in our lives.

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I'm still loving Calgary and my job and being back in Canada. I just returned from visiting my friends in the Caymans. Once I got there it felt like I had never left, and it was awesome to see everyone again. I got to spend tons of time with my friends' new baby who is only 5 months old. He is super cute and it was the first time I'd spend so much time with a baby. Kel was hoping spending so much time with a baby would make me want one less, seeing how much work they are. However, it did just the opposite! It was so much fun to rock him to sleep, entertain him, take him for walks, and yes, even change his diaper. So we'll see!

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Thanks for any and all prayers that have gone out regarding our Trinity family. The boy who was in the accident is back at school and doing well. The family who lost their mom is coping, and is well supported by our school with food, money, house-cleaning, and prayers.

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So I get two weeks off for Easter - just like Christmas. The time off is awesome and so relaxing. I've been able to catch up on a lot of things but also take time to relax, read, take long baths, and play my Wii. If you don't have a Wii, you need to get one! It's so much fun and it can actually be a work-out. Boxing makes me sweat after one round, and one of our friends pulled his groin bowling, so you can't say video games are just for fingers anymore!

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And the most exciting news of all that's happened lately - Kel and I bought a house!! It's in the process of being built, and through a series of meetings we've been able to pick out exterior colors, cabinets, lighting, flooring, paint colors, carpet, and appliances. It's supposed to be finished in late October, but I'll be satisfied if we can be moved in before we go on Christmas vacation. It is located just east of Spruce Meadows on the far south end of Calgary. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, 3 sitting rooms, 2 car garage, and it backs onto green space, which is an added bonus. So we'll have room for guests once we move in.

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Well, that's it for now. Hope you are all well!

A New Paradise and New Prayer Needed!

Don't get me wrong - I loved living in the Caymans - beach, sun, sand, hot weather all year round, best friends - but there really is no place like our Canada!


I have the perfect job in a great city where you can go shopping at ten an night and actually find what you are looking for. A far cry from having to stock up on shampoo and conditioner and food and clothes in the two weeks you come home for Christmas every year because the stores down there only get stock in twice a year. Anyways, I do have the best job - my school is great, with awesome teachers, parents, and kids. This school is a rare find, so rare that I think I might push back having kids 5 more years just so I can work there!

However, our school is under some sprititual warfare - last weekend one of our colleagues was killed in a car accident. She has two little girls and a husband that need lots of prayer. Also, one of our middle school students was hit by a car yesterday and is in critical condition in the ICU. We are praying hard as a school, and would appreciate any outside prayer for these families.

Anyways, Kelly says his job is okay. He has to ride the C-Train for 35 minutes there and back everyday, so that can't be too fun. The only benefit to that is I finally have a vehicle! So if I need to go somewhere after school I can do that! It's been two years since I've had that kind of freedom, and it's pretty nice.

And I'm loving Calgary - having the mountains as a backdrop is awesome, and the skiing and hiking and camping options are wonderful. We live right on the south edge of the city, so a one minute drive and we're in the country. Doesn't feel like we live in a giant city of over a million people.

I can't believe I actually missed snow - I woke up today and there was tons of snow on the ground - and I got really excited . . . until it came time to brush the 4 inches of snow off my SUV.

Sorry for the long wait for a post - hope you are all well!

New Home Sweet Home

We made it! We are safe and sound in Calgary, Alberta. Although we miss Cayman and all our friends, it is great to be back in Canada!

Our new condo is awesome - it has a skylight that lets in tons of light without a lot of hot sunshine! We have a fair size deck and the floor plan is very open, which I like. Here's a couple photos, but it's hard to get the full picture. It has it's own entrance, and we're on the second floor with no one above us, and it has two bedrooms (one that fits our king size bed!!). The outside is also really nice with rock walls and tan panelling.

We've already purchased a bed, couch, loveseat, TV (free with furniture!) and TV stand, cell phones, chest of drawers, and my favorite - our new Chevy Equinox!! It's a smaller SUV, but it does just about as good on gas as a car, with lots of room, and it handles much better than our old Hyundai Accent!! It's a contest between Kelly and I to see who gets to drive it each time! The biggest difference here is we can get things right away - all our stuff was delivered within a couple days!! Yeah for efficiency and customer service again!

Best of all, I'm only a ten minute drive from school, which is incredible for Calgary!! And even if Kelly works downtown, we've discovered it only takes 30 minutes in rush hour, so that's not bad either! Kel has had lots of interviews, and he's looking for the right one. He says he might want to wait until December to make a choice, but I said he only has until the end of September! :o)

Our trip to Quebec was really great - we got some tours of old Quebec (which is apparently 400 years old!), had a river boat cruise on the St. Lawrence river, and had a carnaval dress up night where we all dressed up in awesome costumes (I was a geisha (if you know what that is you'll get a kick out of it!) and Kelly wore a dress - which was supposed to be a caveman outfit but ended up looking like a spotted leopardskin dress - we had a great time laughing over it!). Rick Mercer was our surprise guest speaker, and was totally awesome! I haven't laughed so hard for so long ever! We also got to listen to Randy Bauchman and Burton Cummings live (from the Guess Who and BTO), and they totally rocked! They sing songs like Taking Care of Business and American Woman. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and the Tim Horton's franchise did a great job organizing everything - things started on time and were finished on time. And they had a big job to do - there were 2,400 people at this thing! We had to take 57 chartered buses to the river boat cruise! That's a pic of me with the Chateau Frontenac (not sure I spelled that right!) in the background - the most beautiful hotel in Quebec - looks like an old castle!

But that's a lot for now - hope all your summers are going great!

Leaving Cayman

We leave on Tuesday for Montreal, Quebec, where we will stay overnight and take a train to Quebec City on Wednesday. We will spend 5 days at a Tim Horton's Convention, eating great food, staying in a super nice hotel, and exploring the city.

We will then fly, on July 30, to Calgary, which will become our new home. I have such mixed feelings - so excited for the changes about to happen, yet sad to be leaving everything my life has been these last two years. However, all the wonderful friends, memories, and pictures I have will stay with me forever. Some of the memorable things about this strange little island are:

Island Motto: "If it can be done tomorrow, it can wait 'till next week." - Things take FOREVER to happen in the Cayman Islands. Our internet and phone got hooked up a month after applying for it. Driving down the road and seeing 10 men sitting around watching one man do all the work makes me laugh, as well as seeing the guy who is cutting the grass in the ditches leaning back over his riding lawnmower sleeping away at any time of the day. Getting any kind of government form means standing in line for 2 hours, only to find out that you need to stand in yet another line after that for another hour, then you need to go get another form and fill it out and return the next day . . . and on it goes. You just simply have to learn to relax and become laid back if you want to survive here and not become eternally frustrated.

Cultural Division- there are so many different cultures on this island, and it's so strange to see the majority of people sticking with their own groups. There are the few exceptions of course, but the majority of Jamaicans stick with Jamaicans, the Philipinos with Philipinos, and so on. What an amazing opportunity to learn about other cultures and people, yet we often stay in our own comfort zone, with people from our own culture.

Weather - I've never seen so many green an lush things live in a place that goes 6 months with no rain. Our dry season lasts about 6 months with maybe the occasional spitting of rain. The weather is slightly cooler at this time (4 to 5 degrees F). Then comes the rainy season of summer. Never have I seen so much rain fall, witness the rapid growth of plants (so fast that you can see it day to day), or felt such unbelievable heat that you sweat uncontrollably whenever you are outside, even for 10 seconds. I'm looking forward to the seasons - even winter!

Scenery - It is impossible to describe the beauty that you can find on this island. 7 mile beach - really only 5, so someone must have measured wrong :o) - just seems to go on forever with the softest sand ever and the most brilliant shades of ocean blue I've ever imagined. Everywhere you look there are green plants with budding flowers all year long. Giant palm trees stick up everywhere, and you can pretty much find an iquana just by looking up a tree.

Odds and Ends - driving on the left side of the road in a car that has the steering wheel on the right side was a super fun challenge (your signal switch and windshield wipers are also switched around) , trying to walk somewhere when there are no sidewalks and you're almost getting hit by traffic, driving slow because there are 2 guys trying to ride one bike and they are swerving all over the road, taking twice as long to get to work simply because it's raining out (equate it with ice in Canada), having A/C in your house but no heater, hearing 10 different accents as you go shopping, eating outside at restaurants 365 days a year, wearing your bathing suit more than your clothes, and the packs of wild dogs and groups of chickens that aimlessly wander around everywhere (try sleeping in when there is a rooster cock-a-doodle-doing outside your window!)

I'll miss this place - but I know God has great plans for us in Calgary!

Enjoying the summer. That's what I've been trying to do. While it's been sad to say goodbye to everyone these past few weeks, I've been having fun with my last weeks here in Cayman. My sister Kori has been down for a couple weeks, and we've been living the no-work summer life of teachers. We wake up every morning and work out for an hour or two, then swim and sit by the pool for another few hours. Last week in the evenings we did an Upward Basketball Camp with kids from church. This week we're doing more touristy things, like going to Stingray City, horseback riding on the beach, and SCUBA diving.

Thanks to God's goodness, we have found a wonderful place to live in Calgary only 10 minutes away from my school!! That was my biggest concern moving to Calgary - having an hour long commute to work. Who wants to waste two hours a day driving to and from work? Not I. Also, it's only a year old, and the rent is much cheaper than a lot of other places we've been looking at (plus it includes a washer, dryer, and dishwasher, which are in short supply). We are very blessed!

Before we move home - in 19 days :( - we are going to a Tim Horton's convention in Quebec City for 5 days. That will hopefully take the sting off of moving home a little bit - kind of like a little vacation before reality sets in. We get to go on tours of the city, stay at a fabulous hotel, eat all the free food we want (which isn't necessarily a good thing), go on a boat ride down the river, and lots of other fun stuff. I've never even been out east before, least of all to the French speaking part of Canada. Should be a fun experience, although I hardly remember anything of my 12 years of French education (well worth it, obviously!).

Not much else is up down here, but I'll post when we get settled in Calgary and hopefully get internet quickly (which ended up taking a month to get hooked up down here - no kidding!). Also, I've made a Facebook page, so if you're into that kind of thing (and even know what that means!!) check me out. Au revoir!!

Saying Goodbye

Well, it's about that time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven." This has been and will be particularly applicable to our lives this month. God has made a special time for everything, and our time down here is almost over. We are saying goodbye to many of our friends, which is very hard, since they have been our family down here. Everybody who comes to live down here leaves all family behind, so your friends become your new family. You spend a lot of time together and learn so much about each other.

We said goodbye to a couple last weekend, Barend and Annami, that were the mature, wise, God-centered couple that you could go to for prayer, guidance, advice, or help of any kind. I worked with both of them at school, and will greatly miss our conversations, as they had a way of turning any moment into a laughable one. They are off to Panang, in Malaysia, to work at a Christian boarding school.

On Monday, we will say goodbye to a great couple, Richard and Tamryn, who have been the "opposite" couple; he is very outgoing, sporty, and adventurous. She is shy, sweet, caring, gentle, and loving (basically what you think of when you think of a great Christian woman), but they have something great in common; they are both fiercely devoted to God. She is also pregnant, so there is added sadness at the thought that we will not see their up-coming baby. They are off, back home to South Africa, where she can become the amazing mother we all know she will be, and he will be a sports coach (mostly tennis, although he excels at others, such as golf), which is a huge passion and gift for him.

We say goodbye to another wonderful couple on Wednesday, Alan and Cristal. They are going away for the next few months, but will be returning to the Cayman Islands. However, we must say goodbye to them now, as we will be gone by the time they come back. They are the cuddle couple, who love to spend almost all their time together. They are kind, considerate, and accommodating. They are also great listeners, which is a rare gift to have, and are always there when you need someone to talk to. I worked with Cristal at school and Kelly worked with Alan. In fact, Cristal and I worked right across the hall from each other, so we were able to see each other a lot, or on busy days we at least got to pop in and say hi. That will be a hard thing to get used to next year.

Our friend, Marius, will also be staying in Cayman. He is our super runner of the group, participating in all the runs on the island, where he always manages to win first place. We see him running or biking on the side of the road more often than we see him hanging out for the weekend. He is also an avid cliff jumper, loving to jump off one of the highest points of the island (30 - 40 feet), climb back up, and do it again. He has a straightforward personality, and will tell it like it is. You never have to guess what he is thinking, because he will tell you. Good to have around! He is also from South Africa, and we will miss his health centered (except for the binges where he eats a whole bag of family size Cheetos by himself) outlook on life.


And we will say goodbye to Josh and Rebecca last, at the end of the month. They, too, will be staying on Cayman. They are an energetic, outgoing couple who also happen to be having a baby in November. They are our "double couple." Kelly and Josh have very similar personalities, and Rebecca and I have very similar personalities. It is so fun to listen to Rebecca tell me a story about Josh (how he hates any leftover condiment, like dressing, not eaten off a plate), and it is exactly the same as something Kelly has done (why did you take more ketchup than you needed?). We have quite the good laugh over these though. And the boys have similar tales to tell about us. Like the way we always forget something in the house (I forgot my sweater, wait just a second!) or do silly, inefficient things (having to backtrack when shopping, or waiting until getting to the front door before getting our keys out of our purses). I'm sure a lot of husbands and wives can relate to these kinds of things.


So this month is a month for goodbyes. We just hope that we will all be able to stay in touch over the next few years, and hopefully see each other again sometime in our lives. But as this season is growing to a close, a new season is beginning. We will be starting new jobs in a big new city, looking for new places to live, new vehicles, starting new friendships, and finding a new church to call home. And most importantly, we will be closer to our families, which will be another good change. We just need to remember to trust God for our growing list of needs in the next month. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." says Proverbs 3:5. A lot of things will be changing, and we need to make sure to trust in God's plan for us, and not on what we understand to be the best things for us. Your prayers would be appreciated as we start this new journey in our lives! Blessings!