update on a busy couple of weeks

Well, the Kananaskis trip was a blast. It was so much easier than my normal shifts because I didn't have to make supper, clean, do dishes, or do laundry! I only had helped set the table or clean up sometimes, and dish duty was pre-assigned. Sweet. The rest of the time we puzzled,
played games, had a snowball fight (these 3 are staff, by the way), sang, sat in vehicles, etc. I even got enough alone time to satisfy me - time logging for clients and at night, time to sit up and read or write after people had gone to bed. That was nice.
(The cabins from the outside - they're really nice 2 or 3 bedroom cabins; we had 4 for our group of 22.)


The clients decorated cookies on the 13th with icing and toppings... some went all-out, others not so much! :) We staff just got to eat some... yummy!

Wednesday (Valentine's Day) we drove to Lake Louise
(it took like 2 hours!) to eat lunch and then go on a sleigh ride down one side of the lake. It was sweet and fun. Beautiful day. (I can't really put pix of clients up so that's why all the scenery only. :)) I love snow-laden trees.


(the winter garb of the mountains at the far end of the lake)

In Banff we (my 2 clients & I) shopped, ate supper at Tony Roma's, shopped quickly some more, and then went to the hot springs. That was fun but too short once we got in and had to get out again for people to get ready again in time to leave! :( I randomly ran into my aunt in the change room, so that was funny. I knew they were in the area for a couple days but they were staying in Canmore and skiing in Lake Louise. Anyway, their hotel's hot tub wasn't working so they got free passes for Banff Hot Springs. :) Funny. I hadn't seen them in over a year though, so that was cool.

Pictures from Kananaskis Village (basically some hotels & a few stores):


When I got home Friday afternoon, I came home and ate and was soon off to a Creation conference that was being held. I could actually go to the Friday pm part because I didn't have to work that night! Yay. It was VERY good, informative, interesting, and relevant to our culture. I bought some books to read and a DVD of the sessions to loan to some people who I think would be interested. :)

(dinosaur exhibit from the traveling Creation museum)

That Sunday Julie came to visit for 3 nights. That was fun. It was her reading break last week so she was able to come see my house, finally! She had to go back Wed. to work though. I had Monday off because it was a holiday, so at least we had a couple days to do stuff. Tuesday-Thursday was the Prairie missions conference, so we went to 2 of the a.m. chapels. The speaker (Floyd McLung) was really good, and we got to see 2 of our Crossworld peeps. :)

We didn't take pictures together except for some on my computer... check 'em out. ;)

somewhat normal...

sneaky Julie wrecks Esther's attempt at a nice pic

must've been a warm night!

I bet you've never seen us like this before! ;)

As I've already posted, the rest of the week (at work) was challenging, so hopefully next week goes better! I was ready for this weekend to rest & do some other stuff. Sunday I played piano at church to accompany my roomie who was singing for offertory. It went pretty well.

Oh, and my arm is a LOT better. I think the restful week at K. helped, and this week it got even more better. ;) At church all these people were asking about what had happened. I was confused till I saw the prayer sheet with my name under the "sick or recovering from surgery" part! Apparently it was on there last week too. Watch what you write in your emails, Mom & Dad! :D Oh well. I was able to tell some people what it was about and that I was better, so hopefully they can spread the word, hehe. At least it was getting prayed for I guess, maybe that's why it's better now.

Have a great week everyone! March already, wow!

AAAAARGH!!!!!!!

I think tonight (Wednesday) was the most frustrating night of work I've had yet. OH MY WORD....

There's one lady that tests my patience like no other. Yesterday she was a bit of a pain at bedtime, but today she completely freaked out, becoming extremely agitated and angry due to a consequence being enforced. When that happens she gets really whiney, demanding, and manipulative. I really wished we could force her to sit or go to her room or something, but of course we can't do anything "restrictive" or mean. So the other staff and I reasoned or talked calmly with her, got the other residents out of the way, and tried to keep ourselves out of her way. Eventually she got calmed down but was far from docile the rest of the night.

I can see that she is in my life to make me more Christ-like! Please pray for me that I'd remember this and thank God for it! She will help me grow, but I'm sure it'll be a hard process. I really cannot love her on my own, only through Jesus. So I pray that I'll be able to love her as He would - unselfishly giving and serving. It'll be really strange to be kind to her and still offering to serve her when she least deserves it, but I believe that's what He'd do. (He did do that with all of us, saving us when we were still sinners who hated Him!) And just maybe that'll be the thing that finally breaks through to her. No sarcastic comments or cutting reprimands, but wisdom in knowing how to answer her and serve her while still teaching her some things and not letting her "win" so the behavior continues. What a hard balance.

Thanks for your prayers, friends.

"Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No"

Jill Paquette is one of my favorite female Christian artists. Her lyrics are powerful, from the heart, and her gentle guitar-playing soothes my soul. This song describes my feelings tonight. May it encourage you as well, wherever you are in your journey and whatever it is that you might be facing. What a blessing to know we can always trust God as our loving and sovereign Father, no matter what.

Easy isn't what I'd call this
Who knows what easy means
The more I try to make this happen
The less it's clear to me
The hope that keeps me moving
Is in Your promises to me
And right now that's enough,
It's gonna have to be

Sometimes yes, sometimes no
Sometimes that's the way it goes
You're not giving any secrets away
Who's to know, who's to say
Sometimes it's hard to live this way
Holding on, letting go
When it's sometimes yes
And sometimes no

I wanna know just what it looks like
What the answer's gonna be
I wanna grab hold of something
To give me some security
And know it's You I'm hearing
Gently helping me to see
When everything I've prayed for
Is not Your will for me

Sometimes yes, sometimes no
Sometimes that's the way it goes
You're not giving any secrets away
Who's to know, who's to say
Sometimes it's hard to live this way
Holding on, letting go
When it's sometimes yes
And sometimes no

It's not poetic justice
That has me waiting all this while
It's the way a loving father
Deals with his child

So this is how I'm learning
Holding on and letting go
Sometimes yes and sometimes no
It's sometimes yes, sometimes no

A Hymn to God the Father, by John Donne

Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And, having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.

there's a first time for everything

More specifically, my first broken bone!

Well actually, a tiny fracture, but hey... I went back to the hospital today to follow up on my elbow before I go away for a week. My elbow is super bruised (it looks pretty cool actually) but a bone in my forearm hurts the most. So I got 6 more x-rays (I bet I'm going to get cancer now from all the radiation I've been through in the past 2 months...) of my elbow and arm this time. Now a couple of the elbow ones showed a small fracture at the top of the radius bone (at the elbow). That's the bone that's hurting halfway down my forearm, apparently "referred pain" from the fracture because it's fine where the pain is.

So, I was glad to find a cause for all the pain (something more than just a sprained tricep tendon anyway)! It's gotten way better this week but still hurts for certain twisting motions (like stirring or washing dishes), carrying something heavy, pushing, leaning on it, etc. (Tonight I was helping clients pack and it was really hard to roll clothes or sleeping bags as I couldn't put too much weight on my arm or my other knee!)

Oh, and I can't do anything about it except wait and keep resting it. It's supposed to heal itself. Too bad I don't have a cast for everyone to sign. Oh wait, you could "sign" my blog with your comments! :D Just pretend. (hint, hint... since I never get many comments!)


Next week I'm going on a business trip.
Haha, that sounds so professional. Actually, all our clients are going to Kananaskis for a holiday, and I get to go along (only some staff are going)! I'm really looking forward to it - it's still work (and 24-hour shifts!) but will be much different from the routine. We hang out in cabins or something (I don't actually know what it's going to look like), read, play games, sing, eat, play outside, etc. On Valentine's Day we go to Lake Louise to see the Chateau and go on a sleigh ride (sweet!) and then to Banff to shop, eat supper, and go to the hot springs. I'm pumped for that day. :) Hopefully it's not too stressful with the 2 ladies I'll be in charge of. It will be a very long day though so I hope we're all in good spirits by the end of it. :) I haven't ever been to LL in winter, so am looking forward to that, and I haven't been to the hot springs either, even though I lived in Banff for 4 months! :) Yay.

Hope you all have a good weekend (I have so much to get done!) and Valentine's Day with your beloved or else just friends. I was telling someone this was going to be the most eventful V-Day I've ever had! :p I'll have to post details afterwards but won't be taking my computer with me for the week. Cheers!

some quotations

I got my Servant magazine (from Prairie) last week and found some good thoughts about the Church and how it must relate to a culture which has turned away from Christianity, due largely to our many mistakes in focusing on doctrine (law) instead of loving and living as Jesus would (grace).

"The cross of Christ is in itself an offense to the world; let us take heed that we add no offense of our own." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"A person must court a virgin differently than a divorcee. One welcomes the charming words; the other needs a demonstration of love to overcome inbuilt skepticism." - C.S. Lewis

There was also a great excerpt from Max Lucado's book, Cure for the Common Life, called "Unpacking Your Bag." It was about how God has packed us all with specific gifts in order to do a specific job. It went hand-in-hand with our Sunday morning message on spiritual gifts! I like it a lot. Here's a couple excerpts.

[Secular thinking] simply says, "You can be anything you want to be." But can you? If God didn't pack you with the meat sense of a butcher or the world vision of an ambassador, can you be one? An unhappy, dissatisfied one perhaps. But a fulfilled one? Absolutely not. You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be. God never mass-produces people. He didn't hand you your granddad's bag or your aunt's life; he personally and deliberately packed you. When you live out of the bag God gave, you discover an uncommon joy.

God gives us these gifts not for our own gain, but to use for Him! Many sinful occupations and behaviors would end if everyone worked to please God. "If I'm repairing a car for God, I'm not going to overcharge his children. If I'm painting a wall for God, do you think I'm going to use paint thinner?"

In response to people who hate their jobs, instead of quitting right away Lucado suggests changing your attitude toward it. Every day and all we do belong to God, and He's with us all the time. So "take Christ to work with you" and honor Him in your actions and attitudes.

May these encourage you today as you interact with non-Christians (remember to LOVE them!) and as you work, serving God with your gifts.

an exercise in patience & positivity...

I'm beginning to feel like a walking accident.

I never used to get hurt or go to the hospital, but since coming back here in August it's been one thing after another. My first time entering the Health Centre here was in September, even though I'd been living here for 4 years. (That should tell you something!) In September I went to emergency for a swollen, sore eye; in November I sliced my finger badly on a screw (but didn't go to any doctors); in January I twisted my left knee skiing (went to emerg & got x-rays, went to another doctor later, and I finally start physio this Monday); and yesterday I fell on an icy sidewalk and sprained my right elbow. (I fell on my hands but that jarred my elbow.) Way to start off February!

Seriously, this stuff never happens to me & I never get really sick with anything. What's going on? Am I hanging around accident-prone people too much?

I fell at 1:30, on my way to practice a piano concerto with a friend, so that ended up not happening! I could bend it quite a bit at first and nothing felt broken, so I figured I could leave it and see what it was like in the morning. I decided to still go to work but it got progressively worse. I had to do everything left-handedly (except write logs - that was painful!) and hold my arm as though it were in a sling.

I decided to go to emerg right away after work, and phoned my boss, whose husband picked me up. Bless their hearts. I was crying by then from the pain & frustration. I was there nearly an hour for the registering, getting examined, and getting some Ibuprofen and a sling, before I got home. I went back this morning for x-rays and "wasted" nearly 2 hours there, just waiting to find out that nothing was broken and get a thing to rest my arm in. Fun times.

Thankfully it's MUCH better today, more mobility and less pain because the swelling is down a lot. Honestly, have you ever tried to do everything left-handed or with one hand? It's awfully hard to brush your teeth, change clothes, put on coats, etc. But today I can even type and do some things with my right arm. :) I'm supposed to rest my arm for 4-5 days, ice it, etc.

So the things I'm thankful for in the midst of this:

• it didn't happen before my piano exam
• I can still sing
• I don't absolutely have to play piano soon
  
• the girls I accompany for will be understanding that I can't play for them on Monday (I think! ;))
• my elbow didn't break
• I didn't fall on my bad knee
• I carried home a bunch of heavy groceries the night before, and did laundry the day before too
  
• health care, even though it means lots of waiting
• my job yesterday involved taking clients places and not a lot of physical work
  
• a good coworker who was able to do a lot of the harder work last night while I did more fun things (and things easier on my arm!)
• a kind boss and friend
• pain killers
• I was able to sleep well last night
• I have a weekend to get somewhat better
  

I was reading yesterday morning about the Shunammite woman and how God tested her faith in various ways. So when this unexpected thing happened, I refused to get too discouraged, but looked for ways to still praise God. After all, it's not like it's the end of the world. Maybe He's trying to teach me patience through these things, or empathy for those I work with, or something! It's definitely made me realize how I take my working body for granted, never thinking about those joints & ligaments until they don't work properly!

Hope you all have a better weekend, and don't fall! :)

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

Oh my goodness....

Just as I was finishing that post about my theory exam, I decided to go to the RCM site to see when the dates are for the next session, in case I want to do a history exam then. Just for kicks, I thought I'd look at the "examination results" section to see if my supplemental results were already in (but I doubt it, it's only been 2 weeks)...


and...


they were!


Even better, I GOT AN 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just sat here and screamed (quietly, my roommate's in bed) and laughed and thanked God. I can't believe it!!!! Even in my wildest dreams I hadn't imagined getting a grade that good! Wow, too bad that lady wasn't my adjudicator in the first exam! She must have marked pretty easily, because I know my technique wasn't that great!! (I needed a 14/20 in that section and last time I'd gotten only a 13.)

But hey, I won't complain - I'm too happy right now! I need to find my teacher and friends and tell them!!!

Thanks Connie, Karen, Michele, & Vernon for your direct help with lessons and mock exams, and for the encouragement. I needed all that to feel confident and ready!
Thanks family & friends, so much, for praying.
Thanks Judy & Yontzes for helping me to be able to get to the exam!
THANKS GOD!!!