I'm back!

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay between posts! It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

To update you on the CN Tower Climb - Chant:) - my team climbed the CN Tower on April 16th as part of the corporate climb. (The personal one was two days later.) It was cool to be part of the team that sponsored the climb; Canada Life sponsors the corporate climb and we're with Canada Life as well. Our team name was the "Canada Life Stair Killaz."

We took a bus from our downtown office with the other Canada Life teams. We were the first team ever from the client center so that was a plus. Before the climb, we got to go to the top of the Canada Life building in Toronto, at the top of which is a weather beacon many people used to predict daily weather forecasts.

I don't have any photos myself, but if you'd like to view some, there's a short slideshow one of the team members put together on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29391964@N04/sets/72157606617129505/show/

Now I can say I climbed the CN Tower in 17 min 16 sec! Woo hoo! Next year, under 15:)

That weekend, my brother Mathieu took the train from Ottawa to visit us, and we had a chill weekend together. It was great to hang out with him more one-on-one, which we don't get much of on holidays, at my house:)

Then, on Tuesday, Liz and I flew to Florida to visit my aunt and uncle at their place they have there. Naomi (our younger sister) flew from Ottawa and we all met up before driving to their place, right near Daytona Beach. They had invited us to come while they were there, and they spoiled us the whole time with great (and healthy!) food, awesome conversations, and with all kinds of activities. They live right close to the beach, and have a community pool across the road, and tennis and shuffleboard. I have acquired a taste for shuffleboard and hope to revolutionize it in London as a sport for the young, not just the retired:) You should try it, really!

*Note*: I have only a few photos from the trip, but hope to post more when I get some from my sister.

Nancy and Liz showing off their moves at shuffleboard

First day, just arrived- I look so silly, small at the end of the couch, haha-really we're all close in size


Mmm, a delicious Korean dinner


I had gotten a haircut and they straightened it too- clearly didn't stay straight very long!

Well, that's all she wrote ... for now! I'll post more photos later. Thanks for reading!

The view from a taxicab

So much is happening lately! I feel a little wrung out and nervous, since I haven't been sleeping well, I've been really busy, and I'm climbing the CN Tower today! Wowee!!!

Guess what? I just got a part-time job (to supplement my full-time job!) at a great little coffee shop near my house. I started yesterday and even went to a staff meeting last night, all in one day! With work and Bible study in between. It was certainly a full day.

On Tuesday morning, I had gone in to the coffee shop because they had called the day before, and we arranged for me to come in the following morning for an hour. Because I didn't leave myself much time, I had to take a taxi to work, which I don't like spending money on, but it turned into a blessing in disguise. I had to pay 50 cents to call the taxi from a pay phone- guess I won't call from there again- but as we drove to work, the driver had the Christian station on, and it was Charles Stanley or one of these speakers. The message was forceful and to the point, about not letting sin get an edge in our lives because we'll never be satisfied by it.

I asked the driver, "Are you a Christian?" He said yes, and asked me where I worship. It turns out we know some of the same people because I knew some people from his church.

This encouraged me so much that I couldn't help but see my workplace and coworkers in a different light as I walked in. It's not just me in my bubble- there are people around me that I want to be open about Jesus with, because He's a huge part of my life that I don't want to hide.

In addition to challenging me in my daily perspectives, this encounter affirmed once again the presence of God in my life, and the way He works and speaks, so kind in His persistence. It showed me that He is integral in my life, and that I can't change that. It also gave me hope that worrying about my future won't get me anywhere, because in London, one taxi driver plays the Christian station all day so that his customers will have something to think about, and this to me speaks more strongly of the love of Jesus than anything else from that day.

Thanks for reading, I just wanted to share this because it really changed my morning and hopefully I'll remember this later on.

Easter Weekend (Part 2)

Kristen recounted the legend of Kitchikewana to us on this rock, as we sat by the Giant's Tomb. Here's the story in a nutshell, from http://www.abouthegreatlakes.com/gbay.htm:

Huron Indian legend tells of a god called Kitchikewana, who was large enough to guard the whole of the Georgian Bay. Kitchikewana was known for his great temper and one day, in a fit of rage, he dug a giant hand into the ground and flung the dirt he pulled up into the Great Lakes. Thus the 30 000 Islands were created. The indentations left behind by his fingers form the five bays of Georgian Bay: Midland Bay, Penetang Bay, Hog Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Matchedash Bay. He then lay down to sleep and sleeps there still as Giant's Tomb Island.

Kristen, gnawing on a tree

What caution tape?

The trail we were on stopped at one point, with caution tape and signs about maintenance, but we didn't let it stop us. We thought, what's the worst they could close the trail for? It turns out there were a bunch of stairs missing on the downhill part, but we proceeded with some trepidation and made it just fine.

It was wonderful to be outdoors and to enjoy being by the water for a few hours- very refreshing for the spirit. It was great to hang out with Jenny and her family and be in their home for the weekend.

I took the bus home on Sunday afternoon, then hung out with a few friends for a while. A full weekend all around!

Happy Easter!

Easter Weekend (Part 1)

Aaahhh, how gorgeous is this view, don't you think? I could have sat here all day except for the wind. On the weekend, I visited my former roommate Jenny at her family's home on Georgian Bay (part of Lake Huron). I've never been to this part of Ontario so it was fun to travel through, north of Barrie (north of Toronto). From her living room, you can see the bay just behind the cottages across the road, it's so close. Her family often goes for a dip on this weekend but this time they didn't. I was not so inclined to freeze myself when I saw shore ice still at the water's edge!

On Saturday, Jenny, her sister Kristen and I went for a hike in Awenda, a provincial park nearby. The trails were still covered in snow but I wore thick socks with my running shoes and was able to enjoy the whole thing with relatively dry feet:) We lost the trail for a while but Kristen found it- if I was left to my own devices I would have been so lost, as my instincts pointed in the other direction! Thank goodness for people who know the woods!

Kristen's centerpiece for dinner

Kristen and Jenny, the lovely sisters:)

With Kristen's friend Steph

Jenny, being an old man

I love these shadows

Nearing the end of our hike, our feet were dragging, and, instead of sludging through snow, we decided to scale a steep, wooded hill. I definitely thought I would lose my grip and slide down the hill a few times, but we made it!

More to come soon...

Of shoes and ships and sealing wax

Since last post, I was determined to take some photos before posting again. This turned into many days, and my batteries died after only a few pictures, but I have managed to get some.

I had such a lovely cultural weekend, it was so exciting for me:) Last weekend, I had been wandering around downtown, as is my favourite weekend style. I did my taxes, then wandered around the library, then the market for a while, since Liz was sleeping and I was trying to let her actually sleep. (You know how you try to be so quiet and end up being noisier than usual? That's me every day, heheh.) I'm turning into such a grandma or something- at least, I have a strong suspicion that my pastimes are quickly becoming those usually had by empty-nesters! Oh well, I'm fine with it.

Anyways, I was getting a coffee at this sweet local coffee shop in the market, and this guy comes up to me with a card in his hand. "I saw you at the library too," he says, and hands me the card. I did remember seeing him there when I was perusing the earth day activities- the card was for a show for the Lola fest here in London, an indie music event I think. I thought, "Sweet," and put it away.

So, to actually get to the point, I invited my friend Sarah to come along and check it out with me. As it turns out, this was a pre-launch event to the actual Lola fest in the summer (London has some pretty good festivals in summertime), held at Museum London. There were three different bands from Toronto, performing on a variety of instruments (sitar I think, accordion in a box!, cello, drums, even recorder), people could sit at the tables and mingle and eat.

I have always wanted to get acquainted with the arts community in London, this elusive element, but thought I would always be on the fringe, since I didn't go to university here and don't have those connections. All of a sudden, here I am getting a personal invitation:) Well, not that personal, more like random, but I was happy.

At the event, I ended up meeting a guy that works at the coffee shop I frequent, and he was super nice- we even had some friends in common. I have to say, it was a great feeling to attend a concert with an eclectic mix of people and actually know someone, not in a church group or sports team or anything. It makes me feel like I do actually know some people in London, in the sense of running into people that you know. The organizer was really cool too, I met him as well.

On Saturday, one of the leaders at work was having an art show at his house, so a coworker and I went to check it out. He has a lot of Aztec and Native influences, and a lot of bright colours. I quite enjoyed it and wished I could have stayed longer. It left me wanting to rush home and paint something. (I didn't- instead I wandered through two different used bookstores downtown.)

Without further ado, here are my few pictures I took in the park near my house- a glimpse of spring before the snow came back the next day:(

Spring flowers

The infamous Grosvenor where runners like to train for hills- you can't see from this angle but it's quite steep

Our plant table by lamplight. Slightly creepy-looking.

I absolutely love these colours together, even on such a grey day. Cool eh?

Pretty gnarly tree, don't you think? (haha, I couldn't resist)

It seems I've actually run out of things to say (I can hear an audible sigh of relief!) So with that, I'll sign off. Tata for now!