Crush's Chronicle

Poem from the Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies

2010-02-15T20:25:00.001-05:00

We Are More by Shane Koyczan Read by Shane at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. When defining Canada you might list some statistics, you might mention our tallest building, or biggest lake, you might shake a tree in the fall, and call a red leaf Canada; you might rattle off some celebrities, might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie, might even mention the fact that we've got a few, Barenaked Ladies, or that we made these crazy things like zippers, electric cars and washing machines. When defining Canada it seems the world's anthem has been "been there done that" and maybe that's where we used to be at. It's true we've done and we've been. We've seen all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine and turned into theme parks but when defining Canada don't forget to mention that we have set sparks. We are not just fishing stories about the one that got away. We do more than sit around and say "eh?" And yes we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One who inspired little number nines and little number ninety-nines. But we're more than just hockey and fishing lines off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes. And some say what defines us is something as simple as please and thank you and as for you're welcome, well we say that too but we are more than genteel or civilized, we are an idea in the process of being realized. We are young, we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry and the design is what makes us more than the sum total of our history. We are an experiment going right for a change with influences that range from A to Zed and yes, we say zed instead of zee. We are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy. We dream so big that there are those who would call our ambition an industry because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow. We do more than grow wheat and brew beer. We are vineyards of good year after good year; we reforest what we clear because we believe in generations beyond our own knowing now that so many of us have grown past what used to be. We can stand here today filled with all the hope people have when they say things like "someday", someday we'll be great, someday we'll be this or that. Someday we'll be at a point when someday was yesterday and all of our aspirations will pay the way for those who on that day look towards tomorrow. And still they say someday we will reach the goals we set and we will get interest on our inspiration because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks, more than backpacks and hiking trails. We are hammers and nails building bridges towards those who are willing to walk across. We are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss. We are not the see-through gloss or glamour of those who clamour for the failings of others. We are fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers, uncles and nephews, aunts and nieces, we are cousins. We are found missing puzzle pieces; we are families with room at the table for newcomers. We are more than summers and winters, more than on and off seasons. We are the reasons people have for wanting to stay because we are more than what we say or do, we live to get past what we go through and learn who we are. We are students, students who study the studiousness of studying so we know what as well as why. We don't have all the answers but we try and the effort is what makes us more. We don't all know what it is in life we're looking for so keep exploring, go far and wide or go inside but go deep. Go deep as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss and suddenly there was this location scout trying to figure some way out to get inside you because you've been through hell and high water and you went deep. Keep exploring because we are more than a laundry list of things to do and places to see. We are more than hills to ski or countryside ponds to skate. We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait. We are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes. A country that is all the ways you choose to live, a land that can give you variety because we are choices. We are millions upon millions of voices shouting " keep exploring... we are more". We are the surprise the world has in store for you it's true. Canada is the "what" in "what's new?" So don't say "been there done that" unless you've sat on the sidewalk while chalk artists draw still lifes on the concrete of a kid in the street beat boxing to Neil Young for fun. Don't say you've been there done that unless you've been here doing it. Let this country be your first-aid kit for all the times you get sick of the same old same old. Let us be the story told to your friends and when that story ends, leave chapters for the next time you'll come back. Next time pack for all the things you didn't pack for the first time but don't let your luggage define your travels. Each life unravels differently and experiences are what make up the colours of our tapestry. We are the true north strong and free and what's more is that we didn't just say it we made it be. I really enjoyed this and wanted to post it for those who may not have heard him recite it and for those who wanted to experience it again. This was copied from The Vancouver Sun (online edition) Friday February 12, 2010. Thanks Shane. Yep, you summed it up alright!

Praising

2010-01-21T22:30:00.001-05:00

I continue to read stories and see images of Haiti. Constant reminders of how different life is there, of how blessed I am here, of what we need to do as human beings and as Christians, well, too too many more to list. My heart breaks each and every single time I read a headline or a story related to what has been going on in Haiti. Tonite after dinner I was reading a story online about a father's desperation and frustration at trying to locate his missing daughter who went to Haiti as a missionary...to do good...to help those in need...and now she is missing and presumed dead. Today is her birthday. She would be 20. She told her parents via phone just one hour before the quake hit that she knew she wanted to do this for the rest of her life...to be a missionary...to put others needs before her own. And now...her family waits, and I wait, and the world waits to see what will happen next. And its funny or odd or however you want to word it but each and every time my heart breaks again and the tears roll down my face again I can only hear these words in my head; "I was sure by now,God, You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to You and raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth" Those are the lyrics to the song Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns and although that song was written just after hurricane Katrina I find the words fitting for what has happened with Haiti. "The Lord who gives and takes away" I completely love, trust, have faith in and worship Jesus Christ and I always will and I trust and understand that all things happen by His will and His timing. So I trust and have faith that every single person in Haiti and around the world who has been affected by this devastation is all part of His plan in some way or another. I do not believe He caused the quake (our slowly destroying His planet is probably most likely the cause of the quake) but I believe that we will learn from all of this and hopefully will be moved to action, to great feats of human kindness and physical response. But it hasn't been an easy way to learn or be motivated to action. My heart is not the same today as it was an hour before that earthquake hit Haiti. I've changed. I hope you have too. But I WILL praise Him in this storm, and the next, and the next and the next for without Him I would learn nothing, be unable to act upon anything and be unwilling to do whatever it takes to do whatever is needed by anyone, anywhere. "The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Psalms 9:9-10 (NLT) Amen

Heartbroken

2010-01-14T18:41:00.001-05:00

I am absolutely heartbroken. The devastation from that 7.0 earthquake in Haiti is mind-blowing. I have trouble wrapping my head around what they are dealing with. Its so frustrating to hear reports from CNN that say "all they need is an electric saw to free people from the rubble. People who have been trapped for the last 48 hours". Its so heart wrenching to see photos and videos of children laying dead in the streets. Tonite we watched a surgeon tend to a 15 day old girl who had a head injury and we listened as the doctor told of how her mother was killed and they believe the child is now an orphan. Hearing people tell of what they experienced, what they've lost, what they need...and I sit here on a laptop eating my dinner in my nice warm home while the tv is on in the background. My kids are healthy and safe. Ceilidh and I cried together tonite during the evening news. We feel so helpless, so useless. The Canadian Government (I have heard....must look into this more) is apparently matching donations dollar for dollar to Haiti. We are donating what we can. We are praying night and day for these people and the aid workers who are trying to help. Please, please, please do what you can to help these people who literally have nothing. If what you can is donating, fabulous but if you can't don't sweat it but please pray. Even if you are not a "religious" or spiritual person, please just say even one little prayer of help and strength for these people. Wouldn't you want them to do it for you if the situation was reversed? Please

Hello 2010!

2010-01-01T12:34:00.001-05:00

Man what a crappy year 2009 was. Soooo glad its over. Praying God has wonderful things in store for us in this brand new year. I get to start my new year with getting hooked up to a holter monitor to wear for 72 hrs to see why I keep getting palpitations. I say I don't need the holter, I know why I keep getting palpitations, its because I'M OLD!! So just leave me alone and let me revel in my oldness! I also look forward to the office where I work changing locations. We will be moving to a new building in April or May and although I don't welcome all the work that will be involved with that move, I do welcome the change of scenery just for the adventure of new surroundings. Brad is going back to school and the kids will be soon as well. Its back to the old grind. Oh well, I do look forward to seeing what God has in store for us and I pray whatever happens He gives us the strength to get through it all, good and bad! God bless you everyone now in 2010 and always.

New Post

2009-12-28T21:43:00.001-05:00

I just realized this evening that the last time I posted a blog was almost 2 1/2 years ago when I was hired to work at the Ophthalmic Surgeons office that I no longer work for! Phew that was a mouthful. So here is an extremely brief update. 2009 was an absolutely horrible year no ifs ands or buts about it. In February we lost Brad's dad to a stroke and my mom had a very slight stroke as well in February. Brad was going to school full time, working full time, pastoring at a church and trying to manage a family. His stress level was very high. I was very stressed at my former job to the point of being diagnosed with IBS and travelling through various doctors offices to try and find some sort of treatment that would work. Ceilidh struggled for much of the year with recurrent fevers and stomach pain that to this day were never diagnosed. Noah continues to struggle with patching his eye but Ceilidh did well enough with it that she no longer has to wear one. Brad finished his placement with Facer in August and we re-joined First Baptist Thorold which was a true blessing. I was soon voted in as a member of the directors board there and I am also involved with Sunday morning worship once a month which is really cool. Due to ++ stress at my former job and a few other reasons I decided to quit and did so without the safety net of another job to go to. Because I was out of work Brad dropped out of school just until I could find a new job to help us financially. I searched for work for 4 months and was unemployed for 3 months. I finally was blessed to receive a full time job at a doctors office here in Niagara and I love, love, love it there. The work is terrifically stress free and I love my co-worker/supervisor Mina. Together we are M and M! Brad's status at the newspaper changes pretty much daily. Lots of cut backs and layoffs and job dissolution within SunMedia. It gets scarier every year. We have also seen lots of our family members and friends lose their jobs or be cut back etc during a very volitile and unstable recession this year. I have also noted a huge number of my friends getting divorced and each time I hear of such things my heart breaks a little more. Various family members and friends over the year have had lots of health problems and our prayer list seemed to grow leaps and bounds each and every day. But God is good and I trust in the Lord with all my heart. He continues to see me, my family and my friends through each and evey day whether they be good or bad. As long as I know He is with me (and I know He is) then I can continue to sleep at night and not fear. "because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:14-16 After all tomorrow is another day and I have no idea what He has in store for me but I do know that I can trust Him to see me through it. And there is no point in complaining because no one really wants to hear it anyway and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I'm just praying that 2010 is a little better for everyone. Happy New Year and God bless you all. Mich

FINALLY... I've waited soooo long to post this...

2007-08-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

I FINALLY GOT A NEW JOB and no it's not at Timmy's. I start Aug 13 at an Optometrist's office in the city. I will be an Opthalmic Technician and I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and support over the last 6-7 months. It is greatly appreciated. This is a full-time job (yay so Brad gets to stay in school). God is great!!!!! We are so amazingly blessed. He completely has opened a new door for me and I can't wait to go through it. Thanks again everyone...well, anyone who reads these anymore...Thanks :-) So the "eye" profile shot is very fitting. Who knew!! Mich

Anyone read these anymore?????

2007-07-30T17:29:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note. I had a really good job interview today and it's for a full time job that I think I would really enjoy. Please keep me in your prayers. Much appreciated!!!!!

Hey Cheryl...

2007-06-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

This one's for you!!! Thanks oodles and oodles for all the love and support you show not only my kids but all the kids at kidz church. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into loving my kids and sharing Christ with them. God bless you my friend. Sorry I didn't get on tape the full song but I was also in charge of photo taking as well so the video got kinda cropped. :-)

Nobody blogs anymore...except for maybe Darren.

2007-05-07T21:14:00.000-04:00

Everyone is "facebooking" now and I for one do not want to see the Blog get jealous or feel left out. So in the fine tradition of Blogging...go to www.facebook.com for updates on everyone who no longer blogs!!!!!!!

Thank you! :-)

Hey, guess what???

2007-04-18T15:11:00.000-04:00

Yep, another job interview!!! Thursday. Pray it goes well. I'm getting so frustrated with all of this. Oh and the girl who took over my homecare position at the lab quit. So I may get to do the homecare again at least for the summer now that Brad is done school till September.

Well, we'll have to wait and see.

God is good!! M :-)

Thanks for all the prayer and support...

2007-04-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

The job search continues...I'm still putting out resumes and making some phone calls but I have to admit I'm kinda discouraged and am losing the desire to keep looking. And that's not good. I did finally pick up an application for Tim Horton's but my husband hid it somewhere??? Anyway, I am really enjoying being part-time and it gives me more opportunity to do more with church and spend more time with God which I really needed. So thanks for your interest, everyone who has asked. I'm really uncertain right now just what it is God wants me to do for a living (what I'll be when I grow up!) but I trust He will show me. Maybe He already has and I missed it but with Brad's schedule I'm totally unavailable for evenings and that can put a kink in things.

I know something will come up, but maybe timing is everything. The Niagara Hamilton Association recommended Brad to the BCOQ for his credentials after the meeting he had with them last week. Brad meets with the BCOQ on Tuesday for his credentials so who knows, maybe we will be going to another church and another city before long!!! And if not that's ok after all Jesus wasn't rich and He did just fine. We will too!! :-)

HELP, I need advice...

2007-03-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Okay, here is where I am right now...uncertain, nervous, anxious and afraid.

I am still working part-time for the lab - 17.5 hours a week. Financially I needed another job or a new job about 3 weeks ago. The office I have been training in since last Friday (training without pay by the way) has in fact offered me the position...but...it is a contract position. I would not be an employee of this doctor. I would be responsible for a great deal of work (time consuming) for less money than I currently make at the lab. I would be required to travel to the US on occasion for training sessions (remember hubby works every evening and attends school during day so who do I leave kids with for 3-4 days). If I take this job I would have to quit the lab and I am only being guaranteed 4 days a week. I would be responsible for arranging my hours to meet the needs of this job and the schedule of the clinic the job is at. My job is clinical trials and I would be responsible for "drumming up clients", advertising the trial and paid based on how many I bring in for the trial. Some trials can take up to a year to complete. Because I would be a contactor, no deductions will be made for income tax, EI, Canada pension etc. I have to be available by pager at all times. And I have no assurance of liability protection as I am an independant contractor if I take this.

I like the work. But there is a lot of it. With family and church there is no way I could continue at the lab. If I don't bring in the numbers required I may not get paid and/or I may be terminated. Some of the aspects of the position I don't feel I'm fully qualified to do. And the "talk" in the beginning went from learning the job and doing it with someone to starting next week doing it all on my own. I feel really unsure about all this but I realistically HAVE TO HAVE THIS JOB. I feel like if I don't take it I'll be letting my family down, especially since we've been scrimping as it is. But for some reason, the more I'm at this place the more I get an uneasy feeling and I don't really want to be there.

My FABULOUS husband is being great. He doesn't want me to lose my mind over this. He said he trusts my instincts implicitly and feels unsure too. He suggested talking my concerns over with the Dr but the contract the Dr has given me to sign that outlines all this is pretty straight forward. I have a feeling it is written the way it is for a reason. I'm doubtful he would be willing to alter it too much, but I will talk to him about my concerns before I sign anything.

Sorry for the ranting but I'm really uncertain about this one. Why would God give me this ONLY offer (after three months of looking) if I weren't supposed to jump at it!?!

Thanks in advance for any input you can offer. You will be helping a partially insane woman avoid becoming completely insane. And for that I will be eternally grateful.
Thanks :-{

God is good and He has a great sense of humour...

2007-03-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

So, as you all know I have been looking (both actively and not so much) for a new job since the beginning of January. After handing out between 20-25 resumes, applying on-line for approx. 10 jobs and being granted one interview (and nothing else) I got a nibble. One of the random resumes I dropped off at a Dr's office in town called me to come in and "briefly speak with the doctor". That was last Wednesday. The doctor asked me to come back in today to follow around an employee and so he could get a "feel" for whether or not I would fit in. I was there today from 8:30 until noon and was told I helped a great deal. I was asked by both the employee and the Dr to return again next week for a few more hours of "seeing how this will all work out". Then the doctor asked me if I would be available the week after next for some more "seeing..."

God is good. He never lets us down and without Him we are useless (in my opinion). So He gave me exactly what I asked for. I love this job. This would be an amazing job to have - really interesting - so I really hope it works out. The timing is also perfect because I think before long I was going to have to sell the van (we don't yet own) to cover bills. So I came home today excited and eager to become a REGULAR part of that doctor's team (I pray)......

But...

When I got home there was a message from my supervisor at the part-time job I'm still with, asking me to work full time 10-6:30 Monday to Friday for the next 5 weeks. Five weeks because a co-worker has to be out of the country for that long due to a family emergency. So now what???? Do I say no to that because I've already committed to be at the doctor's office 2 days next week for 3 or 4 hours each day as part of the "seeing if I fit" or do I tell them I can no longer agree to that so I can work full time and buy groceries?????

After a quick prayer and a great sense of agreeing to "do what you said you would do", I will follow through with my committment to the doctor as I said I would today. So, I will be there with him next week instead of full time at the lab.

I'm just kinda in limbo because this great doctor (and he really is) has not mentioned anything about compensation for my time there "seeing if I will work out". Should I ask???? Or should I ask him how long he thinks I may continue training there for free??? I really don't want to be rude, or pushy but I also don't want us to be kicked out of our townhouse. Arg. God has a great sense of humour. Begging for a job one minute to be stuck deciding between two.

Why do I feel like Charlie Brown?
:-)

Anyone out there looking for a great Medical Receptionist/Lab Assistant???

2007-02-02T10:26:00.000-05:00

I really dislike looking for a job. I'm not good at it. I find talking to people about "what I can offer them" awkward and uncomfortable. Running all over Niagara Falls dropping off resumes is completely disheartening, especially when you look at the person and say "Hi how are you? Would I be able to drop off a resume here?" and they look at you with a dropped face that seems to say "why? is my job on the line or something? Do you know something I don't know?". I also get bummed when they say "Oh yes, please do because we are hiring right now" but you call back a week after dropping off the resume to hear "Sorry but we are not hiring at this time". Huh??? Oh well.

Sorry I know I'm whining and that isn't a great quality to have in a new employee. I guess what I'm really hoping for here is some input/advice. Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can go about this diffently? I've tried applying on-line and find a lot of the time the job search site hasn't updated in a while and you learn you just applied for a job that was filled 6 months ago!!!

Working from home would be ideal but because it would be ideal we know that won't happen!!! Perhaps I could run away and join the circus...although I hear they only earn peanuts!!! Get it...peanuts!!! Ha. Well, it is important to have a good sense of humour through difficult times.

Please pray for me, if you could with all this job search stuff. I had a dream one night (after getting some excellent advice from Chrissy) that showed me I should really be focusing on where God wants me to work and not just apply to the places I think I'm trained and qualified to work. So maybe working at Tim Horton's isn't that bad of an idea after all. I could tell each customer as they leave "Jesus loves you" and see if that could lead to further conversation. Perhaps I could even get a job in the kitchen icing the donuts to read "Smile Jesus loves you and so do I".

Well, I should go. I've got to find the newspaper and hit the want ads again. Thanks for reading my rant.

Mich :-)

Prayers for my daughter Ceilidh would be much appreciated...

2007-01-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

We have noticed over the past couple of months that Ceilidh seemed to have a "lazy" eye. Her right eye was fine but her left seemed to wander at times. We took her to her Pediatrician a week ago and he felt she was okay but better to be sure so he sent her to an Optometrist. Her appointment was this morning. Upon further investigation during a fairly lengthy appointment, the Optometrist discovered that Ceilidh has better than 20/20 vision (20/25)in her right eye but her left has almost no vision at all. Basically all she can see is motion. The Dr feels this probably has been there since birth (Ceilidh did have kind of a traumatic birth with various other problems at that time).

Apparently 2-3% of children under the age of 6 have this problem. There is a chance it can be corrected if it is caught early enough. She has to get glasses. We are going to pick out frames and order them tomorrow. She also has to keep her good eye (right) patched (covered) for 2-3 hours each day while wearing her glasses to try and train the bad eye to see. If this practice after a year does not correct the problem then she may be looking at surgery. If surgery is a viable option and that happens but does not correct the problem then by the age of 11 she could be completely blind in the left eye.

So if you could keep Ceilidh in your prayers the Peters family would really appreciate it. God is the great physician and my faith is in Him and Him alone completely. I am so grateful He provided us with the wonderful Optometrist that He did.

Ceilidh of course is excited about getting her beautiful new glasses which of course as Ceilidh stated earlier tonight will just maker her more beautiful than she already is!!!

Man I love that girl. Noah's only response to all of this was "Where are my sunglasses cuz I need glasses too!" Man I love that boy too.

Well, at least I'm still employed...

2006-12-20T16:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much everyone for the prayers regarding my job status. They are very much appreciated. My supervisor arrived at the lab last Friday to let me know my hours will go from 37.5 per week to between 18-20...20 on a good week. My benefits will stop and being part time I won't get paid vacation time. I am going to have to find another job. Part time would have been ideal for finally getting to spend some time with my husband but not so ideal for paying the bills. The greatest problem really is still needing to keep the kids in daycare as my hours are all in the late afternoon when Brad is at work (2:30 - 6:30) and if I do stay until 6:30 I won't be able to pick up the kids until closer to 7 as I have to walk to get them because Brad will have the van and I know our sitter cannot possibly keep them any later than 6pm.

So, long story short if you would like to continue to pray for me in the job department, that would be greatly appreciated as I'm now on the hunt again for a job that will work to our schedule. Ha ha ha.

Any way that is my update. Thanks again for your prayers and for being interested in us.

Praise God for all of the wonderful blessings He has given and continues to give us. He's the only one who knows what is best for us and I trust Him completely. And after all, He knows that I (on my own) am only good at screwing things up!!!

Mwa
Mich

The Great Wolf Lodge is great big fun!!!

2006-11-30T19:48:00.000-05:00

Brad, Ceilidh, Noah and I spent Tuesday night and most of Wednesday at the Great Wolf Lodge. They had discount rooms for a special promotion and my BRILLIANT husband booked one for us. The room was huge with a great romantic fireplace and a nice balcony with a huge bed and a kitchenette. The kids had their own "cabin" complete with bunkbeds and their own tv and video game system. Ceilidh was so excited that she could lay in bed and watch Treehouse!!! We spent most of Tuesday evening in the water park but made it to the lobby in time for the bedtime story. The animals in the photo move and talk and there was a guy named Jay who told the kids 2 stories. We had breakfast early and then hit the water park again. After many water slides and rides and wave pool time we came home and collapsed. Kids and dad slept in today but did make it to school on time. We have many photos and many memories of all the fun we had. The one that stands out the most is when we all went on one raft slide and Noah was laughing so hard he completely missed the ride. He kept saying "Is that it? What happened? Is it done? Again again again". So of course we did it a few more times.

I highly recommend this place. I don't think I would ever pay the $500.00 a night they ask for it but the discount day was perfect. The food there was just ok but everything else was fabulous. Very clean and the lifeguards were friendly and really alert. Ceilidh had one little upset and the lifeguard was instantly over to her. The only thing that wasn't so great was I forgot that people with MVP's are supposed to stay away from humidity and extreme temps. So after a few hours straight in the water park Wednesday I got, well, sick. But other than that I'd go back again in a heartbeat. We really, really, really enjoyed the time together as a family and Brad and I really needed the break away from everything. We came home to 7 messages on our answering machine but oh well, such is life.

So if you ever get the chance to go...GO, DO IT!! It's well worth it - so much fun. Sorry I'm ranting now. Anyway it was fun. Yeah Oh yeah. I

God is good. It seems I may still have a job in January after all.

2006-11-09T18:54:00.000-05:00

Okay here is the update. In the summer I gave my supervisor a letter stating that I would have to give up doing Homecare at my job because as of January Brad would need our van to get to Mac for school. So I was told today by my supervisor that my homecare job would have to be posted and I would have to train whoever they hire for this. This makes me very sad because I have, for the most part, really enjoyed the homecare just not all the travelling around and politics. I'm really going to miss all the elderly people at the nursing homes I visit and I'm even gonna miss the jail. I really love the staff there. My supervisor told me that I will probably see a reduction in my hours but they won't know for sure until possibly next week. They will "let me know". God is good and I trust Him completely. He knows what we need and what needs to happen for Brad to go to school so I really have not been worried about this, nor was I concerned about my meeting today. Brad on the other hand at first got really worried. You know the typical but how will we afford school and daycare and, and, and... I felt bad because I had a really great day today and I knew he was concerned and I wasn't. But again God is very good because at the end of the day when Brad picked me up from work he was much better and I was still in a great mood so the day ended on a good note.

A long time ago I learned to give up all financial concerns to God. I know I cannot accomplish anything without Him and I used to worry all the time about money. I decided one night a long time ago that I wasn't going to lose sleep any more about money. I trust God more than anything with everything - He can't screw up but I can and will without Him. So that night I had the best night's sleep I ever had and I've never had to be concerned since. I am again not concerned because I don't have to be. Who better to give my future over to than God? With Him I cannot possibly go wrong.

And hey if I need to I could always get a part time job at Tim Hortons. Mmmmm coffee and donuts all day!!!!!!!!! Mmmmmm. ;-)

I have the world's greatest husband.

2006-10-23T21:52:00.000-04:00

I love the sitcom "The Office". My husband knows this.

I have not been able to find season one of The Office ANYWHERE.

My husband got some money from my mom for his birthday so he went to the brand spankin new Future Shop here in Niagara with his birthday money...and came home with season one of The Office FOR ME!!!

I cried.

I have the world's greatest husband

Wow what a weekend!!!

2006-10-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

I think this past weekend was probably the best weekend I've had in a few years. Maybe even seven. You see when Brad and I lived in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan our best friends were our Pastor and his wife - Devin and Joan Seghers. Rev Dev for short. We have not seen them since we were married. We attended First Baptist Prince Albert for almost 2 years. Brad and I were baptised together on Hallowe'en 1999 - just a month and a half after our wedding. We had our names posted to the congregation to consider us for membership and before we had time to find out whether or not we could become members we moved back to Ontario. You see I really didn't like living in PA very much. Brad loved it. When we moved back to Ontario to be closer to family I never dreamed I would miss Devin and Joan and their kids Nathan and Felicia as much as I do. This past weekend the Seghers had a lay over on a flight to Istanbul for a missions trip. We were so blessed that they were able to spend that lay over with us - only it was sans kids. Nathan and Felicia did not go on the trip.

The minute they walked through my front door a million and one memories flooded over me. I was elated. It felt like I hadn't seen them in a week - not seven years. Everything started up exactly where we left off and we laughed all weekend. My cheeks are so sore from laughing so much. We prayed together, got advice from them considering Brad's next venture, they went to church with us and met our best friends here Chris and Kari and Stephen (and peanut?!) and we got to take them to the airport to see them off on their journey to Turkey. I miss them terribly all ready. I couldn't stop crying when we finally said good bye to them and then kept crying on the drive home from Pearson. Ceilidh asked me why I was so sad and I told her and she said "I know what you mean mom. I'm sad too and I miss them already too but maybe we could go and visit them sometime." So of course Brad is already planning a trip back to PA...just to visit though!!! Actually it really wouldn't surprise me if we end up retiring out there or who knows maybe after Brad graduates God will call him to a church in the Skatch. Devin did mention there were looking for a fourth Pastor.

Anyway I'm so thankful God rejuvenated me this weekend through our friends. I love them so much and pray for "blessings, blessings, blessings" for them (one of Devin's lines). God has been and continues to bless them and their church very very much. And God has blessed my family very very much in a million and one ways but mostly I realize He has blessed us with abounding love in the form of friends like Devin, Joan, Chris, Kari, Randy and Cindy (Cornwall Pastor and his wife) to prepare Brad and I for a life with the church in a way we never dreamed we ever would be.
Our God is an awesome God. If you don't know Him or have a relationship with Jesus Christ you really should because you don't know what you are missing. He has shown me love I never dreamed of and love in ways I never knew even existed.

I'm a little worried though...the last time we left Devin and Joan I was pregnant and didn't know it but Joan did ;-)
Thank you Lord

Today is a sad day at the Peters house

2006-09-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

The inevitable happened. Dora is dead. Yes our beloved fish of a few weeks has passed and is somewhere in the Niagara septic system now. This morning she wasn't eating her breakfast with her usual exuberance and when I checked a little time after the kids went to school I noticed food floating on the top of the water and Dora stuck to the bottom of the fish bowl. I was so worried about telling Ceilidh.

So I picked Ceilidh up from school at 3:30 and brought she and Noah in the house and sat down with them and told them the sad news. Ceilidh asked if she could see her and after I explained why she could not she asked if she could still get her ears pierced this weekend and if it was okay for her to play a video game now.

Well, so, what was I worried about!!! Heck Chrissy took the news worse than the kids did. I told the kids we were thinking about getting a large fish tank with 4 or 5 fish and they both went "yeah ok". Strange. Ceilidh didn't even cry which is highly unusual but I'm glad. I'm glad they both realize that Spider-man and Dora were just fish and that life goes on. So now I get to start looking at aquariums - yaaaaaay (not) :-)

Dora had a lovely visit thank you very much

2006-09-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

Yes the fish survived the trip. I put her bowl in a cardboard box that was lined with "gripper" so she wouldn't slide around. She had 2 panic attacks at Brad's driving but they were short lived. She got lots of attention at Grandma's and was pleased as punch swimming around in her little pond away from home.

Just thought I'd let you know she did manage to live through the round trip to family she does not even know. And yes Noah is still asking us to get him another one. I don't know if 2 travelling fish is a good idea though. :-)

I really don't like going to the dentist

2006-09-20T19:34:00.000-04:00

That being said I of course had to visit the dentist today. This is the first time I've seen this man. His name is Dr Hooper and he is a Christian which is always cool and he is a really nice man. And he is very gentle - which is good considering he is pressed up against me with his hands shoved practically down my throat! I was "in the chair" for an hour and a half and after 4 needles of freezing and much anxiety on my part I left the office short one molar. He had to cut the molar in half and then cut through the bone to get at the nerves of the tooth. I have stitches in 3 different places along my gum and I'm on antibiotics and painkillers. Oh and I am not going into work tomorrow as I cannot bend over (enhances bleeding) and I am swollen and in a bit of discomfort. I cannot eat solids for 24 hrs and (get ready for the gross part) I cannot use toothpaste until tomorrow afternoon. I can brush but not with toothpaste. EW!!! Anyway, my head feels like a cinder block and my jaw, ear and neck are throbbing but I'm sure I'll get a good night's sleep tonite knowing I don't have to be up at 4:30am to go to work. Ok so I'm a big baby and a total whiner and I'm sorry but I had to vent somehow. And since it would hurt too much to scream right now, I thought I'd blog instead. Thanks for listening to my rant. You guys are good friends. Oh and this photo was taken just after coming home from the dentist. The way I look now is the photo in my profile. Boy it really took a toll on me. I look horrible!

Children's Hospitals are amazing.

2006-09-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

We had the opportunity this weekend to see first hand what great work goes on in a children's hosptial. We were at McMaster Children's Hospital on Saturday and what a blessing this place and other kids hospitals are to children, their parents and family and friends. It was amazing to see the love the staff have for these kids. We saw a baby 14 days old and then a kid in his late teens. The children, even though in hospital for a reason, all seemed happy or at least content. There is a huge playroom for kids to go to with family or friends, there are game tables to use and movies to watch and video games to play. The staff working hands on with the kids were happy, smiling and very tender toward their little friends. Brad and I both commented on how blessed we are. These kids are too. Even though they are going through a difficult period, they are so lucky to have these people caring for them and about them. Now I must say I retired from nursing last year because the health system politics got to me and I felt this interfered with proper nursing. But what I saw on Saturday and what I saw when my nephew was in Women's College Hospital after being born at 26 wks instead of 40, did not involve politics at all - or at least what I saw didn't. That makes all the diffence. The staff at these hospitals may be upset with pay scales or benefits or working hours but there was absolutely no hint of that. Their focus was on the kids and that's exactly where it must be. Praise God for these soldiers of healthcare. For these people who may not even know these kids or their families but they care anyway. They work to ensure the kids safety, well being and improved health. Even Ceilidh and Noah said that the hospital "wasn't even scary". In fact the comment from my daughter before we left after our visit was "this is a cool place mommy with neat kids and lots to do and I would like to come back here again but stay longer and play". Hospitals don't need to be scary or cold. They can be "fun" and "cool" and loving and some of them are. I think it takes a very special and gifted person to work with ill children. I don't think I could do it but hats off to these amazing, loving people whose hearts are huge and patience is awesome. God bless them for the miracles they help to make happen. God is good and my faith in healthcare has been restored somewhat. And it's good to know I don't have to worry about my friend there in the hospital because she's in the best hands possible - Gods and the workers He has put there to tend to his flock.

Ok so who wants to babysit our goldfish....

2006-09-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Needed for an upcoming weekend, one reliable fish lover who would be willing to care for our family friend Dora. Adorable, quiet pet who only needs to be fed twice a day (breakfast and supper), does not require water (already comes in a bowl full of the stuff) and really could care less if you talk to her or not. Family must go out of town for a grandmother's 89th birthday party. Fish probably would not tolerate travel by mini van. If you think you might be interested in this not so challenging endeavour to help a family who loves their new pet Dora the fish (no not Dorie, Dora) please leave a comment on this blog and we will get back to you immediately. Thanks :-)

Goldfish dying...go figure!!

2006-09-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

Yes it's true Spider-Man is dead. Last night I was up in our bedroom working on the church books when my hubby walks in and says "I think Spider-Man is dead". Spider-Man was the name Noah chose to give his first ever pet. After running downstairs to take a peek in the fishbowl I realize it is true but the poor little thing isn't floating, no he's stuck on the bottom of the bowl just laying on his side. No gill action, no nothing. So this morning we had the fun task of telling Noah his favourite pet of 2 days is gone. Yes we bought the fish 2 days before he cacked. That was a good investment (what a waste of $0.98). Just kidding. It was well worth all of it to see the joy and excitement on the kids faces when we brought them home from WALMART and set them up in their new home. So, I guess over the next few days we will be off to the store once again to purchase a new Spider-Man. Oh and by the way Dora (Ceilidh's fish) seems to be doing quite well thank you very much :-) We'll keep you posted on how the fish saga works out...or doesn't. The cool thing about this whole experience is Ceilidh informed me that fish don't go to heaven, just people do. She also said that God made fish and when the fish die we should just give them back to God. Thank you God for gold fish. :-)

Trivia...thanks dc

2006-09-07T14:51:00.000-04:00

I have a link on this blog to a trivia challenge I started a while ago. The topic changes each month and the questions are generally pretty easy. Mostly the trivia game is a test of how fast one can correctly answer the questions. I enjoy trivia and I am okay at it I guess. But I have a challenge each time I play this trivia game (daily) because even though I usually get 9 or 10 out of 10 I can rarely beat one apponent speed wise. dcprime has continually proven himself a worthy adversary on Think You Know It All. For quite some time I thought the only reason he was faster than I was because my pc was a hunk of junk and needed replacing. It was so slow it took me 40 minutes once just to shut down. I got my hopes up when our new computer system arrived thinking I would finally be able to beat dc with my super new fast pc. I couldn't have been more wrong. The man is a machine. Generally to answer the 10 questions pre-determined by funtrivia.com it takes approximately 40 seconds or more (sometimes more). Today my friend bested me with a perfect score that he attained in 23 seconds!!! What's with this guy? Still I felt rather confident I could top this. So I set out to answer the 10 ridiculously easy questions only to find at question 3 that it took 5 attempts to click on the correct answer. I finished with a time of 28 seconds. After much fist waving and yelling out dc's name I collected myself and realized I am again defeated. Beaten down yet again by a mouse quicker than my own. So kudos to you my friend dc - a job very well done. But beware because it ain't over until the fat lady sings and I haven't even started to hum. Good job buddy but boy do you infuriate me sometimes :-)

Okay how 'bout this...

2006-09-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

These two miracles are just a couple of the amazing blessings the Lord has given to me. Tonight the College and Career group watched The Passion. I am not worthy of the grace, mercy and forgiveness my Lord and Saviour has given me, but I am thankful. Praise God. And praise God the College and Career group asked to watch this and asked to do it together as a group. He works in amazing ways. :-)

Hello

2006-09-03T14:15:00.000-04:00

Chrissy said I needed to update my blog.

Clifton Hill Scares Me

2006-08-23T15:10:00.000-04:00

Okay so I have lived in the Niagara region now since January of 2003 and I have never been to Clifton Hill. It is loud, obnoxious, fun, scary and completely overwhelming to me. But, my daughter finished her book club through the library and got a free pass to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. This pass included half price admission for adults and Noah being 4 was free so we all went and we took along my niece Taylor and nephew Dale who are visiting. I had a blast! It was so much fun. Clifton Hill still scares me - I have not yet overcome my fear - but the museum was cool. We saw gross stuff, scary stuff, interesting stuff and well just stuff. The kids were amazed, grossed out and stunned all at the same time. Some stuff we had to shield their little eyes from but overall an enjoyable time was had by all. We have a really busy week planned while T & D are here but I REALLY love having fun with the kids. I'll keep you posted as events arise. But for now I hope you enjoy this shot of us by the dinosaurs outside the museum and the museum shots too. So go to Ripleys if you can. Or should I say if you dare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Change...I don't mind it I just have trouble keeping up with it.

2006-08-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

What the ... is going on? When did my life become soooo complicated. Gone are the days of telling a parent "I'm bored" "There's nothing to do" Oh how I long for the chance to be able to say those words again. I'll be complaining about too much time I'm sure when I hit my golden years (God willing). But seriously, I work full time, so does my husband. Our shifts are opposite so we never see each other. Both our children will be in school this fall. Ceilidh full time and Noah mornings. Brad is hoping to start school full time in January at Mac Div in Hamilton. We had to change day care providers for a number of reasons and I am still doing the treasury at our church (which is about 10-20 hours a week of my time too) at least for now. Oh and Brad is the Chair of the Deacon's board at our church and that takes his time also as well as all the phone calls we get - I sympathize with you Chris and Kari! :-) My niece and nephew are coming to spend 5 days with us the end of this month and then we are off travelling while on our holidays to come back to Brad having to preach the sunday of the long labour day weekend. And then school starts that Tuesday. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh does anyone have any valium? No seriously maybe an addiction would be a good thing for me right now. (tee hee) Perhaps I could start smoking again oh except that if I do that my husband promises me he will punish me by buying the biggest most expensive big screen tv he can find. He knows we can't afford to buy ANYTHING right now let alone a new tv of any kind and to boot it would never fit in our living room. Oh well, maybe I could get addicted to Dr Phil or video games or chocolate. Oops too late on the chocolate thing. And my weight is testimony to that!!! Oh well, suffice to say there is way too much going on right now and completely not enough hours in the day. Maybe fall will get better. There won't be College and Careers anymore so that will free up Monday nights and I can't go to Adult Bible Study on Thursdays so that's another free night - just more time to be able to work on the church books especially with Incorporation coming fast and furious. Oh well at least I'm not bored. Phew. God love you Pastor Chris and Kari. I don't know how you both haven't gone looney and you continue to be a constant inpiration to me and my entire family. You guys are my hero. M.

Flu

2006-06-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

Oh how I hate the flu. It does horrible things to you and those around you. Even thought it doesn't always last a long time it causes havoc while it's here. Enter my last week. Wednesday night Noah woke up crying late at night. Upon entering his room I saw that he had redecorated his room with vomit. He was extremely upset and it took a long time to get him settled down. Of course once I got him settled (in our bed this time) he was sick again and redecorated our room. So down in the living room chair he goes while I cleaned up for the third time. He cried that he wanted back in his own bed so I finally got his room dried and him back in his own bed and I slept on the cot mattress on his floor all night. I did this to ensure that when he did feel ill again I was right there with a bucket to avoid any further dirty laundry etc. This went on all night. I was supposed to be up at 4:30 to leave at 5:30 for work. Instead I called in sick only to find out on Friday that my head office sent no coverage for my job Thursday so I now have double the workload waiting for me this Thursday - hurrah!!! Enter Friday evening. Chrissy comes home from work sick. Brad gets home from church meeting around 8:30 sick. I start to get sick around midnight. So the three adults here spent the entire night fighting over the 2 toilets we have in our home. Thank God we have 2! Saturdays plans went right out the window so Brad had to go alone to Ceilidh's ball practice then take the kids to the circus as we had promised them. He felt better sooner than I did and while they were out Chrissy slept on the couch and I slept in the chair. We had planned to have pizza and cake for Noah's birthday Saturday because Brad didn't have to work. Ceilidh and I decorated while Brad and Noah got the pizza. Brad, Ceilidh and Noah ate pizza, I watched and Chrissy slept. We brought out the ice cream cake we got from DQ and the lit candle fell off the cake onto Brad's arm burning him. Noah said his tummy was starting to hurt again and he didn't want any cake so the cake is still in the freezer untouched. He opened his presents and went to bed. Poor kid - some birthday. We got to church today because everyone is much better and I am met with one person after another asking me for something or other and I really just wish people would have at least said Hi first. As you can tell I'm drained and cranky but that's no one's fault. Jesus loves me through all the crap and thank God He does. I did learn something through this horrible weekend though. On Saturday when I told Noah I didn't think I'd be able to go to the circus with him he said and I quote..."Mom are you ok?" "well I'm sick Noah just like you were the other day" "Oh no, are you gonna throw up?" "well, I did last night" "You can't go to the circus if you're sick then right? Well I guess you can come to the circus with us as long as you don't puk there" "what happens if I do puk at the circus Noah" "Well mom, I would take your hand and take you out to the van so we could come home and get you cleaned up." Later when I asked Noah if he was mad I didn't go with him to the circus he said "No mom, I'm not mad but I sure missed you. Can I rub your back now to make you feel better?" I've got the best kids in the world. I'm gonna keep reminding myself of that continually when Ceilidh gets this - she's the only one who hasn't had it yet. :-o

Down to the last week...got something blue?

2006-05-13T10:39:00.000-04:00

Think you know it all?

2006-04-09T14:16:00.000-04:00

I love trivia. I'm a bit of a geek that way especially trivia about entertainment stuff. You know movies and music and the like. Well, I belong to a parents group on-line and they started a trivia tournament that I've now become addicted to. It's at a site called mytrivia.com and I have sent an email to some of my friends to see if they might be interested in playing. There are 10 random questions posted each day. You can only play these questions once each day and your time and score is recorded. So you can compare your times and responses against everyone else. I've even got Brad doing it. It doesn't take any time to play and it tests the old noggin a bit. The question difficulty right now is set at intermediate but if you guys prove too smart or a little slow I can adjust that. So go on, give it a try, what do you have to lose? And don't worry the people playing this trivia all love you and each other and no one will judge or point and laugh at you I promise...well, maybe Brad and Darren but I can't help that!!! The link to the tournament I have started is listed on the right under links - Think you know it all? Have fun. :-)

Where did March go?

2006-03-29T14:27:00.000-05:00

Boy has it really been this long since I last posted? Phew, I guess, I've been busier than I thought. Let's see, the Leafs are now doing marginally better than when I last posted. The church had a Hymn and Praise service that I thought was a great success and I enjoyed being a part of it. The Pastor had a birthday, we saw the new Veggie Tales movie, my husband preached 2 Sundays in a row when the Pastor was on holiday. We had a great visit with Darren and Larissa. We got my mom a cell phone for her birthday, my family and friends helped me celebrate my 38th birthday-see photo (I'm the abnormally large person in the middle completely blocking my daughter from view) Thanks everyone it really was fun. Our church voted to procede with finding out about incorporation, my daughter learned where maple syrup comes from when her school went to Sugarbush and tomorrow my dad would have been 70. Brad has been looking at going back to school and Noah starts school in September, oh yeah and I still have to buy a dress for Larissa's wedding. I'm so excited about going to that wedding!!! Noah is good thanks for asking. Chrissy...well you can find out about her on her blog!! I can say her puppet movie rocks. You know what I just realized...I could really use some sleep! Ha! Anyway, I'm actually "better" when I'm kept busy so I guess right now I'm pretty darn good. I'm also looking forward to getting together with Kari and Chrissy Sunday night. So, that's March - April, well, we'll have to wait and see but it's starting out something like this...April 1 Ron James, Apr 5 Finance meeting and I'm short a penny AGAIN for some reason, Apr 7 to my mom's for the weekend, Apr 14 Good Friday, Apr 16 Easter, Apr 17-21 Brad's holidays, & Apr 28 and 29 Equip with Chrissy. Here we go again. :-)

Maple Leafs...

2006-03-01T13:31:00.000-05:00

suck. Let's be honest how much worse can it possibly get. They were booed by their own fans at home last night when they lost against the third worst team in the league right now. Yes there are actually 2 teams right now worse than the Leafs. Oh well, what can you do? Be thankful the Canadian Girls Olympic team kicked butt and put the boys to shame ha ha ha!!! I was at a karaoke night at church recently and had a lot of fun. You all know how much I love to sing and it was great seeing Brad singing Material Girl with Ceilidh. I also enjoyed the renditions of Hotel California, Bring Me to Life, Landslide, and You're Still the One that were performed. I think a good time was had by all. I also enjoyed giving my testimony. I was so nervous. Anyway I hope we can have a church event soon that more people can get involved in because the more people involved with these things the better.

Ok here is a quick rundown

2006-02-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

Ok. I am well (for a change), Brad is well, Noah is well, Ceilidh is well and Chrissy is, well, in a rut. I had an amazing weekend with Brad and the kids after an exhausting couple of weeks. The last thing I remember before that was Christmas. Wait, is it February now or ... oh nevermind I'll figure it out sooner or later. Oh yeah and I've put on weight that I don't like very much. Maybe I should take up hockey. Mmm hockey...anyone know how the Leafs are doing? Are they out yet? Yeah, ok. Hey when are the Olympics?????? I think I need a coffee. :-)

We had a great weekend...

2006-01-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

It all started Thursday actually. My husband and I got to go out to bible study Thursday night while Chrissy graciously watched our children. Then Friday night Brad, the kids and I went to the Community Dinner at church and had lots of fun. It was so busy we had to play in the nursery while Chris and Brad waited to nab a table. Then Brad and I had the rest of the evening alone after the kids went to bed. Saturday Stephen came over for a visit while Brad and Chris went to their deacon's meeting. The kids had a grrrreat time. I had a lot of fun too with them. It was great. Then Chris and Brad and I had lunch together which was nice. Saturday night the hockey game was awful (Leafs lost 7-0 to Ottawa) so we turned the tv to the Billy Graham crusade and cuddled up to watch that. We all missed Chrissy this weekend something terrible and we pray they all had a great time at Avalanche. I cannot express how much I LOVE spending time with my family. And I am so thankful for the time God gives me alone with Brad. We have a date weekend coming up that I am really looking forward to. The first weekend in Feb we are going to Grandma's for the weekend and Saturday night Brad and I are going into Toronto to grab dinner at Mr Greenjeans (old favourite haunt) and then make our way over to Massey Hall to see Colin James (too cool) and then we are going to the hotel we stayed at on our wedding night. We will spend the night there and then grab breakfast the next day and then pick up the kids from my mom and head home. It should be fabulous. Anyway the absolute best part of the past weekend was having time to pray with Brad. Before bed Friday night we must have spent about a half an hour praying together and it was amazing. Praise God for I really needed it. M. Oh and this is a shot of the kids from the weekend.

I got my hair cut today

2006-01-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Yes sir I finally did it. I reached the end of a very long year and a deal I made with my husband has finally come to an end. A year ago at Christmas time I agreed to let my hair grow and not touch it for one year. I did this because Brad loves me with long hair. When we met I had long hair and when we started dating I had long hair and he has always bugged me to grow my hair and keep it long. I got so frustrated at him always bugging me I decided to compromise. I would keep it long one last time for an entire year - and I did. But today the gigantic mass of bushy gray hair is gone - and I mean gone!!!! The guy at the salon asked me three times if I was sure I wanted it cut this short. I said "off with it baby" and that's exactly what he did - it's gone - yeah, whoopie, yeehaw!!! Sorry Brad but you know how much I hate it long. So, part of the arrangement was that after keeping it long for an entire year for Brad, I can now keep my hair any way I wish and he can't bug me about it. He may not be happy but he cannot keep at me about it - OR GUILT ME!!! So, I'm pretty sure my hair will stay short now until the end of my days. I have the "old lady" hairstyle now...and I couldn't be happier!!! So you'll have to let me know what you think of it - the next time you see me. I'd rather you see it up close than over the internet so the only photo you will see on this blog today is what my hair looked like before I left the house this morning to go and get it all chopped off. I look forward to seeing you all very soon. Sorry. ;-) M.

At 4 days post op...

2006-01-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Ceilidh really isn't doing too well. The only thing she can keep down is juice and ice cream. She even threw up jello this morning. So I had to do the inevitable. I had to give her the gravol suppository the Dr told us to use. My daughter is such a trouper. She wasn't too sure about the whole "medicine up the bum thing" but she was really good and it did help. Hurrah after 4 1/2 days of NO FOOD she ate some strawberry/applesauce and some ice cream and then asked if she could have chocolate out of her Christmas stocking. She did not get the chocolate. She still has a fever and is really pale. She started dancing and singing again yesterday (late in the day) which is a really good sign she's getting her "spark" back. She sleeps a lot right now and I know she's getting sick of juice, water, gingerale and popsicles. I sleep very little at night so I can listen for her. I just want to hug her non stop and take away all her discomfort and give her her voice back. She is soooo muffled right now it's hard to understand what she is saying. Chrissy brought her home a princess balloon which cheered her up and her daddy brought her home a dozen beautiful carnations which she was so excited about. She asked if we would put one in her hair to "try and help make(her)pretty again". She then asked if she was pretty enough to have her picture taken so daddy snapped this keepsake. Thanks for praying for Ceilidh. Please keep it up if you can as in about 2-4 days the scab is going to come off and she could run into some real discomfort then. Kisses from Ceilidh mwa!!! :-)M.

Life after tonsils and adenoids

2006-01-05T10:37:00.001-05:00

Ceilidh had her tonsils and adenoids out yesterday (for those of you who haven't read Chrissy's blog yet)and this is a photo of her in the hospital before the operation. She was so excited about the pajamas they gave her to wear. She was so great after the operation. A little weepy. Brad gave her a big hug and she started to cry saying "Daddy I think I'm having a really bad day". She's drinking well and taking her medication but she didn't sleep much at all last night and she's very swollen. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes - Ceilidh and all of us really appreciate it. Thanks especially to Chrissy for watching Noah yesterday while we were at the hospital and extra special thanks to Brad for being so great at the hospital and at home yesterday. I know Ceilidh was so glad you were with her at the hospital. I love you. This shot is of Ceilidh 24 hrs after the surgery - she has a fever and really doesn't want to drink but she is anyway. What a trouper. In the recovery room yesterday she was even singing to the other kids to "try and help them feel better". I pray the rest of this week and next week goes ok for her - I hate seeing her in so much discomfort. Oh well at least it wasn't Noah who had the tonsils out!!! That is still to come I guess. :-) M.

God is good...

2005-12-27T23:23:00.000-05:00

I had an amazing Christmas this year. The kids were great and we spoiled them rotten. We had 3 guests with us for Christmas dinner this year and that was amazing. We got to attend church on Christmas eve and Christmas day and Brad and I got to spend some real quality time together. Chrissy was amazingly uplifted this year and really enjoyed Christmas and the Peters family Christmas. Brad was thrilled with his iPod and is still playing with it. Overall everyone was happy, there were no upsets just fun, laughter and a whole lotta love and I tell you, nothing could be better than that. The Lord helped my little family to become even closer and I never thought that was possible. And another cool part was one of our guests is not religious but did take part in our prayer and in our birthday celebration for Jesus (complete with birthday cake, candle and song). I hope they come back to visit again real soon. They already said they'd love to be included in our Easter feast. God is good and I love Him dearly. How did I ever celebrate Christmas before I found Him? Thanks to God I'm out of my slump and it feels great. Thanks too to Larissa for the advice. :-) M.

Christmas Blues...

2005-12-20T18:48:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say I have never experienced Christmas blues - until now. Christmas has always been a time of love, and cheer. I love celebrating my Lord at any time. Celebrating His birth has always been a special event with my family - since Brad and I were married at least. For the first time ever I feel nothing but overwhelmed and sad. I'm sad about everything. Sad about families losing loved ones, people going through trials and health problems, sad about people being alone at Christmas. I really don't like people to be alone at Christmas. So much so that we are having 2 guests Christmas day this year who would otherwise be alone. But I just cannot regain that joy that I've always had at Christmas. Everything feels like a chore - my job, the kids, all the shopping and preparation, the house and now even the finance stuff. I just feel like I'm trapped under tonnes of weight and I'm suffocating. I used to have trouble understanding why people couldn't be happy at Christmas. Now I understand. But I really don't want to bring anybody down. Sorry for whining. I guess I hoped spilling my guts in writing would help. It hasn't. Sorry. Anyway, it's not Christmas just yet so maybe there's a chance I'll change. Huh, that's kinda funny, I'm listening to the radio and they are now playing a song called "Christmas Blues". Yeah.

Timmy's and great friends...

2005-12-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Man, did I ever have a great time last night. It has been a very long time since my husband and I had an evening away from the kids to just kick back and hang out. We went to our church's community dinner and it was soooo good. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was relaxed, fun and very social. It was so nice to be together with our church family and not be talking finance or planning etc. Then after dinner we watched the end of our Alpha DVD study which was very good and we discussed it briefly after. Then Brad, Kari, Chris and I went to Tim's for coffee and a lot of fun. Our conversations covered a wide variety of topics. Anyway I realized after I got home how healing it can be to just be with people you love, and people who love you. Brad an I both really needed to be doing something that didn't involve planning or work or even worrying about the kids. Thanks and many kudos to Chrissy and Amy for helping us achieve an evening of enjoyment. It couldn't have happened without you and thanks for all your hard work getting the stickers and crayon off our coffee table. Thanks to Stephen for being so gosh darn adorable and for playing so well with Noah. Thanks to Ceilidh for being such a good girl and thanks Noah for, well, well just thanks. I hope Brad and I don't have to go another 6 months before being able to do something like this again. Thanks Kari and Chris for great fun and laughs and for all your loving support. Thanks Brad for making the evening so special. You rock baby and you know why!!! I'm looking so forward to our "Colin James weekend" in Feb. I love you Brad. Lets do this again soon ok? Date night for mom and dad? K? Love you. M.:-)

I would really like to sing...please!!

2005-12-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy singing. I've loved singing for as long as I can remember. Really, even at about age 2 I was warbling into a tape recorder and putting on little shows for my family. I joined choirs, I joined drama clubs to be in musicals, I took voice lessons, I competed and I even sang to my husband at our wedding. So, every chance I get to sing I take it. Ask my family. I sing at home, in the car, at work, in the shower, anywhere, anytime. A year or so ago I was approached to sing in the choir at our church for the church's 75th anniversary. I was so happy to be apart of that choir. But, unfortunately I got sick just before the anniversary, lost my voice the day before the anniversary but sang anyway at the anniversary the best I could. I have been asked to participate in church coffee houses and karaoke nights and each time I get sick just before and try to sing but sound terrible doing so. Well, guess what? I was approached to sing in the church choir again, this time for our Christmas eve and Christmas day services. BUT I'M SICK YET AGAIN. I lost my voice on Saturday and although it has somewhat returned I am still hoarse and ill with a cough and a fever etc etc. Our first choir practice is Thursday night and I know what I'm going to sound like - AWFUL. I would really just like to sing...please!!! Especially to help glorify my God and praise my Lord and Saviour. I'm beginning to think this is God's way of telling me I need to stop singing. Or maybe I just need to keep my mouth shut altogether! :-) M.

Who's Brad?

2005-12-06T20:07:00.000-05:00

I seem to recall - vaguely - that I have a husband. I think his name is Brad. If memory serves he is about 6'1, wears glasses and is extremely handsome. I'm going on flashbacks (and this photo) of course though. I recall marrying him a few years ago (6 years and 3 months ago to be exact) and then something about a move across Canada, a few pregnancies and a couple of kids, one or two or three more moves and then a life in Niagara Falls with a new kid. Or is it all real? Sometimes it feels like I'm in the twilight zone. Did I work today? Is it really 8pm already? What happened to all the left over pizza I know we had? Whaddaya mean chicken pox? We're going home to visit family THIS weekend? What cookies and carols? What finance meeting? What parent/teacher interview? I feel lost - somewhat overwhelmed but mostly just lost. Out of the loop. But what is worse than being out of the loop is being lost... alone. I MISS MY HUSBAND. I WANT HIM BACK. Ok so whoever took him I just want you to know I will give you anything - whatever it takes to bring him back to me. I'm talking to you Niagara Falls Review and you Hot Spots and you computer and you Gamma-Dynacare. PPPPPLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE return him to me safe and sound. I miss talking to him, I miss praying with him, I miss doing bible study with him, I miss doing things as an entire family and I miss private time. Ok yes I have needs!!! Anyway, I'm sorry this got into a rant but I cannot get over how lonely I am for him, how much I miss him, how much I need him and how much I love him. I would so love to marry him all over again and have a second honeymoon. Just us! Ok so if you hear anything about his whereabouts or if you or someone you know happens to get a glimpse of him please let me know. Because other than God he's what I need most to get me through every day and other than God he's the one I love the most and other than Christ, Brad's the best thing that ever happened to me and I thank God for him every minute of every day. I'm blessed beyond belief to be his wife. Now I just pray I'll actually get to spend some time with the guy. M.

And welcome to round two.

2005-12-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

This is my son Noah. This is what chicken pox look like. What you cannot see is how sick he was. You cannot see how cranky and sucky he was. You also cannot see that he could not sleep, he screamed laying in bed at night and everytime we put calamine lotion on him. It hurt him to close his eyes because he had chicken pox even in his eyes. Praise God he is better now. He is sleeping through the night again and no longer screams in pain. His spots are drying up nicely and he no longer has the fever. He still looks like a leper though. He hasn't been out of the house in over a week and he's getting stir crazy. Today he told me he wants to go live in the park and ride his bike all day long! I don't blame him, I get a little wild when I'm locked up in the house too. Any way, I pray this is it for us and the POX. As long as you don't see any blogs posted about Brad having them then we're in the clear. We are going "home" this weekend to do "Christmas" with the families. Watch Brad get them Friday!!! Any way just wanted to give you an update on us. Hope all is well with everyone reading this. Merry Christmas and my God keep you safe always - especially from the POX!!!. Thanks too to everyone who asked about both kids and who prayed for them. Much appreciated!!! M.

Ok Chrissy you got me thinking...

2005-11-30T17:19:00.000-05:00

I went to the link you posted on your blog and took the test. (see results below) One thing that amazes me about God is just when you think you don't have a gift for something, He shows you otherwise or that you are capable at least of doing what you thought you couldn't. For myself I thought I would be ok as CE chair when I took it on at our church a few years ago. I love kids, I love helping others and nurturing. Boy did I suck. I guess I did ok at helping to devise a plan for our insurance company on CE issues but as for the rest - forget it. God being so amazing knew this and therefore put an end to my CE days. Praise God. So, then I'm thinking well, I do want to serve God and my church so I wonder what I can do. Again God took care of that for me. I love our Pastor. Chris is amazing - very smart, motivated, loving, forgiving and most of all driven by God to do His work. More than anything I believe this guy just wants to serve God - do ANYTHING God asks of him. So of course I trust the guy. That is I did until he approached me and asked me to consider the church treasury. Then I immediately thought Chris had lost his mind. So I prayed about it, thinking the whole time I asked for God's direction that I would say no. You see I failed math in high school. Had to get a tutor just to graduate. I hate math and anything to do with figures. Our family budget is a joke so what on earth was I thinking even considering this? That's just it - I was thinking "on earth" not spiritually. Now I know, if God wants you to do something, even if you think you can't - you can do it. He will see to that. I have been the treasurer for a year now (that is with great help from Ralph and Chris) and was just asked today if I would stay on for another year. Of course I said yes. I'll only stop if God directs me to. I am His servant - in all I do. I desire nothing more than to serve my God and do it willingly. My prayers were answered (and always are), because I have learned more as treasurer this past year and now love doing it more than I ever would have guessed. You see I based my ability (or lack there of) to be treasurer on my "earthly" experiences. He proved to me I have spiritual gifts I never knew of - see in administration (treasury) I only scored a 9, but He knows with His help I can do anything!!! And now I know it too. Oh and these were my test results. :-) M. (Thanks Chrissy)

Evangelism.............14
Prophecy.................9
Teaching.................11
Exhortation.............15
Pastor/Shepherd.......14
Showing Mercy..........17
Serving...................14
Giving.....................11
Administration........9

It's Christmas time again...

2005-11-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

So, here it is November 26 and we decided to put up our Christmas tree and decorations today. We always have so much fun doing this. The kids helped us trim the tree and after all the lights were put up they were the ones to turn them on. They got so excited about making the tree look "pretty". My husband on the other hand got excited about his new Bing Crosby Christmas CD and very, very excited about the mistletoe. Christmas time excitement for some reason always makes him a little "randy baby". Anyway, Christmas time for me is a time of reflection. I remember Christmas when I was a child with fondness. The greatest thing for me then was being together with all our family. As a young adult I loved watching the excitement in my niece and nephew. Now, although I really love seeing my children's reaction to store displays, toys, presents, Christmas trees and other novelties, my greatest joy is sharing with them the story of the birth of our Lord. I love reading from Matthew or Luke on Christmas day with them. I love making a "birthday cake" for Jesus and having the kids sing Happy Birthday to Him. I love that my daughter is excited about being apart of our church's Christmas Eve service. I don't remember as a child really focusing that much on God - more commercialism really. We were really into Santa but our kids think (at our doing) that Santa is just a nice guy who likes to give more than receive and that he gives in the tradition of gifts being given to the Christ child at His birth. All of the kids gifts are from us but one. They each get one from Santa. It's hard when at daycare and school the focus is all on Santa but they do very well I think. If you ask Ceilidh who Jesus is she replies "God's son - he died for us". Noah always says to never fear "God will always protect us". " What is the true meaning of Christmas kids?" "We celebrate Jesus' birthday". I love hearing that from them. Anyway, tonight after the kids go to bed, Brad and I will watch the hockey game and then off to bed. Tomorrow we will probably watch a Christmas Story - which is a great movie about a young boy's memorable Christmas one year. I love that movie because it shows me that my past Christmases were never as messed up as this kids and that makes me feel all warm inside. Merry Christmas :-) M.

What is it about hockey???

2005-11-23T19:45:00.000-05:00

This guy is my dad. His name is Jack. He died when I was 23 of lung cancer. He is the man responsible for introducing me to hockey. To be precise he introduced me to a rivalry between the Leafs and the Canadiens. From a very young age I can remember sitting around our small television that was in a huge cabinet style box. It had dials - no remotes (oh now here I going being all old again) and if anyone dared touch that dial during a hockey game they'd get their hand slapped away so fast it'd make their head spin. True hockey was when (back in the day) there were the original 6 teams that expanded to 12 teams in 1967 - I mean these guys didn't even wear helmets let alone visors etc. I really loved those games growing up. Then as I got a little older I was recruited to play net for my brother's street team. I KNOW he asked me to tend goal just so he could pummel me with pucks, balls, rocks whatever. But after some time of it I actually got to be pretty good. Later in school (house league) I played goal again and did some forwarding. It was great exercise, a great lesson in teamwork and good sportsmanship. I miss playing actually. So now that I'm old and fat and not nearly capable of fighting off speeding pucks to my head I watch my beloved Leafs every chance I get. I'm not going to see all the game tonight and I'm bummed but such is life. My husband is a pretty good player. He and our friend get together on Friday nights to "pass the puck" and I have to admit I'm kinda jealous. But I know if I did get the chance to play I'd just make a fool out of myself. So being a hockey fan who is also a mother I have of course passed on the hockey family tradition to my children as you can see. My husband would like to have both kids play. First they need to learn how to skate. Noah already knows quite well how to body check, trip, high stick and delay game!!!!! Oh well, off to bed now to dream of hockey. I don't know what it is that gets me going - maybe it's all the hot sweaty men (with no teeth) or maybe it's just a long standing love of the competition. And the fights are always cool too. M. :-)

Payback is a ...

2005-11-22T19:10:00.001-05:00

This is my "daughter" Chrissy M Dennis. Isn't she beautiful and she's single!!! She's 21, smart, funny, just slightly clumsy but great at games. She's loving, caring and extremely sincere. Her faith in God is inspiring and I absolutely love how great she is with her "sister" Ceilidh and her "brother" Noah. God blessed us with the third child we thought we would never have in May 2004 and I am a richer person now for having her in my life. She and my husband get along soooooo well (he never bugs or teases her) and we thank God for her every day. I love Chrissy very much - just like she was my own and I hope she never gets tired of being a "Peters". Thanks Chrissy for the Michelle blog - you shouldn't have - really, you shouldn't have!!!! We love ya sweetie and hope you're with us for a very long time. Thanks for always lending me an ear when I need it too. Especially since I usually end up completely taking over the conversation every time we talk. God bless you girl and you really were too kind in your Michelle blog. I'm not at all like what you said :-)

I'm old and that's okay...(heck just look at my profile photo)

2005-11-19T10:19:00.000-05:00

I really needed some mindless down time. So my wonderful (and extremely handsome) husband went to the video store yesterday and rented Ghostbusters. A classic. Of course I've seen the film about 30 times since seeing it in the theatre when it was released in 1984 (the year Chrissy was born!!!) but it is timeless and still quite funny (I think). Brad and I laughed quite a bit throughout the film. Chrissy did not laugh once (that I heard) and she commented after that the film "kind of" scared her. It is billed as a comedy. That's when I realized I'm old. Of course I already know I'm old but it's times like these that remind me just how old I am. I was in high school when I saw this film in '84. The jokes (I think) still work and it's silly which is always fun but for some reason Chrissy thought it was lame. So, even though I enjoyed seeing the film again and I did get some laughs out of it, in the end it just made me feel old and "unhip". But you know what else I realized...I like being old and unhip. I love where I am, who I'm with, the children God's blessed me with, the same man I've been with for 8 years, and the entertainment I enjoy whether it's lame to others or not. Sounds scary but I really do love who and where I am. Thank you Lord for making me old! :-) M.

How long can chicken pox possibly go on for??????

2005-11-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

My poor child. She thinks these spots "are gonna be on me forever" and it seems like she just gets over the fever and then it's back again. Her brother keeps asking me why he can't have the spots. My husband is worried his baby may have long term affects from these pox and I am just exhausted. God has seen me through almost another week. Off Wednesday and today to be with my child - back to work tomorrow. I have decided to give up on Thursday night bible study all together because I've missed so much already and I just can never find a way to make it to the classes. I miss it though. The kids and I missed church last week and will again this Sunday as Ceilidh is still contagious and Noah may be. Oh bother. Well here's hoping Noah and Brad won't get them and then maybe I can take in a service! Man I'm sucky and whiny huh? Sorry. I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself and how selfish is that - just look at her face!!! Well I guess I better go check on her. I pray she can at least sleep through the night tonight - for her sake as well as ours. Heck, even Chrissy is sick!!! M.

Praise God

2005-11-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Do you ever say to yourself "how did I get here?" No, I'm not quoting the Talking Heads song I mean it. Often times I will reflect and say wow how did I get so lucky? Or how on earth did I get here from there? I know the answers of course. Without God I would be nowhere and I would have nothing. He has blessed me with an amazing husband who is better now than he ever was back then and thank goodness He blessed me with seeing me through the 80's & early 90's. God's grace is amazing. I look at my children and wonder why He chose me to raise these beautiful creatures of His. I look at the people I'm surrounded with and wonder why He feels I deserve to be in their presence. My church is awesome and I would be lost without it and the people who make it up. Now, 15 yrs ago I never would've said any of the above. My only interest was myself. My main goal each day was to wake up without a hang-over and to have enough money to purchase the necessities for another fun-filled night of illegal activity. I was NEVER going to get married (career gal) and I was NEVER going to have kids (rug rats). I was going to travel and become a professional student. Then God introduced me to death and then my husband. I never thought I'd ever survive losing my dad to cancer when I was 23. The same year he died I met Brad. Seven years later I asked Christ to be my saviour and my life changed forever and definitely for the better. I absolutely LOVE IT when I run into old friends who I haven't seen in a while and they say "what are you up to?" ... well I'm a Christian. I accepted Christ in 1998, got married in 1999, had my daughter in 2000 and my son in 2002 oh yeah and I'm our church treasurer. Their mouths always drop and then they smile and say "no way, not you, you're lying" I love it when that happens - because then I get to share my testimony. God works in wonderful ways. And He never ceases to amaze me - through good and bad, beautiful and ugly He is always there for me and He never lets me forget it. Praise God for what He has done and continues to do for me and my family. And praise Him for all He does for everyone else too. I just hope I'm doing what He wants me to do now - because that is most important to me. Not what I want but what He wants. Thanks to Him I got from there to here. :-)

Humble beginnings for us all

2005-11-16T19:14:00.000-05:00

What a day...

2005-11-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well, my daughter's tonsillectomy has been cancelled. She is quite ill with pox ALL over. Her brother is getting cranky and so is Daddy. Daddy has a fever and is starting to show some suspicious spots. I'm so worried about him. Today was kinda stressful and I'm down and worried about Ceilidh. But then, the most amazing thing happened to me...I'm in the drive thru at Horton's on my way home from Bella (nrsg home I work at) and I drive up to the window to pay for my large coffee when the two girls working the window say "It's paid for" I reply "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "It's paid for, that lady does this every day. She always pays for whoever is immediately behind her in line" The woman who was in line ahead of me paid for my coffee and she doesn't even know me. All she knows is that some stunned looking woman in a van behind her ordered a large coffee and she bought it for me. I can't even thank her. I immediately start to cry. That woman who I've never met and I'm sure I never will just completely made my day. God bless that wonderful woman. And I'm not excited because she saved me a couple of bucks I'm excited because she just showed me she loves me and I've never even met her. WOW. Now I feel like a heel. What good deeds can I do to brighten someone's day or make God smile???????????????????? M.

Well, here goes...

2005-11-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is blogging eh? Mmm. Well let's see. Today was a great disaster. Got ready to go to church and then noticed my daughter is covered in what suspiciously looks like chicken pox. Not going to church. Hate missing church. So after my husband and second daughter return from church telling me how great the service was, I leave with ill daughter in tow to the walkin clinic. Diagnosis confirmed. Home to calamine lotion, tylenol and baking soda baths. She looks so ill and yet is singing and laughing the whole day through. Her strength amazes me. I love her so much and just want to take away all her discomfort. But I can't. I pray she will get well enough, just in time to (wait for it) have her tonsils out as scheduled on the 30th. What kind of monster am I to put her through that? I'm sorry but this has been an extremely difficult week. The last few weeks haven't been much better. They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger but what if it kills you a little each day? I'm tired, can you tell? I always feel even more "out of it" when I miss church. Our Pastor's sermons usually pump me - motivate me into action. Today the only "action" I saw was an ever increasing reading on an ear thermometer and "spots" appearing literally before my eyes. My son is coming down with this already. He's grumpy and worried about his sister and extremely upset (possibly even more than I) that he missed church today. I love God. He loves me and that is what ALWAYS gets me through. So, let's see what tomorrow brings shall we? M.

2005-11-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

My blessings