Our Ghetto Hick Christmas Tree

This Christmas, to save money, Jay and I decided to not do presents or stockings for each other. Therefore, it was imperative that we at least get a Christmas tree.

Last night we decided to go Christmas tree hunting. With the help of friends - Jeff and Ruth Anna we grabbed an axe and all piled into our truck.

Ruth Anna and I ready to go

Jay proudly showing off his emergency survival kit - super random stuff

Jeff - Fellow pilot and tree hunting expert

Nobody around 

Jeff demonstrating his keen tree-spotting skills

Who needs a flashlight when you've got a truck. Man, I actually love this truck. 

creepy forest road

Never give Jay an axe

Jay jumped headfirst into the bush with his blunt axe and began hacking away

Meanwhile, Jeff had straddled a different tree and managed to wrestle it down onto the snow.

 A tree like this takes 2 men to chop it down, ha

Success!!

Then we drove further up the hill and came to a parking lot looking over Slave Lake. The Slave Lake cemetery also happens to be up there. Not creepy at all, right?

This hill also serves as a sledding hill and drops off right where Jay and Jeff are standing. 

My love and I

Embarrassing Jay with my silliness

 Now that we have the tree back at our place - how to stand it up?

Well if we live in a hick town...

What's more hick than this..

[side note: not all Slake Lake-eans have ghetto trees like ours. Jeff and Ruth Anna's is quite nice]

 Now that it's up - how to keep it from falling?

Of course! Presents (given to us by our wonderful fam) - nice to have something under the tree :)

First ornament to go on the tree was a big ball from Yates (Quinn, don't worry, yours is there too to balance the tree out)

 Christmas tree paper is so pretty

Ta da!

..And..with a box full of ornaments, by tonight this tree will be full! 

Update on my life in Slave Lake

It has amazed me that in such a short time, this place has felt right. It doesn't feel like home yet - and I honestly don't know that it will because our family and close friends are so far away. But just like the unshakable sense of peace that God gave me before the move - I feel this sense that we fit in here. Already within a week, we've met some really great people, tried out some cool churches, and I have two potential job opportunities.

I really love the small town feel, ha, especially in winter. I LOVE knowing that I only have to drive like 2 minutes down the road to pick Jay up from work and I think the longest it'd take in town from one side to the other would be about 10 minutes.

We are staying in Jay's company's crew-house - a big house that we have all to ourselves currently. We have one of the upstairs bedrooms which is soooooo nice after living in a basement apartment for 3 years. Light makes such  difference!!! I've got up early pretty much every day. It was a lot harder to do that when we had no windows in our bedroom.

Downstairs there are more bedrooms and a living room, big screen tv, and a pool table. Not bad for $500/month. But alas, we can't have Sadie (our dog) here with us as they don't allow dogs. So the hunt is on to find another apartment. Problem is, apartments here start at $1075 and the ones I've looked at are like $1400 for a 2 bedroom apartment. It's crazy expensive to live and drive here. Insurance is high too. So those are the downsides for sure.

I have really embraced this move and when I think of home in Ontario, I don't think of the apartment we lived in for the past 3 years - I think of my parents' house and Jay's parents' house. The places we spent the most time, and the relationships that we have there. But I think because we were so ready to be out of the basement apartment that this move has come a lot easier.

Something that's definitely lacking in an obvious way is my involvement with high school kids. Young Life provided such an amazing bridge to reach kids within the safety net of a thoroughly established organization. Here, I'm finding that it's mostly church youth groups that do stuff with high school kids. I really have a vision to start up some community youth music nights, to give high school kids a chance to come out and play music and share that appreciation. I really wish Young Life was up here - I know Jay and I would throw ourselves wholeheartedly into it if it was.

Still hoping to talk to the YL Alberta director to get his thoughts on Young Life in Slave Lake. There's so many factors - making sure it would work in the community, that the community has been praying for something like this, and that it's open to something like YL. I think there would definitely be a need in this place. Hoping to make some connections with a church group just to be able to get involved with the kids.

Awhile ago, I spoke to Dave Thakker about wanting to be a YL leader. He asked me if I thought I'd work with high school kids outside of YL or if it was just YL-related work that I was interested in. At the time I had to confess that it was just within YL but since the last year and seeing God move in kids' lives and seeing how desperately they need older mentor-type relationships - I have been equally blessed by them. And here in Slave Lake, my hope is to not lose touch with working with high school kids.

So if you could pray that God would show Jay and I what doors He wants to open. First and foremost - we have to be surrendering ourselves on daily basis and reading His word and studying and growing - and I see in myself that so many times I don't get to live out the plan that God is working in me because I let apathy and complacency take over and I stop reading my Bible regularly and all these silly habits creep up in me that distract me and prevent me from walking into what God is calling me into. Pray that I won't get in the way of what God wants to do through me.

Prov 3 Study

The difference between just reading the Bible - and reading it and looking up reference verses are like night and day to me. What was before just 'text' - becomes alive as you find yourself going through the Bible, from old testament to new and all over. It's incredible. When I journal this kind of study, I underline the initial verse/or particular word that is referenced,  and then write the reference verses underneath it.
With each reference verse, it's like you're peeling back another layer of that particular word or piece of Scripture and you start to realize the depth of the statement that God is revealing in His word.  Sometimes it says the same thing over and over- but it just shows that it is important to God if he repeats it so much.

I'm just journalling this online because it takes much longer to write out in my journal. If you're going to read this, I would suggest that you grab your bible and look up the verses yourself. There is a familiarity of exploring your own Bible that means a heck of a lot more than just reading what someone else has written. As you take notes you may find God is speaking to you for a particular word.

I honestly don't know what He will reveal to you.  But I really feel that if you're like me and you struggle with procrastinating in reading your Bible and you feel like often you read and  just 'don't get' much out of the text, then I would definately recommend doing a study like this. One I started recently was Ephesians 4 and it's great cuz you can literally do like one verse and get so much depth to it from the reference verses.
Just my 2 cents :) Take it or leave it :)

Proverbs 3 - Reference Study

V1 - "My son, do not forget my teaching"

>Prov 1:8 - Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching

[so 'my' teaching is referring to parents]

V1 - "but let your heart keep my commandments"

>Deut 8:1- The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.
>Deut 30:16 - If you obey the commandments of the the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statuets and his rules, then you shall live and multiply and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
>Deut 30:20 - loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

[Deut basically spells out what the commandments actually are - in gist - to love God, to live as He would, and keep his rules - He promises from this that He will give us life and that whatever it is in our life that He wants for us to possess - maybe a job, a property, a leadership position, a position of serving in him in the community - that he will provide that. so simple.]

V2 - "for length of days and years of life"

>verse 16  - long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour
>Prov 4:10 - Hear my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.
>Prov 9:11- For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life
>Prov 10:27- The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
>Ps 91:16 - With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

[so basically, it isn't saying you will live forever if you listen to God - but that He will give you real life and many more years than if you ignored God. For me, it's like the times that I have ignored God and done my own thing, it's like I've missed out on so much, and so to give my heart fully to God - by accepting what he says and truly listening I will experience longer life.]

......that's all for now, will pick this up tomorrow :)

God's truth spoken in lyrical word...

I love hearing God's truth spoken so eloquently and relevantly. If you know any men or women, guys or girls that need to hear this - pass it on..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJFvxad1_A&sns=fb

I opened the door..

I opened the door and stepped out onto my walkway. Everywhere I looked was frosted with a fresh coat of snow. The sun was only just beginning to wake up and there was a blueish tinge to the morning. The sky was strewn with gray and blue clouds and I knew I couldn't decline a walk. There was a stillness in the air - nobody was around with the exception of a couple cars.

A few steps down the road, I realized I'd forgotten my camera.

I was reminded of a time last year when I had grabbed my camera, my ipod and decided to go on a 'date' with God and to try and catch a glimpse of Him in the tiny details. It had been an intimate time with God and I was left in awe of all of the little things He had showed me through my camera lens.

So, I ran back to the house, grabbed my camera, and set off again.

If God will clothe a little branch like this in such a fine coat of snow - how much more will He provide and care for us?

"Wisdom...is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed."       - Proverbs 3:18

"Do not lose sight of these - keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck." - Prov 3:21-22

From far away the skate park doesn't look like much. But, determined to see the little details God would show me in it, I decided to snap some close up shots. It was like a little treasure hunt.

 Amazing what you see when you just stop and take the time to really notice things.

Past the skate park was an outdoor rink and a basketball court. Just past that was a little hill and so I climbed to the top to get a better view. I sat down in the snow and although the wind blew bitterly against my face, I felt content to just sit. There is something about sitting in silence in place of beauty where you don't have to say a thing - but you just feel so alive.

As I looked down at the surrounding neighbourhood, I could see men on the roofs of neighbouring houses, working away. On my left was a row of houses that had been untouched by the recent fire. On my right, the whole neighbourhood had been affected. The construction workers were working tirelessly to try and get these houses done before the coldest part of the year set in. I sat in awe of this little community that had endured so much and yet had so much beauty that was prevailing in spite of the damage and destruction. God is here. In this place. 

"The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the deeps broke open and the clouds drop down dew..." - Prov 3:19-20

Hurting for these kids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg&feature=youtu.be

I just watched this video. One of my Young kids had posted it online. This song has always been a song that reminded me of these feelings that this boy expressed. 


I so feel for this kid and yet I so admire him to be brave enough to put this out there. A lot more kids than we realize are going through stuff like this and it just tears me up to see. I was just thinking today how much I bet there are hurting kids like this in Slave Lake and I want to try and reach out to them in any way I can. In high school I struggled with thoughts of feeling down like these and from talking to other kids today - more kids than ever are going through this mental battle. In my life - God has stood in the way of me hurting myself more times than I can count and it is through my relationship with Jesus that I have come to feel so loved and confident in who I am. It has also been through mentors, people in my life who have reached out to me in spite of my social awkwardness, or shyness, or upfrontness and been willing to love me in spite of myself. I want to be that kind of person to someone else who is hurting and I would challenge others to do the same. God bless...

Arriving at Slave Lake...

In the past few days there have been a whole range of emotions that have run through my mind. Thoughts of 'can I really do this?' and the realization of how much I miss my friends and family already in such a short time. Distance seems to do that to you - the further away you are the more real the sense of what you are leaving behind....

Friday night we arrived at our friends - Al and Cheri's -  place. Al is the friend that pretty much got the ball rolling after he recommended Jay to a Can West Air pilot. Al had promised to come up Saturday and help us unload and move in - for which we were really thankful.

Saturday morning greeted us with a fresh cover of snow in Edmonton. We got up and decided to go to breakfast at a popular diner:

I originally ordered an orange juice like Jay, but when Al ordered a strawberry milkshake - I wasn't going to let that pass me by. :)

After breakfast, we set off for Slave Lake. The scenery reminded us of Ontario - with fields and trees and big open sky.

It was a good start :)

Were amazed by the difference the light made in the drive as it skimmed over the treeline. 

As we made our way up highway 44 towards our new home in Slave Lake - my emotions did a flipflop and the excitement started to creep in. Not knowing what was coming suddenly became exciting and I couldn't wait to see what was around the corner. 

Just then - we came to the part of the rd where 44 joined with and became highway 2. We crossed a bridge and it was then that I saw it - miles of forest in front of us. But something was wrong. The trees were not thick and full but instead resembled a forest of toothpicks. The realization of just how much the fire had devastated blew me away and I felt this genuine sadness for what had been done. The trees had been stripped of their tops and the thinness of the forest was far more than what winter would bring to a forest like this. As we continued on the road I just felt such a sense of loss for those living here.

getting closer...

closer...

We've arrived. Stopped at Tim's for a bathroom break. 

Some of the stores in town - Walmart, Candiaen Tire, Mark's work wearhouse, dollar store, liquor store, sobeys, etc...

Driving by the airport - where Jay will work!!

The company Jay will be working at!