The Lazy Days of Summer....

Due to the request of some of my readers, I will indulge you as to what has been happening in my life as of late!! Since I last wrote, I have gone on a couple of day trips, taken a week of holidays, and enjoyed some changes at work, so life has actually been quite busy!!!!

To start, on the last Saturday of July my room mate Meghan and I took a day trip to the lovely Jasper to get out of home and have a change of pace. We left at about 8:30ish, stopped in GP for breakfast, and arrived in Jasper at about 1:00ish. We meandered our way around the town of Jasper for a while, ate some Catonese food for lunch, took the tram up the mountian to see the view, drove to Athabasca falls and wandered around, and then headed back home. All in all, we were in Jasper for about 8 hours and arrived home at a late 1:00 am. Needless to say, we both slept in the next morning!! All in all it was a great day however. It was WONDERFUL to get away for the day, take a change of pace, spend the day away from home, and it was enough to get me through my last week before vacation!!! I would post pictures, however, I forgot my memory card that day, and can't find my usb chord to get the pictures from my camera.

My vacation was the first week of August and I enjoyed a wonderful week in southern BC with my best friend from forever. I flew in on Sunday, we went for a hike on Monday, spent the afternoon at the waterpark on Tuesday, relaxed by the river on Wednesday, and I flew home Thursday afternoon. We also enjoyed some great chats, laughter, baking experiences (cookies don't always work well in extreme heat) and overall just had a great time together. It was also good because this was the last time we will be able to spend time together while she doesn't have a baby, as her and her husband are expecting their first baby in October.

After flying home, I was able to see many friends at Scott & Leah's wedding on Saturday!!! The wedding was in Peace River, so that was a two hour drive Saturday morning, the wedding was supposed to start at noon, however it actually started about 12:30. Leah was absolutely beautiful, as were her bridesmaids, and Scott was literally glowing. He even cried!!!! They make a beautiful couple, and it was just a pleasure to share with them and many other friends on their special day!!!

When I returned to work yesterday, I was able to set up my new office - complete with a window!!!! We have rearranged our offices due to personnel changes, and the finance staff moved upstairs, and I received an office with a window!!!! I have been stuck in a windowless office for just about 2 years now, so I am quite excited to have this change!!! And on top of that, I have only 2 1/2 weeks of full-time work left until I return to school. That is very exciting to me as I am quite anxious to get back and continue on with my education!!!! I will still be working part-time while I am at school, but that should work out very well again as my schedule has been set up nicely to work part-time. I will be attending a seminar in Edmonton next week for work, where I will be learning more about Employment Standards and all that is required of businesses. I am looking forward to that as well, as my mom is coming with me to spend the weekend together, and we get to attend the Edmonton Eskimo's football game on the Thursday night before the seminar!!!!

In other news, my application to the town has been approved and I will be able to build a fence around my front yard this summer!!! My lawn has come in nicely, so now I just need my fence and I will be able to do some great landscaping next year!!!! The new pastor for our church has started, and I am thouroughly enjoying having the regularity of a pastor. I have really enjoyed doing more worship leading during the summer, and am looking forward to assisting with the youth again in the fall. I have been learning a lot this summer, and I am really spending a lot of time thinking and praying as I work through some things that God is teaching me. It is a wonderful time and while it is hard many days, I know God has a purpose for me and He is always faithful to reveal new truths to me at the appropriate times!!!!

So that said, this has been quite the post!!! I will include pictures at a later date so that you don't have to read forever!!!!!

A Little of this, a little of that....

So I don't have a whole lot of new stuff to blab on about, but I figured I would let you know what's up anyway!!!! It's been a whole lot of work, cleaning, yard work, but I've enjoyed the first half of July anyway!!!! It's been pretty crazy at work so that's been good. I've had a pretty solid 8 hours of work to do every day, so at least I'm not bored everyday!!!! My house is now officially spring cleaned (a little late, I know, but still), and my yard is growing, my flowers and trees are growing, and in a few weeks I should be able to build a fence!!! Whoot, whoot! I am definately looking forward to my vacation in 16 days, when I go to Chilliwack to visit my bestest friend from when I was born!!! Horray for vacations!!!

A Wedding, the Zoo, and Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to Everyone!!!!!! It's been wonderful as I have had a couple of days off over the past weekend to go attend my cousin's wedding. The wedding was just outside of Didsbury, so I took Friday afternoon to today off and drove down with my bro. It was a great trip, and because we didn't have to be back for work on Monday, we were able to go to the zoo with the relatives, which was a blast!!!!!! When my family gets together we always eat WAY to much and talk, and watch movies, and it's always very refreshing. I love it!!!!! The drive back on Monday was great, and I went to the Canada Day fireworks with a few friends and had a blast there as well. The fireworks were actually very nicely done this year, and I was impressed what was done. I did have to work this afternoon, however it was very nice to sleep in for one more day and just kind of laze around and do nothing all morning. The weather here has been CRAZY hot and dry, so I have been watering my lawn like crazy, and now I have to mow my lawn/weed patch because it's getting pretty high!!! I am so looking forward to having my lawn!!!!! Anyway, take a look at the pics and enjoy the short week!!!!

My niece's in the wagon at the zoo

Dad and Drew looking at the Zebra's
I have the cutest niece's and nephew!!!!

Lion's and Tiger's and Bear's, oh my!!!!
and Giraffe's
and hippo's
and my bro!!
more of the fam....

the Bran family. What a good looking group....Some of Our table's cutlery art... never mix plastic cutlery, candles and the Braun/Derksen grandchildren together....

Kevin and Melissa
The baby elephant!!!! So cute!!!!

Life as I Know it.....

So here it is, almost the end of June, and life as I know it has not changed much at all. I am two months into my summer, and have two months of my summer left. I go to work day in and day out.... and try to find work from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. A couple weekends ago was the annual town Chataqua Days (which is really actually only one day, but for some reason we here call it days.... one of life's weird mystery's I guess.....) and I had a great day, which included rollorblading all day long, sitting and watching the parade with my 4 nieces and 1 nephew, serving about a bazillion smokies to about a bazillion people, watching my brother bleed all over the street from the gash on his head..... etc, etc.... This last weekend I really had nothing to do, so I went shopping, and lazed around the house. And as of right now I have 3 1/2 days until I have 4 days off from work to go to Calgary for my cousin's wedding. Whoot, whoot!!!!!!! Time off of work!!!!! And Canada Day fireworks!!!!!!! Whoot, whoot!!!!!!!!!!

Life

So a couple of updates for you who read this, I have set a few things in motion. I booked my flight to Chilliwack for August and am going to see my best friend Andrea and her husband John for a week, and I am EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My other exciting piece of information is that my
parents, younger brother and I are going to Disneyland for Christmas!!!!!!!!!! We are leaving on December 20th and coming back on December 27th!!!! Both my brother and me are super excited and looking forward to the time off and warm weather during Christmas!!!! So that's pretty much it for now!!!!

Adventures at YC

So, last weekend I did the "crazy" thing of going down to YC with the youth group. I hadn't been to YC in six years, so I was unsure as to how to how I would handle it. Lucky for me the kids were great and my body actually did really well!!!! It was an AMAZING weekend and it was such a privaledge to be able to see the youth worshipping and learning and being vulnerable.

Some of my highlights: having Tim Hughes lead worship, escaping for a few hours away to China Town with Martha, seeing the youth rock out and go crazy for Skillet, TFK and Hawk Nelson, the chat on the bus ride home with Brittney, listening to Reggie Dabbs challenge and inspire, seeing the Lord break through barriers and walls, praying and worshipping with Xav, watching the Newsboys (seeing as I'm old school, that was close to the best concert for me!!!), eating pizza, watching TV until 1:30 with my girls, watching teenage girls doing their hair in the mornings, and oh, what else, watching Jordan blow up a 4 foot balloon and everybody around going crazy about it, taking pictures, oh, I could go on and on. Basically I just enjoyed the weekend!!!!

The week has been somewhat busy since then, and I'm feeling the fact that I didn't get the same amount of sleep over the weekend!!!! And my newest piece of news... I am officially going to California for Christmas!!!!!!!!!

Weirdness....

And while you read the post below, I just want to state a disclaimer that I have no idea why it posted the pictures and captions the way it did.....I did nothing differently than I ever have before, so I'm a bit befuzzled....