A New Look

Welcome to the new look of my blog. I saw the most amazing background on Laura's blog and so I decided to update mine as well. The website has so many options, it was hard to choose but now that I know it, I can update it all the time!

Good Friends

Yesterday night I got together with my wonderful friends that I have known since Grade 8! We went to dinner at Kingfishers, which was an okay experience. I had a salad that was $15 dollars that was definately not worth it, but such is life I guess. Then we came back to my house and basically sat around and talked, laughed and giggled until 1am (which we forgot was actually 2 am). It was one of the best times I have had in a long time, I love these girls! We have been through so much together, we spent our 'growing up' years supporting each other and I was reminded of how much each one of them means to me and the influence they have been on the person I have become! We are all insanely busy and don't get together that often, but then I realize that one of the most amazing things about our friendship is that we go right back to being 15 year-old best friends in about a minute! I am also amazed at how much we have 'grown-up', four of us are either married or engaged! I am so thankful that I am still friends with these amazing women and that I get to be a part of the exciting and important moments in their lives. Here's to the next 10 years of friendship with my girls!

This is really cute, older picture of all of us!

Why Can't All Worship Be Like This?

I was listening to this song today and felt so incredibly close to God, but I can't help but wonder why all worship isn't as moving? Why can't our church worship come close to what I feel when I listen to this music?

THE STAND
BY: HILLSONG UNITED

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Sam's Grandpa's 80th Birthday Party

We went to Grandpa Friesen's 80th Birthday Party yesterday and it was great fun! I took lots of pictures, but the cutest ones were of my niece Sarah who was intent on babbling during the presentation...ADORABLE! Here are some of the highlights:

Sam's Grandpa loves high-tech gadgets so the family got him a Wii!


Sam and his Grandma!


Isn't she a cutie?




Sam and I!


On a side note...two posts in two days, wow!

Birthday Fun!

Yesterday was my birthday and I had a wonderful day with my husband! I woke up to a birthday adventure all based on movies that I love!

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Sam made me a wonderful breakfast to start the day!

2. In Her Shoes - He bought me a new pair of shoes for my birthday that I was to wear when we went out!

3. Confessions of a Shopaholic - I opened a gift with a bag in it that I have wanted for a while!

4. The Sound of Music, Miss Congeniality and You've Got Mail each signified a gift card that he got me so that I could go on a mini shopping spree! The Sound of Music was for HMV, where I bought Love Actually, Mamma Mia soundtrack and Becoming Jane. Miss Congeniality signified a 'make-over' for which I got a Body Shop gift card! And You've Got Mail was for Chapters because whenever I see that movie, I wish that I could own a children's book store!

5. The next movie was Ratatooie, he took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden in Langley. I decided to not think about the calories and got Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, it was so delicious!

6. Music and Lyrics - We were off to a CD recording at CLA Langley, which was so awesome! They were giving away prizes and asked if it was anyone's birthday, Sam and Hannah made me go up! It was slightly embarressing as they sang...but I got $30 to Starbucks so I am thrilled!

7. Sex and the City - He wanted to take me out for drinks and dessert, but we ended up being really tired so we got slurpees, came home and watched Love Actually!

It was such an amazing day and I have my wonderful husband to thank for that!! Here's to being 24 years old, I don't really feel different but I have to say that being close to 25 seems a little bit weird and scary! By this time next year I hope that I am teaching and possibly preggo...so needless to say this year is going to be fun!

What happened in January...

So the month of January has absolutely flown by and I cannot believe that it is already February! The first two weeks of January I was doing a practicum at the class that I have been assigned to for this year. I was teaching a Social Studies unit on Canadian Symbols and Citizenship and it went so well! My students were so engaged in the lessons and I really felt like they learned some important things. I can't really explain how exciting it is to be teaching in a classroom, the moment that I step into the role of teacher I know that it is where I am supposed to be! I also really felt like I got to know my students so much better during this practicum, because up until this point I was only going in once a week. The students who had been testing my authority finally realized that they couldn't get away with anything :) and they began to have a lot more fun! I expected this 'testing' period and I am so glad that it is over, although I hope that when I return in March I can start right where I left off. On my last day all the students came up and gave me hugs and one big group hug, it was so cute! It was really sad to leave and now I am back at UBC for 8 weeks, which is a pretty difficult transition back to being the student. This semester is speeding by though and I have so many assignments that I know that I will be too busy to miss my students.

Here are some pictures of my students' work from January...





This is my niece wearing the scarf I made for her, isn't she cute?



Here are Sam and I at a Christmas party...

Another year has past...

SO almost a year has past since I updated my blog. Many times I would log on with the best intentions of writing something about my life but it never happened. As I approach the new year I am encouraging myself to blog more often!

So much has happened in the last few months, here is a brief synopsis:
1. The biggest change is that we moved from Ontario, back to BC! It was a big change but we are loving being back with all our family and friends.

2. I am starting my second semester of the UBC Teacher Candidate Program! I have a classroom in Coquitlam that I am assigned to for the year and I have an upcoming practicum in January! I am teaching my wonderful students a unit on Canada, specifically the symbols, the Charter and about the diverse people who make up Canada. Basically, what makes us Canadians? The end is near for my schooling and I will be so happy when its over and I can simply teach!

3. My husband has gone through many changes this year as well and he is looking for a pastor job at the moment. He is toiling away at construction jobs that he tolerates so that he can provide for our family! I am so grateful to him for all his hard work and we are continuing to pray that God would provide him with a pastor position so he can get back to doing what he loves!

4. I am now an Auntie!! My husband's brother and his wife had a beautiful baby girl named Sarah Isabella and I can honestly say she is the cutest most wonderful baby! I delight in the role of being her Auntie and I can't wait for the next new months when she begins to talk and walk! I knit her scarves for Christmas and I have the cutest pictures that I will attach soon!

There are many, many, many other things that have occurred over the last few months, but it would be too much to recount, so I will bid the blogging world good-bye until my next post!