UK Bound!

When I was little I used to be amazed at my Grandparents who took teenagers to the UK for a band trip.  So much so, I wanted to be a part of the "Whalley Legion Marching Band" so I could go to.  I took up the saxophone--so that I could be a part of this band.

Since then, I have been fascinated with the UK.  Kent and I spent our 25 Anniversary touring the UK and loving every.minute.of.it.

 

I was impressed I was so close to a Beefeater...not sure if you can tell.....

 

Kent at the Stones of Stenness--with the Loch of Horie, Hourie, Horray (depending on who you ask) in the background.

 

 

So we are heading back.  We can hardly believe that we got to go the first time--so this time, we are going with the whole family.

 

We are celebrating: 

 

• Kent's 50th birthday
• Max's 1st year of Uni completed.
• Melissa is graduating with her Bachelor of Science with a Major in Microbiology and Immunology and a Minor in Biology.
• Jon is working as an Electrical Engineer but is just about to finish his MBA, (Masters of Business Administration).

I am going along as the travel agent--and then it hit me.  May 1 marks the 3rd anniversary of the day I started Chemotherapy.  The day I started to get healthy by getting incredibly sick.

It is also my 2nd attempt to get to hold a Royal Baby....I hope the baby will be coming while we are there--it's going to be amazing!!!  They didn't let me hold George, but Baby #2, they can't refuse!!

On a serious note, a BIG thank you to Lucas, Philip, Angel and Bernardo for holding the fort, feeding the cats and Pippin while we are gone.  I really appreciate you men so much!!  *remember to snuggle Pippin lots and tell him Mommy loves him even though she abandoned him*
 

Administrative Professionals Day

I never dreamed in College I would be an Administrative Assistant or Professional...my adopted mom was an amazing "secretary" in her time and she once told me, if I could type and answer the phone professionally, I'd never be out of work.

She was right.

After leaving Dental Assisting behind...with a toss of a binder in a dumpster in 2001--I was unemployed and not sure where I was going to next.

But I knew it would involve working.  I love to work.

So back to College I went, upgrading to a Medical Office Assistant and Administrative Assistant.

When we moved to Victoria, I assumed that I would be an MOA again, a job that I loved.  I am now employed as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Research and Capacity Building.  In reality, she lends me out to the Managers of the Department and the general day-to-day running of the office.  I'm busy, I'm happy, I love my job.

Last week was Administrative Professionals Week, with the Day landing on Friday.

From my coworkers I received plenty of gifts:  coffee cards, hugs, chocolate and a ring.  A beautiful, aboriginal designed hummingbird ring.

I can't tell you how amazing it was to be honoured by everyone.  To know that I am appreciated and valued is amazing.

The hummingbird ring means so much to me.  When I was sick, the most I could do was go to the backyard, sit in the sun (for very few minutes thanks to the drugs) and I would sit and drink a little tea.  I'd watch Blackberry chase imaginary bugs in the sun.  Every morning, from the right side of the house a little hummingbird would fly into the yard and fly around the flowers.  He would chirp each time he changed directions.  I called him Pete, I actually think Kent named him.  Each day, it was a promise that I had that day.  To enjoy it and find the beauty and the purpose in each day.  Most days, I felt accomplished if I brushed my teeth and dressed.  I'd look for Pete, my promise for the day.

Cindy told me the meaning behind the hummingbird, the love, the mothering, its what I do in Research. 

I looked for the meaning online: 

The hummingbird spirit animal symbolizes the enjoyment of life and lightness of being. Those who have the hummingbird as a totem are invited to enjoy the sweetness of life, lift up negativity wherever it creeps in and express love more fully in their daily endeavors. This fascinating bird is capable of the most amazing feats despite its small size, such as traveling great distances or being able to fly backwards. By affinity with the hummingbird, those who have this bird as totem may be encouraged to develop their adaptability and resiliency while keeping a playful and optimistic outlook.

And that sounds like me!

Having said that, I have a co-worker that is on holiday right now.  We realized that it would be about 6 weeks between his holiday and mine that we wouldn't see each other.  We thought, we should get, I miss my co-worker shirts, with our faces on it.

Instead, I pranked his office.  I taped a little piece of tape to his mouse.  The mouse doesn't recognize the desk, it only "sees" the tape...and it doesn't work.  I realize he will probably figure this out really quickly, so I worked on something else.....and I took a photo of it:

I hope this takes a little longer to figure out.  Bummer, I won't be there to see it, but I know he will be "feeling the love".

28th Aniversary....

Today is a great day.  28 years ago today, Kent asked me to be his girlfriend.  Aw...it's that sweet??

We had been out helping a young woman who had lost her husband, had a hard time keeping up with her house and property.  So, for 2 weekends in a row, we headed out to her house--cleaned her house, cleaned up her property--and got to know each other very well.

At that point, I did like him, that was for sure.  I didn't know another person who would work full time and then be willing to spend a very, very long day to help out this woman.

I like that.

It was on our way home the second weekend, Kent asked me what I was going to do that night and honestly, all I wanted to do was sit.

So, I told him that I would be going home, drinking tea and sitting--watching TV.  he asked me if I wanted company...and I did.

It was that night, he asked me...I can tell you, that no one before that had actually asked me out.  They'd just assume we were together.

I felt so special that night.  Since that time--through all the ups and downs, he has continued to make sure that I am cherished and loved.

Today, while we were out running around doing our normal Saturday chores, I asked him if he ever felt like this:  Once in a while, I feel robbed that 28 years has gone by so quickly...and that I know we don't have another 28 years to go.

I am thankful for the husband of my youth.  He makes me laugh a lot...and that is important to me.  He's allowed me to have a wonderful life and he understands me so well.

Pray for him.

Caution--this will be a very pro-God blog post.

The past number of weeks, Kent and I have been pretty sick.  4+ weeks ago, I battled E.Coli for 5 days.  1 week later a cold/flu hit and us and I was off work again for 3 days.  Poor Kent was on a business trip and had to keep working.  When he got home--we literally fell into bed for the weekend and didn't do a whole lot. 

We ended up not being in church for 5 weeks--and no one seemed to notice.  The pastor didn't phone, we didn't get any messages except from people we work for.  I was shocked...and miffed and missing Derek in West Kelowna who literally took attendance during his sermon--we knew in West Kelowna we were missed.

I went to church with a lousy attitude last week--but I felt that part of my lousy attitude was due to my lack-o-attendance.

I walked into church buoyed and hopeful.

During the service I had this total God moment.

A man in front of me went forward for prayer with the pastor.  It was to me just a thing that we do, I don't really pay attention to who goes forward at all--but because he was right in front of me--I noticed.

He came back to his chair and a few moments later, I heard God say, "pray for him."

In my head I responded, I don't know him.

I heard, put your hand on his shoulder and pray for him.

I said, Is this really you God?  I don't want this to be me...why don't you ask Randy, he's right here.

I heard, You will start, Randy will join in.

I said, I don't know what to say.

I heard, utterance.  I knew that God would give me the words.

Then, I started getting hotter and hotter.  Unbearably hot.  Like, I feel like I might faint hot.

So, I put my hand on his shoulder and immediately, from my head to my feet I returned to normal temperature.  Then, I sang out the song that the band was playing and I said, ok, it has to be you--I have no words.

Then, from deep within me, my mouth moved.  I was humbled to be used in this way.  And a few moments later, I felt Randy, who was sitting beside me come over and lay his hand on the man and pray.

After the service was over, the man I prayed for turned around and thanked me.  I told him it was ME that should be thanking him, I think I got more out of this than him.

Later this week I got a message that that man was at his Doctors that week and his Doctors told him to go home and get his affairs in order.

I don't know all the ins and outs of what happened Sunday, but that conversation I had with God lasted a couple seconds...and I was reminded that delayed obedience is disobedience.

I have one issue that follows me in my life here--that I am that one in church, a little exuberant, a little out there, the weird one.

When I told my pastor that he said, we're all weird.  Thankfully, he was right, we are all weird.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,

because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance

with the will of God.  Romans 8:26, 27

Embarassed? Who me?

I don't get embarrassed easily.  At all.  I actually think I might be missing the gene that causes embarrassment.

But, this week, I actually did something that I thought, this will be my embarrassing moment.

This week I was in the mail room, waiting for the mail lady to finish up.  When another man walked into the doorway.  He had an ID badge clipped to his belt. 

I looked and thought, weird, it's not a VIHA ID.  I looked back, all I could make out was CAPITAL, so I thought woah, that must be a really old ID--from when we were the CAPITAL health region, but then I thought, maybe he's using it as a fake so I looked again....then I realized he was watching me check out his crotch.

I looked at my feet.

I looked at the ID.

Then, I looked him square in the eye and walked out.

It didn't hit me until later that I probably should've been embarrassed...but it didn't really get embarrassing until I told my coworkers.....then I realized, this is embarrassing.