Pensive Procrastination

Well, readers... I apologize for the lack of posting. Life got in the way and I have just not had time to sit down and write out a blog post. I did however have the time the other day to pen out a short story. So I hope that you enjoy reading it and that it blesses you wherever you may be on this New Years Eve! Sonya stood, trembling, outside the court of the King. She wrung her hands and commanded her feet to stay where they were. She locked her eyes on the entrance to the court and reminded herself over and over that this is where she needed, and wanted, to be even though she so badly wanted to run. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of this great King and how perfect and Holy He was. Sonya knew that she did not even deserve to stand outside His court, let alone be welcomed into His presence. Yet, she knew somehow that He wanted to see her, and He had called her there many times before. The longer she stood waiting to go before Him the more she began to think of all th

So, the work at school is piling up and coming to an end, so obviously I feel like writing blogs a lot more. I was thinking about this as I sit with my notes for a sermon on Luke in front of me and I am wondering why, in the busiest times of the year work wise, I feel the most compelled to write blogs. Then I realized, it's because it is the time where I am having to figure out all my thoughts from the term. I'm looking over all my notes and re-reading what I've underlined in texts and I'm thinking about the application of all of it in my life. My last counselling assignment was due this past week, so all that fun is over. Now I have before me a lot of biblical and theological writing, which, my friends, is not my forte. I love it, but it takes me longer to think out. I have three pages of notes which I'm hoping will turn into an 8-10 page paper, including sermon notes. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be writing out sermon notes. Right now I&#

She ran through the woods, frighten by what followed her. Pushing through trees and branches and stumbling over roots. The panic overtook her as she glimpsed the light through the trees... the light that she so desperately wanted to reach. She knew she had been there before, in that light. She knew she had felt the warmth. Yet she was here in the darkness again. She cried out, knowing that someone would hear her. The thought of running anymore overwhelmed her. It was so much easier to fall into the darkness, to fall on her knees and give up. It was what she was used to and she felt a strange sense of comfort in this dark forest. But she knew, she knew that the light that she was seeing glimpses of held a glory and peace beyond what she could imagine. Why was this forest so dense? Why was it such a struggle? She was cut and bruised. Cut and bruised from falling and deciding not to get up. Sometimes, when this darkness felt like if would overcome she would just curl up i

There have been so many things on my mind lately that I just don't know where to start. Yesterday before bed I was reading my Bible and just reflecting in a journal and I wrote that I felt like my thoughts were like mosquitos at the end of May, there were so many of them just flying around. I could hear them, that annoying buzzing noise, but they weren't landing so I couldn't capture any of them. Do you guys know what I mean?! Part of what has been on my mind is writing and how much I have learned that I love it over the years. I especially find that I am more in love with writing and feel myself drawn to writing more when I'm reading something that inspires me. I found that when I was taking a particularly inspiring English course in university the amount that I wrote would sky rocket. When I read C.S. Lewis I find myself sitting there with pictures just running through my mind that inspire me and make me want to pick up my computer and write. I love C.S. Lewis. I

A Random Compilation of Thoughts: 1. I'm sorry for the blog hiatus. A lot has been going on my side of the world that has me being more social and having less time to sit and think and ponder life. I know you have all been missing me deeply and passionately, just know that I miss you too...just maybe not as much. 2. Have you ever watched Gilmore Girls? I started watching it a year after my father, and it became our "thing". The show is so dysfunctional sometimes, I think that if I ever taught a counselling class I'd make them watch Gilmore Girls and talk about how they would counsel them and think about what different theories would say. I have a quote for you from Gilmore Girls that I have loved recently. If you ever sat and wondered "What do Alysha's thoughts look like?" Here is the scary reality. Lorelai: My brain is a wild jungle full of scary gibberish. I'm writing a letter, I can't write a letter, why can't I write a letter? I'

I suddenly have this deep desire to go on a canoe trip. While I realize that this might be a leetle silly right now, because I would freeze my butt off and I kinda like being able to sit (and let’s be honest I just like my tush)... I really want to go on one next summer. I love canoe trips.  I love the excuse to be dirty and not shower for 5...or 7... days. I love making my own fire and perpetually smelling like campfire. I love being TIRED at the end of the day because I just canoed for four hours and portaged two 1 km portages a few times each. I love just being tired cause I’ve been out in the sun. I love the feel of jumping into the cool water, clothes still on or in a bathing suit (though the former can be more fun), and feeling my skin sigh in relief. I love how disgusting food tastes amazing and how it is totally acceptable to eat s’mores for dinner. I love watching the sunset and hearing nature’s noise change with it.   I also love the stars...oh my goodness.

So, I've started this post about three times. Every time I start off with a certain point I end up realizing that it's not really what I think or that it doesn't really convey what I've been thinking about. So I'm going to do this in a list kind of format. 1. Words are powerful. They have an impact to tear down and to really build people up. The Bible talks A LOT about being careful with our words, taming our tongues and watching the words that come out of our mouths. When we were little my mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all." We called it the Thumper rule. It can be hard to figure out what this means for me as I blog. I love giving words of encouragement to people, it's probably one of the ways I really express to people how much they mean to me, that and gifts. I love giving gifts. It's so fun! I think that I get this from my mom. She always gives the best, most thoughtful gifts. Words of

I've been noticing this trend lately on Pinterest (don't judge me) of pins that seem to raise the bar really high for what women (and perhaps men in turn) expect from weddings and proposals and marriage in general. I look at all these engagement video posts where guys do these insanely elaborate things to propose to the women that they love...which is SO awesome, but not the norm. I think women have begun to think that this is what is the rule, that this is what they should demand and that it is reasonable for them to expect this. Women have begun to accept that if their future fiance does not do this elaborate proposal that their fiance somehow did not live up to this invisible standard that Pinterest and the wedding industry has been putting in place for them. I say this as a woman who loooveesss weddings, and cute proposals and wonderful marriage stories. So, I will just add this little disclaimer in. I have nothing against a guy who wants to do something wonderful for

I heard the following song for the first time in church this Sunday. I was blown away by the power of these words. The chorus just knocked me flat... and I know it's a chorus so it's supposed to be repeated but I think the power of the song comes from the repetition of this chorus. It is like this constant reminder that even when things are not "going well" for us that we should give thanks to God. Our response to life's circumstances should be praise because it refocuses us on the bigger picture of God's purpose and plan. It reminds us that we serve an awesome and powerful God. I know that this response is much easier said than done. I do know from experience that when I have responded in praise instead of anger and bitterness I have learned some amazing things about the peace and presence of Christ.  Please, take a moment. Click this link  and read the words below and let it sink in. Let is touch that part of you that you've ignored for a while. I pr

Is anyone else excited for fall?! The trees are beautiful and there is that particular smell in the air that makes me go, "Ahh..." While I am definitely a summer girl, I may have a wavering dedication to summer because of fall. Fall is beautiful, fall means pumpkin pie, fall means sweaters, fall means cozy homes filled with wonderful smells. Some of you know that I'm down in Toronto three days and two nights a week. Honestly, in some ways this has been wonderful for our marriage! But it doesn't change the fact that I miss being around Rob, and our home.  Side note: Do any of you find you have an addiction to exclamation points? I always find myself having to restrict my use of them or using :)'s to show it is a happy exclamation and not an angry one. I was going to write this post about this coming (and by coming I mean past) weekend, which for us here Canadians was all about Thanksgiving. But by the time I got around to actually writing this blog the Th

Friends, I know you've been sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting for this post all weekend long. I'm sorry for the wait, I hope that you can forgive me for my indiscretion. I've missed you all as well and have been looking forward to continuing this post! I've realized that as I've thought about this post and what I'm going to write that a lot of what I've learned about this has come from watching other couples interact, specifically those that I respect and admire. I'm blessed to know some great married, and dating couples, who are great examples of Christian marriages. I've learned that it's important to hang out with other couples that you respect and admire and that model the kind of marriage that you want or value. Spending a lot of time around people with destructive or unGodly marriages can, I believe, have a negative impact on your marriage. This does not mean to stop spending time completely with those who have marriages that are

This morning in the car my parent's friend, let's call her Diane, put a wonderful proposition out for a new show. Conversations that people have in their cars. She laughed and said, "I think this has been a pretty hilarious car ride..." The car rides down to school two mornings a week with my parents and their friend are really wonderful moments. But it's interesting how much can be talked about in a 45 minute ride...and how many hilarious moments can happen. Take this morning for example. I had a song stuck in my head this morning from Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, my uncle would be proud of me. The unfortunate thing for those around me when I have songs stuck in my head and talk about that song is that all sorts of other songs from various movies pop into my head. So I went from that song to a song at the beginning of Sing in the Rain to "Make 'em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain. This was stuck in my head for the rest of the ride, and

The other day I was trying to think of something that I could write about for a blog post. Lately I've been thinking a lot about marriage, about marriage preparation, what leads people into marriage and about how to make marriage work. Sometimes I'll happen upon marriage advice that I read and think, "I really hope no one follows these tips..." I stumbled across a list the other day that I was dumbfounded by, I ended up laughing at a few of them and reading them to Rob. At the same time I know that I don't know everything and I'm speaking from only a year and a half of experience. I also know that Rob and I have learned a lot though this first year of marriage and I think we've learned a lot of things that other people could find helpful. We don't have it all figured out either! I don't think we ever will. One thing about life is that it changes and as we experience things we are changed and as we are changed we respond differently to situati

This one took longer to write than I thought because after I started to write it I realized that I picked the animal that I would want to be based on my desire to have said super power. Let's face it guys, I really just want to be able to fly. So, I didn't really want to write a whole post again about how I love flying and wish I could just soar over the tree tops and visit friends and family all over the world. Though, if you guys really, really want it I'd be glad to do it. So, instead I've decide to write about what's been on my mind lately. 1. I watched this move by Tyler Perry called Why Did I get Married Too? In classic Tyler Perry fashion he went from wonderfully hilarious to awfully sad in the span of 2 hours. Like, I bawled my little eyes out after laughing my little heart out. Rob looked over at me in the midst my my cry fest and said, "What's wrong?" (To clarify I was watching it with headphones on and he was watching Stargate) I couldn&

I'm  trying to determine what memories of mine are "significant" and which are just really vivid memories for me. Do you guys care? Great! I didn't think so. The One with the Bouncy Ball OK, some of you are gonna follow me on this one and some of you aren't. There was this toy when I was around 8 or so that was a huge bouncy ball that had a handle on it and you would sit and bounce around on it. You could bounce forwards and backwards or just up and down while you watched TV. This is similar to what some people call an exercise ball, that's for working out...though not specifically designed to bounce around on. SIDE STORY: I had a friend in university who used to come to my room to talk to me and the whole time she would talk to me she would bounce up and down on my roommates exercise ball. You try holding a conversation sometime with someone while they bounce non-stop. It's difficult to concentrate. I think sometimes the only reason she visited

If I could live anywhere... I find this to be a hard question to answer because I'd love for my dream spot to also be close to where those I love are. So I will just put a disclaimer on this, I would only want to live in the following place if my family was there as well. There are a few real places that I would want to live but let me first lay out some of my conditions. I want to be somewhere that I can swim, in an ocean or lake, all year around. That way I won't have to pay for a silly gym membership just so I can get some exercise. Second, I want to live near mountains. I love mountains. People always say that I would stop appreciating it once it became common place but I don't know if that's true. If there is lots to explore I know Rob and I would be out hiking every single week, and then going for a swim after. Ahhh, beachy salt water curls. Third, I want to be close enough to the city that I'm not going poor paying for gas, but far enough away from th

So, I have this friend who is really dear to me. He's done a lot for me in my life, one might say he's done everything for me in my life. I've known this friend for almost my whole life, I heard about him before I really met him. One day I just knew that I had to meet him, that I wanted to be his friend and that I didn't just want to hear about him, I wanted to know him. Our relationship has been full of a lot of ups and downs. You see, I can be a fickle person... surprising right? Often, I take more than I give and in this relationship it was, and is, a lot more take than it is give. Yet he stood by me. This, to me, is his most confusing but amazing attribute. There have often been times when I know I would have left my side. There have been many times that I would have quit the relationship had I been him. I would have told me to find another steady friend. If I were him there were definitely times I would have said "Forget this! You don't listen to my advi

My goodness it has been way too long since I wrote in here last. I cannot believe what a crazy summer it has been. But such a good summer! We became an aunt and uncle to another sweet niece, Katie Joy. She is so adorable and I could snuggle her all day long. We were also so blessed to be invited to a bunch of weddings this summer. It is so wonderful to be there to celebrate with the bride and groom as them embark on a new adventure. It has also been a summer full of growing. Growing in our marriage, growing in my relationship with God, and growing in my understanding of who I am. I finish work this week and head back to school in a few weeks. I'm so blessed to have this time and I hope to fill it with many wonderful people and memories. Since one of my bestest friends leaves for 10 months in just a short while this time off gives us a chance to spend two full days together! How fantastic is that?! I hope to start up on writing more often in the fall. There have been many thin

I learned two things last weekend. One, don't go to see your nieces the day after you get your wisdom teeth out, especially if they make you smile and laugh a lot. It's not good for your cheeks. Two, rest. If it has not yet been 24 hours take it easy...I know it sounds like common sense but I felt great and decided I was fine! Rob has been teaching me over the years to rest, I'm still learning how... I'm sorry I've really been so slack at this blog thing over the past few weeks. Most of my better writing moments come later at night but Rob and I tend to go to bed somewhat earlier, and I like snuggling with my man before we fall asleep. This post is supposed to be one thing that I wish I was really good at. I almost want to answer this question from two different "themes" if you will. There are some fun things that I wish I could do better but there are also some serious things that I would really like to improve on. I never realized before how many fau

This is actually another difficult post for me to write. As you may have guessed if you read this post . I realize that I am still quite young at the ripe old age of 23, so I shouldn't expect to have 5 things that are equivalent to winning the Nobel Prize, or starting my own organization, or something along those lines. So here it goes: 1. Graduating with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and getting accepted afterward into Tyndale for my Masters. I know that in both these things I was following a passion that God had put in my heart and looking back following these dreams lead me to meet some of the most amazing people I've ever known. It will feel really good when all of this schooling is done though... 2. Going on two missions trips. While they were only a month long, they were two times in my life where I took a step of faith and totally relied on God for guidance and provision. I also see this as a great accomplishment because I st

I guess technically right now it is no longer Monday but Tuesday and is therefore early in the morning on Tuesday. But either way I'm not asleep as I should be on this wonderful night. I'm awake. Wide awake and my mind is buzzing with activity and for some strange reason my tummy is a grumbling.  While mind kind and ever thoughtful (and handsome) husband had Starbucks waiting for me when I got home I forgot the fact that caffeine tends to last a while for me and has quite the effect. Especially a Cafe Americano. I should have thought of that before I finished drinking it at 7:00. So, since caffeine likes to stay in my brain for about 6 hours I'm stuck talking to the blogosphere. I did pray for a little while for everyone that popped into my head but there is something incredibly irritating about lying in bed and not being able to sleep, or move, or turn on any lights. So after I lay there for what felt like an hour, but in all likelihood was probably only half that I de