<brooke> We just finished Easter break. Kelly and I both had the week off. (Charmed life of teachers.) We spent most of it cleaning out our storage room and closets, trying to make room for baby stuff. We went to Calgary for three days and spent time with Greg, Heather and their 7 month old little boy Kieran. Kieran is precious. He started saying "dada" this weekend. His Mom and Dad were thrilled. Spending time with them really made Kelly and I excited about our own little family to be. I'm almost 28 weeks....beginning of the third trimester. </brooke> <!--12:22 PM-->
<brooke> Since we've been home I've been so irritated with life in Saskatchewan! Stupid weather. Stupid government. Stupid taxes. Stupid drivers. Stupid no money in my pockets. The list goes on.
Kelly and I were driving down our pot-hole laden street when he reminded me of our "theme" of a few years ago, before we took off to the Dominican. We claimed this verse and tried to recall it everyday throughout some dull days: "This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it". I haven't considered that verse for a long time. Today he reminded me of it and it was like a light went on in my head. I wonder when was the last time I was mindful that each day is a gift.
I have wished away so many days this year. I was very sick for the first 3 months of pregnancy....I'm sure I wished away every one of those days in hopes that the next day would be better. I look at the school calendar and find myself wishing those days away because by the time they are through our little baby will be here. It's been a very long time since I last rejoiced and was glad that this is the day that Lord has given me. That's not to say I've been totally miserable since we've been home...I just haven't been mindful of the gift of a new day and was simply glad in it. I'm very glad Kelly reminded of that verse today.
</brooke> <!--3:35 PM-->
<brooke> We've been back in Saskatoon for just over a week. It's the best. We left for a couple days to go to Calgary for Greg's baptism. It was just awesome. Greg stood up wearing an Oilers t-shirt (in front of the whole Calgarian congregation) and said he wanted to get baptised an Oilers fan. Someone hollered out "hold 'em under!" and it was real funny because of course the guy was only joshing around. Greg gave his testimony, and we bawled our heads off. It was really touching. Greg and Heather are doing great and it is such an exciting time in our friends lives. Life is so hard so often, it's so nice when the storm subsides for awhile and the sun shines in. It's really shining on them right now and you can't help but be thankful and happy for them. They're going to have their first baby in September.
I'm debating whether or not I'll keep on blogging. Summer time is just too good to spend anytime in front of a computer. Plus my thoughts just hum along and I find it difficult to make sense of them and then put 'em on a blog. Today I will write my favorite books of the past year and I hope you'll read them....
#3 In The Time Of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
#2 My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
#1 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Tune in next week (or the week after, depending on my ambitiousness) for my favorite recipes. But maybe I'll do like my Grandma Sadie does and not give ya every single ingredient so that if you try to make it, it won't taste just like mine. Nah, I won't do that. I'll tell the whole thing. I really will.
</brooke> <!--2:54 PM-->
<brooke> I'm alone at the beach today. I think I'll be just fine. I have a great book, a big jug of water and just down the lane there's a great bakery I can go to when I want a coffee. If anyone comes looking for me, I'll be under a palm tree by the ocean. I'll just fit in with all the other random tourists here on a week vacation. Except I'm not sunburnt and I don't have my hair braided all over my head with the beads dangling on the ends. Oh that is just goofy looking. I don't know what comes over people. Each to their own I guess.
Kelly had to go back to Santiago to tie up some loose ends and pick up his last pay cheques. I'm glad I don't have to go back there. But he should be back here before supper time if all goes smoothly. Ya just never know in this place do you.
Amy sent us two lottery tickets in the mail this week, I scratched 'em and we lost. I think it's because we scratched them here. If we would've waited 'til we were in Canada I bet we would've won a hundred bucks or something. I'm joshing around, but I do think there's a curse on this island of some sorts. I really do. Not because we didn't win on those lottery tickets, just because of other random acts of badness. But I don't care about those things now. We are just focusing on the good stuff, enjoying our last week at the beach and time with people we won't see again for a long time. We leave not tomorrow but the next day. Oh boy. </brooke> <!--7:40 AM-->
<brooke> All we've done today is sit out in the sunshine and laugh. But Kelly is real tired and he needs to catch up on some sleep, so he's having a nap at the beach house right now. His face is hurting because he wore some bad sunscreen yesterday and caught the burn. He must've been allergic because this morning his eyes were swollen and I say he looks like a fetus. He says he does not. I got him some antihisthamine from the store and his face is getting back to normal. So that's nice.
I came here to check the e-mails. I got a real nice one from my Grandma and Grandpa. I'm so excited to see them. I love to go to the Farmer's market with my Grandma. We eat perogies and drink the ice cold lemonade. One time there was a Saskatoon berry theme day or something and there were pies galore, so we got into that. Oh boy. I am looking forward to that a lot.
It is my birthday on June 17th. Just incase you wanted to know.
</brooke> <!--12:41 PM-->
<brooke> Yesterday was a day of closure and conclusion. I was so proud of Kelly. He organized and put on the entire senior graduation and it was incredible. He was the keynote speaker and when he got up to speak the kids just burst out in applause. They love him so much and his influence in their lives has been, and I'm sure will continue to be, remarkable. Everyone who sat and listened to Kelly speak last night knew that he is a man of integrity, compassion and amazing talent. I watched from the back with my eyes just brimming with tears the whole time. I was really just so proud of him.
We sat out on our balcony for the last time this morning. With a hot cup of coffee, looking up at the palm trees and smelling the fresh damp smells from the nice rain we had late last night, we just talked for a while about the yesterday and the year gone by. I think we really shook things up around here. Thanks be to God, Marty Murphy and his family are going back to the States and the chairman of the board resigned this week. A huge boob-reduction has taken place at SCS this week. And I like to think that it comes as a result of standing up for the truth and standing against lies and cowardice, even if no one else is standing up.
So our mission here is done folks. We have fought hard and I hope we've done well.
Now we're at the beach, and we'll be here all week. Kelly has to go back to the school on Monday to pick up his last cheque, but I think I'll stay here at the beach. We'll have access to e-mails again so if you want to drop us a line we'd love to hear from you. Otherwise, we'll be home very soon and we'll catch up then. Hasta luego!
</brooke> <!--11:59 AM-->
<brooke> Today, May 28th, it is officially two weeks until we step foot on our first plane out of here. It'll be a long enough journey home. Our first stop is Newark, New Jersey where we'll stay over night and catch our connecting flight to Toronto. We have about 7 or 8 hours lay over in Toronto which is alright because we're going to hook up with our wonderful friend Michelle Stanley (who lives here in the Dominican Republic but is originally from Canada) and tour around TO for the day. We fly from Toronto to Calgary and get there about 10 o'clock at night. We'll spend the night with Heather and Greg; and then, this is the best thing of all, we'll have our first Canadian breakfast with them the next morning. Bacon, eggs, non-stop coffee...ordering in english! I can hardly wait.
On June 13th, we'll be back in Saskatoon. I can hardly even stand the thought of it because it makes me so excited and happy. I don't know how I'll react once we are walking on SK ground again....I might just stand there with a huge smile, tears streaming down my face.....or else I might just give the ol' Gretzky where ya curl your arm up and rock your elbow back and forth. </brooke> <!--10:24 AM-->
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