2008 is finished but wont be forgotten!

Another year past but there so much that will last for years to come. I'll share two of them with you, because they mean the world to me.
#1. Memories:
- Sheldon and I travel out to Cuba for the first time in January. It was an amazing experience for the both of us. There was so much we had never seen that it we felt it was important to bring our son out there to see. We will be leaving shortly after the new year.
- The three of us took a trip out to Minneapolis for our birthday celebrations and we got to watch two NHL games. (Something we don't have in this area.)
- Jadden got straight A's in his last report card for grade 4.
- Jadden and I made our first garden and found great success out of it.
- We got to share a week of camping with Sheldon's family.
- We booked a cabin for a week and were able to share it with many friends through out our stay.
- Sheldon is coaching the local Junior hockey team instead of Jadden's team. It's been a great learning experience for the both of them.
- Jadden has improved so much in hockey and became the captain of his team.
- I started a course "The International School of Ministry"
- We've had so many days and evenings that we'll remember that were spent with our friends and family hear in our home.

#2. Spiritual Growth:
- My relationship with God has been strengthened and has been built on a firm rock. I have been through a lot and I have pushed myself to see God in the light He wants to be seen in. He has spoken to me in ways I can't explain and He has given me a foundation that I can now find independence and strength from.
-God has shown Himself to my husband and given him a new light to walk with. My husband has become the spiritual leader in our home and his faith and growth surprises me daily.
- My son is pushing his way through the confusing stage of getting older. (yes I know that could speak for everyone) He is slowly growing from a child into a man. With help from God, he has found confidence in the fact that he can be himself because of God's plan for his life. He understands that the decisions he makes for his life can come with consequences (not just from mom and dad) and he's constantly goes to God for new strength and understanding. I'm so proud of him and his choices.
What are some of your great memories from 2008?

I pray for you and your family this Christmas, that you will all have a Merry Christmas and Gods Richest Blessings through this Holiday Season.
What an amazing gift we have received, Our sin's are washed away because of this day. I absolutely love this story of Jesus' birth and how He rescued us from such a sinful world.
God Bless you all.

Christmas Eve

Christmas fun in my eye's.
Skating, Tubing, Snowmobiling, sledding and Quading with family and friends.

And then warming up with hot chocolate and games.

Memories!
I hope there will be memories made to cherish each and every day this Christmas Season.

Cuba, here we come!!!

I can't believe that we are going again!!!
This picture is of us in Cuba a year ago. We were only dreaming to think that we would possibly have the chance to go again. We are going with the same couple (Shel's Sister and Bro-in-law), but we are bringing our children along. I know that this will be life changing for all of us, especially our kids.
We want to go out there with toys and much more to give to the people. These people have so little and I think it will be great for Jadden to experience this and give to the people and children in need.
So early January, we are off!!!
The picture below is the expression we got from Jadden when he found out.
So cute!

Winter Fun

Who needs the NHL when you can bring the ice home to you?

This is the project my husband has been working on for two weeks. We can wait to get out our skates for our first skate. He's been working on this rink every night into the wee hours of the night and it looks like we will be able to put it into use very soon.

This is ice brings back a lot of memories for me. The house we own is the house I grew up in and this is the first year that we can bring a part of my dad back onto this yard.
When I was young, my dad and uncle made an ice rink for us every winter. It was something we looked forward to every year, because we knew that people would start showing up and it ended up being a party every night. You know the saying, "If you build it, they will come." Well thats what happened with my dad's ice.
They built beautiful boards, 4 feet all around. Complete with lighting and was built to the full size of a professional ice rink. They had a big heating shack built with a wood stove inside. It was the ultimate haven for our family. So great that we would have sleep-overs in that shack.
The ice my husband is building, as I speak, is built in the exact same spot that my day had his ice. You can see the light's in the pictures above, the electrical cord that we used is the same one my dad used. We found it over grown and stuck in weeds when we started cleaning up the plot for the rink. You have to remember that this was from a long time ago. At least 20 years!
The heating shack is still there but we can't use it, seeing it's rotting away and we didn't build the rink nearly as big or fancy. But it means that world to me. It's a dream come true and a great place for our family to enjoy evening and weekends.

Decorating

I finally had a chance to sneak outside and get the front entrance decorated.
My husband and my father-in-law were such sweet hearts and built me a pergola this summer.

This was one big thing I was looking forward to.
A fresh garland to hang along the pergola for Christmas.
It feels so cozy and it adds a perfect touch to our country yard.

I made all my decorations out of ceder, pine branches. This is something I love to do, but it takes a lot of time.
I started the first weekend of December and I only finished now.


And of course, my dog, Cleo had to help too. She was my guard dog for all those "man eating squirrels."
(Have you heard of them, we have them all over our yard.)
Lol...

Whats little and whats BIG?

I was so hurt this last weekend. It wasn't because of some huge conflict that I had with a friend or an unexpected accident. It was the feeling of disrespect.
A person overstepping their boundaries after I has asked them not to. (Sounds like our kids, doesn't it?)
I talked about this with a close friend yesterday and I was shocked to see that he/she didn't understand where I was coming from and I couldn't understand where their thought pattern was going either.
This person was looking at how small these issues where and I was looking at the big impact these small issues were causing in my life.

The story of Adam and Eve struck me like a brick wall!
If you would only look at them eating the apple, you would look at that as a small thing. Wouldn't you? Just eating an apple is not all that big. We over look the "small" part of this story because we know the ending, It's "BIG" and we are living in a sinful world because of it.
How often do we look at what we are doing and justify it as something small. "There's no way that it could cause grief." But to the receiver, it does.
How often do we sneak around a person because we think they won't find out? How do you think that person would feel if they knew?
This situation has given me an opportunity to look at my life pattern, and I encourage you to take a look for yourself. Not just for yourself, but for the people around you.
Are we spending each moment out of our day seeking God and trying to please Him? Are we listening to what we are saying to others? Is it filled with gossip or deceit? Is it a loving conversation that wont hurt a person and will it show everyone you know respect?
It's not only what comes out of our mouths, lets take a closer look at our actions too.
I'm not saying this to fill anyone with shame.
I have seen myself do this a million times. But this weekend was the weekend that God showed me what it felt like to be the receiver. I promise all of you that it doesn't feel good, not even a "little."

December

December has snuck up be hind us, hasn't it?

I hope you can all enjoy your Christmas this year.
The excitement of putting up the tree and decorations, buy gifts for the people you love, baking cookies for company and my favorite, listening to Christmas music.
What are your favorite things about Christmas?