A few Saturday
s ago I was blessed by a special visit!! My sister Danielle, her boyfriend Kevin, as well as friends from home Jon and Amy stopped by for a few hours because they happened to be in the province! Jon and Kevin were groomsmen in a wedding held in Cape Breton (Danielle and Amy accompanied them as their dates)...and since Halifax is only a few hours away, they decided that they were just too close to not stop by. We had a marvelous time! Since they had not eaten, we went out for dinner to a restaurant called "The Thirsty Duck"...one of a few oddly named establishments on one of Halifax's main streets, others include "Your Father's Moustache"(a restaurant), and "Your Mother's Underwear"...random, I know! Anyway, we had a great time chatting and it was wonderful to visit people from home while so far away! The visit was filled with lots of laughter as Kevin and Jon entertained us with their random stories, sounds and general brotherly goofiness! I was also able to show them around my humble abode and the major sights and sounds that I experience daily in Halifax. (Note: all visitors welcome! haha) I look forward to my next special visit from my parents next weekend!Another very large highlight for me recently was our project retreat. We were whisked
away by the staff to Camp KejimKujik, a National Park in Queens County(about a 3 hour drive away). Here we were able to really relax and recharge from the busy and stressful (not bad stress, but stress nonetheless) lives that we've been leaving. We were blessed by the teachings of a guest speaker named Mike Woodard, the director of Campus Ministries. The theme of the weekend was "Supernatural Leadership", and he really imparted a lot of wisdom on us concerning how to be God-focused and surrendered leaders. It was a very special and blessed time. We also spent a lot of time in quiet reflection in God's creation - the camp we were staying at was on a lake, it was lovely to
just sit beside the water and spend time with God. The top picture is of one of my apartmentmates, Amber, and I the night we arrived...we were beside the lake basking in its beauty and watching the sun set (I attempted skipped stones, which she was amused by, but I couldn't get it to skip more that once...either it's a special boy skill or the rocks weren't suited for the job...I like to think it's the latter..)
It was on this retreat that I realized quite a few things...one of the lighter ones being that I'm addicted to being by the water!! There's something about a large body of water, I don't know what it is - but I love it! At first I thought I was addicted to being by the ocean, but the lake seemed to satisfy me delightfully as well! I think a large part o
f it is that the weather is very different (much cooler, and always breezy) here, nothing like the thick heat of Southwestern Ontario that makes me irritable. (Don't get me wrong - I love home and miss it, but I don't miss the weather!). anyway...that was a random tangent...The retreat was really wonderful! Saturday afternoon was free time which I spent with my good friend Joanna (she's lovely - she attends University of Western Ontario in the Nursing Program)....we rented a canoe for an hour, paddled out into the lake a bit...and then just sat in the bottom of the boat and talked as we drifted back towards our destination. It was delightful...soa
king in the sun, being on the water, and enjoying great conversations! (See picture!) Another thing that came to me this past weekend was that I forgot how much I love camping!! There's something to said for being in sun, water, and nature, having to survive without the conveniences of western society, and having nothing to do but relaxing activities! My new MEC gear also made a world of difference...my new sleeping bag kept me very warm as I slept outside under the stars Saturday night! Soooo, I'm sure that you can gather from this paragraph that it was a fantastic and refreshing weekend(minus our raccoon problems!...they ate some of our food...).
The last highlight of late actually happened today at work! Today was the main event that my 
away by the staff to Camp KejimKujik, a National Park in Queens County(about a 3 hour drive away). Here we were able to really relax and recharge from the busy and stressful (not bad stress, but stress nonetheless) lives that we've been leaving. We were blessed by the teachings of a guest speaker named Mike Woodard, the director of Campus Ministries. The theme of the weekend was "Supernatural Leadership", and he really imparted a lot of wisdom on us concerning how to be God-focused and surrendered leaders. It was a very special and blessed time. We also spent a lot of time in quiet reflection in God's creation - the camp we were staying at was on a lake, it was lovely to
just sit beside the water and spend time with God. The top picture is of one of my apartmentmates, Amber, and I the night we arrived...we were beside the lake basking in its beauty and watching the sun set (I attempted skipped stones, which she was amused by, but I couldn't get it to skip more that once...either it's a special boy skill or the rocks weren't suited for the job...I like to think it's the latter..)It was on this retreat that I realized quite a few things...one of the lighter ones being that I'm addicted to being by the water!! There's something about a large body of water, I don't know what it is - but I love it! At first I thought I was addicted to being by the ocean, but the lake seemed to satisfy me delightfully as well! I think a large part o
f it is that the weather is very different (much cooler, and always breezy) here, nothing like the thick heat of Southwestern Ontario that makes me irritable. (Don't get me wrong - I love home and miss it, but I don't miss the weather!). anyway...that was a random tangent...The retreat was really wonderful! Saturday afternoon was free time which I spent with my good friend Joanna (she's lovely - she attends University of Western Ontario in the Nursing Program)....we rented a canoe for an hour, paddled out into the lake a bit...and then just sat in the bottom of the boat and talked as we drifted back towards our destination. It was delightful...soa
king in the sun, being on the water, and enjoying great conversations! (See picture!) Another thing that came to me this past weekend was that I forgot how much I love camping!! There's something to said for being in sun, water, and nature, having to survive without the conveniences of western society, and having nothing to do but relaxing activities! My new MEC gear also made a world of difference...my new sleeping bag kept me very warm as I slept outside under the stars Saturday night! Soooo, I'm sure that you can gather from this paragraph that it was a fantastic and refreshing weekend(minus our raccoon problems!...they ate some of our food...).
coworkers and I have been working towards ever since I started work: the annual graduation/birthday party. Every year Purdy's Wharf Child Care Centre holds a big party/mini carnival for the children and their families to celebrate those going into school and to celebrate the birthday of the daycare being established, this was the daycare's 16th birthday! The afternoon included a special presentation by the senior class (an adorable rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" as well as a few other songs), the presentation of the diplomas and then lots of partying, cake, games and fun! As a summer staff, I was often given duties related to this event and as a result, quite emotionally invested. The day turned out great, a
nd I left with lots of warm fuzzies. Watching the parents and kids together, interacting...watching how proud and eager with cameras in hand the parents were...and how eager the children were to show off their accomplishments ...really really warmed my heart and reminded me of a few things: why I'm enrolled in my program(Child, Youth and Family Studies) ...how amazing it feels to invest in another person's life(we, as daycare workers, have a direct impact on the kids' lives/development, and in turn the parents', because if the kids have a great experience, so do the parents!) .... as well, it rekindled my passion for working, not just with children, but families. My heart also melted as I observed my coworkers and their love for the children in their class...they were moved to tears as they presented the diplo
mas and spoke of the children moving forward to "big school". I have never seen such an amazing investment of love (but at the same time, appropriate boundaries..etc.) and I am continually realizing how important it is for every child to have loving adults in their life. I am learning a lot from my coworkers about working with children and at the same time growing a greater love for kids (if that's possible..). I really hope and am striving to be an effective and loving influence and support in children's lives as they have been to their students! Although I've only been working for 3 weeks I find that I'm not looking forward to when they/I have to leave...they're really adorable and there's a special attachment that forms when you invest into anothe
r's development. Watching them grow, mature and become amazing young people is really gripping my heart! It's really cool to sit back and imagine the incredible adventures in store for their life...what their occupation will be...what kind of person they'll be...and think about whether we, the daycare, had any impact on that. Anyway, I'll stop blubbering above my love for my job, coworkers and these kids......the day was really amazing (although tiring...), I was able to unleash my creative talents by womanning the face painting booth, which was lots of fun. Pictured is one of the students and myself after I transformed him into a tiger! (don't tell anyone...but he's one of my favourites!) I've actually had quite a few opportunities to display my craftiness at work ( which I of course love!) ...through designing and making the kids' graduation caps and painting the sign pictured. *sigh*...I really really love my job!
