the blahhhhhhg.

Well, this week was pretty dull and I feel as though I have nothing to report...but I shall blog nonetheless. The weather was especially dreary this week and, in doing so, it largely effected the moods of my coworkers, children and myself; everyone was quite on edge. Things were definitely out of funk this week, and understandably, seeing as how we were cooped up in the daycare all week. I do believe, as well, that the honeymoon stage is over concerning my job. As the week transpired I realized that I was no longer over joyed and anticipatory about each new day. Don't get me wrong, I still love my job...it's just the commitment sort of love now. The kind of love that negotiates politics and policies and chooses to love the children each day...even when I don't feel like it. At the beginning of project, one of the major lessons we learned was that love is a choice, not a feeling - at the time it was concerning working in a team with people whose personalities may not necessarily mesh well with ours, but I'm learning that this lesson is applicable to all areas of life! It's a pretty cool yet challenging concept.

I've become quite distracted recently with thoughts of August. As a ministry, we are still working on projects of evangelism (reaching others with the gospel) as well as inductive Bible study ( learning about the Bible in its original context and how that applies to our lives today...right now we're studying the book of 1 Corinthians, it's fantastically fascinating.) among other things....and while we're having a hard time focusing on the here and now instead of the sights of home ( or a different home, for me here in Halifax), I have been daydreaming about August and having time to enjoy...............the beautiful weather...........the festivals every weekend...........the evenings that I'll be able to spend reading leisurely for hours.......watching movies (I'm making a list!).......spending time to cook a nice meal..........lounging in Point Pleasant Park.........watching free concerts in the Public Gardens every Sunday afternoon..........baking.......crafting.......sending postcards...perhaps attending some fitness classes at the Y!....preparing for C4C in the fall ...........hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....all things that I don't really have time for right now. But, alas, I shall focus on the here and now. I know that the next two weeks will be difficult, focusing and then saying goodbye to everyone, but a fun one as well because we have a debrief retreat coming up to help us process all we've learned here, relax, and enjoy each others' company one last time as a group. And Leanne and Luke are coming to visit after that!...so good times are in store.

This weekend is the Tall Ships Celebration in Halifax. It's pretty spectacular! The ships are so huge and beautiful! I'm consistently awestruck by the size of the ocean and everything in/on it! Did you know that a tuna fish is the size of a CAR, and a blue whale is the size of three school buses?! Here is a picture of my friend Becky standing next to a huge boat ( not part of the tall ships, but one that we saw on the way). God's pretty amazing and powerful in order to have created and maintain all the life in the ocean, not to mention all of us here on earth! My finite mind simply cannot comprehend it all! Also included are some pictures of a few friends and I enjoying the Tall Ships, as well as a traditional fish and chips meal down on the harbour.

Mossy Monday.

Today at work I was assigned the most bizarre task! In the playground where our children play, there is some old-ish wooden playground equipment that needs to be repainted. But...standing in the way of us and a beautiful new paint job was the accumulation of moss on the equipment. Over the years moisture has facilitated the growth of the gross plantae and today my coworker Meghan and I were given the task of scraping it all off. With buckets of warm soapy water and your average dish scrubbers and scrapers in hand, we tackled the equipment one post and railing at a time. It was disgusting. I began the day without gloves, thinking that I could hack it and convinced that the best work was done when in full control of my fingers. My mind was quickly changed, however, when I spent 5 minutes washing the green grime off my hands and fingernails in order to consume my lunch in a sanitary manner. blech. The afternoon progressed with a lot of scrubbing and scraping, bending and craning in order to reach the nooks and crannies that the breeze coming off the Halifax harbour had reached. Finally we finished at 4ish and were able to begin spraying with water and bleach (in order to completely kill the moss). Though a monotonous task, it was nice to do something brainless that allowed time for me to think and pray about life. I also got to know my coworker Meghan a bit better too, and hear about her obsession with the band White Stripes (whom I've never heard of, whoops.). I've learned that strange repetitive tasks can be quite therapeutic...and standing looking at the fully-scraped climbing equipment was strangely rewarding!
P.S. I also met my boss' cousin who is from K-W area!! Random! I love random Ontario connections.

Canada Day. August Accomodations. Tattoo. Facebook.

Hi friends, well...as I was surfing the web today and checking out some various blogs, I was inspired by Vanessa Strickland's to write less, more often. It seems as though my blogs have turned into giant stories which are neither pleasant for me to write, or you to read I'm sure...so here goes bringing you the bare facts. Hopefully this method will prove to be more manageable.

My Canada Day weekend was delightful. Although we didn't do anything extravagant, it was nice to have an extra day to be rejuvenated. Sunday after church, Melissa and I went to watch the parade which was short in comparison to anything I remember from Norfolk County, but high quality nonetheless. A bunch of us also went down to the pier to enjoy the fireworks as well, which were done well. My friend Paulman collaborated these memories into a nice little montage, if you'd like to see it, you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA8dMk49UDc...the video is a bit blurry..but it gives you an idea of our fun-filled evening. You'll also see us playing line tag in the parking lot, singing along to "Livin' on a Prayer" ( a project theme song), and dancing in our random dance circle we started on the dock...there was a loud band at a nearby pub we could hear and dance to...we called it our 'safe circle', where no one was mocked for their skills, or lack thereof...good times were had by all! It was nice to hang out together outside of ministry and be 'real life' friends.

Praise God! He has provided a place for Veronika and I to live during August. We will be staying at our friend Becky's apartment which will be empty until her return in September.

Today I went to the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo...which isn't nearly as bad as it sounds and I didn't return with any permanent markings. It's an annual indoor entertainment extravaganza involving marching bands, acrobats, gymnasts and singers. It involved lots of music, which tickled my fancy, and I have come upon the realization that I love marching bands. I'm fascinated by how so many people can make such a amazing sound while and walking and synchronized! It blows my mind quite frankly.

Well, it happened again. I was sucked in by facebook! I recently reactivated my account to check some birthday dates and a few pictures, which quickly led into hours spent catching up on everyone's summers. Unfortunately this led to feelings of homesickness as I saw pictures of everyone I know and love back home. I realized that life is happening without me at home ( weddings..beach parties....birthdays..cottage fun..baseball!). I know, however, that God has called me here this summer and is stretching me as I grow to know him more. After participating in a pick-me-up ice/let loose ice cream and painting party with Joanna and Kacey, I have recovered and returned to my deactivated state. And so, this is the dance facebook and I do........ohhhh facebook. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Leanne and Luke's visit at the end of July(..sister and brother in law)!

Goodbye for now friends!