A New Chapter Begins (AKA: How Not To Have a Midlife Crisis)

Happy OFFICIAL SUMMER HOLIDAYS! To say that 2020 has been interesting as been an understatement. I have decided that 2021 will be my (our) year for sure!!!

COVID/SUMMER UPDATE:

I am house/dog sitting at my friend's as I write this. I am sitting on their balcony, and listening to the birds, rain, kids, wind, etc. To say that this is a much needed vacation (or Coronacation) is definitely an understatement. I have been reading, sleeping, eating, playing on my phone, sitting on their balcony, watching movies, and now, blogging :)

I am off to the ranch this weekend with the boys, and I think this will be my 4th time since to the ranch since COVID arrived. I went a couple of weekends ago by myself, and I had a nice time hanging out with family. And yes, I am SO OVER social distancing, self-isolation, etc. However, I am not a complete idiot; I adhere to the rules when I am out, and I wash (as one should do anyway) after I come home from running errands; and I tend to only wear my pants once before washing them, and I use hand sanitizer more than normal. I probably go out less than usual (Library is still closed, some restaurants/coffee shops have reopened, but to half capacity); I still only TRY to go to as few places as possible, and other than work (more on that later), I don't really go to places to "stay" (well, that is sort of true!) Our church (which is small) has started meeting up; you have to get "tickets" (they're free). Our church has also started up an in person Bible Study, and our Wednesday Worship are back on (I don't know that the ever really "off"). There are a few gatherings starting to happen (and yes, I have been to a few; including our church ladies' End of the Year Bible Study Potluck, and my Girls Group had a dinner together; both were in May/June!), and people have started travelling/camping a bit more. I usually only go to my brother's place, and I also spend some evenings with Emily (I bring my own lawn chair, and we are careful when/if we are having snacks and drinks) watching movies. Oh, yes...how can I forget that I had a TINY scare with THE COVID, and I had to take the lovely test. Yah, fun times! FYI: I was negative :) I would say that Kamloops is about halfway to normal, and I think it might still be awhile before things are fully back to normal (and a lot of people say this might be the "new normal"!). For the most part, I feel part way back to "normal" (see above), but I know that it is nowhere near back to where things should be. Anyway, I know that God still sits on the throne, and HE is in CONTROL of ALL things!

END OF SCHOOL UPDATE:

Yes,  most of BC went back (optionally) June 1, but our school went back May 25th. They were only in from 8:30-1200, and I was there from 8:30-11. It went ok for the most part; we only had up to 11 students in our class. They were all pretty contained; separate recesses, no music, art (though gym was every day), no water fountain use, minimal kids in the bathroom, no use of the library, no chapel/grad ceremony, no sharing food, no class parties, etc. It actually went better than I thought, and the kids did really well. For the last day of school (June 19th), instead of all the primary having our annual "Fun Day", complete with a Bouncy Castle, etc, each individual class had their own celebration. Some kids had a class party, and our class had a pared down version of "Fun Day". They had a few stations set up, and the older kids helped operate them. We ended up having an individually wrapped snack at the end. I got some lovely gifts from the kids and their families, and I ended up gifting a mini gift to the kids who were there. I stayed until 1, as I helped clean up the classroom a bit, and I visited with a few people before I left. I went home to get ready for a night out (more in another post), and I went back to the End of the Year Backyard Bash at my boss' house. They gave me a nice GC (it had a combination of stores where you could use them for/to/at), and we had snacks, and we sat and enjoyed her yard.

NEXT CHAPTER UPDATE:

In April, my work informed me that they would not be renewing my contract in/for September. It came as a surprise, and a shock, but all good things must come to an end, and I was half thinking of moving on to another job, anyway. I KNOW that God has another plan, and this is a new/next chapter of/in my life. I won't lie and say that it has been a hard few months (not to mention COVID!), and I MAY have had a TINY midlife crisis/anxiety attack that lasted a couple of months, but now that summer is here (more anxiety!), and things are slightly back to normal, I think I can finally start thinking about looking around for another job (You know, in case my Blogger and IGer Influencer career doesn't pan out!). Again, I KNOW that God is in control of everything, so I am trying not to freak out, and to wait on Him. I am taking this opportunity as chance to find yet another skill set that I have yet to tap into (that hasn't been discovered yet!). This also includes writing a NEW resume in a new OS (or Google Docs) from SCRATCH! I don't even have an old resume to go off of...soooo, wish me luck!!!

This is what I wrote on my FB and IG (along with some pics..obvs) regarding my work update:

I have been a bit quiet (status/life update-wise the last few days, and very quiet the last couple of months about this next update: This last day of school was very odd this year. On top of it being the weirdest school year ever, and 2020 being so interesting, i am not going back in Sept. This place has stretched/taught/grew me in more ways than one. I loved working with Christian people, whom i have the honour and privilege of calling my friends. I loved praying and worshipping every day. I loved talking about Jesus and His love; with each other, and with the kids. Thank you for making me feel included. Thank you for loving and caring for me these last few years. You will always have a special place in my heart! It was such a wonderful community to be apart of...not only with coworkers, but with school/family community as well; parents i am blessed to call my friends! Thank you all for coming along side of me/us, and making/calling us family! Thank you for the encouraging words, and for lifting me up when i needed it. The gifts this year were, as usual, wonderfu! Chocolate, gcs, magazines, tea, cookies...i will miss you all...parents, kids, coworkers!

 

OTHER STUFF:

We had a new niece born on Monday! My brother Seth and his wife Naomi had their 2nd baby girl...Zayla Valeriana June; 7lbs, 5 oz :) She is a dolly!

I am starting to read books again. Ok, so they are only Danielle Steel books, but hey....you have to start somewhere, right?

Blogger is still acting weird. Anyone else having this issue?

Only Love Today

I haven't spoken much about what happened in MN last week. I feel too ill equipped, to be honest. I know that nothing I say will change what happened. I DO know, however, that what happened has so many things wrong with it, I don't even know where to start. Our family has two women of colour. My nieces and nephews are different shades of colour. The fact that some of my nieces and nephews will have a conversation similar to the ones in this video is absolutely heartbreaking, and to be honest, it hits a bit too close to home. This is not ok. This isn't fair. This is just plain wrong. We Canadians (myself included) may think that this kind of stuff doesn't happen here, but it does. We may say that we we are inclusive of all people of any colour, but the truth is, many people in Canada that are of a different colour are sometimes treated as inferior. We may say that we have come along way (in all countries), but I can assure you that we still have a long way to go. I don't care what "race" you are, this stuff should not happen. Ever. At all. 

It shouldn't matter if you are First Nations, Black, Asian, Latino, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or have brightly coloured hair; no one should be 1) afraid of people in authority, 2) shouldn't be treated violently by said people in authority, and 3, shouldn't be shot by random people while out in the community going about their business.

I don't know what it is like to be in a minority. I don't know what it is like to get stares and second glances as I go about my daily routine. I don't know what it is like to be scared that your family member may come home from work or school either traumatized, hurt, or worse, not come home at all. I don't know what it is like to be bullied or have death threats all because of my skin colour. I don't know what it is like to have people second guess me if I am good enough to buy a car, take out a loan, buy/rent a house; start or buy a business, or even get a job; all because of my skin colour. 

To do this, I feel that we have to LISTEN, THINK, and LEARN from others! We need to find legitimate agencies and organizations online and read through their website. Find people of colour that you follow on Social Media (Dr. Tony Evans, Michael JR, are a couple I have listened and watched this week) and see what they are saying. Invite people of colour into your houses, schools, churches, and businesses; get to know them. How can we best help them spread the message? How can we help make their world safer? What things are we ignorant about? Have dialogues with your children, your members of your family, friends. Engage with other people of different ethnicities, have your kids make all sorts of friends, have them play with dolls, action figures, and other toys and other activities of various colours. Watch shows and movies with people of ALL skin colours. Talk it over with your Bible study/Care group. Preach it from the pulpit. Teach it to your students. And for pity's sakes, talk about heroes of colour in your country (or anywhere else in the world, for that matter) to your kids. (or look them up for your own knowledge!)! Again, I am disgusted, sad, angry, and ashamed of the world we live in. This may be a race issue, it may be a cop issue, it may be the cops wanting to aduse their authority; whatever the case may be; it's not right. It is not ok! Why must we live in such hate? Why must this still continue in 2020? Why do we have the same conversations over and over again? It isn't about being "colour blind"; we need to embrace and celebrate them for who they are. It isn't about joining  a cause (Black Lives Matter, as an example), though there is nothing wrong with doing so. It isn't about going to a protest (peaceful or not).  It is about SEEING everyone for who they are.  It is about LOVING everyone, no matter their social economic status. It is about CARING for everyone, no matter their (dis)ability. 

I also want to touch on the mass shooting that happened in Nova Scotia (Eastern Canada) that took place on April 18-19, 2020. This was the worst shooting in Canada's history. Twenty-two people were killed, and 3 injured when a lone gunman went on a 100 mile shooting spree in of 13 hours. This, my friends, is what we are leaving to our children. This type of thing breaks my heart, and makes me so happy that we don't have kids. But, I worry for our nieces and nephews that this is the world they will be living in. My heart breaks for the families who have lost loved in this tragedy. Again, the people in this instance were going about their business when they were shot. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They were innocent bystanders and witnesses to a horrible event. All of Canada mourned (and still is) this loss. It is VERY rare for shootings like this to happen, and even RARER to have a shooting at this level, so when this happened, it shook us all! We watched on our devices in horror as it was unfolding (or as it repeated the same thing over and over). Canada's flags went to half mast (as they did for when the Snowbirds crashed); people cried, were appalled, saddened, and wondered why and how something like this would and could happen. I am thankful to/for the police who did what they could during the tense hours. I am thankful for the police woman who gave up her life in the line of duty. I am thankful to everyone who helped during this time of crisis. I am thankful that I live in a country that is so strong; we love deeply; we love hard. We help each other out. We stand together.  But, that doesn't change that this shouldn't have happened here. Or anywhere. At all. This is not ok. 

Micah 6:8b says, "To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God'.

As the title and saying imply, "Only love today".

**I had most of this done over a week ago, but I kept forgetting about it, and I also felt like that I wanted to add some more to it. I started it June 5, and 10 days later, I finally end up publishing it! I guess with this new look, it has the original "start" date, vs the publishing date**

Below are a couple of links to articles that I found (which, coincidentally, are my SILs Mom and Dad's story!).

Facebook/Mix in The Six:

https://www.facebook.com/MixedintheSix/posts/2628828280773044?__tn__=K-R

From a church blog:

https://www.themeetinghouse.com/posts/Racism%20and%20Justice

PS: Did you know that June 12th is considered "Loving Day"? You HAVE to watch the movie, "Loving", it is amazing!

PPS: When did the new look happen? I don't like it (yet)! I don't know what is going on, but lately, my blog has been weird, with the text and shade. I have no clue what I am doing wrong, as I have never had this happen before. Maybe it has to do with Blogger undergoing new changes?

Let's Stop Being Perfect!

No one's life is perfect, no matter what they post on Social Media. It may be perfect while they are posting (which is awesome), but their life isn't 100% perfect-happy-happy-joy-joy all the time, and if they say that it is, then they are lying :) I wish people would be more real and raw on Social Media; not complaining about their life, but more "normal" and "relatable". One thing that really bugs me about Social Media is how people appear that they have it all together' their house is perfect, their marriage is perfect, their children are the best kids ever; they are living their best life! And yes....I am not saying to not be content...I am saying that people need to be more real and honest in their posts.

Yes, it is important to be thankful, and to be content, but I get so tired seeing people's "picture perfect" posts! People need to see the "behind the scenes" of others' posts. They need to see the messy kitchen, the crying kids, the infertile woman, who 90% of the time is content with her life, but 10% of the time, her heart and arms ache to hold a child, the bad fight with your spouse (and again, I am not saying to air your "dirty laundry" out for all the world to see. I mean, you have to be considerate of your family's privacy), the misunderstanding with you siblings; the 10 days in row that you didn't get dressed or put on make up (but let's hope that you showered!). I think you get the general idea :)

I think for the most part, people are generally being more real, open and honest with their postings, and that is awesome! And there is nothing wrong with posting pictures about "living our best life", heck, I do it ALLLL the time, but I am also real and honest! ***this first part was done on our around May 13th, and I totally forgot about it!! I don't remember what the idea was behind this blog post, but I am going to finish it, anyway, b/c, let's face it...life is far from perfect right now!!) I think there is a fine line (or maybe not such a fine line) between being real, and painting that rosy picture! I do find that there are people on IG/FB/Blogs who are complainers, and/or who are always reflecting (which isn't a bad thing), or who are like to post "downer" photos. And that is totally ok! "You do you" is the new-ish saying that has been floating around the last few years. We need people in the world who are "more real, honest, and open"; someone to knock the rest of us down to earth.

Yes, it is important to share the highs of our day, but it is also important to share the lows. It is ok to share the "perfectly imperfect" parts of our kid, ourselves, our spouse, our lives, etc. Not everyone is an online influencer; gets all their stuff they show us for free (or partners up, or gets $, etc). Not everyone can afford to go on nice holidays. Not everyone can afford nice and new things (though these things are not bad). Not everyone has nice hair, makeup, and great fashion sense. No, your house isn't clean 100% of the time. Not every house looks like Martha Stewart decorated it. Not every meal looks like it was made by a famous chef. Laundry piles up. The kids argue and quarrel, the family pet has most likely peed and or vomited over the living room floor. You really hate being alone with the kids for the 10th weekend in a row while you S/O is out working, playing, etc. There will be meals where it is just popcorn and oranges, and that is ok! You might not have cleaned up your kitchen in a few days; you really don't know where (or if) you will go for/to/on vacation this summer (let's face it, MOST of us won't be going ANYWHERE this summer!!); but the local motel sounds lovely right now. I think you the idea. STOP.BEING.SO.PERFECT (oh, come on...you said it in the VeggieTale voice!!!)!!!! Give yourselves (and the people scrolling through their Social Media feeds) a break!!!

CoVid/Corona, Crashes, Construction, Carnage, Coffee, Car Repairs, Crisis, Carpet, & Caring

This is basically an update of/from the last 3 months! I have no idea why I didn't blog while I was off work. It's not like I didn't have the time, nor did I have many places to go! I tended to watch A LOT of TV, spend time on my phone, read, etc.

To say that 2020 has been a trying/different/difficult year is an understatement! We aren't even half way through the year, and the world has experienced fires, volcanoes, flooding, earthquakes, a pandemic, racial injustice, mass shootings in (including one in NS), and a host of other things that I probably don't even know about!

**I want to take this time right now to publicly thank all of the Essential Workers (or as Google Doodle called them; "Corona Virus Helpers"). You are doing such an amazing job (every day, not just during this crisis)! You are amazing, wonderful and beautiful people! Thank you also to those who helped entertain us online; comedians, artists, story time readers; musicians; places who gave us free virtual tours; worship leaders; pastors, people who gave free classes and courses...the list goes on!!! THANK YOU!!!**

**Thank you to those who have kept us entertained by singing songs, making us laugh, showing the world good and kind people are. Thank you to those who have shown love and kindness during this time. Thank you to the GOOD news makers; for bringing us fun, uplifting and inspiring stories**

Kamloops has endured CoVid, a Snowbird Air crash, possible flooding (we usually see a little bit of flooding every June), construction (heck, we are ALWAYS under construction, it seems!), and our own issues that a city our size has. Our local university is having to lay off people, all of the usual large outdoor events have been cancelled; most events (running, kids' camps, etc) in the city have been cancelled, and pools have closed. A lot of places have reopened, which is awesome. My dear library, however, still hasn't opened its doors. However, they have started a takeout service (which, IMHO should have been happening the entire time, but whatever), which allows you to take your items back, and pick up holds :) The school have reopened, some churches are back in the building, salons and gyms have reopened, and some restaurants are back to inside dining (with half capacity).

Anker and I have personally endured, Covid, major car repairs, a water tank leak, and, well, I think that's all! With CoVid, I was out of work for a few weeks (including Spring Break), and then I wasn't getting enough hours to really sustain my being full time, and the is when CERB became available, so I ended up applying to/for that. The Snowbird crash happened a few minutes from our house; we had watched the show the day before, which made everything all the more real (and scary!). One man was injured, and the PA Coordinator who was in the cockpit with him died. The whole thing was so sad :( I loved that our community came together (as we always do), and held onto, leaned on one another. Anker and I heard the bang, right before the plane went down, and a few minutes later, Anker yelled out that a plane went down. We all came outside to see what was going on, and then we heard sirens. The next day, we found out the the PA had died, and I think the day after that, the Memorial started at the airport.

Last week was a week for the record books! A couple of weeks ago, we noticed that our floor (even though I said carpeting, we only have laminate in our house, but "carpeting" sounded cool with all the "c" words in the title!) was wet. We found out that our hot water tank had been leaking; for how long, we weren't really sure. To make a long story short, we ended up having to pack up 70% of our house; our landlord is renting us a Go Box for a month for some of our stuff go in, and live around MULTIPLE PILES of STUFF for a few days. We came back from running errands last Thursday, and discovered that our place smelled so bad, that we couldn't stay the night, so we stayed at a local hotel, which was really nice! We stayed at the Signature Sandman, and we got a super awesome deal, b/c I told them why we needed to stay (and also, let's face it, they probably could have used the business!).  We couldn't use the pool (we didn't even think of it until after we left), due to obvious reasons, but I would love to try it out sometime. I would definitely recommend them, and would love to spend another night (or more!) there! I took last Friday off, as we were also dealing with our car; and we were trying to get fixed up. I took our car in, not once, 4 times, due to lights coming on! With everything going on, I just needed the morning to concentrate on things that needed to get done. It was nice to have the morning to relax, and get the car fixed, and not have to worry about my getting to work, etc. We left to my parents' last Friday evening, and we had a great time! It was nice to get out of town for a couple of days. We came home to a new floor! We really love it!!! We have spent this week SLOWLY unpacking boxes, and putting stuff away. We also bought a new small coffee table, as the one that we had was too huge for what we wanted it for. We also bought a small cabinet to use as a pantry, as the one we he got damaged. We will be on the look out for a work bench/desk for Anker; more shelves, and probably another small closet for linens.

Learned new words and phrases like Covid, Flatten the Curve, Stay Home, Social Distancing, Self-Isolation (or shelter-in-place), Canada Stays Home, Canada Together & Lockdown.
Learned how to teach/help my teacher from home
Sat in on meetings via online
I watched movies and spent time with Emily.
I had dinner with friends (my girls group and also our Ladies Bible Study)
We stayed in a hotel for 1 night.
Went back to work (part time).
I spent time with my brother and his family.
I spent time with family at the ranch.
I had a week alone at the house.
Two neighbours moved out, and 2 new ones moved in.
We put up the A/C in our house.
Visited with friends (virtual and IRL) a few times.
Survived 2 months with only 1 coffee from Starbucks.
Tried to get into several Netflix series, but I couldn't stick to one, no matter how much I liked it (I tried Tiger King, Kim's Convenience, and Brooklyn 99).
I watched a lot of (Hallmark) movies.
Slept in. A lot.
I started in on a few new shows (I am starting to watch YR after not watching it for 2 yrs).
Read some books, and a lot of magazines.
Learned and saw "The Blessing" take the world by storm.
Cleaned/reorganized parts of our house.
Sat outside and enjoyed the yard and sun.
Went on a few walks.
Baked and cooked various goodies/meals (including doughnuts!).
Tried out two new Meal kit services (I hope to do a review of both of them soon).
Waiting on a new niece to arrive any day now.
Face timed with family.
I tried various versions iced tea different kinds of fruit tea (including Tipsy Tea).
I became addicted to iced tea (no sugar, thankyouverymuch!).
I did some fairy wine dusting.
I got one dusting done to/for me.
My nephew turned 9, one niece turned 1, & another niece turned 3.
Enjoyed church from home.
Tried Whipped Coffee.
Went on a few daytes with Anker.
Experiencing a bit of a midlife crisis.
Organized my tea cupboard and junk drawer.
Figured out that I can move the screen on my laptop by using my mouse pad on said laptop.
Got a bunch of free magazines from my friend.
Anker planted the garden, which I watched; we also cleaned up our yard.
A lot people I knew died during this time (not from the disease, but from other things).
Celebrated Easter from home.
Found a couple of funny people and a dog to follow on the socials :)
Bought stuff.
We threw stuff away.
Anker got my dad's 1952 tractor going.
Tried to cure a health issue, but it came back.
Found out that the highest number is Centillion.
Missed my family. A lot (this was before I visited with them).
Enjoyed my garden lights in our yard in the evenings.
Got bit by mosquitoes.
Made paper hearts to put in our window.
Put Canadian Flags in our window.
Took a handmade heart, to at the Memorial to/for the Snowbirds.
"Visited" around the globe; did some online tours of various places.
Saw/read wonderful things that happened around the world.
Even though I didn't see them; I know there were A LOT of classes, workouts, courses, concerts, tours, plays, movies online (most of them were FREE)!
Relied on the LORD...A LOT.
Had wonderful things happen to/for us!
I changed my IG handle.
I unfollowed accounts on IG, and I also unfollowed a few blogs.
I did a lot of IG-ing, but then I would take a few days' break.
I am, however, in a kajillion groups on FB.
Visited our local Ice Cream Parlour for the first time this season.
I had some blood work done.
Went to (via phone) and made appointments that got postponed due to Covid.
Went on drives (and sat in the car).
Did things for others.
I started on a billion Bible Plans.
We didn't run out of TP, hand sanitizer and wipes.
My sister started up her organization in the Philippines.
Plus more things that I don't remember, or that are too boring to talk about.

SO, even though we haven't been doing a lot, we have been BUSY!!! I can't believe that I was off work for 11 weeks! It has been nice being back to work; even if it for 2.5 hours a day (the kids I support are at home, and the kids who are there are only at school for the morning). It gets me up and out in the morning, and I get to see my friends, and of course, the kids! I am glad that the world has come back to some sense of "normalcy", and I am thankful that even through these hard times, that we can lean on Jesus; and not fear. It hasn't been easy, and as the world still (as it always does) goes through perilous times, I am thankful that HE is control of ALL things! Life is hard. It's messy. It's not fun. It isn't fair sometimes. I don't why God allows social injustice, natural disasters, violence and all other bad things happen (well, I know that it is because of sin and man's free will), but I DO know that HE can and will make all things new, and HE will turn mourning into dancing!! What the devil means for bad, God can turn to good.  I am not saying this tritely; I know a lot of people have a way harder life than I will ever know, but I also know that I have had times in my life where it is has been really hard; times where I can't see the end of the tunnel. God has always come through; even at the very end. All I can say is; HE is in the midst of EVERYTHING!!! He can use ALL THINGS for HIS GLORY! Whatever you (or the world) are going through, you name it, God can use it (and you!) to and for HIs GLORY!

Let's hope the last half of 2020 is better than the first half!!!

If you want to see ALLLL the photos from the last few weeks, go to my FB or Instagram to check them out. You can follow my sister Vienna and her blog here.