Final Summer Post & 11th Blogiversary

Oh my goodness! You would think that with all this time off, I would have had more time to blog! I am slowly going through my blog drafts, and I HOPE to get the Christmas blog out soon!!!! I hope that it will be at least this month by the time I post about it!

These last few blog posts/events haven't really been in order, but that doesn't matter, right?

Ok, well, going through blog posts, I realized that I HAD written about the last bit of summer....:) I was going to write about the wknd that we went to the ranch, but I had already written about it...you can find that post here, so I will not bore you with that again. I think I was going to write about my friend's and I day of fun, but I just wrote about that, too. You can read about that here. So, essentially, there will not be much about summer in this post.

So, the only thing that I will blog (which has long since past) is my 11th year Blogiversary (or is Blogaversary??), and Dude, it's a thing!!! I cannot believe that I have blogging for (now over) 11  years!!! I wish I could say that I have made some money, or that I have made my blog a nicer "place" to visit, but it has just pretty much stayed the same since I started 11 years ago. I don't have a lot of followers, nor do I have a ton of "traffic", either. The most that has changed is my writing, and what I now write about. For the record, my blogiversary is Aug 24, 2007...crazy! You can read my first post here.

I am thinking of starting to try to make a bit of money from this blog, but how does one start???? I know that a person can, as I follow A LOT of blog/bloggers who do make $ off it. Anyone who has any answers (preferably Canadian bloggers, as it may differ from on how Americans can get paid/sponsored, but my American friends, please feel free to message me as well!).

One thing that I want to start up again (I might go back and "update" some recent posts), is to put "labels" on my blog posts again. I don't know if they actually help people find the post that they are looking for (FYI: I think I have WAY too many labels...lol), but they actually helped ME find the posts that I might want to find, instead of going through nearly 1,000 blog posts.

One of the things that I love about my blog is that people that I have "met" through them. Of course, there is IG, and FB, but there is something about "visiting" people through blogs (ok, so I haven't been reading a lot of others' posts lately...I will say that I have slacked off a lot in that area) that I have really enjoyed. I have a few "friends" that I have met through blogging that I have on FB, and IG. I don't think that I have met any IRL, though, so if you read my blog, or follow me on IG (or FB), and are coming through the area, and would like to meet, then shoot me a DM, and I would love to meet you! (Also, I "follow" over 200 blogs/bloggers, yes, I know I have a problem, and no, I don't read all of them every day!)

Anyway....I just wanted to blog about that :)

Also....here is a picture of this years Christmas Coffee from Starbucks! No, it has nothing to do with my post, but I just like putting in a picture in each post now.

To The Ends of the Earth

Well, this post has been in my drafts with only a title for MONTHS now....and since it has been, well, months since this happened, I had figured that I had better get this out and published before too much more time passes. Also, as I am writing and publishing these posts from the last few months, the events that I am writing about aren't necessarily in order of my posting them..Ha!

So, the last weekend of August, Anker and I went to my parents' for the last few days of freedom before I went back to work. I will blog more about that later (like maybe in Feb..lol). I wanted to post more about part of the reason WHY we went....:)

If you have been a semi-long time reader of my blog, you might recall my talking about my sister, Vienna going to the Philippines, to do her Midwife course. She was there for 2.5 years, and really loved her time there. She came back March 2017 (you can read about her homecoming here), and since has spent over a year in Canada at our families ranch, working for our bro, hanging out, making pies, and figuring out life :) After A LOT of prayer, etc, she decided to go back there again (in a different area...near Manila), but not primarily to do midwifery (though she hopes to do that eventually), but to minister to a wonderful group of women and children who's lives have been devastated by poverty, abuse, and the sex-trafficking industry. She is working with Safe Refuge International, and loving it.

 She constantly blows me away at her willingness do what the Lord requires of her, go wherever He wants her to go, and to be His hands and feet, and to go to the Ends of the Earth, and to love the unlovable. I love her willingness, and her tender heart for others, and for Jesus. She actually puts me to shame (both in her walk with God, and her adventurous spirit). I am so proud that she has such a spirit of adventure, and that she has chosen this tine of her life to serve God and to serve others. You want to know where I was when I was her age? I was slumming it in Calgary, and working at/in a semi deadens job :) I know that times have changed, and kids are growing up fast (thanks to the internet and social media), but I could no more have been in the Philippines than flown the air!!!

So, on the last Sunday in August, Vienna did her "good bye" speech, and then our church body in Vavenby laid hands on her, and prayed over her. Then, a week later, Mom and I sent her on her way to new (or old) life in the Philippines. Thanks to technology, we talk in at least some form every 24 hours...I think I talk with/to her more now than when she lived two hours away! Well, probably not, but it feels like we do, which is probably a good thing. Even though we are almost 16 years apart, as we grow up, the years' gap matters less :)

Anyway, she does have a blog, and you can view it here. If you feel it in your heart to donate, you may do that on her blog as well. She is essentially a missionary, which means she isn't getting any money for what she does. Thankfully, it is pretty cheap to live (especially where she is) in the Philippines, but any amount of money helps go towards her expenses, etc. Or, if you would like to find out more on where she is (or to donate), you can go to the SR website listed here above.

The Second Annual April and Jill's Day of Fun

Happy New Year!!! My first post of 2019!! I cannot believe that it is 2019!!! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!! I will blog about our Christmas and New Year soon (probably in the summer..haha!), but I am still trying to catch up on some posts from the summer.  This post shouldn't be long, though...mostly filled with pictures :)

Last year, my friend Jill and I went on a day of fun to her parents' summer house (it is as fancy as it sounds :) ) two towns over to the East. This year, I decided to make our Summer Fun Day an annual tradition!!! Since, she loves me...she went along with it (because, who doesn't go along with me?? LOL JK...kind of!). You can read about our first summer fun day here. For this year (Aug 28), we tossed around a few ideas, and ended up coming up with going to SunPeaks Resort. I hadn't been up there in ages, so it was a win-win!!! Sun Peaks is only an hour (approx) from Kamloops, and it is a short drive, but a lifetime away!

We dragged  took her two kids, K, 14, and S, 12 with us, so it was a very interesting trip!!! We had a great day, and I took a ton of pictures! She loaded up the kids' bikes, so they were able to ride around the town, which they did. We had brunch at the Tod Mountain Cafe, and it was so good!!! We then wandered around town. There were a few places that I hadn't been before, but there were a few places  that I had been to. We toured Lone Wolf Gallery, and John Tod Trading Company, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Southside Board Shop, Sun Peaks Massage and Spa (to look around at the products), and a couple of other places that I don't remember. S decided to go on the bike ramp/trail thing, and he really loved that. The sun played peekaboo for some of the day, but we had fun wandering around, laughing, and talking.

After a few hours, we dropped the kids off at home, and at a friend's house, and we went on a drive around town. By now, it was getting cold, but we didn't really want to be done with the day...we went for a drive, trying to find on how to get to a trail that can be seen going up a mountain "behind" the city. We couldn't find on how to get to said trail, but we had fun trying!! It was a great day, spent with great friends!!! Now...where should we go next year???


Here are the pics from the day...if you want to see more, check out my IG page, or my FB page.

 The entry to SP :)

 The Go-Kart Ride in the background, and the bike trail-thing in the foreground.

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One of the many shops :)

If you haven't been to Sun Peaks, you really ought to go....you can go for the day, just to walk around....no skiing/snowboarding or staying over night needed!!! For dinner (if I can remember), I have eaten at Macker's (which is now another restaurant, and Bella's Italia, and to stay in, I would recommend staying in the Calhilty Lodge, or Hearthstone Lodge (I only stayed there, b/c I went to a few ladies' retreats up there, otherwise, I would have never have been able to have afforded to stay there).

A Day in the Life (Summer Edition)

It's Friday, August 11th, and I have seen a few people do a few Day in the Life posts for summer, and I thought I would join in. You know, with my life being so busy and exciting and all :) I will do it on Monday, I think :) I don't have anything planned....so, it should/could be interesting (boring)!

Well, it is now Monday at nearly 1 pm, and I realized only a half hour ago, that I was going to d a Day in the Life post..and I only took one picture...ha! Oh well...here we go!

9:00: Alarm goes off. I press snooze, and go back to sleep. Anker wakes up and (I think) makes coffee!

10:00: Am up for the day (please don't judge me; I am summer holidays, and I have no other extra jobs or places that I have to be today). I think I play on my phone for a bit.

10:30: I decide to try to make eggs in my new Tupperware Breakfast Maker. They turn out really well (I ended up eating them cold, but that was my fault, due to finding something on TV first).

10:30-12:30: Play on my laptop and watch tv (my usual daily grind). Facebook, Blogger, the bank, the library's website, and email. I play my train game. I know..exciting stuff. I call my aunt for a few minutes, text a couple of friends, and I also call Tupperware about an order that has not shown up yet. Get frustrated with them. I watch a few cooking shows, and then I end my tv watching morning marathon with a thing about JFK that was on PBS awhile back, that I found rather boring.

12:30: Do dishes; figure what is for supper; look through and clean out the freezer. I SHOULD do a good thorough cleaning of that sometime before I got back to school. I did our fridge awhile back. That felt very good!! Meanwhile, Anker plays his games on the computer, and he starts on his model airplane project. We chat a bit about various trivial things. Meanwhile, I remember that I was going to do a DITL post. Start thinking of what I have done since I got up.

12:45: Start on this post.

1:00: Get dressed (again, no judging!).

1:15-3:15: I stop in at Starbucks to grab a drink, and read some magazines. I also peruse my apps: IG, and Pinterest for supper ideas), and though I don't find anything for my pork, I find a good-looking Parmesan Potatoe recipe. I pick up some decaf Pike Place Roast Coffee on the way out.

3:15: I quickly run into Shoppers's Drug Mart.

3:30-4:30: I hang out at the library for an hour, where I read some more magazines. #summergoals

4:45-5:15: I stop in at Save On to grab a few things.

I got exciting things, like milk, dill weed for pickling, and cranberry juice!

5:30-6:15: Anker has started dinner by putting in the pork that I was defrosting in the oven with some BBQ sauce. I start on on getting the veggies ready; one beet from our garden, beans from our garden, one cob of corn (not from our garden), and I start in on the potatoes.

The beet (fresh) and beans (frozen) are form our garden.

I found a recipe (in my pins) for potatoes (I get tired of baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes. I grew up (and have made) rosemary/garlic potatoes, but when I saw this recipe that I had pinned (I have a habit of pinning things, and then never looking at them again), I wanted to try it. I liked it, Anker did not. To be fair, I think I used old spices, which altered the taste (yes, I tend to keep spices and other food for MUCH longer than I should!). Anyway, I will make them again, just with fresher spices. These Parmesan Potatoes really are very good. They are SUPER easy to make...even a 9 or 10 yr old can make them!!

6:15-6:30: In order to make my day more interesting, I decide to clean out the backseat of our car, and I start a load of laundry.

 Our dirty back seat. To be fair, this is mostly all my mess.

 You didn't think I was going to show you my dirty laundry, did you? We have a laundry room in our complex.

6:30: I finish the prep for supper, and I play on my laptop, and I watch Dr. Phil (one of the MANY shows...not that I watch them all...that I PVR!).

6:45-7:15: I serve up supper to Anker and I. He has started watching something on TV, so I take my supper into our bedroom, and eat dinner, while I watch a cooking show. I may or may not have had dessert after.

 According to our PVR clock, it was 7:15 when I ate/finished dinner and dessert.

7:20: I switch the laundry over, and I put away the dinner leftovers.

7:30: I call my Aunty June, to see on how she is doing.

7:30-8:30: I watch a couple of episodes of a cooking show, and play on my Laptop.

8:15-8:30: I continue on with this blog post.

8:40: I bring the laundry in, and have a short visit with our next door neighbours.

8:50-9:15: Have a shower.

9:15-9:45: I make our bed with clean sheets, with "help" from Calico. I watch "Beat Bobby Flay".  I call my dad and wish him a happy birthday!! I also chat with my sister for a few minutes. I update my day on my blog post throughout the evening. Throughout the day, I text my mom, cousin, and another aunt. I also chat with Anker during the day. He spends a lot of the day doing his model airplanes, getting the dill mix ready for pickled beets and pickles, plays his games, and gets dinner started for me.

Calico "helping" me make the bed. She takes this chore VERY seriously!!!

 The final result.

9:45-10:30: Finish blog post/start new blog posts for tomorrow, play on FB, watch TV, and power down for the night. I have to be up early in the morning (6 am!). Anker and kitty coming into bed, and we finish watching Judge Judy together, and talk a bit, and play with kitty.

11:15: I am STILL up...:) I ended up doing some blog posts, and doing some devotions really quick. I ended up playing my train game, going to the library's website, and deleting some pics.

My verses for each day (above), and one of my MANY devotion plans that I am doing (I have a lot!)

11:15: Get ready for bed; put water in my sleep machine, get my night guard, throw in a movie. Tonight it is Kate and Leopold.

11:30-Get into bed; lights out!!

....and that's all she wrote, folks!!

I just realized that I didn't take a selfie today! Oh well!!