Rely On God

Sigh. We knew becoming parents would change our lives, and that kids are expensive, but I didn’t think it would be this financially painful. 🙂 I hope (I really hope) now that we caved and bought the last (I hope it’s the last) of the essentials for the baby’s room, we can return to not using our credit card so much. It’s just really hard to have all your family in Canada, and most of your friends in Canada or California. People always tell you that people will be giving you free stuff all the time. I don’t know where these people are. Everyone I know has given away their baby stuff because they are done having kids, or they just had a kid in the last year.

This coming year will truly be a time for us to rely on God to get us through. And we can trust Him, because he’s lead us this far. And He’s always come through in the past. Like when we moved to CA, and had an apartment we couldn’t afford, and I couldn’t work, and we had to take a loan from the Armstrong bank to get by. We wondered how we would survive. Then God came through and we were able to move into student housing, break our lease with no consequences with the expensive place, and live off of Geoff’s paycheck. See, God delivered.

Please just keep us in your prayers. For God’s will to be done, for us to trust in Him to provide for us. And while we’re at it, for God to bless our family and friends, whatever they may be going through.

Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face shine upon us.

What’s Going On
Golly, where should I start? Not much is going on, but I had stuff I wanted to post about. We spent a quiet night in, since we kinda already did the anniversary celebration at Copper Mountain. We had leftovers for dinner, and watched Celebrity Poker Showdown & Scrubs.

We caught a mouse in the trap Geoff set in our balcony roof. There is a big hole in the roof of the balcony, and we awoke Monday morning to see a little mouse body hanging down from the opening. Disturbing, and almost a little comical in a morbid sense. No more have made their way into the house, much to Honey’s dismay. But that hasn’t stopped her from looking for them.

Since we are in the home stretch of the pregnancy (4 more weeks), we’re just trying to make sure the house is ready. I think we’ll have to take some stuff to Goodwill this weekend.

Sunday was a pretty powerful morning at church. I broke down in tears during worship, since the band played I Can Only Imagine. I can usually hear the song on the radio and be okay, but there is something about hearing it in God’s House. Also, it was prefaced with a video by the guy who wrote the song talking about losing his dad to cancer. The message was equally powerful, and I felt like the Scripture verse and message were directed right at me. Pastor Jim talked about relationships with God, and how there are 3 kinds of people. Those who are drowning, those clinging to the boat (or surfboard), and those who are in the boat. The key verse, that summed me up, was Mark 9:24, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. I’m totally clinging to the surfboard in the water, getting bashed around. But I should be in the boat. This may not make sense to some of you, but to some it may make perfect sense.

A conversation on Sunday also made me realize just how blessed I am. I found out this couple we know who are pregnant, are going to lose their baby. They’ve known for months the baby isn’t going to live, he has a neurological problem. Once he is delivered, he won’t survive on his own. The wife is going to carry him to term, and get induced a few weeks before the due date. They already have a year old daughter. But my heart just broke, because they were so excited about this baby. And this couple is amazing. This has only brought them closer to each other and the Lord. I hope they will be able to try again, and I just wish I knew if there was anything I could do for them. I feel overwhelmingly blessed by the fact that our baby is healthy, and that we get to have a son in a few weeks.

Okay, I think I should change topics. What the heck is going on in Canada? (No offense to my fellow Canadians) Vancouver is going to give away heroin to addicts for research? Sigh, that’s Canada for you. Land of the wacky ideas. (To defend Canada, Vancouver is a strange place. It’s like an American city, except it’s in Canada)

The stir around Ward Churchill has quieted down (FINALLY!). It’s nice to not have to hear about it every day. I guess the big thing on the news these days is the boy from NC being found guilty for killing his grandparents. I didn’t really follow this story, but I thought the idea of them blaming it on an antidepressant (Zoloft) was a bad defense. Geoff thinks we should be calling this the Blame Generation, since it seems everyone is so quick to point blame rather than accept responsibility for their actions.

Did you read about what Chris Rock had to say about the Academy Awards? I think he’s a odd choice for host, but we’ll see how he does. I don’t know how much of the show will hold my attention, since I’m not really rooting for any particular movie.

The weather sucks here. It was really nice for a while, and I wondered if I would be able to put away our parkas. But it has turned cold again. I get spoiled by good weather, and then I wimp out when it turns cold again. It’s still not as cold as Edmonton, so that’s my silver lining.

I’m going to close with a quote from The Mummy Returns.

Evelyn: No harm ever came from opening a chest.
Rick: Yeah, no harm ever came from reading a book either. Remember how that one went?

It Had To Be You

We are celebrating 8 years of marriage today. Look how young we look! This may sound cheesy, but the truth is our marriage gets better with every year. Being married isn’t easy, everyday isn’t all sunshine and roses. But we have been blessed by God and we constantly pray for His presence in our relationship. We doubt we would be where we are without Him.

I’m going to close with the lyrics to a song that makes me think of Geoff.

You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you’re miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you’ve got a friend in me
Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me

Boy, and as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You’re gonna see it’s our destiny
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me
You’ve got a friend in me

EEK! A Mouse!

Had a mouse in the apartment today. I was terrified, Geoff was off at breakfast with his mens group. So I hid out at Paula & Simon’s and Simon & Honey took care of the problem. Geoff came home with some traps which we’ve set, and maintenance guys fixed the huge gap under our front door (which is where they think the mouse got in). I’m still a little paranoid, but I’m sure that will eventually fade.

Poor Geoff I called him crying and hysterical, “come home now! There’s a mouse in the house”. I guess in the future, I shouldn’t be calling him and starting my sentence with “come home now!” Poor Simon, I’m knocking on their door crying and he thinks he’s going to have to deliver the baby.

What can I say? Rodents freak me out.

The Bermuda Triangle
Jay: Well, this is fate! She’s divorced, we don’t want to redo the cabinets, and you need a wife. What do they call it when everything intersects?
Sam Baldwin: The Bermuda Triangle.

Yesterday was a strange day for coincidences. I was reading on edmontonjournal.com about the former Edmonton Chief of Police plotting to set up an Edmonton Sun writer. And while I’m reading this story, I’m thinking, that’s entrapment. Then that afternoon I was watching Ed (because I had taped it) and the woman Ed was defending in court was being accused of entrapment. I thought that was weird. Later in the evening, I was watching The Factor, and Bill’s guest was talking about Churchill (you can’t turn to any station without hearing about Churchill) and how Churchill said that smallpox was given to the Native Americans by blankets from the government. That they intentionally infected these people. It’s being disputed by some, and I don’t really know anything about that to say it’s truth or fiction. Wouldn’t it be hard to prove? But last night, in reading my Canadian History For Dummies, Will Ferguson said the British may have done that exact thing to the Natives in Canada (in 1763).

I just thought it was a strange set of coincidences.

As I said, every channel is talking about Churchill. I’m getting really tired of it. I just want it to stop. This morning, Gov. Owens (whom I generally like) said something that set Geoff off into “scream at the tv” mode. He (Owens) said he didn’t want to pay Churchill’s salary, that he signs his paycheck. The truth is that the state barely gives anything to the University. It contributes like nil to the post secondary institutions, and is always cutting what little funds it gives. Mary says the UC schools also get the least amount of money from their alumni in the whole U.S. They just don’t breed loyalty. I think it would be best for the Gov. to just stop talking, and let Churchill just keep talking the noose around his neck. We’ll see what happens.

Mary stopped by this morning to take me to lunch. It was quite a nice surprise. We went to Gunther Toody’s which is a neat little diner. A lot like Ruby’s (for those who’ve been to Ruby’s), or Johnny Rockets. The menu offered quite a bit, and the prices were reasonable. Our waitress was Rizzo, and she almost had enough flair on to rival Brian.

Well, nothing else is going on. I wanted to point out I have been adding to the list of blogs I read, some new ones have appeared, and I organized them by gender. No real reason for that, just it was looking odd to me. Feel free to peruse them at your leisure. I’m going to close with a quote from Mulan.

Mushu: OK, let’s see what you got. “From General Li. Dear Son, We’re waiting for the Huns at the pass, it would mean a lot you if come to back us up.” Hmm, that’s great, except that you forgot “and since we’re out of potpurrori, perhaps you wouldn’t mind bringing up some.” HELLO. This is the army. Make it sound more urgent please. You know what I’m talking about?

The Railroad?

Thanks to Roland for posting this quiz, though I thought I’d be more exciting. 🙂

The Disneyland Railroad: A real steam powered
train, like the old mighty Santa Fe, on a
picturesk route like no other! You take people
from the turn of the century to Frontier-era
New Orleans, to the bonifide hometown of Mickey
Mouse, and into then into the world of the
Future, passing through the Grand Canyon,
Jungles, Forrests, Fantasyland, and the ancient
world of the Dinosaurs along the way. Always
on time, you are steady, reliable, orderly, and
a practical form of transportation for your
passengers in the park. You greet visitors as
they enter and say goodbye to them as they
leave tonight. You have an eye for old world
detail and craftsmenship, even as you represent
the industrial age and the spirit of American
ingenuity. An old icon of progress, you may
not be the fastest ride or as sleek as your
Monorail cousin, but you can rest assured that
you are just the kind of magical experience
that Walt Disney himself liked best.

What Disneyland attraction are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Down From The Mountain

We’re back from our weekend in the mountains. We left Saturday about 9:45, and Geoff was on the slopes by noon. While he spent the afternoon skiing, I spent my time riding around on shuttles trying to get where I wanted to be. I got us checked into the FoxPine Inn, which was right off the slopes in East Village, then met Geoff for lunch at Jack’s in Center Village. Once Geoff went back out skiing, I did some browsing in the shops before heading to the Athletic Club to go swimming. After my swim, I headed back to the room, and Geoff was already soaking in the hot tub. I went out to visit with him, but could not enjoy the hot tub because it’s a no-no when you are pregnant. We took the shuttle back out to Center Village to look around, as Geoff never gets to see what’s there, he’s usually on the mountain. We decided our best bet for dinner would be JJ’s which is in the East Village. We enjoyed a tasty dinner, then retired to our room. Watched a little tv before we fell asleep. We woke the next day, grabbed some cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and parted ways. Geoff was back out skiing, and I went to check us out of the room (check out is at 10am), and go back to the pool. After leaving the pool I went back to Center Village to check out the shops I missed the previous day. When Geoff called me to meet up for hot chocolate, I was just a few shops away from him. We waited outside Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for five minutes until it opened, then ordered two dark chocolate hot chocolates. We found a bench in the sun and enjoyed the mountain air. Over our drinks, we decided to grab some lunch to go and head home. The skiing wasn’t as nice as the day before, and Geoff felt he was okay leaving. I talked him into going to Grand Hall Market for lunch, as there were signs everywhere saying they had lunch specials for $3.99. GHM is located in East Village above JJ’s. It turned out to be a great deal, and Geoff says he’ll go back there everytime. Once inside the building, the food smelled so good, we decided to stay and eat. We were on the road by 12:30 and home just about 2pm. Copper Mountain does offer a lot to do if you don’t want to ski. I was pretty impressed. Being pregnant, I couldn’t take part in those activites (tubing, skating, and curling), but I found I had plenty to see to keep me busy. It’s pretty family friendly, it’s affordable, and I would totally recommend it. I only took four photos while we were there, but I posted them for you to see.

We watched “The Big Game” yesterday, and I was so happy to see the Eagles give the Pats a game. I was rooting for the Eagles, as I don’t really like Tom Brady (but his portrayal on The Simpsons following the game was bang on), and the Patriots have already won enough times, I wanted someone else to win. (*NOTE: This idea of “having won enough times” does not apply to USC). My favorite commercial was FedEx Kinkos, even though I dislike FedEx, followed by NFL players singing Tomorrow (from Annie). As I sort of mentioned, we did tune into The Simpsons, something we haven’t done in a while. We feel like it’s not what it used to be. But the episode wasn’t so much funny as it was true. At least that’s how I viewed it.

Colin Update: He’s doing okay. They had to sew his cartilage together, his bone was stuck in it. He’s in a full leg cast (one of those blue things) from his thigh to his ankle. He’s on crutches, and off work for several weeks, if not months. He’s annoyed because he can’t do anything, and more than anything just wants a new knee. I may give him a call today. I feel bad for him, because when he was out with his arm injury, he could still go out and get around. Please pray for a speedy recovery, and for him to have the patience to let himself heal.

Well, that’s all I know. This week I have a doctor’s appointment, and our first baby shower is on Saturday. It’s going to be an “unshower”, meaning no baby games, and there will be beer. It should be interesting. I’ll close with a quote from Intolerable Cruelty, which was on tv yesterday.

Miles Massey: “Dismiss your vows, your feigned tears, your flattery, for where a heart is hard, they make no battery…” Mrs. Rexroth, do you know those lines?

Freddy Bender: Objection, your honor.

Judge Marva Munson: Grounds?

Freddy Bender: Uh… poetry recitation.

Not Again!



Colin was in the hospital today having surgery. Again. This is his 3rd surgery in the last 18 months. This time it’s on his knee. I will have more details later. Here’s what I know now:

(from Dawn:) On Monday his knee locked and he has not been able to walk on it or extend it since.  He is in the OR right now…they figured he tore cartilage and now the bone is stuck in the cartilage.  They couldn’t tell us much more until they sent a scope in to look at it.  We don’t know about recovery time or anything as the doctor can’t really see what is going on until he goes in with the camera. (end)

He’s only 26. I just don’t know what the deal is with his body. Or maybe he just wants some attention.

Sometimes I Make My Life More Stressed…

And sometimes others do it for me.

I can be such a hypocrite at times, it’s so disappointing. I have been procrastinating sending an email for well over a year, and I finally got around to typing it. I still haven’t sent it, I am in the process of forcing people I love to proofread it first. So while I am not sending off an email telling someone how I really feel, I get worked up over someone not communicating to me followed by them lashing out at me. Now one of these situations has been resolved (at least I think so) so I don’t have that stress. But I still have this drafted email to send. I often go on about the beauty of not living near family, and in this situation it is a blessing. It allows me to tell this person how I feel without having to do it to their face. I know, “Confrontational Melissa” doesn’t tell someone what she thinks to their face? But it’s true. What can I say, relationships are complicated. But the other situation could have been avoided had we live near family. At least I hope that would be the case.

I don’t want to go into that anymore. Let’s talk about something else. Lisa, Brooke & Laurel were on The Big Breakfast Wednesday morning, showing off their bowling (and coaching) skills. Lisa is offering to throw me a baby shower when I get to Edmonton this spring, which would be a hoot. I sure miss having Lisa around. Thank goodness for AIM and phone calls!

We asked Paula & Simon to feed Honey on Saturday while we jaunt off to the mountains. Simon is having surgery today, so he wasn’t able to go to Vegas, as he had planned. Geoff was hoping to get Simon to bet on the Pats for him. They set a date for their wedding (November 5), and we have offered to watch the cats while they are gone. They are getting married in Cabo, with family & friends traveling there to witness it. They said they’ll likely honeymoon there too. We’re more than happy to look in on Gary, Monkey, and O.J., since they’ve been nice enough to watch Honey. Plus, I don’t anticipate doing any traveling at that time. I want to get all our trips done this spring & summer.

I just have some chores on my plate today, laundry, dishes, making a list of what to bring this weekend. I may try to talk Geoff into a trip to Harry & David to get some Moose Munch for the drive home from Copper. Yeah, twist his rubber arm. For those who haven’t tasted the goodness that is Moose Munch, it’s caramel popcorn with almonds and cashews. You can get it with milk chocolate or dark chocolate (either partially covered or totally covered), or with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. You can even get it sugar free, or peanut butter flavored. For Fall/Thanksgiving they had maple/walnut flavor (which sold out really fast) and at Christmas it came peppermint flavored (yummy). They even offer Moose Munch flavored coffee. Glen is addicted to the Moose Munch Bar, “caramel popcorn confection, folded into our smooth chocolate truffle fondant with whole almonds, cashews and toffee bits – then drenched in sweet milk chocolate or elegant dark chocolate.” I must say, I love that I’m considered “laid off”, it means I still get a staff discount. 🙂

Well, that’s all from me. Have a good weekend. I’ll close with a quote from The Simpsons.

Groundskeeper Willie: It won’t last. Brothers and sisters are natural enemies. Like Englishmen and Scots! Or Welshmen and Scots! Or Japanese and Scots! Or Scots and other Scots! Damn Scots! They ruined Scotland!

My Home & Native Land

“Yes, Canada. It was a frozen, hostile wasteland. And there was much work to be done if we were to survive the elements. After boring a hole through the ice to find food, my good friend Nantook and I would build an igloo to protect ourselves from polar bears. . .and flying hockey pucks. Then we would drink a lot of beer. Then when Nantook was ready, he would tell me the story of the Great Moose. . .who would say to the little squirrel, ‘Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.” -Jim Carrey

I just felt like posting that. I like to perpetuate the myths about Canada. 🙂