Thursday, January 25, 2007

Life happens when no one is looking

So a strange thing happens when things in my life get overwhelming... I stop blogging. I have a hard time being here and not sharing what is going on in my life. So last year this time my life started on a downward spiral that I am just seeming to come out of now. It's hard when your in ministry and other people come to you for your help in putting their lives back together. But who do ministers go to? hmmmmm.... it makes me think maybe that is why there are things that are kept hidden in pastors/ ministers families that when it comes out it's almost too late to repair.

I know I have spoken with friends who Blog and we say at times like this we wished we had an completely anonymous blog so we could vent there. I know that I have a few good friends that have really helped me work through the last year.

That was a long prelude to tonight's post....

There has been some serious issues happening at the church I minister at right now, I have counselled others on and off for the past 2 weeks, met with other leaders, and prayed a whole lot. I am tired, drained, and not sleeping well... The very good news in all this is I am off tomorrow morning for a 3 day conference called Breakforth.

I am so looking forward to this, can it get any better?? Worship with Robin Mark, and Brian Doerksen. Casting Crowns, Starfield and Newsboys concerts. Sessions with kay Arthur, Tony Campolo, Josh McDowell and Randy Stonehill. My workshops include some children's and youth ministry ones and creative worship and worship cafe where it is all worship with one of the worship leaders. The really cool thing about this conference is that there is a youth and young adults stream too. No wonder there is 11,000 people coming to this. There are so many options.

The timing for this is a God thing I am sure of. Yeah for God and His sovereign plan.

Things you do when your bored...

You Are Lilac
You are a very innocent and pure person. Ethics matter to you.Your friends consider you a great listener, and you often play therapist to your friends.You are good at drawing out truths in conversation, however painful they may be.Non judgmental and patient - people feel like they can tell you anything!

Monday, January 15, 2007

4 years ago

Today is the day that changed my life four years ago.
I became Auntie Bonnie for the first time.

I can hardly believe that someone who was this small:
Has grown into this:


Kimmie and her little sister Becca are the joys of my life. I love being an auntie. My only regret is that I only see them once a year. I am hoping to change that though!!!

A fresh new look

So I was getting bored with the old look, and blogger has made it really easy to change the look of your blog so I played around a bit. What do you think?

Saturday, December 30, 2006

One wrong turn in Love and you end up in Manitoba

Erin and I are Visiting Shawn in Prince Albert and he asked us if we want to go to Love. Sure it's only an hour away and who doesn't want to be in love. So off we go and see alot of this.





After going through some Podunk towns we ended up here:



Well it was only 6:40pm and we were up for an adventure and Erin or Shawn had never been to Manitoba so off we went.



After some wrong turns we made it!!



Then it was back to:



So on the way home we saw a HUGE moose and a deer. Erin also saw her first Northern Lights. They were not great but there was no mistaking what they were.


For more of our adventure check out Shawn's blog here

Friday, December 29, 2006

Happy Holidays from Blue and Sully



I know it's been like forever since I have blogged so here is the letter I sent out this year.


Dear Two legged Friends,
Hello from the cold west! Outside right now it’s -41 with the wind-chill. Since our human is trying to find some way to keep warm, and we have fur, we have decided to write our human’s Christmas letter. Our human has continued to be very busy but still finds time to love us. Most days we get supper on time and when we don’t all she has to do is give us a scratch under the chin and all is forgiven.
Life with our human is good. This year was full of changes for us all. After some restructuring at the church our human ministered in we found ourselves on an adventure to the Wild West. Our human started a new ministry at St. Leonard’s on the Hill in Red Deer, Alberta. Her new position as Assistant Minister for Youth and Young Families is a long title and a big job. This is a new position for the church and they are very excited about all the ideas our human has. We know that she is busy with the Church and the youth that she works with. We hear that the kids might be coming over soon and we are preparing to meet them for the first time. For Sully it’s under the bed from start to finish, and Blue, well, you all know how she prides herself on being a socialite.
Our move west was an adventure. For our human she had a busy on her month off in the summer. After going to visit her nieces who are the joys in her life for 2 weeks she came back for the Church Army’s National Conference. This was a good time for her before the craziness of the next 2 weeks. She came back home, we were worried with all the boxes that she had forgotten us! 2 days later a loud truck came and took every thing in the house. Sully was upset that all her hiding places were gone. Even Blue was concerned about the open concept that was going on. We learned after that having nothing to hide in was the least of our concerns. We both flew in the plane and ended up in North Bay for 2 weeks. We still haven’t agreed which was worse flying or driving.

In North Bay we got to meet our newest cousin Rebecca or Becca as the humans call her. Becca had just mastered the walking thing. Blue was very excited to be with the girls. Sully did the normal under the bed thing. Kimmie is a very active little girl and being almost 4 she is a going concern and Becca is trying her hardest to keep up!

As many of you know our human’s familyhas had their challenges this year. Our human's father had some medical issues that resulted in a 3 week hospital stay. This was difficult time for our humans mother and she suffered from her own medical issues. As a result our human's mother has moved south to Orrilla to live with our humans's sister. Our human's brother has moved home to help out and ist still working at the resturant he was last year and enjoying it.
Like our Human reminds us often, we are very Blessed. We wish you all the Blessings of love, Joy and Peace that Jesus brings, now and for the year to come.
MERRY Christmas,
Blue & Sully

Thursday, November 16, 2006

A Year in Review

So this is the last day of my 35th year. As I look back on the past year it has been on full of joy and pain. I am always very reflective at this time of year. This year has been one full of joy in that I have found some really good friends and have had some great adventures to places far and wide. But in the same note, of sadness in having to leave them all when I accepted a new call to ministry in Alberta.

Life this spring has been very challenging in both ministry and family life. As most of you know my position was cut at the church I worked at. I have to say it breaks my heart to know that kids that I poured myself into for 5 years are struggleing to keep it going. I know that they are working hard but my prayer is that a currate will be found soon to help and support them. There were also some other crisis situations that came up in the youth ministry that I was dealing with.

At the same time this was happening my family went into crisis mode. My father they found out has had a sersis of mini strokes over the last year. He had one in March that landed him in the hospital. This was a hard time for my family and hard for me being so far away. One good friend would tell me how impressed he was in how I was able to still be functioning with all this going on in my life. My father spent 3 weeks in the hospital and then was sent home with no support for 3 months. Apparently he slipped through the cracks. So my mother had to be caregiver and all that went with that. Some time in the early summer she started to become ill. To the point that one time when she went to the hospital they put anerioxa if her file. She has since moved out of my parents house and is now with my sister in another city. Thankfully they have found out what is wrong and are working on getting her healthy again. My father after 3 months has finally figured out that she is not coming back. It has not been easy.

Now I am not telling you all this for pity or anything but it come up in looking back. It's in looking back that I can see the times that God strongly had me in His hand, even though I thought He was a million miles away.

Thank God that year 35 is over.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 01
I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 04
I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 03
I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 02

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Oh Where Oh Where Has our Bonnie Gone???

So I know its been a while since I last posted so here goes.

You know the song I've been everywhere? That describes the last month. I have been to see the sights of downtown Calgary.


Oylmpic Park with the old and new city hall in the back ground.


What can I say we are in cowboy country so there is horses everywhere!


Even ones made from scrape metal!



After Calgary it was off to Drumheller and the Badlands. It is like you have stepped off the earth and onto another planet. This is a cool area and if your in the area you need to take the time to see this area. It's the region where the Dinosaurs were found and it's used in the film industry.

This is Horse theif canyon. Used in many movies. I have been here twice and it never gets old!

This is part of the Hoo Doos. They are rock formations created by wind erosions. They are very cool.

Me on a supension bridge. Last time I was here I couldn't make it across. This time it was a breeze.

This is a display in the Royal Terral Museum. It was very cool in there. I could have watch them clean bones forever. I am still struggling with the whole where do the dinosaurs fit in with the creation story... But I am working it out.

So that has been part one of Oh Where Oh Where has our Bonnie Gone, stay tuned for Part two and see what happens when Liz comes to join the adventures!