Letting Go

I want this blog post to be honest.

Three weeks ago, I got the kick in the but I needed to start taking my walk with God seriously again. Before that point, I had been really struggling to get into the Word, to get on my knees in prayer, and put my trust in God. The more I began neglecting my relationship with God, the more my life began falling apart. Instead of trusting in Him for provision, guidance, and strength, I took it all upon myself and became completely overwhelmed with the weight of it all. My relationships with others became strained, my conscience became dulled, and my enthusiasm and passion for the church began fading. It was rough.

Hills of Headwaters

Up until recently, I never fully appreciated the beauty of the province of Ontario. Living here my entire life and not knowing much else, I guess it's just something I began to take for granted. Having had the opportunity to experience more of Canada this summer with our road trip out East, I now find myself becoming more aware of the beauties here at home.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Over the past couple years, I've been witnessing a widespread "health food craze" emerge. When I use the term "health food" I'm referring to the general shift to all things organic, all-natural, and locally grown (...let's go ahead and lump dairy and gluten-free in there too).

I've always been one to shy away from this route - claiming it to be too difficult (and expensive) of a lifestyle for where I'm at right now. But, I have to admit, this past year I've definitely been intrigued. It only took a few hours of online research to convince me that this type of lifestyle holds serious value.

A Time to Reflect

It seems as though life has been going a slower pace than usual these days. It's a strange thing for me really, especially considering that when Friday arrives I'm usually flabbergasted that it's already the weekend. Now that I've had a taste of both, I think I much prefer the faster route...

And So Begins Our Adventure

In a matter of hours, my husband Matt and I will be hitting the road and embarking on a 10-day road-trip across the East Coast! This is the first time I've ever really done anything like this. Most of my family vacations growing up consisted of a week at the cottage or an all-inclusive resort on a beach. I guess you could say we weren't much of the adventurous-type (having 5 young kids can do that to you). So, now's the time! I'm going to blog here and there throughout my trip as a way to document our first road-trip together.

On Being Content

Being Content: In a state of peaceful happiness; a state of satisfaction. 

Peaceful happiness - what a term! If you were to honestly evaluate your life against this idea, what would you find? Is majority of your life spent in a state of "peaceful happiness" or do you find yourself more commonly in a state of chaos? How would you define "peaceful happiness" anyway? Is that definition formed out of a cultural world-view or a godly world-view?

Creative Outlet Casting Call

Creative outlet. It's an interesting term. The word outlet is defined as an opening or vent permitting escape or release or a means for release or expression of emotion and creative energy. It's curious that as human beings we naturally desire an outlet - a way to express our innermost thoughts and emotions. For some people, that outlet is obvious - whether it be photography, sports, music, art, writing, singing - some people are drawn towards one particular means of escape and expression... and they're usually pretty great at it too. For others though, finding that creative outlet is not as simple.

Little Bits of Sunshine Part 2

It's hard to believe that my husband and I are already coming up to our one year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we've decided to spend the weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake. My hope is that it's going to be a romantic, quiet little getaway where we can just enjoy each other and look back on this incredible past year of marriage.

We were pretty torn when it came to choosing a place to stay. We've done the bed and breakfast thing once before when we were in Stratford and, although it had it's own charm to it, we missed the comfort of a more commercial hotel. We ended up booking a place called The Orchid Inn. What I love about it is that it seems to be a perfect blend between a B&B and hotel. It has the charm and personable experience of a bed and breakfast, but the privacy of a hotel. And it includes a home-cooked breakfast in the morning!

Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My!

I've had this fascination with theatre ever since high school when I was forced to take a drama class as part of the curriculum. Every part of me wanted to run away from that class screaming - but I hung in there.

Little Bits of Sunshine: Part 1

We've got quite the summer mapped out! The hubs and I are taking full advantage of being newly married and free from a lot of heavy responsibility by going on little weekend adventures a couple times each month. First up? Montreal!

Wandering

For as long as I can remember, I've always had this deep desire to experience what the world has to offer. I've longed to travel overseas, immerse myself in new cultures, and just experience life in ways that I'm not accustomed to. Despite these longings and desires, I still find myself planted in one place, investing in my career, rooting myself in the local church, and building a home and life here with my husband. I know there's nothing wrong with that - it's just so far from what I envisioned for my life at this point.

The Search for the Perfect Coffee Shop

Trip #1: Nougat Bakery and Delicatessen
Address: 600 Queen St. South, Kitchener
Website: http://www.nougat.ca/

 

My husband and I found this little gem on one of our random drives around Kitchener. It was quite the experience walking in and discovering this adorable multi-level cafe and shop. We only stopped in for some coffee and dessert, but they seem to have quite the lunch and dinner menu as well - definitely something we'll have to try down the road. The thing I loved most about this place is the decor - even the outside appearance makes it feel like you're walking into a quaint little cafe in Europe. Highly recommended!

New Creation

Sometimes I need to remind myself of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Earlier today I was reading an article by Mark Driscoll about Lance Armstrong and how, in the next couple days, he will be revealing the truth about his past to the world. You can check the article out here.

Say Cheese!

Big news! We bought a new camera! I've been wanting a DSLR for about 5 years now but I could never bring myself to spend the money. Since then, prices have dropped incredibly, and they have a lot of great beginner-type cameras that still have all of the advanced features and functionalities you would want in your DSLR. I recieved the push I needed to make the purchase this past summer - as a wedding gift, our entire wedding party pooled together and gave us some money to go towards the camera. We ended up getting the Canon EOS Rebel T3i - isn't it just beautiful?

New Beginnings

It's hard to believe it's been almost two entire years since I last wrote anything on here. Looking through some of my older posts serves as such a powerful reminder of how much God has worked in my life over the past three years. Every once and a while I like to take a step back from everything and just marvel at where the Lord has brought me. I'll just be sitting on the couch watching a movie with my husband and this overwhelming feeling comes over me - it's like, "Whoa, we're married. Is this real life?"

MyStory Campaign 2012

What do you crave? 

The following post was transferred from one of my previous blogs (posted March 2012):

I was challenged by Power to Change Students to share my story online. At first, I was terrified by the idea of being so vulnerable in front of so many people. But, as I started to think about it, I began to realize how incredible it is that God has uniquely crafted each one of our stories. And, not even that, He has placed people into our lives that are going to be touched and impacted by our stories in ways that cannot be achieved by anyone else.