Hurry Up and Wait

 5:30 am and we wake up to the phone alarm. We quietly prepare to leave the peaceful holiday property where we have spent several weeks with extended family. The first ferry off the small northern Gulf Island leaves at 7:50 am. You would think we'd be guaranteed to catch it, since it's only a twenty minute drive. The last few years, however,  many people leave their cars in the line up the night before to ensure they catch that first ferry. But, even so, there's no guarantee that everyone will make it. 

6:00 am We're navigating the winding, tree lined road.  A deer on the roadside raises its head as it ponders pronging across the road.  It's early and no other cars are in sight. 

6:25 am We arrive at the ferry terminal, turning left onto the sloped road that leads right down to the ferry. Approximately 30 cars are pulled over on the right shoulder of the road. We are about three or four cars away from boarding certainty. So, I  prepare myself to enjoy the wait until 9:50 am, the next ferry run. 

We miss the ferry by three cars. My son and his family are in front of us, and they miss it, too. Another two hours of waiting. They have three small children. But thankfully, to the two older children, this is an adventure! 

9:50 am We board the small ferry. Yay! 

10:30 am We arrive at the HB Ferry Terminal, disembark and drive for ten minutes to the next ferry. Will there be a long line up again? Yep. We miss the ferry by two cars.  Another hour of waiting..  I stand in line at the little takeout and order a latte. We sit at a picnic table and people watch. 

11:30 amWe board the ferry for the fifteen minute crossing to Vancouver Island. 

11:50 am We arrive in the small town of Campbell River and drive to the local retirement home to have a little visit with my 92 yo mother in law.  She will have been waiting for us for probably an hour. She values being on time! Sure enough, she is sitting outside the building, patiently waiting for us. She meets her 7 month old great grandson for the first time. We take photos. Smile, chat, hugs. Then we are off again. These visits are never long enough, but hubby is returning in a couple of weeks to have a longer visit with her. 

12:30 pm  We hop into our truck and head out of town, taking the inland highway southward. This is not the scenic route. It's the 'get me to the ferry as quick as possible' route. 

We are no longer in Island holiday mode. I can feel the buzz of hurry returning to my body. Now it's a game of constantly checking our phones for ferry updates. Which ferry will we get? Which terminal should we use (there are three on the Island).  

3 pm  As we near Nanaimo, the electronic billboards keep us posted on percentage of filled ferries in the car and truck categories. It looks unlikely we'll make the 3:15 pm ferry. Sure enough, the next possible ferry will be 6:15 pm, but it's almost full, so 8:15 pm  is likely. That could be a five hour ferry wait! The other ferry on the outskirts of town is also close to full. We decide to carry on for a two hour drive to the Victoria terminal.  It offers ferry trips almost every hour in the evening. We consider that it may be our best chance of catching a 6 pm ferry. So, off we go...at least this part of the island is more scenic. 

5 pm We arrive at the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal, and it looks like there's a good chance we will make the 6 pm.

6 pm YES!! We drive onto the ferry! 

8 pm We discuss whether to stay overnight at relatives or carry on for another four hours...   I don't know why we decide it's a good idea to carry on.... "I just want a shower and my own bed", he says. 

12 am After four hours of night driving through busy traffic, myriad of road construction sections, single lanes with lines of traffic cones to navigate,  driving mountain passes, being flashed consistently by the vehicle driver behind us, pulling over on a highway with a very narrow shoulder, and realizing our camper door had opened and was swinging wildly while we were driving 120 km/hour in the dark, thanking this person who persisted in warning us (and thanking God nothing slid out of our camper!!)... after all this, we arrive at home.sweet.home.

12:05 am  He punches in the code to our electronic door lock. Nothing. Nada. The batteries are dead. We can't get in to our home. There is a framed glass door separating us from our bed and shower. No, we don't have a key hidden outside somewhere. Why would we need that?  ;)  

12:15 am We crawl into our camper and our heads hit the pillow. We sleep like logs, dead to the world and this crazy travel day. 

7 am We wake up and decide to mow some lawns and do some weeding while we wait for my son and his family to get home with keys (we live in a suite in their house). I make brunch in the camper. 

1:30 pm The door is unlocked. We are HOME! Home Sweet Home. 

In a perfect world, I'd always take my time getting to and getting home from our destination. I enjoy drives. I enjoy site seeing. But not everyone sees it that way. I'm usually the passenger, not the driver. He likes to just get there already. I get that. 

Nevertheless, I have determined that I will not be traveling for 18 hours straight to get home next year! 

What were we thinking? 

The person who said 'Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life' was on to something. (Dallas Willard) 

A little bit true

The Advent--ure begins

Today is the first day of Advent. I purchased a wonderful book last year called Taste & See - Experiencing the Stories of Advent and Christmas by Jan Johnson. She encourages the use of our God given imaginations to place ourselves in the story as we do our daily readings. This book is written for small groups, but easily adaptable to an individual devotional time.

The daily advent opening prayer:

I will release the cares of the day, and open my eyes to the wonder of God,With an attitude of empathy to people of another time, I will open my heart and mind to God. I will prepare to experience God's Word to methrough the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

 If I recall correctly, my plans to read it daily last year didn't exactly materialize. Thankfully, the author wrote these wise words in the introduction, and I took them to heart:

Do the meditations as you can, not as you can't. 

I figure any advent readings, meditations, and journalling I do this year will be better than not starting at all.

This morning my church was decorated beautifully with lights and greenery and the advent candles were in place. I could feel myself beginning to anticipate Christmas, slowly but surely. I was disappointed that we didn't light the candles or sing even one Christmas-focused song, though. There are so many beautiful renditions of carols these days, both traditional and updated. Hopefully we will be singing those together more than just on one Sunday!

Thankfully, I have a wealth of Christmas CD's (I usually purchase one new album a year), and I will be playing them to my heart's content at home and in the car.  Come Dec 1st,  that is. That's when my celebrations officially begin--the tree goes up (undecorated for a few days) and the Christmas playlist begins. And on the first Saturday of December, we have our annual family brunch, tree decorating (girls), and outdoor light stringing (guys). I'm looking forward to that, although I will really miss two of my children this year who are too far away to make it. It won't be the same without them. *sniff*

Advent helps to bring me back to reflect on what really matters. Even if it's just a few minutes at a time, it is my way of being sure I do 'listen' to hear what God is saying to me this Advent season.

Hope your season of anticipating Christmas is meaningful to you!

Going Away

When I go away for a few days or a week or two, it's usually to a place not that far from home. I have not travelled far in my fifty plus years. The furthest I've ever gone is to Hawaii.

My out of country experiences are limited to Mexico and the USA (Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Arizona). That's it.

In my dreams, I would love to travel more, but I am not what you would call an adventurous person. I would need to feel secure or at least travel with confident (and patient) persons. I am not a 'WANDER WOMAN' by any stretch. I do love to see new sights, though, so in the right scenario, world travelling would be a blast.

I do love road trips. You never know what you might see or discover!

My latest excursion lasted 4 days and it was BLISS. A long weekend away to a remote, rustic cabin with three other women, two of them my dear sisters and one 'sister at heart'.  There is something about leaving home and doing something completely different. In this case, it was somewhere I had never been before, about 5 hours away. It was relaxing, scenic, quiet, and satisfying in so many ways. The biggest challenge was driving along a rutted, puddled, remote dirt road to our destination. I wasn't looking for more adventure than that!

Contrast that with my twenty-something daughter's preferred adventures and you might wonder if she and I are truly related?

Last Spring (for four months), she solo travelled S. America. Yeah. I am in awe of her determination to do what it takes to have her adventures. Yikes. In a few weeks, she leaves for SE Asia. In the planning stages now, but her ticket to fly out has been purchased! Oh the places she goes! Follow her travels here. 

Do you go away from home regularly? Would you rather travel the world or stay close to home, if you had the option? Would you prefer to solo travel, travel with a friend,  or join a tourist group? What destination is on your bucket list?

Moving Right Along and Slowing Down

Summer does that. It just keeps moving along and before we know it, the lazy days of summer are a thing of the past. I've read a few posts recently about looking forward to the end of summer and back to school thoughts. Please, for the love of blue skies and flip flops, let's not hurry summer! It will do that all on its own. It's not even the end of July yet!!

A week or so ago, we returned from our annual July family campout. This year there were about 26 of us, a mix of siblings, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends. It promised to be a great time.

Roger's Pass, enroute to the Kootenays

We arrived at our campsite later in the day, unloaded our goods, set up the tarp, and  prepared our sleeping quarters (tent and airbed this year, as Leroy our VW was on loan to another family member). Later on,  feeling a little chill in the air, we anticipated a warm, cozy night's sleep. At bedtime, we entered the tent, and settled on the blanket covered airbed, only to discover it was half deflated. After a few exasperated comments such as "I can't believe this" and "It was fine the last time we used it", we did what those of us who sometimes don't want to face problems do - we pretended it was a very, very slow leak which would get us through till morning. Wishful thinking. In less than five minutes, our bodies were resting on the cold, hard ground. So, we made a plan. He would sleep on the driver's seat of the truck until his stiff body could stand it no longer. I stayed in the tent and stuffed as many blankets under me as I could and attempted to sleep. I felt every sharp stone. About 5 a.m., after laying awake most of the night, I pulled my  beach chair into the tent, wrapped myself in my sleeping bag, and stuffed myself into the reclined chair,  with little dog snuggled in a blanket on my lap. That bought me two hours of shut-eye. Day Two's plan -- a trip into town to buy a new airbed... and taking a nap later in the day! 

Did I mention that last year, some friends allowed us to use their fifth wheel? All the comforts of home - a fridge/freezer, our own personal WC, running water, and a REAL bed! I, usually a self-proclaimed(somewhat) purist, surprised myself by how much I enjoyed 'camping' this way! So, to all of you People-Of-The-Tent, if you are ever given the opportunity to RV, take it. Just so that you can say you experienced it, of course. 

Several of us  had a discussion one afternoon about why people even bother to camp. Nothing is easy when it comes to camping, especially when tenting! There are no comforts of home, we haul water,  cook outside in the cold, in the heat, in the wet, in the bug-infested outdoors. We struggle to keep our food frozen and veggies cool in the coolers. We wash our dishes in murky water we would have long since drained if we were at home. We sit in chairs that wouldn't satisfy us for long if they were in our living rooms. We share washrooms with strangers, and we drink 'camp' coffee. And we do it all again the next year!

 So, why do we do this? Think of it as a Sabbath from the daily grind.  I think we just need to get away from home sometimes, break the schedule, breathe lots of fresh air, relax, and  really experience the outdoors. Take the time to appreciate and really notice our natural surroundings. Reconnect with those whom we may not see very often. Breathe.

Despite this unwelcome start to our camping trip, our week in the Kootenays was full of good times. We enjoyed our official 'sitting around the campfire' nightly game Mafia, laughter, sharing meals, playing competitive games, hiking, swimming,  and  getting to spend down time with relatives and friends. 

 I am thankful for extended family that enjoys together time. We are quite a mix of personalities, quirks, and life circumstances, which makes for a good pot of family stew! Every year is different! Who knows what flavour it will be next year?

my capable knitting help

my sweet Enzo-loving nephew

the younger set keeps us laughing!

Are you a camper? What do you love or hate about it? 

What's Not to Love?

I am currently away for a few days, spending time with my sister who lives several hours away. Since I don't travel much over mountain passes in the winter, we don't get to spend a lot of time together during the snowy season. Come spring, we are just itching to see each other again.

Despite the busyness of life and unforeseen and often unwelcome circumstances that sometimes threaten to steal our joy, we have managed to laugh and have a lot of fun together over the years. She has the best sense of humour and if I am ever really stressed, I just have to connect with her and she puts things into perspective, usually leaving me chuckling. And I know she appreciates my practical support  and just 'being there' when she needs it. We've shared a lot of sister love these past four days.

What I've loved about our time together: 

What is it about spring cleaning  for someone else that makes it almost fun? My sis is a super busy girl, so I knew she would really appreciate it if I tackled the room that has been driving her crazy. I shared with her the simple question to ask when determining whether to keep or discard/give away an item-- Does it spark joy? Thankfully, she had already gone through her books earlier and kept the joy-sparking ones! That would have taken us all day just to do that! Several hours later, the room had been cleaned and reorganized. We loved that!

Taking a trail walk through Campbell Valley Park with M & D and the dogs. Being outdoors with some of my favorite people, enjoying a fresh spring morning..bliss. 

Watching The Voice together. She introduced me to that show last year and now it's something I anticipate regularly. Last week, we watched in our respective homes and texted back and forth during the show, giving our opinions and critiques. But sitting side by side is even better! Except when one of us falls asleep (which seems to be a regular occurrence). Late night watching does that!

Enjoying a cup of coffee together whether in her (newly renovated) kitchen or in a cute little coffee shop in the heart of a nearby community, bustling with people listening, laughing, and sharing, bent over their drinks of choice. Oh, and the coconut/almond latte was worth every penny!

Meeting Enzo, her recently adopted chi. I've been considering getting a little dog for a while and when I met this little guy, well, it was sort of love at first sight. He is sweet, cuddly, and smart despite looking a bit like a rat (the feet are rather undogly). Some people don't consider chihuahuas real dogs, but I know better. I understand why they might not be appreciated by those who prefer big, thick coated dogs, but this little guy has a charm all his own. We have the option to adopt him next month, when he comes over for a week while my sister is on a road trip. But that will take some serious considering and possibly convincing. A dog does tie owners down, unless there are family or friends around willing to do some doggy care when necessary. So.. we shall see.. 

Will post a few pics when I get home! 

Hope you have enjoyed some simple and lovely things the past few days, too! 

Take It Easy

The last couple of days have been pretty slow around here. After the busyness of having most of the family around, preparing meals, enjoying outdoor activities, and keeping up the house as much as possible, then dismantling Christmas decorations,  I've been a little bit of a slug.  Let's just say me and my chair have spent some time together.

So, I've watched a few Netflix movies that I would recommend if you like a little bit of cheese, escapism, warm feelings, a bit of tension, heart string tugging,  and happy endings. And some good acting, too. Perfect to knit or sip of cup of tea to.

Because I like Morgan Freeman, I watched The Magic of Belle Isle. Ingredients: a disenchanted writer, a single mom with 3 girls, a small lake community and life lessons.

Because I like Robert Duvall, I watched 7 Days in Utopia. Ingredients: family issues, golf, faith/life lessons, small town, handsome main actor ;) The ending.. well, different.

I also watched a DVD theatrical presentation called The Belle of Amherst, about  the poet Emily Dickinson (borrowed from our local library). It was a one woman performance by actress Julie Harris and was excellent! Okay, it was wayyyyy too slow for Dave to sit through, but I loved it. :)

Going to enjoy a fun New Year's Eve with a few friends, some good appies, and board games. A perfect mix.

Then it's 2015!  Are you ready!? Who knows what it will hold.. ?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Been listening to some favorite Christmas albums on and off this week. I give myself 25 days to freely listen to as much and as varied Christmas music as I want to. Then, it's back to regular listening for me (which is also varied!).

Today, it's Downhere's album, as well as Jars of Clay. I never tire of their Christmas albums.

Speaking of Christmas celebrations, I have been reading an excellent book (so far) called small talk - learning from my children about what matters most by amy julia becker. The excerpt on celebration -secular vs sacred - and whether there really needs to be a division when it comes to celebrating Jesus coming to the world was thought provoking. Observing her little girl caused the author to change her attitude about 'the right way' to celebrate.

"Until Penny [her little girl] comes home singing "Jingle Bell Rock" with all her heart. And I realize there is no dividing line for her. Shaking those sleigh bells and belting out those lyrics are part of the celebration. After all, without Jesus' birth, there would be no reason to throw a party. It strikes me again that the whole point of Christmas, theologically speaking, is that the abstract became physical, the conceptual became concrete. For my children, for myself, it's important to celebrate Christmas, not only through words and hymns and spiritual practices, but through the embodiment of celebration and delight, through cookie swaps and presents around the tree and wreaths on the door. And yes, through "Jingle Bell Rock"." 

So, I hope that however your party looks this year - quiet and reflective or boisterous and full of laughter - or both! - that you are once again in awe that God would come down to us in the form of a human baby to walk with His creation  - His masterpiece - for over 30 years. Every once in a while, I am awestruck again by that LOVE. Wow.

It didn't have to be that way. He could have just come down as an  adult and saved us. It seems we often skim over that.. and go straight from Jesus' birth to the cross. But those 33 years of being human like us, being limited, interacting with people from all walks and circumstances, must have been important in God's plan.  Jesus is God in the flesh.. He is how we learn about what God is really like. I still have so much to learn!

Merry Christmas to all my friends out there in Blogland!

The Rest of Summer

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ~ John Lubbock

Hi, blog friends! Hope you are enjoying your summer, including a little time off to rest, even if it's just an afternoon here and there!  I took this pic on the Oregon Coast in 2010.  I LOVE the Oregon Coast (even though the water is freezing cold!). 

Enjoy the slide down into Fall activities (at least it feels like that to me!). 

Ugly, Good, and Bad

Wow, can you believe it's already nearing the end of April? I find that the months from Feb to June go by so quickly, as much as I want to savor them!

It's been busy. I thought I should do a little update on what's been going on in my little world. Some good, some bad, and some a little.. ugly.

Here's something ugly to begin with! Uber Tuber!! Have you ever had potatoes grow sprouts this long?

Yes, I keep my potatoes under the stairs in a little dark storage area, and what I saw today just about made me shriek and whimper all at the same time. I mean, doesn't it look like a little monster or something? I really don't know when my potatoes grew these roots. Obviously, I forgot about that bag somehow. Well, it's dark in the under-the-stairs area and I must have overlooked them, since there's a new bag of potatoes keeping those company. I just found out that these sprouts contain neurotoxins, so I decided not to cut them up and fry them for supper. ;) If we had a bigger garden, I'd plant the potatoes, but I think they are destined for the compost pile.

Some good...
Spent the Easter weekend at the Coast with those on my side of the family (sister time!!) as well as the other side of the family.   Visited with so many relatives in a short period of time! When you go from having NO extended family in town to visiting with more than 30 relatives in a short span of time, it can be a little overwhelming, but a whole lot of GREAT, too. We didn't stay long enough to have any family disputes. ;) Actually, it would have been nice to have one more day together. Isn't that usually the way it is?

Here's my little great-nephew. While at my sister's place, her neighbour across the street came to let us know that she had hidden some Easter eggs and was hoping little Seth would come by. So,  we headed over. Here she is explaining  the oh-so- important details about the hunt. Isn't this cute? After this pic was taken, Seth was a little blur of an egg-hunter! He doesn't sit still too long!

And more good..
My Bible Read Through 2014  is nearing completion! I am currently reading in Timothy and have about 6 books left to go. It's like looking down from an airplane over territory that you've driven or hiked through, being able to see how everything is connected -- something you don't really 'see' when you are walking a trail. So, it was very worthwhile and I'm planning to do it again next year, with a different version-- possibly The Message this time.

And more good..
I got to meet my newest great-nephew (6 weeks old), whose mama is GREEK! She is so much fun, and she bestowed upon each of us women the designation of YaYa, which is Grandma in Greek. In their culture, the sisters of the Grandma (YaYa) get to be YaYa's too! I can't believe I didn't take a picture of little Simeon. Take my word for it, he is beautiful.

I did not complete my Lent Art Journaling -- got to about Day 23 and then my interest seemed to wane. Rather than just continue because I said I would, I decided to just let it go.. (as in the Disney song from Frozen, yes THAT! You can thank me later for making that song replay in your head a few more times)

And the bad... yes, it hasn't all been rosy lately..
Been learning about pride and forgiveness and boundaries and all that sort of stuff through an awkward relationship issue these last few weeks (no, not immediate family..just an acquaintance). It's not fun, it's awkward, uncomfortable, and I just wish it would go away. It gives me stress headaches.  But, of course, in all of it, God is teaching me stuff about me... ouch. I'm a slow, stubborn learner.

Oh, and one more good thing..  Glad He doesn't ever give up on me!

Gone, but haven't forgotten!

Yes, it's been several weeks, hasn't it? I love the freedom to blog only when I really want to. Sometimes I consider some sort of blogging schedule, but that never lasts. I think I'm much more of a 'whenever the spirit moves' kind of person. Although sometimes I wish I was much more disciplined than I AM!

Well, it's really hard to know where even to begin this post, because I've been away. And I do mean AWAY.

We talked about it for years. Dreamed about it. Debated it. Discussed it. Talked to our kids about it. Saved for it. And finally, while taking Dave Ramsay's Financial Peace University course over a year ago, we decided to GO FOR IT!  Enough talk. Time for action.

Last March we put the down payment on a vacation rental by owner, a beach house on the Windward side of Oahu, Hawaii and booked flights for our entire family (7 of us) to spend a week together FAR AWAY FROM HOME during Feb 2014. Where it's warm. In the Winter. That's important to us Canadians! 

The week finally arrived. 

And it was wonderful
Not perfect, but wonderful, nevertheless
It was cloudy
It rained
But it was always WARM! (or hot when the sun came out)
It got sunny
The water changed colors..aquamarine, shades of blue
The beaches and waves were breathtaking

We loved our beach house with the ocean literally steps from the deck/lanai

We loved the sound of the waves rushing at the shoreline
We watched the sunrise and enjoyed leisurely breakfasts
We sat on the deck
We played cards
We watched the Olympics
We wore summer clothes

We forgot about Old Man Winter

They observed sharks from inside a metal cage, lowered into the ocean
They had a blast at Pounders Beach, body surfing and boogie boarding
I closed my eyes and tried not to worry. Just trust. Hard to do sometimes

We snorkelled
We followed a sea turtle
I was THIS close
It was so exciting
A highlight for me
We hiked
They hiked where I would NEVER hike
They have good risk assessment skills, or so they tell me

We suffered some mosquito bites (nasty!)
We indulged and enjoyed good food and drink
Which included the tastiest, creamiest coconut ice cream and cream pies 
And garlic shrimp. from Giovanni's famed shrimp truck
We lounged
We swam
We laughed
We toured the Island (mostly the N. Shore of Oahu--love, love, LOVE)

We saw little reptilian creatures running up posts and on bushes

Cockroaches showed up..ew.....they are big. they are crunchy.
Chickens here, there, and wherever they decided to meander
Pineapples, mangos, papayas..  so fresh and juicy.
Now it's over, just like that.
It was like a dream
It WAS a dream
Come true

Thankful me.