A rainbow after the storm

"So when I was driving was driving home from Richmond I stopped in PG with my uncle and sunt. It is kind of a tradition. I can't go home without spending the night with them. And the night that I spent there I went to my little cousins Christmas concert at his school. It was so cute. That night after we had all gone to bed someone broke into my car as it was parked in front of the house. They took a lot of stuff. I know it is just amterial stuff but it was still upsetting to realize that someone had been in my car, touched my stuff, and would take Christmas presents. One thing that they took was my bible. I wont say that I am not upset because that would be a lie but I have come to realize, through much help from God, that this could be a very good thing. Perhaps whoever this was just needs a push in the right direction. Maybe he/she will read the bible and decide to go to church. Who knows. Anyways I just thought I would share this revelation that I had.
P.S. Learning to live again without my phone, laptop, GPS, or ipod has actually been quite challenging. I never realized how much I depend on these things."

~Char

This way or that way?

``I drove to Pringe George today and got lost twice. I almost ended up at my friends house on the sunshine coast the first time. I was definilty on my way to the ferries which is kind of the opposite direction. The next time I got lost I ended up at a dead end. I got to this bridge that was blocked off and had to turn around. It took me about two hours to get on the right road. A little ridiculous.
Oh yesterday my sister-in-law and I walked up and down Robson's street and downtown Vancouver and I found this super cute apartment building that I would love to live in, if I could afford it. I have discovered that I love foreign food. It isn't as weird as I thought it would be. And we watched Dispicable Me last night. It was hilarious and I recomend it to everyone :)
It has been 5 days since I left Kamloops and I am almost home. Can't wait to see my family again and go christmas tree hunting!
Night world!"

~Char

Today I built stuff.

"Today I was a carpenter. That's right a carpenter. I built a ramp. Well I helped to build a ramp for my brothers float home so that now when you want to go into the float home you don't have to  jump from slippery dock to slippery metal step. I got to cut wood into sections and drill holes and screw in screws.. I felt so handy :)
I am staying in Richmond right now with my brother and his wife.It has been a really good trip so far. We have gone shopping, had some really good talks, worked on the float home, and eaten a lot of really good Vietnamese food! I had never had Vietnamese food before but it was delicious. It looked a lot like the picture does. 
So I have got to help my brother with his float home, which is a house on a barge. It was really neat to see. It felt like we had completely left the city and were in a different country. We were surrounded by all these other float homes and you couldn't see the city and there were sailboats and fishing boats. It was just such a different atmosphere, I loved it. And the people were so friendly. We went to the Vancouver Christmas Market tonight as well and the German Market that was inside. It was neat. there were all these little booths with people selling ornaments that they had made or designed or pieces of clothing or food. The food was really good though. We had these apples that were pitted and then filled with dark chocolate and topped with a cherry filling and baked and it was delicious!! 
Oh and the night that I got here which I guess what Saturday I met my brother and his wife at their church and got to see a couple bands... New Heights, Kye Kye, and Future of Forestry. They were pretty good. Future of Forestry did a lot of Christmas carols and they used the drums and lights a lot. It was a really good show. 
And I am exhausted. Night."
~Char

Boards and babies..

"So I bought a snowboard last weekend. I am really excited! My family goes up to Sun Peaks or Big White for around a week after Christmas and I was the only one in my family who boards but doesn't own a board. So now I do :). A couple friends helped me through the process of getting it, which was a lot more work then I expected. I'm not the best decision maker so having to make three in a row (what board, what bindings, what boots) was exhausting :). But on the other hand I now can go snowboarding and I am so excited to go! 
More happy news is that I am half way through my exams, no over half way. I have done three of five already and so far I think that I have gotten a 'B' on all the exams. At least that is what I am hoping for. I procrastinate so bad that when exam time comes around I have so much to do that I just get overwhelmed but this year I decided to try something new. I decided that instead of totally stressing out when I feel overwhelmed I would pray about it. It works so much better then my other coping mechanisms which depending on the time of year vary from extensive runs to watching way to many episodes of "Criminal Minds". 
Oh and I am an Aunty again :). My older sister had a little girl. She was tiny and my sister was back home and sleeping in her own bed the same night that the baby was born. She is quick like that. I bet she is already skinny too. I can't wait to see the new baby and my sister and her family again. Only four days left till I go home! I am excited to go home and see my family and friends again but at the same time I will miss Kamloops and all my friends here. Kamloops has definitely become a second home. 
Well anyways off to bed. Good night world."


~ Char

Perfect is boring.

"I was talking with some friends a few days ago about body image.It is such a big topic that I almost feel like it is too big but none the less I decided to write about it because it has been on my heart lately so I feel I should. 
I think this is something that has effected everyone at some point in their life. We see someone who appears to have life figured out and we want to be like them. But why? If everyone was like everyone else life would be so boring. And the bible says that we are created in God's image. I believe that to him we are all B-E-A-UTIFUL and we should spend more time working on the inside then the outside. I know this is easier said then done but shouldn't this be what we focus on?
I guess what this rant of mine comes down to is that I have been thinking a lot about how we view ourselves. We all have so many different opinions that it would be very difficult to please everyone. However God sees the inside and when it comes down to it isn't his opinion the important one? 

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=body%20image&order=9&offset=0#/d1t6y5h

Anyways on to something less heavy? I'm not sure that is the right word but oh well it will have to work. Lately I have been on a big Jeremy Camp kick. Not that I am complaining, just saying. Oh and school is done for the semester! Well except exams which I still need to study for. This semester was really hard for me. I had a hard time scheduling time for everything and everyone I wanted to see and spend time with. Although I must say that I did have fun. My clinical teachers were amazing and so was my clinical group. 
Oh and dana and I decorated the house the other day and put up the Christmas tree. We decided it was time since we have been singing Christmas carols since November 15th. I love Christmas. It is a wonderful season. Not just for the happiness that comes with it but because of what it means. Oh and pictures of the house will follow this :) anyways I should probably go to bed.. Night world"


~ Char

Additions.

"So today, well I am operating under the assumption that if you haven't gone to bed it can't be tomorrow and for those of you who don't operate like that I am referring to the 27th, I got a piercing. It is a piercing that I have wanted to get for a while but have been way to chicken to actually do alone. So today when Erin mentioned she wanted to go get a piercing I decided why not. Life's too short right? So I now have a new piercing. There have been lots of people who would not have even noticed if someone hadn't said something which I think is a good thing. I mean that means that it looks natural and good right? At least I hope that is what it means. 
I keep forgetting that it is there and will hit it and then i get these searing pains, oh and when I yawn it really hurts too. I guess I forgot to mention exactly what I got pierced. In case you hadn't guessed I pierced my nose! I love it. I think it looks really cute but I'm totally biased. 
Anyways, It is late and technically it is tomorrow and I should probably be in bed so goodnight world, sleep tight!"
~Char

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

"I L.O.V.E. winter. I think it is an amazing season. Everything looks so pretty after a big snowfall. I came from a place where we have been snown (I think that's a word) in. In 2006 there was so much snow that my little brother was stuck in the hospital. Not a bad place to be stuck but it still sucked. The only bad thing about winter is the ice on the roads. It can be so dangerous even if you know what you are doing, which takes some practice with winter driving. 

I think that the winter sports and activities are the most fun, except for riding :). When my sister and I go home we go drag racing on the lake outside my house with my little brother. It is so much fun and we can go for hours! 
Waking up this morning to snow on the ground and still falling made my morning so much better then it could have been. I'm not really a morning person but snow makes me want to be outside and having fun. Although snow wasn't the only good thing about my day. I started my first IV today. Yes that is right. I am officially a nurse! Well technically I'm not a nurse yet but I now am able to do all the skills that the university is going to teach me. And I did a good job. I got the catheter in on the first try. I know that pride comes before the fall but I am proud of myself. "


~ Char

Perception changes.

"School has been so busy lately. I feel like every time I finish a project there is another one that I have to immediately start working on. I had always imaged university being this carefree thing that I did during the day and that every night i would be out late watching movies or hanging out or exploring the city :) but I'm not. I started thinking that maybe it was just me. 
However remembering the point of this blog is to try to change my outlook and make me a bit more positive, I started thinking about all the good things about school. So here is goes..
- I get to see, talk and hang out with people that I probably wouldn't have got to know otherwise
- I am learning to one day be able to save a life. 
- I have learned that I love working with sick kids and that traumas are what I crave, although that sounds a little bit morbid
- I get to have summers and weekends (in theory) 

My baby sister is one of my favorite people in the world. She always seems to be there for me when I need to vent and complain. I don't know what I would do without her. She means the world to me. 
I went to see Megamind the other night. I think it was so cute! I love cartoons. And Minnion was definitely my favorite character. I would love to have a fish if he looked like that :)"


~~ Char

Can't stop thinking..

"I found myself thinking today about life before university. Life was simple. I knew what was going to happen and where life was going. Caity and I would talk about life after graduation and what it would be like. It is not anything like what I expected. I keep getting older and life never gets simpler or easier to understand. I expected that when I turned twenty my life would magically become everything that it was suppose to be. That everything that God had planned would just fall into place. I expected that I would be totally independent and the person that I wanted to be and all of this was going to happen at midnight on August 12th. I was still as lost and confused and dependent as I was on August 10th. Nothing had really changed. I was frustrated. I realized that to become that person that I was expecting to be the morning of my birthday I had to trust God completely and to give him my life. How can he change me and mold me if I wont let him?
I really felt lost and sometimes I still do feel lost. I don't always know what I am going to do or where I am going but I guess that is part of the mystery of life and the joy of surrendering my all to God. I can  honestly say that the biggest learning curve for me was learning to rely on God and not myself to have life all figured out. 
Besides if you knew the ending of the book would the middle still be as exciting?"


~~Char

Lest we forget..

"Remembrance Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I don't mean that I wait all year long for it to come or that I am happy about the reason for the day, I just mean that I think it is a good reminder of what we have and take for granted. I personally need that reminder every once in a while.

I find that I am filled with pride during this day. Pride in my country, where I am from, and the people who live here who were so willing to lay down their lives for the rest of us. Because of their sacrifices we are free. Free to live where we want to, how we want to, free to go to school and get and education, and free to worship in whatever way the Holy Spirit moves us. 

It is amazing how easy it is to forget how lucky we are. Life is such a wonderful gift and this day is a great reminder not to take it for granted."
In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row..

a few basics ~

"I am from a tiny northern town, I love to sing - loudly- in the shower, and lemonade is my favorite beverage. I own a horse and riding is one of the three activities (running and singing being the other two) where I feel completely comfortable.
I find that I am a little to negative about situations, just how I am i guess, and this may be a way to be more positive.... I will try at least. Who knows what wonderful, weird, and interesting things will come out of this.


School is kicking my butt and I am loving almost every second of being a student. I find it funny how it took my roommate to be able to make me see that although school is frustrating and seems to be stealing my life, it is just one chapter of my life that will be over before I'm ready for it to be over and is worth enjoying. I think these are words of wisdom on her part."


~ Char