Saturdays

Mmmm, today looked like this:


With a bit of this:

And yes some of this:

And coffee tasting with a good friend :D

So flavourful!

And some treats to accompany the coffee


I heart the Sabbath <3

Mmm I like it like that

Makings of a good night in include the following:
1. Pancakes loaded with fruit and chocolate chips for dins
2. Chick flick (Julie and Julia tonight :D)
3. Good company
4. Deep conversation
5. Offered Prayers
6. Revisiting and singing along to Goo Goo Dolls

Thank you Jesus

Trying to convince myself otherwise

Its so odd. As soon as the train hit Montreal last night I wanted to be on the other train heading towards home.

I don't get this! This summer I couldn't wait to get out of home. There was quite a bit of pressure on me to be the second mom. I wasn't able to rest.

Now when I go home, I get to rest and bond with my family SOO well (point and case Monday I slept in til 11am...that would NEVER happen if I was living at home)

I guess, I must realize that as hard as it is being away from my family, being at home wasn't good for me. No matter what it looks like now, I wouldn't be able to rest. I would always be on egg shells.

I also think part of it has to do with the sense of darkness over Montreal. I never realized how strong it was. It is very strong and I can see why people struggle with depression and the like. Sometimes it feels like a war to sit down and be with God or even to wake up from my nap after my early morning shift.



Like it would just be easier to pull the covers back over my head and fall back asleep.

Another HUGE part of it is not really having anything to work towards. That always keeps me going. If I am brutally honest (and most of you well know) I don't see myself working at Second Cup for the rest of my life. I am really praying I find something else.

I guess I am so used to having an "idea" or some sort of "call" on my life. That I am lost without it. All I know right now, is that God has me here in Montreal and I need to be faithful with what He has entrusted to me (time, resources, money...etc).

For now, that is my call and to know Him.

With you in the race.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Siiigh!
Here I sit trying to brainstorm my strengths and weaknesses and am stumped!
Going into job interviews it's a good to have an idea of who you are.
So why is this so hard for me?

process of elimination...hopefully!

So today I after a wee bit of researching (I love self diagnosing, such a nerd I know, though I am not a doctor!) and chatting with a nurse via 811 service offered here in Monts, I crossed flu bug off my list. Well maybe not completely as I may have had a mild touch of it, but not a full out flu bug.

When the nurse was asking me if I had certain symptons:
"fever?"
"no"
"chills?"
"no"
"coughing?"
"again, nope"

I became more hesitant to call it the flu.
What the heck could it be then?
I have felt sick on and off for the past few days, lightheaded, killer migraines, shaking, feeling really weak

Then it struck me...I wonder what the symptoms are for when your med levels are low. I am epileptic so I looked up my meds and found a list of symptoms saying if you experience these, you should have your levels checked:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (nausea-yes)
  
• Dizziness (ohh yes)
• Migraines (ugh ouch, yes)
  
• Unusual weight gain or loss (not that I can see, that may just be denial too though, ha!)
  
• Tremors (yep)
  
• Blurred or double vision, uncontrolled eye movements (nope and hopefully not!)
  
• Mood swings (yes)
  
• Unusual bruising and bleeding (a few bruises nothing to brag about though)
  
• Hives (sadly, yes, I thought it was the acidity in the coffee but this too makes sense)
  
• Hair loss (nope)
  
• Rare complications such as liver dysfunction or pancreatitis (ugh not sure and hope not)

So considering all this, I am going to make a trip home this weekend and have my levels checked, if it starts to get really bad, I may just head to the clinic and ask them to file for some bloodwork.

On a better note:
While researching, its said that achieving the right levels can be so hard! This means that by the grace of God for 5yrs or more my levels have been EXACTLY where they should be!
Too much and I can have the side affects I am having now, too little and I could have a seizure. Praise God for keeping me at just the right amount :)

Now praying that if the levels are too low or too high that He would give the doctors the wisdom about how much I need to be taking.

If that is not the case praying that the doctors would be able to see what is wrong with my body and treat it.

Until then, Lord help me persevere in the day to day by your grace as I cannot do this on my own strength.

Kick that winter flu...in the butt!

So these past few days (as some of you may know). I have been trying to kick a stomach flu. I haven't puked yet (here's hoping I don't) but have had a really upset tummy and feeling awfully weak.

Today I thought I was on the verge of getting better, but a wee bit into the morning my stomach started its business...again!

Thankfully I don't work today so I am going to spend another day in bed, reading, sleeping, listening to sermons, eating lots of homemade soup and drinking lots of tea and gingerale...great diet huh?

So desperate for some homemade soup I ran to the kitchen to see what I had on hand to throw into a pot. I always admired people who could make something out of nothing.

So I opened the fridge and pulled out a carrot, fresh basil, zucchini
Put a pot of water on the stove
Added a dash of oregano, a few packs of chicken bouilon, some fresh basil and an a few bay leaves
let that boil while I chopped up the carrot and zucchini
added the carrot, zucchini and some pasta swirls
then remembered I had a can of stewed tomatoes, in they went
Let that sit on the stove and simmer
Got out some bread and popped it in the toaster
By the time my bread was done my soup was almost ready (those perfect moments never happen for me haha)
So I chatted with my housemate for a few minutes, got some gingerale
And then...my soup was ready to go!
So tasty for something just thrown together too!
Yay throw together foods :D
Off to read and enjoy my grub!

To Him be the Glory

Great article in CNN about a man who survived the earthquake in Haiti thanks to an iphone app http://bit.ly/7LgxSu
More importantly I love that he recognized that God was one who ultimately saved him in this situation.

As I scrolled down, I started reading some of the comments people left about the article. My initial thoughts would be people rejoicing that this man is alive, and thankful for a positive testimony in the midst of a devastating time, but that was not what I found.

Many comments where attacks on technology and how this is a marketing scheme for apple. Which I agree, it totally can be, but I struggled with the thought that people are missing the bigger picture, like THIS MAN IS ALIVE! Praise God!

If I am honest, I had a hard time not getting angry with the response generated. It reminded me of my University days, when people would argue over some little thing and fail to see the bigger picture.

But then I must remind myself that many of these people do not know God and are unable to see past the mere instruments (that is all they are...even the iphone) used to save this man and ultimately bring glory to God.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor 4:4 ESV)