OSCARS!!

So apparently this chiquita bonita here might be headed to the OSCARS!!! Yes I know, sounds quite incredulous for someone as inconsequential as myself... but it is true - I got the call this morning... I was sleeping... so I called back when I woke up.

The call came from Kevin... he is one of the people I travel with regularly - (we are headed to Greece in May!) Kevin told me that someone had contacted him at work - he works for the CPA (Canadian Paraplegic Association)... the person is looking for someone to go with them to L.A. so that she can go to see her daughter at the Oscars... Kevin recommended me - me, little ol me! wahoo...

Now, its almost not fair for me to be going because I am not a movie buff, nor am I starstruck at all... so in that regard, I wish I could send someone else... I am totally thrilled to be maybe going to L.A. though - a dream that once again might come true much earlier than anticipated!

Gotta - run, get ready for work - but had to tell the world of the maybe in my future!

Oh.. and I am sure you are all wondering WHO?! giggles... the name of the 'star' is Lisa Ray - she is in HollywoodBollywood and the movie nominated is "Water" - I personally have never heard of her or the movie but one of my friends says that it is quite the acclaimed movie for real movie watchers... heck I say - send me to Cali!

nights...

it's about 0500hrs on tuesday january 30/07... getting sleepy (smiles) I am at the hospital right now working a night shift... I generally think that nights are going to be a wonderful wonderful happening in the world of me...
tonight was exceptionally busy - solid busy - backed up busy - until about 0130hrs... then has been very quiet since then... time enough to catch up on some emails, some great conversations and some re-stocking... next set I am going to make sure that I bring in some homework so that I can maximize this time!! I have a magazine to read and another book as well... but its hard to read when you feel sleepy like this!

So today I am going to go home and sleep for a bit, then going to go over to Mark and Ruth's... going to help Ruthie clean her house before they move... but can only go for a few hours as I will have to head over to the Yellow Cedar Lodge (Northern Escape Heliski headquarters) for a bartending shift until about midnight... so that is my day - I am sure I will be exhausted by then end of that one too! (actually that is today... these nights really mess with my head! If only I could fully convey what goes through my brain at times!)

oh I have some information that should be shared... I would have the world know I have had a total of 5 successful venipunctures! some beautiful ones tonight if I do say so myself! (the staff here are great... I couldn't ask for better support in my last semester!)

a supposed late night...

Two days down... two nights to go!
Tomorrow night I start my night shifts... the first one ever as a nurse! I worked night shift a long time ago (ok not that long ago) while I was in college. I was working in a group home from midnight until 8am and then would go to class after that... but that was before I started university, before I became a nurse... or almost nurse...
I am looking forward to it - it has a very different 'flavour' I am sure! In order to prepare.. I should really be staying up late tonight!! lets hope I can pull it off! I am going to try to get up early too tomorrow am then go to church and then after that sleep fora few hours before going in...
Did I mention I was really tired though... a long 12hr shift yesterday and then another one today... my body is achy and tired... smiles... I know complain, complain... I do LOVE my job though!! Its all so exciting... and interesting... and thought provoking... and such a wide variety of people...

crunch time

So, a nice early wake up this morning... "we need you to help us unlock your car door!" (huh, how hard can it be?!) Apparently my pretty new car is not a fan of the cold weather, and now that the air has gone a little frosty, she doesn't want to open!!! We tried and tried and almost broke the key (have to get a new one made a little later today) and she still won't open - so I had to call CAA... sigh - gotta love finicky cars!! what have I gotten myself into?!?!

Anyway - I am now enjoying my morning coffee (with some frangelico - tee hee)...mmm - so yummy! And planning out my day! I absolutely have to do my first RPN to send off to my faculty advisor as that is due at some point today... then I have to go to the post office (sending out mail is always fun fun fun!) and have a dance meeting!!! I am super excited that Papa is raising that dream from the dust (at least I think he is...) Any day that I can talk about dance is a good day, so no matter what comes of it - it will be wondrous! I also have to finish my laundry and get all prepared for the hospital tomorrow... 2days 2nights coming right up! I love it so I am not really worried!!

My days off have been great - lots of fun all around! OH and tonight is a little "to-do" for Brandy! Happy Happy Birthday to you girl!! (anyone who didn't know... we are all meeting at Mr.Mike's around 8pm, then heading to Sonja's by 9 I think... smiles)

proud owner of a brand new...

CAR!!!!Just picked er up today... have to say she is absolutley beautiful!!! I love it quite a bit.. mine is slightly different from that pic as it is a 94 not 95 and mine has tinted windows... otherwise it looks exactly alike! :) YAY happy me!!

p.s. Thanks Papa for providing the wheels and then the funds... you are WAY too good to me!!!

Happy Birthday Dauly...:)

Happy Sweet 16 to my baby brother!!!

I have to say that I can picture the day exactly way back when he was born... I remember being called to the office (I was in grade 2), only to find that my other brother was there also (he was in K) and there was a telephone call for me. It was my mom and dad calling from the hospital -"It's a boy, and he is a part of all of you... his name is Aaron which sounds like Carin, he is a boy like Brook, and his name starts with an A like April (2yr old sis at the time)" I was soooo proud as I marched myself back to class and announced to everyone that I had a new baby brother!!!

He has since become my Dauly... tee hee - in honour of his middle name "Daulton" he used to hate it when I called him that, now he is either resigned to the fact or just loves it... hmmm

well... one thing to say to him before I sleep... "I love YOU more"

silly survey

1. Name one person who made you smile today? My sister - she always can make me smile!!
2. What were you doing at 8 this morning? still sleeping I think!! :)
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? watching House on my laptop
4. What is something that happened in 1994? hmm I was 11 I think I moved that year from Meaford to Bowmanville into my the house my mom grew up in... where I used to visit my grandparents...
5. What is the last thing you said aloud? you have to what? (Aaron said he had to pee)
6. How many different things did you drink today? coffee, milk, water, orange juice, and some mango juice
7. what color is your hairbrush? Pink
8. What was the last thing you bought? groceries for Aaron's bday dinner!!
9. What was the last gift you received? a very touching email from my cuz!!
10. What color is your front door? its white
11. Where do you keep your change? in a caboodles box
12. What was the weather like today? rain, snow, wind, cold
13. What is the best ice-cream flavor?cookies n cream
4. What is something you are excited about tomorrow? Aaron's bday dinner!!
15. When was the last rainbow you saw? Terrace has the most beautiful rainbows - there was a really great one that went over the entire cruise ship in Alaska
16. What’s your favorite gardening tool? um the kitchen knife? tee hee
17. Do you have a sister? I have two beautiful sisters... Sugar Buns and Honey Bunch
18. Are you very random? I wouldn't describe myself as random... spontaneous maybe, but not random!
19. Do you want to cut your hair? I need a trim... don't want to cut it though
20. Are you over the age of 25? nope - still a baby...
21. Do you talk a lot? depends who I am with - usually yes!
22. Do you watch The OC? sometimes... not a fan though
23. Does your screen name have an ‘x’ in it? nope it doesn't.
24. Do you know anyone called Steve? lots!
25. Do you make up your own words? not usually!
26. Are you ticklish? um uh... yeeess? (my feet for sure!!)
27. Are you typically a jealous person? nah not generally
28. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘C’: Chandra
29. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘D’: Diana (my mother)
30. Who’s the 1st person on your dialed calls list? Krystina I think...
31. What did the last text messages you received say? can't remember... Justin sends lots
32. Do you chew on your straws? sometimes I do
33. Do you have curly frizzy hair? no and no...
34. What is the next concert your going to? hmm thinking about the BNL one in Feb
35. Who is the crappiest person in your life? um... well not really
35. Who is the coolest person in your life? coolest person would so have to be my gum girl!
36. What is something you say a lot? holy jumpin... grr
37. What is the last thing you ate? potatoes
38. Have you seen the movie ‘Donnie Darko’? um never even heard of it
39. Do you have work tomorrow? nope... off til Friday believe it or not!!
40. Is marriage in your future? not in the foreseeable future...
41. When was the last time you said ‘I love you’ to someone? today - to my sisters/brother
42. What should you be doing right now? unpacking some more...
43. Do you have a nickname? C, Princess, Care, CC, Churchie, Nursey, Nature Girl
45. Are you a heavy sleeper? Not generally
46. When was the last time you used a skateboard? the last time I used a skateboard I fell flat on my bum...haven't really tried since!
47. What is the best movie you’ve seen in the past two weeks? not sure if I've watched a movie in the past two weeks... last one in theatres was "We Are Marshall" - wonderlovely!
48. Is there anyone you like right now? madly in love actually...
49. When was the last time you did the dishes, be honest! its been a while! I usually do the cooking....
50. Are you currently depressed? not at all...smiles - life is 'grand' as Tams says!

lovin it!

So today, my first day as an ER nurse... wonderful! I love the ER, it is going to be a wonderful wonderful few months... I wonder if I will be able to survive on an inpatient unit after this?!?!
I saw tons today, and really not sure how much I can say due to confidentiality (small town life ya know) but it was a lot to say the least, some sad, some crazy, some intense, some "r u kidding me?!"
Christy... totally can't wait for baby girl to arrive... hopefully I am working that day... you have to call me so I can come!! They are such awesome people there - you are in great hands!! (and I hope to goodness that you don't have to make anymore trips to the ER, but yes it is nice to have a familiar face!! You just know that much more that you are going to be looked after :))

So back again tomorrow... and the next day... then off!

ER Nurse

So tomorrow begins my journey as an ER nurse... ok student nurse... but even still - thats pretty cool I think... ok well I am excited! Its going to be a big change for me from the previous areas I have worked in, I have had some intense cases before, but never any real trauma... talk about some excitement!

It's going to be great... and to finish the day off I am going out with Tams for some LONG overdue catch up time... :) I couldn't ask for a better end to a day... (hopefully things are still on for that...)

Ok bed early tonight... yes I know its early - what can I say, I am a little eager! :)

first day...

its been a busy and productive day... got up early - said goodby to bro n sis as they headed off to school and then proceeded to organize and unpack... its gonna take a while!

It was my first day at Northern Escape Heliski today... I thought I was going to have to do a full shift... but ended up getting home really early! All I had to do was find out where things were and get the basic idea of what I had to know for the shifts that I will actually be working... which are only going to be about one per week! So that will be nice for some pocket money!

And - found out that I don't have to work Sunday night... party at Gwen's for sure!!! Going to have to get some quick zzz' in am before church and then nap again afterward... I'll be coming off of a night shift that morning... so all is good - so far my social life doesn't have to suffer! tee hee...

miscellaneous

So it seems that I have gone completely invisible from the world of blogger peoples... Since I arrived in Terrace, my world has been a whirlwind of adventure!

Thursday night I had cell group - it had been sooo long since I have been able to go... definitely was excited to go! Afterward I went over to Birke's - some people from the hospital were over just hanging out... we played cranium by rules that I thought I knew, and really didn't!

Friday morning we (Birke and I) were up early and headed to the mountain to test out my new board! While we were in the pro shop getting my board waxed one of the people there mentioned that they heard Birke had some concert tickets for sale... turns out she did - but they were for that night... so I being who I am said - why on earth do you have tickets for a concert tonight - that you are not going to?! She said she didn't want to go alone and her friend had to cancel... so I said... "let's put in a few runs, then head down to PG!"

The adventure began... boarding was great - definitely improving am I! - and then we took mom's car, left her Birke's truck, and headed on our 8hr drive to PG... usually only supposed to take 6hrs... but of course the weather has left the roads in less than desirable conditions... and mom's tires are pretty crappy... we made it in time though - they did a great job! I will try to post a picture if I can figure out how to upload them from my phone!

We stayed over at one of Birke's friends, and headed out bright and early the next morning... back to Terrace... where I found that my movers had delivered my goods!!! Christmas at the our house last night was an absolute delight!

it was just awesome watching their faces as they all opened gifts that caused visible reactions... April's reaction I think was my favourite... almost made me want to cry as she audibly breathed in when she saw the dress... (she looks absolutely gorgeous in it too!!)

Hot Springs...

the perfect end to my day...

It was a day of travel...early morning goodbye's to G and his cows... and then to Somer at the airport... long flight - slept, listened to music... delays at Vancouver airport... then a turbulent (fun) ride to Terrace!

I have to say the best part of being back so far has been when we picked up Aaron from his bball practice and I got out to give him the front (all my junk was in the back seat) and I just went to walk around the car and he was like - "hey!" arms outstretched there in public waiting for a big hug... melt my heart! And later at the hotsprings we were talking about boys/girls... I told him that he could screen my guys if he wanted cuz I sure planned on screening his girls... he said "that would be pointless for you then... cuz no guy will ever get past me... no guy is good enough for you"... again... melt my heart!!!

Been sooo great to be home... don't mean to sound spoiled, but I am so glad I don't have any more trips for another three months!!! (time to work work work)

Anyway - more tomorrow.... SO sleepy! Night - squishes all...

a few minutes...

so just hanging out for a few minutes while I wait for Somer to come get me... then its off to a night of fun at Graham's! :)

hmm what can I tell you that is new...??

Diversity Workshop - kind of a waste of time... :) all about culture shock and diverse experiences and ajdusting to your new environment in a 'remote' area... tee hee... I've been there - and I survived then... so I am sure I will survivie - at least I better after the trouble I have gone to in moving there!

CompTracker... a brilliant new initiative that my technology-savy university is piloting with a few lucky students - my being one of them! It is a program that we use on our PDA's that will help us to keep track of the competencies that we meet, as we are meeting them! This will require a little more work at the time to check things off - but then when it comes time for midterm and final evaluations - we can just print off what is already in the data base! Also allows our faculty advisors who are monitorin the academic learning of our placements to monitor a little more closely! :)

OH - Somer just buzzed... I am outta here... Tomorrow I will see my MOUNTAINS! :)

good times....

Last night was great fun! Somer picked me up at around 8pm and we went to DQ, picked up some blizzards and headed over to little Ryan's house - such a beautiful house!!! We were just going to hang out and watch a movie... BUT I spotted Risk and suggested we deviate from our original plan! We called Ryan's cousin to come down and play (she's living with him right now) - she is a complete delight! It was wonderfully fun - I lost (are we surprised?! I think not)... the we changed rooms and played some Euchre... Ryan and I lost... every game (we played three)!! It was only til I switched and partnered with Somer that I won! YAY! Needless to say... late night... home and in bed by 2ish...

Up this am for orientation... it was a long process of needless information and yet I understand the importance of them needing to speak to us about everything - making sure that everyone is on the same page... which for our nursing class.... can be an issue at times!

So that was it... home now! Going to dinner at the Drew's then possibly out with some girls from school... it is my last night in courtice/oshawa...
Tomorrow morning I have a diversity workshop on campus and then Somer and I are headed to Graham's house for the night... he's a big boy now and has a house all to his own! tee hee... then early rising to catch my flight home...

So... that's my updated life for now!

direction...

This seems to be the expression of my thoughts today... I am not my own... I have been bought with a price... So often I try to act like I have life all figured out and am following the great dream... and really, I have to say that although there are thoughts and plans that I may have, I truly have no idea what tomorrow will hold in my future... and as beautiful as my dance may look at times... I have no idea what I am doing!

I sometimes just wish that I could know how my life will turn out - I suppose that would defeat the purpose of the adventure... but sometimes I just wish I could know... but I am not the potter... I am the clay and I submit to the transforming of my life into a great masterpiece... It's a daily process... a little work here and there... they key word being 'process' - sometimes I like to just jump to the finish line and forget about the journey that takes me there... that is something I need to learn - to slow down and embrace the journey that takes me to my final destination... I think 'BC' is going to teach me that...

I am in a little bit of a 'blah' mood today... not really sure why... a little bored I suppose... its not a bad thing persay... I have had some great times with Papa... dreaming about things and ministry and hopes for the future... all is trusted to him...

This is my prayer for today:

Lord, when I hear your call, deep within my spirit cries - yes I will follow... You are the shepherd of my heart - I will trust you and I go wherever you lead me... safe in your arms I will be alright... how I love you... lead me...

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want... he leads me...Psalm 23

Serving it Right

Well, I have officially passed with a 100% score on my test for my servers certificate. I can now serve alcohol legally in BC. Yes I know it really is not that exciting. I will however require this certificate to be able to work at Northern Escape Heliski...

I am looking forward to finding out what my schedule with them is going to be... I do know that my manager wanted me to work all the Thursdays that I can as a bartender so that the regular bartender can have a night off... I am pretty sure any other shifts that I end up taking will be as a server...

So tonight - it is a search via google.... to learn the names and mixes of drinks... I have absolutely NO bartending experience so will have to learn what all of the drinks are!

photography - wow!

For all of my photo loving friends... check out these sites! My friend Casey is a photographer and has his sites up now - aren't they incredible!!! I must say I am definitely impressed! The sites are under construction and being revamped... but what is there- wow!

http://www.shiftimages.ca/

http://www.caseychuhaniuk.com/slide2.html

CVAD/IV course

NurseCC

So I did it! phew - passed and passed... I have successfully completed my theory based training and also a successful IV start on a dummy arm in the lab!! YAY!!! IV anyone? tee hee...

So that was my day thus far! Now... hmm gonna go do some running around with Jilly... then gym possibly with Kandi and dinner with Chan - East Side Marios it is! YAY... gonna be a good one!

Oh - also get to book my flight! My faculty advisor gave me the go ahead! :) I will be back in my mountains on wednesday...

autobiography.... questionairre

Prologue
1. Where did you take your default pic? in Chan's car, driving home at 2am after stopping for smiley face cookies at Timmy Horton's!
2. What exactly are you wearing right now? cargo khakis, black tanktop with billabong longsleeve ontop, oh and socks too!
3. What is your current problem? I am going to have to balance a fulltime job at hospital, part-time job as server/bartender, school work, home life, and church life.... are there enough hours???
4. What makes you most happy? the most happy?! How can one say?? my first love, my sweet love and all my loves!
5. What’s the name of the song that you’re listening to? You can't hide beautiful...
6. Has anyone you’ve been really close with passed away? not really close... lots of patients though :(
7. Do you ever watch MTV? I am more of a CMT fan...:)
8. Name something thats really annoying to you? hmm that would take some thinking... I don't get annoyed TOO easily
—————————————————————————–
Chapter 1:
1. Middle name: Myrrh (as in gold and frankinsence)
2. Nickname(s): CC, Princess, C, Nursey, Jesus girl, Churchy
3. Current location: Dining room in Ontario
4. Eye color: beautiful blue blue blue
—————————————————————————–
Chapter 2:
1. Do you live with your parents? I haven't since I turned 18... but moving back for as long as I can handle it! :S
2. Do you get along with your parent(s)? Most of the time...
3. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? divorced
4. Do you have any Siblings? I have 2 younger brothers, and 2 younger sisters...(making me the oldest)
———————————————————————————–
Chapter 3: Favorite…
1. Favorite ice cream?cookies n cream, candycane
2. Season: hmm... probably summer, but there is something I absolutely LOVE about each season...
3.Color(s): depends on the day (tee hee)... probably ocean blue, orange, yellow, red... we could go on!
——————————————————————————–
Chapter 4: Do You..
1. Write on your hand: nope
2. Call people back: almost always!
3. Believe in love? I am a hopeless romantic... love - definitely!
4. Sleep on a certain side of the bed? left...usually
5. Have any bad habits? procrastination...horrible
6. Any mental health issues? I have in the past...
———————————————————————————–
Chapter 5: Have You..
1. Broken a bone? toes... from dance!
2.Sprained stuff? sure thing... wrist
3. Had physical therapy? in gr. 7/8 cuz of my knees
4. Gotten stitches: when I was an itty bitty kid... running down driveway with hands in pocket... tripped and got a rock stuck in my head - top right, still have a scar
5. Taken painkillers? tylenol is a friend of mine....
25) Are you paranoid? not at all
26) Are you impatient? I certainly have my moments!
27) Who can you relate to? my life has taken me along many paths... I can relate to a great deal of people...
28) How do you feel about interracial couples? I feel nothing...
29) Have you been burned by love? nope... only blessed by love!
30) What’s your favorite pick up line? "your hair smells good, wanna go home?"
31) What’s your main ring tone on your cell? ha ha no idea
32) What were you doing at midnight last night? laying in bed thinking about life
33) What did the last text on your cell phone say? not sure
34) Whose bed did you sleep in last night? well my bed is en route to BC... so I slept on an air mattress... its better than the Greyhound!
35) What color shirt are you wearing? black... weren't you listening earlier?! tee hee
36) Most recent movie you watched? just went to see "We Are Marshall"... very good movie - true story too!
37) Name three things you have on you at all times? cellphone, lipchap, wallet...
38) What color are your bed sheets? deep purple
39) How much cash do you have on you right now? hmm couple bucks in change...
40) What is your favorite part of the chicken? chicken... breast! I love chicken
41) What’s your favorite town/city? that is a tough one... I am going to go with Barcelona I think...

we need an update...

... to say the least!!

I have been completely slack in providing you all with updates in my life... what can I say - I've been busy will have to suffice!

So I arrived back in ON at about 5:30pm where my friend Justin picked me up and took me back to his place where I finally got to have a shower, then we watched a movie... totally loved not being on a bus anymore!!!

The next day being the eve of new years... smiles... I went to Brampton where we all stayed in a hotel for the night... so we got all dressed up for our semi-formal/formal dinner and dance. They had rented a school bus to pick everyone up and to bring them back after so that nobody had to drive on the dangerous roads that new years eve creates! The dinner was fantastic, and dancing is always a blast... especially at JF events!! I love the two-step! tee hee...

Then home again on the first... that would be monday... I didn't do too much! Caught up on emails, talked to a few friends and mindlessly watched some tv as I crashed... oh - also started 'overviewing' my 200+ pages of info in the self-learning package for IV/CVAD workshop/course that I am going to on Friday - tomorrow!! :S

Tuesday, more review of info... gym in the morning with Kandi... good times... movies that night with some nurse friends - we watched "We Are Marshall"... incredible movie - talk about a sob story!! and it was a true story - crazy... after the movie - got some awful awful news... one of my girls won't be graduating with us this year - what do you say to that?! :( I don't think I can really discuss that at this point... still processing over here... but we agreed to go with her as moral support the next morning to a meeting that she had.

That meeting was yesterday at 10am... where she discovered that she was completely withdrawn from the program - no longer a UOIT student..... oh gosh - I don't know how she is surviving!!! Again, I will talk about that all later! ... I spent the rest of the day reviewing material and talking to various pples on msn as is my slacker tendency, then headed to the gym with Kandi after dinner...

That brings us to today! :) I have a lunch date with Cara... she is going to pick me up in - oh my a half hour!! I better get dressed!!! I will try to keep up this blogging!!

New Year thoughts and reflections...

... the new year is here! I love this time of year simply because everything seems to be fresh and new... it is a time of renewed vision, fresh dreams, and hopes to be fulfilled!

This year has a different feel for me... certainly it holds excitement and anticipation, there are a great deal of things that this year holds that will be first time experiences for me... I am moving out of province, completing my bachelor degree, going to Greece, celebrating weddings, and entering the world as an adult in the workforce... wow... is this the year I grow up?! I hope not!

I have grown tremendously over this past year... it seems that I have finally grasped some concepts that I have been trying to understand for so very long. Whether I fully understand them or not.. they are growing into fruition inside of me... I know that the work that has been started in me will be brought to completion... I am learning to revel in the arms of my first love, my true love. I am learning to discover truth and to seek it out... I am learning what it means to fly on the wings of eagles!
I have been and still am taking the time to declare who I am... who do I want to be... what are my dreams... what do I want in life... where do I want to go.. what do I want said about me when my life has been lived and I go home to Jesus...?
These are just some of the questions that I have been asking myself in the past few weeks... and although I don't have all the answers quite yet, I am ok with that because I know that discovering these answers and recognizing them to be truth is all a part of the journey that God has for me... for me... just as I am...
One of the greatest gifts that God has given is creativity... a beautiful reflection of himself... I have the ability to create my minutes, days and years... what they will look like will be a reflection of what decisions I will make... I have fallen short for so long, neglecting God's creation (me) and expecting him to treat me as if I were a puppet... that is not so... God has given me a mind, a beautiful mind, and a will to make decisions as I choose to... wow...
God has given me a future... what will I do with that future... what will my dance look like? Such a precious gift that has too often been taken advantage of... but now I know... all emotion set aside, I cannot deny God, I cannot deny who he is and what he has done for me... to base my life on emotion will not get me anywhere... it is time for truth... and it is my goal this year to discover truth in all areas... and to make truth the central part of all my conversation, with myself, with God and with others... it is time to expose the darkness with the light that only truth can bring... for that is when true healing comes... that is when a destiny is fulfilled...

We are created as a reflection of our Maker... a reflection of God - consider that for even just a second and I am sure that you will be overwhelmed at the depth of what that means...

I am reminded that in the year ahead Papa wants me to embrace the gift of 'me' that he created... just a few weeks ago I was out walking with God and was discussing with him how incredible the mountains were... (I LOVE the mountains) He said to me.. "Carin, you are always so amazed and in awe/wonder over the mountains... I am glad that you like them - I made them for you... but see those mountains, how magnificent they are... now look at your thumb." I was a little confused and so I asked him to explain... wow - He told me how I always make such a big deal about the beauty and incredulousness of the mountains when in reality they are nothing in comparison to the creation of me... all mountains are the same (composed of rock, metal etc) and its materials can be duplicated... I on the other hand cannot... the mountains only required a thought to create... I hold his breath... when he looks at me - it is with awe/wonder.... wow, how much do I fall short of deserving that kind of love! Nevertheless... I have HIS righteousness (right-standing)

Now... here's a word for the next year that Papa has given me... :)

"I stand between the years. The Light of My presence is flung across the year to come - the radiance of the Sun of Righteousness... Backward, over the past year, is My shadow thrown, hiding trouble and sorrow and disappointment.
Dwell not on the past - only on the present. Only use the past as the trees use My sunlight to absorb it, to make from it in after days the warming fire-rays. So store only the blessings from ME, the Light of the World. Encourage yourself by the thoughts of these.
Bury every fear of the future, of poverty for those dear to you, of suffering, of loss. Bury all thought of unkindness and bitterness, all your dislikes, your resentments, your sense of failure, your disappointment in others and in yourself, your goom, your despondancy, and let us leave them all, buried, and go forward to a new and risen life.
Remember that you must not see as the world sees. I hold the year in My Hands - in trust for you. But I sahll guide you one day at a time.
Leave the rest with Me. You must not anticipate the gift by fears or thoughts of the days ahead.
And for each day I shall supply the wisdom and the strength."

ok wow... Papa - I love you and in the year ahead I trust you and leave it to you to direct my paths.... free falling!

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne,
my dear, for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here's a hand, my trusty friend
And gie's a hand o' thine
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

ON

home at last... sigh... its been such a long drive.... and then visiting... and then New Years Eve... I will fill in details later - just know, I have survived the bus one more time! :)