BAM!

That’s how I feel right now. Like I’ve hit the brick wall and now I’m lying on the ground trying to recuperate from immense pain! Okay, maybe not that bad, but this last semester has been a doozy. In my entire school career, it’s been one of the most challenging, growing, exhausting, semesters of my life. Between school, practicum, work, and the rest of life’s happenings, I had to force myself to take breaks which have been a first. It was a wonderful learning experience for me in regards to time management, taking days off, and enjoying life in the midst of utter chaos. I don’t assume next semester is going to be any easier, although it possibly could, but I feel more prepared to handle whatever comes my way. I’ve learned the importance and necessity of taking one day off a week no matter what to allow my body to recover from the previous week’s unfolding. This past semester has been a challenge well accepted and well learned from.

These past couple days, my friend Melissa from Australia came for a short visit while on her way to Winnipeg. She got a pretty full experience of Canadian culture while she was in Calgary. I was able to take her tobogganing and snowboarding and she got to meet a lot of great people! For the first time snowboarding she did really well. It was her first time out of Australia so it was great to share a little bit of Canadian culture with her.

Right now, I’m sitting in Yellowknife, enjoying the stress free atmosphere. It’s so refreshing to be up here, away from everything, and best of all, be with my family. This Christmas break has been muchly anticipated and I can tell you will be muchly enjoyed! With my sister’s wedding coming up in January, it’s going to be a wonderful end to a wonderful Christmas break.

Take a break, take a breather, enjoy the season, and remember why we celebrate it.

God bless,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Containing Christmas Subject Matter

So I know it's a little early for Christmas talk. Well actually I don't think it's ever to early to talk about Christmas! I'm super excited for this winter season!

To begin with, a bought a Christmas cactus. If you aren't sure what it looks like, a quick Google image search will reveal that to you. Now why would I buy a Christmas cactus? It all started in third grade when my teacher gave everyone in our class a plant to take care of. This plant was a Christmas cactus. The one given to me was small in nature, consisting of only three leaves. Over the years I had the chance to watch it grow into a beautifully mature plant that bloomed every November. Upon graduating and leaving to Yellowknife, [consult the first post of this blog for more information about moving to Yellowknife] I left the cactus in care of my brother. Not to long after, it died, and was thrown out. Upon hearing this news I was devastated from the core of my being, okay well maybe not that much, but it hurt. Over the next couple of years I searched for a cactus to call my own. This search came to an end as last week when I was able find a plant to secure that place in my heart, a new Christmas Cactus [whose name has yet to be determined, although there has been some ideas tossed around].

Along with the Christmas cactus, I was also able to purchase a Christmas tree and Christmas lights to decorate our room. It's my first Christmas tree that I've ever owned personally and so far I'm pretty happy with it. It stands 6' tall and is visible from the school. When I'm walking back to residence at night, you can see it glistening in the window.

I'm super excited about this Christmas break because my little sister is getting married! I never imagined she'd get married before I did, but that's life. She's getting married to a wonderful man of God, and their passion for God is also undeniable. I look forward to January 1, 2010 as a start of a new life for my sister, and a life with a new brother for myself.

I also have a season's pass to Canada Olympic Park. It's my first time buying a pass at a hill so I'm looking forward to spending time there. I think it's a great hill. It is 10 minutes away from the school for easy access so who can complain.

After this two weeks I'll be done all my papers, most of my assignments with only finals to look towards. After that, Christmas break, then semester 2 here I come.

God bless.

Neglect

Never in my life do I want to be so concerned with myself and my own problems, that I forget to take notice of the people around me.

So this past month has been relatively busy compared to my previous years of schooling. My involvement in different areas has definitely pushed me to my limits physically, mentally, and spiritually. What I'm noticing is that when I get to my limits, I retract. Almost in a preserving manner which I find interesting. My focus is primarily on myself and how I can I make it through each individual day and the overwhelming pressures I feel. On the other hand, I think by being aware of this, I'm learning to cope. The pressure is slowly subsiding and I'm starting to make my way back to being out in society. I'm learning to say no [a skill I thought I'd already developed] and to manage my time properly. Interesting enough, I had to write a short paper on time management which challenged my actions and gave me a little boost in regards to using my time well. How often do we neglect people for the sake of ourselves and how we feel that day? What happened to putting others before us? Love God, love people. How can you love God or people when all you consider is yourself and your own problems? Take care of yourself, don't get me wrong, but let us give our undivided attention to people that we interact with. Let us stop the wandering eyes that happens so often in our conversations. Let us invest into our relationships as much as we can. I know two essentials in life are community and faith, let us pursue both. Life is a journey, let us walk it together. Relationships come and go, but the ones we have in this moment are the ones that are significant.

What else happened this month?

My brother got married!

Live in the moment, look to the future, learn from the past.

Back to School

So today marks the end of the first week of school! I must say it's been really busy but very enjoyable. My classes this semester are: Practicum and Reflection, New Testament Greek I, Principles of Sociology, Romans, and Theology 1 God and His Word. I'm really looking forward to actively engaging in all my areas of study.

Student Council has been great so far. It's my first time in a leadership role within the school and I'm learning lots. Right now I'm just getting Freshman elections under way here and it's looks like it's going to be a awesome year.

I'm working at Scotiabank again which is great. I'm only able to work Mondays but every little bit helps. I feel blessed to have such a great job.

I just wanted to write a quick little note here. Enjoy what is left of summer!

Back to Calgary

It's hard to believe that my summer in Yellowknife is over. I still wouldn't call it a summer for the lack of hot weather, but it was still a good time. Tomorrow I'll be in a car for 16 some odd hours until I reach Edmonton. I'll be in town for a couple of days before I head back to Calgary where I'll start my second year of study at Ambrose. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming year. The classes I'll be taking hopefully will be good. Another thing I'm looking forward to is my involvement in student council. I really haven't taken any huge leadership roles, but at this moment in my life this is probably one of the biggest roles yet. It's going to be an area of change and growth which are two things I love.

I got an external hard drive the other day. It has the capacity of 1 TB (terabyte). Actually the ironic thing is when you open it up and see how much space you have, they always like to give you less then the displayed amount. So I have 931 gigabytes to work with. What do you do with that much space? I'm not to sure yet. So far I've filled a fraction of the space. My laptop is just about 2 and a half years old, so I'm taking the necessary precautions in case of a computer crash beyond restore.

I also went bridge jumping off of the bridge just outside Yellowknife. When your standing up there, it's a little nerve wrecking, but the fall itself isn't even that long, I'd do it again for sure.

Anyways, time to start packing and do laundry. I leave tomorrow morning!

Bye Yellowknife and to all the amazing people that have made this such a memorable summer. It has been wonderful living here and I can't wait for next year!