may long weekend...

so for May long weekend, Jenn and I managed to tear ourselves away from the books to go to the cottage for the weekend. Henry & Shirley look after a cottage in the Kenora area and asked if we would like to join them in exchange for some labor from the guys. We all agreed it'd be a lot of fun, so we went.

Hooray we're comin to BC!!

Hey look this is my 1st enrty on our blog!! Which we have had for almost a year, so listen up! Esther has a GUN to my head!! This is serious business. We are coming to BC for almost 2 weeks in the begining of July. We are going to Esther's cousin Luke's wedding on the Island and other than that we will be in Abbotsford. We were not (who thinks wern't should be a word) planning on coming to BC before Christmas this year, but Esther's dad made the decision for us and gave us tickets to BC, which we are really excited about. Thanks Dad! We would love to see those of you who live in the area. Send us an email if you remember who we are and have interest in seeing us flat landers. This is Esther typing...I'm hungry, it's time for night lunch, so I'm cutting this short! (I'm craving my ice cream with shreddies, bananas & maple syrup!) over & out! P.S. -Esther's not pregnant she always eats ice cream this way. And she is hyjacking this update to be more acurate! Have a good weekend! Michael

what's going on...

Well, I've updated you with pictures...but I thought I would say a bit about what's going on for us. I finished my winter semester, got my marks last week (I did reasonably well on everything & am glad it's time to move on). Yesterday I started my summer course and Michael had is first softball game! I am taking a course that has 2 hour lectures every day for 4 weeks and then it's over. So, I have a mid term next Friday and a term paper due in 3.5 weeks! Sounds scary, but it's also the only thing I'm doing right now, besides some evening life group commitments and being Michael's cheering squad. Michael joined a Christian men's softball league. Our church put together a team, and it's full of talented players! The team did really well yesterday. The score was something like 28 to 13. Michael is hoping to have some more challenging games, and some time playing elsewhere than the outfield (after the game he told me he only got to even touch the ball twice). I think it will be good for Michael, because it's a chance to exercise and also meet new people (that goes for both of us!). That's about it really, I've gotten into baking my own bread lately, which is quite fun and not nearly as hard as I thought it would be!

before & after...

the pictures will speak for themselves...

weekend in austin...

well, we managed to stick with our goal of heading to Austin once a month, it was very relaxing. Michael and I spent Saturday each working on our own projects. I was painting & staining furniture, Michael was taking apart an old sleeper. Saturday night we hung out with Duane and Wendy. We played catch, Wenday and I had fun tossing the ball at a safer distance and slower speed than the guys and left them to their own devices.

We ended the evening with a bonfire, complete with wieners & smores!

On Sunday we went quadding! It was a blast!

Duane remembered a few more trails from back in the day, so we got to ride some new trail. I always find this exciting, especially when it's a little hilly and windy. Often the MB trails are a little boring after riding in BC.

long...but something to ponder

Our pastor emails devotionals out almost everyday. This one touched me, there's so much going on in my life that feels very overwhelming...here it is: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’ ” Romans 11:33-34 What does GOD know? That is almost a funny question… He knows all about all. He has a knowledge of not only all that is real but also all that is possible. He has never needed to learn anything — about anyone or anything, for He cannot add to His knowledge. Never once has GOD been surprised, caught off guard, or even distracted. He knows everything perfectly. That means His is a complete, thorough, and exhaustive knowledge. He understands everything. It is a knowledge that He has always had and always will. He knows all things fully, because He is the original designer and manufacturer. His observations are never tainted in any way. He is not obscured from seeing what is really going on. Nor does He become biased, misled, or deceived. He has never forgotten anything nor will He. To Him, nothing is a secret. Nothing is a mystery. There is no possibility that He has not thought out. There is no problem that He is unable to figure out. He knows all things—both the natural and the spiritual. He is brilliant in His knowledge. Just look at the masterpiece of His creation. It is perfect. Where there is a seeming lack of perfection, it is the creativity of God. He knows all events—past, present, future. There is no event without His full awareness. He knows all people—our actions, thoughts, feelings, intentions, and interactions. GOD is listening, understanding, interacting, and working in the lives of more than six billion people at this very moment. And yet in the midst, He remains unconfused, undistracted, and completely focused. He is fully and perfectly aware of all people, all things, and all events at all times. He leaves no motives left unchecked. No thought unheard or misunderstood. No problem without His best solution. There has been no human thought that He has not perceived already. He knows you. Everything you have done, even if you never remember it. He is acquainted with your tendencies, your mannerisms, your personality, your issues, and quirks. When you have good intentions, He knows them, even when others may question them. When you are trying to do what is right, it brings comfort to know that God is aware and keeping account. When you have selfish intentions, He knows them, although others may not question them. God knows you and me completely, and He loves us all the more. He knows what you can encounter for that coming day, and He has provided all that you need. He knows what happened, when it happened, where it happened, how it happened, what could have happened, and why it happened. He knows all the elements involved, all the motives involved. He knows what the causes are. He knows all possible solutions. He knows the best solution. He even knows how you feel. He also can identify with how you feel. GOD knows and understands. God is able to look at you and attend to you as though you were the only creature in the entire universe. He knows situations. Take your current situation. He knows how you feel, what your hopes are, your disappointments, your heart in the matter, your motives. He knows the other people involved. What their motives are. What their hearts are like. What can come about in the situation. What needs to happen to make all involved better. He knows all the intricacies involved. He knows what can be done. He knows what should be done. He knows what the best end would be—for the long haul. GOD knows everything going on. And in that He has left us with His plan in what to do in the midst of His working—to trust in Him and to obey His Word. He is not unaware. He is at work. from: Gerry Michalski Lead Pastor Soul Sanctuary

spring is here...we're eating on the deck!

need I say more? just so you all know, those of you in BC, we have by far been having warmer weather than you! (not to rub it in or anything)

cheesecake & adventures in odessy, what a great combo

thought this might produce a chuckle or two...who knew that grown ups like Adventures in Odessy this much! Actually it's become a bit of a Saturday morning ritual for Michael and I to listen to Adventures in Odessy before we get out of bed.

everybody say...paska!

what can I say, I had to try my hand at making the special bread, since it was a little too far to drop in at Oma's and enjoy some! It was definitely an interesting experience! After I had followed the instructions carefully I had soup, instead of dough. So, I added more and more and more flour (I had to actually divide the batter in half because it didn't all fit in the mixer). Then I left it to rise, which it didn't. So, I got creative, dissolved some yeast in warm water & sugar, added that plus some more flour. Tried letting it rise again! Victory!!!



We had some huge paska loaves, but it tasted quite good. The other things I learned is that I should really really learn to spread the cheese spread a little thinner (now that I have made it and am aware of all the ingredients that go into making such a delicious spread, there's a reason it tastes so good!)

Friday Easter Dinner...

another part of recreating Easter with my substitute family was having an Easter dinner...which was quite a lot of fun, despite the fact that we waited over an hour for the ham to actually be done (note to self: DO NOT trust the package instructions, and next time, factor in some extra time).

here's the guys peeling carrots & potatoes...(yes, that is a chess board between them, they were doing that at the same time)

since us "newly weds" had never made a ham before, we asked Henry to do the honors and carve the meat...

here's some evidence of the amazing table we set:

(aka: tischbild)