Before and after... Livin' it!

We're flying home today and needed to leave wwwaaaaaaayyy too early to compose something crafty, so I prewrote this for your enjoyment. 'Tomorrow', when I'm home, I'll tell you all about our trip. Probably.

***


When we moved out of our last apartment we sold the couch. It was a relatively new couch, but it was cheap and uncomfortable. At least it looked good.

Because this


is what we had when we moved back.


Ick.


And our living looked like a student's apartment.

Double ick.


I really couldn't stand it.


The plan was to buy a replacement couch when we returned... I spent hours scouring Kijiji and Craigslist for a good deal. We even visited a used one, but it didn't work out.


I dreamed of making over the living room.

So we did.

What do you think?




Not so icky, at least?


And the best part is that everything was on the cheap!

Cheesed.

A flashback post... Because we're off to the beach today!!!


**

Last Friday night on our way home from dinner, we decided to stop in at the fondue restaurant to enjoy some wonderfully melty cheesy goodness on the board walk.

Romantic, no?

We order an appetizer to share. We'd already eaten, so it was just for a taste.

The waiter told us no. He said that the tab was simply too small and if we weren't ordering more we couldn't stay.



Excuse me?
Seriously?




Here's a little black heart sticker for you, sir.




So we walked to our little grocery store, bought a No Name cheese fondue and enjoyed a whole mound of it, for half the price, while coozied up watching a movie at home.

Believe me, it was much better than anything that restaurant could have offered!

changes

I knew it would happen.

Some things changed.

Some youth grew.

Some now have cellphones.

Some are dreaming of visiting the states.

Some of the elderly passed away.

Some of the young adults are going to get married.

Some parents are sick, and because of it are now out of work.

Some can't afford groceries.

Some bought a car.

Gardens have grew, trees have been removed.

As time passes, some things change.

But our God does not.

How blessed are we to live in such an ever-changing world, yet serve an unchanging God.

Because I don't think anyone will let that fly...

Hi all!

We made it and are doing well. It's sooooo nice to see everyone again (and realize I haven't completely lost my Spanish). And wow, I haven't had my belly kissed so many times in my life!

The word here is that I'm carrying a girl, because apparently my behind and love handles are significantly larger than before :P I guess we'll have to wait until next week to see if they're right!

Misses the Mrs.

I'm not sure if it breaks the rules to use a guest blogger to keep an unblemished "Blogtober" streak alive. She may have a post planned for today, but I thought I'd log in and save the streak proactively. I'll try to keep it quick and painless.

You know how God teaches you lessons sometimes?

My wife has finally emerged from the "all-day sickness" phase of the pregnancy, enough that she can travel to be with some dear friends from what-once-was-home.

I'm stuck at home today, sidelined with a bout of stomach flu. Yeah, it sucks, but don't feel sorry for me (you probably don't).

I wished I had remembered exactly how much it sucked when Candice was going through it for months. Maybe I would have been a little more supportive.

Miss you Candice, I'll apologize when you get home!

A love list.

Yes, this is a scheduled post.

I just have no idea what internet access is going to be like, and I didn't want to take my chances!

I also thought this would be a good post to read myself upon returning, because who knows what my thoughts will be down there!!


***


It's interesting to note all the things that I love about day-to-day life here in Montreal. (For me, at least.) So often when we were living abroad, we would note things that we loved about where we were living and working. So why not do the same while living back in Canada?

Here's my love list about days I go to the office (which can be the longest days of them all).

1. The commuter train. It's punctual, safe, clean, and warm. The seats are comfy and I'm able to get a half hour of work done on the way in, and then again on the way home. This makes for a much shorter day at the office. I love that I get to break up my workday and be paid for my commuting time.
   
2. The rush of the metro when it comes out of the tunnel to pick up passengers. The wind, the sound, the streak of blur before suddenly stopping. It kind of gives you a rush.
   
3. Picking up a skinny Chai tea Lattes from the Second cup on the walk to the office.
4. Walking up the steps of the building. I know the appreciation of this one will probably fade quicker than the others, but I still get a little rush out of "I'm going to work. I'm getting paid. As a professional. In a clinic that helps at risk pregnant women in Montreal."
5. The francophone work place. Yes this has it's challenges, but it's amazing how much the language acquisition and survival skills I learned to use while in immersion Spanish settings have translated into this French setting.
   
6. Being productive during the day in a readily recognized, tangible way. Sometimes the hardest part about mission work was going to bed at the end of the day and not being able to place your finger on what exactly you did that day. Worked? Most definitely! But in a much different way than when you are working for an employer. During my days at the office (or working from home) it's nice to be able to point to something and say 'That. I did that today." I do miss many of the aspects of mission work, but this post is to focus on what I'm loving about what I'm doing right now.
7. Chatting with Tom online. We're connected to each other pretty much all day via gmail chat... and I love it. It's so nice to get home at the end of the day and already have a good idea of how his day went.
8. Heading home. No matter how well my day went, it's always nice to be homeward bound. I leave at 3:30 to catch the train, which gets me home in good time to get a homemade healthy supper on the go and tidy up before Tom gets home.
   
9. Tom getting home. My heart still skips a beat when I hear his key in the door. No matter where in the world we are.
   
10. Not having to always work in the evenings as well. This is the first time in, well, ever that I haven't had to study during the evening or run a dozen programs from our home throughout the week. We do participate in programs, and will be hosting a weekly one soon, but the higher-than-ever-before down time is so appreciated right now. But I'm sure that will come to an end before we know it!
    

pink or blue?

Alright! Today is travel day for me, so to keep you entertained while I'm away, I figured I'd do a fun little poll.


Yay! Right?


Next week we are having our 20 week ultrasound... And we get to find out if it's pink or blue in there!!!


What do you think our little bundle is?

Pack?

I am still in complete disbelief... I'm going to Costa Rica tomorrow!

Here's the itinerary:

4:00am - arrive at Montreal's international airport

6:15am - depart Montreal... Miami bound!
9:55 - Arrive in Miami, grab some food

12:05pm - depart Miami, San Jose bound.
12:50pm - arrive in San Jose.

Clear customs, connect with driver, and head out for a 2 hour twisty-turny van ride to beautiful Tuis, Costa Rica.


Oh, how I've missed thee.


And the itinerary for the following 5 days is pretty much open! Of course we have a few coffee and tortilla making dates lined up, and the youth group on Friday night, but I'm just looking forward to slowing down, relaxing, and reconnecting with old friends.



(Unfortunately, I'll still be putting in a few hours for work... But at least I'll be doing it in flip flops.)

What I'm thankful for

Amongst many, many other things, I'm thankful that 'something' told me to back up my hard drive an hour and a half before it crashed, burned, and died last week.


I was able to recover all but 1.5 out of 100 hours of work saved on it.


Now that is nothing but the grace of God!

Speaking of llamas...

My grandma has two pet llamas.

She didn't get two pet llamas on purpose.

Who would?

She got two llamas to hang out with the cows.

To scare away the coyotes.

You see, the coyotes were killing the calves.

So she bought two llamas to put out in the cattle pasture.

But the cows were scared of the llamas and kept running away from them.

It isn't good for cows to run.

Especially into the mouths of the coyotes who seemed to be hanging out in the same hiding-from-llamas spot.

So she had to separate them.

The llamas from the cows.

And now she has two pointless llamas.

I'm sure the farm hand loves feeding them everyday.

I wonder if he needs a jacket.

Little stickers, stickers for everyone

Sometimes I think that I should carry two rolls of stickers in my pocket. One roll of beautiful gold stars and a roll of ugly black hearts. I could hand them out, grade 1 style, to people throughout the day for acts I've witnessed.

Care for an example?
I thought so.

Yesterday the metro was packed and a little old lady squeezed in at the last minute. One young gentleman grabbed her to help her with her balance as the metro picked up speed; a second guy quickly gave up his seat so she could sit down.

Good job gentlemen!
Now that's two gold stars right there.

And as for the black hearts? I'd give one to the guy that stepped right in front of the preggo lady trying to get on the same metro.

Dude, not cool.
Here's a black heart, now go and think about what you've done.




What would have you handed out lately?

The Jacket

This past April, Tom and I took a trip to the west coast with his parents. The trip was wonderful, but boy howdy was it colder than anticipated! We were all under dressed for the weather and were left begging and borrowing relatives’ garments.

I froze.

Well, until I found The Jacket.

It was beautiful. Sitting there on it’s hanger in the marina. Cozy, trendy, wooly, wonderfulness. Could you ask for more? I gave it a test run by wearing it out onto the dock to visit the seals. And I could still feel my arms after. Sold!

I loved it. It was wonderful.

Well, that was until it happened.

It was in Montreal when it happened. We were out with the young adults group from our church, hanging out at the top of Mount Royal watching the city lights one evening when we got caught in the rain. A friend actually asked “Do they let horses up here? Honestly, it smells like horse manure all of a sudden!!!”

There were no horses.

It was The Jacket.

Maybe you knew this, but I did not. When wet, wool can stink like the animal it came from. I'm not positive what animal produced this jacket, but it sure wasn't a cute one. I'm thinking more llama than sheep.

I was neighed at for the rest of the night.

We went to Ecuador the next week. Haven't needed it when since we returned. Until now.

I love the jacket, I really do… I even get compliments on it from people (who are standing at least 6 feet away). Oh, but the stench when it's wet! It fills the room.

This morning I Febreezed it.

And now it smells like a Febreezed llama.

Health, the most important part?

The conversation usually goes something like this:

Well-meaning person: "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Pregnant couple: "Oh, it doesn't matter to us. We'd be delighted with either."

Well-meaning person: "Right, as long as it's healthy. That's the most important part!"


Um, no it isn't.


When people wish me a healthy baby, I know they mean well, but do they really understand what they are saying? It makes it sound like unhealthy babies are less desirable, something you wouldn't actually want.

Yes, the complexities that parenthood brings about are often in greater abundance with children who have special needs, but is that the end of the world? Is that the most important part? Do you know anyone with a child with medical needs or a social behaviour problem who would return their child if they could?

Let's take a more specific example, do you know of anyone who would rid their Down Syndrome child? In my opinion, they are some of the most peaceful, beautiful children loved dearly by their parents {yet 91-93% of fetuses diagnosed with Down Syndrom in the womb are aborted (Prenatal Diagnosis 19 (9): 808–812)}

I think these kinds of wants and decisions exemplify the limit of our human mind!! We want what our feeble minds can muster up as to what is best. But remember, we don't know what is best for us. Moreover, this world isn't even about us. Not at all. Not even when it comes to 'our' kids. They are gifts from God, and it's the Lord's will that is the most important part. He knows infinitely more than us. He was here before us and will continue to be here after we pass on.

When you wish someone a healthy child, what you probably really mean is that you want the best for their child (which is nice) but you are also saying that you know what is best.

As I watched B (the 13 month old I babysit on Wednesdays) trying miserably to put the colourful stacking rings on the cylinder, I wonder if that's how God sees us sometimes. Fumbling, trying to do things our way (a way that just won't work), when it is so crystal clear to him what needs to be done and what we need in order to get those things done.


I pray that the Lord's will be done, not mine, for this young life within me. I pray that he blesses my child to be part of his perfect will, no matter what that means for me. It isn't easy to do; if I were to admit my worldly human desires, a healthy full-term baby would be lovely. But if I am to focus on my heart's desire, which is far closer (yet I realize still far from) inline with the greatest thing in life, I pray for the Lord to bless our child, to create him or her in his perfect image (which we all are, as flawed as we all are!) and to use him or her in his perfect will.

God knows each of us. He created all of us the way we are on purpose.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:13

If you can follow this, kudos to you!

(Warning to Tiffany: If inappropriate tense changes kill you, please for the sake of your children, don't read on.)


Yes, I'm going to Costa Rica next week.

How did that happen, you ask? I wonder the same thing myself.

Let's see, where did it start....



Let's rewind, to August:

We were in Colorado Springs, sitting in a stinky hotel room, battling through the weeks of training at HCJB... Amongst all the chaos of travel, of morning sickness, of trying to figure out what we are suppose to do with our lives, and of just wanting to 'go home' (where ever that would be)...

C: "Tom? I think I need to go back to Costa Rica. I need to see everyone. I need to know they are all still there. I miss them so dearly, and I don't know when we will get a chance to go."

T (who was telecommuting into work via the hotel's free wireless): "Then you should go. If it's laid on your heart to go, you should go."

C: "Well, I don't want to go by myself."

T: "I absolutely cannot go. But I would love it if you could go for us. Think and pray about who should go with you. Then ask."

So I did, and I surprised an acquaintance (A) out of the blue with an e-mail from our Colorado Springs hotel room. I extended her an invitation to travel to CR with me without a date, budget, time line, or agenda included in the e-mail.

She said "I'm in!"**



Fast-forward to September:

Over a month had past. We spent time in Manitoba visiting family and at Tom's brother's wedding. We came back to Montreal and life started to really pick up. Between moving in, shopping for apartment stuff, and both of us starting to work outside the home full time (which was a complete surprise), it could have easily gotten lost.

But it didn't. It was still there. A nag. A pull.

I looked up the price of tickets. *WOW* They nearly doubled since I first proposed the idea to A. It would just be too expensive now!!



Fast-forward a bit more:

We were at a church BBQ when someone I didn't know sat down beside me to eat a burger. We introduce ourselves. Her name rings a bell...



Rewind to June:

We are in Ecuador, and I receive a very encouraging e-mail via the candiceandtom blog. It's from a new comer to our church. She wants to get together when we get home...



Fast-forward back to BBQ:

C: "Wow, wait! Did you write to me while we were in Ecuador?"

L: "Yes, that was me!"

C: "Cool! I'm so glad we got to meet. How are you doing?"

L: "I'm good, but I need to tell you something: I'm an independent travel agent. If you ever need or want to go anywhere I can get you tickets. At cost."

C (nearly chocking on her burger) "Excuse me?"

L: "This isn't a sales pitch or anything. I just know you guys travel a lot and I'd love to help you out."

T (who is grinning): "Can you get her and her friend some tickets to Costa Rica?"

L: "I'll see what I can go."


Fast-forward 2 days:

I receive a quote for two flights to Costa Rica in my inbox. The price is way better than I could find. Pretty much the same price as when I was looking in Colorado Springs. The dates are great in respect to how much time A and I can manage to get away for.

I e-mail A, and after over a month of not talking about it, I send her dates, budget, and time-line. The departure date is only a few weeks away.

She says "Book 'em. I'll go get my shots."


Fast-froward to today:

So, yes. I'm are going to Costa Rica next week. Not with Tom, but with an acquaintance (we don't know each other that well right now, but oh, we will!!).

I'm looking forward to touching base with everyone there and introducing them to my belly.


Please pray for a safe, uneventful trip. We'll be gone from next Wednesday to the following Monday!!

Four truths, no lie!

1. On the 20th of this month, I will have been married to the man of my dreams for 3 years. It took him less than 3 months to propose. I could hardly wait to marry him.

2. We have been living in Montreal now for almost 5 weeks. That’s the longest we’ve stayed in one place in the past 6 months.

3. When I go in to the office, I take the commuter train then the metro line. It makes me feel all grown up. Then I remember I’m 26, married for 3 years, and over 4 months pregnant…. And realize I am grown up.

4. Next week I'm heading back to Costa Rica for a few days to visit some people we miss dearly.

Just like Sonya, of course all of the above are true.

WAIT! I didn't tell you about the Costa Rica thing!?

They grow up so fast!

Last week we went to parent-teacher interviews.
Lat night we practiced parallel parking until 11:00pm so she'll be okay on her driver's test this afternoon.
Next month she turns 18.

Wow, they do grow up fast!




P.S.> Investing in young people's lives may be good training ground for being a parent!

It's the small things.

Tuesday morning was garbage day.

Monday night it was raining.

Tom told me to leave the bins in the backyard, and he'd move them in the morning before leaving for work (so I wouldn't have to do it in the rain).

And he did.

Even though it was still raining.

And I was still sleeping.






Reason #38 757 945 why he is my hero.

Whatever moves ya

I know.

Exercise during pregnancy is important. For you. For baby. For husband (due to increased feel-better hormones).

I've read studies, my little app reminds me on a weekly bases, and I've even sat through scientific presentations about it when I was at McGill (although it needs to be notes that the jury is still out on how much and which kind is best, but I'll spare you the details).

So, yes. I know. Exercise = good.
I also know that pregnancy can be exhausting. Up until about 3 weeks ago, I just couldn't do it. Heck, I nearly gave myself a gold sticker every time I crawled into bed at the end of the evening. I could barely make dinner, never mind go for a walk.

Then about 3 weeks ago I started to feel a bit better, which was excellent timing because that's when I started working (God's cool like that). I found myself with more energy, but also with more energy-using obligations on my plate. I started going for extra walks once every few days. I even bought a prenatal yoga video. Emphasis on the bought, not used.

I would whine to Tom that I sucked as a mom already. Could I really say "I did my best"? I felt like a was failing. I knew all the benefits.

Then one morning, 10 day ago, my Little App told me something that changed my life....

Are you having trouble getting enough exercise in during the week while pregnant? Then be sure to reward yourself when you do get it in! Figure out what moves ya, and be sure to follow through. For example, maybe a pedicure for meeting your goal of exercising for 5 days/week. External motivators can really help!

External motivators? I never thought of that... Gifts are one of my love languages, I'll have you know. (You can call me shallow, or honest. Your choice.)

So that night, when we went to bed, I let Tom read the app blurb. This is how it went from there:

T: Alright, for every hour of exercise you do, we'll put $ toward anything you want.

C (who was originally thinking scoring a pedicure or maybe new runners would be awesome): Anything?

T: Anything.

C: Well, I don't know what I'd want. You let me have pretty much anything I can make a good case for...

T: Yup, but this doesn't have to be anything justifiable. You've told me that I need to help out with getting you to do more exercise. So here it is: It could be anything. Soemething completely fun. Something you'd love, but we just couldn't justify.... Maybe you'd be interested in exchanging your iTouch for an iPhone?

C: Squuueeeeek!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

T: I'll give you $5/hour.

C: Huh? DUDE, I'm your wife. I'm carrying your unborn child. And you're going to lowball me with $5/hour? That's not even minimum wage!

T: Take it or leave it.

C: ....

T: If you get exercising, you might be able to buy a used one by Christmas. If you want a new one, well, you should be able to get it before the baby's born...

C: Sold!!!

...

C: Hey, wait. This means you'll get my iTouch doens't it?

T: Yuppers!!!

C: Well, you can 'buy' it off me. $3 for every hour of exercise you do.

T: $3????? WHAT?

C: Well, there's only one of you and it isn't as expensive. Take it or leave it.

...


Well, that sure got me going!!! I'm happy to report that I now have $40 towards my prize. Yes, that means I've only missed 1 of the past 9 days!

Blogtober

Ever think of something and without thinking it through, you ask others what they think and if they want to do it too... Then all of a sudden you need to come up with 31 posts?

31 posts? I posted 31 times on this site between the beginning of March and the end of September. That's 7 months, people!


So brace yourselves for some poorly composed posts... And maybe my belly's debut.... For today is the beginning of Blogtober, where I, along with a few other awesome bloggers, are commiting to posting something everyday during the month of October. Be it pictures, a short blurb, or a full on rant... Bring it on, and let's see who's the Queen of Blogtober!!

(Do you think that if I stick a prize in the mail by the end of next week, Tiffany will receive it by the end of the month?!)