Finished

I still can't believe I've graduated. Maybe it will fully sink it once all my grades are officially in and submitted. But it's so unbelievable. It's been a long journey, beginning 5 years ago and ending on Friday. I'm so grateful for these past 5 years. I learned a lot about myself, especially when I switched majors, and I made some wonderful friends. And now I have my BA in Psychology with Honours. Yay!

Thank you to everyone who supported me in all kinds of ways through my degree. I couldn't have done it without you. You're all gifts from God to me. I love you all.

To all my friends who are still in uni, here's some things I learned in my undergrad that I wish someone had told me when I was starting and in school:
1. Get to know your profs. It's so helpful in terms of coursework and reference letters. Plus some of them are seriously awesome people.
2. Research is not that bad. Honours was one of the best parts of my degree. It was so time-consuming and took all my effort, but I learned so much.
3. Take the time to get to know people in your classes. Study groups can be very helpful. And before you know it, you may just become good friends.
4. It's okay if you don't know what you want to do with your degree. Don't let it freak you out. Take the time to research the field and find out what your passionate about. There's something out there for you to love doing.
5. Find a piece of happiness in every day, especially when school seems to be stressing you out and weighing you down. Happiness makes everything better.

Come September, I will officially be in the MSc in Counselling Psychology program at the UofC. I'm excited to be staying in Calgary, close to my family and friends, and I'm also really looking forward to all the opportunities of the program. I'm nervous, as everything will be new and it will apparently be heaps of work, but I'm so excited at the same time.

Bring on the nervous excitement.

Acceptance

It's official- I have been accepted to the Masters of Counselling program at TWO grad schools- Alder (in Vancouver and UofC). Brian and I have some big decisions to make. Plus I may hear more from other schools later. Who knows? But it's all very exciting.

It's such an answer to prayer. A couple nights ago, I was feeling really discouraged and stressed, about the uncertainty of it all. God knew exactly when I needed to hear this news, which is such a gift. God's timing is so much better than mine (which is a lesson I keep learning, over and over again. I can be so impatient. I'm thankful He keeps teaching me). This is an incredible way to begin Lent, being so reminded of God's faithfulness and the fact that He never leaves me, even when I lose sight of the good things He has for me.

God will always take care of me. How amazing.

I'm so excited for the opportunity to pursue an education in Counselling. I can't wait to learn, experience and grow, as a counsellor-in-the-making and as a person.

This has also reminded me of how blessed I am to be surrounded by amazing people. Thank you everyone, for your support, prayers and love, and the fact that no matter what decision I come to (with Brian, of course), I know you will continue to support me. You are all such gifts from God to me. How did I ever get to be so blessed?

Wow.

All Love

I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. All the cards, presents and expectations can be hard for both couples and singles. Couples try to make huge romantic gestures that likely cost a lot of money, thanks to the inflation surrounding this day. Single people feel devalued because they don't have a significant other. And that really bothers me. People in relationships are no better than single people. So why does Hallmark rub it in their faces? It's a shame that a "holiday" makes people feel badly about themselves. So historically, I have not celebrated Valentine's Day (including the years I've been with Brian).

But I've been thinking a lot about this holiday. I think it can become a whole different kind of day. People say it's a day about love, but the focus is so heavily on romantic love. Why can't be a day for all kinds of love? Sometimes we take the people we love for granted and forget to tell them how much they mean to us. I was so blessed this weekend to spend time with people I love very much and I think that they know it. I hope they know it.

Maybe sharing our love, with friends, family and signficant others, can turn Valentine's Day into a great day. Who doesn't love being told they are loved? So please, spread the love today. All kinds of love.

Plans

Plans can change so quickly. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. But it's been amazing to me lately how fast "our" plans can change.

I say "our", because we can make plans all we want. But God's plan for our lives is what happens. I have so much trouble seeing the big picture sometimes that I can't even begin to understand God's plan for me. And it's so hard in the moment when something goes wrong to even try to think that God has something bigger and better planned. But it is such a reward when you finally see the good He has.

This has been on my heart lately because of all the plans I'm seeing come to fruition, not happen or be a surprise.

Some of my friends are applying for grad school, as I am. The waiting is so hard. But as it turns out, the rejection is harder. My heart is breaking for my friends who have worked so hard and really deserve to get into grad school, and yet may not be accepted. The idea of a back-up plan is something they didn't want to consider and now it's here. I know they will get into grad school, one day. I just hope they're happy in the meantime.

Other plans I'm seeing more often are engagements, weddings, divorce (I still struggle to believe this is already happening to people my age- breaks my heart), and babies. These plans can bring celebration, surprise (which can be positive or negative), but also negative emotions. I pray that positive things come out of all these plans, that override any negatives.

I hope as plans change, things can still bring us joy. I think there's always little things that can delight us, even in unfortunate situations. And eventually, good will come from this. We just need to be patient.

New Year

The new year always seems to be a time of reflection and change for most people. For the first time in possibly forever, I'm one of those people. Sure, I liked to look back on the year and celebrate all the good things that happened. But this year is different.

2010 was easily one of the best years of my life. I married my best friend, we spent a week in New York [the best city in the world] and have spent the past six months enjoying married life in our lovely little apartment. So it's great to reflect on all that.

But 2011 has brought serious change. This is my last semester of my undergrad. Come May, I will be out of school, waiting to hear if I will continue to be in school or if I will need to take some time off. Having such an uncertain future is new for me. Thankfully I am surrounded by incredibly supportive people who are with me in the waiting and will be with me once I know what the fall will bring. But I know that whatever happens, it will be a brand new experience, so I am trying to prepare for whatever comes. The other big change is that Brian is looking for a new job. He has been with Sunterra for a long time, but has decided he needs to find a job that suits him better, where he can shine. So now he's in the process of researching careers, jobs and what's out there. It's a big change. I'm excited for him in this new beginning. But it's also all really scary. So we're trying to rely on God in hopes that He will provide for us and that He will help Brian discern the career path he should follow. We've been encouraged so far and feel blessed to have, again, such supportive people in our lives.

Please keep us in your prayers in this new year. Thank you for your love and support.

Blessed

Another Christmas has come and gone.

It's hard to believe it's already over. But I was definitely not short on holiday fun this year. So many parties, get-togethers and activities to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus and being in community. It all reminded me how blessed I am to have all these wonderful people in my life.

Brian was sick over Christmas, so it was especially hard for him to enjoy it as much as he would have otherwise. I so wanted him to feel better. Thankfully he's on the mend, and there were still wonderful moments for us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We are entering into a time of change as the new year approaches. I'm scared but trying to trust that God will take care of us. Christmas reminded me of just how much my family takes care of us and how they will always be here, no matter what happens. I'm so thankful for them.

Christmas is a great time to reflect on and appreciate how blessed we are. I hope I never take the people in my life for granted. They are so wonderful. Each of them are gifts from God.

"I receive you as a gift from God to me."

Christmas

I LOVE Christmas. Seriously. LOVE.

I started secretly celebrating Christmas coming on November 1, because Holt Renfrew and Starbucks had their Christmas displays up. Oh it's so exciting. I know some people won't even talk about Christmas until December 1, and I understand that. Especially those who don't talk about it because they think Christmas is too commercial and just want to focus on Jesus as the reason for the season. I do get that. But I don't see why we can't be excited for Jesus coming for more than four weeks.

So I'm still full of Christmas cheer. Our tree is up- our first tree! Oh it's just wonderful. We also have an Advent log in our house, which we light on Sundays to celebrate the four weeks of Advent- our time of waiting for Jesus to come. We even have the chocolate Advent calendar. There's so many things in our house to remind us of Christmas, of the joy and love surrounding the wonderful holiday, and of the amazing gift God sent us two thousand years ago in Jesus. We are truly blessed.

Move

maybe we are getting in the canoe,
ready to head down the river.

Retreat & Return

This past weekend, Brian & I headed off to Camp Valaqua for an Awaken retreat. It was just lovely. To be able to get away, to spend time with friends, to focus on God, to forget about city life for a minute- it was exactly what I needed. Now I actually didn't get as much rest as I hoped for, because we stayed up late playing Dutch Blitz and Things In A Box, but that was completely worth it. I loved laughing that much. It felt like there was something worth smiling and laughing about the whole weekend. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people who were there with me this weekend.

Now I'm right back into "regular" life. Grad school applications are really sneaking up here. Some are due in less than a month. I have no idea where the time went. But I'm trying to keep my head above water and not let these applications take up so much of my time that I'm neglecting my current school work or my relationships with the people that support me. If you could keep me in your prayers, that would be much appreciated.

Grad school applications also bring up fear. Fear that I won't get in. Fear that I can't pursue a career in counselling. Fear that maybe this isn't where I'm supposed to be. This fear is very unsettling. And I'm struggling to just give it to God and let Him take care of me. So prayers in that would be appreciated too.

This is a busy, crazy, uncertain time. But I know the best things will stay the same, and I'm so thankful for those things.

P.S. Christmas decorations are beginning to fill the city! It is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Home

As I sit in my little basement suite, studying for a midterm and looking forward to when my husband comes home from work, I can't help but think of how blessed we are.

I love our home.

Yes, it's small. But that means it's cozy.
Yes, it's pretty much one big room.
But that means we're together, even when we're doing different things.
Yes, some things don't fit. But that means we're learning to live simply and to decorate creatively.

I love how many memories we've already created and have yet to create in our "first home". I feel so content and at peace when I'm at home, when I stop to reflect on everything that has happened here. We live in a great neighborhood and we're relatively close to the important things and people in our lives. It's pretty wonderful.

Also, we love having people over. So you should come over.

But my peace also has nothing to do with our apartment, all at the same time. Brian is my home. Everything is better when I'm with him- he reminds me that everything will be okay. I see God in him every day, and God's Kingdom is also our home. Being in my earthly home with my incredible husband is a great reminder of that.

I feel so blessed to be home.

"if home is where the heart is,
then my home is where you are."