| Sick and Advent |
Today Lance woke up sick. The flu has been swiftly making its way through staff and students here at CLBI. With him sick I had a few more responisibilities. Lance is in charge of the chapel times at school - planning for guest speakers to come and facilitating and leading some. Well this morning he had planned to do an Advent chapel. Being sick he couldn't do it so... I did. I actually enjoyed it. Chapel is at ten so I had about an hour to plan. I roped one of the staff to lead a couple songs and do a scripture reading - I shared some personal thoughts on advent and read a short devotional. We had a prayer time where we asked Jesus, the light of the world, to come into our lives and into the lives of those we know who need his light. It went well - I would do it again, just with a little more planning especially regarding the music.
Last night we had our second annual advent party. For two years running this has been the highlight of my Christmas season. Our theme last night was light in the darkness. Lance and I read from Isaiah 9 and John 1 - excellent passages about light. I love from Isaiah: "The people walking in darkness has seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light had dawned" (9:2) Most of the evening we had all the lights off and just one candle on. We worshipped together and prayed together. We had also planned to make advent wreaths together - but we ran out of time. We ended the evening with lots of snacks (both healthy and not healthy) and visiting, tons of laughing. Our best friends the Friedrichs and Jensens were there, as well as the Aickens who we are glad live nearby and we are getting to see them more often. A group of quality people. It was lovely to begin preparing our hearts together with them.
I need to work some more today on marking for our course. I'll work from home so I can take care of Lance. So far I just bring him drinks. I made a trip to safeway to buy some drinks he requested - V-8 juice, bottled water (he hates Camrose water) and gingerale. He also wanted a booster juice smoothie drink so I drove across town (which isn't really far at all) to get him one - when I got there I read a sign on their door that says they are temporarily closed and will reopen soon, sorry for any inconvenience. No booster juice for Lance.
Okay, I better go. One more thing. I'm going to add a link for our friends Al and Denise's blog, it's filled with great photos of their son Joshua.
It is sunny here (as usual) I am enjoying the warmth. I hope you are all well.
Thanks for the guestbook entries, I'll try to be a little more regular with blogging.
Aimee |
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| It's Thursday Again |
With this blog I have successfully completed my one week challenge to myself - just barely though. Today has been quite busy and I didn't even think of blogging till 10:30pm. I turned to the computer to find it was gone! I had some girlfriends over for Bible study and praying tonight - so Lance made himself scarce, and took the computer. How could I complete the challenge without a computer? I waited around a bit... still no Lance. I thought about going to my office to blog (the dorm building we live in is connected to the main school building where my office is) At 11:00pm the buildings at school get locked. The problem is, I still don't have a key that gets me into the main building. I was trapped in my own apartment without a computer. I decided to try phoning the school to see if maybe Lance had gone to his office. Sure enough he was there and came home at my request. Phew.
My friends and I had a great time tonight. We read the book of Ruth chapter by chapter and commented on stuff that stood out to us. In a nutshell - Ruth was obedient. To God and to wise persons around her. Then we prayed for specific areas in our lives, big and small, where we struggle with obeying God. This was our first intentional Bible study/prayer time and it was so good. These are my best friends out here and I am so glad to get to add this richness to our relationship. We are praising God. It was a wonderful evening.
Well, I'm getting tired and I still want to read the other blogs before I head to bed.
Oh Yeah, thanks to Jonathans mention of it in the guestbook I redid the links and SAVED the changes, so now they appear and my last blog makes sense.
Hope you are well tonight.
Aimee |
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| Some Additions |
I've added some more links. My sister Cara has started a blog - which I am excited about. She recently had a little girl (Sarah, on September 19) and thought a blog would be a great way to share some of the epiphanies she is having while at home pertaining to motherhood and all sorts of things. Her blog is: A Song for Everday.
I also added Jonathan and Amanda's blog: Mountain Peak. I was convinced I wouldn't visit anymore blogs of people I don't know, so I wasn't going to add you guys. But...I find myself frequenting your blog and not wanting to be out of the loop. Now I feel like I'm getting to know you a bit - so I thought I should add you. Besides, I don't want to hinder people's blogging order, now people can go directly from Hummingbird to Mountain Peak if they so desire. :)
I also added the website of the school I work at -- CLBI. Check it out sometime. It's a great place.
That's all for now.
Aimee
ps. now onto supper |
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| Small Disaster |
Just as I was waiting for this page to open I ate a spoonful of yogurt and spilt some on the laptop. Not really a big big deal because it wasn't much, but we just got this computer this past spring - a Mac IBook G4 - and it is really special to Lance. I am usually quite careful with it... Anyways, the yogurt only got on the little closure part that keeps the computer closed when we shut it and I think I got it all off - if it starts stinking in a couple days we'll know what the problem is.
Perhaps Melanie is thinking, "If you weren't eating yogurt in the first place, in fact, if you never brought it into your home, this wouldn't have happened". This is true, but I don't share Melanie's view of yogurt - she has referred to it as "the devil's own breakfast food". :)
RE: Guestbook comments
Cara - I thought of the shirt idea too, we sure are sisters eh? I think the shoulder clamps would've covered it, that's what Steve thought anyway.
About my parents - they are really cool. I have always liked them. You all probably would too.
Latest news: I'm in the student choir at CLBI. We meet three times a week for an hour and fifteen minutes. We have been working on a Christmas concert since mid-September. On Friday we have our first performance - a mini-concert at Camrose's Christmas Festival. On the first weekend of December we do our full concert (including monologues, skits, whole-choir songs, small group songs...) three times. We have a lot of work to do - polishing our songs. I enjoy being in choir. I look forward to being able to concentrate more on the words of the songs. Our director picks such good songs with excellent lyrics (for the most part). I'll let you know how it goes.
Maybe that's all for today - I better get thinking about, and then making supper. Pasta maybe? When you have guests you can't really expect them to eat cheese and crackers (like I do).
Have a lovely evening.
Aimee |
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| Two Steves |
Here are the stats on the Steves:
Steven Michael Klassen "Little Steve" "Klassen" "Steven"
Born: January 11, 1984
Birthplace: Mission BC
I was 3 1/2 when he was born into our family
Birth Order: Youngest
Profession: Recording Engineer and producer
Height: 6'6''
Status: Single (with a lovely girlfriend)
Stephen John Schulz "Big Steve" "Schulz" "Steve"
Born: July 15, 1978 (I hope I got this right)
Birthplace: Saanichton, BC (I think)
I was 15 when he joined our family
Birth Order: Oldest in our family, youngest in his birth family
Profession: Formerly a driving instructor, presently a Men's Dean at LCBI in Outlook, SK
Height: 5'7''
Status: Happily Married
Here's an abbreviated version of the Steve story. When Steve (S) was in grade 11 he decided he would move to Alberta to live with his dad. His current situation with his mom and step dad was really bad. He was talking to my mom one night at church (my parents had taught him Sunday School in grade 9, and we kids knew him from youth group) and told her his plan to move away. During this conversation mom felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask a number of questions. She discerned that moving to his dad's was a very bad plan. That night at home she and dad discussed the possibility of asking Steve to be a part of our family. They felt God's leading in this area. They talked with us kids and we thought it was a good idea. They talked to other friends too. One evening they asked Steve out for dinner. During dinner they gave him a letter that was an invitation to join our family. About a week later he moved into a newly renovated basement bedroom at our house and became our brother.
Things moved pretty quick. Steve has now been in our family around 9 years. He is a brother now. It is amazing to look back on this story and see God working. I can't imagine if Steve hadn't joined our family. So I have two brothers named Steve. When Steve S joined our family he was taller than Steve K, so we called the older Steve "Big Steve". Well it wasn't long until "Little Steve" had outgrown "Big Steve" by quite a bit. :)
It was great to have both Steve's here visiting us.
There you have it - This is my brother Steve, and this is my other brother Steve.
Hope you are all well.
Aimee
ps. Thanks for all the guestbook entries, they sure motivate me to keep blogging - maybe I'll extend my challenge to myself.
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| This isn't so hard |
Blogging everyday isn't too hard afterall. Let's see... Latest news... The Canucks are in the Stanely Cup finals against the Mapleleafs (NHL 2005, X-box). We're just loving having Steven here. Last night my other brother - also named Steve - called and said, "I hear Steve's there, how would you feel about having another one around?" Steve (the older one, who we often call Schulz) and his wife Carolyn just started a job in Saskatchewan as Dean of Men and Dean of Women at a Lutheran residential Highschool. They have a couple days off so they're coming to visit us - we'll have a full house. I will save the story of two Steve's for another blog.
Today I am trying to get my darkroom set up. I have a goal to get atleast one photo printed by the end of today. I can't blog long - we have a staff meeting and Steve and Carolyn are coming any time. I might not reach my goal... in fact now that I think about it, I'm sure I won't. Okay, new goal: I will clean the used supplies I got so that I can print pictures on Wednesday.
Steven (younger) is going to Calgary tomorrow afternoon and coming back Wednesday evening. He'd been planning this roadtrip with some friends who go to school at CLBI. He asked if it was okay for them to miss class on Wednesday - this was tricky to answer. There are academic penalties for missing class - our classes are only one week long so each one is very important. It is totally their choice but missing class means paying the consequence. I think they got the impression that I thought it was okay for them to skip class - and I sort of think it is - I'd do it. But now I think I should've handled the situation a little differently - perhaps emphasizing the importance of each class period because of the condensed classes. The thing is, the staff person in charge of academics - who I told the girls to talk to, since it's his area - is pretty straightlaced and he is teaching the class this week. I really hope they didn't go to him and say: "Aimee said it was okay". We'll see. I think he'd approach me if there was a problem. I don't feel very mature right now. I guess I'm growing up.
Okay one last thing. On Saturday my brother laughed and told me that I often say things that sound like they're out of self-help books. I thanked him for the compliment. My favourite self-help phrase, "I'm not a loser, I'm just losing" (an Aimee original)
Okay, off to clean some photo stuff.
Feel the warmth of the sun today and enjoy God's creation. - AB, ON
Enjoy the green leaves, nourished by the rain and jump in a puddle, enjoying God's creation - BC, NS
Aimee
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| My Brother Steven |
Well, we are having an excellent time with my brother. Currently he and Lance are playing NHL 2005 on Steve's X-box. They're the Vancouver Canucks - in the Stanley Cup semi-finals against Detroit. Lance loves the game - it fills the "hockey-void".
So yesterday we went to the mall - and like I said, I did not go on the roller coaster (the "Mind-Bender"). Steven went. He had made a sign that said, "I like Kathryn" (his girlfriend) His plan was to hold the sign during the ride and buy the picture after and give it to Kathryn. The girl at the ticket booth told him to just hide the sign when he got on the ride and so he did. Lance and I watched as the coaster ascended. We saw Steve fishing around in his shirt and then hold the sign and smile. About half-way through the ride the coaster ground to a halt. A malfunction? It sat for 2min....5min....7min.....10min... Was it the sign? Lance and I wondered. Then a staff person climbed this really tall ladder to get to where they were stopped. He reached Steve's seat, took his sign and dropped it. The cardboard handcrafted pencil crayon sign plummeted 75 feet to the ground. They stopped the whole ride because my brother brought on a cute sign. It turned out okay, he didn't get in trouble too bad, just got reamed out a bit. They started the ride again and when it was done Steve got talked to by a manager. The picture taking spot was in a spot that was after the sign confiscation episode so in the picture Steve has no sign, but has his hands on his cheeks as if to say, "I didn't mean to get the whole ride stopped, but what a great story".
We went to Montana's for supper and had a fun time drawing with crayons on the paper the use as a table cloth. We had drawing contests and laughed tons and tons - probably looked drunk -- but we weren't.
Well, that's all for now.
Hope your Sunday is focussed towards Jesus.
Aimee |
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| Roller Coasters and Truckloads of Nuts |
This is day number three of the blogging challenge - pretty easy so far.
Today we are going up to Edmonton - West Edmonton Mall.
My brother REALLY wants me to go on the roller coaster. NO WAY! No matter how many times he asks, and even if he pays I will not go. I get motion sick so easily and I'm paranoid about safety (I even know that roller coasters are usually very safe). I used to think I could/would do anything daring or challenging - I guess I've grown up very confident. I have come to realize that my value (and "coolness" level) isn't connected to what I do or don't do. I think I would be cool if I went on the roller coaster and that it is kind of wimpy not to go. But if I chose to go it would be a compromise (a negative one). I'd be compromising what I know about myself (including my likely reactions to a roller coaster ride) in order to feel "cool" and like I wasn't a wimp. This has been a bit of rambling but at least helps me solidify my thinking. I have no reason to go on the roller coaster - it is not worth it.
This morning one of my dear friends Jena and I went to a "Truckload Nut Sale". This company from Vernon BC goes down to California and buys the freshest and the best dried fruit and nuts. We walked around and sampled tons of nuts and fruit, delicious stuff, and wrote down what we were interested in. Jena (so smart and thrifty) had researched prices at Superstore and Nutters so we could compare. Man was this stuff pricey. I guess it's better quality, but is quality worth the price? And how much better was it really? Jena said about sunflower seeds, "Well, these ones were good, but I was always satisfied with the ones from Superstore... until now". I'm proud of us. We weren't sucked in. I bought a bag of delicious trail mix and we bought a bag of sundried nectarines to split and use in baking. Nice morning. I hadn't hung out with Jena in about two weeks - excellent to reconnect.
I better get going.
Hope you are having a good Saturday.
Aimee |
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| Day Number 2 |
This morning I got up at 6:25 and drove my friend Bonnie, her son Gareth and Bonnie's mom to the airport. Since I was going to go anyway to pick up my brother we thought we'd combine trips. It did mean leaving a couple hours before I would have, but it was okay. We got to the airport around 8 so I had an hour and 40 minutes to fill. I had brought a couple magazines, some snacks, a Bible and sketchbook to keep me occupied. I found a quiet area of the airport and sat by a window. I read the Bible for a little while. Then stretched out on the seats and used my bag and scarf as a pillow. I slept for around an hour - very nice. Pretty quiet except for a yappy dog who didn't sound very eager to be kennelled for travelling.
Now we're home. We were going to spend the day in Edmonton but Lance had some work he needed to get done today. We might head up tomorrow. Our house is a disaster area so I've been working on that. We stopped for groceries on the way home - so we're all stocked up (pizza, nacho stuff - brother food) When my parents and sister came for a visit last January we had no milk, no bread, no cheese and no eggs - no staples. (staple foods that is, we did have office staples) We're better prepared this time.
Well I better go. If I'm going to blog everyday I can't make them too long and use all my material on one day. :)
Hope you are well.
Aimee |
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| A Challenge |
I am issuing myself a challenge...
Aimee, I challenge you to blog everyday for a week - starting today.
We'll see how this goes.
Aimee |
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| Photo Supplies |
Since I finished University (spring 2003) I have wanted to set up a darkroom where I can develop film and print photos. This summer we bought an enlarger - the biggest and most necessary piece of equipment. Last week I put an classified "wanted" ad in the "Camrose Morning News" - a daily tiny newspaper that is distributed to businesses and coffeeshops and everyone (seems like) in Camrose reads. The ad cost $13.85 for three days. Here is what the ad said:
Wanted:
Darkroom Equip. Local amateur photographer will pay cash for new or used trays, tongs, easel, timer, safelight etc.
Then my phone number was listed. The ad ran Friday, Monday and Tuesday. I got no calls Friday... None on Saturday or Sunday... and none on Monday... But then on Tuesday at lunchtime I got a call. The fellow had a couple boxes of darkroom equipment that he had planned to donate to the church for their garage sale in May but he'd be glad to sell it to me. Lance and I went to his place around 6pm. JACKPOT. He had pretty much everything I need to start a darkroom.
He originally asked $75 for the works - I would have paid this but I thought if I said yes Lance and I would talk later and he would say I should've made a counter offer. I was working up my courage to make a counter offer when the man said - "would it help you decide if I said $50?" Yes it would! I haven't figured out an semi-accurate estimate of the worth of the stuff - but we got it all for $50, an incredible deal!!! Lance says we ripped him off. I think this is pretty funny since I was trying to get a read off Lance and signal him that I thought $75 was a good deal.
It turns out the man owns two high end gift stores in town, so he probably doesn't need the money. I plan to make a photograph and drop it off for him where he works -- with a note that says thanks for the supplies.
My brother comes out for a visit tomorrow. It will be so fun to have him here. He is staying for six days so I hope we can keep him entertained for that long. We might spend the day in Edmonton tomorrow -- my plan is to find a store that sells darkroom supplies and buy the rest of what I need for my darkroom.
A question to the Edmontonians (and past Edmonton residents) reading this blog -- any good ideas of activities in Edmonton? Free, cheap or moderately priced?
Well, that's all for today. I need to get to marking assignments from our relationship class.
Hope you are well.
Aimee
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| Back in Action |
Well, here I am. Lance and I finished teaching our course on relationships on friday. Katelyn, in the guestbook, asked if since we were done talking about dating could I blog - good idea.
On Friday night Lance took me to a lovely bed and breakfast. I knew we were going somewhere but not where. I told the girls at school that Lance was taking me on a get away - they said, "will you tell us details" I said, "SOME of them" -- I caught them off guard and we all burst into laughter.
SOME of the details: It was 30min from our town. A lovely 1920s heritage home that had just been turned into a B&B this spring. No one else was staying there so we had the place to ourselves. (the owners live in a separate house - which is the best way to go in my opinion. Lance and I do not want to pay for a night away from a dorm full of girls to be cooped up in one bedroom, with guests or owners below or beside us, and we don't want to visit with people -- we're trying to get away from people) Anyways, Lance had booked the executive suite - a large room (like two rooms, just no wall) huge bed, jacuzzi tub, onsuite bathroom, couch, complimentary wine. It was lovely. A highlight was that Lance said he'd take care of the food (supper and snacks). Because I have hypoglycemia I need to eat often and certain types of things -- it was really special for Lance to be in charge of food so I didn't have to be. He bought all my favorites - cheese strings, grapes, croissants, cream cheese and salsa tostitos, Switch pop (new carbonated juice drink), cornuts. The only thing I would've done differently was include some vegetables. We had an excellent time.
- Lance brought our laptop and two movies he thought I might like to watch - I chose Pippi Longstocking. Bad choice. I recently bought this DVD at Walmart - I was so excited because I grew up on Pippi. What was the problem... Well - to an adult the story is not as intriguing as to my 7 year old mind. Pippi is really quite an obnoxious brat with absolutely no respect for adults - this could be blamed on her crazy upbringing - her behaviour is over-the-top, outlandish and rude. Lance fell asleep (I'm glad, I was embarassed this had been my choice) and I didn't finish it. My favorite parts weren't as cool now that I'm more grown up. I had planned on buying the other 3 DVDS so my kids could watch what I watched - now I don't think I want my kids watching and learning from Pippi's bad example. Also the soundtrack and dubbed over voices are annoying.
On Saturday we went antique shopping and bought a 1950s chrome table and four chairs - the table is kind of a light turquoisy colour - think 50s diner. We love it... But will it be enough to motivate me to keep the kitchen clean - or at least the table free of clutter? We'll see. Lance's folks joined us shopping - then we went to a cafe for lunch and had bison burgers - too much meat for me -- the patties were about an inch thick. For supper a made a vegetarian pizza!
Now we are back into the swing of normal things at school. I'm glad. I'll write some about our course another time - we loved teaching it but we are worn out.
Well, I better finish my grocery list and get shopping - we're low on some staples. Also on the agenda tonight: bake some sort of bread (banana, zuchinni, soda).
Hope you are well.
Psalm 127 has been encouraging to me lately.
Aimee |
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