So This Is Christmas

Well it seems that Christmas is ever so steadily creeping up on us and I'm not really sure what to make of it all. Christmas just isn't what it was to me, and I know those who know me know that, and I'm not going to whine about it but I'm just having a hard time getting excited about Christmas. I think it may be, in part, that each of the past several Christmases have been so different from the one previous. Not much is familiar so it all just seems strange and a little uncomfortable. I am excited about spending my first Christmas with my wife and the new traditions we will start but even as the day draws near and gifts are placed around the tree there is a certain angst that is surrounding this holiday for me. Maybe it is just predisposed at this point. I don't know. I don't want to be a Grinch or be a downer and I don't feel I have been, mostly. I just hope when the day arrives that I can capture a little Christmas Spirit. I'm sure I will. Though I'm not really basing that on anything.

Either way I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends celebrating the birth of Christ and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. We all have lots to be thankful for and I pray that God would bless you over this holiday season.

Merry Christmas

It is that time of year again

Well Christmas is sneaking up on us (less then two weeks!) and as exciting as it can be it is also a time of stress. With the crowds, shopping, bad weather, Visa card number and what I own on it about the same, and just about any other factor you like can add the stress of this season. Also something that I am not involved in but am very much aware of is that this is exam time for students. I know they are in the thick of it at MCC. And because I care for these poor students so deeply I will pass on my Christmas exam/finals stress reliever to you. Or anyone else who may encounter stress over the holiday season. This little snow-globe does it for me! It is wonderful!

Hockey Weekend

Well last Saturday I was lucky enough to wake up at 4am. Lucky enough to get into the back seat of a car and drive for 8 or 9 hours. Lucky enough to walk down some weird streets in Montreal in the cold and wait in a crowd for doors to open to the Bell Center. And lucky enough to get into the Habs and Leafs game. It was a Christmas present from my brother Dan and his wife Janelle to Jacquelyn and I. Did I mention I love them very much! It was a really fun weekend and a great game even if the Leafs did blow it in the last 10 minutes. I had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!

Counsel From the Wise

Sometimes in life we just run up against walls, get discouraged, and feel like we don't know what to do. I feel like that sometimes. At times like these you can feel like giving up or you can reach out for help. I prefer the latter. Don't get me wrong, I can be as prideful as they come and don't enjoy asking for help. But I find i benefit so much from drawing from the wisdom and experience of mature Christians. This week I was blessed by a few different older brothers in Christ whose experience, insight, and encouragement are like gas in the tank for my ministry. I believe an important part of our Christian walk is the respect of our elders. I don't just mean the church leaders nor do I simply mean those who have completed the task of evading death. But those who have a wealth of experience and wisdom that has given them strong Christian Character. What a wonderful blessing it is to take advantage of what they have to share. I'm glad that I haven't missed out on this resource and I hope you are wise enough yourself to do the same.

Well I guess Christmas is here

Yes it has to be true. The Santa Clause parade is tomorrow, our tree is up, and to top it all off... Tim Horton's has started handing out their Christmas cups to jump-start your morning with a cup of cheer. Yes indeed, last night my wife convinced me that to help put up the tree and so we dug the thing out and assembled it. Before we even had it up and lit (it is a pre-lighted tree.. YES!!!) our lovely little dog Kadin had ripped off a small piece from the bottom and chewed it all up. It was kind of funny. But yes, if Santa Clause was coming tomorrow, we'd be ready... decoration wise anyways. Although if he came in and did the dishes instead of leaving gifts I wouldn't complain that much. Still on my to do list...

And Kadin got her gift early this year. A new kennel as she has completely outgrown the one Ian and Vic lent us (thanks guys!) so once the tree was up, Kadin helped me put her kennel together, although she really wasn't much help!!


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Ever feel like this?

Ever have the feeling that people are just trying to be negative? Trying to find something to complain about, waiting for someone to slip up? Waiting for that moment to pounce. There is a quote from the the first spider-man movie that says, "The one thing people love more then a hero, its to see a hero fail, fall... die trying." And we just love to attack and complain and criticize don't we? An article or two in the news paper was brought to my attention where two different people wrote about issues they had with the ceremony at the cenotaph last weekend. One felt that people should not have brought their dogs and seemed quite offended that people would do this. There was no mention however of the dogs being disruptive, loud, or wild. He just didn't like that they were there and felt their owners lacked good judgment and respect. Another actually wrote in complaining that some people had coffee at the ceremony with the article's title, "Are coffee cups needed at the cenotaph?" This was also an article feeling those who had their "Tim's" with them were disrespectful. However it doesn't seem like these folks were paying much attention to the ceremony themselves but rather scanning for something to complain to the editor of the newspaper about. I'll leave it to you to decide which you think is more "disrespectful."

I've often wondered how some people are offended so easily but I think it may be that some, for whatever reason, actually enjoy taking offense and want something to gripe and complain about. A reason to tear into someone else or belittle them. Maybe even really others against them. It is sad.

Here is the worst part however. When offense is taken, is it natural to approach the person who offended you and discuss your problem with them? No. Its to talk to other people about how terribly offensive this person (or persons) is and maybe even write to the freaking news paper about it. Rally the troops and attack.

Imagine if we took some of that energy and tried to encourage one another, build one another up, and if need be rebuke one another in a loving way. Imagine if we had a problem with someone and didn't trash them, but spoke to them like a person, IN PERSON. Wow, that would cool.

Deer Ol Dad

While the fact remains that a can't spell (i blam spel cheq) I have not misspelled my title. In this post I would like to inform you that my Dad got his deer on the weekend and it was a DANDY! 8 point buck, 219 pounds feild-dressed. So I'll be looking forward to getting some deer steak off you Dad! So that is awesome. I have fond memories of hunting with my dad and I was really excited to get his call on Saturday letting me know that he shot a big deer. It kind of makes me miss home a little. I wish I could have been there to be a part of the excitment. Oh well, what can ya do. I spent my Saturday putting in wood with the help of Jamie and Nicole (Nickey) who will be married pretty soon. We had a great day and a great feed. Fun times indeed.
By the way, I don't want any comments on here complaining about pictures of dead animals. What do ya think your Wendy's Classic Single is made out of anyways?!
Anyways, Way to go Dad!

The Mother Load

So this was quite a busy weekend and I have lots to tell you a bout so strap yourself in and here we go!

In The Box

This week good friends of mine Andrew and his Dad Phillip gave me the opportunity go work the penalty box doors For... Your PEI ROOOOOOOOCKET! (as Kirk says) So that was really cool and a very neat experience. And apparently, as Friday night's game was televised, I was on TV while there was a bit of a crowd in the box. Did it Friday and Saturday. Leafs won over the #1 Sabers that night too! Woot!

Black Eyed Me... Part 2

So I got a new helmet CCM with TML blue (snazzy). AND I didn't find the time to take the visor off my old helmet and put it on the new one besides the fact that I find the visor kind of annoying anyways. As I played on Friday night I liked my new helmet and found I would see a lot better without the foggy plastic in front of me. That was until there was about 7 minutes left and when two sticks collided with the puck it flew up my stick right into my left eye. (This has happened before!) So I covered my eye, crashed into the boards and fell to the ice. When I removed my hand I couldn't see anything out of that eye. But only because of the blood. My eye is perfectly ok and the cut wasn't very bad at all. I slapped a band-aid on there and went back out. And the sub-title is a little deceiving because the eye never did turn black. It actually looks pretty good. Here is a pic. I'll put up a pic later of how much worse it looked last time when the cut was further away from my eye and needed stitches. (tho he just glued it) Either way my eye is looking and feeling fine. Though I'll have to put off those grad pics for a little longer... sorry mom.

Rats Rats, Double Rats

Well it was mildly annoying when we thought we had mice (which we still do) but I think the mice will be gone soon. Not because we have killed them off, though we have killed some, but rather because I would guess that the RATS will eat them!!! AHHH! The one I saw was friggin huge AND he got out of the friggin glue trap! He pulled a brick on the trap and used it to pry himself off! So I'm not sure what the next step will be. I even had a conventional trap set. He snagged the bait and didn't even set off the trap!!!

Well there ya go. 3 posts in one! I'll post again soon when I hope my life is a little less interesting! Rats.

All in my head... or on it

So yesterday after our men's breakfast (oh how I love and NEED the men's breakfast) I went to get my hair cut at the mall. I hate paying so much for a haircut when I'm used to paying like 7 bucks at home. Either way I went into the mall to get my hair cut. I plopped down on the chair and had a good conversation with the girl that cut my hair, she was really nice. However something a little different happened. After she trimmed my beard a little and my side burns she did something that no other hair dresser has done to me before. Without warning she grabbed a comb, ran it through one of my eyebrows and said, "Why don't we fix this?!" and ran the trimmer over the comb. She then proceeded to do the other eyebrow and THEN!!!! She took the trimmer without the comb and eliminated my unibrow!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was sitting there in the chair dying, trying not to laugh. My poor unibrow! I had flashbacks to an appointment in that same mall where, while washing my hair, one lady helpfully suggested, "We do eyebrows ya know!" To which my reply was that I'd stick with just the one. Unreal. So I no longer have my beloved unibrow.

Then in the afternoon I was off to the dentist where I had another new experience... Floss. I don't floss, never have really. And now I think I know why. Because it freakin hurts!!!! Ouch! It was agonizing. My gums hurt and bled so much. They still hurt today. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have nightmares about floss.

But the hair and teeth are lookin good! I guess it just hurts to look this good!! Oh yeah.

Halloween... spooky

Boo! Ahhh! Run! Yep, it is Halloween again, the spookiest (is that a word?) day of the year. Tonight all kinds of goblins, witches, super-heros and Jack-o-lanterns will be out door to door trick or treating. I would say the sacriest part of the whole thing would be if you have to be out driving, trying not to run over anyone! Whose idea was this anyways? Hey, lets get kids to dress in dark, spooky, clothes and then send them out into the dark streets on a sugar high so they can get hit by a truck!

Ahh it brings back memories of my trick or treating days. Hours would be spent contemplating the perfect costume. The day would arrive and I would get all my gear together only to have my mother make me wear my winter jacket over the costume anyways!But this can be a scary day with all kinds of bright lights of the community going around throwing eggs and setting things on fire. But I'm not worried. I showed up at work today only to find that I have some Super-Hero protection in the office next to me. Good day for him to show up I figure since some spooksters showed up outside my door this morning.

Happy Halloween.

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Fellowship

Yesterday was a good day. We had church in the morning where it was good to meet with the congregation in worship. I spoke on fellowship and felt that the message went well. We hung around and chatted for a while and then headed home to cook up a feast! We had good friends of ours Ian, Vic, and Barkley (the dog) over for a mid-afternoon pig-out. Jacquelyn and Victoria set the table, did up the corn and all that fun stuff while Ian and I handled the meat. And Kadin and Barkely played outside and got completely covered in mud.

It was just a great day to relax, eat and enjoy the company and fellowship of good friends. God has blessed us so much that we can all be a part of His body and live in harmony with one another. We have been so blessed with good friends and we thank God for it.

And the Leafs winning on Saturday night just makes it that much sweeter.
Good weekend.

Happy 500 Sundin

Wow, what a great game, what a great player, and what an amazing career! Mats Sundin led the Leafs to victory as Caption Clutch scored a shorthanded, hat-trick, overtime, 500th career goal. Now that is a mouthful. He is a player who has withstood a lot of criticism but his numbers and class are much louder then the Sundin and Leaf haters. Time and time again he is the one to step up and make the big play for the leafs. He is a big, strong exciting player and he is having a big year for the Leafs already. Way to go Mats!

Adding to the family

Well I had to keep the secrete until Thanksgiving and it was a close a few times but now I can blog about what most already know (if you know me personally that is) and that is there is a new little one in our family. Her name is Kadin and she is our little (getting big fast though) Golden Retriever puppy. She is wonderful and mostly everything she does is cute so it can be hard to discipline her. I wont go on and on though in case you are not a dog person but let me just tell you about her name and then I shall depart or at least hit the "publish post" button.

Kadin is (no doubt brutally mispronounced) Arabic for "friend." My first dog Chimo is Indian for "friend." The grandfather of all the dogs in Bonshaw was named "Woodstock" because that is where he was from in the late 80's or early 90's. Same place as Chimo so they are likely relatives. Very cool in my opinion. Anyways if you want to see some pics of her or just from my wonderful life then you can click here.

Crows... I hate them

I live in a pretty nice spot these days and you can see the sunrise here through the picture window. I really enjoy the space and the view. I like the sound and smell of the ocean. It really is a little piece of heaven... for the most part. You see there is one small set back and I'm sure you have guessed where this is going if you read the title. We have about 200-250 crows that hang out around here. I hate crows. I mean I really can't stand them. They are a bunch of chattereing desease bags, they crap all over everything they are loud and I just don't like them hanging around. I can't even believe how many there are. They come around a few times a day and when they do you can't hear a thing but crows. So if you are finding yourself with nothing to do some morning or evening and you want to come out and visit with a 20 gadge and make some target practise out of my little feathered friends I'll have my wife cook you dinner! How does that sound. Jacquelyn doesn't much care for the crows either as you can see.

I'm in

Well it's been a long road but I have finally been voted in as the Associate Minister at the Sherwood Church of Christ. It is certainly nice to know this is where we are going to be and we are excited to be here. We are also excited about all the new things we are experiencing in life. My wife and I are almost completely moved out to Canoe Cove and it is wonderful to live in the country again. I will post a pic later of the view from our back deck. We have our HOUSE (not really ours, we just live there but still!) pretty well set up and its not even embarrassing to have people over! It is wonderful to be out of that apartment with all the crazy's.

Side note
We had a neighbor who lived above us and across the hall who liked to borrow things a lot and while we were moving some of our furniture she actually asked me if we were moving out or moving in! She comes to my door all the time and I've lugged her groceries upstairs countless times! Moving out or moving in!!?? Holy cow.

So its nice to be out there and its wonderful to BBQ, Thanks Dan and Janelle! I'm enjoying this time in my life with my wife and I am feeling blessed today indeed!

Birthday Blog

Well today I turn 22 years old. Wow-wee. Last night I was young out back splitting wood by hand. Today I feel old and sore. Not really. I don't really make of birthday's. Not my own anyways. In fact I forgot it was my birthday this morning when I woke up until my wife wished me a happy birthday.

This birthday is a little different however. This is my first birthday as a married man and it is also the first time that I can remember where my twin brother Dan and I have been apart. (his birthday today too for anyone who might be a little behind) I've missed him a lot since fall arrived. We always lived apart in the summers but we always would be together again in the fall. It is still kind of weird to me not to have him close by where I can see him anytime I want. We still call a lot and stuff but it's still not the same. When you are a twin, your twin is a big part of what makes your birthday special. It's funny how when you're a kid you think it's kind of lame to have to share your birthday but now at 22 I'd like to be in Burtt's Corner or have Dan here in PEI.

He's my best friend (besides my wife of course) and I guess after 21 years of living together it takes a while to adjust. So here is something that only he, and maybe a few others will get on our birthday.

"Happy happy birthday on your special day!
Happy happy birthday in a special way NOW
Happy happy birthday may all your dreams com true
Happy happy birthday from all of us to you!"

Wheres my french fries, I've been here for four days!!!

And this is a look back at those 21 years from the toast I made for Dan's wedding stealing the song he used for mine. Happy Birthday Dan.

Big Day

Yesterday was the definition of a "Big Day." Now this term, "big day" is one that is most often coined by my buddy Graham or brother Dan from home. I've asked before when they say, "have a big day!" what it means and the explanation is like: An exciting meaningful kind of day like a birthday or something. Well yesterday was a birthday of sorts. But not mine. Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach on worship to @ the Sherwood Church of Christ which is nothing too out of the ordinary as I am currently one of the preaching ministers there. The worship service was great and the sermon went well but what made this a BIG DAY was when my good buddy Andrew Burt came to the front before I preached to give me a hug and some wonderful news and following the sermon when he carried out this news when I baptized Andrew into Christ. Wow! What an amazing thing. I'm so proud of you Andrew! Then we went to Pizza Delight with his folks and off to camp Sunday.

At camp Sunday we watched a video made by the amazing Tyler MacDougall, had a worship time, a testimony, and a short message. THEN we made our way down to the beach where I had the wonderful opportunity to baptize Tyler. What an amazing day. You could feel a strong presence of God throughout the day and it was AWESOME. I'm truly thankful for these two men who have made their commitments. God bless you both.

What a BIG DAY!

In Deep

Now by the looks of the title of this post it would seem that I am in trouble or in love or in a jam of some sort and while all of that may be true on some level it is not what this post is about. Actually it is because last night my wife and I purchased a "Deep Freeze." 5 cubic feet of cold because the tiny freezer on our tiny fridge just isn't going to cut it especially when we move out to the country hopefully by next week. Yet again, not my point. So before you give up on me I'll get to it. Last night to get this rig out to my new abode I needed a lift. Not a drive, but someone to help me lift it. So I called up my good buddy James. Why? Because James is a good friend who 9 times out of 10 will be there in a moments notice to help me with whatever I'm in need of. And I'm telling you it is good to have a few good friends you can count on. God has blessed me with some great friends and James is one of them. Someone who there whether I need a lift, an ear or a punch. You are rich indeed when you have people you can count on in this life.

Sawin Wood

Last night after I picked up my lap top from Future Shop (Yessssss!) I checked my messages and heard a message from by good buddy Jason who told me if I wanted to get some of the winter's wood sawed up that he'd give me a hand. This was very helpful seeing as he has a chainsaw and I don't. So I grabbed my work boots and headed out the door and we arrived at the wood pile and got a good bunch of wood sawed up given the time we had. I really enjoyed it. There really isn't anything fun about it really, I'm not all to sure why I find it so relaxing. You have to move and lug heavy logs, smell chainsaw exhaust, get sawdust in your eyes and it can be hard work. But the sweat, wood, and the smell of the saw really took me home. I couldn't help but think of the many years I lived at home and we put wood in every year. We always did it together. My Dad, my brother, Chimo (supervisor) and I. And we would often have some other family help as well. Again it was hot, hard work but when I look back on it I can't help but think, "Man, that was fun." I guess sometimes you don't realize the fun you're having while you're having it. Those were good days and I guess I really miss them a lot sometimes.

Back To School

Yes indeed, it is that time of year again. Back to school, but not for me! Yes it is hard to believe but for the first time in 16 years, School is starting and it is doing so without me. It is a dark day for school indeed. Sort of a weird day for me though. I very much have a feeling like "holy crap, I must be late or something I better get to school!" But it must be just gas or something because I have graduated High School, I have graduated from college and School is something I don't have to do again, for a little while anyways.

So this is the real world. No school but a job and an wife to support. We are in the middle of moving. Man I hate moving. And I have to get all my information switched over to PEI. I need to find out if we can get a cheaper insurance rate before my wife's runs out very soon. I have to get my tire for the truck fixed and the car needs a new muffler. I'm all sweaty, I can't breathe... I'm cold and there are wolves after me.

I think I miss school.

Or at least the last class, I get very glad in the last class. S'glad.

Exhausted & Deflated

Well I've been running pretty steady for almost 3 weeks, maybe more, and I'm just about out of gas. I hear gas could be going down tomorrow though so I guess I'll wait until then. Yes I think tomorrow will have to be day of rest. After undercoating I had a week of VBS, a week of camp and this week a few wakes and funerals and all that goes with it and I'm just ready for bed I think. I'm a little run down. Also to keep with my clever title. After replacing a hanger on my lovely little red car and a fan belt it has come to my attention that we will need a new muffler soon. After picking up the car and heading back to the church it was also discovered that the truck had a flat tire and it has quite a hole, let me tell ya! Luckily I have a spare so it was no big deal for now other then the fact that I just undercoated the truck and the tire was covered in oil. Life is good. I'm sure I'll have lots of energy left to keep packing for the move. I cannot wait to get out of our dumpy apartment and into the country! YEEE HAW! I need a nap.

It's Coming

Well folks it is coming. The air is getting cooler the leaves are looking a little droopy, all sorts of magazines with all sorts of predictions are coming out. That's right, hockey will soon be back in full swing. Last night I was @ the Super Store with my lovely wife (because that's what you do in the evenings for fun when you're married) and I decided after reading an article on Mats Sundin to sport my 3rd Leafs Jersey with "7" "ROBERTS" on it. It caught the eye of a fellow fan and he struck up on conversation with me about the upcoming season and the offseason's activities. Man I love that. Whether you love hockey or hate it you have to admit that it brings people together and anytime during the season in the Maritimes anyways (probably all over Canada) you can strike up a conversation about hockey. I love it. I can't wait for this season and I can't wait to play.

Go Leafs Go

Cha cha cha FIESTA!

Well folks another summer is drawing to an end and that can mean only one thing. VBS (VB-Stress) time! Ya-hoo! And this year we are doing a Mexican Fiesta theme. We have 70 plus kids running around learning about Jesus, singing songs, making crafts, playing games and eating some pretty good food. And as stressful as it all can be it really is an awesome thing to see the kids shouting and remembering things like Jesus is our friend, Jesus is our life, and Jesus is our Leader! Viva!!!! (those are the ones we've done so far) They jump and shout this among their peers. It sort of makes me think. Would I do that? Jump and yell about my love for Christ and what he has done for me. Would you? I think these kids possess something very special in their lack of fear to participate in something like this. Not many of us beyond the age of school will do much more then come and watch whatever is happening up front at a Sunday service. We seem to be fine until something is required of us. So as we teach these kids lessons I think I need to learn a few of my own from them. Maybe you do too.

Back In Black

No I'm not an AC/DC fan, that is not what the title of this post is about. I am back from my undercoating job which tends to get me rather covered in oil and a tad darker then normal. It is now done and the little time I got to spend with family and friends was great. Although I'm quite tired and sore and feeling like I'm getting sick. This is not good as VBS or VB-Stress, as I affectionately call it, is this week and I'm not feeling to festive for our Fiesta.

Also I have some more news (don't I always) about our beloved car. This time I will not place the blame on GM. This morning when my beautiful wife and I ran out to the car to go to church (I was guest preaching in Cornwall) we hopped in and looked at the dash and then to each other waiting and hoping for an explanation as to the whereabouts of the CD player stereo system our car once had that is now an empty space. They even took the antenna! Un-stinking-believable. So that is gone forever. They pried the window open (this will require another visit to my pal Luke at Canadian Tire) and whipped the sucker out of there last night while we were sleeping. Now I am even more excited to move out of this dump! And my new Third Day CD was in the player too so that is also gone. But on the plus side of life maybe the jerk who stole the thing might listen to the CD and be converted or something. Never know.

AND as long as I'm ranting here is another little something for you. MSN is not going to cost money and your account wont be deleted if you don't send it along AND Bill Gates is not going to give you money for free for using e-mail AND your "crush" thinks you're a dork and wont go out with you (whatever that means) if you send that e-mail along to me. I already married my crush by the way. So stop sending those stupid e-mails or wasting your time reading them.

That is all.

So it seems I missed July

I can't believe it! It has occurred to me that I missed blogging the entire month of July! That is nuts. I even blogged the month I graduated and got married. I bloged around exams and term papers and yet in July I missed it! That is crackers. I just went back to date a post in last July but apparently I am now unable to do that. That is what i did for my photo hosting one. But that option seems to have vanished. So this is my apology for that... sorry. I'm sure all your lives were empty and incomplete without reading the wonderful adventures I find myself in. So to make up for it I will let you in on a sweet podcast I have found called "Ask a Ninja." It is stinking hilarious. Here is a sample, enjoy.

Charged

Well here is another post and hopfully you'll get a charge out of it. Yesterday my wife called me to tell me the car wouldn't start. The one with the new engine and new front end pretty much that has sucked my wallet dry from the day I knew the hunk of crap existed! Yeah that one. So I drove home to give her a boost. We got it going with some difficulty and she was on her way. I told her to drive it around for a while to build the charge back up and she did because I'm the one in charge! Yeah right. So later that afternoon she called again because the car died again and this time it would not boost at all. So I wept openly and went to get her. So because our battery wouldn't charge we got charged to get towed over to crappy tire (only across the street) and for a new battery that will charge.

Lucky for you, this post if free of charge.
I should be charged for making this crappy jokes.

Back at it

Hello there faithful readers. It has been a few days since I posted and that whole Roberts thing didn't really pan out. Oh well, thats the way it goes I guess. Life has certainly been busy and interesting over the past few weeks with camp going on as well as a Wedding in between. Getting back to the office seems strange after two weeks of running around non-stop. It was a good time ministering to the kids as well as hanging out with the counselors. And as long as you are reading about my boring life, here is an interesting story:

On the Thursday of the last camp I was swimming about 12 8 & 9th grade girls in from the raft at the camp. I swim on my back in front of them so I can see everyone and also if we encounter any trouble I am the first to hit it. And so I was, indeed, first. The first one to touch a jellyfish. Now this is not that big of a deal but when I bumped into it I warned the others by calling out, "Jellyfish!" This word in the language of the Jr High girl means "FREAK OUT." Although they may have done so with good reason as when I turned around to see the jelly I had touched I found an amazing school of Jellyfish floating our way and in a matter of seconds we were completely surrounded by jellyfish. It was like we weren't even swimming in water but jellies instead. It was crazy, never in my life have I ever seen jellyfish like that.
But here is the good news, 9 out of 10 jellies were white which means they can't sting. But this does not matter to Jr. High girls. It was still really really freaky. Anyways to make a long story short it took us quite a while to swim in and I did so with several people attatched to my arms and back. I was wiped let me tell you!

So thats whats up in my life. Chow.

Roberts!!!

Ok so I know that most of you wont care about this and it isn't a done deal but it's my blog and I can do whatever I want! So here is the news. My favorite player Gary Roberts has requested to be traded back to the Maple Leafs!!

That would be awesome. In other exciting news. Brian McCabe has signed a 5 year deal. This is good to have him and Kaberle locked up for 5 years. And now with Raycroft as well things seem to be shaping up good for the Leafs.

Let me explain

The post below was to see if I had actually found a way to host my own videos online. It seems that I have.

Gotta Laugh

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

God is good and He is in control

Sometimes life turns out exactly the way you thought it would and other times it turns out so completely different that you are completely blindsided by the whole thing.  I can make all the plans I want, check and double check their security, and even so things can turn out totally different then anticipated.  Sometimes that is tough, even heartbreaking.  But even when everything is wrong and you feel completely out of control, that is ok.  Because God’s wisdom is much bigger then ours and this is something that will build a real trust and faith in him.  (one sentence starts with “but,” the next one with “because,” grammar teachers everywhere have broken out in a cold sweat)

The thing is that God has a plan… even when I don’t understand it or know what it is.  But I don’t have to.  What I do have to do is trust that He is good and that He is in control and even though I may have to endure some unpleasantness He is Lord so I will trust.  This all sounds pretty easy eh (yeah right) but I need to decide what my attitude will be.  I am doing my best to stay positive no matter what comes my way.

At the end of the day, Christ is still Lord and I will trust him.

Good to have friends

Well well well, I can't believe I am writing this but I have the sunfire back! The car that blew up on the end of our honeymoon was dropped off to super nice guy named Luke. I've known Luke for a little while, I play in a worship team with him and play hockey with him in the fall.

Anyway! I dropped the car off to him on Monday morning so he could put a new engine in it and he worked steady at it (way more then he had to) and had it back to be yesterday. One day later. He did it up fast and undercharged me for sure. It certainly is nice to have friends and I hope that someday I can do a favor for him. Thanks Luke! You're AWESOME!

Breathless

Sorry to disappoint folks, but this post is not about a breath taking beauty, but rather the breathlessness I speak off (in between short gasps) is what I am mananging to get out after I have returned from taking a little rip on my new bike. And by this I mean bicycle, not motorcycle though I wish it were the latter.

I haven't had a bike in a while since the last one got stolen, but I ain't bitter, so I was a little out of it, but not to worry, It's just like riding a... well you get it. So the peddling and such I can handle but what made this whole ordeal so "blogworthy," (like that takes a lot) is that I am out of shape! Pathetically so. I mean, I went from my place to the Church which is NOT far at all. I even stopped to look at a corolla that was for sale on the way. (95 with almost 250.000 on Oak Dr if you are interested... I'm not) Anyway, when I got back to my apartment I was so winded I could hardly lug my bike up the stairs. I really gotta get more active before camp rolls around or I'm gonna die. Good thing I might be playing hockey again soon. I need to get in shape! This is just sad.

Way of Thinking

I have to admit, now that we are in the Stanley Cup Finals that things in the NHL are pretty exciting. With Edmonton in the finals and winning in overtime on a shorthanded goal I was brought right out of my seat and slapping high five with my buddy Ian. However I still find myself saying that I am not a big fan of the new NHL. Especially when in an exciting game like last night Carolina scored 3 power-play goals.

They say they are changing the game to make it better; more exciting. They say they want to draw in more fans... new fans. They want the game to be easier to understand so more people who don’t know the game will be drawn to it. And still I find myself saying, “No, don’t change the game at all! I like it just the way it is.” I’ve been a fan for as long as I’ve known the great game existed. I love it, don’t think there is anything wrong with it and simply did not welcome the change. However, I fear I might be wrong.

I am a young preacher; fresh out of college and ready to set the world on fire for Christ. I have lots of new ideas and methods of doing things and am always dreaming and scheming to figure out new ways to do church and to do ministry. I want new Christians and I want people who have never considered or never understood Christ before. To me the old way of doing things is not reaching the new generation and therefore it has to change and cannot stay the same for the sake of, “I like it the way it is.” That kind of thinking, I feel, is a stumbling block to the growth of the church. Yet I stand back and see how easy it is to feel fear and rejection when something you love is changing to accommodate the new. I felt like the NHL was leaving its loyal fans behind but that is not what they are doing. They are trying to draw in new fans, more fans, so the game can be bigger and better. How easy it is for me to spot the flaws of resistance in those who oppose me without realizing that I, myself, due to my own personal preferences can hold many biases as well.

I feel like I have a new appreciation for this feeling of a change in something that has been the same for a long time, maybe since its existence. However I will still admit now, that even though I like the 2-1 playoff game better then the 8-6 ones it really isn’t about me. And if I like style of worship more then another that is ok because worship is definitely not about me either. And for the sake of those who do not know Christ I need to be willing to accommodate them because I CANNOT value my own preferences and my own comfort over the relationship someone might be able to have with Christ. I must change as the game changes. Those who made the playoffs this year were the ones who best adjusted to the new hockey world and those did not adjust, who clung to their old style, were left behind. We will win and change lives for Christ as we change our methods to reach them.

We may even win some converts to hockey too.

Go Oilers Go

Go Church Go

Full Weekend

Well I'm back from the weekend's fun, and yes I know that it is Wednesday but my weekend lasted from last Wednesday until Tuesday so there you go. My brother's wedding was on the weekend and it was another emotional rollercoaster for sure. I wrote out my entire toast to him so I would not be a big baby and cry but I only managed to spout out about 3 words before tears pervaled. What can you do. It was what he would call a "big" day and it was lots of fun. Janelle (his wife) looked amazing and it was a wonderful time. I also had a wedding shower to attend with my wife for... us! A little late but much appricated for sure! My home Church of Burtt's Corner Church of Christ held a shower for us and it should mostly cover the cost of the engine I'm going to order! Fun fun indeed.

X 3 Times 3

So I have now seen X-3 The Last Stand a total of 3 times. Yes I am a nerd. But so is my wife because she saw it with me 2 of those times. All I have to say is that it was awesome. And if you liked the other two then you will like this one. It is by far the most intense. I wont give away any plot or info because I HATE it when people do that but I will tell you this if you have not seen it or plan on seeing it again. Wait until after the credits pass before you get up and leave. There is an extra scene at the end of them and you will be missing out big time if you don't see it. I missed it the first time but saw it at the drive in and again yesterday afternoon. It is great. Go X-men!

Eyes on me

So being recently married meant a change in living accommodations for my wife and I and we are in an apartment that is not quite set up yet. We have also recently been on a curtain kick. And by we I mean my wife. Well I've finally started to get the message as she asked me one night last week, "Can you look out the office window and tell me if there is someone looking in here?" I assured her that no one would be looking in but said I would check anyway. And holy crap there was someone staring in! In the apartment building right next to us there was someone holding open a slit in the blinds showing only a pair of eyes that thought if they didn't look right at me I wouldn't see them. CREEPY. So the other night I was working in my little office at the apartment and I was "ready for bed" as I worked. I was working until about 1am when I glanced over my shoulder though our window that still doesn't have blinds and saw those same eyes staring at me! It scared me half to death and as I looked back, he didn't even move! He slipped back behind the blinds but his freaking light was on so I could still see the silhouette of him standing there and pulling the blinds aside every now and again. Very creepy. So the point is that OUR blinds are going up TODAY. And every window will now have curtains or blinds.

So if you are at your computer (not a big leap, but I'm there) and perhaps it's night time, you may want to look out your window to see if anyone is watching... It is possible

My Life...

I think this is my life… it has changed so much so quickly that it is kind of hard to tell sometimes. So here is the run down my friends.

I did, in fact, graduate from Maritime Christian College, woot, and no longer have to do the school thing. This is where I exhale a sigh of relief, excuse me… ok I’m back. It was an emotional day and a great one filled with family and friends. I was blessed with the opportunity to address the class of 2006 and was honoured to do so. Here are a few pics.

Also! I got married to the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing person I have ever met and am still getting used to calling her my “wife” and introducing her as Jacquelyn Foreman. (note the correct spelling for future reference) Now that was an emotional day FOR SURE. Yes, I will go ahead and say it myself so you don’t have to: I am a cry baby. I am what I am. What a great day. My family and friends mean so much to me and I was delighted by the ones who shared in our special day. My minister had beautiful service for us, my brother made me cry, my youth helped out at the reception, how wonderful it was indeed. Here are a few pics.

Then we had the honeymoon! You don’t get the details on that one. I’ll just say it was a great week and we went to the Hopewell Rocks. Very nice. Here is a pic.

And on that week after the wedding I got a new (to me) truck that my mother gave me! Thanks Mom!!!! Here is the new truck.

And in that same week (on the way home from the honeymoon) our car died so now all we have is the truck which loves gas which is not cheap. Here is my reaction to the dead engine in the car.
I think that is all for now so there you go and I hope to get more posts on here now that I am only terribly busy instead of insanely-out-of-control busy. Have a great day and if you want to give me a 2.4 litre engine I would be your best friend. Ok?

Tough Day

Some things in life are pretty easy and other days things are pretty rough. Today was rough. Today we said good-bye to a dear friend. A furry friend as well. Maxwell "House Coffee" MacKinnon was laid to rest today at the age of 15 years. He was the beloved dog of my finance's family. This afternoon we said our good-byes and gathered Max up into the van and headed into town. It was a long and difficult drive even for me and I have only known Max for a little over 3 years. We were almost there when we decided to take a detour to Burger King for a cheese burger and then on to McDonalds for an ice cream. He scarfed it down right away and was very relaxed.

Tonight we buried him and said good bye with a miniature service and a prayer. I don't know what happens to animals when they die but I would like to think that we will see the animals we love so much again and I do believe that Max is in a better place now.

God love you Max, thanks for the memories.

Back at it.

Well folks, I am alive. I made it through all the papers, exams and studying. I graduated last Sunday and am now hard at work at the Church. I'm in the middle of moving junk into my new apartment, then moving some junk from that apartment to the office, then from the office to the apartment and then some right to the trash and then to the Wal-Mart to get new things to replace the stuff that apparently wasn't "junk" that I should not have thrown out! So I'm still as busy as ever! No time to slow down for me! I was in a wedding of my good pal Corey Dickinson (whose 20th birthday is tomorrow) last Saturday and mine is in less then 2 weeks!!! Yup lots to do on top of getting stuff ready for the up coming youth conference that I cannot attend but need to find leaders for!! YIKES! And I am WAY to busy to talk to you any longer so I must be off! Here is a pic of me and Corey before he ran off to get married and one from Graduation. Bye.

This Sucks

Well for the first time since 1998 the Leafs are going to miss the play offs. They needed to win most of their final games to make it possible and have done that but it is just too little too late. They beat the Sens badly tonight by a 5-1 score that could have been even higher but Tampa scored an OT winner in Carolina that broke the hopes of the playoffs and hearts of Leaf fans. "There's always next year" seems to ring in my head as it does every year at some point. Its funny how something that you have no control over can have such and impact on you. I have 6 more things on my to do list and could get at least one of them done but my mind just wont work right now. I'm going to bed and hopefully will fall asleep quickly.

Well boys you never gave up, I'm still proud to be a fan.

Go Leafs Go

Calmer of the Storm - Downhere

When everything is wrong
The day has passed and nothing's done
And the whole world seems against me
When I'm rolling in my bed,
there's a storm in my head
I'm afraid of sinking in despair.

CHORUS
Teach me, Lord to have faith
In what you're bringing me will
Change my life and bring you glory and...

There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord,
You are the calmer of the storm.

You rebuke the wind and the waves
Once again I find I'm amazed
At the power of your will
Cuz I'm a child of little faith
I feel the wind and forget your grace
And you say, "Peace, be still."

There on the storm I am learning to let go
The white wave's high,
It's crashing o'er the deck
And I don't know where I go
Where are you Lord, is my ship going down?
The mast is gone so throw the anchor
Should I jump and try to swim to land?

There on the storm,
Teach me God to understand
Of the Will that I just cannot control
There may I see all you love protecting me
I thank you Lord,
You are the calmer of the storm.

My Prayer for Today

God,
How awesome you truly are
You are so big and I am so small
You are mighty and I am so, so, so very weak
Thank you for loving me with a love that is bigger then my mind can imagine

Lord, help me to be real
Let honesty flow from me
I want to be a genuine person
I want to be a person who desires to seek and serve you all the time
Help me to mature and to understand your ways
Give me acceptance of what comes my way
Give me trust in your plans

God protect me from Satan and all the crap he wants to put in my life
Protect my eyes
Protect my ears
Protect my lips Lord, that I would please you with my mind and body
Please keep a close guard on my attitude
Remind me of the joy and victory that is only found in you

Thank you Lord so much that you have saved me
When I look at my life and see the person I am
Especially compared to your greatness I don’t understand why you want me
You have not only given me life but blessed me in it
You are so good to me, help me to remember that
Help me to always remember you
To speak to you
To allow you to speak to me

Lord,
Please help me to remember that I will not face anything today that you and I cannot handle…
Together

I love you Lord
Amen

Sportsmanlike

Let me tell this: When I was a kid, sportsmanlike is not an adjective you would use to describe me as a player in minor hockey. I was mouthy, had a short temper and my retaliation penalties were very predictable. Sportsmanship was something my father always emphasized. I can hear him still saying "just skate away, just skate away." I just couldn't do it.

Well Dad, that is all in the past! Last night was our final night of "Friday Night Hockey" of the season and Seraphim (who is awesome for organizing the ice time) had the 3 esso medals for us which was kind of fun. And holy cow, I won "Most Sportsmanlike!" So there you go Dad, your words didn't fall on deaf ears. James Stevenson: Most Improved, David Marshall: Most Dedicated, Ben Foreman: Most Sportsmanlike.

What a fun Season.

Great Game, Bad Memory

So last night I went to watch my good buddy Andrew Burt play in what would be the deciding game in the Midget AAA finals. It was an awesome hockey game, very intense. Scoreless for two periods and it seemed that the first goal would be all too important. Finally it came but it was not Sherwood, who I was rooting for, it was Montague. It looked as though this would be absolutely deflating for the Sherwood team but less then a minute later my good buddy Burt (Parkdale) scored to make it even (TSN Turning Point) and less then a minute after that Sherwood scored to pull ahead. I was thinking this is amazing!!! I reached into my pocket for my camera, sensing a win and when I turned it on I was horrified to read "No Memory Card." So now I have to buy a freaking news paper to get a picture of it. Nice going eh, geez. I'll put the pic up when I get it scanned

Here is the newspaper clipping, the writer obvioulsy wasn't at the game or knows nothing about hockey... notice the line about the "shut out" and "other goal" which was huge! Anyways...

Encouragement

Some people in this life are “Encouragers.”  And I would like to encourage them to keep on.  Because I love them, and I NEED them.  (I just started one sentence with “and,” and another with “because.”  This thing is a grammatical nightmare already!)  You see, I am someone who really thrives on people and positive energy.  I like to think of myself as a pretty light hearted person who is very easygoing.  However I tend to be someone to takes a lot on at once, too much really… according to my beautiful bride to be.  So my stress level can be a little high.

This is why I so much appreciate people who can give that extra push by saying something nice, leaving a note, or making a telephone call.  These things can really turn a situation around.  And I have really appreciated people in my life who really keep me going with encouragement.  Ephesians 4:29 says we should build others up according to their needs.  I encourage you to consider it!

Waiting Room

So I’m sitting here in the Sherwood clinic and its lots of fun like usual. I’ve had this bug for 2 weeks and at different points I was sure I had it beat but I’ve finally come to get some drugs. Man I hate being sick. My life operates at such a fast pace and I have so many things to get done so it makes slowing down very inconvenient and rather irritating. So I’m 24th on the list and they keeping calling people up to give their health cards I’m eyeing the people who are being called up and trying to remember if I was here before them. Man I hate waiting. I guess that’s just part of life…waiting. We live in such a world of convenience that when we have to wait for something (for once) it’s just a great big pain isn’t it. It really sucks sitting here because I know what it is I need and I just need to get it. I have something like strep throat or a virus of some sort, I take amoxisilian for it. It’s the same freaking thing every time. I wish amateur MD’s like myself could just to the pharmacy and request our antibiotic and get the heck out of here. But instead here I sit and they … oh they called my name! Ok so I’m ahead one step because I just gave my health card info… why don’t they file that information somewhere anyways? It’s the same thing every time. I mean, every time I run myself into the ground and get sick I always come here and every time I give them the same information. Card #, Dr., no allergies. How much space could that possibly take up. Not that it’s a big deal to give it to them every time. I just feel like complaining. I really shouldn’t even be writing this. I should be working on one of my many reports or assignments I have due. I just can’t seem to concentrate on them in here and I need to pass the time some how. People keep trying to look over my shoulder and read what I’m writing. Man I hope I get in soon. My throat is killing me, just on one side. And there seems to be a never ending mass of snot in my head and throat. I really would like to know how it all fits in there. Geez. I’m such an idiot. Normally as soon as I start to get the bug I just go to clinic right away, they give me some drugs and I pretty much avoid the whole thing but for some reason I decided this was a good time to tough it out. I’m insanely busy right now and just don’t have time to be sick and this is when I decide my immune system needs a challenge. The person beside me totally just coughed all over my arm. I hope whatever they give me cures whatever he has too! Geez. I really hope they call me soon… although they haven’t called anyone in a while. I just want to get out of here. My laptop found a connection but it’s a secured network so I can’t use it. No web surfing for the sick-o I guess. Well I’m getting bored with this and I’m sure you are too so I’m gonna see if I can occupy myself some other way. Hope you don’t get the bug… take your Flintstone Vitamins!

Some time has passed

Well its been a while since I’ve written on this old thing and I’m sure that very few people check it these days. I have been (and still am) in the middle of the busiest time I have ever experienced in my life to this point. Between school, church, work, getting married in three months, traveling, speaking and the little time I have for sleep my life is about as jam-packed as it can get.

I’ve been saying throughout the duration of this time that it is rather amazing to me that I haven’t gotten sick yet. Usually my pattern is: Push till you can’t push anymore and then get sick for a week or two… repeat. Well, I’m finally sick. Yee Haw, with a project or two overdue and several more on the horizon.

And its funny how I’m so overwhelmed with speaking engagements, youth group, Christian college and the like yet I seem to find it difficult to remember to fit in my own time with God. I’m so busy preparing to aid others into a better relationship with the creator that I neglect the most important thing in my life. Isn’t that nuts? I really need to take care of my prayer life before this gets out of hand.



I’m so run down right now, this is the first weekend in while that I get to sleep in my own bed. 2 weeks ago I spoke at a men’s retreat in L’Etete. That is a very small town in the southern part of New Brunswick. It was a good time, but carried along with it stresses of its own. Then last weekend my good friend James and I were promoting Maritime Christian College in Ontario where I ended up speaking 3 times between the camp and preaching at Keele Street Christian in Toronto. www.keelestreet.ca It was fun, and by and large successful. But everything that James and I attempted in the city didn’t pan out at all. Then our flight back home was delayed for 20 minutes and then cancelled altogether because of a snow storm in the Maritimes. We ended up getting to Hamilton the next day in the afternoon and made it home in time for me to go to a meeting. I’m still trying to recover but when you’re tired, sick, and a little grumpy it makes things tough. I’ll be ok once I get my overdue crap finished. I should likely get at it instead of talking to you fine people. If you have read this in its entirety then you are likely procrastinating too. Either that or you really like to read about nothing. Whichever you are, get back to work and have a good one eh!


Later on I throw the list of things that went wrong on the trip to Ontario. I think there are 27 things.

BE MY ESCAPE (Relient K)

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