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A new church home!

I am so excited. I think we have found our new church home, Friends Church. Don’t you just love the name? What normally happens when we visit a new church is we talk about it on the way home. We ask all the questions like “what did you think of praise and worship” and “what did you think of the teaching”. We ask Brock and Sydney “what did you learn today”, “did you have fun” and of course “do you want to go back”. Inevitably at least one or more of us did not like on part or another. Well, we have been to Friends Church the last two weeks and there has not been one dislike. Not one!
Friends Church is a small church that meets in the gym of Master’s Academy. They serve Starbuck’s coffee before service which is always a plus. It is a very laid back atmosphere. I just thought HPC was casual. Last Sunday Pastor Jeff was in shorts along with most of the congregation. I guess they like to take advantage of the few months of warm weather they have here. I love the praise and worship. It is different from HPC, but very good. It has an alternative flair to it. A lot of the songs are familiar. Not just from church but from singers like Matt Redman as well. I find that when we are there I don’t want it to end. There is a peace there that we haven’t had at any of the other churches we have visited. We had planned on visiting another church, but I don’t think we are going to make it. Not unless the Lord tells us to.

We haven’t really met anyone there yet but I am sure that will change next week. They are having a BBQ after service. And of course it’s free. Sound familiar? It seems like this church has a real heart for the community and it lost. They like to call it “giving water” to the thirsty. A water moment.

This past weekend was the May Long Weekend. Brock and Sydney were out of school Friday and Monday and Bryan was off on Monday. I am still not sure what the holiday was, but it was nice, eh (I don’t think that is supposed to be a question, even though it sounds like it). We went to Drumheller which is a small town to the east of Calgary. It was very different than our trips in the mountains. East of Calgary the land becomes flat farm land. We drove about 1 ½ to 2 hours of flat dry land and all of a sudden you drive down into the huge canyon. I now call this the big hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere. Down there is a small town with a huge dinosaur museum. We walked across the Red Deer River on a suspension bridge. That was a little scary. Especially when you get to the middle and it is swaying back and forth. We had a lot of fun. The kids (Bryan included) really enjoyed the museum.

We got our insurance info in so I started looking for a doctor today. I went to a website that has a list of doctors that are accepting new patients. I got about half way through the list and had to stop. None of them were accepting new patients. I had heard it may be hard to find a doctor. One of the moms at the bus stop suggested I try some doctors in Cochran. Cochran is a small town just west of Calgary. It is about 15-20 minutes from my house. So I did and it worked. I have a meet and greet appointment with a doctor in June. Please pray for favor with the Doctor because now he will interview us. Sounds crazy.

Here are a few things I have found funny about being in Canada…..
· I can’t find Rotel or anything like it
· They don’t sell frozen dinner rolls
· They do sell Louisiana Hot Sauce
· When I asked for corn bread mix they said “what is that?”
· Brock and Sydney are allowed to bring stuffed animals to school and have water bottles at their desk
· They can come home for lunch
I love and miss you all. I hope all is with each and every one of you. You are all in our hearts and in our prayers. I just wish I could talk to all.

Be blessed,
Ali

Yeah! My first mountain hike

I finally got to do my first mountain hike. It was such a beautiful day. We were some where out in the Kananaskis. That is about all I know. I was thinking we would do hills, then flat and maybe hills again. Boy, was I wrong. It was all hill from the get go. We started at the bottom by the creek and went up until we got to the top. Two hours of hiking to the top. There were a few stopping breaks in there, but it was all up hill. I didn't think I was going to make it, but I pushed through and got to the top. I never would have thought I would be standing on a beautiful summit, completely surrounded mountains. That is like a kiss from heaven. God has truly created a beautiful place. I just stood there in awh. The video I attached at the bottom is a panoramic view. It was very rocky and uneven, that is why the video is so shaky. If you fall , you are going down one way or another. Though it was quite cold on top, yet so nice. Then we headed down. I thought that was going to be the easy part. Actually, going downhill takes a toll on your knees. More than what going up hill does to you thighs. According to my GPS, it was 4.63 miles round trip.

I was hiking with a group of ladies with Fit Frog. This is the same group I do the Urban Hikes with, though there is always different ones that show up. That is Lori in the pic with me. This is her set up. They are all so nice, very talkative and very Canadian. I just love the accents, "eh".

Brock and Bryan went on a bike excursion yesterday. After we bought Bryan a new bike, he and Brock road there bikes downtown then back home. Well, almost home. As I have told you before, we live at the top of the hill. By the time they made it to the neighborhood they did not have enough juice to get them up that last big hill. So I went and got them. They did 30km, which is about 18.75 miles. My two guys were plumb worn out. I was proud of them.

I think we are going to try to go to Grotto Canyon sometime in the next couple of weeks. This is suppose to be a good day hike for the kids. There is a creek in the canyon, so there is a lot of room for playing and climbing over rocks. From what I understand the drive there gets you over the hills, so there isn't a lot of uphill walking. That's a good thing.

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It is good to have some encouraging words from home. I love you all.

Be blessed,

Ali

Still looking for a church to call home

We did not make it to church today. I guess we just weren't sure were we wanted to go to next. We have visited two chruches that we have seen. Today we were just too pooped to get up early enough to figure out were to next. I did get to do some more research and I have found a few more churches for us to visit, but we are in no hurry. God has been so good to us in this move. We have complete assurance that the Lord will lead us to the perfect church home for us.

There has been a few times when I have been out by myself and have felt lonely. Especailly when you see friends having lunch or a cup of coffee together. Then I began to long for some friendly conversation. Or when I have been out walking and thought "it would be great to have a friend to do this with." I begin to feel a pain from within because I miss all of my wonderful friends back home. But then I am reminded of who my God is and what he has promised me and my family. He has promised us a life-giving community to fit into. He promises to lead us to like-hearted, like-visioned, like-spirited others. His blessing is for us to be part of a family of ministy where we can enjoy our greatest fulfillment as we fit with other people who are finding their fulfillment in God's purpose, just as we are, and each of us is doing what God has designed us to do. I do not want to fill that place with my fleshly desires. So I choose to wait on my Lord and his perfect timing, becuase I know he wants what is best for us. I won't settle for anything less.

We are in our 3rd day of a spring snow storm, with a forcast of 2 more days. We have over a foot of snow outside, with winds that can cut right through anything that is not protected. It really only hurts any exposed skin. You would think people would just stay inside. Wrong! Not here. So we bundled up and headed out to University Hill yesterday to do some sledding. It was a blast. You really don't even fell the cold in the beginning. There is just to much fun to be had. What I like about sledding on fresh snow is that it doesn't matter how fast you go or how hard you crash, it doesn't hurt on the soft snow. What you really have to watch out for is your glove coming off and your hand going in the snow. Now that is painful. Or after a few trips up that hill your legs start hurting. For every 20 second ride down the hill you have a good 10minute walk back up the hill. After and hour of that the 10 minute walks turn into 15 to 20 minute walks because you are just so exhausted.

I was so proud of Sydney. In the beginning she was a bit scared of going too fast. So we did half the hill for a while, which was still pretty big. Then she decided to take on the entire hill all on her own. She carried her sled (normally it was me or Bryan) all the way to the top. Her ride down was well worth her effort. She loved it.I had my first day hike scheduled for last Thursday. I am very sad to say that I got lost on my way there and missed it. I arrived 20 minutes late. You know how much I hate to be late. Once I got over my disappointment I decided to go out on my own for a little while. Why not? I was all packed up for it. I had my lunch, rain gear, water and my gps. I was good to go, just me and God. Yes, I was a little scared beding by myself, so I did not go into the heavily wooded areas and stuck to mostly grasslands. I was at Sandy Cross Conservation Area. The main thing I was scared of was animals. It turned out to be a great day. The weather was beautiful (the day before the snow storm hit), windy but sunny. I was out in the open with a beautiful view of mountains at times. There were rolling hills which give a great workout. I stayed for 2 hours and then headed home.I just hope the next one is not to far away.

I love you all and look forwarded to hearing from you all as well. I would love for you to let me know how you are and what is going on in your life through the comments.

Be blessed my friends!
Ali

Surprise spring snow

What happened yesterday.......

They keep talking about spring showers and I have yet to see one. Every time they say it will rain it has actually snowed. The kids and I joke by saying they don't know the difference between snow and rain. Weather reports have been forcasting a warm up this weekend. Now I am sure that our warm and their warm up are completely different things...I'm sure? But the really funny thing was yesterday's weather. Not one weather report forcasted yesterdays weather correct. Not one!

Now, before I tell you about the weather I want to explain to you my plans for yesterday. Thursday was my first organized Urban Hike. I was very excited about hiking through a coulee here in Calgary. Well, when I came down the stairs ready to bring the kids to school I caught a glimps through the window. It was snowing. Not just a little, but alot. It was the most we have seen since we have been here. A lot on the ground and still falling. I got Brock and Sydney to school ok, but then had to decide what I would do about my hike. I was a little intimadated by the snow, but then figured why not. It is going to happen sooner or later. I even got lost on my way there because everything look so different in white, and this was in my neighborhood. Oh sorry, it is a community. It turned out to be the most beautiful thing ever. Fresh snow on the groung and covering all the trees. Again it was all breathtaking, except when the snow was hitting me in the eyes and I couldn't see anything (mental note....wear sunglasses).

But that wasn't all. On the radio they talked about the surprise snowfall no one knew was coming and the horrific traffic it caused. They said, " If you don't have to get on the road, then don't. This will wash away with the afternoon rain coming." I heard that all morning. That rain never came. The snow stopped falling around 11:00 and started to look pretty. At 2:30 as I picked up Brock and Sydney from school the clouds moved in. As usual they were playing on the play ground for a bit before we go home. That is when it started to fall...no not rain, no not snow, but ice. Those little bitty pieces of ice can really hurt. We realized that this stuff looked just like dippin dots. We watched dippin dots and snow fall all afternoon AND evening. I don't really have a problem with the snow. What was so fasinating to me is that they had no idea it would happen.

This morning the basic report was "Oops!"

I thought you would enjoy watching a few videos of us playing in the snow. I chose to only go half way up the hill before sledding down, but is was still fun.

Sydney makes a great snow angel!!!!!!

We are still having a lot of fun, though things are settling down. Bryan is out of town this week, or should I say out of the country. He is in Tulsa and will be home on Friday. Actually it has been kind of nice. Since we still only have one car we have to get up early every morning to bring him to the train station and then pick him up in the evening. Evening time is the hard part. I can't really start dinner until after we get him. We all know how much I hate that (yeah right). The car is scheduled to be picked up on Friday. I am not sure how long that will take.

I went hiking yesterday at Nosehill Environmental Park. Those hills can ware you out. At the same time, it is just so beautiful at an elevation of 4000 feet. You feel like you can reach up and touch the sky. I could see all across the city while there was deer running around less the 100 yards away. I can't believe I didn't bring my camera. I am going to have to bring it next time.

Check ya later!

Ali

Another week gone by. Again, we have had some fun. During the week we have been running around town ( it is a big city) getting somewhat familar with everything. Didn't seem like we were getting much done around the house. Most of the boxes are unpacked but the pictures are not hung. I know that was driving my mother crazy but I didn't want to have to worry about that yet.

We went skiing again. It was a blast! We had our lessons with all four of us on skies this time. Bryan says the snowboard is an evil thing. He liked skiing much better. Sydney got the hang of it and I couldn't get her off the slopes. Not even for a minute. She wore me out. It was colder this time. At one point I thought I had ice in one of my boots. I couldn't understand how it got there. When I couldn't take it anymore I forced a hot chocolate break on everyone. Turns out there was no ice in my boot, my toes where just frozen. I have now bought me some wool socks.

It is funny all the things you don't think about to keep warm. My mom bought Brock a ski suit for his birthday. It is just 3 weeks away. While we were shopping around we learned a few things. To stay warm you have to layer. Well, just about everyone knows that, right? So when they asked what we were layering with I said "tshirts". "That is a big no no. Cotton is rotten!" so they say. Once you sweat (because you do) cotton gets wet and stays wet, therefore you get cold. Go figure. You have to start with a baselayer of synthetic that wicks away (my new word) moisture and then cover with fleece. I always thought fleece was a useless fabric. Boy, was I wrong. Now it is one of my favorites.

Sunday we decided to make one more trip to the mountains before mom went home. It was even more beautiful than the weekend before. There was a fresh snow fall the day before. It completely changed to look of it. We up to Lake Louise this time. Here is a site where you can see thier pics , just click on thier slide show. http://www.fairmont.com/LakeLouise/?cm_mmc=icppc-_-Branded-CLL%20-%20Chateau%20Lake%20Louise%20-%20Canada-_-google-_-lake+louise+fairmont It is a huge resort hotel with an even bigger lake that is completely surrounded by mountains. Right now that lake is completely frozen. We walked on it. You can ice skate, cross country ski or just go for a stroll on it. Just next to the lake is where we did our sleding. That was is fun. Of corse Bryan, Brock & Sydney had to, no wait, wanted to go off road to get to the top of the hill. I tried to get up there but if you step in the wrong place you are up to you thighs in snow. I decided to watch from the bottom of the hill. Especially since I thought they were going to fly off the hill at the drop off. But I was wrong, they didn't, but I felt safer down there anyway. Brock jumped the bumpes going down. Bryan went about half way down to catch Sydney on her way down, but she was going to fast and he sank in the snow and missed her. I don't think I have ever heard Bryan laugh so hard. I did sled down the snow covered road with the snow bank at the end of it. I never could get my mom on the sled though.

Sydney met some friends and together they dug tunnels through the snow. I never would have thought of that. We slid across the ice with our shoes. I think Sydney has asked me for a pair of ice skates everyday since then. She wants to go back there, bad.

I did miss my first Urban Hike. When I went to get the kids in school on Monday I had to make an appointment with the principle for the same time as the hike. I will just have to wait ftil next week. When we met with Mrs. Witworth she tolds us that she had about ten new students coming in. They did not get to start school until Thurdsay. You should have seen thier faces. They were so sad. All that building up to starting a new school and they had to wait some more. Once they did start it was great. The classes took them in immediatly. As soon as Sydney walked in the door she had some friends come get her to show her what to do. She even came home with a really big note from her class welcoming her. They all signed it. It was so sweet. Brock did great too. He made friends right away. The only thing I am not sure about is how they have 1-2 grade and 3-4 grade. I will let you know when I find out.

My vacation has officially ended. Mom left on Wednsday and the kids started school on Thurday. It is time for me to get settled in . I am sure we will still have lots of fun. I am just amazed at how much there is to do here. We are going to do some day hiking together on the weekends.

We were expecting spring showers this weekend and we woke up to six inches of snow. It will problably be gone by the end of the day. We will visit Dalhousie Community Church this weekend. I was able to listen to some services on iTunes and I am looking forward to it.

I love and miss you all.