Zoo Eyes

I love Summertime for its lazy days and late nights. One thing we love to do as a family is go to the zoo. We have zoo passes and the zoo is only about 10 minutes from our house, so we go often.

On our most recent trip to the zoo, I found some eyes. Not all in obvious places. I find it fun to look for different shapes and take excessive amounts of photos of them! One time, while on the ferry, I took my kids on a circle scavenger hunt. Absolutely anything we saw in the shape of a circle, we took a picture of. The kids had to find the circles, and I took the pictures. Now, they are a bit older, I share the camera :)

Here are a few of the pictures I took of eyes at the zoo.

Granville Island

I am taking a summer course for teachers this week. The topic is curriculum writing. There are about 65 teachers from all over BC, and a few even came from Alberta. Today, we got to go on a field trip (in busses, even!!) to Granville Island in Vancouver. We were given an assignment which involved taking pictures. Of course, in true Sarah fashion, I took way more pictures than I needed to. I took over 100... If I had been on my own, and not given a strict time frame, I am sure I could have easily doubled that number!

I thought I would share a few of the photos I took. I'm not going to write about them, I'm just going to post them. You can form your own stories to go with the pictures, if you would like!

 

 

 

 

Blessed

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was on the job hunt, again, and how I was striving to trust God and believe that his ways are always higher than mine. The post is HERE if you want to read it.

Last year, when I applied for a teaching position, I got a job. Not exactly the job I was applying for, but a position, nonetheless. One of the areas I have been teaching this past year is Kindergarten music. It has been so much fun, and I have been given daily rewards of hugs and smiles and children willing and ready to learn the new music I teach them.

A few weeks ago, a part-time Kindergarten classroom position was posted. I applied for this new position, and I got it!!!! Looking back at this year, (my first year back after going on maternity leave, 10 years ago) I see how teaching the K music classes this year has begun to prepare me for teaching my very own K class, next year. If I had been given full time my first year back, I would have survived, but I'm sure it would have been more overwhelming than my 26%! This smaller position that I am currently teaching has allowed me to fully enjoy each class that I teach, without feeling overwhelmed at jumping back into a working role. I have been able to ease my family into the idea of me returning to work because it was not full time. My kids have never known me as a working mom. Now, they have felt it for a year and they like it. I feel so blessed to be able to teach at the school my children attend. My kids don't see me at the school as a "teacher" any differently than they did when I was at their school so often as a "mom".

I got to meet the new Kindergarten kids, yesterday. I don't know which ones will be in my class, yet, but I will get to teach all of them since I will continue with Kindergarten music.

As this year wraps up, I am excited about all that has been accomplished. I just wrote the Kindergarten Music report cards and as I looked at each name, I smiled. Each one is an individual and a gem. One thing that I have been wishing all year long is that I could have spent more time with these kids. My wish and prayer has come true. Next year, not only will I get to teach all 70 kindergarteners in music, I will get the joy of spending 2.5 days a week with a group of 15-20 of them that I can call my own!

I feel very blessed.

My Birthday

I'm not 29, but someone wished me a Happy 29th, yesterday. Yesterday was my birthday, but when someone says "Happy 29th" you can almost guarantee that the person receiving the wishes is NOT 29. I'm not that far off, but my age starts with a different number than 2.

I was born at 7:10 in the morning, so I decided that was a pretty good time to get up on your birthday. I hit snooze twice, so I actually got out of bed at 7:28. That's an even better time to get out of bed on your birthday. 

It was a good birthday. I worked most of the day, and a few people actually read the note on the staff room whiteboard that said it was my birthday. Those people said "Happy Birthday" to me. No, I didn't write the note myself!

Steve and the kids sang for me in the morning. I should have taken a picture of the breakfast in bed that they made me. Or, more precisely, breakfast "on the bed". I was already getting ready by the time it arrived, so they just set the tray down on the bed and told me to hurry up and come and see the surprise they had for me. Breakfast consisted of:

     * 1 piece of peanut butter and honey bread (we just got a new toaster oven because the last one caught on fire, and the kids are still a bit afraid of using the new one. So, "cold toast" is usually what they pick to make).
     * 2 apples and 1 banana, placed on the plate in the shape of a happy face.
     * 1 glass of water. This almost spilled at least 4 times. I finally grabbed it off the tray and moved it.
     * 2 kids claiming that they did all the work to make the breakfast and 1 boy hanging his head to say he didn't get ready fast enough to be able to help. That was the boy I hugged first. I'm sure he was the instigator on something else great that I've received.
     * 1 napkin with "Happy Birthday Mom :)" written on it in a Sharpie.
     * 1 tea light candle as a birthday gift.
     * 1 fabulous necklace (that I'm wearing in the photo below) which was from Steve and the kids. 

   
Not that I'm counting, or anything, but I got 123 birthday wishes on Facebook, 51 "likes" on the birthday picture I posted (same as shown here), at least 3 phone calls, 5 cards, 6 hugs, 4 texts and 2 emails. I felt very loved. After we left for school, Steve took off to go trucking to Alberta for a few days, so the kids and I were alone for my b-day dinner. They wanted to go out to Red Robin. I didn't. They wanted to go out to Boston Pizza. I didn't. They said they didn't CARE where they went, but "shouldn't we go out for your birthday, mom?!!" I didn't know if sitting in a restaurant with 3 kids after a day at work was really a birthday reward. But then, my oldest said, "Mom, think about it... do you REALLY want to cook dinner on your birthday?" No, I didn't. So, we stopped at Subway and bought a few subs, and decided that we would watch a movie together... even though it wasn't Family Movie Night, and it was **gasp!** a school night. We watched the movie: We Bought a Zoo.

I made a cake. (Totally scrumptious... here is the link to the recipe on Pinterest. You WILL want to try this!) We all had the leftovers in our school lunches today!

All these things, put together, made it a pretty great day. Plus, the sun was shining. My birthday falls at the beginning of the month, and there is an unwritten rule that you are supposed to celebrate for the rest of the month. So, when Steve gets home from trucking, there will be a date happening. Let the birthday continue!

The Good the Bad and the UGLY!

Hair. Haircuts. Good ones, bad ones, so-so-nothing-to-write-home-about ones and perms gone oh so wrong. Had them all. Have you ever cut your own hair? Have you ever cut someone else's hair that didn't want you to cut their hair? I have, and once, my brother and sister even cut my hair together. My Morfar (Grandpa) was babysitting us and he didn't know it was happening. It was also (of course!) the day before school pictures. I looked b-e-a-U-tiful! My older brother and sister put my hair in a bunch of little ponytails and then cut off all the ponytails. I don't recommend this method because there is no proper judgement on how close to the scalp you really are. Oy, it was ugly!

Last year, when my oldest was in grade 3, and my youngest was in Kindergarten, we got to enjoy the results of a sibling haircut gone bad. My son's class had just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and as a wrap-up, the class watched the video. My 9 year old came home and told his little sister all about chewing gum and then sticking it behind your ear when you want to save it for the next day. He even supplied the gum. The only problem was that she had pretty hair that flowed partway down her back. When the gum got stuck behind her ear and she went to pull it out again, they realized that it had attached itself to her flowing locks. Panic set in and big brother went for the scissors. He lovingly clipped a good sized portion of her hair right off. Clean to the scalp. I discovered it the next morning when I went to put her hair in a ponytail for school. They both came clean and they told me exactly what happened. I could see he was remorseful and it was all totally innocent, so I just styled it down to cover the bald spot and then used hair clips and gel for several months until that section was long enough to include in the ponytail. I also issued a strict warning to never take scissors to hair again. My other children have heeded this warning, but my eldest has taken the scissors to his own hair twice. Sigh. I guess it runs in the family because both his mother and grandmother before him tend to chop their locks from time to time, with varying degrees of success.

Years ago, I went to University with a girl named Mireille. We took some School of Music classes together and she was incredibly musically artistic.  She also had beautiful long, naturally curly hair. One day, as I walked from the parking lot to the school, I heard someone call my name to say "Hi." I didn't recognize her at first, but as I got closer, I realized it was Mireille. She had cut her hair to right around her ears. Wow! She was stunning. I couldn't believe the same person could be so lucky to look as good with long hair as really short hair. I said, "I love your hair cut!" She said, "Thanks, I did it this afternoon." I asked her where she had it done and she said, "No, I mean, I cut it myself, this afternoon!" That was a new revelation to me, and I tucked that thought away for the future when I would be brave enough to take the scissors to my own hair.

One tends to be daring during the university years, and I was a bit daring with my hair. It was the only time in my life that I became a redhead. It's also the first time I cut my own hair. It was about 15 years ago when I not only cut and styled my hair (quite successfully, if I do say so myself!), I also bought a box of black hair dye that I knew would look quite becoming on me. ;) I worked at a paint store at that time, and any style fit in. I was quite pleased when one gal I worked with said she loved my new hair and that I reminded her of someone. A couple of the guys came around and one guy said, "I think it's a movie star." Things were looking up! They liked my hair AND I reminded them of a movie star. Now three of them were wracking their brains to remember which movie star or TV personality I looked like when one shouted out, "I know! It's Monica Lewinsky." Not quite what I was going for, but yes, indeed, that is who they all agreed upon. I actually didn't mind, too much, I've always thought she was beautiful.

In between my own hair cutting, I sometimes go to a hairdresser to get things back on track. I've found that some think it's quirky and fun to cut your own hair. Others are totally appalled. If I go to a hairdresser and they comment on how my last cut looks like I did it myself and that I should never do that, or they hate it when people cut their own hair... they don't get a tip. But, if they say, "Whatever, it's your hair and I think you look great, I'll just give you a trim, you already have a great shape," then the tip with be significantly larger... I had one hairdresser, in recent years, who made me all but forget about my urge to style my hair because she gave me a great cut, every time. But, she has moved onto other things, and alas, I have taken up the scissors yet again. However, I do think that if you have hair that is more than 2 feet long, you should be allowed some liberties with the scissors. How badly can it go, really? You always have inches left to fix it, or just throw it in a ponytail!

There is a sense of satisfaction in changing your look. You go into the bathroom looking one way and emerge with a different colour or style of hair. It's kind of fun. This is all I've got to work with because I don't have any piercings (not even ears) or tattoos, nor do I have the desire for any. Hair it is. What colour of black will I pick next?! Lately, the darker the better. But summer is coming so I have even thought about brown again. I noticed on the ACM Awards the other night that Kelly Clarkson has gone blond. Hmmm... I guess that's always an option for me, too...

Trust

Have you ever had occasion to worry? I have. Or, at least I told myself at the time that worrying would be a logical thing to do. But, truthfully, worry is rarely based on logic, and more often than not, worry only causes us to think excessively about something that will not come to pass.

It's clear in the Bible that we are not to worry. 

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ..."

This doesn't always make it easier to stop my worrying. What do I worry about? Problems the kids might be facing, how we are going to pay a certain bill, driving in the snow, getting enough work. You know, all totally valuable things to think about! ha! None of these things has ever been a big deal, in the end. The kids always pull through their tests. One has glasses - so what!? So does half the country. Bills? Whatever - never have I bounced a cheque, and never have I needed for anything. Sometimes, when I get bitten by the worry bug, I think about the song I learned in church, years ago... Jehovah Jireh, My Provider, His grace is sufficient for me.

Worry is sin. Plain and simple. Do NOT worry. It's clear. So, why do we do it? Simple - we're humans and humans like to do things for themselves and be in control. But, when we take control of our life, we fail. When we put our lives in the hands of our loving God, he takes care of us, leads us and provides for us. 

 
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

I clearly remember a time, shortly after I moved out on my own, when money was especially tight. I was in a new city, by myself, and I had big bills to pay for the first time. Rent $525/month. Truck $506.47/month. Phone, food, clothes, gas.... seriously, how do people do it? I guess that was the first time I really realized how much my parents did for me during my growing up and university years. The only significant thing I had paid for was my University education. And at that point, I was really glad that they encouraged me to never take a student loan. I worked 4 jobs to pay cash for my 5 year degree, and finished it in 4.5 years so that I didn't have to have extra payments of parking pass, student fees, etc, during the final semester. But, even during that low money-flow time, God provided. I was asked to sing at various events, weddings, funerals, etc, and that gave me a bit of extra cash, and I learned, (yet again!) that worrying is futile. God will provide.

As I was completing my degree, I applied, and was interviewed for, 4 jobs in my hometown. I didn't get any of them. I was so upset, and could not understand why God wasn't providing a job for me. But, four days after I graduated university, I was offered a teaching job in a different city. I accepted the job and soon had to move out of my parents' home. In the new city, where I still live, I found a new church, a great group of friends and within two years, I was married to an amazing man. Today, we have 3 kids and I look back and laugh at the things I worried about. Now, they seem so small. God has a plan, he has a way, and whenever we seek his will, we will have his best for us. 

Does that mean I am worry-free? Again, ha! Nope... just means that I have to constantly remember where I've come from and the promises God has already fulfilled in my life so I can see, again, that I have no reason to worry when I am trusting Him. I'm at that job juncture, again, and so I hold to the verse that says God has my best interests in mind. If I get the new job - awesome. I will better my best every day and strive to be the teacher God calls me to be. If I don't get the job - that's ok, too. I will trust that God will provide something else for our family. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  

 

 Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Later On

On Thursday, someone from my high school passed away. On September 23rd, 2012, he was in a quad accident that left him in a coma. Five months later, and after an incredible fight on his part and the part of his loving wife and his entire family, he left this world and met Jesus face to face. He wasn't in my grad class, but he was a year younger than me so I saw him every day throughout high school. He had an older sister in my brother's class and another sister that was a good friend of my sister. High school seems like a world in itself, and when you are there, it is your LIFE! But, when you are done, you don't always think of the people who walked the halls with you on a daily basis. Thanks to Facebook, I have stayed in touch with many from my earlier years, but there are others that I really know nothing about. Since I am friends on Facebook with his family, I have been able to read the faithful daily updates from his wife and family.

Tonight, as I was looking for an old poem I wrote in the '90s, (and still haven't located), I came across the lyrics of the song I wrote to sing at my Grade 12 graduation ceremony. I wrote this On April 6, 1994 and sang it with my great friend, Caralee, at our grad later that year. In honour of Clint, and the beautiful family he leaves behind, I want to share the lyrics here. Life is so short, but I thank the Lord we have eternity to spend in His presence and with the ones we love. Tell the people you love how much they mean to you, you never know when it is your last chance to say I love you.

Later On

Through the years I've come to know that I can count on you,

When my life's dull, my friend you're there, 

with love and strength that's true.

So with Jesus on one side of me, and you on the other, 

I know I can make it in this life.

Later on, down the road, if I don't see you in this life, 

We can walk the streets of gold, cause every boy and every girl

That chooses to take a hold of Jesus in this life,

Will be walking down that road

Thank you for all your prayers, I know that Jesus hears,

Soon we all will start to write, new chapters in our lives,

Please hear my prayer for you tonight, for tomorrow is another day,

and we'll all be going our own way.

Later on down the road if I don't see you in this life,

We can walk the streets of gold cause every boy and every girl

That chooses to take a hold of Jesus in this life,

Will be walking down that road.

I'll be walking down that road

We'll be walking down that road.

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥