Too Cute...

A couple of days ago, Rebecca saw an ad on t.v. for Cabbage Patch Kids.
She said she would like one for Christmas.
I said, I can give you one right now.

I went into the storage room and rifled through my box of stuff I kept from my
childhood. I had kept both of my Cabbage Patch Kids, so I gave one to each of the girls.
They were thrilled, and played with them all afternoon.
(my Aunty Cathy evening knitted a beautiful sweater for one of them)

Later that evening, during a cuddly moment, Rebecca sighed and said with a smile,
"Mmmmmm...Mom, I'm glad I have a Cabbage Package!"

Hee hee hee
That's what she was hearing me say...cabbage package!

Say a Prayer for Mama...

For those of you who know Mama Bevy from the blogger world, you may have noticed that she is actually my mother.

If you know her (or even if you don't) please say a prayer for her tonight.
She was on her way to Kansas City with my (foster) sister and they rolled the van
they were driving earlier this evening. The icy road conditions were crazy and they left Fargo this morning after the highway was re-opened.

They are both fine, no broken bones just bruises and some stitches. The van is not drivable, so they are stuck near the border of South Dakota. They were taken from the hospital to a hotel where they are trying to figure out what to do next.

Please pray that they would have peace, protection for the rest of the trip, quick healing and presence of mind to decide what they should do next.
Nancy is also asking for prayer for them.
Thanks.

Mind Over Natter...

The dictionary describes "natter" as idle talk or chatter. That pretty much describes what my girls do constantly all day long!
Egad!

I don't mind talking--okay, I don't mind conversation--I'm a verbal person myself. The appeal of talking in my mind is the exchange of ideas! Not just talking to make noise or just using words because one is able to speak. This kind of blah-blah-blah-blah makes me lose my marbles one by one!

Here is an example of natter:
Rebecca: Okay class now say prolo.
Isabella: No! We say miko-nayzie.
Rebecca: Say prolo first and then we'll say your word.
Isabella: We should say my word first because I don't like prolo but I like other words.
Rebecca: How about lee-lo-kamene?
Isabella: No not that one either!
Rebecca: MOM!!! Bella won't say my words!

What Erica is thinking: You're both nuts!

They have this mindless, brain-numbing banter that goes on and on and becomes more non-sensical everyday.
Somedays I think I'm losing my mind!
I hope they grow out of it!!!

The Holiday Train...

The 1,200-ft. freight train, decorated in 8,000 Christmas lights, runs in partnership with the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB). It will stop in towns and cities along CPR's Canadian mainline, staging special events to raise donations and support for the thousands of Canadians who turn to food banks each month.

Click here for photo of the train.
The Holiday Train will be in Winnipeg on Thursday, December 8th at 9:45 pm.

The train is scheduled to stop in Winnipeg at the train tracks on Molson between Munroe and Panet...this stop is 4 blocks from our home. Hmmmm...perhaps I should invite people over for hot chocolate, cookies and a place to warm-up before the train arrives.
Seems like a "right-Christian" thing to do, no?

The entertainers on the train will be...
Canadian Holiday Train: Recording artist Amanda Stott, International recording stars the Moffatts, and Wayne Rostad will be onboard. John Landry will be making a special appearance in Montreal.

Our New Pets...

Have you heard the big news?
We adopted several new pets, about 30 in all!
Yes! We now having living with us about 30 composting worms.

We have composted all our organic waste for about a year now, and with D.J.'s new
information he sees the advantages of worm composting or vermicomposting.

When D.J. brought them home tonight, the girls spent the evening shredding newspaper for their little friends and looking at the worms. Oh, their dad also got them to smell the worm castings (yes that's poo) in the soil as he explained what a valuable resource it is for plant life.
The girls are also excited about having bananas for breakfast tomorrow so they can give their peels to the worms. Oh joy. Oh bliss.

But that's not the best news....the best news is the worms are expected to double or even triple in about 3 weeks. He is exitedly offering worm eggs to people who wish to start vermicomposting at home.

I agree that composting is great. Recycling is great. Reducing waste is great. I shall save my organic waste in my bio-bin as I always have but I have banished the vermin and their little home to the basement.
I'm all for saving the plant but I hate the idea of having worms in my kitchen.
You gotta draw the line somewhere!!!

Lifeline...

Tonight I think I need to use up one of my lifelines...I think I'll phone a friend Regis!

My kids were pretty rowdy tonight! Too much sugar, not enough sleep = crazy, psycho little people who are loud and running non-stop.

How did I handle it?
Not good, I'm afraid!
Pretty bad in fact.

Usually I put my kids to bed with prayer, kisses, hugs and two songs.
Tonight I put them to bed with threats..."Do NOT get up again!" or....
(I didn't swear by Allah that I would torture them but my tone was suggestive to say the least).

Anyway, I don't like myself very much right now so I think I'll phone a friend who does.
I figure I need to hear somebody say I'm a great mom, (even good mom would do right now) because I'm not telling myself that right now! I don't need to add liar to my list of naughty things!

That's what our lifelines are for, we gotta use 'em or we'll lose 'em....now where did I put that phone book?

So many ways to say it...

ONE...

The wind was bitter cold. With unrelenting strokes of vicious force, it cut through the fibres of my parka and stung my flesh. Once my outer layers of defense were conquered, the wind plundered and pillaged my remaining warmth. Devouring the heating reserves, the wind gorged itself on blood's heat and left only a chill that crept into my bones. My heart's rhythm slowed to a cautious, resistant beating reserved for the tempo of a funeral durge. Goosebumps raised on my skin like a signal from a hill sending out the screaming distress cry. The coursing river of life's blood slowed and cooled turning my hands and feet to stone.

OR...TWO...

Man! It is cold out today and that wind is bad!

OR...THREE...

Frick! I hate winter!

Or...FOUR...

Brrrrr!!!!

Candy...

My mom brought my husband a big huge thing of candy from Holland.
I've been eating it like crazy.
(Mmmm...a caramel is melting in my mouth as I type)
I don't usually have a sweet tooth but I am munching on this sugar like it was....
well...sugar!

Its not the sweet-thing that keeps me coming back.
Its the curiosity.
Its not like a big bag of gummy worms or a plastic container of licorice where all the flavor doesn't change so you get bored of it and stop eating....Noooooo!!!!
(Oh! Just ate another one)
Its a big bowl of different kinds of candy and each candy tastes different so
you never know what flavor will be next.
(Mmm...that one was hot cinnamon)
Its exciting and addictive.
I've already eaten all the white ones that taste like burnt marshmellow...mmmm...
(oooo...another hot cinnamon!)

Its like that old expression "curiosity killed the cat" but in this case its more like "curiosity made the girl have a tummy ache and put on eight pounds". I'm not sure if this new expression will catch on.
(oooo...I just found another marshmellow one)

I think I need to leave the room now, and remove myself from the bowl of evil.

Job Offers...

Recently I have experienced what some might call "an excess of opportunity".
I have had 3 new job offers (in addition to the two I have: 1. raising my kids 2. working for the school division).

They are all diverse and interesting challenges, and a means to more financial security.

I am in the process of praying, about which (if any) are right for me.
I am weighing the time/energy/childcare issues vs. exciting job opportunities/experiences.
Is this God's way of providing for our finances or would it be too much for me to take on more?

I'm not sure how much more I can do (if anything) without robbing my kids from
having an attentive mom.
I need to give some answers to people (who offered the jobs) soon so if you happen to be praying anyway and think of praying for me...well, just keep it in mind.

MORE!!!
MORE!!!
MORE!!!

Don't we all want more of something?

At the moment my life is one great BIG "More Lord".
I'm hungry...
I'm unsatisfied...
I want to see the stuff....
I'm jealous for love, passion, healing, justice and more of what's good and true and right...

Day Off...

D.J. is taking a course for work every Tuesday and Thursday evening and all day Saturdays for two weeks. This means no day off for me on Saturday. Usually on Saturdays, I clean or do work and he takes the kids for a few hours giving me a chance to do other kinds of work.

I figured I have a choice. I could just try to get all my work done and keep the kids or just not.
I chose not. Instead I took the day off. After dropping him off at his course, I picked up a babysitter and dropped her off with my kids, and went to a movie with my friend Cindy.

All-in-all, I'd say I made the right decision. The kids had fun playing with the sitter and I enjoyed watching "North Country".
Good movie. (I cried a couple times though)
Good day.

Thank God Almighty....

In Regina, I experienced something that can only be described as a "God Thing".
Whether you call it a God Encounter, Annointing, Spiritual Awakening or whatever.
I still don't have the words (unbelievable, I know...Erica, being speechless...who knew it could happen) to describe what happened.

All I know is that in a powerful, HUGE, "God-moment" something inside me unlocked.
It was literally one second, and one moment and one "it is finished"...and it was really was.

Now I've returned to my life, my home, my house, my family and nothing is the same.
It wasn't one of those things where you experience something profound and then it fades and you go back to life as usual.

Nothing in my life is the same. Things that I'd struggled with for years are just gone.
I don't relate to people the same way, I don't think the same way, I don't feel the same way.
What's done is really done, and this is how things are now and ITS WONDERFUL.
I'm free!

And the only thing I can think about is how can I help others get this too? I want to share with the whole world this freedom, and I'm not even sure how it got here, and can it happen again?
Free! Free! Free!
Thank God Almighty I'm free at last!

Innocent Confidence...

Today Isabella was looking at a wedding photo of my husband and myself. She thought for awhile and then asked, "when you were standing in that picture, was me and Becca in your tummy?"
I explained that mommy and daddy didn't have any children when we were married, actually we had four years together without any children at all.
Bella got a concerned look on her face and asked, "were you sad?".

She knows how much joy she brings to our family, I guess she can't imagine us being happy without her. That is exactly how it should be.

She makes me smile.

Back Home...

We're home again. We returned from Regina in one piece at 10 pm last night.
Yay!

In China...

Here we are in Regina, or as Bella says, "in China".

Got here at 3:40am on Friday morning.
Will return to Winnipeg on Sunday evening.

Bringing back 4 of the workshop sessions on tape.
Need to hear them about 50,000 more times.
Will lend them out to interested parties.

More later....still processing....
Wow!

War-Buddies...

Watching t.v. and seeing the pictures of war veterans with tears streaming down their cheeks as they remember the fallen gets to me every year. Most times I am struck a deep sense of gratitude, but this year my thoughts went another way. It occurred to me that it has been 60 years since the end of the war, yet the impact on the veterans looks as fresh as the day they arrived home. On t.v. there are images of old men embracing and remembering the pain they witnessed together as if it were yesterday, comforting each other as only another veteran can.

These images reminded me of some relationships that I have. While I have never experienced anything even remotely close to what the men in the trenches had to endure, I too have some war buddies that are able to comfort me.

Some of my upbringing was done in a cold and dangerous place, for me it was an emotional and spiritual war zone. The people who lived through this with me held my hand, comforted me and defended my life by risking their own. When someone does something like that for you, you never forget whether it be 2 years or 60 years later. There is an incredible trust that is created and an instant level of intemacy that is supernatural. Knowing someone would lay down their life for you (and you for them) brings a sense of love that isn't found in everyday living.

Right from the begininng of my life, I have lived in dangerous places and known friendships like this. I have known deep love that many people live a lifetime without experiencing. These are my loyal war-buddies with whom I had an instant yet ever-lasting connection of loyalty and intimacy. It doesn't matter if I see them everyday or every ten years, those feelings never go away because they were tested by fire and all the facades were burned away.

I have held every relationship I've had since my childhood up to this standard. Its like the movie "The Fourth of July" where war veterans return home and they don't fit anymore. People want to talk about apple pie and bingo. How does someone who has looked at the mysteries of death, life, honor, betrayal, loyalty, and courage just forget about it and talk about menial things? That is how I felt after moving to Winnipeg. In this culture, kids talked about soccer and name brands and how you do your hair. I wanted to talk about why they were so afraid they might not fit in and how do we deal with fear, which is something I understood. I didn't fit in, so I sought out other "war veterans".

I looked for friendship with people who had been wounded, who knew rejection and sorrow so I could find a connection that went beyond the color of my shoes. I craved meaningful conversation and intimacy of the soul. I found it in people who had survived their own wars. Even if the war had not been my own, the shared experience of sorrow was enough to make a safe place for us to talk. Any friendship that was offered to me that was less than this, was of no interest to me. How could I relate to apple pie when I had seen bleeding and dying souls?

I've approached all relationships like this, I go after the person's heart the first time we meet to see if the possibility for connection is there or not. I cannot imagine how many hundreds of people I have made terribly uncomfortable since moving to Winnipeg 17 years ago. I have no respect for small talk and I want to get to the heart of the matter, and the sooner the better. If the person I've met can't go there, then I label them "unsafe" and leave them be.

As I mature in my understanding of the world, I see that this is not right. There is a place for friendships that don't fall into the category of lifelong, intimate relationship. This friendship (or the person offering it) shouldn't be dismissed simply because I don't really get it. Maybe there is a place for talking about apple pie recipes, and maybe someday I will need a place for that too.

So I will continue to thank God for all my war-buddies that make me feel safe and loved whenever I need them. AND I will pray for grace to love those who have never known brokeness and want to sit and talk about apple pie. By the grace of God, I will work on my small talk skills and try to keep them from feeling as uncomfortable in my world as I do in theirs.

*WARNING* The contents of this post were written at 3:37 am...may not make any sense at all to some people*

Gotta Get Me A Clonin' Machine...

Good things are happening in my life. Lots of good stuff with my kids busy lives. Trying to look at prayer life a little more intensely, spending more time praying etc. Trying to help out family more while they adjust to life with new baby. Trying to spend more time with friends, and be open to the idea of community. And then my job...

Whoa! My job is rock-a-doodle. Its the best job I've ever had, things are moving along and advancing. I love what I'm doing and the job is always expanding. Its always new and never boring. It is expanding in so many directions, I have to prioritize daily as I can not complete everything.

New job developments:
1. my research was recognized by the big kahuna at board office and is now going to be made into a publication for the board of trustees to approve.
2. as my position is more and more well-known, my presence is being requested by outside schools to be apart of their projects
3. met someone at a workshop who thinks I have the coolest job in the world and wants to do it herself in another division
4. people I worked for in the past called and asked if I'd like to do some consulting for them on the side of the job I have now...very cool job, probably decent money but WHEN???

My sister say:
Hire a secretary to do work on my other job while I do consulting stuff so I can do both jobs!

I say:
Get me a clonin' machine then I can do both jobs, and I don't have to pay a personal secretary.

Her idea may have more merit in the realm of REALITY than mine, but I've never been a big fan of reality...too many rules and limits!

Its a boy!!!

Last night my brother and sister-in-law welcomed another boy into their family.
Joining older sister Brooke Rae, and brother Conlan Pierce and Cael Tor is....

Zane Gareth Buhler was born at 2:40 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2005.
He weighed in at 10 lbs 12 oz!!!
Baby is doing fine and the mommy is REALLY tired!

Yay!!! Another nephew to hug and cuddle!

Making A Connection...

Yesterday I made a connection that I hadn't thought of previously. I was really impacted the other night by listening to women talk about the Olympic experience. I've always liked watching the Olympics, I get all weepy when they play the Canadian anthem. I'm proud of the athletes who represent us, and look in the crowds for the maple leaf.

The women talked about life in the Olympic village. The Canadians having an immediate sense of connection and commeraderie. The athletes weren't just a part of the rowing team or swimming team, they were all apart of the Canadian team. For a couple weeks, they represented more than their sport, they represented an entire country. Different teams would come out to events to cheer each other on because they were all apart of a bigger picture.
The cyclists didn't win a cyclist gold medal, they won a Canadian gold medal. When CBC tallied the medals, they looked at what was won for Canada and added up all the different sports together.

Here's my point...

Shouldn't that be life as a Christian? As a person who loves Jesus, who has given myself over to a lifetime of dedication and training I am a representative of something bigger. I don't represent just the place where I train (attend church). I am not just representing the Vineyard when I go out everyday, I'm representing heaven. All the saints "at home" are watching and cheering me on while I'm away at the games. They see the bigger picture and they are cheering for everyone who represents them...no matter what sport they are competing in/what church they attend.

Heaven isn't looking at a gold medal in being a Catholic, or a silver medal in being a Lutheran. They only tally up all the wins as wins for Heaven. There is celebration over every win no matter what team they were from.

I think how amazing it would be if the church in Winnipeg were like an Olympic village. What if any event where heaven was competing was attended by ALL those who represent heaven just so we could cheer each other on. When the Anglicans had an event, all the Catholics, Lutherans, Mennonites, and every other denomination of Christian showed up to cheer them on.
What if we just cheered because we're all on the side of heaven.

The Olympics would be ridiculous if the rowers decided the swimmers should start training like them if they wanted their support at the swimming event. First of all, they use different muscles in their events so it would take away from the swimmers performance. It doesn't make sense. The athletes had to cheer each other on, just because they were on the same side even if they had no idea how to do the event they were cheering for.

What if the churches go ahold of that idea? What if we understood that we are on the same side, and its okay if we don't train the same way? What if we could just cheer for our friends without trying to make them look a little more like us? What if our focus for just a few weeks, was to focus on our common goal...to make Heaven proud in whatever event we have trained for. We know the saints at home are watching so let's do all we can to help each other make them proud.

I want to have the olympic spirit in my christian life. No matter what church I'm in, I'm not going to look for the differences between what they do and how we do it. I'm going to look at their successes and the ways that they are making heaven celebrate.
Whenever I hear an anthem of heaven sung, no matter who is singing it, I'll celebrate that victory because its mine.

An Evening of Inspiration...

The other night I had the priviledge of listening to 5 women talk about their experiences in the world of elite sport. It was an event sponsored by CAAWS (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport). It was for people who work in the area of promotion of sport and physical activity for girls and women. I was lucky enough to be in that category because of my job.

It began with 2 athletes who competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. It was inspiring to hear their stories. They both grew up in an era where sport was NOT done by proper girls. They spoke about their fight to follow their heart, and compete with the boys (as most girls didn't run) without becoming one.
They spoke about the struggle as little girls who loved to run, and compete while still wanting to fit in and be "normal".
They fought against the double standard in sport between boys and girls, and what that did to them and how the fight against it changed them. Eg. No money given to girl's sports so girl's teams got the old hand-me down basketball jerseys from the boys the year before. Besides sport clothing companies didn't even MAKE jerseys for girls yet.

It made me feel so blessed to grow up in the time when I did, when so many options were available to me because of women like this who wouldn't take "no" for answer. I have had many positive experiences and special opportunities in my life due to sport. I am very appreciative of the women who came before me.

One of the athletes was about 10 years older than me. She spoke about the competitiveness in elite sport and how important it is to keep sportsmanship as a higher goal than winning. She also spoke about overcoming many difficult obstacles that would make most people turn and run. Sometimes when you dig in and refuse to give up, in that moment of pain you can find a part of yourself you never knew existed.

The last two athletes were the same age as I am. One story I really loved because she achieved her dream when she was past her "prime" (21). Her dream was to go to the Olypmics. Everyone told her she was too old, her body wasn't right, and they reminded her of her failure--she had never done it before, why did she think she could do it now? After years of trying to qualify and not succeeding, she kept training harder and going back to try again. She showed the qualifying trial tape from CBC, the commentators didn't even consider her a contender. They didn't even have her in any warm up shots. She gave it her all and she came in first place, the commentator was dumbfounded. Not only did she make it to the Olympics, she went twice!

The final story made me cry. It was a young athlete who had trained hard as a cyclist for years. Her goal was to make it to the Olympics, and she was winning races at events in Canada, Pan-American Games, Commonwealth Games, and the World events. She was getting ever closer to her goal when she started to notice a pain in her left leg. The pain was then followed by numbness. The doctors couldn't figure it out, so they eventually turned to doctors in Europe who diagnosed a rare condition never seen in Canada before which required corrective surgery. Her goal of training for the Olympics went out the window. But she had the most amazing attitude, and has since begun to train in Cross country skiing. I cried when I heard her story, not because she missed the Olympics but because the older women honored her as an Olympian anyway. They said she recognized it was about the journey and what you learn along the way, and not about the destination.

I was also inspired by their stories about the feeling of representing Canada. When they expressed their emotions of wearing the maple leaf, knowing Canada was watching, they wanted more than anything to make their fellow Canadians proud. It is like being an ambassador for Canada in front of the whole world and wanting everyone on the planet to know how much you love your country. One athlete said she felt like she was carrying the entire country on her back in the same moment that they entire country was carrying her, by cheering her on.

What an incredible experience. To feel so connected (even for a moment) to your country would be an amazing experience.

I am so blessed to have been invited, and I feel priveledged to have been in the company of such amazing female role models.
Plus, they had cheesecake!

Daily Mania...

For me, today was what the Spanish refer to as El-Boot Campo! Seriously, look it up in your Spanish-English Dictionary! Its there!

Still recovering from last night's glorious (but late) Olympic evening (which I will still blog about) I was awakened by two very cute little girls, very early in the morning.

7:00-7:30 am Wash, dress, and feed two cute little girls, do hair on cute curly heads.
7:30-8:00 am Work e-mails and voice messages answered on time-sensitive issues.
8:00-8:30 am On-line banking, phone calls to doctor, pharmacy, and boss while dressing kids in
boots and jackets, and preparing snacks and drinks for pre-school backpacks.
8:30-9:00 am While driving kids to Grandma's house, answered some work phone calls on work
cell---both dangerous and irresponsible---but highly effecient.
9:00-9:30 am Drive to a workshop on Aboriginal Women and Girls in the area of Physical
Activity while planning another youth program on the phone. Multi-tasking!
9:30-12:30 pm Workshop - (listening, engaging and jotting down ideas for new programs)
12:30-1:00 pm Drive back to Grandma's to pick up kid, while working out some financial
details regarding my job. Again on cell phone, while driving...BADDD!!!!
1:00-2:00 pm Take child, do shopping for household needs, and plan some fund-raising for
pre-school.
2:00-2:30 pm Tidy kitchen, and put away freshly baked cookies, phone call to doctor again.
2:30-3:00 pm Pick up other kid from pre-school, take them home.
3:00-4:00 pm Plop children in front of t.v. with semi-healthy snack while I work on work stuff
that needs to get done this week. Pack up swimming gear.
4:10 pm Try to go the bathroom with a three year old knocking on the door asking what I am
doing in there.
4:15-5:15 pm Take kids to swimming lessons, undress, shower them, go to class, shower, wash
and re-dress them, explaining all the while why curly hair NEEDS conditioner.
5:15-7:00 pm Feed children and husband while grocery shopping and filling out a pharmacy
prescription and setting up a flew shot appointment for tomorrow.
7:00-7:14 pm Help kids into pjs, brush teeth and toss them into bed. Sing lullaby while changing
from work clothes into work-out clothes and running shoes.
7:15-7:30pm Drive like a maniac to triathlon training-no cell phone-driving dangerous enough.
7:30-8:00 pm Cycling training
8:00-8:45 pm Strength training, balance and weights.
8:45-9:00pm Change into swimming suit while thinking about tomorrow's supper menu.
9:00-9:30 pm Swim 800m doing various drills planned by coach.
9:30-9:45 pm Hot tub! Ahhhhh!
10:00-10:30 pm Finish up day with a bit more work and blogging.

Hopefully this mania will not continue, tomorrow I plan to do nothing at all. Except maybe take my kids to pre-school, take one kid for a flu shot, clean my kitchen, run 5 km, put in at least 3 hours paperwork for my job, plan Friday's lunch meeting, return 2 important phone calls, stop in at the bank to see our loan person, return the library books, go to a network meeting, do a load of laundry, make supper and then go to my volleyball practise.

Hee hee hee
I gotta another doozie lined up tomorrow.

May God bless all the other multi-tasking mothers out there! May He give you Daily Manna for your Daily Mania!!!

Oh My!!!

I just got home from an incredible experience which I am not yet ready to blog about because
A) I am tired
B) I haven't completely processed it all yet.

The short of it:
I just spent 8 hours today listening to 5 Female Olympic Athletes tell their stories.
They talked about the journey of character building, overcoming obstacles (some of which were incredible) and how it shaped them as women.

They had all been through excruciating pain, and exhausting training, and discrimination.
They all found a drive inside them to push through and achieve their dreams.
They all represented Canada at the Olympic games, and they all live in Winnipeg.

What an incredible night!!!