September certainly is a busy month. It’s only the 10th and already lots of things are set in motion. My vacation last week was good. I didn’t end up doing anything out of the ordinary but I did get to visit my parents and my good friend, Christine. I also had some ‘extra’ time to figure things out like what my schedule would look like and what I want to accomplish this year. I have a feeling it will be a VERY interesting one!
Let’s see… what to tell people? Well, we moved… have I mentioned that already? There are now four of us living in the house I lived in when I first moved to Hamilton. It’s going really well. We are enjoying sharing rooms and we are eating some seriously amazing food. Yesterday I ate corn on the cob for the first time ever, and I loved it. Today I made spaghetti sauce from scratch and Gloria (the newest addition to our home) made a delicious squash recipe. We are domestic queens!
Last weekend Esther, Gloria and I went to Locke Street Festival. Locke Street is this adorable street downtown that has neat shops (and a plethora of churches apparently). The street festival was cool because there were booths set up selling things and showcasing different parts of that community. We met up with my friend Sanda and just explored the street. We hit up some great shops (I didn’t buy anything though… I’m trying to be good with my money, but it’s hard). We also met this very nice, and fairly cute, guy who was selling organic vegetables from his front yard. They were grown at a farm not too far away. He works there but lives on Locke Street in a gorgeous looking house. I had a little crush… so we bought some corn from him (which, as already mentioned, was delicious).
Sunday I went to Toronto to visit my good friend, Christine. She is so wonderful and I love her so much. I also love her fiancé so was excited to go to church with both of them on Sunday. Their church seems neat… there is quite the diversity in age groups which I think is really healthy. They also seem to have some great friends and supports there which made me smile. I met a 10-year-old girl and chatted with her for a long while. We kind of bonded and she told me all sorts of interesting things. It was great. I enjoy that everywhere I go I meet children who want to be my friend.
I don’t think I’ve ever realized how busy September is. Generally it takes a while for things at the church to get up and running so the first couple weeks of the month seem slow. We’ve started two of our after-school programs this week but won’t start the other programs until next week or later. One of my wonderful friends here is traveling to Afghanistan for a week… he leaves on Friday. I think he is crazy but I am impressed by his faith that God will keep him safe (in the middle of a freaking war-zone I may add). I think our house may check out the Hamilton art crawl on Friday night. Saturday there is a block party in our new neighbourhood. Next weekend there is a big artist’s market downtown and the weekend after that is apple festival. Lots to do, lots to do!
I am enjoying being back at work. I love the idea of working part-time, and so far it’s going well. I know I will need to be careful once things get started that I actually stick to the part-time hours but I am excited for the various other things I can be involved in. I am planning to volunteer at the school two mornings a week and spend time developing a taste for coffee or other warm beverages through countless coffee dates with friends. If I’m honest, I do feel a bit guilty. Everyone tells me I should be working full-time; I should be making (and saving) lots of money. I am convinced, however, that there are things that are more important than money that God wants me to be involved in. I hope that I prioritize those things this year.
That’s pretty much life right now. Oh, I’m reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and loving it. I never used to like her (or I think I read one book by her in high school and decided I didn’t like her) but this book is really well-written and interesting. That is all for now…
September 10, 2008 at 7:32 pm
You ate corn on the cob! That’s amazing! How was it? It wasn’t that difficult, eh?
Let me know how the spaghetti sauce tasted with my very special home-grown tomato in it
I bet it made all the difference 
I had a sandwich at lunch today with just hummus, cheese and tomato and OHMYGOODNESS it was so good!
Right now I’m making banana bread. I’m excited! I hope it turns out. I had to buy flour for the recipe (I ran out) and while I was in the baking aisle I picked up an aluminum (disposable) “cake pan”. So, we’ll have to see how my square loaf of bread turns out! I’m sure it’ll be better than having recreated the wide tin-foil shallow pan, however, maybe some biscotti-thickness banana bread isn’t that bad an idea!
I’m so glad you visited, too, Trace. I’m glad you liked my church and bonded with Olivia
Haha. It was pretty awesome, seeing you interact with her. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is naturally good with children and Tracy? You have a GIFT my friend. Above and BEYOND. The skill! It was truly impressive. Asking about school? GENIUS! I will have to remember that the next time I try to relate to a child…haha. Seriously, though. I forget, sometimes, that school is a huge part of their lives.
Regarding your excitement over part-time hours: ROCK ON, sister. I am honestly a wee bit jealous. I yearn for more time to invest in outside activities. It sounds strange, but I’m seriously considering how I could maneuver less hours/less money, etc. The amazing thing about life, Trace, is that God gives it to us as a gift to use for His glory. Work should be something that ENABLES this, not hinders it. If you make enough money working part-time to live, then use the rest of those hours to do those other things. I’m thinking of what else I want to do, either with the church, or with schooling (not for a while, but it’s in the back of my mind), or with volunteering, and I know I can’t do them all with a full-time job. It’s difficult, discerning what God wants us to do, but I believe that if we ask and come to Him, He’ll show us. Day by day.
Anyway, it was good reading your blog. I’ve subscribed to the RSS feed so I got notified of it today when you posted
love you!