Christmas...

One-year already?

It's approaching our first year anniversary!  My, how time flies!

Last year at this time, we were getting our last minute details of the wedding in order - picking up dresses, getting our bed delivered and assembled, dinner reception details finalized and seating confirmed...it was fun, but it was a lot of work...all well worth it!  God really blessed us with perfect weather on the day...I can't see how the weather could have been better!

Lots happened this past year (this is just to name a few of the big ticket items):

• learned how to integrate as a couple at NCAC (for Keith, going to NCAC regularly)
• went on a few vacations with various destinations (Fallingwater, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida; Western Caribbean cruise destinations; Vancouver, B.C.; San Francisco, California; Niagara Falls, Ontario)
• settled in our condo and purchased new furniture
• learned (still learning) how to be a married couple
• learned (still learning) how to balance our time between family, church, work, and friends

Here's a few photos from our Jack n' Jill (September 10, 2005):

Life is short...

...if I live my life once over again, I'd be my parents' current age.  Live my life twice over I'd almost be my grandmother's age (God willing).  Then there are those who live "shortened lives" (according to the average life expectancy of North Americans). 

It is of utmost importance to live each day to it's fullest since our time on earth is limited.  

We are all here for a purpose...God carefully created us to be who we are, with our strengths and weaknesses, to care for and live in His earth.  It's interesting that each person is given various talents and gifts (eg. some are more artistically inclined, some are more literal, some work better with numbers etc.) and each person responds to the brokenness of this world differently (eg. some people have a heart for the impoverished, some people aid the sick, some have a passion to help the elderly etc.).

It's amazing how God has lovingly crafted each of us and through Christ we are forgiven of our wrongs.

We are God's children and we have been given gifts, opportunities for education and training, passions/desires, and the Holy Spirit .  Life is short and the perfect world (and perfect people) we've been entrusted to care for has long fallen short of perfection. 

Where will you invest your limited time and efforts?  And will you let God work through you?

Currently Reading Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths By Alister E. McGrath see related

Going sloooowly...

I wish I'm already on this book, that would mean my work is actually progressing...

Currently Reading Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today By John G. Stackhouse see related

We're back!

Hi all,

We've returned from our long anticipated and well needed vacation to the west coast.  We were gone for just under 2 weeks.  Spent one week in Vancouver and the residual of the vacation was spent in San Francisco with Nancy and Aaron (wave, hi Nance, I know you're reading my blogs now!) 

<I'll post pictures of our trip shortly>

Overall the trip was lots of fun, but chilly.  It averaged about 13-15C in the evenings.  It felt especially cold in SF with the breeze from the Pacific Ocean.

What did we do while we were away, you might ask...

Vancouver:  Keith and I did a course at Regent (Apologetics in a Postmodern World with Alister McGrath).  Prof. McGrath is an excellent speaker and presented his course in a clear and concise way.  The course was very inspiring (but now it's time to do the school work - my readings, a book report, term paper, and exam due in less than a month!  Yikes!  ).  We also spent some time with Keith's extended family - it was good times!  We also did a lot of shopping..hehehe...

San Francisco:  It was fun traveling with Aaron and Nance.  We look forward to taking future trips together!  SF was more of our "real vacation".  Vancouver was a time of learning, relaxation, and some down time after a busy few months at work.  We did all the touristy things in SF - Alcatraz tour, city tour, eating seafood and drinking chowder everyday, rode the cable car more than once, shopped at the souvenir stores, took pictures of almost everything - how much more touristy can you get?

It's good to be back...I missed home.  I look forward to our next trip - we have a short trip to NYC in October for a friend's wedding and we hope to go on a cruise in January/February again, this time with friends.