Strong Enough by Matthew West

I just came across this song on Praise 106.5, and I love the words.

It includes Philippians 4;13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," one of my all time favourite verses.

Flowers

I'm having a happy day today, and what better way to celebrate than with flowers? My summer flowers aren't doing so well anymore, but some of the crocuses and tulips from last spring were beautiful.


I like the contrast between the flower and the drain.

I must be Dutch because I always love the tulips.

So, How's it Going?

Well, it's the day before Labour Day, and I thought I'd do a quick update (yes, it's been 8 months. Sorry). In April I successfully completed the first year of my Master's degree in Applied Linguistics and Exegesis. That year was on linguistics. In April, Matthias joined us in Langley, and in June I started work as a TA (Teaching Assistant -- like all fields, mine has lots of acronyms). It was very fun to work and earn a paycheck, and I had a great summer. After the summer session was over, we enjoyed a visit with Dad and MaryAnna, culminating in Kristine and Dan's wedding (yay! see picture below). The next week we visited the kids' Daddy and Grandma in Creston, stopping at Kelowna on the way to visit with my aunts and uncles. I really enjoyed catching up with my friends Karon and Cait in Creston. Visiting with 5 uncles and aunts at once in Kelowna on the way home was an awesome treat!

This month, I get to start Greek! The exegesis (Bible interpretation) part of my degree starts, so I'm taking Greek and Biblical Hermeneutics. I'll also be TA'ing Syntax and Semantics (that's kind of like Grammar, woo-hoo!). Carrie Ann will be starting full time kindergarten -- she is so excited about that! (About as excited as I am about Greek!) Bethany is looking forward to Grade four, and Matthias is going to do well in Grade five at Langley Christian School.

In August I also reconnected with an old friend from Calvin named Tony. It's been fun chatting on the phone with him and getting to know each other again. Lots of laughter.

And in the bad news, I need a crown on my tooth... but wow, that's a lot to be thankful for compared to one little crown! God is faithful and full of grace.

Fun at Fort Langley

We had fun at Fort Langley with Auntie Kathleen. The girls were so happy about the facepaint! We hadn't brought our cameras, so a kind stranger took the picture and emailed it to us.

We also got to try some bannock, pet the bunnies, feed the goat, watch the muskets being fired, and guess what? I was really good at the game of translating native place names into English ones. Who would have thought?

People are Awesome!

People are so awesome! But some people are so awful to other people. Just an observation.
At Aldergrove SDA they had some awesome pictures in the powerpoint for "How Great are You Lord." The first one is the closest I've seen yet to how I picture Jesus when I'm praying or worshiping:

The second is how I picture Jesus when he lived on earth -- again, one of the closest I've seen.
and of course I love the names of God in all languages in the background!
My apologies to whosever the pictures are -- if they are yours, let me know and I'll give credit.
Finally, a picture of Matthias and Frank opening Christmas presents at Grandma's house. (Thanks to Grandma for the pictures!)

Carrie Ann was watching Veggie Tales lately, and they used the word "Hunky." She asked what that meant, and I explained it as "Good to look at." So now, whenever she likes how I look, she says, "Mommy, you're Funky! That means, good to look at!"

Carrie Ann's birthday

Pictures from Carrie Ann's fourth birthday! Her new best friend Riley was there, but I didn't ask if I could post pictures of her... However, it was very fun to have Aria, Nana, and lots of aunties there!
Opening Presents

With Bethany and Nana

With Aria

Reading a story with Kristine

Showing off barrettes

The Tale of the Shy Princess

One of Bethany's first books. I made it into a pdf -- hopefully this will work. Ideally, you should see two pages beside eachother, with the picture on the right and the text on the left.
The Tale of the Shy Princess