Okay, so it's a Stock Photo

Dressed up in countless shades of red, orange and yellow, Ontario really is the most beautiful in the fall. As a bonus, it has been remarkably warm and sunny and we have ventured outside in t-shirts to soak in the full autumn expereince.

Our time here has been good on a number of levels. It has been refreshing to visit with family and friends. We have been very busy, but we would not have it any other way. With all of our meetings, and all but one speaking engagement completed, we can honestly say our time spent here was very much worth it.

BC beckons and we will be home soon. Just in time to move out of our apartment, be a part of a young adults event and then take off for Europe. We are living out of a suitcase and loving it!

Thankful for Friends

With the Thanksgiving long weekend behind us we just want to say how thankful we are for friends. Couple that with a beautiful beach in Oregon and you have a lot to be grateful for. Together we braved the rain, explored tide pools, made our first attempts at cooking a turkey and laughed a lot! For the record we are expert turkey makers.

This past weekend was made of those great moments that will make you smile as you think about it even when alone. A ticking clock certainly has caused us to cherish these moments, but we have to say that our friends are invaluable to us. So to you our friends we tip our hats!

Here's to you Nana!

Tuesday was a mixed day for us. We bounced between laughter and crying as we buried Amber’s Nana, Gladys Smith, who passed away last Friday after bravely battling cancer. A touch of Shakespearean pathetic fallacy was in the air as the skies seemed unable to decide between rainy or sunny.

For Amber, and the family, Gladys’ final two weeks on earth were rich in reminiscing and jokes. Nana was too funny of a person for them not to be. Nana’s clearest moments came when she prayed and we believe her anticipation and understanding of heaven was growing daily.

For Matthew there was great beauty in Nana’s passing. Matthew was the last person to see Gladys alive and the image of her was remarkable. She was lying in bed. The floor of her bedroom was covered in countless black and white photographs that had captured moments from her younger years. Downstairs the majority of her family was sharing a meal together and the sounds of their talking and laughing was drifting upstairs. Her past and present were all around her.

Death comes without pretense and compels people to confront their most basic convictions. We believe that Gladys’ greatest achievement is her family and the spiritual heritage she made for them and us. We believe that there is something quietly powerful found within the bond of family. We believe, especially in the wake of death, that home is heaven.

Gladys Smith – a daughter to strong Russian parents – a proud prairie girl – a cheerleader for the Pentecostal church – a connoisseur of all things halibut, “red drink” and coffee mugs – a devoted mother – a loving grandmother – a powerhouse of a great grandmother.

A Scented Afterthought

Following our last post, we were driving through the Fraser Valley out to Chilliwack and the ripe smells of freshly fertilized fields had filled the air. We guess that distinct smell will remind us of home even when we do not want it to!

Smells Like a Memory

The power of smell is undeniable. We quickly, and subconsciously, associate memories with a smell. For example, in our ongoing drama de car, we have now linked the smell of gasoline with trouble. The trouble being a hole in the gas tank resulting in our car transforming into a portable gas bath! Though all patched up, the smell of octane still wafts through Aunty Pearl and we laugh as we are the only people driving with our windows down in the rain!

Who cannot help but feel the warm glow of Christmas when they smell cinnamon (even if it does come from a Glade plug-in)? We build scented connections not only to events, but places and people as well; the energizing earthiness of the Redwoods, the salty bite of the Atlantic, the industrial fortitude of Petrolia (if you’ve been there, you know), the youth that seems to evaporate from a babies head or the distinct fragrance worn by a friend. It seems that each new smell is a memory waiting to happen.

With less than four months to go, we’ve been trying to soak in our surroundings – to stop and really appreciate what is around us. While walking at Crescent Beach we smell the drying seaweed exposed by the low tide. On Granville Island the flower market is smelled long before it is seen. In Langley wafts of warm bread grab our attention from the nearby bakery. Our memories of Canada are going to smell terrific!

We can only imagine while living in Slovakia what smells might bring our minds back to these places providing momentary times of reminiscing. In some way it is comforting to know that we will take part of this home with us, and in others it is so very exciting to know that there is a whole new country just waiting to be smelled…you know what we mean!

HUMOUR: Never What You Expect it to Be

Recently, while out with some friends celebrating a birthday, I came to the realization that I really like laughing. For those who have spent any amount of time with me, the realization that I laugh at myself (or the things I do or do not do) is soon to follow. I believe the saying goes, “he who learns to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused”. I’m set for life.

So I decided to write about how life is laced with humour. And so the comedy begins…

Along with our recent nuptials we decided to try and balance having two cars as our schedules have formally staged a revolt against coordinating. This decision was followed by the catalytic converter in one car falling apart (literally) leaving our little “Snow ball” in bad shape. With that fixed (with some unexpected help from friends) we moved forward, only to have our better car totalled while we were away on our honeymoon.

After some insurance dealings, we introduced the world to “Aunty Pearl” – and we must say rosy, warm feelings percolated in our hearts as we basked in the glow of transportation stability; until this past Saturday when a car braked suddenly and I had to swerve to avoid a painful introduction to the driver in front of me. Upon hitting the curb, the smell of burning rubber filled the air and I noticed that I was leaning to the right. The car that had so quickly stopped was gone, and I was left on the side of the road with two flat tires on the passenger side.

Fortunately we had gotten CAA memberships four days earlier. I could have hugged the driver, were it not for his burly demeanour, and the fact that I recognized him from the last time I locked my keys in my car and required help… Alas, Aunty Pearl was whisked off to Langley where she is currently under the knife.

This is the point where I wish the story ended. At 6:48am PST this morning, I was driving down the highway and having a little conversation with God expressing my frustration with cars and finances, especially in light of our “just married” status. For some reason I felt as though listening to the song “Great is Thy Faithfulness” would be soothing. I had come to my exit and slowed to merge into traffic at the end of the off ramp and was feeling revitalized as the words “all I have needed thy hand hath provided” danced out of my speakers – BANG. Enter Mr.J.M. of Vancouver who had made his presence known by acquainting his mini-van with Snowball’s back bumper. I was not even mad. I simply pulled over, looked up and said to God “we are so going to talk about this later, but right now I have to go exchange insurance information”.

Funny, isn’t it?

Huzzah for Aunty Pearl

In the search for our next mode of transportation we made a list of "must have's". After much searching, talking to friends and asking God for help, it is our joy to intorduce "Aunty Pearl". She meets all of our requirements and even has a pink, leopard print faceplate on the CD player. What more could we want?

Absolutely nothing.